A Time to Pray

There has been a great deal of conversation the past several days regarding Tim Tebow and his standard pre-game practice. Most everyone is likely familiar with it now....it's called Tebowing. For anyone who might not know, before each game, he takes a knee and says a prayer. Lo and behold, his team is on a winning streak. I absolutely love that he is getting attention for this because it brings attention to someone who, in my opinion, lives what he believes. So much of what you hear regarding the sports world is negative. (Sandusky, anyone?) Now, do I think that God is truly concerned about the Broncos winning or losing? Probably not. Here is what I do know. God listens to prayers. I suspect that Mr. Tebow is asking for God to watch over the players, give them strength and guidance to do their best. Isn't that what most of us need anyway? In anything we do? I'm reminded of a story about the guy who went every day to the temple to pray. Every day he prayed "God, please, please let me win the lottery." This went on for quite sometime when finally the man heard God's voice speak back to him saying "My son, please, please go buy a lottery ticket". Prayers are good but without a doubt, God expects us to do our part. If Tim Tebow or "God's Quarterback" as some have called him, wants to ask for God's hand in the game, then good for him. I'm sure God expects Tim to give the game his best effort as well. Who knows, maybe God does have a hand in the Bronco's 7-1 record. It sure has a lot of people 'Tebowing'! http://tebowing.com/

xoxo,

Lisa

The Day the Music Died

It was 1977 and I was 12 years old. For those of you who are bad at math, that makes me about 39 ;-D I lived in Memphis, in a corner house in the Colonial area...in a room decorated mostly with Shaun Cassidy posters. But, being the true Memphian that I prided myself to be, I had one very large poster of a hometown boy named, Elvis Presley. It was a shot from his 'Aloha' concert in Hawaii and he was gorgeous. At the peak of his career I think and looked it. On the afternoon of August 16th, I lay across my bed listening to WHBQ (56 on your dial) when the most devestating news of my life came across the airwaves. Elvis had been rushed to the hospital and it didn't look good. As we all know now, he was already dead. Agonizing moments later, that sad news was confirmed. My heart fell and tears burned my eyes as I ran to find my Mother. I remember crying in her arms. It never occured to me at the time that she probably felt the loss much more than myself as she had grown up in the 'Elvis revolution'. She had listened to his first hits when they were freshly released. She basically taught me to love him as I remember the night she taught Anne and me to do the 'bop' to one of his records. The day they took him to Graceland for a public viewing, my Mother took me there. We stood in the August heat along with thousands of other mourners to get one last look at the King of Rock and Roll. The line formed down the sidewalk in front of the house, around the corner and as far down that side street as I could see. I don't know exactly how many house we waited in line but we waited. Little by little the line moved and we inched closer to the gates. We made friends with our 'line neighbors' and shared fond memories. Mom had a few herself as many Memphians did. She was fortunate enough to meet him once on the lawn of Graceland one afternoon when he and Priscilla were out on their horses. She also recalled a funny moment one afternoon when she and my Dad stopped at a red light. My Dad said, 'Jean, that looks like Elvis in the car next to us'. She laughed and told him it couldn't be but when she turned to look, there he was. In an old station wagon clearly he was using to be discreet but it was definitely him. He smiled and raised his hand in a small wave and the light turned green. It was a moment she treasured. As the afternoon grew later we finally made it to the famous gates of Graceland just as some official person announced they would not be letting anyone else in. We were to be in the next group. There was no hiding our disappointment. For so many years, that was my story. How we made it so close only to not make it in. It's not so much a story of disappointment any longer but more of a laughable moment of our quest ending so abruptly. I haven't thought about that day in a long time until the other night when a completely different thought came to me. My Mom took me to Graceland. It was hot and the crowds were enormous but my Mom took me to Graceland anyway. The real moral to this story is the amount of love and understanding my Mother showed me that day. It no longer matters that we never got to see his body laying there. Maybe I'm sorta glad we didn't as I prefer to remember his handsome image on that poster that hung in my room. But my Mom took me to Graceland. She did. And that's my 'Elvis story'.

New Year's Resolutions....It's All the Rage!

