SoCS: Love, Hate, and Yes, I Like that TV show, Plus: Dogs with Sticks.

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “stick.” Use it as a noun or a verb; use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

Love is not always easy. To be honest, there are people and things that are hard to love. I admit to saying I hate some things. Maybe I don’t hate any particular person, but I hate it when people are mean and act like bullies. In order to save ourselves, sometimes we have to love people from a distance. Like people who are critical, or talk constantly, know it alls, who might have a good heart somewhere deep down, but after a while they can be toxic.

Back to love. How to stick with love….. I suppose it’s possible to remember that God loves everyone. But God doesn’t hang around with everyone all the time (I’m guessing here.) God can assign angels to hang out with someone. God, please don’t assign me to hang out with a critical know it all who talks all the time, after I die. I try to be good, and that would be hell. Why do I keep going back to that?

Love! I can pray for someone from a distance, even if I want to hit them with a stick. Sticks should never be used for hitting, except in self-defense. Sticks are better for poking things. Gently. But be careful what you poke. Don’t poke a skunk. Don’t poke…

Wait. What was that movie? Oh, it was in a Young Sheldon episode when one of the kids questioned a compliment and Mee Maw said, “Don’t poke at it.” Or maybe she said, “Don’t go pokin at it.” Yes, I like that show. I didn’t watch it for a long time, thinking it would be…. IDK…shall we say, not my cup of tea. But I have discovered it’s funny and comforting. Mee Maw (played by Annie Potts) is Sheldon’s grandma. She’s usually sassy, but not always. I wish I could be a little more like that sometimes, even though some things she says might not be aren’t very loving to her son in law. (Is she like my alter-ego? Would I even like her in real life?) Anyway, she loves her grandkids, daughter and even, deep down, her son in law. Love always wins.

One time we saw Mee Maw’s human side when she secretly tried to use Sheldon’s new computer and cautiously picked up the mouse like it was a microphone and said, “Hello?”

I couldn’t find that video. But here’s another one that’s typical Mee Maw.

I had zero intention of writing about Mee Maw and Young Sheldon, but that’s where the stream went. I never thought I would like a show like Young Sheldon, but anything is possible. We need a little easy comedy.

I was going to share a video about dogs carrying big sticks. Marley has done that, so there must be a photo.

Marley got him a stick.

Here’s a short video of a smart dog, Theo, figuring it out:

If you really want something, don’t give up. Be like Theo. Keep trying!

FYI, Youtube has lots of video of dogs with big sticks.

~~~

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Heartbreak, Healing, Angels, and Goats

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “heart.” Use it any way you like. Have fun!

I’m almost finished reading Glennon Doyle’s book, Untamed, which I think was recommended by Laura at https://riddlefromthemiddle.com/ (Correct me if I’m wrong, Laura.) It’s been a while since I am probably the slowest reader in bloglandia. The book has lots of gems about relationships with self and others and being true to ourselves. A couple nights ago, I read about purpose. She wrote that whatever breaks your heart, that is where your purpose lies. (I’m paraphrasing from memory.)

She listed my heartbreakers in her examples: animal cruelty and environment. This doesn’t mean I have to save every animal and the planet as I had hoped from the idealism of adolescence. Anything is possible, but we can at least do our part in our own little corner of the planet to heal what breaks our hearts.

If another person breaks our hearts, finding our bigger purpose helps along with crying and pampering ourselves. Small steps, small tasks of healing are okay. Because we have to take care of ourselves, too.

“Follow your heart but take your brain with you,” is a quote in my short book about finding a healthy relationship. (See sidebar) We need both heart and brain to make good decisions.

…

(I wrote the above yesterday afternoon, thinking maybe that was it for this SoCS. Good enough.)

A few hours later, I watched PBS news about the earthquake in Syria and Turkey that has killed many thousands of people. (23,000 people.) I watched a father crying, heartbroken, at the death of his child. He said they were used to missiles from planes – acts of war, but this was an act of God.

I don’t believe God would do this. But I don’t really know. Would God allow this to happen? An age-old question. There are heartbreaks we can do little about. But we can, at the very least, pray. Watching the father crying for his lost child, I wanted to put my arms around him and prayed for angels to hold him in his grief which cannot be removed, but maybe can be softened a tiny bit.

We have natural endorphins in our bodies that help reduce pain. Our physical pain would be worse without those natural endorphins that go away if replaced repeatedly with synthetic drugs/opiates which may then lead to withdrawal. Maybe if the angels didn’t hold us in our grief, the emotional pain would be worse. It’s bad enough that we have earthquakes and floods. Humans need to stop killing each other.

Sigh. What can we do? Our part is all. Do small things with great love, like Mother Teresa said. Be kind. Pray for the wounded and grieving. Thank the angels.

A painting I did several years ago

At Blueberry Lane Farm Animal Sanctuary, I don’t do much. Just cut up produce for Thursday lunch and feed it to the pigs and chickens. Then I go hang out with the old lady goats. This past week, I also went on Monday since some volunteers were out of town. Seeing me twice in one week, the old lady goats, Esther and Delilah, came to me on Thursday, wanting me to brush them and pet them, even after they knew I didn’t have any more carrots. Delilah has never done that before. So, I sat between them and brushed them and pet them which turned into giving them mini massages…. with great love.

I don’t know why this picture of Esther and Delilah got so small. I don’t remember cropping it.

Please click on the picture to see the sweet old goats.

goats

Sanctuary Angel at the Goat Barn

