Long Hollow

Sweet Chaos

I'm home.

The past week has been a whirlwind of sand, sunshine, hugs, laughter, seashells, sunburns, storm clouds, card games, wet towels, buffet-style meals, birthday cake, aloe gel, clear water, ocean waves, camera clicks...

But now, I'm home, hitting the ground running last night as soon as we unloaded the car... unpacking, starting laundry, uploading 1000 photos to my computer...

Yes, that's right. I said 1000.

But when you consider I spent a week in Pensacola Beach, Florida, at a reunion with my husband's parents, seven of his eight brothers and most of their families (including one brother's in-laws) I think I showed remarkable restraint in limiting myself to 1000 photos, don't you?

But the chaos didn't end with vacation. I have 2/3 of my kids home again right now, plus an extra. They're all in that limbo between moving out of one apartment and having to wait a week or two before moving into the next one.

Consequently, there's a mini-fridge in my livingroom, as well as stacks of boxes, furniture, and bags full of stuff scattered all over the house.

And I love it.

(Temporarily, at least.)

More on all of the above later. Right now I'm ignoring the casualties, which include my favorite swimsuit coverup (rust-colored stains I haven't been able to remove) and 1/2 of my brain (a spiral notebook where I listed my to-do's and jotted down bits of thoughts)...

Instead, I'm focusing on the sweet!s from the past week..

 

Saturday: safely arriving at your destination; reunions with family; the ocean's lullaby; the play of flashlights on a beach at night

Sunday: standing-room only in an island church on a beautiful summer morning; playing 3-13; watching your kids learn cribbage from two old pros 

Monday: running in a beach town; reading on the beach with the sound of waves in your ears; a walk on the beach at night; the BEACH, period!

Tuesday: seeing a sand shark and a turtle swimming in the water (from shore!); hugs from loved ones you haven't seen in a long time and babies you're seeing for the first time; winning a Wii Dance Off

Wednesday: running barefoot through the surf; baby sunglasses and hats; hamming it up at the air museum with your daughter; seeing the new Batman movie with your sister-in-law and lots of kids; watching your grown kids play with their little cousins; watching dolphins jumping in the bay

Thursday: having all of your kids with you; pictures and texts letting you know your puppies are doing fine while you're away; a banquet room filled with family; moonlight splashing on the Gulf of Mexico in front of your condo; cousins playing card games together

Friday: taking a long walk with your sweetie on the beach, holding hands; watching fish jump out of the water; McGuire's Irish Pub and the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk with your son and future daughter-in-law; a storm that passes you by 

Saturday: a house and pool overflowing with family of all ages that you haven't seen in too many years... wishing a happy birthday to everyone... crossing language barriers...and too many sweet!moments to list!

Sunday: good weather for traveling; a scenic detour; Subway Sandwich Shops on every exit of I-10; arriving home, safe and sound, to two puppies wiggling and grinning and overflowing with happiness at the sight of you; finding the momma duck and her mostly-grown duckling still hanging out at the neighborhood pond; new purple and yellow wildflowers popping up along your country road

Monday: a house full of kids and their stuff; watching your old puppy act like a youngster; tackling tons of to-do's; a day spent running errands with your daughter

I hope you all had a week full of sweet!s and have already started on another one. But please take a minute to share a sweet! from your past week!

 

Remembering 21

My baby turned 21 last week. After reminiscing about her birth, sighing over her baby photos and marveling at how fast the years have flown by, I continued spinning backwards through photo albums to my own 21. 

Photos pried loose memories buried under the rubble of thirty-two more years. So much I had forgotten...

 

 

For one thing, I had a lot of hair! The perm helped, of course. Perms worked great with hard hats...your hair just poofed right back out when you took off the hat. 

I preferred beer over wine at 21. Eighteen was the legal drinking age back then, so that Lowenbrau you see sitting near me was nothing new. 

And obviously, that's not Tom celebrating with me, but he wasn't far away... just waiting around a few corners of my life. 

