Small acts of kindness

Life is all about how you act and treat people. All it takes is one small act of kindness or a kind word to make someone's day. Or it can work the opposite, and a rude behavior or statement can ruin a day or be remembered for a lifetime...it's all in how you make a person feel.

I remember my mom calling me a nincompoop as a kid when I accidentally stood on the hay rope tripping the hay forks too soon as we were loading hay into the barn...it hurt me emotionally and I was well aware of the work it was going to take to fix that situation. And I remember to this day her vividly saying that to me and how it felt. Very vividly! It still hurts. And yes, it is a small thing and mild in comparison to what is said today, but still it left a lasting impression. I remember telling my mom about this incident before she passed away. She did not recall it happening nor did she have any remorse!!! What??? For a softhearted little red headed farm girl it hurt deep. I was too little to help pick up or move the hay bales without a hook and even then I was pretty much useless in the situation for lack of muscle and size. But I've carried that feeling of hurt and the lesson of how words can hurt yet to this day. I think back to that incident often before I say something that could be mean or hurtful. I'm pretty sure my mom didn't mean what she said the way I took it. But as a farm kid I knew the work I'd just caused...and I made darn sure I was NEVER standing on the hay rope ever again! Several life lessons learned for that one incident and my stupidity! Innocent but dumb non-the-less.

I've been trying harder to make eye contact, smile or verbally acknowledge students this school year. Who doesn't like to hear their name-now the task is me getting their name right and not calling them by their sibling's name or the wrong name! We don't know what some of these kids deal with at home. And you certainly can not judge a book by it's cover. Kids deal with all kinds of things in their personal lives, as do adults. There is very small window of innocent childhood it seems now thanks to technology, parents and lack of parenting and a host of other factors.

Someone made my day today with a simple act of kindness. I've been up since very early with an intense headache that comes in goes as far as intensity. It got pretty bad midmorning and as I sat at my desk trying to get computer work done a coworker came into the library took one look at me and knew immediately  what I was dealing with. Yep, a mild migraine, thanks to stress, weather or some other factor. This friend then went to their office and put the following on my desk-see picture below!

Yep, a package of colored pens made me smile. Did it make my headache go away. No. But the water and caffeine coated aspirin did the trick there, or at least made my headache manageable. Thank goodness. But you know what, those silly pens made me smile. Make me happy. And I have no idea why. They were totally unexpected. But hey, it is the though that counts. 

So every time I use these pens I will think back, for a while at least, about how that one small act made me feel, something so small and simple. 

And do you know what I'm going to do, pay it forward. Before this day is out I want to make someone feel like I did by such a simple act, and I have no idea why something as simple as colored pens made my day, but they did! 

Be kind to people, you may be the only person who is, and more than likely you will be remembered for it!

A cold (in) summer

If you read the title of this blog correctly you've probably guessed that I mean HAVING a cold in the summer as opposed to a COLD summer...either one is not popular. Yep...it has taken four days for a miserable sore throat which includes but not limited to swollen tonsils to turn into a cold. Yuck! I'm not sure what I did to deserve this but I got it! And I do admit I feel kind of like poo.

Our hot and humid summer weather went away last week, except for the humidity, so it is cool but humid-not a good combination. It is a nice weather factor to have it cooler but I am wondering if this is a contributing factor to my cold. So I've decided to write a letter to my rotten cold and sore throat, here it goes...

Dear Cold and Sore Throat,
First off thank you for visiting at one of the most inopportune times...the first week back to school. Great timing as I don't have the opportunity to nap or get caught up on the sleep that you interrupt during the night.

Secondly thank you for making me sound like a pack-a-day smoker or a man...students can't decide if I really do smoke a pack a day or if they should be scared of me or laugh.

Thirdly thank you for causing lovely sinus pain and pressure. I love the feeling of my sinus cavities in pain and feeling like they are swollen to capacity.

Finally if you could please just go away I would really appreciate it. Please take the swollen and painful tonsils and earache along with the nasal congestion and sneezing with you, this would be great. I know going from hot and humid to chilly and humid weather conditions makes for an ideal situation for you to move in. But this is NOT a good time.

I do have the names of a couple of people I would happily send you on to if you would please leave. I'm just trying to be helpful here.
Thank you for the reminder of how nice it is to feel healthy and breathe normally. Have a good day and goodbye!
Your soon to be ex-friend,
Lynn

Cold meds and the couch are going to be my goals after work today. If that does not work this the fireball whisky bottle in my freezer will be hit tonight before bed.

Here's to the ability to breathe out of my nose normally, the painless swallowing I hope to have soon and the non-smokers voice to go away, and once again appreciating good health.

