Critters

Since I can remember, I've always had some sort of pet. No . . . not my brothers . . . but usually a four-legged critter that can cuddle with you or play with you and share life's daily adventures.

There is something about a pet.

It may be the unconditional love. It may be the fact that they somehow know when you need the most attention. When you want to be lazy, and that pooch wants nothing but to play ball, they win and alleviate couch-potato-itis! The way the kitties will, for no apparent reason, just race around a room, up a chair, across a table, and then stop, on a dime, tail twitching . . . to see what happens next. Or perhaps when you're talking to a dog, like he's your best friend, and he cocks his head completely sideways as though baffled by how you've let this alleged problem bother you at all. How a horse will nudge you when you need a little nudging. Perhaps that bird that snuggles - as best a bird can snuggle - when you just need a little quiet reinforcement.

They want nothing in return except a little food, some petting, and a little love right back. They are truly a gift!

I've had big dogs, like Sir Dark Star (really, that was his name) a humongous Newfoundland who actually carried me by the ass-end of my snowsuit while playing a game of hide and seek with my brothers from my hiding spot to the front door. It's was his inherent nature to save me. Chaddam was a huge Saint Bernard. King was the brother to my grandmother's Kong ~ a pair of German Shepherd's who were just stunning. (We might have had Kong and she had King - can't remember!) Apparently, via pictures, we also had a collie. We also had Charlie, a stray we took in who stayed with us for eons and then kind of vanished one day. Charlie was a beagle mix. One of the smartest critters we ever owned.

And then, we wanted a cat . . . so someone chased down a wild cat and we domesticated it. I believe the first cat was Smokey. Well, Smokey begot us Klingon, Sylvester, and a slew of other cats. We had bunnies, chicks, birds, and we tried to collect frogs. (Ew!) Some evil weasel or something ate our bunnies, one of our lovely cats got to our chicks. Thank God we were only bird watching as the folks that left them for us neglected to tell us that the parrots knew how to not only open their own cages, but the cages of the other birds as well. THAT was fun. The whole frog thing . . . we caught as many as we could and put them in an old tub in the back yard. We covered the tub with an old screen door. We literally had hundreds if not a thousand frogs in there and then . . . we dumped the whole thing over to experience the mass exodus of hopping hilarity! We were kinda different back then. We also managed to kill a turtle. It was a very cool turtle. We all wanted to feed it . . . and apparently we did. Turtles, as it turns out, are not real smart. If people feed them, they just keep eating. I'm pretty sure we fed it to death.

Now . . . on my own . . . I've had the distinct pleasure of Floyd, a Scottish Terrier, and Maximus, a black lab. The joys of critter ownership is rivaled by exactly NOTHING! There is just something about a life depending on you, and you, literally depending back on it. It's a beautiful bond that adds so very much to your existence.

Today, I am thankful for the myriad of critters I have been blessed with.

A Little Gold

Andrew Gold, that is! The lyric writer of the song 'Thank You For Being A Friend'.

Today . . . family, hardships, and triumphs are done and it is time to acknowledge the glue, the cement of life . . . friends!

For various reasons, I've always reached out to others in search of solace and serenity. I adore my family, but could not live without my friends.

Since my earliest childhood memories, there have been those folks who have just been constants. Whether I saw them all the time, or just intermittently, it was as if we had never parted. There was and is a comfort and a companionship that just never diminishes regardless of time, tests, or tumult. These folks are true gifts of grace from God above.

Nancy and Jamie are some of my very first rocks. Always a welcome face and a happy heart on the school bus. Thank you! Sue, Tana, Harold, Billy, Donald, Dawn, Donna and Ricky - more family than friends! Gymnastics provided forever friends and support throughout many an adolescent abyss and beyond. Kate, Timi, Danny, Heather, Mark and Chris . . . through my late teens. And as I grow older, the list grows longer and more diversified . . . Debbie, Kitty, Kim, Marcy, Lenny, Ann, Norma, Rosemary, Ali, Alison, Donna, Analisa, Rhonda, Jeannie, Diane, Dianna, Tony, Dick, Tracy, Barbara, Avril, Joanne, Cynthia, Joel, Kim, Amie, Trevor, Nancy, Michelle, Wilma, Winnie, Sharon, Michelle, and a host of other people.

These are not just acquaintenances. These are the types of people that will actually stop what they're doing to help me. They would come if I needed them. They would assist if I asked them. They care, they comfort, they confide, and they are cherished beyond belief. They are the proverbial cherry on the hot fudge sundae of life.

Thank you for being a friend.
Travelled down the road and back again.
Your heart is true. you're a pal and a confidant!

Love you much!
I am beyond thankful for you!

Bountiful Blessings

Since yesterday was happy for hurdles, today I will be thankful for my bountiful blessings!

