making Something new...

Much of what we do and say is not new, as much as we may think. Anything wonderful thing you may read on this or any other blog is just a rearrangement. Of words, thoughts, and a bit of perspective. Very little is new...until now.

Just spent a half hour with Ryan, my new BFF after having my email stop today. He had me download a new program and as I left my mouse alone, he ran everything on my computer. No more having to write down and repeat when talking to a CSR, just sit back and enjoy the ride. After not being able to fix my issue, he converted us over to a new system. In no time, a new account was created and I was up and running but Ryan didn't stop there. He helped us set up our iPads and he even copied my Contact list to the new address. Customer service isn't new. We have all been on both sides of CS and have horror and wonderful Stories we could tell. With Ryan, I experienced both, the new and the not so new and I loved every moment of it. Life is good especially when you appreciate what it takes to do both...

the here and now...

We have the good fortune of having a almost 12 year old that still likes to hang out with us. Maybe it is the music, maybe it is the food - both of which, are constant. The three of us have much in common. There is a streak of artist in a couple different mediums, some of which we share and some that just seem to overlap.

We cruised the Mall, hit the Apple Store and got more to eat. Movies and ice cream afterward, more music on the way home. I looked back just before we got home and one of us was gone. He was completely gone, still with his earphones on. He got his second wind when we got home and for a bit longer, we hung out and finished the evening playing Yahtzee on the iPad.

The next morning, he agreed to a quick photo shoot. He needed a bit of encouragement to smile but when he did, the smile turned to silliness which I will take any day. The brooding of teenhood has started and these photos will help him to see when he gets through it, that is wasn't all bad. If one can remember to laugh, at any age, that is more than half the battle. We spent more than our fair share laughing while he was with us. Thanks bud, we had a blast...

the tale of 2 poppas...

These two could not be more dissimilar. One loves sports, the other, not so much. One loves art, the other, less than not so much. They have spent holidays together for the last 15 years and have learned how to get along. In Real Life, they would not spend one minute together but...


They are both Steve.
They have both been in the military.
They both love their country,
and John Wayne.
They both have iPads.
Most importantly, they both
adore their grandchildren.
Adore may not be a strong enough word,
they would give up everything for them.

Sometimes there are Things bigger than us. We put aside who we are for the Greater Good. Manly men behaving well, is there anything more wonderful?

We will never, ever forget...

feet...

Maybe, you have cute toes. Maybe, you love your feet. Most of us just use them and don't give them much thought until Something hurts. DH has had an issue with his big toe for quite a while. Even went to the doc and the doc said, the nail will fall off and a new one will grow in. Did the same thing to mine a couple of weeks ago. and the mail has still not come off and it is killing him. Lost of focus on the feet in his world, right now.

For the rest of us, we will continue to give our feet, little thought. We girls might be thinking about a pedicure because it is almost summer, somewhere and the flip flops are high on our priority list but after those few minutes, we will rejoin our fellow man in the Big Race of life.

It has been said that people are the feet of Jesus. What does that look like? I usually think of the church as fighting to be the face of Jesus or the brain of Jesus. Feet, by their very location, come last or are at the bottom. They are not glamorous and to add insult to injury, there are two of them. The thing is, the rest of the body can't move very well without them. They are the backbone of making a move. They are the wings beneath our, well, you know. They are the bread and butter of our bodies. We would all do well to remember that...

reminders...

We saw lots of different kinds of people on Sunday. Very few families. Mostly older men, followed by older women. There were also a few teens. While it was a diverse crowd, culturally - the majority were white. Not sure that is what the average homeless population is but for this area, it was.

This man in particular, caught my eye. He was one who elected to sit at the tables provided by the church. As I am processing all that I saw, it seems even more courageous that any one would sit at those tables. Everyone knows nothing is free. These people know the drill - trade a meal for having to listening to the Jesus talk. Imagine they can quote the Bible as well if not better than many church people. I imagine that the Story he might tell might be one of loss and choices. He was particularly striking to me because he looked like my dad, right down to the garbage bag.

