Good Mornings!

Sometimes I think mornings are the best part of the day – when the sun is at a gentle angle and all delights and disappointments and challenges and problems and opportunities that will come with the day, are softened by the morning mist.  

Today we are at my son’s house on the Hudson River.  I put off getting up this morning – for just a little while.  I put off checking the news, checking emails and messages — and just enjoyed the peace.  

 

I listen as waves splash against the shore after a large freighter has made its way up the river to Albany’s harbor.  A whistle sounds from across the river as a train carries commuters down to the city.

 

A mockingbird, perched somewhere on a rooftop, joyfully sings its repertoire of songs, and a small bird is loudly shouting its 2-note call over and over.  To me it always sounds like he’s saying “Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!” 

 

Eventually I had to get up.  I rolled over, softly kissed my sleeping husband on the forehead and got out of bed.  When I opened my computer, these words came spilling out!   I hope they will be some inspiration for someone out there. 

 

And, like that little bird sitting on its birdhouse I say “Thank you!  Thank you, God, for another day!”  

 

 

The Full Moon

 A few weeks ago, as we were driving home, I looked out the window and saw the full moon.  A buoyant white floating ball.  Suspended in the sky.  Rising over the fields.  Drifting upwards ever so slowly.  Lighting the sky with its glow.  

We pulled over to watch for a few minutes – mesmerized – as we so often are with the sight of a full moon.  

It’s not a rare occurrence, the full moon.  It happens once every 28 days.  But we don’t always see it.  

Maybe we can’t be outside. Maybe the weather is bad and the moon is not visible.  Or maybe we are just too busy to look up.   But when we do look up at the full moon it can be an emotional experience, filling us with awe.

Fast forward a few weeks.  I walked out and saw the sliver of a first-quarter moon glistening in the blackness of the sky.   Just a sliver of light in the darkness – and I remembered the brilliance of the full moon I’d watch just weeks ago. 

That’s when I started thinking about how that round ball we call the moon, is always there!  Circling the earth.  Whether we can see the fullness of the ball, or just a sliver – or when we cannot see any evidence of a moon at all – it is still there!  It is part of our world.  It's just that sometimes it takes a little faith to realize it.

And that’s when I had to think that the moon is sort of like God’s love for all of us.  We can’t always see it or feel it.  Sometimes we tend to doubt it.  But God is always there.  His love is always there for us – part of our world – part of our life.  But sometimes it just takes a little faith to realize it.

So now, when I’m feeling low, lost, confused, not sure where to look for direction, I’m going to try to look up and try to remember that no matter what, like the moon, God’s love is always there. 

Flip Down Your Sunglasses

 Driving to the store the other afternoon, I was squinting in the sun.  Deep shadows and bright spots were making it hard for me to see the road clearly as it twisted and bended through the hills around our lake.  

 

“Wish I’d brought my sunglasses” I thought … then realized they were right there on top of my head!  

 

I flipped them down and suddenly the road ahead of me became clear …

 

… and it made me stop and think about how often we find ourselves in a situation in life where we can’t seem to see clearly.  The road ahead seems to be in a fog, or out of focus and we are blinded by the bright lights of immediate needs.  We stumble and question our direction.  If only we could just “flip down our sunglasses” and see clearly.

 

Well maybe we can!  

 

For me, “flipping down my sunglasses” meant focusing on my goals, on what I’ve determined I want to do – what I want to accomplish.  

 

It meant asking why I chose to do what I do. Where does my motivation come from?  What is my source of inspiration? Where is my source of strength? 

 

For me, my goal has always been to reach out to others with love – my family of course, and my friends, but also to people I’ve never even met – and to share some of the things I’ve learned through my life.  Maybe giving someone a smile, a new thought or inspiration or motivation.  And that is really what this blog is all about.  

 

So I hope that each of you reading this – when you find yourself blinded by the everyday distractions of life – will take a few minutes to “flip down your sunglasses”.  Focus on your goals and your source of strength … and then maybe you will see a clearer path to all that you can do and accomplish … because you each have so much to give!!!

 

 Mid-West Wind - a poem

I grew up on the East coast but moved to Indiana after Jim and I were married.  One day, early in March, I was walking beside a small reservoir, feeling the wind in my face, thinking about the differences between both places -- and wrote this poem.  Now, back on the East coast, I remember that moment and thought you might enjoy my  reflections.

                        

THE MID-WEST WINDS

Oh mid-western winds, from where have you come?

You are not born of the ocean where I am from.

 

It is not from the sea that your currents blow,

Not as the winds I used to know.

 

You have not brushed the waves or ocean sand.

You are a mid-west wind, born of the land.

 

You blew over farms and brushed the fields

Spreading corn and wheat, the farmer’s yield.

 

You’ve swept through villages and city blocks

Pushing dust and paper o’re sidewalks and parking lots.

 

And now you chase the winter’s cold blast 

Bringing warmth and Spring to the land, at last.

 

And from my heart a grateful song escapes,

For the mid-west winds that God did create.

