The "Good" Flood

The flood of love that always radiates around my sister, Paulette's house on her Annual Ohio State vs. Michigan parties is enough to last for days.

"Family love"

Yesterday was the 5th Annual (YEAH, WAY TO GO, BUCKS!). There is lots of good food, side-cracking laughs, hugs, jazz, having 3 conversations at once, and a true sense of family.

The tradition is; you must wear OH State gear; you must put on your beads @ the door, even though never asked, you NEVER show up empty-handed, and finally, every time OHSt. scores, you must take a shot of tequllia. Lol! I have learned to skip that part of the party.


And, I'm usually never IN the pictures.

I prefer to watch the flood from behind the lens. :-)

Sunday Scribbling word promt: "flood"

Sunday

One way to make sure you slow down is to take the time to help an elderly parent/relative. At the height of my supreme coffee buzz while I flew from one task to the other, mom needed help going to the grocery. This is no problem whatsoever, but I knew it would require me to get my 'coffee rush' under control.

At first the irritation of slow motion pissed me off! Lol! (the coffee wasn't cooperating). Then when I watched mom, I felt bad; she confused easily & was truly struggling with her knee. Suddenly, my heart felt warm and I was more than happy to be her eyes, her ears, her feet, her knees. I took on her small list with a vengence. I wanted to take care of her & ensure her safety.

When she dropped me off back @ home, she assured me she was okay with getting the bags out of the jeep. I told her to make sure her garage door was closed first.

Our roles have reversed. I vow to never be 'too busy' when she reaches out.

Picture: me
The Sunday Community

1 Timothy 5:4 ~
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

Day 22/THEE Day of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you guys in the blog cyber world :-) Everyday is a day of thanks and gratefulness. Today I am:

• Grateful for our non-traditional, quiet, peaceful Thanksgiving
• Gail @ Know Your Its; Sharon @ Chaos; Chris @ An Inch; Se'lah @ Necessary Room; Christina @ Soul Aperture; Amy @ Sharp Little Pencil; A. Jarrett @ Sweet Light; Marianne @ Busha Full of Grace; Brooke @ Urban Earth Mama; Sheena @ Sophistishe; Anyes @ Far Away/Sunshine; Shutter Sisters; Carry On Tuesday; Sunday Scribblings; Hooked on Houses & Andrea @ Superhero Journal
• I am grateful for the above blogs that have brought me laughter, sadness, acceptance, peace, comfort, 'hey - she's just like me' moments, friendships, sisterhoods, creativeness, inspirations, kindess & confidence over the last few years. I cherish each of these favorite blogs of mine for they always give me what I need exactly when I go to them
• I am grateful for the sense I had to make a wise moral choice today
• I am grateful that I realize that so many things do not define 'me', including my relationship
  I am grateful that I can hear the 'inner voice' inside me - when I take the time to listen to it
• I am grateful for the technology that allows us to touch each other from afar, sight unseen
• I am grateful that I can feel God working in me, to be the person he created me to be

Amen and amen.

Picture: me

Day 20/A Day of Thanks

I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.
  ~ Maya Angelou

My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.  ~ Maya Angelou

Today, I am grateful for:

• The fabulous Ms. Maya Angelou. I always wished that she was in my life. I think I'd gain a sense of self and wealth of knowledge untold
• The "word rocks" I find @ the local library. Support your local library & have cute things @ $2.00 a pop
• That I "found" the words "Be You" amongst the leaves when walking (whispering: I put it there. Lol) Maybe the more messages will come to me along this journey
• The release I feel about celebrating Thanksgiving, stress free
• That I have been practicing being "in the moment" no matter what I'm doing. I truly try not to live one second ago, or one second into the future that hasn't happened yet. It's hard when I get busy, but I try to keep my mind stayed
• Finally, that I get so many sweet, kind compliments on some of my blog posts. There are truly awesome folks out there in cyberland. I am grateful, always.

Pictures: me :-)
In keeping w/30 Days of Giving Thanks w/
Sharon @ Happenings @ Chaos Ranch

What's my flair?

I wonder what is my flair?

Am I bold enough to go with very little hair?


