Are We Having a Holly Jolly Christmas Yet?

Isaac and I have been randomly singing the "Twelve Days of Christmas" for the past several days. Every year I still have trouble remembering all of the 12 What my true love gives to me are. I always get stumped on 12 drummers drumming and can't help but wonder if my son even gives it a second thought when we sing 9 ladies dancing and 7 maids a milking. I do love that a local radio station has now changed to all Christmas songs. Every time I hear "O' Holy Night" I get goosebumps. It is my absolute favorite Christmas song and I feel like I sing "Silent Night" year round. I do get tickled at the poor retail workers that at the mention of how I enjoyed the Christmas songs playing in their store they roll their eyes and sometimes quietly whisper..."It drives me crazy!" Other little holiday favorites for me are...."Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", "Same Old Syne" (love Dan Fogelberg), "Christmas Shoes" (cry every time..every time...ugh!)...oh the list goes on. I do wonder though why there really aren't many newer Christmas songs around. It does seem every year it's the same old songs with new little twists but nothing that really grabs me like "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or something similiar. I wonder if the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" can ever be out done? Well, there's a lot to be said for the classics. Enjoying the free gifts of the season! I hope all of you are taking time to enjoy it and not stress so much over it. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"....so to speak.

The Memory of their Presence during the Holidays

I drove past a shopping center the other day that had already put out all of their Christmas Holiday decorations. I couldn't find the enthusiasm. Since losing my dad I have dreaded this holiday season. We didn't spend every holiday together but it just felt a little more warm knowing he was still around. The holidays are a bittersweet reminder of holiday memories long gone. I miss the gathering of my family around the dinner table making tamales, laughing, and sharing life together. I had an aunt that told me once when I was visiting her in Monterrey, MX after my mom's passing, "The warmth of family is like a fireplace and will always bring you here." She was right. I haven't been back in over 15 years but my heart always travels back to the sights and sounds of my mother's soul there. I miss the many decorations and enthusiasm my Mom, (Beth) had for the holidays. It was her favorite holiday. I still remember the deviled eggs and pimento cheese sandwhiches we'd have at my grandparents house when we opened up presents. She loved to shop. She could out shop anyone. We wouldn't buy everything....we would just shop for everything. She loved giving to others. We had to have baked at least 25 7-up cakes one year to give out to friends and family. My Christmas flare in no way will ever compare to hers but I loved that about her! Every holiday my grandma served her infamous green jello! I have tried to replicate it over the years and I'm pretty sure it turns out more like the jello served in the movie, "Christmas Vacation" ...the jello made with dry cat food. My dad just loved the simplicity of it all. He pretty much just showed up and enjoyed the atmosphere. One Christmas Eve when I was little I remember waking up at around 1 a.m. and I ran into the living room of my grandma's house. I saw presents and my Dad and his brother were visiting in the living room. I looked at my dad in bewilderment and asked him why in the world didn't he wake me up when Santa dropped off the toys?! He and my uncle gave me some story about how he got to the house and just left everything there but he had to go really fast to deliver all the toys to other kids. I was mad. I truly held a grudge against my dad that Christmas for not waking me up to see Santa. Funny how he would rather me be mad at him than to have let me know the truth about there not really being a Santa. He took the hit for my childhood imagination. Although there are some that will be dearly be missed this holiday season I have to remember that I am the memory that my kids will someday hopefully share and I want to take the hit for Santa also. If you are missing a dear one this holiday season my prayer is that the warmth of memories and new ones made will make you feel like you are nestled by a cozy fireplace. Have a blessed holiday season my friends. Peace unto all of you!

