My Mom

My wonderful mom, Marian, celebrated her 74th birthday a few days ago. My dad had me laughing when I called to wish her happy birthday by saying that when he has his birthday in July, their total age will be 150!

My mom is one of the most amazing people I know and probably the person I most admire in this world. She married my dad at the tender age of 17 and this year they will celebrate 57 years of marriage. My mom once told me a story of being at a ladies luncheon where one of the other women said she had been married a few times because she kept on falling in and out of love. My mom's response was that she, too, had fallen in and out of love many times, but it was always with the same man.

I have four older brothers and one older sister, so my mom had her work cut out for her when we were kids. All of her children have children and she is a grandmother of 16 wonderful young men and women.

When I think of the many things I have learned and am still learning from my mom, the following come to mind:

• Patience - My mother is probably the most patient person I know. Despite having a large family with constant demands put on her by her husband and children, she was always calm. If she was frustrated, and surely she must have been, she never let it show.
  
• Determination - If something needed to be done, my mom just did it, no matter how hard. She has always had a "can-do" attitude and has never been one to wait for someone else to come along to rescue her. She has always done what needed to be done.
  
• Acceptance - My mom knows what it means to love unconditionally. I am sure that I have made choices in my life that disappointed her, but my mom has never made me feel anything less than loved for exactly who I am. She displays this acceptance with everyone in our family and has never asked or expected us to be any different than who we are.
  
• Optimism - My mom has always had the attitude that, in the challenging times, things will get better. I can recall doing something stupid as a young adult and having my mom say, "Tomorrow is another day." In recent years, I have passed on her words of wisdom to my own son, encouraging him as she has encouraged me that there is always a chance to improve and make life better.
  
• Cheerfulness - My mom is not one to complain about anything, ever! She doesn't nag, she doesn't whine, but she does encourage, support and appreciate those around her. I think one of the greatest gifts I have received from my mom is the fact that she has never made me feel guilty about anything.
  
• Dependability - All of my days, through the good times and the bad, I know that I need only ask and my mom will be there for me. Sometimes I don't even have to ask - she does big and little things for me to let me know I am loved and supported, always. She is the rock in our family, the one that we can all turn to for anything, because we know that she loves and accepts us.

My mom is simply amazing. I could continue writing for hours, days, weeks even, and I would never be able to capture with words all that she has been and is to me. She is my protector, my comforter, my nurturer, my supporter, my encourager, my cheerleader, my role model, my friend.

Six-Word Sunday

Love and appreciation
from my son.

Six-Word Sunday

Laughter with friends
expands our hearts.

Thursday Thanks

Today I am thankful for spring, blue skies, and sunshine!

Puppy Love

This week, my niece and her husband got a new puppy, Peyton, who is just adorable. Look at him, how can you resist? Knowing that Lisa and Michael are starting their newly married life (they got married last summer) with a little puppy is heartwarming because I know that little guy will bring them many years of happiness and joy. He will become part of their family and they will love that puppy always!

Of course, seeing this little pup makes me think of the doggies that have been part of my life. When I was a wee girl, my family had a little black dachshund named Mitzi. She was a love and lived a long life--I always thought of her as my dog. When I was a teenager, Mitzi was on her last legs when we got a little red doxie that I got to name. Since I was in the midst of four years of high school Spanish, I picked the name Bonita (for pretty), but we called her Bonnie. A few years after we got Bonnie, my mom couldn't resist a little Yorkshire terrier we named Annie. The two became fast friends and provided us with a lot of joy. I do remember the first time we bathed Annie--I thought we got a Chihuahua with lots of hair because she was tiny under all of her fluff!

When Matt was a boy, he really wanted a dog. We lived next to a veterinarian, Kristi, for a few years and during that time, she brought home a little black dachshund named Misty. (Weird, huh, just like my first dog, except the name was just a little different.) When Kristi went out of town, we used to dog sit for her. Eventually, because of the long hours she worked, Kristi said she thought it would be better for Misty to live with us. So Misty became part of our family when she was about one - and that was almost 13 years ago.

