Parenting 101

Sunrise, Sunset

Have you seen Fiddler On the Roof? I did, many years ago. For me it was really special because my mother had the sheet music for all the songs in the movie. So, by the time I watched the actual movie, I knew the songs. Sunrise, Sunset always made me cry, even when I was a little girl, and it was always my favorite one to ask my mother to play. Now that I have grown children and grandchildren…it takes on an even more important meaning in my life.

Here is a clip of that song in the movie, no copyright infringement intended, just enjoyment for the music.

The birth of a baby, a wedding and funerals are obviously very emotional and transitional times in our lives. A new baby certainly brings happiness with a new addition, but stress also comes with that. You are responsible for another human being…their welfare, in the form of food, clothing and shelter. As a parent you have much input in that child and they way they form their ideals for life.

A wedding is to be a happy time and celebration. But it can bring sadness, just as the above clip shows. For parents, that child is grown and beginning life on their own, with another person. You aren’t the most important people in that child’s life any longer. As a parent, you know the struggles and hardships that are to come…but you also understand the love and companionship that is shared in no other way. The weddings of our three daughters were very difficult days for me. They all married wonderful men, and I was honestly very happy for them and the life they were going to share with their husbands, but I was very sad. Sad for all the years that had gone before, all the memories that would never be re-enacted with them. A very huge part of my life, was being carried away.

Funerals are typically thought of as sad. Whether that person was here a few days or many, many years, there has been a bond formed, and they will be missed, by someone. For the Believer, they go on to be Face-to-Face with the Lord, and you rejoice for them. But those of us that remain behind are …sad. Sad for the loss of that person in our lives.

Sunrise, sunset…over and over in our lifetime. The magnificence of a new day greets us with hues of gold, lavender, pink and orange. Those colors bring hope and happiness to my soul, and give me encouragement to start the day off right. The evening dusky colors are often blazing orange as the sun sinks away as if to say…”Ta-da! Day is done!” God knew what He was doing!

Have a wonderful Monday! I hope the sunrise got you off to a great start. The above picture was taken by my husband on Friday night while I was at work. He, our youngest and our second oldest’s dog were enjoying the lake as the day gave its farewell.

Gardening

I Did It!

Well, after only about 12 hours, I finally have an updated site! Am I any wiser about menus and widgets, plug-ins and gr-avatars? I don’t think so. I read so much ‘stuff’ that my brain is at capacity. No wonder web-designers get so much money for what they do! But, I am pleased with the result from my end of things, and you will have to let me know what you think.

Why all the roses? I love roses! I love flowers in general and would like a bouquet in each room of my house, fresh, every week. But…that would be more money than a web-designer. I love the delicate fragrance of roses, and I have some sweet-smelling ones on my trellis, planted near my kitchen door. I adore English gardens, with climbing roses tumbling over white fences. But Kansas is pretty far removed from that…so I’ve tried to create my own English garden.

And for some reason, people have always told me they think of flowers when they see me. I have always taken that as a great compliment. So, maybe a little branding going on here.

At any rate. I hope you enjoy the new site. I’m feeling comfy already. Now it’s time for a nap!

A Quick Thought

GRRR!!!

Okay, it is late, and I am about to chew nails. See this picture below?

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This is me, trying to figure out how to update this blog. I would rather be out there, in a machine, moving gears in the setting sun, as I try to set this, little boxy thing, on a little ‘X’ marked on the spot it is suppose to go.

So, no, I’m not important and giving you a heads-up that my site is under construction and big things are happening. Then, when I’m finished, you’re going to be ‘wowed’ by all the improvements.

No, I’m just stopping for the night, so my eyes will stop bouncing in my head and then I will try again tomorrow to ‘upgrade’ this blog. Using this WordPress just boggles my mind! I should word that differently. I am able to use it pretty well now. But if I go to make any changes…forget it! So, just click anything you want to read, it’s there in triplicate…I think. If you want to purchase a book, go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and type in my name or title of the book, because the links aren’t working on here. Sigh!

And yes, I know you are to keep your site easy to navigate, clutter free and visually appealing. But right now, I’m just happy I haven’t lost it all yet. (I’m speaking of my blog, not my mind.) So, please don’t leave me, and I promise to return with hopefully…something! Good night!

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A Quick Thought

Peace of Life

Hello…is anybody out there? Some days, you just feel…alone. It seems as though no matter what you say, it’s taken wrong. That you only have friends and family if you agree and support them. If the tables were turned…you’d be flopping on a beach, struggling for air.

Some days…we have those kind of days. Sometimes I wonder, if I just said what I wanted to, like others do to me, would I still have a friend or family member? If I expressed myself, did what I wanted, when I wanted…would people still speak to me…as I’m expected to when dealing with them?

There are days when I want to go far, far away, and forget all the troubles. I don’t want to worry about money, if the house is clean, the yard is mowed, the weeds are pulled. I don’t want to navigate the finances for a new furnace and overhaul on the house. I would like to only take care of my job at work, and have people help me as I always try to do. I don’t want to answer the phone for one more telemarketer or political call. Are the dishes done, the laundry clean, the oil changed in the car? Is the cat in or out…and is she up-to-date on her rabies shot if she’s out. Will the dog be sad and lonely if left too long? After all, he needs to be happy too.

Philippians 4:6 (NASB)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

At times, this verse is hard to grasp. It floats beyond my reach, my thoughts of all the above crowding and littering my mind…until all I see is the miserable, selfish part of my life.

Be anxious for nothing. Instead of wanting to escape to a beach in Maine, far north where it’s too cold for others…I need to stop the quicksand of life in this world today. I need to stop and pray, thank God for everything that He has allowed in my life…good and bad. For He has allowed it for a purpose. Then I need to ask Him to help me with my day, my thoughts…and give me peace.