Does anyone freely admit to being successful with making New Year’s Resolutions? If so, what is their secret? I make them religiously every year and I’m not convinced I have ever been successful with them….at least not for the entire year. For the record, I usually make several. Perhaps ‘LOTS’ is more likely to describe my annual tradition. I have the usual suspects on my list….Lose weight and become fit. Get more sleep, be a better Mom, wife, daughter, friend…etc. Be better in general. I just wonder sometimes if those declarations are a bit broad. Maybe I should break it down a bit. Rather than saying I will lose weight and be healthy…I should make a list of things I need to do to reach that goal….an outline, if you will. Maybe instead of saying I will get more sleep, I should make a plan that works. That means winding down before I go to bed rather than doing things that seems to stimulate me and then try laying down. It’s possible that I might be a better friend/family person if I dedicated myself to specific actions I need to do to make that happen. Call more? Visit more? Hug more? It’s entirely possible that those on the receiving end might have other things in mind. Call less? Visit less? Back off my personal space and stop hugging me? At any rate, I know one thing that would help would be to actually write my resolutions down on paper…somewhere I can see it daily rather than keeping it in my head where the ink seems to fade much too fast. One thing that is certain, I do want to rededicate myself to blogging. Oh, I blog daily…in my head. (What is it with me keeping all this in my head? Then wonder why I can’t remember anything) Throughout most of my days, I seem to be writing ideas in my head and thinking…that would be a good thing to blog about. When it comes time to actually sit and type, I draw a complete blank. Seems as though the key to all of these issues I have just written about it to stop thinking and start doing. This is what I know for sure.

So, in the spirit of resolutions and seeing them through, I will throw out a list of ideas I have for my new year…

1. Lose weight and be healthy….it seems like the only fair thing to do since millions of Americans will be doing this as well. Besides the annual courtship of my fat has begun in the form of minute by minute TV ads, etc. I can’t resist.

2. I will strive to get better sleep. I’m not sure what the key to this is but I know what Dr. Oz tells me to do. I believe him.

3. I will be a better friend, wife, Mom, daughter and person in general. That includes but is not limited to judging others unfairly, having more patience and thinking more in a positive nature.

4. One more just for kicks and giggles. I want my life to be more organized. I want to clear the clutter and have a clean house. This should be good. (snickers)

Rising to the Occasion

There isn’t much that represents the south better than homemade biscuits and a truly well made southern biscuit is a force to be reckoned with. The taste of this warm and delicious delicacy has the ability to bring a family together or pull them apart. Wars have been fought over these southern treasures. Seriously.

Growing up, one of my favorite things about a Saturday morning was Mom making a big pan of homemade biscuits and tomato gravy. If you are not familiar with tomato gravy, you have missed something wonderful. Bearing in mind you must be a fan of tomatoes as well. It is a simple dish that includes just what the name describes. Gravy with stewed or chopped tomatoes. Although it might sound like an odd combination, it is a coming together of two very different tastes that work together to create a unique and wonderful dish. This, along with my Mother’s homemade biscuits, was a huge treat for us. Mother always complained that her biscuits were not pretty enough or too big, which is something I never quite understood. They looked just fine to me and besides….who cares? This was not a biscuit pageant. All that mattered is how wonderful they tasted. Next to Mom’s biscuits, I have to admit, there was one other person who’s biscuits I thought highly of and still crave….my Aunt Doris’ biscuits. Aunt Doris is my great aunt who we would visit regularly on our trips to the country. She and Uncle Walter were the warm and fuzzy version of the Cleavers. They never had children of their own so we felt like theirs every time we visited. Aunt Doris, being the true southern woman she is, always fed us like kings when we were there. Honestly, I remember suppers that often included two main entrees, several fresh vegetables, a dessert and of course mouth watering biscuits. She made biscuits every morning too. Breakfast included the usual….some version of pork (or two), eggs, grits and/or hashbrowns and thankfully…..those biscuits! Jars of homemade jams and jellies were always present. There was excitement when she opened that cabinet that held her biscuit supplies. Uncle Walter helped her out in the kitchen but his calling was more about entertainment. He possessed a simple but wonderful sense of humor as well as a love of telling wonderful stories about his life growing up. He is my Papaw’s brother and one half of a set of twins. His sister Aunt Rene being the other half. He and my Papaw have always been close and are a great deal alike. Everyone in our family enjoyed those visits and Aunt Doris’ infamous biscuits. So much in fact, that my Dad made a fatal mistake one day when he suggested to my Mother that she get Aunt Doris to show her how she made her biscuits. They say ignorance is bliss and this statement could not be truer than the moments that led up to this terrible suggestion. Dad couldn’t have known how those few simple words would alter his future….or ours. Could he? We all know now. There have not been biscuits made in the Bounds’ home since and I do mean none. There have been feasts prepared along with prize-winning desserts. There have been no biscuits. In fact, the subject of biscuits is a taboo subject. We all quietly respect that. While we miss the biscuits Mom once prepared, we accept our biscuit empty lives and occasionally remind Dad that he robbed us. He knows it. We all know it.

