memorial day

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."

Thucydides

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Abraham Lincoln

"I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate....I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did."

Benjamin Harrison

"Oh, beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!"

from America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.

today is my day....

So...here I go - venturing, with some trepidation, into the "blogosphere." I'm not gonna lie...it's a little scary for one such as I - one who can easily be described as somewhat technologically impaired; one who loves the world of 1986; one who resisted getting a cell phone and is overwhelmed by Facebook and, really, email in general.

And, no, I am not 92 years old.

While I would gladly return to the pre-internet era, I have accepted that this "internet" is no passing fad and can be, after all, pretty useful. So, I am succumbing to the whole "blogging" thing...and I'm kind of excited!



I've been thinking a lot lately about who I am and who I want to be. And, also, who I used to be. I often think of the girl I used to be and how I miss her. The girl I used to be was confident and innocent and optimistic and smart and funny and charming and so many other things.... But, she's gone. Or, at least, she's changed. And now I am trying to figure out the woman I've become and the woman I want to be. And, more importantly, the woman my Heavenly Father wants me to be. Lately, I have been overcome with an urgent desire to DO MORE and BE BETTER. I feel like, with as many circles as I've made around the sun, I should know who I am....but now is as good a time as ever to figure it out, I suppose!

For too long I've been in "a most useless place." The place Dr. Seuss called the "Waiting Place."

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bit or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for a Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting

I find myself waiting way too much - for the weekend, for the 1st of the month, for my house to be completely decorated, for everything to be just so before I can start living the life I imagine. I haven't always been like this, but for too long I have.

I know that every day matters! After all, it's the days that make up my life. And, I have to ask myself - what kind of days are making up my life? Truthfully, I'd rather not say - I'll just say that too often it's too much of nothing! And....that's just not for me!

I want to recognize myself again. I want to be the person I was meant to be. I want to "fulfill the measure of my creation." So, today is the day to start! Today, and every day, matters - and at the end of each day I want to be able to look back at it and be happy, smiling, maybe exhausted, and able to see some way that I left the world a little better, some way I became closer to being the person I am meant to be.

So, here goes nothin'!