I know what Love Is

           I thought I knew what love should be like.  When I was a teenager I was always unlucky enough not to have a boyfriend or even a sweetie for Valentines day.  I envied my friends who went out on Valentines days with their sweetheart and came back with flowers. My first Valentines with a boyfriend was exciting; I was 18 years old and he was 20. I was expecting the works. What I got was a hokey card with no inscription just a signature at the end...and a box. Now when you opened said box there was a plastic fluttering heart inside. It was the ugliest thing that I had ever seen. Instead of going out we stayed at my parents house where we ate dinner with my Brothers and Parents. Needless to say I was very disappointed, but I didn't show it.

         When my husband came along years later I received plenty of beautiful cards and flowers from him. It was a perfect show of love for me I thought. What I didn't know then was that those trinkets though full of love, were nothing compared to the future that lay before us. Love is together holding our baby Daughter and then Son for the first time and watching the world just disappear for a few moments as we were consumed with instant love for our children.

           Love to us became long letters to and from home when he was away over seas. Love was waiting for hours for the chance that he may call home that night and spend 15 precious minutes with us. Love was seeing his face as he picked up his kids in his arms when he came home safe and sound. Love was there when I had  life saving surgery and my husband was the only one who changed bandages and emptied drain pumps. Love is his eyes and the way he still looks at me. Love is him or I seeing the way time has changed us physically, but still seeing those two young people in each other's eyes.

            Love means watching our kids grow and wondering where the time has gone. Love now means, him putting dishes in the dish washer and me helping him out on some house project.  Love now means worrying together about the future and feeling the comfort that we want to be together for all of it. Love now means that after all this time we still make each other laugh and we still want to hold each other's hand when we walk together. I know what love is. And I thank God for it all. Happy Valentine's Day~Love To All!!! Blessings, Joanne

Some Paintings of LOVE

Norman Rockwell, Marriage License Post Cover 6/11/55

The first time I saw this painting was in a book then again at the Norman Rockwell Museum. The back story is that the model who is sitting oblivious to the couple had lost his wife shortly before this painting was done. Knowing that one can truly see that his mind was elsewhere...perhaps thinking of the precious beginnings of his own marriage. 

                                                                                                                       
This one shows a couple that has probably seen it all. Look at the way he looks at her. I feel he is seeing the young girl he married. Look at the way she fixes his boutonniere there is alot of love there...very sweet.

Norman Rockwell, The Old Couple 1922



  

Norman Rockwell,  Freedom from Fear 1943

This one displays one of the most powerful forms of love. The love of a parent. Here we see the kids quietly being tucked in . They are safe. They feel safe and the parents will do all they can to keep them safe. In the father's hand is the news of the day..the headline "Bombings...Horror" is seen. Even though this was painted in 1943 doesn't it seem to be very relevant today?

We're Losing Our Teachers



Norman Rockwell, Teacher's Birthday  Post Cover 1956

             Yesterday My Daughter J came home from school quite depressed. It seems that all throughout the school day Teachers were being called to the Principal's office. Before students could come up with and start false rumors the mystery was solve when one of her favorite teachers explained. It seems that The Governor has slashed our school district's funding. A lot and I mean a lot of teachers were told yesterday That come September they will no longer have a Job. How they finished the school day is beyond me. I thought of them often today. A sort of helplessness and deep disappointment engulfed me. Almost all of the teachers that have been working less than a certain amount of years are out. Last ones hired first ones fired. Main subject teachers like math are being laid off. That means yet bigger class sizes I'm sure. I thought of how many other things will be cut next year. Organized sports teams including the biggie Football---out. Careers classes-out. Band and Chorus-out.  Yesterday, My Daughter was sad. Today, she was angry.

"Mom, My favorite Teacher Miss A is laid off too! It's NOT FAIR!"

"I know it's not fair, lot of people all over the country are losing their jobs."

"I bet those people in the governors office aren't gonna lose their jobs."

"No, they're not."

