Monday, November 30, 2009
Proclaiming motherhood part 2
I'm also more than a little mystified by this combination of motherhood and embracing "our true wishes and desires - our primal natures" professed and extolled in the interview and exemplified by Shakira's music and performance. While I admire her humanitarian work with children in poverty, and her congenial personality, I don't find her portfolio a desirable role model for the up and coming generation. She views herself as a "good girl." Just what does that mean? Anything in the name of art or perhaps $$? I'm just as amazed by Madonna's protective claim that she did not allow her young children to watch tv, all the while producing quite unsavory fair for everyone else's children to consume. It's hard to criticize someone for fighting poverty or promoting motherhood, but what do you do when they combine that with other destructive influences?
I was even more unsettled by the whole-hearted acceptance by middle American women of all ages in the Rachael Ray audience who wildly applauded what I thought was a fairly carnal and pornographic dvd clip of Shakira's latest release She-Wolf. "Hot-hot-hot" was Rachael Ray's comment. I wonder how many preschoolers whose mothers were tuned in caught a view of Shakira in her very un-motherly gyrations and attire (or lack thereof). It seems we live in a time where anything, however destructive to the moral fabric of our society, dressed up and promoted by the time honored institutions of fame and fortune becomes main stream. What are we thinking?
More rec center musings
"I feel sorry for her " the elderly woman said to her younger walking companion. "She tries so hard but he is always criticizing her and yelling at her." I ran past the two women walking on the inside lane of the indoor track. "He's always so kind and patient with everyone else. It's sad." The conversation faded into the background as I moved on ahead.
Why is that? Why don't we save our kindest remarks and most charitable behavior for those who have given us their lifelong companionship and have sacrificed for our well-being?
(Image from www.macadoodles.net/
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Forget the Windex
In the spirit of the struggling economy I made my own glass cleaner yesterday. It's fabulous - much better than the brand name I was using from the store and it probably cost about 25 cents a bottle.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Proclaiming motherhood....part 1
"Portrait de la belle-fille de Maxim Gorki (Motherhood)" by Boris Dmitrievich Grigor'ev (1886-1939)
At some point in the last several days a vision of clarity and deep gratitude washed over me concerning the role mothering has played in my life. As a young mother (more than a few years ago for me) you struggle to lay yourself bare to the process of giving your whole to the care and well-being of these little people you have created. It seems as though you are always being asked to dispense more than you have, let alone more than your natural woman would like to part with. It's not that you don't want to give it - it's just that you want to keep something for yourself. There's a feeling of trying to hold on to some vestage of your pre-mother independance. At age 56 (almost 57) I am (sort of) approaching the other end of the continum. (I say sort of because I still have three of my offspring at home in the throws of teenagehood.) However, I've seen enough of my children venture off into adulthood and form homes of their own to have an almost full spectrum vantage point. As I view past years from this scenic overlook, I find I have become willing and gratefull to be defined by my motherhood. There's nothing I want more, nothing that even remotely compares in deep-seated rewards than emersing self in hearth and home. I have traveled some (Rome, Egypt, Israel, Hawaii, much of the US each several times over). I worked in sales for over 15 years, received top accolaids and sat on the company's executive board. There are other rewarding ventures that have come and gone. Nothing, however, comes even remotely close to the peace of heart and mind that comes to me when I emmerse my life in my children and their ensuing offspring. (There are 8 thus far.) I can see the future exploding into who know how many more and I can hardly contain my excitement over the unlimited potential of joyous posterity. If I were to offer some advice (how well, though, I understand that there's no way to really pass on this vision) to the younger generation of mothers it would be "keep working at it" - "do your best" - "chin up" because I can promise that down the road (even thru stretches full of potholes and teeth-jarring bumps) there are big dividends that keep growing long after other excitement and endeavors have faded into "so what" obscurity.
Now thank we all our God....
Joseph F. Smith
Monday, November 23, 2009
3 And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness.
(Book of Mormon | Ether 6:3)
I love this scripture from Ether. Men, women and children are on equal footing before the Lord. If we have eyes to see, He lights our way that we might not walk through this life in darkness.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Tucanos
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Sister Hall is on her way...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Study finds scent influences morality
BYU business prof Katie Liljenquist led a study that found that clean scents lead to more ethical behavior.
ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009) — People are unconsciously fairer and more generous when they are in clean-smelling environments, according to a soon-to-be published study. Check it out!
Here's a review of an earlier study conducted connecting physical cleansing with "washing away our sins." The Lady Macbeth Effect
I am going out tomorrow and buy some citrus scented Windex. It's time to wash windows anyway.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Time Warp
A Halloween Trick...
Speaking of birthday's....
... I shouldn't start on this because I'm sure to miss someone (perhaps multitudes of someones!) Happy birthday Cameron and Kip! (We met between the 16th and 19th and celebrated them both together. Also belated - that would be in Sept.)
Kip's candles have been reduced to decades. That's what happens when you leave the teens.