Be Careful what you Multiply!

Quote of the day:

"Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given her.

So if you give  her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of *stuff". 

I took the liberty of making one minor change to the wording as this is a family friendly blog, but I'm sure you get the gist! Take care & God bless!

Welcome to the Double Digits

Yesterday was a special celebration for Anthony, it marked his tenth birthday. While playing with the grandchildren at the park chosen for the event I noticed a commemorative sign and was touched by the message. So were they.

The parents of a four year old donated all of the park equipment so that children could play and enjoy themselves like their son did when he lived. Their four year old son was taken from them much too early as the result of a car accident. Even in their grief they celebrated life with their donation which was marked with the commemorative sign. I believe that my grandchildren and their friends enjoyed playing in the park all the more knowing of the special significance and extreme generosity of the grieving parents.


The last line of their message pleads with us to enjoy our children, and enjoy we did.

 
It seemed very fitting to celebrate a birthday here and I’m sure Carter would have enjoyed the party very much. Happy Birthday Anthony!

For more mosaics (I call them collages), visit Mosaic Monday.

My Baby Boy is in Puerto Rico!

About three months ago I saw a name flash across my caller i.d. ; one I had not seen for over 20 years. I hesitated to answer the phone because so many hurtful memories came crashing down on me. Some things we just never really get over, and this is one of them. It is something much too personal to disclose online.

Please talk to my brother, she pleaded...

My ex-sister in-law was on the other end and she really only knew half the story, and she had always been kind to the children and I, so I answered the phone with hands trembling. What could this be? She explained that she had tried for years to get in touch with me. They wanted to see their nephew, my baby boy. I explained that while working as a prison guard we were advised to keep our number unlisted and I had just recently stopped doing that because I lacked the extra funds. She begged me to talk to her brother. She wanted us to be on speaking terms. I broke down as I told her briefly what had happened then she no longer pushed the issue but asked how we were doing. She then asked me for my son's phone number.

My baby is a man.

My "baby" boy is 23, so he has a right to make up his own mind. He had wanted to meet the family he had not seen since the age of 2 months, so I gave her his telephone number and she hung up to call him.

He was ecstatic!

He was always curious about the rest of his family and felt shorted when my older children referred to their father and all he had was a photo of his. We did not even get child support, letters, or calls. He had heard that his father remarried and had daughters. What did they look like? What were their interests? Many thoughts ran through his mind and he would ask me sometimes about his aunts, cousins, and his uncle.

He talked to his sisters for hours, his father minutes..

He bonded with his sisters instantly and they established a rapport. He became their friends on My Space and they his. They emailed each other pictures and swapped stories. He talked to his father for a few minutes and after an awkward silence asked for one of his sisters back.

They are meeting now.

He and his long time girl friend flew out early this morning. He sent me a text to let me know he arrived safely and I advised him that we want pictures for our blog. I have been praying for his safe trip to and from and hope everything goes well. He's still my baby.

picture source

Think Before it's Too Late

Feathers on the Wind

I read a story once that compared gossip to feathers. Once feathers are caught up on the wind and tossed to and fro, they cannot be captured nor can we stop them from traveling. Once words have been said they are gone; not that they do not exist, but they are not within our control. We cannot stop them, nor can we remove the imprint they have made upon those who have heard them. Have you ever sent an email only to wish you had worded it differently? Once you have pressed "send" you are forever attached to those words. Choose carefully. Let your words be instruments of peace, love and instruction; not discord, pain, and destruction.

Particularly hurt over a verbal attack awhile back, I penned:

Piercing, stabbing, the blows kept coming
Could he hear her heart loudly drumming?
Faster, more furious, the words were pelting
Her careful poise was surely melting

How could she stop her emotions from showing
When her tears were overflowing?
His face contorted now in rage
She just wanted to turn the page

To see ahead to the stories end
And know if life would be right again.
by Judy Sheldon-Walker

Clever Comebacks or Emotional Growth?

Long ago I used to think I was clever when I could come up with the fast comeback to put someone in their place. In fact I thought I really had it "together" when I told my then boyfriend to "check himself or be by himself". Cute and clever put downs were part of my repertoire. It was after I dusted myself off after a particularly painful break up and reflected upon how I behaved that I realized that hurting someone is not conducive to emotional growth or maintaining a healthy relationship. After all a relationship of one can be lonely, but sometimes a relationship of two can be even lonelier.

The Rule of Three

This was posted in my church bulletin and if the author's name was there, I'd be more than happy to share that too. The words are too wise to keep to myself.

THE RULE OF THREE

Three things to govern:
Temper, Tongue, Conduct
Three things to cultivate:
Courage, Affection, Gentleness
Three things to commend:
Thrift, Industry, Promptness
Three things to despise:
Cruelty, Arrogance, Ingratitude
Three things to wish for:
Dignity, Intellectual Power, Gracefulness
Three things to give:
Alms to the needy, Comfort to the sad,
Appreciation to the worthy.

I would love to know who wrote these wise words so if you know, please advise.

Thanks and God bless!

What ticks you off?

The other day I got out of work and decided to run into a secondhand store real quick before coming home. I knew I shouldn't because I had a ton of things to get done at home. I'm browsing through the electronics and used books when my cell phone rings. It was my husband. "Where are you?" he asks. On the way home, I fib, as I slide an intriguing looking book under my arm, and head to the check out.
No one in line, good. I breathe a sigh of relief, when a woman runs up to the counter to grab items laying there pushing a heavily loaded cart in between me and the check out. "Mom", says a young girl. "Let her go first." The woman completely ignores her daughter, and cannot even decide what she wants and doesn't want. She confuses the cashier so much she had to start over. After what seems like hours she counts out her change to the penny, pays for her items and then shoves another item at the cashier, and yells across the store to her friend to come to the check out now and have her items rung up. It was bad enough when she cut in front of me, but now she was adding insult to injury. My face was burning, my toe tapping, and temper rising, as her friend with arms loaded started piling her items on the counter. I was afraid to say something because it would not have been pretty.

The young chubby faced girl shakes her head apologetically. I stand there arms folded, shaking my head also. This is one of the reasons I could not wait to get out of retail after working it for a number of years. The girl who looked to be about 12 was now blushing. I wondered how many such scenes she had endured. I, myself, had endured too many. Maybe it was my pay back for going to the store to begin with.

How should we handle people who have so little regard for others? I am open to suggestions. Mother brought me up to not be confrontational, but I was beginning to feel that these two did not have mothers and maybe I should give them some motherly advice.