We've Come a Long Way from Pong..But I Liked Pong

I blame the age of Atari for the technology age. We are the future we dreamed about while playing Pong. I'm still not comfortable with it even though it seems the way of life these days. Every time I look up...noone else is. Everyone, including myself, seems bowed in technology instead of bowed in prayer or meditation. To look someone in the eye while speaking is a treat. Driving has become the multi-task accomplishment of this generation. People reading, talking, and typing on their cell phones. Next time you drive..look around at the stop lights. I bet 3 out of 5 are doing what really should be categorized as a drunk driving analogy. Would I be exaggerating if I felt we are probably not too far away from our own Avatar technological selves? Maybe..maybe not. The irony is I use technology it seems religiously. When I gripe and complain about changes or enhancements in social networking or cell phones, I'm not dissing the advancements made, I'm grieving the personal touches we are leaving behind. There's something unnatural about my emotions and close friends being categorized by algorithms. While my children will find that virtual hugs and communications are something worthwhile, there is still a part of me that finds the sharing in a techie world a bit impersonal. Isn't that the way we like things though? This way we don't really have to expose our "true feelings" because the computer does it for us...it's really not us. Don't be fooled. You're exposing more of yourself in the guise of an imaginary protective shield you think is the internet/cell phone. Bottom line...there's a part of me that wants to run away from all the gadgets, news feeds, cell phones. etc. but then there's the other side that is attracted to it all in the same way. Do I feel more "connected" with people in the techie world? Hmm...I feel that I can get more information faster but relationship wise...no, can't say that I'm closer with people...just maybe that I know more about them from what we share. Seems there's a learning curve in all of this. I don't plan on dropping out of social networking and nor do I plan on chunking my cell phone in the ocean. It does give me pause in wondering how we can preserve intrapersonal communications though. The things that give me hope....teaching a grandma how to use a social network once at her hesitation just so she could keep up with what her grandkids were doing. There was something nice about that but the flip side is...those grandkids need to pick up the phone and call their grandma once in awhile also.

Raspberry Beret and a Lucky Parakeet

The first MTV video I ever remember seeing was, "Mickey" by Toni Basil. "Oh Mickey you're so fine....Hey Mickey!" We didn't have cable so I would usually catch the MTV hysteria at friends homes. Once, when I was in the fourth grade I was hanging out with a friend and we were so excited to watch Prince's "Raspberry Beret" video on MTV. We were singing and dancing along like we silly girls do while her parakeet was screeching in the background to it's own little rhythm. She went to the cage and said, "Hey, let's let him out....to fly around the house for a little." Bewildered, I thought, "Ok, well, that sounds fun...how cute that would be!" The little bird was flying away around the room as we giggled and then in slow motion there went the parakeet into the ceiling fan and around around it went and thudded against the wall. Oh, Dear!! I am the last person on earth who would know anything about parakeet CPR or first aid. My friend and I panicked and rushed to the little bird. Poor parakeet but,....it lived! We were so relieved that it didn't look or act hurt! My friend gently put the bird back in the cage...it began tweeting again and with a sigh of relief we could enjoy all that was Purple Rain and Raspberry again. I cannot listen to Raspberry Beret without it taking me back to the parakeet adventure. We all have our songs, don't we?

Thank a Soldier Lately?

Lately, I've been seeing posts from a few FB friends that are serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives me pause to take a moment to be thankful for their courage. The friends of our youth that make us proud of the men and women they've become. Recently, I stayed in a hotel and I was hoping to catch up on my traveled laundry there. How nice that the hotel only had one working washer and dryer at the time. Several people showed up at the same time to use the one washer and dryer and it just became a huge frustration for all of us. As we waited we saw the man in front of us pull out his military fatigues to place in the washer. My husband and I struck up a conversation with the gentleman. He was stationed in Texas far from his two little girls that he hadn't seen in awhile. He told us that he was grateful that his ex-wife spoke of him frequently to his 5 and 3 year old girls and that gave him peace while he was away. He was staying in the hotel with a few other military personnel until further notice. I grabbed my bags and toted them back to my room and realized that getting the laundry done that night for me wasn't as necessary anymore. A FB friend recently posted pictures of him raising the American flag where he was stationed in Afghanistan in honor of his little girl's second birthday back home. The other morning I lit a candle for our soldiers. In that candle I hoped for good will toward them and their families, safety, and peace. Somewhere in the world is a soldier thinking of home and the least we can do is thank them from home also. "Being a soldier, fighting for this country, is neither Republican or Democrat."- Max Cleland

How do We Choose our Friends?

