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Just my opinions and outlook on life |
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The end of 2020 The very first entry I made for The Writer’s Cramp was my best. It tied for the win and I was happy about that but it really made no difference to me. It was a poem written after Thanksgiving about my own recovery from addiction. That was 26 years ago and it totally changed my life. I checked myself into Drug Rehabilitation when I first realized that I might have a problem with substance abuse. I had no idea what changes that one incident would make in my life. When I was discharged, I had a lot of major decisions to make and the poem spoke to how conflicted I still was. The prompt was Closely Watched Trains. It was easy to take that one and run with it. After all, trains take you places and where you go can change your life forever. My journey had just begun. Closely Watched Trains I stand alone in blinding rain, waiting on an unknown train. My future life, a choice to make. Only one I can take. Two tickets lay in my hand, don’t know where to stand. One path leads to a familiar past. Comfort once lost; now peace might last. The other takes me far away. Unknown future, a bright new day? Strangers can become friends. A new life, old wounds can mend. Last time I waited on a train, a filthy walkway, urine stains. Crying frightened, shameful tears, burdened with pain, unknown fears. The smut on me wouldn’t wash away. In pores so deep, I had to stay. If I hung in, worked the steps. A cluttered mess might bring rest. Been running too long and fast, towards a certain fatal crash. Smoke the gin, drink the powder, Alice of Wonderland in troubled water. I did hard work, washed my stains. Princess in a castle, I glow, no shame. I found answers for all asked of me, climbed the Magic Beanstalk tree. Now, I wait on my wish filled train. I pray a light shines true in dark rain. God, I have come a long, long way. I need to love myself enough to stay. By Kathie Stehr 11/27/2020 Learning to love myself enough to make necessary decisions was the key to future happiness. If you don’t love yourself enough then you cannot love other important people in your life. I left a marriage that I knew was over after twenty years. We had two children together and were happy for many years so it was devastating to even think about starting over. Our lives had changed so much over those years. Now, instead of working together, we were destroying our lives and it was affecting the kids. I also ended up leaving my job as a registered nurse because the stress of all of it: the marriage, the job and no time for my children was taking a terrible toll. I had been diagnosed with a neurological disease that was painful and hard to deal with for me and my family. The final straw was taking medication for the symptoms and making the potentially harmful mistake of mixing it with alcohol. Thankfully I only did this when I wasn't working but if I had continued, I would have made mistakes at work and could have hurt or killed someone. Working with the hospital, I tried different areas to go back to work but could not physically do it. I applied for and got on the hospital's disability benefit. This step began a whole new way to live an even better life. I helped with the national organization for dystonia, became a support group leader, I also was a motivational speaker that traveled the country to talk at our national symposiums with physicians and scientists. It was a different way of being a nurse/caretaker by taking caring of me first then other people who needed information and guidance. I loved meeting the people and the symptoms, that I was trying to cover up at work, showed others I was just like them. I could give them hope. I remarried, in time, to a man who loves me and helped me with my volunteer work. He has been by my side for surgeries and many painful procedures. Of course, I have reciprocated for him but it is hard to deal with a partner with physical disabilities. We have been together for over twenty-five years and have a large combined family who love each other. I will be 68 in 2021 and we are enjoying a more laid back retired life. All of us should constantly take an inventory of our lives. How are we living them? Are we serving ourselves or others? I believe we are put on this Earth to help others and we must be willing and honest to do that. I follow the principles of AA and NA and it hasn't let me down. It is progress not perfection, like a marriage. If you make a mistake, you own it and begin again. I hope any future entries I make are as true to my convictions as this one was. Fiction is fine and I enjoy it. All writing comes from the inner well of wisdom that says so much about its’ author. I try to end all my writing on an optimistic note. I want to grow in my writing, sometimes I touch my inner feelings more than others and this was one that did. It was a great prompt. 2020 has been a very hard year for more people than I can ever remember. There are so many people out there that are ill, have lost someone they love, can't feed their families and are falling into the darkness of addiction. I pray for all of them and do what I can. I wish for the judges and all the people that belong to Writing.com that they are at peace within themselves and bring more joy to this planet than they take from it. I know I have to make that choice every day, to spread love and remain sober. I wish you all a happy new year, may it be a much better year for all. Thanks for letting me be a part of this family. Kathie Stehr December 31, 2020 ** Image ID #2267445 Unavailable ** |
