The Little Things

This post was written for the Write Tribe writing prompt using the following quote from Winnie the Pooh.

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart!”

      When I think back over the things that meant the most to me and filled my heart to the brim, I realize that it was the littlest things that I cherished the most and had the biggest impact.

      This last May was one of the roughest for us financially in recent history.  May is always hard, but this one seemed especially so.  We had one week with no pay at all, which happened to fall the week of my birthday, one week with very little, one week that was Okay, and one big week.  I am proud to say we survived and have been playing catch up ever since.

      What that meant for me was that there were no presents or cake for my day.  My husband was on the road and it was just me and the kids.  It could have been the worse birthday ever.  I turned 45, and for all intents and purposes I had every reason to be downhearted and depressed.  But then the day dawned.  I woke to discover a text message from my husband wishing me a happy birthday and telling me how much he loved me.  He called me throughout the day.  I know he felt bad that presents and the celebration would have to wait.

       My kids showered me with hugs and kisses.  We went for a walk and along the way they gathered wish flowers and presented me with a huge bouquet which I took great delight in blowing and making wishes as we walked.  They drew me pictures and made me birthday cards.  That night I was amazed how many people on Face Book wished me Happy Birthday.  It touched my heart.  Does it take so much to smile at a stranger or offer a kind word?  Not really, and those little things can make all the difference in the world.

Wordless Wednesday- Sunshiny Lilies

The Call

This is a fictional piece I wrote for the Write Tribe Wednesday #6 writing prompt

     I kept watching the clock.  It was only 15 minutes until I could clock out and rush to meet her.  Today is the day!  I am going to propose to the love of my life!  I can’t wait to meet her at our favorite restaurant.  She has no idea that in my pocket I hold the diamond ring I chose for her.   She only knows we are to meet.

       She had texted me earlier that she only had a few more errands to run and then we could be together.  By then, my work day will be over and the weekend can begin.  I love weekends because I spend every moment with her.  How I love her, and tonight she will finally know how much.

       As I log off my computer my phone rings.  Should I answer?  I don’t want too.  I want to start my weekend!!  I want to rush to her side.  I want her to say yes so we can begin the rest of our lives together.    I see on the caller ID it is her mother.  I better answer.

     With a song in my heart I answer to discover her mother sobbing on the other end.  My breath catches as I hear the news.  My heart stops a beat.  There has been an accident and my love has been killed.  My life is as over as is hers.  “How will I live without her?” I wonder as I am overtaken with heart retching sobs.

Finding Inner Peace

     In the midst of turmoil and fear, when life is at its lowest point I find inner peace through prayer.  When push comes to shove I reach for my bible for it holds all the answers of the universe within its pages.

     I retreat into a book.  I write.  I create.  I knit.  I crochet.  Sometimes I take a walk into the silence.  Sometimes I crank my favorite music and within the melodies and rollicking rhythms I find peace.  Other times I write allowing the words to flow from my fingertips as quickly as my mind can formulate them.  My words make sense of it all even when they ramble and make little sense at all in context.

 

    Although having those you hold most dear close in times of turmoil helps for moral support,   I believe true inner peace comes from within and from faith, hope, and trust in G0d.

A Noise in the Dark

What is the 7x7x7x7 Writing Prompt?

Grab the 7th book from your bookshelf.  Open it up to page 7.

Pinpoint the 7th sentence on the page. Begin a poem/a piece of prose that begins with that sentence.

Limit it in length to 7 lines/7 sentences

“As this thought occurred he wheeled around and stared back down Privet Drive, but it appeared to be completely deserted again and Harry was sure that Dobby did not know how to become invisible…."

Or did he?  Harry surely couldn’t begin to imagine all the mysterious ways of a house elf. 

Perhaps someone else had been there and had apparated.

All wizards over the ripe old age of 18 could after all. 

It could have been anyone.

Could Voldemort be here in Little Whinging watching him at this very moment waiting to attack?

Harry’s hand readied his wand because one never knew what lurked in the darkness.

The excerpt in italics was taken from "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling for this writing challenge.

Siblings

      I remember when I first married my husband my grandma telling me I couldn’t just have one baby.  I needed to have at least two.  She was convinced that a child would be better off with a brother or sister.  After my Dad died, I yearned for a son that I could name after him.  Before a year passed I was pregnant and I got my little boy who I named after my Dad.

   

  I will never forget when I found out I was pregnant.  My daughter told me she had prayed for a brother and couldn’t wait to go pick him up.  She actually asked me if we could go get the baby the next day.  Unfortunately, it takes a little longer than a day for a pregnancy. 