 

 

Story of the Seasons

Note - I posted this story a couple of years ago, but thought, at this time of the year, it would be worth another look and laugh.  Hope you enjoy it. 

GOD to ST. FRANCIS:   What’s going on down there on Earth?   What happened to the dandelions, violets and other beautiful wildflowers I created?   I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden with wildflowers that grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. And the nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds.  

 

ST. FRANCIS:   Well Lord, all these homeowners decided they wanted grass lawns and they are very proud of them! They begin each spring by seeding, watering and fertilizing -- and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

 

GOD:  It takes a lot of moisture to grow the grass and keep it green. I guess them must be happy that I send the spring rains and warm weather to make the grass grow fast.  

 

ST. FRANCIS:  Apparently not, Lord. because as soon as it grows a little, they cut it -- sometimes twice a week.  Then they rake it up and put it in bags and pay to throw it away.

 

GOD:  So then they are relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat?  Surely that slows the growth and saves them a lot of work and money.

 

ST. FRANCIS: You won't believe this, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water the lawns so they can continue to mow it -- and pay to get rid of it.

 

GOD:  I’ll never understand these humans.  At least they kept some of the trees I created.  They must appreciate that the leaves, which provide beauty and shade in the summer, then fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to protect the trees and bushes and form compost to keep moisture in to enhance the soil. 

 

ST. FRANCIS: I hate to tell you this Lord, but as soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

 

GOD: No!  What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

 

ST. FRANCIS: They go out and buy mulch, haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

 

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

 

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up.

 

GOD: Enough!  I don't want to think about this anymore.  Let’s talk about something else.

 What movie is playing tonight?

 

ST. FRANCIS:  It’s called "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a real stupid movie about.....

 

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story!

