Grateful.

Aww. My sister, Sarah, was sweet enough to send me this new award. Thanks, Sarah! Considering it's her BIRTHDAY WEEK, I'd better do as she says and accept this award and forward it on to those bloggers who have inspired me! :p)

So, here are the rules for this one:

Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's quite tricky to use only one word answers! Once you have filled it out be sure to pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers. Alert them that they have been awarded! Have fun!
One word answers have got to be the hardest- but here goes:


1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Your hair? Blonde
3. Your mother? Missed
4. Your father? Missed
5. Your favorite food? French
6. Your dream last night? Sleeplessness.
7.Your favorite drink? Water.
8. Your dream/goal? NYT
9. What room are you in? Livingroom
10. Your hobby? Gardening
11. Your fear? Poverty
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Comfortable.
13. Where were you last night? Class.
14. Something that you aren't? Timid.
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. Wish list item? Pool.
17. Where did you grow up? NY
18. Last thing you did? Wrote.
19. What are you wearing? Yogapants.
20. Your TV? On.
21. Your pets? Cats.
22. Friends? Love'em.
23. Your life? Unbalanced.
24. Your mood? Hopeful.
25. Missing someone? Grandson.
26. Vehicle? Jetta.
27. Something you're not wearing? Shoes.
28. Your favorite store? Marshalls.
29. Your favorite color? Blue.
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Sniff!
32. Your best friend? Husband.
33. One place that I go to over and over? Neighborhood
34. One person who emails me regularly? Laura.
35. Favorite place to eat? With friends.

So I'll forward this award onto six bloggers who make me smile and whose blogs are OVER THE TOP!! Please stop by these wonderful blogs and say hi!

1. Bonnie
2.Debra
3. Snap
4. Janna
5. Claire
6. Kathryn

Reflections

Brace yourself for this little profundity:

Sometimes a tree is just a tree. Sometimes, it's a reminder that what we're looking at is a universal nudge.

No seriously, brace yourself. I'm about to speak in metaphors. Take this tree, for instance. I think it's a redbud. It lives at the edge of this pretty little pond in the Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth, Texas. And on this day, when I snapped this shot, I was simply looking at how pretty it was with its reflection in the water.

Today, something entirely different occurred to me as I looked at it. You see how the reflection in the pond isn't the exact opposite of the tree? In fact, it's the underside of the tree reflected in the water, not the tree we are seeing from a distance. But still, we look at it squarely and think, yeah, that's the tree, reflected in the water.

Today, as I looked at this picture, it made me ponder the distortion that frequently enters into that small, internal conversation I often have with myself about...well, me. About my failures, my shortcomings, and my dark, veiny underleaf. That is to say: When you look at me, you just see the tree. I see something completely different.

My vision of me is coming up through the water. Shot through with uninvited shadows rippling the image. Maybe that explains my habitual, none-too-generous assessment of myself and my accomplishments, and underscores all those things I know I should be grateful for:

1.My husband.
2.Our kids.
3.Our grandson.
4.Health.
5.My sisters.
6.Our home.
7.Good friends.
8.Being a writer.
9.Our cats.
10.Trees, reflected in water.

Sometimes, my history floats just under the surface, distorting my idea of myself. And the reflection? It's not necessarily all that accurate. Maybe that's where the old, "Keep your head up," saying comes from. As in, "Don't look down there and scare yourself. Here is where the real tree is."

Okay, I warned you about the metaphors. Don't say I didn't.