Memories
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Thoughts from a Maker of Lists
Be honest, how many of you just chuckled or said Amen to the above image? There have been so many nights that I have been sound asleep, and wake up so quickly, because my brain decided it was time to remember what I forgot to do that day. If I don’t write something down right away, or type it into my phone, it leaves me the moment I walk away from a conversation or the thing that reminded me to do whatever needed to be done. In the past, I have tried not looking at my phone during the night, which limited me from putting things into my to do…
- "Life" Books, Aunt-ing, Children, Chronic Illness, Consider This..., Family, Friends & Neighbors, GRANDparents, Let's be Real, Memories, Pass it On...
When “Showing Up” Looks Different
“I’m learning to love the pauses, the quiet stretches, where nothing much is happening, but everything feels okay.” -Unknown The man in the picture above, my Paw-Paw, is the closest thing to being a “show up” legend for his grandchildren and even other children he loved! He wasn’t perfect, and he wouldn’t want to be seen as such. But when he started to get to weak to make his two a day visits to my grandma in the nursing home, it was a huge sign that he was extremely tired and his body was giving out. He worked in human resources for quite a while at the end of his…
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Wanna Pack of Nabs?
“The stories of older generations aren’t relics of the past, they’re seeds for the future we build together.” -Maya Angelou Grandparents Day is this coming Sunday, this has always been a special day that is close to my heart, here are some reasons why: I was blessed to have all four of my grandparents in my life, close by, all of my “growing up” years. They all passed when I was in my twenties. I love that I was able to see them become great-grandparents, and that I have been able to see my parents become grandparents. Not everybody has this chance, opportunity, or situation. And I am incredibly grateful…
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NaNa Brings Me Marshmallows
“People say I’m ‘good with kids.’ But really I’m just a grown-up who vividly remembers how positively and deeply it affects a child to be treated with kindness and respect. I just make sure to offer the same to every child I know.” – Nancy Kopman School days. There are not many days that I can remember that I wasn’t eagerly waiting for the day to be over, and the time had arrived for me to line up for “car riders.” I can still feel this overwhelming deep breath. The sight of a gold mini van, or wood panel mini van, or green volvo station wagon, or white Nissan, or…
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Didn’t You Just Book a Stay?
Today, I come as a ragamuffin storyteller. I have been working on writing mine and Lucy’s story, and that has taken all the best of me, as it should. But I thought I’d share a little story that happened this month. Maybe it can encourage someone who is on the same “wavelength” or a least you can get a good laugh. A couple of weeks ago, we had flash flooding in NC. Around our area there was some damage near rivers and lakes. Actually the lake that our family lake home was on, that my parents sold last summer, had really bad damage. Where we are now, the water treatment…
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I see her in everything.
“Grief has made me look for you in everything around me; the clouds, the wind, the butterflies…” I see her in the face of the little girl baptized on Sunday. I see her in the birds outside our window. I see her in the flowers blooming, and the colors they bring to the world. I see her in the choices I make, the words I choose. I hear her in the giggles of children. I feel her when I am wrapped in a muslin blanket. I still have so many moments that I think she is only in the next room, playing hide and seek with my mom. Or maybe…
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When the First Time is Also the Last Time
Seven years. This picture was taken seven years ago, after my nephew’s PK concert at his school. Some days it seems like yesterday. Other days it seems like my whole lifetime. It just started storming here at my home and it’s a bit crazy because it was storming the night of this performance. Do you ever have memories that have such vivid pictures when you close your eyes? There are so many details I can remember about this night. It was so bittersweet. My niece wanted us to sit up close to the front, so we did. I had Lucy in my Ergo carrier while also trying to set up…
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Music… one of my favorite things
“We teach our children how to behave by: 1. What we allow. 2. What we stop. 3. What we ignore. 4. What we reinforce.” Take a minute to think about this quote. It is really an indicator of what habits and boundaries we allow and don’t allow in our daily lives, also. But today, let’s talk discuss music and videos/dvds that are exciting gifts! I will give you a disclaimer, when kids are exploring and discovering music, this is one of those kid sounds that doesn’t phase me. Now a car thumping past my window or obnoxiously loud and vibrating my insides, I can lose my cool. So we all…
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Some May Call it Hullabaloo
As the gathering season is approaching, there is a lot of talk about how to avoid certain topics of conversations with family and friends. Allow me to make another suggestion, that has nothing to do with those adult talking topics… rather something, hopefully, light hearted. Unless you get too competitive and need to dial back some relatives. Which can happen, so be prepared to have a cool down spot for children as well as adults who get too competitive 😂 Games. Now, I was the kid and now the adult that does not have the patience for monopoly or any game like it, to those who can play these games-…
- "Life" Books, Adoption, Aunt-ing, Children, Family, Friends & Neighbors, GRANDparents, Grief, Memories, Mommy, Siblings, Single Parenting
Savoring the Memories
“Give me the WILD children with their BARE feet and SPARKLING eyes! The RESTLESS, churning climbers. The wild ones using their outside voices, singing ALL THE WAY HOME. Give me the WONDER-FILLED glorious mess makers DREAMING of mountains and mud, and aching to RUN through the field of stars.” Nicolette Sowder Just this week my mom and I were talking about how much we miss children. Where I grew up there was plenty of space for children to play and explore, it was a child’s dream come true. I can say this because that’s exactly how I felt there. If children were not at our house, we were still close…
