Smile for the Camera!

If you are like me, than you tend to enjoy being the one behind the camera instead of the one in front of it. I love taking pictures!  Always have. I enjoy going back and looking at old pictures and remembering the story behind the picture, for every picture has a story.

My 19 year old  loves taking pictures too and she unlike me is not shy of the camera. She is always wanting pictures of us together and yes there are the times where I am like, “really, a picture now??” But I was once again reminded of how precious pictures can be by a comment that a friend shared on Facebook.

She also preferred to not be in pictures until her teenager looked at her and said, “Mom, if you die we will barely have any pictures of you.”  Talk about a punch to the gut!  She took that as her wake up call and now she happily poses,  for yes she is making memories. She is providing special reminders of her for her dear loved ones when she is no longer here.

When you look at pictures from that perspective can you really argue about not wanting your picture taken. This is not about wishing you were a supermodel and wanting to have every hair in place. This is about giving memories to your loved ones of you being YOU! They love you for being YOU, not for what you look like.

They want to capture that beautiful smile because it captures the beauty of your heart. They want to capture you as you stare off into the mountains in a moment of contemplation, because they want to capture your serious side.

There are also the embarrassing moments that can be captured in a picture. Trust me I have had those moments!  Let it be done, so your loved ones can remember the many times of laughter you provided.  Go ahead and make a face for the camera, give them something to laugh at in years to come and yes to laugh at now.  Laugh with them, remember Laughter is the Best Medicine!

The next time the camera pops up in front of you, don’t shy away from it.  Jump in front of it!  You are making memories.  Capturing a moment in time that can’t ever be repeated. Don’t always be the one holding the camera, pass it over and happily pose with your loved one or just by yourself.  Remember its not about having your makeup done or perhaps trying to suck in your stomach, its about being YOU!

About giving your loved ones smiles that someday may help wipe away their tears.

Smile for the camera! No one else can take your place!

Sunday’s Super Short Stories!

No, you did not read wrong! Yes, the title may sound very similar to Friday’s blog post.  On Friday some of my followers and I were having a little talk about how Sunday’s Super Short Stories had a nice ring to it and how perhaps Friday’s Super Shorts should be changed to Sunday’s Super Shorts. Plus how sometimes Friday’s Super Shorts may actually become Sunday’s Super Shorts depending when they are read and what time zone the reader is in.  Confused yet? 🙂  No change yet, just thought I would give you a bonus this week of Super Short Stories, hope you don’t mind!

Some answers only lead to more questions, which lead to you being more curiouser and curiouser … so be careful what you ask!

The best Hugs are the ones that Hug the heart!

Surprise visits from friends = awesome therapy!

A bonus short fun story for you:  My friend and I were talking  about when I was at the hospital.  She was saying how my husband was texting her about me watching a cartoon and how I was saying things that didn’t make sense. I am soooo glad that there was no tape recorder in my room. I said again how I don’t remember anything from that time. She commented how my husband probably should have taken away my phone, for what if I clicked on Amazon. You know it just take one click!  So I told my husband if packages start showing up at the door, then we know what else I did while I was traveling in my “spaceship.” 🙂

 

Waiting!

“Do you see it yet?”

“Nope, but it should be coming soon!” was Laura’s excited reply.

The breeze continued to gently blow as they sat patiently waiting.  They didn’t mind waiting, for they loved the smell and sound of the sea.

“Are you sure its coming today?”

“Yes, you heard Mama at breakfast, she said it was coming soon.”

They were silent once more as they kept their  chestnut brown eyes pealed on the sea. Straining to look as far out as they could.

Soon the silence was broken by the sound of Cameron’s growling stomach. “Did you bring any snacks along?”

“No, we just had breakfast not that long ago, you can’t possibly be hungry, can you?”

“Yes, I quite possibly can!”  said Cameron and puffed out his chest.

“Well I’ll tell you what, if its not here by lunch time, we will go back.”

“What do you think it will look like?”

Laura shrugged her shoulders, “I have no idea, Mama didn’t say. She just said that it will soon come.”

“I bet its huge! A triple decker ship and painted bright orange!”

“Bright orange! Are you crazy?” Laura said,   “Why would a ship be bright orange? I say it will be a sunny yellow color with some purple along the edges and maybe some purple circles on it.

“Purple and yellow, now who is crazy!”

Laura shook her head as she rolled her eyes, “I have a vivid imagination, Mama said.”

“Mama sure is right about that! Some of the things you come up with are so…”

“I would think twice before finishing that sentence, unless you would like to get wet today, just saying.”  Laura gave Cameron a look that made him mumble under his breath.

More time passed and again Cameron’s stomach rumbled. “It has to be getting close to lunch time, my stomach is a pretty accurate clock!”

Laura stood up and said, ” I am getting a little hungry myself. Let’s go and perhaps we can ask Mama more details about the ship.”

“Yes, she really didn’t say much at all, but Dad seemed to know what she meant. Why do you think that Dad didn’t come with us?  It was his ship that Mama was talking about.”

