Not Afraid of Love

I have a dear friend who has been through some unspeakable, unbearable things in her life. She made it through them intact, and very grateful for life and its blessings. I admire her immensely. I love her dearly. Something I ADORE about this person is that every time we speak, e-mail or text, she tells me she loves me. When she drives past my house she yells, "I love you!" to me. She tells everyone in her life that she loves them. All the time. She has learned what life is about. It is about learning to love. It is about opening your heart. It is about letting others know they are loved and important. And she is so good at all of that! She values life and the people in it. No one is taken for granted. It doesn't cost a thing. Love only grows when it's given away. It cannot diminish unless we let it diminish within ourselves. That would be a tragedy~and the world has enough tragedies already.
'Nuff said.

Let's Get This Party Started

School starts tomorrow for Meghan and I. I have fought it. I have had the silent countdown going off in my head for weeks. I am mourning it. But accepting it.



Cassie 1994







I don't mind school. I was a fairly good student. I love working at a school. School is a good thing overall. But each new school year signifies the passage of time and the inevitable steps away from time with my children. I love being a mom. I don't feel like I've had enough time being a mom or had enough time with my children. It goes fast. And that time is precious!

 Meghan 1998



With these feelings are also thoughts of excitement for what may lie ahead for my children. There are so many amazing opportunities in life and I'm excited for my girls  to go out and find them! I am trying to teach them to be kind, to be themselves, and to go live life remembering how blessed they have been. As I cannot change the fast pace of time, I am going to accept it and embrace it. Another school year is beginning. So let's get this party started. Here's to another great year of growth, happiness, experience, love, and fun. Counting our blessings all the way.


Cassie 2013

Meghan 2013



A Weighty Subject

Let's talk about weight. No, really. I don't care how much you weigh. It's not important to me. Do I care if you're healthy? Yes, I want everyone to be as healthy as they can be-I think it adds to the quality of life you live if you can feel as well as possible. Do I realize it's not always possible to be healthy?  Sadly, yes. I do.

Let me explain. Weight is a topic that is huge in our society. I hear it talked about almost every day of my life. Sometimes I am talking about it. But I don't like the subject. I don't like it that we put such value into the way someone looks. Over time as I have dealt with health issues, I realize that there are a lot of things about our bodies that we really cannot control. Disease, medications we have to take, environment, stress, time issues, and mental health issues can all affect weight. And I'm sure there are many more that I have not listed. But life is NOT about being skinny, right?

Medications are one of my pet peeves in the weight issue. Picture a commercial for depression medication. One of the top listed side effects is weight gain. If I gain 20 pounds while on a depression medication, won't I get more depressed? The fact is, there are people who would not function without their medications, but have to deal with all the crummy side effects. Not fair. But also a reason I will not judge them for gaining weight. This is not to be confused with making excuses for people who refuse to take responsibility for themselves. Let's just be good, for goodness sake!

I don't know where this post came from...it's just been on my mind. I'm hoping by addressing it, I can remove it from my mind and focus on the next query that arises...Now to finish rambling, I am posing an alternative way to handle this weighty subject. Let's just love people because they are who they are. Not because of their size (or any other issue that just doesn't matter.) I think variety is the spice of life. If everyone was just like me I would likely go insane! So I love my peeps-in every form. Thanks for being a great part of my life. I. LOVE.