Tag: Daily Prompt

Overstepping

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Daily Prompt:  Meddle

There is a fine line between offering advice and meddling in someone’s business.  I am sure that we have all gone through the over zealous advice of parents, parents in law and friends.  Everyone thinks they know what you should do.  Unfortunately, if this behavior is not put into check, relationships can be affected and even destroyed.

I remember when I was young and getting married.  Of course I had my own ideas of how I wanted things done.  My mother in law did things completely different than the way I had been taught.  Something as simple as how I washed the dishes was called into question.

For years I bit my tongue.  I was reluctant to speak my mind.  But the day came when I had had enough.  Maybe it was because I was tired from being up with the baby and was also working.  I can’t remember the specifics of that day except I was told, in my house that I wasn’t doing something the way she would have done it.

I exploded.  I had had enough.  I told my mother in law that although I loved her, and she was my husband’s mother, she needed to back off.  I also told her that unless she wanted to support me and take over my bills, what we did in our home was really none of her business.

Needless to say, she was hurt.  I was immediately sorry that I had told her off like that. Unfortunately you can’t un-ring a bell.  She left and we didn’t speak for a few days.  My husband had spoken to her and she told him about the incident.  You can imagine how that conversation went.  I have to say that he did back me up with the unwanted advice, but was sorry it had come to a head the way it did.

Finally my mother in law and I had to see each other.  It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but we found our way back to a good relationship after a long time.

Now I am a mother in law and a mother of grown kids.  I catch my self starting to offer advice that is not appreciated and I stop right away.  I have explained to my kids that they will always be my babies no matter how old they get and that I will always want to help and protect them.  Then I admit that I need to back off and shut up.  They give me that tolerant smile that all of us get from our grown kids.

My point is that I would not even realize what I was doing if I hadn’t gone through a very uncomfortable issue with my own mother in law.  So, I am eternally thankful to her for teaching me the boundaries I need to respect when I deal with my grown kids.

Wanda

 

The Garden

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Daily Prompt:  Blossom

Image borrowed from The Sacred Art of Gardening

I love this time of year.  Every where you look there is a blanket of green in various shades.  Blossoms of beautiful color and scent in bright oranges, reds, purples and soft peaches, yellows, and lavenders invade the earth after winter’s cold storage resting their roots.  Even the weeds sprout little flowers.  I can spend hours outside taking photographs of these wonderful gifts to our world.

This calls to mind that just as these blooms are all different colors and sizes, they live together in peaceful serenity.  Sharing their resources with each other, while enjoying a give and take of space and time.  What a wonderful concept!

We should take a lesson from these lovely little blossoms.  We should be willing to give to each other at least as much as a flower is willing to give to its neighbor in their garden. Just imagine what a world we would have to live in if we did.

This is one of my most favorite quotes.  I think it puts things in perspective.

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm.  If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
― Thérèse de Lisieux

Wanda

Fins, Gills and Arks, Oh My!

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Daily Prompt:  Create

OK,  it’s getting really old.  The rain is still coming down in buckets.  It’s raining cats and dogs.  And…the plans for the ark just arrived by messenger.  Oh sorry, this isn’t weather Saturday is it?

On top of this earth shattering news, I broke my laptop.  It was sitting next to me on the sofa last night when the dog jumped onto the sofa and knocked it onto the floor.  It didn’t hit hard, but it did break off the end of the charging cord that was attached to it.  I tried to get it to turn on, but no luck.

There are many things I can live without, but my computer isn’t one of them.  It is my outlet to create, communicate, educate, and the dreaded pay my bills.  Thankfully, Dottie has a laptop I can use until I can either get a new one or get mine fixed.

What can’t you live without?  Dishwasher, dryer, washing machine?  I am always amazed how we take take things for granted.  Then I read about communities still in existence today who don’t even have running water.  It makes one think doesn’t it?  It becomes my wake up call to realize how truly blessed I am.

Wanda

Rain, Rain, Go Away

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Daily Prompt:  Puncture, Taper, Volume

I have been in Orlando for a few weeks now and I know that it rains almost every day at this time of year, but we have had voluminous amounts of rain.  I am beginning to think I should be growing gills and fins.  The swimming pool is overflowing, there are streams between the houses and it’s generally depressing.  I sure wish the rain would taper off.

I just listened to the weather report.  You guessed it.  Rain for the foreseeable future!  So much for my sunny Floridian vacation.

Maybe someone will invent a tool to puncture this muggy, dreary, cloudy, rainy bubble that has encased the Orlando area.  Of course, I don’t have it too bad.  I don’t have to work in it.  My poor friend Dottie works at Animal Kingdom at Disney and she works rain or shine.  So, even though I may be getting a little tired of the rain, I am not getting soaked in it.  he is.  So enough of the complaining.

I should be thanking God for the nourishing rain to the area.  It had been so dry and with people not using their head with matches, the danger of fire was really growing.  Now, the grass is growing and a beautiful shade of green.

Wanda

The Little Batter

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Daily Post:  Triumph

The little boy slowly walked up to the plate. He could barely swing the bat he held onto. It looked so big against his shoulder. He was nervous. He had never been able to hit the ball before and he was tired of being the only player on the team not to be able to do it.

The pitcher wound up. The ball wobbled across the plate. The little boy swung the bat. Strike one!

The pitcher wound up. Looked down at the batter, shook his head. The ball moved a little quicker across the plate. The little boy swung the bat. Strike two! The little boy shook his head. He couldn’t believe he had missed the ball both times.

