Thoughts of You...

As my days become busy with the numerous activities of closing one school year and preparing for the opening of another, know that even though moments are filled I continue to think of you! I cast upon you the words of this Irish Blessing.

“May your days be many and your troubles be few.

May all God’s blessings descend upon you.

May peace be within you,

May your heart be strong.

May you find what you’re seeking wherever you roam.”

A Sunshine Award...

Thanks to my friend Tina at Bringing Along OCD for nominating me for The Sunshine Award. I am both honored and grateful and accept this with gratitude. Thanks Tina! I invite you to go visit her very honest blog in living life with OCD.

Here are the rules for this blog award if you are nominated:

·    Include the award logo in a post or on your blog (see the flower photo above)
·   Answer 10 questions about yourself.
·    Nominate 10-12 other fabulous bloggers.
·    Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know that they have been nominated.
·  Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

So here are 10 things about me:

What are your favorite things to do? I enjoy writing, reading, scrapbooking and photography

Where would you most like to travel? I’m not a traveler, but if/when I do, it’s to the beach.

Who would you most like to meet who is still living? Tennessee Vols Coach, Pat Summitt

Who would you most like to meet who has passed away? Anne Frank

What do you think is the hardest thing to do? Watching loved ones suffer be it emotionally, physically or mentally and not be able to do a darn thing!

What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Diet Dr. Pepper (cold) or Island Coconut coffee (hot)

What is your favorite charity? Organizations that support Domestic Violence and Child Welfare

What are you proud of? I’m most proud of to be a good wife, mother and person in spite of the experiences I’ve endured.

What ambition do you still have? I want to live at the beach and continue to publish books as well as open my own scrapbooking store.

What is your favorite flower? Purple Irises, Pale Pink Roses

Now I'm suppose to nominate fellow bloggers that are worthy of this award, but truth be told, ALL my fellow bloggers are competent therefore I nominate each and every one of you to accept this award and answer the questions so I can learn about each of you as you've learned about me! 

"Friends are God’s way of taking care of us."

Thank you for being a Friend....

In memory of my friend Joan,

a small reminder...

Time waits for no one.
treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...

it's about caring and loving your relatives and friends while you can touch and see them, and they are still among us."

Hey! It's me, Angel-Kitty!

Man, I believed I’d never escape that closet.  I was engulfed with darkness so long I feared I might be going blind…scared the beejeebies out of me…did you think I was still in there since it took me so long to reveal the end of my tale?  (see below if you missed the first part of my story...)

Well, this is what came to pass and I’m kind of embarrassed to expose myself. I bellowed for Hurricane to release me and he had the audacity to park himself outside that door with his nose snug to the crack like a hot dog in a bun then proceeded to sigh…I knew he was taunting me and quite euphoric I was wedged in that clandestine space-just gave HIM more room to sprawl out on the bed for his midafternoon siesta.   

And there he parked himself- TICK-TOCK! …TICK-TOCK! …TICK-TOCK!

He situated himself safely outside as hundreds of beady eyes of Little D’s stuffed friends stared and gawked at my worries through the blackness. I was taunted and tormented... AND STUCK!

‘WHA-OMP!’   “SCREEE-TCH!’ 

…ahhh, what’s that? Hurricane? Did you hear that? Don’t leave me brother…

…to that he just exhaled heavier leaving me to hover and scrunch into the nearest corner-

TH-WACK!  THUD!  Ahhhh-go away, go away I pleaded to the noises!

My hackles rose and whiskers erected to heights that cat-apulted me into the swirling abyss engulfing me into a deep catnap. (CAT-do you get it? Me a cat? -never mind…)

Hurricane jostled me awake by the myriad of ruckus he was creating outside the chambers.  In reality, his bark was as unbearable as cymbals crashing in the beginning band. I’m mortified to concede that it scared the pee right out of me.  I WAS in that closet a long time, you know…

But as you figured, I am free relatively unscathed—only rosy cheeks of humiliation compounded by teasing and tormenting of one brother who refused to be of any assistance AT ALL!

