Happy New Year

The year of ’08 is done
We are sad to say good bye to all the fun
We look forward to the year of ‘09
Can’t wait to see what fun we will have this time.

Best wishes to you and yours
For you, we pray blessings and good health pours
With joy and not tears
We wish you a Happy New Year!

Ode to My Blog

I had resisted starting a blog for a number of reasons: becoming public gives you very little room to hide, becoming public opens you up to public criticism, and becoming public reveals not only your strengths but magnifies your weaknesses. Since going public, I have discovered a sense of confidence and personal satisfaction that I had not counted on.

I love blogging. I have missed blogging. The attack on our computer,the loss of our external hard drive have been extremely difficult for me. So I am glad to say, I am back. Whether this blog ever gets read or not, I am going to persist.

I love blogging. I love research and I love writing so putting the two together is kind of fun. With blogging I have an outlet.

I love blogging. I am a wife to one strong man and mom to two adorable boys. As the only woman in a house of boys, I many times feel nobody is listening to me. Whether the blog is read or not, somehow by writing/typing it down, I feel like someone is listening.

I love blogging. I have been a home mom for three years. I do miss the daily dish you have with co-workers around the water cooler/coffee pot. A blog gives me a chance to put my two cents into the pool.

Our computer has been revived, so I am back. My kids are home for the winter break so for a little longer the posts will be random, but I have great hope for the future.

Thanks for dropping by. Read ya' Later.

Name, Blessing or Curse

I am standing at the bus stop with my kids and a few others. To pass the time, I ask them, “If you could be nicknamed anything, what would it be?” The three older boys popped off their nicknames quickly. The boys said, “Sparky,” “Scrappy,” and “Spike.” If you knew theses boys, you would know how well these names really fit them.

My four year old then pipes in, “Doctor!” I am not sure he understands what a nickname is, but I am thrilled he came up with “Doctor.” The bus came, Sparky, Scrappy and Spike jumped on and Doctor started his usual Good Morning Wave at every bus and car that drove by. As I smiled to myself, I began to wonder what is in a name? Is a name a blessing or a curse?

I have a dear friend who is very concerned that people have lost track of the importance of names. In the beginning, names were references to who people were and what they did. If you expected something great from your child, you named them something that meant great. You then called them by that name, blessing them every time you said it. When the child grew into an adult, all those blessings would hopefully come into fruition and as an adult, they would be great.

Of course, the reverse was thought to be true too. Cruel nicknames being hurled at a child cursed that child every time that name was cast on them. How many times have we heard of school violence and the perpetrator say they were just getting pay back for all the bulling? Did those kids inadvertently curse the child being bullied? Did the curse come true when the bullied became the bully?

I have no answer, but it certainly gives me pause. My name? My name means “Morning Star.” If you ever see me in the morning, you will see that I am anything but a star. My husband is a morning star. I guess if he keeps casting that blessing on me, someday our lights will shine at the same time and our mornings will be very bright.