Believe it or not, I have not fallen off the face of the earth! Life has gotten in the way! Not in a bad way mind you. As I have mentioned before, my parents moved up here. Of course I love it. But sometimes life doesn't go exactly as planned. Not long after my mom got here, her previous employer called and pretty much begged her to come back. As the other house down south has not sold, she agreed to work a few days a week -- just long enough to help them get caught up. Well, that was April.
Skip ahead eight months. Here we are in December. I'm sure you're wondering what the big deal is. Well the house down south hasn't sold yet and she is still working. What does that have to do with my current busyness? The horses, cats, dogs, fish, birds, etc. were already here. Rather than move them back to the house down south my mom asked me to split my week between the two houses up here.
Have you ever tried to run two households? No? You have no idea what you are missing. I have never been so busy in my life! And I'm not sure there is an end in sight. I know reports say the housing market has recovered nicely, but I don't think those reports are looking at high dollar properties. Sure there is plenty of interest, the problem is people can't get the financing.
So it would seem, at least for the foreseeable future, I will continue to run two households. Thankfully I am not fully responsible for both! Let's just be honest here. There is no way I could handle being fully responsible for both! If I'm completely honest, I can't even believe I'm allowed to be responsible for myself!
I would like to say that I have more than just the previous excuse , but I don't. The fact is, all these animals, two houses and work have me so busy I don't know if I'm coming or going. In all honesty I have very little free time. In fact, I've not even read my 12-24 books this year. Of the 5-6 books that I have read, I've yet to review them for my reading blog. ( The Well-Read Floridian ) Perhaps I'll do that next.
Despite the upheavel, I really can't complain. As a family we are blessed. We could be like so many others and have no place to live. It's all too easy to get caught in the trap of focusing on what isn't exactly as we might like it to be. Yet there are many with far less. And realistically speaking, nothing lasts forever. About the only thing you can count on is that change will come.
With that in mind, I will close this post. I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a great Christmas season. With the new year I am planning to do a 30 day New Year's challenge. Maybe. Some of the questions on this challenge probe pretty deep and are rather revealing. We'll see what the New Year holds!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Memorial Day 2013
I know I haven't posted anything in quite some time. My time has been consumed elsewhere, but I find I often think, "I should write about that and post it on the blog". Hopefully I will find more time to do so.
Today being Memorial Day, my mind has really been on our service men and women. I know that Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have given their lives for our country, but I find that I also think a lot about our active duty service members as well.
I was thinking today about just how many men have laid down their lives for our country. I started adding with the Revolutionary War and ended with the current numbers for Afghanistan. The number was staggering. It really made me sit back and think. That number represents a significant loss of life. In the case of World War II, a quarter of that generation was lost!
I am also reminded that our Armed Forces are volunteer. Yes, we have had drafts in the past. However, generally speaking, we have a volunteer Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. To think that there are men and women who love our country enough to willingly die makes me appreciate their sacrifice even more. These people chose to put themselves in harm's way. That is something I can't ignore.
When I complain about something happening in the political arena without fear that I'll be thrown into jail; when I worship in my chosen house of worship without fear that I'll be killed for believing as I do; when I move about my hometown freely at any time of the day or night with no fear that I'll be stopped and/or detained....I can't help but think of those who have made all of this possible for me. I live comfortably because they chose to live in discomfort. They chose to leave their families, miss holidays, miss births and graduations, miss funerals and weddings all so we never have to miss these things. They are on foreign soil facing our enemies so we don't have the fight here at home. And many of them have died. Many more will die. Yet, they go.
So, before you take Memorial Day for granted and think it's just an extra paid day off of work, think about what it really means. When you're having your cookout and watching your kids run around the yard playing, laughing and just enjoying life, think about why it is you're enjoying this moment. When you're enjoying the beach, picture for just a moment, just one person who has made the ultimate sacrifice. Many people died so you could live comfortably. They chose to put themselves in harm's way knowing they may die. Remember that.
No, Freedom Isn't Free
CDR Kelly Strong, USCG (ret)
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
Today being Memorial Day, my mind has really been on our service men and women. I know that Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have given their lives for our country, but I find that I also think a lot about our active duty service members as well.
