Over a year ago, my 71 year old mom was mugged and robbed by a worthless thug! After months of investigating, a suspect was apprehended. The loser has been in jail for the past few months. Yesterday my mom had to appear before a grand jury regarding her case. Now my mom has always prided herself as being a fashionable woman. So she arrived at the courthouse dressed in her, as she described to me, "cute, pink capris pants, matching t-shirt, and flip-flops". Present in the courtroom were the presiding judge, an assistant district attorney, and the panel of 16 jurors. My mom said that she was somewhat nervous but composed as she answered the questions from the judge and prosecutor. When the hearing was finished, my mom left the courthouse and met a friend for some shopping.
When my mom arrived home from shopping, she was changing out of her "cute capris" and noticed that she was wearing one green and pink flip-flop, and one red and white flip-flop. Not only had she worn the two different colored flip-flops shopping, but she had worn them at the hearing! When my mom was telling me her story, she told me how embarrassed she was that she appeared in court that way. I told my mom that she shouldn't worry because perhaps the jurors just thought that the entire mugging incident had left her so distraught that she wasn't even able to dress herself appropriately. This may even add a few years to the sentence.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Womanhood
The symptoms are there . . . I'm tense, I look as if I'm three months pregnant, and I feel like my back-side weighs 50 pounds. I know my "monthly time" is nearby. That's okay, though. I'd rather be HAVING it than NOT having it. If I weren't having it, that would mean that I was either pregnant, or post-menopause. And I wouldn't want to experience either of those conditions at this point in my life. So I'm perfectly content in experiencing a little discomfort and inconvenience for a few days each month.
Finding out about entering womanhood is a memory forever etched in my mind. You know how we always remember where we were when we heard about a major event? Like when the space shuttle exploded, I was at work and one of my co-workers who was watching the launch on television came out of his office to tell us about the explosion. And when I found out about John Lennon being shot, I was at my high school. Well, when I found out about womanhood, I was in my bedroom (which was decorated with bright floral drapes and bedspreads - it was the early '70's). I can still remember where I was sitting. My two older sisters had taken it upon themselves to tell me all about growing from a child into a young woman. However, they only told me "part" of the story. These are their exact words, "when your b_ _ bs get bigger, you have to start wearing these" (and they were holding up a maxi pad). It was kind of like "show and tell". That's it. That's all they told me. And I suppose I was in too much of a shock to ask any questions. I don't remember anything else about that fateful afternoon.
Okay, so I then knew that when my breasts got larger, I had to start wearing pads. I'm a fairly smart person so I deducted from my sisters' information that I had to stuff the pads down my shirt. They didn't tell me WHERE I had to start wearing the pads, just that I had to start wearing them. So for the next year or so, waiting for my breasts to grow, I would discreetly look at older girls and women to see if I could tell if they were wearing a pad underneath their shirt. Surprisingly to me, I never could tell which really made me feel better because I was concerned that everyone would be able to see the pads.
As time passed, my sisters never mentioned the subject again (and I certainly didn't ask). So I went until I actually entered womanhood thinking that maxi pads were stuffed down your shirt when your breasts grew larger. Needless to say, when I did enter womanhood, I immediately deduced where the pads went.
Several decades later, my sisters and I still laugh about this. This clearly shows that it's always best to tell the WHOLE truth.
Finding out about entering womanhood is a memory forever etched in my mind. You know how we always remember where we were when we heard about a major event? Like when the space shuttle exploded, I was at work and one of my co-workers who was watching the launch on television came out of his office to tell us about the explosion. And when I found out about John Lennon being shot, I was at my high school. Well, when I found out about womanhood, I was in my bedroom (which was decorated with bright floral drapes and bedspreads - it was the early '70's). I can still remember where I was sitting. My two older sisters had taken it upon themselves to tell me all about growing from a child into a young woman. However, they only told me "part" of the story. These are their exact words, "when your b_ _ bs get bigger, you have to start wearing these" (and they were holding up a maxi pad). It was kind of like "show and tell". That's it. That's all they told me. And I suppose I was in too much of a shock to ask any questions. I don't remember anything else about that fateful afternoon.
Okay, so I then knew that when my breasts got larger, I had to start wearing pads. I'm a fairly smart person so I deducted from my sisters' information that I had to stuff the pads down my shirt. They didn't tell me WHERE I had to start wearing the pads, just that I had to start wearing them. So for the next year or so, waiting for my breasts to grow, I would discreetly look at older girls and women to see if I could tell if they were wearing a pad underneath their shirt. Surprisingly to me, I never could tell which really made me feel better because I was concerned that everyone would be able to see the pads.
