Not enough time...

Have you ever know anyone that died? No, I don't mean your grandmother that was 95 years old or an uncle that lived to be 102. I mean someone that died who seemed to leave this earth WAY too soon. I know God has a plan and he doesn't just take people at random but it's very hard to understand how a child can die so young and leave his legacy to his parents and family.

Tynan had leukemia and was a 5 year old little boy. In his short little life, he touched so many people; myself, included. I never met Tynan but felt I knew him through the daily updates from his family blog and a close friend.

What do you say to yourself when something like this happens? How do you cope? What questions get answered? All the hopes and dreams you have had for your child are scattered to the wind. You realize that they'll never grow up and ask you for the keys to the car, or come in late from a date. They'll never walk down the aisle to receive their diploma or call you on the phone just to talk because they miss you. You won't hear the sounds of your grandchild crying or the feeling of total pride when your grandchild hits his/her first home run. These dreams and plans are snuffed out way to early and along with that comes the pain and realization that they, indeed, will never come to pass.

I am filled with sadness for every parent, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin or teacher that has ever had to attend the funeral of a child. No child should die before his or her parents. That's just not the way it should be. But life can be very short and full of questions and confusion. God is there to help us through those difficult times.

I know Tynan's family will be ok. From what I've heard, they are a very close family. If you are close and have God at the center of your family, getting through these times is a lot easier. Right now I just want to go home and hug my kids and thank God that they are healthy. I pray for them daily and also pray that if this should ever happen to our family that He will give me the grace and strength to make it through. I pray that day never comes, though.

Life is precious. And it can be over in a second. Or even if it takes a while, the struggle can be long and hard. Sometimes, death comes as a blessing. But we always have God to look to and ask for comfort. He will ALWAYS be there for us.

 Don't take each other for granted. Live each day as if it were your last. Love your family and treat them well. You never know when your life will be changed forever. Live it with gusto and adventure. We all were put on this earth to live with one another, love each other and to try and make a difference in this world before we leave it. Tynan made that difference. He was strong and lived life as God wanted him to. I know he is up there right now showing God how to rodeo and having the time of his life. 

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Rest in Peace, Little Cowboy.

Aurora... This is for you.

Here's a thought...  Actually there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind today after hearing the news of the Aurora shooting last night. It's amazing to see how this world has changed so much in the past 30 years. With the advancement of technology and the process towards a more efficient society, we have gone several hundred steps back on the moral front of humanity. Who would have even thought of hearing such news 30-40 years ago, much less 50-60 years ago. The biggest problem you had back then was actually being shot by someone you KNEW, like with the Hatfields and McCoys. NO ONE ever thought of shooting someone they didn't know. Not that that is a justification but where in the world did it become okay in someone's mind to randomly go into a movie theater, food court, office building or wherever and start shooting off rounds of ammunition at innocent people?!

It breaks my heart to think that we as a society can't even go watch a movie without wondering if we'll be safe and return to our loved ones after it's over. What kind of society is that??

I listen to a popular radio show in the mornings and one of the DJs mentioned this morning that he believes that most people are good. I do, too. But how do we keep the people that are hovering around the not-so-good to BAD spectrum of humanity to come back over to the "good" side? Personally, I think we have failed our children. My dad always said, "There's no such thing as bad kids, just bad parents." Our children learn what we teach them OR DON'T teach them. If you don't teach them the difference between reality and fantasy, they will get confused about the two as they get older. If you don't teach them that they CAN'T have everything they want and that the world DOES NOT owe them, then they will grow up thinking that everything should be handed to them and they don't have to be accountable for anything. Hard work and lessons are hard and, yes, it does SUCK. But in the long run, it pays off. You have to work through the rain to get to the rainbow.

I am scared to death for my kids now. They are growing up in a world that is selfish and inhumane. People don't care about each other anymore. They don't care about their actions. All they care about is what they can get at that moment, whether it has repercussions or not. That's what we're teaching our children.

The change HAS to come from the HOME FRONT and how we are bringing up our children. He has to come from OUR actions as parents and as a civil society. The recent behaviors from the past 10-20 years are reflective of what went on back in the roman times when people would just kill you on the street or have public floggings. Is that the society we want? Is that the society we are turning into?