I was thinking today about just how many men have laid down their lives for our country. I started adding with the Revolutionary War and ended with the current numbers for Afghanistan. The number was staggering. It really made me sit back and think. That number represents a significant loss of life. In the case of World War II, a quarter of that generation was lost!
I am also reminded that our Armed Forces are volunteer. Yes, we have had drafts in the past. However, generally speaking, we have a volunteer Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. To think that there are men and women who love our country enough to willingly die makes me appreciate their sacrifice even more. These people chose to put themselves in harm's way. That is something I can't ignore.
When I complain about something happening in the political arena without fear that I'll be thrown into jail; when I worship in my chosen house of worship without fear that I'll be killed for believing as I do; when I move about my hometown freely at any time of the day or night with no fear that I'll be stopped and/or detained....I can't help but think of those who have made all of this possible for me. I live comfortably because they chose to live in discomfort. They chose to leave their families, miss holidays, miss births and graduations, miss funerals and weddings all so we never have to miss these things. They are on foreign soil facing our enemies so we don't have the fight here at home. And many of them have died. Many more will die. Yet, they go.
So, before you take Memorial Day for granted and think it's just an extra paid day off of work, think about what it really means. When you're having your cookout and watching your kids run around the yard playing, laughing and just enjoying life, think about why it is you're enjoying this moment. When you're enjoying the beach, picture for just a moment, just one person who has made the ultimate sacrifice. Many people died so you could live comfortably. They chose to put themselves in harm's way knowing they may die. Remember that.
No, Freedom Isn't Free
CDR Kelly Strong, USCG (ret)
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Year 2013
Truthfully, I’m surprised I’m here to see it. 2012 was rough to say the least and presented a lot of challenges both emotionally, physically and spiritually. I’d like to say that I met those challenges with grace and poise and didn’t lose myself, but let’s be honest. I did not meet the challenges well at all. Particularly, the last 5 to 6 months of 2012 would best be forgotten. But I guess I’ll just take those last few months and try to find the good in them and vow to never let my guard down again.
Looking forward to 2013, I have to admit that I’m optimistic and very thankful to have a whole new year in which to discover more about myself, watch my son grow into a man, spend time with my family and grow spiritually. Exciting things are afoot and no matter the outcome, 2013 will be a good year.
Soon, very soon I hope, my parents will be completely moved to the North Central Florida area. The new house is only about a half hour or so from my house. It will be nice to have a half hour drive as opposed to the two hour drive we’ve had these past ten years. I pray that this move will bring us all closer together and that we will spend more time together. Not only will it be nice to have my parents so close, but it will be great to have PJ, Vader and Rammie close as well. (Provided they survive the move!) None of them are able to be ridden, but with all my health problems, I’m not convinced I want to ride anyway! I just enjoy grooming and treating them like 1200 pound dogs. They don’t really seem to mind it either! Well…ok…maybe PJ minds. He’s such a troll. All he wants is for you to feed him and then leave him alone. I’ve never understood why all of my dad’s horses are like this. Although I have to admit, PJ has nothing on Chief II. That horse was Satan incarnate. You think I’m joking… One day I’ll write about Chief II.
Other than my parents getting moved up here, I think the other big upcoming thing is my son starting his junior year in August. It hardly seems possible really. I distinctly remember bringing him home from the hospital. It seems like only a few months ago, not 16 years ago! I’d like to somehow stop time and keep him from growing up, but that is a selfish wish. I admit I have no earthly idea what I’m going to do when he leaves for college in two years. It’s always been just me and him. I’ve considered fostering teens, but truthfully that feels more like trying to replace my child than it does coping with the changes. I don’t know. But thankfully I’ve got a couple more years before I have to figure it out. Talk about punting! LOL
This year we have decided to put in new flooring. So that’s our huge plan for the house. I will likely paint before the new floor goes in since I am not the world’s tidiest painter. We’ve decided to do wood in the dining room, living room and down the hall. We are leaving the bedrooms carpeted so they won’t be so cold in the winter and we are going to tile the laundry room and kitchen due to the heavy traffic in both areas. We are looking to do this in spring. I’d like to do it while he’s on Spring Break, but I don’t know if I’ll get the time off of work or not.