…BROTHERS! I’d be glad to surrender mine! Anyone want one?

Tiffin Times...

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”

By Paul Boese

As I made the drive from Columbus to Tiffin for the next stop on my book signing for Life through the Eyes of a Hurricane: Doggie-Dog! my insides twirled and twisted with anticipation and apprehension.

Tiffin, Ohio is my place of origin, my growing up location- the space where I learned to walk and talk as well as ride a bike and drive a car. I was cultured to maneuver the back roads shared by tractors and combines and sought comfort in the fragrance of cow manure and the harvest of corn or soy beans. I knew the calm and reassurance of attending a one building school, Hopewell-Loudon therefore I graduated with most folks I shared Kindergarten memories.

On the other hand, it was also the scene of torment and distress throughout childhood and where as an adult I envisioned the face of my abuser/s ‘round every corner. Anxiety and uneasiness were part of every encounter as hyper-vigilance served as armor.

I’ve acknowledged shrill and valiantly; however that forgiveness is a powerful gesture. As a result of those actions toward once despised individuals, I embarked upon this event with affection, acceptance and approval preparing the homecoming proper for a queen.

Paper and Ink was host to the book signing equipped with a reporter from the local newspaper, the Advertiser Tribune. Being surrounded by family, childhood and college friends I possessed a protective covering although unnecessary as I have learned to embrace my past with the awareness it has made me the human being I am today. So I applaud all those people; good, bad or indifferent and extend a hand of thanks since my life is filled with magnificence and joy.

“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now!”

By Anonymous

A Look Back...

November 30, 2011

...IEP meetings, eligibility accounts, progress reports and day to day teaching has extracted me from my Cloud Nine status I enveloped myself in from my trip to Ohio. However short lived, I certainly captured great pleasure from the experience as well as the people despite its inevitable conclusion.  

Truth be told, when stillness surrounds me, I delight in the memories as a child cherishes Christmas Day-it was truly magical.

Allow me to take you on this enchanting excursion through my book signing in Hilliard, Ohio at New Grounds Coffee Shop…

"Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love,

the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

...stay tuned for the book signing in Tiffin, Ohio...



Hey, did you miss me?

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget."

By Unknown~

Hi…did you miss me?

Well, regardless if you did or did not, I’m thankful to broadcast we made a safe return to North Carolina on Sunday after a grand and glorious eight days in Ohio. The moments in time spent with cherished friends and family will be forever etched in my mind as well as engraved in my heart.

The abundant events and gatherings with loved ones will provide rich recollections of laughter, tears, joy and genuine hugs with by no means, a deficiency on ‘I love you’s’; an expression I’m no longer embarrassed to vocalize and did so freely.

I’ve deliberately avoided this blog since I am finding it surprisingly complicated to arrange the various experiences and emotions into orderly definitive categories; no one experience or person rises above another.

However, the sentiment that I can label as being prevalent was the affection and cordial support by all; former students and parents, childhood and high school friends, blog and church camp connections, previous teachers and co-workers and treasured sorority sisters including both my big and little sis as well as those individuals I met along the journey.

How blessed I was to be acknowledged and recognized by these deep attachments in my life as well as my family. The look of pride and pleasure in sharing the momentous occasions of a book signing was beyond any language I possess.

Words and feelings shared during those days, hours, and minutes certainly closed the  absence from these links to my past, but it truly remained clear that what I experienced could only be sensed from within.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

- Helen Keller

When Worlds Collide...

Planning, Preparing, and Packing…certainly the tasks at hand in organizing the big trip to Ohio. Saturday, November 26 is the noteworthy day and has been etched in my mind as my son has counted down on the calendar. He simply cannot wait to see his best friend Maddy and ‘his other family’ as he affectionately has christened them. Who can fault him for that; I too am wound up with anticipation.