~~~

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host with heart, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

SoCS: If I Knew Then…. Does God Roll Her Eyes?

Today‘s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “new/knew.’” Use one, use both, use them any way you like. Bonus points if you use both. Enjoy!

Thanks for the easy bonus points, Linda, since we can use one to say, Happy New Year! and the other some other way. And also a big thanks to Linda for providing so many prompts for so many weeks and years and helping to create communities on wordpress including SoCS, One-Liner Wednesday, and Just Jot it January which I may or may not do. But Stream of Consciousness Saturday has been a good addiction/addition to my week.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have not made the same mistakes. Would I? But then, I would not be the same person. Mistakes give us compassion for others who make mistakes and hopefully, compassion for ourselves which can sometimes be harder. Forgiving the self…. sigh…. is a process, like most forgivings.

If I knew my high school sweetheart would return to me some day, many years later, would I have gotten married to someone else? I suppose so. Otherwise, I would not have become a mother unless I was a single mother, which I was (unexpectedly) for about ten years anyway. But someone knew. God knew. I guess. Wait. What about free will? That’s too complicated to explore right now.

What I know is that when I was 16, the lady I babysat for told me that if David and I were meant to be together, we would be. That really helped my pining heart and allowed me to go on about my life for 39 years until David and I were ready to meet again.

Some things we just don’t know. Sometimes, we have to put one foot in front of the other and hope for the best. But it’s good to know what we know and admit what we don’t.

I know there are a few things I want to do in 2023. Keeping it simple and realistic: Get back to painting with alcohol ink on tile, continuing the de-cluttering process, keep working out, walking, or doing some kind of physical exercise… and love. The word love keeps coming to me. I want to make time for it – romantic, familial, and platonic love. Having reclaimed my inner introvert in retirement, I tend to not seek friends out. With occasional exceptions, I am content to be home with the dog and cat much of the time. I want to listen to my loved ones more and remember that God has a plan for them. I don’t have to try to fix things for them.

A friend on FB shared a quote:

“If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.” – Anne Lamott

(Dang! Coulda used that for One-Liner Wednesday. Well, who says I still can’t just because it came along in the stream of consciousness…)

I like to think that when we tell God our plans, God will laugh but also say, “I’ll take it into consideration,” with a smirk or eye roll.

Does God roll her eyes? Is she rolling her eyes at me right now? Does God have eyes? Of course! In some form or other. All seeing eyes.

If my guardian angels knew how much work I would be, especially in my early twenties, would they have signed up? If I get to be someone’s guardian angel after I die, I’ll probably have someone difficult as payback. Oh, but mine haven’t had to work nearly as hard lately! Except when I ask them to look after my grown up children. I can feel my guardian angels rolling their eyes at that.

