Lovable

God and good mothers love us as we are.  Pets love us as if we were God.  May we all remember that regardless of how harsh we can be to ourselves, we are lovable just the way we.

Be Kind to Yourself

Many of us are quite accomplished at showing great kindness and compassion to others.  We're not always as apt to respond to our own needs.  The Bible, in Mark 12:31, tells us "Love your neighbor as yourself." The challenge is two-fold:  we must be lovable and loving.

2:1

We just returned from a delightful road trip to Austin.  We made this 5 hour round trip trek on great highways, through beautiful country to spend 2.5 hours with Gar.  Ratios are great for measuring business success, but can't begin to capture the benefit of time spent with those we love.

This experience reminded me that impact and importance trump statistics in our personal relationships.

Now and Next

Regardless of our passions, age or experience -  we owe it to ourselves, families, communities and careers to consciously consider what we are doing now that excites us, or brings us joy, or makes a difference.  (Ideally these things will converge.) And with those answers, we must consider how we will invest our time, talent and treasure to insure that what we do next will continue to make a difference to us, those we love and those we aspire to help.

Friends Live On

Yesterday, a dear friend lost her battle with cancer.  I had the privilege to sit by her bedside and tell her how amazing she was hours before she died.  Today the hole in my heart is being filled with precious memories of countless examples of her character, faith, love, loyalty, friendship, motherhood, leadership, integrity and strength.

We are rarely able to  truly convey how deeply we are  touched by those we consider dear friends.  We realize with death that physical absence cannot steal precious memories.  Thankfully, those we love live forever in our hearts and memories.

3 Generations of Connectedness

Obviously, I believe that everything is connected.  And, reinforcement of that belief continues.  Last night, I called my parents at exactly the same moment they were calling me. And a couple of minutes later, my daughter called to let me know she was safely back from her trip.  Though we all had several hours to check-in, we all chose the same few moments. 

It's fun to reinforce that connectedness is a state of mind, being and love across time zones and generations.

Preparing Nests

This morning when I awoke unreasonably early, I opted to finish preparing Julia's, Gar's and our guest room for next visits. 

Stripping the beds conjures sadness, because my loved ones have left.  Laundering the linens is no big deal.  Putting fresh linens on all the beds can appear as another thankless, time-consuming chore until we realize that we are creating a comfortable nest for our returning loved ones. ((I've lovingly prepared your nests for your next appearances!)

I've long known that attitude contributes significantly to the success or failure of many projects.  Inserting love into our projects and tasks makes all the difference.

Precious birdies, you are always welcome!

Forever Families

Our remarkable cat, Butterfinger, adopted us, as have all of our beloved felines.  However, Butterfinger demonstrated without question the bonds of forever families.  Butterfinger loved the freedom, flexibility and comfort of an inside/outside cat.  One of his favorite perches was sunning on the top of the Suburban. One carpool morning, unbeknown to anyone, Butterfinger was atop the Suburban.  And equally undetected (we now know), Butterfinger hopped off, 10 blocks from home across one of Houston's busiest streets, Westheimer. 

Seven months after his heart wrenching disappearance, Butterfinger appeared during an afternoon carpool drop-off.  Though many cats have similar appearance, we knew without doubt that we'd been reunited with Butterfinger when he not only came readily, happily to the children, but also streaked straight to his food bowl at home. 

Families may be separated by distance and differences, but as Butterfinger beautifully demonstrated, the love of forever families endures.

Shock

One of my childhood friends was murdered by her husband yesterday. The shock of senselessly losing someone special who has always been a part of your life leaves an enormous hole that is impossible to fill.  Thankfully a lifetime of my own wonderful memories and those shared by others who loved Katherine are flooding my heart and brain.

Faith, family and friends are always important.  With a devastating loss they are essential.

Holding On By Letting Go

After our Ole Miss orientation experience, I'm convinced that Gar has found the right school.  The students and staff are incredibly helpful and friendly; the professors and advisors are dedicated to student success; the Goldilocks student population is not-too-large, not-too-small, but just-right; the campus is beautiful and immaculately landscaped; and resources abound to make out-of-staters feel part of the the community.

It is normal and expected that Gar has been spreading his wings during his senior year.  It was wonderful to hear published advisors validate that our increasing parental flexibility is healthy and recommended. 

In one of the inevitable lines for the women's restroom, I realized that we are far better poised for a successful freshman year than others.  A mother who lives 30 minutes from campus engaged a mother who was a few hours away and me, who is 610 miles away, in conversation.   The closest mother had already planned to meet weekly to exchange clean laundry and home-cooked meals. 

Though I'd love nothing more than to have my precious angels, Gar and Julia, in my home, city and/or state, I realize that having options contributes enormously to personal well-being. 

When we are able to let go and allow our loved ones to do what is important to them, we strengthen our bonds by demonstrating our confidence in their judgment and abilities. 

The pre-K roles are once again highlighted: we know that love is without limit, but we've got to separate to experience all the excitement that exists outside our home turf.

