Santa is Real…
24 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Random Ramblings Tags: blood, community, donate, giving, Holiday, Red Cross, Santa, time, Volunteer
Over the years there have been many tales told of Santa Claus. Stories about the magic and wonder that surround the holiday season. The Santa in the stories gives toys and spreads good cheer. He is full of laughter and all things magical.
As a mother of 5 I have answered the question ” Is Santa real?” several times. As my children grow into young ladies, they have all gone through the transition of a childish belief in magic and fairy tales to an understanding of adult-like reality. The reality that magic only happens when we make it happen. So my answer to the question has always been “Yes. Santa is real. YOU are Santa.”
We keep the spirit and magic of Santa a reality by sharing and giving to others. As each year passes and holidays come and go I always look for ways that I can be Santa in my community. By coming up with ways to include our children we teach them to keep the magic alive as well. Just this past week my littlest angel volunteered her time to sort Holiday Cards for Heroes at our local Red Cross. It was such a wonderful thing to watch as she and 12 other volunteers made a difference in the lives of 2000 soldiers as they got the cards ready to send to soldiers who may not be in the most festive of situations this year.
Being a part of a volunteer organization is a great way to be Santa in your community. If there is one thing that I would wish for all my fellow humans it is that each and every one of you find that warm fuzzy, magical feeling, that comes from sharing kindness with others. Try it…you will see it’s as addicting as the spiked egg nog.
Happy Santa Season to you all…may the new year bring you peace and courage to make positive changes in your lives and those lives that surround you.
What If Life Was Fair?
14 Aug 2011 3 Comments
in Random Ramblings Tags: Fair, killer, life, tragedy
If life were fair a 3 year old wouldn’t die at the hands of a killer.
If life were fair he would die for killing her.
If life were fair children wouldn’t lose their mother.
If life were fair he would die for taking her from them.
If life were fair accidents wouldn’t happen.
If life were fair natural disasters wouldn’t kill.
But life’s not fair.
Fair is a place…and tragedy happens there too.
Dedicated to The One I Love
07 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Random Ramblings Tags: accident, ambulance, dump truck, life, love, MVA, paramedic, thankful
Because we can...
Remember that song? “This is Dedicated to The One I Love” Yeah…It’s not really my thing. So how about this one “You Light Up My Life“. Ok crap that’s not right either. I found this one,”Never Take You For Granted” maybe a little closer, but still not right. Where are all the love songs these days? I just want the perfect song to tell my husband how much I appreciate him.
“You and Me” Thanks Dave Matthews! That’s the song I dedicate to the one I love.
Those of you close to us know that The Boy Nigel was in a very bad motor vehicle accident while he was at work on the ambulance. I don’t know how many of you think about the dangers our public servants face every time someone calls 911, I know I think about it a lot more these days. I think about it everyday since July 8, 2011. For those of you who may not have caught this news, you can read about the accident here. Ambulance vs.Dump Truck …I have one thing to say about this. PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE! Lights and sirens are supposed to save lives!
When I got the call that my husband had been in an accident and that he was being airlifted to our local hospital, my heart stopped beating. My whole world stopped right there in that moment. My brain was struggling to comprehend what I was hearing. He goes TO the accident. He’s not supposed to be the victim of an accident. He is the paramedic that saves people in accidents.
Only when I heard the words “he’s alive” did I resume breathing. I am so very thankful that those were the words I heard that day. The last month has been a constant reminder to me just how thankful I am. You see…I had not been thinking about how much I appreciate my husband. I took for granted all the things that he did for me every day.
What has changed? Everything.
He can’t drive, so he can’t run the Teen Angel to work or pick her up at midnight. He can’t go to the bank for me, or take the dogs to the vet. He can’t run to the store or go pick up his daughters for the weekend. He can’t lift heavy things for me or open the pickle jar when the lid is to tight. He can’t walk without a crutch and a knee brace so that takes up the use of his right hand when he is upright. He can’t open or close a door by himself. He can’t tie his shoes. He can’t mow the grass or run the vacuum. He can’t take a load of clothes to the washer. He can’t fold the laundry. He can’t sleep longer than 2 hours at a time because of the pain in his arm, so that means WE can’t sleep. He can’t hug me with 2 arms.
As he gets better and stronger I can assure you that I will never take for granted that he is so helpful to me. That he really is the husband that all the girls dream of. He’s not perfect, but he is perfect to me. Yes…he is domesticated and romantic ladies. Sorry honey, your secret is out.
This accident has changed him as it has changed me. Some things will go back to normal and he will be back behind the wheel, running me around. Other things are changed forever and as he gets better and stronger I will support him in what ever path he chooses to take at this crossroads in our lives. Life is to short to take each other for granted. Appreciate the hugs…that’s the part I miss the most.