But here’s the real lesson: If I knew things were going to eventually work out okay, I would not have worried so much. Maybe I’m still learning to trust the timing.

Well, thanks for reading the ramble.

Recent photos from coastal Carolina:

Neighbor’s Camillias

December 13 ~ Hanging on

Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning Ice

May your new year be filled with peace, love, joy, and blessings!

~~~

For more streams and rules about SoCS:

visit our wonderful host, Linda Hill,

by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Pushing Through and Ready for Healing

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with or contains ‘cel.’” Find a word that begins with or contains “cel” and use it in your post any way you’d like. Have fun!

The more tired I am, the more I forget where I put my cell phone. It’s been a strange couple of days out of the ordinary with back spasms, a visit from my son and granddaughter and our church artisan fair scheduled for Saturday. My cell phone got lost at least five times in the past week. It’s always in the house, and sometimes hiding in my purse, except for last week when I left it at choir practice. It always turns up eventually. Doctor/nurse practitioner wrote me a rx for a muscle relaxer and said it’s okay to take four ibuprofen, just not on an empty stomach. Maybe that will be enough to get me through the artisan fair for which I have reserved a table to share my wares and creations. We shall see…..

I wrote the above Friday. Made it through the artisan fair. My back pain was manageable. We had a good turnout, and I sold several pieces of art. Now it’s Saturday evening, and all I want to do is sleep after watching some easy TV.

There’s a meditation that a reiki practitioner gave me a few years ago. There were four steps which I don’t entirely recall, but the first line was, “I am open at the cellular level.” The rest of it included, expanding and then releasing, probably with some deep breathing along the way. Looking forward to some rest, cellular healing and releasing the tension in my back. I might not even make it to church tomorrow. Who knows? Was the push through worth it? I think so.

I’ll probably be slow in responding here on WP. It will take a while to catch up, but I could not, not do SoCS.

One of the pieces I sold today was a print I’ve had for a while. It was a zoom and crop of a bigger piece painted on wood.

Guardian Angel

I also sold some mermaids and mimosa angel ornaments like these:

~~~

For more streams of the cel kind, along with SoCS rules

visit our host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Angel Wings, Caladiums, Fairies, an Owl, and my Old Dog

Here’s our prompt: “the last photo you took.” Take the last photo you snapped. What’s the first word that comes to mind when you look at it? That word is your prompt. Enjoy!

The last photo I took was…. No wait. What’s the word? It’s a toss up between, Fairy, and What, as in What is the title of this piece of art that I’ve been working on for the past year and a half?

It all started when David was making a cabinet to store more canned goods at the start of COVID. He brought home the door of the cabinet, and I said, “Wait a minute! Look at those angel wings!”

Here’s one section

Unfortunately, it’s a bit heavy, but I couldn’t let it just be a cabinet door. Here are some enhancements below inspired by the wood grain. I was looking at caladiums a lot. Then the owl just showed up.

This was maybe a year ago.

Well, it’s closer to being finished. It might even be finished. I don’t know. And I don’t know what to call it. Tree fairies and friends? Caladium Angels, Fairies and Friends? Any ideas? Here’s where it is now:

What’s the first word that comes to your mind?

I didn’t plan the painting much. Some things just emerged, like my Golden Boy, Jesse who’s in heaven. Maybe he’s hanging out with fairies and owls.

…

For more streams of consciousness and rules, visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS July 31, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)

SoCS: Clothes, Bottle Caps, Ants, Pennies, Magazines, and Angels

Now here’s an interesting prompt:

…..“more than a hundred.” Write your post inspired by something you have more than a hundred of in your home right now. Enjoy!

Clothes: The first thing that came to mind was items of clothing. Shopping at thrift stores is not good for minimalizing my stuff. It’s hard to resist a pretty skirt that only costs three dollars. I know the tricks of backward hangers and all that. It’s been a while since I culled my clothing. Yuck, I don’t like the word culled…. oh well – the stream….. Let’s move on.