That year I camped on the banks of the Guadalupe River and danced in Gruene Hall, where my son and his fiance had their engagement photos taken earlier this year. I went to Astroworld and the Renaissance Festival with my mom and sister. We've always had fun together.

My brother met his future wife.

I toured the San Antonio missions with my dad and sister, in between games of his bowling tournament. I had my first margarita in a San Antonio bowling alley. 

I played softball at picnics with coworkers from my chemical plant. I had a mortgage on a second-floor condo I shared with my Siamese cat, Char, and a pretty candy-apple-red 10 speed bike with a tan leather seat. I love candy-apple-red on any vehicle.

My brother Buster was still alive, and would be for a couple more. My parents were divorced, but they remarried (each other!) the next year.

With my sister and brother-in-law, I camped in Palmetto State Park and toured Gonzales, Texas. I saw the Come-And-Take-It cannon up close and personal for the first time.

My friend Debbie got married. The marriage itself didn't last long, but we had tons of fun at her lingerie shower, her bachelorette party at LaBare, and the wedding. I was a bridesmaid, dressed in a floral blue dress with some sort of smock thing over the top. The groomsmen wore baby blue tuxes. (It's okay... it was 1980. Very cool.)

I spent time with my friend Ann and the first two of her five babies, even though our lives were obviously on different pages. But then, I don't think we've ever been on the same page, and our friendship has survived... no, thrived... anyway.

Just before Christmas that year, while I was out shopping with my boyfriend's mom, someone broke into my condo. They just pried the door away from the frame to get in, and stole a topaz ring my mother had given me, two promise rings from high school sweethearts, and a collection of coins I inherited from my grandfather.

They probably took other things I've forgotten about but those are what still tug at my heart. 

Consequently, my boyfriend surprised me with a 32 revolver under the Christmas tree.

 

 

Now, when I was little, I liked to pretend I was a cowboy, and I've always loved shooting at targets, but, for some reason, knowing that gun rested in my bedside table triggered nightmares about someone breaking in. I was so afraid I'd have to use the dang thing. (But I would have if I needed to!)

By the way, I'm dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans in the photo above because I went in to work that evening, Christmas night. Holidays are just like any other day when you're working shifts... except you get paid double time.

My Aunt Peggy gave me an old ceramic teapot music box that Christmas, decorated with pink roses. It was the seed of my teapot collection.

I welcomed 1981 at one of the best New Year's Eve parties ever. Here I am with my friend Larry, who passed away from cancer a little more than a decade later. 

 

Most of my free time was spent with friends who were on "A" shift with me. We went dancing at Gilley's, played cards, camped, tubed the Guadalupe...

 

 

I find it funny that I wore a one-piece back then, when I could have worn a bikini... and wear a bikini now, when I should probably wear a one-piece.  

That was some year, now that I think back on it, although I didn't realize it when I was living it. It's hard to believe thirty-two years have passed... until I start thinking of all that's happened since then...

...So many of the faces smiling up out of my photo albums are gone now, but through the magic of photography, their memories are alive and a part of me will remain 21 forever.

I certainly hope my baby girl takes lots of photos to help her remember her 21... and I hope they are all sweet memories. 

What do you remember most from your 21?

Surprise Visitors and other Sweet!s of the Week

I was typing away at my keyboard yesterday, staring glaze-eyed at the monitor, when there came this loud ruckus outside my window.

Jumping  up, I spotted a roadrunner peering at me through the window. I'm still not sure what made all the noise... it was just sitting there looking all innocent on my deck railing.

He was sweet enough to stay put long enough for me to grab a quick photo. I wish I'd had my zoom lens on my camera instead of my 50mm, but all things considered, I'm grateful I got one this good! 

Sweet! 

 

And now for a few more sweet! moments from my past week... 

