No Time to Play

No time to play today.
No time to stay
ling'ring on the Internet.
Efficiency today!

Can't check my emails
forty times today.
Can't glob on blog spot.
Can't say what I want to say.

Cause there's...
No time to play today.
No time to stay
ling'ring on the Internet...

What a wicked, wicked day!


@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All Rights Reserved

Naptime

"Today I made the bed up before the clock said ten.
But now it's so inviting, I think I'll crawl back in!"   ...Cindy Lou
                                       --posted on Facebook, 9-24-2010

Ah, yes, on this dreary day the sound of rain lullabies me to sleep.  Even with two cups of coffee downed and a good night's rest, I feel the urge to curl up and take a nap.  "Who cares if you do?" you might ask, and my reply would be, "no one, but me, I guess."

It would be easy to take that nap, but hard to deal with myself if I do.  You see, I feel like Rip Van Winkle.  I feel as if I just woke up from a long, deep sleep, and the world has changed around me; and I, too, have changed without my knowledge or my permission.  I see myself in the mirror, and I think "that can't be me", and I see my house and think "what on earth happened?', and I look at the calendar and I protest "it's already the end of September, 2010?  What happened to 2009?"  What happened, indeed?

Life happened, and we as a family dealt with it as best we could.  We united around my mother as she battled a broken hip and life threatening complications that followed... for eleven months now.  Mother is better and is back at her house learning how to live without a hip joint and with a leg that is three inches shorter than it used to be. The staff infection is currently suppressed, and we all are adjusting to her new, challenging lifestyle.

Dimple is her name, and she is my hero, and so is my family.  So is God.  I know without a doubt that God carried us through this long-distant, long agonizing journey, and that my Mama is still with us because of God's mercy and the strong support teams he sent our way:  medical professionals, friends, and prayer warriors.  Thank you all for all you've done for us:  we would not be where we are today without you.  Your love made an incredible difference!  Your prayers we depended upon when we were too weary to whisper our own, and your patience with our absence (mental & physical) made us feel welcomed & accepted even though we were not 100% involved.

We never asked for this accident to happen, we only asked for it to pass.  What has passed is "time", and what is revealed is "life".  Put those two words together, and you have a "lifetime".  It's up to us to decide what we fill that lifetime with, and I'm grateful that I've filled the last eleven months with family & friends.  The messy house can wait, as it has.  The stress lines on my face and the extra pounds I've gained can be dealt with, one way or another.  And, as for the calendar, I will try to believe that it is what it says.

As for that snooze I wanted to take, the desire has passed without my realizing it.  What a parallel to the last eleven months.  They too, have passed without my being aware of it... almost a year now.  When I look back, I see that the impossible was made possible.  I see that some good things have developed from bad things.  And, I see that I was not alone, nor did I sleep the entire time like Rip Van Winkle.  I just put one foot in front of the other and did the best I could.  I lived life, and I hung on, as we all did:  as we all do.

So, there will be no nap for me today, and no scoops of ice cream, either.  I believe I will play the piano and maybe even clean my kitchen.  I will reflect upon God's goodness to me, and humbly say, "Thank you, Lord for your mercies and grace, and thank you for carrying me through this last year."   I may even say, "Thank you, Lord, that I can smile again, even on a rainy day.  It feels so good!"

Isn't it all amazing?  Amazing grace, yes... indeed!
Thank you, God... and thank you, friends.

Sincerely,
Cindy Lou


@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All Rights Reserved

"Izzy" Was Her Name

 "Met the cutest new friend at dinner last night!  She stopped at our table & just had to tell us a joke, but when the punchline came... it didn't!   She couldn't remember it!  lol  She is 88 years old and just darling..."         --posted on Facebook, 9-23-2010

Her red top splashed with pink & purple jewelry first caught my eye, but her radiant glow is what captured... and held my attention!  "I just have to tell you a joke, " she announced to my friends at the end of the table.  As I leaned forward to listen, assuming she knew someone seated there with me, she proceeded telling her joke about race horses.  I couldn't hear her words, but I could hear & see her enthusiasm.  It was contagious.

