Thursday, February 26, 2009

Winter in Savannah


I know I am behind in posting pics of our trip to Sugar Mountain in South Carolina from earlier this month. I swore to myself I'd upload pics off the camera each day and then I would get sidetracked and I would forget. By the time I did it I saw pics from before Christmas all the way up to this past weekend.

So, this is one of the few group shots I got of the kids. No, I don't have 4 kids. The one in the purple jacket is my niece. This particular pic was taken on our last day there and in one of the few patches of snow left where you could pull together a very humble snowman. Not long after this picture was taken the girls and I kicked it apart. It was like that scene in A Clockwork Orange...well, it was like a lot of scenes in that movie. All we were missing was the Beethoven.

A weekend in the snow was fun. Everyone had a good time for the most part and a few of us got our fill of snow and cold and we'll now be all set for at least a year or 4 until we need another fix. Actually, the kids loved being in the snow. There was a certain amount of disappointment in their eyes as we drove off the mountain and the questions about possible snow in Savannah ramped up tremendously once we got home. I have seen snow in Savannah and in South GA but I only have memory of it being enough to make a snowman once or twice. Once when I lived in Cairo, GA, the change in weather patterns after Mt. St. Helen erupted caused us to get snow. It was sort of grey colored but it did make a nice petite snowman. Our 2nd GA snowman was made when in was 8th grade. That snowman was even more petite and was fashioned on top of a picnic table in the playground at school. Nothing fancy but as a southern kid it was a joyous occasion. I told Julia about these experiences and at the end she was both excited about the ever so slight possibilities that she may see snow without having to be in a car "forever and ever and ever" and also disappointed over the fact that the snow I experienced down here was not enough to fulfill her dreams of snow drifts and days of school closings.

Because I am a loving and kind mommy I also shared my stories of living up in Michigan and about the winters there. She got the story of how our snot would freeze on our faces while waiting for the bus. She cringed at my details about how school didn't close at all and that you got on that bus even if the driver had to kick and force the door open at every spot. Her little heart hurt for me when I talked about how some kids had snow shelters to wait in at their bus stops on the coldest days but that we did not. Julia got excited again when I described our snow gear, Moon boots, and scarves and mittens in a rainbow of colors. I left out how hard it was to get in and out of and that once you had it all on it was a 100% guarantee that you needed to either pee or poop so bad your eyes watered BUT you couldn't go because you'd just been kicked outside to go walk up the street and wait for the bus. Oh the horror and pelvic pain! At this point in my tale Julia started to drift away a bit. To bring her back around I did talk about the insanely fun sledding and walks on the frozen lakes and about how beautiful falling snow is and how unbelievably quiet it can be during a snow storm. There is definite beauty in a true winter.

Now I'm getting all misty eyed just thinking about the fun times we did have pretending to be Northerners for a few years.

All in all I am a Southern Girl. I prefer warm temperatures and a nice sea breeze during the summer. I find comfort in sandals and layered tank tops. I don't want to wear anything heavier than a sweater or a light jacket. That's just me. I can see that my husband and my boys love the colder temps and I can appreciate our differences. It is a treat to have all 4 seasons and we often don't get that here in Savannah. Our beautiful azaleas and our knack for AWESOME Sweet Tea make up for that in my eyes though.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Touched

Today I've been truly amazed but the tiny little ways we are all connected. Not only are we connected but we are constantly touched by the actions of others that have no idea we even exist. That means that even YOU are making an impact on people that you have never even dreamed existed! Really! I know this seems such a simple lesson but it's one that I often take for granted and that I don't think about as often as I should. Recently I have made a conscious effort to thank people for the little things whenever I can and I am also trying to do right by other people in the hopes that I can pass on the kindness I have received. Not that I ever do things to be mean or hurtful or any of that stuff. I am generally a kind person and the only person I hate on on a regular basis is myself. Hey, I'm working on that too btw.

Tonight I ran into a couple that I met about 2 years ago. They showed up one morning not long after Logan, Beren, and I had gone back inside after playing outside. They didn't come to my front door like other solicitors do but they came to the back door like family and friends do. They were kind looking and by their dress I had an inkling of what they were here for.

Now, let me say this now -- I am not a very religious person but I have a healthy quest for knowledge and I take opportunities to learn about spirituality from some unlikely people and places. I don't want to form concrete opinions about God and define what he/she is/isn't but I want to know about religion and I want to have faith. I'm a work in progress LOL...

