The Crew

Oh, my how their personalities emerge!!
Maddy = the always ready to pose actress
Jack = really too cool for this
Abbey = I'm here. I'm standing still. That's all you get!!
I love them all so very much!!!

Happy Ending

This blog is a P.S. to my blog dated November 10th. If you read it, you know that I had a terrible day because I lost both the charms from my Nike Women's Half Marathons. To say the least, I was inconsolable. Whenever I told someone new the story, I started crying again, even days after it happened.
One charm was actually found at Starbucks, a miracle to say the least, but this year's never turned up. I am happy to report that my wonderful son, who has a heart as big as his body even if he works at hiding it, went on Ebay, found the necklace, entered the auction, won the auction and presented me with an early Christmas present yesterday. Now, this charm represents a whole lot more than just a half marathon. It represents love and caring and wanting to make someone happy. It means so much. Thank you, Tyler!
Oh, and, I put both charms on a much better chain! Lesson learned!

Chapters

People often refer to their life in "chapters". "Well, I guess this is the next chapter of my life." etc. Being an avid book reader, I can totally relate to this sign. So often, we stew about the past or worry about the future, that we fail to ever "be here now". It's not an easy concept to master. Try as we might to avoid thinking about it,we are often plagued by thoughts of regret for things we did (or didn't do) from our past. Logically, it is a waste of time. The past IS past! Today, here and now, is where our head and hearts need to be. Today, we still have the potential to be the kind of person we want to be. Today, we can figure out how to tackle life's challenges. Today, we can stop and be thankful for the gift that this day is. Today, we can try, once again, to be who and what we know is deep inside of us.
Another chance...don't waste it.

Wishes

A few years ago, I tied a wishbone to every gift with a note that said, "We WISH you a Merry Christmas!". My poor family had to eat whole chickens a LOT that year to collect enough wishbones! It was kind of fun, though. It seemed that most every week there was one drying on my window sill in the kitchen. I still have a hard time just throwing them away with the rest of the carcass.
It got me thinking about wishes and how they change when you get older. Try as we might to be otherwise, adulthood and life have a way of beating the wishes right out of you. Day to day tasks and demands can push your wishes even further from your mind. Who has time to wish for something when there is so much to do?! Wishes become silly in a life that seems, so often, serious. Disappointment squelches our wishes even more. No wonder wishes take a backseat to reality.
Well, I, for one, am going to start making wishes on a regular basis. I promise myself to make at least one wish a day ~ big or small, silly or sincere. The power is in believing that wishes do come true and as long as we keep believing, anything is possible.
Just wishin'....and I hope you do too!

Five Years Ago

Cleaning out my desk, I discovered this little gem of an email from my daughter dated five years ago today. My husband, aka "Pa", watched the kids one day a week so Amber could work. Anyone who knows him will tell you, Pa is an awesome grandpa. However, he does not run a tight ship. He prefers to just hang out with the kids, do what they want, when they want and how they want. This, surely, is one of the reasons they adore him.
For reasons unknown at the time, I printed and saved this funny email. It seems fitting to share it now. Five years later, Maddy is potty trained and Jack no longer wishes to be held 24/7. Our family even has an additional member we didn't know would make it all so complete. The lesson is, what sometimes seems to be a huge issue or problem, generally works itself out over time, whether we worry about it or not!

Heartache

I have run the last two years in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco. This year's race was especially hard for me. The hills were not kind to this old body. At the end of the race, each finisher is presented with a beautiful, blue Tiffany box. Inside is a necklace that is made especially for the race. They are medals of honor among runners. Most women put all of the charms from each race on one chain and wear them together. When I got home last month, I proudly did the same thing. I have worn it nonstop since I received it. Sadly, I looked down today and saw the chain only on my shirt ~ the two charms were gone. I burst into tears and was inconsolable. These were earned necklaces, not bought. I had done a million errands today, as always. Retracing my steps seemed fruitless. I called Target and asked if anyone had turned in silver charms. I was crying so hard on the phone, the poor man who answered was upset he couldn't help me. He said to call back tomorrow as they find a lot of things when the store closes. I went to Michaels and asked the same thing. Again, crying in front of the sales clerk, I explained it had no value to anyone but me. She, too, was sorry she couldn't help. I went into Starbucks and, again, asked about the charms. My crying was so intense, not only were the clerks trying to look but a couple of customers did also. Lo and behold, there was the charm from last year on the ground under the counter. We searched and searched for the other one, but it was not there. I know I should be happy to have found one of the two, but I am still so sad. I cried myself all over Tustin today. My heart is still broken for what is lost.
Oh, I can BUY one on Ebay for $150 to $200!!! How can I justify spending that kind of money on something that only matters to me? So, so sad...

Good Enough

Been busy and not blogging these last few days. My daughter and son-in-law took off for a much needed getaway and I have been watching the three beauties. I wish I had some really funny story about how crazy it has been, but the truth is, they are getting older and I run a tight ship. It was a pretty drama free four days. Now, there are three of them, so it was hectic, but no really ugly moments.
I ran across this sign this morning and it made me think about mothering my own children and all the times I felt I had failed miserably. We mothers are the best at beating ourselves up over what we said, what we failed to say, what we did or what we failed to do. We see our shortcomings as a technicolor movie and our successes as black and white snapshots. It is a stilted view to say the least. I guess that is why this little saying made an impression on me. Yes, we fail as mothers. Yes, we fall short many times over the decades it takes to grow our children into adults. Yes, we would often like a "do over". Truth be told, most of us have done a pretty decent job. While never quite achieving perfection, we have often hit a home run at "good".
And good, is good enough. We must never forget that fact!!
And it counts for grammies as well!