Chip off the "Old" Block

I got this note from my son's fifth grade teacher this weekend:

I just remembered...Little Man corrected my sentence the other day on the math test...he said it should say "soda with lunch" instead of "soda for lunch." I laughed and said "so you did get your mother's language brain after all!"

*sheepish grin* What can I say? I'm so proud of that kid!

You Would Think....

...that with age at least a modicum of wisdom would be obvious. I'm not saying I'm not wiser about most things, especially when it comes to the huge mistakes I've made in my past. I mean my expectations about how people would act or react to a situation. It's been an historical fact that each year my husband refuses to wish me a happy birthday on my natal anniversary, waiting for me to say something first. And yet.....and yet.....I continue to be disappointed when he leaves for work and hasn't said anything, and I did NOT remind him. And this year, even my CHILDREN didn't say anything until I mentioned it FIRST. I mean, c'mon, how difficult is it, really, to remember what day it is when there are calenders all over the stupid house?! Sheesh.......

*****Okay, scratch that. Hubby just called me to say he was sorry that he left for work without saying Happy Birthday. He said he can't believe that he forgot. All is upright in the world again. *grin* ********

Okay, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I really don't have anything to share. *sheepish grin* You all will notice that I've been a slacker (or as Starr would say, "slacquer") when it comes to blogging. So many things have been happening, and yet......nothing really. Do you know what I mean?

Since December 21st, a few people in my life have passed away. I already mentioned earlier about Wendy, my support group leader. Since then, my second sister's FIL passed away back in Indy (a mean, grumpy bastard, but still a member of the family, and one of the last remaining connections to my parents), and just yesterday I heard about the death of a youth group leader at my parish. I know that death is a part of life, and as a Catholic Christian, I truly believe in a better life after death. It's just.....surreal that these losses seem to come in bunches, and this latest loss is shocking in that this man was not much older than I am. A larger-than-life personality, our community will be at a loss without him, and our youth will be impacted the most. Here is the cruelest irony, however: he passed away while attending a funeral for a friend. Weird, to say the least......

So, birth and death - is there a point to this post? Ummmmmm.....not really. *grin* I suppose I could be cliche' and say, "Tell those to whom you are closest that you love them. Tell them often," but you already know that, and I'll assume you already do that. So here's my point: Remember to laugh. Remember to smile. Remember to be grateful. Remember to be happy. Remember to dance. Remember to be silly. Remember TO BE.

Later daze...............

Here We Go Again!

Photo Credit: The Indianapolis Star

Aging Ruminations/EDITED TO ADD

The thing about having a birthday near the end or beginning of a calendar year is, instead of making resolutions, one tends to get nostalgic about things done (and not done) during a year or even a lifetime. Or maybe it's just me, I dunno.

Anyhoodle (*grin*), at 3:30 this morning when I still could not sleep, I started thinking about milestones and stepping stones over the course of my 47 years. Perhaps this was generated, in part, by the fact that I had attended a "future freshman" night at the local high school for my first born. Regardless, I was left wide awake in the wee hours today, swimming in thoughts of my past and hopes for my daughter's future.

So, journey with me, if you desire to learn about me, into my sojourn to the past:

Age 18 - with hopes for a career in musical theater, started college

Age 19 - realized that, while I possessed some modicum of talent, I did NOT possess the drive nor the motivation to attain my lofty goals for entertainment glory

Age 20 - earned associate's degree in performance; left Florida for Indiana to begin university to study arts administration

Age 23 - took a detour to get married; lost a mother to cancer; left Indiana for Washington to begin life as a Marine Corps wife; nearly widowed (save only for the fact that I pried the gun out of his hand in time)

Age 24 - moved back to Indiana; separated from nearly suicidal spouse; moved in with father; lost father to heart disease.

Age 26 - FINALLY earned college bachelor's degree; divorced first spouse; started career; purchased very first brand-new car

Age 26.5 - met new man

Age 29 - moved to the desert; married life-long partner

Age 34 - bore first child; left career behind; became full-time, stay-at-home mom

Age 36 - earned master's degree; began staff position (from home) writing for a family magazine

Age 37 - bore second child

Age 38 - assumed management position in a national women's ministry, working with several hundred women in the metropolitan area; lost job with magazine when magazine ceased publication

Age 43 - received diagnosis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension; resigned position with women's ministry

Age 44 - began extensive volunteer position at childrens' school, volunteering four days per week

Age 47 - remembered, by studying my milestones, that I LOVE my life!

There you have it; my life in bullet points. Not too bad. I think I'll keep on plugging away. The rewards are in the minutiae; the payoffs are immense.

Later daze, y'all.

Just to clarify: My birthday is not until the end of the month; I've just been thinking about where I've been and what I've done versus where I want to go. I blame it, in part, on my daughter's impending high school career and also, in part, on the passing of an acquaintance. Additionally, I am turning 48 years old (yeah, it's taken me a bit to admit that), so, consequently, I currently AM 47 years young. Thanks for the good wishes, though!