This is for my beautiful daughter, Adara Jade. I hope that she will be a most independent lady. In this blog I will hope to part some of my wisdom in life, love, and family on to her and maybe others. It is in part a random dumping of thoughts so I don't forget.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

Tell Me If You Think I'm Wrong

I never felt that I could do that with my parents...that is until I moved out when I was eighteen and tried to make them see just how wrong they were. It was the wrong way, but was the only option I had. I don't want you to feel like that. I am only human and have made many mistakes and will probably make several more. If you think I'm wrong then let's talk about it. Prove me wrong when it's safe. I'm woman enough to admit my faults and hope that you will be too. Don't be scared to be wrong, or afraid. Many times through-out history, someone has stumbled across something amazing trying to prove someone wrong about something else.

Keeping the lines of communication open is ultimately the most important thing here, even if we have to agree to disagree.


Friday, August 20, 2004

A Note On God

Hmmm....Well, first off I don't want you to fall into the trap of thinking that Christians are beyond fault and then to think of them as hypocritical when they falter. We all falter, it's the nature of man.
I am a Christian and I hope you have that figured out and know that, but I am in no means free of sin. It is impossible for us to be without sin, except through the blood of Christ. People will throw all the faults they can find in you, back in your face when they know you're a Christian. They best advice I can give is just try to follow God to best of your ability and He will reward you for that. He knows your heart and will never throw your short comings in your face. God is a god of love, but he expects us to live by His rules. Homosexuality is wrong, but does that mean we are to persecute all of the gays? No! Jesus sat with the outcast. He told us that the healthy people aren't the ones who need a doctor. And it's the same with the ungodly and the lost, they are the ones who need God in their midst. And we're the only part of God that they see on this earth. They need us and to know that we're no better than them, we're only covered by the blood of Christ so our sins are forgiven.
Never give up on God. Keep praying. You'll get your answer, good or bad. God helps those who seek Him. Read Haggai in the Old Testament. It's about keeping your priorities straight.
Matthew Chapter 6
verse1: Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.
verse35: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Stand for Something!

Keep focused! If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. Bless your heart; they say "your children reap your inheritance" (good or bad). I had problems staying focused, so I know you're gonna.
Just remember...
*Time almost stands still for the first 21 years of your life...
And then you're suddenly thirty
-By the time you're fifty or older, does it really matter how old you are as long as you're who you want to be and have made the difference that you wanted to make
-Spend your youth being young and enjoy your days because you can never go back
-When you're my age a year or even three isn't very long
*Don't be in a hurry to grow up
*Don't forget God
-Talk to Him and He'll talk to you
-He'll be with you when you feel like you've got no one else, so don't neglect Him
*Yes, life's lessons are hard, so don't forget to learn from them
-I have never made the same mistake twice
-I can find plenty of new and interesting ways to mess things up
*Never be afraid of criticism
-It's healthy to know what you're doing wrong so you can make sure to do it right and do it
*Never hold a grudge
-Life is too short
-Grudges can make you a bitter person
-Grudges give the person you're holding a grudge against the power over you, whether you admit it or not

Priorities

It was hard on me growing up, but with all of the school shootings now-a-days, I can’t imagine what things will be like for you. Just remember to keep your priorities straight and God will take care of you.
*Keep focused
-remember while you’re in school, that’s your full time job
-I always hated that analogy, but it’s a correct one
-you see, in life you have to do what you have to do and an education is important…that’s why I’m in college right now, so that you and your brother will be able to have every opportunity to excel
*Keep praying, despite all odds
-God is always in control and will reward you for your diligence
*Never let them get you down
-nobody is better than you and don’t act as if you’re better than them either
-remember that people, who try to bring you down, only do it because misery loves company
*Know who you are
-you have to know yourself before anyone else can know you
-and it gives you confidence and self-respect

*It’s easier said than done, but don’t give in to peer pressure
-the only reason they want people to go along with them is because they’re too chicken to stand out on their own
-and most peer pressure is the bad kind, but not all
*We all do it, but try not to gossip
-once a label is put on someone, it’s nearly impossible to take off
*Be active
-don’t give all of your time to one person or thing
-you need to be well rounded

