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Showing posts from 2010

Tis the Season 2010

It's now December. September was the last time I published a blog. Excuses, excuses! They fill my calendar. Life is just too busy it seems. Looking through my list of posts, there were at least five that I wrote and never published. In trying to figure out why, I re-read through some of them and realized that at those times, I just needed to get thoughts out of my head and onto the page. They definitely were significant at the time, but it wasn't necessarily anything that anyone else might find interesting, so they sit in the draft pile. This moment in this season seems like a good time to catch up with writing. Over the past month, Christmas traditions fill our thoughts and plans, some good and anxiously anticipated, some just obligatory. Usually, decorating the house and the tree, hanging twinkling lights and playing the Christmas tunes all build spirit and excitement weeks before. It was difficult this year for us in the decorating part, almost all of our Christmas

Finally Getting Somewhere!

This blog will be a little different. It will be more concise, not as much fluff, but none-the-less rewarding for me to write because I have some rather important news to share. For the past few years, many things have aligned in my life that have brought great joy, peace, happiness and love. At the top of this list is my relationship with Michael, who is the love and joy of my life. Not only are we head over heals in love, find ourselves longing to just be together and do everything together, he has become my solid rock for support and encouragement. We have proven over and over that we are better together than apart. It was totally appropriate that we played Jack Johnson's song "Better Together" at our wedding reception! He has allowed me freedoms, given me validation and helped me sort through all the toxicity of the past, all in preparation for opportunities in the future. I'm truly grateful that he has allowed me to be me, loved me on both the good days and the

Little Prayer Book

After moving a few months ago, the other day I was unpacking yet another small box with things belonging to my office. Tucked between a number of folders, papers and other desk things, I found a little blue book. It's about the size of a small envelope, about a three by five inch size. It was held together by a black elastic band so the pages wouldn't be disturbed. On the front it says "Mommy's Little Prayer Book" handwritten with a gold pen. There is also a small angel handdrawn with the same gold pen in the top right corner. Looking at it, again I thought, "how precious." It was signed on the bottom of the front cover, "from Pookie." I sighed.  Pookie is a nickname for my daughter, Sara. She was born with an extraordinary amount of hair for a newborn, it was dark and the top stood straight up. At the time, punk rock was becoming mainstream, with hair styles similar to my little baby. So, it seemed only fitting that she be nicknamed "pun

Really, Only God.

Photo by Jami Dale. For the past week my daughter Sara and I have connected because there has been a need...her car died. It's always stressful, annoying and just a total inconvenience when any hour of life has to be devoted to dealing with car issues. But needs have a way of drawing people together. It's a time to rally around and get the problem dealt with so life can be back to normal, especially in her case with 9 month old Wyatt. Babies need routine. Breaking that can be an added layer of stress. Sometimes the expectation is that this need has to be fixed or remedied by a certain method or by certain people. However, pulling everyone together allows for the best possible outcome. It allows the mixture of resources, energy, intelligence and prayer to come together in one unique opportunity to support and bless that individual who is in need. In this case, it was Sara and Wyatt. I'm so thrilled that she called me to include me in that circle of contacts as she reached

Motion IS Potion!

Not sure who originated this quote, but my friend Angie told me a few months ago when we were discussing the affect getting older has on our bodies...."motion is potion." Some people say "use it or lose it." Either way, those of you in my age bracket probably understand. You know, when you sit for a while at the computer desk, or on the couch, or even in the drivers seat, that first second standing...ouch! It's a constant reminder that we aren't getting younger. It sort of makes you crazy though to realize that even simple things aren't as easy as they once were. And if there's been any sort of trauma to the body, then it's even harder. In my case, after several car accidents, my body's telling me...you better be careful, one more and we're through. Well, not permanently, just through trying to recover in a timely fashion. Once injury or trauma happens, it takes much longer for the muscles, nerves and tissues to heal. In spite of others s

Another August Another Birthday

For the past few years I have written and resubmitted the birthday blog about my two children, Sara and Chris, their birthdays are at the end of this month. Here's a link in case you missed it. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=695155067&v=box_3#!/note.php?note_id=123210038433 It was written in a moment of happiness, joy, love and hope. Hope that if they knew how I felt they would be blessed by knowing my deepest thoughts. Hope that somehow it might create a movement towards mending the broken hearts, chipped ego's and stretched-out-of-shape emotions. Hope that the possibility would exist for every part of our family to recover from the events of the past four years and we would emerge stronger, more resilient, more intertwined knowing that relationships are the only thing that we will take into eternity. I look at pictures like the one above and remember the time when I got them dressed in cute clothes, set up the little rocking chair in the living room, helped