A new year

Happy New Year!!! If you think I've lost it, you are correct but I lost it a long time ago!! Happy New SCHOOL year! Yep the new school year is officially has officially kicked off....at least day one in in the books. Only 179 days to go!

It was a pretty quiet and uneventful first day.They kids were kind of tired, as were the adults. I think a lot of napping and sleeping in is done during the summer!! I only had a few kids show up in the wrong place on the wrong day....we all forgot several times it was a Tuesday, not a Monday, thus the mix up in the schedule. The freshmen and new students walked around with that scared look on their faces for most of the day. Tomorrow with be better and by the end of the week they will be pros!

But here is a list of typical things I heard or happened today:
-a middle schooler vomited after lunch in the restroom....either it was nerves or school lunch. I'm betting it was lunch!
-I was asked about a million times "is this where I'm suppose to be?"
-I was also asked "When does this period end??"
-"Can I go to the restroom"...a phrase no one has asked me this since the last day of school. I don't miss that!
-"Could you print my schedule...I lost the one the office gave me!" I heard this at least five times!
-"Where is the restroom?" I was asked once!
And these are just a few of the questions or phrases I heard many, many times today!

Overall it was a good day, and as I left school today all I could think was 179 more days to go!!!
If they all go like today did it will be a pretty good year. BUT I work with teenage kids so I know better than to believe that!!! But we are off to a good start....lets hope we stay on this path for a few days, at least!

The last day of summer

Wow, where has the summer went? Talk about crazy busy, that is an understatement!! And it is now all but over.

I have a love hate relationship with summer since working for a school district. I thrive, no I NEED routine and schedule. I need to get up at the same time every day. I need to have reason and purpose to my day. A to-do list is must! I need to accomplish things. It's just who I am, I have no other explanation for it. Weird I know! So having summer off I struggle with not having to be at work every day. I need a reason!

And as much as I get tired and frustrated of things at my work and the politics and the people at times there are those people out there who would give anything to be going back to school/work tomorrow. They can no longer do this for whatever reason be it health, retirement, financial or another job. They are missing the chaos and confusion of these first days of school. The smells of the freshly waxed floors and clean classrooms and hallways-everything looks shiny and new. The new school supplies, clothes and shoes are always fun and exciting. It is exciting, but bittersweet time of year.

I dealt with a variety of emotions as a parent when this time of year rolled around. My first born was rather timid and shy when it came to school but he was a trooper and was off to unpack his backpack and play with his friends on his first day of kindergarten. Yes I wore sun glasses and the tears were falling as I left the building, I could not help it!!

Number two child was closing the back door and heading towards the school building as I put the car in park and yelling "bye mom" on her first day of kindergarten. No I did not let her take herself in on her first day....she was escorted just like her brother had been, even though she thought she could go trucking in on her own. Yes the sunglasses once again covered the tears as I left the building while she too was off to play with her friends on the playground.

Child number three was much like his older brother. Ready but not slamming the car door and heading to the building as I parked the car! He was ready to roll and yes the sunglasses were a blessing to hide behind for a third time. It was my last first day of kindergarten, no more kids at home. The end of a chapter.

As a parent for the first five or six years you are the main adult in your child's life. You are "the person". But sending your child off to school now puts their teacher as another main adult in their life. It's not just you as their parent, it is now their teachers, then coaches....then they graduate and are on to the next chapter of their life.

This year brings new chapters once again. Not only is a new school year but is is a first school year for my son as a teacher. I'm excited for him and I know he is doing what he wants to be doing. His students are lucky to have him as their teacher. Believe in yourself!! You are and will be great.

My daughter is no long Miss but now Mrs as she starts her second year in education. Her job is challenging daily, if not hourly.

My oldest son is about to become a home owner with his soon to be wife, another milestone and new chapter. I don't recall so many changes in such a short time before! But is is exciting!!

So as the summer of 2016 comes to a close I can't help but look back on all the fun and excitement. A month ago tomorrow we celebrated our first wedding-it was fun! And now we have two more heading our way! The moving of kids. The trip to Colorado. The baseball games. The nights or meals in the gazebos. The fun times!

And tomorrow is a new day, new chapter and a new beginning....just like each day is. Make it a good one because we only get one chance at each day.

The blessings each day

Lately I've been having a really hard time seeing the blessings in my life not just ones in general but the daily blessings for that matter.. It seems like for all the wonderful and good things going on there is a dark cloud of some kind that rains on my parade. And you know what I'm tired of it. Sick and tired of it. I know there are rough times in life.

I try to choose to see the glass half full rather than half empty most days. But honestly lately it seems like that damn glass is completely empty, not even half full or empty. I know this is part of a bigger plan and is just life. And we are not in control, just along for the ride. But at some point I'd like to have some smooth, uneventful road to travel on while on this ride. I'm tired and I don't think I'm asking too much here.

