Love and Tears of Joy

Posted in It's about the little things by

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/daily-prompt-beauty/

When I saw the Daily Post’s topic about being moved to tears my first thought was about my children (which I wrote about) and my second thought was the time I sat crying from joy while looking at people in love, vowing their love to one another. It was a two days after the Defense of Marriage Act was declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court and I came across this link to photos of couples getting married in San Francisco.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinesharrock/the-first-san-francisco-weddings-after-the-fall-of-propositi

I was not a kid who wanted to grow up and get married or be a wife. I did not clip out photos of wedding dresses or dream of being a bride. Yet if I watch “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC I will shed a tear at the end of every single episode, no matter how annoying the bride’s sister was nor how endless the premise of the dress search dragged on. Even after all of the typical reality TV ups and downs in the episode, TLC shows that bride coming down the aisle and her father grinning, her mother crying, her partner glowing, it’s all over for me: water works. If you click on the link and see the faces filled with love and devoting their lives to each other are you moved to tears? -smilingbug

(photo above is from the BuzzFeed article referred to in this post, link provided above)

Moved To Tears

Posted in Loved ones make our world by

Imagehttp://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/daily-prompt-beauty/

The last time I was moved to tears was a few nights ago when my son said “I love you,” to my husband.  These unsolicited “I love you’s” are maybe one of the best sounds on earth.  I got one about a week ago while in the living room with my son and I gave him a bear hug, feeling like my heart would burst from joy.  The “I love you’s” come out of nowhere and when you least expect it.  When my son did it to my husband, they were watching late night TV together.  My husband was using the opportunity to relax after a long day of work and dinner time chores.  My son was thrilled to be hanging out with his Dad.  I was sitting at the kitchen bar, tending to something on my laptop.  The only noise in our home was the sound of Tree Fu Tom (a Sprouts show for kids) and then from down the hall I heard my son’s little, happy voice say “I love you Dad,” followed by a pause.  Then I heard my husband’s moved voice say “Aw thank you son, I love you, too.”  I know my husband had a lump in his throat as he responded and I instantly got a lump in my throat, too.  My eyes welled up with tears and I felt the full force of the beautiful love shared by parents and children.  Having older children I am fully aware of how this love goes through different phases, evolving differently with each child.  When was the last time you were moved to tears? -smilingbug

Yawn, Borrrring

Posted in Life is short and precious by

Imagehttp://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/daily-prompt-dull/

I might officially be acting my age.  I didn’t think it would happen since I’ve always felt ten or twenty years behind.  But today’s daily prompt is “what bores you?” and when I let my mind wander to boring things I did not feel annoyed one bit, I felt relaxed.  When I thought of what is boring to me I actually got a small grin at the thought of slow, quiet, dull, boredom.  Maybe I’m heading towards the age when you want to have a rest in the afternoons.  Nap time!  I know I said I am officially acting my age but I am not a napper.  (Fast forward ten years and you’ll find me napping, right?)

Perceptions of age have changed since a couple of generations ago and I was wondering to myself recently what middle age is now.  Sometimes I think I am middle age and other times I think that is a bit of a strong label (denial).  Well, thank you Dictionary.com:

World English Dictionary
middle age
— n
the period of life between youth and old age, usually (in man) considered to occur approximately between the ages of 40 and 60

I guess just like pink is the new black and 40 is the new 30, boring is the new nap time. Bring on the boring, it’s fine with me.  What do I find boring?  I find boring to be very relaxing.  Yawn! -smilingbug

(photo is a screen capture of an image google search for “middle age”)

A WordPress Family Thank You

Posted in It's about the little things by

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http://suzie81.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/wordpress-family-award/

I’m fairly new to wordpress and don’t have much experience with blogging in general so when I received a notification and saw that a wonderful blogger I follow nominated me for this award I didn’t know the first thing about it but I was so thrilled to be recognized.  After reading her post on it I’ve come to understand that the writers in the wordpress community nominate bloggers and those bloggers nominate bloggers and so on and so forth, making up this diverse community of people who are connecting and sharing through their blog.