Or wear the reddest of lipsticks

Or the twistiest of twists?

The mic is open on the stage

Waiting for who would dare

Am I courageous enough to get up there?

 And even though its not for me, how big would the butterfly on my back be?



 And the tiny diamonds wore in the nose
When worn so subtly can strike such a pose

The women who rock these things seem sure, confident, kick ass, moving, pushing, going

While I wonder, what is my flair?

Pictures: Internet

Day 19

I am grateful today for:

• the good weather that has still been hanging around
• having a job that distracts me
• tiny tea light candles in jars
• my bed after a long day

Gobble, gobble

 Here are some scenes from last year's Thanksgiving @ my house. I only had 2 guests - my mom & her gentleman caller. Even though it was small, my nerves were all over the place. I wanted everything to be just nice.

About an hour into it, I was ready for it to be over. My mother wasn't in the best of moods, she ate enough food to MAYBE fill a mouse, then pushed it around her plate.

 She kept her coat on (she said it was cold in the house) and... let's just say.... well, no let's not say. Lol.

I have come to the conclusion that this year, I will celebrate alone. I'm dropping out of the rat race & won't feel an ounce of guilt about it. "D" has to work from 9-4, Son will eat about 3 or so, and I... well I never actually sit down to eat anyway so it doesn't matter.

And that will be the same for anything else that comes up that makes me feel uncomfortable.

Guilt free.

"Stress is not something that gets to us because of what happens to us, it is what happens to us because we let something get to us."

Pictures: me

Day 18, A Day of Thanks

I have failed epically at giving daily thanks, even though I have been thankful, daily. In keeping with Happenings @ Chaos, my dear friend, Sharon's, timely & daily blessings inspire me.


I am grateful for making what I feel are the right decisions regarding discipline

I am grateful for this beautiful November weather: sunshine & blue skies, even tho temps are high 40's & low 50's.

I am grateful for the beautiful fall mess that is my yard. With the golden yellow leaves from the maple all over the place, I think it looks rustic

I am grateful that it's my house and I don't have to rake if I don't want to. Ever. Lol.

I am grateful that everything will still bloom in its time, even if I don't rake.

I am grateful for the grace I am feeling in the face of adversity about the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving plans have changed multi-times in as many as 3 days. I'm about ready to chuck it all. WITH grace. :-\

I am grateful for Xanax. :-)

Sunday

“‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ~ Revelations 3:8

When I was a very little girl in Sunday School, I used to be horribly afraid of the Book of Revelations. I remember our teacher telling us that if we ever wanted to read a scary book, all we needed was that book of the Bible. I couldn't wrap my head around all that it spoke of with things with 7 heads, shouts, fire, snakes, lions, etc. (lol!). I basically never read that book if I could help it, which is completely silly. Because today, this beautiful verse brings me much comfort.

Amen :-)

The Sunday Community
Picture: me

Multi-tasking

• wake yourself
• wake the house
• wake the dogs & take them out
• make the coffee
• make the food
• I'm not yet awake, trying not to be rude
• where's the laundry? here are your clothes
• I'm still wishing I could doze
• Imagine how much better the household would fair
• If for one day, I could be here, there, and everywhere.

 Lol!!! I felt like Dr. Seuss just then :-)

Out the kitchen window

Carry One Tuesday prompts: "Imagine" and "Here There & Everywhere"

Silence

Hello friend,

I knew I'd meet you here. All I had to do was walk about & listen for you.

Let's sit in the sun for a while and chat. All is well here, and you?

Isn't it amazing how when we need each other, we know right where the other is?

I have a feeling you enjoy my company as much as I enjoy yours.

By the way, my name is Tracey. I'm sorry I didn't catch yours?

Welcome my friend. Very nice to meet you, Silence.

:-)

Sunday Scribblings word prompt: "silence"
Picture: me

Me first

Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.  ~Richard Carlson

And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.  ~ Anais Nin

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.  ~Lily Tomlin

Happy Friday friends. Wishes for good weekends to all. Here in the midwest, we're having temps in the 40's, but they oddly feel slightly warm. Blue skies and sunshine abound.