(author unknown)

~~~

 

 

Birthday thoughts

            Siting on our dock at the lake one evening, I watched the reflection of lights from nearby cabins stretching out like long fingers casting a warm yellow glow on the glassy water.  It was a dark, quiet night.  The moon had not yet crept over the trees behind me.  The Milky Way shimmered overhead, and the Big Dipper sat in its familiar position just beyond the hill to the north.  In the silence I could hear echoes of my life and realized that here, at my lake, I am more truly myself than anywhere else.  

            I am the little girl with a frog in her hand, running up the hill shouting “Daddy, Daddy, do frogs bite?”   I am the tomboy, wanting to do everything my brother does, upset because I’m not allowed in his tree house, and convincing the boy next door to help me nail a platform between two branches so I can have a tree house of my own.

I am the awkward teenager with a crush on the "boy du jour" …  worried that I’m not filling out my bathing suit as much as some of the other girls.  I am the romantic dreamer, imagining a “forever” kind of love.

I am the thinker and the seeker … sitting on this dock long after others have gone to bed, watching the constellations move across the night sky – in awe of the brilliance of those distant stars, in awe of the beauty of creation, in awe of the creator – searching for answers and the purpose of my life.

            And after many summers, and many sunsets and moon rises, I am the young wife discovering the joyous expressions of love for the first time.  I am wife / partner / mother of six – sharing our work, sharing our goals, charting a course for our family, watching our children grow and play and learn to swim on their own.  

            Then I was the widow, coming here where I could scream without being heard.  I sat on that dock at night praying, questioning, seeking answers – and finding consolation in the darkness and the stars overhead.  And I refused to drown in the muddy waters of grief.

            And now I am a woman standing straight, knowing a second “forever” love, and welcoming the world for all that it is – the hardships and the struggles, but also the joys and the laughter.

            So today, as I celebrate another birthday, I give thanks for all that I have experienced.  For all the people who have helped me.  For the many friends I have.  And especially for my family – my husband, my 7 children and their spouses, and my 13 grandchildren!   

            And I give thanks that I can still sit on that dock – or by the ocean, or at my desk overlooking the golf course – and I can look at my where I am and who I am today.  I can accept the still unanswered questions knowing that I will continue to seek and to learn. And I thank God for the gift of this day and for every day of my life! 

 

 

 

 

The Significance of the 2-Egg Cake

My parents were never millionaires but growing up during the 1920’s they had a more-than-comfortable lifestyle.  My maternal grandfather was a successful architect and builder.  My father’s father designed unique luxury automobiles for some of the wealthiest financiers in New York.  Upon graduation from business school, my father had been promised a job with a prestigious firm on Wall Street.  His first day on the job was October 23^rd, 1929, the day before “Black Tuesday”.  Two days later the job did not exist. 

 

Like so many other families, the depression destroyed both of my grandparents’ businesses.  

We had trunks in our attic filled with fancy gowns, gold-banded slippers and velvet “opera” capes that told of an earlier season in my mother’s life, but by the time my parents married, in 1937, the fancy reception she might have had was reduced to a small wedding breakfast with immediate family.  

 

My father eventually became an automobile salesman – a good job and well suited for him because of his experience, his natural “gift of gab” and his sincere interest in people.  However his income depended not just on selling the cars, but on getting them delivered.  During the 1950’s union strikes plagued the steel and automobile industries and new cars were hard to come by. So it was not a steady income.

 

The life I experienced growing up was a simple one.  We never had much money, but I never felt “poor”!  

 

We lived in a modest, small but comfortable house in a modest, middle-class neighborhood.  We had the clothes we needed for school – mostly uniforms – and play clothes – though mine were frequently my brother’s hand-me-downs.  We each had 3 pairs of socks and 3 sets of underwear because, as my mother explained,  “You need one to be wearing, one to be washing and one extra just in case …”.  

 

My father believed in quality rather than quantity, so I always had one good dress for church or special occasions – and it seemed to last forever.  When I grew an inch or two, my mother would simply let down the hem.  But when it finally came time for a new dress, we went to the best department store in town. 

 

Looking back, I believe the reason I did not “feel poor” was mainly a result of my mother’s attitude.  She had a quiet strength and the ability to roll with the ebb and flow of our financial situation. She was proud to say she was a “housewife” and she learned to shop wisely and plan meals and treats within the changing weekly budget.  

 

We always had desert and her yellow cake, which she made from scratch, was my favorite.  One morning I remember walking into the kitchen when she was mixing the batter in that old, brown pottery bowl.  She went to the refrigerator and pulled out an egg, then hesitated and pulled out another egg.  She turned to me with a smile and said, “Your dad had a good week – delivered several cars – so today we’ll have a 2-egg cake!”

 

How could you feel poor when you were having a 2-egg cake for desert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eagle and the Snowflake

 (random thoughts to share on a cold February morning)

 

We live about a half mile from the Chesapeake, so this morning I decided to go for a walk down to the bay.  Temps were below freezing but it was a calm and pleasant morning – at first.  Before I reached the water, a northwest wind started howling, building white caps on the water. Wrapping my scarf warmly around my head, I continued to walk along the shore.

 

When I looked up, I noticed an eagle gliding gracefully overhead.  I stopped to watch this majestic bird as it soared back and forth, riding the wind, the white feathers on its head and tail glistening.  It would catch an updraft and rise high into the western sky, then glide back down toward the rising sun. Its huge wings were spread wide, moving ever so slightly – just enough to control the direction of its flight.  

 

 When I started walking home, snow began to fall, even as the sun was breaking through the clouds.  Once again I had to stop, mesmerized by the beauty of nature.  Large white flakes were floating all about me – icy crystals glistening in the sun. Then a gust of wind sent them swirling, twisting and turning, spiraling without direction through the air until, ultimately, they would melt or fall to the ground.

 

And I had to stop and think – are we like snowflakes, moving with the wind, maybe glistening in the sun for a brief time, but allowing the wind to push us and twist us and turn us?  I hope we are more like the eagle, soaring – sometimes with the joy of abandonment – but always controlling our direction. 

 

 

 

A VALENTINE MESSAGE

                  The secret to living well and longer: 

              

    Eat half,   Walk double,  Laugh triple, 

 

                                and 

 

     LOVE WITHOUT MEASURE!

Practical Guide for a Productive Life

                       ARE YOU A “ROUND TO-IT” Person?

 

A “round-to-it” person has great ideas, often creative ideas, but doesn’t get around to expressing them or acting on them.  

 

A “round-to-it” person may live a comfortable life, though not necessarily a satisfying life – and certainly not a productive life.  

A “round-to-it” person is usually surrounded by clutter – things they are going to fix or make, books they are going to read, papers they are going to organize, albums they are going to fill, pictures they are going to hang, notes for stories that they are going to write – when they get around to it.

 

But if you are truly a “round-to-it” person, you don’t let that bother you.  Occasionally you break through and actually do something, but sadly, not often enough.  You sit, more or less comfortably, in the middle of all the clutter and all the things you are going to do --   when you get around to it.

 

Realizing how often I fit that description, I made a New Year’s Resolution to live a more productive life.  If you too are a “round-to-it person” and want to break out of that circle, I offer this guide which has worked for me.  

Practical Guide for a Productive Life!”

(Do at least one thing, from each category, every day and you will soon discover a sense of purpose and satisfaction – and you will become a “Get It Done” person.)

 

1.    Reach out to someone 

It could be something as simple as calling an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while, or making a point of saying hello to a neighbor who you usually just wave to.  Or it could be lending a hand to someone in need of help, or joining an organization and working to help others.   

 

2.    Clean something

Pick out one thing to clean or organize each day.  It could be thoroughly cleaning one room or just cleaning out the junk drawer.  Or you could clean out a closet and donate those old clothes that don’t fit – and then you’ve accomplished 2 goals in one!

            

3.    Work on one fault

Even if you are a PPP (practically perfect person) like me, you usually have to admit to at least one fault – tending to be critical, tending to be lazy, spending too much time playing solitaire, or not enough time listening that other person in your house. Or maybe you are eating just a little too much or not exercising quite enough.  Identify, admit to and work on just one fault each day.