THE IRONIES OF LIFE

I've been thinking about the ironies of life this week.

For example: we are born into this world as the most helpless of all tiny creatures, a child.  Only to grow up and then be told to learn how to become as a little child.  I was already a child! Why can't I stay a child?  Wouldn't that save so much time and heartache along the way? 

Another example:  when we are children we fight tooth-and-nail to NOT take a nap, and to NOT go to bed on time at night. We might miss something!  We don't want to miss the parties and candy that we are sure we are missing out on while we sleep and everyone else is having a great old time!  And during the day, we're bored.  Always bored.  "Mama, what can I do? I'm bored!"  - and the old stand-by reply "If you can't find something to do, I've got plenty for you to do!" (aka: chores)  So I'd quickly scamper off to avoid those too.  Now, as an adult, I would do just about anything to take a nap and to have time to be bored.  It's like a dream:  to be bored, have nothing to do... just go lie down and take a nap.  Oh the irony of life!

Next: I finally find a friend who is 100% my kindred spirit, my bestest soul-friend... and we spend our entire lives apart from each other.  She has been globetrotting - living in various countries and then in various states of this great nation, and I've been in in two places this whole time. In the 25 years we've known each other we probably have spent no more than a total combined amount of 6 months together!  No, that's not a joke.  Seriously, Heavenly Father?  I can't even have my best friend close by to share our lives together... AS IT HAPPENS?  Nope.  It's not meant to be.  So, lucky for us, our friendship is more like an eternal sisterhood and we literally pick up right where we left off each time we speak. But I MISS her terribly sometimes and wish so badly we could be in the same place at the same time and cry on each other's shoulders and share each other's laughter and go out for fries and ranch dressing at the same restaurant, once a week, for girl's night out!  But instead, we have to rely on email and phone calls.  I'll take it.  It's better than nothing.  But here I thought we had friends in this life to walk beside each other in so many ways, and yet, our friendship is long-distance and invisible while we live miles apart - yet our hearts continue to be knit together.  Go figure!

Getting married:  you get married to spend your life together.  However, you spend less time together married than you do when you're dating.  And it gets progressively worse as the years pass on.  I have no experience with retirement, but for us retirement doesn't look like even a remote possibility, so  more and more I see my husband less and less. Ironic.

There are many other examples.  But these are the ones that came to mind recently. Life is full of ironies. Moments here and there that leave one wondering.  I figure that ironies are one of the "spices" of life.  It keeps us on our toes, it livens things up, it makes us cry and makes us laugh, and it keep us thinking:  What's the purpose?

I'm thankful to know the real purpose of life.  That we lived with our Father in Heaven, we are literally His spirit children, He sent us to earth to exercise our free will (agency) and to choose to become like Him, so that in the end we can all return to live with Him again. He sent His Son to live a perfect life, showing us the way to live, and then to die for us in order to pay for our sins, and finally to resurrect for us so that we, too, can resurrect one day, and ultimately be able to return to live with Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and our families.  What a tremendous amount of joy and comfort that brings to me.

There are many ironic moments in life.  I hope we can learn to enjoy them as they come.

MARRIAGE IS . . . . 200%

This story touched me in the deepest part of my heart. I received it through email, and wanted to keep it. So I'm including it on my blog. 

A long and happy life together is only possible through humility and self-sacrifice. It is utterly impossible when one or both partners are selfish in the least degree.  It's not about giving 50:50. It's about giving 100:100.  There must always be 200% if a marriage is going to withstand the tests of time. And when we all have our "down" days, like all will, then the other spouse must make up the difference that day.  So on down days the ratio may be 80:120, or 190:10, always putting God first in your individual lives.  That way, as you grow closer to God, and sacrifice for your spouse, you will grow closer to each other. Not unlike the two sides of the equilateral triangle that grow closer together as they reach for the top.

I have been blessed to be married to my sweetheart and bestest friend for time and eternity in the Temple of the Lord, and we have both had our moments when we are so proud of each other, and love each other so much that we get 'leaky faucets.'  Perhaps this helped me in getting 'leaky faucets' again as i read this article.

