what's got your attention?

I wonder what he sees.
what exactly is he taking in?
the warmth of the air through the open window.
the sounds of birds chirping
my slow movements around him to capture that wonderment...
the dirt in the window sill?

yea, I am sure that's what it is.. the dirt.

I came in the front room today and found him face to face with the baseboards. What on earth are you doing, little one???
he hops up so quick and mumbles his mumble.. lol!
I look....
it's a dead spider!
such a boy!

look to the future

significance
missions
value
talent
belief in myself...
faith and hope... learning to trust more and believe in God's hand more...

In the absence of value,
price is an issue.

been working through a few things..
praying a lot, for sure, about new endeavors
praying for families being joined
praying for babies on the way
praying for parents to take a moment to breathe
praying that the sun comes out and Lady G has beautiful flowers growing around the house for her birthday..

Lady G had her training wheels taken off today.. after some tears she got back on and tried again.
Queen V hates applesauce and spit it on me.. I gave her an apple and she was happy.
Mr. T is totally terrorizing the house! ugh! lol!
Sweetie is being encouraging me to find my wings and sprout them again..

summer is here and I am extatic!! wonder what it will bring??

150 things about me

I was inspired by Alli and Michele!!!

My accomplishments (or otherwise) are bolded if completed.
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg (if the one at the Titanic exhibit counts!)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer and a 300 gig external!
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken currently!
69. Toured ancient sites wqalked on a Roman Road!
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest I made myself a box of Tide with bubbles!
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children still currently...
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

trials of the heart and spiritual bouquets

No. not me persay but trials that others face... before they cross your path.. what cross have they had to carry that day.. before crossing your path?
Nobody really knows what the other person has been through prior to their meeting.
You can sympathize with someone else but until you have been in their shoes can you empathize? Empathy is highly underrated... it goes without saying, I think.

**this entry is prompted by Janice from 5 Minutes for Mom.
***
My sister-in-law is creating something called a spiritual bouquet. She did it once before for a great aunt and is currently making one for some young seminarians to welcome them to our diocese. What is this bouquet you ask? Well, it is for the person that has everything... even the person who is economically poor but spiritually full. Follow me? Well, with this bouquet you fill it with those things that are completely out of your power, out of your control (like we can totally control anything- yea, right... lol!) You can also fill it with annoyances or those things that you would think "I am giving this up to God." Ever heard that saying? You let Him carry that cross for you.. He already has but you finally get it when you give up or reliquish the power to Him. So what my SIL is going to do is make this list and give it to the seminarians to show what we have given up all in the name of God.

Well, back to the bouquet and paths being crossed... Yesterday at Mass I saw this lady again.. weary, carrying a 6 month old on her hip, trying to keep up with her small son (found out he is 4) and pay attention to Mass. I have seen her before... trying to keep up and follow along- she gets so exasperated.. I can empathize... I am in the back of the church because my Mr. T can't sit still without wanting to charge to the front. Although this might be cute in theory it is far from what I want to happen... so in the back I stay, trying to keep up with him and follow Mass. It was REALLY full yesterday- lots of First Holy Communions. Well, Mr. T was checking out everyone's goldfish and sippies... I had to take him outside just to regroup.. I go outside and there is a little boy sitting in the middle of the walkway leading up to Church- no parent around. This makes me nervous.. I see her.. she sees me... I look again at her son.. I feel so sorry for him.. it's so difficult to stay still when you are little and there is no nursery to run around in.... I can't believe it.. she walked back in church! I was shocked.. being a former teacher and paranoid parent I kept a close eye on him... She popped back outside and motioned to him to get up.. he starts to play again... Instead of judging and letting the better part of me freak out I gave this up for the spiritual bouquet. I don't know what crosses she has had to carry that day, week, month or even year..
I asked her, "do you want me to watch your son so you can pray?"
She says, "well, if you're going to be out here anyway..."
I was left with this young lad... we talked and I got him to come a little closer to where I had my son... He's just a little guy.. Being a mom I know we can look at these little people and expect so much.. but we as the adult need to remember that they are little people... I gave up part of my Mass so that she could have a brief moment to pray in silence, not wondering if her son was throwing Matchbox across the vestibule or running around other babies...

Everyone had their cross to bear just then..
trying to pay attention
trying to focus
trying to be a Mom
trying to be a son
but what were they before our paths crossed?

finances
relationships
failing health
home life
past relationships
faith or lack there of
whatever the cross is.. everyone has them and to them they are the biggest... until they compare to someone else who is going through so much and still has faith. Amazing faith.

so, what would you put in a spiritual bouquet? What is under your skin you are ready to give up... what annoyed you today that made you think it just wasn't going to be a good day? Anything??? What complaint did you have for your day?
Unload in the comment area and let's create a spiritual bouquet to give to someone else.