After Thanksgiving and Other Debris

After Thanksgiving and Other Debris

While it is not necessary for all of us to eat a wonderful meal of turkey, cranberries, pumpkin pie and green bean casserole (which we didn't have this year), it would be awesome to live in a world where we all felt thankful always.  No, we did not have green bean casserole and we had apple pie, not pumpkin, but our Thanksgiving was special this year.  

We are grateful that God is giving us a grand baby, named Isaac.  He is indeed a miracle.  He will be among us soon and we, especially Nick and Jennifer, are anxiously awaiting his birth.  He is the first child of two first children and our first grand child.  

We are grateful, too, for our entire family.  We are also thankful for the support of our church families because we pray with church families around the world.  There is no doubt that are friends are priceless and our lives are enriched by them, their presence and the fun they bring to our lives.  We are thankful and so blessed.  God is great!

With my thoughts of Isaac and his arrival, I'm mindful of what it will be like to have a grandson.  I think of our own children, Jennifer and Lindsay.  I remember days of just wanting to spend time with the girls, no schedules, nothing we "had" to do, it was really up to them.  Our girls were quite social, so being with their friends was an important pursuit.  Movies, toys and games were other favorite ways to spend time together.  Our girls grew up when board games were still popular along with Disney movies.

As I write, I am doing so after watching a favorite Disney movie, "Mary Poppins," and I immediately thought of how I can't wait to share in the making of a kite with Alan and Isaac.  I have the perfect place to go in the Spring one day to take Isaac to fly a kite!  It seems so simple yet, I imagine it to be a day of many carefree moments spent to enjoy a wonderful gift, Isaac.

Last Lessons on Friendship

Last Lessons on Friendship

     Asking the question: Who will I want to hang out with during my retirement?  I have seen my friends who are retired and I have noticed several things.  I see a sense of freedom and yet they are very energetic, active and yes, a smile on their faces that indicates the joy of no longer working!  So, I would most definitely spend time with my husband.  We could do lunch.  I would spend time with family and my real friends.

     Are there any more rules to follow on friendship?  The people who are your friends may or may not be coworkers.  Most coworkers are not real friends.  Life is too short, they say, to lose sleep over conversations gone wrong.  Anger should be resolved right away.  Sometimes you have to apologize when you have done nothing wrong.  Sometimes being hurt serves as a reminder to remain aloof, keep your mouth shut and guard your heart.  It is almost never a good idea to trust a coworker.  

     The workplace is more competitive now than ever so remember these steps:
1. "Excuse me, I will be right back."
2. Clear your head, take a deep breath.  Return with willing attitude.
3.  Ask any questions you might have about the new assignment (clarification).
4. "Is there anything else I should do?"
5. "How can I help?"

     The reason we have friends in places like our churches, synagogues, country clubs, the gym, etc., is because it is where we build community.  We define our community, our extended family, our true friendships.

     Retirement is not about work-- so our friendships are all about community, family and where we LIKE to be!  In the meanwhile our friends are there for us, we find them in our community, we find them where our heart is.

WELCOME

WELCOME!

