ME Time

Ah...Fourth of July. Hotdogs. Hamburgers. Parks. Beaches. Friends. Family. Fireworks.

For most folks, those are all the things that make up a great Fourth of July. For me, what makes Fourth of July BEST is a DAY OFF OF FROM WORK. A much needed, long awaited DAY OFF. Paid time off is simply something that we don't get enough of in this country. So when I get a "Company Holiday" OFF...I gladly take it, and relish every single solitary second.

I will especially enjoy TODAY because when I go to work tomorrow I have already been assigned to cover someone else's desk. THAT my friends, is the quickest way to have a relaxing three-day-weekend roll right off.

So for these next 20 some hours that belong solely to me, I will do as much as I can doing what I love.

I will write, and sing, and write and write some more.

I'll probably throw some cleaning in there somewhere (not 'cause I love it, but because SOMEBODY'S gotta do it.)

And then I'll write again.

Also gonna carve out some time to get my resume out to a few places. Somewhere out there is my ideal CAREER. The one I was CREATED for. One that does NOT have me sitting in a cubicle listening to the clickety-clack of everyone frantically typing away on their keyboards in an office that is more quite than the library. Some days I just stop, listen, and almost want to cry...knowing that God must SURELY have more for me than THIS.

Somewhere out there, is an employer who is looking for someone with a PASSION and PURPOSE for helping the homeless (especially homeless YOUTH). No...I don't have any "professional" experience in that area. No...I don't have a college degree in that area. But I have the HEART for it...and PLENTY of professional experience that I have gained from my corporate positions. If you ask me...I've got the winning combination. One day, my future employer will realize that too and I will FINALLY be able to make a POSITIVE impact on the lives of others.

So yeah...this DAY OFF is already JAM PACKED. Filled with things that mean something to me. Filled with things that will one day, some day, get me to where I want to be, and that leads me to what I am THANKFUL for today.

On this, "30 Days of THANKFULNESS: Day 21" - I am simply THANKFUL for a DAY OFF...away from "the cubicle."

For the rest of y'all, headin' to picnics, "cookouts", and what not..."throw a shrimp on the barbie" for me ('cause you know I don't eat beef, chicken, goat, lamb, pork, or turkey)...and have a FANTASTIC Fourth of July!!!!

Now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: What's you favorite "song for the summer?" Here's one of mine. Be sure to turn it up!



Then talk to me!

Til next time...

Remembering Dr. King (and my Mom)

So today was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and although I would have preferred to make this a "day of service" volunteering somewhere, I had to work. Oh well.

As I was at work I remembered how as a young girl I would ask my Mom if I could stay home from school. This was well before "King Day" became a federal holiday. I vividly remembered her words.

"You can stay home but you're not gonna just sit around and watch TV all day. You have to write an essay about Dr. King and what he meant to the world." EASY!

Even at a young age I loved to write, so for me that was a "win-win".

Now, all these years later children don't have to ask if they can stay home because this day is now a federal holiday (as it should be).

I just hope that folks who had the day "off" didn't just use it as a day to "loaf around", but instead, used it to serve and meet the needs of others, as Dr. King would have wanted.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: If your employer observed this day as a company holiday, what did YOU do with it?

Talk to me!

Til next time...

The First of The "Firsts"

So today is Thanksgiving and I can say that I've made it through.

I wasn't sure how things were gonna go, but they went, and I'm ok.

For those who don't know...my Mom passed away 18 DAYS AGO, so this was my first Thanksgiving without her.

Everyone who's lost a close loved-one has told me that the "Year of Firsts" will be difficult.

For me they will be in this order:
Thanksgiving
Mom's Birthday
Christmas
Easter
Mother's Day
My Birthday

One down, five to go.

For the most part, pretty much everything felt the same today. We'd stopped gathering as a big family years ago, so I'd usually stop by in the evening for a bit. Wouldn't even eat dinner because I would've already eaten earlier. The visit was merely to stop by and hang out. That's what I did today. Primarily to check on my Dad & brothers to see how they were holding up. Everything was pretty much as it had always been. The only differences were that my Mom didn't come out of her room as she used to do when I'd arrive, and her physical presence was now in the form of ashes in a box, still packaged in a plastic bag with the mortuary's name on it.

That was a bit difficult to process. Knowing that all of my Mom in the PHYSICAL sense now fit into a box sitting on the coffee table. It's kind of ironic when I think about it. In life, my mother NEVER fit into a box...meaning society's box. She always beat to her own drum and was one of the most unique people I knew. Now...she fits into a box about 2 feet by 3 feet, if even that big.

Thankfully, I know that her spirit is no where near that box. Her spirit is eternally in Heaven with our Lord Jesus. And in that I find complete peace and comfort.

What will we do with her ashes? Who knows.

I think my Dad wants to put them in a nice urn. I'd love to sail out to sea and scatter them. Perhaps I'm being selfish in my suggestion because if the ashes were MINE, I'd most definitely want to be sprinkled in my favorite place...the ocean.

He needs time though and that's understandable. He feels the need to hold on to the ashes as a means of holding on to her. I get that. We all process death differently, so he's free to do what he pleases with her ashes if they bring him comfort.

So folks...there you have it.

Let the DIALOGUE begin: Have you had a loved one cremated, and if so, what did you do with the ashes?

Talk to me!

Til next time...