Where the Heart Is

 Searles Castle, Windham, NH I know it's been said that home is where your heart is or a man's home is his castle....but I can tell you, it's one thing to be content where you are, it's another to actually feel like it's home. Looking at houses this weekend has shown me that when making a choice about what to call home, many details have to align in order to make that happen. Immediately upon walking into a home for a tour, the first instinct is to quickly take assessment on how it feels to walk through the door. Not only do you look at what's there, but you look for what's not there. What's right in front of you, how appealing is it, what does it smell like, is it too hot, too cold, is the decor anywhere near your own personal taste, if not, is the space appealing, is the kitchen big enough for a crowd to gather, are there enough bathrooms, how's the lighting, what do the floors feel like, hardwood nicely finished, padded carpeting, are th

The Box(es)

Good days and bad days, we've all had them. And they look different to each of us. Wyatt, photo by Sara. For me, a good day is when I wake up and remember that I have a grandson Wyatt, who is growing so much and is so adorable. I love combing through the pictures I have on the computer, each one makes me smile and each one makes me wonder what he was doing the minute before and the minute after it was taken. For me, a bad day is when I wake up and remember that I have a grandson Wyatt, who is growing so much and is so adorable. All I can do is comb through pictures on the computer, each one makes me smile one second and cry the next. I always wonder what he is doing just before and just after the picture was taken. I know he has a life, but I don't know it. I'm afraid he won't know me either. Apparently, knowing someone as precious as Wyatt, is a privilege only assigned to some. On my bad days, I just turn off the computer and walk away, thankful that I have

Six Thousand Three Hundred Twenty Six

The number 6,326 just happens to be: The number of miles we put on the car over the past month on our trip. The number of miles we shared driving, about 2 hours on, 2 hours off. Worked great, never got too tired. The number of miles we watched landscape of America go by, state after state. Each unique, each beautiful. The number of miles we drove in anticipation of a dozen different destinations - each for a special purpose. The number of miles we spent in the car with all of our stuff. Too much stuff. Next time, not so much. The number of miles we shared the inside space of our car with our dog Maxx. He was really good. The number of miles we were together talking, dreaming, planning, thinking, reminiscing, sharing memories of childhood, looking for our next opportunity, hoping for fingerprints. The number of miles routed on the GPS. What did we do without them. The number of miles sitting. Seemed like waaay too many after a while. The number of miles hyped

One More Day...Part 1

I hope that someday you can pick up the book by Mitch Albom called One More Day . The meaning is something I think about all the time. A day doesn't go by where I don't think about the "what if?"  What if I had only one more day with my husband, my daughter or son, or extended family...what would I do? Books, messages, song lyrics, and movies challenge us to answer the question. We can't ask a "what if" question and not at least be prepared to give what would hopefully be just a hypothetical answer. I often think of the "what if" something happened to me and I couldn't have that one more day with those I love. My heart breaks and grieves to consider the possibility of it happening. Just like my friend, Angie's car accident - totally not what she had planned that day, but it changed so many things in a moment. Anything...and I mean anything can happen in a split-second. In that split-second life can go from a well thought-out

Love - Life Adhesion Molecules

Painting by: Melody Hogan, 2009 I n the Beginning....God....made everything. You know the story. Genesis, the creation, Adam and Eve. God set in motion the greatest multiplication problem ever. All things were created to be fruitful and multiply. Life began and was commanded to flourish and multiply. If you've seen Lou Giglio's talk on Laminin, you might remember that at the center of a cell in the human body is a protein molecule called Laminin, which is a cell adhesion molecule, it holds the cell together and tells the cell what it's supposed to do. It's fascinating to see the scientific diagram of Laminin, it's actually in the shape of a cross! Amazing to think that the God of the universe created this cell adhesion molecule in the shape of an object that would become so significant many years on the other side of creation. It was no accident that the most important cell in the human body, the one that holds all things together, is in the shape o

Fingerprints

Painting by: Melody Hogan, 2009 O k, this is not CSI or 24 or Bones. All of which would believe fingerprints to be the key to unlocking the case, to knowing for sure who has been there or could this be evidence enough to convict. These days, with all the forensic evidence techniques that are in use, it's only one key piece that can help solve a mystery. Whether a crime has been committed or not, fingerprints are used in a variety of ways. W hen I was working towards becoming a teacher in Pinellas County Florida schools, it was imperative that a fingerprint/background check be done prior to my being allowed to work in the schools. It was a bit intimidating, especially when I had to have my fingerprints done a few times...because they couldn't get a very good print. These days there is a new electronic imaging technique that is used instead of an ink blotter. They said there are many points on the print that have to be clear in order for the print to be useabl