Gone... or gone

divorce, death....

both deal with separation, sure
both are full of all kinds of pain, yes
both leave an irreplaceable void
both darken the future, emotionally and physically

divorce -- it is possible, at some point, to lay eyes again upon the one gone; choice, yours or his; there's a chance

death -- she yearns for just one more word with the one gone, one more glimpse; no choice, no chance; at least not hers

psychologically speaking, both are losses.
but they are not the same
they do not come close to each other
everything one knows does not come out of a book or a set of statistics or the results of a study

Shut up

Don't express your opinions -- people will accuse you of judging. Oh, no!

Don't like it?
The answer from the defensive ones apparently is: don't watch it, don't listen, don't shop there, don't, don't, don't ....

Let's see... how else can we impose punitive measures on those who dare criticize our choices....

So... be blind and deaf to sin,
or close the ears, like, literally! Maybe wear blindfolds.....
or turn off all electronic media -- TV, radio, computers....
find alternative places to shop, even if it is out of the way and prices may be steeper.....


Those defensive ones who say "Don't judge me!" feel entitled to limit your rights.
So they may practice theirs.

Don't judge, lest ye be judged. Jesus said that. This is often quoted by those defensive ones as well. Most usually, that is the only part of the Bible they read. Well, maybe they just heard about that part, not actually read it!

But.... should your opinion match with any of those, then it is not judging but agreement.
People are not interested in anyone else's opinion unless they happen to share it.

Amazing!

He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.

C. S. Lewis

I love you

When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.

Merry Christmas

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
...To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

Thank you, Mr. Oren Arnold for this quote. It seemed to strike me in a new way -- that gifts truly aren't about money and wrappable presents....

I see and hear all over how people are talking about gifts, what they want to get for a special someone, how not being able to afford for anyone but family, how they wish they could do this or do that..... And finding that perfect gift.... And secretly I envy them. I would so love to just go shopping, shopping, shopping! The current economy has forced me to look at things a bit differently. And maybe that is a good thing!

Because this year we truly will not be buying gifts for people. Oh, my list would be long, indeed, if I would include everyone. For my precious family, I spent two entire days making and decorating dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies. I made their favorites. The main ingredient is love, and it is added to the recipe in abundance! It is a gift of time, of love, and of connection. Knowing how much they enjoyed our traditional family cookie baking spree, I pictured them tasting the sweet confections and smiling from ear to ear. No matter how many cookies are made, towards the end, we always ration them, don't we! :) To savor the taste of Christmas, the sugar of love, and the sweetness of family connections. If we made cookies more often than at the holiday season, I don't think they would taste nearly as good, nor carry the same importance.

So, Mr. Arnold, I do forgive my enemies, if I have any. Not sure that I do, but at least I will suspend my opinions of people if they are doing/saying something I may not like -- although there are fewer and fewer instances of that as I grow older....

Opponent? I don't know who that would be really.... I don't compete with anyone, perhaps with the exception of myself.

My friends have my heart, as they have for many years; and I've added new ones as my heart grows larger with the years ....

Service? Yes, service to our neighbors, harried store clerks, frustrated waitresses, with the gift of understanding and patience. And that is charity.

Children -- speak positively, kindly, and generously to the little ones, and medium sized ones, too. They remember much more than we think. They may take kindnesses as expected, seemingly forgotten, but hurt and wrongs will be emblazoned on their little hearts for a long time.

And, yes, respect for myself. Not because of who I am but because of to Whom I belong.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Thanksgiving

I remember the days...... oh, so long ago, when my babies were little, money was scarce, and time was long. I worked in the food and beverage industry. Restaurants, pubs, they were open all the time. Even on holidays. And they always needed servers. Back in those days, after your shift, you would get a nice big dinner, and if you were really lucky, you could take some home for your kids. We were always so thankful for such feasts that consisted of more than potatoes and eggs or macaroni 'n cheese, the 4 for $1 boxes.

One time I worked in a pizzaria. The best pizza around, and we had this delicious treat for Thanksgiving dinner that year. A large pie would serve dinner and either a midnight snack or even breakfast. Nothing like pizza for breakfast! We wasted not a bite! My son had his fill of pizza that day, and he had left the crunchy crusts on his plate.

I said, "Zach, are you sure you're done?"

He said, "Mommy, do I have to eat the bones?"

Extravagant waste! :) (I kept them for a snack.)

I haven't worked in the service industry for so, so long. It seems a lifetime ago. But I remember getting up early while other people were putting the turkey in the roasting pan and preparing the family meal, that I was getting dressed in my uniform, putting my hair in a ponytail, sometimes sloshing through the year's early snow and slush. I put on a smile. Without the smile I would get no tips. I needed tips.


So this Thanksgiving, I have no more babies. In fact, they have their own babies, and they are growing up fast. They live far away and we can't get together this holiday season. We went out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. It was fun seeing all the people out, wondering why they were there on this most special holiday. And maybe the servers wanted to work, maybe they had to work; whatever the case, we blessed our waitress with a nice financial blessing. We tipped 100%+ for our meal. She was so surprised! And that was fun to see.

Thank you to all of you servers who sacrifice your time and your family time to serve strangers their dinners. May you be richly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Forever love.....

If you love her, then she is irreplaceable.

If you love how you feel when she is with you, then almost anybody will fit the bill.