A few years after we got Misty, we moved into our house and I told Matt we could get another dog. The only catch was that the dog had to be able to fit through the doggie door, which at 5" x 7" really put a limit on the type of dog we could get. We went to the Humane Society and looked at all of the doggies, but there just wasn't that one pup calling out to us. One of the workers said we could fill out an interest card and list the type of dog we hoped to get. Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later they called to see if we were interested in adopting a dachshund puppy!

This time it was a male puppy, black with very little tan coloring. Matt got the honor of naming he and he decided to call him Bubba. I don't remember how he came up with that name but it fit. Bubba was the happiest little dog - always wagging his tail and ready to play. Misty, on the other hand, is a bit neurotic and nervous. The girl is sweet, but she has some hang ups! Bubba was just a happy dog, all the time. Sadly, we had to put Bubba down when he was only 9 years old. He was a good dog for all the years we had him and I still miss him.

Misty is going to be 14 in July and she is still going strong. As I wrote in an earlier post, she is always happy to see me when I get home and I think her goal in life is to sit in my lap or next to me. Even as I sit at the table typing this, she is waiting for me to move to the couch. This is video I took of her after I got home from work today because she was just being so darned cute. Thirteen years later and I still feel puppy love!

Six-Word Sunday

The future awaits;
unimagined possibilities beckon.

A Beautiful Day

Thursday Thanks

I am very thankful for 8-hour work days. After several years of working significantly more than 40 hours a week on a regular basis, I am finally listening to (myself and) friends and family who have encouraged me to stick to an 8-hour day. This is only the second week (or day 9) of leaving at 5 p.m., but darn, it feels good!

Love and the Library

The buildings pictured here, while they appear nondescript and perhaps unappealing, contain countless treasures. They are, of course, public libraries. One is the library of my youth, the Buena Park Library, and the other is my current library, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library. My mother, who has been a lifelong and avid reader, used to take me to the library every few weeks or so when I was girl. I can remember being excited every time we went to the library because it meant that it was time to get new books.

Sure, there were occasional school assignments which required me to get a book on a particular topic, but what my mom taught me early on is that there are many talented writers who have the ability to transport me to a different place and time, real or imagined, with the words they put on the page.

In recent years, my friends who formed an informal book club (which we jokingly call the beer club) have reignited my passion for reading. For too many years, I was lucky if I read 4-5 books a year. Due to various life challenges, I just didn't have the mental energy to read very often. But thanks to Nancy, Cheri, Karen, DeL'Aurore, Rachel and Melinda, I am once again spending leisure time reading. Since the start of this year, I think I have read at least a dozen books.

I am finding that technology has enhanced my reading opportunities. My mom, who has been faithful in sending me books over the years, will mention a good book when she emails me. My friends Karen and Delly got me started with http://www.goodreads.com/, which is kind of a social site for readers. It allows you to create a list of books you've read, those you're currently reading and those you want to read. If you have friends on the site, when they update their lists, you get an email, so I have benefited from knowing which books my friends are reading and recommending.

The other technological advance that I truly appreciate it being able to sign on to the web site for the local library and place a hold on the books I want to read. Once the book is available, I get an email letting me know I can pick it up. How great is that? Today I put a hold on a new book I want to read; in the next few weeks, it will be sitting on a shelf with my name on it.

If you are a reader, do you have any books or authors you would recommend? Those treasures await me at the library I love!

i walked along the river

i walked along the river

considering past experience, heartache, growth

i walked along the river

anticipating future opportunity, challenge, hope

i walked along the river

Thursday Thanks

Day to day life can bring many challenges, but in the quiet moments, I am overwhelmed with appreciation for so many people, places, and things in my life. The list below is not meant to be exhaustive, but on this Thursday I give thanks for the following:

