Reflections....

As I reflect on my life, there are many special moments that I remember, and there are many that I am looking forward to. As I have said, I firmly believe that experiences are much more valuable than possessions. Yes, I am rebuking the possession that I cannot live without...my minivan....along with my cat, my handbags and luggage, even my Mac! These things are the "fluff" in my life, not the hard core center that drives me to live each day to the fullest. The memory that comes to mind today, that forever altered my perception of family, birth, and all things sibling, is the arrival of my baby brother on April 1, 1976. Believe me when I say that he was NO April fools joke! He came into our world mid-morning, the day that he was due, and he tried his hardest to make his debut in the back of my mama's Maverick as my daddy sped down Spring Hill Avenue, often crushing the Azaleas as he had to cut traffic by driving down the median! I was 4 1/2 years old, STANDING UP in the front seat, wearing an orange and yellow flowered bubble suit, covering my ears and screaming to the top of my lungs. I think I received at least 2 pops on the legs during the 5 mile ride of my life! As soon as Jonathan was born and home with us, my life turned upside down. My daddy had a son. From that point on, I had to sit in the backseat of his Cessna when we took our routine Saturday morning flights around the southeastern coast of the United States. From that point on, I had a real person to play school with...and give lots of demerits to. From that point on, I was supposed to be the big sister, the mentor, the example. Over the years, we had fun, and we had fights. We loved each other, and we hated each other. Our father became gravely ill when we were young. Jonathan was 11 when the heart attack occurred high above Birmingham in the Cessna. He was the co-pilot, and I was at my friend's house (thank God). Dad coded, and Jonathan landed the plane. For the next three months, we didn't know whether dad was going to live or die. It was in those three months that we grew up FAST! After that summer, I was still the mentor and the example, but Jonathan was the one who helped me. He helped me cope, and he helped me get through Algebra 2. Our father was healed by the grace of God, but upon his healing our Paternal Grandmother was diagnosed with end stage Liver and Pancreatic Cancer. Again, Jonathan helped me cope, and he helped me get through Chemistry 2, along with my ACTs, SATs, and AP exams. Our grandmother passed away in September, 1989. I was a Senior, and he was in 8th grade. I was the "wise" one. He was the "smart" one. Over the next several years, I went to college, and he went to high school. We graduated on the same weekend, and I moved back home, but he moved to Boot Camp...then to Europe...He served our country in ways that many can never fathom. We both married and started our families, and our parents are still alive and well. They have taught us how to live for His Glory, and through example, they have shown us how to raise a family. My brother came into my life on a day of practical jokes and little white lies. We don't "celebrate" that part of April 1 in our family. We celebrate him. We celebrate the experiences that made us who we are.

"It's not about getting through the storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

All In A Day....

I have lots more to say, but (as usual), I don't have lots of time, so I am referencing some passages that I will come back to later. A friend of a friend recently lost her 2 year old daughter to a terrible form of Cancer. Their amazing faith through their daughter's brief, yet painful struggle has brought them to a point that even now, just three weeks since they suffered such a terrible loss, they are rallying troops worldwide to fight this cancerous monster. Their strength is found through scripture, and their hope is found on their knees, with family and friends surrounding them. Here are a few scriptures that have helped them. They can also help all of us....

For Hope and Comfort: 1 Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 7

Other passages: Matthew 19:14...Jesus says "bring the children to me..."
Psalm 147:2-3

Hug your children.....spend time with them, not money on things for them....you will remember the experiences, not the Webkinz and IPods!

What's greater than a 12 year old choosing her first pair of high healed sandals? Witnessing the look on her face as she walks down the shoe aisle to test them as if she is on a runway! Like I said, it's about the experiences!!

Has Psychology Just Gone Too Far?

Early this morning, Stay at Home Moms (I shall refer to us as sahms from this point forward) all across the country, and in many other parts of the free world, watched the television--and rewound their Tivos several times until they were sure that they had heard the statements correctly--in complete SHOCK AND AWE. No, they were not witnessing a terror attack or someone being attacked by marine life. They were watching the promo for today's Dr. Phil show. The topic of the day was described in a way similar to this: "Tune in at 5pm et to see why most sahms have 20-40 hours per week of undiscovered free time"!
Well, obviously it didn't take long for this to filter through the FB statuses of many of my friends, thus stirring up a great deal of heated discussions. One friend of a friend stated that perhaps the great Dr. P will be analyzing our sleeping patterns, because she very rarely experiences "free time" unless she is sleeping. To that, here is my response, "

