An Unconditional Love He was born on March 18,  1986. We adopted this tiny little guy at  3 months old.  Immediately the  foundation of our family was complete. The first couple years, he was  high maintenance.  His passion for mischief was specialized.  Although  intelligent, he lacked common sense.  I consistently had to teach him what was not OK.    When his innocent big brown eyes made  contact,  I had great difficulty correcting his behavior.  I must have laughed twenty times a day, experiencing his silly antics!    He loved to play outside, which many times caused me concern for his safety.  Water was one of his fascinations.  He loved prancing  and jumping around in mud puddles.  At first I found no harm in this playful fun, and had even joined him.   But soon, I encountered why this was not a good idea... It was a beautiful spring day and just  after an early morning rain, when an old friend stopped in to see  me.  She was wearing a new white embroidered sun dress that ended up being splattered with fresh seeping mud! He also excelled in  running.  There was no way to keep up with him!   We seldom left  him with a sitter.  One of these memorable events where we should have; he  pulled on a feathered Boa that was elegantly dangling from   our hostess's shoulders, and ran northeast with it!   I have to admit that it was comical to see him, get so excited.  He held the boa in his mouth and thrashed it back and forth zigzagging through the garden party guests, while the owner of this Boa was in hot pursuit after him.    Unfortunately the   remedy of this incident was not so funny and very costly! Regardless of all he put me through, I loved everything  about him. His full name was Murphy O'Rielly of Apple Ridge. It was  a pure joy to have him part of our family for 16 years. He passed away in  his sleep, on March 27 2002, soon after being diagnosed with cancer.   Murph the Smurf" as we so fondly called him, lived a happy and full dog life of 112 years.

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How precious;  the existence between a mother and a child.  No matter what the child's adult life may encounter...  There will always be the beginning and continuing connection to their mother. A mother needs to remember that what she displays will be forever recalled.   And what an offspring should know as they grow to be an adult;  what they were shown should not be set in stone, but to be respected and remembered as the basic preparation for their future... Who and what they truly become,  is uniquely drawn through their own identity and  their own ideals.  The desire to enhance and yet to discover their individualism should not be stifled, for it is what generates life's contentment.

A big sister's dream - the parents' attempt  to fulfill - After a nine month journey -  A little sister appears! Tears were fears, joy  and   relief, when all four became a family. A miraculous dream was now fulfilled by God's gift, and his will.

As she begins, her life's experiences which are now, so pure and simple...   She tastes.  She Feels. She sees, in sweet innocence and curiosity.

Bummed Out It was noon on the first day of my new job.  The boss stopped in my office and announced due to state regulations I had to take a lunch break.  I   tidied up and decided to venture out to the downtown delicatessen.  I felt good in my new tailored blue suit and grateful to be out and about in the fresh autumn air.  This lunch break was about to become one memorable experience.. While walking down the hill to main street, I passed several young workmen clearing brush alongside the roadway.  A couple guys whistled.  Although I was flattered by their gesture, it amused me.  It must have been my long blonde hair that deceived them, for I was 41 and old enough to be their mother! At the base of the hill,  I crossed the street toward the deli.  Surprisingly, a car beeped and one driver slowed down and gave me a big grin.  All this attention was giving me a swelled head.  I thought about another trip to   "Pennys," but this time, for a red  tailored suit! I entered the deli and ordered my turkey on rye with lettuce and tomato. While waiting, and browsing around the store, I was greeted by smiling faces.  It appeared to be a local hangout, because of the giggles and chatter at the lunch counter.  Wondering what was tickling everyone's funny bone, but being a stranger in town, I didn't bother to seek out the answer.   After paying for my lunch and taking it in hand, I turned around, walked out the door, and back across the street. Just then a lady yelled out from the front porch of a residence.  In order to hear her, I leaned forward with my back to the ongoing traffic.  It took three repeated bellowing verses, before her words rang clear.   I promptly, whipped my hand around to my backside and adjusted my attire.   My stomach knotted and the knees weakened.  I recalled my unobservant   stop in the restroom before leaving the office and my disregard for what my mother had taught me.  I had exposed my derriere while strolling around town in a pair of tatty hot pink panties! After realizing there was no choice, but to step forward.  I took a deep breath, focused straight ahead and sheepishly tiptoed up past the workmen.  Finally reaching the office steps... I exhaled, curbed my skirt, vowed never again, and opened the door to my safe haven. Fifteen years have passed since my humiliatingly encounter, but undoubtedly my afternoon's performance still, entertains a chuckle from those that recall the preposterous tale of the "Bummed Out" blonde.

