As Years Go By

I have a second cousin who is 90 years old today. She's still pretty spunky despite having macular degeneration and not being able to see very well. After I got off the phone with her this morning a few things occured to me that I wanted to share here.

As years go by we have a tendency to take a lot of things for granted. Family. Friends. Just waking up in the morning. Having a roof over our heads and coffee to drink. I thank God every day for the many blessings I have, way too many to count. The many, many things that make my life worth living.

I started thinking about wow, how cool it would be to still have the KC friends around in 40 years. And how majorly cool it will be if my dear friend Rae is still around. She has known me since I was 6. That means she's already had over 40 years in my life. I am grateful for that. She has always been steady and there. Then there's Jeannie and Bev and Torse who have known me since I was 18. They've only had a bit over 30 years but they have known me my entire adult life. They've gone through 2 marriages and divorces with me, the birth of 2 children, the death of 1 and the adoption of another. They were there when I moved 3500 miles away. They're still there. What a lucky person I am!

There's a lot to be grateful for each and every day. If you're reading this then you're someone who knows me (or maybe if I'm lucky you would like to!). You're a blessing for me. If I ever forget to say how grateful I am to have you in my life, I'm sorry. But you *are* important to me. These days my major support system is the KC. I love you all. You really have added a lot to my life even if you don't think you have - you have!

I'm counting my blessings today. Happy birthday Martha! Thank you for reminding me that there are a lot of things to live for each and every day. Happy Friday everyone!

Old Fashioned

I don't mind being old fashioned. Especially if it entails being a caring person. There are people I encounter in my everyday life who don't even know I care about them. It isn't because I don't try to show it. It's more a case of they just don't pay attention. A dear friend sent me a wonderful little piece that says something similar. If you work in a small environment and you're lucky, it's like you're with family. And families care about each other. But sometimes you have family members who don't care much about how you feel about them. Sometimes you're nastier to your family than anyone else just because they ARE family and they're supposed to forgive you. I live by the philiosophy that you treat people the way you want to be treated. I know my Mom would call that The Golden Rule. I find nothing wrong with that or with being sentimental or caring or gentle. Sure, it means I get hurt a lot by little things and when you take things personally (as we all do at times) and when you have a soft heart there are people who will take advantage of you, even those you love. But you know, I don't really care. It isn't going to stop me from caring about you. It doesn't mean I don't worry about you. Whether you're my family, my friend, my co-worker. When I love you, I love you always. If that makes me old fashioned, I am proud to be called old fashioned.