Sunday: popcorn and finishing Season 1 of Breaking Bad with your sweetie

Monday: remembering how twenty-one years ago you saw your baby girl's big blue eyes for the very first time and how you fell deeply in love with that tiny pink bundle in your arms; an apology and satisfying resolution to an issue that had your blood boiling; sister-in-laws; celebrating your baby's birthday with her

Tuesday: helping your husband rescue a teetering Suzuki Samurai without it tumbling into a ravine with you in it; friends joining in prayer for another friend; words of encouragement from friends on your art; reliving wonderful memories through photos 

Wednesday: walking your puppies in the soft gray of the morning; using your time and talent for your church; pink and orange sunsets over the hills

Thursday: a long overdue haircut; being on time for appointments despite bad traffic; spotting a baby deer lounging in the woods along your dirt road; a roadrunner hopping onto the fence outside your window while you work and staying long enough to get a (moderately good) photo

Friday: friends you can depend on to help your parents when you're too far away to do it yourself; lunch and yakking with sweet friends; money in your mailbox

Saturday: 2/3 of your kids sleeping under your roof; help from friends; looking forward to seeing family you rarely get to see

 

I'll be busy, busy, busy this next week, focused on family, so if you don't see me popping up on your blogs or Facebook, that's why. I  hope you have a week full of sweet! moments yourself!

Remember...

"There is no such thing in one’s life as an unimportant day."

Alexander Wolcott

 

 

Disappointment

 

How do you deal with disappointment,

and what lessons do you have to share from those experiences?

That's BlogHer's Life Well Lived Getting Happy question of the week and it's had me sorting through my past, trying to remember disappointing moments in my life. It was tougher than I thought it would be - I think the way I deal with disappointment is to accept the feeling, try to learn from it, forgive or forget as necessary, and move on. 

But I finally dug up a few disappointments: crumbled friendships that I thought were rock solid, some broken promises, missed opportunities, rejection letters... 

I remember like it was yesterday finding that letter in my mailbox...the one telling me the Texas magazine wanted to publish and pay me for the very first personal essay I had ever submitted anywhere in my entire life. I was flying so high from their acceptance and the validation of my writing that I'm sure my feet never touched the ground on my way back to the house.

The low that followed when I sat down to write again was fueled by the fear of rejection. It was so scary sending that next essay out into the world, sure that people were going to read it, shake their heads, and whisper that my first success must have been a fluke.  

But I made myself write it and send it out anyway. I also read all I could about famous writers who had received numerous rejection letters. It helped prepare me for my own inevitable rejection letter.

In a way, it was a relief to get that first rejection out of the way. I was disappointed, of course, but I lived. And I also learned, because the editor, Ken Hammond, let me know his reasons and encouraged me to try again. 

Before the Houston Chronicle quit publishing the Texas magazine, it rejected several of my essays, but accepted and published two more.  And one they rejected received an honorable mention in a Writer's Digest contest.

The thing is, disappointment is just part of life. If you want to experience the highs... if you want to appreciate the highs... well, you have to expect the lows.

You probably get bonus points for appreciating them, too.

So... 

 

How do you deal with disappointment,

and what lessons do you have to share from those experiences?

 

Please share your answer here, but then hop over and join in the conversation on the main post HERE. To win an iPod Touch, leave a comment on the sweepstakes page HERE.

 

 

They grow so fast...

They grow so fast, our little girls.

One minute they're so small, dependent, glued to your side for protection and comfort...

...the next they're letting go,

passing you up,

ready to face the world on their own.

It makes you proud.

It makes you wistful.

It makes you feel so, so blessed.

Happy 21st birthday to my baby girl.

Even though a part of me will always remember and ache for that tiny little girl who loved to be carried,

I'm so proud of your independence, your spunk, your perseverence and fire, and the loving heart it all protects.

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what other claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

~Philip Yancey

Quiet weeks and other sweet!s

The only excitement I've experienced this week has been in the form of thunder and lightning.

Every day, for seven days in a row now, it has rained in the Hollow. Some days we've seen more sunshine than rain, but every day at least one dark cloud passed by bestowing a blessing upon us.

We're still officially in a drought. Our big pond hasn't completely dried up, but it's close, down to the original creekbed. These recent rains haven't made a difference that I can see, but every little drop helps.

