Daily Post · Family

A Tale of Growth and Flight

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What skills or lessons have you learned recently?

I’ve been following a pair of eagles on a platform for a while now, and found myself telling my mom all about them. I told her about the beautiful view from their nest, their teamwork, their faithfulness to one another, and how they were just doing what they were supposed to do without any turbulence getting in their way.

My mom replied, “Shelley, the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence.”

When she said this, I chuckled and said, “Do you mean nest?” She seemed a little frustrated and just waved her hand.

This morning, I woke up and checked on the eagles. I saw that J had been gone from the nest from yesterday into this morning. S, J’s mate, was sitting on their eggs and had been there all night, with only a few breaks. Seeing him like that grabbed my heart even harder. It wasn’t easy to see, and I was sobbing while trying to explain it to my husband.

While in the shower, I started thinking about the first two years of watching them. During those years, J laid eggs, but each time they were ready to hatch, they didn’t. One time, during a snowstorm, she stayed on her eggs for over 72 hours, only for them not to hatch in the end. The third year, they were successful, and I cried like a baby with tears of joy.

When she returned this morning, I couldn’t help but read the comments and think to myself: if this clutch hatches, the new viewers will feel even more connected to their story and more appreciative of what they are a part of. I know there will come a season when all of this ends—and who knows what that will look or feel like. But as my mom, Linda, always reminds me: every nest—and every life—has its struggles. Knowing that makes me appreciate these moments even more.

Daily Post · memories · writing

Are You Still Mine

shelie272 Comments

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

That night at a friend’s house,

I reached for your hand — you froze,

our fingers clutched

and you glanced up, smiled, and said, stay here awhile.

As the night went on, we were stuck like glue,

and those feelings of being inevitable were so brand new.

When we laid down, you kissed me goodnight

and asked me what about you did I like.

The way you looked out the front door

when the oven went ding,

for the cookies we made that New Year’s Eve.

The rest of the night we made out;

Unchained Melody played in the background

as you stole all my doubts.

When the night was over and we said goodbye,

you called for a week to say more than hi.

I came to see you for two whole days;

we slept on a mattress and floated into space.

The evening I left, the rain came down,

the leaves were all wet; we were a mess.

I heard from you a few more times,

and Unchained Melody plays in my mind.

Now, all these years have gone by,

and I’m still back there, without a goodbye.

Daily Post · friendship · love

Lifesaver

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If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

I thought about being someone powerful—someone with lots of money, someone with a great body. The kind of power a president has, the kind of money Lukas Walton or his family has, and the physique Zsa Zsa Gabor had.

Then I started to reflect on this. One day is not long at all to do what needs to be done with that kind of power, wealth, or attraction—whether it’s passing a bill so everyone could receive insurance at a low cost, finding a charity or organization I believe in, or going to the beach and walking around in a skimpy bikini!

The Holy Spirit led me to someone who has not been as fortunate when it comes to medical issues—neurological ones—and life-changing surgeries. Their story is not mine to go into any further, but they would be my choice. I think if we were able to live inside the stories of other friends, family members, or acquaintances whose odds are against them, we might find that what we once thought was important would no longer matter. We might trade power for perspective, wealth for compassion, and beauty for gratitude.

Daily Post · Home · love

King Of The Jungle

shelie271 Comment

Write about your dream home.

My dream house is a ranch-style home on the outskirts of a small town. The porch wraps all the way around, and it’s concrete and flat to the ground. Soft, dim lighting lines the porch, giving it a warm glow in the evenings. There’s a big willow tree in the front yard, and the front yard is bigger than the back. I have a few wooden rockers, a glider for two, and a large wooden chair. There’s a small side table on the porch, perfect for early morning coffee or a refreshing drink on hot summer days.

The house is modern. The living room and kitchen are open, with a small amount of counter space separating the two, but you can see both areas clearly. My living room has just enough shelves built into the wall.

We have three, maybe four, bedrooms, but they are not huge — just big enough for guests to have a bed and sleep comfortably. The master bedroom has only about four stairs leading up to it. It’s a decent size, big enough for a king bed to sit in the middle of the room and still have space to move around.