| “I like to compare the holiday season with the way a child listens to a favorite story. The pleasure is in the familiar way the story begins, the anticipation of familiar turns it takes, the familiar moments of suspense, and the familiar climax and ending.”—Fred Rogers. Your thoughts? Does it really have to be the holidays for one to experience? Having had a very traditional holiday upbringing, I think this rings true. Children in most places of the world see the holidays as a time to be out of school, shopping with Dad to get Mom something, looking at light displays, making a list of their favorite toys for Father Christmas or Santa to bring. The joy of anticipation, leaving out cookies and hot chocolate, waking at 2am, peaking under the tree. The fun in the morning looking at shiny packages, waiting for a parent to get coffee, stockings are overflowing. After presents are unwrapped, groans because we have to go to Grandma’s house but that is fun also. Big hugs, more presents and a delicious meal with homemade cookies for dessert. We have been up most of the night but the adrenaline is high so we must ride that new bike, play with toys, then exhaustion sets in with mom and dad in recliners clutching spiked eggnogs or a stiff drink. They seem glad it is over but now is the cleanup they dread. For kids, it is a bath and bed, no fighting tonite, many hugs and kisses. Thus the familiar ending and it is usually a magical one. It is a familiar beloved story but changes each year as you grow older and you have kids of your own and pass it along. We tend to love it even if the stores and traffic drive us nuts and our kids want everything.I remember my husband and a woman fighting over the last Millenium Falcon at Toys R Us one year. Dad won, he wouldn't give up. I stood and watched this crazy fight and thought, "Are we all nuts?" My husband had been a retail manager that went over to homes on Christmas Eve to assemble bikes if the customer needed help. When it is for your kid and you promised, well, all bets are off! This year is really special for most since we have had 2 very strange holidays and some have lost family members. Covid and the news has had its negative effect on children so this year the holidays mean getting back to some semblance of “normal”. We all need to keep in mind that this isn’t the story for all children although they see it on TV. There is a drug epidemic, still a food shortage and a homeless crisis. I went to church as a child and then took my kids when they were young. We always gave a wrapped gift for another child and also went to long term care homes to sing and take packages to older residents. I give to charities when I am able and taught my children . When I was still working, we used to get one person from each nursing unit and sang Christmas carols and gave out gifts on the pediatric wing. Most of us are so fortunate and the very heart of the holidays is giving to others. So, teach your children well and don't tell them about the fight for the Star Wars prize. Gee, Santa did that. Right? Fred Rogers was a presence in my kids lives and he always made us all feel special. We miss him. |
| Day 3317: December 8, 2021 Prompt: A memorable souvenir you have bought or received? I love this prompt because the things I think of are not worth much of anything except to me. I got my Dad a plush animal ,a small grey puppy with big brownie eyes. It isn’t very big and is floppy, the kind that you can put on a bed pillow or the dashboard of a car. He took it back and forth to the hospital with him when he was sick. I told him the dog was like me watching over him with love. I was traveling back and forth from Atlanta to Tampa for over a year while he was so ill. The dog I called “Brownie”, that was our family dog for 16 years, came home with me after dad died. It sat on the dashboard of my car to remind me of dad and I would rub it occasionally or talk to it. Now it is in my bedroom on a table near the bed. I also have 2 tables my dad made that are lovely. Of all the things in my jewelry case, I love the earrings my Mom hand painted with birds and a sailboat. Her paintings are scattered around our home. My Grandmother (Dad's Mom) made a lovely pearl seed necklace that has several strands and a crotched closure. My first husband made many things, my sons have pieces of furniture but I kept a jewelry box he inscribed with a poem. My other Grandma, myself, and my Mom made many ornaments for the Christmas tree. I could go on but all the things that mean the most are handmade, things that took time and were made with love. They are objects that have a magical quality of having existed for precious memories so they carry a part of each person’s energy. |
