Let's Talk About Words

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love . Don't be surly at home , then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers."                                                                   -Maya Angelou       Your home life can affect your entire world. There have been times in the past when I dreaded coming home; when my home life was not going well. It made me feel physically and emotionally upset when I got close to home. I would find excuses to be out so that I did not have to feel the sadness that I felt there. That is not how a house should feel. A house should feel like coming home. It should feel like love . It is not always perfect yet there are times that I just look around my house at my family and am so incredibly happy . It brings me such ...

      " Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home ."                                                                 -Dame Edith Sitwell         Today is the first day of December . Some parts of the world already have snow , but it is sunny and 41 degrees as I write this in Chicago, but I know that winter is on the way. When the winter weather  arrives, it will bring us together for a couple of reasons. The first reason will be that the  snow  and cold temperatures keep us from leaving the house at times. We stay home and read and watch television, but hopefully we also spend time baking, playing games or watching movies together . Even if you live somewhere without ...

                                          I am impressed with other people's talents whether it is in being great at a sport, singing songs, being an award winning actor or various other talents. I have always felt that I am "a jack of all trades but a master of none", meaning that I can do many things but have never been extraordinary at any. Having a gift or talent is something that you were born with or as some call it "god given". I do think that we all have some special gift or talent, but what sets those apart from others is that they realized their special ability and pursued it. That is what they should be proud of; that is what should be applauded. I hope that my daughters discover their gifts and pursue them with their whole heart and soul. At 49, I am still looking for mine.

          Nelson Mandela said, " There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which yourself have altered." There are many instances of this situation. Some examples of going home would be going back to your parents house if you don't live close,  to a class reunion or back to the town you grew up in as I did this summer. This topic makes me wonder what my cousins and Uncle thought of the current me and the ways I have changed. I had a great time in Erie, Pa, and I know that I much different since I lived there. I really enjoyed the visit, and I am anxious to go again. It felt wonderful to spend time with people I love and rarely see, in a city that brought back so many memories. The passage of time has even made me see my old city in a new light as well. It was a beautiful city, and much more than I remember! I hope that as I have grown and changed, others will see me as much more than I was as well.