Best Christmas Gift

Thursday night I had a date with an eight year old boy. My nephew had asked me to take him to a reading of The Polar Express at the local Starbucks. Of course I couldn't refuse such a request. When the story was done he wandered around the shop, looking at the decorations and such. When he returned, he handed me a small coffee cup and said

"Look inside"

I opened it to find a $5.oo gift card inside. I wanted to cry but didn't. I would never embarrass him in front of the other children. This gesture was so kind and unselfish it blew me away. When I said "Brandon, this is the best gift I have ever received." he told me

" I figured you deserve it. You always do things with me and I didn't know what else to buy with my money so I bought that for you. It doesn't expire so you can use it next year too."

When a child does something from the heart it melts me. Even now, every time I think I think of this and remember the look on his face while his hands were in his pockets, I have tears in my eyes.. good tears.

I hope you all have a similar reason to smile while you enjoy your friends and family this holiday.

The Curse may have lifted but...

The baseball Gods sure have a warped sense of humor.

After waiting 86 ulcer inducing years, the Red Sox provided fans FINALLY with a World Series in 2004. The game winning ball became a major controversy over who had the rights to it.

Fans didn't care too much, we had a WIN .. who cares about a piece of history in the H.O.F. (hall of fame)?

Fast forward three years:

Again, our beloved boys of summer gave us one hell of a season and topped it with an amazing win of yet another World Series. Our closer, not only provided an awesome display every time he took the mound, with that "deadpan stare" of his.. no sirree..after clinching the division he danced on the field in his skivies.. not too bad a sight I might add. Again, after winning the World Series, he danced a jig. All through the rolling rally held on the streets of Boston, this man danced his ass off while donning a kilt, his own personal band "The Drop Kick Murphy's" on the float with him, providing the music.

Now, there has been question as to the whereabouts of the game winning ball. Jason Varitek made sure to hang onto it so he could give it to the man who threw the last strike across the plate. There were rumors that Pap lost it or Tek lost it..and such.

Today, on Fox Sports, the truth is revealed. Now, I am a HUGE fan of baseball. I NEVER gave up on the team, not even down 0-3 back in 04 when all others lost hope .. nope.. I am a true , nail biting, gut wrenching, ulcer victim FAN. So in being this kind of fan, I give myself permission to laugh..shake my head and say .. "That's Awesome"

You see, we won two World Series in my lifetime. The game winning ball being chewed by the closer's dog is just funny.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7588092?MSNHPHCP&GT1=10734

For some reason, I can't be sad. I find this beyond humorous.

Murphy's Law

There is a saying.. whatever can go wrong..will go wrong.

My sister and I have a long history of getting lost. No matter where we go or how many times we have been somewhere, we end up lost. Neither of us has this problem when we are alone, it only happens when we set off to do something together.

Why would today be any different? We once spent fifteen minutes trying to find a way out of a parking lot! Laugh, go on, I do.

We made plans with my niece, a friend and our children to go to a farm in New Hampshire and enjoy the magic of Christmas in the woods. Our appointment was for eleven o'clock. The farm is a forty five minute drive.

Sister: We should leave at 10:15

Me: We should leave at 9:30 to allow time to get lost

Sister: Very funny. I have a GPS smartass. We won't get lost this time.

( Global Positioning System )

Me: Like I said, we should leave at 9:30 to allow time to get lost

We took two vehicles. I was in the car behind her. I had hope. We were in the town where the farm was. She pulled into a parking lot of a coffee shop and let me know she made one wrong turn. Not too bad, we just had to get back on the highway and continue to our destination.

It would have been fine had she not told the GPS that she was not taking the turn he suggested.

Now, the ride home was much more of an adventure. You see this time we were in the same vehicle. She put in the address of our destination to return home. This GPS would send us the most direct route there. YEAH RIGHT!

We left the farm , travelled some winding roads when the lovely British voice of Jason the GPS guy said "recalculating route" this signifies that the vehicle has veered from his instructions or we were no longer headed in the direction he suggested. We laughed, Jason recalculated and continued to tell us to " go 1/4 mile and turn right. Go 5oo feet and turn left. Travel 9/10ths of a mile and bear right."

Again, we heard " recalculating route".. My sister laughed and said " I didn't hear what he said. Don't worry, it will recalculate the route and send us from where we are."

I'm thinking it's a good thing we filled the fuel tank.

A half an hour later, we are on a road and Jason said " go 1/4 mile and turn right"

We are now at the end of a road. Ahead of us is a mountain trail, on the right and on the left are the woods. I had to get out of the car to catch my breathe from laughing so hard. You see, my sister had manged to get Jason, the GPS guy LOST!!!

Tis the Season

Have you ever noticed when things in your life are going very well that you kind of forget things can change in an instant?

Have you ever been so content, you forget what it feels like to worry?

Our lives run in circles. We all have up and down times. I think the down times are provided simply to suck us back into reality. It does not matter whether you are in an up or down time. What is important is to always be thankful for what you have been blessed with. Sure, it’s easy to slip into a funk, a self pity party. It takes more effort and strength to see beyond any crisis or tragedy life has thrust upon you.

This year, it will be difficult to get into the spirit of the holidays for several reasons.

I know for sure it is the last Christmas for an extended family member who will be taken much too young.

A family member who has beaten cancer two times already is once again battling another , more aggressive form.

A sibling has been displaced yet again after giving so much to help someone out.

A very young family member will have to cope with the loss of a father figure.

I suspect another family member has begun to use drugs.

