The One You Love ...

"When you're with the one you love you feel as if you could fly ..."
~ From the movie "Hitch"

Seems silly to be quoting a movie, but it is so true.

I guess you wouldn't know it unless you've experienced it.
But I have and it so true!
If you haven't found it: keep looking! It's out there, somewhere.

I am truly a better person, and I enjoy life more fully than I ever would've on my own. Thanks to the love of my life, my husband.

As Sarah McLachlan says in "Push", from her album "Afterglow"..

"Every time I look at you the world just melts away.
All my trouble all my fears dissolve in your affections.
You've seen me at my weakest but you take me as I am.
And when I fall you offer me a softer place to land."

I love you, Ken. More and more each day. Our love seems endless, without bounds?

~M

"We Support Our Troops ..."

"We Support Our Troops!"

The bumper sticker is everywhere and that's not a bad thing. But the question arises:

How do you support our troops?

Is it in name only? Do you just pay them lip service, or have you actually done something to show your support for our troops?

Whether you agree with the war in Iraq or the fundamental reasons for our being there, we should be thankful each and every day that there are dedicated men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line to ensure the freedoms that our country was founded upon.

These men and women have families of their own that love and often depend on them. Families that are left behind without the support of their loved ones. At the very least, we should pray, often -- if not daily -- , for the safety of the troops stationed overseas, for their safe return, and for the loved ones left at home.

My children have colored pictures and written letters to service men and women thanking them for their bravery and telling them that they are able to sleep better at night because of the important job these soldiers are doing. We are also sending care packages to soldiers.

There are several organizations which sponsor an "adopt a soldier" programs where you can send care packages and/or letters to a soldier stationed overseas. You can look in on military families with loved ones stationed overseas, and offer to cook meals, watch kids, etc. Why not Volunteer to meet a returning flight of soldiers out at the airport? Wave signs and banners telling these troops just how much we truly do appreciate them and their sacrifices.

So get up off your "couch". Stop gabbing, stop text messaging, and yes -- dare I say it -- stop blogging! Just for a moment: And actually do something to show that you support our troops! God Bless America: land of the Free and the home of the Brave! Amen!

Thank Heaven for Children!

Thank Heaven for children! They keep it real! If you want to get back in touch with reality and what's really important just spend some time with a child -- preferably your own.

Kids don't sugar coat it; they tell it just like it is. They are so positive and upbeat too. As a mother of 3, I know firsthand that they can be a lot of work, but they are worth it!

The other day, I wasn't feeling well and was kind of down. My five-year old colored me a picture of her and me playing at the park under a rainbow. She hands it to me with a confident and sincere smile on her face and says: "Here mommy this will make you feel better. I colored it just for you!" Then, as a tear -- of happiness -- starts to form in my eye, she adds "I REALLY LOVE YOU, MOMMY!" and gives me a BIG hug. We went out in the back yard and played on the swings, threw the ball for our dog, and watered some of our special plants -- she wanted to grow a tomato plant this summer -- and all was right with the world again.

A World All Your Own ...

Is it just me, or does it seem odd that you no longer have to make eye contact with strangers, or say hello as you pass on the street, or sidewalk? Seems as if everyone is in their own little world gabbing away -- endlessly! -- about mostly meaningless, and in general trivial, stuff on their newest appendage: their cell phone.

I don't even know the name of the person next to me at the checkout, but I know that they just had their "nails done", their in-laws are coming into town, and their kid just got over a really bad case of "the runs".

And if one is not gabbing: there are sports stats to check, messages to text, or the latest game to play. All of this cell phone interaction seems to be creating little bubbles, worlds within worlds, where one can zone out from what's actually going on in the physical world around. And should that outside physical world dare intrude on one's little bubble of a world the outcome is often not pretty:

I've been run off the road and nearly hit by several cell phone bubble users. I've had my head irradiated by numerous cell phone users as they obliviously walk by, or sit next to me in a theater or a restaurant, or stand next to me at the check-out -- give me at least 3 feet of radiation-free space!

Health hazards aside: sadly, in this bubble world of physical isolation everyday common courtesy and manners seem to be a dying breed. Sometimes I wonder what world am I living in?

If anyone out there still says "hello" to people as they pass by on the street, or if you actually use safe and considerate cell phone etiquette (i.e., don't talk while driving, and don't blab your personal news for ALL to hear). If you still believe in common courtesy and old-fashioned manners: GOOD FOR YOU! More power to you! Maybe people like us will turn the tide back in favor of these "old-fashioned" ideas.