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Breastfeeding In Public

There is a local mother, where I live, who feels she is being picked on because she breastfed her child at a local pool and was asked to show modesty.  Now, I was not there.  I am taking this from our local newspaper website: http://www.norwalkreflector.com/content/woman-says-she-was-harassed-breastfeeding-son-city-pool
I am all for breastfeeding. I did not do it but my daughters do. They cover. Perhaps, since it was so hot, those children should have been at the indoor pool, as it was over 100 that day.  We can all offer any given number of opinions, which represent what we feel and think about it but know this;  no one is saying she has to put a beach towel or blanket over the child’s head, but they sell light weight covers and who doesn’t own a receiving blanket. I have no problem with her breastfeeding and for me, if she was next to me at the pool and undressed to latch her child on, I would not be offended, nor would I react as such. But that is me. If you know it does bother some, it is ok to educate those who are ignorant on the ways of breastfeeding but people who are offended by the lack of cover are not necessarily ignorant on the ways of breastfeeding nor offended by the breastfeeding in and of itself, but by the manner in which the act is being conducted.

From what I have read, even from this persons own postings, in my opinion this is really not about breastfeeding her child. She was out to make a social statement via her child and to gain some attention that she seems to be starved for.  She speaks of her own family blog and even took a picture of her breastfeeding in the moment she was being reprimanded.  I would post the link she previously posted for her blog on here, but she has apparently blocked it.

This is not the first time she has been asked to display modesty at the pool.  Today, it was just as hot, and here, she is sitting outside, with a cover, giving an interview to a local TV station.  Attention seeker? That does appear what it is to me.  Of course, this person may say that was never the intention, however, it occurred before, and was handled accordingly and so this young mother knew the concessions being made to make both she and the other patrons confortable. No one is saying she cannot breastfeed at the pool, that is not what I took away from it at all.  What was trying to be relayed was the hope that those concessions would have been enough to please the masses, but alas, it was not.

By concessions, I mean, made by the Parks Dept. but they were not enough for the mom in question. She refused to cover.  Others are making comments on the boards at the newspaper website that regardless of how hot it is, a mother’s milk is still apx. 98.5 degrees while others want to provide an argument that even a receiving blanket of light cover causes the child to get hot.  Really?  Not if you use the blanket to drape your breast and the child’s lips and your nipple and not the entire child.  It can be done, if you care enough to do so.  It certainly takes far less energy to do that than to continue to ruffle feathers, upset patrons who you know may be upset and to cause a scene.  Concessions were made from the previous experience with her that made it possible for her to feed in public yet display modesty.  She is not willing to work with the concessions in place to enable her rights and her child’s rights to mesh with the rights of the other pool patrons.

I could not breastfeed my children due to a cyst in many of my ducts, but coached other mothers who I am birth coach to in my other job as a certified birth coach.  I worked closely with the WIC Dept. and their breastfeeding experts and support this mothers right to feed in public and support this child’s right to be fed, but I also support the freedom of those who wish for the mother to display modesty.

Freedom is not always free. We understand that on so many levels. In this instant it means giving a little to get a little. It means your idea of total freedom may not be the definition of my definition of total freedom and alas, I, or you, may have to have their liberties compromised or adjusted in order to allow for concessions to give another person freedoms all their own.

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Firelands Are Chapter of IMDHA

The Firelands Area Chapter of IMDHA (International Medical and Dental Hypnosis Association) welcomes you to Norwalk’s newest forum on health, wellness and holistic therapies.

We meet on the first Tuesday of each month from 7pm-9pm. Meetings are held at HAVEN HYPNOSIS CENTER 180 WHITTLESEY AVE. NORWALK, OHIO.

For questions or more information you can call 419-202-9705 or email havenhypnosis@yahoo.com

These meetings are open to the public so come and bring a friend. Live life and learn!

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Faces of War

There are many faces of war. Some are the ones that leave to fight in other countries. Some are the ones that stay here and protect us from another attack. Some are the ones that have served in wars past that lived to tell the tales of their journeys. Some are the ones for whom we serve; us here, people of this nation and those who we serve abroad. Then there are these faces of war. The tear-stained anguished faces of the ones who will have only faces in pictures to remind them what the war cost them.This is dedicated to all of the faces.

