
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -- Maya Angelou
Friday, January 29, 2010

Thursday, January 28, 2010
I could use a few chuckles...how about you?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. ~ Voltaire


I've been visiting Betty again....

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Weighed in the balances....

Monday, January 25, 2010
8's
I always find the coolest things to do over at Betty's blog. Here's another one I found this morning and I'm doing it this evening while I'm relaxing before going to bed. I changed the first 8 to movies instead of TV shows because outside of watching most of the morning shows on PBS with my grandboys, I watch next-to-no television:THIS is the kind of news we all love to hear!

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~ Mark Twain

I received this lovely award from my blog friend Betty who lives in Paraguay.
Thank you, Betty, for honoring me in such a nice way.
I am supposed to write down 10 things that make me happy
so here they are, in no certain order:
1. My family
2. My faith
3, A day of peace & quiet
4. A good book
5. Blogging/writing
6. A task well-done
7. Walking on the beach
8. Babies
9. Listening to music
10. Walking to the top of Mt. Tabor with Dear Hubby
I will pass this on to two blog friends, too.
One would be Judy.
The other is Jaggy.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Mothers & Daughters & Teens & Werewolves...

Questions...Ramblings...on a rainy morning, waiting for Dear Hubby to come home...

Saturday, January 23, 2010
While I'm at it, I may as well tell you these as well...

I am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself. ~ Jules Renard

Coke or Pepsi? I hardly ever drink pop, but it's Diet Pepsi when I do.
Swimming: Are you a kamikaze off the boat, take the plunge from the deep end, or a gradual, slow submersion from the shore or shallow end kind of person? I'm a never-go-in-over-my-head kind of swimmer. I swim great on my back but can't do much more than dog paddle otherwise.
What is your favorite tree? Pink Dogwood
Two pronged question: What is your favorite non-physical thing about your spouse? What is your favorite physical thing about your spouse? His sense of humor is my favorite non-physical attraction. Even in the most dire moments, he can come up with something that will spiral us into fits of laughter. I have two favorite physical attributes and can't choose which I love more, his incredibly penetrating eyes or his beautiful hands.
I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. ~ Woody Allen

Lay you down now, and rest, and may your slumber be blessed...
I am a very vivid dreamer. I can remember a lot of detail from my dreams as well...at least for the first half hour after I rise in the morning. I don't put much importance on them...usually they're inspired, I think, by random things or thoughts that happen during the day. I've had a lot of The Past hitting me in the face lately. Coming to terms with the failure I've been in certain family situations. Making contact with old childhood friends. Reconnecting with a pen pal I'd begun writing to when I was 14 and losing contact with her around 30 years ago. Trying to find closure to the life of a friend I've had since I was 7 years old...I don't know if she's become too ill to communicate any more, or if she's passed away. Her daughter hasn't let me know one way or another.
So that brings me to the strange dream I had the other nite. I dreamt it was the last day of high school. Everyone had passed their finals except me. One of my teachers sat down with me, an old Home Economics teacher, and told me I'd failed to turn in even one assignment in every class I'd had as a Senior. I couldn't graduate because my Senior year more or less hadn't existed in a paper-sense way. I cried...oh, how I cried! But I knew what she said was true so I decided to take one more walk down the hallways before I left. As I did, I can't tell you how many people from my past I walked by...some lounging at their lockers with books cradled in their arms, talking to friends. Some walking or running down the halls towards me from the other direction. But not only were they kids I'd known in high school...they were kids from my childhood, friends from my early jobs outside of school after I'd graduated. They all paused in what they were doing or waved at me as they passed by, wishing me good luck, telling me good bye. Not one of them had aged from the last time I'd seen them. Little boys, gangly teens, lovely young women. Handsome young men. I got the sense they were all in a hurry to close things down, to move on in to their futures. Every one of them who was moving was moving in the opposite direction I was. It was very disconcerting.
So what does this mean? That I hold on to the past too much and need to move on? That who I knew then, where I lived then, is past history? It doesn't necessarily need to be dwelled upon, it doesn't necessarily need to be revisited? I would say that is true if all of my reconnections had been negative. But connecting with Robin, my pen pal from long ago, has been like picking up where we left off when we were young mothers in our mid-20's. It was so wonderful catching up with an old neighborhood friend, too.
But I have been guilty of focusing in on the happy years of my early youth. Moreso than a lot of people, I think. My life has been made up of 3 definite compartments, at least in my eyes and my memories. That's how I describe them to myself, anyway. My early years of happy childhood, my miserable and horribly unhappy teen years, and the wonderful life I've had with Dear Hubby for the past 36 years. I've come to realize no matter how much I go back in time, no matter how much I think about it, I can never change a thing. I think I've come to terms with it, too. I was fortunate to be blessed with a happy little girlhood. The miserable middle years were a great learning time for me...many valuable life lessons that have probably been the ground work, the foundation, upon which I've been able to build the happy years I've had as a wife and mother. "You can't go home again"...oh, but how the paths you've followed, the decisions you've made, can pave a walkway to a much better life.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Where do they go when they leave?

