More of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is the hostess of More of Him Monday. If you would like to share with us, please visit Diana's blog and leave a link to your post.

If I ever write my life story, it's going to be a cross between Marley and Me and Eat Pray Love. A dog guiding me along my spiritual journey? I know it sounds crazy, but lately our daily walks have taken an unexpected turn.

It used to be that during our walks, my mind was always elsewhere. I would walk Raven only because she wanted me to, and would annoy me until I finally got my butt off the couch and and put the leash around her neck. And once we were outside, all I could think about were all the things I had to do that evening or the next day. I wasn't enjoying these walks at all-I couldn't wait to return home.

I was too focused on the man-made world around me, mostly noticing the other houses and cars we passed along the way. Raven, on the other hand only seemed to see the "real world", the natural world, the one that God created. Maybe that's the reason she was enjoying these walks a whole lot more than I was.

So I decided to "see" the world through my dog's perspective and it really opened my eyes to all the beauty that surrounds me. No, I wasn't on all fours, but I just paid more attention to the natural part of the landscape. The subtle changes of the seasons, the songs of the different birds flying above, the sound of autumn leaves crunching under our feet, the colors of the sunset. And all this made me feel closer to God, for there was none of that man-made stuff clouding my vision.

It made me think of all the material things which hinder my relationship with Him.
And all that "mind clutter" piled inside my head which prevents me from hearing His quiet voice to guide me.

It is time for me to separate the wheat from the chaff and toss away what hinders my relationship with Him. A spiritual journey is a lifelong quest, with many twists and turns along the way. It's been a rough road for me at times and I really need to trust in Him more. And I know He wants nothing more than to guide me along that path, if only I will let Him. Maybe I'm the one who needs a leash.

Dad's Enchanted Cottage

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."
From "The Enchanted Cottage"

You don't know how many times I replayed a certain scene in that movie to make sure I quoted Dorothy McGuire correctly. Our pricey cable company is featuring The Enchanted Cottage in their On Demand free movie section, so you can pause, rewind, or fast forward a program just like you would a dvd. This movie is full of wonderful quotes, but that particular one is my favorite. It really spoke to me.

It's a sweet story about a scarred war veteran and a plain young woman who marry and live in the "Enchanted Cottage". At first they believe their marriage is a farce, but once they realize they are truly in love with each other, they make a physical transformation. The man no longer has his battle scars and the wife becomes a beautiful young woman. But this transformation is only seen by them. Because they "see" each other with their hearts instead of their eyes. Others still see the plain girl and scarred veteran.

So what does all this have to do with my Dad's house? Well since my Mom passed away a little over six years ago, Dad has gradually been filling his empty home with all kinds of stuff. The last time I stopped by there, he was not at home so it gave me the opportunity to really check out his ever-growing collection.

Here's just a bit of what I saw:

A large empty doll house sitting on the floor in the upstairs bedroom, aka "the girls room". (At one time or another, all of my sisters and I had lived in this room)

A statue of a young girl picking her nose on top of the dining room table.

Lots of fishing and car stuff.

My Mother's high school graduation picture sitting atop her old dresser.
This was kind of strange to see, because she never had this picture displayed while she was alive. I think once she became a wife and mother, she no longer identified with it and put it away.

And boxes and boxes of other stuff which I was afraid to peek into.

To me almost all of it, except for Mom's picture, was just a lot of junk. And the rest of it just struck me as being kind of weird. Why was my Dad filling his home with all these strange things?

While watching "The Enchanted Cottage" it occurred to me. I began to "see" Dad's stuff through his eyes and heart. Perhaps having all this stuff around was his way of keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

For that old picture of my Mom represented the pretty girl next door that he fell in love with and would later marry. Together they had bought this house and turned it into a home. They raised five children here.

And I noticed most of the fishing and car stuff was in my brother's old bedroom which is now the TV room. A kind of tribute to all the father-son moments spent enjoying these pastimes.

As for that dollhouse in the upstairs girls room, I believe it represents how Dad's four little girls made their own "transformations" into young women and went on to make homes of their own. For it was in this very room where we dressed as brides and bridesmaids for each other's weddings, and if I'm not mistaken, some of those gowns may still be lurking in the back of that closet.

And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid that nose-picking little girl statue reminded Dad of me.

"Houses are like living things. Alive with all the thoughts and memories of the people who lived in them. And those thoughts and memories go on living as long as the house stands."

Thank you Dad, for keeping all those thoughts and memories alive.

Christmas in November???

Today along the east coast we are bracing for the remnants of hurricane Noel. High winds, rain, and high tides are expected for part of today. Guess where my wacky hubby is? Down by the waterfront fishing!!!

