Winter Wonderment

Thanks to a wonderful blogger (thank you Ruth!) I have found this, a mid-season "pick-me-up" for all you peeps out there in the middle of winter blahs! Take these pics and renew in yourself those feelings that gave you those awe inspiring murmurings you had before Christmas, when you anticipated winter. Yes...I know, this is not working like you planned. The holiday is over, the bills are coming due, but listen, make yourself a cup of hot tea, or cocoa, sit down and relax and just focus on this. Give me just a minute to paint you a little picture. K? Because I know we might have at least another couple of months of cold weather, right? So we may as well do it together, have fun, and do it relaxed.

The snowflakes gently falling outside while you are warm inside curled up on the couch, either watching a good movie with friends, loved ones, or just reading a book alone. Meanwhile, on the stove, is simmering a pot of home made soup. A fresh loaf of bread just baked, to go with the soup sitting on the counter, waiting to be cut into. Back in the family room, a cozy fire blazes to keep you feet warm, as you look over and see the the doggy and kitty all curled up together beside the hearth. The TV says the snow will keep everyone in a couple of days, but you have plenty of food in the cupboards, lots of wood, and everyone home to keep you company.

But...all is well, everyone is safe, warm and happy. Someone shouts that company is arriving. You welcome them in, they are laden down with foodstuffs to munch on for the day. You break out some games, gather around the table, shouting, laughing, eating, remembering. Ahhh, could this be any better? After a nice long day of playing hard with good friends and family, everything is put back in order. You have a sense of accomplishment, almost like a full belly, and that too! You look outside to see the snow is still falling, but not so hard. It is beautiful. Everything is so clean and crisp. You finally make it to your bed. You feel sleep taking you into another dimension of this wonderful day. Dream sweet person, you deserve your slumber! Jo

FAMILY.....The tie that binds, LOL

I have found that when family drama arises, this is the time that long distance is a good thing. But when recently, family emergencies came up, that distance was a hindrance. So...here we have a quandry. What to do? Is it good to live near family where we can help and solve things and grow closer, but also live near the heat of the problems, the drama, where we can't get away from the action. OR live away, visit when we want to, maintain that distance and perspective and just come around when absolutely necessary?

There are good points in both, I think. If you have the stamina to live and take the brunt of the hits that come with family drama, then go for it. If you have a close knit family, a warm family relationship that knows boundaries, by all means, that is probably the best thing. If you are one of those families that has one or two that like to butt in, or some outspoken person that doesn't know when to keep their mouth shut, or likes to outstay their welcome, maybe you ought to think of moving a few hundred miles away. Seems like distance may make the heart grow fonder!

For those having family problems, I am soooo sorry. I am not making light of that. We all have our skeletons in our family and have drama that we don't like to talk about. I am the first to say that. My prayers are with you. I just know that if we cannot laugh at life, what do we have? When life throws us these problems, we should take them, and know that somewhere, there is a family that is so much worse off than we are. I thank God for them, because I know I so blessed. Jo

Prayer for our Nation

after watching the inauguration, which was awesome, if you have not had a chance to see it you missed an historical event, i feel as though this country will take a turn. now i did not say for which way. i know change is coming. i just pray that it will be for the good. i am hesitant yet to say all is well now that he is elected and things will work out. that is my prayer. i would like for nothing else but to see that his promises do come about. but as the past does speak for itself, promises usually never get passed through congress, by no fault of the president. so we shall see, a new era, a new administration, change as he said is coming. so, keep praying that this is what it takes to bring our nation and possibly other nations back to where they need to be. jo

it has been 20 years now since you have died. i still can see your beautiful face. even though you were so sick and had so much trouble breathing, you were beautiful to me. i don't remember a lot about those last days. i tried hard to put them out of my memory. i remember praying to God to take you home so you wouldn't suffer anymore. maybe that was selfish of me. i wanted you to stay, but i wanted you well, and i knew that wasn't an option. i guess he wanted you more. i miss you so much. you have 4 beautiful great grandchildren. and you should see how wonderful the grandkids are with their kids. i know you would be proud. i know somehow you may be watching and i can't wait to be with you when that time is right. i guess all this is coming from going to see jim's parents. his mom fell and broke her arm and her thumb on the other hand and cut her eye really bad. we had to go home. she couldn't use either hand. his dad has symptoms of alzheimers and is dependent on narcotics for pain and we knew he couldn't help. it made me realize how life is so fragile. one minute she was standing in the driveway visiting with a lady from church, the next she is laying on the ground with both bones broke and sticking out and blood all down her face, and his dad came out and saw her like that, and the shock of it, well, he couldn't even go to the hospital with his own wife when the ambulance came. it was so pitiful. and here we are....12 hours away, and can't leave at least for 3 days! jim and i were ready to scoop them up and carry them back with us, but we know that they will never leave that place. they have lived there all their lives. so...we may move there soon. don't know when, but soon. i think about how you loved the ocean. when we lived in alabama and went to the beach in florida how you liked the sun and water. later, you didn't, but then you did. even in california, you liked to sit in your recliner by the window in the sun. gosh i miss you so much. i wish i could ask you all sorts of questions about our family. stories i never knew. stuff i just took for granted. i still have those tapes that were made of your interview right before you died. i still have not listened to them. i am afraid. and i don't have a cassette recorder....do they even exist any more? well, mommy, je t'aime ma stite crotte. i know that this is silly that i am writing to you, but it is almost your anniversary. and i didn't want to forget you. Je me Souviens....and i always will, je t'aime avec tout mon ceour! ta petite fille, jojo

my first thot is to run....

i did not know there would be so much to this blogging thing!! my sister got me into it, thought it would be fun, QUICK, but i have spent almost all day trying to figure out what to put on here, how to set it up, what to write, and all the rest of it! i'm tired and i haven't even begun yet! her site is all decorated and cute, mine is NAKED!! oh well, i will ad as i go along.

so...happy new year to all the bloggers out there. if you read my profile, i am a married lady of about forty-ish. more ish than forty. i am interested in ancestry, love to read, cook, hang out with my grand babies, and just do stuff around the house. i like to craft some, mostly scrapbooking now. of course that would involve lots of baby pictures and trying to sort through old pics too.

so if anyone out there has any of these same interests, or just wants to shoot the breeze....i am here. i am new to all this so, please don't throw any big stuff at me just yet. just getting my feet wet. lol jo p.s. and if you have not guessed, i am IRISH!!