Rev. Nora Knople, C. Ht.

http://iraq-kill-maim.org/ik06/iraq-kill6.htm

Copy and paste this in to another window to view.

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Christmas Trees at Lowe’s

No such thing…LOWE’s refuses to call them Christmas trees. They are Family trees.As Christians we should stand up and stop allowing people to take Christ out of Christmas! HE is the REASON we celebrate WITH our families! HE is the head of our family!If you want to call them Family trees, that’s fine! But to me its still a CHRISTmas tree. CHRISTmas has been celebrated for MANY years, SInce when did we become so sensative as a nation? When did CHRISTmas start to offend others? I do not baulk at the people who tell me they do not believe in Christ or celebrate CHRISTmas. To each his own! I am not offended. Nor am I offended by the any other religion or its practice there of. But I can make a choice. I can choose to accept that Jewish people, African people, Asian people, Muslim people, Israelite people and other nations not mentioned here EXIST, as do CHRISTIANS. As Americans, as Chinese, and CHRISTIANS are in many many other countries too! So why be offended by every thing in life? Why not accept that some things just ARE?

Are you going to now tell the Jewish that, well, that thing you use to hold your candles is now just that…a candleholder! NO! Why? Because EVERY group in the world would stand in defense of the Jewish and tell the world it is more than a candleholder with meaning and emotion and passion for the beliefs the Jewish people hold. It is not a candleholder, it’s a Menorah. And its a Christmas tree, not a family tree!

GOD BLESS you all!

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Ever Wondered Why The Flag Is Folded 13 Times?

I hope you all find this as facinating at I did… 

If you have you ever noticed on TV, in documentaries, in movies, or at a military funeral that the honor guard folds the “Old Glory” exactly 13 times? The American flag is folded 13 times to represent the original 13 colonies. The honor guard also pays meticulous attention of correctly folding the American flag as well. Some military traditions and rituals have a deep patriotic meaning, and this one especially should always be honored, and should never be taken lightly. Government schools stopped teaching these facts about our military tradition in 1955.

The meaning of each folding is as follows: The first fold of the stars and stripes is a symbol of life.

 The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense and protection of our country and to attain peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to our Father in Heaven that we turn to in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of the Patriot Stephen Decatur, “Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge our allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies foreign or domestic, whether they are found within or out of the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through women giving their faith, love, loyalty and devotion to this country, that the character of all Americans has been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to the father; for he too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and that glorifies in the Hebrews’ eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The twelfth fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians’ eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.

The thirteenth fold completes the folded flag with the stars are on top reminding us of our nation’s motto, “In God We Trust.”

When the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it has the appearance of a cocked hat, that serves as a reminder to us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the sailors and marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States during the Revolutionary War, preserving for us all the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.

When the flag is used to cover a casket in a military funeral, it should be so placed that the union is at the head and over the left shoulder. The flag should never be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the ground.

The folding ceremony is followed by a 21 gun salute. This is a ritual that we pay to those that has served our great nation. Did you know that the 21 gun salute was determined by adding the individual digits of the year 1776, (the year of the birth of our nation) to total 21?

I pray that those who read the above will now understand what true patriotism means, and how we can never completely separate government from religion. God and country and always been a perfect blend that should never be taken for granted or abolished in the United State of America.

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Surviving Life and Remember Living

*I read this article somewhere a while back and have added a few things of my own to it.  It’s important to note not all of this article is my idea my intention was to make people aware that the time we live in now is vastly different from yesteryear.  If we fail to move forward we end up in a rut.  But reminising keeps hope alive that maybe, just as in fashion and other fads, Americana will come back around and simpler times are waiting for us in the future once again.  –Blessings to you all! 

Remember When . . ??  Aahh, the memories! Let’s go back . . . Close our eyes . . . And go back . . .

Before the Internet or the PC or MAC.
Before the drug war and crack.
Before chronic and ritalin and dysfunctional.
Before SEGA or Super Nintendo.
Before…..

Way back . . .
I’m talkin’ bout hide and go seek at dusk.
Sittin’ on the porch, HOT fresh from the oven bread or bisquits and butter. A time when mom or grandma would make bread and biscuits from scratch, not just scratch them out of a box of store-bought mix. (And we could snitch pieces of dough, or help push down and knead the bread, or cut the bisquits with a mason jar ring and plop them on the cooking sheet. Didn’t it smell good??)