• My son, Matt, who is the greatest blessing in my life. He has had a very difficult year but has managed to come through it with a positive attitude and a renewed belief in himself with hope for his future.
• My family, who continue to amaze me with their caring, humor, wit, dependability and heart. I have incredible parents who will celebrate their 57th anniversary this summer and I am blessed with four brothers, one sister, in-laws and nieces and nephews that I adore.
• My friends, who have shown me through the trials and tribulations of this past year that their love is unwavering and their support is without end.
• I am thankful for the technology that eliminates the distance between me and those I love. It is wonderful to be able to connect and reconnect with friends and family both near and far.
• My little dog, Misty, who is going to be 14 in July and still runs around with pep in her step. No matter how many hours I work or play, she is always happy to see me when I get home.
• Even on the days when the stress is through the roof and the to-do list is never-ending, I am very thankful for my job. In today's economy, I know I am blessed to have steady employment which provides for me and my family.
• Oh my gosh, since I just got my hair cut today, I have to say that I am thankful for my hairdresser, Babs. She has been styling my hair for well over a decade and she is amazing. Aside from having a beauty shop that is a magic shop, she has become a dear friend.
• My humble abode, which is my little haven from the world.

As I said, there are many people, places and things that I am thankful for, but I will leave it at this for today. Simply put, my heart is full.

Growing Up in a Competitive Family

I am the youngest of six kids and throughout my childhood we were all involved in a variety of sports. My brothers all played baseball and football; one was a wrestler; another was a pole vaulter. My sister and I both played softball and I played volleyball and basketball, too. It's no surprise, then, that my dad grew up playing sports (hockey and baseball) and was a Little League coach for years and years.

We always played board games when we were kids--there was no Nintendo or Wii back in the day. We spent hours playing games like Monopoly, Life, Sorry, Concentration and Mastermind. We had a ping pong table and a four-hole putting green in the back yard. Oh, we also lived across the street from a park, which offered a variety of activities, from caroms to shuffleboard to checkers to handball (old school style - against a wall, not on a court).

I remember playing ping pong when I was a pre-teen, which meant my sister and brothers were all teenagers. Holy cow, we all wanted to win, so there were some intense games. At times, the paddles would fly (literally), so you had to be on your toes. My biggest challenge was always trying to beat my dad. Yeah, I had to try really hard to beat my brothers or sister, too; but in my young mind my dad was a legend. He was smooth, he was slick, he was confident!

I'll tell you a story about my dad. When my son was about 8-9, my parents came for a summer visit. They were probably in their mid 60s at the time. I had a net set up in the backyard for volleyball or badminton. Matt was outside playing badminton with my folks while I went to run an errand. When I came back a while later, my dad was sitting on the couch with his foot up on ice. When I asked what happened, he said he had to dive after the birdie and he tore his Achilles. With a big smile, ignoring the pain, my dad said, "But I got the shot!"

I think my siblings and I have all carried some measure of competitiveness into adulthood. Most of us, at one time or another, have all coached our children as they played sports. Two of my brothers are handball fanatics - Ron is currently holding the line and Mark is pushing at it until he gets his first victory over Ron. (Ron, by the way, won the national handball championship a few years ago, so Mark has his work cut out for him.) Some of my brothers golf, some run, my sister in recent years took up ice skating again (to keep up with her hockey-playing son), and I try to play a weekly game of racquetball. When we have the opportunity to spend time together, my sister and I inevitably end up playing Scrabble. The challenge of playing "one more game" to get the win seems to keep us at it for hours.

To this day, if I play a board game or if I am on the racquetball court, I want to win. Thankfully with age comes wisdom, so I know that winning is not all important. I've learned that having fun and enjoying the company of the people I am with is more important than getting the W. Oh, and at my age, I've learned that making sure everyone can walk away uninjured is much more important than getting the shot. I guess my dad was slower in learning that lesson!

I'm writing this post after my weekly racquetball game. At the start of our games today, I told my partners in crime, Toni and Chris, that playing racquetball with them is one of the highlights of my week. And it is--win or lose, good shot or bad shot--I love the adrenalin that comes from giving my all and doing my best!