On this day of Thanksgiving

With all the chaos and horror in the world, we who are safe and healthy have much to be grateful for. I complain at times, often about limited time and the inability to write my stories. How petty that is despite how paramount it seems at times.

On this day I want to think about the simple things that make me feel whole and happy. Besides the obvious – a loving family and a roof over our heads – simple things like a beautiful sunrise, the sound of songbirds first thing in the morning, and even muffins baking in the oven make me smile and appreciate a given moment.

As a way to stand back and appreciate life more, we often take day trips. Our favorite haunt is any place upstate NY. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a trip to the Bronx Zoo or the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Because it was so beautiful and so recent, I’d like to share some images from our last trip to the Gardens.

We went there to see the Japanese Chrysanthemum exhibit. They were stunning. The tribute paid to these magnificent flowers is inspiring. The dedication in labor and time is hard to fathom, but the beauty of the effort is impossible to ignore.

  

       

 

 

 

 

After we viewed those awe-inspiring arrangments, we strolled the paths of the Gardens. Drying leaves crunched under our feet…

 

 

 

 

as water trickled over rocks in the river,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and ducks and geese cackled amongst themselves.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

At times, we’d stand in place, not moving, just listening. The heavy sound of winter-quiet filled the space around us.  

    

The air, so still, so crisp, teased us, made us think of crackling fireplaces and cedar scented candles. I thought of cozy evenings and pumpkin pie. I imagined happiness and peace for everyone everywhere.

I wish for that happiness. I hope for that peace. For me, for you. For everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving. May you have much to be thankful for now and always.

Obama – Fitness Guru?

Not only is the next president young as far as presidents go, but he has children young enough to still be in elementary school,  and a young and an enviably fit wife.

Barack and Michele Obama work out. Somehow, with their busier-than-we-can-imagine lives, they find the time for exercise. Cardio and weight training are part of their daily routines. She works out with a friend for 90 minutes, three times a week. He fits in forty-five minutes a day, six days a week. In this article, the president elect said, “There’s always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I’ll lift one day, do cardio the next.”

I workout each day with Daughter. As a home schooler, we have a fairly flexible schedule. However, we do our best to maintain a routine when it comes to exercise. Our first “class” of the day is gym. Gym class is one of several different cardio workout tapes ranging from 30 - 45 minutes. We take a water break after that, then slice an apple or pear as a snack before getting to the next class. Between subjects, we use one of our 5-minute routines for a quick jolt and wake-me-up.

It feels good to work out – AFTER we’ve worked out. Sometimes, the thought of doing it and the actual doing of it, makes me cringe. But I wonder…

Our country has a diabetes and obesity problem. Will a healthy and fit first family help change that?

Like Jackie-O inspired fashion, can Michele-O inspire fitness? Will the Obama presidency change the way people look at themselves?

I hope this is the case. I hope one of our next first-lady’s projects is physical fitness for children and adults. I know toy manufacturers have come out with products to get kids up off the couch – like interactive video games where they have to stand and move to virtually play the game rather than simply use their thumbs on a joystick. Maybe the Obama lifestyle will inspire new toys or activities for kids. Maybe the Obama lifestyle will inspire pride and determination to overcome personal obstacles – like finding time to workout, making it a priority and seeing to it that our children stay active. Maybe, just maybe, we can look at exercise and not cringe but rather see it as a challenge we want to take on.

It’s a lot to ask of a first family when their focus will be on so many other pressing issues. But if THEY can fit exercise into their busy daily lives, surely we can as well, don’t you think?

Twilight

The last movie to excite me was Harry Potter – pick a number in the series, it doesn’t matter, I enjoyed them all. My daughter was the age of the main characters when the first film came out. She has matured along with Harry, Hermione and Ron. She ‘gets’ it now. She follows the emotional reactions that are so much more complicated now than they were when the characters – and she – were so young.

 

I enjoy Harry Potter because of the fantasy. The way the films – and of course, the books – took my daughter’s imagination to a new level. She was fascinated by something exciting and new, and I watched her enjoyment with my own.

 

And so it was again today when, together, we saw a matinee of Twilight.

 

 

Twilight will captivate your teen. There’s no question in my mind about this. The girls will definitely relate to the teen heroine, Bella. They will understand her angst, her passion, her confusion and her ever-so-teen-like superiority and awkwardness.

