Summer tilt

You'll have to forgive another late posting (as if there's anyone to actually ask for such forgiveness.) Summer is full tilt and I'm in the full whirl of it.

My child is out school so we are in the mists of summer learning activities. Every summer I give my daughter some basic education reviews while sometimes mixing in some extras. She has an summer learning book, which is basically a review of things she already knows and only takes her about 5 mins to complete, 25 minutes of reading when was upped 5 mins from last summer and then this year she has a daily choice of an extra activity, choosing between working on cursive handwriting, 20 mins of journal writing, practicing math facts, an arts'n'crafts or an astronomy lesson. We have also continued swimming lessons this summer, during which she has won the right to swim in the deep end of the pool after proving she can swim 1 pool length and tread for 1 min. I'm really proud of my daughter. She's really working hard but of course, she still has plenty of free time to enjoy being a kid with video games and tv. The weather is unfortunately too hot to enjoy the outdoors but we will be sure to take ever chance we can get of the great outdoors. 

The To Do List never seems to lessen as the addition of owning our own home seems to keep that list long. We have brief moments on which we are caught up but then more needs to be done to the house or living situation. We're getting there though, slowly but surely.

Then of course, there are the outside forces. Some family members are doing better than others, so that's been stressful and I'm choosing not to disclose any details right now. Let's not even mention the things going on in the news but suffice it to say that it hurts my heart more than I let on.

I haven't been feeling the best. I had a small incident in which I didn't react the best. Luckily for me, I'm not underrating that statement. I bumped my car into the side of a curb and when my car revved but didn't do anything I simply panicked. I didn't start screaming or anything but I immediately pulled over and my mind went into overdrive thinking that I'd destroyed my precious car. I called my husband to come get me and waited for him in a dark parking lot. He arrived to show me that nothing was wrong with my car. I felt stupid but so grateful that he came to my rescue. The point is that I shouldn't have reacted like that. If I'd just taken a breath and a clear thought I would have figured out nothing was wrong and just went on my merry way home. It made me realize just how stressed I was and how I needed to rest, which is what I did yesterday. I'm so very glad I did as I didn't even realize how worked up about everything I was becoming. So this is my reminder to myself--to rest every so often and to enjoy the moments in between of a good summer as they never last long before we're back to school and reality.

Social Holocaust

Thanksgiving 2014 is over, and although I did get my holiday shopping done early, there was no rush in our family for Christmas to get here any earlier. Thanksgiving was given its due course with turkey, stuffing and all the dressings. Time was spent with loved ones and bread was broken together while memories of the past were shared and futures were hoped for.

However, it's the present that I believe needs more thought. Lately in the news all I've hearing and seeing has been social unrest--the city of Ferguson riots, another shooting in a public area, insane child abuse cases, discrimination against racism or gender preference and so on and so on. It hurts my heart and soul to hear of these things and it reaffirms my vow to help others as much as I can.

After these events, there are prayer circles and Facebook picture shares of candles posted around. I feel the need to restate the fact that I have nothing against prayer circles and each share of a Facebook pic is a way to bring about awareness of social and political upheavals but it bothers me when people say how heinous such an act and derail against the justice of it all but then do nothing about it. People feel better about themselves and congratulate themselves on the back for having said their piece and then move on with their lives as if nothing happened.

Words do not do enough. Actions add weight and meaning to words whether said in whimsy or not. Don't just pray for a child to get better. If you see a child hurt, help heal the child. If you see a person who looks lonely, spend a few minutes with that person. If you see an unfair deal going on, play evenly, even if it means giving up something of your own to make it fair. If you see something wrong happening, go right it. Mostly importantly of all, use your common sense to make sure your actions are deemed necessary and not as something that will ultimately do harm to another person or simply boost your own ego. Do good for the simple sake of doing good.

And now, I'll leave you with a message I posted to my friends and family yesterday:
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family. Eat, drink, be merry and remember that there are those who are not as fortunate as we may be.

Be grateful for the times with our loved ones-don't focus on the negativity. Be thankful for the things you do have-because those things might not be there next time. Help others-so that the next time you need help, others may be able to help you. Most important of all, actions are more powerful than words-don't just say it, do something about it and mean it!

I give my thanks for the freedom to say all this, for the family and friends who support me and for the ability to prove myself worthy of those things. Much love to all!

