Ok, so I missed a month and a week of blogging. I tried. I truly did. Just wasn't feeling it. Still not really sure I have anything to say, but I feel obligated. So here goes nothing...
Top 10 Reasons I Hate Winter:
1. Can never keep the truck clean.
2. Cold feet.
3. Black snow everywhere.
4. Dry skin.
5. Scraping of the windshield.
6. Hard to keep the gas grill going in 40 mph wind.
7. No Brewer games/tailgating parties.
8. Flu.
9. Darkness.
10. It's not summer.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The Invitation by Oriah
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain - mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes, without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day.
And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon...“Yes!”
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair,
weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Lessons for Charlie
I was recently talking with someone about the lessons I hope to teach my children and thought that this might be a good forum for putting a lesson plan together. Although all children will learn life lessons from their parents, as well as others in their lives, I hope to share wisdom, insight and talents in unique ways with each of my kids. In the spirit of honoring the eldest, I'll start with Sir Charles (AKA Chachi, Little Chuck, Charles Edward, Charlie Eddie, Cha Cha)....
1. Have animals in your life, preferably dogs.
2. Read - books, newspaper articles, comic books, love letters, magazines, directions and labels.
3. Listen to music every day, and don't be afraid to sing along!
4. Say hello to strangers as you meet them in passing, and hold doors open for the elderly.
5. Blow bubbles.
6. Mow the lawn in straight lines whenever possible.
7. Return phone calls.
8. Give to charity.
9. Use your turn signal.
10. Better to be early than late.
11. Eat meat.
12. Put the toilet seat down when you're done.
13. Learn how to fly a stunt kite.
14. Send your mothers a birthday card every year.
15. Know how to drive a stick shift.
16. Learn how to swim.
17. Turn the lights off when you leave the room.
18. Learn how to talk about what you feel as much as what you think.
19. Travel and explore your world.
20. Live, love and laugh like nobody's watching.
1. Have animals in your life, preferably dogs.
2. Read - books, newspaper articles, comic books, love letters, magazines, directions and labels.
3. Listen to music every day, and don't be afraid to sing along!
4. Say hello to strangers as you meet them in passing, and hold doors open for the elderly.
5. Blow bubbles.
6. Mow the lawn in straight lines whenever possible.
7. Return phone calls.
8. Give to charity.
9. Use your turn signal.
10. Better to be early than late.
11. Eat meat.
12. Put the toilet seat down when you're done.
13. Learn how to fly a stunt kite.
14. Send your mothers a birthday card every year.
15. Know how to drive a stick shift.
16. Learn how to swim.
17. Turn the lights off when you leave the room.
18. Learn how to talk about what you feel as much as what you think.
19. Travel and explore your world.
20. Live, love and laugh like nobody's watching.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Things I am thankful for (in no particular order)....
Puppies
Chinese takeout
Convertibles
Mittens
My kids (remember, no particular order)
Fleece
iPods
Whiskey
Sunscreen
Good friends
Microwave ovens
Internet access
My family
Education
Books
Movies
Peace and quiet
Thunderstorms
Starbucks
Sex
HBO
Mapquest
Ocean breezes
Common sense
Laughter
Love
Cool Whip
Imagination
Life
Chinese takeout
Convertibles
Mittens
My kids (remember, no particular order)
Fleece
iPods
Whiskey
Sunscreen
Good friends
Microwave ovens
Internet access
My family
Education
Books
Movies
Peace and quiet
Thunderstorms
Starbucks
Sex
HBO
Mapquest
Ocean breezes
Common sense
Laughter
Love
Cool Whip
Imagination
Life
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sad Day in America...
LINCOLN, Neb. – The mother was running out of more than patience when she abandoned her 18-year-old daughter at a hospital over the weekend under Nebraska's safe-haven law. She was also running out of time: She knew that state lawmakers would soon meet in a special session to amend the ill-fated law so that it would apply to newborns only.
"Where am I going to get help if they change the law?" said the mother, who lives in Lincoln and asked to not be identified by name to protect her adopted child.
To the state's surprise and embarrassment, more than half of the 31 children legally abandoned under the safe-haven law since it took effect in mid-July have been teenagers.
But state officials may have inadvertently made things worse with their hesitant response to the problem: The number of drop-offs has almost tripled to about three a week since Gov. Dave Heineman announced on Oct. 29 that lawmakers would rewrite the law.
With legislators set to convene on Friday, weary parents like the Lincoln mother have been racing to drop off their children while they still can.
On Thursday, authorities searched for two teens — a boy and girl, ages 14 and 17 — who fled an Omaha hospital as their mother tried to abandon them. The mother was trying to take them from the car to the emergency room when they took off.
Child welfare experts said the late deluge of drop-offs was probably inevitable. After all, they said, some date had to be picked to begin changing the law.
But some of them said lawmakers and the governor missed chances to change the law early because they underestimated the number of desperate families looking for help. Heineman called the special session only after a spate of five drop-offs in eight days.
Reluctance to pull senators away from their jobs and election campaigns, along with the estimated $70,000 to $80,000 cost of a special session, were among the reasons Heineman's office cited in holding off on calling a special session sooner.
"I think there was a fair amount of denial on the part of legislators that it would snowball," said Karen Authier, executive director of the Nebraska Children's Home Society.
The safe-haven law was intended to save "Dumpster babies" by allowing desperate young mothers to abandon their newborns at a hospital without fear of prosecution. But lawmakers could not agree on an age limit, and the law as passed uses only the word "child."
All states have safe-haven laws, but in every state but Nebraska, the law applies to infants only.
Authier said her group and others had warned senators after the law passed early this year that there could be problems, but the lawmakers did not believe it.
"It wasn't like talking to a stone wall," Authier said. "It was just that people who aren't in the business of dealing with families, they aren't aware how desperate some of these families are."