 

While I watched this movie, I thought like a writer – and no, I have not yet read the books but do intend to. I watched the first hour or so with intense interest. There was little physical action, yet I was drawn in. I listened to every word spoken, because every word spoken sounded and felt like it mattered. And it did. To the seventeen year old heroine. And to me – a one-time teen. I understood her. I WAS her at one time in my life. Not that I experienced the same events she did, because, let’s face it, to my knowledge, I never fell in love with a vampire. But, I did experience the same emotions. The same doubts, needs, desires.

 

The beginning of the movie introduces us to high-schoolers just months before their junior prom. They are children on the cusp. Their passions run deep and pure. Their emotions, all-consuming. They react, not act – the exact opposite of what I try to teach Daughter now so when the time comes, she’s prepared.

 

As if.

 

Who is ever prepared for the tsunami of teenaged emotions?

 

It’s to that issue this movie speaks. Strike all logic and forethought from your mind if you see this. Consider instead the needs of teens. Consider how paramount each moment is to them – or was to you. Consider how vital it was to just be with the boy you liked – to just have him smile at you. Heck… to just have him LOOK your way. All that and more is what oozes from this film. The acting. The writing. The filming. The memories we bring to the theater. They all work together to make this romance – which is the crux of the film – palpable. Identifiable. Believable.

 

I’m thrilled Daughter and I were able to see this today – the first showing in my area. And I’m thrilled we were able to see it together. Most of all, I was thrilled each time I glanced over at her and saw that – no matter how complex the behaviors seemed to be – she ‘got’ it.

Where’s today?

All of a sudden, there seems to be too many things to do. It’s not like there isn’t always something pressing but sometimes, like in recent months, there just seems to be an overabundance of to-do’s on my list. I cross off one and add three more.

Blogging has taken a hit. So has my everyday writing. I’ve not been able to get a word onto the page in… too long. I haven’t been able to shut out the world for even a few minutes in order to gather my story thoughts and move forward.

I’m a thinker. When I ’see’ my story, I feel the story and then I can write the story. Lately, however, life has gotten in the way and I’ve been unable to spend uninterrupted ‘think-time’ with my characters. Dang it all. lol.

Every time I complain, however, I consider how fortunate I am. Yes. I’d love a free hour or so per day to simply sit and write, but I’m surrounded by family, most of us healthy, and we’re employed. We’re not in danger of losing our home and our health insurance is… while obscenely expensive… paid monthly with money we purposely set aside.

The positive thoughts have not helped to get my story written, but they help to keep me from drowning in the wallow pool.

Have you experienced the same thing – lately or in the past? How did you catch up? Or did you even try? Sometimes I think I should just plow ahead, focus on what needs to be done and… eventually… I’ll have time to do what I want to do.

Shameless plug

As an animal rescue volunteer, it’s my job to see that our cats are safe, healthy and happy. Whenever I can, I and the other volunteers, spread the word about our cats with the hope we’ll find loving homes for them.

 

One thing I cannot stress enough is the need for people to spay and neuter their pets. Indeed, if people would trap, neuter and return strays, the situation would be much less severe. Cats are mulitplying in numbers we can’t manage alone. The need for community involvement is vital. It’s also a lot to ask – and we know this. Our job, then, is to educate the community about TNR programs and to get out there ourselves to get it done.  

In order for this to happen, we need funds. It’s simple really. Everything costs money - and these days money is very hard to come by. Which leads me to my shameless plug. I’ve set up a blog about our organization. On the blog are Google ads and Google ads pay pennies per click. If you can find the time to check out the blog, post a comment, click an ad and spread the word to others you might know who are interested, I, the other volunteers and our precious felines would be eternally grateful. A few pennies here, a few more there, and who knows, maybe we can rescue, feed, socialize and find a home for one more lucky cat.

Click the photo below to go to the blog … and let me know what you think. Any way I can improve it to bring more traffic is a way I’m willing to try.

Operation Christmas Child

The holidays are such a busy time that we sometimes forget to think of the less fortunate among us. Many of us will stick within a budget, but still do our best to get something special within that budget for everyone on our list. This year, my family will be adding two special children to that list and to that budget.

We have no idea who those two children are. We know only that without us, they would have little to nothing with which to celebrate the holiday. While I know gift-giving and receiving is not what Christmas is all about, I have to say – and those who know me know this already – for me it is not about religion so much as about family. As a non-religious person, I want to give for the sake of giving. I want to share the warmth and love we often forget to acknowledge in our normally busy lives.