A time when the biggest thrill of the year was when Barnum and Bailey’s wagons were unloaded from the train, and the Fireman’s Volunteer Band came marching down the street ahead of them, on the way to the vacant lots where we watched the elephants put up the tents.

Remember . . .
Red light, Green light. Chocolate milk, Lunch tickets…Penny candy in a brown paper bag. Hopscotch, butterscotch, doubledutch, jacks, kickball, dodgeball, y’all!??

Mother May I?
Hula Hoops and Sunflower Seeds, Jolly Ranchers, blowpops, Mary Janes, Grape and Watermelon Now-Laters? (What about “Alexander the Grape,” “Lemonheads”?)

When the ice cream man came jingling down the street, kids coming running from blocks around, and eatin’ a ‘super dooper sandwich’ for a nickel.

Running through the sprinkler . . . jumpin’ in the puddles and making snow angels?

Watchin’ Saturday Morning cartoons when all that was on was Popeye, Wonder Twins, Flintstones, Smurfs.  Back when cartoons were GOOD.

The National Anthem was played and we all stood, hands on our heart, not worrying about who we’d offend.

Movies and Intermission — for all the kids to go running for whatever they needed to do most… The best part was the cartoons, Mickey Mouse, Road Runner, Porky Pig, —— and Bugs.

Then THE REAL DEAL — Tarzan, Jungle Jim, HR Puffnstuff, Gene Autry, Wild Bill Hickok, The New Zoo Revue, The Lone Ranger, Sky King, The Invisible Man, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff — OOOHHH BOY!!!

Do You Remember That???

And a pocket full of dried peas and a peashooter??

Catchin’ lightening bugs in a jar, playin sling shot and crack the whip?

When around the corner seemed far away,
And going downtown seemed like really going somewhere?

Climbing trees and getting sticky fingers, and a million mosquito bites?

Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians. Runnin till you were out of breath, then sittin on the curb and watching the stars?

Sitting in an old apple tree and eating as many green apples as you could without worrying about the green apple trots.

Going shoe skating (without real ice skates) with friends on the old slough that froze over in winter.

Bedtime . . . Jumping on the bed, pillow fights, being tickled to death, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt?

Being tired from playin’…. Remember that?

Crowding in a circle around the ‘after school fight’, then running when the teacher came?

What about the girl that had the big bubbly hand writing??

Do you remember each of the many loves you have had through life?

Eating Kool-aid powder with sugar – didn’t that taste good?

Remember being able to camp out in the backyard or sleep on the front porch without worrying?  Or leaving the front door unlocked, or heck sometimes open to the screen door to let the warm night air in.

Just to go back and say,
Yeah, I remember that!
There’s nothing like the good old days! They were good then, and they’re good now when we think about them. We can’t be serious ALL the time.

Remember . . .
When there were two types of sneakers for girls and boys (Keds & PF Flyers), and the only time you wore them at school, was for “gym?”

When it took five minutes for the TV to warm up? (How about before TV, when almost all families had a radio, usually in the living room? . . When nearly everyone’s mom was at home when the kids got there?

When nobody owned a purebred dog?

When a quarter was a decent allowance, and another quarter a huge bonus? When you’d reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?

When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school, if then?

When your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?

When all of your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their hair done up, everyday?

When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time? And, you didn’t pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot!

When nobody was prettier than Mom. And scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.

When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?

When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him, or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.

When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed . . . and did!

When being sent to the principal’s office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home? Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn’t because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!!

When we were taught the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution for United States in school and knew what they meant, and we said the Pledge of Allegiance every day in the first class of the morning.

When a transient came to your door, you’d open the door and help them, never fearing for your life….you were just helping another who was experiencing rough times.

I want to go back to the time when . . .

Decisions were made by going eeny-meeny-miney-mo and mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, “Do it over!”

“Race issues” meant arguing about who ran the fastest.

Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly.

Catching lightning bugs could happily occupy an entire evening.

It wasn’t odd to have two or three “best” friends.

The net on a tennis court or the neighbor’s fence was the perfect height to play volleyball and rules didn’t matter.

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.

It was magic when Dad would “remove” his thumb.

Remember when Dad would thump you on the noggin, and it wasn’t child abuse?

It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn’t an Olympic event.

Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.

