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January 29 Gift #3It's hard to list only one gift at a time! I wanna post them all at once. Then I realize the beauty of Julie's plan...to keep us grateful all year long. Not just once, for a make-a-list-and-forget-about-it moment in time. JULIE is one of the funniest people I've "read" in a long time. Her blog makes me laugh out loud and I must confess, gives me a twinge of envy. I would love to be so clever! She is a gifted writer. And grateful to boot! ;) I don't know her but I would love to! I bet she is an amazing friend!
My Gift #3 is my kitty, Charlie. He has been with me since I moved to Columbus. I was never a cat lover [um, opposite actually] until a coworker took me to a animal shelter. I wanted a black and white cat and when I entered the room where all the cats were kept I knelt down and put out my hand. Charlie was the first one to come over and say "hi." The only thing the shelter employees could tell me about him was that he was found outside. He was 8 months old at the time and went home with me that day. I was soooooooooo nervous cuz I had only lived with dogs as a child. [At the time, I thought a cat was a better option in an apartment.]
Charlie just lay silent in the carrier the whole way home. I wasn't sure what to make of him. Was he going to adopt me? For whatever reason I had this idea that he would sleep with me so I would put him in my bed at night ~ nope! He wouldn't stay. He ended up hiding from me for the first 3 or 4 days. By then I thought he wished he were back at the shelter. A dog would be all over a person immediately! My coworker encouraged me to just give it time and sure enough he slowly warmed up.
At the end of this month he will have been with me for 13 years. In that time he has woven his way into the deepest part of my heart. His behavior has shown me that he was abused as a young kitten but he has learned that he can trust me. He is so communicative that it amazes me! He takes me to the places he wants me to follow ~ lets me know when he wants his litter box cleaned, wants to be fed, wants to go out on the screened-in porch, wants me to move the computer so he can get on my lap. He's there waiting at the door when I get home. He waits at the top of the stairs while I get ready for the day and comes down with me.
My favorite memories revolve around his toys. He has had a fur ear muff [I think they were rabbit fur!] since he came to live with me. I was given this pair of ear muffs and he tore the fur part off the "head band" and has had it forever. He will take it upstairs and put it beside my bed, in my shoe, in his food dish, on his blanket. He will throw it up in the air to play [lol]. His favorite toys are that and the fake mice. He used to fetch the mice, bring it back to me and lay it down so I could throw it again. The best time was when he brought it upstairs and jumped up on the bed, lay the mouse beside me indicating he wanted to play. I pretended to be asleep so he picked up the mouse and put it in my hand! lol
We have many nicknames for Charlie: Charles, Pretty Kitty, Chuckwagon Charlie, Cho Cho Charlie, Charlie Kitty...sometimes even Damn Cat!
Charlie was seriously ill just once. Although I was shocked at having to pay $1,500 for him to have surgery, I was faced with the alternative: my life without him. I can't even imagine. Even now, he sleeps on the back of my chair cuz my lap is occupied. He's part of the family. :) I'm so grateful for him.
January 26 Gift #2Here is my Gift #2:
 I love my car. It is a luxury to me...I feel blessed and humbled when I drive it. I remember my first car ~ a small compact car and I felt equally as blessed. Now my husband and I are blessed to have jobs what make a bigger car affordable. I'm grateful and do not take our employment for granted. Perhaps it's our employment that is the gift and my car is just a bi-product. :)
January 24 52 GracesI love to read and am getting more and more interested in reading blogs. It's amazing to see inside someone's head and read their thoughts. Reading someone's blog is a little misleading tho cuz I'm deceived into thinking I'm "friends" with someone when really I'm just reading his/her public diary. [smile] The downside to blogging, I guess.
I'm a little late but I ran across this idea and thought 'EUREKA!' I got this from a friend's wife, Deb [see what she's grateful for], and felt that poke into my spiritual side to become a bit more grateful. I think I'm gonna change it to 52 Gifts just cuz that suits me more. The idea is to post once per week what you're grateful for, gifts in your life.
