The Wasp and the Ohm

How many times have you found yourself grounded, centered, relaxed, only to be swatting at something buzzing around your head?

Today, Day 3 of my 'Staycation' I was alone (sort of) on the deck. Thinking, mediating, praying. This vacation is long overdue so it has taken 3 days to get relaxed. Just when I feel my shoulders dropping to where they are meant to be, and my breath start to slow and my thoughts start to wander, a wasp starts buzzing around my head.

At first I attempt to ignore it. It flies away and then circles back almost Kamikaze-like toward my face. I live with it for a minute or two more and then finally, completely distracted, I go inside.

Isn't life like that.....fairly often? We finally get ourselves relaxed, happy, enjoying the moment and someone or something swoops in changing the whole scene and creating a bit of chaos. With the wasp, it creates fear, frustration, uncertainty, and aggravation. The same holds true for people and circumstances in our lives. They come buzzing mostly out of fear, frustration, uncertainty, and aggravation.

I choose to believe that the wasp has no true malicious intent. It is simply unsure of us and our motive and is protecting itself and it's territory. After all, I didn't interpret the buzzing sound to be saying, "Stop trying to relax you evil human. I'll show you relax.... buzzzz" with stinger ready to impart hurt and damage.

I guess I'll choose to believe that most humans don't have a malicious intent when they knock us off center. Likely, they are also trying to protect themselves and their territories.

What if we all stopped buzzing for a moment and just stopped.....

Stopped to listen, read, hear and understand. Not to hear our words. Words are confusing and leave way too much to interpretation. What if we stopped to listen to each others heart? Our breath? Our feelings?

What if always assumed goodwill and never malicious intent? Sure, once in awhile we'd get hurt and disappointed. But mostly wouldn't we match the feeling of tensions releasing, slow and steady breathing and finally feeling relaxed?

Maybe we wouldn't feel the need to keep our own stinger sharpened or to have our fly swatter handy for whatever buzzed in our ears.

It's a bug's life - May 30th 2009

The Angels in My House

Repost in honor of Mother's Day


No doubt the days can be long and hard,

Early to rise, late to rest,

Few minutes to stop and breathe.

Lunches to pack, errands to run,lists, lists, lists.

Squabbles and tantrums, skinned knees, bruised egos, are daily fare.

Some days I wonder how much more can I bare? How much more should I care?

Sometime after the sun finally sets and the moon is watching, I labor the stairs and the final remains of the day.

I step over a basket of laundry, dirty or clean, it's hard to say.

The teddybear princess lies thrown to the floor waiting for tomorrow to bring her back to life.

On the final stair, I turn and greet the angels in my house.

They lie nestled and snuggled,their round faces dreaming of what might be.

No struggles, no skinned knees.

Quiet beautiful angels, that God has given to me.

I brush a cheek , kiss a forehead, and linger there a bit.

It's there in the presence of angels, I see how it all fits.

It's there that I breathe and am reminded that these angels are my gifts.

They're to teach me, test me, mold me and show me how beautiful life can be.

It's then that I finally lay my head down and thank Him for sending these angels to me.

Tomorrow I will try harder, be more patient, and work to deserve the angels in my house.

We run because.......

The human spirit was alive and well today. 35,000 human spirits and their families, alive and well. Between the jugglers, the fireman, and the banana suit, were the mothers with their dauthers, the daughters with their fathers. Those that run for those that they miss. Shirts that say, We love you mom. We won't forget. Those that run and strengthen their friendships.

In a sea of legs and running shoes, were the triumphs and the personal bests, and those just short of what they hoped for. Spirits that set goals and achieved them. By achieving those goals their spirits grow bigger. They lie down tonight and know they can. They can achieve. They can push their limits and their bodies past the point they thought was possible. So tonight they may limp and move a little slower but they smile knowing they set out, and they achieved. Together.

I am.....

a writer, a mother, a wife, a bother, a friend, a daughter, a hero, a failure, a dreamer, a doer, a runner, a mover, a shaker, a great money maker, a child of God, an explorer, a homemaker, a milk drinker, a wine drinker, a great apple pie maker, lover of french fries and cheeseburgers, and blue cheese, and all things salty that crunch.

I am not....
a complainer, a whiner, a quitter, a slacker, a slob, a fashion statement, a political statement, a hero, a zero......

The Best Dog in the World

On Monday November 17th we had to let our Cycle go. He was just too sick.

Our 10 year old son Cameron sums it up best in this letter he wrote on Monday night.

In honor of Cycle the best dog a guy could have and my best friend forever. The dog who I knew before I was born, the dog who died knowing he had a family who loved him more than life itself. My last words to him were, I love you. So again I say in honor of Cycle the best dog in the world and my best friend forever. Dear God, please take the best care of Cycle. Always remind him that we love him.