OAK VS WILLOW

I have been a "mighty oak" most of my life. I have made a plan and been rigid in executing that plan. I have fought long and hard over something I believed. I have preached, pushed, debated, and convinced others that my way was the only way. I have made a point of always being "right".
Boy, am I tired!
It has finally come to me that I have spent all this time and all this energy, but so much of life happens as it is going to happen anyways. Someone said to me once that they only worry about the things that they can control and the older they get, they realize that they control very little. At twenty years old, those were only words. At fifty five years old, they become gospel.
So, I am less and less a "mighty oak". I am trying to be more of a "willow". The willow has its strength, even as it bends in the wind. I choose my battles more carefully. I care less about being right than being happy. Right was often a scratchy suit of wool. Happy is a soft, fuzzy blanket. Both keep you warm, but one feels much better on the skin.

What Would You REALLY Like to Do?

I have often fantasized about what I would like to do if I didn't need to have a job and make money. My dream has always been to start a foundation. It would be called the "Everybody's Got a Story" Foundation. There are plenty of big foundations that give away millions. I am thinking on a much smaller scale. This foundation would let every day people tell their story and their immediate need. It could be as small as a new pair of shoes for one of their kids, rent money for a month because they have been sick, the makings of a birthday party for their child complete with hats, horns & the ingredients to bake a cake. Nothing earth shaking except to the person who has the need. We can do small things with great love (Mother Teresa) and by making that small difference to someone, we remind them & ourselves that people DO care about other people. Some of these people may pay back the foundation when they could afford to do so, thereby helping to continue the good deeds for others. Giving feels better than getting. A girl can fantasize, can't she??

Blog Newbie

Ok, so I feel like the blogging world is passing me by, so I decided to start one myself. My daughter not only blogs, but has a beautiful website that she uses to record life's big and small events. I felt left out so here I go...
I read a book a while ago that said a grandmother's job was to: gaze, praise and be amazed when it comes to her grandchildren. Well, my three grandchildren allow me plenty of reasons to do just that on a regular basis. They can make me laugh at the drop of a hat. They can melt my heart with a little hand wrapped around my neck. They can make me hunt for ear plugs with their boisterous yelling. And I wouldn't change a minute of it. I have loved people in my life before...but NEVER like this!