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Amber Alert

Hurts Everyday

As I went downstairs for the familiar routine of letting CiCi, my beloved Chihuahua, out and turning on the lights.  Suddenly, the thought hit me, hit me hard:  Is that part of the problem?  I want to have that wonderful feeling of looking forward to the end of the day and being with someone who loves me and whom I love?

Yes, it is what I want, what I crave.

Sadly, I have not found that.  I'm 44 years old and I have not found that.

I'm at the point where I do not believe I will find that.

And that hurts.  Hurts everyday.

7 Ways to Keep Your Brain Cells Working

1. Play complex puzzles and games, such as Scrabble or Chess.

2. Learn a foreign language.

3. Study music.

4. Solve math problems without using a calculator.

5. Write letters or poetry.

6. Engage in thought-provoking discussions.

7. Study and memorize scripture.

Thought of the Day - 3/16/11

True happiness is no real mystery -- it is within you, you merely have to remember to be happy. Think back to what made you feel relaxed and worry-free, and integrate those things into how you treat others, then it will all come back to you.

Thought of the Day - 2/21/11

'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be free.  'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be.  And when we find ourselves in the place that's right, 'twill be in the valley of love and delight.
~ 19th century Shaker hymn ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/20/11

It is better to give no excuse than a bad one.
~~ George Washington ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/19/11

In early America, Benjamin Franklin was wiser, Alexander Hamilton more brilliant, John Adams more literate, Thomas Jefferson more sophisticated , and James Madison more politically savvy.  But each of these prominent men cited George Washington as their superior.  Why?  I think Washington was esteemed and respected more than any of his contemporaries because he was human.

Thought of the Day - 2/18/11

Character is like a tree and reputation is like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
~~ Abraham Lincoln ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/17/11

One kind word can warm three winter months.
~~ Japanese proverb ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/16/11

Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity.  It must be produced, discharged, and use up in order to exist at all.
~~ William Faulkner ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/14/11

Whoever said a child can't teach you something?

Thought of the Day - 2/13/11

No act of kindness,
no matter how small,
is ever wasted.
~~ Aesop ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/12/11

It is okay not to do it all.

(I have a difficult time with this one.)

Thought of the Day - 2/11/11

Make plans, but allow for changes.

I Hate Nights

I Hate Nights

As the evening winds down,
the chores are done,
the computer is off,
the phone calls have ended.

I feel the depression closing in,
feel the oppression of my scattered thoughts,
feel the confusion of unexplained dreams,
feel the loneliness of being a single mother.

I hear my tears as they hit the pillow,
hear my thoughts as though a group of angry bees are buzzing in my head,
hear my labored breathing as the panic attack ensues,
hear the rustle of sheets as I struggle to hide my head in shame.

Thought of the Day - 2/10/11

Love the person in the mirror before anyone else.

Thought of the Day - 2/9/11

Liver every day up to YOUR expectations, not others.

Thought of the Day - 2/8/11

Be the silver lining in another's cloud.


Thought of the Day - 2/7/11

Smile before bed.  You'll sleep better.

Thought of the Day - 2/5/11

The way we walk in faith is through our conduct, lifestyle, and choices.  The Holy Spirit guides our steps, and we purposefully follow.  It is important that we ask for direction and wisdom, except that He will answer and meet our needs, and trust that He knows what is best.

Thought of the Day - 2/4/11

God won't refuse a heart that is surrendered to Him.

Thought of the Day - 2/3/11

Becoming a Christian doesn't mean that obedience to the Lord is automatic.  It's a lifelong process of growing in our trust and patiently waiting on Him before we act.  This requires a steadfast commitment to obey so that we can say no to ungodly choices and yes to God.

Thought of the Day - 2/2/11

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
~~ Elbert Hubbard ~~

Thought of the Day - 2/1/11

Changing your attitude is the most important thing you can do to create the life of your dreams.
~~ Rick Beneteau ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/31/11

We face a universe of unlimited possibilities, and we choose which one becomes real for us by focusing on that possibility.
~~ Elle Debenport ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/30/11

The quality of your life depends on how you love the things you do, how you do the things you love, and how you love the ones who loves you.


Thought of the Day - 1/29/11

God has put the right people in my life to make me the best that I can be!

Thought of the Day - 1/28/11

Each day is worth the wait for what the next may bring.

Thought of the Day - 1/27/11

I may not be a morning person, but I'm always happy when God allows me to see a new one.

Thought of the Day - 1/26/11

I think that people with sharp tongues should be careful.  You might just open your mouth and cut your own throat.
~~ My Friend, Cyndi J. ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/25/11

I have decided not to entertain ignorance, but to let ignorance to entertain me.  Thanks for the show.
~~ My Friend,Cyndi J. ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/24/11

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
~~ Winnie the Pooh ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/23/11

Forget about all the reasons why something may not work.  You only need to find one good reason why it will.
~~ Robert Anthony ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/22/11

I love deadlines.  I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
~~ Douglas Adams ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/21/11

To love and be loved is to feel the sun on both sides.
~~ David Viscott ~~

Thought of the Day - 1/20/11

Don't write because you want to say something.  Write because you have something to say.
~~ F. Scott Fitzgerald ~~

Guerrilla Warfare

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
~~ Sun Tzu, Art of War ~~



As rigid and inflexible as rebar, I believed it was your Will I was girded against. My perceived enemy was your defiance, your reckless disregard for authority.

