Random Thoughts

I cannot believe that February is half over and I have not written one post. What happened to all that talk  about being more  disciplined? About walking opening up reservoirs of ideas  for me to write about? About crossing thresholds into new and uncharted territories?  I honestly can't say what happened.  I guess new ideas have to ferment for awhile before they are ready to spill out onto the page.  Today is Valentines Day and still words fail me. Not that I don't know about love. But what can I say that hasn't already been said by poets, writers, artists, singers, lovers, priests, candy stores, kindergarten students, Disney characters, moms of newborn babies, families in Hospice rooms, movie stars, con men and greeting card companies?   Writing blog posts is hard, but writing love letters is even harder. Have you ever tried to write a love letter and couldn't find the right words to say what you were feeling? I came across this advice column tha...

60 flannel sanitary napkins (see post below, 8/27) ... A finished quilt ... homemade chocolate chip cookies ... and one happy couple ... have in common? Well, you see my daughter and her Sweetie tied the knot yesterday. They were in Seattle. I was in Florida, instead of standing next to her.  I'm not sure, but I think NOT attending your daughter's wedding, even if it's a small private affair at the downtown courthouse, breaks some law of nature. It's just not right. Alas, try as I might, I couldn't make it happen.  So, I sewed. All day long. I sewed.  Then about the time Wendy and Kurt were saying "I do" I whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and ate so many that my stomach still hurt when I woke up this morning.  I have to say with all honesty, seeing that smile on Wendy's face and knowing she's found love again makes me just about as happy as a mother can be.  Wishing for you the same I wish...

There are all kinds of special times in the lives of moms and daughters. Weneki and I have celebrated birthdays, graduations, new babies (in the family), and weddings. We've also shared some sad times that made our hearts feel like Swiss cheese. Tonight, I'm thrilled to announce that my brown-eyed baby girl got engaged last week while in Texas visiting her dad. Weneki isn't a traditional girl by any means. Her wedding will be low key without a lot of the fuss her mother might like. If there is one thing I cannot picture, even with my vivid imagination, it is my converse tennis show-wearing daughter getting all dolled up in satin and lace. I asked if she'd consider joining me in Atlanta for a "Say Yes to the Dress" mother/daughter moment but she declined. No real surprise there!  I guess when her baby girl has entered  middle age, a mom just has to sit back and let things go her way.  Not to mention that I'm 3000 freakin' miles away from the planning ...

It's the day before Valentine's Day - that Hallmark card holiday that started before the Christmas 50% off sale was over. Poets, lovers, and secret pals the world over are putting the final touches on their tributes to the one they love. Moms and dads have combed heart-filled aisles for just the box of school-aged Valentines - nothing provocative, nothing sugary sweet, nothing that will make 4th grade boys throw up or 3rd grade girls start making wedding plans. Let's hear it for Scoobie Doo, Disney Cars, Mickey Mouse and Little Kitty cards. Unless, all those people are procrastinators like me. In that case, they are starting to sweat bullets and make excuses for the delay in their heart-felt wishes. It's not that I don't feel the love. And it's not that I don't want to share my love with others. I think it's more about not feeling comfortable with making a big deal of love one time a year. I don't believe candy, roses, balloons, stuffed monkeys wi...

"The limitless loving devotion to God, and the gift God makes of Himself to you, are the highest elevation of which the heart is capable; it is the highest degree of prayer. The souls that have reached this point are truly the heart of the Church." Edith Stein The Rev. Judi Howell and The Rev. Dr. Gloria Kennedy I'd be the first to admit I'm not a student of the Bible. I know a few verses but rely on Bible.com to help me find a passage I'm looking for. I do know, however, that the Bible is full of stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Moses was a stutterer, yet he was chosen by God to speak for his people in front of the Pharaoh. David was a little kid who downed Goliath with one good shot. Mary and Joseph were going about their daily business when an angel spoke to them and changed their lives forever. John the Baptist, by all accounts was a bit of a fruitcake, yet when he spoke people listened. Jesus picked fishermen to share his ministry - no...

