The Ebb and Flow of Letting Go

A powerful mama and advocate for improving child welfare, Philly writes, “I learned to love. I learned, unnaturally or not, what it means to be a mother. That is something the abusers of my childhood never took from me. “

A Finished Feeling

My nerves and heart were both tested this week. The realization that the world can intrude on the safe, secure space I have built for my mini me, came crashing. Former foster children who become loving parents are rocked hard deep in the soul even by minor intrusions on the children we have sometimes smothered for their own protection! 🙂

Me and my girl prepare for Santa’s visit!

Often our minds are flooded with the physical and emotional trials of our own past; innocence and trust ripped from us before we knew what either meant. The moments that flash like slide show images when insecurity, fear, doubt, and frustrations sit at our door as adults. It is startling. This is why many former foster children try not to love or attach to anything. For those like me, who ventured into loving motherhood, the slope is especially tricky. We are vulnerable…

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Compassion Never Goes Out of Style

Making a case for online compassion, D. Parker writes, “Strong, confident people don’t have to judge, or tear others down.”

yadadarcyyada

When you rise
you should
bring others with you;
when you descend,
invite no one else along.

Sometimes you will hate.
Choose love.
Sometimes you will be indifferent.
Choose compassion.
Sometimes you will despair.
Choose hope.

Was there always so much anger in the world or does the internet just give it a longer reach?

I guess there were always bullies, meanies, thugs, just generally, nasties.

Maybe there were cave people who told other cave people they were terrible at cave drawings.

But the vitriol online? Treating others as you would want to be treated hasn’t changed because of the anonymity of the internet.

The internet can bring people together, to help, to spread information, but it also has a sinister side where people abuse, use, and destroy others, sometimes for sport.

There are too many Human Tornados – charming and convincing, they cut a path of destruction wherever they…

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Visiting relatives on Chinese New Year

Visiting deceased relatives. Tiffany explains, “I carried on the tradition.”

BulanLifestyle.com

Chinese new year is spent with loved ones and visiting relatives. I celebrated my own way. I went to visit my parents at the Catholic cemetary. The gates were locked so I watched pathetically from outside. Then I went to the Thai Buddhist temple Wat Chayamangkalaran to visit my grandparents and great grandparents. It’s been a tradition for as long as I can remember. My mum used to tell me to go visit them during CNY. I carried on the tradition.

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Mihran Kalaydjian Playing Tribute To My Parents Melody

“Taught me failure and how to get through
As a toddler, you repeated to me that the sky is blue.
Love you O my dear Parents!”

Mihran Kalaydjian's Official Blog

 Mihran Kalaydjian Playing On Piano
  {Tribute to My Parents Melody}

 { Tribute to My Parents}

Mihran Kalaydjian Playing ” Tribute to My Parents Melody” 
Written by Swila Bathool
Melody: Tribute to My Parents Melody
Producer: Samer Khoury & Sami Abdo
Location: San Diego, La Jolla
Recording & arrangement: Paramount Studios

A Tribute To My Parents

Guider to light, you are to me
You opened my eyes to what I see
You taught me that the salt is taken from the sea
You taught me, how to make the devils flea

You showed me the right way
You didn’t bother me falling even in a bay
But lent your hands and helped me say
Failure is the stepping stone to success you may

Poured in me the pure inner light
You showed me how to reach into height
Pray and obey the Lord of Might
Taught me what to do…

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Back again

“This quote is for those, like myself, who get uncomfortable with too much positivity in the face of crap. I don’t want to wallow in self-pity, but I do want to say, “Yeah, this sucks” and not dance around the matter singing, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow.”

D.K. Pope

There is a quote in a little book illustrated by Maurice Sendak that, years ago, became one of those things I bonded with, and so my brain carries it around and brings it up more often than not.

Here we are back again, lots of work and lots of pain.

First, I’d like to know exactly what 13-year-old Devin was dealing with that was so painful. Math? Making her bed? Truly horrendous.

Anyway, as I sit here, already 19 days into the new year, that quote rings in my head. The next few months are laid out before me like a long, arduous hike. And, really, I’m not dealing with the worst of it. My husband, M, has a ridiculous semester of studying, teaching and working. Throw a bomb in called preliminary exams and I’ll be happy to get him back in one piece by the end.

