Reality TV

I was reminded today of the power of a child's imagination. After watching the opening sequence of "Spongebob Square Pants" my four year old son asked me how Spongebob played his nose like a flute. I told him I didn't know and he said, "he must be magic". I chuckled as I went on with my day but I realized that to my son, Spongebob is a living thing. And not only a living entity but also one who has the ability to create music from his nostrils. I feel like there are so many messages to parents today that we should correct our children, teach them the difference between reality and illusion at all times. I know that my son cannot go about his life believing in the actuality of Spongebob, Santa and the Easter Bunny but for today I am happy to know that he just believes.

Life Changing

I am currently reading a book called "Kitchen Table Wisdom" by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen and it is by far the most profound book I have read in my life. It's a New York Times best seller and I can see why. She does not explore human weakness, she explains it and gives me hope to make my weakness strength (something I believe is the purpose of life anyway). Her writing has opened my heart to better understand myself and my faith and allowing my Heavenly Father to guide me. I am deeply moved by her ability to so beautifully express in writing her wise observations of the human soul. Every page is filled with some wonderful story of change and growth and I have been overwhelmed at the ultimate simplicity of healing. I'll leave you with a passage I read last night.

"Perhaps we are no longer a kind people. More and more, we seem to have become numb to the suffering of others and ashamed of our own suffering. Yet suffering is one of the universal conditions of being alive. We all suffer. We have become terribly vulnerable, not because we suffer but because we have separated ourselves from each other. A patient once told me that he had tried to ignore his own suffering and the suffering of other people because he had wanted to be happy. Yet becoming numb to suffering will not make us happy. The part in us that feels suffering is the same as the part that feels joy." Pgs. 147-148

American Living On

I just read an article by Anna Quindlen entitle "American Forgetting". It's a very well written article with many valid points. I agree with her opinion that America as a super power has made a mess of the response to the Sept. 11th attacks. She puts so succinctly the thoughts about Iraq versus Afghanistan in terms of fighting an enemy. (I'll refer you to her article at www.msnbc.com/id/20657183/site/newsweek/). It is the ending of her article that troubles me. I would like to give some hope to Ms. Quindlen that there are some Americans who have not forgotten. True, I did not stop today to observe a moment of silence for the fallen. I have not watched any special ceremonies or even read many articles about the different memorial events taking place today. No, today I did what many Americans did, I got up and continued on. I made sure my children practiced their instruments, made their beds and did their homework. I packed their lunches and made them wear their bike helmets. We studied scriptures as a family and talked about the love God has for all of us and then I sent them to our local public school. I have filled my day with what many would say are ordinary things but I sincerely feel that it is in these ordinary things that we as Americans best honor the fallen. I will continue to refrain from judging others on the color of their skin or the basis of their faith. I will teach my children to love one another as Jesus loves you and if your friend doesn't believe in Jesus, that's ok. I will teach my children to pray and I will pray myself and when it comes time for me to make my voice heard, I will vote.

Guitar Hero!!

My son got "Guitar Hero" for his birthday and I am addicted. This game is too fun. I have managed to move to "medium" on a few songs which is quite an improvement given that I got booed off the stage on my first attempt. My favorite: "Cherry Pie" by Warrant. This should come with parental warnings that read: "Adults may become addicted and find themselves wasting all sorts of valuable time sneaking in ways to play while the kids are at school and asleep."

My little Kat Von D

My daughter has discovered the joy of art! Well, ok, body art. The other day she completely covered her body with blue ink. What surprised me was her thoroughness. If you looked at each toe, she had taken the time to cover each tiny digit with what appeared to be Chinese characters. I'm hoping that she is a prodigy who speaks in tongues an on her toes was a sincere message of love and peace.

This may be a shock

I want you to prepare yourselves for what I'm about to tell you. This news is astonishing and could very well change the way we live our lives. According to an article by Reuters a new study has found that "Rockers really are more likely to die early".

I know, I had no idea either. They always seemed so healthy and happy to me. I mean sure, you have the occasional head-shaving Diva who runs to rehab or the hot-pursuit-car-chase diva who runs to rehab or the Thirty-days-in-jail diva but I guess they really aren't "rockers" per-say.

I'm feeling extremely moved by this information. Does anyone know if they have a "save the rockers" fund set up for donations?

boys are fun

I was cleaning my back sliding door today and guess what I found? A dead earwig taped to the top of the door. There it was, stuck between one piece of scotch tape and the glass. Now I'm not sure if the earwig was deceased before it was adhered to the glass or if the poor insect faced the traumatic loss of life due to taping but I thought it was nonetheless an interesting choice on the part of my sons. At one time in my life I would have found this act heinous and declared the perpetrator and sicko but as the mother of three boys I have learned that these displays are quite common and no indication of future criminal activity. I have to say, boys just add such a different dimension to any home. I'm glad I've been thrice blessed.