Repeat the Sounding Joy!

Life brings many changes.  Some are happy and yearned for while others are unwanted and have to be worked through.  Christmas seems to make changes more keenly felt. Even though external circumstances around us change;  loved ones pass on, babies are born, people are added to our families, people may be shipped to foreign bases or move to different locations for their jobs; our joy is the same as we recognize the significance of Christmas. We may not always rejoice in the things life is handing us at the moment, but as humans we have an amazing resiliency to harbor hope, and as believers that hope takes a step forward into joy as we realize we have the hope of eternity. Regardless of what age I am, I still delight in the Christmas tree, can hardly bear to see wrapped presents and not know what is inside of them, hang my stocking in the hope that a magical benefactor will fill it with all kinds of good things and can barely get any sleep on Christmas Eve! This year I get to have all my children home for Christmas.  I can barely maintain my excitement in having the people I love the most all under the same roof. Change will come to us as surely as we live on this planet. Sometimes our axis is tilted a bit and things seem to swing out of kilter. How fortunate is the person who has someone who loves them enough to get them back on track. One of the best aspects of Christmas is getting together with people you love who will ground you, who have shared in your life history and who genuinely care about you.  Our home will be full of that this Christmas, and my wish for you is that you may also experience this .  I wish for you a Merry Christmas, so full that, despite any changes that may come, your heart and life can repeat the sounding joy.

Sweet People and Others

Sometimes people wear me out.  I am (mosty) not gregarious, though my husband reminded me today when I am with people I know and like, I can be the life of the party. But there are so many people who do such sweet things that brighten my day...well, people and others.

Sometimes when I am feeling really discouraged, I meet with some other women who say just the right things that brighten my day.  Sometimes I will read something that just especially speaks to me.  Even shows on tv can remind me of the good in people. So many people do things annonymously, or randomly, that are so good and sweet. Sometimes people shoot me an email or post on facebook, and it is so sweet and thoughful, kind and helpful.

I am a "dog" person, really; I prefer dogs over cats.  Cats are so....temperamental.  They aren't warm and friendly, they are standoffish and cool.  Except for one I have met lately. Her name is Mange (I named her that-perhaps unfairly) and she is a stray that stumbled onto our porch. I may have mentioned her before, she has two paws that have 6 digits each.  She moves kind of slow and gingerly.  She is extremely vocal, and I can tell her mood the instant I step onto the porch.  If she is tired, her eyes are kind of slitty and she glares at me through them.  If she is cold, she huddles in a ball and glares at me. But most of the time, she is so chatty.  She strains her little neck, trying to meet my face.  I usually bend down and talk to her, so we are more face to face.  She has so much to say and she seems to genuinely like us-when she is in the mood. Sometimes she greets me from high up in our oak tree in the front yard. She is probably asking for food most of the time, but she purrs when I get within 5 inches of her, and she is just so sweet. I never thought a little ball of yellow fur on four legs could make me feel so cared for.

At this time of Thanksgiving, when the economy is struggling and money is tight, layoffs are all around and the world can be a very uncertain and confusing place, I am so thankful for the good I see in people.  I am so thankful for my family, who mean so much to me and are so thoughtful to me; I am so thankful for friends who are kind and giving, and I am thankful for our four-legged friends who remind me what it is like to have a sweet little friend to care for.

IT'S ALMOST HALLOWEEN!

So, being it is late October, I posted the question on facebook:  What is your favorite scary movie? This got me to thinking about what mine is.  I cannot come up with just one!  I am not really a fan of scary movies...in fact, at a recent club meeting, roll call was: "Do you like Halloween?" and my answer was-I like everything about it except the scary movies.  But tonight as I was thinking about my fb post, I came up with so many, so I am going to share with you...in no particular order, my fav scary movies:

1. "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken"-Ha!  It's kind of scary, with the organ music and all!  Also a family tradition.
2. "Jaws"-the original fright movie!
3. "What Lies Beneath"-very tense
4. "Gaslight"-A Hitchcock classic
5. "Ghost Ship"-what's scarier than ghosts?  Ghosts on a ship! And oh, that wire....
6. "Alien"-in space no one can hear you scream
7. "I Am Legend"-not a traditional scary movie, but I still watch it with covered eyes
8. "The Others"-Nicole Kidman is VERY frightening
9. "The Sixth Sense-A great movie
10. "Signs"-I LOVE this movie

I know these are pretty non-traditional, but I can't get much scarier than these. Its clear I prefer psychological thrillers over the blood, gore, zombies, etc! I love the Twilight movies, but I don't consider them scary as much as romantic. I hope you have enjoyed reading my list, and maybe it will inspire you to make your own list! Happy pre-Halloween!

I AM

Following Joel & Leslie Gerber's Blog, Gerber's in the A-T-L, Leslie challenged us to compose an "I AM" poem, so here is mine:

I am

learning every day,

trying to make over the negatives into positives,

trying to listen more and talk less.

I am 

blessed to be married to an amazing, caring man;

proud of my children,

hopeful for the future

and trying to have more peace.

I am excited for changes in the weather and

the coming holiday season.

I am a fan of movies and music and often

moved to tears by both.

I am a dreamer and have goals

that I will never give up on.

I am grateful for the people I love

and with what God has blessed me with.

