Monday, March 29, 2010

Find a Penny, Pick It Up…the Rest of the Day, You’ll Know You'r Mimi's Thinking of You

Dropped change…we’ve all seen it, found it, picked it up. Maybe YOU’ve even been the one who dropped it. I’ve always loved finding money (I know, who doesn’t!). I scour for change like an old man combs the beach with a metal detector. On a more realistic note, I actually just happen upon it, but will most definitely get excited and go to some length to obtain it. In fact, last Friday, I was standing in line at a local gas station. It was my turn at the counter. I happened to look down and spotted not one penny, but two! Then - wow - a dime! The pennies were relatively easy to scoop up; however, the dime presented more of a problem! He was hiding closer under the counter, just out of reach between two displays. Now came the delima - do I take the time to make a scene and bend down to fish it out, or do I try to manuever it out and smoothly, with the coolness of Kojak, pick up the golden grail? I usually try to be discreet, and having children lends itself nicely to this. “Look kids, money.” And of course, they go diving! So we all share in the joy! But this day, I was without my counterparts and, there were people behind me waiting. Not being able to take my focus off the silver siren, I quickly swiped my card, paying for the goods, slid the dime with my toe to rechable position, swooped down (almost loosing my balance - funny woman faceplant time), and retrieved not only the dime but the two pennies as well. Now how I may have looked to those around me, I have no clue. I was up and gone without looking back. The cost of pride that day, my friend: $.12! Uh-huh, yeah!

Now there are as many thoughts on the afterlife as Jethro has holes in his underwear, but that’s not what this little discourse is about, exactly. I lost my mom about 4 years ago to the nightmarish disease of Alzheimer’s. Only about 60 years of age when she began to show signs, she was robed of many years of quality life. What a gifted individual of which the world was robbed. She had her quirks, as do we all, but she was a very special Mimi, the name given to her by her grandchildren. My children were 4 and 2 when she passed, so they never had the opportunity of knowing her.

My mom had this funny knack of spotting lost change! She had an eye like a hawk when it came to finding these unclaimed treasures. It seemed like every place we went, she found a penny, a nickel - some sort of coin. I believe I share the same enthusiasm she had when she spied the tokens!

My children and I speak of Mimi from time to time – memories I have of her, special things I would like for them to know. One such funny recollection is this knack at finding dropped change. My kids love this story, and, somewhere along the way, I began saying, “Look, there’s a penny. Your Mimi’s thinking of you.” So they would pick up the coin and hold it or put it in their pocket. Now, when they spot one, they announce the same sentiment. We’ve had fun, over the last year, in particular, collecting these “dropped treasures”. We’ve decided to fill a jar that the kids decorated with any change we find and whatever we have left from breaking a dollar. Consequently, we have a jar full of, shall we say, treasures of a dual nature! So thanks to all the "droppers" out there who unwittingly give my children and me, not only a little extra change in a jar, but warmth in our hearts.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Fulfilling My Duties as Blog Queen...Oh, Sorry - Wrong Dream

Yesterday, I had the honor of "Beautiful Blogger" bestowed on me by Pat Tillett of http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/.  I am very grateful to such a wonderful encourager and gifted writer for thinking of those of us who are just beginning our blog journey.  If you have never happened upon his site - you need to make it a point to visit.  I promise, you won't want to leave!  He also hosts a photography site that is awesome! 

If I get this straight, I'm supposed to share five things about myself...Lord knows that could go in many directions but none too interesting, so I'll just ping pong it - let whatever bounces off the walls of my mind spill out.  Some days it's pretty vacant up there, others, it's crammed full, so let's explore shall we? Besides, since I'm a novice to the scene, then there's really not much any of you know about me, but rules being rules, here we go:

1.  I have an uncanny "disability" when it comes to cooking Mac & Cheese.  I'm horrible!  To this day, I haven't made a single box that tasted worth a toot!  No joke - I must have a gene or something.  I read the box, I follow the directions on the box, but somewhere between the box and the plate - it totally goes flavorless!  Help!

