Month: December 2009

  • Scars (SH 62)

    They’re memories you can see
    Something tangible
    A sort of braille to the past
    Showing me where I’ve been
    Where I can’t go again
    Where I shouldn’t go again
    It’s a reminder not to turn back
    To keep going
    And going
    And going

  • Oil Painting (SH 2)

    We had a lot of rain that spring. I remember Mom allowing us every once in awhile to put on old clothes and play in the rain. Both Aaron and I had our mud shoes, shoes that we had outgrown the previous year that were now just a bit too tight to wear everyday but they were still good enough to run around a play in the mud. They still worked perfectly for that.

    The sky out here seems endless and the land is so flat that you can see a good storm from miles away. Aaron’s room looked straight west and as soon as he noticed the clouds rolling in, he would run to get me. Then we both started in on Mom to see if we would be able to go out. She’d hem and haw and eventually concede usually.

    We’d pull out dirty clothes and the old shoes and wait to hear the thunder signaling that the storm was near. We’d sit next to each other on the front porch steps, which was about the closest we ever sat usually (you know how siblings are). The rain would begin to fall and we’d run as fast as we could to the driveway to watch the rain mix with the oil from Dad’s truck. We watched the colors mix and the shapes change. Always different, ever changing, we never got tired of watching. Eventually the water would seem to overtake the oil and we would run off to find a good mud puddle or other rain-fueled change in the landscape.

    I love thinking back to those days. At 51, it’s definitely not socially acceptable for me to play in the rain or in mud puddles. But those oh those colors, they’ve stuck with me ever since.

    (This is fiction)

  • Hope for the Holidays

    I’ve always been a big fan of donating to worthy organizations. Christmas is a good time of the year to donate. This year I’m donating to five organizations. I unfortunately can’t donate too much to each organization but I’ve heard that every little bit counts so I’m going on that.

    Pancreatic  Cancer Action Network (http://www.pancan.org/):

    I lost my grandma to pancreatic cancer. My mom’s best friend is currently fighting pancreatic cancer. This is a brilliant organization dedicated to caring for patients with pancreatic cancer and also seeking cures for this devastating disease.

    Capital Area Food Bank (http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/):

    This is a pretty large food bank in the DC area. According to the website, 1 in 2 children in DC are hungry! It’s always been pretty amazing to me that here in our nation’s capital there are a lot of homeless and a lot of hungry people. It just doesn’t seem right that these things should be going on just steps away from our nation’s government.

    Montgomery County Humane Society (http://www.mchumane.org/):

    Most of you that read me probably know that I have a soft spot for animals. I have always owned cats and dogs that came from shelters. I don’t believe in buying from breeders because I believe that breeding lends to a greater problem of animal overpopulation. Also, breeding for purebreds also tends to breed bad qualities or deficiencies into animals (bad joints, bad tempers, bad immune systems, etc.) The animals are especially on my mind today because my mom just called me a bit ago and told me that one of the kitties that I had growing up is probably going to have to be put down because she is very, very sick. We think she has stomach cancer and kidney failure!

    Literacy Council of Montgomery County (http://www.literacycouncilmcmd.org/):

    This organization provides education for reading and writing. You can’t go wrong with that. While many of us (especially probably here on Xanga, a website for reading and writing) may take literacy for granted, there are many people out there who cannot read or write.

    Iraq Afghanistan Veterans Association (http://iava.org/):

    This organization supports veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars specifically. This organization focuses on issues regarding this newest generation of veterans and their families (mental health, injuries, healthcare, reintegration into the community, etc.)

    Here’s my plea to you: I know that money is tight for a lot of people this year but find it in your heart to donate to an organization you believe in. Your donation doesn’t have to be big. You could even donate loose change to an organization like the Salvation Army (you know, the bell people) or a few cans of food to another organization. Every little bit really does count and a lot of little bits together could make a huge difference!

    Do you plan to donate anything this year? Who do you donate to?

     

  • Things We Don’t See (SH 51)

    The train was crowded like it usually is during rush hour. All of the seats were taken and there were several people standing up. After a few stops, I was able to sit down. A girl who had been standing next to me sat down next to me. She was intently studying a book about walking tours in Japan. The book had maps inside of it. She traced her fingers slowly over the map. She would flipped forward a few pages and then back a few pages like she was really studying it hard. After a few more stops, she put her head down and looked like she was crying or at least on the verge of crying. She got off a few stops later.

    Growing up in this area, one thing everyone seems to implicitly understand is that you don’t involve yourself in other people’s business. Everyone seems to be in their own little bubble here. Over the years I have simply learned to accept this. In a way, this crowd is probably one of the safest places in the world if you want to be alone with your feelings. You may be elbow to elbow with a bunch of people but everyone seems to be about a million miles away physically.

    Although it didn’t stop me from wondering why she was crying and why she was studying the travel book so intently. My slightly overactive imagination started in on overdrive. Had she planned a trip to Japan and couldn’t go? Was something preventing her from going? Was she supposed to go with someone who no longer was going? Was she supposed to go with a lover who was now an ex? Was she still going to go without that person? If she went, would she be lonely?

    We can hardly know a person’s back story from simply sitting next to them. There are too many things that we don’t see. I always have to wonder what I’m missing.

  • Scavenger Hunt II

    It’s time for Scavenger Hunt II! Mooncatblue (and youandwhosearmy) put together another scavenger hunt for anyone that wants to participate. See Mooncatblue’s site for more details and the list of items to be completed.

    I’m participating again this time. I loved doing it last time since I really don’t write a lot of fiction on Xanga usually nor have I really had time in the past few years to sit down and do a lot of creative writing for myself.

     Anyone who is interested should participate! We can be writing buddies J