Electricity? And the Sun? No Way!

For a few glorious hours, we witnessed a blue sky...the first since when??? It has now clouded over, but the sky has lightened from the neverending fog. Needless to say, it seems to have lifted the hearts of the Kramer household. I know this because:

1) I woke up to my hubby saying, "I love you." No other motive. Simply, I love you.
2) Yesterday, I was certain that my dog was dying. She could barely move...her eyes seemed to carry the look of death. I even shed tears. Apparently, as it turns out, she was just suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Today she's tearing around the house as if she's a pup.
3) As for Al and Cole? Well, I must admit they laugh and are joyous even through the darkest of winters. We just happen to be laughing along with them more often.

In closing, I'd like to express my gratitude for....................electricity. It really is nice to have.

Thankful

Today I put aside my typical ventilation of everyday life to express how thankful I am for my everyday life. Ashamedly, it seems to take a travesty of Haiti proportions to remind me how good I have it. So today, a simple list of gratitude:

1) the health of my family,
2) the goodness of my friends,
3) the charity of my community,
4) the faith in my heart

Those are the big-hitters. Of course, I'm thankful for much, much more, but I'd sell everything I had to keep what's listed above.

To help the victims of the Haitian earthquake, visit the Red Cross website.

http://www.redcross.org/

God Bless.

Need Vacation from Parents?

So the other day when I picked up Cole, he was, as usual, excited to relate something about his day. This time it was about a church camp presentation.

"So, Mom. You go to church every day in the morning. Then you swim in the afternoon. And there are bows & arrows and bb guns."

Hmm. Church camp, heh? "Cole, do you really think you could go away for awhile, without getting homesick? You're only in second grade?"

"It's only for the summer."

The summer! So, my baby would ditch his family for the entire summer...just to swim and shoot some bb's? "Cole! I'd never let you go away for an entire summer- 3 whole months - are you kidding me!" Certainly the boy doesn't realize how much he'll miss me.

Then he responds, "You can visit me on Saturdays."

Well, then. At least he'd be willing to carve some time out for me...once a week.

I was willing to consider the idea if Alex was interested in going. But when I asked her about it, she said, "No way." Isn't that strange? Alex is the kid we predict to move the furthest away from us. Cole is the kid we predict to be living in our basement forever.

Apparently we're way out of touch. As for camp? It's still under investigation.

The Golden Rule -Fortified!

Amidst the normal business and economic data of the WSJ, I came across a refreshing article about a campaign to stop gossip among our youth to promote healthier and positive relationships. (The gist of the article was that the campaign shouldn't be limited to our youth, but perhaps implementing in the "office".) The formula is simple -- perhaps a slightly extended form of the Golden Rule. Before saying anything about anyone, ask yourself the following:

Is it kind?
Is it true?
Is it necessary?

If you find yourself answering "no" to any of these questions, keep your mouth shut. How easy is that? Well, watch yourself for a day. I, who like to think of myself as kind and non-judgmental, found that perhaps I'm not as kind and unbiased as I had presumed. So, since I had not pinned down a New Year's Resolution for 2010, it easily dawned on me that this is the year to REALLY practice the Golden Rule...fortified.

Guess What?

So, Lyn and I were having lunch the other day...(yes, we actually figured out a a time to have lunch! We had a 2009 resolution to meet at least once a month, but I think that might have been the third time for the year...) Anyway, we were talking about our kids' reaction to their Christmas gifts, SINCE for some reason neither of our sets of kids got everything they asked for. Guess what? They survived! And they seemed to appreciate the gifts they did receive a little more than usual.

While I must admit that I was somewhat spoiled being an only child; however, I didn't get everything I asked for. (Lyn reminded me of my daunting desire for a Barbie Townhouse. Thank God she got one...otherwise I might have never known the pleasure. Please, don't cry.) At the time, it seemed unfair, merciless that I might not get absolutely every Mattel toy that flashed on the TV screen. But looking back, I'm glad I grew up in household that had to pinch pennies.

So how do we engrain this sentiment to a generation of kids who rarely go without?

Hmmm. Let me think. Wait! Doug knows this better than I! Just say NO. Remember that slogan? I believe it was to keep our generation from doing drugs. Now, we need to reignite the slogan...only to unspoil our Millennial children.

the giver

Every once in awhile, I like to take note of my children's kindness meter. I realize that every child is the center of their own world, but eventually they take steps out to discover the joy of putting others before themselves. RIght? Alex seems to have progressed beautifully into a kind, loving and generous young lady. I wish I would've documented her development so that I had some sort of baseline to compare Cole's development...

This year I asked the kids what was the best gift that they GAVE this year?

Alex took a moment to ponder, then finally replied, "Probably Mario Kart for Cole. He was just so excited and happy. It made me happy."

Thoughtful. Sweet. She made someone (her little brother, mind you!) happy.

Cole didn't blink or hesitate to respond, "Dad's foot massager. It's awesome."

"So, is it your favorite gift because you enjoy it so much?" I ask, in hopes that he corrects me by stating how much his father enjoyed the gift. But no.

"Exactly. It feels awesome!"

I should have recognized the signs when Cole and I went off on our own to do some Christmas shopping. Sitting on any available furniture that resembled a seat. Innumerable "are we done yet?" whimpers. Sneaking off to preview his own wishlist ideas...and being satisfied with any ole' object to give as a gift.

Maybe next year the joy of giving will hit the 8-year old. In the meantime, we'll just get a kick out of Cole enjoying his gifts...

Here are the kids watching Grandpa scratch off his lottery winnings at Christmas...looks like they hit the big one!

A Christmas Story

A Happy Christmas...Despite This... Wishing you all the joy of the season!