Prayers......

These are the clay hands praying that my son made when he was about 4 years old. He is now 19. They were made at the "mother's morning out" program at the church. They helped him trace his hands in clay and then cut them out, and prop them up in this praying position.
This is one of my most prized possesions.
It reminds me how little I really know.
I pray for one thing, and am given another.
"Now, what's that all about" says I.
And then,
later,
sometimes a very long time later,
I find out why I didn't get what I wanted.
I don't know what is best for me.
God does though.
And when I will pray for his will,
things get better quickly.
I wish that I thought of this sooner....
Maybe I am just a slow learner.
Thank goodness those teachers in
MMO knew I would need these....

Rome.......

This is the view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica. It is a very long climb up. The last part of the climb, you are "tilted" to your right, by the dome's shape. It is uncomfortable. But when you step out onto the observation landing, all the pain vanishes. The view is SPECTACULAR!
The point is, this is just like life. We go thru times that are just plain uncomfortable, they don't fit us, and they bind. And then when we are really sick of the discomfort, we turn around and see a new point of view. Then suddenly we actually see that the journey thru the pain brought us to this spectacular place.
I think it is called "grace".
We become relieved of the heavy burden and we rejoice.
And perhaps the best part is that we can look at our life in retrospect, and see how the events of our life have conspired to lead us right here to this place of serenity, beauty and insight.
I am so blessed.

Dinner with family....

This weekend we are celebrating my mother's 75th birthday. She is so cute, and it is very hard for me to believe that she is anywhere near her seventies. Of course this photo is a little dated. My son, father and David will all be here for dinner. What a wonderful tradition, to celebrate the day that a loved one was born. I know that everyone feels that their mother is the BEST, but my mother really is.....She stayed at home, cooked, cleaned, made us snacks after school, made Kool-Aid on hot summer days, allowed us to use her quilts and bedspreads to make "forts" in the backyard, led Girl Scout troops, camped, sewed, cut the grass, taught us how to ride a bike, made sure that I woke up to see the moon landing on TV, got me up in the middle of the night to see a meteor shower, tolerated my fashion sense, and allowed me to drive her car. She is my idol. She is the mother that I wish I could have been. She is now my best friend. We don't talk everyday, we are both pretty busy. But we know how to get in touch if we need to....
My mom's family call her "Bink". She never looked like a "Bink" to me. But they all love her and I assume this is a term of endearment. My dad is one lucky guy, and fortunately he knows it.

I feel no need...

I feel no need to look 20 anymore.
I feel no need to plump my lips,
slim my hips,
whiten my teeth,
keep my age a secret,(50)
drive a soccer mom van,
get a tan,
dress for success,
the throngs to impress....
I feel no need to nip or tuck,
to inject or suction,
to change my chin(s),
or hide my flapping wings under long sleeves.
I am fifty years old,
I have earned every damn wrinkle,
fold, curve, vein, blotch,
and freckle.
I look like a fifty year old,
and not a tight lipped squinty eyed,
nipped and tucked prune.
I am so grateful for the women in my life,
who I admire and love, my mom, my grandmother, my aunts,
my friends, and mentors...all women who have enjoyed their
fifties, and even better,
have thrived in them.
I am the benefactor of so many confident, intelligent women
who do not place there personal value in what others think of them.
How lucky am I?

4 days to do nothing...

I had a great, no make that fabulous weekend. We drove up to The Homestead in Hot Springs Va. While David had much to do about nothing (in other words, work) I had nothing to do. Yeah! So I packed water colours, magazines and my journal. I sat on my rearend for almost 4 days straight. It was FAB. I sat on this porch and watched the world go by. I saw children, parents, brides, grooms, bellmen, waitresses, all sorts of people with all sorts of jobs. And there I sat.....did I say it was Fab? I haven't spent so much time doing nothing for years. I like it. No, I love it.
Think I'll do it some more.