A PUSH present

All right. I get that labels change. But this is icky. Really. A push present?

I'm sorry but that is just absolutely disgusting. Sounds like you're being gifted for your role as a brood mare. (I can almost hear the stable groom yelling "NEXT!!!") Where's the love and gentility in that label? Ewww.

It's downright degrading, don't you think? Totally tacky and way too visual for me. It's probably one of the new vocabulary terms being introduced into the 2011 Urban Dictionery being prepared for print. I can just imagine the entry: Push present ( n. poosh prez'ent) 1. a gift given to a woman upon the birth of a child 2. better make it expensive 3. jewelry is always acceptable as well as expected 4. make that 'preferred' instead of acceptable

Think I'll stick with New Mother's gift, thank you very much. Might seem old-fashioned and clumsy to you but conveys the above coarse message in a much more beautiful and feminine and meaningful way, n'est se pas?

Behind the Comma

Listening to 'Mike and Mike In the Morning', I heard Greenberg say something about what appeared behind the comma concerning someone's name that I didn't quite catch.

Whether you're a doctor (... , MD) or a doctor (... , PhD), an accountant (... , CPA) or a gemologist (... , GG) there are professional designations you may use to label yourself.

Then there are the prizes and achievements earned/rewarded such a Nobel Peace Prize winner or Olympic Gold Medalist or Sole Survivor.

What about titles like President or Senator or Professor?

But my personal favorites are the ones that come with no extra letters. Or fanfare. Or headlines. Mother and Father. Friend. Soldier. American. Confidant. Neighbor. Mentor. And maybe we should add a propriate descriptors after a person's name that describes them like Mary Smith: Trustworthy, quilter, genealogist or Joe Brown: Storyteller, Civil War re-enactor, chef.

Because what you have filled in behind your name is all the really good stuff, isn't it??

Your Currency

I was reading my niece's Facebook page recently and a message from one of her friends caught my attention. The subject was potty training and the friend suggested using 'the currency' which would appeal directly to the child, influencing this three-year old to get with the program.

I had never thought of personal motivation as currency before and I'm loving that concept because it pertains to us all. ( I think most of us adults have been asked what makes us work harder on the job sometime during our working careers. Money, vacation time, free lunches, all fit into that scenario.) But every last soul on this planet has their very own 'something' that speaks to them on a whole different level and can work what may seem like a miracle when nothing else will. In this child's case it may be as simple as alone-time spent with her mother or a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal or a new coloring book. And logically that currency can change over time. Maybe that bowl of tasty breakfast food has become a box of Junior Mints or a pair of new shoes or an hour in a bookstore along life's path.

It is what it is. There's no judgement called for. No opinion wanted. No excuse necessary. No law to follow. It is truly the epitome of that old saying "To each his own".... to savor, to delight, to claim.

Paris and Lindsay -- Two Playground Bullies

Remember your mother's sage advice when you told her about another kid who was bothering you at school? Picked on you during recess or laughed at your mistakes or tried to intimidate you? She gave you a comforting hug and told you to "just ignore them and they will go away, Honey". Seemingly so simple yet so hard to put into practice when you're a child, your feelings and emotions stretching to cope with those stomach-in-knots situations. Eventually you and your adversary follow divergent paths and that contentious relationship dissolved into a distant memory......

Why don't the press, the paparazzi and the public apply that same logic and simply turn their backs on these two? Are we really so needy that we have to watch two women constantly embarrassing themselves?

I don't know about you but I get worn out by the feeding frenzy the rest of us are subjected to surrounding their sad life choices. Maybe realizing their behavior is not acceptable would be the best way to save them. Maybe being left out of popular publications and tell-all television shows would be the best life-changing rehab program of all.

A Summer of Monarchs

Have you noticed.......?

Have you found your eye wandering, following their fluttering wake?

Have you wondered where their path will take them -- over boxwood, under limb, through meadow, dodging car? Slipping through fence rails, pausing on welcoming blossom?

Have you hoped their journey be a safe one with a happy ending?

Have you been proud of their determination? Their will to succeed?

I have. I'm envious of their beauty, how the sunlight plays across the vibrant colors that brand their sails. I am overwhelmed by the miles they are destined to travel answering the luring call of their breed. I am thankful for the smile that lights each person's face as eyes focus on their fanciful, graceful dance. Filled with promise, shared for free.

Music to My Ears

Soft soulful notes swirl and dance in the surrounding invisible air. Hard driving beats of a drum set cut right through your chest. Guitar twangs, leg-slapping timing, head-bobbing motions, contagious smiles.

Music plays all around me. Everyday. Immersion is a relief. A pleasure. A douse of pure delight. Refreshing. Rebirth.

Smooth Jazz ~Soothing background sounds for driving; great for 'white noise' when hard-core concentrating is necessary for a project deadline. Feels like small, intimate club atmosphere in Chicago or NYC. Relaxing and sophisticated yet energizing and urban.

Country ~ Toe-tappin', sing-along tunes. Honest lyrics. Thoroughly and truly all our own. Fun, happy, sad, thoughtful, tearful, joyful, painful, God-fearing, poignant. Filled with values, laughter, shared experiences, emotions laid bare.

Top 40 ~ Monday through Friday work-day mornings. Tuned to a station that broadcasts what's happening in the mainstream by a team of hip DJ's. Trendy updates on who's hot and who's not.

Ecclesiastical ~ The old favorites. The contemporary offerings. Colorful melodies that act as modern reminders of the Lord's rainbow covenant.

Celtic ~ Generations from ages ago speak through the tales sending messages only my heart understands.

New Age/Deep Relaxation ~ Thorough, cleansing "exhaling". Re-centering balance. No concentration. Only feel.

Steel Drums/Caribbean ~ Dig the toes deep into heated white sand. Soak in the warmth of the golden sun on your face, your shoulders, your arms. Gaze out at the glorious sea shades of turquoise, aqua, green, teal. Sip a cold, fruity drink garnished with a vibrant hot pink paper umbrella. Now close your eyes......aahhh......

I hope music is a thread woven into the fabric of your everyday, matching mood and mind-set and need. Another beautiful dimension of life on this planet.

It Does Take a Village

When Hillary Clinton published her book, I had absolutely no interest in reading it. Seemed like a waste of time. Didn't like her politics, wasn't going to support this avenue of revenue for her.

One Sunday, months later, I was in our church's library and I saw a copy lying on the bookshelf. I walked over and picked it up. Flipped through it. Not a very thick book. An easy, quick read. So I sat down and skimmed through it. Aside from her pointed left-wing comments, the concept of the book was a logical one: We do depend on each other to guide, nurture, educate, prepare, protect our children. BUT...BUT... I, as the parent, am ultimately responsible for my own.

We cannot put the blame on a teacher or a scout leader or a coach or a neighbor when we are disappointed in the behavior or choices of our children. Morals, manners, personal integrity, faith, self-esteem, discipline must be given the means to grow and thrive in our own homes. As parents we most definitely have the right to choose who we want surrounding our children to keep them safe, act as good examples, and broaden their horizons in new and healthy and strengthening ways.

That's what LOVE means. That's how RESPECT develops. That's an EXPECTATION. That's our JOB.