I once had a dream where I was swinging a baseball bat. The problem? I wasn’t playing baseball. I was swinging away at things (I’m not even sure what?) just smashing objects at will. When I woke up and remembered my dream, I could still recall the anger and frustration I had felt. It was really weird to see myself that frustrated, even if it was in a dream. It was a bit scary to realize that this anger and frustration was buried in my sub conscious. Like I said, the first time I had the dream, I was dealing with teenage boys. I love my children and the men they are becoming, but there was a time that they were struggling badly. Really….it was hard! Continue reading “Of dreams and dementia”
**A Study in Pink is a series of posts introducing the professions of various women in California’s Central Valley. It is being written to showcase the possibilities for the up and coming young women in our small towns.
It was during Christmas time when I first walked through the door. I remember because it was my first time meeting Grace, and she was playing Christmas music. The station was not just normal carols either, as I can distinctly remember listening to Frank Sinatra belting out a tune.
Blue Door Massage and Spa is the brainchild of Grace Parreira and Ayla Tidwell. These two friends and certified massage therapists had a dream, but interestingly enough, it did not start with massage. Their stories are somewhat similar, as they both were using massage as a way to pay for college. At this point I was a little surprised, but I then started to appreciate their thinking. The thought was to be trained at a technical school, so then they would be able to work and earn degrees without going into debt. Continue reading “A Study in Pink…..Grace and Ayla”
When I was thinking about who I wanted to ask to be a part of this “study”, I was trying to think of people who have conventional professions, and then some that are doing things that seem outside of the box.
I met Connie Wenzel a little over a year ago in a bible study group, and I liked her immediately. She is funny, a little sarcastic and has such a compassionate heart. While she is retired, she has now moved into a new season of life as an author and artist. I was also slightly jealous, as when I first met her, she was just finishing up writing and illustrating her first book, “Is This My Home Now? Featuring Addy”.
So how do you keep a group of 5 and 6 year olds under control? You ask them a question, and let them all take turns answering. So what was the question?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
As I called on the kids and got various answers, I heard something curious from our girls. They tended to follow what their friends wanted to do. Our first girl wanted to be a mermaid, and all of a sudden we had five who wanted to be mermaids. The interesting thing was when other professions were brought up, some changed their mind and many of them chose to be something different. Oh except for the one who wanted to be a doctor AND a mermaid.
It got me thinking…. Not so much about these young ones, but about the young women in our area. Do they know the thousands of opportunities that are in their own future? Many moons ago, I know I didn’t!
That is where a “Study in Pink” comes in. It was something that I thought would be fun to explore. Women of all ages, backgrounds and the different types of work they do. To showcase the possibilities that are out there!
So I hope you join me and Mike, (who will be playing Jimmy Olsen to my Lois Lane) as we set out to uncover the many shades in this “Study in Pink”. Continue reading “A Study in Pink”
Well we have been having some fun around our house, taking portraits of some of our favorite people. But what happens when the weekend plans are postponed? You head to Yosemite!
When Mike (my hubby and in-house photographer) went to bed last night, he wasn’t sure if he was going. When morning came (if 2:30 can really be considered morning?) he was off to get that sunrise shot at Glacier Point. (which didn’t happen because of the haze) While he typically flies solo on this type of trip, (really 2:30 in the AM?) this morning he woke me up to enjoy the adventure! I knew I was in trouble when he told me to NOT look at the clock!
Once there was a woman, and she had gotten her feelings hurt. Nothing too bad, but the unkindness hit her especially hard at that time. Maybe she was feeling a little vulnerable. Anyway, the more she tried to analyze the situation, (sound like anyone you know?) she decided that the only thing she could really do was pray for them. She did that, not because she was so smart, but because the hurt was taking over her mind. She knew the person was probably tired, and under some stress. She also knew that the reaction she had received was not normal for them. It was then that she thought, better me than someone else who maybe wouldn’t be able to let go of the hurt. Continue reading “What’s the moral?”
Fourth of July…. Independence day. While I am thankful to be an American, I am more
glad that I am a child of God. I believe that this is the best country in the world, but while it is best, it is not perfect.
We are human, and we fall so short in how we love. So today as you celebrate the ideals that this country was founded upon, also remember that our government has never lived up to those ideals. And that includes the men who wrote them. Continue reading “Making them truth….”
Sunday morning. It is always interesting to see what happens on a Sunday, and as soon as I got to church, it started. One of the songs we sang had something to do with the “power in His name”. I actually don’t even remember what the song was, because I immediately started thinking. I wondered, because that is what I do, if I really believed in that power? I am still trying to wrap my mind around that whole “love your neighbor as yourself” thing again. Just then it hit me. The whole problem wasn’t with the loving, but with trusting.
Sovereignty. Do I really believe that God is ruler over all? Is He sovereign?
I thought it would be a nice drive to Porterville. My son was there for work, and so we went down to have lunch with him. It was a nice leisurely drive down CA43 and a relaxing lunch getting all the info on the job he was doing.
After lunch I was not expecting much, you see we had bee bopped around the house all morning. Typically, we get up and out early, but this morning we had been moving kind of slow. So I was not expecting to head into the mountains for long drawn out ride. How naïve of me. Continue reading “My National Monument…..”
Cheryl Mendoza 