** A special thank you to all of our friends and family who have been here during this difficult time. I appreciate you all so much!**
Half a Bucket?
02 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Random Ramblings Tags: 2012, anniversary, Bucket list, end of the world, tattoo
I just realized that 2011 is half over! What if this is it? What if the end of the world happens and “The Raptors” come for real this time?
So I put together my “Bucket List”, more like half a bucket really, of the 10 big things that I want to accomplish before 2012. Here are mine. What are yours?
10. Take my new Jeep Liberty somewhere that I have to use the 4 wheel drive.
9. See The Foo Fighters live in concert.
8. Watch my oldest daughter swear in with the US Air Force.
7. Take a boat ride… to anywhere.
6. Go for a walk with my husband…minus the leg brace and crutch.
5. Go to a fancy party, with fancy people and wear fancy clothes.
4. See my Favorite Band: CAKE
3. Get a special tattoo.
2. Make a “Mac-Scrapbook” of 2011.
1. Celebrate my 4 year wedding anniversary in Chicago with my handsome hubby.
Oh…Hello there.
02 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Gosh it’s been a long time since I had time or made time to hop on my blog and check things out or write a post. So many things have been happening in our lives. So just a quick hello to let you know I have a few things up my sleeves. I will be busting out some “stories” for you in the next few days. And that is a commitment to myself and to you…posted here for motivation.
See you soon friends! And that’s a promise.
For My Children
18 May 2011 4 Comments
in Random Ramblings Tags: acceptance, children, individual, love, Picasso, special, unique
Dear Children,
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
Pablo Picasso – Artist. Visionary
Never forget that each of you are wonderfully individual. You are a marvel to me and to the world around you. Be beautiful, not with make up and falseness, but with the natural beauty that comes from inside and is always worn on your faces as a smile and a sparkle in your eyes. The beauty of kindness, acceptance and sincerity are not attached to the princess dresses and fancy hair. They are who YOU are. Show these things to yourselves and accept yourselves fully for the marvels that you are, so that they may shine through you for others, genuinely.
You WILL change the world because you are YOU. Unique, amazing…and beautiful.
Love, Mom
I Don’t Mean to Complain…But
28 Apr 2011 2 Comments
in Random Ramblings Tags: budget, gas, gasoline, money, prices, pump, wage
When I was 16 and got my license, gas was roughly .98 cents per gallon. I had a great job at the local movie theater making $3.85 an hour, and that went a long way. I could fill my tank for $10.00 and I got free popcorn and movies. I lived at home, mom and dad paid the bills, life was simple.
I don’t mean to complain…but I just filled the gas tank in the mini-van this morning. I almost choked. I had to stop the pump at $50.00 because I couldn’t breath very well. I didn’t want to see what it looked like after it hit $50.00, so I turned of the pump and hung up the nozzle. The needle on the gas gage is only at 3/4 full.
My oldest daughter is 16. Gas is $3.65 per gallon. She just interviewed at Taco Bell and if she gets the job she will make $7.25 an hour. Now I’m no math whiz, but it looks to me like minimum wage has just about doubled since the good ol’ days when I was a teen, but the cost of gas is nearly 4 times more than back then. Will life be as simple for her as it was for me?
I don’t mean to complain…but something needs to give. If we are going to pay this much for gas then I think we need higher wages. What if minimum wage was $15.40? I think the gas column on my budget worksheet could hold a few more numbers for gas. I never complained when gas was sitting at $2.25 per gallon. I cringed a bit when it hit $3.00 but this is out of control in my opinion.
So. Every problem has a solution right? The problem is we have no choice. We pay what the sign says on the pump because we have jobs to get to. We have kids to get to early choir practice, choir contests, award presentations, and trips to pick up children from out of town so we can see them on our weekend. Important things that should not have to be given up or compromised because we can’t afford gas to get us there. So what’s the solution?
I don’t mean to complain…but really. What is the solution? How do we fix this?
Guest Post: Cupcakes for Charity
11 Apr 2011 1 Comment
in Random Ramblings Tags: charity, cupcakes, Nepal, peace, peanut, World
My Sister-in-law recently approached me with a plan to help save the world. I am always interested in a volunteer opportunity so I asked how I could help. “Buy some cupcakes” Ok…so who doesn’t like cupcakes? I have kids , and everyone knows I am married to a butter cream frosting addict. So we spent $6.00 and bought 2 boxes of cupcakes. Wow! It’s easy to help. Even if you don’t like chocolate and peanut butter you can spread the love by ordering a box as a gift. Order several boxes and take to the office for Monday morning appreciation for your co-workers!
