Gulf Shores

Gulf Shores
Photographer Patricia Gulick

Sunday, March 30, 2014

11-1-13 RMB Birthday Gifts



11-1-13 RMB Birthday Gifts 

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

This is a Friday and my sister’s birthday to boot. Happy Birthday Sister! The gift giving mood must be in the air because I came home to a bounty of gifts atop my bed from the dog, Misty. There were two stuffed monkeys, a one armed orange one and a pink one missing an ear. Not to mention the milk bone doggy treats neatly tucked under my pillow and twixt the rumbled piles of blankets on the, previously made, bed.

Ah, am I blessed or what?

So passes another week with me searching for, and finding some, morsels of wisdom to ponder. Today’s message, one’s treasures, our gifts, they are all in the eye of the beholder, or the giver. And all are precious.

Woof,

Loraine

Friday, March 28, 2014

10-31-13 Thursday Happy Halloweeeen!



10-31-13 Thursday Happy Halloweeeen!

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

It is Thursday and it is Halloween. Tonight my sister had a meeting at the church which the boys attend. My trio of nephews transformed once again into a zombie, fireman and ninja. They are familiar with the neighborhood and friendly with the local dogs. So we dropped off my sister and trotted up the street with bags in hand and swords drawn.

House after house relinquished their sweet riches. The boys were delighted when their bags got too heavy to carry. Eventually I ended up carrying one pair of shoes and various accoutrements. We made our way to the car with three boys, who were hyped despite their sore feet.

The costume that gained the most attention was the fireman, who chose to be a “real strong” fireman, complete with shirt open and muscles showing. At only nine, he is the strongest and his muscles are well formed, garnering him more than one Chippendale comment.

It was a good night. I am blessed with my three exuberant boys. Everyone was friendly, folks coming out to chat, decorations blinking, laughter and joy abounding.

I am not a big fan of any holiday, but this one, is made a bit more special in the presence of these three souls that bring such joy wherever they go. This togetherness thing, there really is something to it, isn’t there. If in any moment, we could see our own effect, like a colored mist, blue when we bring peace, yellow when we invoke joy, green when we inspire, and so on…how would being more aware of our effect affect us? Would we work at it some? And if so, what shades would we work to create?

Cheers to a Happy Halloween for young and old alike.
Boooo,
Loraine

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

10-30-13 RMB As We Think, We Are



10-30-13 RMB As We Think, We Are

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

The priorities of the week include time spent reading several good books, your Venus Envy, No Strings by Gerri Hill, listening to Jillian Michaels Unlimited in my car on CD and a bit of my own America Book 2 as it shapes itself into a follow up of America Book 1. Yeah, I know, the titles are terribly original. America is one of two main characters.

Today, books are set aside for a trip to the store for zombie paint, hot chocolate and bagels, essentials required by my trio of nephews. Halloween fever is in the air. I like that we have three creative boys, each one bold and brave in his “boy-ness”, but also creative enough to be able to pretend to be just about anything or anyone.

Seeing their excitement and hearing them discuss what they will be reminds me of a conversation I overheard one day from the trio in my backseat. There was a squabble over a toy gun. I was trying not to pay attention, but these lines caught me by surprise and I had to laugh out loud.

Boy one: “It’s my gun.”

Boy two: “I’m just borrowing it.”

Boy one: “You’re wasting the bullets.”

The exasperated eldest, boy three: “It’s a fake gun! They are fake bullets!!!”

The gun apparently made a sound and it was the sound maker that the middle boy wished to preserve, but in his exuberance, it sounded like it was the actual fake bullets that he wished to conserve. These three take their imaginary worlds quite seriously.

Ah, to be young and be able to be anything and anyone with just the thought of it. Wait a minute. We can be anything and anyone, including young. It’s all relative and it’s all possible. As we think, we are. So thus, we are as we think.

Imagine that,
 
Loraine