In the yard and garden I’m planning to try to overcome the neglect of the last few years. With my health problems the yard and garden have been mostly neglected. I tried to do a few things, but physically I was unable to keep up. Now that I’ve overcome a lot of the physical issues I was dealing with, I’m hoping to be able to do more in the yard. I know it will help strengthen me if I can.
Speaking of physical issues, I’ve been given a mostly clean bill of health. The remaining issues are things that I can change and overcome. It’s nice to know I’ve got no permanent aliments at this point in time. To that end, I’ve set a few goals. Now that I can be more active, I want to keep working on my weight. We have a membership at the Y and we have been going, but contracting the flu a couple weeks ago put an end to that. I’m mostly over the flu now so we’ll start going back every other day as we were before I ended up visiting the nice people at the hospital. Leave it to me to get so sick from the flu I had to go to the hospital!
Spiritually I’ve hit a place where I’ve realized I can no longer leave God out of my day to day life and expect to be happy. Intellectually, I knew this to be true all along, but I’m hard headed and had to test the theory. I have to admit that going back to church, spending more time in prayer and spending more time reading my Bible has had a profound effect on how I view the world around me and how I feel. No, the world isn’t perfect and neither am I, but it doesn’t all seem so bleak now. It feels more hopeful. I know not everything will work out and I know there will be hurt and disappointment, but those things don’t seem so huge and problematic now.
This year, I’ve also decided to keep a Thankfulness Jar. A friend of mine shared the idea on Facebook and I’ve since seen it in several other places. The idea struck me as pure genius. It’s very easy to forget the good things that have happened throughout the year. So you write down the things you are thankful for and the blessings you have received and place them in this jar. You start on January 1st and then on December 31st you take everything out of the jar and review it. The nice thing about this, is that if I’m feeling down, I can always take my papers out and read them no matter what the date is. I really think this is an impactful, yet simple, way to bolster your spirit. I also like that instead of taking things for granted, I’ll be looking for things to put in my Thankfulness Jar.
I’ve made a few goals for the upcoming year as well. One of them my son and I arrived at together. Those of you who know us personally know that we eat out 2 or 3 meals a day 5 to 6 days a week. My son and I have decided that’s a huge waste of money, not to mention it really isn’t healthy. So our goal this year is to not eat out at all. Hey, we’re doing good so far. But…yeah…It’s only 9pm on January 1st. We have 364 more days to get through and I don’t kid myself that this is going to be a hard habit to break!
Since I’ll be cooking 1095 meals in my own kitchen this year, I’ve decided to try new recipes at least once a week. I’ve also decided to go back to organic food exclusively and cut way back on the amount of meat we eat. I see little point in going to the gym and not eating out because it is unhealthy if I’m just going to cook garbage anyway.
So, I embark on the journey of this new year with a few goals in mind and a much better attitude than I’ve had in a long while. I look forward to the journey and I look forward to those I will meet along the way. 2013 will be fun and I will enjoy every moment that I can.
Looking forward to 2013, I have to admit that I’m optimistic and very thankful to have a whole new year in which to discover more about myself, watch my son grow into a man, spend time with my family and grow spiritually. Exciting things are afoot and no matter the outcome, 2013 will be a good year.
Soon, very soon I hope, my parents will be completely moved to the North Central Florida area. The new house is only about a half hour or so from my house. It will be nice to have a half hour drive as opposed to the two hour drive we’ve had these past ten years. I pray that this move will bring us all closer together and that we will spend more time together. Not only will it be nice to have my parents so close, but it will be great to have PJ, Vader and Rammie close as well. (Provided they survive the move!) None of them are able to be ridden, but with all my health problems, I’m not convinced I want to ride anyway! I just enjoy grooming and treating them like 1200 pound dogs. They don’t really seem to mind it either! Well…ok…maybe PJ minds. He’s such a troll. All he wants is for you to feed him and then leave him alone. I’ve never understood why all of my dad’s horses are like this. Although I have to admit, PJ has nothing on Chief II. That horse was Satan incarnate. You think I’m joking… One day I’ll write about Chief II.
