A letter to my Son as he prepares for Navy bootcamp

How long ago I held you in my arms; a small baby, just born into this world. As I looked into your face, I wondered what this world would hold in store for you.

I nursed you through childhood illnesses and mended many scrapped knees and other minor injuries.

I held back mothers fears as you went off to school and rejoiced each time you graduated to the next grade. I dried tears of disappointment and celebrated in times of triumph during your football years.

Never was I more proud than when you walked down the isle at graduation. Had it really been 18 years? How they had flown. Who stood in front of me now was a man; ready to take his place in the world.

You have given me wonderful grandbabies and the joy of seeing them grow up. What precious gifts.

As you prepare to go into the service, I am filled with mixed emotions: fear, dread, worry. But my heart is also full of pride in my son and the man he has become.

I will hold you close to my heart and pray for your safe return to us. As I pray for the others around you I will hope that the country does not forget the sacrifice that men and women of the armed services are giving for their country and the families that they leave behind.

I love you son and am so proud of you!

Your Mom.

 

My Son the Sailor

This last spring my son informed me he was joining the NAVY. With the world situation as it is, my first response was worry and dread.
But after considering the economic situation that most families are facing now and the fact that he has twin babies to support, I have reconsidered my initial responses.
Probably fitting in the group who supports our troups but sometimes questions the purpose of the mission, I have joined a wonderful web site, called Navy for Moms and get a lot of support from others who feel the way I do. I understand the necessity of a military presence but because I am a mother and it is MY son now who will be in harms way, this brings a whole new light to the armed forces and their families.  
Son enlisted with a friend and they are in the Delayed Entry Program or DEPPERS. They are scheduled to head to Great Lakes for Boot Camp in February of 2010. I told him, with a grin, that this will be a BIG change, weather wise, from someone who barely sees sleet on the ground in winter!
I know he has made a huge decision and he is going to get the best training and benefits that will afford his family a secure future.
We will look forward to the date of his graduation, when we will be able to sit with other families, as our new Sailors start out the beginning of their service career.
My prayers go out to all service familes who have members in harms way doing what is necessary to secure the freedoms that we at home in our warm beds all too often take for granted.
Good Luck and God Bless you and yours!

Employment Scam and my experience

Being from the Boomer Generation, our handshake is our word. We have a wonderful work ethic. We are dependable, honest, trustworthy and trusting, sometimes to a fault .

While these characteristics are beneficial, they may also be to our detriment.

Recently, I have found myself in need of employment after a temporary job finished up. I have been scouring the local newspaper and several WAH job forums I belong to. I also review postings on our Work Source web site.

So you can imagine my delight, when I found several posting, I felt very qualified for on our local newspaper want ads. I replied with my resume and was amazed and happy when I got an answer. They loved my qualifications and wanted me to fill out an application. This resulted in an email offer for employment and subsequent training schedule to be set up.

I was so overjoyed, that I immediately shared my news of good luck with my friends on the work at home forum I post to. Several were very happy with my luck and posted congratulations. Then came the bombshell. Someone posted a link to a fraudulent web site and blamed the people I was dealing with of an internet employment scam. BEWARE was their warning!

I was heartsick!!! My trust in my fellow man was immensely damaged. I suppose my being 60 years old and the fact that I put way to much trust in my fellow man lead me to believe that this would NEVER happen to me. I was heartbroken that I had been targeted and when I had done nothing but try and find a legitimate job!

This experience has not been as devastating as my initial lay off 2 years ago, but it has never the less shaken my ego once again.

I am always at a loss to explain scam artists, crooks and thieves. Some of these people have to be immensely intelligent to come up with these ideas. It makes me sad when I think of what they could really accomplish if they put their talents to good instead of bad.

Well I am a firm believer in come up ins or better known as “the what goes around” theory. These people, while they may seem to thrive and profit, will eventually get exactly what is coming to them.
It is just a shame that we honest people have to loose a little of that trust and belief in our fellow human beings in the process.

Summer in Houston

OMGoodness! It is JUST the middle of June and already I am SICK of summer!

To say I hate Houston in the summer, is not an exageration. The 3 H’s[as my husband calls them] Heat, Hummidity and Haze. There are no crisp mornings. At 7am it is already in the high 70s or low 80s and the air is dripping with humidity. Also the ozone from the refineries on our side of town makes the air hard to breath. Already I am wishing it was fall and the air had a nip to it. IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG HOT SUMMER!

When I was younger growing up in the 50s, we didn’t have air conditioning and I do not remember suffering. We played outside and even went to school without the benefit or luxury of air conditioning. Girls back then wore dresses to school and boys wore slacks and shirts; no shorts during the summer months. The mall and movie theaters were a nice diversion for summers in Houston. The skating rink, we spent many Saturday evenings at, was not air conditioned; it had two enormous vent fans in the back wall that sucked air through and kept the rink from sweltering. My first memory of being uncomfortably hot was the year I joined the drill squad in high school. We practiced before school and it seemed I was always dripping wet before class started and NEVER got cool the whole rest of the day. By the time my sister got to high school, 2 years later, air conditioning had been installed! AND the dress code had changed and shorts were being worn.