So, my work…

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Dog Days x

“Exercise at this stage of life isn’t for improvement and a parade of rude health, it’s just to standstill..”

Maison Bentley Style

Dog days…or perhaps the title should be: Cycle of Fat..the story of a mother’s waistline?..

Y’see every term starts with good intentions…healthy eating, increase of exercise and determination.  And every time it all slips then slides away…why??

1. Because the start of every term requires unblocking the dam of jobs that have been stored up throughout the holidays..to the term time..when of course you’ll have time..hoho

2. It takes a while to crack the routine again: Early mornings, new after school clubs, hockey sticks, gum guards, out-grown shoes, lost PE kits.. but you do and it gets there..so you take the plunge and add in the exercise..adapt to the new routine and wait in hope for the endorphins to kick in (exercise equals endorphins equals happy mum equals not shooting the kids..or so they say) it takes it’s time – no pain, no gain..but you get there.

3. You take…

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Miracles

“That was one of the happiest days of my life and that is the reason that no one will ever convince me that miracles don’t happen.”

trying to make things right

Donnies foot prints Donnie 3 months old and weighed 2 pounds Me, Donnie, and nurse Do you believe in miracles? I do and here is one of the reasons why.
My son, his name is Donnie and he is 2 years old, he will be 3 on January 15th and he is such a little miracle.
Donnie was born at 23 weeks gestation he weighed 1 pound 2 ounces (a micro preemie) and the doctors told us he that was probably going to die. There was an 85 % chance he would not survive. He was on the strongest breathing machine possible, and his little eyes were still sealed shut, but we had faith that he would make it. There were a couple of nights that things did not look good, and the doctors kept asking us to consider turning off the machines that were keeping him alive. They suggested…

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Happy birthday Mommy 💋

“I love my mother she is my best friend and she is ALWAYS there for me and she is such a STRONG WOMAN and I’m happy to be apart of what makes her GREAT.”

InTheLifeWithAyo

So yesterday was my moms Birthday.
I was looking out at the moon and I saw a great photo and took it… And made a card via text, Facebook, Instagram, twitter and tumbler post just for my mommy so the would can know it’s her bday and how much I love her from way out here in GA.

I also talked to her in FaceTime when I got up.
So here is the picture along with my message to my mommy.The picture I took came out amazing. Let me know what you think!

The note said….
I wish I was there with you on your birthday.
I wish I had the money to give you…🌞 the Sun,⭐️ the Stars, & 🌕 the Moon. I guess this is the next best thing.. I took this pic and I thought of you… Happy birthday to my Sun,Moon and Stars. Love you mommy…

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JusJoJan 13 – On the Buses, part deux

“Much love
I swear I didn’t write (nor jot) this myself.
This post is part of Just Jot It January. Click here and add your own jottings today! http://lindaghill.com/2015/01/01/just-jot-it-january-pingback-post-and-rules/ “

Just a short jot today. One of my youngest son’s favourite past times, for reasons known only to him, is riding on the city bus. And so almost weekly we go on a rather useless trip in the car to the bus station, board a bus and for $8.40 take a return trip to the mall – a trip that if I were to drive my car would cost around 1/10th of that. But whatever. It occasionally gives me ideas for my “Second Seat on the Right” series (which you can find on my fiction blog), it amuses Alex, and once in a while I get an interesting picture.

I wrote a while back about the politeness of the people in my town and that even the graffiti is “nice.” Here’s the latest:

Much love

I swear I didn’t write (nor jot) this myself.

This post is part of Just…

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Feeling negative from the start

“What’s the coldest it’s gotten this winter where you live? Did you have to go out in the cold, or did you get to stay home? What do you do to fight the cold?”

Mark Bialczak

I heard the furnace running before I opened my eyes. I did not hear the furnance stop.

I heard my dear wife Karen open the door to the back porch to step out and open the back porch door so Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle could do her Tuesday morning thing and felt the dog bound back up on the bed next to me in what seemed to be a flash.

Time to get up and face reality in our cherished Little Bitty in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.

Elllie B aka Dogamous Pyle is cold on Tuesday morning in Syracuse, N.Y.

Ellie B is back on the bed covers. She’s not stirring even after I poured her breakfast cup of food into her bowl.

Cold off the back porch.

Cold out the living room window.

It’s looking absolutely frigid no matter my vantage point. No steps were taken…

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