Hope you enjoy it as well.

TRUE-LOVE STORY

Annie and John Glenn as Teenagers

 For half a century, the world has applauded John Glenn as a heart-stirring American hero. He lifted the nation's spirits when, as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, he was blasted alone into orbit around the Earth; the enduring affection for him is so powerful that even now people find themselves misting up at the sight of his face or the sound of his voice.

But for all these years, Glenn has had a hero of his own, someone who he has seen display endless courage of a different kind:

Annie Glenn.

They have been married for 68 years.

He is 90; she turned 92 on Friday.

This weekend there has been news coverage of the 50th anniversary of Glenn's flight into orbit. We are being reminded that, half a century down the line, he remains America 's unforgettable hero.

He has never really bought that.

Because the heroism he most cherishes is of a sort that is seldom cheered. It belongs to the person he has known longer than he has known anyone else in the world.

John Glenn and Annie Castor first knew each other when -- literally -- they shared a playpen.

In New Concord, Ohio, his parents and hers were friends. When the families got together, their children played.

John -- the future Marine fighter pilot, the future test-pilot ace, the future astronaut -- was pure gold from the start. He would end up having what it took to rise to the absolute pinnacle of American regard during the space race; imagine what it meant to be the young John Glenn in the small confines of New Concord.

Three-sport varsity athlete, most admired boy in town, Mr. Everything.

Annie Castor was bright, was caring, was talented, was generous of spirit. But she could talk only with the most excruciating of difficulty. It haunted her.

Her stuttering was so severe that it was categorized as an "85%" disability -- 85% of the time, she could not manage to make words come out.

When she tried to recite a poem in elementary school, she was laughed at. She was not able to speak on the telephone. She could not have a regular conversation with a friend.

And John Glenn loved her.

Even as a boy he was wise enough to understand that people who could not see past her stutter were missing out on knowing a rare and wonderful girl.

They married on April 6, 1943. As a military wife, she found that life as she and John moved around the country could be quite hurtful. She has written: "I can remember some very painful experiences -- especially the ridicule."

In department stores, she would wander unfamiliar aisles trying to find the right section, embarrassed to attempt to ask the salesclerks for help. In taxis, she would have to write requests to the driver, because she couldn't speak the destination out loud. In restaurants, she would point to the items on the menu.

A fine musician, Annie, in every community where she and John moved, would play the organ in church as a way to make new friends. She and John had two children; she has written: "Can you imagine living in the modern world and being afraid to use the telephone? 'Hello' used to be so hard for me to say. I worried that my children would be injured and need a doctor. Could I somehow find the words to get the information across on the phone?"

John, as a Marine aviator, flew 59 combat missions in World War II and 90 during the Korean War. Every time he was deployed, he and Annie said goodbye the same way. His last words to her before leaving were:

"I'm just going down to the corner store to get a pack of gum."

And, with just the two of them there, she was able to always reply:

"Don't be long."

On that February day in 1962 when the world held its breath and the Atlas rocket was about to propel him toward space, those were their words, once again. And in 1998, when, at 77, he went back to space aboard the shuttle Discovery, it was an understandably tense time for them. What if something happened to end their life together?

She knew what he would say to her before boarding the shuttle. He did -- and this time he gave her a present to hold onto:

A pack of gum.

She carried it in a pocket next to her heart until he was safely home.

Many times in her life she attempted various treatments to cure her stutter. None worked.

But in 1973, she found a doctor in Virginia who ran an intensive program she and John hoped would help her. She traveled there to enroll and to give it her best effort. The miracle she and John had always waited for at last, as miracles will do, arrived. At age 53, she was able to talk fluidly, and not in brief, anxiety-ridden, agonizing bursts.

John has said that on the first day he heard her speak to him with confidence and clarity, he dropped to his knees to offer a prayer of gratitude.

He has written: "I saw Annie's perseverance and strength through the years and it just made me admire her and love her even more." He has heard roaring ovations in countries around the globe for his own valor, but his awe is reserved for Annie, and what she accomplished: "I don't know if I would have had the courage."

