Thou Shall Renovate Before It's Too Late

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back."  ~~ Arthur Rubinstein


A couple of weeks ago, I was driving down Line Avenue, here in Shreveport, La.

Line Avenue is one of those streets that can literally take you from one end of Shreveport to the other.  I sometimes love taking Line all the way down until I hit the interstate because when I do that, I get to catch a glimpse of my old childhood home that is on Wilkinson Street. (right off of Line).

That old house on Wilkinson carries for me many, wonderful childhood memories.  It was originally a two-story duplex, with the top story identical to the bottom story in it's floor plan.  So, in essence, my sister Kimberly and I had our very own "apartment" with our very own kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, living and dining room.  We thought we were too cool for school!! (at the ripe old age of 7 and 8.) ha!

I have shared so many precious memories of this house with my own children, so when I passed by that old street a couple of weeks ago, and saw that my old house was up for sale, I just couldn't resist!  I had to call the realtor and ask for a tour!

I was so excited when the realtor told me that we could meet at noon that very day!  I called my husband, my mom and aunt...and even checked my little girl out of school for a "surprise lunch" so we could all tour the old Wilkinson house together!

When we all arrived, we were so excited, (especially Mom and me).  We could hardly wait to step into the old house.....step back into the past.....step back into all of those precious memories that were sure to come flooding back into the forefront of our minds.  All we needed to do was take that first step...and so we did.....

My heart sank as we entered the front door.   "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no...... what happened to this place?"

I was completely devastated.  The walls were stained and peeling paint was everywhere.  The draperies were tattered and torn, (if they were still hanging on the windows at all.)  The shelves in the closets were falling apart.  The smell was that of musk and just plain oldness".  The backyard was almost frightening to look at, with the garage completely dilapidated like it had been a victim of some terrible tornado.  The weeds were growing through some of the window panes and the floors in some of the rooms were buckling and completely ruined.  It was almost too much for my heart.

I literally felt an ache in the depths of my soul as I entered each room trying desperately to recall any memory of happy times in that house.

I remember saying to my husband and daughter, "Yall! It never looked like this!  I swear!  This looks nothing like I remember!  Truly....It was bigger, sunnier, happier, when my family lived here!  This is all so sad... I can't see anymore.  We need to go."

Then in a desperate attempt to try and give my daughter a separate visual than what she was actually  viewing, I said "Summer, (pointing to my childhood bedroom) this is the room that held my white canopy bed, chest of drawers and dresser that is yours now.  This room was so beautiful then!"

She kind of looked around the room as if she was trying to picture it all like I was describing it.   Half-smiling, I continued.... "Sum, it looks so very small now.  This terrible smell was never here." I said as my voice trailed,  "You know what?" I said, feeling defeated, "Why don't we just go."

I couldn't help but feel so sad that day.  I wondered to myself, "After we moved away, did my old house ever feel a family's love and care again?  Was it ever again able to hold within it's walls the sounds of joy and laughter.....those sounds that once emanated throughout it's every nook and cranny?"
Gosh, I was sad.

I politely thanked the realtor for allowing us in and as quickly as we arrived, we were gone again.

It has been two weeks now and I still can't get it out of my mind.

I kind of look at that old house as a metaphor for our human lives, in a way.... and especially the relationships that we share with others.

Like that old house on Wilkinson....... If the important relationships in our lives don't get the right amount of tender, loving care and attention, I'm afraid what you might find in the end is fragile and buckling spirits.....broken down lines of communication..... You might even find the walls of comfort and trust have, over time, become stripped bare.
...And ultimately...those nasty weeds and vines of bitterness will have crept in and overtaken the windows of your heart until all that is left is a shell of the person you once were.

In other words, like that old house, your relationship will have become broken.....dilapidated.

But here's the good news! ~~ It's never too late to renovate! ~~

If you are willing to pour some good ole time, effort, energy AND LOVE into those relationships you care about, you will be AMAZED at what you can rebuild!

And sometimes......just sometimes....... what you REbuild can actually result in a stronger, better and more precious "home" than it ever was before!

