Barbara Streisand – The Way We were

I used to love the way we were.... 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NqBWLeP9f4

“2012 A Year Of Unusual Happenings”

So it is the last day of 2012. As I write this, emotions are running high. 2013 is coming … Dear GOD give us strength and courage to face it.

“Watch Out Liars”

All liars will be busted in 2013! Oh Drama!

Dixie Chicks - I’m Not Ready To Make Nice

Forgive, sounds good~ Forget, I'm not sure I could~ They say time heals everything~ But I'm still waiting.
I'm through with doubt~ There's nothing left for me to figure out~ I've paid a price~ And I'll keep paying.
I'm not ready to make nice~ I'm not ready to back down~ I'm still mad as hell and~ I don't have time to go round and round and round~ It's too late to make it right~ I probably wouldn't if I could~ 'Cause I'm mad as hell~ Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should.
I know you said~ Can't you just get over it~ It turned my whole world around~ And I kind of like it.
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby~ With no regrets and I don't mind sayin'~ It's a sad sad story when a mother will teach her~ Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger~ And how in the world can the words that I said~ Send somebody so over the edge~ That they'd write me a letter~ Sayin' that I better shut up and sing~ Or my life will be over… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0kFNGNiAs4

“PROGRESS”

You woke up this morning~ Shake off that acute lack of mental alertness~ STUPOR!

Step out of the box~ STEP FORWARD!

Pick up yourself ~ PRESS ON!

PROGRESS!...

“NEW YEAR NEW RULES”

A Wasted Year~ You think? For real~ hmm. If a person/s, animal/s, place/s and or thing/s’ caused you to waste the year~ You need to disassociate yourself from him/her/it/all~ A new year is dawning~ start your new chapter without~ hindrance~ obstruction~ impediment~ barrier~ obstacle~ encumbrance~ handicap~ difficulty~ interference~ interruption~ hindrance~

ENGENDER NEW RULES, FOR A TRIUMPHANT YEAR…

We reproach people for talking about themselves; but it is the subject they treat best. ― Anatole France (1844-1924)

If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. ― Anatole France (1844-1924)

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving. ― Anatole France (1844-1924)

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. ― Douglas Noel Adams (1952-2001)

“Question”

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

5 O’clock! (5 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

6 O’clock! (6 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

7 O’clock! (7 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

8 O’clock! (8 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

9 O’clock! (9 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

10 O’clock! (10 Steps)

What is the time Mr. Wolf?

Breakfast time …

“2012”

It’s been … What can I say about it? I laughed more than I cried, but it feels as though I cried more than I laughed. Beautiful, happy, laughable, scary and heartbreaking ... Those were some of the situations that 2012 placed in my path. 2013 is going to be here soon and I am praying for strength and courage to face it…

“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” ― Rumi (1207-1273)

“What you seek is seeking you.” ― Rumi (1207-1273)

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” ― Rumi (1207-1273)

“I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” ― Rumi (1207-1273)

Happy Boxing Day~ NO DRINKING AND DRIVING AND OR ROAD RAGE~ Enjoy and be safe~

Happy Birthday Jesus song syncronized to Christmas lights~ 

Happy birthday Jesus, I'm so glad it's Christmas~ 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQyXWllz5Ao

“Christmas”

“Did you leave a peppermint stick for old Saint Nick? Did you hang it on the Christmas tree? I hope you got what you wanted. I did … The world did not end. I am enjoying my 52^nd Christmas. At this very moment I am wishing I could step back in time that it was my 7^th Christmas. My father and brother would be alive. We all would be sitting with my mother, brothers and sisters having breakfast —Souse, ham, home made bread, Dixee crackers, Crix crackers, coffee, tea or Milo. Talking, laughing and anxiously waiting to open presents.

