Saturday, February 17, 2007
The Braves are getting
ready for another season. I just read the other day where John Smoltz and his
wife are splitting up. Very sad. I wonder how it will affect his wardrobe?
Funny story. Shortly after
we moved in this house, I showed Alesia my official Braves uniform shirt with the name
Smoltz on the back. I bought this before she came home and it tickled me to
wear it occasionally since I love baseball and I am the grandchild of a pro
baseball player. So I showed Alesia where Smoltz was written the back of the
shirt. I explained that the name was John Smoltz, a pitcher for the Braves. Her
eyes got wide. “You have HIS shirt? What will he wear to play?” I laughed so
hard! Poor kid was quite irritated with me but I couldn’t help it. She takes so
many things quite literally.
Bronwyn said Alesia asked
to work on history. She took a quiz and did really well on it, even though I
haven’t had a chance to work with her in several weeks, since I’ve been sick. I
am so delighted that Alesia is taking an interest in history, which I love. She
has read almost two entire sets of American Girl books in the last couple of
weeks. I have ordered her two more sets of the books. I am just thrilled she is
getting into these stories, and starting to enjoy history. My father taught me
to love history – it takes a personal tutor to infect you with the love of it.
Alesia had a busy day,
because after tutoring she was off to art class, then I dropped her off at the
movie theater to see Bridge to Terabithia with the Barrs. She didn’t much like
the movie, she said. I have noticed she doesn’t like it when sympathetic
characters in movies die. Maybe it’s nerves due to me leaving her while I go
adopt her brother. Maybe it’s her fear or confusion about her birthparents. Who
knows. I just try to be there for her and be her safety net.
We were watching the movie
O Pioneers tonight, which was a TV movie based on the Willa Cather novel, and I
thought it tied in with her history lessons. She watched a shot of women in the
long dresses of the 1890’s and said to me, very seriously, “Did they have to
wear big panties?” She meant “pantalettes,”
of course. I wasn’t sure what underwear they wore just then, and said so. She
will likely Google/Image 1890’s underwear next time Bronwyn is over here.
One of my Hasty cousins
asked me if I had watched the Oprah show about The Secret, and we’ve been
discussing it a little on my Yahoo Single Moms board. I think the whole big
mysterious “Secret” is simply that one should have a positive attitude, then
life is a lot easier. Big duh.
One of the few good things
about getting older is I feel like I am able to figure out what's important so
much better now. I KNOW what's important. I am much more self-aware than I used
to be. I am not blindly stumbling along, angry and afraid because of the past,
or desperate to get my future under control. In a way, I am glad I never got
married and had a family the conventional way. I think God is in control of it
all and he knows me so much better than I know myself.
The older I get, the more i
am able to see the pattern of my life - everything fits together, like a
puzzle. One event that seems random, isn't really. I thought my 2003 trip to
Russia was just going to be an adventure, a lark. Nobody could've told me ahead
of time that it would change my life in such a profound way. I had a
premonition it would be an important trip for me, but no idea why.
It's such a cliche, but if
I really can "let go and let God" I always triumph over whatever it
is that's bothering me. The more I try to control everything, the less control
I really have. That's not to say I am not anxious - if anything, I just
internalize it. I eat nervously. I get sick. I sleep badly. However, I am so
much better than I used to be when I was younger.
Of course, the minute I
really figure out EVERYTHING I need to know, I will probably drop dead! LOL