Samaritan’s Purse’s “Operation Christmas Child” will help us do just that. Samaritan’s Purse is a religious organization. In fact the mission statement from the organization’s parent webpage is this:

Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan’s Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I deeply oppose having someone’s religion pushed on someone else but what I’ve heard about this organization is that they often give out gifts in countries where they are not allowed to include any religious instruction. So, although this organization’s purpose is to spread the message, gifts given are not limited to that purpose. 

Bottom line with this program is this - through Operation Christmas Child, we have the opportunity to bring excitment, smiles and innocent pleasure to children who would otherwise do without.

So, what is Operation Christmas Child? It’s simple – it’s a gift-giving program for needy children around the world. To participate, all you have to do is find a standard-sized shoe box and fill it with small age-appropriate gifts like paper and colored pencils, tennis balls, rubix cubes and other stocking-stuffer-type items children will enjoy. You wrap the bottom and cover of the shoe box separately, enclose a $7.00 check (for shipping to the country where “your” child lives) and drop it off at a local drop center (or ship it directly to Samaritan’s Purse).

The mission of Samaritan’s Purse is to spread the word of God. The mission of my family is to spread the word of hope, of happiness and of life’s simple pleasures.

Go, and do likewise.

The most wonderful time…

The holidays are coming. There is no holiday more exciting for me than Christmas. I become a kid again at the very thought of it. I romanticize it. There’s a ton of work involved and while I’m in the thick of it, I do grumble. But that passes quickly and I get back to being a happy Santa’s helper.

Since Christmas is so special for me, I like to make it last. Instead of waiting until Christmas week, it’s been a tradition in my home to put up our tree right after Thanksgiving dinner. (Don’t worry – my tree isn’t up yet. The photo above is from last year) That entire weekend is spent decorating the house and setting up the Christmas village. (the rest of the month is spent trying to keep the cats away from said village ) The transition from plain to warm and festive always gives me pause. We play, we tease, we exhaust ourselves but it’s all worth it. By the end of Thanksgiving weekend, gifts I’ve already purchased are wrapped and set under the tree and we’ve taken our holiday photo.

Now THAT is an adventure in itself. Cats. Remember – we now have four of them. They’re fine on their own – investigating to their hearts are happy - so happy, in fact, they practically glow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, a camera on a tripod scares the willies out of them and so gathering them for a photo op is not the easiest thing to do. In fact, if ever you’ve heard the expression ‘the fur was flying’, well, that certainly applies to those couple of hours in my home when we round them up and try to take that perfect shot. We’re always laughing in the Christmas photo and when we send it as our Christmas card, I’m told those who receive it see the fun – and stress – we had while posing.

Sharing smiles. Sharing warmth. Sharing good food and best wishes. It’s what the season is about. I’ve loved the holidays for as long as I can recall and hope to always feel that hot-toddy warmth deep inside of me each year as it comes around again.

Which holiday is your favorite and why?

I received an “I love your blog” award!

You cannot imagine my surprise when I came home from helping my family in Colorado and found a note in my blog saying Chiron O’Keefe had given me an I Love Your Blog award!

How cool is that?! Thank you Chrion – woman of writing wisdom and inspiration!

You must check out her blog, The Write Soul. I know once you do, you’ll become a regular visitor like I am.

Check out the award -

 Is that adorable, or what!?

Now it’s my turn to nominate some blogs. But when I do… here’s what the nominees are to do… (don’t worry. It’s easy. And it’s a great way to meet more bloggers!)

The rules…
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

Voila!

And the envelopes please…

First, I would be a fool to not nominate the blog with the most wonderful collection of writers/bloggers there is. The Happily Ever After Cafe. Published authors from Romance Writer’s of America’s online chapter post weekly blogs of both personal and professional experiences and advice. Truly worth visiting, IMO.

Second, Claire Delacroix’s Alive & Knitting blog. Claire is one of those prolific writers who never ceases to amaze me. She’s multi-published and has contracts and deadlines I can only dream of, and yet she still has the time and energy to post her thoughts and advice. Claire’s blog is a wonderful mix of life and art.

