Serious Selfie Struggle

It's good to have friends! 

Especially because I am notoriously bad at the art of the selfie...

I'm good at taking photos of bees and flowers...

...Cedar Point from the Sky Ride at night...

...roller coasters...

...golden hour photos of family (from behind)!

Photos of the stage before the show (comedy at Cedar Point? Yes, please!)...

Even photos of a plop of sadness in the sun...

But selfies? Notsomuch...

Good friends have me covered though! 

Ellie is good at selfies! Me, well...yeah. We've covered this.

Thanks for all the Friday fun, Ellie! I had a blast! (First time on Wind Seeker, friends! Gah! So good!)

If you're good at selfies, we should be IRL friends (if we're not already). If you also have a season pass to Cedar Point, and you like to go a bunch, please step to the front of the line! My family has grown a bit weary of my crazy enthusiasm for this park...lol! 

Looks like today will be a down day break from rides and shows, but I think we'll see the boys this afternoon, so yayyy!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

People Are People, Wherever You Go

We are all ________________.

Fill in the blank, please.

I have been watching, and listening, and my heart hurts.

I know that I am not alone. This is how I fill in that blank:

We are all people.

Despite the color of our skin, we are all people.
Regardless of our sexual identity, we are all people.
Independent of our political affiliation, we are all people.
Creationists, agnostics, scientists, we are all people.
Introvert, extrovert, ambivert, we are all people.

We are all people, and as such…
…we all have value.
…we all have feelings.
…we all have things to say.
…we all have lessons to learn.

…we all have a responsibility to one another.

We are all people.

I have friends, both in person and online, that I do not agree with. I do not publicly “call them out” when they state their opinions, because we are all people. Each of us is entitled to our own opinion.

I have friends who are hurting because someone has or is publicly calling them out, trying to make them feel “less than” because their ideologies do not line up. Somehow, someone has decided that it is their responsibility to “correct” others who have different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and opinions. This breaks my heart.

I have been ridiculed…sometimes overtly and sometimes very subtly. My opinions, my emotions and my convictions have been discounted…sometimes by people I care deeply about. This does not give me license to lash out.

I have heard that hurt (adjective) people hurt (verb) people. But why?

Whatever happened to “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”?

Whatever happened to “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”?

Whatever happened to “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.”?

Ok, that last one is a little silly. But still, it applies.

Are you lonely?

Are you feeling unheard?

Are you weary of the unknown in this season of pandemic?

Are you weary of the unknown in this season of elections?

Are you weary of the unknown in this season of social unrest?

Well, so am I. What can we do about it?

We can recognize that we are all people.

We can respect each other, even when we don’t agree.

We can refuse to add to the hate, the hurt and the sense of helplessness.

Refuse to speak disparagingly about the good someone has done because they made a mistake somewhere along the line.

Refuse to discount everything a person stands for because you don’t agree on one point.

Refuse to be bullied into hateful behaviors. 

You have a brain.

Do your own research.

Decide what you stand for.

You do you, but please don’t hurt anyone else.

We are all people. Let’s live like we know that.

Maybe it will help us make the world a kinder place.

If not for ourselves, for our children. And our grandchildren.

We are all people. 

Thanks for stopping by, people. 

Knit, Live and Love in Good Health!

Honoring Mom, I hope...

Mother's Day comes every year. It is always on a Sunday, and it should not surprise me, but it usually does. This year is no different, and I am ashamed to say that I have neither card nor gift for my mother or my mother-in-law this weekend. I am not an outstanding daughter or daughter-in-law, and I am sorry to both of you.

However, my failure to plan is not a black mark against either of you, so I thought I might use this blog post as my "card." I know...cheap substitute...but straight from the heart.

Mom, 

Thank you for being my mom. Pregnancy was not easy for you, but you persevered. This speaks of the love you had for me before I even existed. Your commitment to our family is something that astounds me. Before I was a grandmother, I am not sure I ever truly appreciated the mental and emotional strength that is required to love a family, to raise children into and through adulthood. I know there were probably times that you wanted to throw in the towel, because motherhood is hard! I know there have been times that I have wanted to toss my own towel, and I think my struggles were smaller than many of yours, but you kept going. Thank you for that example. Thank you for loving me and my sister, and for often giving to us out of your nearly empty cup. Love spent multiplies itself, and yours has filled my heart more than words can express.

Rita,

Thank you for having and raising your children, including the big one you handed over to me in 1987. I have done my best to keep him in line through the years, failing more than once, and he is just one. In fact, I am in awe of your fortitude in raising 5 children. I often thought about that when I was raising your grandchildren, and losing my mind with just two of them...I might have legitimately lost my mind if I had more than double that number! But you did not lose your mind. You kept putting one foot in front of the other, working full-time, keeping a tidy home and making sure that food was ready when 7 souls sat around your dinner table at the end of the day. Even if your only reason for persevering is "that's just what you did," thank you for staying. I do not know what all your specific struggles were back then, but I know you had struggle. Thank you for not giving up. Your love is at the center of our extended family.

To both of you,

As my kids (your grandchildren) have given me grandchildren of my own, I respect you at a new level. At the heart of our love for these newest generations, we also know well the perils they may face, and we worry. As I love and watch my son and daughter live through the highs and lows of parenthood, there is often little for me to do. Sharing their joyful triumphs and sometimes struggling with them through difficulties is less hands-on than when they were little, but I am no less emotionally involved. I am all in! And I kind of love that I know that YOU know just what I am talking about. Thanks for being good grandmothers!

A verse that I often hear pulled out at Mother's Day mentions the impact a mother and a grandmother had on the young preacher, Timothy. (2 Timothy 1:5) 

I'm not going to pick that verse apart, because this is not a Bible study blog, but I will note that Timothy's mother and grandmother were both honored with a mention. They persevered to raise their son/grandson well, just as you did. As I look back at everything that I have written today about why I am thankful for both of you and your positions as mothers and grandmothers, I hope that I have honored you as well. I love you both. Happy Mother's Day!