"Well, then I'm making a petition and I'm gonna get EVERYBODY to sign it. If they see how much this is hurting people they'll change their minds."

She came straight home and wrote up a petition. Tomorrow she plans to get every one to sign. How can I tell her that it is probably futile? How can I tell her that it just doesn't work that way. I felt my heart break as she typed away on the computer. And then I thought; good for her, Damn it! She is not going down without a fight. She truly believes in this cause and she is willing to stand up and say NO! She is fighting for her Friends, for her Teachers that she admires and respects, and for keeping the good quality of the school she loves intact. I'm proud of her and I'm with her all the way.

Shoe Designers are Satan's Minions...I'm Convinced

This is what Shoe Designers want us to buy and wear (and break our legs in) this year. Have you ever seen Celebrities trying to walk in these? What are designers thinking? I'm 5' 7" It seems like I would be about 6' 1" or 2" in this puppies. I'm suffering from vertigo just looking at this.

No Problem, I can buy chopped meat, milk and butter in this.

This is perfect for Church

                                       The ladies at the P.T.A will be soooo jealous! Far be it for me to opt out of an opportunity to spruce myself up. So here is a video of me trying to be a bit more glam.

Have You Heard of the Tiger Mom?

They just don't seem to go together

        Recently A friend asked if I had heard about the Tiger mom. I had heard of the name but not about her theory. Since my focus on the news has been The turmoil in Egypt I hadn't really paid attention to the new buzz about the Tiger Mom. So I did some research. Quite frankly I take any new advice about raising my children with a grain of salt. The last thing I need is for someone who doesn't know me or my methods of parenting to tell me yet again that I've got it all wrong.

Now I hear from this Tiger Mom that I should be more strict, (OK more like a tyrannical Dictator) in fact she lists an example of rejecting a handmade card that her daughter made for her stating that she wanted something with more depth. She also states that she made her daughter practice a piece on her instrument for hours without water breaks until her daughter got it right....well isn't that just wonderful. Now I am not one of those mamby pamby moms that allow my kids to do whatever, whenever they want.  They are expected to study and to try their best. I encourage not demand.

I try to see the other side and I get what she is saying...she wants her kids to be successful and she feels we here are dropping the ball....Ok I see her side....BUT....Here's my problem with the Tiger Mom. Where is the compassion? I am sure she loves her kids but where is that love? Is she teaching them to only love power and status? Being perfect is the most important objective? I cannot fathom receiving a home made card from my child and saying "Thats not good enough I deserve better". I could only imagine the heartbreak of that little girl.

There is a lot of talk about "We have to get our kids ready for the future...It's a dog eat dog world out there" and that "They have to compete and be ready to fight their way up." Well, I do want my kids to be successful, I help them and they are great students. They both play an instrument (their choice) they both play sports (that they love; not that I push on them). The difference is that not every minute of every day is molded to push them to perfection. They fall and make mistakes and they are taught that its ok. They learn and move on. I want them to look back at their childhood and say it was a great one. I want them to have a compassionate heart and  that starts with ME.

 I don't want them to look back and remember only that I pushed and demanded them to be perfect in school. I am their Mom. I am supposed to be the one they come to when all the crap out there gets to be too much. I am their soft place. Their Welcome home smile and also their guide to learning about what is important in life. God, Family, and Love. They already have a good work ethic, but they also have fun through learning too.  Children learn best through abstract thinking I believe. In play or at school the most rewarding times are when they are allowed to find the problem out through experimentation not through rote repetitive shoved learning.

 Reading about her and her methods only strengthens my own confidence in how I am parenting. I am not saying my methods are the best...they are best for me and my family and a whole lot of families out there, and with God's help we will continue to do so.  There has got to be a perfect meeting of the mommy minds sort of speak. Between Mamby Pamby and Cruel dictator. In the future I wonder if Tiger Mom will find that rejected card and look at the colors and wobbly writing, the cute drawing or perhaps even the way Mom is written softly in Pink and say It was perfect just the way it was.