Friday, February 19, 2010

beautiful hair?

i really can't say much more today. i had a nice time at the beach while my friend and i let our dogs run until they were worn out!  so were we!  we were talking about how much we love our kids and how tricky this mom thing can be sometimes with teens.

we covered the gamut ...from parents and watching them get older....being there for our parents and allowing them dignity and respect....being respectful to our kids and expecting respect in return....big topics....for just a walk on the beach!

we stopped for tea at a great little spot for tea in town...a sensitive new age type starbucks of teacups. it was like a tea bar...no, not a tiki bar.....not a bar bar...not a coffee bar....a tea bar.  groovy!

then, i ran to stop and shop to get a little crabmeat for my little appetizer for the chili party that we would like to be at....unless we just can't drag the kids...even though it is awesome good times for kids...snow and sledding and lots of other fun kids.

of course, i saw the friend i just had tea with....we were just stopping in for a friday speed shop.  i bumped into other frantic friday moms in to speed shop and some to prepare for next weeks school lunches.....that planning is way too intense for me on a friday.  besides, whatever i buy for school snacks and lunches will be gone before monday....logic?  sure!


i got all caught up in my crab dip recipe and the three gallons of milk and oh! t.j.'s o.j. request.....i turned a corner and saw another nice friend.  she had just come back from 3 weeks visiting her daughter in the peace corps in africa....my friend went over for the second trip.....she had been so moved visiting kate the first time, she went back to bring books and teach the women to read.this woman has boundless energy and enthusiasm!


i have a picture i took of kate with her mom when kate was home at christmas.  they had a big party to welcome kate home....from africa.  i never e-mailed the photo.  i was so excited to see her....i wanted to hear about the trip....i wanted to get together to see more pictures.  these women of africa really touched her deeply.


she asked me about the picture.  she asked me to e-mail it...i was babbling about my e-mail inadequacy when she stopped me....and said...."oh, stop....it doesn't matter.....listen.....i was just diagnosed with breast cancer!"

breast cancer!  this woman looked healthier than most.  whe had just been to africa to help women...women who did not know how to read....she was helping women to be independent.  she flew around the world and with kate and now she was home....with her husband, youngest daughter and two older sons. she had been around the world.  she came home to find out she had breast cancer.

breast cancer is so common that people break the news to others in stop and shop.  it's so common that i was hearing it at the check out counter.  there were headlines behind my friend about tiger woods and jon and kate plus eight and martha stewart's good home cooking magazine and better homes and gardens book of healthy soups.....and by the way, my friend has breast cancer.  she was standing with her 16 year old daughter....checking out...telling me she had been wanting to call me.....and tell me about her breast cancer and wanting the picture and talking about africa.....and all i could do was say,"what can i do?"
http://www.avonwalk.org/

and she checked out her groceries.  just like that.

cancer.  how stinking is that? a mom.....in the store with her daughter...back from africa...she had just had this big open house sharing her daughter kate with all of her friends.  her house was lit up with lights on the tree and with people.  we had just taken family photos....we all laughed about the funny family clowns in the pictures.

and tonight, while i'm missing a little chili party and watching the olympics, my friend is thinking about cancer and chemo and recovery.  oh, and by the way, did i mention she has beautiful hair?

that's life.

it has been a week filled with kleenex tissues.  i feel like i need those kleenex for me....to cry!  a whole vacation at home....with colds and sneezing and exhaustion....it seems neverending.  especially, when i look forward to our kids' vacation too!

i like to see the sunshine on a cloudy day but this is ridiculous! i've already said that i'm grateful....that this is only over some viral colds, the doctor told us.  i'm also the mom who wants to go with the flow....

i was talking to a friend this morning....explaining the week of laying low and canceling plans and missing out on friends and family possibilities and plans.....excuse me....i just sneezed!  although, i'm glad for us to have this vacation to recharge our batteries.....i feel like we couldn't have had more battery charging than ever this school year...mono., swine, cold, swollen glands, sore throats, coughing, sneezing....i think it may be recirculating through the house.

as my friend and i talked, i realized i waas holding one of my "quotable mugs" filled with coffee.....and what do you think it said?......

"whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should..."
max ehrmann

o.k. i get it.  accept life.  accept life right now as it is.  accept. kleenex.  accept sleeping teens.....let sleeping teens lie....not lie like liars, i don't accept that....just accept that they must need their sleep....they must need this time....time to veg....time to chill, oh yeah, they have chills....time to just hang out....time to hang around.....time, time, time.

we're not getting much done around here.  it's not like anyone has enough energy to get anything else done.  i'm kind of tired of that too.  you'd think our house would be sparkling clean...you'd think i'd have so much done that i'd be grateful for this opportunity!

nope.  i have tried to accomplish alot......it has been like fighting the flow....i just can't keep up with the tissues.  i just can't keep up with the dishes that pile up with everyone hanging around....even though everyone has taken to using plastic cups....i just can't keep up.

i go out to walk the dogs...i go out to the store....i go out for an occasional coffee....

go figure.  i even feel like my blog is boring....me!  you must be bored to tears because i am!

my big event today is taking a shower, taking the dogs to the beach with a friend and her dog, stopping for a cup of tea!

tonight, we're invited to a fun chili party....and i'm still not sure that we can go!

we planned to ski today....but, here i am writing my blog that's boring you and me!

i'm still hoping we'll get out to this party....with the kids who are invited with sleds and snow fun with tons of other kids and fun parents.....and chili!

nobody has had energy this week for anything.  i'm not so sure that i'm playing my best game either.  is that because of the cold or because of being exhausted from everyone having colds....or is it the energy in our house that i'm picking up..........................low!  using that exclamation point was an effort.

i think this week, i've had very little reason for the exclamation point that i tend to use so freely.....in my speech and in my writing.  i feel like i'm no representative for the exclamation point. there has been no need for exclamation points this week.  it's a stretch.  i'm using them only because i'm trying to stay up beat!  TRYING!

aren't you tired of me being tired and every story having to do with tissues? me too.

"whether or not it is clear to you, the universe is unfolding exactly as it should..." who knew how deep my mug would be....is the mug half empty?  is the mug half full?  the mug is deep.  that's life.