Please take time to to consider and honor......

the many people who have died so we here in the USA can live in freedom each day. Several years ago I went to Washington DC to watch Rolling Thunder. What is Rolling Thunder, you ask? It is a motorcycle convergence on the nation's capital city to remind all Americans of those who lost their lives in war and of those who never returned from those wars because they were and are still unaccounted for. Some were MIA, some were POWs.

Taking that trip to DC to watch that event was perhaps one of the memorable days of my life as a thinking adult especially since I began the day with a trip to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Below are my reflections of that day that I wrote after being there. (Actually, this writing has been posted on a veteran website with a pen name I used).

The Silence and The Thunder

It was blistering hot and muggy. Moisture oozed from every pore in my face and the face of everyone else in that crowd. We stood on the steps facing the Tomb. It holds the bones of men who gave their lives in service to their country and whose names are known only to God. Their identities will never be known to man. We who sat were young, old, of various heritage and many languages. Some came from far away, some from the city just over the bridge. Our differences were there for all to see and yet one compelling component bound us together as one. The silence. It rolled over everyone who approached the steps and took their place in the crowd. It carried to restless children who though hot and tired were compelled by the solemnity to watch in utter quietness. Babies in strollers only let out a brief, muted wail as though even they in their infancy knew that they were in the presence of greatness. The silence deepened as the guards began their honored ritual of change. The click of their heels sounded like gunshot in the backdrop of silence. The crowd moved not, spoke not, it seemed almost breathed not. The silence was one of awe-filled respect. There laid men who had shared their lifeblood and had given their all. We in the crowd seemed to know of our mere mortality in the face of such greatness. They deserved our silence, as words could not define their sacrifice, their courage, their commitment. Talking would have been noise, denigrating and demeaning. The tombs said it all. In utter silence, we watched as the guards completed their march. Respect could ask no less.

It was still beastly as I stood on the bridge and in the distance saw the bright lights of the cavalry. They came preceded by those who have sworn to enforce the law. They came with a rumble, with a roar, with a thundering reminder that we owe those men and women who go off to service our thanks, our commitment and our remembrance of them always. They came in wave upon wave, bikes with leather-clad drivers who carried the flame of those who have fallen and those for whom there has been no accounting. They came with a rumble, a thunder, a roar to remind us that freedom is never free, that duty often means death, and that we as a nation have our liberties today because of those who have sacrificed their own. They rode with honor, with pride, with purpose. They rode with a mission. And in the thunder I heard the respect and honor that the pipes cried to communicate." Let us never forget", they roared. "Let us honor those who have served" they called to a seemingly indifferent nation. "Let us respect our flag, our country, our heritage and our people". Rolling Thunder, rumbling to shake the conscience of a people that seems so easily to forget those who have given their blood and on whose backs this country has been built.

Then I saw them up close and personal. These men had been there. They saw the jungles; they heard the bombs, they served their country. They still have the memories and weep as they walk the Wall. They know the stories of those names forever etched in stone….who they were and how they died. As I watched on that sweltering day, I saw clearly heroes among us. Beneath the gray of the hair and aging of the flesh, I saw the steel, the resolve, the mettle of real men. I saw the strength of character that had caused them to give their personal liberty for their country. I saw a certain confidence, maybe yes, even a swagger in their walk. They know who they are; they know what they are. They know what they did not do and what they did do. They know their own and they are proud. I saw handshakes, hugs, and nods. There was an unspoken communication that those of us on the outside cannot share….only those who are part of that brotherhood can understand. They are the vets and they are proud. In addition, perhaps what in my mind came to be the most amazing paradox was that though their own fellow citizens, their own society mocked, scorned and spit upon many of them, they are still the vanguard of the colors. They honor the flag and they know the meaning of liberty. Wounds are still there but they move beyond to the enduring legacy they know they have left. Theirs is a legacy of character, of strength, of sacrifice. In their gathering, they prove the great fiber of the country. We have become the nation that we are because of men who gave and asked nothing in return. We are a nation with protected freedoms because of the Unknown Soldier, the wounded soldier, the POW, the one still unaccounted for and who perhaps will remain ever in obscurity, and the vet who lives and works and moves incognito among us.

