Restoring Courage

Years ago, after dark, in the summer months,
I could be found in our front yard barefoot...garden hose in hand watering every inch of the grass for hours.
In the house were small and medium size humans I called my kids. I usually prayed they were sleeping, not tossing each other and food around. Sometimes the prayers made their way to heaven, other times, well, who knows what happened to them.

Tonight while watering some dry spots on our grass, with bare feet, a wave of tender courage washed over my soul, realizing how connecting with mother earth seemed to restore my courage to face a new day, way back when as well as tonight.

My days are different, trials have changed and new pains attached to the art of living...but the truth remains.
Time spent talking to God, feet planted firmly on his green earth, just steps away from reality is still my recipe for Restoring my Courage.
Try it on for size in the world of automatic sprinklers and such.

Air Piano and other joys

Driving has always been a great love of mine. Self confessed former multi-tasker while driving, I find it very tough to "just drive". Really there are so many things I can be doing and trust me, want to be doing.

I have narrowed it down to my very favorites:
1. Praying...cause He is always listening
2. Singing...with anyone who is on my CD at the time.
3. Air anything... I am so good at air piano, guitar, flute
violin, bells and much more.

What I love most about these amazing talents I take on in my car is this: I am so good. I smile, and just groove with greatness. My fellow travelers (in my car or the ones next to me) get a kick out of my not yet Broadway show.
More importantly is how purely silly and joyful my soul is fed. Yes, I love my soul to be fed with more than veggies and sugar>>>
Silly feels GOOD~!!

Next time you see me and my arms are flying about, just remember a star is being born.
And you, my friends can be one too~!! Because when it comes right down to it the decision to
BEE happy is all in YOUR mind (or arms and voice).
And if I can help you get a chuckle out of your day~!! My am happy. ( yes I said MY am happy) The phrase if borrowed from my sweet Skyler.

Dying.... ain't no way to avoid, as though it were a pot hole

I am so happy to be in the service of the "death and dying" world.
My eyes have been opened as to the blessing of the need for the wearing out of things.
How many years would you use and re-use the dish cloth given at your bridal shower? Maybe ten if you got lots of them and are very lucky. But after much use and dedication to your dishes and counters it has to go on ... for the dish cloth it will be the garbage. For us, each of us precious souls, it will be to refinement. Continued growth and use to Father we never imagined.
As I reflect on the decline (so we call it) of the elderly, I can't help but see far before that. Yes, before. In what I know was the Pre-earth life. Time spent at Father in Heaven's knee...being taught and nurtured. I envision our learning and growing until it became time to enter our earthly state. To take a beautiful body. Soul unites with body and creates a mortal person. Crafted to perfection>>> EVEN those who may not appear to us as Perfect. God knows, we are HIS.
So, now we spend time on earth, learning, growing, loving. Really what else is there. Getting Stuff?
Then as our clocks wind down through a natural process and age shows itself in ways no one is fond of we just often pretend it is not taking place. I have often wondered why we are so hesitant to move beyond the veil and return home. I believe our will to live is instilled by our God. Good thing too or everyone would be dying to get back to heaven. (pun intended)
My message today is this: Coach the process as we were coached in heaven to come here, as birth parents are coached to give birth. Not only is it okay, but can be a learning experience like no other.
At least prepare your own minds to accept the reality of decline and simply make peace with your own reservations. Consider the stages in grieving:
1.Denial and Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
I feel as though I repeat those steps a lot....with big family crisis, job loss etc.
If only one thought sticks with you today let it be this.

EMBRACE THE TRIAL AND GROW FROM IT. LET IT TEACH YOUR SPIRIT.

You can be as vigil as you want, death sneaks up and takes you (and your loved ones) off to the new journey no matter what.

Aged parents

Since parents do get old sometimes ...just who is responsible to care for them? I say it is my siblings. After all I am pretty sure I was adopted.
Ok, never mind that, how about the state. Can I just put "her" somewhere and claim poverty, letting the expense be picked up by my fellow tax payers.
The only other solution would be just to go on with my life as though "she" is just fine. When a call comes from a neighbor I know I will be surprised to find she was on the floor for 3 days and had no way to call for help. (Sarcasm)
So in all seriousness
Perhaps I have over looked the real solution. The one that makes us family in the first place. The old fashion values I was raised on as well as my memory of teaching a lesson or two on Charity, a few on Remembering and the doctrines taught by our Savior Jesus Christ.
My mother will be cared for in a manner pleasing unto my Father in Heaven. She will be respected and treated with dignity to her dying breath.
Most important she will be LOVED.
I so wish I could see the rewind movie of my infancy. Helpless and unsteady. Making faces, throwing food, as well as throwing up. Talking nonsense, making big messes in places no one wants messes in....... and you know the rest of being a tiny one relying on others to help you through to the next phase in life.
That's the plan for my mom as she declines and prepares for the next phase.
Thanks mom. for a real chance to give back.