2.  I am the baby of four children.  I was born 12 years after Mom and Dad THOUGHT they were through - OOOPS!!  And no - not too badly spoiled!  I was raised with my nieces so it took us until grade school to realize we weren't really sisters and that I was the aunt - they were the nieces.  Weird, but nice!

3.   I have a secret crush (well just ruined that one) on Seether's "crunchy" lead singer, Shaun Morgan.  Yeah I do.

4.  I am extremely happy in the children's section of any book store!  It's, for me, what I would imagine a trip to Disney World is for a kid.  On the subject of books, I occasionally "punish" myself with reading a literary classic, then "reward" myself by buying a new literary work or clothes or CHOCOLATE! (Ok - this may count as two, but just humor me.)

5.  I have very strange eating habits.  I know somewhere there is someone like me!  But I am often chided about the way I eat or what I eat - I smell a blog coming on!  I have a myriad of oddities, but let's not spoil it now.

Now for the cutomary passing of the award - and I gladly do this.  I will try not to give to those who have already been awarded one - even though I may be of the opinion that you deserve it! 

The first I give to Ashley at Life in Florida http://abowmanblog.blogspot.com/ .  I know this girl personally, and she not only puts a lot into her blog but into her classroom as well - it's evident.  She is a newlywed and a teacher and all around good person!  Check her out!  Spend some time in Florida with her and drop by her classroom.

I've enjoyed http://memorablemeanders.blogspot.com/.  This lady posts lots of pics and shares about her life as an expat living in Africa, showing us the beauty of her country.  Just visit and you will see what a neat story she has.  She's currently on a biking trip and is spending time with family.  Find Jo and see how she shares about her Africa and her life.  She is very kind, helpful, and has responded to many of my posts.

Quest for Animation Glory http://questforanimationglory.blogspot.com/ is a fun site to follow.  I perceive that Vince Gorman is a very talented and busy man.  This blog is literally full of some very cool artwork as Vince follows his dream of animating.  He hasn't posted a lot lately, but it appears he is very busy on his quest, so follow with patience, but definatly visit him!

I love to travel to Scottland for the Senses http://scotland4thesenses.blogspot.com/ to visit with Sophia.  She is so talented!  She posts beautiful pics and blogs often.  She also has fun give-a-ways!  How kind!  I would do this, but hey, you can only send out so many Mississippi refrigerator magnets and State or Ole Miss hats!  Seriously, Sophia's blog gives you a real "sense" of Scottland and makes you feel like you've traveled there without having to leave home.

I ran across Pilgrim Chick at http://skenyonsmadness.blogspot.com/ from her visit to my blog - thank you, Sweet.  Her blog, Spark of Madness, is interesting and full of thought provoking blurbs from her life as a pilgrim and everyday observations!  Check it out and see what she's into next.

Ok - please forgive my poor attempt at linking you to these blogs - I'M STILL LEARNING!  But I do hope that you visit them and find them as entertaining and loveable as I have.  Thank you, again to those who have visited, commented, and joined as followers on my journey.  Each of you will never know how much it means to me that you have taken the time to check me out (watch out!) and spend time here!  Bless you all and I hope to get around to following each of you and seeing what you have to say - ain't this fun!

And again, I say a big THANK YOU to Pat - cheers (it'll have to be with a Yahoo or a green tea, but much love)!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Honored and Humbled

Today, I was very surprised and most definately humbled when I found I had received an award from a fellow blogger! I can't tell you how much it means to me - but I will try tomorrow! Thank you so much, Mr. Pat Tillett, and I promise to fulfill the task set before me. Bless you and thank you again.

The Beautiful “Bellow” of a Country Morning (Noon & Night!)

For those of you who may have any experience with “country livin’”, you know that there are certain constants…blue skies (when it’s not comin’ a tornado), birds singing their morning songs, crickets and frogs chirping their summer night songs, and …cows. If you’ve ever meandered through certain states on most any main highway, then you’ve seen them there too. They nibble grass and chew their cud in pastures that dot the sides of these highways. Some people from cities point them out as country people do skyscrapers in the big city… “Look, guys! Look, it’s a cow!” I, for one, have never lost that enthusiasm! I know it’s sad, but I’m ok with it.

