Well...

Guess I've been sleeping for the past two years. Why not write? I still have so many ideas crowding my brain, but it seems the seconds fly into minutes, which fly into hours and then days. Before I know it, time is history.
I actually HAVE been writing, just not in here. I am presently trying to write a novel, even if it is for my family's eyes only. I have a great idea (so I think) and am currently nearing the climax of the story. A major road block ensued so here I sit.
And sit.
I wish I had the ability to create deeper characters. Mine are very easy to read at the surface. When the editing begins, I will be digging.
Get the shovel ready!
Ugh!

Amazing

My sister brought a blog to my attention which I had not previously seen. Disabled Christianity.
I read a few posts there and found myself completely agreeing with the stranger writing the messages.
S/he was writing about how so many people in existence today are so degrading to those living with disabilities. About how some group homes are doing immoralizing acts solely for laughs for the staff involved.
Dennis Miller was recently speaking with a caller who phoned in during one of his tapings and used the R word in a demoralizing way. Thankfully he piped in that s/he should not use that word because it was offensive to people (like himself) who cared about someone with a disability.
Something I had not thought of before is the fact that people are aborting fetus' with disabilities at an alarming rate, thereby trying to rid the world of 'imperfections'.
If I allow myself to actually think about this it makes me absolutely sick. I mean, puking sick.
I would rather purge the world of the injustices which people with disabilities face on a day to day basis.
Thank GOD for the disabled population. I find strength, courage and admiration in the people dealing with a disability every.single.day.of.their.lives.

Man....GO!! Wait!!! Don't!!

So I realized this evening that I might need to end a love affair...no, no, wait...nothing like that. I'm a happily married woman! Mind out of the gutter, please!

My hubby (bless his German heart) has helped me come to grips with my affair and has even stated that I might not have to end it. I hope not, but it is looking bleak.

See, I have had this horrendously itchy, puffy eye for a couple of days. I mean, it is SO irritating that I have to sit on my hands (or keep them busy by typing this blog) just to keep myself from gouging my eye out. Gouging! It would bring me great pleasure at this moment to put my thumb and forefinger up to my eye and just pluck the damn thing out. But, alas, I am a sane person and will not do such a thing.

My lips, on the other hand, are not in the least bit swollen. They are, however, incessantly itchy and I can get no relief. None. I can't gouge my lips out, but my hands are fighting desperately not to scratch the hell out of them. Like my eyes, there is absolutely no relief for their suffering.

So you may be wondering the cause of this torture and why I allude it to an affair...Then again, you may have instantly noticed the photo at the top of this post and not be wondering in the least! Look at the title. Look closely now. Notice anything?? Man...GO....MANGO!

I cut into a succulent mango a mere 2 days ago and delved into it's plump flesh without abandon. I could not get enough and though I was tempted by and just ate one, I can tell you that had I had the opportunity to eat a basketful I would have. A grocery cart full, even!

So I tell my hubby that there is something seriously wrong with me. "What is it?" he asks. "Well," I say, "my eye is swelling up, itching like crazy and my lips are burning, on fire!!" I literally am thinking there is seriously something wrong with me and am preparing myself to head to the ER facing no uncertain death.

"You are describing the sensations I had once after eating mango." He says. MANGO?? Sure enough, I delve into the depths of Google and there it is, plain as day. Mango...related to Poison Ivy (WHAT??), severe reaction, only treatment is to give it up. NOOOooooo....I cannot give up my mango! No way, no how, no doing. But with the knowledge that hubby and I are both allergic to the fruit, who will prepare it for us? Ah...MAN!!!

My Rudolph

O.K., so I have been tooling this thought in my head for the past 6 weeks or so. See, Christmas was JUST here, even though it really was a full month ago. But as I get older, time really speeds up...so it was JUST here, in my mind.

My oldest child is obsessed with the holiday. I am not kidding. The Christmas songs begin well before the Halloween aisles are full of candy and The Polar Express (his absolute favorite) is still in our DVD player well into March.

As he was watching "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" shortly before Christmas, it suddenly occured to me that my son is practically a clone of Rudolph's.

