I Lost Two Friends This Week.

I use the word "lost" because I will not see these two gentlemen in this reality anymore. One was a dedicated educator, one was a talented floral designer. Their spouses are hurting right now. I offer words of encouragement and share hugs, as do others, to try and ease their pain yet we can't erase the deep void felt in their hearts right now. Yes, Time will ever so slowly rub away the sharp, raw edges... just as an early morning fog mystically rolls over a landscape unannounced, softly flowing noiselessly. And upon its disappearance a layer of sparkling dew remains to refresh the living.

We have all experienced the jolt our world feels when a loved one passes over to be with our Lord. Our heads understand those folks are treasures we will never forget. They have simply entered eternity before us with the grace and promise we claim as well. Yet our hearts will miss their laughter, their friendship, their love, a touch of their hand.

When you say your prayers today, thank God for all of those who have touched your life...and smile for all of the blessings of those good times shared.

Survival of the Teen Years (Halleluia!! We Did It!)

Our son just turned twenty. There were days I thought this birthday would never arrive...or at least that I would actually live to see it. Why, oh why, are those eight years so crazy and intense?? Would someone please explain to me why one...just one....teen would FINALLY get it and say "Ok. I will be happy to do what you ask." OR "Yes, thanks for the advice. I'll take it!" Really. It would only take a single child to start the trend. Soon their friends would notice how calm and tranquil the life surrounding their buddy is and perhaps they, too, would try a smile and a positive answer.

Oh, my gosh! Can you visualize the look on parents' faces all over this country if that happened??? Total shock and confusion. First they would grab their child and pull them close so they could place their hand on their child's forehead checking for wildly hot fever or grab the phone and call the principal checking on any wild experiment the Chemistry teacher had the students drink or maybe turn on their TV to check for an emergency news bulletin announcing that aliens had landed, stolen all the kids in the area and replaced them with identical looking robots.

I used to say to my son, "Why don't you try something different starting today? If you'd only say "WOW! Think I'll listen today and just simply do as I'm asked. then your life would good and so darned much easier and we, your parents, would be so much happier and off your case." No more dramatics, no more loud arguments, no more high blood pressure, no grounding as a punishment, no more slamming doors...... OK, you get the concept here. But he never did give that a whirl. Not once. (His reply 99 percent of the time? "Why". One little word that drove me over the edge on more than one occasion. To every single request or idea. Tell me that didn't get old. But at least we were prepared for his trademark response and I guess in a strange way it did lend some normalcy to all the many situations we found ourselves thrust into.

So I'm still waiting for that one kid that is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and utter the one three-letter word that will forever change the world as we know it. Y-E-S. Hope springs eternal for my lifetime. (Pay no attention to the sarcastic overtone. Even Pollyanna had her days.....)

Which Do You Prefer -- the Show or the Commercials?

In this election year let's take a vote. All those who like TV shows raise your hands. (counting, counting... Got it!) Now, all those in favor of commercials raise your hands. I have to tell you my hand went up for commercials. I love imagination. I like a stretch. I love creativity. I like humor. I expect the unexpected.

My current favs? Glad you asked! Betcha they are yours as well:

1. the baby on E-trade especially when he rents the clown
2. the baby on E-Trade calling his golfing partner Shankapotimus
3. GE airplane engine ads with the heron-like birds waiting for the runway to clear
4. Trevelers Insurance dapper gentleman with the huge red umbrella
5. Sprite basketball court "pool"
6. Liberty Mutual's vignettes of people helping each other (lady pulls guy back to curb, postman helps man on ladder, etc.)
7. lactose intolerant rollover phone minutes
8. Mazda's Zoom-Zoom (I always end up whispering these 2 words myself)
9. Hank the Clydesdale making the Anheuser Busch team
10. AFLAC's duck - what a hoot!!
11. Firemen voting on their cell phones for Sprint (what a statement on politicians)

Send me your list under "Comments" below this entry. I look forward to hearing from you!

From Under the Rainbow with Love

I came up with those very personal words and started to sign my letters with that phrase because I truly feel that is where I have been given the grace to live. I love the raw power of the symbol of the rainbow. This glorious magic of nature was named as God's visual sign of the promise He made to Noah that he would never destroy the earth again. Think about that every time you see those vivid bands of color arched across the sky....in the spray of the hose or sprinkler....or in the pounding cascades of Niagara Falls. Isn't it funny that each and every one you see still makes you stop and comment and point it out to someone close by? Why is that? I thought we were just cynical human beings who are bored and complain and take such beauty for granted.

Not so, is it. We are delighted by the exquisite, vibrant miracle that seemingly "appears" so unexpectedly. We react with such free child-like excitement when one is spotted. Never relinquish that gift of forever love. Never remove yourself from dwelling under His incredible eternal protection. So from me to you "From under the rainbow with love" have a fantastic day.

Don't be an "id" -- Do be an "un"'

Catchy title, huh? I was remembering a gathering I was a part of recently and I started to contemplate about the folks I was drawn to spend more of my time with while we were together and the very "why" of those feelings. I discovered that the personalities of guests I withdrew from had the two letters "i - d" as a factor in my assessment. Words like "stupid" (another word for ignorant which is pretty scary in my book), "insipid" (no zip, no spice), timid (I wanted to shock them with a "boo"... or two), tepid (give me hot, hot, hot!!! anytime), and "vapid" (BORING) came to mind. And the people I enjoyed the most were "un's" such as "unnecessary" (those who were willing to try new things, have fun just for the joy of it, enjoy the gift of life) and "unexpected" (the outside packaging hid a wonderful treasure of wit, wisdom, knowledge or soul hidden within) and, most important, "unforgettable" (challenged me to reach for my dreams, earned my admiration, enriched my reality by the blessing of their friendship). I sincerely hope I prove to be an "un" thread in the life tapestries of those whose paths are entwined with mine....especially yours.

Family Traditions -- Be Original. Be Free.

I can honestly say the three we have stuck with are genuinely our very own. Two are very simple but ones we repeat continuously. But the third is a hoot, we know no one else who does it AND has been a WHOLE lot of fun.

The first two are: Every Christmas Eve we eat steak and wherever we go on vacation we buy fudge. Nothing wild or crazy but each is an expectation that is annually met.

The last one, hold on to your inquiring mind, is that we celebrate Groundhogs Day. "Why?" you ask? And the answer is, "Why not?"!! It's a kookie holiday that appears on every calender in the little square that delineates February 2nd all about a furry, fat rodent who eats grasses and digs holes in yards and fields. Sounds like fun to us!!! So every year we watch Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, I search for cards and order gifts to give the guys, bake groundhog-shape cutout cookies for my husband and his staff (yes, they expect them), and receive cards and emails from family and friends all over the country who have decided (FINALLY!) that we're not crazy and they now enjoy sharing the laugh with us.

And if you're wondering if we ever...... The answer is "yes"! On 02-02-02 this family stood with 3,000+ other folks from all over the world up on Gobbler's Knob (at 4:30 AM in 18 freezing degrees) in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see Phil make his prognostication announcement. I cannot tell you how it was such an incredibly good, clean "americana" experience. This tiny little old coal town literally "wakes up" just like Brigadoon to welcome these thousands that pour in for a 24 hour period then quietly settles back down for next 364 days. And additionally for your edification: Phil lives year round in a wonder natural environment, complete with a tiny waterfall, in the city library which is located on the edge of the village green.