Adventures in babysitting

I couldn't help imagining that as I picked the title of my newest post to hear it in an epic movie VoiceOver with the added effect of an echo. Can you tell I'm a child of the late 80s/early 90s?

Getting to the point of things, I'm playing nanny to a friend's baby as she is forced to go back to work. The pay is low though to be fair I didn't ask much and the reason for her to go back to work is because they can't afford for her to stay home. Daycare, as everyone is aware, is expensive so I'm a cheap but loving alternative.  

I love babies.  I have my one baby, who isn't an actual baby anymore at the age of 6.  I love babysitting. It's all the fun of having a kid without the work.  It works well for everyone.

Not that I'm anywhere near perfect or anything like that but well, everyone knows the wonders of a British nanny, not that I'm British either.  

and there are more cries heard

I don't understand why asking for help or offering help seems to be the hardest thing a person in modern society can do.  By everyone’s use of common words of 4 letter length, whether the words is appropriate or not, help is a 4 letter word and shouldn't be difficult for people to use it.  Yet, asking for help or giving help without prompting seems like a monumental task of epic proportions, and somehow the act of grabbing a gun, walking into a crowded area and shooting people until they are out of bullets or dead is an easier task.  I wish I could say that I was being witty or any other reason at all by making such an unfortunate comment but I can’t, and you may have no idea how much I wish this is indeed a sarcastic observation. 

It seems to be a common thing these days to turn on the news or open a news website to see a journalism piece of another person who has decided that life is so horrible that they feel the need to take it out on others.  What do they feel they accomplish when they carry out these atrocities?  Do they feel better inflicting their pain onto another person?  Are they trying to get people to notice them or feeling something with them?  Do they really see such a choice as the only choice left?  What has driven them do this? 

Nothing is accomplished from such actions.  There is only an instant gratification of pride when inflicting pain onto another person but it doesn't last, it doesn't fix things and it doesn't make the bad things go away but makes things worse later.  People notice such things being done, when they are involved, but there are a million different ways to make a person take notice of another person in a much more positive way and with that, there are many other options to take that don’t involve inflicting pain on people who have done nothing to harm them.  I imagine pain and suffering has driven them but from such things people can learn compassion and caring.  They just need a little help to be pointed in the right direction. 

Asking for help is not a weakness.  It takes strength to realize that a person cannot always stand by his or her self.  It takes courage for a person to reach out for the help he or she needs.  It takes empathy to remember that everyone needs help and that each person has a time when it needs to be asked for.  Giving help is not a flaw either.  It is bravery when a person puts his or her self out there to be able to give something whether big or small to another person.  It takes understanding to know that everyone needs help and that each person must give help when they can. 

I don’t always succeed but I hope I have helped enough people in big and small ways to put some good out in the world.  My thoughts and prayers are with the people who have been affected by such evil doings, past, present, future and with the most recent deaths in the Navy Yard shootings.  

Again . . .

We're back here again. Bombs in Boston. . .why? I can only say that I have no words for this tragedy. My grief that this keeps happening is bottomless. My faith in humanity is shaken once again but it is never broken.

For that one person or group of people who caused this heinous act, there are more people who rushed in the destruction to help others who were caught in it. It is those people who reminds that there is indeed evil in this world but good will always endure. It is with those people that I stand with.

My thoughts and prayers are always with those who have been touched by the bad in the world but continue to be kind to all.

God bless you, Boston.

Senseless

It's happened again.  A person decided to shoot up a public place but this time it was at an elementary school.  Again, too many lives were lost, too soon.  My thoughts and prayers go out to those families.  It makes me sad; it makes me angry.  I can only imagine what those people are going through.  I wish them the ability to heal but to never forget the ones they love.

Of course, everything on the news is who did this, why did he do it, what about gun control and so on.  I can understand these questions, but I can't help but think the more pressing matter is how can we prevent this.  This sort of thing happens all too often.  I can’t even count how many times this has happened in the past year or so, but I know it would at least use up all the fingers on one hand & that fact alone is more than enough tragedy. 

I could go on more about tragic events but it’s not necessary.  I’m done talking; I’m going to do.  I donate what I can to the Red Cross, as I usually do.  On a more personal level, when I see someone who needs help, I’m going to help.  When I see someone who’s having a bad day, I’m going to offer a word of support.  Sometimes, just an offer of kindness makes all the difference.