what is to me was to you......................

Realized tonight that what is my granny is my mom's mother.  How detailed we make our children's inheritance when we create our children.......what is to me is totally different than what is to her.  Looking at pictures, listening to music..........her legacy to me is different than her legacy to my mom.

Genes, listen up.  Thank you.  There is so much love in our family.  Thank you.  Southern by the grace of God.  Not that that doesn't exist other places, but I know fo' sho' that it does here.  

And how many of us create our children not even THINKING about his?  Yep.  Thought so.  So........assignment - family tree.  NOW.  I love all of you.  <3

empathy

“For you see, when us people who know run into each other that's an event. It almost never happens. Sometimes we meet each other and neither guesses that the other is one who knows. That's a bad thing. It's happened to me a lot of times. But you see there are so few of us.”  - Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter


One of my favorite books.  And makes me think of empathy.  Putting one in another's shoes, so to speak.  Or, quite literally, knowing what another's shoes are like.  This is even more rare and difficult.  

Don't we all muddle through life thinking "you don't know how it feels"......?  I think we do...disagree or not, it's how I feel.  And maybe we do things that make us survive a moment, whether anybody else thinks it's needed or not.  And a definition of a moment is dependent on the person who is experiencing the moment.  

A friend told me once, and these were not her words, but quoted ones, "Be kinder than necessary because everybody is fighting some kind of battle".  Truer words have never been spoken.  

Open your hearts, feel each other's needs.  I believe that humanity needs this, and that we don't all cry out the same way.   Listen...and love.  My hope for all of my family & friends is years of happiness, no need to cry out...but when we do...listen and love.

history, looking more than twice, feeling in your bones

When I was a kid, I never would've imagined that I would, as an adult, love history as much as I do.  I really couldn't stand it when I was a kid.  I am convinced that much of my love of the things I can touch, see, imagine what they were like, know why they are the way they are now because of what they were, comes from my parents, and their endless efforts to show me & my sissy life outside of west central Florida.  Don't get me wrong, I love Florida, I love where I'm from...but I know I love other places because my parents helped foster that love.  Talking today with Girl Scouts, planning our year, and churning that over in my mind today, the way I tend to do, made me go, "Oh!  Mom and Dad.  Thank you".

I hope to be as influential in my children's thoughts when they're adults as my parents are in mine.  Mom, I love you so much.  Dad, I love you so much, and I miss you so much.  Thank you for being the best parents ever.  I don't take anything for granted......because of you.

people watching

I've always known I'm a people watcher.  Today, I was a people watcher who REALLY knew I was a people watcher.  There's something about it...so fun to imagine who they are.  I attended a training, and could not stop thinking about where the speaker came from (he told us Fairbanks, Alaska), what his wife must be like...then looking around the room and wondering about people.  Her, with the clearly designer purse...if you know me, you know I won't know which designer, but I can tell it's expensive because she handles it with mucho care and she smells like a salon.  All the way down to the people who directed us parking.  I can concentrate on the training, don't get me wrong......but my wind wanders.  So I'm left with this - what does a mind wandering person want to do for "income" as she ponders how distracted she gets?  Help?

august already??

Okay, those question marks are complaints per say...just an emphatic way of saying the summer went by quickly!  School starts in 18 days...part of me is singing along with LeighAnn, and part of me is glaring at my alarm clock, and picturing time invested in homework...especially math homework, at which I'm of no help.  Part of me is picturing the drive...three schools this year.  We're talking at least 50 miles a day in schools.  Green Mandy is not happy with that.

So anyway...I think we've rocked our summer.  On a budget of zero, not even a shoestring...a shoestring would've been nice.  Living near the beach is great, indeed!  Although, I'm becoming the only one in my family that wants to go...hmmmmm....my Florida babies are not acting like Florida babies!  And my husband, well, he's never really liked the beach.  I think he goes so he can look at me in a swimsuit.

And MOSI yesterday was a lot of fun, thank you, Mimi!  Tonight my sissy is having a PartyLite show...an excuse to see my nephew!  Hee hee!

I quit smoking five days ago.  I REALLY want a cigarette.  This stinks.  I'm swearing, as well, that if I gain weight because of this...well, you don't want to hear my immature reasoning.

Alright, I'm off to find something to do.  Enjoy your day!

lots of thinking

Lots of thinking tonight....spent a lot of time with family this weekend.  One day with family that I love so much, enjoying the day, soaking some sunshine & the gulf...and one day hugging my aunt, uncle, & cousins grieving the loss of my aunt's oldest daughter.  The turns & changes that life makes are not always easily acceptable to us, and quite often are flat unwanted.  Many are, but many just aren't...I am reminded to love my family, to hug them hard, & to remember to say I love you.  This applies to my friends, too.

Today, I had to go back to the feelings of loss when my dad passed away.  It was hard.  But I know that so many are going through the same and harder.  So my goal is this...to love hard, to move forward.  And to tell my family and friends I love them.  I love ALL of you.  So much.  So much.  Life is a grand, moving, can't stop it thing...and we are all here for each other.  Hold on tight, peeps.  Please.  <3

one more......

Also thought today about how Stephen didn't really "propose" to me.  Only putting this out there, because I know he knows we don't have that....and I love him.  Funny how that proposal means so much to some people.......to me, it was the beginning.  But nowhere near as important as where we are now.  <3