Decisions......

At some point in every adult life we face a decision.....
Will we act in an ethical manner, or no...
Will we be willing to loose a friendship by telling the truth,
or will we slide back into the comfortable but dark disfunction of going along with the trend.....
The trend maybe to fudge the truth, like on one's taxes, or on one's background, or education in order to get what we want at the time.

It is always a slippery slope.

Now, I am realizing that choosing to do the "right thing" also entails pain.
Pain of loosing a friendship,
pain of being alone in the right,
sadness that a relationship was not what one imagined.
Pain of feeling lost in the growth,
for there is always growth.
Some refer to it as "peeling the onion".
I now know that the reason we cry when chopping an onion has something to do with
revealing the truth....

I have lost special people in my life thru my choosing not to participate in the lies.....
Not my lies, theirs....
I choose to live in reality, not denial.
For denial is a dangerous place for me to tread.
I fear going there.

Some days I feel particularly raw.
I feel worn out from the growth.
I no longer allow myself the luxury of denial.

Sometimes, I am just plain sad.
I am beginning to hate growth.

Blue-eyed girls.....

Who could have predicted?

Who would have thought?

Only, in the mind of God...

Years ago, I was privileged to photograph a beautiful

young woman.....

Little did I know, that she would become a dear friend.

Little did I know, that she would become mother to 2 beautiful

blue-eyed girls.

Little did I know, what a talented photographer she would become....

Little did I know, how much fun I would have in the company of

all three of these

blue-eyed girls

God's plans continue to surprise me.

Smiles!

When....

We never know....

When our time will come,

When good is right around the corner,

when we will loose a friend,

when the cake will flop,

when memories will overwhelm us,

when the good in someone will shine through,

when the dog will bark,

when children will make more sense than adults,

when snow will fall,

when your son will delight you with his intelligence,

when your parents will need you to guide them,

when the postman will bring the long awaited letter,

when your best friend will disappoint you,

when your mentor will change, for the worse,

when you will question God,

when he will renew your faith,

when you will be given a second chance,

when everything you have ever wished for will suddenly be true.

Thank God for change....

Trust....

Sometimes.....
it is difficult to see where we are going.
Sometimes, we end up on a path that isn't what we signed up for....
It is frightening to find ourselves in a completely different setting,
with strangers, heading toward a goal that seems unclear and strange.....

My experience has been that the less I expect of the journey,
the happier I am.
When I don't know where I am going,
it is better to just trust that God and the universe do know....
and that I am being guided, led and encouraged by the people I meet along the way.

Much like driving in a blizzard....
10 years ago (or more) my mother and I flew to Boston, rented a car and drove up I-95 to
southern Maine to visit her mother. About 10 miles north of Boston it started to snow.
Before we knew it we were crawling along at 20 mph or less, following an eighteen-wheeler.
All I could see was his tail lights, and I knew that if I stopped, we would not move again for quite awhile. He led us slowly through the snow, and left the interstate at our exit. We arrived, late but safe.

There are no accidents.

Be young, Be foolish, But be happy......

Several times a year, for many years the "Chicks" have been getting together, either at the beach, or in the mountains. We have known each other for decades. Some of us went to Junior High school together. Last year, one of us died of Cancer. It was awful. But, we had warning, and spent the last several years making our weekends special. We even managed to all turn 50. We miss Anne like crazy, and always take a photo, or many, of her with us on our weekends. She was the most beautiful of us all, even when the illness took all it could from her.
We are all turning into grandmothers now, and Anne managed to do that too, in fact she is with her grandson now....
Did I say we miss her?
We are creatures of habit. We all throw our sunglasses down in the pile, so we will be able to find them later....and our keys,......and our purses....etc....
We should get Anne's glasses, keys and a purse to take with us.

What's the rush?.....

Heaven knows...
We are all in a rush at one time or another.
Today I do nothing, that is my rule for today.
I am tired of rushing from one activity to another.
I used to get paid to rush and wait. Now I am on my own time.
And today, just for today.....I choose to rush nowhere.
Rushing is for the young, when your thoughts tell you that your time is unlimited. This is not what my thoughts tell me these days....
They tell me to.....
Enjoy my parents as much as possible, most people my age don't have parents to enjoy..
Let my son run his own life, and maybe he will enjoy time with me....
Tresure the time with friends, as you never know how long the friendship will last....
Value your time with your siblings, tey may drive you crazy (or their spouses may) but someday they may be the only family you have....
Cherish your grandparents, I lost my only surviving grandmother this last november, I miss her like a child...
Cherish the cold weather for hot sunny weather is right around the corner....
Enjoy life as it is today, because "the times they are a changing".
Thank God.

OK, I admit it.....

My family is made up of CLOWNS!!!! The young adults (and I use that term loosely) in our family do not like to have holiday photos taken of them, so.......
We improvise.
They will clown for the camera.
They will not pose.
Basically, I provide the costumes, and they will agree to "be there".
Please notice how well-behaved the parents are....
and my husband.
Little do these kids know that some day they will have children of their own.
Did I mention that one child didn't even show up!
Someday they will be listening to my stories for the one hundredth time,
and wiping the drool off my chin, and other "necessary chores".
Their time will come.