Exhale Loudly

I have always strongly believed that a woman should be able to stand on her own two feet physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.  I learned this from watching my mother go through the hell of being a housewife completely dependent on my father for everything.  Unfortunately, I really do think that when a woman allows herself to be financially dependent on somebody else that she's opening herself up to potential abuse.

I raised my daughter with strong lessons on the necessity of being independent and she has learned those lessons well!  I want this for each and every one of my female loved ones!

That said, I've been very worried for the last month or so about a much loved, close female friend.  Due to a recent traumatic experience, she was headed in a direction where she would be financially unstable.  Although myself and another close friend would never allow her to be destitute, I was very worried about where she was headed. A woman should never allow herself to get into a position where others can take advantage of her. There is no guarantee that myself and our other friend wouldn't get hit by a bus and not be available to provide help to her if needed.  There are so many awful people out there who prey on vulnerable women!  I was so worried!

Happily, during a phone conversation with her today, she indicated that she was going to resume the stable financial plan that she had before her recent traumatic experience!  I was getting my nails done at the time and the technicians noticed that I exhaled loudly after my dear friend told me her wonderful news!  I just can't describe how relieved I am about her decision!  I am still breathing easier and feel that a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders!  She is such a wonderful woman and I want so much for her to be happy and safe!

So the theme of this post brings back a song that I listened to as a kid.  It applied to life back then, it does now, and it always will!  I dedicate this song to my dear friend whose unfailing logic has returned!  Here's to you, my dear friend . . . you know who you are!  You are a very strong and capable woman!  

Helen Reddy knew the importance of being a strong woman in control of her own life!  My dear friend is the same, and I've got her back!

V-Day 2013

Valentines Day 2013 turned out to be quite memorable!  The whole day was very special!  There's nothing like spending time with the people that you love!

Valentine's Day dinner was delicious and we got to share it with my stepson Alex, his girlfriend Meghan and their dog Bernie.

Here is what the V-Day table looked like:

V-Day 2013 Table

The appetizer was beautiful as well as delicious!  It was tomato, mozzarella cheese and seasoned bread cut into heart shapes and arranged beautifully on a plate with a drizzle of vinaigrette on top: 
 

V-Day 2013 Appetizer

The main course was Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with Crab Meat and served with turn vegetables.  It was fantastic!  Here is how it looked:

V-Day 2013 Dinner

Dessert was fresh blackberries, raspberries and blueberries with whipped creme.  What a delicious and healthy close to our Valentine's Day dinner!

V-Day 2013 Dessert

I hope that next year is just as good!

Light a Penny Candle

Yesterday began like every other Saturday.  I got up, went to the Gym and worked out, then came home and ate some breakfast.  After doing some things around the house, I took a nap and then got up and went to Mass.

Mass was packed to the gills!  It was a special one called a "Blue Mass", which was held in honor of all of the first responders in Wylie. There were a good number of policemen and policewomen as well as firemen and their families there, all sitting in reserved pews in the front middle of the church. I thought that it was very nice that there was a Mass held in their honor!

While sitting there before Mass started, I looked up at the front of the church and saw blue votive candles flickering in front of the statue of the Blessed Lady.  I remember lighting these candles as a kid, but it only cost a penny back then to light one. People used to light a penny candle in prayer, usually for a special intention or in memory of a loved one who had died.  The votive candles looked like the one in this picture:

Since I have a very special intention for prayer, I lit four votive candles.  It costs more than a penny nowadays to light one.  It's 25 cents for the small ones and $2.00 for the large ones now.  I hope that my prayers are answered! 

True Colors

Every few months we get an orange slip in the mail from a place called the Arc of Texas.  The Arc is a nonprofit organization that "creates opportunities for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to actively participate in their communities and make the choices that affect their lives in a positive manner.” They teach individuals and their families how to effectively advocate for themselves and the people they care about. They also offer an array of effective trainings in advocacy, education, and independent living and have a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of interest to individuals and families of people with disabilities. What a great cause!

Well, we got another orange slip from the Arc in the mail about a week ago.  Adeline and I both had some beautiful clothes and shoes in our drawers and closets that we weren't using anymore. So, I spent several hours taking inventory of our closets and drawers and bagging up everything that we don't use anymore so that we could donate it to the Arc.  I ended up filling 10 bags.  Here they are sitting in the Foyer of the house, ready to go outside on the front steps for pickup.

Donation to the Arc of Texas

I felt very good about doing this as I know that there are many women and children who could use what we were donating!  But as I was packing it all up, something else came to mind.  As I evaluated all of the clothes in my closet, it became quite apparent that I'm a different person from the woman I was when I wore what I was bagging up!  

I shared this with my BFF and she told me that it wasn't likely that I've changed so much, but that my true persona was starting to emerge.  I think that she's right.  Yes, life events have caused me to change how I think about and do some things.  However, there are aspects of myself that I've kept inside that are starting to emerge.  I can't hold them back anymore.  Although the items of clothing and shoes that I was donating were very nice, they were just baggage left behind from the person that I used to be.  It reminded me of a caterpillar awaking in it's cocoon and emerging as a butterfly.

This whole experience was quite cathartic.  It made me see that my true colors are starting to shine through.  As with most change, I'm not sure that everybody in my life will approve of it, but I can't be afraid to let it show.  It will happen one way or another.

This song says exactly how I feel about where I'm at this point in my life:

.
Like Cyndi Lauper said . . true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow.