Summer is over...long evenings sitting on the beach, picnics, hikes, camping....all memories as life gets back to it's busy pace. School has started again and the girls are running from one activity to another and I am trying to keep up!
I spent the last week feeling somewhat sorry for myself....not attractive, but there it is! The girls were at their dads for his week, my parents were off to visit family in Alberta, I was fighting the cold that is going around (haven't quite won that one yet, but neither has the cold!) and looking around at my house thinking "I need a maid!" Money is feeling tight and Christmas is coming (5 more paychecks)....blah, blah, blah....yep, had myself a good old whine going on.
Then I started getting messages on Facebook....Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! What are you thankful for? I am thankful for.......It made me think. What am I thankful for? There are so many things in my life that are good, why am I focusing on what makes me feel bad? so here goes:
I am Thankful for:
- my wonderful girls who I love so much, am so proud of and are a great pleasure to be around
- my great friends who are there for me, even when I am being a bummer
- my parents who support me in everything that I do and love me anyway
- my sister who is a great friend and understands me as only someone with a shared background can
- my wonderful extended family that I don't get to see enough but know that I love you all
- the fact that I can provide for my family, put a roof over their heads, food in the fridge and send them on the trips that they want to go on
- clean water and healthy living conditions
- a good education
- all the love that is in my life
There is so much more...I could go on for pages, but you get the idea. I have so much in my life that is good that focusing on the not so good seems silly. Thanks for the reminder!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friendships
The subject of friendships has been on my mind lately. As I look back, I realize how lucky I am to have the people in my life that I do...whether they are still in my life or have moved on, everyone has touched me and helped to shape who I am.
My friendships from childhood are filled with laughter, fun, birthday parties and school drama. Most of these people have moved on, but I still have contact with some. One friend always calls when he is in town visiting his family. We get together and have dinner, talk about the past, catch up on people we still talk to and enjoy each others company. A couple others have made contact through facebook and being able to see them and catch up on what has happened in their lives is wonderful. We talk about our kids, our jobs, our homelife, the past, the future. It is so interesting to me to see the changes from how we were in elementary school to now. And also how we are so similar to those kids hiding behind the big hill at school.
Once we moved up to Junior Secondary, the classes got bigger from the other schools that fed into the one. Everyone tended to hang with people of like interests rather than grade group. Drama kids and band kids. The ones that joined all the sports teams and then there were the academics. I was in band, but I mostly just floated through the different groups...I liked meeting people of all different interests. Mostly because I didn't really specialize in one area, so why limit myself? There were so many people to meet and I am happy to say that I still have contact with some. In fact, there were 7 of us that met up a couple weeks ago for dinner and laughs. We are in so many different stages of our lives. One has a son ready to graduate, one is trying to get pregnant. A couple of us are divorced, a couple married, one widowed and some still looking for the right one. Of that group of 7, there is one friend that I made in my homeroom class in grade 8 that is still a big part of my life today. We have had times of little contact, and times we lived in each others pockets. My kids call her Auntie, and she is godmother to my youngest. I cherish her friendship as I know it will always be there no matter what happens.
Another school change brought about more changes in the people we chose to call friends. When we moved up to the Senior Secondary school, all the other Junior Secondary schools in the district fed into it...so we went from a class of just over 100 to over 800 kids. Quite overwhelming! I remember walking into my first class and hoping that there would be someone in it that I knew....and there wasn't. Time to branch out and make some new friends. I have friendships from the 2 years spent in that school that still mean so much to me. People that I have totally lost contact with, but still think of and wonder how they are and what is happening in their lives. Boyfriends that are now married with children, girlfriends that have left to travel the world. Friends that have gone out and done just what they were meant to do with their lives and some that have passed on. I send my love, and wish them all a very happy life.
The friendships that I have made once out of high school are varied and interesting. I have met people through work, church, guiding, neighbours and through other friends. Each person brings something into my life that I cherish...laughter, wisdom, tears, the ability to call me a dumbass when needed. They were there to celebrate at my wedding, help with my babies, support me through my divorce, to cheer with me for my kids accomplishments, to go camping with, shopping with, have a tea with, kick my butt and make me go for a walk. Age doesn't seem to matter as much as it did in school and it shows in the people that I have in my life that I call friend.
Friendships are important to everyone. I am lucky to have met many different people that bring many different views and opinions to the table. I learn from all that I meet and hope that I can offer the same to others.
To everyone that I have had the privilege to call friend, Thank you.
My friendships from childhood are filled with laughter, fun, birthday parties and school drama. Most of these people have moved on, but I still have contact with some. One friend always calls when he is in town visiting his family. We get together and have dinner, talk about the past, catch up on people we still talk to and enjoy each others company. A couple others have made contact through facebook and being able to see them and catch up on what has happened in their lives is wonderful. We talk about our kids, our jobs, our homelife, the past, the future. It is so interesting to me to see the changes from how we were in elementary school to now. And also how we are so similar to those kids hiding behind the big hill at school.
Once we moved up to Junior Secondary, the classes got bigger from the other schools that fed into the one. Everyone tended to hang with people of like interests rather than grade group. Drama kids and band kids. The ones that joined all the sports teams and then there were the academics. I was in band, but I mostly just floated through the different groups...I liked meeting people of all different interests. Mostly because I didn't really specialize in one area, so why limit myself? There were so many people to meet and I am happy to say that I still have contact with some. In fact, there were 7 of us that met up a couple weeks ago for dinner and laughs. We are in so many different stages of our lives. One has a son ready to graduate, one is trying to get pregnant. A couple of us are divorced, a couple married, one widowed and some still looking for the right one. Of that group of 7, there is one friend that I made in my homeroom class in grade 8 that is still a big part of my life today. We have had times of little contact, and times we lived in each others pockets. My kids call her Auntie, and she is godmother to my youngest. I cherish her friendship as I know it will always be there no matter what happens.
Another school change brought about more changes in the people we chose to call friends. When we moved up to the Senior Secondary school, all the other Junior Secondary schools in the district fed into it...so we went from a class of just over 100 to over 800 kids. Quite overwhelming! I remember walking into my first class and hoping that there would be someone in it that I knew....and there wasn't. Time to branch out and make some new friends. I have friendships from the 2 years spent in that school that still mean so much to me. People that I have totally lost contact with, but still think of and wonder how they are and what is happening in their lives. Boyfriends that are now married with children, girlfriends that have left to travel the world. Friends that have gone out and done just what they were meant to do with their lives and some that have passed on. I send my love, and wish them all a very happy life.
The friendships that I have made once out of high school are varied and interesting. I have met people through work, church, guiding, neighbours and through other friends. Each person brings something into my life that I cherish...laughter, wisdom, tears, the ability to call me a dumbass when needed. They were there to celebrate at my wedding, help with my babies, support me through my divorce, to cheer with me for my kids accomplishments, to go camping with, shopping with, have a tea with, kick my butt and make me go for a walk. Age doesn't seem to matter as much as it did in school and it shows in the people that I have in my life that I call friend.
Friendships are important to everyone. I am lucky to have met many different people that bring many different views and opinions to the table. I learn from all that I meet and hope that I can offer the same to others.
To everyone that I have had the privilege to call friend, Thank you.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
The Cabin
I think we all have a place somewhere that we go to when we need to recharge. The place where life slows down, we connect with family and friends, enjoy your book while swinging in the hammock under a bright blue sky. My place is my Grandparent's Cabin. This lovely oasis is on the banks of a river and holds many wonderful memories for me of my childhood, my family, my summers. As I sat in my Grandma's swing listening to the river rush by, the kids laughing in the background, the murmur of conversations going on around me, I remembered.
The Cabin
The Cabin is a magical place
somewhere you can just be
To hear the river rushing by
the wind blowing through the trees
Many memories come piling back
of being young and wild and free
of forts and skits and games we made
of friendships so dear to me.
Now I watch my children
two girls growing so fast
Making brand new memories
precious ones I hope will last
I watch them run and play and swim
so much fun from the past
I love this wonderful, special place
and the Magic it does cast.
Lea Read 2004
My sister and I spent our summers with our grandparents for many years. We had fun going to the Zoo, Heritage Park, Calaway Park, shopping and visiting family and friends. But the highlight of our summer was the trip to the Cabin. We would pack up the old International truck with our supplies for the week, Grandma would pack her picnic basket and we would load up and hit the road. First stop was the ice cream shop for our milkshakes and then...WE WERE THERE! Into the cabin to unpack groceries and clean out the cobwebs before we could go and explore. You could feel us straining to get out and check the "big rock", the island, the spring...would it be the same as last year? Freedom....we could taste it!
