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Monday, March 24, 2014

Believe In Brighter Things

You know some days, it is just darn hard to believe in anything, let alone believe in bigger things.  My husband and I were talking today at lunch about some of the plagues of the world today, which got me thinking on this a little deeper.  Which made me look up the actual meaning of a plague. 

Plague - an infectious disease - a disease that has a high mortality rate or a calamity with widespread and serious consequences for its victims

It also mentions things like the plagues of Egypt in the Bible, and plagues of insects or disease that destroy crops.

I like the definition of a disease / or a calamity, with widespread and serious consequences for its victims.

Going with this definition, it would be justifiable to say that laziness in the world is a plague.  It would
also be right to say that entitlement is a plague.  What are some of the other things that seriously affect people, that will have serious consequences?  How about lack of caring, abuse, depression / anxiety, stress, pornography, alcohol and drug abuse, and also the many health issues. 

We were kind of talking about being lazy at first, and how we are actually pretty concerned for the generations that are following us, because they don't have the same work ethics that we were taught.  They seem to not want to do anything more than what is absolutely necessary to get by.  There are a few who have been taught otherwise, but by and large, there is a serious problem with the next generation. 

Then to continue on with this thought, who is going to teach the generation that comes from them?  If they can not do something themselves, they certainly won't be able to teach it to someone.  The vicious cycle of this plague continues.  Where can we stop it?  How can we believe in things to come that they will be great, when we can't see past the plagues that are haunting these upcoming generations?  It makes it very hard to be positive.

I do believe that there will be good things to come in the future.  I do also believe that these good things will come because of hard work, preparation, education, and dedication.  I believe that if I teach my children to work hard, love learning, keep the laws of the land, and keeps the laws of God, then at least I have the hope that there will be good things in my future.

What am I going to teach them?
1. Work hard - don't be lazy, the world has enough lazy people, we need people to work hard and be committed to it
2. Love learning - always be learning something that will improve your life
3. Keep the laws of the land - there is no need to break the laws if you are living a decent life
4. Keep the laws of God - even more so than anything else, keep the laws of God, at least as you know them.  

I believe in brighter things to come!  I believe we can have a healthy productive world, especially if we could get enough parents to buy into it. If we can't, then I seriously worry for the future.  It is a choice as parents, what we teach our children.  Do we want them to be contributors to society, or leeches in society?  Depending on how we answered that question, will help decide what we need to teach them now.



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

What Matters Most

You know I always thought that when we grew up and became ladies and gentlemen, that the teenage drama would stop, and we could all be friends.  I always thought that the little petty things in life would kind of grow up and mature with us.  Unfortunately, I have figured out that this is not so.  In fact, I am finding that it seems to be getting more and more frequent.  I just don't understand it.

Are those little things really important?  I don't think so.  Do these things really matter in life?  I guess to some people they do.  To me I have more important things to think on.  Things that really matter the most to me.

Thomas S. Monson says the things that should matter most are to spend time with, cherish, and express love to the people we hold the most dear.  He tells us to relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.  I don't see anywhere in his teachings does he say that petty things in life, matter most, or at all. 

My family matters the most to me.  I love my family and don't have time to waste on things that don't matter.  They matter most.  I do cherish them.  I do spend most of my time with them, and they are my
world.  They are the reason that I find joy in my journey. 

I have some really good friends that matter most to me also.  You know the kind of friend that has lived
with you through trials, has been there by your side through good times and bad, and has held your hand, laughed and cried with you, and has earned the title of dear friend.  They are rare, and when you find them, you need to realize that they matter most.  Hang on to them, and cherish them, treat them like a true friend, and they will always be there for you.

My faith matters most to me also.  It is my way of life that is a really good way of life.  My beliefs and my faith keep me grounded. They give me purpose in life.  They give me hope in a great future.  They give me reasons to keep going when life tells me otherwise.  They give me direction when I feel lost.  My faith matters most to me.

I don't understand the drama, the pettiness, the way some people are.  They have the wrong idea of what matters most.  People can not hurt me, because I choose not to let them.  I have a good life, and I wish that I could share with others the way that I feel.  I am in control of who I allow to affect my life.

I choose to only allow the things that matter most in my life, affect my life and who I will be.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

RED

RED

Red. That was his name. My faithful horse. Oh man, how I loved that horse. In the mind of a child he was the fastest, smartest, and nicest race horse in the whole area. The area being, all of the farms anywhere
Red as an old tired horse. Still riding bare back
within riding distance, of course. We loved him and he loved us children.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six. I remember well one birthday party, where my father lifted six of us loud, crazy children up onto the back of Red. He allowed us all to be there, patiently walking around with us on his back, like a grandfather patiently allows his grandchildren to crawl all over him while he lays sleeping peacefully on the floor. Red transported us happily. We were his friends.

Transportation. Red was our transportation. He took us to the swimming hole. He took us to the field of peas. He took us to the old “haunted” shack down the road. He took us on picnics. He took us on many adventures. He took us to find friends. If ever we wanted to play with friends, within a 5 mile radius, (or so it seemed) we rode Red. We would ride to the neighbor's home, pick up a kid or two, and sometimes another horse, and then off to the races.

The races. We had many a races, out there in the wide open fields. Races with other horses. Races with imaginary horses. Races against the wind. Races with my hands held high in the air to feel the warm summer breeze, my hair flowing wildly behind me. Nobody out there to slow us down. Not a care in the world. Reins loose and free.

