I remember the moment I became a grandmother for the very first time!! Hearing the very first cry of life and the overwhelming emotions of witnessing the miracle of birth! It's hard to actually describe how I felt at that moment, the relief that everything went well, a healthy bouncing boy and all the instant love in my heart for this child. That was eighteen years ago today!! Unbelievable how the time has flown and this bouncing baby boy is now a talented, handsome, smart and loving young man whom I am now and have always been very proud to call one of "my babies".
Our family has always heard me refer to our children, grandchildren, niece, nephew as "my babies". When I became the first grandmother of my circle of friends there was a lot of teasing about being "a grandmother" and that was just fine with me!! Since the first one I have been blessed with two more and another precious gift coming in December! It's always been amazing to me how when you have your first child you believe this child is your whole heart and then the second child comes along and your heart just seems to expand to hold this one equally and the same thing happens with grandchildren. They are all a little different, have their individual gifts and talents and personalities......but they share the most important qualities of a good and loving heart.
I remember when my grandson was about eight years old and I referred to him as "my baby" he quickly informed me he was no longer a baby to which I said "you are not A baby but you will always be My Baby and this holds true today so I can say....Happy Birthday Baby!
Having Grandchildren (and they really are grand!)........There's my blessing!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A New Day
A new day.....a new beginning.....a chance to be a blessing to others.....a chance to recognize and receive blessings!!
Sometimes blessings are huge, life changers such as the birth of a child. Sometimes blessings are small acts of kindness from a stranger.
We need to try to be aware of the people we encounter daily. What may seem insignificant to us, something that requires very little effort on our part can actually give someone a glimmer of hope or a bit of encouragement. There are days (and we all have them) when nothing seems to be going right. You're late for work, you get every red light, the gas light comes on in the car and you're looking for a hole to crawl into!
Out of the blue someone holds a door open for you and smiles and suddenly you feel a little better.....or did you notice that little blessing?
You're standing in line at the store with the milk you need for the kids and the lady in front of you with the full cart turns to you and says "You can go ahead of me", suddenly you feel a little better......or did you notice that little blessing?
Think of how much more pleasant our lives would be if everyone made a conscious effort to be a blessing to someone each day.
In my hurry to get to work this morning I forgot my lunch. My son just called and said "I'll bring you lunch".....There's my blessing
Sometimes blessings are huge, life changers such as the birth of a child. Sometimes blessings are small acts of kindness from a stranger.
We need to try to be aware of the people we encounter daily. What may seem insignificant to us, something that requires very little effort on our part can actually give someone a glimmer of hope or a bit of encouragement. There are days (and we all have them) when nothing seems to be going right. You're late for work, you get every red light, the gas light comes on in the car and you're looking for a hole to crawl into!
Out of the blue someone holds a door open for you and smiles and suddenly you feel a little better.....or did you notice that little blessing?
You're standing in line at the store with the milk you need for the kids and the lady in front of you with the full cart turns to you and says "You can go ahead of me", suddenly you feel a little better......or did you notice that little blessing?
Think of how much more pleasant our lives would be if everyone made a conscious effort to be a blessing to someone each day.
In my hurry to get to work this morning I forgot my lunch. My son just called and said "I'll bring you lunch".....There's my blessing
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Cherished Memories
I lost my Dad twenty-six years ago and yet sometimes I'm surprised at how often I still think of him. He was older when I was born but I was blessed to have him until I was thirty-two. He was born during very tough times, survived the depression, World War II and had a third grade formal education. He was one of the most intelligent men I've ever known. He was always interested in learning, we would tease him about holding up the crowd because he would stop and read any plaques in a park, or signs describing the history of a certain building. National Geographic Magazine was his favorite reading material, we gave him a subscription one year as a Christmas gift and he later told me it was his favorite gift. Needless to say he got that every year after that!
He was a kind hard working man who worked two jobs to support his wife and three children. My memories of him sitting on the couch letting his four year old daughter (me) stand beside him and comb his hair all different funny ways and his laughter upon seeing himself in the mirror will always be a part of my heart. There are too many wonderful memories to share here but my point is that even though I know he had to be tired he never complained or sent me to off to play somewhere else. Of course, back then we didn't have computers, and probably only three or four channels on TV but I really don't think it would have mattered. He knew what was important.....his family, and if you didn't believe it just mess with one of us and he would show you real quick. I heard a saying one time "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family and you will get along just fine" and this is how he lived.
When those little ones come to you, do your best to always greet them with a smile and take time to make sure they know how important they are to you. Maybe if you do they will still cherish their memories of you twenty-six years after you're gone.
My daughter just took the time during her lunch hour to call and see how I'm doing today.........There's my blessing!