Sundays

I love the feel of Sundays.  Every day of the week has it's own feel.  For me, Monday is the feel of "get back to work", Tuesday is "publishing day", Wednesday is "day with evening activities", Thursday is "fun tv night", Friday is "do something in the evening" and Saturday is "finish up work". But Sunday is....luxurious.  It is getting up to get ready for church, having coffee, seeing church friends, listening to great music and message, lunch with some of my favorite peeps, then home. I love to peel off dress clothes and slip into the cozy cotton of lounge clothes. I usually have to check tv to see if there is some great movie on.  I play a few games on my computer, then I drift off to sleep.  I cleaned my room yesterday, so my beautiful quilt on my king size bed seems extra inviting today. After I wake up, someone usually has something fun planned, like "let's go on a drive", or "let's go get a cappacino", or 'let's make some cookies".  Then, as evening settles in I like to get the Sunday paper to peruse, and prepare to watch some of the shows on E. It is a routine I never tire of. Right now it is mid=afternoon, and my beautiful quilt on my king size bed is calling me...

My Blog

I use to think everyone was like me  With older age comes wisdom, because now I realize there are people who can go to bed and fall asleep without a million different thoughts imploding within them, and there are people who have to write about everything so they can clear the slate.  I am the latter.  I have notebooks of all sizes within reach of my bed, my desk, and in my purse. My laptop is close, too.  Sometimes I feel I will burst if I don't get it out of me and into some sort of data.  Managing a blog, at least for me, is a little like trying on shoes:  I like the first one, but I have to mull it over and give it some thought, check out some other things and then finally decide.  Well, I don't have many followers yet-just one loyal daughter!  But if you have looked at my blog at all, you will know that I am on my third title, third description and third background.  My first was of a "Remembering" theme; I wrote it the week of 9/11. Then I changed it to "Fresh Picked" and it was going to be fresh thoughts.  However, last night as I was in bed not sleeping, the lyrics of a favorite song came to me.  I realized those lyrics were EXACTLY what I wanted to use to describe my blog, so without permission from The Verve, I borrowed some of their lyrics.  I cannot tell you what a relief it was to my soul to pen the perfect title. I tweaked some of the graphics and may not be finished with it yet, I don't know.  For now, I am happy to introduce you to Bittersweet Symphony, because, at least for me, that is what life is. Thank you to The Verve for so eloquently expressing it for mere mortals like me.  Stay tuned!

Before "Reality"

I was remembering back to before "reality" tv.  People still had sextuplets, they just weren't televised every moment of their days.  Their parents were normal people, not people who became celebrities and used the children as weapons against each other or to get what they wanted.  I was watching a show on TLC the other night about a family that has many, many children.  I remember when families of 5 or 6 children used to be considered a large family and then even 4 children comprised a large family, and most people had 2-3 children in their families.  But this particular family has 6 times that.  It made me sad to watch this family.  No one loves babies more than I do, and I should have really liked this family-they share similar values and beliefs that I do.  But as I chanced a glimpse into their home and  life, it was just sad:  their home, though very nicely appointed, almost as if they had come into much wealth of late, seemed like an institution.  The kitchen looked like the waitress center of Golden Corral:  drink fountains, salad bar, holders of flatware, stacks of dishes and cups.  Now with this many children, I could imagine as a mother of merely 3-how many dance classes, volleyball practices, basketball games, concerts, piano lessons, craft times, swimming lessons, recitals, youth group outings, church trips, cheerleading camps and practices, softball games, birthday parties, bowling games, sleepovers and tennis matches that these people must have to attend and shuttle children to, since they have 6 times more children than I do.  You know how many of these activities I saw?  Zero.  Maybe they save all these activities for when they are not on camera?  You will surely want to know what  18 or 19 children in the family were doing?  Well, one boy of about 6 was gathering all the laundry into baskets.  Another boy about 8 or 9 was folding laundry.  Two girls of about 14-16 were scouring recipes and preparing the evening meal. Some were doing outside work.  Several of the older girls were diapering and caring for infants & toddlers. The children all seemed happy and uncomplaining-of course, they possibly don't know that they could be having fun practicing with their friends and peers doing cheers, playing in a marching band, being part of a volleyball or basketball team; but the parents should know that.  The sadddest part of the whole program?  The 19th child was born with health problems and mom and dad left everything to go spend months with the child-and now they say they are "ready for more."  Wow!  It will be quite interesting to see how many children these children will have of their own.  I have done an informal research on this phenomenon.  All of the kids I know from super large families end up wanting/having one, maybe two children in their own families. Perhaps of what has been modeled for them?  I love kids, I love large families, but shouldn't parents be responsible for the children they have, and doesn't this mean not indenturing them to your household duties, but allowing them to branch out into their interests?

Back To School

I remember back to school when I was in elementary school.  It was always exciting to get new shoes, new pencils, paper, pencil sharpeners, etc.  I was always happy to see my friends after the summer break.  The saddest year was when my dear and best friend Marie moved back to New York City with her mom and brother. We loved to dress alike and thought we were pretty cool in our "go-go" boots! We loved to pretend our bikes were our cars and we were always on the go.When I had children of my own, back to school involved going shopping for that all-important first day of school outfit.  We got school supplies, too, but the outfit & shoes were usually the priority. I like the line in "You've Got Mail" when Tom Hanks quips, "I love New York in the fall. If we knew each other, I would get you a bouquet of sharpened pencils". So happy fall everyone and enjoy your new pencils