The Hug Not Given

If you still have issues from a difficult childhood, please don’t read this story. Instead, click on another of my postings because this one is going to be difficult to read.

My husband and I both worked extra at our jobs this weekend and still spent time unpacking and organizing our new abode. So, late this afternoon we decided to treat ourselves with ‘breakfast’ at our favorite eating place, Cracker Barrel in Sunbury, Ohio.

Our server remembered that Jim likes LOTS of cream with his decaf coffee and I always order tea. She asked how the dogs were doing and about Jim’s work. It's nice to be remembered.

Jim and I were deep in conversation about where things would be put in the house and how many night-lights we still need. I told him about getting locked out of the van this week at the dumpster when I left the motor running, and he updated me on crazy things going on at work.

Suddenly our attention was drawn to the table next to ours because a family with five kids had come in to be seated. Two were crying and all were noisy. The parents were lacking in communication. I told Jim they reminded me about a program on TV where this family has 17 kids and all are always so well behaved in the TV show. This little civilization sitting next to us had bad vibes.

Most noticeable was a little boy who looked about 10 years old, but the oldest of the kids. He sat next to his mother and across from his dad. Most disturbing were the quiet threats the mother was making to the little boy. “When we get home, you will get two swats!” Pretty soon she was up to 10 swats. We couldn’t take our eyes off of the little boy because he didn’t seem to be doing anything wrong to us.

By the time I was getting a refill on my tea, the stern mother was taking away any food being served to the little boy. “But, I’m so hungry”, he cried as big tears ran down his face.” All the other kids and each parent got served big steaming mugs of hot chocolate with heaps of dream whip on top, but the little boy got none. He cried and cried.

We couldn’t stand it any longer. We asked for the check and had to walk out. I wanted to go up and hug the little boy so badly. Jim says he wanted to tell him, “It gets better when you turn 18”. I can’t get his sweet but heartbroken little face out of my mind. And, I’m terribly sorry that I didn’t go give him that hug although the action might have caused the mother to be even meaner to the child.

How can you take a child to a restaurant and then deny him food? How can your not react to a weeping child who seems willing to do anything you ask?

While checking out, I was able to make eye contact with the mother. I give her a long hard look! She looked away, but I saw her glance back at me as I continued to stare as long as I could.

I’m sure that during my childhood, others witnessed my sister, Sandra, and I being treated much the same way many times. (Although grandma was very good at hiding her anger and mistreatment of us in public.) I don’t know how I would have reacted if some stranger had come up and gave me a hug. I’m sure I would have had no idea what it was all about. And, I’m just as positive that something like that would have angered grandma even more when we got home.

But, here’s that hug, sweet weeping child. And a whisper. “You are loved, little one. Oh, how you are loved.” I wish I could have made today better for you. Perhaps someday you can have all the hot chocolate your heart desires.”

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda

Safe Harbor

Last night I worked until 2 a.m. so had little time for sleep. But a dream was very real and continues to stay with me which is very unusual for most of us.

At least once a year I have a close encounter with someone I'll label RS. That person lives in the little town of Berrien Springs, Michigan and that person probably does not know I exist.

RS had a business that our family used quite extensively over the years. Maybe because this person was always available with this business, and my boys sometimes had to make the request of assistance at odd hours of the day and night, that my mind has associated this person with 'comfort". (This person is not God, nor is this person a doctor of any type. )

It's so odd that when I'm feeling a little too burdened with other people's problems that I have this "comforting" dream related to RS. First of all, Grandma Mascunana is usually involved as a middle person. (She doesn't know about the book, by the way, on the other side.) Secondly, whatever grief I'm feeling in this dream is replaced with complete peace by this person (RS).

Intensely Innocent. Pure satisfying joy. Complete acceptance. Security and unconditional love.
I wake up thankful for the replenishment of life and a freshness of spirit - and for the dream!

Lately, many special people in my life have caused me some worry and grief.

Silence on the Internet speaks volumes to me. As I take my little walk around my favorite websites every day or so, I do notice the lack of conversation there and wish I could make life easier for you. But unlike the dreamy proverbs of life, I can do nothing to change the course of your life. Just mine.
Today, I got a brief email at lindasbook@usa.com today. She is sad and lonely and wonders if I had seen someone she loves. That person believes that I know who they are by their first name, but I don't have a clue.

