The End of Winter

So I thought now would be a fine time to pay a tribute to Winter, since it has left us. What is it that makes winter so grueling, and not necessarily a time of the year to look forward to? The coldness and piles of snow no doubt. Yet it seems to have a magnetic attraction when I see pictures of snow covered landscapes. Powerful images of majestic evergreens against a bright azure blue sky, and I am drawn in like a wafarer to the light of a cabin. Perhaps winter, with all of its viscousness and coldness comes to us to make us better. How could I appreciate spring If I had not been taught a firm lesson from the stininging windblown snow that pricks at ones face like the branches of evergreens they will come to rest on? And being inside forces you to be creative. What is funner to paint than a landscape? Some of the most beautiful nature images come from the harshest climates. I'm going to enjoy the end of this season with a purpose. A chicken cordon bleu in the oven, a cup of tea in hand and the violin string quartet in the background, and we bid a farewell to the ending snowfalls that give their last hurrah.

So Spring did arrive. I can verify because I can now walk around outside without a coat. Still a little windy though, but that's to be expected for March. As exhilerating as this news is, I still must keep in mind the reality that each day brings me closer to summer, and that means a lot of unknowns. Will see what happens a few months from now.

Will spring EVER arrive?

Last night it snowed a good inch or two. Melted today though. Dad gave the official announcement of his impending retirement to his co-workers. They were all happy for him as he announced that he is moving on to a new phase of life after 39 years of being employed at the same place. They are going to have two parties for the people who are retiring this year.
I find myself in the same phase...sort of. Not having anything to do with retirement (that is a long way off for me, Lol) but in the sense that hopefully I can find full time work. I will definitely keep my writing center job, and continue to take classes, but like all of us, I dream of things that I can do to my house and the bills I could pay if more income found its way to me.
And who knows where I will be in five years. People often ask that question about where do you see yourself in five years, and I have my ideas, but I am so skeptical about whether my dreams will come true. Life and I are sometimes at odds with each other. Life has thrown me so many curve balls, which sometimes I was able hit and sometimes I wasn't. But were marching on, and that is a good thing. We have to keep moving. I recall traveling to the Holy Land and seeing the two seas that were polar opposites of each other. The dead sea never moves. It doesn't march on so to speak. However, Lake Genesaret, also known as the sea of Galilee, is one of the most interesting and beautiful lakes where plenty of fish abide. There is life there because this sea moves and the other one doesn't. I hope my life is like the sea of Galilee, to walk with my lord by the waters that teem with life, that I suppose is my perpetual goal.

history isn't history when you're living it...

A few things yesterday at one of the inner city schools (that Project Upward Bound sends us to) caused me to remember what it was like to be a teenager, so young, so full of potential, and yet, so ...sensitive. When you are a teen, your whole world is your high school. In fact, you can't really picture anything outside of that setting. Home and school, home and school. Even if you have a job, its only for a few hours, then its back to the revolving door of home and school.
Teens see the same people everyday, and if I can recall, for me it was a time of discovering who I was in comparison to everybody I knew. My world was small then.
And so it is for the highschoolers I interact with at work. I am involved in an afterschool program as part of Project Upward Bound, this is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the life of a young person.
So yesterday, I saw a little of myself in one of the girls, and it took me back to when I was young, a teenager, and even into my early 20's. Back then, I couldn't see past the next day, or hour. And for what I could not see, I filled in the blanks with my own expectations and imaginations.
And so it was for this girl. I recognized the cry she had..someone broke her heart. She was a good girl, had an afterschool job and was sucessful in her academics. But her passion at that hour, was for a boy. Now from my limited knowledge of the male gender, at that age, it seems to be that they are not really interested in dreams of picket fences and small children. But leave it to us girls, thanks to a fast track to maturity, were already sizing up relationship statuses. I knew this student was dedicated to her crush, like Jay Gatsby to Daisy. Only thing is the boy was just being, (no offense) a boy.
I wanted to tell her it would be okay, but I knew, when you are in that deep, dark place, even as a 16 year old, you think the world has imploded. I wanted to cream that boy, but I knew, this happens everyday. What solves the problem? I don't know, maybe her true love will come soon, or maybe she will wait in the wings for a few years.
If only we could enjoy and respect the wait....Ah, the lessons from the lives of highschoolers.

Oak Park day

At Oak Park highschool today with my fabulous project upward bound students. Today I worked with Ms. Renee on her Biology homework. Lots of talk about lysozomes and vacuoles. Miss those old highschool bio days:) Then ms Renee and I went over her schedule for next year. She is deciding between astronomy and physics. Most likely she will take the physics as she is really a science person. She says that astronomy can wait until her senior year. Its great that ms. Renee likes to think ahead. She has a lot of foresight, which is an inspiration to me. If only I were as future-orientated when I was her age......If I could turn back time...........

Putting things back together again

So today it was a matter of clearing the driveway of my rented house and cleaning up the kitchen from all my quick dinners. My next goal is to possibly paint the garage. I will be so happy when that's done because I vow to do everything in my power to prevent getting a "garage smell" in my garage.
Also, I'm noticing that the carpents have that certain "vacuum me A.S.A.P" vibe. I don't mind though, there is something kind of theraputic about vacuuming. A lot of people seem to like it. Beef Stroganoff in the microwave and some things to finish up..... that's the picture of today.

Got a blog up now

Hey,
wow. the first blog. yeah.

hmmm. What shall I write about? Well, probably what's going on in my life, for the whole world to know about:) lol. Gotta love the information age. Kiss the privacy goodbye, that's how we roll in 2011.

Anyways, currently I'm working on figuring out how to take each day and live it to the fullest. This doesn't always happen though. Up here in Michigan, when the weather can be pretty intense, on days like today, its a good idea just to nap.

Good thing about this weather is that it has served to make me kind of rugged, and able to withstand a lot. This seems to be the characteristic of a lot of Michiganders I know. :) I would definately say its a good quality. :)

Hope the blog is a sucess, or at least an interesting way to burn daylight:)