:-/

There’s a small child with us for the next few nights.  Small child…..notsomuch any more.  The Bug is all of 5 ½ now—and she’ll be the first to tell you so.  She reminds grandad on a regular basis.  He believes in tormenting her on a regular basis.

She’ll bring in the New Year with us.  That just means lots of playing and mess making and lots of excuses not to hurry to clear up—it’ll just get messy again dontchaknow.

I’ve made it tradition for her to be here—wait til she’s thirteen and wants to party down with her little friends.  Hahaha…..we’ll see if ‘tradition’ wins over THAT.

I’m blessed—really I am.

I’ve been able to see what a good, healthy marriage wears like.

I’ve been able to see and be a part of a grandchild’s life.  It ain’t so bad being the Nana……

I’ve been able to put my feet up and really be at peace doing absolutely nothing.

And I’ve been able to come to know myself not as a ‘therapist’, a ‘mom’, a ‘sister’, a ‘co-worker’, a ‘supervisor’, a ‘manager’….list the roles we……*I* let become my identity, that I let define me.

I’ve come to know myself as a child of G-d…..and to really begin to see everyone on the planet as another child of G-d……sisters, brothers on the journey.

I’m glad we all get to take our own paths, learn our own lessons in our own time…..

And above all,  I’m glad I’ve come to know the difference between ME and G-d.

WPIML used to ask me if I knew the difference between G-d and me. 

And when I tried to give him an answer, he summed it up perfectly…….

“G-d doesn’t think He’s you.”

*laughing*

He was such a smartie pants…..

TFTD

Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other.
– Euripides

We may tend to love our friends and family members only with qualifications. Only if they don’t complain about their problems. Only if they are more successful. Perhaps we don’t say this directly, but we might be communicating these qualifications to our loved ones by holding back or by making indirect suggestions as to how they should live their lives.

We may be able to give our love more fully if we remember how much we need acceptance.

We don’t want to receive love that is prefaced by “only if . . .” Only if we don’t complain. Only if we stop talking about our illness.  Only if we do some task or attend some function… We all need the comfort and support of love based on what we are, not on what others think we can or should be. Our loved ones need the same thing.

TFTD

If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

—Carl Sagan

Everything is given to us. Our lives came forth with no plan on our part. We have no lease on life and no control, ultimately, over any possession. In the families most of us came from, we learned something else. We learned a lonely arrogance that said, "I should be self sufficient. I have earned everything that ever came to me." Deep down we probably knew how untrue that was, and we felt great self-doubt.

The cure we learn for our lonely arrogance is a miracle and a blessing. We accept that we are part of a larger whole. Now it dawns on us - all of our friends and relatives share this basic powerlessness. We are all pilgrims. We are all guests. We are all stewards of creation. We can be close, and we must help one another because everyone is equally vulnerable.

Captured Memory #38

Daily Fairy Thought

 Patience

Sometimes we get what we want right away. At other times, we wonder if our desires will ever be fulfilled.

We will be fulfilled in the best way possible and as quickly as possible. But some things take time. Sometimes, we have lessons to learn first, lessons that prepare us so we can accept the good we deserve. Things are being worked out in us, and in others. Blocks in us are being removed. A solid foundation is being laid.

Be patient, Relax and trust. Let go. Then, let go some more. Good things are planned for us. We will receive them at the first available moment. We will have all our heart longs for. Relax and trust.

Captured Memory #37

Fairy Thought

We are not standing still. No matter how uneventful our lives may seem, we are traveling toward our destiny, and all the thrills and tears, joys and sorrows, are contributing to the success of our trip. Every day, every step, we are succeeding.

We can reflect on yesterday, better yet, on last week or even last year. What were our problems? It's doubtful we can even remember them. We have put distance between them and us. They were handled in some manner. We have succeeded in getting free of them. We have succeeded in moving beyond them.

How far we have come! And we will keep right on traveling forward.

It's a wrap

Gooshiness

Wanna make The Girl weepy--give her a little ceramic angel that was made by the grandmother she never had a chance to know.
Wanna make a mom weepy--give her a ring that has "Nana" inscribed on it.
Man.....HOW she grew up to be such a loving child and such an awesome parent I'll never know.
Maybe I'll blame the angel giving aunt that's loved her so well for so many years.....the sister who got all the good genes.

Dunno....but I do know the 5 year old is such a well behaved child.....and that ain't just my opinion.
She does, however, steal covers, pitches fits at bedtime and laughs when she foofs.

I guess that means she's normal.  :-/

Fairy Wisdom

Leave When It's Time to Go

It's time to pick up, pack up, and leave.

You knew you wouldn't be in this situation in this place with these people forever. Trust the rhythms and cycles of life. Take responsibility for yourself within each cycle. Take responsibility for yourself as each cycle ends and a new one begins.

You don't have to hold onto messengers after they've delivered the message in your life, or escorts after they've taken you where you were trying to go. You don't have to stay in a classroom after you've learned the lessons and finished that course.

Open your heart. Thank the people, places, and things that have helped create your world, shape you, form your experiences. Then pick up, pack up, and leave. Say good-bye with love and gratitude in your heart.

And go on down the road.

The Snoopy one

I have too much STUFF.  And this is the year we agreed NO STUFF for the holiday.  If something new happens, we toss out the OLD thing it's replacing.  That was the "agreement".  Functional stuff was the goal, and for the most part I think we did okay.  The Sleiff bear and the spirograph don't count.  :-/

Okay, they count, but he-who-tried-hard  did such a good job with the other things.  Getting STUFF from my list was good, but "where's the fun in that" if there wasn't a surprise mixed in....   I can't fuss too much about that.  He done good.

So today's the start of "toss out the old".  Kinda fitting that we agreed "by New Year's it'll be gone".  Out with the old!!
No problem.
I've tossed out my whole shoe collection.  I've tossed out clothes and purses, nick nacks,  kitchen gadgets and stray plates, bowels, and plastic dinnerware.

No problem.

'Cept I know he-who-will-hold-me-to-the-agreement will be going for my Snoopy travel mug.

Not just "A" Snoopy travel mug......but "THE" Snoopy travel mug.  The green one that has Snoopy paddling the canoe.
The one that's got most of the top third of the print scratched off from YEARS of washing it.  (You can still see Snoopy!)
The one that has a big hole and a little hole and comes with a bit of plastic that you turn so you can drink from it.
The kind they don't make any more cuz it's not spill proof or vacuum sealed or from dent resistant metal.
The one that's made from that BAD plastic.....

I've had that sucker THIRTEEN YEARS.  T.H.I.R.T.E.E.N. years.  YEARS.
I know how old it is cuz this is the travel mug I snatched up when he and I visited the Mall of America during one of his last flights over to see me.  It's one I snatched up when I was doing the 'pick up /return' to the international airport.

It's got memories attached to it, dammit!!

K......I'm feeling prepared.

I can try the nostalgic but If that doesn't work......it's plan B.
I can come up with a plan B.
Dumpster dive, maybe?
Oh, I know!!
Hide the cup!!
K....I'll work on plan B....

He came, he went....

TFTD

Learn what you are and be such.
—Pindar

The most precious gift we can give those closest to us is honesty. Yet we often hide our true selves from friends, fearing we won't be accepted or loved if we let them see the real us. Often, we show parts of ourselves that hide who we really are. We have often heard ourselves or others say, "My parents would just die if . . . ," or, "don't argue in front of the children."

If we hide too much behind false images, we run the risk of losing track of what is real and what is false. We become actors instead of real people, trying to please Aunt Jane, our grandparents, our big brother, or our children.

When we conquer our fear of letting others in, we are able to see ourselves honestly. When we discover that others accept us as we are, we can accept and love ourselves more fully.

To know oneself is to know a person of value.

Test drives

When you get a new punch thingy and the floor is littered with all kindsa paper you can expect a delay in the unwrapping process.  Ya gotta try it out.  Very cool...I get three flowers in one!!  Do ya KNOW how many different flowers that is....woohooo!!  I know.  Cuz I assembled 'em.  One by one by one by one by.......  :-D

And ya GOTTA wander about in the new Bearpaw boots....gotta test the things out, don'tcha know.  They're furry and warm and AWESOME on my right foot/leg.  It needs to convince the left one.  Cuz these suckers are staying!!

Oh!!
And a new travel mug.......of course ya need to make the coffee to put in it.
Duh!

I've freed my Sleiff bear from his suitcase and he went for a tour of the house with my new furry boots and my new travel mug....while wearing my new scarf.
And THEN I got a travel Spirograph.
Uh huh....


Mr. Impatient just suffered through the wait.
And not very quietly, I must say.....
.....the whiner....  :-/

Joyful Holiday Blessings.......

From Mr. Moose and those he watches over.

Merry Christmas!

Daily Reminder

The people who are most successful at living and loving are those who can learn to wait successfully. Not many people enjoy waiting or learning patience. Yet, waiting can be a powerful tool that will help us accomplish much good.

We cannot always have what we want when we want it. For different reasons, what we want to do, have, be, or accomplish is not available to us now. But there are things we could not do or have today, no matter what, that we can have in the future. Today, we would make ourselves crazy trying to accomplish what will come naturally and with ease later.

We can trust that all is on schedule. Waiting time is not wasted time. Something is being worked out – in us, in someone else, in the Universe.

We don’t have to put our life on hold while we wait. We can direct our attention elsewhere; we can practice acceptance and gratitude in the interim; we can trust that we do have a life to live while we are waiting – then we go about living it.

Deal with your frustration and impatience, but learn how to wait. The old saying, “You can’t always get what you want” isn’t entirely true. Often, in life, we can get what we want – especially the desires of our heart – if we can learn to wait.

Daily Reading from the Fairies

“You go on ahead,” I yelled.

He looked reluctant.

“Go. Hike at your own pace. I’ll hike at mine.”

I convinced him to leave me behind. Just because we came together didn’t mean that we had to hike, or walk as I preferred to call it, in the same stride. My friend went on ahead of me and disappeared from sight. I hiked, then rested, then hiked, then rested. Once, I stopped, took off my backpack, and took a nap.

My friend and I joined up toward the end of the day. We made the trek down the mountain together, side by side.

Even though we simplify things, most things are harder than we think. It’s important to let each person go at their own pace. Whether it’s working through an issue or tackling a project in your life, find the pace that works for you. Let others do the same.

Don’t compare yourself to those around you. Let yourself be energized by their pace, but respect the rhythm that works for you.

He knows if you've been bad or good

Things that make me happy....

....boxes arriving from his favorite train store that he can't open.  *laughing*  

....pretty prezzies under the tree.

....planning New Year's Eve with a five year old.

....pine cones everywhere I look.

....finding little gifts for the people I work around.

....the $50 bill in an envelope.....I'm waiting for just the right time to hand it over.

....the giant jeweled snowflake ornament from the neighbors.....it is so cool.

TFTD

Everyone has the right to be wrong! That includes whatever occurs this hour–either our mistake, or another's. But we, or they, have the right to make that mistake. This is not cause for anger or guilt, just understanding.

This hour, understanding our right to be wrong will see me through. Please help me understand.