Words

I wonder if we are born with an appointed number of words and when they run out....well, it's curtains. Have you ever thought of that? I'm gonna say probably not. Do you believe your number of heartbeats is preordained? The number of breaths you take? The number of times you blink or swallow? Why not the number or words you speak? I can see you doing one of two things right at this very moment.....you're either frowning and contemplating my line of reasoning.... or you're thinking.....this woman is nuts! I'm going with the latter for most of you. But the fact of the matter is......well, I'm not sure what. It's just another thought rumbling around the rooms of my brain. This one surely is in the padded room. I like to think we all have words to say. And that we get the chance to say them. That our words are acknowledged and listened to and thought about. Some of us are more 'wordy' than others. Some of us have more serious words to say. Some of us don't use our words effectively. Some of us don't like words. Surely the number of words we say matters. Or maybe not.....maybe it's just the thoughtfulness of those words, the wisdom of those words, the actual number not important. But I also believe when we've used all of our wisdom, our thoughtfulness, our positive power of our words, then maybe it should be curtains. Think about it.....and be sure when your curtain drops on your last act, you've said what you were meant to say to those who matter.

Mojo

I have lost my MOJO......dontcha hate it when that happens? This has been a week of I just really don't care. I've gone to school...done my job....tried my best to not impart my mojo-less personality on my students and then come home to sit. And stare. At nothing. For hours. And so it continues. Worthless is my new best friend. Followed by the close second useless. Then ineffective, insignificant, no-account and meaningless. You have probably gotten my point by now.....huh. If you see my Mojo....please say hello and tell her I miss her.

Thought of the Day....

I've been gone and I KNOW you've missed me......mmmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmm......okay, fine. Here's the thing. I spent the weekend at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas. And I'm just gonna go public with the news that it is a leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetle nicer than the Brannan Farm. They beat us in the amount of marble and 3,000 foot columns and ceilings. But children, there just 'Ain't No Place Like Home'. Here's how we outdo the Fairmont....we have more dog and cat hair on the floor, we have more books and magazines stacked up to read, we have more open windows and fresh air. Now, I'll admit, I rarely walk in the bedroom to a complimentary bottle of wine and cheese tray......I don't have daily maid service, nor a breakfast buffet made to order. But what I do have...AND YOU DO TOO....is your own little slice of heaven where you can be you. Where your treasures surround you......pictures abound of friends and family and you can walk down the hall in your flannel jammies and your husband's socks and folks don't look at you like maybe your country come to the city. Don't get me wrong.....I loved every marble, columned, cheese tray minute....and I'll go back. But sigh......my comfies sometimes just can't be beat.

Sidetracked

Word of the Day Sidetrack.....v.,...to turn aside from a purpose. We all become sidetracked at some time or the other. Right now many of us are being sidetracked by politics. We are focusing our thoughts and our discussions on the candidates of our two political parties. NO....THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT. I am NOT being sidetracked by this.....nor will I ever be. But it's okay to be if that's your thing. Not saying it's not healthy.....not saying it's not important. I'm just using the political arena as an example. I love a good SIDETRACK. Yep....keeps me entertained. I may get sidetracked by a good book.....holds the laundry at bay. I may be sidetracked by one of my guilty pleasure TV shows.......keeps me from sweeping the front porch. I may be sidetracked by blogging.......not sure what that purpose is. But here's my thing. We all get sidetracked and while it shouldn't be a 24/7 thing......no you CAN'T watch the RHNJ all day every day......it's a healthy thing. Let your mind wander and then refocus. You know...Jack and all his work. We owe ourselves some diversion. Be Ladies Who Lunch.....or sit in front of that football game screaming at that flat screen you paid way too much money for. Pick up a great book and become someone else for awhile. Or maybe just 'set a spell' on your front porch with a glass of Sweet Tea (or whatever). Grab the phone and have a conversation with a best friend. Divert, Swerve, Change, Alter your routine. You will be better off for it. And remember......sometimes it's just gotta be ALL ABOUT YOU!!

And May I Just Say.........

There is a fine line between being supportive and being radical.......between leading and being judgemental. Cross that line and you lose your power. Young minds are molded every day and if you work with the young, then it is an honor, a privilege and a responsibility. Build a razor wire fence to hold them in and you lose them. Principles should and must be taught, values learned. Yet you can't teach if your respect has been lost and you've spoken damaging words that close doors. Life is about giving and taking, not about walking a straight line with no curves or side roads. You can't guide if there is no one following you.