I'm grateful for the balance between rain and sun we've gotten each day. I enjoy the softness of rainy days and the drama of storm clouds, but too much rain dampens my spirit. I thrive on sunshine, but too much of it saps the color and energy from the world around me, and therefore, from me.

Other parts of the country haven't been as lucky, getting either too much rain or not enough. I pray in the coming months Nature settles down and we're all blessed with balance. 

And now, for the rest of my sweet!s of the past week...

Sunday: a good soaking rain in the middle of a drought

Monday: a morning walk with your sweetie; rain for the 2nd day in a row

Tuesday: rain for the 3rd day in a row; tiny woodpeckers; squirrels grooming; watching lightning in the hills from your back deck; talking to all three of your kids in one day

Wednesday: concrete floors and disposable floor wipes when your giant puppy... um... has a tummy ache in the house; rain for the 4th day in a row; a day with your baby girl; tortilla soup on a rainy day

Thursday: your sick puppy well enough to go on a morning walk; a call from your mom because you haven't called her yet and she was worried; a block of time to work on your book; more sunshine than rain, and no thunder or lightning; a porch swing at dusk

Friday: remembering your Friday the 13th wedding; running into a friend at the post office; a call from your son; your sister giving you a head's up when you make mistakes on your blog; enjoying books written for 8-year-olds; a fifth day of rain

Saturday: joining others in mourning and celebration of a life well-spent; seeing two teachers you subbed for while at work at the winery; sunshine, then rain, then sunshine; your oldest finally friending you on Facebook (even though you might have bullied him into it:)

Sunday: lunch with dear friends after church

What was your favorite sweet! moment of your own past week?

I hope this next one is filled with whatever kind of sweet!s you need the most!

Feels so right on a Friday the 13th

I've been sitting here listening to Alabama's Greatest Hits, getting all sappy, thinking back to another Friday the 13th almost 30 years ago when I said "I do"...

... and thinking even further back to that night at Gilley's just a year earlier when Alabama sang "Feels so right..." and Tom and I were the only ones on the dance floor...

We weren't really the only ones dancing, of course, but it felt that way, and it already felt so right being there in his arms, just twenty-four hours after seeing his face for the very first time.

It felt so right that if you had told me back then there would be days in the next 31 years when we didn't know if we'd make it, days when we didn't even like each other, I would have laughed at you.

Who knew marriage could sometimes feel like running a three-legged race in the dark over a dangerous obstacle course?

You would think that time together would help you grow stronger, to work more like a team, that the obstacles would get smaller and easier to maneuver with every passing year.

But just recently so many of our friends have gone their separate ways after decades together that I'm wondering if midlife is perhaps the biggest obstacle of them all? An avalanche of issues left lying unresolved or ignored, like child-rearing philosophies and financial stresses and unfulfilled dreams and buried jealousies and hurt feelings and wounded pride, piling up higher and higher until all it takes is a look or one sarcastic word to send it all crashing.

How does anyone survive something like that without superhuman powers?

The thing is, many do. I'm grateful we have so far. Very, very grateful.

My arsenol of secret weapons includes remembering how right it felt in those first few days... that "Oh, it's you!" realization when I first looked into his eyes... and believing with a certainty that erased all traces of agnosticism in my mind and heart that God brought us together.

However, that certainty doesn't lull me into taking it for granted our marriage will survive the obstacles still waiting for us there in the dark of the future without a fierce determination to get through them together, and plenty of secret weapons.

In fact, I think that may be another secret weapon - don't take your marriage, or your love, for granted. Ever. Period.

But the secret weapon I use the most? Prayer.

 

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love. 

~ From Kahlil Gibran on Love and Marriage

 

*thank you for taking this photo of us, Rae! It's still one of my favorites!

Dusk

I swayed on the porch swing, listening to Dave Matthews harmonize with crickets, cicadas, and two puppies breathing.

I leaned back, contemplating the contrast of shadowed leaves against a dusky blue sky, noting the one early star peaking out from the eaves on my outward swing.

No wind. No leaves rustling on the branches. No thunder or lightning or barking dogs.

