"Salty The Snowman"

This little girl lived on a lane.  It is not important her name.  There are lots of little girls like her.  She loved playing in the snow with her friends.

One snowy day they built a snowman in her front yard.  They found some sticks for arms.  They found some rocks for eyes.  They asked her mom for a carrot.  They couldn't find an extra hat and her mother told her she couldn't use hers because it was the only one she had.  She thought about it and she decided to use some more sticks and make a crown for her snowman.

She looked at her snowman and smiled.  Her friends smiled.  Her Mom and Dad smiled.  She even said her dogs smiled as they ran around the snowman barking and playing with each other.  That is what snowmen do she said,  "They make you Happy!"

What are you going to call your snowman?  Her mom asked.   She thought and thought and couldn't find the right name.  "I don't want to call him Frosty", she said very assured.  "Another little girl has already done that.  I will think about it and let you know Mom!"  Her Mom laughed and continued to make some delicous, warm hot chocolate for her daughter and her friends.

Days went by and the temperature stayed cold......Every morning the girl would look out her window and see her snowman.  She started to go out and talk to him.  Everyday it seemed their conversation got longer and longer.  Her mother was curious and asked,  "What do you talk about?"  The little girl looked sad and said,  "He told me he can't be with me forever, he is going to melt like Frosty."  Before she could finish her sentence the tears started to flow.  Her mother, (Who just lost her Mom)  tried to comfort her and said,  "He is right."  "He has to go away but  you know what?"   "What?" her daughter asked.  "Maybe every year you can make a new one and remember him? "  Wanting so bad to help her daughter but realizing this was not quite the best answer she started to hug her.  Her daughter became very distraught and cried, "There will never be another!  I don't wan't another one!  I want the same and I don't even want to name him anymore!"

A few days went by and the temperature started rising a little bit each day.  The girl would wave to her snowman friend as she went on the bus to school.  This one day,  her science teacher started teaching about clouds and the ocean.  He told them that water from the ocean evaporates and rises and forms clouds.  Then he told them when enough water droplets get together they fall back to the ground as rain if warm and snow if cold.

She came home so excited and ran to her Mother. "You were right mom,  it is the same snowman "We have to get him in Dad's truck and bring him to the ocean and next year he will come back!"

What else could her mom and dad do they said to each other.  Hey let's help her with the loss she must still be feeling with her grandmother leaving this earth.  So they packed up the snowman and headed to the beach which thankfully they lived near.  They placed him down carefully on the sand.  They took a picture of him.  They watched their daughter talk to him alone for a few seconds to explain to the snowman the science.  She told him when he felt like he was melting to walk into the ocean.  She gave him a note that had her address and she told him to wait until it was really cold and to fall in her yard next winter!  She hugged him gently and cried.  She looked back one more time and waved.
Then she left.

On the way home the little girl was very peaceful and happy.  " I have a name for him! " she said. "What is it?" her Mom asked.   "Salty!"  "Salty the Snowman who lives by the Sea!"  They had a wonderful laugh as a family.

And yes....this is a happy ending.  The next winter on a night in January it started to snow.  The little girl could hardly wait for enough snow to fall so she could meet her friend again! - Deb Israel

Songs that reach your soul

I have loved this song for about five years.  I downloaded it.  I listened till I learned 75% of the words.  Then I went to see Les Miserables and I forgot this song was in this movie.  I could hardly contain myself from bursting out as loud as I could all my emotions into the lyrics. But I was aware of the fact I was out of my element and these people did not come to hear me.   I have done this many times in the shower (my family tells me).   When I am singing in the shower I don't even realize it.  It is sort of my one woman show!   I always think I sound wonderful in the shower as my voice echoes off the shower tile and feel I am hitting every note perfect (in my mind).

Are you a shower singer?  It is funny there are those that do and those that don't.

  What I do love is the songs from Les Miserable really reached people.  You forgot they are always singing.  It just blends in. This movies has really touched so many.  I read both my sister's blogs and facebook and loved reading about it.   Sister 3 -  I read your blog and have a memory of Mom going on that field trip with you and she also loved it!  That warms my heart and for some reason every time I see Les Miserables I think of you two sharing that moment.  I also love the movie with Liam N. in it.  I too have to share my Les Miserables moment.  

