Mothers: Let's Get Together

     First, I want to thank my friends for inviting me to dinner.
It was so nice being in your company last evening  and everything was homemade from scratch and absolutely delicious! Plus I was gifted with a take home loaf of fancy fresh bread,  ummmmm.   Yes, I sliced into it later.

     I forgot to mention that I was having a heart celebration because I gave birth 40 years ago yesterday for the second time.

     It is huge being a mother.  Life changes with children. A mom never sleeps or eats quite the same. She will experience her greatest sadness and her greatest joy through her child.

     Shouldn't every day be "Mother's Day?"  And if you want to be closer to you mom...you should talk to her...at her...with her...just let kind words come out. "Don't say anything you'll have to make amends for!" (My daughter's best quote!)

Writing Prompt:

Ruined?  I don't think so. 

I love it when people make lemonade from lemons.

When something breaks they decorate it!

A sour comment has a sweet side to it.

You get the picture.

We are all broken and we are all beautiful!

The true story is all about how YOU helped someone mend.

YOU have been a shining star in someone's life.

If it weren't for YOU it wouldn't have worked.

Nice job! 

Thank YOU.

Mothers: Hugs & Stuff

   There is such joy in hearing our children laugh.
What pleasure watching them on the winter beach playing, looking for shells, talking and taking a respite from the cold snowy months. I look forward
to visits.
    No matter how old you are... your mother still wants to hold you in her arms. It's funny how we don't understand many things until we have had a
similar experience. Keep making warm memories.


                                Mother
     


In 1989 I bought a brick from the ruins of the earthquake and the inscription said, "It's wasn't  your fault!"  This was better than a message in a bottle. It is the cornerstone of my brick patio.
                                                                         EK




                     

Picasso: What did your mother tell you?

Add color to your lives and tell your story.

My mother said to me, "if you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up the pope."
Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.
                                     Pablo Picasso

                        AND

Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once you grow up.
                                   Pablo Picasso

Don't Ask Don't Tell: Post #100

 Better a hundred enemies outside the 
house than one inside. 
                             Arabian Proverb


                "Don't tell your mother!"


"Be quiet the baby is sleeping."                                         

     "Every single person has a secret"
                                  
                                 "Shhhh, I promise... it will be okay."

 If anyone is hurting your child tell someone you trust.

Balance: Bio. Psycho, Social and Spiritual

                                                   Who will I be today?

                    The "Cosmopolitan" woman, the little girl, the scholar, the mother?

                             Who will I be to answer the needs of others and yet answer the needs of me?
                                                                                           - Deidra Sarault

Mama, don't starve your own needs.
Make good choices.
It's not an all or nothing deal here.
Make good choices.
Nurture yourself, Mama.
Make good choices.
Remember you put the oxygen mask on first!

                                                                                                      And if there are birthdays in Heaven, Happy Birthday, Dad!

Visual Writing Prompt: The Best Gifts

                                                                       In God's Hands     E.King.

 This image has been brought to my attention 3x's in the last 3 days 

so, I felt compelled to post it.  This visual image means different things to

      each one of us. This belonged to my mother. It was a gift and I know she loved it.

   I know that because it was kept out on a table for everyone to see, not in a drawer or closet

where some of my gifts were often saved for later.  Why do we always think we know

what someone else might like?  That sounds like a good starting point for a story.

So tell it...at least start one sentence about the gift that didn't make it to the table!  

                               
                               

Al-anon: Friends of Lois

       27 years ago today I started on a new path with Al-anon, a

       12-step program that saved me...gave me support, gave me a

       new way to live, along with hope and strength  and courage.

       This was not easy but it was there...the chance for a fresh start.

       There are 12 steps, 12 traditions and then the 10 commandments

       given to Moses that I had been following since childhood.

                             

        I will always remember this day in celebration and thanksgiving

        as it is as important as my belly button birthday but is called a sobriety

        birthday. A big THANK YOU to all the anonymous people who helped

        me on my journey. This is my real do-over date I celebrate.

                           

                Happily I share this day on the feast  of Padre Pio  

                  "Prayer is the best armor we have,
                   it is the key which opens the heart of God."
                                         St. Pio of Pietrelcina.