My day's list wasn't yet completed, but I knew those moments on the porch, just being there, being still, breathing with the puppies, were as important as any to-do left on tomorrow's doorstep.

“Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you-sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in its tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever.” 

~ Lauren Oliver, Delirium

 

 

Rain, Rain, Rain, Rain!

It rained today. That makes four days in a row God has opened up dark clouds right over the Hollow, releasing the glorious gift of water hidden within. Hallelujah!!

We desperately need the rain, so I won't complain about having to shut down my computer every few hours because of lightning.

It's not like I don't have plenty to do away from the computer. Yesterday I spent an hour or two sorting through papers in my file cabinet, trying not to think about my book or my blogs or all the photos I need to sort through and edit and post, trying hard not to grumble

Anyway, this is one of my ongoing projects that I'm not sure I'll ever finish. I recycle what I cull, cutting most of it up grocery-list-size or setting it by the printer whole to use instead of 'good' paper whenever possible. Computer printouts of the kids' college application and scholarship information, receipts for deposits, high school class schedules... argh, I save everything!

Sick of paperwork, I headed outside during the next shutdown to watch the amazing light show - but it hurt my eyes, it was so bright! As grateful as I am for the rain, I was relieved when the storm finally rumbled off into the distance, taking its sparklers with it, so I could get back to work.

Max and Belle don't like the thunder and lightning, so they've spent a lot of time indoors the past few days, relegated to a small area downstairs. Except for being stinky outdoor dogs, they're great house dogs... as in, they don't have "accidents" (except for Belle deciding to play with one of my shirts in the laundry room last week, chewing all of the buttons off of it.)

But this morning that scent hit me. You know the one! I found the source beyond their designated area. It seems Max had a tummy ache last night (dead armadillo side effects, perhaps?) but didn't want to bother us, so he climbed over the couch barricade and... well, you know... onto a rug - and some of the floor - in the television/work-out area. Let's just say both ends were working on my poor old boy.

While I was cleaning it up, I tried to think of something 'sweet!' about the situation. It was tough, but I managed... We have concrete floors! So much easier to clean than carpet or wood or even tile. Sweet! 

The rug I just wiped a little, rolled up, and tossed outside, though. Tom plans to pressure wash it, but it won't be making another appearance in my house, that's for sure. (Ewwww!) I'm perfectly happy with bare concrete floors for now!

Max seems to be feeling better, but I'm grateful the storms are giving us a reprieve so he can sleep in his own house tonight! I hope in the morning, he's back to his old playful self...

 

And now, to make up for grossing you out (but aren't you glad you weren't in my shoes?) I'll share these cute critter photos from yesterday and today...

 

The baby duck is getting big and learning more and more every day!

"Look what I can do, Ma!"

 

Look! This little woodpecker has a mohawk!

Isn't he precious?

 

I spotted a young squirrel going through her morning grooming routine.

She was very fastidious!

Squirrel and I are praying you can find the sweet! in every situation!

Wimberley Market Days, Cypress Creek, and other Sweet!s of the Week

 

Cypress trees towering overhead. Harsh summer sunlight softened, transformed into a magical golden glow that bounces off the glassy surface of a creek and dances on the surrounding tree trunks.

Hours to float in cold, clear water under that lofty green bower, to talk and talk and talk with friends in a busy outdoor market... in a huge kitchen... on a stone terrace under the gaze of a herd of deer... and piled on a bed, flashing back to 6th grade slumber parties. 

Is it wrong to be grateful I wasn't scheduled to work this weekend so that I didn't miss out on all of the above?

I hope you had a relaxing, magical weekend, too!

Here are a few other sweet! moments from my past week... 

