American Soldiers

Today, I received a phone call from my stepson Michael. He's been stationed up in New York for the past two years, and got deployment orders .... He ships out for Afghanistan in two days. I have to tell you, I'm so very proud of this son!! I can remember sitting doing homework after school with him. Sometimes it was more difficult than he cared to do. And sometimes it was just too much writing! Nine times out of ten, he persevered, and now he's been studying with the Army and he is a medic. If things go according to plan, he will be there for about a year. However, he'll be home for two weeks in July to hopefully coincide with the birth of his first baby.
(PS: it's a girl !!)

Come home safe and sound to us, Michael!!
I love you!
Mom

Saturday morning eeries...

It was 6:45am, I was wide awake but still in bed, watching the end of my favorite PBS show, History Detectives, when I heard the audible *snap* of the TV going off. Huh? Damn! looks like the power went out. I looked at my bedside clock to verify it.... and its flickering in the strangest way, as if it's still attempting to suck the last bit of power from the wires. With a huge sigh, I got up and dressed so I could do what I normally do when the power goes out: wander outside and see if any of the neighbors come out because their power was out as well. I tested my light switches, just to see if maybe it was the power strip for the TV only. Nope, they're not working.

I stepped from my bedroom and looked down the hallway to the kitchen, and WTF? My stove, my microwave and my refrigerator all still have power. I stood there in amazement, blinking, then reached back into my bedroom for the wall switches to the overhead lights. Nope, they're not working. Huh? So I donned my slippers and went outside to look at the circuit breakers. None of the neighbors seemed to be up and about, wandering and wondering about their power... I checked the circuit panel, and no, nothing is flipped the wrong way. This is the weirdest thing!

I wandered back inside, standing in the middle of the living room, turning circles as my mind puzzled over this. I looked out the back doors to see if there was anything else noticeable. And nothing. By the time I walked into my bedroom, the power was back on in there.

Why my bedroom? What the heck happened? I didn't turn the TV back on; I just climbed back into bed, curled up around a pillow and read for a little bit, trying to take my mind off this. But I couldn't help thinking in the back of my mind whether this was some kind of trickster doing? *shivers*

IRC goodbyes

It's always sad when we lose one of our friends, especially when they pass away unexpectedly. And it nearly always brings to mind our own frailties, pointing out that life is too short. But life has changed in the past 100 years, the past 20 years, or even the past 10. We are not only connected by the towns we live in, the places we go, our families, we are also connected in a virtual world as well. And while information is shared in a nanosecond, how many of us really know where to go to get information if or when something happens? Most of the time, we rely on instant messages or email to pass the word along. Right?

But how many of us have friends or family members who know us well enough to make sure the information gets out to all the right places?? Do you have an on-line life that your close ones don't know about? My apologies to my daughter in advance for using her as an example. I'm sure the last thing on anyone's mind is updating her on-line friends if something happened. But would that be her wish? Would she want certain people who are a part of her life that we don't know about to know? How would we get that message out? Or am I just being silly about on-line ""friends"" who are just someone to talk to when you have the time and they're not really friends in the true sense of the word. Am I the only one who considers on-line chatters "friends"?

If something happened to any of my online friends, would I find out? or would I be left to think they disappeared into cyberspace on me, never to be heard from again? I've had this conversation with several good friends, and I'm amazed that there isn't some way to take care of that. Let's face it and be honest, many of us have passwords on our computers, and it's not something we share with people. So many of our personal transactions take place online ... this is just one more thing to think about.

The other thing someone's passing brings to mind is this:
have you told the people in your life
--that you care about them?
--Do they know how you feel?
--that they're an important part of your life?
--that you'd miss them if they were gone?
Tell someone today. In fact, tell them every day.
We never grow tired of hearing it :)

I love you HUGS to everyone!

PS: maggiemay, you will be missed. Godspeed, RIP

I... love a parade!

When I was growing up, I didn't go see too many parades. And I keep wondering why. When I was married, in another lifetime, I traveled to Gunnison Colorado and saw the Fourth of July parade there, three different years. And I fell in love with small town USA. With a population around 5500.... well, you get the picture! Everyone knows everyone. And if you're new in town, everyone talks to you :) That was also the place where I went to my first Walmart. but I digress.

When I moved to Hamilton, Ohio, I saw plenty of parades. Another small town and the county seat, so there were plenty of reasons to have a parade. Or plenty of parades to have because people get bored? lol However, one of the neatest things there was being IN the parades! Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts troops were in most of the parades. I never dreamed I would be in a parade, but I was. Depending on the reason for the parade, we'd march from the Jr High to downtown. Or, from downtown to the cemetery. (After my first parade, I had the "princess wave" down pat! lol) Then there was the homecoming parades when my kids were in high school. Watching my boys carry color guard with NJROTC can make a mom get teary-eyed!

Today, I saw my first parade in Arizona: Chandler's 22nd annual Ostrich Festival Parade. (the link to my parade pix is here). After the color guard passed, there was the usual parade of mayor and politicos, and all the local queens (Miss Gilbert, Miss East Valley... you get the idea). So many townspeople lined up along Arizona Avenue, one of the major thoroughfares in Chandler! I ended up forgetting to toss extra batteries in my pocket for the camera (wouldn't you know it, I was 3/4 of the way through the parade when I realized my batteries were running low!) but I managed to eke out enough to get pictures of the fav entries.

Is there a point to this blog? Nope, not this time.
Other than watching a parade can be a fun thing
on a gorgeous Saturday morning.
And watching the people is not a bad thing either :)

Parade-watching HUGS to everyone!

Time slips away

"Time keeps flowing like a river, to the sea, til its gone forever" sings Alan Parsons Project. And that's the truth. Time is the one constant we all have in this life. Everyone is allotted the same 24 hours in a day. How we choose to spend that time is what makes the biggest impact on our lives. Do you manage your time wisely? and Why is it so important to do that?

I am reading Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. (You can also see his lecture on Youtube or your local PBS station from time to time.) Frankly, I'm impressed with the book and all he has to say, keeping up his spirits and his courage in the face of the darkest of dark: the Big C. Not only did he stay upbeat for his family, but with enough left over to share his wisdom with the rest of us.

One of the things that strikes me is his chapter on time management. Here are the key points we should all keep in mind:

• You can always change your plan, but only if you have one! Whether its a standard "to do" list or calendar entries on your Blackberry -- Have a plan!
• Ask yourself, are you spending your time on the right things? When it comes to causes, goals and interests, make sure they're worth pursuing.
• Develop a good filing system. Things are easier to find, and less time is spent looking for things if there's a system, or as they used to say in the olden days: A place for everything, and everything in its place.
  
• Rethink the telephone. Spending a lot of time on hold listening to the dreaded, yet familiar, "Your call is important to us" recording (uh huh, yeah, right!!) isn't very productive. Use a speaker phone or headset so your hands are free to do other things.
• Delegate. Trust those around you to do what needs to be done. Even the little ones can help out with the minor things!
• Take a time out. It's not a real vacation or time away if you're reading email or calling in for messages. Time away can give you a new outlook; so enjoy it!
• Don't waste time whining. Take that energy and use it constructively toward a solution! The time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier.
  

Like Willie Nelson sings: "Ain't it funny ... how ... time ... slips ... away....."

What choices will you make with your allotted time today??

Timeless HUGS to everyone!