Looking back, over the years...

Every time the clock shows 2:30, I instinctively think, or say, “no my tooth doesn’t hurty.” When someone is in the car with me and there are round hay bales in a pasture, I tell a joke about cows not liking those because they can’t get a square meal. As annoying as these kind of things can be, I love being able to share them with others, because they are my “Daddy jokes.” They constantly remind me of my father’s ridiculous sense of humor, and just how much he has ingrained himself in my day-to-day thoughts. Last week, while lecturing some of my kids about finances, I literally stopped and said “I sound just like my mom right now.” I could honestly hear her saying the same things to me as I was saying to these teenagers. It was a humbling experience, and one that makes me appreciate how true the things that she has taught me are.

These little moments make me want to keep a record of how some of my family and friends are. Some of the little reasons that I love them. Or hate them. But all are reasons that they have meant something to me, enough that I remember these little traits or moments.

Like that Grandma Martha cuts the tags out of ALL of her clothes. She says its because she can’t stand to see people’s tags sticking out of their collar.

Grandmama’s “Oh Gawd” at all kinds of things.

Having my baby brother be sweet to me when my heart broke.

My Katie’s messages that I have saved because they are so funny/random/bizarre and all around awesome. Like her.

Seeing my sister’s handwriting on something random and missing her.

How my Imp gets is so passionate about things she loves…and hates.

D and his “hahahaha” All. The. Time.

The last time I saw my Auntie Ann and being able to share with her how much I appreciate her being there for us.

When I was in college, the last thing my parents (especially Daddy) would say to me when I’d leave to come back to Western was “make all A’s.” It was even after the obligatory “I love you’s.”

Mama Sherry saving can tabs for me.

L*May sharing quotes from “Friends”  with me. And vice versa.

“Do they have ________ in Kenya?”

Just like so many other things I have posted, I would love to add to this list as things come to me. I find it comforting that when someone is no longer in my life, I can still have special memories of them, even if it is something small, to look back on and smile about.  I still love picturing Josh’s face when he’d cut in the lunch line and get me to buy his food. I hear Liz’s laugh when I think about her. One day, these will be happy memories that I want to make sure I don't lose. I don’t want to forget…just in case.

Happy birthday to me!

I just turned a year older. While I happily take another year over the alternative, I get a little anxious about all the things I still haven’t done and seen or accomplished. I decided this morning that since the idea of a bucket list is something I enjoy, I’d make a list of things I’d like to check off before my next birthday celebration.

*road trip across country

*Visit Nashville

*chop off all my hair

* a new stamp on my passport

*save a few thousand bucks

*get a pet

*be able to make at least 5 meals…well

I know I’ll add things to this and find plenty that I’d like to add but know I won’t be able to cover in the next 360 or so days.  So this is just what I can come up with 3 days into being 26.

soapbox

Because of the current events of the day I’m tempted to go on a rant about the justice system or how we glorify and make famous people for common, awful, everyday things. I find it particularly interesting how just yesterday everyone was posting about and praising this country for what it is and what we as a people have fought for.  I could talk about how many people want to get self righteous and angry about this, but are able to act as though EVERYDAY babies and children aren’t starving, homeless, abused, molested, neglected, and suffering right down the street from us.  What about the kids on my caseload who literally don’t have toilet paper or trash bags? Or have had family members molest them over and over without punishment? What about the small town police officers who let abusers off “this time” because they’re old high school buddies? Or the teenagers who kick the air out of their dog because they get the air kicked out of them by their parents? Where is the anger and indignation about these kids? Who, by the way, are still alive! When do we get to be angry that there is no justice for them either? Why do we get to make her a celebrity just because this case was more interesting than the ones in Swain County or BFE Georgia? Is her baby any more dead than the one who froze to death in a trailer? Are we that comfortable in our air conditioned living rooms that we think we have any idea what the pain is for the family members in that court room? What kind of society do we have when this is front page news, yet I see  children and teenagers who don’t make it to school because they’ve been up all night listening to mom and dad fight and all we say is, “ they’re just truant, it’s nothing big?”

I guess I’m more than just tempted to rant. This is a big deal, and that baby is gone because people were not caring for her like she deserved. Who’s to blame? I have no idea and I doubt anyone besides the guilty party(ies) will ever fully understand what happened.  But I cannot see the anger carrying people through to positive action. I see hate and aggression and ignorance. But not change. That takes more work and more effort than just words. That would take people leaving their couches and going to a food bank. Becoming foster parents. Donating to back to school programs and domestic violence shelters. Becoming a mentor.  Tutoring kids to read and go on job interviews. Not turning our heads when we see bruises and breaks and behaviors that suggest abuse and rape. Following up with survivors. Blaming the perpetrator, NOT the victim. And doing the right thing instead of the easy thing.

Order now and get the second for free!

Infomercials that show people struggling to do simple things make me CRAZY! Is it really that difficult to change the kitty litter?? Have people not done it for decades without it being so bad that they stop having cats? Is it truly that difficult to boil pasta? Or mop the floors? I’m all for innovation and creating new ways to solve issues around every day minor issues, but I can’t see how this would be worth the $19.99 plus shipping and handling.

And don’t even get me started on the pajama jean…