Hello Again!

Between my new resolve of "living in the present" and a few other things going on like...a very sick grandma, Cole's First Communion, kids' activities (yadayadayada), a couple of really awesome books I'm reading, and, oh yeah, my job, I've hardly been able to carve out any blogging time. Not that I haven't had any material. Boy, have I had material...but most of it has slipped which is a bummer because I'm sure it was quite clever. Anyway, to get back into the groove, I have First Communion to work with. Anyone recognize this handsome young fella? (The one on the left is Cole)

First of all, hint to all of you mothers for next year - don't purchase pants too far ahead of time. Incredibly, length wasn't the problem. Cole had to suck in with all his might to get it snapped! Maybe we should limit his three-cheeseburger-a-day diet? His new belt still has the tag. Wish I was better at saving receipts.

But the day was truly blessed. At Communion, we eat the body and blood of Christ to become Him and carry on His love. Cole has been studying much about this holy ceremony and, of course, it was a very special day. (He particularly liked the wine.)

After the wonderful Mass and great party, we were finally winding down for the weekend. As usual, we were determining what DVD to pop in. Cole had narrowed the search to Sherlock Holmes and Star Wars 3. Apparently Sherlock Homes was winning votes and his head dropped down into a pout. So I quickly reminded him that he ate the bread of Christ today and asked, "Is that how Jesus would act?"

Cole looked up at me with his baby blues and said, "Jesus would want to see Star Wars 3. He would understand."

And God definitely has a sense of humor.

Oh Yeah! Don't Forget To Live!

I've been through a brutal few weeks of enduring headaches which drifted into migraines, all while trying to be the perfect mother, wife, daughter, manager, friend, writer, banker, blah, blah, blah...

Then I went to a conference and heard a story. A simple, yet sad story that seemed to transform something within me. The condensed version is this: A lady, who was dying of cancer, suddenly realized that she had forgotten to live her life.

That sort of struck me. Let me rephrase. That really, really struck me. How many days go by do I find myself forgetting to watch a sunset, listen to the wind, or just watch my kids? And I mean really soak in the essence of my amazing kids...not just make sure they're safe or ensure they're fed.

I've spent an awful lot of time in the past few years trying to get some books published...and in the process sort of forgot that I was doing it because I like to write. No more will I be working every available minute to find an agent. I'm gonna write when I feel like writing. And enjoy the process along the way -- hopefully make a few others smile as well. Who cares if I ever get published? I have an awesome life as it is.

Who do I owe this great transformation? Probably the biggest influence was a speaker by the name of Sonia Choquette. I'm reading her book titled The Answer is Simple- Love Yourself. Live Your Spirit. It's pretty amazing. Check out her website and if you have a chance to see this lady, do it! You just might find yourself again.

Wow. That was pretty serious for this mom-blogger...but I've got some good kid stories in the hopper. Until next time...