{this moment}

A weekend ritual from my friend Wendy, who got it from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

here comes the sun!

{this moment}

A weekend ritual from my friend Wendy, who got it from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

theme of the week

I do enjoy Indexed... her ability to summarize the complex emotions I'm experiencing and put them onto a 3x5 index card amazes me. And, if the truth were told, focuses me too.

Tomorrow is another day....

How to win.

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Jessica Hagy

if tomorrow never comes

Yesterday, a friend of mine passed away. We did not see other every day, or even every month, but we're the same age and so our lives had a similar path. We met when we were single, and followed each other through dating, marriage, and motherhood. She chose to homeschool, and minimally I'd see her every spring when I'd come in to review portfolios. She contacted me recently about setting that date. And now, I will not be seeing her and joking about being a 'certifiable' teacher... and nothing seems to make much sense.

Part of what is hitting me so hard is that our lives followed a similar path. We're the same age, with children the same ages (although she has twice as many). When I look at my kids, I can't help but wonder how they would fare if this tragedy had happened to us. I want to show WB where I keep all the important documents, just to be sure he knows. And then I think about her husband and kids, and that they are actually living this horror.... and I realize just how selfish I am being.

No one likes facing their own mortality, and this is precisely what her passing has done. We have all sorts of platitudes about the gift of each day, but we all go about our lives thinking we have tons of time to do what we want, to plan for the future, to experience everything. Truth is... we have no way of knowing whether our fate is to die of old age in our sleep or to battle against cancer for years and die at 52 or to have a brain aneurysm at 41, having no idea that morning that it will be our last. For as much as we know, there is so much that we don't, and we have to rely on faith. And relying on faith in the face of something that makes no sense is not easy, and yet it is all we can do.

Unsurprisingly, I've spent the day with Garth Brooks' lyrics running through my head. I do take comfort knowing she was the type of person to live fully, and I am sure all her friends and family know how much they mean to her. I'm just really sad that they'll have to spend the rest of their lives without her constantly reminding them of what they know is true. She loved every bit of her life, and it is a real tragedy that she is no longer with us.

{this moment}

A weekend ritual from my friend Wendy, who got it from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

the dangers of cutting

I attended the school board meeting tonight; to say it was painful would be an understatement. We're losing so much with these cuts, and it's our kids who will suffer. And any cut will affect kids-- whether you're cutting paper supplies or kitchen workers or teachers.

If you don't want these cuts, please come to the informational meetings and say so. Write letters to the editor saying our kids can't endure these losses to their education. Call your board members and tell them to vote down this proposal and request increases. Get involved. This impacts all of us.

Mt. Valley Region: 6:30 Monday June 6 Mexico Town Office
Nezinscot Region: 6:30 Tuesday June 7 Buckfield Town Office
Dirigo Region: 6:30 Wednesday June 8 DHS SCC

{this moment}

A weekend ritual from my friend Wendy, who got it from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

the morning after

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” MLK, Jr.

I find myself sad today, more than anything else. Sad that it took us 9+ years to achieve this goal. Sad that it was still a goal after 9+ years. Sad that thousands of others died in the quest for this one man to no longer live. And sad knowing that this does not mean the end, but only that things will change.

I am sure there is a 'break-glass-in-case-of-emergency' plan somewhere among Osama's followers, and I am frightened thinking about what grief that will cause. I am worried for my sister who is teaching overseas, and for my friends who plan to do the same next year. I am worried for our troops who are fighting in multiple locales... and while I hope this news brings them home, I am doubtful. My thoughts linger on people in southeastern America-- and Japan and Haiti and all the other sites of recent devistation-- who have lost everything of substance and so many friends and family that it hurts to consider what they are enduring. And I wonder: how does the death of one man-- a man filled with hate, for sure-- make any of their tragedy any better?

I believe in the power of love and the goodness of humanity and the-sun-will-come-out-tomorrow way of thinking. The sun did come out today, as it did here almost 10 years ago when bin Laden's unthinkable plan went into action. I wish this death could bring back those lost in New York City and Washington, DC and that field in Pennsylvania... but they are still gone, and we are forever changed by that day. We are probably forever changed by today, too. I hope that this is the end of it, that there are no repercussions, and that our troops can come home and we can all coexist. I'm just hoping for peace...

I realize I am in the minority that I am not rejoicing in his death. While I am thankful that he is no longer here causing problems for others, I am not sure we will be free of his legacy of hatred for some time. I am also sorry that another human being was charged with ending his life: I cannot imagine the toll that takes on someone's soul. It is why I don't believe in the death penalty: I have no doubt that there are people and situations that demand the final punishment, but I do not think it right to ask another human to fulfill that role. And so today I find myself sad more than anything else.

why I love the cold

So I was sitting here, innocently reading Pioneer Woman and snacking on some low salt bdubs, when a tick crawled across my keyboard. Somehow I was able to calmly get myself to the bathroom, fill an old pill container with rubbing alcohol (all the while keeping my eyes on that bleeping creepy crawler) and roll the bastard into it.

At least when it's snowing and cold, I don't have to deal with ticks. I hate those creatures more than I hate mice. And I really hate mice.

I'm going to go freak out now.

{this moment}

A weekend ritual from my friend Wendy, who got it from SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.