There are so many that I DO know who are discouraged at this time. Someone close to my heart is going through a really (really!) discouraging time with the loss of a job. Someone else I know just got rejected for a job (again) and it has hit them very hard. Another heart-friend is going through the loss of a close companion. A special friend is going through especially challenging financial hardship. Another close family member feels very frustrated and discouraged and doesn't want to talk about it. A long-time friend feels depressed and alone (and doesn't want to talk about it). A new-found friend feels like they must show a strong face because she is a leader in life, but things are discouraging for her and she can't share this with anyone. Two special friends feel the loss of a special family pet. I wish I could change things to smiles for everyone!

This last week was busy with moving all our earthly belongings (that were not already in storage) from one spot to another. I can't help but wish I could open up a large building and make a home for all the homeless people in the city of Columbus. If you could see where these poor but courageous people live in the corners of empty lots and hidden in the brush beside the freeway as I have seen. We have enough "stuff" to create comfort for many homeless people. A refrigerator and stove take up paid space in storage. Boxes of blankets and clothing lie useless in the garage. Dishes, furniture, nic-naks! A lifetime of collections that we won't part with but can't use now! I'm trying to think of a way to make it happen!

Sheba finally has room to sleep at my feet, but my bedroom closet is filled almost to the ceiling with boxes that need to be unpacked. I'm tempted to take a before and after picture.

I hope your day is going toward the sun (rain or shine). My welcoming spirit comes from a safe harbor that I did not create, but I give thanks for it!

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Bye-Bye Treehouse!

How many stories will I write about this transition from tree-house to ground level living? After five moving days, we finally said good-bye to the second story, 19-steps up, balcony tree-house we've occupied for a little over two years. (Or, was it almost two years?)

At times, I thought the good outweighed the bad, and I didn't want to get out of our comfort zone, but "bad knees and bad backs" won out, and we have cheered the final digress to our new home.

Now I'm covered with little bruises from carrying various sizes of boxes and surrounded so many bozes that Sheba can't find a spot to lie at my feet! I ache from the tips of my toes upward! But, we've made good progress in that we are eating in our own kitchen again and can find the bathroom at night without stubbing our toes on the dozens of framed pictures that line the hallway. (Sunday is declared picture-hanging day.)

But, calendars are not where the eyes is trained to look, and only one clock hangs on the living room wall, so most of the time I'm not sure where I am in space! My little bedside clock is safe under my pillow so at least I can reach for it and press the time button when I'm suppose to be sleeping but can't seem to adjust to the new shadows in the darkness. I've been dreaming a lot and I'm sure every one who reads this posting has been in my dreams at least once - plus a few people I've never met before!

On Monday night, the skies were clear and the air was just slightly cool. Sheba kept wanting to go outside and lie in the grass. Something she wasn't able to do much when we lived in the 'tree-house' and had no porch to sit and enjoy at ground level! I turned out the front porch light and realized that the stars were just overhead as I sat in a small lawn chair in the darkness and looked up! Pretty soon I ran inside and got hubby to come enjoy the evening stars with me!

Today I enjoyed setting up little things around the house. One task was to move the toilet paper holder from one wall to the other in my bathroom. That was so I could put a little toiletry stand between the wall the toilet since there's a bigger space than usual there. If you ever visit and use that bathroom, there a tiny little message on the wall where you would normally reach for the TP. It says, "The TP holder is under the towel." Now you know.

So while Hillary Clinton is turning 60 and throwing a $1 million birthday party. And, forest fires are burning out of control in California. And the Dow experiences a huge fall. And crude oil rises to above $90 a barrel, we're looking for the flashlight and cell phone charger. At one point, we lost my car keys but I found them on the washing machine. We're back to earth and appreciate every step on even ground!

I still haven't forgotten about the Flight Across America story (and the UFO).

Here's a kitty hug for George, and supportive thoughts to my friend in Virginia who is helping a friend move too. Happy body slams to Star and Ringo (a little dog and a big cat). Congrats to Ginger who is a new foster mom! Thanks, Ann, for thinking of me.

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Over and Out

(Ham Radio talk....) Jim is taking down the computer in the morning in preperation for our 3,000 foot move. Word is that we'll be back up and running with a switch from Road Runner to AT&T. Wa-hoo! I'll be back when we're back on line!