My Wish

No Word of the Day today.....just my wish. This is my wish for you. No matter who you are, at some point you have touched a life. You have made a difference. I hope that you can see that in yourself...that you can hold onto the fact that you are special. You matter to someone......and if you don't....then see that you matter to yourself. And that, my friend, is enough. My wish for you is that you view yourself as extraordinary. You are unique and a creature like no one else. Believe that your life makes a difference. Each day you are gifted with an amazing reality called being alive. Please don't waste a single minute. Live it. A breath is a miracle......in and out.......replenishing your strength, your mind and soul. Can't you see that it must not be taken for granted? Lend a hand, help a friend, know that you love and are loved. No one can take that from you.....no one can take the air you breath, the difference you make or the joy you feel....unless you allow it. Even if today is your last day, still the footprints of your life lead on.....your legacy touches those who follow. Make the path worth walking. Today...reach out and say thanks. Acknowledge that you are alive. That the amazing thing called life is yours. Treasure, hold close, enjoy, pass on.......take a moment to say YES!!

Enough

Word of the Day Enough...adj.,...occurring in such quantity or scope as to fully meet demands. Too many enoughs in our world. Do I have enough money to retire? Do I exercise enough? Do I eat enough fruits and vegetables? Enough is enough. Or is enough too much? Enough can be never ending. Think about it. Are the enoughs in your life taking away your joy? Can you stop and just be? Or maybe not because that's just not enough. Some people, even when they 'relax', are hard at it. I haven't seen enough; I haven't gone enough; I haven't traveled enough. I think maybe their 'enough tanks' can never be full. I wonder if sometimes we're running away from ourselves trying to impress with our 'enoughs'. Or maybe it is a lack of self worth. Or possibly running from life's situations that are hard to face. Don't get me wrong. Traveling, going and doing.....these are all great things. But not if they are what give you self value.....not if they keep you from living within yourself. Sometimes you have to be 'with yourself' to know yourself. Travel inside your mind, soul and heart. I think that's a great journey. And one we can never get ENOUGH of....you are a unique being. And guess what......NO ONE but you can ever make that trip, no one but you can explore what really lies within you. I hope at some point you'll stop your 'enoughs' and really explore you! It's gonna be a fascinating venture. I promise.

Rivalry

Word of the Day..... Rivalry....n.,...A striving for competitive advantage. I love me some Texas Longhorns. I mean I LOVE THEM. The 40 ACRES were my home for a few years and while those days are long gone, I can still remember Game Day. I had a really really good friend who played Guard under the tutelage of Darrel Royal in the years I was there....Travis Roach. That made the games even more special. Those were the days of Cotton Speyer,Steve Worster ,Jim Bertelson and Happy Feller. Yes, Dude, I'm that old. Look at the hair. Anyway......one game played every year would and does make my orange blood race...and Yep...it's GAME DAY folks. Red River Shootout. This is the day the FOREIGNERS have the nerve to come south, cross the River and walk onto the Cotton Bowl turf. It's a parting of the Red Sea by a massive wave of Burnt Orange. It is college football at its best. Win, lose or draw.....the game is HUGE for anyone who loves the Rivalry. For me, you can take all the NFL and dump their games IN the Red River. The atmosphere of college football, the anticipation of the kick off, the college colors shining brightly, the chanting of the school's yells and then THE EYES OF TEXAS....it just doesn't get any better. Seriously.....no better. So today, instead of words of wisdom....cough cough....or encouragement.....I give you HOOK 'EM!!

Open

Word of the Day Open...adj.,....having no enclosing or confining barrier. Are you open to new concepts and ideas around you? Open your eyes to see. Open your ears to hear. Open your heart to welcome. Open your arms to embrace. Open your mind to learn. We all have things to give and to receive. Closed mindedness confines us to just us. Think about it. Again......closed mindedness confines us to just us. YOU are not enough for yourself. There are a myriad of things right next to you that can surprise, delight, acknowledge, and educate. Why miss out because you make no attempt to see, hear, touch , feel. This is your day.....as was yesterday and hopefully tomorrow. Don't waste it!

