From Those Who Have Gone Before

I was looking through some inspirational quotes today and came across some really great ones. I thought I’d share my favorites.
One thing each of these people had in common: They didn’t give up. Age didn’t stop them. Disabilities didn’t slow them down. Neither did political views or lack of education. These people were successful because they didn’t lose sight of their goal. A lesson that I am learning……. When it’s all said and done will we be able to look back on our lives and say, “I did the very best that I could. I wasn’t perfect but I tried with all my heart to do and be my best. I pushed through the difficult times that life threw at me and gained wisdom even from my defeats. My successes were all the more sweet because of my hard work and dedication. I realize that all that I am and all that I have is a blessing from my Heavenly Father.”
So many people accept mediocrity in life, trudging through life wondering why they are even here? Expecting no better from their lives. Scared to even try.
Can I just tell you that God has made you and you are unbelievably precious to Him. Your life means something to Him. You matter. A lot. He wouldn’t have said it if He didn’t mean it. “and even the very hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid……” (Matt.10:30-31) If the God of the universe cares about every minute detail of our lives, shouldn’t we try to be everything He created us to be?
One day in the future I will meet my Lord face to face, and I long to hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Thomas Alva Edison:
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

Theodore Roosevelt:
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

From a speech given in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1910

Maya Lin:
To fly, we have to have resistance.

J.C. Penney:
Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.

Henry David Thoreau:
I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Helen Keller:
I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

Franklin D. Roosevelt:
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.

Frank Lloyd Wright:
I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.

Albert Schweitzer:
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

And Finally,

Paul, Missionary (he wrote in his second letter to Timothy)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

This whole missing child case in Florida is driving me nuts. This little girl’s mom is a piece of work. Now these pictures have come out of her partying in a club the day after she said her daughter “went missing”. She was supposedly tracking down the person who took the little girl. Yeah, right. That woman is full of poo. She seems awfully calm and collected when talking to her brother from jail. HELLO! Don’t you think that if your daughter were missing and you were in jail that you’d at least ACT a little upset??? She comes across as very narcissistic. Besides if she was any kind of mother she’d tell the police everything she knows—-IF she wasn’t guilty. Now, I suppose if she IS guilty then she wouldn’t say much…..which is exactly what she is doing. If the police find proof that she killed her daughter, I guess she better get used to seeing the inside of a cell.
This stinks like 3 day old fish.
AND to make this whole story even more bizarre……the young woman’s mom is just as nutty as she is. She is covering for her daughter and I think the general population pretty much knows it! I mean what kind of grandmother doesn’t realize that her grand daughter hasn’t been around for weeks…….WHEN THEY LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE!!!! Does anyone else find that as kooky as I do?
Sadly, I think we will find out that this little girl is dead and has been for a while. It’s just heartbreaking.

Church Shooting

Well, as many of you probably have heard, there was a church shooting here in Knoxville on Sunday. Knoxville has had some terrible tragedies over the past couple of years. ( the Channon Christiansen/Chris Newsome carjacking/murders and now this fatal shooting.)
The thing is, now all the news articles talk about how the shooter was “a conservative that hated the liberal stance of the Unitarian Church”. Well, this might be true but obviously there was a lot more going on with him then just that!
I don’t like how the media puts “a spin” on things. They make it sound like being conservative is a disease and conservatives themselves are narrow minded. Give me a break. I consider myself a conservative, but this in no way means I’m going to go out and shoot the place up just because I don’t agree with a lot of liberals. I just don’t like how the media twists issues to suit their own perceptions of things. It’s apparent to most of us that this shooter had a lot of issues and really his political bent is the least of his worries. I still don’t understand what makes a person snap. What is it that puts an “average” guy over the edge? So over the edge that he walks into a church on a suicide mission–to kill total strangers and then hope the police kill him too? I just don’t get it. What is the point of that?

That’s It! I’m buying a cow.

I was at Walmart in Knoxville today. Yes, I was back at the refrigerated section again. (I feel like I spend a good portion of my life at the grocery store!) A gallon of milk has gone up to $4.59. That is highway robbery. (remember it was only $2.89 in Ohio) I am going to be forced to buy my own cow if this doesn’t stop. Good grief! My children’s teeth and bones are at risk!
We are a calcium crazed family and we need our milk. What is the deal anyway? Are the dairy cows made out of gold here in the south? I’m beginning to wonder.

