Happy Birthday Son

~Photo by Ben Mack, http://www.oceanfeels.com/pexels.com~

Today is my son’s birthday.

I could tell many stories about him but this is a favorite.

He joined a year-round swim team the summer he was 12. He suffered from asthma and was a wheezy, underweight kid. We thought it would be good for him. It turns out we were right. (Score one for the parents!) By the end of the summer his breathing was so much better and he was less dependent on his inhaler.

Also at the end of summer was his first meet and he was swimming a 500 for his team. This means swimming the length of the 25 yard pool 20 times. It is a marathon especially for a beginner.

His swimming was much better after taking lessons and practicing all summer. Even so, he was no match for kids who  had been in the program since kindergarten.

The 500 started and the other kids literally swam laps around him and the event was over. The official told him he did not have to finish if he didn’t want to.

The other kids were finished but he decided to stay in the pool and finish the job.

The other kids and the parents all waited while this lone swimmer, this little skinny kid, swam back and forth to complete 20 laps. He finished.

He exited the pool to applause and cheers.

He didn’t win any medals that day. but he was a champion.

To be at home…

To be at home is to be known.

It is to be loved for who you are.

It is to share a sense of common ground, common interest, pursuits, and values with others who truly care about you.

In community after community I’ve met lonely people who felt homeless even though they had a roof over their heads Continue reading “To be at home…”

Words

Kind words heal and help,

cutting words wound and maim.

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Sculpture in stainless steel and glass.

Artist Sharon Warman Agnor

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At first, there were a few.

Now I am finding more and more along walking paths, in our parks…places people might go for solace.

Finding them is a joy as I meander along.   

Simple things.

 

 

 

If you want happiness…

 

~Photo http://www.pexels.com/pixabay.com

If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. Continue reading “If you want happiness…”

This is the place

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I admit it.

I am a sucker for posters, book covers, bumper stickers.

I like this one because for me it goes to the heart of “could have, would have, should have”.

 

Helping myself and others…

TomKhaaSoup

I am trying to do at least one good deed per day.

No, I am not working toward a Girl Scout badge.

It’s just that in my world and in the world at large, I find that giving and helping others satisfies my soul.

It satisfies my soul while grounding me during the emotional upheaval of my young daugher-in-law’s cancer struggle.  Stage 4.

I believe that I am making a difference.  Continue reading “Helping myself and others…”

A Simple Work Ethic

 

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I find that if I can do just these two things, I normally will have a productive, satisfying day. Continue reading “A Simple Work Ethic”

A Statesman, A Leader

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~Photo & Shadow by Lori Greer

For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.    ~George Washington

Continue reading “A Statesman, A Leader”

Age is merely…

Age is merely the  number of years the world has been enjoying you!

I can’t remember where I found this little quote.

I placed it on my kitchen counter and look at it occasionally.

It makes me smile.

I like this view of aging.

Continue reading “Age is merely…”