My daughter M's class is singing a lot of the songs in her spring concert.  I can't wait!  I really love listening to her sing from her heart and soul the same song that I love.  I dropped M. off to see a movie with her friend and she started singing.  She has such a beautiful, soft voice.   We started singing together and smiling all the while.  She even gained confidence and got louder.  As we pulled into a spot and kept singing we realized the people next to us could hear us and  were smiling and laughing with joy!  They obviously had seen Les Miserable.   Then we got out and two couples came out singing a duet of the same song.  We starting smiling and laughing!  It was a great moment.  A great mom and daughter moment...a  great car load of friends moment.... and a great man and woman duet moment.  Now that is life.......C'est la Vie!

January 2013 - The Lingering Month

Thoughts for the Soul

I started thinking about blessings and found myself reading about the Beatitudes.  Someone described them like "Beautiful Attitudes".  I really like that.   I mentioned I wanted to dedicate this year to blessings so I am starting with the eight beatitudes.  Not all my blogs are going to be on this but I want it to be running through out this year.  I also want to share the other parts of my life so I can look back and hold on to hopefully some wonderful memories because life sure can be fleeting.

I am trying to appreciate the message that I feel I want to convey and not really worry about a particular denomination.  You could say that for various reasons I feel I am always searching for a place to belong but I also know that I may not find it in one place.  The same message can be running through other places almost like a song that you have heard over and over again. I often find that I have enjoyed listening to different denominations and have heard the same message.  When it is right you feel it.  When it is wrong you also feel it.  The wonderful thing is that I truly believe we have more in common than most of us know and it links us together and that is so important.  So on with my search and this is going to be an interesting, fulfilling, and soul searching year!

Blessed are the Weak in Spirit

There was a piano player filled with pride knowing he is very talented.  He was visiting the Bethoven museum and asked if he could play the piano.  After he played for over an hour he  asked, "So many must have done the same?"   The man at the museum replied,  "Just the opposite.  Many have felt they did not feel worthy enough to play on his piano."

I read this story and read more about what the meaning was for being blessed to be weak in spirit meant.  It reminds me not that we are suppose to be weak but humble.   It is with the grace of God we are blessed with talents.   "By the grace of god, go I "  now has a new meaning for me.  I love how when you are focused on a real message it will reveal itself in life.  Coincidence?  I don't know...but it might be quiet ways god reveals himself to us.  As I was driving on a travelled road I always notice a church that puts out a message on a board as you drive by...... Here is a picture.... The message this month hit me and had to take a picture.

It is when we are at our weakest we realize we need God. Again.. Blessed are the weak.  This year I need to remember I need God when I am weak and strong.

January - the lingering month

Lingering through the holidays into the New Year

I like the word lingering better than procrastinating.  I do linger through life.  I hold on too tight sometimes to the past.  I admire the movers and shakers but deep in my heart,  I linger.  I linger so much that I started wondering about other lingerer's.  Yes, we are the people that leave our lights on a full week after Christmas.  I made sure I also had everything done early so I could anticipate the holidays but I can't help it.  I had to linger and enjoy my lights for an extra week.  Here are some lingering pictures of my fellow lingerer's  as I hold onto Christmas 2012 as I am transgressing into 2013.........

I also have a hard time saying goodbye to my christmas tree so it is on the back porch where I can slowly say my goodbyes.  I remember as a kid hating to see our tree go to the dump.  Very traumatic.  I obviously get too attached. 

So, for me January is for lingering.  In between 2012 and 2013.  Something has to push me into reality......

Then it happened.  Our Septic System needs to be replaced.  Ouch.  Knew that was coming.  Felt it.  Even Predicted it!  I also learned how wonderful my Husband M is.  Bad Scene.  No need to go into description.  Let's just say in my eyes he gets husband of the year award!!!!

So 2013 is here.  Ready or not.  Here are some more January moments of lingering. 

(Stopped at C. Beach this week.  Calm water. Calm Sky. )

(Looking Forward but still looking back)

I also had a road less travelled moment this week.  I decided to get off of the busy main road and travel the less travelled road.  Enjoying the moment until a Dump truck pulls out of nowhere. He sorta messed up my moment so I decided to outsmart him and travel an even less travelled road and ended up back on the main road.  Thinking of how smart I was until the same truck ends up right in front of me again!  Oh well!!  I will try again another time!

January was also the month I finally got to capture on my camera my elusive black squirrel that I have been noticing and enjoying watching since fall.  He loves to tease my dogs.  He jumps on the fences and runs along them.  He flies through branches and plays with the brown squirrels.  He is fun to watch because he is different.  He stands out.  One day I was driving on the road next to mine and there he was flying across the road in front of me.  I have spotted him so many times and in so many different places.  Every time I tried to get a picture it was too late.  But, I finally captured my elusive black squirrel this week in my back yard!  Here he is.  I call him Midnight - the elusive squirrel.