Having just recently moved to the area, we aren’t familiar with many of our neighbors. Across the street, uh-hum, excuse me, that is “road” (see previous blog!) lives an older lady and gentleman. We have exchanged the customary wave or nod with the man as he walks, cane in hand, to retrieve his mail. There’s a pasture behind their house. I am not sure if he owns or rents it out, but it’s occupied by a number of cattle, or should I say – there’s a bunch of cows livin’ in that pasture. I perceive that it may be rented in that the same truck comes daily and goes toward the gate with sacks of what looks like “feed”. It’s also frequented by this same guy on a four wheeler – another staple of country livin’. So it’s my assumption that the cows do not actually belong to my neighbor, but you know what assuming gets you.

Shortly after moving into our quaint little abode, I was startled one morning by a very disturbing “bellow”. The kids also noted that it sounded pretty unsettling. Thinking it was simply a “one time moo”, we continued whatever mundane task with which we busied ourselves – you know country life, mom cooking, cleaning, darning the socks and kids dutifully at chores (yeah, it could happen, somewhere). Suddenly, we heard it again, then again – man what was up with this cow? Did some poor Bessie go into labor, did a dog bite some bovine and they were now awaiting a vet, was it going to a slaughter house and knew what was coming (you know you eat steak or burgers– and if you’re a vegetarian, my apologies, no offense intended – this is country livin’, remember)?

My children were off to their father’s that weekend so they left during the day. However, the poor cow continued its chorus. I had about reconciled with the fact that it had to be Bessie. Night came, and the painful yowling continued. I could feel her pain, having been there myself, and was about ready to ask for her an epidural or for someone to please help the poor thing. I had an air purifier that assisted in drowning out the noise. Besides, she would be ok by morning, right? Morning arrived… the birds were warbling their morning serenade…heckled by the continuing deep wail of poor Bessie, “MOOOOOOOOOOO”. Alright, now I was getting really curious. I mean, how long could this go on? How long can they let this poor cow lay there in seeming misery?! If indeed labor was the case, around 24 hours was about the duration for me, but maybe it took longer with sisters of the four legged breed. I had to check this out, but I had to do it undercover. There’s one thing people do not appreciate city or country, and that’s a nosy neighbor. I had to get the mail; it was Saturday, so that wouldn’t look too suspicious (don’t know what I’ll do if they get rid of that Saturday mail now, Pat).

After my mailbox trip, I was still at a loss – no vets seemed to be attending and no one seemed to be coming or going with boiling water, newspapers or bed sheets (do they do that with animals?). This was too much! I decided to make a trip to town for the afternoon & night. SURELY it would be settled by night!

My friend, this bellowing Bessie was still going strong when I got home! I was beginning to wish I had some super talent, like cow whispering. If it can be done with dogs, could it be so with bovine? Maybe if I could just go whisper to it, it would settle down. Maybe I could help her count to 10 and help her with her breathing. Maybe I could hold her hoof as she cussed the bull that got her into this! Of course, if I could speak to a cow, I would definitely try and talk it into helping me out with milk that wouldn’t hurt my stomach – it’s real “crappy” being allergic to straight milk, but I digress. Ladies and gentleman, may I inform you that poor Bessie bellowed for 4 straight days, making me eternally grateful for epidurals and painkillers and doctors who come into your delivery room yelling, “Push it out, push it out, WAY OUT (true story)!” And I would love to tell you that we found out the cause of her distress (assuming that it was a she), but we never did. We hypothesized a copious count of conclusions, but never had the nerve to find out for sure. We settled with the only one that made the most heart-warming sense – we now had a new headcount in the pasture across the street, ‘scuse me, “road”. So Bessie, bless your heart and stay away from Curtis (we named the bull responsible). Four sleepless nights is enough for any cow (and her neighbors)!


Tuesday, March 16, 2010

So Here's the Poop...