I've chosen to stay home and do laundry in case we lose power later. And it is kind of nasty looking out there. Anyway, I'm also "test driving" the new medication my doctor has prescribed for me. I'm reading the warning labels on the side and they say things like "May cause dizziness, do not operate heavy machinery".

Does a washer and dryer qualify as "heavy machinery"?

Also don't forget to turn back the clocks tonight. I wish there was a way to "re-program" my dog and kitty as well, for I know they will be waking us up super early in the morning.

Anyway, enjoy your extra hour tomorrow and have a great weekend!

Show And Tell

Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home is the hostess of Show And Tell Friday. If you would like to join the fun, please visit Kelli's blog and leave a link to your post.

I am a bit late for Show and Tell this week and wouldn't you know it-I decided to show some of my clocks. We are "falling back" this weekend so I thought I would show a little bit of my collection.

This chef clock hangs in my kitchen. I like kitschy kitchen things, especially clocks.



This teapot clock also hangs in my kitchen:



And this carved wooden clock hangs in the dining room:



I also have several more and let's just say I will be busy on Sunday turning all these clocks back! The kitty clock on my blog has changed by itself already so that's one less to worry about!

(It's kind of strange how I love to collect clocks and I'm rarely on time for anything!)

Thank you for looking at my Show And Tell and thank you Kelli for hosting.

Happy Halloween

Just hanging out here handing out candy. Love looking at all the cute costumes. Some little boy dressed as a fireman just told me "Have a happy Valentine's Day!"

Please kids-come and get this candy before I eat it!!!

Hope everyone is having a fun Halloween!

A Spooky Story

Here's a little ghostly tale about a place where I once lived....

I guess I was in my early 20's and my friend Marilyn and I were looking for an apartment to share. She really had her heart set on living in this one older complex that her sister had once rented an apartment in, and put us on the waiting list. I really wasn't exactly in love with the place; I think it had been built in the 1920's or earlier and it looked like something straight out of West Side Story. You know, those ancient brick buildings with the metal fire escapes outside. But it was in a really nice area and we were thrilled when we got the call from the landlord telling us there was a two bedroom available.

The rent was also surprisingly cheap for that neighborhood. And soon we would find out why.

Seems this apartment came with an extra roommate. And I use the word "she" because often there would be the heavy scent of some kind of old fashioned perfume drifting around the apartment. When we had friends over, "she" would briefly pay a visit to everyone in the room and they would catch a whiff of the perfume and ask us "What is THAT? And Marilyn and I would just laugh and say "That's our other roommate".

"She" seemed particularly fond of our gentlemen callers, but some of them were not really too fond of her. Some never called again after they "met" her. In fact one pointed out to me this strange looking symbol that had been nailed to our apartment door long ago. He told me it meant the apartment had once been blessed by a Rabbi and that someone had probably died in there.

Once "she" borrowed a pair of my earrings. I had them in my hand and they fell out and disappeared into the carpet. I combed the area with my fingers and they were nowhere to be found. However, they turned up a few months later in that exact spot. Those earrings had belonged to my late grandmother, so I'm thinking that maybe "she" was also of that era and wanted to wear them to a ghostly costume party.

Anyway, "she" really wasn't that much of a bother. Often the channels on our television would change by themselves and there was that strong perfume smell, but other than that "she" was pretty harmless. Until one night I came home and noticed that all the burners on our stove were lit. Perhaps "she" was expecting company and preparing a ghostly feast for them. That did scare me a bit and I told her so, and it didn't happen again.

I did move out shortly afterwards, mostly because Marilyn and I weren't getting along too well anymore. It was kind of a Felix and Oscar type situation. Guess which one I was.

Marilyn still lives in that apartment with her two children. She loves that place and I seriously doubt if she'll ever leave. In fact when the time comes, she will probably haunt it as well. And it is a two bedroom, so there's enough room. However, I think Marilyn's favorite Shalimar perfume will clash with "hers". They're going to have to work that one out.

More Of Him Monday

Diana at Sunshine On My Shoulders is the hostess of More Of Him Monday. Please visit Diana's blog to read hers and other's encouraging posts.

This is mostly about my hubby, Carlos and something he did last week. He and his buddies are avid fishermen and spend much of their free time at the nearby waterfront. He really doesn't bring much fish home, but he does bring home a lot of stories and one of them really warmed my heart.

Seems he was approached by a couple of women who asked him if he had any extra fish he could give them because their husbands had not been paid that week and they had no money to buy food to feed their families. So Carlos gave them all the fish he had caught and spread the word to all the other people who were there fishing. Well soon these women had plenty of fish to take home thanks to the generosity of all the fishermen. The next day, these women returned to tell everyone how thankful their families were for the fish and all the meals it would be providing for them.

The kindness of strangers really made a difference in the lives of these women and their families.
I'm proud of Carlos, for he could have easily told those women "no".
But instead he chose to listen to His voice and help someone less fortunate.