Whether it has changed since my childhood or not, I am thankful for the blessing of six brothers! There was never a shortage of someone to play with. Games of tag were endless! Bike riding was a constant tour-de-Mountain Road. There was always someone to cheer on at little league and someone to cheer me on at gymnastics. There was a constant entire row filled up at dance recitals - whether they wanted to be there or not. My childhood was a blur of constant and crazy activity. I loved it!

Although the extended family of aunt and uncles didn't work out too well so many years later, it sure made for fabulous holiday dinners. There was always laughter at the table and beyond. There are marvelous memories of The Dictionary Game and musical madness!

To have been blessed by incredible teachers, friends and coaches as a youngster, is a gift. To still be in touch with a few is just a joyous heavenly endowment! These folks offered solace from struggle, guidance, love of education, support, and friendship. I just cherish them to pieces - and am thankful for them.

I was heartbroken by boyfriend #1, but would never have realized my love of working out and weight training had that not occurred. Devastated by boyfriend #2 - both emotionally and financially - my forced second job introduced me to my husband! And, as much as I adore New York, I was granted the pleasure of living in Georgia and now Florida. Each has special qualities and I am privileged to have experienced them.

To have been blessed with two incredibly beautiful children is more than one could ask for. Even with their health struggles, the repercussions have been exponentially fabulous. The folks and friends of All Children's Hospital and The Children's Dream Fund are forever inked upon our hearts. They have been not only blessings, but angels here on earth. I could not have survived some of those early storms without them! More so, now that these two babies of mine have become real adults . . . gifted, gracious, philanthropic, loving, caring, generous, and genuine . . . it is simply icing on the cake!

Although I am still tormented by memories of my mom's final breath, I am honored and privileged to have been there to see her through to the other side. It was truly one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I was blessed to be bedside, holding her hand, and talking to her all night long. What an honor to have and a memory to own.

I could write for hours and hours about my blessings. They far outnumber my hurdles! I am blissful knowing my time here has had many more positives than negatives and that even those negatives brought about beautiful, wonderful things. I am thankful for my bountiful blessings!

Happy for Hurdles

Happy for Hurdles?

Yes . . . I am thankful for the troublesome times in my life. I recently had a discussion with a dear, old friend in reference to being appreciative of the less-than-perfect moments in your life. They truly make you cherish the wonderful blessings you are given.

Did I enjoy an uncle with improper intentions? Did I enjoy not one, but two, Amway business associates with less than business objectives? Did I enjoy a step-dad whose attention was not always fatherly? Did I enjoy having my heart not just broken, but obliterated, by my first boyfriend? Did I enjoy having my second boyfriend move me from New York to Georgia, and then leave me high and dry? Did I enjoy eating Vienna Finger cookies ONLY for three straight weeks - just to survive? Did I enjoy leaving Georgia and the friends I had made to move to Florida? Did I enjoy my best friend's boyfriend costing me my job? Did I enjoy taking in a poor and destitute youngen, only to have him fall to the levels of the slime he was sleeping with and try to get me into legal trouble? Did I enjoy a good friend spreading rumors about me because she's so very insecure about herself? Did I enjoy my son suffering from a life-threatening disease? Did I enjoy my baby girl donning a hard plastic brace every day for a year? Did I enjoy being bashed and beaten for bringing to light a PTA member who was stealing from the kids? Did I enjoy losing a great niece at just four months old? Did I enjoy watching my mother take her last and final breath?

The answer to that and a myriad of other tragedies is a resounding "NO!" I enjoyed none of it . . . but I am better for ALL of it!

I am strong. I am a fighter. I stand firm. I am determined. I am focused. I am pliable. I am cautiously trusting. I am content with what I have. I love with every ounce of my being. I am protective. I am smart. I am not fearless, but will face whatever comes my way. I am happy.

I am me!

I choose to relegate those troubles to my past; to a learning curve that has made me a much better person than I might have been otherwise.

I am thankful for my hurdles!

MY family

I wrote of being thankful for my family growing up. Now, I will share with you my thanks for my family growing old!

My brothers, who you read about on Saturday, helped to shape who I am. I am NOT a very dainty person. Six brothers will do that to a girl. Don't get me wrong, I clean up pretty well, but I can challenge you men-folk in nearly any sport and am proud of it.

The brothers, along with Momma, taught me to never play easy. It's 100% or nothing! My mother taught me to play boggle and scrabble. She whooped my butt for many years, til I began to get better and better. I won an intermittent game or two and then it was me who was whipping butt. Did I feel badly? Nope! She wouldn't let me. She always said, you always play to win . . . or why play? But don't you ever gloat or lose sight of good sportsmanship. This is something I continue to strive at even to this day!