Monday: dinner with your husband and 1/3 of your kids; helping your baby girl find just the right swim suit; friends' prayers

Tuesday: morning chats with a mama duck and her duckling while your old puppy swims his laps; enough money in the bank to pay the bills; sitting on a porch swing, listening to the wind rustle the leaves; the full moon

Wednesday: living in a free country; a puppy lying across your feet, belly up for a rub; getting paid to listen to live music; listening to the rumblings of fireworks on the 4th of July

Thursday: logging two hours on your book; the blouse your puppy decides to destroy is one you don't like much anyway; a nibble on one of your Craig's List 'for sale' postings

Friday: standing under majestic cypress trees on the banks of a crystal clear creek; unique sculpture in the middle of nowhere; fawns; slumber parties, gabbing with girlfriends in your jammies, when you're 53

Saturday: Wimberley Market Days with crazy friends; finding a "new" Ziggy to give to your husband; floating in cold water on a hot summer day; live music and dancing

Sunday: waking to the aroma of bacon; a deer family photography shoot; coming home after a weekend away; the smell of rain

What were some of your sweet!s of the past week?

Happiness?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

~ Declaration of Independence 

An armadillo shell lies on my back deck. I gave up tossing it into the woods. The dogs just kept bringing it back.

But all the stinky part is gone, and it makes Max and Belle happy, snacking on it like a huge pork rind, so I just leave it.

Happiness is more elusive for us humans, though, isn't it? Even the Declaration of Independence refers to "the pursuit" of happiness as an inalienable right, not happiness itself.

I blame BlogHer for making me so philosophical about happiness today. Their Life Well Lived "Getting Happy" question of the week is What are your favorite resources for increasing and sustaining happiness?

But how do you get happy to begin with?

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

~Abraham Lincoln

I love that quote. Our happiness can't depend on things or people or circumstances, but on our attitudes about them. It has to come from the inside. 

That's easier said than done, of course. That's why there are so many therapists.

"No one is guaranteed happiness. Life just gives us time and space. It's up to us to fill it with joy and meaning."

~from a poster of pithy inspirational quotes that hangs in my bathroom and I love very much

 

Over time I've discovered three things that fill my life with joy and meaning, and therefore serve as the bedrock for my happiness and the answer to BlogHer's question:

Giving. Loving. Appreciating.

No matter what happens to us in life, no matter how little control we have over people or events or circumstances, we can always love (well, you might have to ask God to help)... we always have something to give, even if it's just our time or our prayers... and we can always find at least one little thing to appreciate, to give thanks for, even if it's just the chance to start over with a new day.

"Even if happiness forgets you for a little bit, never completely forget about it."

~ Jaques Prevert

Just a random flower photo... my gift to you!

Want to read more of my thoughts on happiness? I wrote about it almost four years ago HERE. It's a pretty good post, even if I do say so myself. 

Be sure to visit the main post on BlogHer, Five Steps to Lasting Joy, and don't forget to enter the sweepstakes HERE.

Ghosts of Fourths Past, Revisited

I'll be celebrating our country's birthday today by earning a paycheck at the winery. How much more American is that? 

But while I'm standing there listening to music, smiling and serving customers, sweating in the summer heat and hoping for at least a glimpse of fireworks, my mind will be drifting back to Fourths of the past.

So I decided to take you with me. The following is a repost from July 3, 2010. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful, sparkly, red-white-and-blue 4th of July!

**********************

I almost went to the Fourth of July parade this morning. If all the kids weren't home, or if at least one of them had been interested in going with me, I would have been sitting there on my usual curb when the heavens opened up and poured (not just rained) at 10am. For once, I was grateful to be inside the house, folding clothes.

Yes, I realize it's the 3rd of July, not the 4th, but our small town celebrates Independence Day BIG and needs all day, and a good bit of the night, to do it! There's a 5K run, followed by the parade down Dawn Drive and then everyone moves to Bar-K Park on the lake for booths, games, live music and, of course, fireworks right after dusk... consistently one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen, too.

So I almost went, but realized that it just wouldn't be the same. It would be the first time I wouldn't have at least one kid to watch for, marching with the dance group, the swim team, the High School Marching Band, the Cub, Boy, or Girl Scouts. 

As much as I enjoy the parade, I don't have all three kids under the roof at the same time very often anymore, so I stayed home, and whew! I'm glad I did! 