Memories: Writing Prompts

There are many memories that stay with  us. I enjoyed the Sing a song of Sixpence song and I put the puzzle together in my bedroom on my little green card table. I liked the part about the king counting all his money and the queen in the parlor eating bread and honey!
 I also had tea parties and wrote fan mail to movie stars but everyone doesn't have fun being a kid. No child should have to suffer. It's not easy being a kid.

Every moment of  life is not bad...Remember something you enjoyed.

Was there a sled ride,  a chemistry experiment  or a wagon adventure?

Think about your favorite books, songs, and fun times.

It may be close to that time of the  year when we "fall" back with our clocks

But there is never a time to fall back into a hell. You've come a long way.

 Stay!

TELL SOMEONE YOUR STORY!

Wednesday: Fish Stories

                                                         
                                               
                                               
                                                     Don't believe all those "fishy" stories!
                                                     If you question someone-
                                                     If  it doesn't sound quite right
                                                     If it doesn't smell right
                                                     If it doesn't line up with you
                                                     If you are suspicious...
                                                     Believe in yourself
                                                     Listen to the Spirit inside of you.
                                                     It was "God given!"
                                                     Get to the truth no matter...

A Reflection: The Old Neighborhood

 
  Sometimes when I cannot sleep my mind wanders back to my childhood street where the trees bent and stretched like an umbrella capturing the perfume of the freshly mowed lawns. Chalky hopscotch numbers covered the sidewalk. We raced around the corner on our roller skates followed by barking dogs. Mom called our names in her loudest voice. When we pretended not to hear...she did it again. So we had to stop playing and go home to eat our supper. We sat down together at a table with prayers. Sitting down to eat together is very important!
  Do you know what's happening in your neighborhood?
Do you watch out for one another. Do you SEE what is happening or don't you look. Children need protection...all of them.
                                                                              
                                       

Proverbs: Random thoughts

Those who mock the poor insult their Maker.  
                                (Proverbs 17:5)


The best prayers have often been more groans than words.
                             (John Bunyan)


Ever stop by a garage sale? They can be such fun...visiting with people and looking at things. Finding treasures. It's interesting how much our "stuff" discloses about us and our household.You can be helpful to someone this way. BE GENEROUS!

Sunday: Is It A Day of Rest?

 

                           Writing prompts to pen...
What do you do on Sunday? Do you have special Sunday clothes?
Where do you go?  Church?  Concerts? picnics? Grandma's house?
How do you rest?  sleep in?  Take naps?
Are you alone? with friends? with family?
Do you prepare for the coming week?  How?
Do you eat special foods?  Chicken? Roast Beef?
Eat at home? Eat out?  Catch up?
Is there a favorite place to hang out?
Ever make a gratitude list? Share it.
What's your family tradition?

      Leave a story about Sunday in your family...in a notebook for the next generation!


                                                                       St. Joseph's, Capitola, Ca. Holy Cross, Santa Cruz, Ca. Adoration Chapel, St. Joseph's. E.King

Mothers: Stop, Look, and Listen

                                         Emalou King

Feed your faith, and your doubts will starve to death.      

                                               -E.C. McKenzie

         First believe what your children tell you...or try to tell you.  If they are only hinting at something or sound confused then ask more questions. Mothers, please STOP for a second and LOOK at their eyes and face like you did when they were newborns, remember?  And be still. LISTEN.Give them time to find the words to tell you. Your children need your full presence. 

Cancer : What's your Attitude?

A reminder to the many people dealing with Cancer today:

Cancer is so limited-
It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot suppress memories,
It cannot silence outrage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot steal eternal life,
It cannot conquer the Spirit.

            "What Cancer Cannot Do," The Senior Times

Reflections: Awareness

The best mirror is an old friend         George Herbert

           There are some of us who have been given the privilege of having kindergarten reunions! It was a wonderful experience. We stood with our teachers in the same place as we did in our class pictures playing our triangles and tambourines. Funny though how much we sounded like our 5 year old selves. We were precious.

          Please help change the statistics that 1 in 3 girls are molested and 1 in 6 boys. Most of the victims know the perpetrator.  Be aware. Be MORE aware.