It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the “big people” rides at the amusement park.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

Grampa said “Pull my finger.”

Grandma would hide cookies for you.

Abilities you didn’t know you had were discovered because of a “double-dog-dare”.

Saturday morning cartoons weren’t 30-minute ads for action figures.

Do you remember when . . . “Oly-oly-oxen-free” made perfect sense?

Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles?

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team?

War was a card game?

Water balloons were the ultimate weapon?

Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?

Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin or Luttin’s cough drops that tasted more like candy?

Your older siblings were your worst tormentors, but also your fiercest protectors?

Being really thankful for all the good things in life that you’ve experienced, and having the knowledge to know that bad things were secondary and temporary, and they only came along to make you appreciate the good things more.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!! And for some of the generations now and a lot of the older ones, they’ve SURVIVED!

Consider the changes we have witnessed —

Some may have been born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill.

Some before radar, credit cards, split atoms, lazer beams and ball point pens, before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes and long before man walked on the moon.

Before our time, closets were for clothes, not for “coming out of.” Bunnies were small rabbits, or dust balls under the bed, not Volkswagons, or Playboy girls. Designer Jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne, and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along well with our cousins.

Some were born before house-husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, and commuter marriages, day-care centers, group therapy and nursing homes. We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt, and guys wearing earrings.

For some of us, time-sharing meant togetherness — not computers or condominiums, a “chip” meant a piece of wood, hardware meant hardware, and software wasn’t even a word.

We recall when there were 5¢ and 10¢ stores, where you bought things for 5¢ and 10¢. BiRite and Woolworth sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime, for a single or a double. For one nickel you could ride a bus, make a phone call, buy a Pepsi or a Coke, or enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 (but who could afford one?)..and gas was 11¢ a gallon for regular and Ethyl was 13¢ a gallon.

We could recognize the “make and year” of a car from a distance, be it a Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Cadillac, LaSalle, Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, Chrysler, DeSoto, Plymouth, Dodge, Packard, Graham-Paige, Hupmobile, Cord, Auburn, Hudson, Nash, Studebaker, Willys, a host of others now gone, and of course, the Crosley. We could sit on the running boards, fenders or the bumpers. The bumpers could really withstand a bump, and an “air bag” referred to “somebody’s mother-in-law,” or a congressman or senator.

All the boys wanted a roadster, and if you didn’t have a Duece or A-bone, you weren’t “in”. And the best place to be with your gal was in the rumble seat when you double dated.

You could get a FULL breakfast of coffee, juice, 2 eggs, hash browns, a slab of ham or sausage or four pieces of bacon, toast and jelly for 39¢ !!!

Remember when GRASS was mowed, Coke was a cold drink and POT was something you cooked in. ROCK MUSIC was Grandma’s lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal’s office.

We certainly were not before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we surely were before the sex change, we made do with what we had. And maybe some were the last generation that thought you needed a husband to have a baby…

But WE HAVE SURVIVED !!!!
What Better Reason To Celebrate???

We’re not perfect but God did not create us to be so.  We sin, we make mistakes.  Treasure the moments, the good, the bad and the WTF!  For it is in those moments we remember what it is like to live (or survive).

Dear God,

So far today, God, I’ve done alright. I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I am very thankful for that.

But tomorrow God, I am going to get out of bed, And from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot more help.

Amen…..

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Finding Freedom In Saying NO- for all the yes people in the world

Many of us, from childhood on, are taught that saying yes is right and saying no is wrong. We learn that acceding to demands allows us to avoid conflict and criticism, please people, earn praise, and prove that we care for the important people in our lives. Yet the right to say no is indelibly intertwined with the ability to make choices. When we sense we are limited in our options, compelled to say yes even when doing so is not in our interests, we are effectively robbed of our ability to choose. Growing out of this tendency to say yes even when we desperately want to say no can be challenging because we suspect that others will reject us for our assertiveness. But the reward we receive upon facing this challenge is true freedom of choice.When others ask you to take on work or do favors, consider their requests carefully. If you feel pressed to say yes, consider whether you are acquiescing out of a desire for approval or to stave off disapproval. Remind yourself often that the ability to say no is an important aspect of well-being, as it is an indication that you understand the true value of your energy, talents, and time. As you learn to articulate your personal power by saying no, you may feel compelled to explore the myriad consequences of the word by responding negatively to many or most of the requests put to you. The word “no” may even become your default response for some time. When you see that life moves forward without interruption, however, you will grow more comfortable saying no and will resume making decisions from a point of balance.

