Oh thank God it's Friday....I'm pooped! Unfortunately, my evening at home will be MUCH busier than my day at work as it's Aria's first trick-or-treat experience, plus we're doing our usual family festivities at our house....and I have a 30-45 minute commute home. Blech.
I recently got some chalkboard contact paper (that I'm SUPER excited about) to put up on my pantry door...and wherever else I feel like putting it...and knew that I was going to occasionally want to do something artsy-fartsy on it. I see all these chalkboard signs on Pinterest and all I can think to myself is "HOW do they do that without smudging anything?!" Well, this tutorial (check it out >> here) explained to me, in pictures, how to do it. I can't wait to get going on this project!
(Not like I need any more projects...)
Legit! (shop for this sign >> here) There's nothing better than a bath, a book, and some wine!
OK folks...this is for real. To be a real friend, you've got to do this. Let's say you've got this friend who's a complete mess (lets be honest, we all have at least one). But guess what? That complete mess is what makes your friend so great! And behind that craziness is most likely a person with one of the most beautiful souls you know. There are times when you've just got to suck it up, look past all that extra stuff she's got going on and just love her for everything she is!
BECAUSE SHE'S AWESOME!
(and she might not always know it, so tell her...tell her often!)
This speaks to me. I was raised by such wonderful people. My parents taught me (and showed me, time and time again) that if there is somebody in need, you help....no questions asked. You help every time. Even if there's nothing you can actually do, you still offer. If asked, you say "yes, absolutely, what can I do?" It doesn't matter what else you've got going on...it's your duty, as a good person, to help those in need. You have to be there for people, whenever they need you, as often as they need you. And you absolutely cannot go into it with the mindset of getting something in return. That's just selfish and horrible. You can't say to yourself "Well I'll help so-and-so this time so the next time I need help with something, so-and-so will have to help me." No. That's not appropriate. Expect NOTHING in return aside from knowing that you'll feel good about yourself because you did your part to help out a friend, family member, coworker, or stranger.
My parent's STILL teach me this lesson.
We have a family friend who's all by herself and sometimes needs help with some yard work....whens she asks if my dad or brother can help, they always say yes and are there by that weekend.
While growing up my brother had a friend who desperately needed a home....my parents took him in, no questions asked....they never asked "How long is he staying? When is he going to leave?"....they just let him stay as long as he needed. (if they did ask, I didn't know about it)
My dad always graciously accepts the request from Shepeard Blood Center to be the mascot (Buddy the Blood Drop). Even though he's old and it gets TOO hot in that suit, he walks around outside in the middle of July for hours. He doesn't get paid for this; he doesn't need to.
See...my parents are awesome!
So hopefully by now, I've made my mom cry (YES! NAILED IT!)
Have a Happy Halloween, y'all. Stay safe (and my Wisconsin friends, stay warm). Enjoy this time with your loved ones, whoever they may be and whatever it may be that you're doing.
The holidays are upon us...it's to time to start living, giving, and loving!
**Update on Dave: He wanted to have "Family Shave Time pt. 2" yesterday. He noticed every time he ran his hands across his head, he had little hairs all over them. He noticed hairs stuck in his hat, making his head itch. So we went ahead and shaved his head and face again yesterday. I think this was the last time we'll have to do that. When I was helping shave his head, I noticed that it seemed as if there was a LOT of hair up there...and I thought to myself "his hair isn't this long right now, I don't get it." That's when we realized that the razor wasn't cutting through the hair. The slight force of dragging the razor across his head was actually PULLING the entire hair out of the follicle, like tweezers or waxing, but without the pain. I'm not sure how he felt about it, but it put me in a somber sort of mood for a little. We're hoping that by next Monday his white count is up high enough to continue with the treatment plan. I think we're both just ready to move forward.
Yes, you made your mother cry. And every word you wrote is true. The true reason to help someone is this: if my child were in this situation, I would be thankful if someone helped them, so we help others children, whether they are 1 or 100. Everybody is someone child. I am so very pleased to know that my children, both of them, have learned this lesson and fully embraced it.
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