 My #1 Gift is friends. I cherish my friends deeply! At mid-life [or less? ;)] I have come to a point where I have fewer aquaintances and few friends than ever in my life. Well, I used to think aquaintances were friends, only to learn what true friends are. My definition of a true friend is someone I could phone at any time and know without hesitation he/she would be there for me. There may be many out there who would but the feeling lies within me ~ whom would I feel confident enough to call? I have learned that there are some people I have not physically seen in 25 years yet they have become a friend. I connected to them in Facebook and wow! What a revelation!I hope that my friends know that I would be there for them without hesitation. I am blessed to have met people who have added depth, clarity, warmth, humor and lots of hugs to my life! Thank you!!
January 10 Could this be it??I started a new assignment this week as Office assistant to a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. I didn't have any great expectations when I started. In the years since being in DeafBlindness, I have worked in many interesting venues: a TV studio, radio traffic broadcasting booth, engineers, risk assessment teams for banking audits, nonprofit social services, marketing execs, OSU development office.... This assignment has been a great surprise. I think I may have found something I could do long term. I am amazed at how many aspects of my personality this work fulfills. I get to interact with people [patients & coworkers], learn something new [the terminology is facinating, not to mention challenging], keep up with computer skills [transcribing] and it's only part time! Couldn't be happier! Wondering if this could be the job I've been looking for. As Eric said, bad things happen when people-oriented people aren't helping people. hmmmm January 06 New YearHappy New Year, Everyone!
I had a fabulous holiday celebration this past weekend with my family. The sarcasm and tension were minimal making for a great day of food and games and gifts and love. The sadness was visiting Grandpa Smith in the nursing home and he didn't recognize me. Or, he was in such pain that that's all I could see on his face. He still cannot speak so his body language is all we have to go on. He was even too exhausted to use his communication board. My heart just hurts when I see him. That hurt that collapses one from the center and the body folds over on itself. I could only hug him a bit and stroke his hair back from his face, kiss his forehead, wanting him to feel some love. Some human contact. He fell asleep straight away and slept quietly as the tears streamed down my face. I only pray that his tortured days end soon.
Grandma Smith was fiesty, a nice change. She has her good days and bad days. She was playing Solitaire. By her own rules. Chelsea and I just laughed as we watched ~ hey, whatever floats your boat. :)
Grandpa Kime is now in the same nursing home as the Smith grandparents. The effects of his stroke have left him weak in his extremities and have limited his walking. His vision [depth perception] is off but overall, he's doing well.
There's not enough space to explain the feelings that surface as I face the aging process of my parents and grandparents. It's that midlife crisis thing, I guess. Midlife CrisisSo, for whatever reasons that flit in and out of my brain, I've been thinking it is time to make a change in my life. "Why", the crowd asks, "you've been living a slovenly life for so long?" Yep, I sure have. Again, don't really wanna dwell on the whys.
So, I'm thinking of how to actually meet this goal of being healthier. Eating & exercise. [rabbit: maybe that's my tat?] My SIL is joining Weight Watchers. Should I do that? I need to add some excercise. Now that I have part-time employment I could go to water aerobics. I could walk on our treadmill. I don't have any great desire to be thin, my previous motivation for weight loss, but rather to not be diabetic. I don't want to have a stroke...I don't want menopause to be worse than it has to be. [read about insulin resistance] I don't want aches and pains that come from increased inflammation due to an imbalance of hormones [insulin, menopause].
I want Gillian McKeith to come to my house and give me the 1/2 makeover as seen on TV. lol If only it were that easy. I really like good food so I'm not sure where I have gone astray.
So, without dwelling on the "whys", I find myself lingering in the wheres...where to begin. Like a bad ole nasty boyfriend, gotta kick these bad habits to the curb and move on. |
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