As time passed, my sisters never mentioned the subject again (and I certainly didn't ask). So I went until I actually entered womanhood thinking that maxi pads were stuffed down your shirt when your breasts grew larger. Needless to say, when I did enter womanhood, I immediately deduced where the pads went.
Several decades later, my sisters and I still laugh about this. This clearly shows that it's always best to tell the WHOLE truth.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Shopping for School
By now we're all finished with our "school" shopping (supplies, clothes, backpacks). I've discovered that the older my son gets, shopping for the supplies becomes easier. Last weekend, with list in hand, I joined the other moms in the school supply aisle, reaching over small children's heads, and around moms with babies on their hips, grabbing the necessary pens, pencils, notebooks, and binders. I was in and out of the store in just a few minutes. I can remember when my son was younger, school supply shopping took longer because it seems there was always that one item I could never find (like that aqua colored folder with pockets).
Although school supply shopping has become easier, school CLOTHES shopping has become quite an adventure. The jeans HAVE to be that certain brand, from that certain store at the mall. So my teenage son and I headed out to the mall a couple of days ago. As we entered the "store", my first thought was "they need to turn on the lights". Well, then I realized the lights WERE on but they were very dim. I told my son that I was glad his dad wasn't with us, because his response would have been "Son, if I'm going to spend this much money on a pair of jeans, I at least want to see what I'm buying."
So, after "feeling" my way through the "store", we found the jeans. As I'm following my son back to the fitting room, he turns around and gives me this look. "What?", I ask. "Mom, you don't have to go back with me." "Well, of course, I'm not going INSIDE with you", I replied, "I'll just stand out by the door to see how they fit." So this conversation goes back and forth (it seems that I embarrass him . . . I can't imagine why. I mean, when we've gone shopping in the past, I usually just tug at the waste-band a few times, make him show me a front view, side view, rear view, front view again, etc. Now, why would that embarrass him?) So, we ended up compromising this time . . . I stood outside of the dressing area (with the other moms), and then my son just gave me a very quick look once he had on the jeans.
So, we leave the dark dungeon, and head down the mall to another store with much better light. We went through the same routine as before, and finally decided on our purchases. We were standing in line waiting to pay, and there was a display of really cute thongs on a table next to where we were standing. I was so tempted to browse through them for myself, but I could only imagine the horror that my son would have experienced being there with his mom looking at thongs! So, I decided against doing that.
Overall, our clothes shopping experience went well. We ended our day with lunch at the food court. We had such a fun time, we've decided to have a mall shopping day at least once a month.
Although school supply shopping has become easier, school CLOTHES shopping has become quite an adventure. The jeans HAVE to be that certain brand, from that certain store at the mall. So my teenage son and I headed out to the mall a couple of days ago. As we entered the "store", my first thought was "they need to turn on the lights". Well, then I realized the lights WERE on but they were very dim. I told my son that I was glad his dad wasn't with us, because his response would have been "Son, if I'm going to spend this much money on a pair of jeans, I at least want to see what I'm buying."
So, after "feeling" my way through the "store", we found the jeans. As I'm following my son back to the fitting room, he turns around and gives me this look. "What?", I ask. "Mom, you don't have to go back with me." "Well, of course, I'm not going INSIDE with you", I replied, "I'll just stand out by the door to see how they fit." So this conversation goes back and forth (it seems that I embarrass him . . . I can't imagine why. I mean, when we've gone shopping in the past, I usually just tug at the waste-band a few times, make him show me a front view, side view, rear view, front view again, etc. Now, why would that embarrass him?) So, we ended up compromising this time . . . I stood outside of the dressing area (with the other moms), and then my son just gave me a very quick look once he had on the jeans.
So, we leave the dark dungeon, and head down the mall to another store with much better light. We went through the same routine as before, and finally decided on our purchases. We were standing in line waiting to pay, and there was a display of really cute thongs on a table next to where we were standing. I was so tempted to browse through them for myself, but I could only imagine the horror that my son would have experienced being there with his mom looking at thongs! So, I decided against doing that.
Overall, our clothes shopping experience went well. We ended our day with lunch at the food court. We had such a fun time, we've decided to have a mall shopping day at least once a month.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Weekend in Review
After an exhausting weekend, I started the work/school week somewhat rested. This weekend was our annual southern gospel concert that my family promotes. This weekend was the culmination of working for over six months on this yearly event. It's always hard work, but it's also fun and exciting! But I'm ready to get back to life NOT working on a concert.
