Memories

Yesterday, my sister lost a dear friend to cancer. She wrote in her blog about the "hole in her heart" due to the loss. I have been so fortunate to have NOT lost anyone extremely close to me. Both of my parents are alive. Even though their loss was felt, my grandparents died at an elderly age. In response to my sister's writing, Mrs. Rahn, someone I don't know, commented on her blog and I share this profound wisdom today with you.

"Although the hole doesn't completely disappear, it gets smaller and begins to serve as a well of memories instead of heartache and tears."

Wow! I really like that! The above picture is one of my favorites as the flower has the shadow on it and it has a mystery about it. Flowers also serve as wells for moisture, bugs, bees, ants and pollen. Flowers symbolize many memories for me, thankfully, no heartache and tears. I pray that your day today was one of memories.

Grand

The Grand Tetons. I will never forget seeing them for the first time last September. The mountains just pop out of the earth in a string of spectacular grandeur. The lake in front of them only makes it more picturesque. I wish we could have spent more than a day there, as it was at the end of our trip. Some days, actually many days, I wish for retirement so that in our travels we could spend an extra day or two someplace that interests us. But with the way the market is going downhill, it will be awhile before I can retire AND have money to spend traveling. Until then, I guess I'll just look at pictures like this and dream.

Walk a Mile in Their Shoe(s)

The pictures show a child's plastic shoe made to look like a car. Ironically, I saw the shoe at a gas station that we stopped at in New Mexico. It probably fell out of a car as Mom or Dad opened the door to give their child a treat they bought in the station's store. It caught my eye because of the bright color, but also because of it's loneliness. There were no other cars at the station, but for ours and this little car. It almost appeared to be waiting to be filled up. Oh, the stories that shoe could tell. If I could, I would have slipped on that shoe and "walked" a mile in that shoe and have it tell me who it belonged to? Will the child cry when they discover their shoe is missing? Will Mom or Dad be mad or consoling? So many stories.

Six months ago I participated in the Walk to Emmaus. It was a spiritually moving and spiritually fulfilling weekend. One of my neighbors participated in the Walk this weekend. Since I have "walked" in her shoes, I wondered how her story would be the same and/or different than mine. Every one's experience could be similar or it could be vastly different. Years ago, a wise boss told me, "Perception is reality." It's been so helpful to often remember that phrase. I knew that no matter what my friend's perception of the Walk, I could pray for her to gain some insight for herself.

Speaking of walking, hubby and I started walking on Monday and have done so each morning. We started with a one mile walk and on Saturday, I did one and half miles. After months of not walking and gaining back almost every pound I lost last year, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to do a mile the first day and an extra half mile by the end of the first week. I know there are people reading this, that know that they too can "walk a mile in my shoes," as they have been on the roller-coaster ride of weight loss and gain. I could write and say, "I hope that this time I keep on walking." But, I can only take care of today. I have walked "miles" in my dreams, yet my plans fizzle out quickly. Therefore, it's today I will focus on, as tomorrow may never come and if it does, then it will be "today"!

Busy as Bees

Happy Bosses Day! Oops, did you forget like I did? I saw another boss getting a gift from her staff this morning and I said, "Bosses Day? Oh-oh, I forgot." Luckily the stores still had some decent cards and a favorite restaurant sells gift cards, so my boss was not forgotten.


Contrary to what I said yesterday, my staff must think I'm better than a piranha as they gave me a huge basket full of treats and really nice stuff like a bracelet, dove figurine and a beautiful mug. They must have been busy as bees getting their money together for that gift. I have a great group of people to work with and the majority give 110% to their jobs. Our jobs keeps all of very busy and I am thankful that I can say I'm happy on Bosses Day. Blessings to you too!


Speaking of blessings, my sister sent me an email to remind me that 53 years ago today, I was baptized in the Christian faith. I was four and my two sisters were 1+ years and the other was five months. We were baptized together, at the prompting of my paternal grandmother. At that time my father was a back-sliding Christian and my mother and her family never went to church except for funerals. So Grandma must have convinced our parents to have us baptized. I can still remember the picture-taking episode afterward.



Even though it was October, it was a warm day and the sun was beating down. The adults decided to prop the three of us on top of the car hood to take a picture. Back in those days, having a car was still pretty darn special. So any chance they got to have their car in the picture, so much more the better. Well, the afternoon sun had turned that dark green car into a heat magnet. They sat us on the car and it burned our legs. My sister that was a little over a year old started crying and the adults could not figure out why? They thought she was scared being up so high on the car, so they kept re-adjusting her. All I can vaguely remember is thinking, "Let's get this picture-taking stuff over with so we can get OFF this car!" I think the infamous picture shows me frowning and my sister crying. Happy Baptism Day! Fire and water, how appropriate.

Piranha

Piranha. What a beautiful fish with an ugly personality! A flesh-eating freshwater fish! What made me choose this picture tonight? I told myself I'd pick the first picture that interested me and then I'd write. Hmmmm? Is my "personality" ugly or am I a "flesh-eating" person? Some people may say I'm "flesh-eating" since in my less than two years at this job, I have involuntarily terminated (politically correct words for "fired") two staff and forced two others to resign or get fired! It is certainly not the most pleasant part of my job, in fact it's tough. I am one of these people that always fears the worse.... getting fired. I came close at one job, but got a written warning instead. No matter how well people may say I'm doing at my job, I still have my doubts. I have my fears. My husband says I lack self-confidence, yet I don't always show it. I wish I had the thick skin of the piranha. Although some of the bulges on the piranha look like my face... on a good day. :) Oh well, self-degradation is a family fault that I also inherited.

Fire

Fire, it can be warming, comforting, mesmerizing, threatening, killing and dying. The fire above is of a lakeside campfire. It provides warmth and entertainment on a cool October night. Unattended this fire will either go out of control and possible threaten people or habitat or it will die down to chunks of burnt wood.

Hubby and I saw the movie "Fireproof" today. It's movie about marriage and relationships between people. More importantly it's a movie about the relationship between God and people. There are many people that think that their relationships with other people (including spouses) is "fireproof," nothing can endanger it. However, a fireproof marriage (or any other type of relationship) does not mean that it will never have to withstand the onslaught of a fire. Being fireproof means it will be able to withstand damage from a fire. Fires come in all sorts of ways. Fire may be lust, greed, neglect, abuse, drugs, just to name a few.

How fireproof are your relationships? Can your relationships withstand damage from a fire? God gives us the strength to become the type of person that will build a fireproof relationship. He is our hope and our salvation.

Missing the Action

Look there's a bird in the bird bath!


I whip my head around and there it is splashing up a storm. The bright morning sun makes the bird a mere shadow on the landscape. The bird is ferociously splashing that water and the water droplets make a glistening fountain. It's an awesome picture, isn't it? Something you'd see on a calendar.


Go get the camera!


I run to the office to get my camera and thoughts are going a hundred-miles-an-hour through my brain.


By the time I get back to the door, the bird will be gone!


Why don't I just stand at the door and watch it?


Here I am missing another wonderful scene!


I hope I have that picture in my mind because I probably won't get a real photo.


Well, that's all right. I mean all that I thought was right. The bird was gone and I stood at the door for five minutes with my camera posed until my arm and hands went numb. Therefore, no photo for you today. Can you see the picture in my mind? I hope so, it was quite the scene. :)