| Day 3316: December 7, 2021 Prompt: The time everything changed in the blink of an eye. Japan launched its invasion of British Malaya, at Kota Bharu, at 7:15 am Hawaiian Time (1:45 am 8 December Malaya time). The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian Time. 21 American ships and over 300 aircraft were sunk or damaged and 2,418 Americans were killed. Japan lost 29 planes in return. Japan declared war on the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. In the blink of an eye, my parents life completely changed that Dec 7th.. Soon my Dad was off to join thousands of other young men to come to the aid of their country. Three years of not knowing how my Dad was as he served in the infantry all over Europe watching his fellow soldiers and civilians die. Letters came so slowly and they were even checked to make sure no intelligence information was sent. I still have some of those letters Dad brought back as well as crinkled photos of Mom and my brother, a toddler then. When Dad was 65, knew he had stage 4 Lymphoma, he wanted to see the Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. He flew between chemotherapy treatments. Unfortunately, once the plane landed Dad became so ill, Mom had to have a physician called. He spent a day in the hospital getting IVs and pain medication. Then they went to see the Arizona Memorial. He looks ill in pictures but stands tall on his own, the epitome of courage. I am so glad he was able to go. I didn’t realize when 9/11 happened and I watched those planes hit the twin towers, that would change my sons lives also. They joined up, went to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight terrorism. Chris was in the infantry also and his HumVee was hit by a road side bomb.. He is fortunate to have survived. He came home to us, his wife and new baby a different man. Our other son also suffers from a variety of medical conditions from that war. Now terrorism seems to have taken hold on our own shores with white supremacy attacking our Capital. Our children are still being shot in their schools and no gun legislation passed. In my own life at the age of 30, a terrible auto accident left me with a chronic neurological disorder, dystonia. It eventually took my nursing career away. My kids (5 and 10) weren’t hurt badly and that is a miracle because the brand new car was totalled by a man with 0.25 alcohol level in a pick up truck. He had rear ended us at a red light and the cops had to remove his foot from the gas pedal. To follow up with my comment on guns, this man that changed my life didn't have a driver's license. He had just been released from the Georgia State Pen where he had served 10 years for murdering his wife with a 9mm. It is amazing how life can change at any moment so I believe in living well in the present. It might be all the time we have since that giant clock of life keeps changing. |
| Christmas is terrible for my weight because I have a sweet tooth. When I was working, the physicians always sent the nursing staff all kinds of candy, usually something for each shift. They would send Godiva chocolates or boxes of nuts covered in chocolate, cinnamon, or something delicious. Those cans of caramel popcorn or cheddar cheese coated. Sometimes we got cheeses, crackers or great fruits. All of it was delicious and we would stress eat. Back then I would run it off between work and kids. At home, I would make my Mom’s favorites like Rum Balls, thumbprint cookies, and magic bars. I could go on and on over the years-when Rich’s Dept. store still had its bakery we would get their famous Coconut cake. My sister-in-law had us over for Christmas Eve and she made all kinds of homemade treats. She had more time than I did and loved to bake. When the kids were young we always made a gingerbread house and cut out sugar cookies and decorated them. People buy more stuff now. One of my daughter-in-law’s ran a bakery for awhile and she always sends special yummy things. My oldest son always makes his famous beautiful fruit pizzas and that is my personal favorite. We will not discuss calories, I don’t eat as much as I used to but I have my annual checkup on December 27th and he will be upset with me anyway-I haven’t lost the twenty pounds I was supposed to. Oh well, back to the treadmill. Happy Holidays to everyone!!!!!!! |