Poop. We all know about it, we all do it, we all think about it…not perpetually, but it’s just part of life. There “ain’t no gettin’ around it” unless you’re treadin’ carefully in a pasture (and that can be hard if you’ve ever tried, walkin’ the pasture, that is). No matter how socially humiliating or gross we can make this subject, it’s just there – stuck on the soles of our everyday life. (No apologies for the pun, but I’ll try to stop.)
My children and I like to frequent book stores in our area. We love to browse around, not only the books, but the trinkets, games, and novelty stuff that’s usually found on these retail ramblings. You know when you’re exploring and you stumble across that one item that you know you have to have! It’s a treasure, a booty of sorts (ok, forgive that one, please). It’s that something that almost seems out-of-place because you don’t see another one around. You know that it must have been left there just for you! Well, this wasn’t exactly one of those moments. However, it was one in which I said to myself…"I am going to buy this, if for no other reason, to prove that I actually saw it!" My friend, here is the evidence…



Please tell me I am not the only one who has found an actual, working POOP ERASER!  And in case you were wondering, they claim it to be "Totally FUNctional".  As you will note, it comes with its own toilet and tiolet paper. And, for those “oh crap” moments, when you need it, it has a handy little plunger. As if finding the poop wasn’t enough, upon opening it, I had to do it!  I smelled it!  Oh my word - it actually smells like chocolate. That’s right! How ironic is it that you can now erase your mistakes with a pile of chocolate- smelling POOP? Now my questions (not sure if I want them answered, but): What was the “concept session” like the day this was ruminated; the inspiration seems evident, but when exactly did this concept “hit” the “artist” (just go with me here – I’m past asking for forgiveness, this is just too easy); the sales pitch, for goodness sake, who gave the OK; marketing...oh, so much could be said; and finally, what would an order for this product sound like over the phone? We could continue, but why?
The first thing I did, of course, was to grab my phone and begin texting all my BF’s and FM’s (that’s family members for those of you not hip enough for the latest totally made up initials because we don’t have time to say or type the whole word any more). They had to know! If only I had the ability to send pics –then I would instantaneously be able to prove my find and share my UM (no, not Alice’s name in Wonderland, but Unbelievable Moment). I can take pics with my phone, I can text, I just can’t text pics! Flitter!
Less than a week later, I stumbled upon a gem of a website. No, I wasn’t researching or googling the word “poop”. This advertisement happened upon a sidebar to an email account I have & caught my eye. You can hypothesize about the 5 to 10 minutes that ensued. With a sparkle of curiosity in my eye and my mouth pursed, I opened and found…




What!? You may visit their websiste at:   http://turdtape.com.  I’ll let it speak for itself, but capitalizing on this one natural function of the body is about over the edge, don’t you agree? Though some of the testimonials - yes, they have them, were kinda funny!  Finding this was about like discovering a beautiful picture made from dryer or belly button lint or the artwork from a man who paints by vomit! Ok – no matter how “glamorous” you try to sell your product – it won’t adorn my wall! But I have heard the “guys talk” of the occasional “big one”, the colossal colon buster. Sorry, but the feeling is mutual on this subject as well – don’t want to see it! What would persuade you in any situation to solicit, “you gotta see this!” ( aside from it maybe coming out gold-plated or diamond encrusted and even then, really)? (Please don’t pay attention to the grammatical and punctuation mistakes in any of my articles – my brain works at differing speeds than the rest of me!)
Two other “Poop-oddities” I have run across lately: On a morning radio show, a lady called in to inform the listeners that she inspects her young children’s poop to see what the babysitter has fed them that day – the segment is called, “Does That Make Me Crazy?” (many of you are familiar with it) and my answer is, ummm, yeah – crazy and GROSS! Then there’s the Raindeer Poop Necklace that is supposedly magical. Don’t want any of that “enchantment” hanging on my neck, sorry Dasher. Yes, glamorized or commercialized, no matter what we do with it…it’s still POOP, and regardless, it ALL STINKS.

Friday, March 12, 2010

And Will the REAL Anellen Please Stand Up

When I was a young teen, my mom and dad bought me a small black and white TV to keep in my room.  What a luxury!  I vaguely remember watching reruns of old shows.  On one of them, a pannel of guest stars would quiz three people to try and guess which of them was the actual person in question.  I believe the name was "To Tell the Truth." 