I asked Annah
to put together a bit of information about her cause and let me help her spread the word. Here is what she is working on and the low-down on how YOU can help.
Who we are:
Piece of Nepal is a locally owned bakery run by a small group of Drury University students. Our mission is to help our own community make a major difference in the communities of those in great need. Until May 1, 100% of our proceeds will go to Nepal NUTrition.
Where the money raised is going:
Nepal NUTrition is a project created by a former classmate of mine, and friend, Mark Arnoldy. This project has made great headway in completely changing the way that Nepal handles malnutrition in children. The old plan that was in place cost around $300 per child to take them from starving to healthy making this a financially strenuous plan. Not to mention that it was in-patient, and logistically for many mothers in Nepal this was enough of a hurdle to conquer to save their child’s life. Nepal NUTrition has revolutionized the old plan and made a peanut butter substance that is taking children from severally malnourished to healthy costing a mere $60 per child.
If we can raise enough awareness and profit for Nepal NUTrition, we could help them in efforts to be able to produce the peanut butter locally and not have to import it to Nepal, thus drastically reducing the previous quote to about $25-30 per child. This will create many jobs for the people of Nepal, and create a vast economic impact for the Nepali government. The beneficial impacts of this are endless!!
What we are doing to help:
We are selling Eco friendly boxes of four(4) mini-chocolate cupcakes frosted with peanut butter buttercream icing. Each $3.00 box is wrapped with sacred prayer flags and information on where your money is truly going. We are able to fill bulk orders for your staff meetings or clubs and group get togethers as well for a discounted rate.
We want to do EVERYTHING in our power to make the biggest footprint we can for this amazing project. It is in our reach to make a major difference with this so help in anyway you…even if it is just helping us get the word out!
Where to order:
pieceofnepal@gmail.com
Or call-(417)841-7988 with any questions you might have! I look forward to hearing from you!
Namaste,
Annah Rene’ Rasul
Positive Focus
06 Mar 2011 4 Comments
in Random Ramblings Tags: attitude, change, focus, life, positive, Self Help
On March 1st I wrote this post about my decision to change some things about my self perception. I was in a negative state of mind and I decided to do something about it. I am in day 6 of my challenge and can honestly say that I am feeling much more like myself. For the record…Today I am Focused.
That same morning I talked to my little sister about some of the weight in my heart and on my mind. I told her ” I used to be lucky.” “Good things used to happen to me.” “I used to be happy all the time.” I used to be a glass is half full girl.” Notice a common theme in these sentences? Yeah, me too. I used to not be this way.
During the discussion with my sister I made some verbalizations of my beliefs. I talked to her about things that I had lost sight of, or had pushed to the back of my brain. Beliefs that I used to really live and make a part of my every day. I spoke my belief in positive focus back into existence during that short talk!
I believe that everything happens for a reason, that what you put out is what you get back. Some people call it Karma, I just call it doing the right thing. When I do the right thing and focus on the positive, good things happen. I have always lived this in the past and I decided that along with the change in my attitude, I need to live this belief again. That was Tuesday. At that point I began throwing the positive out into the universe.
I started looking at all the things in my life that I had stopped being checked in for. My job, and my family, my home. So many things that were just part of the motions of living, but were not getting my positive energy. I made a conscious effort to poor some positive focus into everything around me.
The Boy Nigel and I had a great conversation about focus where he proceeded to reconnected with his heart, regaining his goal and purpose for life. He has been a Firefighter for the past 17+ years. We are calling the last 2 years a sabbatical, and he is going back to his roots. His first application went out that Wednesday to the Oklahoma City Fire Department. They called him Friday to see if he would be able to get to a testing that was happening on Monday, 3 days later! He tests at 8:00 am!
That same day, my mother-in-law called. Would we be able to take a trip to Hawaii for a week if she could get some good prices on flights? WHAT? She surprised us with the “honeymoon” we never got to take almost 4 years ago when we got married. A wonderful gift that we could never have afforded to give ourselves. This was just to much…but then my sister reminded me of our conversation. Oh right, positive out equals positive in. Wow, I just wonder what I have missed in life during the past few years of negative focus.
Now don’t get me wrong. I know that life is not going to be all rainbows and unicorns every day. I know that there will be hard times and heartache. I realize that to reach the success, it’s likely that there will be failures along the way. The difference today is that I see the importance again of keeping the right focus and perspective. I see more clearly now than I have in several years. So when bad things happen I will look for the good. If there is none to be found, I will focus on creating good from it. I will maintain my positive focus!
Do you have a great story about positive focus? I would love to hear it!