The window in our room is on the right side of the bedroom. It’s rectangular and opens outward instead of sliding up. You can see most of the weeping willow when looking out. Every night before bed, my husband climbs up the tree in his boxers and swings down like Tarzan!

friendship

Race car driver or a Cop

shelie272 Comments

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

I don’t know if I would call this a road trip, but it was definitely on the roads and streets of our town, if you will. My friend Cheryl—who, mind you, I’ve always said is in the wrong profession—was with me. Anyway, when we were in our twenties, she always seemed to have foes, usually other girls.

One early afternoon, she came to pick me up at the trailer I was living in at the time. I came outside onto the porch as she walked up to greet me. We started chatting, and lo and behold, a car with two girls about our age sped by, hollering a few choice names at my friend.

I ran down the steps of the porch, put my hands on my hips, and said, “That was uncalled for!” They let out a couple of loud laughs and flipped me off. Cheryl and I chatted about the situation and then hopped in her car.

We got in the car and headed out of the trailer court. Once we were out, we were stopped at a red light. Cheryl let me know that she saw the girls heading toward us. They swerved into the lane beside us, stopped, and threw an open can of soda out the window. It landed on top of our car, and the soda and can rolled down the window, dripping everywhere.

Cheryl looked at me and said, “Put your seat belt on!” Then she swerved over and tailgated their asses down North Grand, going at a pretty high speed before turning off really fast.

We headed down that road until we saw them coming from the opposite direction, so Cheryl quickly turned at the next road we passed.

A bit down the road, we saw a sign that said No Outlet, and we were just about at the dead end when Cheryl saw them in the rearview mirror. She threw the car into reverse and swerved off the road into the grass to miss them, then turned down another side road in reverse. She pulled into a vacant driveway with tons of grass and bushes, edged a little off to the side so we were kind of hidden, and turned off the car.

I said, “Damn, that was some Dukes of Hazzard–type shit.”

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The Past

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Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

I spend a lot of time in the past, mainly thinking about my late high school days and my mid-twenties. I think about the girl I was, because I didn’t really know her until I was able to look back. She was a bit shy when meeting new people, but not with her friends she’d known since grade school. She loved to skate, walk, write, and sing, and she had the energy to do so. Walking helped her focus on making the right decisions and drew her closer to God. She spent a lot of time daydreaming about her future. Life was on her side, as was time and the way she chose to spend it. She is missed.

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An Invitation

shelie271 Comment

What is the last thing you learned?

Lately, the last few weeks have been tougher than usual. No one is hurt, and nothing physically is going on. I guess you can say there is a shift happening; with shifts come change and discouragement, which will eventually iron itself out. Ive been praying differently lately; instead of asking God for what I want, I ask Him what He wants from me and to help me understand His ways. This morning, we took some of our residents out to eat, and after we finished taking care of them, we sat down and ate too. I was sitting there finishing up my grilled chicken when a server came out with this one single ice cream cone, walked over to me, all the way in the back, and said, ‘Would you like this ice cream cone?’ I had to chuckle because our God has a good sense of humor, and today He let me know He was hearing my prayers.

“The day after writing this post, I received a few notifications on my Jetpack app letting me know there were some NEW comments on a blog post that was 8 years old.

The blog post was about a CNA who was asked by a resident if they would be working on Christmas…

The comments was directed toward the CNA and expressed the joy of the residents. Another comment was from another blogger who SHARED my post.

Although they shared my post years ago, I did not see the comment until today, and the shared post added to my encouragement! So, I’m learning to ask God more questions!”

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Up and Away

shelie274 Comments

What do you think gets better with age?

“I don’t worry about other people’s lives like I used to, and for the most part, I don’t sit and stew about what they think of my life. Instead of pointing a finger at someone, I try to focus on making ours better. Not just on the outside, even though there are external problems around here that need addressing.

This has helped me focus better and keep my stress levels way down, so I can focus on giving my son a stable and safe place to lay his head every single night.”

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The fog is Lifting

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What are you most excited about for the future?

“I believe my journey of eating healthier is leading me somewhere new. I think the consistency and discipline, in itself, are giving me confidence, and I have made some decisions on my own!” I’m not sure where I’m headed at this time…

here I am, on the road again. There I am, up on the stage
Here I go, playing star again
There I go, turn the page

Of course those aren’t my words, they are Bob Segars. They fit perfectly with what I’m trying to convey!