I've observed something extraordinary with toddlers. I love how my 2 year old can walk into a room and automatically see people, anybody, and yell out with excitement, "My friends!" I love when toddlers see eachother from a distance without even knowing eachother and run up to one another with a yearning to play and be friendly. A genuine...I have no boundaries approach for just liking the heck out of you! Love it!
I've never been the one that had a lot of friends that were other than surface friendships. I was usually the last one to be picked for the teams and let's not even go through the whole very awkward middle school years. Let's just say, kids can be very mean, as if I'm saying anything new. I remember making a friend, a genuine friend, so I thought. Problem was, she sat at the popular table and I was not one of those popular girls. I remember seeing my friend from across the cafeteria and wanting to go sit with her. She motioned me over and reluctantly I went because I was not welcome in that click. What happened next I will never forget. Two of the head "popular girls" saw that I was sitting at the end of the table visiting with my "friend." They looked at eachother and their other friends and next thing ya know they all got up and moved from the table to another one because I was there. Sad part was, my "friend" went with them. I was crushed. Whatever the reason, my parents didn't make as much money as theirs, I wasn't as cute in big hairbows as they were, I was too shy, conservative, wore non-brand clothes...whatever it was...I think, how sad that's what mattered to them. I picked myself up like I had many times before and moved on but, I made a decision that day. I placed on my heart that I would never be that person that set those kind of boundaries when it came to making friends. What's the saying, "Although, you walk with kings, never lose the common touch." I have friends in high and low places I'm proud to say! If I have a combination of ex-cons and prominent professionals at my funeral...then all I can say is...that's what Jesus would do ;) I have been blessed with some genuine quality friends in my life. For instance, the kind that out of the blue sends me a package in the mail with a plaque in honor of my dad's memory on his birthday that read, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of sound mind." II Timothy 1:7 Wouldn't you know it was one of my dad's favorite bible scriptures. I thank God for friends that see me, my quirks, my faults, my success, and failures. They see the whole package and love me for me. You know who you are friends. My list may be short, but my heart for all of you is infinity! I also feel that I really haven't had to go out of my way to make good friends. I've been lucky...somehow I feel as though they've been chosen for me :)

A Good Rain and a Renoir

I had a little time to myself yesterday and thought I'd do a little something for me. I went to the Art Museum by myself. What I found was that I liked going at my own pace and my brain needed the quiet time. I had never been to the Art Museum of Houston. I have to say that coming from someone that can't even draw a good stick figure I'm easily impressed with art, well most of it...I do still have my "what in the world is that" opinions. I come from an impressive gene pool of artists from both sides of my family and how the art gene belly flopped past me...one will never know. I once wanted to learn how to draw so badly I signed up for an art class in H.S. I was never so frustrated in my life when it came to a few of the homework assignments that I never completed or barely even started. Day 2 of art class and I was out! I withdrew so quickly I don't think the teacher had time to call my name during roll call. It's not a fear...it's down right...wish I could...but totally can't...and I'm ok with that. So, as I was strolling painting to painting I admired some of the great details put forth on canvas. Beautiful...to see a little house in the background of a painting with a warm light and smoke coming out of the chimney. Then there's cattle so defined on canvas that was a detail not worth blinking or it would be missed. I found myself wondering how there could be so many interpretations of Madonna and Child and wanting to get into the painter's head to know the story. I also wondered why a lot of women in some of the paintings looked so much like men. Landscapes were my favorite along with a few Renoir. Interestingly, my novice approach to art found me shying away from purchasing tickets to Newton when asked by the sales clerk. I asked.."Hmm...what is that?" Sales Clerk..."Nudes." Blushingly, I responded, "Ahem...well there's got to be plenty to see with general admission, right?" So, off I went. I must say that I was quite impressed with the young group of school children that passed by the statues of very anatomically correct poses without even a giggle. Can't say I didn't find myself not wanting to snicker just a little at times. It was a good day all in all. The rain sprinkles throughout the day added some artsy along the way. Art is such an expression of the way we see things that the world cannot fully express. It's like worlds within our world.