Those That Have Gone Before

There is little joy today for me. One of my favorite people in the world - although I have never met her - passed away this morning. Good Bye Maya Angelou. Thank you for the chance to rise above, to think higher, to be better. Thank you for simply being alive and pointing out that there is more to life than we think. I weep for the loss, but I jump for joy that you are finally laughing with your maker.

When I pass, I know for a fact that few in the world will not notice. I know that I will not have made an impact as important as she did. But that is OK. To paraphrase her - I did the best that I could with what I had at the time. I wish I could have done better. But I am doing the best that I can. She would approve. She would praise me for what I have done, she would encourage me to keep on.

Isn't that what we are really here to do? To encourage? To look past gender, race, class, quirks, bad personality traits, and social standing? To see a person just for the person that they are? She did that so well. Me - I have so much to learn. So much to learn.

I hope that when I go to meet my Lord she is the crowd of people waiting there to meet me. The hug will go on for a millennium. I finally will get to see what she saw, what made her who she was; and I will then understand what I do not understand now.

If only ONE person in this world feels the way I feel about her - about me when I pass, in some small way I will have carried on her legacy.

Thank you Maya for what you hoped for us to be.

5 Weeks and 5 Shots

It has been a while since I have posted. (Thank you Captain Obvious) But I have been so swamped that although I was mildly happy – I was much too stressed to talk – or write – about it. As with all things  stressful, my 5 week run of terror is over now. Well, to be honest, terror might be a bit of overkill word wise. I probably should have just said ‘errands’, but then you might have stopped reading! What fun is that for me??!!

Week 1 – Work 40 hours, drive to Atlanta. I know, I know, lots of fun is involved here, but I am a human that needs down time. Nap time. Alone time. None to be had here. The concert was great, the visit with my daughter and family was great, the shopping was great, the food was great – everything was great! But back to my home (4 hour drive) on Sunday afternoon and work again on Monday.

Week 2 – Work 40 hours at my regular job, work 5 hours at my second job, drive to St. Augustine. I know, I know, tons of fun is involved here, but I am a human that needs down time. Nap time. Alone time. None to be had here. The visit was great, the yard sales were great, the food was great, the shopping was great, the French pastries were divine, the puzzles were great – everything was great! But back to my home (3 hour drive) on Sunday afternoon and work again on Monday.

Week 3 – Work 40 hours, drive to Cochran to move my son home from college. The blisters were great.

Week 4 – Work 40 hours at my regular job, 5 hours at my second job, drive to Macon. My son’s college graduation was great!! Dinner at Carrabba’s – not so much.

 

Week 5 – Work 40 hours, Tuesday night class starts, plus prepare my home for the impending mob of family members that will be staying for several days for the high school graduation. (In amongst this, new hardwood floors were installed, so my house was almost completely packed up and then 'mostly' unpacked) Thursday night & Friday afternoon all had arrived. Fun was had by all! The visits were great, the food was great, the shopping was great, the time spent together was great, the UNO game was great, but the dogs scared the living daylights out of my cat hoard.

 

By 4 p.m. yesterday (Monday) everyone had gone. They took what little bit of reason I had left with them.

Did I take a nap you ask?? OF COURSE NOT! I went over to job #2 to pay bills. After that, it was then that my husband thought it would be the ideal time to go do our Walmart run. I would have declined, but I needed liquor. Lots of liquor.

Here we are at Tuesday. All quiet now you would think. So did I until I realized I have class tonight, so I won’t get home until 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow maybe?? Nope, I have to process payroll for my other job, after my regular job.

Has anyone seen my sanity?? If you find it, please don’t return it. I am starting to enjoy thinking this is all just a weird dream…

Grumpy Cat vs...well...I am Not Sure Cat

I laughed out loud when a coworker sent me this picture. I hope you do to!!

 

I think I saw the first cat in a Star Wars episode - "Cat Wars - The Phantom Meownace!" Grumpy Cat - I am your father....Yowza!

 

 



St. Augustine

I went to St. Augustine this weekend. Ahhhh, the joy that is St. Augustine. If I could move there this very second, I would. If the qualification for doing that was that I had to leave almost all of my earthly possessions behind, I would do it. I would of course HAVE to take my sister (a must), my animals, my pictures, my reindeer, my husband, my lawn mower, my sun welcome sign, the motorcycle and all the accessories, my purse, and of course all my Jell-O Jiggler molds. That is all I would need. Oh, and a flashlight, but no ordinary flashlight.

Why did I pick those items you ask?

“Seriously, if you couldn’t take your Jiggler molds you wouldn't go, you ask yourself?? And what is up with the flashlight??” Those things are a dime a dozen, you say. You can get them anywhere you say. But I say – do you know that for a fact???

I have been collecting Jiggler molds for over a decade. My family has been making Jigglers before they had a definitive name. It is chromosomal in my family. The little Jell-O squares were at all our family events. We were Jiggler pioneers. The rest of the world caught up with us later – and I am glad they did.

Oh, the fun that is all the Jiggler mold shapes. I have Easter, and Christmas, and 4^th of July, and Nascar, and Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day, and Thanksgiving, and other various random shapes that mold into that Jiggler goodness. I buy them every time I see a new one come out. The Halloween brain is my favorite, but I don’t tell that to the other molds. I don’t want to hurt their feelings and have them malfunction by leaking when I need them. Jiggle leakage – oh the mess, the Jell-O carnage.

Wait, how did I get off on that sidebar??

St. Augustine – how I love St. Augustine. I would move there in a second. But only if it allows Jigglers - and my husband - and my sister - and a flashlight...

If you have to ask about the flashlight, you must not be a part of my family. They know.

Shel Silverstein

Happy Quest. HAPPY. Happily ever after. Happy through it all. Happy in spite of it all. Happy after everything. Happy to be here. Don’t worry, be happy. Happy to see you. Happy to be alive. Just try to be happy. Be happy with the simple pleasures. Just be happy. Happy is EVERYWHERE, in so many phrases.

I am none of those most of the time. It is hard pretending I am. Everything is hard right now.

 

The Search
I went to find the pot of gold
That's waiting where the rainbow ends.
I searched and searched and searched and searched
And searched and searched and then -
There it was, deep in the grass,
Under an old and twisty bough.
It's mine, it's mine, it's mine at last...
What do I search for now?

Shel Silverstein