Tis the Season of Stress

As God opened a window, I didn't need to vent on this blog as much as I think I needed to earlier this fall. I survived the stressful time of the kids being away for 2 weeks halfway around the globe. I survived the field trip to DC. I survived the paperwork onslaught that work brings (though the pile is becoming greater as there are more responsibilities asked of us...I may be questioning my employment and looking for a transfer yet again).

As the season of giving approaches I am trying to take more time to reflect on my spiritual self, but that certainly is difficult to do with midterms and meetings and all that that entails. I need a few more hours in a day just to get by. And I also notice that the winter brings me to my hibernation phase, where I just want to hunker down under a warm blanket and catch up on the Twilight Zone or Seinfeld reruns. I think I was a bear in a former life.

I will, however, take on a new year's resolution: write a thank you note every day. Appreciate the people in my life, friends, neighbors, family, students, colleagues. Everyone needs a pat on the back for a job well done. I certainly appreciated the ones I've received in the last year, and I think I'm in a place to return the favor.

What a difference a month makes.

Interesting how God works. He sends you someone when you aren't even looking. Neither was he. Somehow, God knows - and the whole neighborhood does, too! Is this a good thing? It's, well, interesting. And comforting. And comfortable. Especially since I've known his family for what seems like forever, good and bad, but from afar. And neither of us were really looking for anything until it basically fell into our laps. And feels like it's been there all the time, even though it wasn't.

This will be interesting to see how other things progress. But I'm very relieved to know that I was able to stand on my own - looking forward - and quite unexpectedly, he surfaced in my life. And I'm glad.

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy in my Tummy!

I owe what I know about gardening to my Grandfather. He and my father were able to grow just about anything. Unfortunately, all I really have been successful at is tomatoes and peppers. A plethora. And cucumbers. And cabbage. And I'm the only one in my house who actually eats them.

So how happy was I this season when I tried canning. First I tried pickles, with both a refrigerator recipe for short term and then a dill recipe. The kids do like the pickles, but you can only eat so many...

Then I found the wonders of salsa. I had found a book a while back of a whole assortment of tomato, fruits, nut salsas, chutneys, relishes... practically anything you could think of could be chopped up and put together with wonderful spices. My problem was that I couldn't eat all of it - and no one else in my house would either.

So then I looked into canning homemade salsas. So I can make the deliciousness last all year long! It's soooooo easy - So far this season, I've made a peach chutney, dill pickle spears, corn relish, Grandpa's ketchup, spicy tomato salsa, a tomatillo salsa, a pineapple-chili salsa & a roasted poblano & tomato salsa. People are raving and the bowls are empty! Almost sorry that I only planted 3 tomato plants! Will definitely be planting more tomatoes and peppers next year!

Of course, I'd like to keep my finger tips intact!

What to do when given the time?

Well, in reflecting on where I am right now, I have noticed that most of what I do in my life is be there for other people. In my life, I facilitate meetings, events, plans, housing, games, for other people in my community. In fact, tonight, even though my boys are not here for me to be responsible for and I can do whatever I want... I am still home to take care of my dogs. I work for them. It is part of my responsibility as a mother as a pet owner. I left them for 2 days while I went on vacation, they will be alone again when summer closes and I empathize with their loneliness...

Sometimes it seems as though I do need to take time for myself, but I may need to learn how to do that. I haven't done that, in so long, or ever, that I may not know how to. What's funny is that I was accused of not taking time for other people, that I was selfish. Interesting.

Opening Statements

This is my first attempt at a blog.  Not sure what to expect.  Not sure how it will come back to haunt me.  A journal is personal.  This is public.  So I certainly will need to think before I speak.  But then, that's how I have lived my life anyway... trying to predict how things will be perseived ahead of time in the court of public opinion. 

I want to live a four-fold life (Physical, Mental, Religious, Social) as I was exposed to through the American Youth Foundation at Merrowvista Camp in high school.  However, while focusing on myself, I also need my boys to be a priority.  In recent time, I have been forced to stand alone as matriarch of my family and be strong for my boys.  I think that showing them that Mom can be strong while still holding down a full time job and other volunteer responsibilities in their community can help them grow into the well-rounded men that I want them to become.  I want to live by example.  I can't make someone be part of my journey, but I can make that journey be the most memorable I can, full of experiences and adventure.  I want them to be happy with the circumstances they are presented, no matter how difficult.  The glass is half-full (even if it's full of prune juice) and there are always roses to smell (even if they are mixed with stinky socks).