Final Solution for Yeah, Whatever

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off!

Yeah, Whatever

Been a little cranky for a couple of days. So-I say to myself,"self, why don't you try writing something nice on the blog?" Look--a pretty picture! But, at the present, I can find no nice thoughts in my peevish mind.
Then, I get a nice email about stress. "Ah ha", says I, this should do the trick. This one is about how your stress, your burden is like a glass of water. It's not heavy, but, if you try to hold it in the same position for a long time it will make your arm hurt. The point was-- that if we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. 'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When you're refreshed, you can carry on with the burden.'
Well, that's great if your only holding one glass of water. It didn't say anything about juggling glasses of water!
So--still grumpy.
There's an old saying around here that says, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". This mama ain't happy today. It would be a shame if, by my attitude, I affected someone else's happiness, so--lookie what I found.


A little happy dance in my head now. Better.

That Old Feeling

What happened to these kids?

I've been around for a while now. It makes me tired to think about, but I'm old enough to remember:

• riding bikes without a helmet.
• our first TV
• playing outside all day and not coming home 'til mom hollered
• roller skate keys
• walking to school --alone without adult supervision
• penny candy
• full service gas stations
• going the long way through Wyoming to Bear Lake because Logan Canyon was too hard a climb for the car pulling the boat
• ushers at movies
• recess, jungle bars on asphalt
• The Mouseketeers (original version), Howdy Doody, The Lone Ranger
• our first stereo--first record-Around the World in Eighty Days soundtrack
• hopscotch, jacks, marbles, jump rope-for fun, not exercise
• nylon stockings and garter belts (and not to be sexy-just to hold those suckers up)
• the day Kennedy was shot
• the first man on the moon
• eight track tapes (blushing-I actually had an eight track tape player--I'm so ashamed)
• leisure suits (again-ashamed)
• cars without seat belts
• but--no air conditioning, dishwashers, life saving pharmaceuticals

This photo looks a little off kilter. How appropriate!

Saw a cartoon which said "My body ain't what it used to be. Even when I'm naked, I want to slip into something more comfortable" Laugh now young'uns. It'll be your turn soon enough.

Thanks to Jolene for hanging on to these.

God Kissed

Do you remember the Hobbits in the movie (and book) 'Lord of the Rings'? They talked about first breakfast, second breakfast, first lunch, second lunch and so on. In our house we now refer to my sleeping habits in similar terms. I have first sleep--the sleep I have until I wake after 2-3 hours; then comes second sleep, which is interrupted early morning by the girl bringing the anesthesia charts for the day. If I'm lucky I get third sleep after that. (No third sleep, no happy.)

So--one night, in between sleeps, I got to thinking about something I had read about that ordinary woman with the extraordinary voice (a couple of posts ago). The author referred to her as "God-Kissed"--meaning, of course, her gift.

Here's what she wrote:

We each have within us something of much greater value than perfect bodies and unlined skin: the divine spark, the God-kiss, that lives in each and every one of us - no exceptions. We are fascinated with Susan Boyle, because she reveals to us the world of possibilities we too often leave unexplored, within ourselves. We dare to think…has God kissed me, too?

So I wondered, why did we look at that woman and think, that's not the way it's supposed to go. Ordinary people who look ordinary and live ordinary lives are not supposed to be great. And it hits us, whoa --what if there is greatness in me--in all of us?

That's an almost subversive thought in a world where superficial beauty is so admired. There might be greatness in each of us that goes unappreciated and undiscovered, because, what is great in us is not valued by the people who define such things.

Wait, stick with me here. I think about our family and friends--my own children. Earlier, I mentioned Gammy's lovely voice. But, I think she must have been showered with "God-kisses" because she had so many other gifts. And what about the ones who will help whenever asked, the creative ones, the get 'er done, dynamic ones. Those steady folks who get up every morning and just do whatever is required of them. Think about Charlie in his poor twisted body. Just his being here is a sort of greatness. They'll never be famous, and wouldn't care to be. These are the great ones who will never be known outside their family and friends.