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In my mind, I can be on that beach. Listening to the waves roll in, the salty wind upon my face. I can watch the sunset and know there will be another day…and it may go better than the one I’m dealing with right now. And it may not, but I can have peace and contentment.

There are not too many of us that can change what is going on in our world today. We can’t put better, different people in office, we can’t make our neighbor live how we want them to. Unless you’re the boss, your co-workers don’t answer to you. We can’t use our rights to trample over everyone else’s. And no, we can’t even really control our own little world of family and friends. But we can choose to be at peace and live with contentment. Make a decision today to change your little world…and the rest of the world might not be so difficult to deal with. Have a great Monday!

A Quick Thought

Social Media…Be Happy!

I’ve posted on here a couple of times about Facebook and social media. They are not friends of mine. The upside is the ability to connect with people you haven’t seen or heard from in ages. The downside is the ability to connect with people you haven’t seen or heard from in ages. Do you really want  to hear from that girlfriend or boyfriend you broke up with 20, 30 or even 40 years ago? Are the pictures you have of family and friends from the 1970’s really that great? If you look worse than you did in high school, maybe you want to stay in hiding. But… if you look fantastic, you may want to advertise it everywhere!

I really struggle with all the political stuff. Yes, we all understand that it is an election year here in America. But do we have to sling trash, insults and just keep the pot stirred? What does that say to the rest of the world we live in? Nothing good, I’m thinking! We are supposed to be the UNITED States of America. Not the ‘I’m going to do my thing and you can do yours, and if I don’t agree I’m going to treat you like yesterdays garbage’ States of America.

The abused animals and children information is something else I have a hard time dealing with. Yes, these are both horrendous problems in our world today. I would like to be able to stop it, have animals and people treated with respect. But I have a hard time getting my own family to listen to me…the rest of the world? Forget it!

I think the biggest problem, and this doesn’t just occur with social media, is about one’s rights. When your rights trample all over mine…you have exceeded your bounds. And this is rampant today.

Social media isn’t all bad…and I hope I’m not sounding as though it is. I love the really cute, funny items that are shared. The music videos are nice, and I love the beautiful pictures. And yes, I do adore looking at your photos…even if I don’t know you! (I think that is for another post, though!) So go ahead and Tweet, Twitter, Post to your heart’s content.

And if you have the time…watch this video. Just a little break in your day, and some good words to put to use in your life.

 

Writing

Newest Arrival in Rubyville

I don’t usually post in the evening…but I couldn’t wait to share the news. My newest book, the third in the Rubyville series is now available on Amazon! You may purchase it right here:https://www.amazon.com/Rubyville-Place-Deborah-Ann-Dykeman/dp/1533528810/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469147741&sr=1-4&keywords=ru

All my books are available in paperback and kindle editions. Happy reading everyone! And as always…please leave a review. It is very much appreciated!

Where do I go?

Always hold something back

Some very good advice…and I often do it. It helps me get started the next day…and hopefully I haven’t forgotten too much of that ‘feeling’ for that scene!

ellieholmesauthor's avatar

You sit down to write having wilfully ignored the distractions around you: the distant ringing telephone (yours), the barking dog (your neighbour’s). You pay no heed to the bells and whistles of Social Media which continually beckon you away like a siren’s song. You make all that effort but when confronted by the computer screen and your work in progress you find you have nothing to say. We have all been there, haven’t we? It’s so frustrating particularly if you have limited writing time and need to make it count.

Frustration Frustration by Peter Alfred Hess courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons licensed by CC BY 2.0

https://flic.kr/p/5x3DF6  https://goo.gl/sZ7V7x

You can coax the creative engine into life but it can be a slow process like trying to get an old car started on a cold and frosty morning.

Give it a good pushjpg Give it a good push by Christopher Amrich courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons…

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Writing

It Ain’t Just Talk: 3 Crucial Elements of Great Dialog

I’m sharing this great post on dialog for all you writers out there. Enjoy!

She’s baaaaack. Well, sort of. Today I have an extra special treat. This is going to sound super conceited but whatever, it is MY blog 😛 . But first lemme caveat with this. I feel I DO have …

Source: It Ain’t Just Talk: 3 Crucial Elements of Great Dialog

A Quick Thought

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I always told our children that they didn’t have to agree with me, but they needed to respect their parents. That you don’t have to agree with other people or even really like them, but you needed to show respect.

This is very lacking in our society today. I just saw it in action again yesterday. It used to be that even if you weren’t a Christian, you respected a pastor. Even if you disagreed with the President of the United States of America, you respected his position. If you disliked a teacher in school, you still respected them. Of course, there were and always will be exceptions, but generally this held true.

Other examples of respect: men taking off their hats in a public building or house, saluting the American flag, opening a door for someone, quiet when someone was talking, quiet in a movie theater, and proper attire for certain occasions. Examples of these would be funerals, weddings, church and your place of work or school.

Now it’s ‘anything goes’ attitude. I think that’s terrible. I also believe it has caused a lot of problems in our world today. It also shows a lack of knowledge, and usually an abundance of arrogance.

Come on, show a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and sing the song if it helps you remember. I’m sure Aretha Franklin would appreciate it! Have a great Monday!

park-972173__180What not to do!

Writing

EC Quote Friday

I loved this quote! It is so very true and why I’m so very thankful for Julia Ryan! www.DesignByJulia.com She has done a fantastic job on my covers. So…you can eat a sandwich while you read my book! Have a great Saturday!

Reblogged on WordPress.com

Source: EC Quote Friday