I'm off to a new place and I hope you will come visit me…
Love,
Val
"The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same.
Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination."
-Don Williams Jr.
The Years Are Short . . . made by Gretchen Rubin. I just recently found her blog called the Happiness Project and it is spectacular. She is writing a book which is to be released late 2009. Check out her video.
Earth Hour 2008 . . . . it's going global . . . let's do it again. Don't forget on March 29th at 8:00 p.m. Turn out your lights for one hour. If you aren't familiar with this, please watch.
I went to my technorati link and saw that I had been linked twice by "Pretty Good on Paper". I'm not even sure what his blog is about, really. I need to spend more time reading it I guess? I found it very interesting, though, that he used my blog two times in a blog study (or something??) on memes. I don't know if this is because I am obsessed with memes or because I'm just that interesting. I'm leaning towards #1. Is this not funny . . or is it just plain ol weird?! You decide :c)
Nighty-night.
My friend (I'll call her "J") introduced me to an author and blogger, Elizabeth Crane, today. Her writing is fabulous. Her entry here made me tear up some. Many of her paragraphs I was saying to myself "Me, too!" or else laughing hysterically. It really is a good read and I recommend it.
Now I have to buy her books. I'm told she's a great author -- and best thing, she's native to Illinois and from Chicago. You can check out Elizabeth's blog here. Hopefully she won't mind me plugging her.
J sent me this article because Elizabeth is adopting a child, and my friend (who I am leaving her name out because I'm not sure how she feels about my doing so) knows how close I hold adoption to my heart. Oh, and J is adopted, too. :c)
My only brother is adopted and two of my dearest girlfriends (J one of them) are adopted. And I yearn to adopt one day because I have had all these powerful influences in my life thanks to my parents and to my friends's parents. They've all got the most amazing families. And perhaps I am biased because I am part of one of these families, but I don't know anyone who could argue with me ;c)
We started in on the adoption process right before I got preggers with Noah. So it's been put on the back burner and it's honestly not something I want to back burn and just forget about. This is maybe something you didn't (or possibly did) know about me . . . one of the many things I hold dear to my heart, but this I hold dear and very strong to my heart. It's something I want to do and one day will do.
Read this article. It's really touching and powerful and just a really great read.
Anissa, Jake and Kelsie. I thought today would be a good day to introduce a new blog written by my friend, Jennwood. I have so many friends by the name of "Jennifer" or "Jenn" or "Jen", that when talking to my hubby, this Jennifer I call "Jennwood" so he can keep all 'my' "Jens" straightened out :c)
Anyway, it is called A Daily Walk with Christ and I have a feeling it's going to be wonderful. She started out with an every day mommy blog, but suddenly felt a pull to turn it another direction and this is what she writes in her intro post at her new wonderful blog:
Hi, and welcome to my blog. I would like to tell everyone alittle about myself, before I get started. I'm a wife, and a mother to 4 beauties. We have 2 daughters, ages 8 and 5...and 2 sons, ages 3 and 1. I currently live in TN. I'm a stay at home mom....and I love my life!
I wanted to start this blog for sometime..but time is not something I have on my side...however I feel this is something the Lord is telling me to do....so I know He will provide the time needed.
I write for our newsletter at church monthly..and I would love to share these stories, christian humor, & quotes, with you.....I pray that the serious stories draw you closer to God. And the humor gives you a happy heart. I welcome you daily to get a positive start to your day in such a negative world. There is nothing better than hearing God's Word! Tell your friends, tell your family....Lets walk together!
Hope you can hop on over and read more!
I was working over at Grandma's Diary, finished up, and mosied over my Technorati links and saw that the most recent link to the diary is a girl in her 20's (I don't know her at all . . . I don't think?) and from what I have found by reading one of her entries, her father passed away when she was 13. She now has his diary (how blessed she is that he had one and that she was able to get it) and posted an entry from it at her blog. It spoke volumes to me. You must read it, too.
This entry reminded me of some important lessons as a wife, as a human being as I (humbly as possibly) walk this world, but especially as a parent. Reminded me to cherish the tiniest things, to listen, and to talk. It especially reminded me that I must continue to keep a diary.
Some may say "Why in world keep a diary?". Because keeping a diary is not for yourself (well, maybe to help you remember experiences, special moments, not-so-great times that somehow taught you something) but honestly, to me, it's for your children. There's not a more important reason than that, right?
For me, I have really learned this as I now am reading my grandma's diary and as I post her entries. Her words are touching total strangers and they are teaching myself, my cousins, so many people in my family, about my grandma and grandpa's lives . . . but from my grandmother's view point and exactly as she saw it, and not second-hand from someone else trying to trace back.
Diaries tell so much about you as a person, about what life was like growing up. It can help your kids relate and think "wow, she/he was just like me". I mean, just imagine how your words could help them in a troubled or painful time by showing them that you had a similar experience where you made it through with diligence and what you learned from it. You might be gone, but this would be a way of still being there for them . . . with them. And today, with life as a child being as confusing and full of pressure as it is, there is no loss in doing one, well, except maybe time, but you're taking time to read this, aren't you?
I am so thankful I have kept a diary since I met Neil in 1993. And when I got pregnant with my son, I started a diary in which I address it "Dear Noah" in each entry. I don't keep up with it anymore like I should be doing so on a daily basis (thanks to a new bubbly soul walking all over my house!), but I definitely am going to try harder now. (I have one for Maia also.) I know for many of us, blogs are a replacement to our journals, diaries, hand-written thoughts, what-have-you, but they aren't going to do any good in this arena unless you print them off. If this is why you are blogging, please make sure you save and make sure you print.
Anyway, just another ramble from me. Something I have learned greatly since starting this Grandma's Diary online at the end of 2006, but also something reinstalled as very poignant and powerful after reading this girl's entry of her deceased father.
Her entry also made me think of my mom, who lost her dad at the age of 12. I know she wishes she had a diary of his. She does have many of his things, but nothing, absolutely nothing speaks to you like a diary does. Nothing speaks like your own words.
