Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Precious Little Girl

Grace is growing up too fast, much too fast. She is 8 years old and is no longer small enough to sit on my lap. When she tries to sit on my lap, her feet nearly touch the floor. She is growing physically.

Grace is also growing in other ways, and as a mom of three boys first, I find it interesting and exciting to watch Grace grow up and find her place in the family. She definately brings her own special character to our family. She is full of rainbows and unicorns, sugar and spice, and life and love.

She anticipates "girl time" whether with me or my mother. She is either always wanting to do a craft, clean something, cook something, or decorate something. I enjoy that she wants to hang out with me.

I hope to treasure all of these things in my heart so that when she is off setting up a household of her own, I will remember these special days, these precious times with Grace. I love you, sweetheart!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Lessons from a Brownie Scout

I was only in Brownie Scouts for a couple of years, but I learned some good life lessons:

1. Give the best of yourself, and try not to be too disappointed when someone else isn't their best self. They, like you, are a work in progress, and though you think you have it all together, you really aren't in any better shape than the one not giving her best. Remember to be humble. (Lesson from the Christmas Party.)

2. Goal setting is important. You may be prevented from realizing those goals, but by setting those goals and working towards those goals, you have made yourself a better person. So you did the preparation for the race, but you were not allowed to run in the race? So what! You are in better physical shape than you would have been otherwise. Look for the best when you feel you have been dealt the worst. (Lesson from not moving on to girl scouts.)

3. When you make a mistake, own up. When someone has wronged you, speak up. When you hear gossip, shut up. Being honest and true in your communications may not be easy or feel very good sometimes, but those who are watching will remember that you owned up, spoke up, or shut up at the appropriate times. You do not need to parade your character nor worry about what someone else says about your character. You are the best source of your character. If others choose to listen to gossip, they will soon be convinced of your true colors as they observe you. (Lesson from our brownie overnight.)

4. Laugh, have fun, try something new, step outside your box, live a little, enjoy, and keep smiling. Life is short and is not to be governed by "shoulds" and "should nots". Life is too short to dwell on other's judgements of your being high on life. (Lesson from the Halloween Party)

I was only in Brownies a couple of years, but I remember those life lessons well. Funny I was thinking about those years today. Funny that I remember those years so clearly. Funny how those little experiences revealed big lessons.

Hugs and many thanks to my Brownie leaders!!!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Changes

"There have been so many changes in my life. It is a wonder I've not lost my mind."

No truer statement can be made of the last 6 months in my little world. My world went from something familiar, through a huge transition, and now is resting in an unfamiliar, but lovely, place. I can not think of an aspect of my life that hasn't undergone significant change in the last 6 months. Along the way, I have had many life lessons. Some of the lessons have been nice and sweet, but others have sucked the breath right out of my lungs. Through it all, there have been a handful of faithful ones standing near who have weathered the storm with me. Here is a taste of who they are and what they did:

1. No matter what is going on in my world, my children love me. They saw the difficult things going on, the heard and witnessed the wickedness we all saw, and they respected and loved me through it all. We all learned to hold our tongue and let our actions, not our words, bare witness to who we are. Actions speak louder than words, we told the children.

2. My husband watched some really not so nice things go on in my world and hung in there for the wild ride. He encouraged, supported, and helped in many practical ways the last 6 months. There are too many to count. He was an angel, and he loves me.

3. My mother, father, and Aunt Barbara are great support. They silently watched what was going on, and helped in practical ways...dinners, watching children. When I finally gave them a few details, they were extremely supportive and loving. I could not have healed from the scars others inflicted without their help.

4. My dear friends Robert and Debi have been god-sends. My family has embraced both of these friends, who both are currently in major crisis in their own lives, but both have loved and supported me the last 6 months, watching in pain as I was dealing with some not so nice things, and then listening for a while, and finally, rejoicing with me when the storms had passed. I hope I will always be as true to them as they were to me.

I think the worst of the storm is over. There is some clean up, some debris to put out at the curb, some flowers to replant, and some damage to repair. My life will never be the same again, and that's ok. It may even be more than OK. I know it will be wonderful!