The WordPress Family Award is another opportunity to tell people “thank you, you touched my life, made me think, you gave me a smile” or whatever the specific instance may be.   Thank you to each of you listed below and thank you to Suzie81 for thinking of me.  This does take some time, but part of accepting this award is that you must write a blog with your nominees (and a few other things below).  I am low tech so this was a lot of work for me but I really enjoy the pay-it-forward spirit so without further ado…

Here are bloggers I am recognizing either because I enjoy their posts, I’m welcoming them to wordpress or I miss their posts and hope they’ll be back soon.  My awards for the WordPress Family Awards go to:

  1. A Woman’s Guide,  http://patticlark.wordpress.com/
  2. Ask Sabatino. http://www.hotcupoflove.com/
  3. Jack Flacco, http://jackflacco.com/
  4. Natasha’s Memory Garden, http://crown7cacb.wordpress.com/
  5. Flo Me La, http://flomela.wordpress.com/
  6. Franimal1230, http://fabfran1230.wordpress.com/
  7. A Blawg, http://ariweisbrot.com/
  8. JB Maddawg, http://thethrowdown.wordpress.com/
  9. The Happsters, http://happsters.com/
  10. The Seekers Dungeon, http://theseekersdungeon.com/
  11. Help Me Help Me Holly, http://charlieandpearl.wordpress.com/
  12. Sandra Crook, http://castelsarrasin.wordpress.com/
  13. Sonja Flye Oliver, http://kingdomkindling.wordpress.com/
  14. Grand Slam Grumblings, http://grandslamgrumblings.wordpress.com/
  15. Cole Ryan, http://coleryan.net/

Here are seven interesting (maybe?) facts about me, the last condition for me to accept my nomination from lovely Suzie81.

  1. Nature makes me feel alive.
  2. If I had to choose one food it would be ripe avocadoes.
  3. My favorite workout is hiking in the snow.
  4. I like tattoos.
  5. Three of my top books are The Art of Fielding, The Paris Wife, The Glass Castle.
  6. I have five children.
  7. My favorite vacation is being on a beach.

To the nominees, if you have time to pull this off (LoL) the official rules to accepting your nomination are:

  • Display the Award Certificate on your blog.
  • Announce your win with a post. Make sure you post a link back to me as a ‘thank you’ for the nomination.
  • Present 15 awards to 15 deserving bloggers.
  • Leave them a comment to let them know after you have linked them to a post.
  • Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

Thanks again to Suzie81 for inspiring me to continue writing and sharing.   Have a great day wordpress friends!

When I Grow Up

Posted in Childhood memories by

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I was inspired to write this by a blogger named Sreejit that I follow.  He wrote about what he wanted to be when he grew up and it made me reflect on my childhood.

http://theseekersdungeon.com/2013/08/05/dreams-and-the-continual-creation-of-our-reality/

When I was ten I had a new step Mom and I had been dancing classical ballet for four years under the strict and traditional style of an old school Argentine dancer.  Ballet was everything to me and I continued being quite dedicated to it until I was fifteen years old, when my body developed and I was no longer a match for the weight and body type requirements.  My pop music interests started around 11 years of age when I had a neighbor originally from Cape Cod named Danielle who was obsessed with John Cougar (Mellencamp) and Bruce Springstein.  Together we sat on my Dad’s brown sofa and watched MTV launch with amazement.  The astronaut with the MTV flag, the same ten or twenty videos looping, the VJs, it was all new and incredible to us at 12 and 13 years old.  We had a crush on a guy (yes the same guy) in our building complex, we would fish off of our dock in the river and lay on the roof of our building to get tanned.  When Danielle moved away to live with her Mother I was a teenaged brace face with a very two household schedule and dance.  I was an only child and got a baby sister at my Dad’s house when I was 13.  If I think about what I wanted to be when I grew up then, I come up with a blank.  I already knew that being a ballerina was not possible as I was not at the top of my class and my teacher weighed me and a couple of other girls each Friday because we weren’t slender enough.  I was not a kid who wanted to be a veterinarian or any of those childhood favorites.  My parents were working hard to make life happen but I don’t remember thinking I’d follow in their career footsteps.  Not because of what they were doing but it just wasn’t something that entered my mind at all.  While I was an adolescent, the thought of what I wanted to be when I grew up was never a thought.  I was processing factors in my home life, going to school, going to dance classes and later participating in sports at school.  Like most at that age I loved music, make up and wanted to have friends.  The first three concerts I attended (with my Mom) were Wham, The Jacksons and Prince.  I remember my childhood fondly but I don’t remember dreaming about a white wedding, a glamorous career or a fancy life.  The path that life takes with it’s turns and forks in the road is not predictable and I did not have a wish about what it would be like either.  The person who inspired me to write this, Sreejit, entitled his post “Dreams and the Continual Creation of our Reality” and the end of that title speaks to me more because I believe in taking action and making one’s reality.  I guess I am not a dreamer, as unromantic as that sounds.  What about you and your childhood dreams?

“Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them, they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint the world their own hue, and each shows only what lies in its focus.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blog Origin Story

Posted in It's about the little things by

Thanks to a blogger I follow named Suzie I learned about the Daily Prompt and today I’m going to write about it, my blogger origin story.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/foreshadow/

My first blog in June of 2011 was on blogspot (currently called blogger.com) where I posted random thoughts and photos, a book review, self reflective posts. In November 2012 I found wordpress when a friend sent me a link to her inspirational son’s blog here. Perhaps because his blog was so inspirational (documenting how he grows up with autism) or perhaps because of the inspirational community on wordpress, I wanted to write more and right away. I had very little time to write, as continues to be my situation. When I sit and scroll down my reader now and then, other writers make me think, inspire me and remind me of the many lives that are taking place all over this world every day. Of course the world is filled with complicated issues but the simplistic maybe naive side of me thinks that if we share our stories, we can understand and be kind to each other. I don’t know if my blog has evolved at all but this is my blog origin story. What is yours? -smilingbug

My first blog on wordpress:

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Missing Someone

Posted in Life is short and precious by

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A young woman passed away last weekend unexpectedly while having a wonderful day with her family on a nearby lake. I saw her photo in the paper and one of her family members was quoted as saying “We lost our little angel…God took her home at a early age and we will miss her dearly.” I have thought of that family often in these days, have layed in bed thinking of that young lady and her loved ones. In an accident that took a split second, a father lost his daughter and a brother lost his sister, so many lives were changed forever. I thought of their birthdays, weddings, vacations, everything that will come in that family’s lives and how they will be missing her. It’s often said “they are with us in spirit” and I relate to that but it does not make any of the pain go away. Today I sat to look ahead at summer plans with our family and something I have tried not to dwell on is there, staring at me and not letting me evade it any longer. This is the first summer we will visit family and a very special aunt will not be there. Thankfully she lived a long and blessed life but I had thought she would be with us much longer. When my father-in-law wrote me a card after her passing he said that she left some big foot prints. Some people are one of a kind. A while after she was gone someone in the family decided to give me a pair of earrings that I gave to her years ago while we were on a wonderful trip together. (A trip I almost did not take because of the expense, thankfully I went.) She loved those earrings and I don’t think I’m saying that because I gave them to her. They matched her favorite colors well and she wore them often. My heart is conflicted when I look of the earrings now. As we fret over our busy schedules, our full plates and overflowing in boxes, life is going by one day and one month and one year at a time. This aunt did not let life pass by, she picked up the phone, wrote the email, sent the card, made the plans. Plus she did this type of thing with all of her loved ones including dear friends, children of dear friends, long time colleagues, all people she cared for…and there were many of them. Her level of caring was remarkable and don’t get me started on her sharp and clever personality. I only wished I had known her my whole life, she was my aunt by marriage and not for long enough. Part of me doesn’t want to do any of the things we used to do with her because none of it will be the same without her. But life is not about digging your heels in the ground, it’s about acceptance. They say the deceased would want us to celebrate their lives instead of being sad when they leave. Of course she would want us to go to the beach, play at the lake, gather for dinner at sunset. Even if we are missing her silly faces, her perfectly dry sarcasm and how much she cared. I will miss her so much this summer. Last summer as I said good bye she said “Now that you’re leaving I don’t know what I’ll do with myself.” Then she said with a straight face, “I can’t go to lunch with anyone, all of my friends are dead.” I laughed at her and continued to laugh all the way to my gate at the airport. Life is for living, loving, laughing. Thankfully we have this day to live it, to write that note, make that call, smell the rain, watch the clouds, love, laugh. -smilingbug