Thursday, January 21, 2010
In a man's middle years there is scarcely a part of the body he would hesitate to turn over to the proper authorities. ~ E.B. White

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. ~ Mark Twain

I've come to realize...
...I am not indispensable.
I've come to realize...
...my 'job' has priceless benefits.
I've come to realize that when I'm driving...
...I'm wishing I was doing something else.
I've come to realize that I need...
...to ask for help more often.
I've come to realize I have lost...
...the desire to impress people.
I've come to realize that I hate it when...
...people won't let me finish what I want to say.
I've come to realize that money...
...is something I'll never have a lot of.
I've come to realize that people...
...care for me more than I ever dreamed.
I've come to realize that I'll always be...
...a person who feels too deeply and rarely ever reveals it to the outside world.
I've come to realize that my mom...
...was greatly misunderstood by me.
I've come to realize when I woke up this morning...
...I felt blessed to awaken to another day.
I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep...
...I felt no fear of the future.
I've come to realize that right now I'm thinking about...
...where I fit into the scheme of things.
I've come to realize that my Dad...
...was a much deeper man than I thought he was.
I've come to realize that today...
...is one day closer to my grandsons growing up and away from needing me.
I've come to realize that tonite...
...I am mentally fatigued.
I've come to realize that tomorrow...
...might not arrive.
I've come to realize that I really want to...
...make some kind of mark in this world with my writing.
I've come to realize that Life...
...is something I truly do enjoy living.
I've come to realize the best thing to do when I'm upset...
...is to face what's upsetting me and resolve it before it consumes me.
I've come to realize my friends...
...are a vital part of my existence.
I've come to realize this year...
...is as full of the unknown as any other year and not to sweat it.
I've come to realize...
...I truly do love the woman I've become.
Do you have the answers?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Bring the past only if you are going to build from it. ~ Doménico Cieri Estrada
Paths
(For Sara)
Our path starts
from the moment of conception.
We float in darkness
and dream to the beat
of our mother's
heart.
And once we're here
our path
is directed by
those around us,
those who make decisions
for us.
We are like grains of sand,
blown this way
and that,
no sense of direction,
no light.
But as the winds ripple,
the gales howl,
a sweet breeze is there
at the end of
the tunnel.
It lifts us and buoys us.
It beckons to us
and we find ourselves
shifting our
path
in that direction.
We find ourselves
straining our faces upwards
towards the sun,
the promise of warmth
and
sustenance.
The promise of
a
beautiful day.
With Love,
Aunt Kris
Monday, January 18, 2010
You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. ~ Dr. Seuss

Sunday, January 17, 2010
Family Ties

Saturday, January 16, 2010
A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul. ~ Author Unknown

Friday, January 15, 2010
Turn around and they're one, turn around and they're 4...

Caution: Enter at Your Own Risk

Monday, January 11, 2010
Blech....

It's all in the name....

Sunday, January 10, 2010
Labels are for filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people. ~ Martina Navratilova

OK...I have never been a fan of the Follower gadget on here.
But Lakeviewer commented and asked me to add it again
so she could find her way back in the rain..
I had it on my sidebar a long, long time ago.
I don't even know if most of them listed on here now even visit any more.
I know several no longer blog.
But...
here it is.
You can do with it what you will.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
I'm a Facebook Fan of Oregon because...