I will be reuniting with family, visiting dear friends and childhood classmates, reconnecting with past students and former colleagues as well as meeting individuals I’ve only acquainted myself with on the computer-and now deem as friends. Countless people I’ve not connected face to face in years; truth be told decades.

In addition, I get to embark upon the pursuit of a dream when I hold book signings in two areas I hold near and dear to my heart; Columbus and Tiffin. How can I view the happenings and not be exhilarated? My eagerness and excitement is beyond words…

However I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t voice my apprehensions of the journey...how can old messages not replay themselves when placing me into aged haunts? What if they don’t like me? What if I’m a disappointment when they meet or see me again? What if I slight someone unmistakably? What if?

In a matter of days, my separated worlds will collide…and I will do my best to bask in the joy and remember the words quoted by Seneca: "There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than in reality.”

In the meantime, please pray for safe travels tomorrow and upon our return, Sunday, Dec. 4…and let the exuberance commence!

Self-examination...and NO, not a breast examination!

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves -regret for the past and fear of the future.”

By Fulton Oursler

A few months back Nicholas and I were having a conversation which led to his statement: ‘I have all the friends I need!’

Really? I wondered how at twelve years old a person could so confidently express that sentiment because here I am at fifty two (well, almost) and I’m contemplating opening myself up for that proposition. I’m in the process of self-examination. A good thing, right?

Yes, but only if I’m truthful with myself which I plan on being; honest with you and honest with me. If you’ve read my blog long enough you know it is well chronicled within the wall of words that my past has been anything but uncomplicated. However, I don’t chose to hover in that place for prolonged periods; life is too short, but I do believe we can learn from the past and move onward.

People make choices for which the consequences ripple to those lives surrounding us. As a result, I think it’s our responsibility to look in the mirror and be honest with ourselves; what regrets do I have? What would I have done differently? Where do I need to go from here?

I am so excited about traveling to Ohio, beyond that of my book signing appointments. I have an array of people planning to attend from early childhood friends, high school, college as well as work related. Exhilaration is an understatement!

Sadly, I find myself comparing friends I had in Ohio to the ones I have here in North Carolina and I’m slightly embarrassed to declare I have few. I’ve been here for three plus years and the true connections I have are limited to a handful.

Surprised?  ...it is my own doing…I have withdrawn from the prospect of friends – Staff socials/ events; nope, don’t attend. Lunchroom conversations- nada. Informal gatherings or get together invitations? They are shunned as well.

I have become lonely. It is with the anticipation of traveling to Ohio that I’m realizing the valuable strong connections with people I have, the precious friends in my home state. However, my bravado of wanting the people in my life to believe I am fine or I am happy has truly hindered the honesty with self. But then again, that has been my pattern throughout life for fear of rejection.

So it’s an occasion for self assessment, and with this comes a forging ahead with uncertainties but also honoring-I am who I am. I’m not a social butterfly; I am fearful and anxious in big crowds therefore, I prefer small intimate gatherings. I’ve rejected offers since trust was lacking that anyone could truly want my company; what could I possibly offer another individual? I second guess myself and question motives. I know, shame on me, huh?

I will also pass this along to those I’ve shunned with a bit of luck I’ll make amends and allow my vulnerabilities to be visible. What’s more, I’ll also forgive myself for past actions and recall this quote made by an anonymous individual:

“If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them.”

Thanks Pooh for helping me out here...

...a sense of loss



While on my walk this morning which I hadn’t done lately for a multitude of reasons, laziness being one of them as well as time constraints, or it’s too darn cold in NC, etc… the word ‘loss’ truly just inserted itself into my head like a zit pops upon your face; it’s just there! I was like ‘whoa, where did that come from?’


We as humans are capable of suffering from various types of loss; loss of a job, loss of a loved one, a loss of freedom and there’s also a loss of mobility. There is loss of independence as well as a loss of eyesight or hearing. The only loss I can think of off-handedly that brings joy is a loss of weight!