There is nothing inherently wrong with acceding to the requests others make of you, provided these requests do not infringe upon your health or your happiness. Keep in mind that it is only when you feel you have the legitimate right to say no that you can say yes with utmost certainty, sincerity, and enthusiasm. While saying yes almost always has a cost, you can feel good about offering your agreement when your reasons for doing so are rooted in your individual values and your appreciation for the appeal before you.

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How Will You Live Today?

How will you be remembered?

If today is your last today, how will you be remembered?  What will people say about you and your life?

I apologize if my blogs and bulletins have a morbid overtone lately, that is not my intention.  My intention is to make sure we are all living the life we would want to live and be remembered for.

Are you truly happy?  Have you experienced true joy and bliss?  What is your miracle today?  For some it might be just waking for another today.  But in all seriousness, what is your miracle for today?

What lesson has this today taught you?  And did you experience joy?  After all is said and done, isn’t it our lessons that fulfill our live’s purpose?  And isn’t it important that we lived the life we deserved as well as experienced utter joy and bliss?  That is what I believe.  How about you?

For me, START LIVING THE LIFE YOU DESERVE is more than a motto for my company.  Its a mantra.  I’m human.  Some days are better than others.  I still have to make a decision each day when I wake as to whether or not this will be a good day or a bad one.  I choose good always.  There are things that do come up during the day that turn that view point, but the important thing is that I not make that one thing be what I dwell on entirely.  I do not let that one event or a series of disappointments throughout the day define what my today will be.  Because whenever my last today is, I want to live the best today I can.

Chose your battles.  Most of the time the win comes in seizure.  Failing to fight is not so much a retreat or a surrender to your opponent but a win because you chose not to allow someone get under your skin.  You chose to walk rather than continue to hound and slander.  Bygones and all that.  That is where you win.  Because knowing you made your point with grace is better than being consumed with always being right and making your today be about a mute point or ‘beating a dead horse’ so to speak.

I choose to have an opinion but choose not to argue it.  I choose to be right in my mind even if my opponent believes otherwise.  I choose for today to be the best today ever up until this point in time.  I choose to live this life the best I can. I choose because I can.  God bless America and God bless you and keep you always.

 In love, light, peace and grace….

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I Am ME. That’s All I Can Be.

I have this tendency to believe that whatever happens with me has happened to someone somewhere before. And if that person has successfully lived it out, well, so can I!It all boils down, whether I have the willpower and discipline to do so. More than once, now, I have been forced into a situation which looks like it has no solutions, no escape, no way out! And then somehow I have found myself, out of this situation. It surprises and amazes me, how easily I am ready to give up and yet somehow seem to stick it out! I amaze myself at my capacity to prove myself wrong.

All images I has harboured about myself as a child, and believed in the woman I was going to grow up to be are so different from the person I am today. Now I can blame it on circumstances, or accept it as a consequence of my decisions.

Whichever way you look at it, I am chiseled out now, have lost all the soft corners. I am as cynical as the world I refused to want to be a part of. I am every bit the hypocrite I hate being. And yet at the end of it all I am me, and I am proud to be me.  This is all I can be.  Is just to be me. 

I do own Jesus as my Savior but being me is not without sin.  We are all sinners.  It is a hypocricy to think otherwise.

Each day I wake and thank God and I am no longer amazed at my abilities because I know through God I can do anything.  In God I am unstopable.  Following my own path and trying to stay true to my beliefs vs what I am told I should believe or still believe ideas that were forced on me as a child or in my first marriage fight with me so much its haunting. 

I hold firm to who I am though.  In God and through God all things are possible.  I know this.  I have been force fed lies and half truths and fought to get where I am today and am all the better for it.  Thank you God for that! 

I am me.  True to form.  Crabby.  Whiny.  Frustrated.  Loving.  Caring.  Hard working.  ME !

Expect nothing more and you’ll get nothing less.  God doesn’t, why should you?