In the silence, let us ponder, and with thunder, let us remember.

God bless America.

Growing drinking utensils.

It is amazing what grows in and around my house. Weeds, spiders, thorns, flowers. But most amazing of all are the glasses and mugs. I am not quite sure I have seen this phenomena anywhere else.

As I leave the living room I take a look around to make sure all the shelves and stands are free of dishes, cups, etc. A few minutes later I go back to the same room and presto! there are three drinking classes in various spots.

Sometimes I open the cupboard where my cups are and there, almost grinning in a cheshire cat moment, is a cup I have never seen before. How it got there is an utter mystery to me, except that I am now convinced I grow these cups and glasses.

They appear by every bed in the house, by every chair, on every table, on top of the piano and nearly anywhere a cup can sit. New ones appear by the sink, in the cupboards and worst of all, on the car floor.

I thought perhaps I should call the CDC in Atlanta to see what can be done about this spreading virus type epidemic. But that seems harsh.

Undoubtedly, there are faeries at work here. I am going to keep an eye open. More on that later.

Meanwhile, if you need a cup, stop on in - I probably have one.

What would PETA say?

My cat chases squirrels. In fact, she has de-tailed several.

Should I make her an indoors cat and defang her? Oh the cruelty! She would not survive a day.

Or do I let her continue to chase the squirrels and kill chipmunks and moles and birds?

What would PETA say?

I don't really care. My cat can do as she pleases. Because she is my cat.

Enough diversity already......

I have a pool. A beautiful pool surrounded by lush shade trees. I share my pool with anyone and everyone because I believe it is a gift too wonderful to keep to myself. With that in mind, I have had people of all ages from infants to octogenarians in my pool. I have had people of many different ethnic background in my pool - Hispanic, White, Black, Asian, etc. and even people of varying economic and education backgrounds. Once I had a 45 person strong youth group in it for the day. I am not a selfish person with my pool.

But today, I discovered that I indeed have limits as to who may be in my pool. Today I was a bit annoyed, albeit also amused, as to who dared to assume the luxury of paddling slowly around in the water.

It was a frog. A rather good-sized frog at that. And he was lazily floating along as though he was in the azure waters of the Caribbean. When I attempted to reach in with the net and scoop him up, he kicked his feet together and poof he was gone. Then he slowed back down and began to do his "ah this is the life for me" swim.

No, no, little frog. You have to go. This is NOT a pool for frogs. Yuk.

After a few minutes and with some great stealth and dexterity, I retrieved that little guy and tossed him over the bushes into the trees. But I am quite certain that as he went flying through the air that he winked at me as though to say...
"I'll be back!"

Oh dear.

A Beautiful Day

I expected to go outside and find the air humid and heavy. What a delightful surprise to find it breezy, warm with a cool breeze, and the sky rife with white puffy clouds. The only problem occurred in that today I could not be outside. So a beautiful day was transpiring and I was missing it.

Sometimes that happens. Beautiful things happen and we are so bogged down in other humdrum events that we miss the beauty.

Take heart. There will be more beauty happening. Do try not to miss too much of it.

On boiling eggs.....

You can always know for sure that an egg has sufficiently boiled when it cracks and pops and then explodes because all of the water has boiled dry.

I'm just saying.....

Disappointment ....

....comes in many shapes and sizes. This morning I experienced the disappointment of losing a file in my computer that is important to me. It is a series of thoughts and observations concerning my dog.

(At this point you the reader have perhaps interrupted your reading to ponder why I have written observations concerning my dog. And I respond by saying that this dog has taught me much about life. And you respond by saying there are enough thoughts on dogs being published regularly; another is not needed. And I say if you only knew my dog you might disagree. And you say well what is so special about your dog? And I say THAT is the point! That is precisely why I was recording my thoughts about my dog to begin with! Now, if you will stop interrupting me, I can continue.....)

Quite a bit of work has gone into those writings. Now, POOF! they are gone! Auuuggghh.