I also keep reminding myself (many, many times a day) that God is not going to give me anything that HE and I can't handle together. But I think God must think one or all of the following... A) need a kick in the ass for whatever reason  B)  to learn some life lesson here or C ) I'm a bad ass who can handle all the crap that I seem to be "blessed" with. I'd like to hope it is option C, but honestly I'm approaching things lately with the perspective that it probably is all three. Okay God I get that, I'm trying here, but could you cut me some slack, please.

But when bad things happen to good people, I mean really, really good people, I can't help but wonder why. Or in my case, what the hell is going on here? Why? Why? Why? Now I'm not trying to wish bad things on anyone, good, bad or otherwise. There are only a couple of people in this world that I would not care if a house fell on them and I'm sure there are people in this world who feel the same way about me, it's life. And I hope it is just a couple of people, not a majority.

Some of my greatest blessings:
my family
my friends
the  roof over my head and food on the table
my health (even with the challenges I've been given and I try to take care of this body, it's the only one I get)
I appreciate the ability to see a sunrise and the beauty of nature
I have a job to go to
I have some God given talents and abilities that I try to use to make this world a little bit better
I have aches and pains but I can feel them and I can swing my legs over the side of the bed each day
I am blessed in a million other ways each day...I know this

Have I mentioned my family as one of my blessings...no matter how wacky or how irritated we may get with each other, they are who God has put in our lives, for whatever reason. These are the people we've fought with as a kid or have raised to be great adults or call when we are missing our mom and dad. They are our roots and the people we started with when we came into the world. And no matter what happens or how irritated or annoying or frustrating we may get with them, they are family. So when something happens within my family it hits me too. We are in this together.

A third cancer diagnoses within my circle of family and friends within the past 10 months has me reeling-big time. I literally feel like I've been knocked on my butt. In the past I've gotten back up after getting the news and have been ready to help these loved ones kick some cancer butt. From words of support to prayer, I've been a cheerleader, whether they know it or not I've been in their corner ready to help them fight the fight. But this latest news has me feeling like I'm still sitting on the ground looking up and wondering what is going on. I'm asking what just happened here and WHY?


So as I try to wrap my brain around this latest diagnosis I need to refocus and put my energy back into to the blessings of life and get back on my feet. I need to get the pom poms out and the boxing gloves on ready to help fight this fight-if you mess with one you get the whole kit and kaboodle. And this too is a blessing. This is a life leaning lesson. This is life. We are all in this fight together regardless of what it is we are fighting. And honestly, and this sounds really odd, but this cancer is a blessing in some way, shape and form. It may heal old wounds, or bring people closer together who have drifted apart or it may bring even more memories that someday we will treasure. No one knows what is ahead on this journey. Life is taking the good with the bad blessings (yes there are bad blessings, they are usually called lessons) and making them all part of the big picture and not loosing perspective but seeing the blessings.

Keeping in check

The past three weeks have been crazy busy. And to be honest I don't feel like I had much of a summer, but that's life. It is better than having too much time on my hands, which I hate. Too much sleep and too much time on my hands is not good, at least for me it is not.

It amazes me how quick things can change...one minute you are celebrating a life event, a milestone and the next minute God gives us a challenge or test that makes you double check life. It has been a reminder to appreciate what you have and maybe rethink your priorities.

I helped celebrate a life milestone for my sister last weekend. The event and celebration were amazing. It brought back tons of memories from my childhood, and to say I was proud and happy for my sister is an understatement. It was the celebration of my sister and her commitment, that made it worth the trip.

But God gave my family a check of reality (again, for the second time this year) this past week and it has put things in perspective, but I thought we had them in perspective. Reality sucks sometimes. No matter what I do the phrase "why do bad things happen to good people?" keeps coming to mind for me.

I am trying to find faith and comfort in the fact that God has this. Putting it in his hands. But it has been in his hands all along. I know that he does not give us anything that HE and I can handle together. "Have faith," I keep telling myself. But I swing from panic to prayer to anger back to keeping the faith. I wish I could turn back time to a week ago, but time marches on.

Sometimes we are given news that literally knocks us on our butt. For the second time this year, I find myself picking myself up off the ground and trying to grasp the news.

But for now, I will wait and see what tests tell us and what God has planned for our lives. It seems like life is far from dull and routine lately and why it's like that I don't have all the answers. But it's life and whatever it is God is trying to tell us I'm going to try to pay attention so I understand or at least get the message.

Appreciate the moments, not matter how big or small they are. Life goes by fast and changes in the blink of an eye. Be sure to say "I love you" to the people that you love because no one is guaranteed to be here at the end of the day, next week or a year from now. As the saying goes "Life is fragile, handle with prayer".