Speaking of concerts, our son saw Journey over the weekend. He had an absolute BLAST!
Last night I watched some of the Olympics. I was able to see the end of the men's relay in swimming. The men's team won the gold! Even though I could live WITHOUT the Olympic games, it was exciting to watch this event and to watch the medal ceremony.
So, that was my weekend.
Speaking of concerts, our son saw Journey over the weekend. He had an absolute BLAST!
Last night I watched some of the Olympics. I was able to see the end of the men's relay in swimming. The men's team won the gold! Even though I could live WITHOUT the Olympic games, it was exciting to watch this event and to watch the medal ceremony.
So, that was my weekend.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
School Year Prayer
With the beginning of school just around the corner, I have mixed emotions: sadness that the leisurely days and nights of summer are ending, excitement about football season starting, and anticipation of the good things this school year is going to bring for the kids, specifically for my middle school son. He and I have a tradition that we started years ago when he was in kindergarten . . . we have a "morning prayer" in the car on our way to school. We've said our morning prayer together every school day morning since then. The prayer isn't a long one, and it's usually general in nature (Lord, thank you for another day to go to school, bless today, etc.) Some mornings, the prayer is more specific (Lord, please help with today's math test). Prayer is a wonderful thing!
My son and I will continue our "morning prayer" this year. And I want to start the school year off with this prayer:
Dear Lord: Thank you for the fun and safe summer that our family had. Thank you for all of the blessings you continue to give me and my family - they're too numerous to individually name. I come to you this morning asking that you bless this school year. Protect my son physically from any harm. Remind him by your Holy Spirit that You are with him always, at all times. Help him to make the right decisions in all areas of his life. Guide his paths so that he follows Your plan for his life. Thank you for his friends. Bless their school year. Help them to be the best young people that they can be. Help them make wise decisions this year. Thank you for the teachers. Provide them with the wisdom they need to teach their students. And lastly, help me to be the best mom that I can be.
Amen.
My son and I will continue our "morning prayer" this year. And I want to start the school year off with this prayer:
Dear Lord: Thank you for the fun and safe summer that our family had. Thank you for all of the blessings you continue to give me and my family - they're too numerous to individually name. I come to you this morning asking that you bless this school year. Protect my son physically from any harm. Remind him by your Holy Spirit that You are with him always, at all times. Help him to make the right decisions in all areas of his life. Guide his paths so that he follows Your plan for his life. Thank you for his friends. Bless their school year. Help them to be the best young people that they can be. Help them make wise decisions this year. Thank you for the teachers. Provide them with the wisdom they need to teach their students. And lastly, help me to be the best mom that I can be.
Amen.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Cris's Birthday
On July 29, 1962, my brother, Cris, was born. Cris was my mom and dad's third child, and the first boy. I've heard mother jokingly say more than once that if Cris had been born first, she wouldn't have had any more children - he was quite "adventurous". (Mom did end up having two more children, me and another son.) Cris's full name was Donald Cris Melvin. Donald was our dad's name, and he had some of my dad's characteristics - somewhat of a temper, a good story-teller, and a hard worker. He could also be a little stubborn. An example of his stubbornness is when he was told by the dentist that he couldn't ride his bike when he got home from an appointment because he would be drowsy from some medication he was given. My mom said that all the way home from that appointment, Cris said, "when I get home, I'm gonna ride my bike. When I get home, I'm gonna ride my bike." So when they got home, Cris immediately got out of the car, walked over to his bike and started riding. Well, he ended up wrecking the bike and going over a brick wall.
As he grew up, Cris had so many friends. He was a very likable kind of guy - very popular at school.
Cris married young, became the father of three beautiful children, and established a successful career in construction. At the age of 44, Cris was diagnosed with esophagus cancer. He died at the young age of 45. Cris was a Christian, so he's spending eternity with Jesus. But he died too young. He will always be my brother, though. He's just not living on the earth with us. I loved him and he'll always be a part of our family.
Today would have been his 46th birthday. He died too, too young.
As he grew up, Cris had so many friends. He was a very likable kind of guy - very popular at school.
