A New Life!

On Monday January 21, 2013 we got the anticipated call from our son.  Our grandson, Ronan, was being born that day and he asked that we drive to Nashville to be there.  We missed the birth because of the time it took to get out of town but we were there the very next day to see our grandson.  My husband and I got to hold him when he was less than a day old!  Grandchildren are wonderful.  They are perfect and beautiful and you can give them back to their parents!  

Ronan is surrounded by lots of loving family.  He has 2 parents, 5 grand parents (a combination of steps and biological), 2 great-grand parents and 1 great-great grandfather.  His mother's best friend and his great grandmother were there for his birth in addition to his mom and dad.  My husband is thrilled because Ronan carries on the family name.  All the other children born to my husband's family from my son's generation have been girls.  I'm just thrilled because he is healthy, beautiful and perfect. 

Ronan's mom's family welcomed him with great excitement and celebration.  All of his cousins, who are all girls, dressed up for his homecoming so they could get their pictures taken with him.   I was teasing my son that they need one of those take-a-number ticket machines to accommodate all the people who want to hold Ronan.  Again, he is a very fortunate boy and surrounded by love. 

I look ahead to many years being able to watch Ronan grow up and be part of this large family who care deeply for him.  I also look forward to more grandchildren in the future.  Right now he looks just like his dad did when he was a baby.  Will he grow up to look like his dad or his mom?  Will he inherit the family pack rat gene?  I can't wait to see what the future holds for this little guy and all of us who love him already. 

Reaching the End

For the past 5 years I have been striving toward a long term goal.  I have been working toward a doctorate in education.  So I have attended classes, written papers, submitted proposals and completed all the work toward that goal.  Now I am at the critical part of the work, my comprehensive exams, research and dissertation and oral defense of both.  I can see the end of the journey and it is very exciting. 

The problem is that the final steps I must complete are an individual journey.  Although I have people cheering me on and providing support the final steps are something I must complete on my own.  The difficulty is that I am a huge procrastinator.  I freely admit that fault and it has been the subject of many of my journals and papers during my educational journey. 

I see this as a character flaw and something I must conquer to reach this goal.  So I make lists and check off grids and give myself pep talks to stay on task.  I know I will reach my goals but it seems that I have to get to a certain level of stress to finish a big research/writing project.  I really admire those people who know they have a goal and get it done early, with minimal stress.  Maybe they are the opposite of me, in that they get more stressed if they don't start early.  How can I get an infusion of that type of personality? 

So if you are reading this send me some good thoughts.  I will be working hard at my computer finishing my comprehensive exam questions or my dissertation proposal over the next few weeks. 

What keeps me going is that I know this is something I can accomplish and in December 2013 I will be walking across the stage at my college accepting my diploma.  Oh happy day! 

What were they thinking?

I don't know about you but I hate it when a movie is made from one of my favorite books and they pick the wrong actor to play the part.  Today I got an email from Dan Brown (author of The DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol).  He has written a new book and was promoting it (I believe it is titled Inferno).  I have not been able to read a Dan Brown book since Tom Hanks played Robert Langdon in the movies based on Dan Brown's books.

Now I know that many people are saying " Oh my gosh, they are fictional characters, get over it!" To me when I am reading a book, and especially a series I get a picture in my head what the main characters look like.  Sometimes that comes from the description of the characters in the book and sometimes it is just my imagination.  One of the discussions my friends and I often have about a popular book is "Who should play the lead character?"

Now Tom Hanks is a great actor but he is not the person I pictured in my head playing Robert Langdon.  I would have chosen Brendan Fraser or possibly Orlando Bloom.  The same is true of Denzel Washington (who is also a great actor) playing Lincoln Rhyme (the lead character in Jeffrey Deaver's series).  The casting in the movie version of The Bone Collector was way off base. 

Again, most people would say "So what, its a fictional character!"  Yet once the wrong actor has been cast in a role that is based on one of my favorite books I just can't get past it when I read the next book.  The latest in this type of fiasco is Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher (from the series of books by Lee Child).  In the books Jack Reacher is described at 6 foot 5 inches tall, blond, blue eyed, weighing over 200 pounds.  Tom Cruise does not even come close.  Tom Cruise is also much older than Jack Reacher.  I have not seen the movie and do not plan to see it.  Others may say that he did a good job in the part (just as Tom Hanks playing Robert Langdon) but it's just not right.

Of course no one talked to me about who should play movie parts based on characters in books.  I'm not a movie goer anyway, just a reader.  Sometimes it is just so far off base that you wonder "What were they thinking?" 

A lost dog, God's intervention and Facebook

Earlier this week some friends of ours who live near Branson Missouri posted on Facebook that their 10-year-old dog, Zoom was lost.  They documented their comments with photos of the dog and their efforts to find him.  Later they posted a lost dog photo and asked for help from all their social media friends.  Prayers and offers to help came from near and far.  Our friends kept us updated on the progress of their search, checking in with their Facebook family regularly.  They posted signs, talked to rescue groups, talked to media folks in their area and searched themselves.

After three days Zoom was still missing and our friends were becoming discouraged.  They asked for prayer and intervention from God to bring their beloved pet and family member home.  It seemed that it would take a miracle for Zoom to be reunited with his family.