If anyone but my mom and mother-in-law is still reading, thanks for stopping by. I hope this honors all of the women who strengthen families, each in her own unique way, this weekend. 

Thank you.

Back to the knitting next week!

Bracing Myself

Sooooo, if you've seen me on Facebook lately, you will know that I am typing one-handed today, and will be for the foreseeable future. I wasn't even running, I promise, but I did manage to fall over again. I also broke my left hand again. Now it looks like this:

I did this after writing the blog for last Saturday, which was fortunate. I was with my daughter, also fortunate for me! She picked me up and ferried me to the ER, where I learned that I have a broken bone on the outside of my hand. This type of fracture is often referenced as a "boxer's fracture," which sounds way cooler than, "I was just walking, and I fell down."

"You should tell people you got that in a fight with Minnie Mouse last week!"

"Were you chewing bubble gum while you were walking?"

"Well, if Sweetie is going to push you over, you should start fighting back..."

No. No. And no. Seriously, I went out to walk with Dollface and her sweet dog,

and somewhere around the 5th step, I put my foot down in a funny way. I did not recover well from the stumble, but at least I did not break the fall with my face.

Two weeks in a cast, typing with one hand, then I'll get back to a brace I can remove for showering (and knitting...shhh!).

Until then, look for shorter blog posts and less knitting than usual. It's just two weeks, so I'm sure I won't go crazy...bwaaahahahahahaha!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!
(And don't fall down. Seriously. Don't. lol!)

Shhhh! It's a secret...

Psst! Don't look now, but I'm working on a super-secret project!

I know!!! It's NOT knitting! Can you believe that?!? Super secret, and NOT knitting...what is going on here? Is this the Pretty Knitty Jewelry blog???

Yes, friends, you are in the right place. I, however, am in a very weird place. Don't get me wrong...I've got LOTS of knitting I could should be working on, but my head is all about this project. Sometimes it just is what it is, ya know? I know ya do!

So, for now, here's a picture of a very happy semi-tolerant kindof angry cat in a hat,

and that's just gonna have to hold you until I'm back at the needles. =D

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

You Have a Choice

This is a knitting blog. This is not an opinion blog. 

However, I do have opinions, and they show up here from time to time. I’ve been watching the news lately, and I have a few things I’d like to get off my chest. Here, you have a choice: read on, or go knit something fun. Nobody is forcing you to do anything. And, just in case you are not sticking around, I'll leave you with a picture of my cat...I'm glad that you stopped by today.

Everything in life involves choice. Humans are born with the ability to make choices. Some babies choose to cry a lot, others are more laid back, even though most babies have the same basic problems related to being hungry, tired, soiled or otherwise uncomfortable.

As we grow, we still have many of the same problems, and we are always learning from our choices...or we should be. Somewhere along the line, some of us have chosen not to learn from the consequences of our choices, and this is heartbreaking. It is more heartbreaking to see you in the news (or in my news feed) every. single. day. So here is my PSA to you, the serial maker of bad choices:

Some people will always love you, no matter what. Others will never love you, no matter what. You have a choice. You can choose to be miserable, trying to make others love you, often unsuccessfully…or you can choose to focus your time, energy and affection on those who love you unconditionally. Perhaps love isn’t always what you need from everyone.

If you don't like your job, or feel that your personal convictions (religious or otherwise) keep you from doing the job you've been assigned, you have a choice. You can choose to complain to everyone you see and/or refuse to do your job, yet demand that your employer continue your compensation…or you can choose to find another job. Perhaps you should not be paid for not doing your job.

Some people will agree with your opinions (and mine), and others will not. You have a choice. You can choose to debate publicly, returning insult for insult, trying to convince others that you are right (and they are wrong)…or you can choose to live peacefully, respecting that we all have choices and opinions, agreeing to disagree. Perhaps, over time, your peaceful demeanor will win the debate without words.

Finally, if an authority figure asks you to stop what you are doing, even if that activity is apparently (to you) harmless, you have a choice. You can choose to continue, to run away or to challenge the person in authority…or you can choose to stop what you are doing and hear that person out, with respect to the authority they have been given. Even if there isn't a good reason for the request, perhaps it is better to survive the situation rather than to challenge someone with the authority to say, "Stop, or I'll shoot."

When my kids were small, and they were learning how to use their free will to make choices, Sweetie and I would often remind them that most things are simply a matter of choice. Good choices often lead to positive consequences, a clear conscience, and increased joy. Poor choices often lead to negative consequences, a nagging conscience and deflated hope. This is true for all of us, and I implore you, friends, to always do your best to choose wisely.

However, even when your choices leave you deflated (because we all make difficult decisions from time to time), you still have a choice. You can choose to wallow in the depths of depression* and anger…or you can choose to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. (The latter is advice my mother gave me on more than one occasion, usually after some deeply humbling experience.) Perhaps, if you choose to move on and make better choices, your life will reflect that, and you will increase your personal joy!

As for me and my knitting, we will choose joy as often as we can. I hope that you will do the same, and that you will find joy, peace and contentment in this life.

I promise you knitting in the next post, and I thank you for bearing with me and my opinions today. Until I see you again, I hope that you will Knit in Good Health, and make good choices!

*Before anyone reams me for calling out depression, please understand that I know this is a real thing, and that I have fought it. I've been in therapy, and I've been prescribed antidepressants, which I no longer need. I understand that some people cannot just pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again without help...but you still must choose to recognize the depression and get the help you need. There is help out there, but you won't find it unless you look. Start with your local clergy and/or doctor.