Charger Mom - Football Season

It's that time of year again and football season is in full on attack, one kid is fighting a cold, two more are fighting for the privilege of attending the game and another one just wants to be held. Great Gramma is begging for attention while my daughter and I chase around, wishing we had time to give attention to anything other than everyone else. Life at our house continues, rampant with dogged remarks, rushed moments and harried phrases that need finishing.

Did you ever feel like you were on a treadmill going just a half a mile faster than you could run?

When I realized a few weeks back that I'd be taking care of my mom for a while, I thought it might be nice to incorporate a few special "moments" in that care taking time. It may have been possible for the first few days, but shortly after, those moments became a random thought exclusive of ignorance. As we rushed from Doctor place to Doctor place, I realized the likeness of "special" was missing.

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So... lacking the ability to forget about my desire to make this time special, I stopped by my Dad's place and invited him and my nephew and his family to dinner. The world stopped turning for an hours worth of minutes as we attempted to eat at a family favorite diner. My mother's favorite place to go for food, costs an arm, two legs, a kidney and half a lung for a meal, when she eats less than two ounces and can't keep any of it down. But, paying it becomes a privilege, when I realize any monumental bite she takes may be her last.

A trivial moment in time for the average person, but this moment in time is precious, as my mother struggles to eat just one more bite of food. Then it occurred to me, during that meal. No matter how trivial, each moment we spend with mom... now, is special, because it may be the last one we have the privilege of spending with her.

Football season came in with such a rush of "to-dos" that I barely recognized the colors changing on the trees. The season was headlong into full force before I realized that if I leave the windows open, I can hear the boys practicing football on the field just south of the house. I've always loved listening to their "heave" and "lunges" as they cheer the boys of fall in their favorite sport. Football.

Am I a charger-mom? No, I'm not the mother of a prized football player, my boys chose not to play the autumn sport, but rather instead to run the courses in other sports. I am however a mom who charges in where angels fear to tread when the need arises, toting another barge, carrying my light high to light the world, and daring on the last moment to make a difference in the lives of teenagers, young adults and children everywhere. A life well lived is one that moves through each day, dedicated to the decision to live well, under any circumstances and find the happiness that comes with each moment, no matter how difficult the moment maybe.

I'm the mom in the checkout line spending my last dollar on toilet paper, smiling. Because I know that God is aware that's my last dollar, and he'll send me another when I need it. ;)

Daring Karma Follows

On those days when you look around and see chaos in your wake, step back and reflect on the recent past. Have you missed a step?

Today started out much like any other day - a bit disorganized (we're moving), but otherwise well planned and intact. Then the chaos started. Not just a little chaos, but mass chaos with crazy events connecting dots I didn't know existed. Life took turns onto roads that hadn't even been there earlier and I was forced to sit on the side lines and watch as life fell apart before my eyes.

After much wonder, I prayed for rain.

Rain is my "solution". When life is going awry, I ask for rain. It washes away the "karma" and allows peace to fill me up again. The clouds were gathering on the horizon but only a few sprinkles fell. Eventually, a downpour came, washing away the chaos and allowing in the blessings.

By the time we got home the chaos had disappeared and peace filled its place. Life was sane again for a moment. The world took on a soft glow with sparks of lightning and rolls of thunder. I looked around at the love surrounding me and realized that the chaos had been simply a distraction. Life, the one that I'd stepped out of, continued on in step with time, and in God's protection.

My prayer of gratitude was delayed... But now I pray in gratitude for all things wonderful and plenty in my life. May God bless your days, and nights with love.

Interesting Comments...

I stopped by to visit my blog this morning, thinking how interesting it's been that I have had so many comments on my posts. Trouble is, I can't read them and neither can most other bloggers here in the states at least. The comments are written in Japanese or Chinese, not even sure which language, because I can't tell them apart.

Please comment in English, so I can read what you have to say.

Beating Rush Hour Traffic to Home - A Better Commute

Everyone complains about their commute. Even me. I'm tellin' ya, it's really tough rushing around the corners, down the hallway and back to the office before the kids catch me and need something done.

So, exactly what is it about commuting that brings people to their brakes?

It's not the travel, or the traffic, or even the radio guys... Seriously, it's the routine. So change it.

Change it up a bit... If you're driving.

Take a different route home now and then, just to get off the speedway. Don't drive the highway, take a less familiar route and maybe find yourself driving through a neighborhood where you don't know a single person. If you happen to find a park, take a moment and park the car. Take a quick stroll around the park or swing way up high in the sky. You'll enjoy the change and it will make your evening better.

Beat the rush hour traffic home by taking a better commute - one that leads you back to your youth in a way that leaves you feeling fresh.

Art -- Paintings by Jan Verhoeff

Passing on the Legacy - Learning to Live with Fame

Standing beside a man whose name is a household word at a funeral may not make you famous, but it gives you a sense of the familiar. Not so long ago, I held the hand of a friend who had dared to redress his popularity and hide among the multitudes in plain sight of the press. We'd attended the funeral of a dear friend, with press cameras popping, microphones stuck in our faces and the daring young journalists attempting to capture the essence of fame in tears.

He stood quietly, ignoring the cameras, ignoring the microphones, and paying no attention to agents of the press who attempted to smother him.

Later in the quiet stillness of a darkening night, I felt his hand on my shoulder and held him in my arms as he cried. No tears had been shed earlier, and I knew --- his silence had been intended for the press. Strength of character dominated his stature in public, but his strength left him unguarded in the quiet hours.

His legacy is passing, but the man stands strong. How could he live with the fame that stole his identity, placed him on a stage through the wee hours of the morning, and left him stressed and overburdened through the rest of the day. He lingered in that safe quiet stillness, hanging on to my shoulder. Sanity, all wrapped up in the significance of silence and tears... We held on to the memory of days and years passed by, when fame didn't shadow his every step and the person who filled his shoes wasn't the most sought after celebrity on the evening news.

The moment passed and he rode away on his great white horse (a stretch limousine with a driver) as I stood waving into the moonlight. A coyote howled in the distance, a bat flew through the moon rays and life continued on, one more moment after another, until the dawn arrived, with fingers of light spilling over the hillside and tear drops dried on my shoulder.

Tonight, with tear filled eyes, I remember... God bless you, my friend.

Charger Mom Takes on the Political Machine

Just what I always wanted to do --- take on the political machine. Not only do I get involved in a campaign, working my buns off to get a candidate elected for U.S. Senate, but I manage to get myself involved in political discussions that go on for days, bickering with liberals who probably don't even vote. The real issue isn't the current administration, it's their guilt over making no choices and taking no stand against the liberal political machine that had determined themselves to be dictators that are taking us down a long road to no freedom, no liberty and no rights.

Is it a waste of my time or is it simply more of a side track to the edge of freedom. I don't want to let go and leave this alone. I don't want a dictator in Washington D.C. A few nights ago, I listened to Mike Huckabee tell his audience if they didn't want to live under current leaders they should run for office themselves. Or take a different tact, support the candidate they can get behind with funding. Either way works. But I don't have a lot of cash to put behind my candidate. So... I've chosen to support him with time and effort.

So, will I run, ever... Maybe. But not this year. This year, I'm satisfied to support a winning candidate and make it happen for him, so we can take back our country. Bring back our freedoms, and live FREE the way we were meant to live with liberties guaranteed by our Constitution.

We are born equal, given the freedom and liberty God created us for and we have the ability to bring back all the power and control to the people. The election in 2010 will make a difference. The people have the ability to bring it back. Because we the people have God. We trust and we believe in God, the father, the foundation of this nation.