My girlfriends were laughing & responding with great delight, as was I, and then we waited for the punchline.  Well, good golly Miss Molly, it didn't happen!  Our delightful visitor could not remember it, and that was funnier than any well thought out punchline could have possibly been!  I think we laughed for five minutes.  It was hysterically funny!

I wish you could have seen her, our lady in red, and I wish you could have been there with us.  It was one of those rare magical moments that makes everything "all right", and everyone, everywhere needs those "all right" moments.  How sweet it was to laugh with friends.  How sweet it was to be together.  And how sweet it was to see that life can sparkle at the rich young age of 88.  That's her age, Izzybelle from Roswell, my new friend... our new friend.  Life's her stage, and she plays it very, very well.

I'm grateful to have been her audience.  I'm grateful she stopped and shared:  grateful for her life and for those priceless, precious moments she gave us.   What a joy and what a treasure she is just by being herself. I witnessed beauty, style & grace in action, and that, my friends is exactly what I want to be when I grow up.  Bravo, Izzy!  Bravo, my darling... Bravo!  Please, do it again.  Encore, encore... please!

Applause, love & admiration to you, Izzybelle from Roswell!

Sincerely,
Cindy Lou 



@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All Rights Reserved

She Said... He Said!

"I'd talk to the cat, if I had one.
I'd talk to the doggie, too.
I'd talk to the fish in the fishbowl.
I'd talk to the monkey in the zoo.
I'd squawk to the squirrel on the tree limb.
I'd squawk to the turkeys, it's true.
But, why should I squawk and tell them my talk,
when I... can talk... to you?"

"Because my dear,
You hurt my ear.
You babble what you say.
You think too much.
You speak too much.
You jabber everyday.
I'll buy the cat.
I'll buy the dog.
Or take you to the zoo.
To stop your squawk,
To stop your talk,
I'll do anything for you!"

"You will?"
"I will."
"Ahhh... 'Nough said."


Do you identify with either side of the above conversation?  If so, then you most likely have been in a long-term relationship or you currently are in one.  You probably don't speak with this sing-song type of language, but surely you do converse in some form or fashion.  The above couple worked out their differences in, shall we say... an amicable sort of way?  Well, maybe...

In his book, The Five Love Languages, author Dr.Gary Chapman explains different ways people express their love and different ways they want others to express their love to them.  It's a most helpful book about relationships of all kind:  husbands, wives, children, etc., and I highly recommend reading it.  It certainly opened my eyes about communication!  Dr. Chapman states that the five love languages are:

Love Language #1:  Words of Affirmation
Love Language #2:  Quality Time
Love Language #3:  Receiving Gifts
Love Language #4:  Acts of Service
Love Language #5:  Physical Touch

So, in your busy schedule, take time to read this book.  You can discover which language you speak, and if anyone around you speaks like you do.  Can you handle learning something new about yourself?  Is it time for us to learn an additional language, a new style of communicating, a new way of expressing love?  I think so, and I think the woman in the above illustration should go first... and she will, just as soon as she finishes, excuse me... just as soon as I finish.... squawking!


"Dear Lord, I am so focused on doing things my way.  Forgive me for my selfishness, and show me new ways to love the people I love.  Help me understand them.  Help me appreciate them.  And help me show them, in ways that they understand, that I love them .  Thank you, Jesus.  Amen."



@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All rights reserved.

Dire Consequences

"Out of coffee creamer this morning... Ugh! Have to be tough this morning and drink it black... Yuck! It's tough being a grown-up, tougher acting like one! :)"       ---posted on Face Book 9-18-2010

How do you envision yourself?  Do you see yourself as a competent adult?  Do you think of yourself as a kid in a grown up body?  Do you think of yourself as a team player?  Do you consider yourself a loner?  Do you consider yourself unique and a contribution to society?  How do you perceive yourself?  Really?

After posting today's comment on Face Book, I realized that I unconsciously exposed the real me!  Scary thought!  Wish I could retrieve my comment not just from Face Book, but from my mind and replace it with something more...... hmmmm, think I'll say, "grown-up".

It would thrill me if I could philosophically convince others that I am an intellect, and that I am consistently so, but a greater thrill would be if I could convince myself.  Even though, even I have a few "light bulb" moments, I don't see myself as a "thinker".  But I guess I am, at least right now.  The proof is here in front of me.