Bottle Caps: I collect plastic bottle caps for some art project. I guess I might have at least 200, maybe more. I played around with making a turtle a while back. Some day, I’ll really make something out of them. Oh, yeah, and the melted marbles…

Ants: I probably have more than 100 ants hiding in my house. But I don’t want to think about that. I will only deal with the ones I see. When I am my best and highest self, I scoop them up and take them outside as gently as I can, when I am at my best and highest self. That’s all I’m going to say about that. The key is cleaning up after making a peanut butter and jelly wrap, dear husband, by wiping the counter. Even if you don’t see that tiny spot of jelly, the ants will know it’s there. Okay, enough about ants already.

Pennies: Somewhere in a corner I have a big old wine bottle or two full of pennies. Why? I don’t know. But there must be well over 100 pennies. Way more.

Magazines: Some belong to my husband and some I’m saving for yet another art project – collages to be precise. This prompt is making me realize what I have to declutter.

Angels: I don’t know if I have more than 100. But my mother did. I gave away many of her angels, but I’ve kept a lot, too. If you include the angels I have on cards and artwork along with the knickknacks, there could be over 100. I’m not counting. Angels are everywhere, but you don’t always see them.

I had cards made with this ocean angel.

Mimosa Angels

There are always some of my mimosa angel ornaments lying around, so yeah, there’s over 100. With angels, that’s okay. You can’t have too many angels.

…

For more streams of consciousness, visit our host, Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Aug. 29/2020

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

I Don’t Usually Do This, But….

I’m making an exception on this Pass it Along Getting to Know You questionnaire, because

1. I only have to tag two people (I don’t want to impose) and
2. The  questions are interesting
3. There are only 7 questions

When M. Oniker tagged me, I first thought I’d decline as usual. But after reading her answers and thinking of some of my own, I started to reconsider. If you’ve tagged me on this same questionnaire already, I apologize. I still don’t do awards or anything where you’re supposed to tag a bunch of people, or if I just feel overwhelmed…. Why do I feel like I have to explain? Anyway here goes!

1. Name a moment in your life when you felt you were most courageous.

There were many moments of courage in the 30 something years I worked as a substance abuse counselor. It’s amazing to me now that I even did that job for so long, especially since I’ve retired and my inner introvert has come out of the closet. I don’t recall one specific moment, but I often had to assert my truth and confront the voice of addiction coming from clients who were angry and rude because deep down they hurt like hell. Sometimes I faced the monster with gentleness. Other times, I had to be firm and practice boundary setting. But I could not run and hide. I must’ve gotten better with practice, but it was never easy. Thank God for the moments of rejoicing and the privilege of witnessing recovery.  It took courage to leave that job, to say, enough, to the growing bureaucracy and red tape and trust that I’d be taken care of – just like it took courage ten years earlier to say enough after the post-divorce rebounds and trust that God had a plan for my life.

2. If you had to choose only one breakfast cereal for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

Oh good. Now we get a light and easy question. Every morning, I eat oatmeal with apples, bananas and walnuts (plus pomegranate, blueberries or peaches when in season) The every morning part might sound boring, but it’s really good and my husband makes breakfast, so I’m okay sticking with that. Occasionally we go to IHOP for dinner and order pancakes and omelettes.

3. When have you felt the most scared?

I’m sure it was when one of my kids was in trouble, like when the police called about my son when he was 15 or when my daughter was going through something scary. Nothing grabs hold of my heart like when one of my kids (or dogs) is in trouble. It was worse when they were young. I’ll never forget that feeling of being in a public place and losing sight of my child even for a few seconds. They’re grown now, but I still get a gut/heart blip  when they’re going through something hard.

4. If you could sing like any musical artist, who would you choose?

I love to sing, especially when I can experiment with harmonies. Not to brag, but I used to have a good range. Now it takes more work to keep the old vocal chords in shape. The high notes are harder to reach these days. I love listening to Celtic music and wonder if I could’ve been a Celtic Woman. But other paths called. When I read this question, Sarah McLachlan came to mind.  I also like Pink. And then there’s Loreena Mckennitt. Take your pick!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Do you collect anything?

