NJM – Five things…

 …I’m looking forward to:

1. Being able to walk again like a normal human being.  
2. Feeling well and strong enough to thoroughly clean my entire house from top to bottom.
3. Going back to school.
4. Starting a rewarding and good paying career.
5. Going on an actual vacation.

Yep!  It’s selfish but it’s true.  Being able to walk normally again will enable me to be more active.  It will help me to burn fat, regulate my glucose, increase my stamina and flexibility, and improve my mood.  

Feeling well and strong enough to thoroughly clean my house will make me very happy.  The girls have done well with their efforts to keep things fairly well straightened up, but the house needs a complete overhaul, it’s filthy.  I’ve always believed a clean home is a happy home that breeds contentment.  This is something the whole family needs.

Going back to school is a very frightening prospect but it’s something I’m determined to do.  I love to learn ( I used to hate it), and I’m curious to know what I’m capable of.  

If it results in a career I can love and make a good living off of, we’ll finally be free from Government assistance and the restrictions they put upon us just to get by (ie: if I had a job right now we’d lose medical coverage).  The best reward would be seeing my husband be able to finally relax from the stress of being the primary wage earner.  He could work only the hours he felt like working or he could go on disability without worry.

Having a career would make me eligible for paid vacations, something we’ve never been able to do before.  Although Hubby gets two weeks of paid vacation, one week of it is usually spent just sitting around the house to recuperate and the other week is broke up in hours throughout the year – so he can get off of work early on the days he’s not feeling well.  I would love to be able to take a trip to KY to visit with my sisters or to Texas to visit my Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  

2. What character in literature do you identify with the most, and why?

Of all the literature I’ve ever read, there isn’t a single character I can truly identify with.  I guess that makes me unique and that’s not so bad.  🙂  Most likely, though, it just makes me boring and ordinary.

3. Who was your hero when you were a kid, and why? 

 

My hero (and heroin) were my parents.  I know that sounds like a cop-out or a cliche’ but it’s true.  I can’t tell you how many times my father was forced to climb the back yard tree to rescue me from its heights.  What he doesn’t know is that all but the first time, for which he most certainly saved my life, it was a needless task.  I could have easily climbed down on my own.  I used to pretend I fell out of bed, too.  I’d lie down on the floor and then kick it real hard to make it sound like I fell out.  A few seconds later, Dad or Mom would be up there gently picking me up, laying me back down in bed, kissing my cheek and covering me back up.  Since Daddy worked a lot, second shift, I didn’t get to see him much.  I created those strategies to keep him near – it provided me with an added sense of security and contentment.  He never complained and I never revealed my secret.  

Today, if I were to ask him for anything at all, he’d immediately drop whatever he’s doing or has planned to do, to do it for me.  Though I was a fairly difficult child in my early teens, he never made me feel as if I was a burden to him or that he was disappointed in me.  This unconditional love of his is what woke me up and helped me to tow the line.  It’s through him that I learned how to work hard to do a job well, to respect the property of others and how to respect proper authority.  He’ll always be my first hero.

My Mom is the epitome of a devoted Mother.  She sacrificed a lot to make sure my sisters and I didn’t go without.  We weren’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but somehow she always managed to have the money for what we needed.  I have a very early memory of her.  I couldn’t have been more than just a year old but my babyhood and early childhood was riddled with illness.  Mom didn’t have a wooden rocker so she used a lawn-chair rocker.  I remember the rocker had silver colored metal arm rests that felt cold and hard to the touch and the green vinyl straps that were wove into the frame to make up the seat and backrest.  I remember lying up against her chest as she held me close and hummed and rocked for hours to sooth away my aches and pains.  

My Mom is a giver who never expects anything in return.  It is through her practice of love and patience that I learned charity and fortitude.  There wasn’t a day in my childhood where she wasn’t practicing both.  She was always doing something for everyone, leaving no one in our extended family without having experienced her generosity.  Even when my sisters and I would push her to her limits and she’d finally lose it by screaming at us, she was never horrible or cruel.  She would give her shirt off of her back if she felt you needed it and I honestly believe she never gives it any great thought.  Some people practice charity to make themselves feel better or they do it for appearances.  My Mom isn’t like that.  She sees Christ in everyone – no matter who they are – and serves her Master by serving them.  My Mom is not at all a perfect woman.  Like all of us she has her fair share of flaws and faults, but to me, she’ll always be the woman – the mother – I want to be.  She’ll always be my heroin.

Time to quit procrastinating and get busy.  

Until next time….Be well, be happy, love much and God Bless!