Thomas Merton: Seeds of Contemplation

"It is easy enough to tell the poor

to accept their poverty as God's will 

when you yourself have warm clothes

and plenty of food and medical care...

but it you want them to believe you- 

try to share some of their poverty and see

if you can accept it as God's will yourself. "

The Truth: Discover, Uncover, Recover

Amazing! This bird is attached to the crane and sitting on top of my car.
Well that's the point of view from my cell phone camera, but it's not real.
So, don't believe everything you see or hear and even think.
Discover the truth... Uncover the truth...then recover from the truth!


     ASK, LISTEN, TALK, INVESTIGATE, REPORT.


"Under My Roof~ A Mother's Story of the Heinous Crime of Incest"
shares her own discovery and recovery process in the pages of her book. 
(You can download this book to your computer from this site in minutes.)

Experience: C.S. Lewis

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.                         C.S. Lewis

                                                                  ***    ***   ***
We learn from each other.  Recommended reading for professionals. 
And while you are on this site please check out the resources. The
trailer for the documentary, Boyhood Shadows has been added. 

A Celebration: Cheers to Dog Lovers!

Happy 6th Birthday, Herbie!

(When I told God I wanted to fall in love...I forgot to mention the part about having only two legs!)

                                                                   

Silence:

                                 copyright Emalou King

To sin by silence  when they should protect  makes cowards of men.

                                                                          Abraham Lincoln

Inquiring Minds: Shared Secrets Lose Power!

So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip

                                                                                                   Will Rogers

                     

A Celebration: September 8

 

                                                                               copyright    Emalou King

                                                    Happy Birthday, Mary
                                                    Mother of God
                                                    Mary, most holy
                                                    Happy Birthday, to you.

                                                             Statue at St. Joseph's Catholic Church
                                                                                      Capitola, California

The Tired Beach: Summer's Gone

                                                                   copyright  Emalou King

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're still the rat.

                                                                                                            Lily Tomlin

Mom says:
One thing that might help is getting ready before you go to bed.
That way everything is there and you can manage to stay cool under pressure.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof:

copyright  Emalou King

One morning when I opened my blind this cat sat staring at me.
"Wait, wait, don't move," I whispered and he did wait and didn't move.
He posed and made blog headlines.  Now what have you done lately?
Everything counts...did the dishes, made your bed, washed the car, etc.

Labor Day: Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Lead me from death to life,
from lies to truth
Lead me from despair to
hope
from fear to trust
Lead me from hatred to love
from war to peace
Let peace fill our heart,
our world
our universe
peace, peace, peace. . .

Mother Teresa 
Aug 27, 1910 - Sep5, 1997

Freedom: The Price is Forgiveness

copyright  Emalou King

    People may not deserve to be forgiven... but YOU deserve the freedom.
                             God Bless America and have Mercy on us.
                         

Safety: What Did You Say?

copyright Emalou King

                                Whatever you do this weekend...BE SAFE
                                   Dress appropriately (be warm enough)
                                      Drink plenty of water
                                         PROTECT your skin
                                            Enjoy your picnics and treats
                                               WATCH your children
                                                    LISTEN and TALK

Dr. Phil: Forgiving the Unforgiveable

On today's show: This was a beginning place, a start in the right direction for one family.
    These wounded girls gave a voice to the silent victims in America today.
        Their mother was not blamed for what happened but for what she didn't do...
                             
      If the mothers of survivors knew how, they would spend the rest of their life toward healing
          and having a healthy relationship with their children. More Awareness is needed.
              This is a most difficult subject. Help... stop the Silence. Help...Stop the Violence.

                                                                        copyright Emalou King




                                                        Forgiveness is a conscious choice

Mothers: Share your Stories

                                      copyright Emalou King

 If you start the conversation you will be surprised how your story may help someone. Mothers and survivors deserve to be free from the lingering pain.
Write or cry or scream to a responsible person
Make that phone call (call the authorities)
Get counseling
Join a group
Call your child
Any more ideas?
  Add them in the comment section

Mothers: Be Role Models

copyright Emalou King

                                   Just 'be there' - tell her you'll be there for her.
                                   Believe the survivor. Even if she doubts herself.