He was a kind hard working man who worked two jobs to support his wife and three children. My memories of him sitting on the couch letting his four year old daughter (me) stand beside him and comb his hair all different funny ways and his laughter upon seeing himself in the mirror will always be a part of my heart. There are too many wonderful memories to share here but my point is that even though I know he had to be tired he never complained or sent me to off to play somewhere else. Of course, back then we didn't have computers, and probably only three or four channels on TV but I really don't think it would have mattered. He knew what was important.....his family, and if you didn't believe it just mess with one of us and he would show you real quick. I heard a saying one time "Treat your family like friends and your friends like family and you will get along just fine" and this is how he lived.
When those little ones come to you, do your best to always greet them with a smile and take time to make sure they know how important they are to you. Maybe if you do they will still cherish their memories of you twenty-six years after you're gone.
My daughter just took the time during her lunch hour to call and see how I'm doing today.........There's my blessing!
Reality?
Are you kidding me? I'm not a huge TV or movie fan, generally I only watch late in the evening when I'm too tired to do anything else. This probably is a habit developed from working full time and raising two children. Late in the evening was the only time available to unwind. The old sitcoms were mainly light-hearted and silly, sometimes even goofy, but it gave you some comic relief from the day.
When I'm flipping channels in the evening now it is one reality (and I use that term loosely) show after another. If you do happen to find a weekly show it is about crime, sex or some political view. People need some relief from the day to day stresses without having to get deep in thought or watch some horrendous crime scene. I don't know about you but I have a hard time getting those images out of my head right before going to sleep. Then we have the "Housewives", do these people really spend sixty thousand dollars for a four year olds birthday party when there are hungry children probably less than a mile or two from where they live? I don't get the point, is it to flaunt their wealth, is it to encourage people to want this kind of lifestyle? Where are the family values, family loyalty and teaching children that it's not ALL about the stuff? I saw a commercial the other day where a mom lies to her daughter about wearing her shirt! I thought we were supposed to teach our children not to lie!
I have a remote control!...........There's my blessing!
When I'm flipping channels in the evening now it is one reality (and I use that term loosely) show after another. If you do happen to find a weekly show it is about crime, sex or some political view. People need some relief from the day to day stresses without having to get deep in thought or watch some horrendous crime scene. I don't know about you but I have a hard time getting those images out of my head right before going to sleep. Then we have the "Housewives", do these people really spend sixty thousand dollars for a four year olds birthday party when there are hungry children probably less than a mile or two from where they live? I don't get the point, is it to flaunt their wealth, is it to encourage people to want this kind of lifestyle? Where are the family values, family loyalty and teaching children that it's not ALL about the stuff? I saw a commercial the other day where a mom lies to her daughter about wearing her shirt! I thought we were supposed to teach our children not to lie!
I have a remote control!...........There's my blessing!
Who Determines Cool?
As a parent I always tried (the key word being tried) to do what was best for "my babies". Needless to say sometimes I succeeded, and sometimes I failed. I never realized just how much my parents had sacrificed or understood some of their decisions until I had my own children. More than once in my years of raising children did the thought pop into my head "now I understand". I think that is part of the fun of being a grandparent, you understand more of what is a temporary situation in their lives as opposed to a life altering situation.
We have a beautiful granddaughter, smart, sweet, loving, kind and fun! She made a choice a couple of months ago to "go along with the crowd", you know "the cool crowd" and get a body piercing. OMG was my first thought and lasting thought! I have never been accused of keeping my opinions to myself so needless to say we had a prompt discussion about this. This was not a long drawn out talk. As we sat on the couch with my arm around her shoulder I asked her, "So when are you going to get a tattoo?" She looked at me as though I had suddenly grown a third eye and said "Never!" Why not?, I asked her, a lot of people think tattoos are cool. That was pretty much the entire conversation.
Several hours later as she was getting ready to go home she hugged me and said "I love you", as I held her I whispered to her "Who determines cool?....she looked up at me, smiled and said "I do!"........There's my blessing!
P.S. The hole has closed!!
We have a beautiful granddaughter, smart, sweet, loving, kind and fun! She made a choice a couple of months ago to "go along with the crowd", you know "the cool crowd" and get a body piercing. OMG was my first thought and lasting thought! I have never been accused of keeping my opinions to myself so needless to say we had a prompt discussion about this. This was not a long drawn out talk. As we sat on the couch with my arm around her shoulder I asked her, "So when are you going to get a tattoo?" She looked at me as though I had suddenly grown a third eye and said "Never!" Why not?, I asked her, a lot of people think tattoos are cool. That was pretty much the entire conversation.
Several hours later as she was getting ready to go home she hugged me and said "I love you", as I held her I whispered to her "Who determines cool?....she looked up at me, smiled and said "I do!"........There's my blessing!
P.S. The hole has closed!!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
911
911 ! 911 ! I would like to share an amusing story with you of when our grandson, who was three years old at the time didn't quite understand what he had been told and how we need to always be aware of how we explain things to little ones. Sixteen years ago, before cell phones, we were always hearing how important it was to teach children what to do if an emergency occurred. Call 911 ! So me trying to be the responsible Grandmother told him many times, "If someone ever hurts you, Call 911" I remember being very diligent about telling him this almost on a daily basis. Imagine my surprise when one afternoon while he was playing in the living room I heard screams of 911 !, 911 !, 911! When I ran into the living room he was getting a spanking for not doing what his Mother told him to do! Those little pats to his bottom were most definitely an emergency to him!!