Well, this isn't a game show, and I realize that it won't make any headline news, but after mulling it over and after polling a few respected individuals,  I decided that I no longer wanted to keep up a facade.  So I have a little confession to make.  At the time I began this blog, I did so with a good friend's advice.  She is an encouragement to me, so thank you, friend!  You know who you are!  I am not sure who brought up the idea of using a pen name, but with the events of life in which I currently find myself, she commented that I could use either my true name or a pen name and that I might be more comfortable using a pen name.  So I thought, "What a good way to begin writing and not have to worry about anyone realizing it was me on the other end of the keyboard."  Mind you, I have nothing to hide.

That being said, and realizing that, to be even more honest, I am going through a separation at this time and it hasn't exactly been fun, I decided that it was probably an even better idea to use a pen name.  I had been told by my whatever-you-call-a-mate-you're-seperated-from husband, upon asking permission to take a writing course, that it was just a waste of my time and our money.  I was also chided, in not so many words, because I had some stupid dream about trying to write, and I would just end up being disappointed or wasting time and money with taking any courses.  Now, I didn't have any dreams, necessarily, just wanted to improve my education.  Keep in mind this is the same man that spent $200 on a deer camp he never went to but once or twice the year he paid the dues.  (Sorry if I sound a little upset.)

So, in this blog, I, the real ANDREA, will stand up.  I made up the name Anellen because it was different and seemed to hide my "super-secret" identity well enough.  Wow, what a secret, right?  Ok, let's face it - not really big news here , but I had just about had enough of leaving comments and Anellen taking all the credit!  Plus, I just felt so "dadgum" (Southernism) deceitful. 

I'm actually a 36 year old mother of two awesome kiddos right here in the USA.  You will notice that I sometimes reference the South; so, I will tell you I am from Mississippi.  (And yes, we actually do come in pretty low on any and all polls taken in regards to many things.  Not a bad place to live, however.  And if we were polled on junk left in yards and Skoal dippers, we'd come in pretty darn close to the top, maybe behind Alabama and Tennessee - if not beating them out!  OK, so not much to brag about, but we've got to toot our horn about something!  And the birth place of Elvis Presley's been tooted out!  By the way, a Mississippian can go anywhere in the world and try to explain what town they're from and no one will know where we are talking about.  However, we can say we live .5 miles or 150 miles from Tupelo, MS, the birthplace of Elvis Presley - and most people mystically know exactly where we live!)

Whew....now that's done!  I might be able to sleep tonight!  Don't judge - you have to understand, I can take 30 minutes of a lunch hour driving around town trying to decide the perfect place to eat lunch!  Yes, I will drive myself crazy one day...get ready.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Vanity, O Vanity, Where Is Your Scotch Tape? (or Why In the Heck Do I Do These Things?)

DISCLAIMER – I am going to show you pictures of myself that I would never normally reveal (keep in mind that I hate ALL pics of myself, so I would normally never reveal ANY to you). Don’t worry – you aren’t about to see any porn. Trust me – that would be nightmarish! I preface this with a warning because what is about to be revealed to you WILL disappoint you…it may make your stomach churn…it may be – horrific.

We’ve all heard that piece of advice that just seemed stupid - after the fact. Last week, I decided to follow such counsel. During lunch, typing on my computer and shoving down a sandwich, I was joined by a co-worker. “Stop wrinkling your forehead. You really need to quit wrinkling your face. You know it causes wrinkles.” A fact of which I am increasingly becoming aware - only made worse, now, by her observation. Thanks! (Can you lovingly admonish someone?)

If you knew me, really knew me, you would not be surprised at the recall of odd advice that came to my mind at that moment. I pondered...“But how in the world do you go through life without making a single wrinkle in your face: You frown, you wrinkle; you smile, you wrinkle; you worry, you wrinkle; you wonder, you wrinkle; you scream, you wrinkle, you laugh, YOU WRINKLE. Come on!” Then the recall, “Hey, I heard this woman say once that if you put a piece of tape on the places that are beginning to wrinkle, it will make you more aware of when you are doing it and you can train yourself to do it less often.” “Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” retorted my co-worker. With a bit of a giggle, I grabbed the scotch tape – why not!

Now to target the trouble spots – a piece right in the middle of the forehead, a piece on the left side should cover the left set of laugh lines, and a piece on the right to do the same for that side. Alrighty folks, not gonna give the play-by-play, but I will just say that this advice ranks right up there with _____________________(I'm sure you could all fill in the blank).  As if I didn’t look foolish enough just sitting at my desk with transparent globs hanging on my face, I walked out of my office into the foyer where the postman was grabbing the mail. Thank goodness he had just turned to leave! Again – not a thoroughly thought through action.

Time to remove the tape came when after enough time elapsed that the effort was deemed, oh I don’t know, IDIOTIC! I had another co-worker or two join in the fun to watch as I tried to explain the concept behind the experiment and to watch as I removed the translucent trouble that had fused to my face. Or, should I say, they squirmed and “oooohh-ed” as I tore the tape, and I am almost positive three layers of skin, from my WRINKLY epidermis.
     

I did walk away from this little exercise with the wisdom that scotch tape is better used for gift wrapping, not wrinkle correction (Common Sense, Thou art called so for a reason). So for any of you who were sitting around this weekend wondering how to lesson those worry lines, I have this to say – “Vanity, you can go and take your stinking scotch tape with you – just leave my skin, please.”
Me - happy and wrinkly!

Look for the Yellow

Have you ever taken or given advice that no one would understand but you and the other person involved? Having children, one of whom is vying for the position of 2nd grade “Drama Queen”, you find yourself in the need of quick damage control on many occasions.

Finding my daughter in a melancholy mood one afternoon and finding nothing that would satisfy her or bring her out of her black cloud, I asked one last time what could possibly be the matter. She finally huffed and broke out with a tearful story of how a friend had told her super top secret, secret that she liked a boy in her class (primary school – BRUTAL!). Not wanting to make light of it and remembering a few of my own elementary tragedies, I tried to rush to the rescue with some life altering advice. I came up with nothing. “Just ignore her” was about the only words of wisdom flashing in my mind. But try giving a second grader this advice and…GOOD LUCK.

Yellow is not my favorite color. (Nothing personal – I love most all colors. But yellow had just never been on the upper level of my list.) Today, ironically, I found it lending its beauty to my use. “Sweetie, sometimes you just have to look for the yellow in things.” OK–I've probably heard that in some movie somewhere, right? And if I had not heard it somewhere else before – what was I thinking!? How in the world was I going to explain my way out of this verbage! Oh well – it worked! I explained that, let’s face it – sometimes people are just jerks. They are going to let you down or disappoint you (we’ve all been on the receiving end, if not the giving, at times). You can’t control what others say, only how you react. (Not anything new to any of you, but to a 2nd grader – it was is as if I were a sage.) I continued...when life stinks, you just have to look for something good, something “yellow”. Yellow is the color of a beautiful flower, the sun, a cute little baby chick - lots of pretty things. Ok, I’m not a poet or heart warming prose writer, but it was enough to get us through this episode and onto the next.

We still occasionally remind one another to “look for the yellow”. Yes, on those days when life stinks – look around to find your yellow (sometimes, you may have to look extra hard, but I hope you’ll find it).

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Apparently, I Like 'Em Crunchy

Sitting with a group of ladies recently, a conversation broke out about “lick lists”. And yes – I had to ask, “What’s a ‘lick list’?” A simple explanation is…a person who makes you so weak in the knees that you want to walk up and lick them. (Ok – you should know that I was blushing the whole time the conversation was taking place. Some people call me “Lily” because I seem to be quite naïve and very ditzy at times. I like the “eccentric” part of the definition.)

Back to the matter…having been separated for the last 9 months, I wasn’t sure just how active I should be in a forum of this nature. I decided it would be better to listen & ask questions but stop short of contributing. Actor after actor’s name was thrown onto each girl’s list – and I must say, I wasn’t surprised at most of the names. Let’s just say Gerard Butler, Josh Duhamel, Bradley Cooper – you would be dripping with saliva. After a while, and after realizing that I hadn’t taken part in the conversation aside from asking, “Now, who is he,” one of the gals asked, “And just why are you so quiet? Who would make YOUR lick list?”