*Finish high-school at all costs
-even fast food restaurants prefer high-school graduates

Beware of the Re-bound relationships

Never go out with someone when you just broke up with someone else. No matter what your friends or anyone else says, it starts a cycle that's hard to brake. Because:
*You can loose your identity
-when your emotions are involved and your heart is hurt, sometimes we try to become someone else...in an attempt to be what we think our "X" wants or wanted
-you should never change who you are for anybody
*You can become afraid of being alone
-there is nothing wrong with being alone
-people don't judge you by who you have on your arm and if they do, do you really care what they think?
*You can loose respect for men and yourself
-this goes back to what I said about trying to change yourself for someone else
-sometimes we need to change ourself, if we don't like what we see, but never to make someone else happy
*If you've had sex, you could become promiscuous
-as your mom, I suggest you wait to have sex, because it makes things more complicated than they should be at this point in your life...
-and if you have had sex it's like a drug that controls some people and then it's not about a relationship, it's just about sex
*It makes your "X" jealous or crazy (and he might take it to the extreme)
-this has happened to me before and stalkers are crazy...they make you think they're just so in love with you that they can't go on, but what it really is is that they can't let go and be alone
-relationships are like drugs to them and they can become violent if they don't get their way
-this is just another reason to make sure you're in a relationship for the right reasons and that the both of you are on the same page
-compatibility has nothing to do with sex
*If done enough, you will loose your best friends
-your true friends will be there for you long after any man, that is unless you push them away
-and then making amends is sometimes very hard and near impossible

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

A poem to remember and take to heart

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me--
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.
--Shel Silverstein
I hope that you will remember all the nights that I read this to you and your brother before tucking you into bed.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Being Young

When I was little, I couldn't wait to grow up. I suppose it's like that for everyone. My time was spent listening to the grown-ups and watching their behavior. That is not exactly a bad thing, only I was watching the wrong grown-ups...the so-called "cool adults." I watched as they drank and got high and wore skimpy clothing to get the attention that they desired. Although, they were "cool," I couldn't mimic everything that they did. The skimpy clothing, well, I didn't like that so much. However, I didn't mind short shorts, skirts, or sports bras with a vest...when it was hot outside. Partying was different too, I put on a little more make up and did up my hair and wore something flattering. What was different from me and them, was I didn't throw myself at men. I never understood that. Yes, I wanted attention, but I'll be damned if I was going to have to beg for it. I saw what happened when they got the "attention" that they so desired. Wham, bam, thank you mam...and then, well, then nothing. After that they had to start the process of begging for attention all over again. It was more than degrading! It was stupid! How I had thought that any of these people were cool was beyond me. How can you expect to get close to someone...begin a relationship with someone, if you start out as a easy screw? It's next to impossible. I didn't want to go through what they went through, constantly went through. The few who did manage to "date" always ended up with a kid that was tossed in each others faces when they needed to hurt one another. Children should never be used as a tool to hurt people, especially used by one parent to hurt the other. That's unacceptable! It's selfish and without any regard at all for the child's well being. Remember that, when you have a child...as a mother you make yourself do without so that your child can have.
The older I got the more I knew I wasted my childhood watching these people who I now despised. I knew that at least I learned one thing from them. I knew who I was and I wasn't like them. I never did fit in. I watched them as they grew older. They became bitter and twisted. Some of the women became the ones who's sole purpose was to steal some one's man. Is that any kind of life and what did they think they're reward was? The old saying, "Once a cheater, always a cheater" has proved true so far. I only know 3 people who have straitened up after they were "playing" the fields...so to speak. Even I was not above this at one point. I do, however, pride myself on my loyalty. How can this be you ask? Well, I never allowed myself to jump to conclusions...I am loyal until I have the proverbial smoking gun. Then, well, it's a whole new ball game. The way I see it, if they felt like throwing the whole relationship away for a "good time," well, they get what they deserve. I will never stay with someone who is disloyal. I found out my boyfriend at the time was cheating on me. Hmm...found out is a bit of an understatement. I walked into the duplex to see him asleep and naked on the floor with some naked red-head close by. Yeah, he even tried to tell me, "It isn't what it looks like." Oh, really!? I have always had to work at trust, but I'm not the jealous type. However, whether or not that was a "misunderstanding" as he would have me believe it, I do believe in not putting yourself in that type of situation. I could never wipe that scene from my eyes. So I just left. I called up one of the guys that kept asking me out and had myself a good time. Then I let my man know what I did and that we were over. I guess I need to make note here. Not everything I did in my youth was right and this is certainly one of those. Where as my leaving my boyfriend was the right thing to do, I shouldn't have stooped to his level. It makes every body a little bitter inside. Relationships are hard work and very few high-school sweet-hearts ever make it past high-school.
So...what is the point of this long-winded scenario, you ask? Be young while your young! Never try to be like someone else. Be young when your older! Be true to yourself. Sex just complicates things. I spent most of my teenage years saving myself for marriage and wish I still would have done so after I became an adult. Sex is definitely not everything, but it can be with the man who is worthy of marrying you. And make no mistake, he must be worthy of marriage before you except. Never get into a relationship with ulterior motives. Those women that I watched all came to hate me. Why, you say? Well, simply...as I said before, I wasn't like them and didn't want to be. I couldn't throw myself at some man's feet begging for his good graces. As a result of this, I never had too. It had quite the opposite affect, in deed. I had more men asking me to go out with them then I knew what to do with. But, did we ever go out? Maybe with a couple of them, but the one's I wanted...I had to ask out myself. To this day, I've only been told no 2 or 3 times.
The moral of this story is...be young and raise the bar! Don't take whatever man comes your way. Go get the man of your dreams! And above all be you when you do...don't try to act older or any other way.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Trust...what a fickle thing