Laura shrugged again, “Who knows, grown ups don’t always make sense. All I know is what I heard.”

“I know, I know, I heard it too. Mama looked right at Daddy and said, ” Don’t worry honey, your ship will soon come in!”

 

Friday’s Super Short Stories

When “gentle nudges” help get your brain thinking when it needs to think.

“2 left feet?” doesn’t stop your heart from dancing!

Don’t miss seeing the beautiful butterfly as you are watching for a glorious eagle to soar by!

 

 

 

Taking the Leap

Glenda rolled over in her bed.  Her teal green sheets were in a tangled mess. A sign that she had been tossing and turning all night with her body as well as with her mind.  Rubbing her green eyes and taking one more stretch she made herself step out of her bed, sinking into the plush blue carpet.

She headed towards her door when she caught the reflection from her mirror of the certified letter laying on her dresser.  The letter that she had received yesterday.   The one with the shiny emerald green seal. It was addressed to Dr. Glenda Totonia.  Her heart still never failed to  skip a beat when she saw the title Dr. in front of  her name.

What was wrong with her?  Shouldn’t her heart be sparkling with joy, she should be floating as high as the clouds in the bright blue sky. Why wasn’t she?  The letter was offering her a position as the head Doctor at the highly esteemed Emerald Green Medical Center.

She was honored to get the offer. It definitely was thrilling to think of the adventure that could be waiting for her, so what was holding her back?

Later that morning Glenda decided that she needed to take a walk to clear her mind. Walks were always good for that and it was a beautiful Spring day. She stepped out into the lush, deep green grass and stood still for a moment breathing in the fragrance of Spring.

The lilacs and honeysuckles were blooming.  The scent that they gave off could be intoxicating. You couldn’t help but smile when you caught a whiff of their fragrance.

Glenda walked out of her backyard and  down the long country lane that she had walked down hundreds of times.  She heard a bird chirping away and then she spotted the Bluejay who was such a pretty shade of royal blue.  He puffed out his chest looking like royalty as he sang a cheerful tune.  It was so fast and tiny that she almost missed the beautiful green hummingbird that flew by.

As she walked she let herself take in the natural beauty around her  and she tried to release the worries from her brain. When she rounded the bend she heard the sound of the creek flowing and she noticed the rope swing hanging from the Weeping Willow tree.  She smiled as she remembered the fun times from her childhood.  Hours spent  with her friends jumping  from the rope swing and swimming in the creek.

A thought came to her mind and she wondered if she dared. She looked around, there was no one to be seen. Should she? She paused for a moment and thought, “Why not!”

Taking a few swings on the rope she finally let herself go as she splashed into the creek below. Oh it was so cold! At the same time  it felt refreshing as the water flowed around her. The flowing water around her and the azure blue sky above her was just what she needed to calm her heart. A calm heart as she reflected about how her life might be headed for a very big change.

The next morning Glenda was up bright and early. She was still wrapped in her fluffy teal green robe as she drank a cup of her favorite peppermint tea.  She soaked in the stillness of the morning, her heart was at peace with the decision she had made.  Soon she was showered and dressed in a casual green dress. One that brought out the emerald green color of her eyes.

With the letter in her hand she was ready to go. First stop was the Post Office to mail her certified letter and then she had a long list of things to do. She had to shop and pack and prepare to move, for  adventure was awaiting her.  Awaiting her at the Emerald Green Medical Center, located in the Emerald City, in the wonderful land of Oz.

 

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Its supposed to be a rainy day here, but we had such nice sunshine yesterday and I don’t have anywhere to go today, so its okay to have some rain. The story of “Pooh and the Rainy Day” just popped in my mind. Pooh could have fun in any kind of weather, so I wish the same for you today!

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10. Yes, I just couldn’t stop with one Pooh Bear quote today. I didn’t think you would mind.

11. I couldn’t resist including this one. 🙂 Have a great day!

 

Is this your Life?

I saw this short video clip and and it describes perfectly how I feel trying to finish my “To-Do” list. Especially after feeling like I slept the past several days away! I figured that a lot of you, if not all could identify with feeling like this little boy at one time or another.

Keep Smiling! What needs done will get done and perhaps the other things don’t really need to be done or at least there is no immediate rush.  Just remember on your “To-Do” list to write in “Have Fun!”  And treat that as one of the things that does need to be done! Take time to smell the roses! The amount of time  and the ways you spend “having fun” each day may vary, but to maintain your sanity do make sure that its one thing you can scratch off your list each day.

 

Sunday’s Super Short Stories!

Spring is showing its sunny smile!

You never know when life may throw you a twist….but you know that your friends and family are always there to give you a boost!

Perhaps I wasn’t in Space this week. Perhaps I went with the White Rabbit!

Just to clarify things, if you are confused by my last “story”, No, I haven’t lost it. I was referring to my hospital experience from earlier this week.  The Spaceship has landed!

 

 

 

The Spaceship has landed!

The spaceship has landed! Well it may be more accurate to say that it is hovering over the earth.  Not quite fully landed yet.  Its been quite the surprising ride!