My father was homeless for a time. It was a story of loss and choices. It is difficult to allow someone in your life to live this life but Sometimes, you don't have a choice. I did not have a choice, I had to pick the safety of my family first. We both made the choices we did because there was no other way. I would not change a thing, I can't speak for him. My experience with the homeless is of the alcohol kind. The ones who would choose booze over everything else. Is it a disease or a choice? If I put in context with my chocolate pudding obsession, I get it. Addiction is a mistress, no matter which one you choose. I make no judgement, everyone should be allowed to choose, but we each have to live with the consequences.

Still working my way through the day. I have a ton of photos and think I will make the kids a book to remember the day by. Today we sold my husband's motorcycle. I went to coffee with good friends. I went back to my normal life but everywhere I went, I took this man with me. I took my dad with me. Somedays are like that, reminders are everywhere. Somedays, you have to look back, if just for a while...

homeless...

Spent some time this week with DD's church family, serving spaghetti, drinks and personal hygiene kits to the homeless. Must admit, that my reasons for going were less than noble - I went to watch over my grandchildren. I have shot photos at this place. It has great graffiti but I must say, I have been very uncomfortable each time I go. Today, I got to learn a little more about my fellow life travelers and myself.

The homeless culture is much like most others. They are more comfortable eating at their own tables, they are mostly introverts. Few took their food to the tables that the church brought. When we came in to set up, you could feel the distrust of us invading their space. I get it. We would be gone in few hours but this is their home. As we came in to set up, we walked past their tables and I heard one older woman tell the others, I just got out of jail - five minutes ago. I just got here!

One of the first people who came in was a couple with a four month old baby. They got some food and some personal care products for the baby. Later on, someone saw her feeding her baby - bread and noodles. She didn't have formula. There was a quick offering taken and someone ran to the store and left the young couple was a couple hundred dollars worth of formula. It won't change their lives forever, but for today, it did.

Gage would ask later in the day, What happened to manners? Most people said thank you, some did not. The pop was a big hit, water not so much. Several asked for beer. One man looked at the water and pop, looked at us and said, Alcohol. I would later see him as we left for home, his head in his lap, in deep distress. As for the personal hygiene kits, most asked for Chapstick and sunscreen. A man asked for a job, anything, he said.

One thing I learned about this culture is if they don't value Something, they don't take it and are quite vocal about it. When you have to carry all your belongings, space becomes an issue. I think about all the things I have dragged home that I didn't need. It makes you think about what do you really need and what do you value?

A few hours after we got there, we were gone. We all went back to our homes and lives and the homeless people, did the same. Did we change each other in any way? Time will tell but maybe the lesson isn't about permanent change. Maybe it was about being in the Moment, sharing what we were able to put together with those whose network was connected on a different level. Funny, both camps started out a bit leery of each other and by the end, we had come to some level of understanding. While what we value may look completely different, how we do everyday life may be more similar that we think, after all - we are all God's children...

a Story for each of us...

I would like to think that every once in a while, we don't have to re-invent the wheel when it comes to learning. Doesn't it seem like some things should stick? Even if you look at it mathematically, the odds can't always be against us. There is Something to learn each day, but I have to think that we are able to carry some lessons into the next day, with us.

Ever have a bad day, or maybe in the middle of a pitty party? Life isn't looking like you imagined and quite frankly, you are just not in the mood... and then you are driving down the road and you see a funeral. A preacher, a family, friends, a casket. Like isn't looking like you imagined may be their theme too. Perspective is your instant companion. Still about you, that is just how we are, like it or not - you start to come out of the Me fog and if you have learned a few lessons, the Way becomes much clearer. Someday, in one form or another, that will be you and yours, at a funeral but today, it is their turn. What you need to see is what you do have, not what you don't have. You better stop whatever you are doing and give thanks for, this very minute.

Wish I had faith that it would only take one time but maybe we are just not wired that way. We need to be reminded, over and over again. Maybe that is ok. Maybe Someday when it is your turn at the funeral and you see someone off in the distance as you are standing there in utter disbelief that your turn has come, you will be able to remember and even in the midst of this unbelievable season of life, be thankful for what you had, for what was wonderful, even if for a brief time.