     I have to admit I had another reason for wanting a brother for my daughter.  I had a sister who I never got along with.  Our relationship had been chaotic and a nightmare from hell from the start.  I never see her and we don’t speak.  It is like not having a sister at all.  In the long run, it is better this way.  The fighting, hatred, and drama just isn’t worth getting together for.  Life is too short.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t think about her sometimes.  I wish her well.  I do.  It is just that it is pointless to have any kind of relationship with her.  It is too much water under the bridge as they say.

      Because of the hellacious relationship my sister and I have shared,   I feel even more blessed and relieved that my kids get along and probably always will.  My family is important to me, although I know a lost cause when I see it.  I remember telling my dad before he died that once he was gone there would be no reason why I would have to put up with her crap anymore.  He was saddened by my statement but he understood better than anyone could.  Like a prophecy my words that day became reality.  One truth remains…you don’t get to choose who you are related to.  You can only do the best you can and live your life.  

     

Birthdays

Thank you to Bhavya Nk at ishithaa.com  for this Writer's Post Challenge!

     Have you ever noticed that birthdays seem to lose their luster as you age? When I was a kid I used to count the days until my birthday. I looked forward to the cake, the balloons, and the presents!! Let’s face it, when you are a baby or even a small child everyone wants to celebrate your birthday with you. Everyone you know wants to see you shove that first birthday cake in your mouth and make a mess out of yourself. Everyone wants to see you open your presents.  When you are a kid your birthday is right up there with Christmas in the holiday pecking order.

       Over the years something happens. The amount of people who gather to see you blow out those momentous candles fizzles down to your immediate family, if that. For a long time I expected the birthdays of my youth where my mom decorated the whole house, showered me with mountains of presents, produced my favorite things to eat, and sang happy birthday as I blew out my candles. Time passed and things changed.   My mom died, and then my dad and then all of a sudden whether a birthday party happened became solely my responsibility. If I wanted decorations, I had to put them up. If I wanted presents, I had to go pick them out and wrap them. If I wanted a special meal, I had to cook it. If I was lucky, I would go out to eat. All of a sudden I joined my husband in a make it happen duo. The surprise went out of birthdays and it was a big slap in the face.  

      As the years go by, the expectations bar falls from expecting the whole she-bang to being delighted that so many people wished you Happy Birthday on Face Book, your kids drew you special birthday pictures, and when your husband finally came home you got to go shopping for something you had been needing or hoping for as a special birthday present. You settle for blowing the seeds from dandelions for your birthday wishes and bypass the birthday cake, because let’s face it your ass is big enough. People just don’t expect to make a big deal out of an adult’s birthday. It makes me wonder why a toddler’s birthday is more worth celebrating than someone that has reached the ripe old age of 45 or 50. Do we lose our worth or need to be celebrated as we age?         

      There have been a lot of lessons to learn as far as birthdays are concerned. Bottom line, they are for celebrating that wonderful person and the life they live and getting a year older. As longer as nothing terrible happens, it is always a happy birthday. It is another day you woke up, breathed in air, and appreciated that you were alive another day to enjoy life.

Wordless Wednesday: Marigolds in the Garden

Our World Tuesday: Kickin Up Dust!

Whether on his three wheeler on his racing tractor,

My husband loves to race around....

kickin' up dust!

Those Beautiful Eyes

     I couldn’t wait!  When the time finally arrived I feared the unknown and the pain.  There was no turning back.   Through my joyful tears I said hello.  Her lusty cries were silenced and her eyes showed recognition.  She knew me! 

     The torturous pregnancy had been worth it.  My baby recognized me and my heart filled with an overwhelming sense of love, joy, and peace like I have only ever experienced once more in my life with the birth of my son. 

     Ever since that first glimpse when I melted into the windows of my child’s soul, I have been enraptured.

Wordless Wednesday: Blowing Bubbles!

What if…

What if everyone had enough money to get what they needed or wanted?

What if there really were unicorns magically prancing about pooping rainbows?

What if what went around didn’t take so long to come around?

What if there was more laughter in the world and a little less sadness?

What if you really could stop the world and let the assholes off?

What if everyone really got to fulfill their dreams and do the job they went to school for instead of settling for a poor substitute?

What if gas prices stayed at a dollar a gallon? Or even two dollars a gallon?

What if people learned to mind their own business and let people live their lives and allow fate take its course?

What if life was all sunshine and lollipops?

What if the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” could be the theme of the day?

What if nice guys finished first instead of last?

What if you didn’t have to choose whether to go to the doctor or hospital because it was free?

What if you only had to imagine it and dream it and whatever it was would become reality?

If only….wouldn’t life be grand?