Discouragement led me to think, "well, so much for those thoughts. I simply cannot put them back on paper (hahaha....old school for in the computer); I will never remember everything." But deep inside something said "Rubbish! yes you can do this." So who knows....I feel like that character in The Emperor's New Groove who had the little demon on one shoulder and the little angel on the other...."you can do it!" no you can't" "yes you can" "no you can't"....

We shall see. The we referring to you and me, not the demon and the angel.

Frugality / Simplicity.....

are the new buzzwords. Frugality and simplicity should go hand in hand. So I was looking at this magazine about being simple; the price is not a frugal price, that's for sure.

You can be very frugal and still not live simply. You can adorn your house with lots of cheap stuff from the thrift store.

You can live very simply and not live frugally. The few simple things you buy to adorn your house can cost the price of someone else's annual salary.

I think frugality without being a scrooge is a wonderful thing. And I think simplicity based on frugality is wonderful.

I never really bought my children toys. Most toys are made of plastic with some other non-biodegradable parts. Did my children have some plastic toys? yes, most assuredly. However, I wonder at the number of items we have in a house that simply will take up room in a landfill - things such as picture frames, candle holders, toys, knick-knacks, appliances, etc.

Our thinking seems to be "......ummmm, I am bored with my life today, I want to buy something. Oh, that picture frame is soooooooo cute. I want it; I will buy it. Or my hammer has a scratch in it; I will feel more complete about my tool kit if I have a new one..."

And then, poof, just like that, we have added to the items that will one day fall in that landfill. I am not extreme about this but surely there has to be a balance? For the rest of my life, I really don't need another candle holder or picture frame. I am quite sure I have enough.

I am on a mission to reduce my pots and pans to just stainless steel and / or cast iron. They are healthiest for cooking anyway. I think I shall give the others to the thrift store - but therein lies the problem. I am told that teflon coated pans are not really good for you. So do I contribute my unhealthy pans to help someone who is frugal or do I toss them in the landfill?

Live simply, live frugally. But don't be ridiculous about it.

Kentucky Derby

I don't follow horse racing at all....except for the 3 major races. I usually root for the Derby winner to win all three, just because I think it would be good for America to have a Triple Crown winner again.

So yesterday, Super Saver won the Derby. And better yet, the jockey who rode him said this horse was going to be a Triple Crown winner. Wouldn't that be great??

I was a huge fan of Barbaro - I think he could have been a super star and still feel sad about his death. (Is that weird?) Regardless, maybe Super Saver can pull this off!

I can't believe how my heart pounds when I see those horses racing around the track. It is probably better that I actually am not into racing - I would probably be dead of cardiac arrest before long. And I don't even have a vested interest in the sport.

I do think I could pull off looking chic in one of those outrageous Derby hats. Have you even seen the pictures? Amazing!

The turtle club....

I walked out of the front door and started down the steps when I suddenly realized I had a visitor. My visitor had brought its own home with him (how convenient...have house; will travel!)....the original RV life.

I was rather amazed to see this turtle on my front step so I sat down and watched him. Gradually, his head, which had been nearly completely retracted into the shell, began to emerge until it was fully exposed. We sat there, he sunning himself in the bright warmth and I just watching him with great curiosity.

There is no real point to this story except that I was absolutely delighted to have him. But the funny part was to come later. My daughter and I decided to release him somewhere in the wild where he would be safe from dogs and cats and other creatures ie neighborhood kids. We carefully put him in a box with a loose lid on top of a chair that was on the raised ramp to our back door. Then we each decided to take a nap before we set off to free him.

A couple of hours later we went to get the box....lo and behold, the box was empty and he was gone!!

Clever little turtle. I have no idea how he managed to get out of the box but somewhere lurking in my neighborhood is the new Houdini. Good luck to you, little pal!!

Step ONE for paving a neighborhood road.....

Please advise the neighbors of said neighborhood that on a certain time of a certain day they will not be able to get out of their driveway. Otherwise, you see, said neighbors are BLOCKED IN.

Yes, my street is getting paved today. Did I know paving was going to happen sometime in the near future? Yes! Did I know that it was today? No!