My Hannah, the first born of my grandchildren, has such fear for the unknown and yet, for Halloween, she is shown in a character so far from own. This sensitive one is not so scary.  She  wouldn't harm a flea.  She is sincere,  and polite as she can be.

I cannot  not ever hold my granddaughter close enough and long enough to complete satisfaction!  The love and endearment that I have for her, and her big sister is beyond anyone's capacity including her Nana, to fully comprehend.

Look before you  leap Have you ever experienced immediate anger during a human encounter? I believe, this emotion generates not only  from that moment of discontent, but from past encounters.  It is like steaming water, that builds up to a boil and suddenly bubbles over.  We jump to conclusions and can speak abruptly. It  may appear as the easiest flight,  but becomes consumed with conflict.   Pride comes reeling through and spins it's web into a thoughtless maze of misjudgment  and confrontation which in turn, may release  stressful emotions totally unrelated to what is at  hand. They say that our mind's ability is endless.  We utilize only a mere fragment of  our brain.  We live in a Fast Paced -Get It Done World where judgement  and blame of another is rampant.   Although we can not abolish human conflict, I believe we can contour the outcome by recognizing our objective and seeing beyond our own perspective.  It is amazing what our  so called "Superior Species" could achieve if  we only took the time to comprehend.  If we smile, take a deep breath   and attempt  to see another person's point of view, we will embrace a  change of attitude. Camaraderie can be obtained by stepping inside another persons origin of space. The view is enlightening and the results can produce a  better understanding, a healthier mind and body.   If the voyage of Columbus can prove that the world was not as it immediately appeared.  How astounding our lives would  be, If we voyaged beyond ourselves, to discover another individual's  perspective.

"We are a family of Artists!  A talent inherited   from our father.  His artwork is exhibited throughout the universe.  Although you may find it hard to believe, he could create such complexity;  to me, his magnificent creativity is reality! "

