Running with Dreams

Sometimes I talk to kids about what’s going on in their lives, dreams after high school, and missing too much school where they could lose credit for an entire semester. And that was just yesterday.

Most times, I light a little fire under them if only momentarily before they return to past decision making. I always hope that the connection I see in their eyes is a seed planted in their brain.

Sometimes, because of circumstances and choices, they feel their original dreams for the future have died. We all do that. We allow circumstances and people to direct our well-being. And often we feel helpless.

So I tell my students:

1.      When you make a wrong decision, try to make it right again.

2.      Only you can kill your dream and—don’t.

3.      No one can stand on your own two feet for you.

4.      It’s never too late to start over.

5.      Hard times will not last forever. If they seem to be lasting forever, then you need to recheck your method for change.  

I’m telling you this, too.

Today be inspired. Introduce yourself to your dream(s) again and run with it. If you trip and fall, get up and run again.

Running with Dreams.

Saturday

I would like to ask you...

Who in the world would move furniture to the middle of a room, tape off the wood trim, lay down old sheets to protect the carpet and then after pouring paint in a tray, tip the can back too far and spill lots of paint on one of the sheets, then as it’s soaking through the sheet, step in it with her toes before running on the carpet to get plastic to slip under the wet sheet to save the carpet?  

Did you guess it was me?

If so, YOU win a prize: a freshly painted wall by me. No? You’re not going to take that chance?  You don't want your prize?

I don’t blame you. I don't trust me either.

Sincerely,

Journaling (Painted) Woman

P.S. By the way, how do you get painted toe prints out of the carpet?

P.S.S. How was your weekend?

Nuggets of Learning

If we don’t learn something new every day then we’re not looking for those nuggets of information.

Some things I’ve learned in the last week:

1.      Together, my sister and I can load a chair in her pickup even though when I push she pulls and when she lifts, I’m setting it down.

2.      If you are going to have a CT scan and they ask you to list reactions you had the last time with Iodine, never ever offer the word tingling for a warm flush. Just saying, because if you do indicate one over the other, your entire appointment could be cancelled.

3.      You never get tired of hearing that you look too young to have a daughter who is 29. I didn’t mention my 34 year old son. He’s my secret. J

4.      A car engulfed in flames alongside the highway is very shocking to see.

5.      Spending time with my granddaughter confirmed what others tell me. She and I have so many things in common.

6.      Said Granddaughter is so intelligent, creative and funny, I can hardly endure the happiness this gives me.

7.      My older grandsons hug very tightly. I take this expression of affection as a humongous proportion of love.

8.      Thanksgiving dinner in America can mean anything: Hamburgers, Mexican and Chinese cuisine, barbecue or Turkey. Awesome!

9.      There are still too many hungry people in the world.  This includes children. This is a travesty.

Be thankful! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration, my wonderful blogger friends!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AN AWESOME LITTLE 8-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER! 

Grateful Hearts

Our egos may tell us that we are an island and that we get through life on our own. Our egos may be lying because we are not an island. We have people who love and support us, who cheer us on to the finish and who hold us accountable.

Did you know that we often take those people for granted? As we celebrate Thanksgiving in America this week and as we count our blessings, we need to show our grateful hearts by telling those people we love and admire how thankful we are--for them.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100: 1-5 (NIV)

Source: Holy Bible biblegateway.com

The Short Story Writer

You may be a short story writer if:

·         You’ve been diagnosed with Adult ADHD.

·         You only have 10 pieces of computer paper left and the nearest store is 30 miles away.

·         You’re a person of few words.

·         You like to love 'em then leave 'em.

·         You believe less is more.

Do you have anything to add while you’ve got my attention?

The Ruralhood

Hey, I'm over at The Ruralhood. I've neglected her long enough and thought I should spruce her up a bit. Come on over and visit! You might even discover what makes me tick. Of course, that could be scary. I'm just warning you.

Have a great Monday!

No Greater Love

There was a woman who loved her dog. One evening, she let the dog outside. It wasn’t long until she heard a commotion and then her dog crying. The woman rushed outside and saw her German Shepherd being attacked by a mama bear with a cub. There’s nothing fiercer than a mother bear with her cub.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”   John 15: 9 (NIV)

The woman didn’t think twice about fighting the mama bear for the life of her beloved dog, Otto. The mama bear didn’t like the woman’s attack and grabbed the woman’s head in her mouth as the woman fought to free Otto from the bear.

“Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15: 13 (NIV)

At some point, the woman broke away from the grip of the bear and stood tall yelling and waving her hands in the air. The action initiated by love compelled the bear to retreat with her cub. The woman with claw marks on her back and bites on her head made sure Otto was alive.

Otto? Well, he was injured too, but the vet said that Otto would be fine after he recovered.

What’s more powerful than the love of a Mama Bear with a cub and a human Mama of a beloved dog?  

God’s powerful and undying love for his children.  It’s a love affair of great proportion.   And, after all this time God persists with love to save us all. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)

Source of Story: Good Morning Weekend Edition

Scripture Source: BibleGateway.com

Weird or Creative?

I had a dream a month ago. It started out a little troubling but then turned bizarre.

The very end of the dream went like this. I walked into my dining room and the fan was spinning over the table and on the end of each blade was a Cabbage Patch doll head.

Weird huh? What could be weirder than that? Could it be me making a photo rendition of my dream to show you?

Knock Knock, is Stephen King in the house?

I need to do a family tree.


Questions you may be yelling at your computer screen:
1. Did you ever have a bad experience with a CP doll?  Not at all. Some of my best friends are CP dolls.
2. Did "they" really let you raise your children? Yes, nobody else wanted them.
3. Was there blood in the dream? Yes, but it wasn't red. It was green...like cabbage.
4. Have I ever had therapy? Of course, but not lately.

Happy Wednesday!

Parade

I have to admit, I haven’t been to a parade since my daughter was drum majorette (I think). Saturday, I went to watch three of four grandchildren in our local town Veteran’s parade. It was cold.

Shivering kind of cold.

My grandsons rode on a fire truck  with my D-I-L’s stepdad. They were loving it. They adore their granddad.

My granddaughter debuted her baton twirling. I yelled her name to get a photo and when she turned she had a “I’m freezing” look frozen on her face. But, she’s related to me and she toughed it out. Ok, I might have been complaining prior to the parade about the cold. But, I did tough it out.

As I was walking back to my car, I came upon a sorry sight.

There was a parked pickup that was having an embarrassing day. You know how when you visit the restroom and you come out with toilet paper stuck to your shoes? Imagine you’re a pickup and you have no hands and you need to remove toilet paper stuck in one of your doors.

That’s what happened. I didn’t help out either. I laughed, took a picture and walked on.

Hey, I didn’t want to get involved and I don't know where that paper had been.

~~JW

Word Verification

Just like everyone else, I get discouraged and I get the “Woe is me” mindset.

The other day I visited a new blog that had just started (which has nothing to do with this post). I wanted to leave a comment and she had the kind of comment box that is embedded and had Word Verification.  I rarely see real words in word verifications. This time I did.

The word I needed to type in was Bless.

In spite of my emerging poor-me-itis I AM blessed.

Some days I brood over things like:

• Stomach upsets
• Where does my money go?
• A house that needs a thousand repairs
• Spilling Milk
• Dropping my keys five times

 Life stuff.

Sometimes I get discouraged. And then I count my blessings:

• Laughing grandchildren
• Loving family
• A job
• Home
• Friends
• Clothing
• Plentiful food
• A country where I can worship God without consequences.

Just to mention a few.

I am blessed, and it took word verification to remind me—I am blessed.  

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

 

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

 

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalms 100:1-5 (NIV)

Count your blessings and it may just change everything.

Scripture source: biblegateway.com

Keeping It Short

I just finished writing my first short story romance unless you count the play I wrote in 6^th grade which featured 6th grade romance or the love letter I wrote in 3^rd grade to my long distance boyfriend. Why, you ask, would I write something so complicated as a romance story in less than a thousand words?

I love short stories and it's a challenge – and I believe:

·         romance is basic...WE make it complicated.

·         romance is universal…as you read this, there may be people on Mars at this very moment falling in love.  

I learned some things about romance writing during this short story project. You need:

1.      At least one person who is interested in another (by chance or by scheme).

2.      Two characters who are not in another love relationship (it's a short story).

3.      You need the possibility of romance (closed off people need not apply).

4.      You need flirtation.

5.      You need characters that will take a chance on love and be open to the opportunity.

And you still need to think about:

1.      Interesting and believable characters.

2.      A beginning

3.      A middle

4.      An ending
5.   Creative sentences that make the story move.

A short story romance, that's what I've been up to.

How do you take your romance story?  Long? Short? Complicated? Basic?