While there are a host of definitions contained in the Dictionary Merriam-Webster Online, one definition of loss is the decrease in amount, magnitude or degree.

This is the description I’ll focus on since this is the one that plagues me and this is the reason why. I discovered on Friday through a dear friend that a valued companion of ours has cancer. Indeed she is in shock since hearing the news and most likely suffering from the loss of which I speak.

I wonder when her thoughts travel hither and yon in her mind, if the word cancer has robbed her psyche of the lack of restrictions from a previous stated amount of safe and secure beliefs flowing within. I wonder if she’ll catch herself needing to remind her of the uncertain future that lies ahead. I wonder if she’ll experience loss and if so, what kinds? I question if there is anything her support systems will be able to do to replace this sense of loss in her heart.

On the other hand, perhaps the sense of loss is what I’m feeling particularly when unfortunate events and ill-fated news permeates the life of a loved one. Conceivably loss is more a lack of control that the world can embark its ugliness at any given time and place and to whomever it may please.

Regardless, Roseanne Cash once said, ‘Loss is the great unifier, the terrible club to which we all eventually belong."

Three Things I Think I Think...

“Truth is one forever absolute, but opinion is truth filtered through the moods, the blood, the disposition of the spectator.”

by Wendell Phillips.

I don’t often dole out my opinions as a result of another fitting quote ‘Opinions are like ass-h----, everyone has them!’ ...while I am NOT a fan of that quote, it serves its purpose and typically if no one really cares to hear my opinions enough to ask, I don’t by and large serve them. So to share these things I think, is an opportunity for individuals to either agree, disagree, or sustain; take your pick~

1.) I think this working gig is for the birds . . . Really, while tracked out I went from having all the time in the world to write, to blog, to catch up with friends, to read, to play and to scrapbook and now you want me to do what? Return to work? . . .UGH!!!

Something about this concept just doesn’t seem ‘right’ to me~ perhaps in my next life I will be re-incarnated into a person who is independently wealthy so I no longer have to work OR my work can be done out of the haven of my home. Doesn’t that sound reasonable to you?

2.) I think basically the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, if you want to know the truth. Seriously, the price of gas is rising, the cost of food is astronomical, various sections of the world are in lethal turmoil and we as citizens of the United States of America are emotionally and economically being used as pawns in the proverbial government chess game.

Now really, it’s not my style to talk politics or religion, however, it angers me that oil companies, bank managers and CEO’s, to name a few are declaring exorbitant profits as a record number of individuals' homes are going through foreclosure, people are strained to make a decision between eating and paying the electric bill and additional families and children in our country are declared ‘homeless’.

I just think it is an atrocity…

3.) I think I am blessed beyond belief with friends . . . and it’s not that I have an enormous quantity of friends. I have quality relationships with individuals that support me and love me and let's face it- put up with me!

I happened upon a quote that reads:

“Friendship isn't about whom you've know the longest. It's about who came, and never left your side...”

I read these profound words and respond with ‘Amen’! People whom I just met through blogging have become my dearest friends as well as those blossoms of life-time chums that have touched my existence from grade school to college to present.

I am thankful for each and every one of you and I mean that with much sincerity~ My life is rich thanks to YOU!



This Too Shall Pass...follow up~

I am thrilled to inform you of a revision on one of my previous blog entries I’d written awhile ago when school/work, holidays and life was overwhelming. (read here) To those who haven’t known me long, I take great pride in obtaining and maintaining inner peace. I like to transmit a sense of calm and tranquility throughout my day and am infrequently rattled by the ways of everyday life. It doesn’t insinuate a lack of caring, quite the opposite, although deep breathing and the ‘Serenity Prayer’ are my frequent companions.