Sure enough, 18 teenagers — five 17-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, two 14-year-olds, three 13-year-olds — have been abandoned, along with eight children who were 11 or 12. Five of the children dropped off have been from out of state.
The Lincoln mother who dropped off her 18-year-old daughter said she was repeatedly turned down when she sought help from police, state social services authorities and the girl's school. The woman said her daughter had been diagnosed with a mental illness when she was 12 and had deep psychological scars from childhood abuse and from being left alone with her dead biological mother for a week.
The woman said she felt she had no choice but to leave her daughter at the hospital after a recent flurry of assault, stealing, sleeping around and cutting school.
"I thought she would get help" through the safe-haven law, the mother said.
However, state authorities refused to take the young woman into custody, saying Nebraska law regarding juveniles does not let authorities take in anyone older than 17. The woman left with her daughter.
Fourteen children in all have been left at three hospitals operated by Alegent Health in the Omaha area.
"These are largely families at a point of incredible desperation," said Wayne Sensor, chief executive of Alegent Health. "They aren't bad parents or bad kids. They simply don't know what services are available out there."
"Where am I going to get help if they change the law?" said the mother, who lives in Lincoln and asked to not be identified by name to protect her adopted child.
To the state's surprise and embarrassment, more than half of the 31 children legally abandoned under the safe-haven law since it took effect in mid-July have been teenagers.
But state officials may have inadvertently made things worse with their hesitant response to the problem: The number of drop-offs has almost tripled to about three a week since Gov. Dave Heineman announced on Oct. 29 that lawmakers would rewrite the law.
With legislators set to convene on Friday, weary parents like the Lincoln mother have been racing to drop off their children while they still can.
On Thursday, authorities searched for two teens — a boy and girl, ages 14 and 17 — who fled an Omaha hospital as their mother tried to abandon them. The mother was trying to take them from the car to the emergency room when they took off.
Child welfare experts said the late deluge of drop-offs was probably inevitable. After all, they said, some date had to be picked to begin changing the law.
But some of them said lawmakers and the governor missed chances to change the law early because they underestimated the number of desperate families looking for help. Heineman called the special session only after a spate of five drop-offs in eight days.
Reluctance to pull senators away from their jobs and election campaigns, along with the estimated $70,000 to $80,000 cost of a special session, were among the reasons Heineman's office cited in holding off on calling a special session sooner.
"I think there was a fair amount of denial on the part of legislators that it would snowball," said Karen Authier, executive director of the Nebraska Children's Home Society.
The safe-haven law was intended to save "Dumpster babies" by allowing desperate young mothers to abandon their newborns at a hospital without fear of prosecution. But lawmakers could not agree on an age limit, and the law as passed uses only the word "child."
All states have safe-haven laws, but in every state but Nebraska, the law applies to infants only.
Authier said her group and others had warned senators after the law passed early this year that there could be problems, but the lawmakers did not believe it.
"It wasn't like talking to a stone wall," Authier said. "It was just that people who aren't in the business of dealing with families, they aren't aware how desperate some of these families are."
Sure enough, 18 teenagers — five 17-year-olds, two 16-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, two 14-year-olds, three 13-year-olds — have been abandoned, along with eight children who were 11 or 12. Five of the children dropped off have been from out of state.
The Lincoln mother who dropped off her 18-year-old daughter said she was repeatedly turned down when she sought help from police, state social services authorities and the girl's school. The woman said her daughter had been diagnosed with a mental illness when she was 12 and had deep psychological scars from childhood abuse and from being left alone with her dead biological mother for a week.
The woman said she felt she had no choice but to leave her daughter at the hospital after a recent flurry of assault, stealing, sleeping around and cutting school.
"I thought she would get help" through the safe-haven law, the mother said.
However, state authorities refused to take the young woman into custody, saying Nebraska law regarding juveniles does not let authorities take in anyone older than 17. The woman left with her daughter.
Fourteen children in all have been left at three hospitals operated by Alegent Health in the Omaha area.
"These are largely families at a point of incredible desperation," said Wayne Sensor, chief executive of Alegent Health. "They aren't bad parents or bad kids. They simply don't know what services are available out there."
Monday, November 3, 2008
History in the Making...
24 hours from now, it is my hope that history will have been made (although it already has in so many ways), and that the United States of America will have a black president-elect, Barack Obama.
Race doesn't matter, remember? It's all about qualifications, and readiness to lead. It's about administrative qualities, compassion and vision. It's about intelligence, bravery and determination. It's about selflessness, belief in the greater good, tolerance and forgiveness.
Race matters. I grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line, in the 1970s. Race really matters.
It's the unspeakable topic that grips this nation with anxiety, fear, pride and fortitude. Race relations in this country are at times embarassing. At other times, such as November 4, 2008, an opportunity for reaching a milestone that surpasses the imagination of those who came before us.
Tomorrow is a chance to close the door on some of the ugliness of our history, and open new ones for every person in this country. Tomorrow is an opportunity to say that we are better than that.
Race matters.
Race doesn't matter, remember? It's all about qualifications, and readiness to lead. It's about administrative qualities, compassion and vision. It's about intelligence, bravery and determination. It's about selflessness, belief in the greater good, tolerance and forgiveness.
Race matters. I grew up south of the Mason-Dixon line, in the 1970s. Race really matters.
It's the unspeakable topic that grips this nation with anxiety, fear, pride and fortitude. Race relations in this country are at times embarassing. At other times, such as November 4, 2008, an opportunity for reaching a milestone that surpasses the imagination of those who came before us.
Tomorrow is a chance to close the door on some of the ugliness of our history, and open new ones for every person in this country. Tomorrow is an opportunity to say that we are better than that.
Race matters.
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