This couple were Witnesses and they wanted to talk about Jehovah with me. My first reaction was to be polite and take their publication but to tell them I was not interested in talking. Then something in me decided that their decision to approach my house differently, the fact that I just felt comfortable with them and that they didn't automatically start in on their message made me stop. We chatted for a few minutes outside and they asked if they might come back by sometime so that we could chat a bit more. I said sure but I don't know if I thought then that they would come back. They did and for over a year and a half I talked to them often. They taught me about their beliefs and they answered my questions about their faith with patience and honesty. I kept an open mind throughout our conversations and I felt that they did the same with me even though I didn't share their convictions or passions. Eventually, despite our connections on a more friendly and social basis, we decided to take a break from talking religion. It was a hard decision for me to make because I really liked this couple a lot but there was no way I could be Witness and I really had run out of religious questions for them. After that we stayed in contact through e-mail and I saw them occasionally at the grocery store or other places.

Tonight I ran into them again and I took this opportunity to thank them for the time they spent with me and for all that they shared with me. Although their religion was not for me I learned a great deal from them and I appreciated their openness and willingness to share with me even when it was obvious I was not like minded. The wife then stunned me. She thanked me for all the time I spent with them. Their time with me brought up a lot of things for them to think about and a lot of unanswered questions that they had within themselves as well. For them it meant the beginning of a new spiritual journey and they were excited. I don't know if she was just being nice but I was really touched. Not touched because I had made them question their faith. I don't want to give the wrong idea here. I am touched because the three of us made a connection. We just did what we normally do, day in and day out, but in doing that we made a difference in someones life.

Another example from today has also left me with a warmed heart. Last week in lecture our professor showed Romania: What Happened to the Children? (Turning Point, 1997) which was about families who adopted Romanian orphans in the early 1990's. It focuses on how many families discovered that thousands of the adopted orphans suffered from childhood trauma and neglect that would be irreversible. I remembered seeing this program when it originally aired and watching it again so many years later really threw me for a loop. Now I am the mother of three and I have lived so much since then. I felt so strongly for the parents of these incredible children and also for the plight of these orphans and for the kids that had been adopted. All week one little girl from the program stuck in my mind. I remembered her name and where her adoptive family lived at the time of the Turning Point program so for kicks I put that into Google. Immediately I found a few articles about this particular young woman (now in her late teens) and I was so amazed and unbelievably proud of how far she has come. She began her life as a neglected infant and toddler in a severely overcrowded orphanage in Romania. At the time of her adoption at the age of 2 she had the basic abilities of only a 6 month old. She could not feed herself, stand up, or communicate. In the Turning Point program she was in school but it had been shown that her brain function was terribly altered by her early years of neglect. This did not sway her mother though and she was a true champion for her daughter. Now this girl is a straight A student and she has grown into a beautiful and accomplished young woman. When we discussed the program in lecture this evening it was exciting to share an update about this particular girl. You'd have thought she was my own kid the way my smile beamed for her!

I sent this lovely young woman a brief e-mail to thank her and her mother for sharing their story. I was so moved by it and since our world has grown ever so much smaller with the advent of technology I felt compelled to thank them. And you know what? She wrote me back this evening! I am indeed on cloud nine this evening. What a great experience this is and it makes me feel so positive.

These are just examples from today but there are so many tiny connections that I am becoming aware of on so many levels right now. To those of you reading this please let me thank YOU for coming by and for just you being you!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Slacker or Not a Slacker?

A slacker can be defined as a person who procrastinates or is lazy.

I call myself a slacker almost daily. Mostly in jest but if you go by the above definition then I think I fit. I am a major procrastinator. This sometimes equates with being lazy as well. Another definition of a slacker is "one who is in fact suffering from clinical depression, resulting in a lack of motivation." At times I fit this definition extremely well too.

Am I really a slacker though? Today I have been a busy bee working on several things that need my attention and focus. I have also juggled this with a very demanding 3 year old and various other household details. That's not being lazy. I've not procrastinated today and things are actually getting ticked off my to-do list and balls are rolling in areas that need attention. Yet, with all that is going well today, I have put other things off a bit. They are not huge things and they are not time sensitive but not giving them attention right now makes me feel like a huge slacker. They are little tasks that make me feel as if I am not organized or able to juggle my responsibilities properly.

So, even though I am in the middle of some issues I am here noodling "out loud" and giving myself a pep talk. Why I am doing it here, I am not sure. Maybe it adds validity or maybe I want feedback. I don't know and please don't feel like you have to comment on any of this at all. We could just pretend this is all staying in my head and IF you do comment it's just me talking to myself. Or not pretend. It could be happening that way. I told you I was special. I'm also excellent at entertaining myself with nothing but my crazy mind.