You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel (1904-1991)

You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch

You really are a heel,
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mister Grinch,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!
You're a monster, Mister Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you've got garlic in your soul, Mister Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!
You're a vile one, Mister Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mister Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you I'd take the ... seasick crocodile!
You nauseate me, Mister Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus",
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mister Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich, with arsenic sauce!

of rubbish
You're a foul one, Mister Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mister Grinch,
The three words that describe you are as follows, and I quote, "Stink, Stank, Stunk!"
You're a rotter, Mister Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mister Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aga1BOSu7yY

“Drinking Driving Road Rage”

Make this a HAPPY, SAFE AND ENJOYABLE CHRISTMAS~ KWANZAA~ HANUKKAH. Don’t let those two enemies over take your existence –DRINKING AND DRIVING AND OR ROAD RAGE. Before you succumb to these two evils think about the people you love and the people who love you…

TO YOU, AND YOURS, Have a HAPPY, SAFE AND ENJOYABLE CHRISTMAS~ KWANZAA~, HANUKKAH…

“My Favorite Christmas Memory”

My most favorite Christmas memory... From a very young age I watched my parents along with my brothers and sisters put the house in disarray then just before midnight ... Christmas Eve the house looks and smells fantastic... The final touch... the balloons are blown and hung up over the doors and windows... I asked my father why we hung up balloons... He said, "Jesus’ Birthday."

"Do Not Deny Santa"

It just pisses me off when I hear people say to their children in a loud arrogant tone so that everyone around could hear, “THERE IS NO SANTA! HE DOES NOT EXIST! I BUY YOUR GIFTS!” If you want to tell your child that it is your prerogative, you don’t have to tell the other children around.

Give me a freaking break. Most of us as children were told that Santa is coming to town and he is bringing our gifts if we are nice. If we are naughty, he is not bringing anything for us. Some where in your mind you were not sure that there is a Santa, but you played along. It gave you a jolly feeling. When your parents asked you what you want for Christmas, girls wanted a doll and tea-set … Boys a gun and sack. When you got up Christmas morning and you see the gifts under the Christmas tree, you knew that Santa came.

Girls would be excited to play with their dolls and tea-set. Boys would be wearing their gun and sack … calling themselves Billy the Kid or Pat Garett—(Was the Sheriff. He killed Billy the Kid).

My husband said he remembered dressing in his gun and sack as Billy The Kid. As he stepped outside, there was a sign nailed to a tree. BILLY THE KID! WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE!… He had to hide because Sheriff Garett was tracking him. After the shoot-out, they would talk about what else Santa brought them.

Let children hold on to their innocence as long as possible. They already have to deal with the treacherous situations that are lurking around. Nowhere is safe today, so why take away the one innocent joyous moment they may have. I say do not deny SANTA. He is harmless...

This was my favorite moment with my daughter, looking for her gifts.

“Searching For Christmas Gifts” (Posted Thursday, December 30, 2010)

My daughter told me that she and her classmates were talking about how they search their homes, to see where their parents hide their Christmas gifts… I asked her if she searches our home and very quickly she said, “No.” I said, “Yeah right.”  Then, she admitted that she does, and she never finds them. We decided that this year, we would make it very easy for her to find her gift. After putting the lights on the Christmas tree, we put her gifts in the box the lights were in… The box was then placed on the dining table. Her father and I watched her walk by the table, sit at the table to eat her meals and the box was right in front of her. Day in and day out, she sat at the table and completely ignored the box. The box was then wrapped and placed under the tree. Christmas morning, she took her gift from under the tree, unwrapped it, then she came into the kitchen with the box in her hand.

“Mom when are we going to put the lights on the tree?” she asked.

“The lights are on the tree,” I said and I started to laugh.

“Why are you laughing? You and dad gave me this box of lights for Christmas, so when are we going to put them on the tree?”

“Open the box…”

“Where You Least Expect It”

Looking through the window on this cold, cloudy December morning, many thoughts are playing on my mind. I used to love December mostly because of Christmas, but as the years go by, heartache is covering my heart more. This is the first Christmas without, my brother. Yes I am miles away from Trinidad & Tobago, but the phone call on Christmas Day just to say, ‘Merry Christmas and I love you,’  to him, is no more.

