Day of the Pants

     I dont't air my dirty laundry on Facebook....Even some of Reagan's antics can never be told. This story is one of the "must never be told files"....except a friend urged me to blog it. So, throwing my dignity to the wind Here is what happened...On Easter Sunday Morning.....in front of God and everybody...
     I made sure everything was ready, Reagan's suit was ironed crispy , his shoes would fit nicely. Angela's new things were waiting, and her hair for once was almost laying nicely. While I was fixing my face, I told Jonathan, who was all ready dressed sharp and doing nothing, to help Reagan with his suit and tie.
     Time was getting away, Reagan ran in to show me himself and I quickly snapped a photo with my phone and ordered them to the car. We got to the church and I set to work checking rooms, and changing the cross cloth, making coffee. I was busy-- Reagan was running around. I remember having a thought about his pants being too big.
     People begin to arrive and as usual many played and talked with Reagan, he is everyone's friend. The service began, we sang, it was good...A wonderful lady sang, it was good. Pastor began his sermon...it was very good...I was engrossed as Reagan wallowed all over me. "Wow, Pastor's message is so good today, " I thought as Reagan laid over my lap ...I glanced down to see the fly of his pants staring up at me from his backside.....

HORRORS

I looked at Jonathan, he was engrossed..

at this point in time Angela got up and went to the bathroom, I usually go with her-- but with Reagan across my lap with his pants on backwards-- I just sat there. "Should I take him to the bathroom and fix him?" I thought, "no, he would begin to yell, thinking he was in trouble...should I leave him and go to angela and makes sure her shirt doesnt get tucked into her undies?" "no leaving him alone on easter with Pastor calling all to a closer walk is not a good idea." 
     Soon Angela is coming back, I turn to see her approach....barefoot....her pants...BACKWARDS...and INSIDE OUT....and yes her shirt tucked into them.--
My only reason for living is CHRIST AROSE

EASTER FROM REAGAN

     This morning I arrived at church early to take down the red/scarlet cloth from the cross and exchange it with a white one. Reagan, of course was helping and chatting away.I took down the satiny red one and folded it, he asked to hold it for me. He was chatting about the soft, prettiness of it. Suddenly he was quite and watching me as I placed the white one around the  cross,"Why are you putting a white one up there mommy?" he asked. I answered,"Because the white one means Jesus is alive and we are so happy".
He looked down at the one in his hands and said ,"This one is red". I said "Yes, isn't it so pretty?" With a grim face he answered,"Yeah, but it means He's just dead". he pointed to the white one on the cross and said smiling,"THAT ONE means he's ALIVE!"

It is Easter season and aside from the holiday's specific implications, Easter is a happy time for me because of flowers.
I love flowers and plants of all kinds, I love dirt I love to smell it and touch it and play in it and make things grow in it. But I digress....back to the flowers.
This time of year things are blooming and sprouting and filling the landscape with colour...how refreshing, new life, new smells, and new views.
 I was talking to someone yesterday who had no knowledge of such things outside of a flower garden. Where she lives if you have no flower garden you don't see flowers. I can not imagine such a thing. I began to think about all the beauty we have surrounding us here. Much of the beauty I love so much grows wild. I enjoy domestic flowers as well, tulips, daffodils, roses, azaleas, but the wild dog woods and clover and all the other plants are so beautiful and add so much to our life.
Lets all stop this Easter weekend and take notice of the beauty around us.

Keep Smiling...

I am writing this at the local library, why? because my computer died. I have to be careful because on this keyboard I am using the space bar only works 2/3 of the time, that means, when I think it is fine , zappo! it happens again and appears that I am not breathing between my words...I hate that. Yes computer is in the shop getting a new brain... bummer, but a new brain will be good, all fresh and unused, un virused and un- tarnished. Hey that sounds pretty good, especially since he is taking my files from the old one and putting them in the new. Would that not be the greatest thing ever? To have a new untarnished brain but yet having the good information intact? Since that cant happen outside of science fiction we will have to have the next best thing, replacement value. REPLACEMENT OF BRAIN?????  No, not quite. Replacement of thoughts, renewal of the brain. Get rid of old thought patterns and replace them with new. Toss out the junk and replace with good, positive, and visionary thoughts. Feed your mind on uplifting things and ideas. Build visions for tomorrow and begin to make them happen. When you feel like crawling under a rock, step into the sunshine, if its raining on your parade, just dance in the rain! How refreshing!
My computer will be better than before...I plan to make my mind better than before as well!