I think it was the best week of the summer for me. Our cousins would come out and join us and we would play make believe, build forts, ride bikes, tell stories and have campfires. We earned our keep...we helped get firewood from up the hill, did dishes, picked blueberries, caught fish and helped in the garden. We would make homemade ice cream with an old wooden crank style ice cream maker and roast marshmallows over the fire. We had our entertainment night where the kids performed for the adults. Everything from air bands to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, audience participation to singing songs. The week flew by. And you know what...we didn't even miss the TV.
Things have changed at the Cabin...there has been a bedroom added on, a shower, the garden is not planted, the old Tote Gote doesn't run, the trail to the "big rock" has changed course due to a major flood and the island is getting smaller each year. The biggest change for me this year was that my Grandma wasn't there....this was the first time I have been back since she passed 3 years ago. I miss her very much and everywhere I went I saw her, heard her, smelled her. She was a major influence in my life, teaching me about honesty, trust, love and family. She loved me unconditionally just as I loved her. I know she was there watching over the family and laughing at the kids doing Cinderella for the adults, enjoying the stories we told, making sure we cleaned the kitchen properly and loving us all unconditionally.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
things I learned at Ranger camp
I just spent my weekend with some wonderful kids....and they weren't even mine!
I was asked to fill in at a camp for the Ranger group. One of the girls works with me in my Guide unit and so when it came up that they needed another responsible adult to come along to camp....they asked me? Really??? They did say responsible right??? To be honest, there is so much going on right now that I did try and get out of it. I am so glad that they couldn't find someone else...I had so much fun and learned so much from these girls.
I had met the Ranger leader a few times and had talked to her casually, but I was wondering how we would get along. I mean, she is so much younger than me! Closer in age to the Rangers than to me. How would we relate? It seems that I worried for nothing. She is a wonderful person and so good with the girls. She brings out wonderful qualities in all the girls and the conversations that we all had were insightful, at times crazy, and full of laughter. The girls really respect her and feel very comfortable being themselves in her presence. They will miss her terribly next year as she will not be back due to school and work...and maybe a special someone in Vancouver?!
Of the three Rangers on this trip, I had two of them in my Guide unit. However, they change so much from 12 to 17 that they are hard to recognize as those girls. The one girl helps in our unit is very responsible and together. This girl has plans and nothing is going to stop her. I so admire her determination and resourcefulness. She is the leader of the girls and totally pulled this camp together with help from the others. Her younger sister is the other girl I had in my unit. She will be the first to tell you that she has become a beautiful young woman...and she would be right, inside and out. She is full of fun and mischeviousness and can make me laugh till Shirley Temples come out my nose. We made a great team playing Buzz Word and Scrabble...cause we are so SMRT!! The last girl was one that I had met occassionally at different Guiding events. She is a little quieter than the other two, but so very friendly and warm that it doesn't take long to feel comfortable in her company. We spent a quiet hour as she studied for her final exams, and I read my book in the sun. It felt effortless to move into board games and laughter from this quiet time without any awkwardness or shyness involved.
These four young women are wonderful examples of our youth today. Each of these girls have goals, values, and a sense of fun that I want my own children to emulate. I only hope that when I grow up that I can be like them too.
I was asked to fill in at a camp for the Ranger group. One of the girls works with me in my Guide unit and so when it came up that they needed another responsible adult to come along to camp....they asked me? Really??? They did say responsible right??? To be honest, there is so much going on right now that I did try and get out of it. I am so glad that they couldn't find someone else...I had so much fun and learned so much from these girls.
I had met the Ranger leader a few times and had talked to her casually, but I was wondering how we would get along. I mean, she is so much younger than me! Closer in age to the Rangers than to me. How would we relate? It seems that I worried for nothing. She is a wonderful person and so good with the girls. She brings out wonderful qualities in all the girls and the conversations that we all had were insightful, at times crazy, and full of laughter. The girls really respect her and feel very comfortable being themselves in her presence. They will miss her terribly next year as she will not be back due to school and work...and maybe a special someone in Vancouver?!