Her voice is so clear and steady now that she regularly gives public talks. If you are lucky enough to know the Glenns, the sight and sound of them bantering and joking with each other and playfully finishing each others' sentences is something that warms you and makes you thankful just to be in the same room.

Monday will be the anniversary of the Mercury space shot, and once again people will remember, and will speak of the heroism of Glenn the astronaut.

But if you ever find yourself at an event where they are appearing, and you want to see someone so brimming with pride and love that you may feel your own tears start to well up, wait until the moment that Annie stands to say a few words to the audience.

And as she begins, take a look at her husband's eyes.

John and Annie Glenn, Feb. 2012, celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary at a NASA Luncheon

GREASEWOOD IN THE RAIN

Tonight there was a rather large storm pass through the area. I love storms.  And I'm especially thankful for this one. Our area is in drought mode and we are rationing our water in anticipation of a bad summer.  So a huge Texas storm is very welcomed. 

Growing up in Mexico, we had not real Winters.  At most it was in the 40's or 50's and all we got was rain.  So rain, to me, indicates winter and family time.  I guess that's one reason I love rain.  Another reason is that it reminds me of the wet, desert smells when it rains. Oh my! I would be a happy soul if I could die smelling the scent of wet greasewood as I die. Nothing in the world compares to it.  And that's saying something because I am all about aromatherapy, and I love several different scents.  But wet, rainy, greasewood beats them all. :)

I wish I could push a button sometimes and have life sweep me back to the years of childhood happiness, visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Tucson, and feeling their love and joy.  I miss them.  I miss their house in the mountains of Tucson, surrounded by coyote and other wildlife, and being able to see the panorama of Tucson through their wall-to-wall window in the living room, which made one feel like they were peering out of the canyon into an open valley and one could see all the "twinkling" city lights.  Amazing.  It was beautiful.  And I miss it.

I love the rain.  I love the smell of greasewood in the rain.

Don't take my word for it!  Read all about it rain and greasewood HERE!

IF -- JONATHAN'S FAVORITE POEM

I've posted this before, but in honor of Jonathan's high school graduation, I wanted to re-post, because it's just that good! :)  This is one of the many poems he memorized during his homeschooling days, and it really touched him and made him think about the kind of man he wanted to be.

I am so very thankful for Jonathan being in our lives and family, and I am so very proud of the man he is turning out to be. I love him!  It will be difficult to see this little bird fly our nest, for sure.

"IF"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!


Rudyard Kipling

MY MOTHER SAYS

 

 

My mother says she doesn't care
About the color of my hair,
Or if my eyes are blue or brown,
Or if my nose turns up or down.
My mother says these things don't matter.

My mother says she doesn't care
If I'm dark or if I'm fair,
If I'm thin or if I'm fat.
She doesn't fret o'er things like that.
My mother says these things don't matter.

But if I cheat or tell a lie,
Or do mean things to make folks cry,
Or if I'm rude or impolite,

And do not try to do what's right...
My mother says that these things matter.

It isn't looks that makes us great;
It's character that seals our fate.
It's what's within our hearts, you see,
That makes or mars our destiny.

And that's what really matters.



Author Unknown

OUR BABY BOY IS GRADUATING EARLY FROM HIGH SCHOOL! - A BITTER/SWEET MOMENT, BUT SO PROUD OF HIM!

This announcement customized with Smilebox

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER . . . . By Mr. Morgan

I love this tender Christmas story. 

It was written, illustrated, sung, and read by my cousin, Morgan Williams.  He's actually my "2nd cousin", but who cares. :o)

I share it here to spread the word and the cheer! I don't know if the embed code will work, so I'll just  share the LINK too.


Merry Christmas!  My favorite time of year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MY COUSINS!

THE 9 FAMILY'S HAPPENINGS IN 2011 (I MADE THIS ONE FOR OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY) :)

This free scrapbook design customized with Smilebox

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE 9 FAMILY TO YOURS !!!

Another scrapbooking design by Smilebox