Today I had to put myself first. I'm holding down the fort at work until next Wednesday when the other assistant returns, so I was loaded down with doing work for 4 attorneys;

Basketball practice for Son is immediately after work. This gives me about 15 mins. to let the dogs out; give son his basketball gear to pack up, give him something REALLY quick for dinner, and head back out the door for 2 hours;

I realized that I had forgotten to refill my 'happy pill' and I could feel the anxiety quickly taking over me. I am not real happy about counting on 'the happies', but it is what it is. As it got darker, the lights of cars racing around &; past me started to put in a bit of a tailspin. I needed to go directly to the pharmacy;

Mom wanted to follow us to practice as she wasn't sure where it was. I got consumed with her driving in the dark. In other words, I was putting too much on my plate.

My remedy: after I got my prescription &; quickly downed a pill, I told mom we weren't going to practice because I clearly needed a little time to collect myself; I told Son we would catch the next practice (he wasn't happy), I came home and relaxed instead. Guilt free.

If there is one thing my medicine has taught me is that it is okay to say no, okay to slow down, okay to not attend, and okay to let my body dictate what it needs. The world won't end if I don't run myself into the ground. I am allowed to put me first.

~ Namaste.

Back then & right now

 Happy Veteran's Day to all Veteran's out there in the world. Thank you for your service!

The first 2 photos are of homes located in the historic district 2 streets over from my house. When I first moved where I am now, it's all I wanted to do was walk the big, wide opened tree lined streets & marvel at these wonders.

I have always had a soft spot for brick houses. Big, old fashioned 'sturdy' homes. They always looked 'safe.' I took the pictures from the book "Historic Architecture Canton 1805-1940."

  

So, imagine my surprise when a friend shared our city's historic book with me, and I saw the same two houses!!! Both were occupied by doctors. Below are the homes as they are (last month) - still beautifully maintained & well taken care of.

The past, in this case, is still very much the present. And I'm so glad it is. :-)

The home below is always picture post-card worthy when decorated for Christmas. Professionals come in & light it from the roof to the ground. The roof is terra cotta shingles. Anything else just wouldn't be right.

"Real time pictures":  by me

The Right Brain

Find your play

According to the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory, the right side of the brain is best at expressive and creative tasks. Some of the abilities that are popularly associated with the right side of the brain include:

• Recognizing faces
• Expressing emotions
• Music
• Reading emotions
• Color
• Images
• Intuition
• Creativity

A Month of Thanksgiving/Day 11

Bare and strong!

Even though I have cheated & missed a few days, I'm still grateful for these past few days of sweet weather. Everything in nature has its time; while I love a full tree in the spring & summer, nothing surpasses the awesome-ness of Fall. The leaves give a last hurrah before they bow. Bare trees stand tall with character.

Leaving the office

Untouched beauty

Grateful for the joy i felt all day, even though negativity tried to creep in. I'm proud that it all rolled off my back like a duck in water.

Grateful for grace in the face of petty adversity. :-)

Fresh laundry from the dryer

Left over venison chili

A clean kitchen

A photo shot idea I'm having about a landmark being demolished

The offer to be lead photographer on a local newspaper online site, even though it's for photo credit only, I don't have the time since ofc. hours are 8-5, & the guy is pretty demanding. I still appreciate his interest.

The Dash

What matters is the "dash." On your tombstone, you have an arrival date & a departure date. No one pays attention to the [-] in between. The dash is our lives. Live your life. Take the lump of mud that we are, throw ourselves onto the potter's wheel, and shape life into the most vibrant thing you can think of. Have fun, be patient and wait. Your mud will settle. You water will be clear.

 

Photo: ehow.com
Sunday Scribbling word prompt; "Mud'

Sunday

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" ~Proverbs 3:5-6

I found these photos on disc from 2008. I believe it was when my sister & I traveled to L.A., via a stop in Vegas - to & fro - for my brother's birthday. From Cleveland, to Chicago, to Vegas, to L.A., to Vegas, to Chicago to Cleveland.

Boading & flying on a plane 7x in 96 hours was the purest time to trust in the Lord with all my heart & lean not on my own understanding of how amazing airplanes are, and God's grace to get them to & fro.