Then when all was seemingly lost the wife came home and Zoom was sitting on their front porch.  He was a little worse for wear but seemed fine.  After their joyous reunion they shared their excitement with all on Facebook.  There were posts of congratulations from all over the country.  Prayers had been answered and Zoom had been returned to his family.

This entire experience struck me about the power of Facebook.  Here was a family facing the loss of a member of their "pack" and they shared their loss and efforts to be reunited with Zoom with all of us.  We encouraged, cheered, offered help and prayed for a happy ending.  Efforts were being put in place to continue looking for the lost dog and the network of those involved increased with each posting on the social media site.

What really struck me was that with all our connectivity and posts and tweets and everything else sometimes it is the power of God that brings home a lost dog and reunites a family that was hurting.  No matter how digitally savvy we become we must keep in mind that God can change everything with His intervention and answer to prayer.

So this week I learned that Facebook can be a powerful tool to help us connect with others.  Yet God can be the one who intervenes and leads a lost dog back to his front porch after almost 4 days to be reunited with his family.  If you are reading this give a prayer of thanks for Zoom and his family.  Realize that God's intervention can change the outcome when all seems lost. 

When did we become the older generation?

This past New Years Eve I think I ended up going to bed at 9:30.  There was just no fun anymore.  Dick Clark is no longer with us so the Rockin' New Years Eve was just not the same.  Plus as much as I like Taylor Swift I just did not feel like staying up to see her.

The real kicker was on New Years Day a friend called and as she, my husband and I were talking she reminded me of the year we stayed up all night on New Years Eve partying at an REO Speedwagon concert and then finished the night going to a New Year's Eve party at the bowling alley in Bloomington.  We continued the holiday hanging out the John Mellencamp and about 200 of his friends (many of which were our friends).  Granted that was almost 30 years ago.   She is now retired from teaching and I am going to bed at 9:30 on New Years Eve.

So when did we become the old people?  I still feel young.  I have a smartphone and a Kindle Fire.  I "play Facebook" as one of my professors call it although I don't get Twitter.  In my mind I can still party all night yet my body seems to need at least 8 hours sleep each night.  What happened?   Is this how our parents felt as we were partying and making jokes about them going to bed at 9:30 on New Years Eve?

I have written quite a bit about how I like where I am in life right now.  Yes, my knees aren't what they used to be (just ask my students - they have heard much about my knees).  Yet I love the feelings of confidence and liking who I am right now.  I would not trade my current situation for the shy, under-confident young woman I was.  Still it would be nice to be able to "party all night" as I did when I was younger one more time. Hmmm, maybe that will be my goal for next New Years Eve.  Of course I will probably need at least 3 days afterward to recover. 

Happy New Year!

As 2012 draws to a close like many other people I am reflecting on the past year and hoping for the new year. 

Looking back it is easy to focus on the negative things that happened in 2012.  My mother ended her journey in this life after a long battle with Alzheimer's.   Two of my sisters battled breast cancer, going through surgeries and exhausting treatments.  My husband and I lost several friends, who died this past year.  We have struggled financially.

Yet when I look at the past year through a different lens I can see how we were blessed tremendously in the midst of trials and sadness.  The end of my mother's life was an answer to prayer as her Alzheimer's had progressed to the point that she did not know us any more.  My sisters' journey through cancer has shown us what strong and resilient women they are.  My husband and I have learned to live with less and appreciate what we have. 

Other blessings this year, my son is in a great relationship with a wonderful young woman.  They are engaged and expecting their "first" child in February.  I'm looking forward to being a grandmother and experiencing that phase of my life.  I am two classes, comprehensive exams and one dissertation from completing my doctorate.  This has been a five year journey that has demonstrated to me that we are never too old to return to school and acquire learning.  I am also grateful to have an employer who values me as an employee and has supported me in my educational journey. 

Next year will bring new life as our extended family expands with the addition of grandchildren.  I'm not expecting everything to be perfect next year but I do know that with the support of family and faith nothing is insurmountable. 

I wish you all the best next year.  May you be able to look at the things that are negative in your life and see them through a new lens also. 

Happy New Year.  May 2013 be a year of new beginnings, blessings and wonderful opportunities. 

"You live where you live!"

Over the weekend my husband and I were at the grocery store picking up a few final things for Christmas.  The young man who picks up the carts in the parking lot followed us to the car to get our cart.  We always talk to him and he often has words of wisdom.  It was a cold, icy day in Indiana and my husband was complaining about the weather.  The young man, who is developmentally challenged asked him why he did not move to Florida.  My husband responded that we could not do that right now.  The young man responded with, "You live where you live!" 

That statement struck me as so profound.  It reminded me that anyplace we happen to be can be a place of beauty and peace.  It also reminded me that if I am unhappy with something I can either change my situation or just accept it and look for the best. 

In this season of wonder with the celebration of the birth of Christ it seems we are also overwhelmed with sadness.  The tragedy in Connecticut has struck at the hearts of so many of us.  Personally I am dealing with the recent passing of my mother after a long illness.  On the positive side we are awaiting the birth of our first grandchild in early 2013. 

I have had trouble getting into the spirit of the season this year.  Yet God works in some amazing ways.  Who knew that I would find a spiritual lift in the parking lot of the grocery store from the words of the young man who picks up the carts. 

So where ever you are I hope you have a wonderful holiday and the Merry Christmas.  Remember, "You live where you live!"