Well, alrighty then. If I ever pave someone's road, I really hope I remember to tell them when it will happen so they can get their car out of the driveway.

Being stuck in the house is not a bad thing, though. Shoot....I can hear my mop calling.

On Soulmates and such

So my daughter's friend, J, just got engaged last night. Which is highly ironic because in the fab five that comprise my daughter's circle of high school classmates who have kept in close touch through all 4 years of college, J was the most depressed about ever finding a true soulmate. She was convinced it would never happen.

Then, along came M. Shy, quiet, unassuming M. Within a few dates, it became apparent that this relationship was headed somewhere. That was 3 years ago. Now they will become married soulmates within the next year.

And that is how it happens. One step at a time. When we don't expect it. J is happy. M is happy. The other 4 girls acknowledge they could never marry M. But that is because he is not their soulmate.

Congratulations, J and M!

You know you have ADD when.....

....you leave the radio on SCAN for a 2 hour trip rather than listen to any one station.

Something about that just seems wrong.

Phil Mickelson

I loved the finish of the Master's. Do I play golf? Nope. Well, I did play putt putt as a kid....does that count? Do I normally even watch it? No, but this year I happened to see the last few minutes of the tournament on television.

What a beautiful scene.....Phil showed such grace and class and well, love. He shot the last hole, hugged his caddy and then with the determination of a man on a mission he strode to where his wife was, clasped her in an enormous hug and held on for dear life.

His wife has had breast cancer this year, and what an emotional win...to have his wife by his side. It was as though he won for her and yet at the same time he was crediting her for helping him win.

What a beautiful thing. I wish them well.

April showers....

....of pollen. Not rain falling from the sky but rather a yellow cloud of clinging powder that coats well, everything. And I really want to keep the window open...but oh no, that won't work. There is nothing quite so condemning as a window sill covered with a fine coat of pollen. Auuggghhh...

Sometimes I think God has a sense of humor.

About Easter. Pastor Danny preached on Mary Magdala. She had an eye toward serving the Lord in one way by anointing His dead body; He directed her toward another venue of service in showing Himself to her and having her spread the great news of His resurrection. I frequently get puzzled by my inability to serve the Lord the way I think I should. Good thing He has a better plan.

Without the Resurrection, there is no hope. With the Resurrection, there is hope for all eternity.

On Rain and Sunshine

It's funny how much I can get done on a sunny day, especially when I can open the window and balmy air comes in. But on a dreary, bleak day it seems I shut down and just wish it were a different day. Good thing God is not managed by the weather. He consistently gives grace and love even if the weather is cloudy.

February is an interesting month. Just kind of stuck in the middle of nowhere. Valentines Day (or national single awareness day, as my kids call it) falls in the middle but then poof, back to plain old February.

Valentine's Day also puzzles me. The whole concept of expecting roses because it is the day for that? or chocolate? or dinner? Really? I guess it is not bad but something about it has always made me wonder.

Global warming.....

is not here. It is gone. Forever. Or at least for a while. But that is good, right? Here is the funny part....people complain about how cold it is and then get worried because the climate might be warming up. Please decide how you want it, ok?

The southward migration continues in this country....people leaving the north because of the harsh, cold climate (well, ok, and high taxes, and incessant regulations, and etc), but if global warming is real, wouldn't they be staying there?

Wait...maybe it is that wonderful southern lifestyle. No. Not possible. That makes too much sense.

I give up. But I usually do because so much of the chatter about the latest craze or hype never makes much sense anyway.

God makes sense. Good thing He never changes.

Parenting

I don't understand parents who take a stroller the size of a small Toyota to the airport when they plan to travel. Really? Whatever happened to umbrella strollers and a diaper bag?

My mom used to tell me when my kids were little that raising babies had gotten very complicated compared to when she had us. She encouraged me to keep it simple....which was the best advice I was given.

Keep it simple, parents. You don't really NEED all that stuff to raise a great child. In fact, I am convinced that parents with those big strollers and multiple bags of baby stuff are far more stressed than the ones who travel light. And the babies are not any happier either.