What We Talk About When We Talk About Love

I have had to read this short story by Raymond Carver and prepare both a written critique and an oral critique for my next class on Monday night. Digesting this story has really gotten me to thinking about Love and how others define its meaning.

There's Romantic Love. The way we love our spouses or significant other. Where life is a fairytale with only happy endings. Oh how I wish this were always the case! Somehow, life just does its own thing and does not follow the Disney formula for Happily Ever After.

Then there's Brotherly/Sisterly Love. I am an only child, so I'll have to guess at this one. I do have a "God"~Sister who I love like a sister, but I'm not sure if I really do. I have nothing to compare it to. Anytime she needs to talk, I'm there for her. If she needs to get away for a few hours and just sit, I'm there. I can count on her and she can count on me, for anything at all. Even if it's a paper that she has most of the research for and needs me to come over and write it for her because it's due the next day. Or an entrance essay for college. Or an essay for a scholarship. Or a Master's Thesis paper.

Then there's the love that we have for our parents. This one is a bit tough sometimes, especially if we experienced a not-so-perfect childhood. Some people have to grow up way too fast and become a parent to one of their parents like I had to do. It's their voices that shape what you do and how you do it most of the time.

Then there's the love that we have for our children. There is nothing on this earth that would ever stop me from loving my children. I may not always like their actions or decisions, but I love them anyways. When anyone attacks my kiddos or I think they are attacking them, the Mama Bear instinct rears it's ugly head and I am a force to be reckoned with. I don't care what anyone says about me or to me, just leave my children out of the conversation and we'll all get along just fine.

The most important love of all is the love that Christ has for each one of us. It is an all encompassing, unconditional love. HE is always there when you need a shoulder to lean on or just need to talk. HE listens. His grace pours out over all of us and covers us completely, no matter how badly we are stained and soiled by life.

So, what do you talk about when you talk about love?

Random Weekend Thoughts

This has been a fairly quiet weekend, so far. Skylar went ice skating this afternoon. I spoke with her on the phone and she reported no broken bones or sprained ankles. A few blisters are her only souvenir from the outing. Thank goodness!

Alex spent the afternoon playing outside with our neighbor, Katie. They jumped on the trampoline, rode their bikes and played with the dogs. He ended up soaking wet from helping Katie to "clean" the trampoline, though. He has become a very accomplished bike rider since Christmas. He ran our poor dogs ragged all afternoon! Tyson and Chloe can not stand for him to be outside and not have him in their sights. Tyson runs from one end of their fence to the other so he can see Alex at all times. It is funny to watch! Tyson will come to you if you call him, but he will only stay for a minute, then he's back to the Alex patrol.

The mail brought a lovely card from Mrs. Frances from church. It was such a nice surprise in the box today. I met Mrs. Frances when I went on my first Ladies' Retreat with SCC back in November. She is a lovely lady. She brought wonderful encouragement that was/is greatly needed.

Tommy went to his orientation at ITT Tech today. He is so excited to start his classes. I think he is going to enjoy going back to school and getting his degree. I am proud of him for taking this important step in his life.

I have 3 more classes left in my Literature class. I have the first major test next week. I do not have a class this week because we are on a "reading" break this week. I need it! I have procrastinated way too much this week. I have 11 readings on the normal schedule, 7 reflection journal entries to write, and an oral critique to have prepared for class as well as the written paper to be turned when I give the oral critique of my chosen short story. I guess I need to get busy on this!

Laundry is calling to me. I must answer the call or else there will be no clean clothes for church in the morning.

SpongeBob Overload!

When a 6 year old boy can recite, line for line, any and all SpongeBob cartoon that comes on, it is time to turn off the tv!!! Alex has been watching SpongeBob all morning and saying each line before the character says them. How annoying is that?!? I am not a fan of SpongeBob to begin with, but this just makes it 10 times worse!! His whinny little voice (SpongeBob, not Alex) just absolutely grates my last nerve! What has happened to Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes? Charlie Brown? Garfield? Where did the cartoons of my childhood go? Please, cartoons, come back!! I miss you!

Friday Night at Home

Skylar has gone to spend the night with Ashley and Audrey. They are going ice skating with their youth group from church tomorrow. I just hope that she doesn't break any bones! She is anything but graceful on ice skates. I think I'll buy an ace bandage just in case she comes home with a twisted ankle.

With Skylar out of the house, it is eerily quiet. Alex is not screaming at her to get out of his room. She is not running down stairs to grab the constantly ringing phone. It is rather peaceful. Tommy is on the couch watching Flashpoint. I'm kicked back in the recliner with the lap top. Alex has gone up to his room to watch WWE wrestling.

He is so into wrestling! I can't stand it. He loves John Cena. This evening before we dropped Skylar off at her cousins' home, he came running down the stairs, crying and holding the back of his neck. It turns out that he was leaping off of the headboard of his bed, trying to perfect a wrestling move, and he somehow hit the back of his neck on the top of the headboard. He went into great detail trying to describe what he was doing.

Hopefully, the WWE show will keep his attention until bed time. That will leave less time for him to complain that Skylar is not home. He hates for his sister to spend the night with anyone. They fight like cats and dogs most of the day, but by bed time they are usually snuggled up together on his bed watching a Disney show or Survivor Man.

Cups of Conversation

I had a great time at the Ladies' Night Out dinner at church tonight. It was great to be able to have a small slice of time for myself. It was so much fun to meet so many women from church and to see the ones that I met at the Ladies Retreat in November.

Tommy went to Skylar's scrimmage at LHS. According to both of them, she had a good game. One strike out, one small hit with the bases loaded and one ripped up the third base line. I hate that I missed the scrimmage, but I will see the rest of her games this season.

Alex has developed an icky nose and pesky cough. If it continues, I will take him to the doctor. I feel sure that it is only his allergies acting up, but there are some bouts of strep throat floating around his school. I would like to stay as far away from that as possible.

Tommy is finally feeling much better after his round of antibiotics. He waited much too long to go to the doctor. His voice has finally returned and the coughing has almost been abated. Now I'm hoping that I don't get it from him or Alex.

Wild Wednesday

Ok. Here goes. This is my first foray into the world of blogging. Please excuse the randomness until I get settled in and up to speed.

Skylar made the Varsity Softball team for LHS last night. She has worked hard at tryouts for the last couple of weeks and was rewarded for her hard work. Hopefully, she will be the starting Centerfielder for the Lady Cardinals. It's hard to imagine that she is already playing Varsity sports. It seems like just last week she was playing on her first Sweetees team in Inman. How time flies!

She and her cousin Ashley went to a Valentine's Day banquet at their church on Saturday. We spent the morning shopping for dresses and shoes. Poor Alex was miserable during the shopping expedition, but was a trooper for the most part. I'm sure he would have rather been at home watching tv or playing on his x-box. Here's a picture of the girls before we dropped them off at the church....