Christmas 2010

I'm going to have Christmas here this year. It will be just my Dad and I but that's fine. I'll be making dinner. We're having ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing carrots and cranberry jelly.

I haven't gotten all of my shopping done, but i'll finish after Christmas, hopefully, when everything goes on sale.

Thanksgiving 2010

This year I'll be going to my grandmothers for Thanksgiving.
We ate around three thirty this afternoon. Things didn't turn out the way my Grandmother wanted them to, but dinner was good all the same.
We had turkey with all the usual trimmings. Mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, etc.

We have no idea how blessed we truly are

Good morning,
Thanks to a friend I came up with the title for this post.
As the title says we don't know how blessed we truly are, both as a country and individuals.
I am currently in the process of de-cluttering my house so that I can give to the porr and others who don't have much or are in need.
If a lot more people would get stuff together and start giving to those in need, no matter what that need may be this country would be in a much better state of affairs. But politics isn't my cup of tea, so I won't go there.
It's summer now, and after a couple of months of working with a guide dog and training a dog to do guidework, I'll be de-cluttering my house again soon as Fall is coming.
I'm blessed to be able to help people when I am able to do so, but I don't appreciate those who like to take advantage of the fact that I'm able to do this and they can get away with asking all of the time.

We need to "get back to basics", and start thinking of others, and not just ourselves.

A letter to Mom

Dear Mom,
It has only been five months since you went home, but some days it doesn't seem like you're gone.
I miss you so much, but I know where you are.
Starting in January I'm hoping to begin taking classes to get my batchelor's degree in human services
Once I'm done with my undergrad work then I'll work toward my Masters degree in rehabilitation teaching and counciling.
I love you and think of you often. I'm glad you're not suffering any more. Tell Rita and Irene and everyone else who has wondered what I've been up to about the journey that I'm now on.
I love you.

Monday morning

this is the start to a pretty busy week for me.
I've just made breakfast as I've got a busy day ahead of me.
I had an omlet for breakfast.

Making my way through the darkness

A few months ago someone came up with a line that included the fragment making a way through the darkness. I oculdn't believe it. That sounded like the perfect title for a book. I took that line and ran with it. Thus is the working title for my book.
BlindSight was going to be the title, but alas it didn't seem to root itself anywhere. Making one's way through darkness however did.
I have been blind since birth, and as a result all I see is light and dark and some shadows. This is also where the title of the book came from.
Making my way through the darkness is my story about growing up blind and my faith journey to the Catholic church.

Charlie Brown's story

My Charlie Brown came home with me last November from an animal shelter in Northern Mid-Michigan. I had gone up north to pick up some things that I had left there over the summer.
I wanted to stop by the animal shelter that was in the area where I was to see what they had available for adoption in the way of cats or kittens. I am so glad I did.
That's when my Charlie Brown came home.
I couldn't have asked for a better cat.
he's a red-and-white tabby cat and his fur is so soft. It feels almost like velvet.
Today is Charlie Brown's birthday.
I brought him home a year ago today.
Charlie Brown had a good birthday last Sunday.

My trip to Mexico

My dream of going to Mexico is getting closer to coming true.
I need to finish sorting things out here so when the good Lord tells me it's time to go I can pack up my car and go, leaving nothing here undone.
I'll write more as the time to begin this new chapter in my life gets closer.

Thoughts of Studying and Working Abroad: Part 2

(The first part of this post is in a previous post, but I'm reposting it here with an update.)

Here is the first part:
As I sit here tonight at the computer doing some research for some school projects my mind wanders to far off places. Places that only the paths of the mind can ponder. One of those places being San Miguel de Allende.
The more I read about Mexico the more my fascination with the country grows. The more I discuss it with people the more I want to go. It's important to me that all children be educated from the beggars on the street to the wealthy of the land. These children need a helping hand. These children need to learn so that money they can earn.
They won't need to beg for food or drink, they'll learn to use their minds to think.
My intentions for this idea of a school for the blind are strong, is that wrong?
Sitting here this morning drinking my coffee, I see myself getting ready for a day with the children.
I see the classes taking field trips in to the mountains and surrounding countryside. On to the ranchos and beyond. I've been corresponding with my contact in San Miguel today. There is a lot that I need to learn about traveling to Mexico as it is a third-world country. There are a lot of things that are done differently The culture is also different than what we're used to here in the States. The houses of the locals all share a common wall between them. To work in Mexico if you're not a citizen you have to have a permit.
than we're used to here in the US.

I need to get in touch with my contacts in Mexico and find out how things are going in San Miguel. I will be doing that as soon as I get home from my vacation.

Update: 2-09-2010
Things are starting to fall in to place so that I can make my long-awaited first trip to Mexico this coming summer.
I've made some additional contacts in San Miguel de Allende, and some contacts in the Lake Chapala area.

The grey stallion

The big grey stallion stood patiently at the top of the hill waiting for the young woman who was supposed to exercise him that day.
As Kelley trudged up the hill through two feet of soft, powdery snow to where he stood he whinnied softly at her.
She undid the lead rope that tied the horst to the solitary hitching post just outside of the paddock.
Kelley slowly walked the horse down the hill so that she could mount him easily without much effort.
when they reached the bottom of the hill Kelley felt his large head come to rest against her shoulder. Kelley stood there beside him and let him love on her. She clambered up on to his back and settled in to the saddle after a few minutes.
As Kelley walked the big horse to the paddock where he would be kept until the time of the pulling of the carts came she felt her feet go out from beneath her as she slid in some mud. She threw herself into the horse's side to steady her still shaking legs.