Though Fox Molder of the X-Files is such a hottie in my book...his "Trust No One" logo is not good relationship advice.
I know, I know..."What did that have to do with relationships to begin with, Mom? "
Well, hell...I'm still a woman and he's one fine man, besides I did have a point!
The "Keys to a GOOD relationship" are: Love, Communication, and Trust. Don't worry, by the time you're my age you'll have no problem remembering those three. In my case I never learned to trust. I lived by the "trust no one" logic, not because I thought the government was really hiding secrets about life on other planets mind you. I was never given the opportunity to learn to trust. It was just the little things. Things that I'm sure you will take for granted and I'm glad for that. If all I can give you is the chance to grow and know you can trust your Mom, then I have reached my goal.
In order to trust someone you have to be able to trust yourself. Well, in my case I had to learn not to trust my parents. I couldn't depend on them to get me to school on time, even though my private school didn't have a bus rout...parents had to drop off their kids. They would frequently forget to pick me up and the pressure on me by the school and Church people made me hate myself. I started to loose trust in myself because of this. Like it was somehow my fault. A child cannot be blamed for their parents faults! Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
I tried to talk with my youth director about these things, only to hear that I needed to just talk with my parents more. They didn't hear me. I was alone and reaching out the best way I knew how for help only to be patronized. My parents at that time didn't want to hear me...they would've just rather forgot my existence(This is just one reason why people shouldn't stay together for the sake of the kids...but that's a whole other post). So it shouldn't have been a surprise when I moved out on my own at 18. I don't ever want that for you, baby girl. The world is a hard place, especially for young women.
I am not perfect, but I promise to be the best mother I know how to be. I will prove myself trustworthy! Don't be afraid to trust people and don't let it destroy your world when you're let down. Trust yourself! Know who you are and what you are capable of. Only then will you be able to trust someone in the intimacy of a relationship.

The Kind Of Man You Want

Baby girl,

Get yourself a man whom you can laugh with, can dance with. Someone who will sing right along with you in the car no matter how horrible the both of you do or don't sound. Find yourself a man who can deal with your sense of self and your independent ways. DO NOT CHANGE for any man. Though you might think that's what he wants, he will loose his respect for you if you conform...and if he doesn't then red-flags should go up, because that won't be the last change he has you make. Remember, every woman should watch Sleeping With The Enemy at least 20x's in their life. It's a must!
Finally, find yourself a man who can talk to you while you're pooping and laugh with you when you fart. For that my dear, is the secret to a long relationship...Can you feel free to fart on your man or not?