Click HERE or http://inter.scoutnet.org/morse/morseform.html
to see what your name looks like in MORSE CODE.

This is N8WFR signing off.
Take Care on the Journey,

.-.. .. -. -.. ._

Moving Day! Almost

This morning at 9:55 a.m. I picked up the keys to our 'new' place! I was singing a song I can't remember, and feeling lightheaded with joy. There's still all the 'moving' to do, and there's a whole lot NOT packed up yet. In fact, if you stopped by for a little visit, you might wonder if there was any moving going on at all. Part of the problem is that there is no place to put the boxes that are packed! I have a few under the little dining room table and in front of the windows, so all that hard work still is in the near future!

Sandy (my little sister) and her husband and little dog, Star, enjoyed a weekend with us. Their Midwest tour is going great! We savored our sisterly camaraderie and did an afternoon photo-shoot with Star! When we get settled, I'll post some cute pictures! As I write this, she should be arriving in Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you've read my book, "Dusty Angels", you might recall the story where we lived in a cave-like place near Wildwood, Ga. Where grandma held Sandy's head under the water at the back of the 'cave" in a fit of anger. Sandy is going to try and find what may be left of that place. We've been on Google looking at maps and hopefully, she will find closure at that spot. Sandy said the spring (water) might be all dried up, but I said maybe it is a beautiful flowing river by now.

Today some friends and I painted a few walls at our new place. This is the first time I've ever been able to add color before moving in! I selected light lavender for one bathroom and my big walk-in closet. Jim picked out an orange/brown just because he liked the color, so it's on one wall of HIS bathroom. It makes the walls glow like a sunset in there. Yep, he'll like that.

We have light tan paint for parts of the living/dining room. There's a very bright yellow above the counters in the (BIG) kitchen. (Instead of three cupboards, we have 12 in the kitchen!) And, for once in my life, I've taken a few days off from work to make the transition! Hello Maxim and K-Force. Did I hear the phone ringing? Naaaa. Don't think so.

Got lots more to do before bedtime on this happy day!

Take Care on the Journey,

`Linda

First Frost - Memories in Photos

Sandy, Craig and Star are in Sweetwater, TN tonight on the first leg of the Midwest/Visit Linda vacation! They had a 12-hour driving day and a breath-taking tour of the “Blue Ridge Mountains”. They are appreciative of Sandy's careful planning as they pull out the coats, mittens and wool scarf’s. The temperature is dropping with each mile after crossing the Georgia line!



The forecast here is for the first FROST on Saturday morning when they wake up here in Columbus, Ohio. If it’s going to get that cold, it could throw a few flurries around so Sandy can say it snowed while they were here!



No one asked, but I still intend to post the “Flight Across America” story. I had happily anticipated writing it tonight, but just got called into work for a 2-hour shift. What a bummer. The prevailing thought is that they will remember my positive attitude when I need a favor sometime.

Packing is very slow. Writing is slower. Wish I had a van full of good helpers! At least we wont' be moving in 20 below zero weather! On October 17, I DON'T THINK SO!

Does anyone have thoughts on how to get all my birds from the bird feeders over to the new place about two football fields away? I 've thought of putting a trail of corn from the old place across the parking lot, along the pond and around the building to our back door. Think that would work? Or, should I worry? Enjoy the rest of the photos from http://www.flickr.com/

Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda

Awful-Awful

My son, Philip, used to ski down a steep hill called "awful-awful', according to one of my diaries written when he was a teenager. Another meaning is that my busy work schedule has been "awful-awful' and that has kept me away from my favorite resting place here on the web.

Within the next two weeks my sister, Sandy, and her husband will be visiting with Sheba's favorite "dog-cousin", Star! We are so looking forward to the two-day stop during their tour through the magnificent Midwest in the fall of the year! It's the first time for them to take this type of long-anticipated vacation.

That same week, we are 'moving'!!!! I don't want our place to look like it's all packed up when they're here, so I'm trying to pack up the closets and unseen places in my spare time.

Progress on my next book, "The Laughing Place" has been slow but should pick up after we are settled in.

Don't give up on me. Come back here and sit for a spell while we watch the golden glow form on the trees and prepare for the long chill of winter.

Take Care on the Journey,

~Linda