Yes. Too many things, so I’m de-cluttering. The things I collect that give me joy are snow globes. Plus, I’ve inherited my mother’s angel collection and will keep many of them. Oh, and blue and amber glass bottles. But that’s it. And rabbits. And candles for hurricanes. That’s it.

6. If you could live inside a TV show or movie, what would it be?

If you’ve been reading my posts lately, you might think I’m going to say Star Trek. If it was the 60s, I would definitely say that cause of my old crush, Mr. Spock. But now I know I get motion sickness too easily, and beaming any where would probably make me faint. Plus I love old mother earth, so I’m going to go with Northern Exposure – as long as I can fly south for the winter after I’ve seen the Northern Lights. There’s something about that quirky little town and being close to nature. But I have a feeling I’d get tired of it about mid-winter.  This video gives the best overview of the show, though I wish Ed and Marilyn could have made it.

 

 

7. Have you ever had a reoccurring dream? If so, what was it?

Water has been the most common element in dreams I remember. In my twenties, I had a lot of dreams about tidal waves – trying to get out of the way, and OMG Where did we park the car? Then there were the dreams about going over steep, high bridges. Later things calmed down, and I dreamed about water covering the path ahead of me. My favorite water dreams are about stepping out in faith as a stepping stone rises to meet my foot and the dreams where I was able to breathe under water. I love to swim, so those were the best. I could stay under water as long a I wanted to. But I’ll never forget the dream where I was flying low and fast over the marshy intra-coastal canals just inches from the sparkling water.

There. I did it. That’s all the questions. The hardest part is tagging two people. There is absolutely no obligation of course.

Joey at https://jolenemottern.com/ does these things sometimes, so maybe I could tag her. Joey has some hilarious real life posts. I like how she makes up her own version of words that flow naturally.

Then there’s Laura from https://riddlefromthemiddle.com/  where you’ll find a diverse range of topics like social justice, family, and lots of fun stuff.

Anyone who wants to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged and feel free to link your post in the comments!

 

 

 

Save Your Own Backyard

This should be interesting. Today’s prompt is: ” is “point.” Open a book on your lap, close your eyes, and put your finger on the page. Whatever you land on, whether it be a word, a phrase, or a sentence, write about it. Enjoy!”

I chose a book sitting in my parents’ living room which is now my living room, called

The Angels’ Little Instruction Book.”

I followed the instructions, book on lap, eyes closed, and opened to a page with these words:

If you can’t save the whole world, at least save your own backyard.

My finger was in the middle of this.

Below is, “You have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” Matthew 25:21. But let’s start with the backyard, please….

Then I had to go let Marigold the mutt outside because she woke up from her long nap. Since she’s 16 years old and sleeps a lot, I have to let her out when she’s up and moving. I gave her a choice between the front yard with steep steps I have to carry her down and the backyard which has a ramp. She chose the ramp. Good.

Backyard. At least save your own backyard. What’s really interesting is that 15 minutes before I stuck my finger in the book, my husband and I were just talking about the work we have to do in our backyard at our permanent address where Hurricane Florence blew our fence over. We’ve done a lot of work on cleaning up the tree limbs and branches, but still have plenty to do when we’re there once a week while living at the house that was my parents.’

I miss my woodsy backyard. It will still be woodsy even after we clear out the limbs and build the new fence. But back to the Angels’ instruction. Who can save the whole world? God? Jesus? If we listen. I used to want to save the world when I was 18 or 22 years old. Then for the next few decades, I always felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I worked with drug addicts and marched for the animals. I carried signs. But it was never enough. Now, I’m settling down and focusing more on my own backyard. Is is because I’m wiser or am I just tired. Maybe both.

I’m reminded of a quote that…Wait, I don’t remember exactly how it goes so I’ll paraphrase: Don’t make the mistake of doing nothing because you can only do a little. Then Mother Teresa said do little things with a lot heart. That’s paraphrased too. Oh, it’s with great love.

But there’s the symbolic meaning of saving your own backyard. Save yourself. Save your family – as best you can – by being a good example. Because who can we really save? I think it’s about taking care of our own backyard. Cleaning up our own back yard. What about the front yard? That’s important too, but the backyard is where the heart is. Save where your heart is. Save what you love. Take care of what you love. Ripples of love will extend to what you like. Maybe even what you don’t like. I don’t have to force it. I can let love flow as it will. Like a river. Or a stream of consciousness.