Those of us who are blessed enough to have children in our lives need to stay aware of how our words and actions are interpreted through the eyes of a child. As a child we never were aware of family finances (or lack there of), gossip or anything else that parents seem to openly discuss in front of their children today. There is an old saying that really holds true, "If you want someone to listen, whisper." Don't think for a minute that they aren't hearing and witnessing everything around them. Let them stay innocent and unaware until they are old enough to comprehend what the real situation is.
Granddaughter just walked into my office with a beautiful fruit loop necklace she made just for me........There's my blessing!
Those of us who are blessed enough to have children in our lives need to stay aware of how our words and actions are interpreted through the eyes of a child. As a child we never were aware of family finances (or lack there of), gossip or anything else that parents seem to openly discuss in front of their children today. There is an old saying that really holds true, "If you want someone to listen, whisper." Don't think for a minute that they aren't hearing and witnessing everything around them. Let them stay innocent and unaware until they are old enough to comprehend what the real situation is.
Granddaughter just walked into my office with a beautiful fruit loop necklace she made just for me........There's my blessing!
Expectations
Nov. 8, 2010
Expecting something wonderful today!! Have you noticed how small children get up bursting with energy, happy, looking for something to do, right now! Notice I said small children, teenagers on the other hand are a whole different story but I'll save that for another day. Little ones aren't bogged down by what day of the week it is, what bills are due today or when payday is. Wouldn't it be great if we could hit the floor every morning with that same enthusiasm and gusto for life!
I have always enjoyed children because they are so full of life and will love you, as we've always said in our family, "Big as the sky!" Little ones have not been overtaken by the day to day issues adults deal with. Everything is exciting for them, from finding and bringing Mama a pretty leaf or a beautiful dollar weed to put in the vase on the kitchen windowsill to presenting you with their latest artwork. I hope to always be able to share in the excitement of these little bits that bring them such joy and to see the happiness in their eyes at being able to bring you such a special gift. They will know one day that the real gift is being a part of their lives.....There's my blessing!
Expecting something wonderful today!! Have you noticed how small children get up bursting with energy, happy, looking for something to do, right now! Notice I said small children, teenagers on the other hand are a whole different story but I'll save that for another day. Little ones aren't bogged down by what day of the week it is, what bills are due today or when payday is. Wouldn't it be great if we could hit the floor every morning with that same enthusiasm and gusto for life!
I have always enjoyed children because they are so full of life and will love you, as we've always said in our family, "Big as the sky!" Little ones have not been overtaken by the day to day issues adults deal with. Everything is exciting for them, from finding and bringing Mama a pretty leaf or a beautiful dollar weed to put in the vase on the kitchen windowsill to presenting you with their latest artwork. I hope to always be able to share in the excitement of these little bits that bring them such joy and to see the happiness in their eyes at being able to bring you such a special gift. They will know one day that the real gift is being a part of their lives.....There's my blessing!
Todays Choice
November 7, 2010
When I woke up this morning I made a choice, the same choice I make every morning. I chose to have a great day! We all have this option daily, but it is something I believe we have to make a special effort to do. When you don't do this all the crazy things in our lives tend to take over our thoughts and attitudes. Choosing to have a great day makes it easier to see all the blessings out there. Now granted I've had many days in my life when I got up, chose to have a great day and lo and behold out of nowhere comes a lemon and smacks me in the face! Very disappointing, shakes me up temporarily but I then weigh out the options, check perspective and think to myself...Is this going to matter ten years from now?...if the answer to that is NO then I have an easier time dealing with whatever it is and move on. I was raised during the times when kids were not pampered as much as today and basically we were told to quit whinning! Everyone has problems, some bigger than others. During these very trying times when I am feeling a little overwhelmed and having to fight the urges to let these things overtake my great day along comes my three year old granddaughter with a big smile and a big hug! ........There's my blessing!
When I woke up this morning I made a choice, the same choice I make every morning. I chose to have a great day! We all have this option daily, but it is something I believe we have to make a special effort to do. When you don't do this all the crazy things in our lives tend to take over our thoughts and attitudes. Choosing to have a great day makes it easier to see all the blessings out there. Now granted I've had many days in my life when I got up, chose to have a great day and lo and behold out of nowhere comes a lemon and smacks me in the face! Very disappointing, shakes me up temporarily but I then weigh out the options, check perspective and think to myself...Is this going to matter ten years from now?...if the answer to that is NO then I have an easier time dealing with whatever it is and move on. I was raised during the times when kids were not pampered as much as today and basically we were told to quit whinning! Everyone has problems, some bigger than others. During these very trying times when I am feeling a little overwhelmed and having to fight the urges to let these things overtake my great day along comes my three year old granddaughter with a big smile and a big hug! ........There's my blessing!
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