Hobbits Make Me Smile

Memories are funny things.  Any thing could trigger a memory.  Like whenever I smell cucumber melon lotion I think of Hobbits, and it makes me smile.  Why is that you might ask?  The first time I saw Lord of the Rings in the theater I was wearing cucumber melon lotion.  When I smell fresh cut lumber I think of when my husband and I were first married.  He did a lot of wood working, in fact his major in college was teaching shop.  And unfortunately whenever I smell hia karate after shave I think of my first boyfriend, who by the way was a jerk!  I don't like that smell.

There was a funny thing that happened when I was on a mission for my church, one of the young men I served with wore Polo, quite heavily.  Then after I served my mission, I came home, and got married, my husband and I got a dog.  We took him to the groomers and when they finished grooming him they sprayed him with doggie cologne and you guessed it, it was Polo.  So every time we picked him up it reminded me of my friend.

Smell is the most powerful memory trigger.  It can transport you anywhere.  Every time I smell a coal fire I think of Ireland.  Every time I smell burning hair I think of the time I almost lost my own hair to a gas bar-b-que.  Whenever I smell Old Spice I think of my dad.

Food smells are the best.  Baking bread reminds me of my mom, Popcorn reminds me of the movie theater.  Fresh grown vegetables remind me of my childhood, and raspberry jam reminds me of my grandmother.  

I can hardly wait until I can open my windows and smell spring. The smell of freshly mowed grass and the smell of fire burning the irrigation ditches.  So many things to look forward to.

Have a great week.

Help I've Fallen........

You know that commercial on television for Life Alert that has an elderly woman on the floor who is unable to get her self off the floor?  I have seen it and mocked it many times.  Well this week it became a reality for my family.  My mother will be 87 years old this year.  She has always been a spry octogenarian.  She has always been healthy.  When she was younger in her sixties she walked five miles every day.  Now she's older, she's cut back to just a mile everyday.  My dad passed away about seven years ago and she still lives on her own.  She is stubborn and says she doesn't need any help and refuses to use the life alert chain my sister purchased for her.  Well this week she slipped in the bathroom and hit her head on the vanity.  She required stitches and had many bumps and bruises.

You would think this experience would prove to her the need to wear her life alert chain but no she still refuses.  "I'm not that old." she said. Well tomorrow I am going to visit with her and I am going to let her know the time has come.  Now I don't always have the best track record when it comes to getting my mom to do things.  But I will try and convince her just the same.

This incident has brought into sharp focus for me the need to visit my mom more frequently.  From the time my twenty year old daughter was a week old until the time of my dad's passing seven years ago, I went to my parents house once a week with my children.  After his passing I went down twice a week for a couple of years.  Then I picked up my second job and was unable to visit that often because my schedule.

How often I wonder do we use over scheduling and stuff get in the way of family time.  Now my mother and I haven't always been on the best of terms, and visiting hasn't always been pleasant.  But now I have had a wake up call I will try and schedule a visit with her more often.  Once a month can't kill me right?
 

Wasted Time

I have been burning the candle at both ends for a very long time.  In addition to my normal busy, I have been making list after list of home projects that need to be done.  When will it ever stop.  I need to have at least five more hours in everyday and at least eight days to the week.  My house is now about 24 years old and lots of things need to be fixed.  I am learning how to do many new and different things.  I do this out of necessity but also because I want my brain to keep working.  I don't want to slow down.  But having said all that if I keep this up I am going to burn myself out.  

We need to listen to our bodies, they will tell us what they need.  Like the other day I had an actual day off and I didn't do much of anything.  I mean I did the basic bare minimum of house cleaning.  But other than that I worked on nothing.  At the end of the day I felt like I had wasted my time all day.  Looking back I realize my body and my brain were telling me I needed to slow down for a minute, or a whole day.  

Just because we have down time does not mean it's wasted.  I think the trick is to balance the down time and the time we need to be up and running.  I have also realized burning the candle at both ends only leads to a tired body and brain.  

Until next time, stay busy but take time to breathe every day.

Have a good week.

Why Me????

Why do we have trials? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why me? If there is a God in Heaven why does he let bad things happen?  How many times have you heard people ask these questions and so many more like them.

I have this theory.  Everyone is who is born into this world is given what a friend of mine calls their own box of Hell.  You see I believe we are on this earth to experience life.  To go through trials to grow and learn.  When you see your private self and compare that with everyone's public self, you will always come out on the short end.  Everyone will always have a better life.  I imagine there are people of my acquaintance who see my public self and think hmmm her life is okay.  She always seems happy and upbeat.  She has her stuff together.  I can tell you now my stuff is anything but together.  I'm not always happy and upbeat.  But that's not what I put out there for the public to see.