Writers' Angst....
I am not really a published writer. Not in the sense of any of my writing being in a book for the public to purchase, tho Dear Hubby says I ought to charge everyone who comes by and reads my drivel a dollar per visit. Since my mom died 20 years ago, he has been my staunchest, most loyal, supportive 'fan' in the world. If he had his way, I'd be on the New York Times bestseller list. Well, that ain't gonna happen. So I sit here and plunk away on my keyboard whenever I can find some spare moments and publish myself onto the worldwide web. I am inordinately pleased whenever I look at my little Feedjit thingy and see new towns, cities, countries pop up. Someone out there is 'reading me', even tho I'm none the richer for it. But that's ok. I'm not doing this to become rich and famous. I'm doing it because I love it. LOVE it!I can not figure out how to get Blogger set up so that every comment makes it to my email Inbox. And so I'm sure there are plenty that I have missed in the past almost-5 years I've been writing on my blog. I apologize to any of those who come along and are brave enough to speak up and never hear back from me. That is unacceptable. But even tho I have my blog set up where everyone can comment...well, I guess they can. But I'm not always notified. The reason I'm addressing this is because of what my young bloggy friend Jaggy wrote about recently on her blog, about Followers and Lurkers. One of her commenters said she'd left comments before but Jaggy never responded. I could tell Jaggy felt bad about this. But I'm wondering if maybe Jaggy has the same problem and doesn't realize it, that those comments are never brought to our attention. It's not a very good excuse, but I know for me it's mostly lack of time that limits me to going back to what I've already written and looking thru the comments. I feel lucky enough to find time to write, let alone anything else. Even 'visiting' others is a luxury. So that is why I missed a couple written by "Anonymous" recently. I'm not even sure if Anonymous is one person or two different people. One comment was about my blog being a wonderful resource for spreading word about prayer needed for Baby Brandon. The other comment was about my writing:
"Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!"
I should be flattered...I am flattered. But then that old writer's insecurity welled up from deep inside. My older articles aren't so good? So that gnaws on me. And then I go to one of the referrals on my Feedjit that 'sent' someone here and one of my blog entries was listed on Portland's Top 10. And then I'm on cloud 9. And then tomorrow something else will trip me up. And then something else will stroke my ego. It is SO stupid! Why oh why do we question ourselves so much? I remember watching a TV interview that Laura Bush had back when her husband was President and whoever the interviewer was asked her, "How do you deal with the negativity towards your husband in the media?" Mrs. Bush's answer was: "I don't watch the news or read the magazine articles about him." You know, there is wisdom there. What we don't know can't hurt us. Some will say, "Well, that's like the ostrich hiding his head in the sand." True. But there's self-protection in there, too. Since this is a blog that is basically a journal for my grandsons someday, I guess I shouldn't even care whatever anyone else thinks. But the writer inside of me is hovering just under the surface and wants to know. It's a no-win situation.
To read that comment, it wasn't negative. It wasn't even bad. And constructive criticism is something we can all benefit by. But the writer in me...well, she's just going to have to learn to deal with it, isn't she?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Daily Distractions...

Thursday, January 7, 2010
Fate's Fickle Finger is driving me nuts...

Monday, January 4, 2010
The Power of Prayer

Saturday, January 2, 2010
In the eyes of the beholder....
I'm now officially 56 years old. I don't use makeup. My everyday wardrobe is made up of jeans and knit tops or t-shirts. My hair is usually dragged back into a ponytail or a little bun-thingy. Dear Hubby tells me I'm beautiful and that's all that matters to me.So...when, as I walked in to Fred Meyer to do my grocery shopping yesterday, was I ever taken aback when a gentleman stopped in his tracks as he was walking out, looked me over, and whistled at me. It was one of those check-over-my-shoulder-to-see-if-he-means-ME moments. Well, I guess so because I was the only person standing there. As I walked in thru the doors I laughed and told the greeter who'd witnessed it all, "He must've had too much New Years's cheer last nite!" But then, halfway thru my wanderings up and down the aisles another gentleman pushing his cart said, "Mmmmmm-mmmmmm!" as he walked past me. This was getting freaky! Were both of them drunk or hungover or what?!?
I have never been blessed with a big ego. I have never considered myself even remotely pretty. So moments like those stop me in my tracks. You all know how camera-shy I am, how I hate having my picture taken. My family will be hard-pressed to find many of them when I die. No need to do a photo collage of my life at my funeral, that's for sure.
It's funny that, no matter how good our adult life turns out to be, the things that are said or done to us in our early childhood are forever etched in our mind. No matter how far down you dig, somehow a little bit of it remains and keeps us off balance. I was told all thru my younger years how ugly I was, how fat..."solid as the Rock of Gibraltar", my dad used to say as he'd horse-bite my knee with a hard pinch. I rarely look in mirrors even to this day...enough to comb my hair and look presentable and that's about it. Cameras freeze me...I can NOT act natural or smile for real. I've grown comfortable in my own skin as I've gotten older, but compliments such as the ones those two gentlemen gave me make me feel panicky and vulnerable. The first thing that comes to my mind is, "They're making fun of me!" How silly.
Oh well. I don't even know why I wrote about this. Maybe to make someone else out there who feels the way I do know there are plenty of us out there. The Ugly Ducklings who will never be able to accept that in someone else's eyes, maybe they really have turned into a Swan.