Life is short and it walks a fine line in seeing both directions at the same time. What was, what is but if we can live a life,steeped in gratitude, wouldn't that be something?

be very afraid...

Late last week, the same malware virus hit my computer, again. It was instant and my malware software would not solve my dilemma this time. After a couple of days of trying and realizing this one was over my head, I had to ask my wonderful SIL to bail me out once more and he, most graciously did. He always does, with no hint of anything but Love.

Gage might get his cheerful demeanor from me. When we get mad, it is all over. No inanimate thing is safe from our wrath. When it is all over but the shouting, and that can go on for a long time, we revert back to our fabulous selves. If I wasn't revealing this secret to you, no one would ever know.

Now that I am older, I see the Light a bit faster. One benefit of old age, I guess. There are times, there is Nothing you can do and you might as well not blow yourself up over things you have no control over. It is good to get all that bad stuff out that lingers inside and makes us crazy. Not just anger - thoughts, emotions and fears too.

Some of us, more than others, will always struggle and stuff down feelings that need to come to the top. They can't move on if they can't get out. I look at that face, and understand. Little Grasshopper will learn to control his anger, now his face may be a different matter...

closing...

The Sahara, where Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack played, closing.
After 23 years, America's Most Wanted is calling it quits.
At 85, Jerry Lewis is retiring from MD telethon. MSNBC

Quite the news this week. None of us like to see these kind of changes. Reminds us of our own, impeding closing, however this is our new cultural normal. Not unlike the Dinosaurs of Old, the time has come and it is going to continue at speeds we have never seen before. Not only because of age but of value.

I imagine we will see more and more closings, most with much less history than what we are seeing now. With more experience, we will become less emotional as our world changes our lives, not to mention, our memories. We will learn to stop on a dime and learn to rearrange our lives in a nano second.

We will more easily understand that nothing last forever. Someone at book club last night talked about some in their life who had passed at age 88 - she was one of those people you thought would live forever. Intellectually, we know better.

Just pick up a 10 year old Good Housekeeping magazine and see how many of the advertised products, no longer exist. Just found out that a friend got her first Kindle, and the news had announced the new 5 gadgets that are obsolete and yes, the kindle was on the list. Multi function tablets have made them so.

They say when God closes a door, he opens another. His ways are not our ways. The bitter truth is, we may not have Pop Tarts forever. Enjoy it while you can...

first...

Whether it comes naturally or not, Sometimes, you have to be first. You have to be the leader, the ball is yours. Like it or not, you are responsible.

We always encourage the kids individually and as a team.

Go Miss M!!! Go Koalas!!!!

It is not in her nature to fight for the ball and take it down for the goal but here she is and she is doing it. She would not be successful this day but great effort was given. You are first, no matter the outcome.

How often are we Big People guilty of not wanting to be first, because of fear of failure? Or, thinking that being first is for other people. While being first is not my favorite, I do believe that much like jury duty, we have to take our turn, and take it without thinking about the consequences. Because it is not right to always be lurkers or followers whether for fear or worse, laziness.

I am so proud of her. Her first soccer season. Nest is flag football. That is right, my girl is going Madden! She is much more content to be a cheerleader, shaking pom poms and encouraging her team but branching out and going first, will help her grow and flourish. While she is busy working on her first, I will gladly. take over her cheer leading duties...

never again...

A few months ago, on my way to see the kids, I am going down a back country road and as I whizz by, I see it. A horse and mule kissing. I kid you not. I did not stop. I knew I should but decided to move on. It was a mistake. Later on, I was kicking myself and vowed, never again.

Yesterday morning on the way to soccer, we passed this mailbox and I remembered, never again - made DH go back and get the shot. The deal is, if I see it and know it - I go back. No questions asked, consider it a done deal.

