All by myself

Isn't it interesting how we are born and we grow. Eventually we learn how to do things on our own and try to do everything by ourselves. 

My son has been trying to do everything himself. I've gotten so used to helping him with everything that I often forget that he needs to learn how to be independent. His whole life I have changed his diapers, fed him from my breast, helped him learn to crawl and walk and smile and talk. He is getting so big it hard to believe he will be three in February next year. 

Although I couldn't wait until he walked by himself, I am a bit sad to see him doing things on his own. My role as his mother is changing and it is difficult at times to adjust, but we get where we need to go. 

I have been changing so much lately too. I am a full blown adult with a child and a job and bills that I do pay on my own. I loved being a stay at home mom, but working part time has been alright. It really helps that I have a family who watches my son when I work. 

I am surprised how much more I am able to accomplish on my own despite the fact that I was forced to support myself and my child, with no real preparation. Life is spontaneously funny that way sometimes though. I'm glad I am able to work and be self sufficient. 

Doing things on my own isn't so scary anymore. It's cool what can happen when you put your mind to work. 

I am a smart, beautiful woman who cares a lot about others and about doing things the "right" way. I hope some day I can have a whole family again. Until then, I will wait patiently and continue to do it on my own. At least I have my son :)

Thank you for reading. Have a good Wednesday. 

Patience

Some days I feel like I have enough patience. I have prayed for patience, learned patience through people who try my patience, and hoped to have enough.

Today, I feel like (knock on wood) I have enough Patience. I am willing to accept what will come. I am not afraid to wait, and I am not afraid to try. I've played the waiting game most of my life; wait to move, wait to have a baby, wait to find someone, wait for people to show me their love.

Instead of praying for patience, I am learning to pray for hope. Hope is a necessity of life. Along with patience, hope is one of the most important things to live for. Hope comes what we know that everything will be okay after the storms of life. Giving hope to others is just as important as well. Everyone needs to feel like there is hope.

 "Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness.  Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick." 

- Dieter F. Uckdorf

That being said, I hope you find your patience. And I hope you can find the hope to continue on.

Recipe of the Month (;

I have a new recipe if like to share with you. 

I call it delicious potatoes and sausage. 

I used left over potatoes that I had cooked with some carrots and corn chowder a couple of nights previous. I didn't cut up the potatoes when I cooked them in the crock pot so it made them perfect to cut up and fry to make this delicious dinner. 

Directions:

In a medium frying pan place 1 tbs of butter or vegetable oil, to warm. I cooked this on a gas stove, so it cooked on medium to high flame. 

Next place six to eight small potatoes diced to your liking. I made mine larger than I do to make soup.

Then add 1/3 of a small white or yellow onion, diced to your liking. 

Then after it browns for a little while, add 1/6 of a pound of raw ground sausage, broken up in medium pieces. Let the sausage cook and brown those potatoes a bit more. They will not look like regular hashbrowns because of the way they were cooked so be aware of this.

 

Next add half of a small can of cream of mushroom soup and let everything simmer for about two minutes. Then add some milk to your desired thickness and stir in until it changes color. 

Then add a few tablespoons of sour cream and remove from heat. Add a few handfuls of spinach and salt if desired. 

Let it thicken and enjoy!

Choices

It is true that our choices define who we are and our actions show our true character. However, it is important to remember that no one is going to be able to make the right choices all of the time and there needs to be some room for improvement and growth in order to live. 

Sometimes it may be easy to judge others simply by their actions, but you don't know what they are going through that may have impacted their reasoning (or lack thereof) and even been the deciding factor as to why they choose certain actions over others. 

I know this may sound overly worded and repetitive, but it is important to me to express fully my views on this. No one is perfect, but I think that it is important to not simply except that imperfection, but to constantly progress towards perfection, even if we must take a few steps back to move forward in an alternate direction. 

Choices are huge in factoring lives and situations. Choices of friends impact teenagers significantly, as many people know. The choice of who you date can affect greatly what happens in ones life. You marry who you date, and you are influenced by those around you. (No matter how many times you might wish this weren't the case, it is true.)

It is important to be patient with those around us. Along with the fact that no one is perfect, it may take a bit for others to let us in their lives. At times it may be difficult or even frustrating that we must be so patient with others, but it is necessary to show them that we care about them, in order for them to be able to trust that we won't hurt them. Everyone needs to be loved. Some more than others and some in different ways than others, but in the end it is all love that is important. 

When we show others that we love them, despite their choices or actions, it helps then to realize that they can be loved. Oftentimes if someone hasn't had enough love in their childhood, it will affect the way they grow and the way they even treat others. 

The world needs more loving mothers who know how to teach their children that they are loved, needed and cared about. More mothers who will teach their children how to communicate correctly and how to make choices that will affect their lives, as well as those they come into contact with, positively. 

The world also needs more loving fathers. Fathers who will teach their families how to live, how to love, how to nurture and how to provide. Families are breaking apart and good fathers are huge in helping to make the world a better place. 

Thank you to all of the good communicators out there. Thank you to all of the wonderful friends who show love and care to others. Thank you to all of the mothers who teach their children what it means to be a good person. Thank you to all the fathers who teach their kids about honesty and service to others. You are the true heros of today. You will change the world, if you keep trying. You will help others make good choices and service this ever changing, scary world. 

We must choose wisely who we will be friends with, who we date, what we do with our lives. And always remember that it is possible to make different choices at any time. It is never too late to forgive others. It is never too late to change. It is never too late to love. Better late than never. 

Please know that you are loved. 

Thank you for reading. 

Have a wonderful Sabbath. 

Don't Give Up

I think I may have stumbled upon something a while back that I thought I might share with you, my wonderful readers tonight. 

Don't give up. Things will be hard. The waves will rage and the lights will go out. No matter how difficult things may seem, it is important to remember that you can always persevere. You can always take another breath, you can always take another step. No matter how much you feel like falling down or giving up, don't. 

A wise person in my life once reminded me to never give up. It may seem impossible. Things will always balance out. Everything will be okay after the storm. 

Life is not about hoping the storm will cease. It is about learning to dance in the rain. 

People may not see you in your darkest hour, or they may see everything. You must realize you have control over how you react to situations, and you have control over yourself and your actions. 

Just because someone is unseen, it doesn't mean that they are invisible. Whatever that means lol. 

I hope you got something good out of this post. Thank you for reading. And thank you for being you. 

We must first love ourselves before we are able to truly love others. 

Goodnight.