On The Road Again……

How many people does it take to drive to Tennessee? In our case 4. I am leaving Ohio today with the 3 kids. I don’t really want to leave Scott in Ohio, but I have no choice. He is “left behind” to deal with the house construction getting under way…..I have the kids, and must get serious about packing boxes!
Now that things are getting underway–and hopefully, moving quickly from here on out I need to pack, pack, and pack some more. Not my favorite thing to do, but my mom and sister have offered their services when I need them. (Though I have a sneaking suspicion that my younger sister is seeing big YARD SALE/MOVING SALE signs in our front yard!) Seriously though I do need to think about what is truly important and what I’m just hanging on to for no real reason. It’s amazing how much stuff one woman can accumulate over the 14 years I’ve lived in this house. Ugh.
Well, I better go. It’s time to hit the road. Say a prayer for me. Did I mention that I’m road tripping with my 3 kids? (ages 12.13,16) Hey, don’t laugh at me. I’m serious. I’ll need the prayer:)

Doing The Happy Dance

Scott and I and the kids are back in Ohio. (it will be so nice once we actually are able to move into our house!) We were at Wal-mart the other night picking up some food staples. We knew the kids would want some milk so off to the refrigerated section we went…..
What a pleasant surprise when we look down and see that a gallon of milk was only $2.89!!! Wow!! I was so excited that I broke out into the happy dance. (It is somewhere between a shuffle and a bunny hop) A gallon of milk at our Wal-mart in Knoxville had shot up to $4.23! We drink a lot of milk in our family so you can imagine that it was expensive. So, the other night I was pleasantly surprised. There were several other items that were noticeably reduced. It was a good shopping trip. (Yes people, I can even get excited over lower priced groceries!—-Hey, I’m being a “glass half full” person.)
We also noticed the gas prices going back down. We stopped in Springfield, OH on the way up here and we only paid $3.65. Scott and I couldn’t believe it. ( Really though, how sad is that, that we are excited over $3.65/gallon?) If it ever (and I know I’m dreaming) got back down to $2 something a gallon there would be a lot of passing out at the pump.

Savage Ideas About Autism

The other day I read an article in the paper that conservative radio talk show host, Michael Savage, had said some things to make parents of autistic children upset. Then yesterday, on the way to Ohio, I was flipping radio channels and came across his show. Scott and I were both listening and we could hardly contain ourselves!
First of all Mr. Savage appears to have a lot of hot air and freely gave out his personal opinion with what appeared to be not much research. It was very aggravating. For years parents of autistic children have worked to educate the public about autism. They have made people aware that there is an autism spectrum. That autism is more than the most severe case. With all his spewing of misinformation he seems to be peddling backwards.
These were his claims:
#1 That it cannot possibly be true that 1 out of every 150 kids is now somewhere on the autism spectrum. ( Okay, I will not say much about this….except to say that YES there are increasing numbers of children afflicted with autism-like symptoms. If it’s not autism, then it is something that certainly mimics autism!) The real question we need to ask, why is this? What has changed in the past 15 or so years? Better, more accurate diagnosis could account for some of this BUT maybe it is environmental. AND if it is some sort of environmental factor then what? AND what can we do about it?
#2 He made the comment that certain parents are allowing their children to be diagnosed as autistic for financial reasons.
GIVE ME A BREAK! In all my years of teaching (as a special educator) I NEVER came across a parent who wanted their child to get the autism diagnosis. It is a devastating diagnosis. The anguish that parents go through is heart breaking. NO ONE wants their children to have to live with autism…..I don’t care if you paid them 10 million dollars–they would turn it down and opt for a healthy child. I know it’s his opinion….but this is just the most ridiculous piece of junk I’ve ever heard.
#3 Mr. Savage seemed fixated on one or two things that might be on a screening for autism. He kept mentioning that children who put blocks in a row are not necessarily autistic. OR children that count all the tiles in the ceiling are not autistic. Well, duh. Sure those might be some things that some autistic children do. BUT for goodness sake there is a long list of things that are looked at in order to form a diagnosis. Overall autism is a communication disorder. These children have a difficult time communicating. Social behaviors are a challenge for them. Many children with autism have other health/medical issues and spend a lot of time with various doctors and therapists.
#4 He didn’t seem to get that autism IS a spectrum disorder. Yes, there are some kids that sit and rock and don’t appear to know anything that is going on around them. That is definitely a severe case of autism. BUT that is NOT the only type of autistic behavior. Then there are some cases of children/adults with autism that are able to function in society, with the communication difficulties….people might find them a little “quirky”.
Savage was not looking at the big picture…..and he needs to. Children are not neatly wrapped up in a uniform autism “package”.
#5 He also made the comment that the educational system (i.e.teachers, psychologists, speech/language therapists) are not medical professionals and they really shouldn’t be diagnosing. Well, all I have to say is that any child that is being diagnosed would have MEDICAL doctors making a diagnosis…..the educational system would assist. There is a lot of observation that goes into a diagnosis too. Good educators can give a lot of valuable information. Educators are there to help create individual education plans to assist these children and help them learn.
All in all Scott and I were both left very frustrated after listening to this radio show. Yes, we could have flipped stations but I felt like I needed to listen. It was kind of like a car wreck…..you don’t want to look but you do anyway. Same sort of thing.
As someone who considers herself an advocate for people with challenges….and has an especially soft place in my heart for autistic children…..I think we in this country need to get to the bottom of what is going on with autism. More research needs to be done. There is something going on and we need to find out what…..so that the diagnosis of autism becomes something that people only read about in history books.

