I have my good days and bad days and I never know what is going to happen day to day. Monday I ended up calling my mom's cell phone just to listen to her voice message and then regretting that just a few weeks ago deleted all the messages that had been left on our house phone, a few of which had been from my mom.
Work has kept me extremely busy and I think that probably has been good in a way but not so good in others. One more week of classes (final exams) and then I am done until August. I still have lots to do this summer, but it will be nice not having a schedule to adhere to.
My sister sent me the following story which I found absolutely beautiful and thought I would share:
The Dragonfly Story:
Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to loose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.
“Look!” said one of the bugs to another. “One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where so you think she is going?” Up, up, up it slowly went …even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. It’s friends waited and waited but it didn’t return.
“That’s funny!” said one water bug. “Wasn’t she happy here?” asked another…”Where do you suppose she went?” wondered a third.
No one had an answer. They were all greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered his friends together. “I have an idea. The next time one of us who climbs up the lily stalk he or she must promise to come back and tell us where he went and why.”
“We promise”, they said solemnly.
One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broke through the surface of the water and fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.
When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he saw. A startling change had come over his body. His movement revealed long silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings. The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly he found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly!!
Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs! There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.
The dragonfly remembered his promise:” the next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why.” Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water…
“I can’t return!” he said in dismay. “At least I tried. But I can’t keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I’ll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they’ll understand what has happened to me and where I went”
And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air…
For my friends and family who like to keep up with the life of the Zack's...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Gone From My Sight
In Loving Memory:
This is one of my favorite photos of my mom that I found while searching photos over the last week. And as I started to write about what has happened in the last week, it was too much for me. I am sure with more time I will be able to, but in honor of my mom, this poem has brought me great comfort.
Gone From My Sight
by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side, spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"
Gone where?
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast, hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me -- not in her. And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone," there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"
This is one of my favorite photos of my mom that I found while searching photos over the last week. And as I started to write about what has happened in the last week, it was too much for me. I am sure with more time I will be able to, but in honor of my mom, this poem has brought me great comfort.
Gone From My Sight
by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side, spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"
Gone where?
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast, hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me -- not in her. And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone," there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Bonus Room
While I was gone last weekend, EZ finished up the bonus room and painted it. It looks really nice and I like the color we ended up picking. Although it might be hard to see, we have two different colors, an orange and then a red color in the room. And EZ did a great job finishing up the closets. I think the room looks great and one of these days we might buy another big screen TV for that room, but since we intend on using it just as a bonus/play room, my old small college tv works fine int here for now.
We just ordered our baby room furniture so once we get that and put it together and get all the stuff we have organized into the drawers and have the room set up I will take more pictures. :)
We just ordered our baby room furniture so once we get that and put it together and get all the stuff we have organized into the drawers and have the room set up I will take more pictures. :)
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Major Meltdown
I had my first major meltdown yesterday. I have read about women when pregnant cry over stuff and well I just haven't been that way, until yesterday. I was on my way home from the airport in Charlotte and I got a flat tire. I was still 40+ miles from home and EZ is another 30+ miles further so he couldn't come help me. I talked to him about how to change the tire and so I start the process of trying to do it myself.
The spare tire however is screwed down into the car and I seem to not get any leverage on it at all. I try for a while and I pretty much give up and call a friend that I know lives somewhat close to where I was. I then think about climbing into the trunk to try and get more leverage on the bolt, or possibly use a rope I had, so as I was just about to start to do that, a policeman pulls over and changes the tire for me. Thank you!!
He then tells me I need to go to the next exit and fill the tire up with air. So I stop and pull over to the air filler upper and there is no gauge on it. I don't know what I am doing but am going to try. But what do you know, I can't get the tiny cap unscrewed off the tire for the air. That is when I just lost it. I can unscrew the tire then the cap for the air and I just started crying. I hate feeling incompetent and that I can't do something and that was how I felt yesterday. Have I lost all strength in my arms since I am not swimming at all or lifting all that much? Or was it really just that hard? I don't know. The policeman did tell me that it was rather difficult for the tire one so that made me feel somewhat better. But lately I have been on the rage of people asking to do things for me like I can't do them. I bought some paint the other day and the guy asked me if he needed to carry the two gallons out for me...what the heck. I do go grocery shopping and carry much more than 2 gallons worth of stuff home in the bags!
To top it off, when I got home, we had some cranberry ginger ale and I decided I needed a glass last night and I couldn't get the cap off. So EZ had to do it...it did take him a while though, so maybe it isn't just me.
The spare tire however is screwed down into the car and I seem to not get any leverage on it at all. I try for a while and I pretty much give up and call a friend that I know lives somewhat close to where I was. I then think about climbing into the trunk to try and get more leverage on the bolt, or possibly use a rope I had, so as I was just about to start to do that, a policeman pulls over and changes the tire for me. Thank you!!
He then tells me I need to go to the next exit and fill the tire up with air. So I stop and pull over to the air filler upper and there is no gauge on it. I don't know what I am doing but am going to try. But what do you know, I can't get the tiny cap unscrewed off the tire for the air. That is when I just lost it. I can unscrew the tire then the cap for the air and I just started crying. I hate feeling incompetent and that I can't do something and that was how I felt yesterday. Have I lost all strength in my arms since I am not swimming at all or lifting all that much? Or was it really just that hard? I don't know. The policeman did tell me that it was rather difficult for the tire one so that made me feel somewhat better. But lately I have been on the rage of people asking to do things for me like I can't do them. I bought some paint the other day and the guy asked me if he needed to carry the two gallons out for me...what the heck. I do go grocery shopping and carry much more than 2 gallons worth of stuff home in the bags!
To top it off, when I got home, we had some cranberry ginger ale and I decided I needed a glass last night and I couldn't get the cap off. So EZ had to do it...it did take him a while though, so maybe it isn't just me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)