Ten Things I Love; No, Eleven

It is the dark of the moon … the middle of the night … and I am awake. AWAKE.

A.W.A.K.E.

As if I’ve had six-cups-of-coffee awake.  (Now I get the "eyes wide shut" thing.)

This is not usually a problem for me. I don’t need as much sleep as some people, so I tend to burn the midnight oil AND get up early. That's normally not a problem.  I'm comfortable with it ... most of the time.

Not so much tonight.

I went to bed and went to sleep. Then I woke up, and then I tossed and turned, making certain I stayed even more awake. Ever noticed how many body parts ache when you know you should be asleep? Vicious cycle!

So. Here I am at the computer thinking about Things and making a list. Let's view it as a form of “counting my blessings, instead of sheep” kind of thing.

                                                                                     Ten Things

1. Coffee; really good coffee. (Okay, it doesn’t have to be that good.)
2. Early mornings in the rocker on the front porch or in the Adirondack chairs by the pool, listening to birdsong, to crickets, to frogs, the owl who lives in the woods across the street. (With coffee … )
3. Breezes.  Warm ones. Cool ones. If they gently stir the air, then I enjoy them on my face. 
4. Crossword puzzles; the moderately difficult ones most of the time; really difficult ones some of the time and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with completion. The L.A. Times crossword is my favorite.
5. Walking. A daily walk with a friend is a “feel good” on so many levels; conversation, exercise (insert pats on the back), and country scenery.
6. A good book; reading fiction every day is necessary! I love words and the visual image they conjure up. I read character-driven romances, plot-driven murder mysteries, paranormal and fantasy novels with either, historical fiction, a tiny bit of sci-fi, and all genres of YA fiction because it is just so good.  And THE Good Book (non-fiction J of course). Hey, I am eclectic.
7. Music; the kind that stirs me and causes goose bumps, either with provocative lyrics or with heart-stirring melody. I like haunting minor keys: Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and Dance Me to the End of Love, Ravel’s Bolero, the trumpet solo from Rio Bravo , the theme from Exodus, The Sting, Chariots of Fire, 2001 A Space Odyssey …
8. Visually pleasing rooms; I feel a sense of contentment from pleasant surroundings, from rooms filled with color and good design and objects I have reason to love.  
9. Flowers and foliage; the satisfaction that comes from color and texture and nature; the pleasure of seeing growth, but mostly the visual assault on the senses.
10. The beach, where I enjoy some combination of the things above. I love the sand, the waves, the shells, the heat, the color and especially, the Huge-ness of God’s creation.

    And Eleven.

I’m so thankful and so very grateful for the blessings of a loving family and the close friends with whom I share my ten loves.

Sleepy …

A Day in the Life Of - Part 1

Today ... June 15, 2012.
Yesterday ... June 15, 1979.

Both, auspicious days. Both, linked together in an auspicious way. Both, a new creation, a new begining, a Birth.

I can only write/talk/speak/breathe/shout about one of these days ... at this point. And yes, I'm being intentionally vague.

Thirty-three years ago on this day, we arose very early - the Hubs and I - and set off on a hoped for, worked for, planned for marvelous journey. Full of Emotions we were. Excited. Fearful. Thrilled. Nervous. Happy. Full of praises and thanksgiving. Grateful to the Lord for His blessings. Neither of us quite believing that THE DAY had - FINALLY - arrived.

Our second child, our daughter, was born a few hours later. We knew the baby would be special, a girl, and we knew she would complete our family. We already had a beautiful, blue-eyed-blonde son, an active little imp of six-and-a-half who kept us up and on our feet and filled our days with sunshine. We felt so blessed that we'd also get to be parents of a little girl; happy that our family would experience "one of each!"

Our little girl.
Courtney Cathryn Stevens. Blue-eyed and beautiful and blonde, like her big brother. And such a tomboy (stomping her foot at two, saying, "I not wearing that lace!"). Smart, thoughtful and kind Courtney.

We had labored to find two names that started with a C; we had in mind to call her CC. But no. After she arrived, she was clearly not a CC. She was Courtney. She fought to stay out of dresses, despised tap dance but loved gymnastics, and chose her brother's Matchbox cars and Action figures over her Cabbage Patch dolls. Athletic and strong ...varsity letters in softball, basketball and track, but softball was her passion. From T-ball through fast-pitch summer league, travel teams, high school, and college, she was the catcher who ran her teams with percision calls.

Tender-hearted Court, ever the un-selfish child, even as a toddler when she'd share her last bite of ice cream. Creative Court, ever the imaginative child, writing poems (published at age seven), making up games and stories, writing a play for first-graders when she was a fifth-grader, and winning a national short story contest in high school.  In college her creative writing side was side-tracked by her intuitive nature as she switched from communications to a major in counseling, but she continued writing skits, keeping a journal and public speaking. She earned two masters degrees and began a career as church youth director, working with children and teens, and continued writing.