Reins. Yes, we had to use these, but only these. We learned young how to put these on Red, but rarely a saddle. Red preferred we go bare back, and that is what we did. After all, we were too little to put on a saddle, we couldn't even lift one up. We would simply put a rope around his neck, lead him over to the fence where we could climb up high enough to put the reins on him, and then hop from the fence onto his back. Yes we were big, but still oh so little. I don't remember a time when I wasn't allowed to ride Red. We were jockey's at five years old.

Jockeys. We raced. We jumped ditches. We herded cattle. We ran in and out, zigged and zagged between the trees. Red knew us well, and we were one with him, as we sat high up on his back. It was the life of a farm kid, back in the days of black and white. Ooops, I mean back in the '70s.

I sometimes long for those peaceful, carefree summer days. Just a girl and her horse. A wide open field. A world of adventure awaiting, and all day to discover it. That was the life. That was the best. That was perfect. That was my life!


Sunday, March 09, 2014

What is home?

I have been thinking a lot lately about home, and what really is home?  I feel a different sense of home in many different places, so I don't think that "home" is an actual place.

I feel at home when I am in my own home, for sure.  When my family are around me, when I am home alone, or when the house is rocking with a party of teenagers, they all still feel home, in my own home.  So in that sense, "home" is where I live.  It is the shelter that is over my head.  It is the place that I go to when I am done work.  It is the place that I go to when I am at some of my work.  It is a PLACE.

Dad and Grandma
I feel at home when I go to visit my Dad on his farm.  I never lived on that particular farm, or in that house, so it isn't the place there that makes me feel at home.  I think it is the feeling of being with my Dad.  For most of us our parents represent the feeling of home.  It is kind of a comfort and security thing, right?  It is kind of the same when I go to the in-law's home.  It is a FEELING OF LOVE, knowing that you are loved and accepted there for who you are. 

Old Chief Southern Alberta
I feel at home when I go to my family's old homestead in the mountains.  I went there several times a year as a child, and even to this day I love to go there.  This particular place is where the theme of this blog came from.  It is full of many happy memories.  Memories of playing in the creek, memories of hiking up in the hills, memories of riding in the back of trucks as we took trails that led us up higher into the hills, memories of bears, boys and baseball, are but a few of the memories that give me the wonderful feeling of home.  It is MEMORIES.

I feel at home when I am 1000 miles away, in the company of my sister, or one hour away with my other sister.  I can be on a vacation with my family or at the zoo with my nieces and nephews, and it is home.  It can be anywhere I am, as I am surrounded by family or people I love.  It is the PEOPLE you are with.

Home is so much more than just a dwelling place.  It encompasses everything that is in our world that offers us that feeling, those memories, and those people we love.  For each of us, home will be different things.  Maybe your home didn't have a dad, maybe it wasn't a happy place, maybe your childhood wasn't full of great memories, but you can create them now.  You can build a home full of love.  You can build a home full of people you love.  You can fill your life full of happy memories.  It is up to you, but it is can be done.  You can create your home wherever, or whenever, or however you want it to be.  Make it a great one.

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Eat, Pray, Love

I often wonder, if I could pursue any passion of mine, would I be brave enough to do as the character portrayed in Eat, Pray, Love?  Would I have the courage to just go and do what I really wanted, without hesitation? 

First off, I have to really figure out what my passions are, that would inspire me enough to make me get of my rusty dusty and do what needed to be done. What makes me want to get out of bed in the morning? What makes me want to be a better person?  Do I have any passions that move me enough?  Is there
Waterton, Alberta
anything that I want that bad, that I would fight to find it?  Or am I dead in my heart?  Has the world beaten me down enough that I don't think my passions could ever become a reality?  No, I am sure they can become a reality, if I want them bad enough.  But what are they, really?

What does passion really mean?  Definition: a strong and barely controllable emotion.  Hmmmm, is there anything that I am passionate about?   Is there anything that I would move mountains for?

I am passionate about my writing. I love to write, and currently have a few books that I am working on, and several other ideas.  Writing seems to be more of an addiction than a passion.  I guess it depends on how you look at it.  It is a very strong emotion, but it is a controllable one.

My Boys
I am passionate about my grandchildren. I have very strong emotions, when I think about them growing up in this crazy world.  Sometimes my emotions are barely controllable when I think of this.  Thus, my book that I am writing, and my blog that I keep, dedicated to my grandchildren.  I am moved to passion regularly with my grandchildren and their futures.  But yet, I do not have a lot of control over their lives.  I can only influence from a grandmother's point of view.  So I must get creative and influence in ways that they will respect and listen.

I am passionate about getting out of debt.  This old world is kind of a scary place right now, and I really want to be debt free.  This is an extremely strong emotion.  It is barely controllable, because it seems to consume my time, thinking of ways that I can do this.  It does move me to action. 

I am passionate about owning a piece of land, close to where my Walk The Creek all started.  This has always been a very strong emotion for me.  There is just something about the foothills of the Southern
My Creek
Alberta Rockies, that speaks to me.  It calls to me.  Yet I don't think I have an uncontrollable emotion for it, until I drive that way again, and the emotions and memories seem to bring me home.  Then it is all I can do to return back to the city, back to reality, back to my other home. 

So really what am I passionate about enough, that I have such strong and uncontrollable emotions?  What will inspire me so much that I must move mountains to make it happen?  Honestly, I don't know.  It is kind of a sad thought, but I really don't know.  It is time to do some soul searching.  It is time to figure out how to answer these questions for myself.  It is time to figure out my own "eat, pray, love" story. 

Do you know what your passionate about?  Do you know what you would move mountains to make happen?  I would love to hear about it?