Be Inspired

Posted in It's about the little things by

I came across a Forbes article on line about the answers that leaders in the business world gave when asked “what inspires you?” I clicked right away and the answers were not what I was expecting. Things like “Game-changing people everywhere” from Richard Branson and “It was all started by a mouse,” by Jon Steinberg. I thought to myself, really… these are the things that inspire what Forbes described as “The World’s Top Leaders?” When I think of world leaders’ inspiration I think of, for example, cures for diseases, clean water for third world countries, vaccines for needy, shelters for the homeless. Pete Flint said “Solving Big Problems,” which is a bit non descript but maybe the closest to the big themes I was expecting. Trish Regan definitely struck a chord: “My mother’s determined pursuit to find answers,” (okay I’m a Mom, that was biased). Seriously, my favorite was from David H. Stevens: “A depression-era Dad and Pioneer Mom.” In one word: family. It made me think about what inspires me. What makes me be a better person, or makes me go the extra mile is my family. I thought about each person in my family and what they do or have done that blows me away. Each of them was an instance where they were taking an action that reminded me about what is important in life, why we are here. With each memory I thought “I want to be like that, I can do that more, that is what life is all about.” Even with all of the larger issues that could inspire someone the way that Bill Gates was inspired to saved millions of lives with clean water initiatives, we can still be inspired by something as simple as our Grandfather or our kid. Every person has a distinct form of inspiration and it changes over time. What inspires you today and in twenty years could be very different. But acknowledging what that inspiration is heightens your awareness of it. Just having thought of what insprires me has inspired me! What inspires you? Be inspired, time moves too fast to not recognize and capture your inspiration. -smilingbug

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Real Tolerance

Posted in Observations of society and life by

 

I came across a book in my home today, it reminded me of the day I went to see the author speak and I purchased the book to support him and take a look at his craft.  (I’ve decided to leave the title and author out because I don’t mean any harm to him)  The inside page reads “Dedicated to Jewish families of all backgrounds.”

The author spoke of how the number of practicing Jews is decreasing each generation and how so many Jews don’t consider themselves Jewish due to non observance within their families.  When it came time for questions I raised my hand.  “My household is multicultural and I would like to hear your thoughts on running a home with two faiths.”  The author started by telling me that his advice was no disrespect to me (since I obviously married a non Jew) but that I should do everything in my power to keep my kids from marrying a non Jew, start talking to them about it when they’re young, etc.

I turned to look at my dear friend of many years, the Rabbi’s wife.  We wore big grins and wanted to chuckle at his answer because we know my situation, but in reality it was not funny.  It was a testament to the true view on multi-faith households by many.  How far have we really come from judging races, those of a different sexual orientation or of those of a different religion?

The next person to raise their hand said they did all that the author advised me to do but that their son was raising his kids with almost no religion and they wanted to know how they could make an impact on their Grandchildren’s faith.  Their faces were very distressed and the wife rung her hands as she spoke, pleading for help with this dilemma.  I sat and felt a mix of not belonging and inner strength, perhaps the true trademarks of a convert.

Many of us want the same things: to love and be loved, to feel closeness to God, to give charity and contribute in some way to humankind if even just by being kind, to live by the same basic moral values.

Why must people of different faiths frown on each other?  How far have humans come?  When will different be okay?