Ache

My heart is aching right now. NO, something hasn't happened to me or mine. I just seem today to be so aware of horrible things people do to each other and animals. I can't understand the hate that resides in hearts. I do NOT watch the news anymore. Haven't in years. Call me what you will, but my heart breaks with the meanness and self-centeredness in today's world. So I choose not to watch the newscasts. I choose instead to pray. We are a civilized people. We have souls. We have minds. We have love. Still we lash out at the innocent with indescribable acts of such terror that I can hardly take it all into my being. Such charades people live. Can you imagine right now, right this second, right this millisecond that atrocities are happening in your own communities? It is with huge thankfulness, I send my respect to those who deal with this every day....to those who are on the front line defending our children, our animals, our weak, our helpless. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you all. Tomorrow, I will be better. I promise. But today.....I ache.

Thought for the Day

Don't be afraid to say what you think. But when you do, speak with grace and care. Harsh words are like shards of glass that cut with every step you take, and can never be picked up.

Thought for the Day

We are all writing our own Book of Life. Quit trying to read other's and edit your own. You might be surprised at some of your chapters.

Recipe

Thought for the Day.......Every day we hold a recipe in our hand. It is called Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc. In that recipe there is always honor, grace, faith, enjoyment, laughter, help........what do you add? Do you add grievance, doubt, envy, anger, excuses? Think about it. It's your day.....your recipe. You must eat your cake of life. I wonder how it will taste?

Precious

Word of the Day Precious.....adj....highly esteemed or cherished We love the word PRECIOUS in the south. I mean we truly truly love it. "Y'all, she's just precious." "Those shoes are precious; did you get them at Nordstrom's?" "Isn't that haircut precious; I wonder where she got it cut." Things are precious to us. But if you truly examine the meaning of precious, you see that it can and does mean so much more than an artful hairdresser or looking well.....precious. There are so many other things in life that should be precious to us. Today, on this day of Rest, Faith, and Grace, look around you. See those people, situations and places that are truly precious in your life....then give thanks. Hold them close, let them know, allow your heart to sing because you know the true meaning of precious.

Annoy

Word of the Day Annoy......v.,....to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts Stop, think.....what annoys you? Ok, I didn't ask for 345,654 things.....just the top 2 or 3. I wonder what immediately came to your mind this morning and if it would have been the same things that came to your mind yesterday or the day before. We all have annoyances daily.......actions, people, situations. Little pet peeves that get under our skins and stay there like a chigger( I know...totally Southern term). Maybe a coworker ruffles your feathers just by being in the same room. Maybe a politician agitates you whenever his/her campaign commercial appears on TV. Daily annoyances are part of life. Here's a thought? Do you ever wonder who YOU annoy? MmmmmmmmHmmmmmmmm. Could it be that maybe YOUR actions, words, attitude might be someone else's Daily Annoyance? Now,now, now.....I'm not trying to be rude, ugly or well, annoying. But think about it. None of us are above annoying, bothering or exasperating others. Look in the mirror sometime. What do you see? Be truthful. No one is perfect; everybody has faults. Here's the thing. Realize we all live with irritations. Then take a step further and also consider, that maybe, just maybe, you're the fly in someone else's ointment. Life is a two way street....we give and we get, we brag and we complain, we smile and we frown, we annoy and are annoyed. At the end of the day....it's not what happens, but how we react. Have a great fall Saturday Guys and Dolls.

Balance

Word of the Day Balance.....v.,.....to bring to a state or position of equipoise. Yeah, I'm pretty impressed with the equipoise word myself....but anyway. This week is going to be one of the 'balancing' acts on the Hill. Homecoming week, plus six weeks tests. Where do you draw the line between fun and school expectations? But isn't that the way of all of life? We must all figure out where to put our toe in the sand. Draw those lines that balance our lives and the lives of our families. Bad news friends is that there will NEVER be more than 24 hours in a day. Push it, gouge it, pull it....still 24. If your life is 27 hour days always crammed into those set 24, you are out of balance. I'm a very firm believer in that Mother Nature knows what she's doing. There is a season and a time. There is a sunrise and a sunset. There is a mighty rhythm to everything.....a flow, a cadence a pattern. OF COURSE you are busier at some times than others, of course, you have obligations to be met, of course sometimes life just seems to jam up in that corner and you have to fight your way out of it. But as a rule, as a whole, as a norm, balance my friends. JUST SAY NO!! You cheat yourself and loved ones if you don't. Take time to enjoy. Be smart, live wise, choice rest. Mother Nature has been around a whole lot longer than you have or WILL BE. You don't see her making winter come in August because She just has too much to do in December to get it done. Think about it......Life isn't a race, it's a gift, and an honor to be handled with care. Celebrate life...there are times to be busy, industrious, engrossed, but then stop! Recognize those times to simply be, enjoy, rest, glory in the wonder of your existence.