My last January moment I will mention is the wonderful 90% sale at Pier 1 Imports!  So loving it that I bought a lot of great decorations for next year!!  

I almost forgot my other wonderful January moment.  My niece K. for Christmas gave me a warm and wonderful scarf.  I actually use it as a kind of coat.  It keeps me so warm at home when I am chilly and it is perfect for going into stores.  I am always too warm with coats.  I absolutely love it and have to always have it with me.  Thanks Niece K.  It is my favorite winter item right now.  Better than a blanket!

January 1st 2013

First blog of the year.......

I created this blog last year and only did one blog.... very sad.   I was inspired by my sisters.  This year I am going to try to do at least one blog per month maybe two.  Something that that was inspired by my sisters and the church service I went to this year for my Mom.  Hard to believe it has been 23 years because that is pretty much half of my life.  This year is for you Mom.  

Dad came home from florida this year.  He always has a special service for you.  We gathered as a family that has grown since you left this earth.  (BIL) P, (Nephew)J, (Niece)K, (Husband)M, (Daughter)M, (Niece)E and (Niece)D.  (BIL) D met you and I love that he got that chance.  I never stop thinking about you and how you touched our lives and the love and laughter you gave us.  I really enjoyed the service.  Christmas time was your favorite.  You always put your heart and soul into it to show us how you felt.  It has always remained a part of me.    

M and my Dad before the New Year's service.

I loved the music and the message so much that I wanted to make sure I had it here for my own memory and M.  They talked about Mother Mary and how important that name is to us. It reminds me of you and M.

The homily and message was about our blessings and how we should hold them dear to us.  So dear to us that this year I want to dedicate my blog to the eight blessings or Beatitudes that are in the bible.  I am hoping they will be strong reminders to me how special our lives are with our loved was in them.  Hoping to do this with some fun and humor that I loved seeing in my Mom.   In fact this year,  her best friend Joanne was at the service.  It was so wonderful to see her.  My mother and her had so much fun together.  They were like sister's.   She reminded us with some pretty funny stories, after the service, about how much fun she had with my Mom and what a good person she was.  We were all intertwined with laughter and tears.  How correct the bible has it when it is written.  .... A time for laughter and a time for tears. 

My mom and her had so many nice memories together.  Thanks for reminding us this is not the place we will be forever... but we will meet again in heaven and what a great time that will be!!!!!

My favorite songs at St. M's on New Year's Eve 

Another great song that has inspired me this year

After service we gathered at Sister #3 for a a wonderful evening.  Made Uncle T's punch.  Looked at a box of pictures from Nana's and had lots of goodies until midnight.  Even though New Year's is a reminder of another year we don't have you in our lives. It is also a wonderful evening to be together as a family.  We may have lost you on New Year's Eve but each year since your presence has always been felt.

1,2,3

I really don't know why I am starting a blog.  I love the idea of it.  My other two sisters whom I will call #1Sister and #3Sister (and now you know I am the middle sister) have great, interesting blogs.  I love how they write and fill their blog with wonderful photos and special moments that make me smile.  You get to see life through their eyes.  So, feeling inspired I thought I would try.  It is not as easy as I thought.  Feeling a little vulnerable putting my life on line.  My life is not perfect.  I have made mistakes.  I am actually afraid to reveal life through my eyes. Then it hit me......That is life. We all have our lessons to learn in life and maybe if we share them through some laughter or maybe tears it connects us to each other. That is what we need so much of in today's fast paced world.  What is important to us, how we work through our problems, celebrate our happiness, shed our tears.  It is who we are and become.  That is life and that is why I chose C'est La Vie as the name of my blog.  So, as I start my blog at 4:00 in the morning on an April morning, I hope I can reveal and share some (hopefully) interesting parts of my life.  The first part of my life I want to reveal is my Sisters.  They are so important to me. I always want picture perfect moments with them. (Sometimes they are and sometimes they are not)  What is important is they are always there for me and I always know that.   Even though I chose to move away I sometimes wish I could be in two places so I could spend more time with them and their families......I was really trying not to cry when I typed that and now I can't stop crying.....Silly isn't it?  We had some wonderful moments together recently and this is the way I saw it.....