How might the landscape of my life change, if it was I incorporated this theology in other areas of my life? Or if the areas where this concept is alive and well, perhaps aren't as alive and well as I suppose? We all have black and white lines and in some ways, they do change over the years. Life changes and we must change with it. After a few years, one starts to see the validity of change. Never again may be a horse of a different color. It is more like a line that is drawn in the sand. Adds a new perspective, a new normal to one's life... All of that to say, I knew today - that we were turning around and we did. I listened and obeyed. Oh vey, if that was always the case...

looking for love in all the wrong places...

According to a story at LiveScience, a 16-year-old Canadian 11th grade student has discovered a possible treatment for cystic fibrosis. The treatment is a combination of two drugs which, in a computer simulation on the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network, did not interfere with each other while interacting with the defective protein responsible for the disorder. He has also tested the drug combination on living cells with results that 'exceeded his expectations.'" SlashDot.

Have seen the news about this kid and his work all weekend. How does this happen? What is he doing that the rest of those working on CF, aren't? Once again, the cure didn't come from where we imagined, it literally came, out of nowhere.

The old country song may have had it right after all. We tend to poo poo theories that seem to not have come through the proper channels. Look at all the medicines that have been recalled that went through the right channels and have found to be, fatally flawed? The point is we need to keep our eyes open, constantly searching the countryside and not fixed on just the road ahead.

Perhaps, we should stop having big telethons and start having bigger bake sales...

late night...

Jerry Seinfeld - Personal Archives maximum strength.

One of my most favorite things of life is last night comedy. Johnny Carson was my first Love, present day - I have a thing for David Letterman. There have been a few in between. Always men, always late at night.

There is just Something about the combination of humor, men and the cover of darkness that turns me into a happy girl. When the sports come on the news, I know I am only a few minutes away. A recap of the guesses of tomorrow's weather and I know it is time to get ready.

Not matter the day has brought, I know my boys are going to deliver. There is going to be current events and presidents to make fun of. Even if it has been a tragic day for our country, that darkness never enters the late night picture. True tragedies may be hinted at but this is no time for sadness. We have made it through the day, time to let our hair down.

The first 40 minutes are my favorite. Monologue, first and second guest. Music not so much, because no matter how much I love music, I can get that from iTunes, This is about laughter and music is no laughing matter. This gig could not be done by a woman with the possible exception of my favorite female comedian, Kathleen Madigan. This is a Place were the men can shine. Johnny Carson changed my life, Jay Leno makes me laugh when he is on the streets, David Letterman is a scholar and all the rest of the good old boys club, yearn to follow suit.

When JerrySeinfeld.com opened a week ago, I was over the moon. Now I get three random JR classics daily. I have never been happier. Like the songs says, I love the nighlife, I like to boogie - Thank you guys for all the Love. I am truly a better person for having you in my life and the joy you have brought me, ah...the joy. Dudes, Thank you from the bottom of my heart...

character...

But it wasn’t until the day after he died last Wednesday that I found the diary he began writing the day he lost his job.

Wednesday April 28th, 1971: “Received notice of lay off.”

Thursday April 29th, 1971: “Gave Gil Carmichael copy of resume, registered with Mississippi Employment Office.”

Friday April 30th, 1971: “Registered with Coats and Coats, gave Harry Lackey a copy of my resume, interviewed at IDS.”

And so his daily diary went for the next two years, highlighting every job lead, every interview, every rejection notice and every hopeful possibility. He looked for a good paying job for two years but ended up taking a job without a salary, hoping that he could somehow feed his family of five on a straight commission arrangement.

Dad’s final entry in that diary was simple. “.”

And he did. Over the next four decades, Dad worked without ceasing, raised three children, paid our way through college and supported us without fail time and time again. /Joe Scarborough, via Politico.

This was a great tribute piece to a great man. Did I know him? Never laid eyes on him. So. how do I know he was so wonderful? From the people who knew him best.

With the Lord’s help, I will do well

I am not talking about wanting to please people, this is about character. This is about what we do because it is right and noble. It is because we understand that whining or wishing, doesn't make it so and Sometimes, we just have to persevere and within that perseverance, are brave, courageous and resilient.