I have my own box of Hell, everyone does.  Everyone's is different.  It's custom made just for them.  You see my theory is the trial is not what's in the box, the trial is how we get through to box.  There is no doubt in my mind we have also been given the ability to get through our trials.  We are not left to face them alone, if we chose to have help, help will be there.  In the form of friends or a shoulder to cry on. We can rely on the Lord, and I do heavily.  He will always be there for us.  He will not take our trials away but he will make us stronger so we can face them.

Now I am not saying the way will be easy.  I think it is anything but easy.  If it were easy we would never grow, never become better.  So to answer my first questions We have trials to make us stronger, we are never left alone. Why me?  Why NOT me?  We must each face our own box and try to make it through.  Luckily, I am here for you and you are here for me.  We cannot take on someone else's trials but we can be a giving, loving, helpful, and forgiving support.    

Have a great week!

Life Is Short

"Life is short
Break the rules,
Forgive quickly,
Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
And never regret anything that makes you smile."

This quote is attributed to Mark Twain.  When I came across it, it was only a partial quote.  When I first read this in it's entirety, I didn't know if I really liked it.  After mulling it over for awhile, I realized. I kind of did. Now I'm not advocating breaking the rules or never regretting your actions. What this quote reminds me to do, is live life to its fullest.

What does that mean exactly?  To me living life to it's fullest is making sure everyday is filled with meaningful experiences.  Learning what you can from experiences placed before us.  It means to be looking for places to grow and expand your mind and keeping our bodies healthy and vital.

I think sometimes we get caught up in the mundane of everyday living and forget there is a whole world out there to explore.  I don't just mean physically.  We need to stretch our minds as well as our bodies.  You can explore the world through many means but most of us don't take the time to do any of it.

If you know me you know I believe in Heaven and Hell I believe in God and I believe in Satan.  I know for every good thing there is on this good earth there is opposition.  For every good thing on the internet the are perverse and evil things.  Expanding our minds, being well versed in scripture, whatever scripture you read is always a good thing.

Looking at my quote above Life is short, forgiving quickly, is always a good thing. Kissing slowly is a very good thing, Loving truly and laughing uncontrollably makes life worth living.  I also believe laughter everyday will bring joy and happiness to your world.  Look for good things to fill your life, try and make the lives of others more joyful.

Have a good week.

So Many Things So Little Time

This is been such a hectic, but good week.  On Monday I took myself on a writers retreat.  Three days by myself to do nothing but writing and research.  It was very successful.  I wrote four chapters in one day.  Now, that may not seem like a lot to some people but to me it was amazing.  The ideas just flowed.  This new book is going to be a so much fun to write.  New people new places and of course murder with a little romance on the side.

Then two days at work for thirteen hours per day, then to finish up the week I painted my sons room with help from him.  I seem to always have a project or two going on.  I know I'm crazy but it seems to keep me sane.  Next week it's back to the gym for me to start training for my 100 mile bike ride in June.  How will I fit every thing in.

I feel like if I slow down then I will stop completely.  How much is too much?  When do you know it's time to give some things up?   I refuse to grow old.  So I will keep doing what I love, maybe just a little bit slower!
 
Have a great week

It's Finally Happening!

Well this is it.  On Monday I go on my very own writers retreat and start book number 4.

There is no name, there is only the very beginning of a plot line, but I found my inspiration.  That is everything.  You would think, this being my fourth book, that this would get easier.  Well for me it does not.  Writing for me is as difficult now as it was four years ago when I started down this road.  But it is also one of the rewarding things I've ever done.  There are many people who contribute to my novels.  Most of them don't even know.    Many people want to know why I have to go away to write.  The answer is focus.  At home I have too many distractions.  House cleaning, laundry, work, work, work.  The needs of my family will always come first.  Then there are the dogs.

When I go away I can sequester myself and have nothing but quiet and my own thoughts.  Last time I did this I wrote 4 chapters in 3 days.  I know for some authors that's nothing.  For me that's miraculous.

So on Monday I will get started on the last phase of the Mended Hearts Collection.  I have the hero, Sam,  his heroine almost has a name.  Her back story has been stewing in the back of my mind for over a year.  She will finally come to fruition.  So wish me luck and I will try to get this started and we will see how it will play out.

Have a good week.