Women Are From Earth

Women are from Earth and men REALLY are from Mars. Women. Men. Females. Males. Girls. Boys.
Now, I must say that I LOVE men. (and yes, my one man in particular:) I’ve been thinking about the male species this morning.
The really deep questions of life…..how come a man can get up in the morning have beard stubble, hair sticking out at odd angles, and hasn’t even had his first cup of coffee yet and still look good? Ladies, you know what I mean. That swarthy look, a la, Pirates of the Carribean.
I on the other hand have hair that looks like something a rat made a nest in, no make up, and am stumbling out of bed in the morning like someone who is just learning to walk.
How fair is that? How come most (real life) women can’t wake up cute? How come we have to WORK to look put together? Not fair.
And what is the deal with understanding most electronic equipment and how it works? How to put in surround sound or make the computer work. Or figuring out what the plunk, plunk sound is that the car is making? Is this a genetic thing? Is this kind of knowledge only on the Y chromosome? Inquiring minds would like to know.
Just some random thoughts…….What can I say? This is how my mind works. Scary, huh?
Oh, and by the way, regardless of all the good stuff…..guys, do us all a favor and actually put the dirty clothes in the hamper! Please!? You can look really cute, but be such slobs. Go figure.

Something Fishy Is Going On

Okay, something weird is going on with this young mother (who is now in custody) and her 2 year old daughter that has been missing for over a month. A normal person would have a lot of questions about this….Why did the mom wait for weeks before telling anyone her daughter was missing? Why, once it was found out that the daughter was missing did she lie to the police officers? Why hasn’t she said anything since being in jail? I also find it very peculiar that this young woman’s mother won’t discuss her daughters motives in any of the interviews that she has done. She gets angry if anyone even bothers to broach the subject. What is with that anyway? I watched part of the trial with the grandmother of the little girl on the stand. Just too many loose ends. Why did the mother not seem to care that her mom was calling the police? But she herself wouldn’t do it??? Odd. Very Odd.
Now, I’m no police officer and no I don’t know all the facts but something fishy is going on. Looks to me like someone is hiding something. Where is this toddler at? I really hope that sweet looking little girl is safe and unharmed.

Been Thinking About It

Now, before I even get started on today’s blog I want to say this…..I enjoy receiving comments from people but today’s blog will probably be a sticking point with some…..please do not send me anything hateful for bringing this up…..it’s just something I’ve been thinking about.
Over the past several months there has been a lot of press coverage about the “n -word”. Everything from the comedian from Seinfeld (Michael what’s his name?)using the word in a comedy routine, Imus getting blasted (not for that particular word, but for saying something about the black ladies on the basketball team), Dog,The Bounty Hunter using the n-word and his subsequent heart felt apology, Jesse Jackson’s slip of the tongue on FOX last week concerning Obama, and now the discussion of the n- word on The View.
I am 40 years old. I am white (Yes, European descent) I am married and a mother to 3. My family, though not wealthy, lives a comfortable life.
With all that said, I do not use the n-word. Neither does my family. I have always thought that was a hate word used to put black people “in their place”. I thought it was a “historical” word used during slavery. It is a derogatory term used to put another person down.
Growing up, I had a grandfather who used that word on occasion. He grew up in the south in the 20’s and 30’s. Even though he moved out of the south he still referred to black people as the n-word, I guess because that is what he heard as a child.
Even as a very young child I remember questioning my grandfather. That word was foreign to my own young ears………I remember asking my mom why my grandfather (my dad’s dad) said that and she tried to explain—but told me it was not a good word and I was never to say it.
Now, I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s. I don’t personally recall coming across any black/white issues….race honestly wasn’t as issue for me. Now, here I am decades later and race relations are weighing heavy on me.
Honestly, I don’t understand. Why can the black lady on The View (forgive me, I don’t know her name because I don’t watch the show—only saw the segment on the News) say it’s okay for a black person to use the n-word? That it is a term of affection (in her family)? Another black commentator saying, “just because white people can’t say it, doesn’t mean black people can’t say it.” That is what I don’t get…..why would anyone WANT to say it? What is the point? Am I missing something? Is that why so many rappers use the word?
I’m sure there are black people out there that would be offended that I would even bring this up. That I just “don’t get it.” But aren’t there other words to use? Words that are edifying? Words that would build others up? Words that are affectionate without any historical connotations?
Words are powerful. Words have meaning. Words should be used carefully.