The older I get, the more my idea of comfort changes. We were without power for 13 days during hurricane IKE and almost died from the heat! I was never so glad to see the lights and a/c come back on; you would have thought we had won the lotto by the celebration we had.  

So tonight as I sit in front of my computer, typing this blog, I again find myself taking for granted the cool air from my little desk fan, while the a/c chugs away. But tomorrow when the sun gets up high in the sky, the heat index is 101 and this trailer feels like a concentration camp sweat camp box, I will again wonder why we are in Houston in the summer. Don’t birds fly back north in the summer?

Am I in your way?

One day last week, I found myself doing some running around in town. I really didn’t think much about the time of day, until I noticed the impatient looks I was getting from some of the drivers around me.

Then it hit me!

I was one of THEM!

The OLD FOLKS I use complain about, who were always out during MY lunch hour. Didn’t they have ALL DAY to get out and do this stuff? Why are they out during MY lunch hour, taking up space in line, when I only had 60 minutes to get out and back to work! It isn’t like they didn’t have ALL DAY to get out and do their thing. Couldn’t they do this in the morning or after lunch!

There I was, in line at the post office, trying to ignore the irritated stares of the “working folks” in line, trying to rush out and get back to the office.
I could almost read their thoughts, as they watched me shuffle to the counter, when the man hollered, “NEXT!”

I never consciously intended to be out during the lunch hour. Normally I love the cooler part of the day and try to be back at home before all the impatient office people spill out onto the road. Why today and a FRIDAY! of all days did I venture out to take care of my meaningless task. I almost had an urge to exclaim to everyone in line behind me, “PLEASE! Excuse me for taking up your lunch time!”

After leaving the post office, I sheepishly got in the drive-thru line of my favorite fast food place. Again, I had the overpowering urge to appolgize for being out while that refinery worker behind me was impatiently tapping his steering wheel as I paid for my order.

When I arrived at home, even my dog, greeted me with questioning eyes; “Where have you been? You never go out this time of day!”

Too bad she couldn’t have shared that insightful bit of information BEFORE I left the house.

Twin Grandbabies

Got back from visiting the TWINS this Memorial Day Weekend.

OMGoodness! They are growing leaps and bounds. They pull on my heartstrings everytime I see them. I only wish they lived closer so we could visit more often, but we are luckier than most as at least they are in the same state!

Found this cute website that allows you to make multimedia presentations of your pics and email, print or post.

Here is my presentation on the TWINS. They are SOOOO cute, but as a Granma I am WAY prejudice!

Update to life

When I started this blogging thing, I figured since I was recently unemployed, I would have LOTS of time to do this. I am amazed at how time slips away from you. First it is just a few days and before you know it, it is not only weeks and months, but almost a year.
I cannot say I have found that perfect wonderful job. I have had a couple of parttime gigs that I wished had developed into permanent but that was just not in the cards.One was working as a recruiting assistant for the US Census Bureau.I just LOVED that temp position and it was over way toooo soon. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the people we tested and hearing their employment stories.  Maybe I will be able to apply that job to something more permanent down the road. I have learned to think outside my comfort zone when looking for jobs. I NEVER thought I would be standing in front of people giving presentations!Well I am still looking and hopefully, God willing, will be able to put all of this experience into a great job someday.
Good luck to all my fellow seekers. Keep the faith!

Looking for a place in the VIRTUAL world

I have learned a lot about my self since being laid off a year ago from a job I held for 11 years. At 59, I am resilient and more adaptable than I had given myself credit for being. 

I didn’t realize how unhappy I had become in my dead end job and made every excuse for not leaving to find something better. I was taking the easy road, being very complacent in the path I was on. I secretly asked God everyday to give me a better job. HA! I have to tell you NEVER ask God for something, UNLESS you are prepared for his answer. We may not even like or understand his answer! So poof, he gave me what I had prayed for and I was too silly to understand. I went through all of the classic grieving processes in loss; I asked God to give me another chance or a new opportunity,  I closed myself off from husband, family and friends, FINALLY, I accepted that this was no fault of my own and it was just life happening and I needed to get on with it and make the best of this new opportunity God was giving me.  

In hindsight, I can say I grieved for my loss probably more than I should have. 

The one thing I miss about my old life in the real job world is the companionship and interaction with my fellow employees. When you put 11 years into a job, you see people marry, have families, go thru bad times and you rejoice and grieve with them. They become an extension of yourself and you feel as if you have lost a dear friend. Everyone says they will keep in touch but once you are no longer there, time and other commitments take their toll and you are like the single person on a group date with a bunch of married people; you don’t fit in anymore.  