Personally, I'm glad I'm older and will be gone from this world by the time it gets worse. But I fear for my children. I want them to experience what I did as a kid. I don't want them afraid to go out in public or to talk to strangers. It's such a different world now....and all because of a few of those "not-so-good" that went over to the other side. 

I do believe that most of us are inheritantly good. But it is our responsibility to keep the morals and values as Americans and as protectors of our nation and our people in the forefront of our brains. We can't be lazy about it. We can't say, "Oh, I'll do the right thing tomorrow. Today, I just want what's mind." That's the attitude that has gotten this country in the shape that it's in now. We can NEVER back down from our beliefs that this is a great nation, full of great people. We need to always work to protect our innocent children, teaching them the right way to be descent human beings; teaching them to be selfless, caring and helpful people. We need to do something soon before it's too late. These types of incidents are more frequent than they ever were - starting with the Oklahoma City bombing. How many people remember that and where they were and how many years ago it was? Ever since then, we have had countless situations where innocent people have been killed, and not just in the United States.

Please join me today in making a commitment to our children and society to do the best we can as human beings; to always opt for the "right" thing to do instead of the "more convenient" thing to do. Pass it on. Kindness and selflessness are contagious. It's amazing how a smile and good deed can multiple. I feel bad even though I know I always try to be a good person and teach my kids right from wrong. But I keep seeing God's face or what I think it probably looks like. It just keep coming to mind today; the look of sadness. I'm sure He is very disappointed in us all. And I don't blame Him.   

Unblocking that writer's block

It has been a difficult last few months for me. I've found it difficult to stay focused. In trying to balance mom, home, work and squeeze in my love of reading and writing has proven very challenging lately. I hope I am not alone and I'm sure I am not. And maybe posting this will help me to get back on track.

In thinking about how I should do that, get back on track, that is, I came across an article that I found interested. Here are five writing exercises that I found that I'm going to try in order to get my creative juices flowing again.

Step One: Write for Yourself

Many writers sit down to a blank piece of paper expecting to write the next Great American Novel. This type of mindset isn't practical or healthy. It's great to have high expectations for yourself but to let that much pressure overcome you will leave your mind blank eventually leading to a definite "writer's block". So, to help combat this, take out a piece of paper and proceed to write whatever you want, whatever comes into your head, even if it's completely ridiculous and absurd or total crap. Keep doing this. Chances are you'll like what you've written. Or even if you don't, it will be real and relaxed. Do it several times and pretty soon the pressure will be off and you'll be writing as though every project were a rough draft, with awesome results.

Step Two: Remember Your Motivation

Often the pressures of writing lead us down the path of forgetting why we started writing in the first place. Take a piece of paper (yes, again) and ask yourself why you started writing. Then with every answer, ask yourself "why". Pretty soon, your answers will lead you back to the real reason you started writing in the first place and the cause of the writer's block will be revealed.

Step Three: Make a U-Turn

Sometimes writers, over time, may feel like their writing becomes dull and "stale". If you write in one genre, this may lead to writer's block. So, try writing in a different genre or if you're not usually funny in your writing, try throwing in some comic relief. Try writing from a man's perspective instead of a woman's, if that's how you usually write. This will bring freedom back to your writing and will be very liberating.

Step Four: Try a Disguise

Sometimes, getting "into" the character of the people you are writing about can help. Be silly, be crazy. If you are writing about a detective, put on a trench coat. If you're writing about a pirate, put on a patch over your eye and waltz around your room shouting, ARRR!.... Ahoy, Matey! You may feel silly at first but your writing will take a turn for the better and you'll probably come up with some fantastic ideas for a better story or character.

Step Five: Use Outside Influences

Some writers become blocked because of a lack of an idea for a story. Try this. Put a TV or radio by your writing space. If it is a TV, turn it away from you so that you can only "hear" what is going on. Listen to the stories (daily news) or programs and try writing about the first story you hear about. Use your imagination and write down exactly what comes to your mind. This exercise will give you a large set of ideas to work from while you're writing.

Well, I hope these steps have helped you. They sure have helped me. I'm going to leave now because I've got loads of ideas ready to burst from my head to my fingertips. Good luck in unblocking your writer's block.