Now I could slather you with stories of the birth of my children, but everyone has a 'story' about the birth of their children. We all believe our kids are special . . . and they are! Mine have offered me courage, strength, tenacity, and determination. Did I really want those things? Probably not, but it was the hand I was dealt. How I handled those tumultuous times spoke volumes to my children and shaped the people that they have become. Any issues that we faced . . . we faced them 100%, expecting to be victorious. And now, my cup runneth over, as I watch them face their challenges exactly the same. It is a beautiful gift to create human beings. It is a blessing for them to turn into beautiful people! I have been truly blessed. I am thankful for them.

My husband, God bless him, has endured much! He is a gift of unbelievable magnitude. He loves me, protects me, plays with me, challenges me, trusts me, pushes me, and honors me. We have shared tears and hardships and hurdles. We have moved beyond them all, mostly with sarcasm and laughter. It's a beautiful thing. I adore him and am thankful for him.

Lots of folks are married and have children. Sometimes we get too caught up in the daily grind to really see what's in front of us. These treasures we can spouses and children. We take them, too often, for granted and neglect to share our hearts openly, tangibly, and frequently. Life runs us in haphazard directions and we lose sight of the enormity of a hug, the intensity of an 'I love you,' or the impact of a simple conversation.

Take time, today, to truly be thankful for your family.

Family

Today, I am thankful for family . . . and believe me . . . there's plenty!

Years ago, when I was a youngen, there was always an abundance of family. My mom was one of eight children. She and my grandmother were actually having babies at the same time. My youngest uncle is younger than my oldest brother. Weird, eh?

Holidays were always full houses . . . literally! But here's a secret . . . some of the best 'family' are those that are NOT related!

Of those seven aunts and uncles of mine; I stay in touch with exactly NONE of them. For whatever reasons, some of them won't even tell what I did to make them angry, they don't speak to me. There are a couple who, out of courtesy, send the obligatory birthday card or Christmas card. There is the token 'Switzerland' uncle who kind of just stays under the radar and when I saw him at my mother's funeral he hugged me and wouldn't let go. That was kind of nice. Sure wish he was closer. I have an aunt and an uncle who live relatively close to me, but again . . . life took us in different directions. I wish them all happiness. Too bad those laughter-filled days are only memories.

Brothers . . . hmmm. I have six of those. I am in fairly regular contact with exactly HALF of them. One is very busy with his family in his own little section of the world. If I were to call him, we could talk for hours and we are good . . . he's just busy! One has many issues. He thinks that me calling and checking in on him is some sort of violation of his privacy. So, I'll wait til he wants to connect with me . . . but I miss him more than he'll ever understand. The last one has 'written me off.' I would guess that's his choice, but in retrospect he did that a long, long time ago and I just never took the hint. Now . . . they are all in my prayers every night. They are in my thoughts every day. I love them and I miss them. After that, what they choose to do is their business.

But the 'family' I am referring to are those folks who have no relation to me, other than pure and simple love. The Macias/Kluck family, the Redfields, the Paris/Dousharm family, the Reitanos, the Priest family. The many folks who took refuge in our home and either lived or stayed there for extended periods. My pseudo brothers: Danny, Bill, Todd, Paul. The sisters that I never had: Kate, Nancy, Amie, Debbie, and others. The faux uncles my children grew up with: Lenny, Sean, and Dave. The countless friends who have helped to guide me and support me and steady me. THESE folks truly are unconditional people who are grudgeless and judgement-free. They exist in my life by choice and I adore them for that . . . and so much more.

I am thankful, today, for family that is more familial than some relatives will ever be.

Whew!

Had another blog in my head for today . . . but

Yesterday (I think it was yesterday), I woke up at 6 am. Not sure why, but when the old gray matter starts churning, there's just no going back to sleep. Started Thanksgiving dinner at 11 am and we at around 2-ish. I tried to nap but that didn't happen.

So . . . I tried several desserts. Stuffed once again, I tried to close my eyes. Nothing!

So, although I was able to rest my eyes for a little while, devoid of sleep, I tried to rouse myself with a shower before heading to work at 11:30 pm last night for the big Black Friday shift til 9:30 am this morning.

I don't understand why folks find it necessary to be out shopping at midnight, but . . . whatever floats your boat. It was insanely busy from midnight til 2 am and then steadily busy til nearly 10 am. I was able to break away for a bagel and a half cup of coffee, but not much more than that. Folks were not quite as messy and careless as last year, but I was busy nonetheless.

And now . . . after sleep-driving home . . . I am writing my blog for the day before catching a few elusive zzzzzzzzzz's!

I am thankful for persistence, determination, and tenacity. Without those traits, I would have long ago been sleeping under a sales rack in the sweater area where it's a little cozier! I enjoy a challenge and I thrive on pressure. I got a little of both last night. Enough to last me for another year! I am thankful to be home. I am thankful to be in comfy clothes, on my comfy couch, and waiting for the sandman to come and steal me away!

Have a good one folks! I am thankful for you.