However, prior to the holidays it felt as if life was out of control with a multitude of demands and expectations placed upon me by my perfectionist self and others. I felt as if I was suffocating beneath the weight of the boulders labeled ‘stress.’ Therefore, to endure until holiday break, I relied on a previous tried and true mantra; THIS TOO SHALL PASS~

Fast forward to this week; it’s been a typical transition back to school; the kids were excited to tell of their Christmas tales and gifts and share their snow stories while actually settling into their class routine. I possessed great energy at the beginning of the week but by Friday I was welcoming the upcoming weekend; a break from endless meetings, paperwork and a shortened ‘to do’ list.

I had an early morning conference with many participants and of course, Murphy’s Law rapped on the door with technology and the computer program involved which turned an hour meeting into two hours. I was late with my kids, blah, blah, blah….I needed to take deep breaths and regain my composure.

So, at lunch I walked to my mailbox and inside was a gift bag. My first thought was Christmas is over and it wasn’t my birthday. I opened the bag when I returned to my room and needless to say was surprised and touched by what lay inside. There was a beautiful handmade card and tucked inside the tissue paper was a box that contained a Precious Moments guy; MY little guy that conveys the message THIS TOO SHALL PASS~

Tears sprang to my eyes and I sat in amazement clutching my figurine that my dear friend Di made the effort to find and present to me; such a treasured gift. Along with the statue she granted me permission to keep Him if needed or to pass him along to others that needed His guidance and strength.

I’ve been blessed; thanks Di~

Sometimes you put up walls

not to keep people out

but to see who cares enough

to break them down.



Happy New Year!

While I refuse to make resolutions for the reason that they only set me up for failure I do voice these sentiments to all of you, my family which I’ve always professed encompasses friends and fellow bloggers as each of you along with your words and actions reside within me.

May you be blessed with richness in family and friends.
May you find wealth in ordinary opportunities.
May you find strength to overcome everyday obstacles and challenges,
and power in those that seem insurmountable.
May you find wisdom to triumph over situations that refute logic.
May you find understanding in circumstances that harbor resentment.
May you find tolerance and forgiveness within your heart
to prevail the deceit of others.
May you find honesty to look in the mirror at your shortcomings, and
May you look at others with patience, empathy and compassion, and
in each daily commonplace happening
May you be surrounded by joy, love and laughter.

Welcome 2011~



Just a reminder...

Brrr...it's so very cold here today for the south. We reached a high of 38 degrees so I thought I'd post a photo of these lovely tiger lillies to remind us of the warmer temps and the gifts of beauty and aroma that a flower can bring.

While I'm at it, another mention was brought about by a good friend who sent the following to me in an e-mail and I thought of all of you, my readers and followers. And to be honest, it was a good remembrance for me as well.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore..

I've even earned the right to be wrong.So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

And a special shout out to my friend Kathie who specifically wrote about the topic of aging in her blog: http://ramblingdandelions.blogspot.com/2010/12/time.html  Give her a read~

Photo Friday...

Long story short:  I say my husband forgot my birthday because he bought me a new Nikon SLR3100 camera but since he gave it to me nine days prior to my actual day and then made no mention of any such greeting on the actual day, well, you could conclude he forgot it, right? That morning, I hung onto every minute until he departed for work; I waited for coffee in bed? Perhaps the newspaper to go with it? Maybe even a simple wish or a kiss?

Nope, nothing…my husband of fifteen years had forgotten my birthday! So I sent an e-mail to his work on sweet muted purple paper with the glow of candles and plastered the words, ‘Happy Birthday to me!’ across the page.

He immediately responded and apologized profusely and although I’ll forever tease him about 'forgetting my birthday!', he’s right, he gave me a gift I’ve always wanted…now to learn how to use it.

The following photos are my trial and error examples:

Rollin' Along!

Foreclosure?

Friends~





Line Up!

All dressed up and nowhere to go...



Pink Pinwheels...



What a beauty...

Basketball Heaven~

Last one to leave, turn the lights out please...

If you have any suggestions, I'm open to learning!