Of the three Rangers on this trip, I had two of them in my Guide unit. However, they change so much from 12 to 17 that they are hard to recognize as those girls. The one girl helps in our unit is very responsible and together. This girl has plans and nothing is going to stop her. I so admire her determination and resourcefulness. She is the leader of the girls and totally pulled this camp together with help from the others. Her younger sister is the other girl I had in my unit. She will be the first to tell you that she has become a beautiful young woman...and she would be right, inside and out. She is full of fun and mischeviousness and can make me laugh till Shirley Temples come out my nose. We made a great team playing Buzz Word and Scrabble...cause we are so SMRT!! The last girl was one that I had met occassionally at different Guiding events. She is a little quieter than the other two, but so very friendly and warm that it doesn't take long to feel comfortable in her company. We spent a quiet hour as she studied for her final exams, and I read my book in the sun. It felt effortless to move into board games and laughter from this quiet time without any awkwardness or shyness involved.
These four young women are wonderful examples of our youth today. Each of these girls have goals, values, and a sense of fun that I want my own children to emulate. I only hope that when I grow up that I can be like them too.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
how did I get myself into this??
Have you ever wondered how you ended up doing too much? I always seem to be asking myself "How did I get involved in this?"
The answer for me is I have a problem saying NO. Is this because I don't want people mad at me? Do I need to be involved so I know what is going on? Do I do it for my kids? Is it to meet new people? Am I insane??? I think, to some extent, it is all of the above.
I got involved in the school PAC to help in a small way and to get to know the school and teachers. Somehow I ended up on the executive as Secretary...all because a new friend asked for help. I became a Guide leader because my daughter wanted to be a Guide and there wasn't anyone to take on the unit. At the parent meeting, I made it clear that I would help, but would not be the Guider in Charge. Also, I DON'T DO CRAFTS!! I am now doing all the paperwork for our unit. Thank goodness for the other ladies that I work with in this unit...we have a great team! (and I only have to help with crafts sometimes!)
I went to a parent meeting for the trip that the Parallel Players are taking to Mainstage in Kamloops this July...I only went to get some information...now I have somehow found myself on the fundraising committee.
There is really one thing in common with all these things that I have gotten involved in....My girls. I want them to have every opportunity to do the things that make them happy and if I have to give my time and energy to these committees, groups, and events then that is what I will do.
Besides, I have met some wonderful people this way!
The answer for me is I have a problem saying NO. Is this because I don't want people mad at me? Do I need to be involved so I know what is going on? Do I do it for my kids? Is it to meet new people? Am I insane??? I think, to some extent, it is all of the above.
I got involved in the school PAC to help in a small way and to get to know the school and teachers. Somehow I ended up on the executive as Secretary...all because a new friend asked for help. I became a Guide leader because my daughter wanted to be a Guide and there wasn't anyone to take on the unit. At the parent meeting, I made it clear that I would help, but would not be the Guider in Charge. Also, I DON'T DO CRAFTS!! I am now doing all the paperwork for our unit. Thank goodness for the other ladies that I work with in this unit...we have a great team! (and I only have to help with crafts sometimes!)
I went to a parent meeting for the trip that the Parallel Players are taking to Mainstage in Kamloops this July...I only went to get some information...now I have somehow found myself on the fundraising committee.
There is really one thing in common with all these things that I have gotten involved in....My girls. I want them to have every opportunity to do the things that make them happy and if I have to give my time and energy to these committees, groups, and events then that is what I will do.
Besides, I have met some wonderful people this way!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
a new venture
So, this is the first time! I am not sure what I am doing here, or even if this is a good idea. I have not really followed any blogs in the past and am not sure how to go about finding one that I am interested in reading besides the ones my friends have.
I love my cousin's blog...she give us a quick glimpse into her life with short little stories and wonderful pictures. My friend that has moved away started a blog to keep everyone updated on what is going on with her life and I so enjoy peeking in and knowing that she is doing well. Another friend is an editor, and her blog explaining the punctuation errors we all come across in everyday life is so funny! I hope she never sees this blog....
What do I want to achieve with my blog? I don't think I have decided that yet...it is a work in progress, just like me.
I love my cousin's blog...she give us a quick glimpse into her life with short little stories and wonderful pictures. My friend that has moved away started a blog to keep everyone updated on what is going on with her life and I so enjoy peeking in and knowing that she is doing well. Another friend is an editor, and her blog explaining the punctuation errors we all come across in everyday life is so funny! I hope she never sees this blog....
What do I want to achieve with my blog? I don't think I have decided that yet...it is a work in progress, just like me.
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