Cris married young, became the father of three beautiful children, and established a successful career in construction. At the age of 44, Cris was diagnosed with esophagus cancer. He died at the young age of 45. Cris was a Christian, so he's spending eternity with Jesus. But he died too young. He will always be my brother, though. He's just not living on the earth with us. I loved him and he'll always be a part of our family.
Today would have been his 46th birthday. He died too, too young.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Have you noticed . . . .?
. . . the reduction in packaging of goods lately? I first noticed this a few weeks back when I bought a can of Pringles. They were on sale for .99 cents. Since I'm a price shopper, I knew that was a good buy. The potato chips I normally buy have gone up about .50 a bag. When I opened the can and took my first bite of the chip, I immediately noticed that it was actually a thinner chip. Ah-ha! That's why I can still buy a can of Pringles for .99 - I'm getting a thinner chip! Thinner chips mean less ingredients! And less ingredients, means savings by the Pringles Corporation (or whatever company makes them).
I had read an interview of a local cookie company executive several weeks ago. The executive was explaining how the packaging of his cookie was being reduced due to the higher cost in flour, sugar, etc. So I'm sure other food companies are doing this as well.
But you know what? It's not just the food manufacturers reducing the packaging of food we buy at the store. Clothing manufacturers are reducing our clothes! No, really, I'm serious! I went shopping this afternoon for a pair of pants. Almost every pair of pants I tried on were too tight across the bottom! Manufacturers are putting less fabric in our clothes. Now surely my bottom isn't expanding! I mean, I've been drinking a diet drink (instead of the real thing) every morning with my honeybun? And I try to drink a bottle of water everyday when I have my mid-afternoon snack. And I did go walking a couple of weeks ago. And surely . . just because I'm a 44 year old woman whose metabolism has decided to go on strike, surely that doesn't mean that I'm getting as broad as my refrigerator!
As I was walking through the department store, feeling so frustrated, this sweet young woman asked if she could help me find something. I came very close to saying, "yes, I'm looking for the wide bottom pants!" After becoming more and more frustrated, I just decided to buy something that didn't have to stretch across my backside - a cute little necklace.
Now I know what you're thinking. . . is she just going to accept her bottom expansion and not do anything about it? And my answer to that question is "NO". This shopping experience has been a wake-up call. I'm going to continue drinking my morning diet Mt. Dew but only WITHOUT my honeybun. And I will continue to drink my bottle of water, but WITHOUT my afternoon snack. My water WILL be my afternoon snack. And I will not continue blaming clothing manufacturers for my problem. I'm accepting that I do have a problem. So I've taken the first step - admitting my problem. Yes, I am 44 years old but I don't have to live mid-life with a "wide-load". I'm going to walk more and eat less. My metabolism may have slowed but my motivation is in high gear!
I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!
I had read an interview of a local cookie company executive several weeks ago. The executive was explaining how the packaging of his cookie was being reduced due to the higher cost in flour, sugar, etc. So I'm sure other food companies are doing this as well.
But you know what? It's not just the food manufacturers reducing the packaging of food we buy at the store. Clothing manufacturers are reducing our clothes! No, really, I'm serious! I went shopping this afternoon for a pair of pants. Almost every pair of pants I tried on were too tight across the bottom! Manufacturers are putting less fabric in our clothes. Now surely my bottom isn't expanding! I mean, I've been drinking a diet drink (instead of the real thing) every morning with my honeybun? And I try to drink a bottle of water everyday when I have my mid-afternoon snack. And I did go walking a couple of weeks ago. And surely . . just because I'm a 44 year old woman whose metabolism has decided to go on strike, surely that doesn't mean that I'm getting as broad as my refrigerator!
As I was walking through the department store, feeling so frustrated, this sweet young woman asked if she could help me find something. I came very close to saying, "yes, I'm looking for the wide bottom pants!" After becoming more and more frustrated, I just decided to buy something that didn't have to stretch across my backside - a cute little necklace.
Now I know what you're thinking. . . is she just going to accept her bottom expansion and not do anything about it? And my answer to that question is "NO". This shopping experience has been a wake-up call. I'm going to continue drinking my morning diet Mt. Dew but only WITHOUT my honeybun. And I will continue to drink my bottle of water, but WITHOUT my afternoon snack. My water WILL be my afternoon snack. And I will not continue blaming clothing manufacturers for my problem. I'm accepting that I do have a problem. So I've taken the first step - admitting my problem. Yes, I am 44 years old but I don't have to live mid-life with a "wide-load". I'm going to walk more and eat less. My metabolism may have slowed but my motivation is in high gear!
I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!
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