Living the Good Life

     Did you ever want to be a cartoon when you were a kid? My older brother wanted to be one, specifically Spider-man. I always thought it would be great to be Wile E. Coyote, not because he was a conniving thief, or that he was an underdog, but because no matter what happened to him....he came out unscathed. Sure a 1000 pound anvil fell on his head,but  he simply walked away like an accordion, only to return seconds later completely fine. He may be blown to bits by his own bomb, but he would rise intact for another try. Falling off a cliff may harm you and I--- but Wile E. Coyote left a ten foot hole in the ground only to climb out of it stronger than ever.
     To a child....well, lets face it, to ANYONE that would be a great thing, living life with all of its hurts, pitfalls, and disappointments, and just walking through unscathed! But the thing about Wile E. Coyote is, he never learned a lesson....he continued doing the same things over and over again, never growing in wisdom, never maturing, and never changing his mind.
     We live life, make mistakes, have hurts and sorrows...but hopefully, we don't live as cartoons. Hopefully we grow and mature, recognize problems and fix them. Hopefully forty years down the road we are not in the same place we started out.
    

The Way of It

     So yesterday it was so sunny and beautiful, I determined to spend some time in the lounge chair outside, and take in some rays. I was a good steward of my time though, and did all the things I needed to do first. Finally, I donned my swim suit, lounge chair, sunning spray, a book and trekked out to the side yard. Ahhhh this was great, for about half an hour, the sun warmed my skin and felt great. Just as I was about to doze off, a strange and new sensation brushed my skin. A cool breeze....a little discomforting....ahhhh warm again. Irritatingly, there it was again, I peeked out from under my lashes and discovered...a cloud was partially covering the sun. No big deal, it would go on over...But no...it did not. My sunning time should have ended then...technically it did, but I was too stubborn to quit, and stayed there until it dawned that I probably looked ridiculous to the neighbors. Not wanting to embarrass my children, I gathered my things and returned indoors.
Next time maybe I should sun first and be a good steward later. ;)

cooking

    It is amazing to me how many people don't seem to like to cook. I wonder if it is a dislike of cooking, or is it a lack of knowledge about cooking or just fear of creating something that is not good. When I was a young girl, I was a "can opener" I had no knowledge about cooking really aside from biscuit making. I also had a hefty dose of fear. I thought there had to be a "way" of doing and a great knowledge before one could be a real cook.  But soon I realized that if I was to enjoy meal times I was going to have to start experimenting.
     Never being one that enjoys ready made quick meals like hamburger meals with noodles and heat up frozen entrees, I set to work. I started out by adding to these ready meals adding an onion or a pepper extra noodles and spices. Soon I was losing the fear. I moved on to creating soups, and stews, experimenting with biscuit doughs, and cake mixes.
     I tried various ways of cooking fresh vegetables, steaming , broiling, sauteing, until I was satisfied with results. One step at a time I learned to cook mostly through trial and error. Then I visited my older relatives and wrote down things they had in their memories about recipes and cooking tips. They had forgotten more than I will ever know.
    I hope the art of cooking doesn't die away, mabe some day a young relative will visit me in my old age and ask me for tips I haven't forgotten yet.

