In solitude the mind gain strength and learns to lean upon itself.
~~ Laurence Sterne ~~
Thought of the Day - 8/24/09
Grace
Grace by Richard Paul Evans
"She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She as a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.
There are things that become clearer to me as a I grow older. This much I know: too many things were kept secret in those days. Things that never should have been hidden. And things that should have."
This is a story of a young runaway and the boy who hides her from a frightening world too large and unfathomable for him to comprehend. As usual for Mr. Evans, it is a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Get out the tissues.
Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 5
What is Your Mom Blogger Status
I’m curious. Has anyone else seen a trend in the SAME mom bloggers who are being handpicked for special events, conference panels, or incredible business opportunities? With the web overly saturated with so many fabulous mom bloggers, it seems that only a select few are being recognized over and over again. Why is this happening? This observation has me intrigued as to how one determines blogger status, and if that method is fair.
I am not a marketing or PR guru, so I do not know or understand the formula for figuring out one’s status or influence. Maybe it is calculated by Twitter followers or subscribers. Maybe it is based on years of experience, college degrees, or frankly, who you know. I personally have nothing against the “high status” mom bloggers, and I think it is awesome that they get to share in these experiences. My only qualm is why do companies and PR firms want to pick the same groups of bloggers? Would it not be more effective to target a completely different pool of mom bloggers, each time, who have not previously worked with companies A, B, & C, and who do not have current obligations with those companies? Would it not be smarter to tap into a new circle of bloggers that would soak up a special opportunity, and thus, put their heart into it more than, say, a blogger who has already been to 10 events that year?
I have no idea what my mom blogger status is, and I honestly don’t care. What I do care about is building positive, meaningful relationships, whether it be in friendship or business, and not worrying about what may follow monetarily.
Hold Tight
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
"Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they'd spy on their kids. But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his best friend Spencer Hill, they can't help but worry. Within days of installing a sophisticated spy program on Adam's compute, they are jolted by a cryptic message from an unknown correspondent that shakes them to their core: Just stay quiet and all safe.
As if Mike Baye isn't dealing with enough, he also learns that Luca Loriman, the sweet kid who grew up next door, is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. As the boy's doctor, Mike suddenly find himself in possession of an explosive secret that threatens t rip the Loriman family apart at the seams.
Nearby, while browsing through an online memorial for Spence, Betsy Hill discovers a surprising detail about the night of her son's death. Before she can find out more, Adam disappears, taking the truth with him and sending shock waves through the neighborhood.
As the lives of these families collide in tragic, unexpected, and violent ways, long-hidden connection in their small suburb begin to work their way to the surface. And when an unidentified Jane Doe is beaten to death no far away, those connections threaten to turn this quiet community upside down -- and force these desperate parents to decide whether there is any line they won't cross to protect those they love most in the world."
The book raises the question how well do you know your child(ren). Harlan's promise of a thriller falls a little short in this book.
Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 3.5
Thought of the Day - 8/22/09
If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep walking.
~~ Buddhist teaching ~~
Thought of the Day - 8/21/09
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass . . . it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
Thought of the Day - 8/20/09
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
Just Stay
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients. Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?" asked the nurse.
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you . . .
just be there.
Stay.
Thought of the Day - 8/19/09
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Thought of the Day - 8/18/09
Sometimes grace can overcome sorrow, a smile can give peace, and a hug can say more than words.
Thought of the Day - Bonus #6
You have to take the good with the bad, smile when your sad, love what you've got and remember what you had. Things go wrong but remember life goes on!
Thought of the Day - 8/16/09
Home . . . a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.
~~ James Montgomery ~~
Thought of the Day - 8/15/09
What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.
~~ Pearl Bailey ~~
Family Minute #55
Are you a thermostat or thermometer?
A thermostat sets the temperature, a thermometer reflects the temperature. Too many parents are thermometers... they reflect their child's mood. If David is nice, they are nice. But if David is nasty... well, you get the picture. Effective parents should be thermostats... setting the climate of the household by how they react, or don't react, to their child's behavior. They choose to be joyful when their child is hurtful. They choose to be calm when their child is out of control. And they choose to love, when their child is unlovable.
Remember your family first.
Thought of the Day - 8/14/09
Everyone is in such a hurry these days. People haven't found meaning in their lives, so they're running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running.
Once you start running, it is hard to slow yourself down.
Thought of the Day - 8/13/09
There is no experience like having children. There is no substitute for it. If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children.
Thought of the Day - 8/12/09
The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn't the family. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important.
~~ Morrie from Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom ~~
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