Other than my parents getting moved up here, I think the other big upcoming thing is my son starting his junior year in August. It hardly seems possible really. I distinctly remember bringing him home from the hospital. It seems like only a few months ago, not 16 years ago! I’d like to somehow stop time and keep him from growing up, but that is a selfish wish. I admit I have no earthly idea what I’m going to do when he leaves for college in two years. It’s always been just me and him. I’ve considered fostering teens, but truthfully that feels more like trying to replace my child than it does coping with the changes. I don’t know. But thankfully I’ve got a couple more years before I have to figure it out. Talk about punting! LOL
This year we have decided to put in new flooring. So that’s our huge plan for the house. I will likely paint before the new floor goes in since I am not the world’s tidiest painter. We’ve decided to do wood in the dining room, living room and down the hall. We are leaving the bedrooms carpeted so they won’t be so cold in the winter and we are going to tile the laundry room and kitchen due to the heavy traffic in both areas. We are looking to do this in spring. I’d like to do it while he’s on Spring Break, but I don’t know if I’ll get the time off of work or not.
In the yard and garden I’m planning to try to overcome the neglect of the last few years. With my health problems the yard and garden have been mostly neglected. I tried to do a few things, but physically I was unable to keep up. Now that I’ve overcome a lot of the physical issues I was dealing with, I’m hoping to be able to do more in the yard. I know it will help strengthen me if I can.
Speaking of physical issues, I’ve been given a mostly clean bill of health. The remaining issues are things that I can change and overcome. It’s nice to know I’ve got no permanent aliments at this point in time. To that end, I’ve set a few goals. Now that I can be more active, I want to keep working on my weight. We have a membership at the Y and we have been going, but contracting the flu a couple weeks ago put an end to that. I’m mostly over the flu now so we’ll start going back every other day as we were before I ended up visiting the nice people at the hospital. Leave it to me to get so sick from the flu I had to go to the hospital!
Spiritually I’ve hit a place where I’ve realized I can no longer leave God out of my day to day life and expect to be happy. Intellectually, I knew this to be true all along, but I’m hard headed and had to test the theory. I have to admit that going back to church, spending more time in prayer and spending more time reading my Bible has had a profound effect on how I view the world around me and how I feel. No, the world isn’t perfect and neither am I, but it doesn’t all seem so bleak now. It feels more hopeful. I know not everything will work out and I know there will be hurt and disappointment, but those things don’t seem so huge and problematic now.
This year, I’ve also decided to keep a Thankfulness Jar. A friend of mine shared the idea on Facebook and I’ve since seen it in several other places. The idea struck me as pure genius. It’s very easy to forget the good things that have happened throughout the year. So you write down the things you are thankful for and the blessings you have received and place them in this jar. You start on January 1st and then on December 31st you take everything out of the jar and review it. The nice thing about this, is that if I’m feeling down, I can always take my papers out and read them no matter what the date is. I really think this is an impactful, yet simple, way to bolster your spirit. I also like that instead of taking things for granted, I’ll be looking for things to put in my Thankfulness Jar.
I’ve made a few goals for the upcoming year as well. One of them my son and I arrived at together. Those of you who know us personally know that we eat out 2 or 3 meals a day 5 to 6 days a week. My son and I have decided that’s a huge waste of money, not to mention it really isn’t healthy. So our goal this year is to not eat out at all. Hey, we’re doing good so far. But…yeah…It’s only 9pm on January 1st. We have 364 more days to get through and I don’t kid myself that this is going to be a hard habit to break!
Since I’ll be cooking 1095 meals in my own kitchen this year, I’ve decided to try new recipes at least once a week. I’ve also decided to go back to organic food exclusively and cut way back on the amount of meat we eat. I see little point in going to the gym and not eating out because it is unhealthy if I’m just going to cook garbage anyway.
So, I embark on the journey of this new year with a few goals in mind and a much better attitude than I’ve had in a long while. I look forward to the journey and I look forward to those I will meet along the way. 2013 will be fun and I will enjoy every moment that I can.
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