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The Person I Am Today

What came first, the parent or the working parent?  If you broke that questions down between the two parental types; mom versus dad, it might make this question easier to answer.  The mom came before the working mom.  (Obviously, the mom and dad thing happen at the same time, if you get what I mean)  You become a parent whether you are employed or not.  Statistics in welfare show that.  Otherwise, social services would not be necessary if this were untrue.

 

I once heard on a talk show that being a single parent or a stay at home mom is hard.  I take nothing away from either of them.  I have been a single mom.  I have been a stay at home mom.  And as I type this, my 11 year old is behind me on the couch vomiting.  I am supposed to be at my job today.  My first job.  You see, I have three or 12 if you want to break it down.  Of the paying jobs I have, I am a Senior House Manager and Life Skills Educator for a local transitional housing facility in my hometown of Norwalk, Ohio.  We work with women and their children who are homeless.  Then I am a certified master hypnotherapist.  I run my own practice out of my home and do talks, seminars, etc. for the general public on various different things.  So that’s two- for those keeping count. 

Then I am a mother times three.  That’s would be three jobs under one title.  Each child with its own personality, own needs and desires, it takes special managing on my part to take their potential and mold it into more.  To guide them toward the person they will inevitably be.  We are up to five now, right?  Then I am a wife and for those of you who personally know my husband, it IS a job in and of itself.  My husband is wonderfully funny, energetic, spontaneous, and handsome.  But sometimes keeping up with a husband nearly five years my junior is work.  And then I am a daughter and again, for those of you that know my mother, depending on the day…well, we all have mothers and I am one, so I will leave the rest of that comment up to interpretation.  

I am a sister and my brother has needed guidance all his life but I have just now been patient enough to deal with his antics without smacking his senseless.  That you give us a total of eight, I do believe. 

I am a niece and sometimes the family peace keeper or in some very strange way I feel like the sane one in the group, depends on the day and the crisis.  And depending on which person I am counseling the job number could be greater than twelve.  I am a minister and I work at a local nursing home doing healing services to those in need.  I am an aunt but most of my nieces and nephews I have not seen in years.  It has been a chore and tiring effort to be able to see my brother’s daughter, Audrey.  I miss her greatly and wait for the day we can re-connect again.  Lastly, I am a friend.  Which falls into a job description of all the above tasks.  Mothering, counseling, helping, hand holding, praying, etc.

 

I forgot a group but not intentionally.  I am someone’s in-law once again.  Or former in-law.  Now the former in-law part is more difficult than I would like but this comes with being formerly married.  My ex-husband and his family do little to make my life easy and at times my kids end up feeling like they less than matter.  Its sad and true.   My husband and I do our best to make them know that you cannot control what another person does or says.  All you can do is be you and be proud.  The in-laws part of it has been relatively easy.  (With the exception of one’s wiry grandmother  J)  My in-laws live 380 miles away (most of them, some farther) and I love it when I get to see them and I enjoy their company.  They have embraced me and the kids whole-heartedly.  Even in-laws that far away could make life difficult, I’m sure.  But mine are the best.  I couldn’t ask for better in-laws.  They make daughter-in-lawing ( I made a new word) easy.

 

Now, some of you may be taken aback by this or offended and think, ‘I am her friend or her aunt or her co-worker, if it feels like work, maybe I just won’t bother her.’  I would hope this piece would not be interpreted in that way.  If it is, then maybe none of you know me at all.  I love all the people I have come in contact with.  Even the ex-in-laws and the wiry grandmother-in-law.  These people that touch your lives daily; from stock boy at the grocery store to the child you tuck in at night, they ALL give us meaning, our lives meaning and everything happens for a reason.  We touch everyone and everyone touches us.  Its how we chose to react to their presence in our lives that defines who WE become.

So, being a working mother to me is just as difficult as being a single mom or a stay at home mom.  Each duty has its own unique way of teaching me, molding me and delivering to you the person I am today. You laugh, I’m sure. (Who is this person and how’d she become so philosophical?) 

Whether I was a single mom, a married mom, a divorced mom, a stay at home mom or a mom employed elsewhere, I would still be a wife possibly, an aunt, a sister, a niece and a friend.  For these jobs, I could not be paid enough to make it worth taking all the insanity away from me.

 

Blessings to you and yours.  Hug the person to your left and the person to your right and tell them THANK YOU for making me the person I am today.  Remember, its because each millisecond of each moment is the catalyst for the next.  God loves you and so do I.

 

Amen