The great thing about our country is we can celebrate the 4th on the 3rd... or the 5th... or the 10th. We celebrate it every time we vote, every time we write a letter to the editor or complain to our congressman. Or just by staying home and hanging out with our kids.

I still got my parade fix, though - I pulled out old photos of some memorable 4th of July celebrations. Much more fun than getting drenched at a rainy day parade! 

Paris, 1976 - toasting the Bicentennial with champagne and really missing the USA!

 

Webelo Scout Tommy leading the parade with the Boy Scouts 1996 (he's the short one in the middle)

 

TG, right in the middle of her dance group float, 1996

 

Daniel, ready to ride, 1999

 

Me, second from the left, marching with the Cub Scouts, waving to TG on the sidelines, 1998

 

The kids, waiting for the fireworks to start, 1999

 

Tom curbside with nieces, nephews, brothers...  watching fireworks in Florida last year

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is the patriotism." ~ Erma Bombeck

Happy birthday, USA, and wishing you many, many more! I love you! 

 

Almonds and other sweet!s of the week

He was dirty and carried a cardboard sign ever closer to my car that said something like "Homeless Need a Job Hungry God Bless." 

I focused on the "hungry" and rolled down my window. My son was with me, so I felt safe.

"Would you like some almonds?" I asked, holding out a snack-sized ziplock bag full of them. I always have almonds with me to ward off hunger pains in a healthy way when I'm out running errands or on a trip. I hate being hungry.

"That would be great," he answered, taking them from me. "Thank you."

The light changed. I moved forward slowly, but he walked faster toward the intersection where his backpack rested. I saw him drop his sign, but then we were past, continuing our journey.

I couldn't see what happened next in his. I like to think he dropped to the grass and ate some almonds, that he really was grateful for them and not just begging for drug or alcohol money.

I also like to think another car came by with a legitimate job offer for him and that he took it and turned his life around and then helped another corner person get moving in the right direction.

It doesn't hurt to think big.

 

Saturday: seeing a photography friend you met while at work again; talking about writing with other writers; finally hearing Duck Soup; dancing; summer nights on a hill above a lake

Sunday: watching babies and little kids in church; helping a dear friend celebrate her birthday; a call from your son; watching a movie with your sweetie

Monday: a call from a friend, even though it was mostly full of sad news; a walk at dusk 

Tuesday: a glimpse of the Great Blue Heron and your duck family; watching your old puppy swim

Wednesday: being addressed as 'Young Lady' at the grocery store; a clean house; your husband alerting you to a painted bunting; forgetting all of your to-do's to just watch the birds at your feeder 

Thursday: watching a baby duck grow day by day; relaxed hours playing catch-up with a dear friend; joining a bunch of crazy middle-aged women for a midnight movie

Friday: getting to sleep in after a late night out; iced coffee on a hot summer day; $400 in free jewelry; pink clouds; sangria on a summer night

Saturday: a road trip with your son (double sweet!... going to see your parents!); an in-person hug from your sister; eating at a Mexican food restaurant you've been going to for almost 50 years

Sunday: the sound of rain; your daddy's bacon, eggs and biscuits for breakfast; someone stopping to see if you need help when you stop on the side of the road to take photos of old trucks; having almonds in your car to give to someone in need

 

I'm not sure how they end up out of work and hungry, possibly homeless, these corner people who stand near intersections holding signs and taking almonds or spare change from open windows.

Did they drop out of school, like me? Are they habitual liars, to others and themselves, to the point that their families had to distance themselves? Do they even have families, a mother or father whose heart aches with worry and helplessness? Did one mistake lead to another and another until the weight of that burden crushed the possibility of any other chances or hope for better, and their only relief is from drugs or alcohol? Has misplaced pride bound them in its chains?

It's easy to jump to conclusions. To judge.

But I think it's a better use of time to smile and share your almonds, to say a prayer for the corner people and then one of thanks for all of your own blessings, like a job and home and family, and to vow never to take them for granted. 

Because for all of us, life can change in an instant.

Just another good reason to keep track of the sweet! moments in each day... and to carry extra almonds in your car.