I went in Wednesday morning for my knee surgery which was scheduled to be an outpatient procedure. I was in good spirits that morning as I was reading some emails and texts while waiting with my husband. They called me back and I was ready to get it over with and be on the road to recovery. The nurses were very nice and I remember the feeling of starting to go into La-La land, feeling totally relaxed.

The next thing I knew I was awake with a very dry mouth. I was glad it was over and had just asked the nurse if I could have some ice chips or water for my mouth.

Then my hand started shaking uncontrollably, which was soon followed by my foot and whole side shaking. They tried to give me something to stop it, but the shaking only got worse.  My body was having a severe reaction to the anesthesia and I was having convulsions.

It is a very weird feeling not being able to control your body. I flung my one hand so hard that my IV popped out. I had between 5-7 people holding me down at one time! For those of you who may not know, I am very small. I am the type of person that can fairly easily be thrown over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I never dreamed that I ever would have to be restrained by so many people. A very strange feeling to know that you are making someone’s hands go numb by pushing down on your legs so hard. They were worried that I was going to hurt my knee by the way I was moving my legs but they also didn’t want to push down too hard on it and hurt it that way.

I scared my poor husband and family. Poor guy thought he was being called back to see me in recovery but instead got taken to a empty room. Now when you have a loved one that has gone through surgery and you get called back, being taken into an empty room is NOT a good feeling!

The good news is that all that is in the past now and I am actually not feeling too bad. The pain is tolerable. I just am very tired because of all the drugs that were pumped into me. I been up the most today but thinking I will have to take another snooze again soon.

Just one more thing to share about my “Space” story before I go. Once my convulsions stopped, when I basically got knocked out by meds I remember nothing. I spent that night in the hospital, my parents came to see me in the hospital, my Pastor came to see me. I talked to them. My kids were there and I talked to them. I had sent them some texts before they came. I remember nothing!  That part still freaks me out some. I don’t remember being discharged, I don’t remember my husband stopping at the pharmacy on the way home to pick up meds.  I don’t remember coming home. Its all one big blur.

I guess I didn’t realize how close to the truth I was being when I said I was taking a trip to space in my post about the upcoming surgery last week. I took a extra long trip there, and am very glad I made it back down to earth, or like I said, hovering for now.

Thank you very much for all your thoughts and prayers. They are greatly appreciated and I have no doubt that I will come back down to earth totally once again. Back to being as sane as always, but for now my bed is calling.

 

 

One More Dance

The old man was sitting on his porch swing watching the clouds drift by and thinking of how time was passing.  A memory came to his mind as a smile crossed his face. The smile disappeared though as he let out a sigh.  Was it too late?  Had he been too stubborn for too long?  How could he have done what he did!

The young woman was sitting on the park bench watching the children play. “Swing me higher Daddy!’ was a little girl’s cry. The young woman smiled and the long ago memories rolled down her cheeks. Her heart had ached for so long.  Her wounds had cut deep, but she knew it wasn’t all his fault.  Years had passed, how long would she hold onto the grudge? What was it costing her? Couldn’t she perhaps be the one to take the first step.

“One, Two, Three…follow my lead”  They danced as she looked into her Daddy’s eyes and smiled with glee. “Dance with me Daddy, oh please!”

The man wiped a tear as he heard his little girl’s voice in his memory.  How they had danced so many nights long ago, how his heart had been filled with delight. It had been one of their favorite things to do.

He walked into his house and found the old record that they had always played. It was their record she had said, their special songs.  She had always wanted the same ones played. Time had passed and a lot of his records he had no more, but this one, this one he couldn’t let go.

The needle scratched as he blew off the dust and played the record once more. He sat in his recliner and closed his eyes letting his mind take him back to a special time many years ago.

He saw her sparkly royal blue dress and the matching bow in her hair. She had beamed with pleasure as she twirled around in front of her Daddy dear.  Off to the dance they had went and what a night it had been. “”One…Two..Three. Follow my lead…”

The music played and he couldn’t keep the smile off  of his face. Oh it felt so good to dream. He shut out everything else and just heard the music in his head as he took a trip down memory lane.  He was so focused on his dream that he never heard the opening of the old screen door.  He sat in his chair tapping his feet on the floor. “One…Two…Three”

“Dance with me Daddy! Please, Oh Please!”

Oh his little girl’s voice sounded so very clear. If only it wasn’t just a dream. He kept his eyes closed trying to hang on to the precious dream as it was fading away.

“Dance with me Daddy! Please, just one more time!”

This was so strange, the dream of them dancing together had faded but yet her voice kept sounding more clear.  What was going on?

He slowly opened his eyes and gasped at who he saw standing in front of him.  It was her! He felt like his  heart  was going to burst right out of his chest. He rose up from his chair and moved to embrace her as he said, “I can’t believe it, its really you! A dream come true! You came, you are really here! I’m so sorr…”

Her hand covered his mouth. “Dance with me Daddy!”

With a sob in his throat he softly spoke, “One…Two…Three. follow my lead.”