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November 13, 2012

Should it stay or should it go now.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under Animals, Camp, Friends, Uncategorized | Tags: , |
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The great thing about a personal blog is you can write what you want and how you want. After being passively-aggressively told by a certain person who shall be nameless but who can barely spell that my writing wasn’t compelling enough, I thought I’d give myself a boost and catch up on the ol’ Grendel’s mom blog. There have been so many interesting things happening in the world and funny jokes to share, but oddly enough I’m sitting here with nothing to write about. Hmmm, let’s see what’s been going on…

I went to a fantastic B2B marketing conference in Boston. I’m writing blog posts at work about all the new technology and trends out there. The kitty wanted to come—she got herself all cleaned up and was packing herself in there but alas, she had to stay at home.

 

Iz cleanin the coat before packing it!

My beach house managed to survive Sandy. One of God’s continuous blessings is that our house is in this bubble of safety—it’s kind of like the opposite of the Bermuda triangle. Maybe we should call it the Bethany Rhomboid. I have an Aunt named Sandy. The similarities are striking and I was imagining her sons, whom she lovingly refers to as “little shit” and “pagan,” teasing her relentlessly as the news media talked nonstop of the impending doom from Frankenstorm. Of course my heart and prayers go out to the people who were devastated by the storm and don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for my blessings and luck.

What else. Well, my brother’s birthday (and mine) came and went and that was kind of sad. However, it was Halloween and the plethora of Luigi, princess, and spiderman costumes were enough to bring smiles throughout the evening. I even won a contest at work for best pumpkin.

Turkey pumpkin

But now in the Virginia Crowe household, it’s time for a purge. Whenever I get to the point where I feel I’m bursting at the seams (yes I am trying to work out, but in this instance I mean my house), and I start thinking about how I need to buy some storage item or furniture to contain the mess, I know it’s time for a purge. So I’ve been going through all the closets, drawers, and shelves and tossing. Eight trash bags so far to the dump (those floppy discs, VCR tapes, manuals for appliances long gone, and Internet for Dummy’s books have worn out their welcome). In addition to the trash and recycling, I’ve got another huge pile for a yard sale I’m sure will never happen. If anyone wants a fish tank, wet suit, new lampshade, baby scale, giant teddy bear, or a VCR, come on over.

Bear can go. Cat stays.

It’s also been fun going through all the letters and photos I keep. The art work from my nieces when they were little, the young me—thinner, with longer eyelashes and tight skin—forever captured on film, the diary of a kid who was a boy-crazy and a stupid brat (that would be an even younger me), and notes from loved ones were a delight to go through. That pile was kept for the next purge when I need another reminder of what’s important to hold on to. So while the beautiful leaves on my street have to go each year…

…good friends stick around!

My neighbor John and “mini me” Carter.

With that I say adieu. To you and you and you. To all my friends—I will be scanning some of those old photos and letters and posting them on facebook for the benefit of me getting to laugh at you 20 or so years later. Oh what the heck, here are a few…

 

September 12, 2012

A time to weep and a time to laugh.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God, laughter, Love, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , |
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Milestones mark our time. I’m not sure why we mark time like that—maybe to organize our lives, remember important life-changing events, or because we need to put something in perspective? Sometimes that may be good—like giving parents a sense of how and what lessons to teach their children (e.g., financial responsibility in high school vs. when they are 40). Sometimes I think it’s not so good—expecting to achieve certain goals because you have reached a certain time in your life.

I’m just saying, time is weird and it’s “relative.” For me, the past six months have been sad and stressful. There have been moments of love and laughter and hope as well. But the time since my brother passed seems like an eternity and yesterday at the same time. As I arrive at a milestone, or pass by a place where we made a fun memory, or come to a day we celebrated during the year, the grief comes back like a truck that hits me all over again.

I’ve been told by many who have lost loved ones that this grief period goes on for quite awhile. I guess that’s so we remember how precious life is and how important our loved ones are. I really miss my family and the fun things we’d do together on weekends, but I hope with time that they (and me) can heal and remember Greg without crying too hard. Seriously, I really should buy stock in Kleenex.

Well, yesterday was an anniversary of September 11 and today I am thinking about my family and my brother, and my friends who are also grieving or facing a big challenge. But I don’t want you to leave this blog feeling all boo—yucky and pathetically sad. So, I’ll leave you with something to hopefully make you smile and know that “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 (A Time for Everthing)

 

August 22, 2012

Hello lampost. What’cha knowin?

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God, social media, Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
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One of the things I find fascinating about God is how he communicates with me. There are times when all around me I see and hear messages that I feel come from Him—sometimes through people I know, sometimes through strangers, sometimes on a billboard, and of course, through the Word. I know there are skeptics out there and yes, I could be completely wrong about what I am interpreting but I do know that He is always right and I believe He is trying to talk to me and comfort me.

So when I do stop all the worry and stop filling my head and life with useless things, I can sometimes get a clue or maybe just a feeling of support and encouragement. Like today. I’m reading facebook and see a post from my pastor, Mark Batterson, who wrote about slowing down in our fast-paced society. I loved the scripture he posted—so relevant to what I need right now. “Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10. Pastor Mark says, “If you’re working too much and not taking a Sabbath, it probably means you’re trying to play God.” Yup, guilty. Not that I’m working too hard but being too busy and getting stuck in that stress loop inside my head means I’m not listening or giving my problems over to God and therefore wallowing in worry.

So a few moments after reading that post, I move on to the “daily message from God” app on facebook. I love to read it because it always seems like it’s very relevant to what I need to hear at that moment. Today’s message read, “On this day of your life, Dawn, we believe God wants you to know … that when whispers do not get your attention, bricks will fly your way. Don’t speed through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention. Slow down and be present.”

Hmmm. Two messages within the hour telling me to slow down and be still. You’d think I would have learned how to do that from my cats. They have the amazing capacity to remain still for hours on end. Maybe that’s why they seem so content. In any case, my point is, I think it’s one of those things that if you’re a believer, you can see the wonderful ways God chooses to communicate his love for us. He’s a hipster, our heavenly Dad. He invented the Internet and social media and uses them just like the ancient people used stone tablets and papyrus. Maybe He wants me to use foursquare so  I stop and mark where I am and look around at my surroundings instead of zoning out. Or maybe I should turn off my iPhone altogether and have a real conversation with the people around me. Being me, that is terrifying unless they are friends, so that particular activity will take some work.

Either way, I’m pausing now to write this. And I think I’ll put on a smile and tell myself that He is in control until I calm down and believe it. Looks like a beautiful day out today! Enjoy it (and then tweet a nice photo so we can share in your fun.)

P.S. If you’re wondering about the title of this post and not sure why I used it for this topic, then listen to the song lyrics in this video of The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).

And speaking of social media…one of my favorite sites, I can has cheezburger, or LOL cats, now offers users the ability to create their own pages. So naturally I have. Visit my new cheezburger page at http://grendelsmom.cheezburger.com/.

 

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