With the Lord’s help, I will do well

We all have troubles, and Somedays, it feels like we have more than our fair share. If one adopts Mr Scarborough's mission statement, it covers all troubles, not just the ones that seem fair. Admitting that you can't do it alone is a Big Step. It allows you to let go of all the things you would fix if you could but realizing that you can't. It also makes you aware that by doing so, you will do well. Who can argue with that?

My greatest sympathies go out to the Scarborough family. May your own legacy be inspired by your husband/dad/grandad. There can be no greater Love...

the Bears...

Have had this family of bears for over 30 years. They are a quite family, never any trouble and when I ask to take their picture, they are always accommodating. Their only request is not to take posed shots - I have agreed.

Every time I get my camera out, they are in the middle of Something. The momma bear has told me on occasion, that they are very serious about child rearing. Not only the bad but especially, the good. No internet access, or TV, they believe in lots of family time, whether it is about reading or just hanging out. They are a wonderful role model for families everywhere.

Being part of a family is fun, wonderful and crazy. Sometimes, when you put a few personality types together - fireworks happen, not in a good way. Part of learning to live the world has to do with the training you got, learning to live in a family.

It is not always about you.

Try it, you might just like it and if you don't, eat it anyway.

As much fun as it may seem, it would not be fun to be an only child.

You may not always get the time and attention you want, parents have to spread the Love around but they are trying. If they aren't, you have got bigger troubles that aren't going away soon, if ever. Pull your own weight, no matter how old you are and when the Love comes your way, be ready to accept it. You will be fine, just breathe...

whisperers...

They were so familiar with the space around them, you knew this was their niche. I think when the nine of us, trotted onto the scene, we scared them off. You can spot whisperers, but only after they are gone. We didn't even notice when they left.

They will, no doubt be back tomorrow, after we have gone back to our regular lives. We are only Sunday geese whisperers, they are the Real Deal.

We are each whisperers in our own right, whether we see it or not. Think about what comes so naturally, so effortlessly to you. Who are the ones who are drawn to you, who want to be around you...just because. Whispering isn't new. It wasn't invented by a movie, it has always been here - we are just aware, now.

Our whispering was loud. While we came in peace and with lots and lots of bread, the geese were attentive and hyper, fighting over each piece of bread. With the Real goose whisperers, I imagine it looks more like an elaborate dance, where there is no pushing and shoving because they know, there is always enough for everybody. That is the mark of a true whisperer. So, what does your whispers sound like?

measure...

When bin Laden was killed, a 6 foot Navy SEAL had to lie down next to the corpse to better estimate his height. Watching the scene on a live video feed in the White House Situation Room, President Obama quipped, We donated a 60 million dollar helicopter to this operation, referring to the modified stealth chopper destroyed in the mission. Could we not afford a tape measure?/The Daily

Think about what he is saying. Not just in the realm of capturing OBL although with some of the finest minds/teams working for months on the Geronimo Project, practicing every step, you might imagine that someone, would have come up with a scenario that would account for identifying OBL by height. It was about affording a tape measure as much as bringing such a small detail to the proverbial table.

So, take it up another notch - what in our lives are we feeding the 60 million dollar idea and forgetting the importance of the tape measure? Not enough guts and glory? Or are we just not capable of doing it all. Do we have someone on the team who knows, how to measure? Do we value the tape measure?

So many things did go wrong last weekend and many more, could have. They had one chance and Sometimes in life, that is all we have too. While President Obama's words made me laugh, they also, made me think and I do carry a tape measure in my purse. Take it up another level, my friends...

adore

Whether Mother's or Father's Day. Or your birthday, or graduation or any of the other days we celebrate with great gusto, the bottom line is that we love to be adored.

Sometimes, we don't fit into the Box of the Day and we feel left out. The Theme of the Day just doesn't work in our lives. Think of Valentine's Day for a single person or Mother's Day for the one who for a vary of reasons, never became a mother. Holidays bring as much grief as loss, if you are on the losing team. Everything is not for everybody

For those times, you need to do some creative thinking not just wait out the 24 hours until a new day dawns. We each can choose to give or accept, being adored in ways we never imagined. It may not look like what we expected and we can choose to turn our backs...but we can also say, I'll take it... and thank you.