Here are some pictures from my backyard:

Old Marigold gets lost in the backyard sometimes.

For more Streams of Consciousness and to learn more about #SoCS, visit Linda at

https://lindaghill.com/2018/11/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-nov-3-18/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

 

Find the Precious Moments

“These are precious times.”

“What? Are you crazy? We got hurricanes, wars, divided nations from extreme attention getting radials dividing us. We got all kinds of sh*t going on. Have you watched the news?”

“I try not to.”

“Well you can’t just stick your head in the sand.”

“I watch the news some, or read some things, but if I watch too much news, I just feel too much despair. The news is lopsided you know. There are good things going on they don’t tell you.”

“Right.”

“All that bad stuff is true. Well, maybe not all of it. But there are precious moments intermingled. We just have to look for them, or to see them when they are right there in front of our eyes. Have you noticed how blue the sky is since the last hurricane?

“Yes. And it’s finally cooled off some. That’s nice, but, well, I’ll think about it.”

“I’m going to go look at the sky and feel the cool air. I’m going for a walk. Wanna come?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“And we’re not going to talk about politics.”

“Okay. I’ll try. What about religion and aliens?”

“Maybe. But lets just look for the flowers, or fall leaves, and notice that the mosquitoes are not attacking as fiercely.”

….

I didn’t know this was going to be a dialog. I think that last part was because I’m planning to go to the mountains to see my son this weekend. He put something on Facebook about having a lot of family come visit and not talking about politics. I’m all for that. But sometimes we like to talk about religion and aliens. Mostly I want to go hiking and see my son and grand kids.

I was bummed out yesterday because I wasn’t feeling well – sinus infection or allergies, maybe a mild cold – lots of things blooming since the hurricane. Plus my daughter was having a crisis, but that seems to be stabilizing a little. Her whole apartment complex, like many in Wilmington, is closing down due to mold and water damage, etc. She has options and a temporary plan, but apartments and hotels are extremely scarce. This will make her stronger, I keep telling myself. God’s got this. Every crisis eventually stabilizes.

Look for the precious moments and patches of blue sky. I’m feeling better today. Rest, vitamins, echinacea, and lots of fluids have helped. It’s going to be okay.

Sending prayers to the people in Florida who’s homes have been destroyed and who have lost family and friends. To people all over the world who face challenges they do not think they can ever recover from. I’m asking angels to comfort you and bring precious moments of peace.

…

Today’s prompt for the Saturday Stream of Consciousness was: “precious.”

For more precious posts, visit our precious host, Linda, at:

https://lindaghill.com/2018/10/12/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-13-18/

Here are the rules:

1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.

2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.

3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.

4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.

6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!

7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.

8. Have fun!

To My Guardian Angels

I know I ran you ragged

In the late 70s.

All those times I drank too much

And put myself with risky people

You were there

Heeding my parent’s prayers

Though you would have been there anyway.

Did you have emergency meetings?

Strategic planning sessions?

Did your wings tremble

While I was oblivious to the danger?

You must have shaken your heads

And called for more back up

The night I went out alone

To that infamous street

We used to ride down

With the doors locked.

It was a dead.

A weeknight.

No one even talked to me.

You must have been surrounding me

Shielding me with your light

And I didn’t even know it.

Did you yell at me to

Just go home, for Godsake!

I must have heard you sometimes

From the back corner of my mind.

I’m sorry I put you through so much.

 

And even when I was older

And should have known better

But blinded by grief

I fell into that slimy pit,

The rebound from hell

And stumbled around in circles

Until you pried open my eyes

And showed me the way out.

Did you know there was something better coming?

Did you nudge us toward each other?

Did you dance when we finally got it right?

I cannot thank you enough,

my guardian angels.

Thank you for saving my life.

I hope you get to go on  vacation.

 

 

(And thank you for watching over my kids.

I know they run you ragged sometimes.)