Things of the Heart

This Thanksgiving we sat around the table among the cedar trees and instead of describing what we were thankful for, we went around and shared what we liked most about this season. Now there were many underlying tones of thankfulness in each of these stories be it the food, the family, or whatever else was shared.

I had some time to think about what I wanted to say being that I was seated in the middle of the sea of people we had at our table :) and I came to the conclusion what I liked the most about our Thanksgiving seasons is that they are always different. No two have truly ever looked alike. I think my family loves the concept of being traditional, but I wouldn't exactly put us at the center of what a "traditional" Thanksgiving looks like. We have spent them in Hawaii, Southern California, Northern California, family's houses, friends houses. made the feast ourselves, had buffet style, gone out and bought the day of, had take out. Yet we have always been together. There are the off years when one side of the family will spend it with their "other" side of the family or where we have combined families altogether. But to me the heart of the matter is that we have been together no matter the season or circumstance.

I love my family very much. I look around the table and see bits and pieces of what makes up me. I also see the voids of those who have passed away and how greatly their presence is missed or those who just choose to no longer sit at our table for one reason or another. Them I miss. But for the most part I am content with what I see and who I am surrounded by. I know this won't last forever and I know it is but a blink of an eye before things change. The family grows larger, kids grow into adults, get married, and begin their own Thanksgiving "traditions". Yet no matter where they go I will think of them and love them, even from afar. For now I am grateful they are close, and that I get this time with them because they mean more to me than they will ever know.

Welcome

Welcome to a world unlike any other
One that is made to lift you above even the highest of mountain tops
And one that can set you below sea level if need be
A world that has experienced great loss and great sorrow
Welcome to a world that has yet to experience your joy and laughter
So many landscapes left to explore
Countless amounts of people waiting to make our acquaintance
Welcome to a place that leaves many speechless
And yet has given people subject matter to discuss until the end of time
Welcome to a world where people truly know how to love
Yet many also know how to hate
It is a place that many anticipate the beginning and others yearn for an end
Welcome to your new life
A place of so many wonderful beginnings and hopefully not too many sad endings

Florida, ice bars, and hurricanes

Yet another successful work trip completed. I have to say this one by far was one of the more interesting ones. Being that I had never been to Florida for one so I had no idea what to expect and along the way met so many interesting people including a guy on the plane from Texas to Florida were we discussed hurricane seasons and when they were and how long they lasted. He assured me that their hurricane season was over, but something in my gut didn't quite believe that. Yet, low and behold our second day in I see on the news that there was a hurricane off the coast of Florida. Sometimes my gut instinct really freaks me out :)

My company along with another company sponsored an event at an ice bar which truly turned out to be memorable. Over the last few years I had talked with a couple friends how it would be fun to experience an ice bar; but really what I found out was it is pretty cold and you don't feel like staying in long. :)

I enjoy going on these trips (most of the time) gets me a little time out of the office, stretches my ability to be a quick thinker, and allows me to do something I genuinely love...meeting all sorts of people who come from all types of different backgrounds. Thanks to you my first trip to Florida was one to remember and thanks to you "Ida the Hurricane" for staying out at sea while I made my way back home to California!

Tylenol PM

It is days like this were I just want to quit life (if that were possible). Not to die, just to quit. To stop being...just for a few days.

It has been a rough week and everything I touch seems to fall a part or really not go the way I expect. I have taken things a bit more personally. I am easily hurt. And I am lost in my own thoughts. And yet this is where I believe God steps in with His humor and by His humor I mean creating me.

I have kept a bottle of Tylenol in my desk for weeks such as this when my head begins to throb and I can't just seem to think straight. Well here I am feeling the onset of another pain throbbing day and go to pull out my little cute travel size bottle and for whatever reason I look at it a bit more closely. Right next to the word Tylenol is a minuscule "pm". I started to laugh. Not only had it been a bit rough go of a week, but I had felt so incredibly tired at work and couldn't figure out why. I had been getting my 7 to 8 hours. Drinking loads of water. One cup of coffee in the morning. I should be good as gold right? Nope. Not when you take 2 or 3 of these beauties!

Something about laughter breaks away a bit of the tension I carry within myself. I could blame the moment on the fact that I dyed my hair blonde in high school and the dye just somewhat seeped into my thought process ;) or the fact that I am working my way to blind (my eye sight truly is that poor). Or maybe it was the fact that I just couldn't resist the cute little bottle and paid no real attention to what it was I was picking up to ease the tension within my head. Whatever it was laughing truly was the best kind of cure-all for a week like this.