So once I got my head screwed back on straight, I decided the home business I never had time for was now my priority. I was going to find the passion I had once felt for home employment years ago. I love working on the internet and with web design, so getting my web site current was pure enjoyment for me. I have found new friends in online forums; such as the great place at WAHM.com. I may not be able to go out to lunch with my internet friends, but I share many a cup of coffee in chat and message boards discussing our accomplishments and our failures. 

So I have adapted to my new home business self and I am enjoying it all. I just want to let everyone out there that you are never too OLD to pick yourself up by your bootstraps, dust yourself off and thank God for what he has given you, even if you don’t yet understand the gift!

My morning tea

I love a big round ceramic mug of steaming hot tea. Holding that piping hot mug in both hands and inhaling the aroma, is the perfect way to start a crisp spring morning. 

To me, hot tea tastes so much better when the air has a nip to it. I stand in the kitchen anticipating my treat as I watch the water boil. And no, watching the pot does not make it boil faster; it is just part of my ritual.  

It is that first cup in the morning when I am still in my house coat and fuzzy slippers that is special. I take my prized beverage to the patio, with my morning paper and lazily sip my tea while finding out what happened in the world as I slept. I relish the steam rising from my cup; all is right in my world.  

Too soon, that first cup is gone. I know there is more in the pot, but it is my first cup that starts my day off in this special manner. As I sit and stare at the leaves in the bottom of my mug, I imagine what fortune a reader might see in the pattern left. I have no imagination and have never been able to see anything that remotely reminded me of anything in the bottom of my mug. No phantom dog that foretold doom to Harry Potter by his physic divination teacher, Professor Trawley, at the bottom of this mug. I wonder if JK Rowling sees patterns in her tea leaves.  

I am a tea purist and maybe a bit of a snob. I don’t dilute the flavor of my tea with cream or change its flavor with sugar, honey or lemon. I wonder why anyone would go to a specialty store and purchase an exotic brand of tea if they were not going to enjoy the pure essence of its flavor. I do not require a lot of fancy equipment or a dainty china tea service. My big old ceramic mug fits my hands just right and keeps them warm until the last drop. I love the whistle of an old tea kettle on the stove and yes it needs to be a gas stove. 

Told you I might be a snob on certain points. Maybe this fire thing goes back to my caveman ancestors. I have never been a fan of electric cooking elements. I don’t even own a toaster. My mother made toast in the broiler pan of our gas stove and I still do it that way today. I guess that is where I learned my first lesson in patience. I was given the job of watching the coffee peculator on the old gas stove to make sure it did not boil over. Something about a Mr. Coffee takes the personalization of coffee making out of the equation. 

Just as in steeping tea, you control the strength yourself by how long you prefer the leaves to remain the water. No fancy contraptions for me. Well my mug is empty and cold, the sun is up and the paper is read; so time to start my day. I am already looking forward to tomorrow morning and my first cup of hot steaming tea in my favorite big ceramic mug. What a way to start a day!

A Virtual Boomer

I am a baby boomer. I say this with neither pride nor disdain. Just merely stating a fact.

A boomer is, according to bbhq.com, “Stated very simply, the demographers, sociologists and the media define baby boomers as those born between (and including) 1946 and 1964″. If you “Google” baby boomer, you will be given a overwhelming 2,420,000 search results! 

Not only am I grouped as a boomer, but according to Wikipedia, I am also known as part of the love generation, the beatniks, the hippies.

The reason, I mention all of this labeling, may reveil itself as continue with my blog.

I am now happily married, for a second time, to a man I consider lucky to have found-my soul mate. We laugh when we talk about our younger, wilder days and know that if our paths had crossed any other time in our lives, we would have not given each other a second look.

I was brought up to go to school, graduate, marry and have lots of children, the typical 2.5 children, white picket fence, dog, etc. At 31 and still not married, I wondered what I was doing wrong and if I was doomed to a spinsterly life.

Then I met my first husband and Lord help me, he was 21[yep! a BABY himself]. His mother said we were both in our sexual primes, mine just happen to be 13 years older than his! As the dogs in heat thing cooled off, that marriage amazingly lasted 13 years and gave me a wonderful son at the age of 41. Not my dream of lots of kids, the dog and the doating husband. 

So, around 6 years, after my first divorce, I met my soul mate. We celebrated our 10th anniversary, last year and I love this man. He makes me laugh, everyday of my life and I thank God he sent us colliding, head on into each other, at this time in our lives.   

My son graduates from High School this June and life seems to have found that slow and steady rhythm I have been looking for most of adult life. 

In my next post, I will try and explain how being a boomer and the virtual internet have helped me find that niche in the job market.

Thank you for reading my post and any comments. God bless you and have a Great day!