OK – the card had been thrown…should I poker-face my way out of this and continue to be silent, or, now that I had been enlightened as to what this little pole was all about, innocently contribute? Honestly, I went blank…I contemplated too deeply…just who would I name? First of all, I have usually never been attracted to the "dreamy icons" of the times. I’m just weird that way. So I couldn’t readily pinpoint one in that realm. Second of all, being somewhat OCD, there is VERY LITTLE that would convince me to even think about putting my tongue on a man…unless he had just stepped out of a 3 or 4 phase shower that might even include a quick swabbing with an antiseptic! (OK – so I’m not really that bad, I have been married! I do have children. But it’s a very near reality. Let’s just say that it took years for me to get to where I am today – sorry if that offends anyone – not trying to write risqué – just stating a fact and hoping that if you’re reading this and have ever awakened with morning breath and “bed smell”, you understand!)

Hummm…they were all still staring, waiting with anticipation. That 5 seconds felt like 30 minutes! “Well, I like a guy with manly hands.” WHAT DID I JUST SAY?! Of all the things I could have come up with - it was regarding hands? To my surprise, I got a couple of “yes, girl”s. OK, my confidence up a little, I proclaimed, “I like tattoos & I am not offended by piercings. You pretty much put ink & metal on ‘em and I’ll do a double-take.”

One of the leaders of the round table laughed and said, “Humph…so you like’em a little crunchy, huh?” Well, unfamiliar with that term and already under the suspicion that I had waded off too deep into this one, I decided it was better to NOT ASK. So to all you decent “Crunchies” out there – much love! (Yes, I include you, Shaun Morgan.)

Update

I am sorry to say that the gentleman who had the severed arteries in his neck and a 10% chance of life lost his battle. Thank you to those of you who were praying. I found out that his children are actually much younger that originally reported. The mother is very young also. Please continue to keep this family in thoughts and prayers.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Painfully Aware

Lately, I have been made painfully aware of others' losses and hardships. It is always heartbreaking to hear of anyone facing tragedy or loss. I am moved to tears many times when even thinking of what they must have gone through or are currently experiencing. There are two that I would like to pass on to you in hopes you will be thinking about and praying for them and/or their families.

Sitting at a party Saturday afternoon, one of the girls in our circle got a call. She left the room. When she re-entered, she was in tears. Of course, we all asked what had happened and if there was anything we could do. She related the tragedy of which she had been made aware. A son of her co-worker had been serving in Iraq. She had just gotten the news that he had lost his life. This is tragic within itself, but only more so by the fact that he was married, and his wife is expecting their third child. Not only did a mother lose her son, but a wife lost a husband and children lost a father.

A second such life - altering tragedy is one related to me yesterday by a family member. A friend of his had been having neck & back pain and was encouraged to see a chiropractor. Never having used such a specialist before, he thought he would try. After seeing the chiropractor (and while still in the office) he began to get very sick. He knew something was wrong, but was shocked when he and his family found that he was actually having a stroke. He was rushed to the hospital where they could do very little for him aside from transferring him to a different hospital. The family was later informed that both main arteries leading to his brain had been severed and he was given a 10% chance of life. This was not an older gentleman but a 26 year old young man with a wife and 2 children ages 2 yrs and 4 yrs. He is holding on to life and is relatively non-communicative. His wife played a video of his children for him yesterday and he did shed tears, so there is the proof that he can see and hear what is going on around him.

I realize that there are countless people who have stared loss, disease, death, etc. straight into its face and are sirvivors. Many have begun organizations of their own to help others facing life-situations or battles similar to those they have faced. I am sorry to say I am not aware of many of them, personally, but I can pass on two organizations I have been made aware of lately:

www.caringbridge.org and www.hadrianswalk.org

There are many, many, many more such sites. And many heart-ripping stories like these. I hope that, if we cannot do anything more than lift thoughts & prayers for these families that we will do so and share their stories with others. Some of you that I DO know personally have faced your own adversity. I can say to you, you have inspired me or spoken to the depth of my soul, and, at times, spurred me on. (Don't judge the sentence-ending preposition!) I want to say thank you to each of you - many of you know who you are, and if you don't, I pray time will allow me to one day let you know.