Yeh.... I quite like that...... "It's never too late to renovate."

Hmmm....Good.....Very good.
I think I like that a lot.

Okay, just my thoughts for today....
Take care of your loved ones!
Teri

Thou Shall Appreciate the Many "Forks" Along the Road of Life

"When you come to the fork in the road, take it."  ~~ Yogi Berra


Have you ever regretted a past decision to such a degree that you wish you could literally travel back in time and have your own personal "do-over"?

Think about it.  You could've gone either way with your decision....and now, unfortunately, you feel you made the wrong one.
You want a do-over.....a reboot....a mulligan..... a flat-out-freakin'-A-I-made-a-mistake-please-let-this-be-a-bad-dream-and-let-me-start-this-part-of-my-life-over-RE-DO! (ha!)

I think if you've lived long enough, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about.

We've all heard of the phrase, "Fork in the road."

These are the "what ifs" of our lives.  We can choose this route and have this outcome....OR....choose this path and take our life in this direction.

What if my decision causes hurt and heartache to someone I truly care about?
What if I choose the wrong school.....the wrong job......or worse......the wrong love?

But think about it: IF we really could go back in time and reverse our "wrong decision" (meaning that you would lose everything you gained from that experience as well), would we actually do it?

I have a friend (who is in the midst of a painful divorce), recently say to me, "Teri, IF only I could go back in time...."
She let that sentence linger a minute, as she shook her head, staring at the floor.

I finally broke in and said, "What?.....If you could go back in time....What, Martha?"

Surprised by my response, she continued, "Well, I dunno.  I guess I was gonna say that if I could go back in time, I never woulda married the jerk in the first place."

I chimed in, with a mischievous smile and said, "Would you, Martha?  Would you really?  Knowing all the things you wouldn't have in this life if you had never married him....do you really think you'd take a different path and not marry him if you had the choice to do it all again?

She cocked her head, smiled and just looked at me.

I continued my point, "Think about that....
*If not for that 'mofo' (I'm not really a cusser, so this was really to make her laugh), you wouldn't have two of the most precious children this world has ever known....
*If not for that 'son-of-a-biscuit', you probably wouldn't be here in this wonderful town surrounded by this circle of friends who absolutely love, cherish and support the woman you are....and the phenomenal human being you will continue to be....
*AND....if not for that 'm.f.s.a.b.' (Mom, that stands for, 'Mean, flippin', sinner and bozo) *wink*....you would never have learned such incredibly valuable lessons about life...AND about YOURSELF!  You've grown so much!!"

She smiled, squeezed my hand and said, "T, you are good.... I'll give you that. Your words hit home...But, I'm gonna have to call you out.  YOU, sister, need to listen to your own words when you harp about how life seems to have passed you by in 'this endeavor....or that dream."

I had to laugh! "Touche', my love! Touche'."

It sure is easier giving advice when it's not you in the middle of the life-storm, isn't it?  ha!

Anyway, the reality is that we, as humans, are constantly growing, evolving and changing.
That. is. life. period.

Our life circumstances and life experiences help to shape us into who we are and what we are meant to be for this world.

So, I guess, that instead of looking behind us at those times or opportunities that we regret, ache over or feel like passed us by, the true purpose for each experience is to learn from them.  We are constantly  learning....constantly evolving....and constantly growing.

My motto?  Gotta keep moving.
Gotta keep on moving forward...and upward.

We must never look back with regret.  Ever.
We are constantly being shaped by every single decision we make.  So never look back with regret.  Just learn from your mistakes and relish in those times that the path you chose, (when standing at the "fork") actually panned out just like you had hoped it would!

Actually, you know what?  Relish in all of it....because all of it ultimately makes us who we are....
......and who we are is pretty dang great.


Like Yogi said, "Just pick a path and move forward."
....And UPward. ;-)

Here's to all the many wonderful forks in this "road of life!"

Celebrate 'em all!

Teri

Thou shall embrace a simpler time...

“Simplify, simplify”

-Henry David Thoreau

I woke up today to find my daughter, Logan’s, cell phone on the nightstand. That, in and of itself, is completely normal. What was strange was that it was in the exact same spot since we arrived on vacation two days ago. The other girls’ phones also seem to have assumed a new position in their bags as opposed to their usual position of “firmly planted in their hands, fingers to keys, typing furiously.” 

Believe me, I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m celebrating it. The best part is I didn’t  even have to ask them to put them away. I didn’t have to bribe or as I like to call it “incentivize” the non-cell phone usage. Hard to believe, right? Actually, not really...all I had to do was bring them on vacation in Seaside, Florida.

This is my first time in Seaside and I must say, it will not be my last. For those of you who have never been, Seaside is a bit of stepping into the past. I drove our car here (yes, 14 long hours of girlie movies and top 40 music I never want to hear again) but I haven’t driven it since. The streets here are brick-lined and are infinitely better suited for bike-riding rather than car driving. I see cars being driven here but they appear bulky and almost out of place...kind of like when you see a 200 pound man trying to ride his ten year old son’s bike. 

It’s not as if there is a ban on cell phone usage but you just don’t see people studying their stocks and checking their emails like you customarily do. There are TVs in every room of our cottage but you just don’t see kids sitting in front of them as you do at home. 

Here games of whiffle ball and bocci seem to have replaced Nintendo and Wii. Here, evenings of bar-b-queuing and walks by the tiny shops have replaced runs through fast food drive-throughs and evenings of American Idol. And that, friends, is perfectly fine by me. 

This is a change of pace and a transporting back in time. Back to a simpler time. A time when families enjoyed their time together and entertainment came in the form of a stroll through the fresh market and stopping for a coke served in a 10 ounce glass bottle.

Yes, Seaside isn’t inexpensive. The milk Brooklyn drank in her bottle this morning was about $5.00 for half a gallon. But the flip side is that it was served from a frosty glass milk jug...A jug we purchased from the woman who claimed to be the “farmer’s wife” ...A jug we were warned to shake vigorously because the cream would have risen to the top...a jug you have to return for a refund...(which had my kids scratching their heads)...yes, that kind of old-school, traditional milk jug.

That jug is symbolic of Seaside itself...a remembrance of the past and yet perfectly delicious.

-Claudia

 

Take 2...Thou shall be free not to pray but not prevent prayer....

“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

-- Elie Wiesel

       Let me just say that I am fully aware that my post today is essentially a continuation of my post from yesterday but when I watched the news last night I simply could not stop myself from addressing this issue because I think it absolutely proves my point that there is an active agenda to dismantle religious freedoms in this country…

       Stony Brook University has decided to no longer give students off for Good Friday. To be fair, they have now changed their vacation policy for all Christian and Jewish holidays in order to accommodate Buddhists and Muslims who said that their holidays were not represented. So now, because Buddhists and Muslims complained, the Christians and Muslims will now be in school on their holidays.

       Now, don’t get me wrong. I can understand why Muslims would like to miss school to celebrate their religion. They do so for likely the same reasons why Christians and Jews would want to miss school…in order to be with their families and honor their God.  Seems reasonable enough.

       But why not accommodate the Buddhist/Muslim students (who represent a tiny fraction of the student body as compared to Christian and Jewish students) and provide an excused absence for those students on their religious holiday?

      

       Would that be THAT disruptive? Would that case THAT many problems? Would it be MORE disruptive and cause MORE problems than preventing the Christian and Jewish students from missing school (think about travel issues, inability to attend services because they must be in class…etc.)

       Before you formulate your opinion on this topic please consider the following list of approved legal holidays at Stony Brook…

Labor Day	Monday	September 5, 2011
Columbus Day*	Monday	October 10, 2011
Election Day*	Tuesday	November 8, 2011
Veterans Day*	Friday	November 11, 2011
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday	November 24, 2011
Christmas Day (observed)**	Monday	December 26, 2011
New Year's Day (observed)**	Monday	January 2, 2012
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	Monday	January 16, 2012
Lincoln's Birthday*	Monday	February 13, 2012
Washington's Birthday (observed)*	Monday	February 20, 2012
Memorial Day	Monday	May 28, 2012
Independence Day	Wednesday	July 4, 2012
Labor Day	Monday	September 3, 2012

       I don’t have a problem with honoring Columbus (although I really implore you to acknowledge the number of times you have stopped and reflected about Columbus while home on Holiday that day)..or Lincoln…or even Washington…

       All great guys I’m sure…but if we are going to honor them, I’m pretty sure there is one other pretty great guy we should be honoring on the Friday before Easter....

-Claudia 

Thou shall be free to not pray, but not free to prevent prayer..

“Religion is like a pair of shoes.....Find one that fits for you, but don't make me wear your shoes.” 

By now, you have likely heard that Peyton Manning has signed a deal to become a Denver Bronco. For the Mile-High sum of 96 million dollars, Peyton has left behind Indy and is moving west. Not surprisingly, this move has a lot of people talking. Given his neck injuries, will he really be able to play? Does Denver have an offensive line capable of protecting Manning as he needs? What part of his deal is guaranteed (in the event of another injury)? Lots of questions...the other question of course, and the one that has been on my mind since I first heard about the deal, is what now becomes of Tim Tebow?

I have never been a huge fan of people who you hear thanking God for their victories. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that they are thanking God. I happen to thank God for all the great things in my life. Actually, I thank Him for the good and the bad (because I think He always has a plan) but I don’t feel a need to tell EVERYONE ELSE that I’m thanking God. I consider my relationship with God somewhat personal. It’s just how I am.

I know my role as a good Christian though is not to judge others. I like to think I try to be tolerant as much as humanly possible, so I guess it surprises even me that I have this pet peeve of hearing someone take to the microphone and starting their victory speech with “I want to thank God...” As soon as I started following Tebow’s career at the University of Florida, it all started to make sense though...

By following Tebow, it suddenly dawned on me that my problem is not with people publicly thanking God, it’s the sincerity of the gratefulness (or more specifically the lack thereof) that irritated me. I have never been irritated to hear someone get on stage at the Oscar’s for example and genuinely give thanks to God for a win as long as I felt that the statement was sincere. What irritated me was hearing actor after actor or athlete after athlete thank God because they thought it was expected of them to do so. 

Maybe it’s even in the way the words are spoken that also grates on my nerves...often kind of a rushed, slurred or dismissive statement, said in a way that means “I’m supposed to say this so let me get it over with before I tell you about how good it felt to break free in the backfield and score that winning touchdown.”  That just irritates me. I’m sorry. Maybe it’s better that the words are said than not said, but for whatever reason, it still causes me to roll my eyes when I hear it.

Given this pet peeve, it has surprised even me that I somehow have turned into a Tebow supporter. Yes, Tebow, the absolute poster child of public thanks-giving to God, doesn’t irritate me at all. Calm down...I’m not about to do the Tebow when I cross the finish line of my mini-marathon in May. But watching him take a knee for a few seconds before celebrating with his team just seems sincere to me. Because of that, it doesn’t bother me at all.

So can it really just be Tebow’s apparent sincere gratuity that has my mind changing on this topic? To be fair, I think it goes a bit deeper than that. 

I also think I have started supporting Tebow and others who are infusing God more and more into their public lives because it seems we (those of us who believe in God) seem to be asked more and more not to do so. 

Case in point...a friend of mine told me that her daughter’s soccer team used to do a small prayer at the start of every game. Just a simple “Lord, keep our girls safe and may they treat each other with respect...etc.” There were some parents that had a problem with that. Actually just one parent (as opposed to eleven who had no problem with the prayer), but on topics such as this, one is often enough, and the coach was forced to forego the “prayer.” In exchange, the coach instituted a “moment of silence.” A mere thirty seconds with which the kids (and parents) could choose to do with whatever they wished. You could think about the troops in Iraq...you could make a mental note to call the air conditioning repair man...you could fill out your grocery list...and oh, yeah... you could pray. Seems fair, right?  

Nope. Not to that one parent who still felt that the moment of silence “implied” prayer. Amazingly enough, there was a sufficient fuss made with the administrators of the league that now even the moment of silence is “out of bounds” (pardon the pun).

Are you kidding me with this? Really?? Is this what we have become??? 

What’s so wrong with a moment of silence? Heck, for that matter, what’s so wrong with a prayer?  

Again, I promise I understand that you may not want to pray. You will never see me handcuff you and drag you to church. If you don’t believe in God and don’t want your children to hear a prayer at a soccer game, I have no problem with you deciding not to pray or removing them from that environment. Fine by me. That is between you and God (or as you may believe..just you). But I want to pray. I want my kids to pray. And to be totally honest, I’m fairly sick and tired that just because you may not want to pray, I am forbidden from doing so. 

Why after all, does it appear that it is always the minority’s opinion on these matters that is stronger than mine? Because their position is deemed “politically correct”..that’s why. We decide that we don’t want anyone to feel “uncomfortable” and so we ignore the vast majority’s opinions and cater to the minority. Well, what if I’m uncomfortable that I don’t get to pray??? What if those of us who do want to pray, simply said, “I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable, but I’m going to take a second and sincerely acknowledge God in my life?” And that, my friends, brings me right back to Tim Tebow...because that’s exactly what he’s doing. 

And that’s exactly what I love about him. 

-Claudia

Thou Shall Have Proper Perspective

"The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective."  ~~ Al Neuharth

Isn't it funny how our heart sometimes remembers the past a little bit differently than another who lived through the exact same experience with us?  I always find this so fascinating!

Think about your children, for instance.... I am willing to bet there are times when your children have come running to you fiercely angry at the other for something that took place maybe only moments before... 
But, in that span of 30 seconds that it took them to get from their "battle zone" to you, each child is trying to out-yell the other with their version of "what happened"!  And crazily, each version of what happened could not be more different than the other! 
 Don't you just sometimes find yourself looking at them in total bewilderment thinking, "What in the what?!" ha!


To be honest, there is actually a very good reason each child feels so passionate about their version of "what happened"....and it's not because they are honing their little "lying skills", so don't worry.  ;-)   
But I'll get to my "take" on this matter in just a minute.


I love to watch and observe others.  People absolutely fascinate me.  I love to see how they interact with each other....what makes them smile.....what sets them off.......and especially what moves them to tears.  

Sometimes, I catch myself watching other couples and I can become completely mesmerized by how very different they are from one another. What angers one, might tickle the other.  What moves another to compassionate tears, might draw the other to roll their eyes in disdain.  It's so funny to me.  So interesting.  I find myself wondering sometimes, "How in the world did these two end up together?"  
And rest assured that MANY have, most likely, wondered the same about my husband and me! (Including me!) ha!


If you ever watch shows like Dr. Phil, inevitably you will see family members who grew up and lived together in the same house, with the same parents, during the same time period, but who ALL have completely different perceptions of what went on in that house!!
It's always so mind-boggling to me!


How does this happen?  How is this possible that a family who grew up TOGETHER, with basically the same dynamics, the same circumstances and the same history, look back at that exact time period with SUCH DIFFERENT memories and  feelings about what took place?


And now back to the kids I mentioned earlier.......How can two tattling kids feel so righteous and passionate that their version of how things went so wrong IS the truth??

Well, I think I have discovered the easy answer.  
My easy answer is this:  "Perception."  You see, each of us has our own perception of the world around us...... and how we perceive that world is what makes the difference.   

It is in THIS perception that we are able to determine WHAT we feel about certain situations and HOW it affects US.  

Why do you suppose two people with the exact same circumstances can be affected by their situation in such completely different ways?  
Why? It is because we are all "wired" so differently from one another!  

Not only that, but how we are affected by what someone says or does to us, depends greatly on how much we care or don't care about the person who said or did it!


You see what I mean?  For instance, If my husband were to tell me that I was a terrible mother, it would hurt me much worse than if someone else who doesn't know me or know anything about my relationship with my children had said it.


And here's another "perception" of mine: 
Not only are we "wired" differently, but some people actually have the ability to choose how they wish to move forward from past hurts and heartaches.  
They might even feel empowered by the process, simply by taking control of their lives.
 
Some allow themselves to remain victims of past hurts and bad circumstances, finding themselves taking another lap around the over-crowded "woe is me" lap pool.


Don't do it!  Don't join the others in the "woe is me" lap pool! I heard that people pee in that one! 
hee...

Be the one to use past experiences as a platform to become stronger, better and wiser.  Use it as a way to help others who might be struggling through their own hard times.

Don't choose to hold onto past hurts, old grudges and long ago betrayals!  Don't do it!  It'll give you cellulite!  (Okay, there's no scientific proof of this..... I just made that up because I knew that some of you, like me, would work harder at this challenge if you thought it would actually work at getting rid of that "hail damage" we all have to contend with.) hee.....

Anyway, here's my prayer:  Lord, please let me be part of the positive-gotta-move-forward-and-upward crew!  I wanna grow stronger!  I want to evolve into Greatness! I wanna swim free in the "Ocean of Lessons Learned", not make another lap in that dirty, nasty, lazy river of "blechh".  Please!  
And Lord, please extend your Grace in times of self-pity and ignorance when I find myself caught up wallowing in the victim role.  I hate that role as I know it isn't becoming on anyone.  Love you, Lord."


Teri


 **Here's to Good Perceptions!**

Thou Shall Tell Your Friend if She has 3 inch Black Whisker Sticking Out of Her Chin!

"Beauty draws us with a single hair."  ~ Alexander Pope

I just bet you that when Alexander Pope was quoted as saying, "Beauty draws us with a single hair", he was probably not referring to the flowing hair of one of those ugly, coarse, black, where-the-heck-did-this-straggler-come-from hairs that will inevitably show up at the most inopportune times and in the most ridiculous places!

I mean, honestly!  Where do these little black hairs come from? How is it that they "appear" more and more as we age....and how come they don't show up where clothing can hide them.......And WHY does it seem that they are able to grow 3 inches over night?!?

I recently had a friend text me and another friend of ours with this message: "Okay ~ the 2 of you are in so much trouble!! How many days did I walk around with this 3 inch black whisker sticking out of my chin?? AND a half-mustache on the right side of my lip!?? Do you have eyeballs and a conscience??!!  Next time TELL me to pull out the tweezers!!!"

I literally read her text and doubled-over in laughter right there in the kitchen where my husband was eating. ha!

Kevin asked me what was so funny and I just laughed some more and said, "Nothing....just girl stuff."  He just shook his head and kept eating. ha!

I immediately had two thoughts after I read her text:

My FIRST thought was, "Yes! She IS like the rest of us!" (You see, this is the good friend of mine who is truly almost too good to be true.)  She ALWAYS looks clean, pressed, dressed to the nine, make-up perfectly ready for sunlight (or moonlight) and her hair is ALWAYS coiffed to perfection.  ...So quite honestly, I was happy that my buddy is human after all. Ha!

My SECOND thought was, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!....If ANYone in this world will tell someone that they have a 'straggler' on their chin, neck, face or ear...... or spinach in their teeth .....or toilet paper hanging from their skirt or ANYTHING else of that nature......it is ME!"

No question about it!!! I have been there, done that and KNOW how embarrassing it is!

It is times like these that I realize how great God's sense of humor really is!  Honestly, if I ever start feeling a little too full of myself for whatever reason, I can rest assured that it won't be long before I'm talking to an old college friend with spinach comfortably placed right in the middle of my two front pearly whites!

And YES! That DID happen...and the guy I was talking to was an old friend I dated a little bit in college. We were at my grandmother's birthday party.  I was smiling, talking and laughing with old college teachers (party was in Ruston where I went to college) old college friends and of course, old college boyfriends.  After TWO hours of this fun reunion with old pals, my mom gasped in horror as I smiled to her across the room!  

Yep....it wasn't just a tiny little speck of spinach lodged in-between some back wisdom teeth that people couldn't see too well...NOPE....it was the whole leaf securely lodged right in the front!!!!! Haha!!

To top it off??  I went to one of my grandmother's closest friends and I said, "Mrs. Williams!! I just talked to you for THIRTY minutes and you never once mentioned that I had spinach in-between my teeth!! Why in the world didn't you tell me?!"

You ready for this?? She smiled slyly, rested on her back heel and in this slow, southern drawl said, "Oh huneh' no wuhrries...I jes simpleh thought it wus decay, chile."

Cracker, WHAT?!?  Decay?? My mind races, "Good God, I talked to Scott...to Matt....to Mrs. James....to..... and oh my-lanta! I bet they all think I've come back after all these years with a bad case of decay! WAH!!!! 

Lol!!!

My family and I have laughed and laughed and laughed over this throughout the years....because, quite frankly there is nothing much more you can do about it.  Sometimes you just Gotta Laugh.

My dad used to say, "God is like this Great Big Comedian....only He's playing to an audience too afraid to laugh."

During the hardest and most humbling parts of life, Dad would just smile his dimpled smile and say, "Sometimes, you just gotta laugh, Ter-Ter.  Life is funny baby girl....so you might as well just laugh."

And, oh how right he was......

Like about a week or two ago, I was being playful with my husband one night..... I walked out of my bathroom topless giving him a little "preview" before the show, so to speak. (ha!)  He was smiling until I got closer and then he kind of had this funny look on his face as he looked in "that" area ....and then all of the sudden, he smiled even bigger, as if he might laugh!  

I ignored it and continued my playful mood....and in a flirty tone, I said to him, "You like what you see big boy?" (I know, totally corny!..but I am a dork and know it). 

He looked at me straight in the face and said, "Well, I like YOU a whole lot, but not so sure of the little friend here that you decided to bring along."

Huh? What did he mean?  I look down at the right side of my chest and just about DIED!

...YEP! (Yet again, ANOTHER humbling moment to help me "grow" and "evolve", as my mom would say. ha!) 

Story of my life.

As if waving from the "porcelain deck" of some cruise ship about to depart from shore, my freakin' right boob had, I swear!, a FIVE inch, black, straggly "stowaway" hair in all it's single glory waving as if to say, "Hi Yall!  What What! Let's get this party started!" 

NOOOOOOOO!!!! Are you freakin' kidding me?!? Where the HECK did this thing come from?!?

Good God Almighty.....I honestly thought I might just die right there on the spot. Lol!  

But I didn't die... (as much as I wanted to!)....so you know what I did instead?  

Of course you know what I did..... I laughed....ahem....WE laughed.  And then we laughed some more! ....Until finally, I ran blushing to the bathroom to look for the closest tweezers!!

In the bathroom I said to God: "Lord, seriously??.....the teen years weren't humbling enough?!  Now, You want me to continue learning this brand of humility in my 40's?!?  C'MON NOW.....Give a dog a bone!"

I even tried compromising with God, while I was in the bathroom.  I said, "Lord, now look, I get it.  There are some things I will just have to let go of as I age....Like jumping on the trampoline!  Okay, so I can't jump on the trampoline anymore without wearing Depends. Fine. You win. .......And I can't "move like Jagger" like I once could..... So be it, whatever ....And the 'muffin top' thing? Okay, I promise to continue to work on that.......

........But black straggly whiskers sticking out of my chin, lip, face or BOOB??  Nu-uh...No way....Not Happening...I will not go down like that, Lord! You gotta work with me on this one!"

I have a strong feeling God got a good laugh out of that.....and that's good.  I really quite like the idea of making God chuckle a little bit.....

But as my grandmother, Gracie, used to say (and I promise to God this was truly her last request for the last ten years of her life! And she was not joking.  She would say in her beautiful Northern Louisiana drawl,  "When I am dead in my coffin, SOMEBODY better love me enough to tweez my chin." Ha!

I used to laugh at that and think she had lost her ever lovin' marbles!    
.... Hey! Guess what? Look who's Not laughing anymore. 

Let this be my last request. "When I, Teri Spinks Netterville, am also dead in my coffin, SOMEBODY better love ME enough, TOO, to tweez my chin."  

"Lord, hear my prayer." Amen.

*Gotta Laugh*

Have a great one!

Teri