Short Break....

My Father passed away this past Sunday, peacefully in his sleep.  He has been in a nursing home for the past four years with Alzheimer's.. He would have been 93 in November.  He was a War Hero and a wonderful Father.

A family friend and fellow Marine wrote an incredible tribute to Dad and I re-posted it on my my other blog.  

I will be taking a break for a few weeks.  I will be traveling to California to be with my family and spend some time with my Mom.

Thank you so much for the kind emails I have already received...

Power Jam: Super Hero...

This is an older picture of my Mom, who is now 86 years old and myself.  I was probably in my late fifties in the photo, I am now 66.

This Poetry Jam challenge, hosted by Brian Miller (his blog WaystionOne), is to write about Super Heroes.

My Mom is my Super Hero.

She dared to go where she had never been

and sailed way past her comfort zones

She married young, totally unprepared,

during WW II

She learned "on the fly" how to be a Military wife,

to cook and become a Mother

an only child, she had seven of her own

She suffered the death of one of her sons

only 48 hours after his birth

She led by example and strong beliefs

yet always willing to listen and discuss anything

encouraging us to have our own opinions

we are very much alike emotionally

so we butted our stubborn, hard heads a lot

each of us always knew

she was there for us

She may not have been able to solve 

our problems, but she was in our corner

offering suggestions and supporting us

She taught me to be my own person

She taught me to listen to my gut

She taught me not to do anything

I would not want seen 

on the front page of a newspaper

being hard headed

I still pushed the envelope

and made my mistakes

yet I always knew she was there

if nothing more than

reminding me... it was a good life lesson.

She taught me to stand up 

for what is right

and for what is wrong

often we had differences 

of opinions-- but we could talk about it

and agree to disagree

She taught me to love my country

to be proud of our heritage

to do for others so I would not

dwell on myself

She demonstrated the importance

of keeping one's word

showing up on time,

with the commitment to finish what we started

She did not miss work

and worked so hard she would

fall asleep in the chair with her purse on her lap

taking a "cat nap" before cooking dinner

She wants to learn and be informed

She reads the complete newspaper

and does crossword puzzles in ten minutes flat

She knows her way around a computer, iPad

and smart phone.

She has faced the majority of her fears

but has not yet learned how to swim

while still raising school age children

she took a job when Dad did not earn enough

She could budget, save and stretch money 

teaching us always to meet our

responsibilities first, which

gave us time to decide

 how important

something really was

that we thought we wanted

today she celebrates 68 years of marriage

Dad has been in a nursing home

for the past four years

prior to his admission

she was his caregiver for over ten years

and earning a living for both of them

She just retired three years ago

working to the age of 83

She still lives in the two story home

where we were raised

She is still independent

She rarely calls for help

She does not interfere

and gives her love and wisdom

honestly without expectations

Super Heroes sound good
look good
depend on TV and movies--
I'll take the real,
human
dependable type...

She's my Mom

my friend

I love her

respect her

and am so proud to be

her Daughter

`©dkb

Cookin' Up Something Good...

"Writing is what we make from the broth of our experience..."

-- Julia Cameron from The Writer's Life Insights from the RIGHT to WRITE.

The Learning Years....

" There are years that ask questions and years that answer..."

-- Zora Neale Hurston

On Feeling "Uncreative"...

"One must also accept that one has "uncreative" moments.  The more honestly one can accept that, the quicker these moments will pass.  One must have the courage to call a halt, to feel empty and discouraged."

-- Etty Hillesum


Hellish heat permeates the barrage of depressing news
Days of drilling within
Tapping into nuggets of creativity
Restoring the sadness of soul

Some days there is nothing
Courage is required of patience
Drawing upon inner faith of self
Remembering the source of Perfection

Like smooth, quiet waters bring calm
Be the calm
Be the quiet
Gather the peace
Be ready for the big wave of inspiration

~©dkb

Interest in Life...

"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music -- the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people.  Forget yourself."

-- Henry Miller

I Choose to Bless This Life...

"Bless a thing and it will bless you.
Curse it and it will curse you...
If you bless a situation, 
it has no power to hurt you,
and even if it is troublesome,
it will gradually fade out,
if you sincerely bless it."

- Emmet Fox

The older I get, the more I realize how true this quote really is.  I am challenging myself to concentrate on faith and bless a particular situation, knowing worry will not help or solve anything.  Our lives unfold and events happen...  Often we don't like the results, but disliking it and getting all worked up only make it worse.

I've been a "worry wart" so much of my life and the only thing it did for me was make me nervous, negative, fearful and insecure.  When I learned to embrace change instead of fight it, I feel my life flows better.

My husband is always saying, "It is what it is" and "Everything happens for  a reason"; and his philosophy has influenced me for the better...  For a long time I felt this was a cop out.  In my younger days I was a warrior and fought for my principals.  Not that I don't today, but often what I thought were battles were really my not liking the outcome of something. More and more now I see the wisdom in not sweating the small stuff...and really, most of the time, it is ALL little stuff when placed in perspective of an entire life.

Circumstances often challenge, but the more I tell myself "You can handle this", the easier it becomes...
Doubting myself is like slapping myself across the face.  Who needs that?

One of my most stressful times of my life was after my divorce, raising my two daughters alone.   I suppose struggling to make a living for us, often working two or three jobs, was a big part of it.  I wanted to keep my girls in private school and knowing I was in it pretty much alone as a single Mom with full custody was extremely stressful.  I had a lot of doubts in my ability to hold it together but by doing it I learned how strong and capable I am.

My daughters are now grown with their own families and I get to bask in the joy and pride of how capable and strong they are.  Raising them I was the teacher,  the comforter, the protector, the provider, the problem solver, the enforcer, and it was challenging.  Now, despite living further away, I am called upon when needed and occasionally invited to share my opinion.

Living a life of purpose has always been my focus.  Being retired and not having the responsibility of raising a family can often feel aimless and without purpose.  I don't want to allow the fact of my aging to become an excuse to slow down and lose my vision.

I have to confess, I have cursed having to stay here in Nevada, being further from my children, grandchildren and large circle of family and friends. We came here originally for a better job for my husband and planned to return to California when he retired.  No one had any idea the economy and housing market would fall off a cliff as it has....

I have decided to bless the fact we are living here now.  I will have faith and believe our lives will continue to weave and enter twine despite the distance because we love one another and are a close family. I hope one day soon we will eventually live closer, but in the mean time, I accept and bless our lives as they are now.  Cursing my situation will only make me feel full of regret, hopelessness and misery.  The last thing I want to do is burden my family with a negative attitude.

So today, I submit this vow into the Universe and pledge to see more blessings and do a lot less cursing and complaining...  You all are my witnesses.