Here's what I finally concluded.
The way we came to see this ordinary woman must be the way Heavenly Father sees us: worthwhile, special, talented, unique--beautiful. He sees the real person, and understands the value of each individual’s gifts: rich or poor, young or old, ill or well, lucky or unlucky in life. He knows us. And loves us…Everybody is somebody!

Ha! Now maybe I can get some sleep-

A Todd Blog

I feel certain that Todd aspires to climb every mountain he sees. It's even better if it includes a rock climb or white water rapids. He's also jumped out of a perfectly good airplane--several times. All of this must trace back to a gene from Papa. One that has lain mysteriously dormant in me all these years.

The following is Todd's blog:

These pictures are from Crowder's Mountain Park. It's a small mountain, only about 2000 feet. Nothing like the Rocky Mountains, but you take what you can get. It has two peaks. One is Crowder's Observatory, which I can see from my apartment. The other, and the one I'm standing on, is King's Pinnacle.

If you look east from the peak you can see downtown Charlotte. If you look west, you can see the outskirts of the Appalachians.

There are about 25 miles of hiking trails in the park. My friend, Sean, usually goes on mountain trips with me and we only managed about 15. We did, however, make it to the top of both peaks.

There are also lots of great places to go bouldering and rock climb.

It's great to have these mountains (hills?) so close. It's only about 30 minutes from my house instead of the 1 1/2 or 2 hours it would take to drive to the Appalachians.

Look closely and you can see Charlotte waaay down there.

The blue straps are climbing ropes. Very handy.

Just a gratuitous picture of a coming storm from my window.

Charlotte is great! Waiting for visitors--

Posted by Todd.

Pay Up!

"Who is FICA and why are they taking all my money." So said Rachael on the sitcom 'Friends'. When you open your paycheck, do you look at all the money taken out and think, "What the???"

Unless you are an accountant, a tax spender, a tax shelterer or a tax parasite, today is not a happy day. Probably, most have already filed and paid, or received refunds. If you got a refund, you're probably happy. But remember, you lent the government your money--interest free--for a year. For the self employed, today is the last day you get to pay taxes twice: any taxes you owe from last year and the first payment of quarterly taxes for next year. Oh joy!

Now, I don't mind paying my fair share to support my country. Sometimes, though, it doesn't always seem so fair.

Uh oh, have I dipped my toe in political waters? Um--no. Paying taxes is a bi-partisan affair. Like the old prostitute says: You know you're going to pay, now we're just bickering over the price.

Could You Do This?

From the "don't judge a book by it's cover" category.
Watch the whole thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Not allowing embed, but click on the link to watch--before you read on.

Her voice, her range, reminded me that Gammy used to be known for her lovely contralto voice. She was so sad when, after her thyroid illness, she could no longer sing like she used to. I'm sorry that her grandchildren never got to hear her sing. What a gift she had.

Cheryl and I sang with her in church a couple of times. I was too young to appreciate it at the time. I do now.

Easter Without Candy

No Easter baskets, no new Easter clothes, no Easter egg hunts, no Peeps (sigh), no chocolate bunnies. When all that is past, Easter is different. It is more about the reason. I am not a church goin' gal, but that doesn't make me a non-believer. I believe that when Jesus said on the cross "It is finished" he didn't mean it was over. More like "finished" in the way a church, or a sculpture, or a painting is finished. When the work finished is a work of art, the finish is only the beginning.
Then the resurrection. That our lives are not in vain. A beautiful gift by a life freely given. Astonishing when you think about it.

So, beautiful music makes be cry. I can't sing this song in church without tears. (Actually, I can't sing at all anymore--but still--)



I know it's considered impolite to discuss politics or religion. So sue me! I like Easter.

I Got Nothin'

This was the peril when I started a blog. Our lives are static. I feel like Scarlett in 'Gone with the Wind' when she wails to mammy "Nothing will ever happen to me again!". (Although, I can honestly say, sometimes nothing is a good thing.)
The bloggers of my extended family have events, happenings, to do's--lives. Ergo, blogging material. I'm doomed--doomed! I tell ya.
So, when asked "What you got?" I have to say-- "I got nothin'".

Well, maybe this-

Or this-

Oldies but goodies. Bet you smiled!
Um, this nothin' stuff might be a regular feature.