Heya!

I have taken down my last post. Not because I do not own my words, but because I have decided it merely spreads the negative and in a way makes me as bad as the one it was about. Nothing will change her actions or skewed perceptions, thus it serves no POSITIVE purpose and honestly, I am the sort of person to vent and it is gone.

Life is good in general, I am surrounded by great people, there is so much joy in my world at the moment. And as someone once said:

"The best revenge is living well!"

Photo courtesy of Zoe @ Nuffnang Qld Bloggers meet. Will put up link after work.

All good here. How about you?

Wordless Wednesday 2011

1st day of the 1st month of '11



Things that make you go: Hmmmm...

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

You just can't see it sometimes.

A sharp tongue can cut your own throat. Take the time to think before you speak, for words cannot be taken back once said.

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important. Not clothes, nor makeup or jewellery. A smile will set you apart and give you a unique beauty others will envy.

The best vitamin for
making friends: B1.

All it takes is a simple
"hello, how's your day?"

The heaviest thing you can carry is a grudge... Do you really want to?

One thing you can give and still keep...is your word. Your word is your reputation - once broken it is difficult to repair.

You lie the loudest when you lie to yourself.

If you lack the courage to start, you have already finished.

Your mind is like a parachute...it functions only when open.

It is never too late to become what you might have been.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets...

 Love the people who treat you right.

Forget about the ones who don't.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would be worth it.

Friends are like balloons. Once you let them go, you might not get them back.

Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives and problems that we may not even notice that we've let them fly away. Sometimes we are so caught up in who is right and who's wrong that we forget what is right and wrong... Sometimes we just don't realize what real friendship means until it is too late. Be a true friend, and others will to you. The ones who don't are not worth a second thought or a single tear. All they deserve is pity.

December 29: Laugh #best09 Gwen Bell

What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?

Gwen Bell 09

We laugh. A lot. Even when the laughter had diminished in this year of drama, we still laugh more than the average family.

So it was not easy to pick just one moment. Then I remembered: the time it took us over fifteen minutes to stop the hysteria. Tears were rolling down our cheeks from the hilarity of the reactions, Boy 2 and I gasping for breath, unable to stop laughing to draw in oxygen. We could not look at each other at all without getting more carried away.

So, what was the catalyst for all this mirth?

Boy 2 and I were lying on my bed waiting for Boy 1 in the bathroom, and Big Boy who was feeding the tropical fish. I turned to Boy 2 and said: "Hah, just let one rip!" He laughed and then replied: "So did I, and mine was well brewed!" We started to giggle, looked at each other, and decided to blend them. Picture this:
Boy 2 and myself madly using our arms as paddles, mixing, merging the fumes. In walks Boy 1 from ensuite. Boy 2 and I pause, not daring to glance at each other. "Holy hell, what is that terrible smell?" Boy 1 grabs his nose, gagging, frantically fanning his face with his hands. Big boy then chooses this moment to walk in. He pales, turns and walks back to doorway. "What on earth is going on in here, it stinks!" By this time Boy 2 and I can barely gasp for air we are laughing so hard. We both stammer out: "We blended our silent but deadlies..." in between trying to breath, hysterical giggles, and now frantically flapping sheets to clear the air. Boy 1 joins in the mirth, Big Boy remains in the doorway, slowly backing out as the fumes spread his way, hand over eyes as he slowly shakes his head from side to side. "I don't know who is worse - you or Boy 2. You are both twisted."

Never claimed to be a delicate little petal, did I. Pull my finger is still one of my favourite lines...

A Moment to Savour Christmas

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

~Burton Hillis~

The rain is tapping the windows in a frenzied attempt to enter our home. Its staccato rhythm blends with the joyous laughter of Boy 1 and Boy 2 as they explore the intricasies of new possessions, and wallow in the rare pleasure of not having to be anywhere other than here.

Yesterday was the best Christmas Day I can remember for many years. I think last year served as a huge reminder that Christmas in not about presents, or possessions. It is about family.

Twelve months ago I could barely summon the energy to put up the Christmas tree. Presents were shoved in gift bags, no attempt made to hide or keep surprises, Christmas did not exist in my heart. My mother was deathly ill. She bled every day and the chronic anaemia had taken chunks from her senses: of taste, her ability to swallow, her eyesight (not the best anyway), her concentration and worst of all, her desire to live. She cried daily, exclaiming: "Why do I have to wake up to this hellish life every morning? Why can't I just die."

Christmas day she was so unwell that she didn't even want to see her grandchildren. I packed up her baked lunch into an esky, took it to her, sat and watched as she picked, and fiddled, and ate barely a morsel. I then packed up the dishes and returned to eat my now cold meal, well after my family had finished theirs. And my heart broke a little more, as it had daily in the months since the nightmare began.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. We awoke to the laughter of our manic boys, the house a shimmer with lights, and tinsel, decorations and loudly caroling, jiggling, mechanical Christmas figurines. The boys opened a few presents, but most were kept to be shared later, as we calmly began preparing lunch. Soon glorious smells of roasting chicken smothered in bacon wafted through the rooms. Boy 1 and myself grabbed an umbrella, and set off. To pick up Nanna. My miracle Mum. The rest of the day was one of the quietly happiest days of my life. I floated, wrapped in a cloak of contentment and peace. Mum stayed all day, and when I took her home she was tired but elated. And full to the brim with her huge meal of chicken drizzled with gravy, roast pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, broccoli, corn on the cob, and carrots, consumed with gusto. She even partook of her old tipple of choice, port with lemonade (eat your heart out Esme Watson). A huge contrast to last year's dismal degustation. She even had some of the steamed, alcohol drenched, impregnated with rich, decadent dried fruit pudding.

What a truly wonderful family Christmas day, the way it is meant to be. Full up of love; laughter; life; joy. A Christmas of the heart. God, I love my life right now.

Peace to you all.

 

Lurgy attack, but still bouncing!

Imagination gallops; judgement merely walks.

It has hit, I officially have the dreaded lurgy, or flu as most would call it. But even with feeling exceptionally ill, I still have an underlying emotion of happiness and emotional well-being. The actions of others are no longer clouding my life - I have finally learnt to let things go. Is this a permanent state of mind? I truly have no idea, I certainly hope so.

I am not sure of the reason, it may have been the constant comments by a friend about only being able to control our actions not the actions of others. It could have been the reassurances by many that I have not done wrong, or it could be that I have finally accepted that I cannot fix the jealousy or possessiveness of an unhinged mind, or bear the guilt felt by others. Maybe it is down to being ill and waking up with fevers at ungodly hours allowing me to mull over my own words and deeds and to resolve any self-doubt or recrimination. Whatever it is, I feel unshackled and free, and most of all happy.

And when I see those who scowl, or glare at me with hatred, I just smile and say hello.