As I searched for some kind of coffee creamer this morning, my mind wandered back to some of my very first coffee experiences.  Grandma & Papa allowed me to use a cup & saucer, sometimes the LuRay yellow set, which was my very favorite.  But at our house we used mugs:  durable, sturdy, utility type mugs.  They were green, a light colored green with a few rough edges here & there.  When I complained about the roughness on the handle, Daddy just looked at me and said with a wink, that those rough edges would make me tough.  He also said something that I still laugh about.  He said that drinking coffee black would make black hairs grow on my chest!  Really, now!!!   Really?  For real???

So, here I sit, drinking my morning brew, pondering what to say:  pondering what to think.  I'm philosophizing and trying to convince myself and you, that I'm a smart person... that I am a smart woman.  But I can see that today I won't win that debate, because when it came right down to it, I just couldn't drink my coffee black.  No way...Yuck.  Not only does it taste bad that way, but it could have dire consequences if I do.  Really.  Really?  Really.  And, after all... I am a smart woman!

Really.

Cheers to all those folks who give us good memories and good things to smile about!  Raise your cups. Raise your mugs.  Raise your praise high.  Bravo, my friends, Bravo... and thank you!

Sincerely,
Cindy Lou


@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All rights reserved.

The Shoestrings

This was my fifth try... "I'm looking for those elastic, curly shoestring things... the ones that stretch and then spring back into place?  Do you have any here in your store?" 

A look of recognition brightened his face as he announced, "No, not yet, but I'm getting some in soon. I've had many customers asking about those, and for the longest time I couldn't find them.  But, just this week I found them in a new catalogue, and I couldn't believe it!"  With added exuberance he continued, "I've been searching & searching for them, and there they were advertised in a Christmas catalogue, of all places!  So, I ordered me a bunch of them, and they should be here by the end of this week."

Then he eagerly volunteered this information which really surprised me, "Someone said that Sports Academy has them in stock, and that they are on the front counter by the checkout register.  But, if you can't make it there, or if you don't find them there, I should have them here this Thursday or Friday."  Then he flashed that gregarious smile once again and said, "I just couldn't believe that I found them in a Christmas catalogue!"

So, I left the small store heading to its big competitor because I needed those specific shoestrings, and I needed them that day.  I didn't leave with my mission accomplished.  Nor did I leave with a purchase in a paper sack or a plastic bag.  But, I did leave with something new, and it wasn't even purchased.  It was something given to me, and I'm still enjoying it.  I hadn't even asked for it.

Oh, I definitely will go back to that store, and I will buy some of his stretchy shoestrings even if I don't need anymore of the twisty things.  That may sound silly, but it seems right to me.  I want to pay him back for his kindness, and I want to see him prosper.  A purchase of shoestrings won't make much difference on the books, but it's the principle of the thing.  I want him to know that his generosity of shared information, even if it meant losing a sale, was great customer service.  I want him to know that he made a friend even if he didn't make a sale.  I want him to know that someone noticed his zest for life, and I want him to know he made a big difference in my attitude and in my day.

He's good at what he does.  He is a shoe cobbler.  He is a business man.  He is a salesman, and he is an encourager.  I want to be like him with my exuberance for life, and I want to live unabashedly and be myself whether I'm with new friends or whether I'm with friends that are not so new.   He reminded me to be genuine, sincere, and unselfish with others, and that's a great lesson.  It's one that can't be purchased, bartered or even traded.  It's something that must be given, and it should be gently placed in my bag of memories and taken home with me.  That I shall do.

Let's not tell him that I wrote about him.  Shall we?  Let's just keep that our little secret.  But, if you happen to need some of those cute curly, twisty shoestring things... now you know where to find them, but be sure to wait until this Thursday or Friday.  And oh, yes... tell him "hello" for me!



@Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges
All rights reserved.

The Yellow Hibiscus

It was absolutely beautiful, and to think I almost missed it!  That yellow hibiscus was not visible from the regular sidewalk, the one I almost chose to take.  It was visible only to those who ventured onto the longer pathway, the one I did choose.  The flower was a glorious blossom nestled into a mossy bed of violet, fuchsia and cherry colored verbena, and it was the only yellow glow in the entire flower bed.