Third, I know they’ve been nominated already but BookEnds Literary Agency’s blog is one of the best there is in the industry. With posts by the agents themselves, insight and understanding of the publishing end of the business is offered daily. Truly an informative site for those seeking first-time publication or repeated, this blog is worth a daily perusal. I must confess… they are my dream agents and I do hope to one day be represented by the women of BookEnds.

Fourth, CLL Diary. As a woman with a family member dealing with this disease, this is a blog I refer to often. The author’s experiences are detailed with painful clarity. There is no nonsense, no sugar-coating. For me, this is perfection. If there is a disease I need to be concerned about – whether for me or for a member of my family – I want all the information I can get with nothing held back. I want to know what I’m dealing with, and this gentleman’s gracious sharing of very personal experiences gives me that. Thank you, David Arensen, and I wish you all the best during your tough time fighting this disease.

Fifth, Just Enough, and Nothing More, a secular homeschooling blog by Tammy Takahashi. If you have the slightes interest or concern about homeschooling, check out her blog. It’s interesting and informative – giving the pros AND cons of homeschooling. As a fairly new homeschooling mom, I find myself visiting her blog often.

Sixth, I want to give a shout out to each of the woman whose blogs I follow daily. I’m going to lump all of them into this spot because each one is wonderful for their own reason and because they each might want to nominate another on the list. Please, check out my blogroll for some fun blogs. Leave a comment and go back for more!

And finally, seventh… this is a very personal shout out. It’s probably against the rules but I’m going to take this chance. Those who know me, know I volunteer at an animal shelter. I love the cats there and wish for a home for each and every one of them. So… I’ve just set up a blog for them and I hope lots of people will visit there and CLICK ON ALL THE ADS!! We can certainly use the revenu so, if you’re so inclined, a daily visit and click would help us tremendously. We’ve yet to create actual posts but my hope is each volunteer will contribute so we’ll have a never-ending supply of interesting reading there. PLEASE stop by every now and then. I promise, soon there will be posts there worth reading.

We Can and We Did & Chemo Recovery Week 2

I was not at home in New York when Senator Barack Obama won the US Presidency in the most enthusiastic election of my lifetime. I was not even near a TV or radio. I had no idea he’d officially reached the required electoral votes until I called Daughter from the Emergency Room where we’d taken my mom just hours earlier.

This week of recovery after chemo has not gone as well as the last. This week, my mom’s white blood cell count is next to nil. Considering she has CLL, you’d think a low white blood cell count would be a blessing. However, it was so low, the concern was that if she were to get any type of infection, her body would not be able to fight it. Well… Daughter and I are here to help but Daughter has been suffering a terrible cold since the moment we arrived. She’s basically been banished to one or two rooms of the house so her germs can’t reach Mom. She’s such a trooper.

However, last night, mom started to run a fever. The on-call doctor told us to go to the ER. We still don’t know what caused the fever, but I’m happy to say, it’s gone. Antibiotics are involved. Antibiotics and watchful waiting.

Meanwhile, history was being made. I am relieved and hopeful now. With the man, Barack Obama, as the new – and clearly WANTED by a huge majority – American President, we may be able to restore some tattered alliances. We may be able to regain some pride in our country and our leaders. We may even find new hurdles leapt and new understandings abound. I am hopeful. I want a unified America. I want people to ask questions of each other and listen to the answers. I want no more of the preach and pander of the past eight years. I want no more of the hostility or fear of being either ‘for or against’ my country.

I am a proud American. I’ve always been. But I have never been more proud as when people of different faiths, nationalities, races, sexual orientations and parties came together as a unified force and voted in favor of the future. In favor of hope. In favor of change.

To those who still think we can never conquer the hate and divisivness of the past eight years, I’ll take the words of our new leader and make them mine – Yes. We. Can.

And we will.

2008 – A Vote for History

I’m now in Colorado for my mom’s 2nd Chemo treatment. I’ll be here until the 6th of November which means I will not be homeon the 4th. Election Day.

Hmm. Now, that’s a bit of a dilemna, yes? What about voting?

Sure, New York is a BLUE state, and so, my BLUE vote would be voiced with or without me actually casting said vote. BUT…

This is history!!! How on earth could I not cast my vote is this historical election? Well… I couldn’t not vote so I voted early via absentee ballot. And my 13 year old daughter cheered me on as she, too, witnessed a bit of history take place in her lifetime.  

How amazing is this?