I just can’t strike out again. he thought. Come on now, keep your eye on the ball. Remember, that’s what the coach said. Ok, here it goes. I’m ready. The pitcher wound up. He stared down at the little boy and threw the ball. The little boy swung the bat. Crack! The ball connected with the bat. The ball was sailing our over the field. Run, run the little boy heard his coach say. The little boy took off toward first base. Safe! Cried the umpire.

Everyone in the stands was clapping and cheering for the little boy. He had finally triumphed over the pitcher. His smile went from ear to ear. He looked at his dad and said “That’s how it’s done dad” and the coach just chuckled.

Wanda

 

 

Trains

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Daily Prompt:  Tender

PRRlocoandtender

My husband collected model trains.  His favorite line was the Pennsylvania Rail Road. He had so many locomotives with their matching tenders that he used to keep by themselves to display along the walls of his train room.  My favorite line is the Chessie System.  it’s no longer called that, but it’s logo used to be a kitten.  So, Gary also had several locomotives and tenders in that line as well.  A tender is the car that was right behind the steam engine which held the coal that was used to fuel the fire for the steam.

He had his train from when he was a child and I had mine.  Both of us grew up with trains being a part of our Christmas holidays.  So, when we had children, each of them got a train set for their first Christmas.  Every year we added to the layout and the rolling stock.  My son got trains at Christmas for several years.  All of our kids love trains just like Gary and I do.

We have four grandchildren now and they love trains too.  We got the boys several sets over the years and both girls got a set for their first Christmas.  I am so happy that the kids have the trains their grandfather got for them.  They will have memories of their Pop Pop and their trains.

I have so many memories of Christmas’ and trains through the years.

Wanda

Snow

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Daily Prompt:  Crisp

I hate cold weather.  I hate snow.  Although, when it is falling and drifts appear in the crisp cold air it is indeed beautiful.  That is why several years ago we left Pennsylvania and moved south to North Carolina.

I told my husband that if we still needed a snow shovel, we hadn’t moved south far enough.  I told him that they should not even have to carry them in the stores.  He never minded the cold or the snow, but the fact that we no longer had a son that lived at home to shovel in the winter, he didn’t fight me too hard over the move.

Our first winter in North Carolina, we actually had snow.  I could’t believe it.  However, it snowed at 9 AM and it was gone by noon.  It’s only snowed a couple more times since our move.

As for the beauty of the winter’s snow, I get plenty of it from the TV, and pictures right here on the internet.  And I can keep warm while I enjoy it.

Wanda

Polish or Polish

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Daily Prompt: Polish

When I was a child I moved in with my grandmother.  She was just like a mom to me.  I actually called her mom.  I lost her in 1977 and I still miss her dearly.

Anyway, my mom had so many antiques.  I grew to love them just as she did.  I learned to take care of them and keep house from her.  Along with her antiques she had beautiful silver tea sets and serving pieces she had gotten as wedding gifts.  It became my job to polish them.  Mom had a trick to keep her silver shining longer.  After we polished the silver she covered it with saran wrap.  That way when she knew she would be entertaining, she just had to remove the plastic wrap.

Mom worked full time so she had developed many short cuts to keeping house.  Don’t misunderstand, her home was immaculate.  She was just imaginative in her tasks.

We lived just down the street from my Aunt Bunny and Uncle Bob and my three cousins. My Aunt was first generation of Polish decent.  Her mother was a tiny strong woman who adopted me as one of her grandchildren and I grew to love her too.  Her grasp of the English language was pretty good, however, there was one time that she had everyone holding their breath by what she said.

I had just had my first child and she had colic.  We were at my Aunt’s home to celebrate my cousin’s birthday.  I was trying to sooth the baby and Babciu took her from my arms and said to me “your no good mother”.  As I said you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone thought that I would take offense especially since I was a brand new mother.  I said to Babciu, show me what to do.  Everyone smiled and finally started to breathe.

It wasn’t too long after that we lost Babciu.  Even though this could have been a disaster, it is one of my favorite memories of the time I got to spend with this amazing woman.  I had lost grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins when my mother left my dad and me.  I was truly blessed that Babciu was willing to accept me into her life.

Wanda

 

Miss Marks

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Daily Prompt:  Natty

Have you ever wound up somewhere completely under dressed?  I’m talking about everyone else looking natty and you are in a pair of jeans and a “good” T shirt.  I remember one time I was supposed to pick someone up from a gathering.  I arrived on time and appeared at the front door of a beautiful huge house.  The door was opened by a maid in uniform and I was told to go on in where the gathering was taking place.

I walked into a room, or I should say ball room, it was so big.  It was elegantly decorated. All of a sudden I felt very out of place.  I had no idea where I was heading when I volunteered to pick up Miss Marks.  That should teach me to always look presentable.

Thinking back on it now, I should have had some idea.  Miss Marks is a very wealthy lady who has always traveled in those wealthy high society circles.  Of course aging doesn’t just effect those of us who are not wealthy, it also gets the wealthy too.  I am not sure why Miss Marks didn’t utilize her own car and chauffeur.  I asked her that on our way to her home.  She told me that she preferred not to have her whereabouts tracked by her distant family.

Wow. I thought that maybe she was being a little hard on her family and I suggested that maybe they were just concerned about her.  She chuckled right out loud at that idea.  No she said, they are just waiting until I die so they can have the money.

I felt very sorry for Miss Marks.  It must be awful to not have a good relationship with your family.  She had never married or had children.  She must be lonely I thought.  We who don’t have that kind of money tend to think that those who do don’t have any problems, but clearly, they do.  I have begun to think that money is indeed the root of all evil.

Wanda