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally A couple of weeks ago I attended a bridal shower for a young girl who had grown up in the years since she lived across the street. The room was full of 20-something bridesmaids in different stages of just dating, early love, engaged. and married. There were also mothers with new babies and grandmothers. There was an air of excitement in the room. A table was laden with gifts to start a home. Recipes were exchanged and wishes made for a long and happy life. I stood at the edge of the circle watching the bride-to-be, listening to the hopes and dreams of young women. I left trying to recall that feeling. The idea of two kids oohing over a vacuum cleaner and declaring undying love just seemed too idealistic. Are they still going to smile at each other when the vacuum cleaner needs pushing around the living room,...

" Moonlight and roses are bound to fade for every lover and every maid the bond that holds in any weather is learning how to laugh together." Unknown A year ago today, Sweetie and I stood together at the altar of a small Southern church and promised our lives and love to each other. It was a long year with many ups and many downs. Still it was one of our best. I've cried a lot lately. Sweetie is always there offering me his shoulder and a dry tissue. Tonight we treated ourselves to a movie and allowed ourselves to laugh. Laughing, I think, is a great way to start our 2nd year of marriage. Here's to you, my love. Here's to us. Wishing for you a happy heart, Merry ME

"Love comes naturally, in unexpected ways, without any permission." Unknown Have I told you lately how much I love you? Probably not because I've been driving all over town, and thinking of the kazillion things I need to do to get caught up. It's only the 6th day of the new year and I'm falling behind. I don't want to play catch up all year. I need to get busy now. Anyway, just so you know. If you are reading this I'm sending love across the air waves or however a computer disseminates information. If it's love that makes the world go round I hope you are feeling dizzy! Cause it's not just me that loves you. Take a look around. Love is in the blue sky, the snow drift, the cat at the end of your bed, the smile on your child's face, the soup on the stove, the smell of the wood crackling in the fireplace, the bird's song, the dog snoring at your feet, the song on the radio that makes your foot tap, the light that just turned green .... Yes, ...

There have been lots of love songs written over the years. Some make you smile, some bring tears to the eyes of a true romantic. In my opinion, it's almost impossible to think of any song more poignant or right on the money that Annie's Song by John Denver. Perhaps Love , of course, runs a close second. Say what you will about John, but the boy knew how to put the song of his heart to music. I'm sure everyone has their own favorite love song and love song singer. Yesterday, a clerk in the grocery store was singing a Marilyn Monroe torch song as I checked out. You could tell by looking at her smile that she had memories of love on her mind. Tom T. Hall, who may not be known to anyone that doesn't listen to the Classic Country music station on cable TV, has also penned what is, to me, one of the finest love songs ever written. I know it's weird and I probably shouldn't admit this, but we tune into old time country station almost every afternoon. It baffles me how...

Today, is my sister Linda's birthday. Last year I was able to list the 63 reasons why I love her. I just re-read that post and have to say it pretty well sums up all the reasons she is so special to me. If I had to pick just one more item to add to the list, I'd have to say that when it comes to a home painting project she has got to be the most patient person I know. That's a story she'd have to tell herself. But suffice it to say, if you mention paint to her, she might see any number of colors, the most pedominant, however, would have to be red! I'm hoping that the birthday gift her sweetie gives her this year has to do with a completed project and a free pass when it comes to going to the Lowe's paint department any time in the near future! Today is also St. Valentine's Day. To others in the world it is a day to talk of love. Good love and being it or bad love and not being in it. Hopeful love and wishing on a star for it or lasting love and not knowing ...

Once upon a time, in the land of evergreen trees, majestic mountains, and abundant flower markets, a baby was born. At twenty-nine minutes past the stroke of midnight, on the first day the new year, Ivy Jane Wichansky came into the world (in the words of her Aunt Wendy) "ready to rock." And just like that, the world was changed. What might have been just another ordinary year, with its usual hillocks to climb and valleys to cross, became a time of excitement. What could have been just a ho-hum day took on an air of expectation. Lights became brighter. Colors [especially pink] became more vibrant. Ordinary little body parts, like eyes and ears and fingers and toes, instantly became objects of wonder. Even poop took on an extraordinary air! Ivy Jane is not just any baby. To her parents, extended family and friends, she is unique. No one just like her will ever be born again. That is miracle enough. Yet, like all newborns, Ivy Jane came into the world bearing a single message. ...