You were not a changeling found lying in your crib, speaking a language we could not understand, while those around you tried to decipher what was swirling through your thoughts. You were older. A man-child consumed by a real boogie man climbing through your window. Your nightmares became my reality. Old enough that my dreams for you, your own dreams, were burnt away as the harsh light of day shone on what was your truth.

Late in this crusade, I recognized it as a battle for your soul. I was pitted against your demons. Demons you could not control, demons I could not conquer. A fight I could not expect you to join, not now, not yet. Waiting for you to grow older, stronger is our greatest advantage, our most powerful weapon.

Not a brutal conflict armed with iron rods and swords, but guerrilla warfare employing stealth, learning the strengths and weaknesses of our mutual adversary. Knowing the enemy, makes me stronger. Gives me a defense to protect you, to loosen the bonds that hold you captive.

Together we are finding how far we can bend without breaking.




For many parents of children labeled ‘special needs,’ that realization, that diagnosis no mother ever wants to hear, often comes while their children are still very young. Many times before they begin formal schooling.

Even as we feel our children grow inside our bodies, we create a future for them. They will be athletes, scholars, politicians, giving of themselves in service of others. Being told that those dreams may never come to fruition is harsh. It is devastating for parents, and my heart aches with them.

Yet, are these small children aware that their lives will not turn out as their parents had hoped? Is it kinder that they know no alternate reality? I am not attempting to minimize these parents’ anguish, I am simply seeking answers. My pain is not greater than theirs, perhaps merely different.

My heartache is compounded in that my child remembers. Remembers how it was BEFORE. Before the diagnosis, before the shattered dreams, before the nightmares.

What I can do to best help him is to know as much as I can about his diagnosis. To arm myself with the weapons necessary to give him his best chance for a happy future.

No matter the foe… know your enemy.

Thought of the Day - 1/10/11

Get healthy.

Thought of the Day - 1/8/11

Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it's twice as onerous a duty.
~~ John Selden ~~


Thought of the Day - 1/7/11

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.
~~ Hal Borland ~~


Thought of the Day - 1/6/11

New Year's Day is every man's birthday.
~~ Charles Lamb ~~


Thought of the Day - 1/5/11

No one ever regarded the First of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. It is the nativity of our common Adam.
~~ Charles Lamb ~~


Thought of the Day - 1/4/11

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
~~ Benjamin Franklin ~~


Thought of the Day - 1/3/11

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
~~ Author Unknown ~~




Thought of the Day - 1/2/11

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.
~~ Author Unknown ~~


2011 Goals

If you know me you know I like the word goals better than resolutions.

Goals
1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective.

2. A specified structure or zone into or over which players endeavor to advance a ball or puck.
3. The score awarded for such an act.
4. A noun or noun phrase referring to the place to which something moves.
5. The terminal point of a journey or race.

Resolutions
1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.
3. A course of action determined or decided on.
4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the U.S. Congress.
5. The act or process of separating or reducing something into its constituent parts: the prismatic resolution of sunlight into its spectral colors.
6. The fineness of detail that can be distinguished in an image, as on a video display terminal.
7. The subsiding or termination of an abnormal condition, such as a fever or an inflammation.
8. A court decision.
9. An explanation, as of a problem or puzzle; a solution.
10. The part of a literary work in which the complications of the plot are resolved or simplified.
11. The progression of a dissonant tone or chord to a consonant tone or chord.
12. The tone or chord to which such a progression is made.
13. The substitution of one metrical unit for another, especially the substitution of two short syllables for one long syllable in quantitative verse.


Goals are attainable . . . every step of the way.  Resolutions are not achieved until the completion.  I want rewarded (praised, hugged, "me time," ice cream, etc.) for each step, for the ambition, for the effort, for the time, for the conviction, for the destination.  If I have these, the hope to meet my goal has a much greater chance of succeeding.
 
Cameron's Goals"
1. To be more mature.
2. To stop lying.
 
Cassandra's Goals:
1. To play the trumpet in public for others to enjoy at no cost.
2. To lessen the exaggeration, the embellishing of stories.
 
Storm's Goals:
To continue my success, my goals are pretty much the same.  My emphasis, however, this year is:
1. To trust in God more.
2. Join Ali Edwards in selecting and living by one word.
3. To swear less.  When I get stressed or truly frustrated, I swear.  My kids hate it.  My boyfriend hates it.  I don't really like it.  Though, it's a great stress-reliever at times.  The agreement is I will pay 25 cents for each time I swear.


 
 

Smile

Smile
Charlie Chaplin's Theme Music for 'Modern Times'
Lyrics by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, 1954


Smile though your heart is aching,

Smile even though it's breaking,
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by,

If you smile
through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness,
Although a tear may be ever so near,

That's the time,
You must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying,
You'll find that life is still worth-while,
If you just smile.


Thought of the Day - Happy New Year!

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
~~ Oprah Winfrey ~~

 
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