Sometimes Ya Gotta Play the Hand You're Dealt

Recently an old high school buddy was downsized after 35+ years of working for the same company and although he was lucky enough to find another position within a reasonable amount of time he was concerned about 'starting over'.....

I assured him that this was just another phase in his ongoing life....a new career, new challenges, new opportunities.  Something new to keep the brain active.....

This got me to thinking it doesn't matter how old you are (in either dog or human years) ya just gotta learn to 'ride with the tide and roll with the flow'.....play the new hand that the Universe deals you 'cause you never know where this will take you.....we are here to learn and to never stop learning...never become stagnate!

So, high school buddy, don't fret 'cause you have just begun, again, to climb the ladder of success...you don't know what magic awaits you at the top.......

Best wishes and congratulations!

What the World Needs Now

Normally when I write my blog I like to write about lessons learned, good experiences or a past memory and I always like to end on a positive note.....

This time will not be the case.  I am upset and angry and I need to vent....I just heard that a good friend of mine had been robbed.  Yes, while she was gone her house was broken into and the few valuables she possessed were taken.  Yes, insurance will replace what was taken, but the pictures and memories attached are gone forever.  

What infuriates me is that after a long time of unemployment, she finally was able to get a worthwhile position and had just started 4 days before this unfortunate event.

I am the first to admit that these economic times are trying indeed; this is the worst our economy has been since the Great Depression of the 1930's.....and there are people who will do anything to get a few dollars to, maybe, keep a roof over their head or feed their children.....but to take from another is just plain wrong!  This person is now suffering at the hands of someone who most likely will never be identified......

I can only say one word:  Karma!  Karma will come back ten-fold to whomever has done this.....and I am glad that there is an All Powerful Being who will see to it!

Grease is the Word!

One of my all time favorite movies is Grease....you know the one with John Travolta (bad boy) and Olivia Newton-John (good girl).....even though they are miles apart in everything, at the end of the movie they decide that they care enough about each other to make changes in themselves....

So I started thinking about my relationships thru the years.....did I care enough about the one person I was with at the time to change enough to salvage the relationship or was I too strong, stubborn or whatever and just remain rigid?  Maybe it was my age, maybe I hadn't grown enough spiritually, but now I see that if I had bent just a little I would be writing on an entirely different topic right now....

Don't get me wrong, I make decisions with the information I have at the time, but just once I'd like a do over or as they say in the golf world "I'd like to take a mulligan on that hole"......

So, maybe God, if You're a golfer what about it?  How about one do over just for old times sake......(and You know the one I'm talking about)......

School Daze

Remember when you were young and just about to start a new school year and had to make sure you had all the necessary supplies?  Our book-bags always contained several #2 pencils, a 3 ring binder with divider tabs plus tons of 3 hole punched white (and blue lined) notebook paper.  These were the only supplies we needed and we did very well with them.....

While visiting my son yesterday I asked where his 'girls' were.....his girls being Jennifer and her daughter Kaitlyn (both of whom I love dearly).  They were out shopping for school supplies he said......with school starting in 2 days I remarked that it was cutting it pretty close, I mean would they have enough notebook paper?  Silly mom he replied....Monday is the official first full day of school....Friday was only a half day where the students got to meet their teachers and get a list of supplies needed for each class.....I was in amazement.  A list of supplies, for each class?  

When did the 3 ring binder go out the window?  With the horse and buggy?  Nowadays school supplies are so much more: calculators for charting and graphing; personal computers (the new version of the 3 ring binder) and God knows what else.....

And all the while I kept thinking, how much was all this gonna cost.....but in reality I really didn't want to know....boy have times changed....Can someone tell me do they even still make #2 pencils?

Be Careful What You Wish For...

We've all heard the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for".  I had always looked at this as something ominous and foreboding; something negative.  But what if it's not?  What if you are meant to wish for something that is a good thing?

I've done a lot of soul searching recently; gone back to my Catholic roots as well as embraced my own feelings of spirituality....each month after the new moon arrives, I make a list of wishes.  Things that I would love to see happen in my life.....

I am seeing the results of my wishes and I know they have been granted by the wonderful entity that runs the entire shebang we consider our world. 

 I am so thankful for my life, opportunities that come my way in the form of learning experiences and the overall growth I am experiencing.

So, remember that the Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God won't protect you.

Can I get an Amen?

Mia Familia

What is it about Lawrence Welk that brings families together, just like the good ole days?  This past weekend I traveled to my home state to visit my mother.  Mom has had a pretty rough year health wise and driving home I was concerned that she would be more feeble than the last time I saw her.....boy was I wrong!

My visit was a surprise (mostly because I didn't want her to worry and fret about me making the 5 1/2 hour drive all alone), so when I walked into her room at the assisted living facility she was shocked to see me.  But what was more important is that she looked great.....her color is good, she is as feisty as ever and she had just had her hair done at the on site beauty parlor....

The staff at the facility just absolutely love her and are at her beck and call....she is socializing (3 new girlfriends: Marlene, Lisa and Barbara.  They all eat together at the same table in the dining room!), playing bingo and just generally interacting with everyone.  She is no longer staying in bed all day....she has re-joined the living and I am so very glad of that.  This has been the best decision we have ever made....

So, back to Lawrence Welk.....on Saturday evening my mother came to my brother and sister-in-laws house for dinner.  After dinner we called her brother, Jim and his wife, Jane to come visit....at 7:00 pm (on the dot) every Saturday evening the local public television station plays the old Lawrence Welk shows....both mom and Aunt Jane are avid fans.  It was so wonderful to see them watching the show, interacting and talking about the cast as if they were actual family members.  

Watching them jabbering and eating dessert took me way back.....for 30 minutes it was 1960 again and as I choked back the tears I said a little prayer for Lawrence Welk and his bubble machine!