When I heard that he passed I said, “What a cheerless Christmas it is going to be … The excitement is over for me.” … But I am not going to pass it on to my family. I’m going to join in with my husband to play “See if you could find your gift.”

It is funny to see my daughter get excited as she searched high and low to find her gift.

“Mom, just tell me where it is. Give me a clue.”

“Where you least expect it,” I always say.

She would look more intently and we would be laughing because her gift is always right in front of her. Her brother would shake his head and smile because he went through this when he was younger…

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
11. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
9. A careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word may wreck a life. A timely word may level stress. But a loving word may heal and bless

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
8. Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
7. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
6. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
5. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone-but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
4. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
3. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Author Unknown
2. A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let go.

"Eleven Hints for Life" — Unknown
1. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. But what is more painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let that person know how you feel.

“Rest In Peace”

Reynold, my dearest brother, since you left us, people have been saying it to me. I appreciate it, but today I have to say it and it hurts so much. You were buried today and it resonates as final on this earth so as hard as it is for me to say … I love you so much … May your journey to heaven be a smooth one … Rest in peace… Your little sister, Allison.

Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity. ― Carl Jung, (1875-1961)

My heart burnt within me with indignation and grief; we could think of nothing else. All night long we had only snatches of sleep, waking up perpetually to the sense of a great shock and grief. Every one is feeling the same. I never knew so universal a feeling. ― Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865)

Grief is the price we pay for love. ― Elizabeth II

Tears are the silent language of grief. ― Voltaire (1694-1778)  

There is sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. ― Washington Irving (1783-1859)

31 School Shootings in America since Columbine, Only 14 in the Rest of the World Combined!

Aug 1, 1966: Charles Whitman, 25, a student and former Marine, killed his wife and mother before carrying a rifle to the tower on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin. In a 96-minute rampage he fatally shot 14 others before police shot and killed him.
July 12, 1976: Edward Charles Allaway, 37, a custodian at California State University Fullerton killed seven people in the library with a gun purchased at Kmart. He was found not guilty by reason of
Jan. 17, 1989: Patrick Edward Purdy, a 24-year-old drifter, opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle in Stockton, California playground, killing five children and wounding one teacher and 29 other children. He killed himself.
Dec 1, 1997: 14-year-old Michael Carneal fires on students attending a prayer circle at a school in West Paducah, Kentucky. He kills three students and wounds five.
March 24, 1998: Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, pulled a fire alarm and began shooting as everyone exited a school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, killing four students and one teacher and injuring nine others.
April 20, 1999: Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, walked into Columbine High School in Colorado and in a rampage of gunfire and homemade bombs killed 12 students and a teacher and then themselves.
March 21, 2005: Jeffrey Weise, 17, went on a shooting spree at Red Lake High School on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. He killed nine people, including his grandfather, and wounded five others before killing himself.
Oct 2, 2006: Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, a milk-van driver, killed five girls ages 7 to 13 execution-style, then turned the gun on himself, in a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.
April 16, 2007: Seung-Hui Cho, 23, a student at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia., shot and killed 32 people in attacks two hours apart in two campus buildings. Cho, who was diagnosed with mental illness, killed himself.
April 2, 2012: One L Goh, 43, a former nursing student at private Oikos University in California, sprayed gunfire around a classroom, killing seven people.

December 14, 2012: Adam Lanza, 20, killed 20 children and six adults at the school. Lanza also was found dead at the scene, authorities said. The body of a woman believed to be his mother was found at their home in Newton, authorities said.

“Look For A Place To Hide”

Gone were the days when I used to say to my children as they head out to school, “See you later … Have a nice day … I love you so much… Today I added … LOOK FOR A PLACE TO HIDE!...