A New Day

To everyone who is reading I am writing today to apologize for neglecting my writing duties. Obviously, I have the time so there is not a valid reason other than I seem to have been stuck in a writer's block. It seems that I have ideas popping in my head at various times of the day or night but when it comes time to sit and put my thoughts on paper...or in this case...a blank screen...I seem to freeze or simply write a few lines that never develop. Then a pretty little butterfly flutters by and I've lost my focus. So, there's really not any butterflies or other distracting shiny objects inside my home but you get the idea. Today I am rededicating myself to this blog. Not because I am under the impression it will influence world peace or cure cancer but because it somehow contributes to my personal sanity to get these fingers to clicking and write my thoughts down. Also, on that note I have tossed around ideas for months now on an official title for my blog. There have been plenty and some of you have offered a few wonderful ideas as well. There are two common thoughts that continue to surface. One is my strong love of my southern 'raising' and the other is the idea that this really is a personal way to keep my head and thoughts leveled and preserve my sanity. So, on that note...the official title to my blog will be 'A Southern Girl's Pursuit of Sanity'. Thank you to everyone who has given me encouragement the past few months in regards to my writing. It truly means the world to me.

It's the Circle of Life

Our family is expanding, yet again. Oh no...not me or any other living human in this house (sigh of relief) but our Mama Cat..Roxy. The real kicker is that we are not sure how. Well, let's stop for a moment. Of course we know 'how'...but we're just not sure how or better said...when. We have watched this cat like a hawk watches their prey, taking every precaution to not let her out as we know she has, let's say loose morals. Hey...she's a cat. The last few weeks we have noticed her expanding body hoping and praying that she was simply becoming a fattie. In the last few days however, while we bravely and even adamantly called her a tubbie and even nervously laughed while we "mooed" at her...deep down feeling the dread that this isn't a simple matter of binge eating. This morning, our fears were confirmed. As my alarm was going off and I dragged myself from bed, I was met with a very insistent meow. Several in fact. I knew. I looked over at Brian and said..."We have babies". This was the all too familiar chatter I got from her after the last delivery. It was a little premature though as it appears she was simply letting me know they were coming. There may have even been a little bit of "I've been trying to tell you people I wasn't a Jenny Craig candidate". After checking to make sure we didn't actually have a nursery going just yet, I made up a nest for her and she promptly took residence. Within 30 to 40 minutes, the first one was delivered. We are waiting on more and trust me...there are more. I shouldn't be excited because I now face the daunting task of finding homes for these babies in a few weeks but I can't help but get a little smile on my face as I watch this take place. For those of you that remember the first kitten she had about a year and half ago...Abbey, the big sister is anxious as well. I won't let her in the room unless I am there to watch her so in between she is outside the door, pacing, crying and occasionally 'head butting' the door. Siblings....they are all alike.

As a side note....it's not too early to shop for Christmas and wouldn't a little kitten look great under that tree? :-D

So Easy A Caveman Can Do It

If you thought cavemen only existed thousands of years ago or maybe in a Geico commercial, think again. It appears I have been raising one all this time. Who knew? So here is how the conversation went that led me to this realization. Zane and I are getting ready to spend some time at the park...just the two of us, which is the best time for us to have our heart to heart's.
Zane: Mommmmmmm....(him dragging my name out more than a few seconds is never a good sign)
Me: Yes?
Zane: When I get married, my wife is going to stay home and raise babies and do housework.
Me: Well, good luck with that. That marriage should last...oh about 2 or 3 minutes.
Zane: Why is that?
Me: Becuase women today don't want to be told they can or can't have a career. In fact, it is most likely your wife will want to have a career.
Zane: Yeah, that's stupid
Me: Why more stupid than you having a career?
Zane: Because women are supposed to stay home and work.
Me: And you learned this where? Never mind, how do you suppose you will be able to take care of your wife since you don't want her to work.
Zane: I plan to be a pro skater (stop with the spandex jokes...he is referring to skateboarding, not ice skating haha)
Me: Really now? When will this dream be fulfilled?
Zane: I should be on the pro circuit Christmas after next.
Me: Hmmm...that makes you almost 13...planning on much homework while you are on the road?
Zane: Oh I will finish school because I will need to be able to manage my finances.
Me: (trying not to giggle or show my skepticism) That's great...so being a rockstar is SO last year?
Zane: I haven't ruled that out. I will need to make a lot of money to be able to take care of my family and finally build you that big house with the wrap around porch.
Me: Carry on, Son....you follow that dream and never mind what your wife wants. Mama wants that house....