A Friendship Unending.... For most of us the ability to read minds  is a fictitious dream, but with a keen sense and the gift of intuition, Lacy believes it is possible! Lacy Martin-Brown was 42 years old. For the last 22 years she had  been a terrific mom and  homemaker. Now that her nest was empty and her need to nurture was less significant.  Lacy desired to pursue a business career, in what her husband   had told her she knew nothing  about. After months of studying and passing the state real estate exam.  She now had her license displayed on the wall of the most respected real estate agency in the valley.  Lacy was now a professional, or so she was told by friends. She did not feel all that different, but she certainly looked  different to those that knew her. Her attire was no longer a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Her hair was no longer in a braid, and she traded her Mini Van for a 4 door sedan with leather seats, cruise control, and a GPS.  Now, she wore mostly tailored suits, her hair was short and brushed back, and she even purchased a full array of "Shutsu Cosmetics", which her husband called  "Face Paint". Robert and Lacy were  married before she was able to graduate from  Charwick College, Liza was born six months later. Both Lacy and Robert were  thrown into the adult world at the  youthful age of twenty.  Robert  finished college a year later, and obtained a  well-paying job.  In four years they had three children. Lacy's life was filled with her motherly duties, housekeeping and staying active in community fund raisers.  She was   excited, but a bit anxious in her new venture .  She was officially now a  Real Estate Agent in Skysburg, a small but growing town nestled in the heart of  the Emerald Mountains . She was the fourth generation of Martins' to reside  there. Perhaps that is why although it was uncommon, she kept her maiden name  within her signature.  Her friends  were abundant and she was respected as a fine mother and wife.  Now, her challenge of being respected in a different light was about to embark. As the months hastily flew by,  Lacy Martin-Jones became well aware of what her husband had so many times reflected upon;  that the business world was quite different then that of being a  stay at home mom, but she liked the new change in her life.  Real estate sales  were thriving.  Interest rates were the lowest they had been in 10 years.  Houses were being built, marketed and sold at an alarming  tempo. One afternoon just as she was about to finish up her paper work and call it a day,  Marcia Hayes came flying in the door. "Lacy I need you to sell my home!  We are moving to Holdenville in 30  days!" Marcia had been Lacy's best friend for over 30 years and the Maid of Honor at her wedding.  There was nothing that they didn't know about each other.  Lacy had known for years about Marcia's illicit affair with a next door neighbor, and although it was not acceptable to Lacy, she kept sacred Marcia's  secret.   Lacy walked over and gave Marcia a hug, invited her to sit down and to explain her circumstance. Marcia's husband found a new job, but not close enough to commute.  After realizing the Hayes urgency, Lacy cut Marcia's explanation short by   stating that in order to sell her home swiftly, she would stop by on her way home to draw up the papers.  Lacy knew it would not take long, because she had toured and been in that home hundreds of times. When Lacy reached the Hayes' residence... She was a bit dismayed by the shape of the home.  It looked quite different when she had her business hat on, from the cracked brick walkway and chipped painted exterior, to the soiled carpet and mildewed bathroom.    There was much sprucing up to do, if Marcia and her husband intended to turn a good profit.  While they were filling out the paperwork it was obvious that the Hayes had not truly looked at their home in  a prospective buyer's eyes.  Their asking price was unrealistic even  with a few weeks of sprucing up the place.  After Lacy convinced them to have the home appraised and Marcia and her husband received the dreadful  news, they were very angry and blamed Lacy for devalue of  their  home. The painful circumstance bore no favorable outcome.  The listing was torn up,  Marcia and her husband went to another agency to attempt to  sell their home.  Lacy and the Marcia ceased their friendship. The day that the Hayes' were moving to Holdenville. Lacy took the day off from work.  She knew what she had to do, so she threw on her jeans, slipped on her T-shirt, pulled on her sneakers and started her final walk down  the block to Marcia's house.  About halfway there, she saw Marcia heading up  the street towards Lacy's home.  They both stopped for a moment... Then continued toward each other.  When they were standing only a few feet apart tears began running down their cheeks.  Marcia reached out her arms. Lacy stepped  inside of them and wrapped her arms around Marcia  as they tightly embraced. Between their tears and laughter, they apologized for letting a business situation infringe on their lifelong friendship. Marcia and Lacy agreed that no amount of money or business venture was as valuable as their love for one another.  They sat down on the sidewalk and praised each for their valor, acknowledged God's gift to women on the keen sense of intuition and marveled at the reality that both of them knew what they had to do, because they had read each other's mind. The Hayes moved 90 minutes away from Skysburg. Their home eventually sold through another Realtor, but at that dreadful appraisal price.  Lucy continues to sell real estate, but has swore never again, for  a good friend.  Lacy and Marcia meet halfway between Skysburg and  Holdenville, most every Tuesday for lunch and giggles. Last month, Lacy  surprised her husband with all expense paid trip to the Caribbean, gratis of a new successful  business, in Skysburg called;. "L. Martin - Brown Real Estate" .

Enjoy the moment that is now, for the past is over and the future has yet to begin!

For Today Until Tomorrow So here I am, sitting at my Desk,  sipping on my freshly made Java and reviewing my list of things to do today, when  I see that my husband has added some detoured tasks.  I decide to complete one of his tasks, a 10  minute call to a service company.     I pick up the phone and dial the number and wait for a person to  answer...I hear a     digital voice stating that I  have 6 options: Press  one to place an order.... Press two for  technical help... Press three for new products... Press four for  pending orders.... Press five to hear your balance... Press six for our mailing address... Because none of them relate;  I push zero,.  I hear "I am sorry, this is not a  valid choice, please choose the following... "  So I sit listening again,  the options...  I take a sip of  what is now luke warm coffee. This time; I  push four although, it is not appropriate.  It seemed like the best choice. I think. perhaps, I will reach a real person that can  transfer me to the "right  real person".  But  to no avail,  I hear four  more options!