And that, can make one, a smart cookie with a grateful heart and the ability to accept adoration when it comes her way...

Happy Mother's Day...

Yes, there are bacon roses. Something about them, just makes me smile. Can't help it.
Thank you Jef, I bacon you!

Someone on FB was encouraging us to change our profile photos to our moms, to thank them for all they do/did. For some, that may be possible. For some of us, not a chance. Not possible. The End.

All that said, there have been some spiritual break throughs in the mother department and quite uncomfortable at that. Where they will lead, I don't know but the fact that they keep coming up both frightens and intrigues me.

If you have a good or even great relationship with your mother or mother figure, enjoy it. Love her, miss her, call her, send her bacon roses. If you don't, look around and find someone you admire or long to be like. Mine is my girl. Mother to three, she is one who tries with everything she has. She is a fierce mother hen who is learning to grow and change as her kids do. Mother's Day for me, is being with her. She is my hero.

Hope your day is great no matter if you are/have/know a mother. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Grab what you can and hold on. It doesn't look like anything but what you want it too...

reading...

No matter how you do it,
whether you started one way,
and then, went another way.

The how is not important,
the why changes as you get older,
and the who's become the ones,
you chase after.

Whether Ramona or Harry,
Louis Lamour or Barbara Kingsolver.
history or romance,
it is always about the read.

Read for the sake of reading,
start with Nancy Drew and see the world through her eyes,
later, when you discover Sarah Vowell, it will all come together.

Whatever platform you use,
whoever you read,
read with all your heart,and your heart, will give back to you.
Tenfold...

America's Most Wanted...

They watched it, live. In Real Time. imagine having that technology. The president had given the order Friday morning before leaving to survey the tornado damage in the South. Saturday, he had the White House Correspondence dinner. All the while, they couldn't say or show any emotion. They didn't know how it would end. Hillary's face says it all. Kudos Team 6...oh, that's right, there is no Team 6.

Not sure we have all been on the same page for a long time, and still, there were a few dissenting voices but very few. For most, the visual of 911 came flooding back and any guilt at being joyful at a man's death, was forgotten.

This week's Time magazine was waiting in my mailbox this afternoon. I can truly said the world it was written in, was gone. The news concerning 911, the Obama reelection and most other topics, had been changed in an instant. It was a new day, a new world and with it new threats. My friend has a semi-grown child traveling abroad in less that two weeks, a reprisal attack is almost imminent. Think about it, OBL has had 10 years to put it together a plan, himself.

It brings me back (to 911) in an instant...Brian Williams to David Letterman. It doesn't take much for most of us, the images are engraved in our minds. Whatever your emotional commitment to 911 is, it is one you will never forget. Thought about OBl meeting Jesus today. Imagine what that looked like and realize it might have been completely different. His Ways are not our ways and however their time ended, justice was finally done...

possibilities...

You don't have to love Al Gore... or even like him or even more, believe him but look at the technology. Who better than the guy who invented the Internet to show the way? Although he is not one of my favorite people, I can appreciate the work.

If you are a bottom-line person, skip past and go on to 2:45. If you have the time, watch the whole TED presentation and learn - this is where we are headed. I am over the top excited at the possabilities that are coming our way and the ones who are all ready here.

I may be the least green person you know, but am considering buying this book. Imagine the things we have yet to discover, and truly hoping they will make us a better people. Can technology do that? Facebook is now using its power for good.

There are 77,000 people who have logged on to report finding photos, checks, bills - everything they find on their properties from the tornadoes that ravaged the South last week. Post after posts, with names trying to reunite people with treasures they have lost. People helping people, they don't even know. Mark Zuckerberg must be so proud. http://www.facebook.com/PicturesandDocumentsfoundafterAprilTornadoes.

Using our powers for good not evil, that is the team I want to be on...