Now, he does not have a red nose, unless he has one of his many upper respiratory infections...nor does he have antlers or fur (in fact, he battles with alopecia), but he does have one very distinctive similarity with the reindeer, and that is he has a disability.

It struck me SO STRONGLY when I watched that show that IHAVEBEENWATCHINGRUDOLPHTHEREDNOSEDREINDEERSINCEIWASACHILDBACKINTHE70'S.

The story is all about how Rudolph is an outcast and once they discover he has a talent, a sense of purpose, he is included with his peers and somewhat 'starlike' among them. His life is shown to have purpose (even though, as a child, I KNEW his life had purpose well before the other reindeer accepted him).

Where I went to school in the 70s, the district did NOT believe that kids like Rudolph should be with the other reindeer. No, they were holed up in some stable miles away from the North Pole where they were only seen on rare occasions.

Where we choose to live today, our son IS with his peers. 100% of the time. Now, is he as well loved, snuggly and nostalgic with his peers as Rudolph is with his? Not so much...He's accepted, tolerated, be-friended on occasion, but he IS different. The kids know this. But things can always be improved upon.

I think our society has come a LONG way when it comes to bringing kids with disabilities together with their peers. But there is a LONG road ahead and the work is NOT done. Lumping kids with disabilities in with their peers isn't enough. 'Typically developing kids' need to be educated about their disabled peers so that it removes the barrier of fear. Kids fear what they do not know and do not understand.

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" has been out for a very long time. I think the copyright is sometime in the 60s. Though it's message was a good one, I think it can be better.

It's time for a sequel, don't you think? Something like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and His Two Best Friends: Tina Who Is Typically Developing and Dan Who Has Down Syndrome... and other stories on how inclusion can be successful in all aspects of home and school".

Happy reading all!!

On and On

Oh, how I wish I had direct connectivity from my brain to this blog. There have been so many times (mostly incredibly inopportune moments~ like right as I'm stepping into the shower) where I will have an amazing thought, something which I desperately feel like blogging about.

Then I will wash my hair, shave, get out and towel myself off and think, "what WAS it I wanted to say"?

Hubby seems to think that the next step in technology is this ability to do just that. Something similar to wearing a type of contact lens which ties you directly to your technology.

As bizarre as that seems, I can attest that it would help me so much more with my creativity.

I have thoughts while driving, during dinner, out walking with the dog, teaching at my daughter's co-op, I could go on and on and on and on and on an....

I am runner hear me roar, or gag, sputter or cough...

I have an obsession.

Running.

In writing that it may seem that I am some elite runner with a marathon PR of 2:14 or something insanely incredible like that...No. I am a runner with a mere history of 2 weeks of solid running. No PR, no race under my elastic waistband, minimal miles and maximum gasping.

I used to torment my body with the things important to young twenty somethings...alcohol namely. Now I torment it with running. And all in the name of health (though losing a pound or thirty would be nice). You see, I have the big 4-0 looming in the not too distant future. I have the husband, 2.5 kids (o.k., really 3), the dog and the white picket fence which is really cedar and covered with moss in spots. I want to LIVE to see these important people in my life grow old(er) and to see just how much moss can grow on the fence.

So I started to run.

Now that you might no longer be impressed with my running stats, or lack thereof, let me go on to say that I am, ahem, able to run 1 1/2 miles without stopping. YES! with.out.stopping. Mere months ago I could not run more than 30 seconds with.out.gasping. and coughing and sputtering and feeling like IWASGOINGTODIE.

There are events and occurrences in life which can only be answered with a run. Unless you are a runner, a true runner like I am (although I am certain elitist runners might feel this way on occasion, if they remember why they picked up running in the first place) you just.won't.get.that.

I'm so grateful that I do.

Genes

I sit, watching my youngest daughter working on her artwork at the kitchen table. She is 3 1/2 so her art consists of jumbled crayons, various coloring books, markers, glue sticks here and there and a school box to house all of her 'things'.

As her head turns, it is my mother looking towards me.

"Are you finished coloring?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to watch Tom and Jerry or Toot and Puddle?"

"Mmmm..how does eenie meenie miney moe go?"