Have that song in my head.. Jim Morrison….love him.
re-posting…thanks Emily & William :) May 29, 2012
Do not put statements in the negative form.
And don’t start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
And don’t start sentences with a conjunction.
If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
De-accession euphemisms.
If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
~William Safire, “Great Rules of Writing
courage and bravado May 28, 2012
If we remember to relax and trust in ourselves and our Higher Power, we, too, will discover that we are able to live and live with contentment and true joy.
I have found that this life we live is hard, but it is also full of joy, when we look for the joy.
Memorial Day ~~ is suppose to be about honoring those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom. I never will understand the concept of war. My spirit says how can you kill each other in conflict and why would it be noble to kill? Then I remember that we have an instinct to fight for what we believe in our heart and soul.
I wonder if that instinct in me is non existent. I have never (Praise God) been in a situation that was so dire that I would have to choose to fight to death over an issue or situation. I believe that in this life we all face our own share of battles. Some of us, have experienced many trials, others not as much.
Outside appearances are deceiving and we tend to gather our own conclusions ….. for instances assuming.. oh they live such an easy life, they are so pretty, they never seem to gain weight, they always seem so composed.
I am in trouble when I look only on the outer trappings of someone’s life. We never know what battles they are dealing with. The pretty girl may be battling demons of low self esteem, the person who has all the material wealth of “things” may be lacking the true things that matter in life, they may be alone among their “things” and feeling no true love or joy.
The trials I have been through, have been mine. My experience and my hope lays in the hands of my higher power who I chose to call God. As I continue to explore my life and the physical battles of having a chronic disease and then wandering into the mental and emotional obstacles I face on a daily basis.
The world we live in is not our home. It is filled with evil and I believe we need to fight for the greater good. Thus I suppose war is a part of this world. I also believe… Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness .
The world we live in is so obsessed with the physical aspects of living, the spirit is hidden and we judge people not on their spirit which if we are in tune with the spiritual realm we can see people with our hearts because the eyes fail to capture the true nature of people.
Open your heart to those who tug at your spirit…. love with your heart and not with your eyes. I find the eyes of my heart is the most accurate connection to God that I have.
be safe…. be true.. and be happy. Enjoy all you have been given and pay it forward when you are able.
nothing May 16, 2012
one of these days I will be comfortable doing NOTHING.. I mean nothing, not writing, not reading, not meditating, not medicating,
I have never been able to find the joy of doing nothing. Not because I do not think about it, or have massive amounts of energy that I cannot contain.. no its the guilt factor in it… you know.. the voice inside my head (usually my mother)… its beautiful outside, get out and enjoy it, or if it is rainy, its a good day to clean out your closets and drawers blah blah blah….
But I heard it is a joy that once experienced it is a good therapy for stress.
I have learned to give my worries to God, to surrender, but to just one day to not do anything is an anomaly.
Today will not be that day, but I think I will try it this afternoon….. will let you know how it goes.!
ONE OF THESE DAYS May 14, 2012
she tries to balance her plates and spoons and knives and forks..
She teeters on the edge of an abyss that is vast in its domain yet narrow in it passageway.
She falls down, and struggles to comprehend the word serenity~~ yet as she is falling
she feels the weightless motion of the free falling…
the excess baggage is being released and float above her as
she tries to grasp onto the things that tie her to the place above the abyss
Finally she lets go ………only to find ……….
Mom May 13, 2012
I miss my mom, we were very different and it seems we were always at odds with each other. But I miss her, regardless.
I am a person of great sensitivity, I have even been diagnosed by a professional as a HSP. Highly Sensitive Person. I have learned that I feel way too much, and managing those feelings have not been easy. I would have never imagined that this would be an impediment on my life, but it is and mentally trying to not be so sensitive is hard work.
My mother, was a funny, bright and intelligent woman. She was however, until the day she died, very judgmental. She saw most things in Black & White.. no allowances for that grey area of doubt and it was her way or the highway. I found myself on the highway quite a few times…hitching a ride to prove her wrong, or at least to forge my own path of self discovery. I knew she always loved me but there were conditions on her love. I was not what she expected~~ but she loved me this I have no doubt.
Myself as a mom ~~ I have self flagellated myself for too many years, and one of the promises in recovery is that we will not regret the past, nor wish to close the door on it. I have made amends and I have lived in and with love to the best of my ability. I love my children and grandchildren unconditionally and I hope and pray that on this mothers day, and the many to come ….. they can say, my mom, she may not have done everything perfect, but she loved with all she had.
Happy Mothers Day~
failure to launch May 12, 2012
How do you define success? Is it amassing great wealth, many things, being paid a big paycheck? A Mercedes? A house full of silver and gold? (now I have that stupid song from the Rudolf red nose reindeer stuck in my head… silver and gold… silver and gold ~ but I digress)
To look at my life on the outside, I could be considered a failure, a loser, unsuccessful. I have learned, though that nothing is as it seems. The pretense of being a success is and can be an illusion.