I stopped to take a closer look.  It was so low to the ground that I didn't dare try to bend over to "smell the roses", so to speak, but I did bend over enough that I could take a picture of it.  I wanted its essence frozen in time, and hindsight tells me that was a good idea. The petals were soft & delicate with uneven edges.  Yet the center was bold and solid looking with its crimson colored core.  What a statement it made!  Had it been neighbored by other hibiscus blooms, I doubt I would have stopped to appreciate its beauty, but something about its solitude attracted me and made it even more beautiful.  I don't know  how long I stood there looking at the flowers, but it was a great way to end a long, exhausting day.

Now when I look at that picture, I remember that blossom, and I recognize the value of that one little detour.  I'm reminded that going the "extra mile" for some cause or for someone, and that taking those extra footsteps even when we think we can't go on, is worth the effort.  I'm reminded that being "alone" can be beautiful.  And, I'm reminded that today, like everyday, is a good day to take a walk.  Don't know which pathway I'll choose to take, guess I won't know until I get there.  But, one thing I do know... it will be worth the effort, and I think I'll take my camera. 

As they say...
"Keep on bloomin'.... regardless!!!

Love,
Cindy Lou


@Copyright 2010 Cindy Lou Hodges... All rights reserved.

Sit by Me...

"Cindy, I haven't seen you in such a long time," she said.  I replied, "I feel the same about you!  Where have you been?"  So there we stood talking, trying to catch up on each other's news, that is until the lights dimmed.  It was time for the concert to begin, and time to be seated.  If it had not been for my friend's encounter,  I probably would have left before the program began.  I would have left without hearing the music, and I would have left with a heart heavier than it was when I arrived.

For many reasons, it was hard to be there and even harder to stay; but since protocol requested my presence, there I stood.  Then, as the room grew silent, my friend and I looked at each other.  To my surprise out from my mouth came these words, "Where are you going to sit?"  She motioned "over there", and we both started walking in that direction.  Then some of the sweetest words I have ever heard were spoken just at the right time, from her to me, just for me, in a room that was so hushed I could hear every word... "Sit by me, won't you?"  So, I did, for the entire concert.  I enjoyed the evening... immensely, and I'm so glad I stayed.

Thinking back on the evening, I'm reminded of the scripture that tells us that God goes before us and prepares a place for us.  I believe that.  I believe because I saw that.  I saw it happen to me, just tonight, through a dear friend, in a mighty big way, in a mighty little sentence.

And, I also believe, that when I close the world around me, and all becomes hushed... I will hear it once again, this time spoken by another friend, my friend Jesus... "Cindy, I have much to tell you.  Come, sit by me, won't you?"  I hope I do.  I hope I will sit still, very, very still... and I hope I will listen.

Thank you, Lord, for your mercies, for your love, and for the friends you send my way.

Love,
Cindy

p.s.  Thank you for saving me a seat!



@Copyright, 2010 Cindy Lou Hodges, All rights reserved.

All This Stuff

Posted on Facebook September 11, 2010

 Ah, yes...Ms Betty Boop strikes again with a sassy blow of reality. From the looks of my overstuffed "stuff"...my motto has been the same... well, almost. I, too, have far too much. I, however, am the one who brought it in. So, take away the pretenses & take away the stuff, and I see that I'm guilty, just as bad as Betty Boop... only worse! Yikes! It's time to clean out the closets!!!!


Yards & yards of fabric bolted to the floor... literally!  As I swung open the armoire door the bolts of unused fabric fell to my feet, on my feet and almost toppled me over.  I'm talking full bolts of  fabric that I had collected for my house decorating projects.  Most of the fabric came from the $1 yard table, which is just almost unheard of any more, so you can understand why I purchased the full bolts.  What a bargain, and if I didn't buy it, someone else would!  That is a painful thought, indeed.  After all, I might need it someday. Yes, might.  Might not.  Might yet, but haven't yet.  And, that was five to ten years ago. 

Now the raw truth lay piled around me, and there was no denying that I have a problem, and the problem is much deeper than the spoilage at my feet.  I am a shopaholic.