“He Knew I Loved Him”

My hearts breaks as I write memories of my brother.

He was my favorite brother~

He was kind~

He was loving~

He was selfless~

He carried the weight of everyone in our family and also friends on his shoulder~

He did not say ‘NO’

He always found a way to fix the problem and make it better for all of us.

The last time I spoke to him he spoke with a strong brave voice, but I knew he was hurting.

My heart is breaking but over all the tears there is one thing that gives me comfort … My brother knew that I loved him.

He died yesterday and I know he is at peace.

Reynold, every tear that flows from my eyes is a reminder of your kindness~ It is etched in my heart…

Oh my God I am crying~

18 Children Killed in Grade School Shooting in Connecticut~  I cannot believe it~ My heart is breaking for the people touched by this horrible situation~ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school.html?_r=0

A walk down memory lane.

“Lethal Words”

When I hear some lethal words coming from another person’s mouth, I wonder if I am at the right place, at the right time or the wrong place, at the wrong time~ I don’t know if Trinbago’s land lines still cross up, but years ago you could take up your phone and hear people chatting~

One day, I heard a woman voice~ As I was about to let her know the lines were crossed, she said, “I hate her and I wish she dies!”

My blood crawled from hearing those lethal words, but I decided to listen to the rest of this conversation. I wanted to know who these characters were and who death was wished for…

“Don’t say that. It is not a good thing to wish bad for people.”

“I don’t care! I hate her.”

“Why? She didn’t do anything to you. She is not the one who told you to have an affair with her husband. He approached you and you agreed, so live with it.”

“I want him for myself!”

And I wanted to say that I am anxiously waiting to make my call, would the both of you get off the damn phone, but I kept listening.

“You’ve been with him for three years and he says many degrading things about his wife to you, but he’s not divorcing her.”

“He told me that he filed the papers and she doesn’t want to sign it.”

“He is not speaking the truth.”

“He doesn’t lie to me. I believe him.”

Now, I am pissed because I want to use the blasted phone. I decided to get these blabbermouths off the phone so I said, “Just last-night…”
“Hello!” One exclaimed.

I did not answer~ Laughter was going to overcome me and I had to take deep breaths to stay focus.

“Hello! I know someone is listening! Who the hell are you?”

“Yes, someone is listening to your bullshit!”

“You to damn farse! (Nosy) This is none of your damn business!”

“You made it my business when you decided to spill it on the phone! Now, you listen to me! Just last night, I was talking to her and she said that she was wondering if to show you the divorce papers that he refused to sign!” Silence~ “Hello?” ~ “Silence, then dial tone~ Now I could make my call…”

“Know When To Shut Up”

It was Christmas season and his wife showed him some items she bought. He felt that some of it was not necessary and he mentioned it. She became irate and they argued … He kept insisting that the money spent was wasted … She eventually got very quiet. He knew that he should shut up, but he continued.

Every morning he took her and the kids to work and school, and that morning she sat quietly in the car. The children were both arguing and she did not say anything to them. When he dropped her off she did not do her usual goodbye (‘Bye guys~ Love you so much~ Have a nice day~ See you later would be followed by kisses). That morning she said, “Bye guys~ Love you so much.” Got out of the car and walked away.

His son said, “What’s wrong with mom?”

“Dad quarreled about his money,” said his daughter.

“It’s not my money … It’s your mother’s and mines.”

“You did not act like it was hers.”

He was thinking that his daughter was right … What the hell have I done? Why was I being such an ass?...

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

I heard the bells on Christmas day. Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat. Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,  The belfries of all Christendom. Had rolled along th'unbroken song. Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head: 'There is no peace on earth, ' I said, 'For hate is strong, and mocks the song. Of peace on earth, good will to men.'
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.'

Till, ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day. A voice, a chime, a chant sublime, Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling. ― Edna Ferber (1885-1968)

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. ― Erma Bombeck (1927-1996)