I don't even get that much sleep every week! My challenge to the people who own this theory is to trade places with me (sahm) for one day. MY leisure time comes while driving my minivan. I have to have my eyes off of the children and on the road; I cannot answer the cell, for fear of an accident; I have to have both hands on the wheel, thus I ... See Morecannot open drinks, check homework, build a geography project, read the monthly required novel (that I already read when I was in Middle School). I cannot swat legs or point fingers. It is sheer bliss....That is why I believe that those who get the most routine and consistent leisure time are commuters in Atlanta or other large metro cities. Their commutes yield AT LEAST 1 hour per day of vehicular solitude. The said vehicles are usually NOT mini vans, but nice, goldfish-free shiny sedans that do not feature The Wiggles, Hannah, Jonas, Justin Bieber, or any other "cute boy singer" of the week on their sound systems. SO, whoever says that moms have "free time" needs to head to the closest carpool line, sport "of the week" practice, piano lesson, ballet or gymnastic class to get some real-world definitions of LEISURE TIME....The last time that I took a bubble bath, I was accompanied by at least one child, one cat, and several cell calls and texts, only to get out of the tub to be greeted by 16 emails, all from people wanting something from me..the day before, of course."

All that being said, it won't come as a surprise to anyone to know that I didn't have a chance to sit down to watch this episode. I haven't had 20-40 hours a week of free time since I was a tween.

This Is Why.....And How

My love- hate relationship with "the computer" was more "hate" than "love" in the beginning. I am from one of the last generations that can honestly say, "I didn't have a computer in my dorm room"; "I got my first home computer as a wedding gift, and it was cool to hear the little AOL voice announce, 'you've got mail', but since we had to pay for the internet by the minute or something crazy like that, I only got to hear that cool voice once or twice a day"; and finally, the most popular line in our tween-ravaged household..."I bought my first cell phone when I was 27, and it was as big as our cordless landline!" All this being said, I was one of the last teachers at my former school to completely give up her hard copy, spiral bound gradebook, and I have NEVER EVER learned how to use Quicken or file taxes online. However, having tweenagers who actually use lap-tops at school and who looked totally bumfuzzled when Santa brought the obligatory red and blue Webster's Dictionary one Christmas...they wearily announced that the "real dictionary" is Dictionary.com, and it is alot easier to use than this million page book...along with the evolution of social networking from Facebook to Twitter and everything in between, I have grown to love the ease that cyberspace and technology affords us, now that we are in the 21st Century (and now that I have finally come to terms with that fact). I would say that I have "become my Mama" when relating to my children, but that is not entirely accurate. When I asked her a question she could not answer, she encouraged me to go to the library and research it. When my girls ask me a question that I cannot answer, or at least don't want them to find the answer without a little sweat, I say, "Just Google it"! Now, back to the networking thing...Facebook...we all know that it is as addictive as a Diet Coke and a Frat Boy who has beautiful eyes but can't dance nearly as well as he thinks he can. However, unlike most addictions, you don't have to be "predisposed" to a Facebook addiction, and once you sign on, you will find lots of old friends and find yourself telling your 88 year- old grandmother that she needs a facebook page! Now, I love my MawMaw, and she is smart enough to create a page, but she isn't who has brought me to this blog. My beautiful, funny, free-spirited, smart, talented, and ( did I mention beautiful?) ageless sorority sister has encouraged me to start blogging. Now, before she told me that she was sure that I would have lots of great ideas and stories to share, I truly thought that blogs were pretty vain things, unless you are sharing an event (life-changing or otherwise) with family and friends, trying to sell something, or posting tutorials, or something like that. THEN I read her "Musings of a Mommy of 2"....thinking that it would be about her 2 kiddoes......She is writing about SHOES! She loves shoes, she loves to shop for shoes, and everyone who has ever known her knows that she is tall, slender, and LOOKS BEAUTIFUL in any shoes...even slippers! To top it off, her blog is entertaining! That is when it hit me....the definition of BLOG is "WEB LOG".....so I can "log" things in an entertaining way without feeling like I am writing down my deepest, darkest thoughts, secrets, and underwear colors for people to read, as if I truly believe they care! I can "log" things that will make people think...laugh...cry....pray....and maybe even buy a pair of shoes. Wait, Gina loves shoes. She calls them "Tranny Shoes". I love bags...purses, wallets to match, duffels, makeup bags, pretty much any bag that can tote something. A monogrammed bag will really send me into orbit, too! I lovingly call myself a Bag Whore. Yes, I am aware that is not a "lady like" term, but come on (Mama, MawMaw)...I am referring to myself....not my once sorority sister, lifelong friend, who has introduced me to Blogging...as if I don't have anything else to do...like take my daughter to her softball game. She has pictures in 45 minutes, and she is snoring on my chaise, still wearing her school uniform.....