Amen! :-)

The Sunday Community

Love Thursday (ft. Tuesday)

Guess "who" was "what" for her first Halloween. Huge love. :-)

Thanksgiving month/Day Eight

“I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me but I find I am grateful for having loved them. The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.”
Rita Mae Brown (born 1944); ~ Writer

Today I am grateful for the memories of those whom have gone on before us.

Happy Birthday & Rest In Peace, Curtis Lee Kenard (1957-2000).

Day Seven/A Month of Thanksgiving

Grateful on Day Seven of giving thanks for:

• A third day of blue skies & sunshine, even though in the 40's
• My son starting basketball tonite & getting back with his old buddies
• That with sharing 1 car, appointment conflicts are magically falling into place (TRULY GRATEFUL for this!
• That this is the 2nd year that the Starling have roosted in the woods across from my office. Watching their pattern, habits & hearing "their language" made God even more obvious
• Thankful that the election is over
• Yet, grateful for having the privilege to be a part of the whole process
• Breakfast bars in my office drawer
• The housework that "D" does on his days off

Day Three

In my third day of gratefulness, I'm grateful for:

The washer & dryer that has been doing laundry for 10+ years & still runnin’ like new
The good thought I had to pre-make pancake batter for instant pancakes
The money to pay bills; even if I may be broke afterward
My passion for photography
The joy my son reflects at all times. It’s infectious!!!

Grateful - Day Three

Day Two

Grateful for:

My “day 2″ of gratefulness:
That I won 2 books that I really wanted to read from 2 giveaways. I’m so honored
That my Son LOVES my home made applesauce (no more canned for us)
That my anxiety meds are really working (lol!)
That my BFF went thru her hysterectomy with flying colors
That I have achieved 11 years @ my job

Thanksgiving daily

A dear friend, Sharon @ Chaos Ranch introduced a great idea for giving a day of thanks for the entire month of November. I have pledged to follow suit & have been posting in her comment section. I'll share them here, then post @ her place as I try to recognize my daily blessings:

Day One:

Classic Ohio - near my office

Grateful for:
Even though 1 of our 2 cars died, I still have transportation
Even though things @ the law firm don’t seem solid, I still have a job
Warm clothing, since the temperatures are holding steady in the 40′s
The joy I get from getting into the quiet & doing Bible study
My family (even though we haven’t been together in ages)
The time I give myself to sit down & hand make cards. So therapeutic
The joy I get when the recipients of those cards let me know how right on time the cards are
Good books that touch my soul. Most recently, “The Healing” by Johnathan ODell
Books by “T. Davis Bunn”; I finished “The Quilt” and am starting on “The Messenger”
Grateful EVERYDAY that my dear friend, Cassie, who is terminally ill, was able to walk her THIRD Lymphoma Cancer walk. She is my daily inspiration.

Heal

When Jesus is my portion , A constant friend is he
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me

Writing this with all of the victims of Hurricane Sandy in my heart and prayers. As I sit in my warm home, with clean water, electricity, heat, sipping hot coffee, preparing a hot Sunday dinner for later, my mind is stayed on those who need to heal. Their tears of dispair, hopelessness, and lost loved ones has not escaped God's eye. His eye is always on the sparrow.

With prayers of comfort and recovery for the East Coast. Amen.

Sunday Scribbling word prompt: "heal"

East & West

There are often times my mind takes me way ahead of the moment.
While I am doing one thing, my mind is further ahead than the present time
This causes me to miss many things that are meant for just then
So today, I resolve to look no further than as far as my eyes can see
And to take the time to notice all things
Like how the sun rises in the East
While the moon still hangs in the West
~ Namste 

Pictures: me
Carry On Tuesday word prompt: "as far as my eyes can see"
 

The East

The West

Sunday

Proverbs 25:11 

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

As I get ready to make homemade applesauce, my thoughts and prayers are with those who are dealing with the effects of Hurricane Sandy. I dream of preparing enough for everyone, landing in the heart of where tears and sadness are the greatest, and passing our warm, sweet chunks of love.

The Sunday Community