Monday, January 17, 2011

Two Line Tuesday

I'm still reading Diana Gabaldon, because I got distracted and read a few books on my new kindle. (dance of joy) but, I picked it up again, and this passage struck me. I wanted to share it. This is from Dragonfly in Amber.

"I always thought it would be a simple matter to lie wi' a woman," he said softly. "And yet...I want to fall on my face at your feet and worship you"-he dropped the towel and reached out, taking me by the shoulders-"and still I want to force ye to your knees before me, and hold you there with my fingers tangled in your hair, and your mouth at my service...and I want both things at the same time, Sassenach."


And here are my two lines, which in retrospect should've gone first, after those two lines!

The house wore its desolation like a shroud. Wind torn and weather beaten, she stood defiant against years of abuse. Alex could relate. In that moment, she knew why people stayed, why they staked a claim, and called four walls home. Until that moment, Alex hadn't believed in the word home.


Women of Mystery has more two lines. Check em out. Submit some of your own, even.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Inspiration from a 2 year old.

I've survived the first two weeks of being a (Semi) stay at home Mom. Even though they both need constant attention, I relish the times that Steven crawls into my lap (or on top of my back or head!)

Even though Thomas still wants to be held at all hours of the day and screams every time I leave the room, I relish the times when I get to feed him, and we have that moment where our eyes lock and I realize that I will never have a connection with another human being like I have with my sons.

I've learned to appreciate the small things. Especially the things my two year old says!

Among the other normal things two year old's say like "no!" and "That's mine!" or "I want to do it myself!" my 2 year old says alot of stuff that makes me laugh. The most recent being "Ow! my twig and berries! I can't imagine where he learned that...but my husband has been spending an awful lot of time with him lately, so there's a clue.

He says a lot of things that make me proud.

"Mom, will you read me a book?"

"Mom, will you tell me a story?"

"That was a good story, Mom!"

Occasionally, he says things that make me in credibly sad:

When informing him that I had to go to work he replied, "Can you stay here with me for a little while?"

"No, baby, I have to go to work."

"Don't. Don't go to work."

For being 2 he's also extremely adept at telling me exactly how he feels.

"That makes me so happy!"

"That makes me so sad."

"You hurt my feelings."

But the other day He said something that inspired me. It was relevant for school, for writing, for life in general.

He was playing Wii. We have the resort game, and he loves to play the sword fight. One of his favorite is the one where hundreds of other "resorters" come at you and you have to fight them all.

All of a sudden he was screaming "No! No! No! Don't get me bad guy!" And he was swinging that wii remote like nobody's business! "Don't quit!" he says between breaths. He's screaming "Don't give up! Keep trying and you'll win! Don't Stop! Keep trying.

Suddnely with an exhilartion only a two year old could show, he turns to me and yells at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down, "Momma! I won. I kept trying and I won!"

And it occured to me that if we could all face our every day situations with the strength an resiliance of a two year old, how could we fail?

In the face of countless distractions, enumberal obstacles let us keep trying. Let us not give up, so that finally, we can say "I won!"

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

That song has been in my head all day.

We're not even a week into the new year, and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to manage everything in the coming year.

In 2010 We had some huge changes. We had another son, Thomas who is beautiful! but still keeping me up at night, I decided to go back to school to become a teacher, and then within the last few weeks I've decided to stay home with the kids during the day and work in the evenings. (And a 12 hour shift every Saturday) My husband lost over 100 pounds last year. I think the changes are good changes and I'm looking forward to seeing what the new year brings. But I do have a few regrets.

My reading and writing (anything not school related, anyway) really took a hit. I've missed just curling up with a good book without the words Go, dog, Go, or without hearing Mama, Mama, Mama, every 5 seconds. And I've missed writing. I've missed writing SO much!

I don;t know. I guess that's what new year's is about, looking over the past year and looking forward into the next.

These were a few of my resolutions last year.

*Making lists to help me stay focused. (I still make lists but my day revolves around Thomas and Steven so its hard to make a set schedule. Still a work in progress)

*Go to School (Yeah me! I got one!)

*Write every night. (School kinda took care of that. But this year I'm going to give up another hour of sleep to get it done. In Theory.)

*TV reviews. Yeah that didn't happen. Every one I wrote felt awkward and I was unsure of what I was doing. Plus it took WAY too much time. So maybe one day, but not now.

So this year, I really only have 1 resolution.

Follow the yellow brick road. Let life take me where its gonna take me.

Does that mean I won't have to work hard. Of course not. Dorothy did did a lot of skipping in her pretty red slippers.

When in doubt, I'll sing a song.

I'll meet new friends along the way, but I'll always be trying to get back to those who love me, who miss miss, who've made me, maybe even some who've broken me) I'll get back to those people who motivate me, who inspire me, who will never lie to me.

I'll resolve to forget the complicated and get back to black and white.

I'll follow the yellow brick road/ I may encounter a few flying monkeys along the way, maybe even a wicked witch or two...

But I'll stick to my path, and I won't stray. (Those damn poppy fields always look so inviting!)

I'll follow the yellow brick road, and I'll always remember that there's no place like home. Because in the end that's where all dreams begin, and where all dreams end.

Happy New Year!!!