Beau...

I feel like a little furry 'angel' was brought to us!!! I am getting so much enjoyment from watching Beau play with our area rug as he bounces it between his paws, he goes into stealth mode as he ambushes the corner of our our over stuffed chairs in the family room (thankfully he doesn't have claws to mutilate the furniture), and he is my shadow following me around hoping I will land somewhere so he can curl up in my lap.

I love animals so much and the fact that I would never considered having a cat since I am not in favor of declawing felines, but here we were provided a kitty that suits all of our prerequisites...no claws, neutered, and an indoor snuggle boy.

I just am a proud "Mama" and had to share.

A 1000 Marbles...

I read a story off of the Internet...I would love to give credit, where credit is due but the author was not given. Please read and see if this touches you, as it has touched me.

A Thousand Marbles:
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and what began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.

I turned on the old am band radio that was once my Grandfather's and tried to see if it would pick anything I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".

I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime."

"Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the kitchen. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the yard that morning, and then I was going to clean the garage. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

G-D BLESS YOU & YOURS! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND MAY ALL SATURDAYS BE SPECIAL!
May love litter your life with blessings.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics. Treasure every moment that you have!

A Long Way Away From Balloon Animals!

I had to share this! It just amazes me to see the vast array of how artists can create art from the most unlikely things.

Light extinguished too early...

I watched a highly entertaining movie on Saturday called, "Waitress". It reminded me somewhat of a foreign film made in the early 1990's called, "Like Water for Chocolate". Both have the premise of cooking one's emotions into their culinary creations. I could go on and on about the merits of the film, it was only through having a discussion with my best friend did I discover that the writer, director and actress who portrayed the character Dawn was murdered, and the crime scene was set up to look like a suicide on the heels of her success with this film, the evidence bore out the truth of what actually occurred.

The feeling of loss,confusion, and dismay of someone whom I never met, but came bounding off the screen with such warmth,charm, and like ability that it just was a feeling of heaviness that loomed over me after finding out. Partly, I feel, because at the end of the movie Adrienne Shelly's actual daughter in real life was cast as the main character's daughter. Sooooo, precious she was!!! Thinking that her Mother had been taken from her seemed so vile, tragic, and wrong.

On a positive note, her husband has established a foundation in her memory that promotes the creative aspirations of women film-makers, that seems fitting for someone who had so much talent and appeared to be a quality human being. Consider this my 'little' homage to someone whose light was extinguished too early.












www.adrienneshellyfoundation.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrienne_Shelly

History...or His story!

It was remarkable to see the 'biographies' of The Reagan's and various world leaders condensed into a walking tour of history. I distinctly recall where I was and what I was doing on March 30th, 1981, when CBS news broke in with a special report indicating that President Reagan had been shot. I was one of three people in the high school library and the TV was on having been used previously in one of the classrooms. I sat studying when the special news report broke my concentration and hearing the news that Ronald Reagan had been shot, I felt my heart drop to my feet...thinking, "Oh no, not another JFK situation!!!"

Thankfully our country didn't have to endure another loss like that. Ronald Reagan was running for his second term in office when I was first eligible to vote. It was historic due to the fact that the Democratic candidate Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferarro as his running mate; the first time that the United States was faced with the question of gender as an additional consideration, in addition to, the candidates position on policies. Here we are 24 years later and if you watch the debates you can see this is still a question in the minds of many voters and media alike. As well as, race...it is fascinating to watch a 'progressive' nation preface many of it's questions and concerns based on race or gender. Good grief...UGH! I like the old line from "Dragnet: Just the facts ma'am." Just me on my soap box stating..."Whomever is the best qualified to provide leadership and cooperative foreign relations should be the candidate of choice."

I may not be a republican…but I like to think I can see the best in everyone.

Sorry, I digress...suffice it to say the humanity of The Reagan's after the Challenger incident, the bridge that was crossed with Mikhail Gorbachav with The Berlin Wall and the friendship that developed, not to mention on a personal level, the love and respect Ronald and Nancy had for one another...all of this was kaleidoscoped into one walking tour of the library. We were also able to walk aboard Airforce one, and we started our tour here where normally this is the end of the tour, and as a result we were the only ones on the plane, so it was as though we had a private tour and could mill about at our own pace. Also, I was enthralled with the gallery dedicated to the frocks of the First lady...seeing them up close after having seen them in photo's or television appearances it was delightful.

Lastly, reading the letter President Reagan wrote after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's to shine a light on the disease so others may benefit from the public acknowledgment of this heinous disease, I felt showed such dignity,grace, and honesty...reading the letter at the Reagan Library made me get all choked up. I had one of those moments where I realized that so many pivotal,historical things occurred during the inception of my adulthood and I reflected upon this with great fondness.

Blood Pressure & More...

An acquaintance of mine introduced me to a website that may assist in the ongoing health and wellness for Bob and myself. I thought I would share...because what greater gift can you give to others, other than an opportunity to assist in one's own health and vitality.

I haven't purchased the books, as yet, since I just recently obtained the website and at this point I am exploring the methods they discuss.

Your thoughts would be welcomed!

http://www.appliedmeditation.org/tests/blood_pressure.shtml

The Upcoming Primary Election...

**Update: I re-regisered as a Declined to State Independent in 2009**

Well, February 5th is right around the corner to vote in the upcoming Primary Presidential election; it seems as though this process has been going on forever in some respects. I couldn't be more baffled as to whom I should endorse, given the selection of candidates we have running.

A little over two years ago I re-registered as an American Independent; and I still have the choice in this election to vote for any candidate of varying political party affiliation. If, I had re-registered as a "Declined to State" my options would have been a Democratic or an Independent candidate. The GOP has decided to deny GOP primary ballots to all voters except those who are registered Republicans or American Independents.

Question, inquire, and study will be my motivation to determine who I think will provide the best leadership and let's hope other registered voters do the same!