My Thoughts

My Grown Up Christmas List Have you heard the song? As the song plays in my mind, I think of all the things I would tell the person I love completely.  I want to believe in something bigger than myself...............the true magic of the holiday season. Faith can sometimes be the hardest thing.....believing in something unseen.  As the cool, crisp air envelopes our area and the light drizzles make all lights truly glisten, I want to lay under my tree and just imagine a magical world the way I once did. This year I had an opportunity to see my future in some weird haze..........my daughters grown up and on their own, and me, alone.  My loneliness consumes me during what used to be my favorite holiday.  So, my grown up Christmas list is this:  for the world to accept each other where and when we are; for hunger, famine, fear, sadness, illness........to be removed from the human condition; I wish that the economy improves and no one suffers due to pollutants...

~ Easter 2011 ~ It's been 3 weeks to the day since my last blog...........I barely believe it myself. Somehow, I have managed to allow 21 whole days to go by without even one word. It has been a very eventful and stressful time for me. I wonder if life will always be like this.................moments of intense drama followed by relative calm only to be recycled again and again. For the last few years, I have attempted to track the onset of spring/summer depression that tends to derail my year's resolutions............diet, excercise, proactive attitudes. Maybe allergies........ 'cause mine are horrible recently. I am only 5 classes shy of completing my grad degree...........I am so excited to be close to the end. It has been a very long and difficult 18 mos so far with 9 mos left. I know I can do it, but the toll on my complacency level is what wears the most. Derrick is recovering well...............his injury in Afghanistan that finally brought him stateside contributes...

What is the one thing that makes you happy?? My newest indulgance, a simple pleasure really, is the magazine " Real Simple". The newsstand price is $4.99, but I often can pick up a month old version at Half Priced Books for $1.98 or less. The January 2011 issue has an article about what makes one happy. Charles Shulze said 50 years ago that simple things such as french fries and a warm puppy make him happy. Readers sent in a variety of responses. In reflection, I thought about my own list of what makes me happy, and I realized it has been quite a while since I journaled my list. 1. Days like today.........early spring when the weather is still cool enough to have the windows open and the song birds are out. 2. The sounds of life in my house..........the washer/dryer and hum of the refrigerator. 3. Sharing in my daughters' lives. 4. Cooking. 5. Long shadows in early dusk. 6. A really good book. The last one I read was Paulo Coelho's "11 minutes: A Novel". 7....