Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven. ~Yiddish Proverb
As the Olympic Games comes to a close, I’m struck by the talent of athletes like Simone Biles.
This tiny gymnast captured five medals (four of them gold), and many experts predict the sky really is the limit for her.
Dallas here.
You should’a seen Mama’s face.
The Kid (AKA Domer) asked her for something tucked safely(?!) away in the storage shed in the backyard and, since he didn’t want to venture in there the last time he was home, Mama decided to after he left.
That was Mistake #1.
If animals could talk, the world would lose its best listeners. ~Robert Brault, writer
How many times do we ask
“How are you?”
Expecting a simple reply.
“Fine.”
“No complaints.”
“Just dandy.”
Before turning back to our busyness,
Scurrying to appointments.
No real desire to tarry a while.
Hearing — real hearing — requires time.
Yet when someone asks us the same question,
We yearn for a listening ear,
A caring heart.
Just a few minutes
To share our thoughts,
Moan about our aches,
Complain about … whatever.
Before returning to our life
Solving problems, slaying dragons.
Hearing — real hearing — requires time.
Don’t bother asking, “How are you”
If you won’t wait around to hear the answer.
“How are you” shouldn’t be perfunctory.
Rather, it begs for a park bench or a coffee shop,
Some place where folks can sit a while and talk.
Really talk.
About things that keep them up nights.
Things that force them to their knees to pray.
Things that, shared, make their burden bearable.
Mired in darkness,
Gasping for air,
Overpowering tremors,
Haunting memories.
When will it end?
Restless sleep,
Relentless nightmares.
No peace by day,
No calm at night.
Bone-weary exhaustion.
A point of light appears
Far in the distance,
A beacon of hope
Is glimmering.
Hard to stay blue forever.
Taking baby steps
Toward normalcy.
Learning to trust
Through sheer willpower.
Don’t hurt me again.
Do not think because an accident hasn’t happened to you that it can’t happen. ~Safety saying, circa early 1900s
Perhaps you’ve noticed I haven’t been around much these past few days. Perhaps you’ve wondered why.
Here’s the reason:
Don’t smother each other. No one can grow in the shade. ~Leo Buscaglia, American author and motivational speaker
Tell me I’m witty, clever, and pretty.
Tell me I make your world whole.
Tell me you love me, say it out loud.
Buy me more flowers and gold.
Take me with you whenever you can.
Call me from work every day.
Surprise me with baubles, trinkets, and such.
Never neglect me in any way.
They don’t call me diva for nothing, you know.
I’m needy, demanding, and rare.
I expect your attention, presence, and heed.
My pleasure, your only care.
(Some people are just like honeysuckle vines
And won’t stand on their own two feet.)
Reply to my texts the minute you see them.
Answer my calls when I ring.
Don’t make plans with your friends on Saturday night,
Only to me shall you cling.
I don’t like fishing or sports or hunting,
Don’t bore me with lifting weights.
Your job is simple: make sure I’m happy,
And the wolf’s away from the gates.
High maintenance? Yes, but I’m worth it, you know,
What else would you do with your time?
Look how much pleasure I bring to your life.
Without me, you’re not worth a dime.
(Are you sure you want such a sticky bond?
I’d beat a path ‘cross the street!)
Note: I’ve known people like this, haven’t you? They’re clingy and demanding; nothing but complete adoration will keep them satisfied (and even that sometimes isn’t enough).
There is much in the world to make us afraid. There is much more in our faith to make us unafraid. ~Frederick W. Cropp, Presbyterian pastor, United States
On edge.
Alert.
Waiting for
The other shoe to drop.
We tiptoe through Life
Like rabbits.
Afraid
Of what hides in the dark
Or what’s right before us.
Saturated with bad news —
Stormy weather,
Senseless shootings,
Poverty, and disease.
Who put us in charge?
Much remains outside
Our control.
We do the best we can
With what we can
For as long as we can
And leave the rest
To a Higher Power.
Trembling but trusting
Like the rabbits do.
Illinois is broke. — Gov. Bruce Rauner
Sad to say, this quoted headline — in nearly one and a half-inch tall type — greeted me this week as I picked up our local newspaper.
Painful though parting be, I bow to you as I see you off to distant clouds. ~Emperor Saga, 52nd emperor of Japan
Two birds playing on a sunny Spring day
Flew too close to a shiny glass building
And crash landed.
The closer one was merely stunned.
Sat on the sidewalk blinking and gathering its bearings.
The farther one wasn’t as fortunate
And lay on its back, feet skyward.
Maybe it hit the glass too hard.
Maybe it hit the glass wrong.
Maybe it wasn’t as physically strong.
A nearby maintenance fellow with a sack
Explained he’d already picked up several
Of the delicate creatures this week.
All were dead.
Shouldn’t man with his knowledge do better
Than construct buildings that attract wildlife
To their death?
Note: Did you know up to a billion birds die every year in the U.S. after colliding with windows?
People are divided into two parts: some of them look for and cannot find anything, others find but are not satisfied. ~Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (translated by Oana Platon)
Have you ever had something so unexpected happen that all you can do is accept it for what it is and carry on?
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 