No Experience Required

One of our old friends put a note on his Christmas card this year saying that he and his wife were looking forward to having their first great grandchild this summer. He was very excited and well he should be! It is an experience like no other.

When I had my first child my mother shared with me one of her philosophies. She advised against boasting or bragging about your child or children. Her reasonning being that if the person you were bragging to has children of their own, they did not want to hear about yours and if they don't have children of their own, they do not want to hear about yours. I could identify with that pretty much so I tried to follow her advise. (Even though my children WERE superior, and for that matter so also were my grand children). However; I think with great-grandchildren you should be able to dispence with that philosophy. So, for future reference for most of you, I hereby give you a dispensation. If your great-grandchildren are adorable, brilliant, comedic, and just downright cute, go ahead and let everyone know it. After all, they are three generations away from you so you can't take all the credit for their good qualities.

I have been able to get to know all of them. Some better than others.They bring you such joy and pleasure. One visited me in the hospital a few years ago at her own request. Her dad said he was coming to see me and she asked if she could go along. She crawled up into the bed with me and cuddled. When she was leaving, she asked if she had made me feel better.
Seeing her walk into the room, made me feel better! They make greeting card for me, write me letters, one sends me post cards when he and his family travel. When one heard me say that I was just 'plain' old, he objected. He said," You are old but you are not plain!"


I drink cokes that come in the original little eight ounce bottles, most of them refer to those as my baby cokes. It is a special treat to get to drink one when they visit. One time one of the grandsons asked if he could have one of my baby cokes; his three year old daughter watched as he got the coke out of the fridge and opened it. She came to me and said, "Can I have one of your 'big girl' cokes?"

There are many talents among them. One plays the violin, he's ten and he's been playing since he was seven, one plays the cello, she also is ten, one has had a small part in the "Center of the Arts" production of "Annie"' one was a 'snow flake' in her recital and said she felt like a goose in the white feathery costume. Her sister hastened to tell us that she meant a'swan'. One is working two jobs to help pay his tuition at college. One came in third or fourth when his highschool Cross Country Team won the State Championship in North Carolina. One that is in the fourth grade got bumped up to play with the fifth grade 'A' team in basketball. Another plays the piano. They are an awsome group of kids. I haven't mentioned all of their accomplishments, even great-grandmas can over do-it when bragging.
See I pretty much spared you from showing you pictures and crowing about my kids and grand kids, so I deserve the bragging rights when it comes to GREAT-grandkids. There are twenty-five of them. Eight great grand daughters and seventeen great grand sons. I'm lovin' it. Ciao

BTW none of them have red hair but not to worry they all like pasta!

Promises Promises!

Here we are at the dawn of 2012! As a young person, I used to hope that I lived to see a new century and lo and behold I did that and more. Twelve years into the twenty first century, remarkable! I'm glad to be here, despite the fact that the world is struggling. When we greet a new year it is like starting over in some ways. We have the desire to make changes in our lives that will make us better people in one way or another. Now, not all of us think it necessary to change anything about the way we think or do but some of us think there is room for improvement. If you listen to people talk about their resolutions for the new year you will hear pretty much the same 'ole'resolutions from most of them. Lose weight is the biggie, quit smoking, get more sleep, exercise more, stop drinking, swearing, stop watching so much T.V. Most of those promises are personal. The Health Clubs always have big specials at the beginning of the year. The time is ripe for people becomming exercisers and on a mission to improve their appearances. February is a good time to go to the gym if you are serious about it because the New Year resoluters have stopped going by then and you can have the facility to yourself.

How many people do you hear saying that they are going to be kinder, more tolerant, more generous, more compassionate, more informed? So many of us see the need for change in our personal appearance or in our effort to be healthier but how many of us see the need to make amends or changes in the way we treat the people around us? How many of us make resolutions to become a better person, or a better wife, husband, co-worker, neighbor,or friend?

I don't find it nearly as hard to give up eating donuts as it is to be kind or tolerant to a person that I don't agree with or don't approve of.
Depriving myself of certain foods and changing my habits can change my appearance or my health but it does not change my character. Trying to be less judgemental, more understanding, willing to listen, sharing someone's sorrow or joy, simply smiling at someone that needs uplifted when you don't feel so good yourself can be beneficial and can actually change you for the better. That is a resolution that is very, very hard to keep.

It is a resolution that we should all try to make and then make it last beyond January. There's a lot to be said for that Golden Rule! Do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Happy New Year. Ciao!