Among all the day to day things that come up, I force myself to look beyond these things. I am blessed in many ways and try to focus on what is good.

What I will draw from are the following.

It is the first Christmas for a niece and great nephew
I have several young nephews who bring much joy to me
My daughter shows me each day what a beautiful person she is
I’ve been fortunate in many ways and have endless reasons to be thankful.
I have my health, my family and friends.

If you find your life in a downward motion, I hope you are able to draw from the good to help get you through.

Holiday Spirit

With the holiday season upon us I thought it would be fun to talk about the things that give us the holiday spirit. I know sometimes I find it hard to get into the “magic” of it all when there are so many things going on in life. I pride myself on making sure I am thankful each day for all that I am fortunate to have.

Over the years I have found pleasure in giving. I don’t mean just gifts to family and friends. I love the feeling of helping others and doing it anonymously. I feel good each time I am able to give back a little.

I’ve given great thought to many different ways a person can give without having to have a lot of spare change or countless hours to donate.

The following is just a small list of ways you can contribute. Some I have done and continue to do. Others are things done by friends of mine. Each little thing helps those who have little to be thankful for. Along the way, you may find yourself feeling pretty good about yourself.

Sponsor a family in need:

If you are not wealthy enough to do this on your own, get a few friends or co-workers to pitch in. You can visit a local shelter or family crisis center to let them know you want to provide for a family this holiday. Many have waiting lists of families in need of basic items such as coats, boots, hats, mittens and select few toys to place under their trees.
This is done anonymously and you can feel good Christmas morning while you are with your family, knowing another family will have a better day because of you.


Food Pantry:

Food pantries need donations all year. Often times people are more into giving during the holiday season. When you go to the market for your groceries, pick up a few extra, inexpensive items and bring them to the food pantry. Keep in mind, children love snacks and don’t often get to have the expensive treats.

Volunteer :

There are many services in need of your time. You can spare an hour or so once a week or month. Read to sick children in the hospital. Visit a local nursing home, sit and listen to the residents. Many of them go weeks without a familiar face and crave the company of someone to talk to.
If you have children, have them make crafts to bring to the nursing home.



Remember those who protect you:

Your local police and fire stations. They work day and night. They are the ones who will put their lives on the line for you everyday of the year. Bake an extra batch of cookies and bring them down to the station.


Support your troops:

Whether your against the war or not. These people fight for your freedom.
Holidays are the toughest on them. Call your local military office and find out what is
requested. Sometimes it’s as simple as a local newspaper, favorite candy or gum, toiletries and such.


Fundraiser:
There are millions of charities for millions of great causes. Fundraising is easy and it brings a lot of revenue for them. Donate unwanted items. Often times an event will hold a raffle. We all have items that were given to us as a gift that we will never use. It’s probably still packaged in the attic or basement. Contact the local office of any charity and they will let you know of any upcoming events and what type of items they are looking for.


Salvation Army Kettle Drive:

This organization provides invaluable services to so many families in need. They vary from drug abuse rehab to families forced out of their homes due to fires. Ring a bell for an hour outside a local store. It costs nothing but your time.

Remember, it does not matter how much you give. What matters is the help you provide to those down on their luck.

Where ever you are in this world , I wish you all a Healthy, Happy Holiday Season.

Media.. gotta love the Media

I've mentioned in previous posts my love (read with much sarcasm) of the media. They twist and bend the facts or just get it wrong all together. Sending things to print without as much as a regard to whom it may affect.



I can laugh because I'm a nobody in the world.. the errors and mistruths printed affect me not. Other than provide me with a good laugh and a keepsake of misinformation.

Today, I received a call from my husband. He wanted to know when I changed jobs and began taking classes at the university? It seems a co-worker saw my name and gave him a copy of a newspaper.


A few weeks ago, I attended a play with my sister and daughter. We were interviewed and asked questions about the relevence of the play ..I was quoted and my name was printed in bold type. Under my name, they list me as working for the university and attending class there.

A minor error.. but think if it were bigger.. If I were
someone of importance.



I continue to shake my head and read what some consider fit for print.. only I take it in stride.
Don't always believe everything you read.

Oh NO!! He has a C-O-L-D

Why is it that a man who has broken his wrist several times, sliced open his leg on numerous occassions, fallen from high places , nearly electrocuted himself, been hit on the thumb with a sledgehammer, becomes such a whiner when he has a cold??

They say women are the weaker sex. HUH!

Today I received a call at work.

"Hedow. Will you make me tum chicken dewp? I have a duffy node."
At this point, I can't help but laugh. He sounds pathetic. Reduced to sounding like a two year old because he has the sniffles.

Mind you, it's two days before Thanksgiving and the market will be like the annual bridal sale at Filene's basement. For those of you unfamiliar with this concept. Picture a million women gathered at the entrance to the biggest and best sale EVER for their dream wedding gown.

So needless to say I braved the store, picked up all that was needed to make the "dewp"

Now I sit here after cleaning up and wonder WTF?

I had to deal with a ruptured appendix, being gutted like a fish and come home to a nine month old whom I couldn't lift due to the staples and stitches. Where was he.. Oh.. he was on a bowling league. " Where ya going HON?"

"Tonight is Wednesday. I'm going bowling."

"But the baby is sick, I can't lift her and I am not feeling well."

"Sorry HON. I missed last week. I can't miss again this week. My team needs me. Don't worry, I won't be late and I'll put the baby to bed."

And he wanted "dewp" cause he had a "duffy node"

Weaker sex my ass...