With Courtney's birth on June 15, 1979, our family began a fun, adventure-filled ride through life! We have loved her, rejoiced with her, sorrowed with her, and enjoyed every minute, just as we have with her big brother. Her thirty-three years of passions and achievements have kept us busy and "on the road, again" through many different journeys.

We are thankful and grateful for our two children, both truly gifts of God.

And today, June 15, 2012, is no different. Today we arise early, the Hubs and I, setting off on a hoped for, worked for, planned for marvelous journey. Again. Full of Emotions we are. Excited. Fearful. Thrilled. Nervous. Happy. Full of praises and thanksgiving. Grateful to the Lord for His timely blessings. Neither of us quite believing that THIS DAY has - FINALLY - arrived. (Though we both had faith that it would. Someday.)

The emotions of both days are the same, and are linked together by our daughter, Courtney Cathryn Stevens.

And that's all I will say, all I am free to say ... today.
:-D

Stay tuned for Part 2.

A Week in June

"We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies and the sand out of our belongings." An astute (as always) observation by Erma Bombeck, one of my favorite columnists.

As the first week of June rolled in, our family congregated on a sunny beach in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 2012, for our every-other-year reunion. Normally, we met in the odd years, but my "nine-decades-young" mother decided that life is too short to wait until 2013. She planned a bonus year trip, and all but the family of one grandchild found a way to arrange a week away from work. We arrived from Chattanooga, TN - Franklyn, TN - Mt. Pleasant, TN - Murray, KY- Bowling Green, KY and Kevil, KY. We occupied four condos at our favorite resort, all close together and on the bottom floor looking out over an expanse of white sand and emerald waves.

Let the "occupying" begin!

The location is well-loved, well known. The oldest of us have been visiting this resort since 1984, and the familiar is dear to us. So are the traditions that have grown through the years. Ours include: a family portrait, an evening meal eaten together at a local seafood restaurant and long days spent under bright blue beach umbrellas with foaming waves nearby and the "biggest sand pile" providing all the entertainment necessary. The adult couples sgn up to provide the rest of the evening meals for the entire group in turns (Family Law : someone must prepare a shrimpboil). The kids expect nightly flash-light crab hunts and early morning shell hunts; the adults gather for coffee on the patio after a daily walk through the bay neighborhoods. There's always the scent of sunscreen and cool Aloe lotion. Sun visors, hats, sunglasses and flipflops, boogie boards and big tubes and floats, sand toys and sand castles, kites and cameras - all make up the sunny fabric of our vacation. There's just no better place than the beach to entertain  children of all ages.

The gulf resembled a clear aqua lake the first few days. It was float paradise and easy supervision for parents and life guards. Mid week there was a full moon. The weather people claim the moon and the tides had nothing to do with the sea change that occurred, but overnight the water erupted into huge rollers and breaking waves at nine and ten feet high, something usually tied to the effects of a tropical storm. The skies remained sunny and there was no storm to explain the rough seas, but there was a powerful undertow and a fierce rip tide. The life guards flew red flags and warned swimmers to keep their feet on the sand and to go no further than thigh-deep, something that was difficult to maintain, given the ferocity of the waves. Only the surfers and paddle-boarders defied the warnings on our beach. But five miles away, out from Destin Harbor, three boats capsized at different times and pitched boaters into the water. The ten people were rescued, though there were some injuries. But two swimmers, an eighteen year old boy and a thirteen year old girl, drowned. Caught in the riptide, they were unable to last until rescuers could reach them. My heart breaks for the families these two teens left behind. Their loss is unimaginable.

Each summer, the thought of what could happen, of what is possible, briefly enters my mind as I fold clothes into suitcases and stuff beach things into totes. The sea is no amusement park ride, no thrill with tightly snapped seat belts and controlled action. We step into the salty brine and act as if we are in charge. We flirt with the seas and the awesome power of God, with creatures who see us as prey, and we believe we are invincible. As much fun as it is to ride the big waves, it is never wise to ignore their power. 

We'll still go. We'll still brave the rough water and protect ourselves from the sun. There will be another trip, another week where we enjoy the beach, meet old friends and have a wonderful time in the sand. But as we delight in the awesome orange, purple and pink-streaked sky at sunset and the pastel sunrise at dawn, I can only be  grateful that my family is safe. I pay homage to Almighty God for the beauty of the world He created, and I revere His power in creation.

And I'm very thankful that our week in June was such a marvelous one.