Don't always believe what you read, even if it is digital.

Tea leaves are stirring up some wisdom of a weightier matter today.

Stepping on the scales once a year is painful enough but lately I actually did it twice in a six week period. Not the least bit happy with the first digital reading that cloudy day six weeks ago, I decided to get on again today and see if any good had come from "trying".

Imagine my surprise when the reading was 135 lbs. Really, that is a lovely number and I would be ever so happy to accept that as my own real weight, except for the fact that it is humanly impossible to loose that kind of poundage in 6 weeks unless lost on the top of a mountain with only pine cones and rain water to remain alive. So I got a good chuckle, got off and tried again, this time it read 129 lbs. Now I am wondering where are the hidden cameras as I have a good laugh and an interesting conversation with myself. The result of this strange unexplained incident (I didn't get on again) is a renewed desire to actually have that reading be dead right on....for real. Ok, at least in the ball park. One of my thighs alone weighs in at 25 lbs. easy. Oh, yes they do, thunder thighs in abundance no matter how skinny the rest may be. But then again skinny has not been my adjective for 30 years or more.

Haven't we all tried the diets and the work outs, gadgets, fancy machines, gym memberships ...until it comes down to the stuff we have always known. Don't eat more than you burn off. Moderation in all things, including cookies. (drat). Grains are good for us. Fat is good too, but some kinds are not as good for you and the amount is important. Carbs are good for you, but there are rules regarding that stuff too.

Common sense, rewritten and re-announced to the world weekly via all forms of media is presented as new information that will transform our lives and our bodies.

I think I will try to remember one thing>
Don't always believe what you read, digital or otherwise.

Use the best rule out there> Commonsense.

And I am going to bet that Commonsense has other lessons to teach me besides eating.

In the leafy tree tops the birds sing good morning....
Their fist to see the sun, they must tell everyone...
In the leafy tree tops the birds sing good morning. (LDS Primary Song)

In my leafy tea pot the leaves tell a story....
Welcome to where you can sit back, relax and take it in.
Exploring the human spirit, what makes me tick as well as ticked off;) and general observations and commentary.
It's all well to disagree, take a pot shot or even set me straight. I love feedback and dialog.

Today's leafs want to share a bit of Skyler and his Daddy.
My son Benjamin passed away on May 3rd 2008 in my yard due to a small tumor in his heart that was undetected. This happened at the end of a day of celebration. We had celebrated Skyler's 2nd Birthday (10 days early) It was a wonderful day of roll up pancakes and lots of presents, some family and more food. Ben and Skyler played with every gift and had a blast.
At 9:30 pm Ben took a diaper out to the garbage and did not return.
I found him one hour later.
The following several hours and days seemed to fly by and now feel as though it all happened light years ago not just three years. (perhaps I will address some more in later post regarding the circumstances) However, during all the planning and funeral etc. a peace attended me that is hard to explain, I do know I had ministering angels all around.
Nothing else can match that "feeling" of wholeness amidst such loss and sorrow. God certainly was and IS aware and sends His tender mercies round about.

Skyler continued to come to our house "Grandma Kathy's" nearly every other weekend, to my great delight. We had so much fun. He loved the dog Zoey, eating roll up pancakes, watching Scooby doo and sleeping in the big "grandma chair" .... aka my recliner.
August 2010 he came for a weekend visit and was not feeling his best, but he had come feeling a bit off before and we just took it easy. This stay was different. On our way to get some dinner his neck rubbed against the seat belt and left a bruise. Just seeing that had me and Grandpa pretty upset. He had a rough night sleeping and awoke with an ear ache. I called his mom Saturday morning and told her about the neck and the ear pain. She came right down and took him to the doctor. Then 3 days later to her doctor and right to Primary Children's and thus it had begun. Leukemia~!
Today's leafy plea and statement: Childhood Cancer is TOO underfunded. More research is needed. A CURE MUST BE FOUND> Better treatment and therapy are needed.
I am an advocate for cancer and other disease research of any type....but NOW it is all too clear that the babes are suffering and can't even begin to understand it.
Such great ideas for raising monies are racing through my brain. I am convinced that if WE as a nation can find the "cure" or at least improved treatment for AIDS, as we have and so many other disease' we CAN find the cure or at least improved treatment for Childhood Leukemia. Join us in the search for the cure:
http://www.curesearchwalk.org/saltlakecity
Team Skyler

until next time :::: Happy Trails to youuuuu..... until we meet againnnnn.
Happy Trials to youuuuu...... keep smilin until thennnn~!!!