Life Lessons on Friendship

Yesterday I learned that there are individuals in my life who need lessons in friendship. They do not not operate on the premise that they can invite their friends to lunch. They find themselves lost in a world where everyone else meets for lunch. They figure that it is not important enough to accept and acknowledge invitations. I find this fascinating. We live in an electronic world, but email is quickly becoming a a low tech form of communication. A company that goes by Parcel Post EVITES (paperless invitations) depends on people who still check email. When an invitation is created and sent out as an EVITE, the company can tell which people actually open the invitation, which ones reply, etc. One would think that a friend who is expecting an invitation via email, would at least open the EVITE. This only means you see the invitation, perhaps read it and acknowledge that you are, indeed, on the guest list! So, individuals in my life who need lessons on friendship, also need etiquette education Even if you do not plan to attend the event, do you not care enough to see the invitation? Friendship is not to be taken for granted. You may spend 7, 8, 9 hours at the workplace with people, but that does not mean they are your friends. The whole "let's do lunch" thing does not apply to people at work who are considered supervisors. Supervisors eat with other bosses or alone. Workers eat together and meet at the sandwich shop or the diner. BFFs: a great term--teens always have BFFs! I married my BFF! So that makes room for one best friend, on whom I can depend. Pretty sweet! Again, who is it that you meet for lunch? You meet with one or two people with whom you enjoy spending time, have a lot in common, etc. You spend time with people who have your back, who care for you, who love you just the way you are. Yes, you are on the guest list. No, you did not open the invitation, but I care enough to include you. Yes, we can "do lunch" one day. No, I do not count on you to have my back. I will do what I have to do when we are at work. I get it. You are all about YOU. Friendship 101: the ideal friend will lay down one's life for you. It is really a gift of sacrifice, love and life. Smile and enjoy your true BFF! Monday Morning Moments

The Heatwave and Money Matters Part One

Saturday, July 7, 2012

     ECONOMIC DECLINE OR HEAT OF THE NIGHT

     Sometimes when people have endured economic shifts such as the one we have experienced since 2008, it is very difficult to rise above it.  It is easy to find someone not connected to the family to blame.  Today, however, that changed.  Today I feel the blame for the economic down-turn in our economy.  I am not sure if it is only our own personal economy or if it merely is the extreme heat in Short Pump, Virginia--indeed Henrico County.  Many have had no electricity, no air conditioning in one of the largest heatwaves this area has ever seen.  The temperatures tomorrow may signal the end of the extremes in temperature as the forecast for Monday included temperatures in the 80's with a week of rainy days!  For the days of temperatures in the 100's, that is literally very cool!  We do not have to go back too far to the days when most homes did not have "central air"  and schools were not air conditioned.  I remember those days.  I also remember my dad having a window unit put into the Master Bedroom, upstairs.  It was the first air conditioner in our home.  So, perhaps, the heat does play a huge role in "being blamed" for an economic crisis.  It was the consistent lack of air conditioning in at least one vehicle that started the discussion.  I get it, it is not all that great to "sweat" all the way to work.  So, suddenly from there the table turns to money.  Yes, it takes money to fix the air conditioning in a vehicle.  The conversation fades as there does not seem to be a solution.  Tomorrow should be the last day of the extremely high temperatures.  The air conditioner in the SUV still won't work, but the rains will make it difficult to keep the windows down.  It is a vicious circle, in this case, a cycle--an economic short fall.  I think it is like the winds of time; one never know which way they will blow!

Never Thought It Would Ever Happen

"I didn't see that coming," is a line from a script spoken by Mark Harmon in his role as a NCIS agent on the popular television drama, "NCIS". It causes me to be mindful of how we are not trained to always expect the unexpected. The tragic loss of 6 Americans in Afghanistan recently struck me in the heart when I first found out from our daughter who called to share with me the news that her gym teacher was shot and killed there. Lindsay's elementary gym teacher was Robert Marchanti. We called him "Mr. Marchanti" because he was our daughter's teacher at Victory Villa Elementary School, where I often worked and called him friend, colleague. He had a commitment. His family shared that commitment to serve, to provide and care for those in need of a better life, safe and free. Freedom and security are so very precious to everyone and still worth standing up for.
A friend at church recently reminded me of the need that we all have for support. Her words when expanded could be simply the message that those who provide for others are just as much in need of support, only a different kind. In education the focus is on the child, the student, the one who at all levels, needs support.
Mr. Marchanti was a gym teacher, an inspiration and he saw each student as a star in training. He let each student know that he or she had the talents to succeed. He inspired many to keep on going. He was the one who encouraged Lindsay to play soccer.
"I didn't see that coming". By the time you think the words you may not have the chance to say them. Let freedom ring!
Thanks, Mr. Marchanti. Freedom rings for you!