There I said it, not out loud, but with a whisper.  It doesn't sound so badly that way, and it doesn't hurt my feelings quite so much.  But, the truth is that I'm good at what I do!  I recognize good buys.  I love pretty things.  And I see possibilities in most everything.  Bargains jump at me and beg to go home with me, and I can't resist.  It is a weakness of mine, and for the longest time (most of my life, actually) I considered it a strength that showed how creative I am.  But, today, I see that it's my downfall... pardon the pun.

All this "stuff" has to be dealt with.  It is time to clean out the closets, time to glean the fields, and time to start a new season.  And I believe I can do it.  I believe I can do it with as much gusto as I had while bringing it all in.  It's time to put on my big girl panties and grab the bags & boxes for all my treasures.  Just like there once was a time to buy, there is now a time to say bye-bye.  It's time to share the wealth and let someone else own the pretties.

"I want, I want, I want..." is in the back of my mind, yours too, I'm sure.  But, for me today the rest of that sentence is... "to be uncluttered, in my mind, in my house & in my soul".  I want a new start.  I do.  What about you?  What's in your way, and how would you finish the sentence, "I want, I want, I want...."?  Now it's your turn to fill in the blank.  You can say it out loud or you can just whisper it in my ear...


"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace."
                       ---Ecclesiastes 3:1



Scriptures from Holy Bible, King James Version
Devotional @Copyright 2010, Cindy Lou Hodges, All rights reserved!

Just Dance

I reached for my fav coffee mug: "Dance as though no one is watching...", so I did. I danced a little jig. The kid in me loved it, then left it there. The adult in me just shook her head. The critic in me said that wasn't good enough. The artist in me suggested to add bkgrnd music, colored lights, and costume. Then the Spirit in me said, "Pay no attention to them, Honey... just do it.  Just dance!"  --posted on Facebook, Sept 7, 2010

Funny how much fun dancing can be if I can just "get over" my inhibitions.  I'm not a good dancer, at all, and no one has to point that out to me.  But, if I'm by myself I can pretend that I'm the bell of the ball, all poised & postured quite capable of gliding the waltz  and even doing the curtsy afterwards.  I can even imagine that I might be the vixen swaying to the bosa nova, and that I can't stop until this hot mama does the dubious tango dip.   I can imagine conquering the cha-cha step and the mambo rumba, as well as swan diving into my partner's awaiting arms.  Ah, yes... I can imagine, but that's about all that I can do.

Once upon a time, though, tap shoes were on my feet.  It was only for a short season when I was in kindergarten, and I can remember the sound of my taps on the plywood board.  Daddy cut the board just for me, and Mama allowed it to be set up in the living room (the only room with a TV).  The sound was muffled compared to the bright tapping sound of dancing on the concrete garage floor, and then there was this funny odor that I stirred up every time I danced on that unfinished piece of pine lumber.

Sometime in that same foggy memory, someone slipped a pair of scruffy silver ballet shoes with their black elastic straps onto my feet.  It embarrassed me.  Can't remember why, but my guess is that I knew, even back then, that I was not a dancer.  And, besides, when I walked in those ballet slippers they made scrunchy noises, and when I tried standing on my tip-toes... it hurt, big time!

Don't know who wore out first:  Mama & Daddy who gave up their living room, the dancing shoes with their elastic & ribbons ties, or me with my short attention span.  But, something happened to the dancing lessons.  They stopped when I started something else. 

So, now when I see my coffee cup that encourages me to dance as if no one is looking, I can't help but wonder if Mrs. Dye, my kindergarten teacher isn't behind the marketing of the slogan.  She saw me dance, and either she saw potential, or she saw disaster...  disaster, most likely.  No one will ever know because that was a very, very long time ago, and unfortunately she is no longer living.  But, either way, I like the saying, and I think I'll do just as it says.... dance as though no one is watching.  And if they are watching, and they don't like what they see, then they can just turn their heads and look the other way because, my friend, it's time to dance, and I can hear the music.  Join me, won't you?  I won't look if you won't!  Promise!



@Copyright, 2010 Cindy Lou Hodges, All rights reserved.