Powerful Recap and Introducing Tag - You're It!

There are a couple posts that have made an amazing impact in the past couple weeks.  Probably because they have to do with family issues.  I will recap them here in case you missed them and then I have a fun CHALLENGE for you.

And Yet.....You Walked Away is the gut wrenching story about our son who walked out of our lives three years ago.

Life Lesson When Lost In A Parking Lot is an hilarious recap about losing my car ..... almost forever. I was amazed as to how many people (not just women) have this problem.

And Yet....You Walked Away

You were so tiny. My firstborn. My son.  Adopting a baby required an extensive amount of soul searching.  There was no doubt.  Our prayers were answered when she placed you in my arms.  My baby.  And yet....you walked away.

Life Lesson When Lost In A Parking Lot

Why can't I remember where I parked my car?  It seems that whenever I park in a parking lot, I have no trouble getting to my intended destination but I almost always have trouble finding my way back. 

I consider myself to be somewhat intelligent so making a mental note of where I parked isn't rocket science.  Sometimes the parking lots are thoughtful enough to put numbers and letters on pillars to make it easier for people to remember where they parked.  As long as you remember the letter and/or the number you are home free.  You think?

Dear Daughter - Why Did You Turn Out This Way?

Dear Daughter:  Looking at you I see reflections of myself.  I see my youth, my aspirations, my passions and parts of my personality.  I am amazed when I look at you and realize I had a small part in forming who you are; that pleases me.  You are more than I ever hoped to be.  I thank God to have had some influence in your life decisions. My precious, beloved daughter - the bottom line is you never cease to amaze me at what an incredible, intelligent, beautiful, gentle, wise and humorous woman you are.  I am proud to call you friend and even prouder to call you daughter.

Rochelle at two

Missing A Birth And A Brush With Death

My monthly Fly On The Wall post is part of a group of bloggers that allow you access into their homes to see what exciting and hilarious things happened on the home front during the past month. This month I was away from home. The beginning of the month I spent house/dog/cat/livestock sitting for my daughter who was enjoying the shores of Hawaii.

What I did not realize until I got there was that two of the sheep were pregnant.  The instructions she gave me in response to my wide eyes were "Don't worry Mom, there shouldn't be any problems.  If you see the mama is struggling and there is a little leg sticking out of her, just give it a gentle tug."

Every evening I heard a noise at the front door.  It was the goats.  They jumped their fence regularly to visit the house alerting me that it was feeding time.  They walked extremely close to my side to the fields and enjoyed the game of 'Let's See If We Can Trip The Old Lady.'  I wrote about their funny and sometimes painful antics in Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone.

13 1/2 Things I May Never Understand- Can You Help?

You may call this post a rant and I suppose in some ways it is.  But what I really want are your opinions.  Each of us is entitled to our own views and these are some things that I need you to help me to understand.   I will do a follow-up post of your responses.

As we get older, we are supposed to get wiser.  However,I don't get it -- unless you can enlighten me.

1)  Stickers on cars that read "Precious Cargo On Board." In other words, if you were considering slamming into the back of my car STOP RIGHT THERE.  There is a baby on board and you could hurt him.  With all the weirdos in the world, why would I want to advertise that I have a baby in the car?

What 4 Things Do You Need To Live?

We have all been asked the question "What could you never live without?"  Sometimes we answer by listing those we love or some of our possessions that are very dear to us; i.e. family photos.  I think that is a given - when we lose someone we love, we feel like we do not want to live anymore.  I thought I would take a bit of a different twist here.

Each month I participate in a word challenge given four to six unrelated words to use in a story.  This month's words threw me for a loop.  How could I possibly write a story using those words?  And then it hit me, and I turned it into a post about four things I could not live without.  My words were candid, bestow, handiwork and delicious.  See what I mean?

Is There A Right And Wrong Side Of Anger?

I believe that most anger starts as an annoyance but can turn into rage - if allowed.  To get angry is expressing a normal emotion but out of control it can be destructive.  It can destroy relationships, careers and most definitely, your health.  Anger is a natural response to a threat and helps us defend ourselves but must be controlled to be beneficial. 

You can be assertive when you are angry; expressing your feelings calmly and respectfully allowing you to get your point across without being offensive.  An unhealthy choice is to suppress anger which can lead to passive-aggressive behavior and hypertension or depression.  It is crucial to find a way to vent without hurting others or ourselves. Otherwise it can be a one-way street without a way to turn around and take back what had been said.