Humbled During a Snow Storm

Last Friday was the first day this winter that the school buses were cancelled because of the snow. When I was growing up, my dad taught me how to drive on days when the buses were cancelled but schools were open, so I took the kids to school and IBI therapy. The weather cleared up and, by mid-morning the main roads were quite clear. 

I needed to pick up snowpants for my daughter as she’s outgrown hers so I went to the Salvation Army (call me crazy, but I refuse to pay full price for something she’s going to outgrow in a month!).  I looked around for the snowsuits, found the rack and another woman was there, pulling snowpants from the rack. I joked with her that “great minds think alike”. She asked what size I was looking for. I told her my kids’ sizes, and she started looking through her cart (where she had put many snowpants) and found one that was my son’s size, and gave me that.

I must have had a look on my face as I was surprised at the number of snowpants in her cart.  She laughed and said “I was talking with the school secretary this morning at my kids’ school.  She told me that she felt bad for some of the students because so many of the families couldn’t afford full snowsuits for their children so many of the kids would be cold today.  So I thought I would pick up some snowpants to take to the school before recess.”

I was so humbled by this small encounter with this woman. What a wonderful thing for her to do, to “pay it forward”. How will you “pay it forward” today?

 

Motivational Monday – Strength

 

Day 23 – The last person you kissed

Took a week off of the 30 Letters in 30 Days because the craziness that is our life kinda took over but things are relatively under control now, so back to it…

The last person I kissed was my daughter, when I put her to bed for the night.  The person before that of course was my son.  Not much of a surprise I guess.

 

Fill in the Blank Friday – 01/26

1.   My favorite place I’ve ever traveled to is…well, it’s a toss-up, but at least there’s a common language. I’ve loved each time I’ve been toMontreal,Canada, and I loved being inParis,France.  Must be something about the French language.

2.     Spain and Italy      are places I’d love to go someday.

3.  I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading or sleeping. If I’m on a plane, I try to wake up for the movie if one is being shown, then I go right back to sleep.

4.  My three must-haves when I travel are     water  ,    something to read    and     a warm blanket  .

5.  My favourite travel companion is…hmmm, can’t really say I have one. I usually travel alone, to somewhere where I know people.

6.  The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is when I was 11 years old. I went to England as an “Unaccompanied Minor” (“UM”). My parents left the airport when we were boarding the plane, and after sitting on the tarmac for 45mins, we all got off the plane because there was some kind of mechanical problem. By then, my parents had left the airport and were almost home. I called to let them know and, because I was told that we would be re-boarding shortly and my parents were 1 hour away, my parents stayed home. The passengers and I reboarded the plane twice before missing the no-takeoff time of night so the other “UM’s” and I spent the entire night racing around a virtually empty airport in wheelchairs while the flight attendants all took turns watching (and timing!) us. Fun night!

7.  The most exotic food I’ve ever tried while traveling is…can’t say anything is popping into my mind right now.

8.  If I could live anywhere else, I’d live in Vancouver, BC Canada. I lived there for almost 5 years and loved it.

9.  I have been to    at least a dozen   states in the U.S. I’m not sure exactly how many as my family drove from Ontario, Canada to Florida one March Break when I was a teenager, and I went on a road trip along the West Coast from British Columbia, Canada to California, as well as trips to New York City and San Francisco.

 

Thankful Thursday – 01/26

This last week has been, and continues to be, a really hard week. Unfortunately, a dear friend of mine and her family are going through the hardest challenge a parent ever has to deal with, and one where no parent ever wants to be.  So, this week, I’m thankful for:

• My son and daughter
• Our health
• My friend and her family being surrounded by friends and family who love and support them
• Prayer
• My son’s Autism team

Please give your kids extra hugs and kisses today, and every day.

 

Happy Year of the Dragon!

I’ve been looking forward to today for a while now…it’s MY year in the Chinese Zodiac…the Year of the Dragon!   I became aware of the powerfulness of the Chinese Zodiac when my partner in my early 20s was a wonderful Chinese-Malaysian man.  I went into the relationship as a “small-town white girl” and came out so much more cultured and fully embracing his and his family’s culture.  Ever since the end of my marriage (to someone else), I have been looking forward to the Year of the Dragon, in the hopes that the universe will help us get fully back on our feet again, and progressing forward with our lives.

To learn more about the Year of the Dragon, and what it means to us Dragons, check out the horoscope here.

Gung Hai Fat Choy!

 

Motivational Monday – 23/01

Thought for the day:

 

Motivational Monday – Value

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
… Who doesn’t have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.

Days 21 & 22: Judging & Giving 2nd Chance

Day 21 – Someone you judged by their first impression
I try not to judge people by their first impression but, I am human so it happens every once in a while.  Most first impressions I can get past but, something that leaves me with a bad first impression is when someone has a bad handshake.  I was bought up to believe someone’s handshake says a lot about them, and I have yet to be proven wrong by someone’s handshake. So, when I offer my hand to shake yours, please remember that I am judging you if you have a weak handshake and don’t look me in the eye. 

Day 22 – Someone you want to give a second chance
I can’t think of anyone in particular that I want to give a second chance to…if anything, I give people too many chances.  If someone is no longer in our life, then it means that they ran out of chances with me and/or they didn’t believe in my son’s abilities. 

 

Days 19 & 20 – pestering mind & broken heart

Day 19 – Someone that pesters your mind – good or bad
Hate to admit it but it’s not that much of a surprise…my ex pesters my mind in a bad way.  We both know how to annoy the other, and how to get under eachother’s skin. I’m working on changing how I react to things he does and says, and how I communicate with him, but I know it will take time.

Day 20 – Someone that broke your heart the hardest

I don’t want to be so predictable as to say that my ex broke my heart the hardest, so I won’t….because honestly, he didn’t.  What breaks my heart the most is when people discard my son as stupid and unable to do things because he has Autism.  My son is intelligent, happy, affectionate, and once he learns how to interact with the world as he sees it, there will be no stopping him.  The few times people have told me that he needs to be institutionalized is what breaks my heart, rips it out, and stomps all over it.  He is high functioning, especially now that he’s learning how to communicate verbally so don’t tell me that I need to institutionalize him and throw away the key.  He’s my son.  Don’t make me go all mama-bear on you!