Back on task. Am I really a slacker? No, not really. Or probably not. How can a mother of 3 be a slacker? If I were a true slacker I would not have completed 7+ years of higher education and still be at it cramming even more info into this head. Would a slacker have 5 cats and a one eyed fish? If I were a slacker would I have owned a business? How can you be a slacker and take charge and care for peoples needs?

If not a slacker then what am I?

I guess I am laid back. I go with the flow. I see that there is an ebb and flow, dips and curves, twists and turns to life and I try hard to not let the little details and the big details get to me. Bryan is the same way. Although we are not overly religious people we operate on a basic faith that things happen for a reason and that there are things you can't control. There are things you shouldn't control or they will make your life harder than necessary. Going with the flow of life and doing the best we can in situations that come our way has worked very well for us. Now, as life twists again we are trying not to get too worked up and we are laying the groundwork that will lead us through in a calm fashion. Not a slacker way of doing things, right?

I need to get out of the habit of calling myself a slacker. I need to not think negative things about myself and be my own worst enemy. I can be laid back and still be a positive go-getter. I can still cut short jokes on myself and be silly and not break my confidence down. I can do this without compromising my need and desire to help and please others too. Or I would like to be able to do that. I am going to try.

So, not a slacker? I will continue to be terrible at cleaning, putting away laundry and organizing things but it's not out of laziness or procrastination. I'm going with the flow and taking care of important things first. Bryan, the kids, family and friends -- these come 1st and I'll work from there.

Sorry for being scattered with this.

I leave you with some favorite short jokes:

Sara lives in the 10th floor and when she needs to get to the 10th floor from the bottom she has to stop at the 7th floor and has to climb to the 10th floor by stairs. Why? Because Sara is to short to reach the #10 button in the elevator.

I'm one of the few people to have my feet showing in my drivers license picture. Me and Little People have that in common.

Short people are the last ones to get rained on, but the first ones to drown.

Yesterday, a basketball player and a jockey robbed a shop.
The police are searching high and low.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Hugs-N-Love

I have been working on a post for a few days now but I've just not had time to finish it up. Since the weekend I've had a particularly nasty case of pharyngitis and besides it making it difficult to swallow it has made it difficult for me to put two thoughts together. Hell, I've not been able to put two thoughts that have anything in common with each other anywhere near the other. Christa can attest to my inept state of mind. Not that I need a witness or anything but sometimes it is a comfort to know it's not all just some running joke in your own head.

I will work on the original post after the weekend trip coming up and hopefully I'll have my brain back in tip top working order by then. OR, I will maim myself horribly while trying to show my kids how to ski/ice skate/sled in the hills of North Carolina. Either way I'm sure there will be pain, pictures of smiling wee blond chillins, and a self depreciating epic tale in there for us all. Win win situations like that are just wonderful.

On a side note -- this week has brought some very sad and scary situations to my attention and I want us all to take a moment and hold our loved ones close. Kiss your kids. Call your mom and dad and siblings if they are still around (and will accept your calls).

Several blogs and e-mails asking for prayers for some amazing little people crossed my desk. Although I do not know any of these people it doesn't lessen the emotion that goes through me when I read their journeys. This week saw the passing of a toddler who battled with cancer. She leaves behind a twin and a family so full of love for having has this little girl in their lives, even if it was just for a brief period of time. For another family it's the beginning of a long wait to see if their child will make it through a bone marrow transplant with success. These are things that so many people face on a daily basis and yet so many others take their good health and situations for granted. I'm not pointing fingers in any way but I am taking this as a lesson for myself to continue to love those around me and to tell them so as much as possible. I love you people!!! I will continue to shower love and affection on my kids even when they wipe my kisses off. I'll take that as them just rubbing them in.

Daily life hits us with adversities right and left and as humans it's part of our job to keep our chins up and our hearts open. Each day is a gift that we should not throw away or squander. It's too easy to not care or to focus on just yourself and your immediate needs but it carries great rewards to open up and share your thoughts, concerns, and love and prayers with those around you.

I apologize for rambling today and I am not sure if what I really want to say is getting out. Blame it on my fuzzy head and my first successful cup of coffee in 5 days perhaps. Or, more likely, it's that I am so profoundly touched by the sharing of complete strangers during the hardest moments in their lives that I am both wordy and speechless.

Please hug and share love with those around you today and if you can spare some thoughts and prayers for a few of these families I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and you know I love ya!