REAGAN

     This has not been my best day ever, I've been a little down. But with a little boy like Reagan in the house no one can stay down for long. Let me explain him to you. He is six years old and quite the little sweet heart. He was born and seemed quite normal. He did things a little different than most babies, but we didn't mind. At the age of about a year and a half old, he began to lose words, he knew many words up until then....but he just stopped saying them, and he stopped playing with us, he sat behind the recliner and played alone...lineing his toys up in rows.
     I recognized the symptoms and called specialists, and in the meantime we worked with him ourselves as a family. While he shunned hugs, we hugged anyway. While he withdrew, we followed. While he played alone, we sat beside him and played.
     For a couple of years he only echoed what he heard, and scenes from tv shows he liked. He was a little parrot. But little by little he began to come out of the shadows and join us. Through prayer and play and perserverance, Reagan of the "Reaganisms", was born. Believe it or not, its only been a year that he has began to talk and have actual conversations. The first time he said Well, I love you Mommy" I cried for a long time.
     Now I must share the latest "Reaganism" which is what we have named his little profound and often funny statements:
    Reagan runs up to me with face shining and a smile as big as the sun,"Well, Mommy I CLEANED THE TABLE!" Ethan says, you did?" Reagan smiles,"YEAH I SPIT! and then I used the towel and everything! ITS shiny!"
    It means so much more now that you know his story I hope!



    

stormy weather

     Storms bring out the worst, best and funniest in everyone. It has been cool windy, and rainy most of the day. In fact, very  windy and tornados close by. I have been sitting at the computer writing and since I live in an apartment I can hear neighbors as they come and go. I have to smile when I here the high pitched shrieks as they run in the cold pouring rain from their cars to their doors.
     People drive faster than they should in such weather, hoping to get home quicker, but it makes for bad tempers and dangerous situations.
     Even as the wind howls and the rain pours, my poor Shadow (poodle) has to go potty, but he won't go out in the rain! Unless of course I walk out with him....NOT A FUN TIME. I ask you, what is the difference in three inches of roof over my head as I wait for him? It isn't good enough... he stares pitifully, I must step out into the rain with him or he will go back inside and use the floor.
     I threaten him as I often do with making a hearth rug out of him...he smiles and wags.... because he knows I dont have a hearth.

Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is always an experience! Almost like christmas, I find things I forgot I had, things I dont need , and things that make me exclaim, "what is that?"  This go round I found some Christmas angel ornaments that I never found in time for Christmas,and some winter gloves that I really need now that it is spring!. I found an unused Huggie diaper that I know will come in handy someday; so I stashed it in a box for the grandkids that I may have, finally, before I am seventy.
     I did part with clothes that are too large, for I plan ahead, never to need them; and kept some old craft magazines, because I know I will make those things one day. Quilting material is always a must, so, I have a box full that will make a snuggly quilt one day. In the meantime, I will use the beads from that pretty broken necklace to make a brand new one even preetier!
    I discovered my poodle, Shadow's, various hiding places for his rocks, (he should have been a geologist's doggie), that he brings in every day, also my missing wooden spoons were in his stash! I have yet to catch him getting one , but he must climb onto to the table to accomplish it.
     Yes spring cleaning is always a great deal of fun and nostalgia, Can't wait 'til fall cleaning and see what I find!
    

     Many Native American's believed that their soul would be stolen if a photograph was taken of them. The Amish believe it is allowing a graven image to be made which is forbidden by God in the Bible.Most people while shunning a camerathemselves, readily fill their homes with photos of children, grandchildren and pets, so as to never forget a moment in time.
I have recently had to deal with loss and decide whether to choose dispair or contentment in the midst of it.
     My apartment was flooded twice this winter due to a faulty sprinkler system in the construction. The flood could have been worse than it was, I lost a computer, a number of books, photographs and paper work, not to mention clothes and other things.
     The computer , of course, was important, but my two prized possesions were my photographs and books, and that was the greatest loss to my heart.
I said before it could have been worse for I still have a number of books and the most prized are still in fine shape , but my phographs were many and now they are very few.
     I sorrowed for a while and then I thought, these photos contain no souls, I still have my family , some people only have photos, no family. And to mourn the loss more than a little would be to make it a graven image. I soon decided to be content, I dont need photographs to remember my children, and books with time can be replaced.
     God cares for me in good times as well as chaotic times, He never forgets me and provides all my needs one way or another. The clothes were soon replaced, and blessings poured in showing that He had not forgotten. He is always going to care for me.

Francine Rivers

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