House Full of Love and Laughter

Julia's home for the weekend!  Having everyone together brings me great joy.  Adding our children's friends to the mix expands the love and laughter.  With the hectic pace of tightly scheduled daily life, it's fun and relaxing to enjoy the moments without concern for the clock.  Relishing the interactions, I get glimpses of the possibilities of "being" rather than always "doing". 

Losing a Friend

One of my Chi Omega pledge sisters lost her battle with cancer.  This bright, vibrant, witty, compassionate friend indelibly left her positive mark on many lives.  We never know how many days we are given.  Like Mary, we need to pack abundant love, life and laughter into each day. 

Proud Mama

I've taken the longest break from blogging since I began two years ago - three days.  This has been a milestone weekend for our family with Julia's graduation from Georgetown and Gar's from Kinkaid.  Apparently, each year, one Kinkaid family has dual graduations the same weekend, and this year it was us.

Every parent should be so lucky to have children who they love, admire, respect and enjoy spending time with. We have always been thankful that Julia and Gar are great friends. And their great friends continue to enrich our lives.  I am so very blessed.

My Best Furry Friend

Tiger joined our family on Julia's 7th birthday.  My timing logic was that at age 7, Julia would be somewhat responsible for a pet's nurturing, care and feeding.  And, at age 3, Gar wouldn't be too intimidated by a pet, nor a pet too terrorized by a toddler.  Before her feet reached the floor on her 7th birthday, Julia asked when we could get her cat.  Our trip to Special Pals was filled with anticipation, and as is often the case with adoptions, Tiger reached out from his cage to let us know that he'd chosen us.

In Tiger's nearly 16 years as part of our family, he brought much joy, love and laughter.  He earned me the cherished designation as Mommy Cat, because wherever I lit, he was not far behind.  His purr motor was a marvelous indication of continuous love. 

Tiger taught us:

• go for what you want (we could have chosen another cat)
• love your family no matter what happens
• stopping to pet the cat is even better than stopping to smell the roses
• furry friends are non-judgmental
• we all need friends to look after our interests
• patience
• loyalty
• tolerance
• love is forever

Tiger went to the happy petting, eating and sleeping grounds on Monday.  His love for us and ours for him endures.

Love is Forever

Yesterday brought front and center for me how precious and fragile life is. December 16 would have been my brother Mark's 52nd birthday, if not for Hodgkin's Disease.  And yesterday we received one of the most memorable Christmas cards ever.  Our dear friends lost their precious son this year. Their most special card reminded us that impact is not measured in years lived, rather in love infused. 

In loving memory of Mark, Sean and all others I've loved and lost, I thank you for reminding us all that life is fleeting, but love is forever.

Christmas Tree

Our beautiful Christmas tree completed our holiday decorations.  Each ornament has a story.  It's filled with priceless ornaments that Julia and Gar have made through the years.   There are scores of splendid and sentimental ornaments we've received as gifts.  And there are homely ornaments that make us laugh.  It's a fabulous collection that is uniquely ours.  Though a designer wouldn't readily detect a theme for our tree, close examination would reveal that the theme is love.

I Love Thanksgiving Leftovers

I love everything about Thanksgiving including the leftovers. I treasure the time with family, friends of all ages popping in for a visit, spades competitions and the Thanksgiving evening feast.  This year everyone except Papa made a signature dish.  It was fun having everyone in the kitchen infusing the food with love, talent and tradition.  And the menu evolves each year to incorporate yummy new recipes to complement our must have favorites.

As much as I enjoy every bite of the actual feast, I also eagerly anticipate the day after Thanksgiving leftovers.  The food is terrific when formally served on Thanksgiving Day and equally delicious when casually enjoyed the next day.  It's fun to see the contrast.  Everyone enjoys some of everything within their dietary restrictions on Thanksgiving.  The next day some family members choose equally broadly and others very narrowly. Some microwave a replica of the previous evening's meal; others choose only dessert or heaping sandwiches on reheated rolls.  And I can almost taste the potato soup that we'll create from last night's mashed potatoes.

I'm thankful for all of my blessings including Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thanksgiving Has Begun

I love Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for including family, friends, faith, health, career and volunteering.  Though I express gratitude for my blessings every day, it is wonderful to have a holiday focused on thankfulness.

We've been eagerly anticipating a long weekend filled with love and laughter. Mama and Daddy have arrived and Julia comes in this evening.  The fun has already begun.

Labors of Love

Julia was due on Labor Day (a very appropriate due date), but chose to enter our lives a few days early (she continues to maintain her early over-achiever distinction).  How fitting that on the 22nd anniversary of Julia's due date Edgar and Gar are finishing a 1400 mile trek to provide lovely, meaningful furnishings for her senior year apartment! 

Labors of love are ideally as meaningful for the givers as they are for the recipients.

Happy Birthday Mama

In so many ways I am the luckiest person on the planet.  My wonderfully supportive parents have been married for 54 years.  They raised me in a Christian home, inspiring my brothers and me to always do our best, be our best, pursue our passions and treat others as we would like to be treated. 

As I've indicated so many times, Mama, is an incredible spouse, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, role model and advisor.

Mama is the person so many of us aspire to be. 

Happy, Happy Birthday to my role model!

All my love,
Pam