Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a phrase you grew up with.” Include in your post a phrase your mom/dad/grandparent/sibling used all the time when you were growing up, or just write whatever inspires you based on that phrase. Enjoy!
I have to start by honoring my father, Jim, who would have been…. 91 on May 2 if he was still in this world. You may have read that my father inspired the title of my blog by telling me when I was 12 years old:
“Nothing is Impossible.”
He was told that by his scoutmaster, probably in the 1940s and passed it on to me in the 1960s. He didn’t make this statement a lot, but the tone of his voice and the state of my impressionable mind made it stick. “Nothing is impossible” became “Anything is possible.”
My dad also said,
“Outstanding!”
I think that was a common military word. It felt good to hear that one. He also said things in what sounded like Korean or Vietnamese (he served as a Marine in both those wars), but I think they were curse words, so I’m not going to try to guess how they might be spelled.
Mom often said,
“Kids are baby goats,”
She said that whenever someone would call children kids. Dad picked that up, too. Sorry, Mom, but I sometimes say kids. Mom also said,
“We don’t throw away food.”
That came from growing up during “The Great Depression.” The other thing mom said a lot was,
“Wish in one hand and spit in the other and see which one gets filled up first.”
There are other versions of that saying which Mom would not want me to share. Still, I think there is some value in wishing as long as we do the footwork to make our wishes come true. Not that we can MAKE them come true every time, but we can manifest our dreams. We can move in the direction of our hopes and dreams, one step as time. Sometimes we manifest something even better!
As I look at that word, manifest, it conjures up all kinds of trash in the stream of consciousness. It’s not a pleasant-sounding word, but it has a powerful meaning. What would be another word that means nurturing dreams into reality? Well, I don’t know. But I know this:
Reading these sayings from my parents, it sounds like my dad was more of a dreamer and my mom was stern. That was not the case at all, at least not on the surface. Dad was practical and hardworking. Mom was more romantic, though dad had his romantic side, too. Just for the record.
I could write a whole other post about goats. Summing it up: Don’t take baby goats away from their mamas.



Esther and Delilah came to the sanctuary pregnant. It was the first time they were allowed to keep their babies. I don’t have a good picture of Delilah, but Jack and Henry are her sons. Esther’s daughter was named Miracle, aka Mira, because she was a complete surprise, and her mama is so old.
Happy Mother’s Day to goat mamas, dog mamas, cat mamas, llama mamas and
all the mamas everywhere.
~~~
For more sayings, streams, and rules, visit our most excellent host, Linda G. Hill HERE.
May 7, 2022 at 9:34 am
I had many like you but didn’t take the time to list them. So glad you did.
May 7, 2022 at 8:24 pm
Thanks. I forgot a couple.
May 7, 2022 at 9:58 am
Oh how I love kids and goats, but I have a soft spot in my heart for children too. I also think I’d prefer trying to fill my hand with wishes rather than spit. It’s so much more hopeful and a lot less icky. Have a good weekend, JoAnna!
May 7, 2022 at 8:30 pm
I’m with you on the goats, children, and wishes. You have a good weekend, too, Mary.
May 7, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Happy Mother’s Day, JoAnna!
May 7, 2022 at 8:32 pm
Happy Mother’s Day, Rosaliene!
May 7, 2022 at 1:57 pm
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
May 7, 2022 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for reblogging! 🙂
May 7, 2022 at 1:58 pm
Your parents gave you a great gift box on your way. Good and thoughtful advices! Best wishes, Michael
May 7, 2022 at 8:33 pm
Thank you, Michael! I’m still realizing how many gifts they gave me.
May 7, 2022 at 10:25 pm
Lovely. Happy Mothers’ Day to you too JoAnna. And to all Mamas reading your blog.
XoXo 💃🏼 🕺 👏
May 8, 2022 at 9:47 pm
Thank you, Selma. I hope your day has been a good one. XoXo
May 9, 2022 at 5:26 am
💕 👏
May 8, 2022 at 4:53 am
You inherited much good sense
May 8, 2022 at 8:54 am
These are great sayings. I think a lot of the things our parents said, taken out of context, make them out to be sterner/harsher than they were. For my dad, I always felt he injected a little humor in order to soften the message.
May 8, 2022 at 9:56 pm
Yes. The words alone do not convey the twinkle in the eye.
May 8, 2022 at 11:30 pm
Happy Mother’s Day! I think Burgess Meredith used a variant of the line “Wish in one hand…” in “Grumpy Old Men.”
May 9, 2022 at 9:43 pm
His voice would be perfect for it! I might have to watch that again.