Illusions are created by masking what is real. It is defined as an erroneous perception of reality. A perception that is not true to reality, having been altered subjectively in some way in the mind of the perceiver. Success is subjective.
Someone told me that I was a failure at my life, I am not sure how they measured this failure called my life, but I guess it did not meet the expectations of what he thought being successful is.
This hurt me, but I also realized that although, yes I have failed at many things in my life, more importantly ~~ I get back up. It may take a few days of some self loathing and the how could I have been so stupid talk, but eventually I get up.
It sounds so simple, just get up…… move on, make amends and then do not repeat it again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I do not have the power to undo the past, no matter what I do.or say It is done….over…. finished. If I stay in my past mistakes trying to make it all better..with works or words to change it..The outcome will always be the same…. nothing can change the past mistakes only the actions of today can amend the past.
The person who told me that I am a failure is someone I love with all my heart. Listening to him speak to me and express his anger and feelings, I came to a realization, that although the words and feelings he expressed were his and his alone. I did not have to believe it, take it and coddle it for days like a newborn baby. I can listen, understand, claim what is truth and move on… plain and simple. I always seem to take people’s perception of me and try to change it to what I want them to perceive me to be.
Forgiveness is asked for, not all of those I have hurt will give it to me.. . They have every right to hold on to the bitterness, resentments and hurt. I have learned that I also have the right to let them keep their feelings and not take them on and try to repair them. I do not want those feelings …. they are theirs, not mine. No amount of words said,, or actions taken can change their feelings, it has to be a heart changing thing.
Nothing from outside but a conviction from inside the heart is the true act of forgiveness.
Success can be measured in many ways. The world we live in today is mostly about material possessions. I used to be so envious of what people had, the new car, the swimming pool, the motorcycle, the beautiful granite tiled kitchen with stainless steel appliances, (details…..) blah blah….
What I measure as success is the ability to fight the fight with all I have within me and when I cannot fight it anymore to hand it over to God who loves me and knows all my imperfections and failures and still accepts me as who I am. No one in my life can ever give me that. Not my parents, siblings, spouse, kids or grandkids. We all fall short…. everyone of us..
Only God can give me the agape love that I need to be a success. Success to me is not measured with status, money, things or popularity, the success I have to give this world is the truest form of love for another person, the love that God shows me, so I can in turn love others as God does, without illusions, without conditions and just because that is the right thing to do.
But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong
lest you be judged May 5, 2012
Some people find it hard to believe that judgment and intolerance is NOT really in me, (but it is my natural inclination) unless the law is broken etc.. even then it is a jury of our peers who decide ( and I hope with discernment) I just think this is the best way to deal with people is to look first at yourself, you actions, your intentions and if it is clean, then embrace those who make mistakes to help them in any way you can. Mercy and grace is sometimes hard to give to some people, but if I want Mercy & Grace then I should extend it to others as well.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Welcome to our World little one… May 4, 2012
Introducing Olivia, she is a beautifully perfect little baby girl and she is so loved! As the months progressed with her eventual birth, I realized a new birth in me. I love you~
I have 3 grandchildren now, Emma is 6, Drew just turned 5 and now Olivia who is not even one day old yet. THIS IS WHAT TRUE BLESSINGS ARE Thank you Lord. for all you have shared with me. I am humbled, in awe and so very grateful ! Praising Him Always!
the view from here April 24, 2012
The sky is a beautiful azure blue, a few thin floating clouds and the trees are moving in dance with the wind. The fountain outside my window bubbles and reflect the sunshine in an array of rainbow colors.
The birds fly by in flight that I sometimes dream of, the flight of freedom and the flight that rises above all the earth. The bird-eyes view that I can only achieve in a tower or high place also known as “scenic outlooks”
I love Lake Michigan all the Great Lakes are superb but Lake Michigan provides me with sandy bottoms and the Sand dunes that surround the west coast of this beautiful state.
I remember a day in 1982, I was just pregnant with my second son, Brian, when we took a small road trip with my oldest son who was 2 at the time, we saw the lighthouse, walked the pier and dipped into the waves as the wind rushed through the great lake. My son Frankie, was so excited to see seagulls and was even more entertained when he would run and they would take flight. He giggled with the child giggle, and when we hit the water..he exclaimed….”This is INFRESHING” oh heck it was just cold to me, but to him it was exhilrating and INFRESHING!!
I should scan the picture and post it here, because in this picture Iam holding Frankie by his underarms and his face is pure joy and excitement. In my older age, I want to find that pure joy as well as I remember his pure joy and INFRESHING exuberance…. in that moment. We truly have so much to be joyful about.
Frankie now is a daddy to 3 children,,…… Emma (6) Drew (4) and soon to be born Olivia. He sows his exuberance once again in his own children and takes pure joy in that.
My goal for the rest of my life will be to find that pure joy and exuberance in all that I experience. And resurrect the little things that I have taken advantage of and I can now appreciate each moment as a true pure gift from God
Have an INFRESHING day!!