| "To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold." - Aristotle Think of this quote and then write about something you find beautiful. Actually, I don’t think it is necessary to stand out in the cold, to appreciate the beauty of a snowflake. Snowflakes on a cold window become intricate unique lace but you have to be fast to appreciate them. Outside they seem to be one huge clump. Of course, a fresh snowfall is always beautiful but I prefer sitting by a fire these days and watching it from the window. I am in Atlanta so we don’t see snow often but I was born in Michigan so I remember snowmen, snowball battles, tobogganing and even snow skiing. We used to go back there for Christmas to be with my grandparents and those are great memories. The snowfall I remember the most in my long life was on April 16th, 1973. I was pregnant with my first son and so excited. My husband and I were at my parents house for my brother’s 16th birthday party when I went into early labor. The snow, rare in Georgia in April, began as we were going back to our apartment. It was so beautiful, a fresh new world and we were going to be a brand new family. A new child is a thrill for most and that doesn’t come without the pain of childbirth. A brand new baby is a metaphor for the quote, for each baby is as unique as a snowflake. I wrote the following poem after Paul's birth. I believe in Angels' hair, fine, soft, white shimmer with golden dust. I believe in Genie bottles encrusted with jewels, a room sparkling with children's dreams, love and trust. I believe in balloons, all shapes and colors. Celebrations of special days; flying kaleidoscope kites. Hummingbirds wings excite, multi-color butterflies in flight. Imagine how small yet talented their brains light. I believe in cartoon clouds. Disney characters, pitter patter of first love. I believe in Merlin, Super Heroes, magic carpets. Unicorns that fly, stardust carried by peace doves. I believe in elves that cook in trees, come alive at night, play, create chicanery. Fairies that dance, talk by blinking tiny lights, answer wishes of sick ones calls at night. I believe in you, a soul catcher. All the mystery and beauty that live within, the endless love you have to give. You, my delicious lovable munchkin. By Kathie Stehr |
| PROMPT November 29th Imagine for a moment that you are near the end of your life. What do you want to have done that would make you feel satisfied? I have had a wonderful life and I don’t have a bucket list. That is true but if I could do anything about it I would repair the strain between my biological sons. I adore them both and they truly have a lot in common but right now their political views are getting in the way. Life is much too short for this kind of stuff. My youngest has one child and works at home and my oldest works from home. They are both in the computer world. I don’t think it is a wonderful idea to work from home for some people. They both have given up on their social life and with the Covid crisis tend to even order their groceries in. I can understand the mental health crisis that our being shut in has caused. Hopefully time will change this. I have two stepsons also but they are much more involved with their children and life to get too dragged down in keeping up with the news. Besides peace in my family, my husband and I have already made arrangements financially to support the person remaining whatever should happen. When you are almost seventy I believe you should have those affairs in place. I have been giving various family heirlooms as gifts lately so I can make sure those that appreciate them get them. The only thing that I can think of that I really want to accomplish is finish the family albums so the kids can put all of it on line. I have many pictures to catalog from my parents and grandparents. I love my life right now. I can read and write if I want to and have gotten rid of a lot of stuff that was clutter. My husband and I are enjoying retirement. So I am satisfied. After all, my children have to solve their own problems. Kind of boring, I guess. I can’t achieve world peace, fed all those that need and deserve it. I can only care for my little part of the world and live each day to the fullest with gratitude. |
| PROMPT November 27th Things have progressed well in your town/city with the Pandemic. So well that you've been allowed to return to the office instead of working from home. Your co-worker Karly, is sneezing and coughing and refuses to wear a mask. Who do you call, or do you let it slide. Tell us why you would act that way. Being an RN working in a hospital, (but now retired), I would have been working the whole time. The Hospital I worked for is now a huge corporation with numerous hospitals, urgent care centers and specialty units spread around the metro Atlanta area. If I had been working I would have been exposed from caring for Covid patients. All employees are mandated to be vaccinated, as they should be . Now if I worked in a different situation, like you have here. Since I am a believer in masks when you might have an airborne illness, I would be upset. This would be a Human Resources or health care problem so I would call them and let them handle it. I would stay away from that person and consider them to be a health hazard. I am just used to wearing a mask when I was working. I did if I was ill, changing dressings, protecting immunosuppressed patients or with certain procedures so I have a hard time understanding medical workers that refuse vaccines/masks etc. It is a selfish and reckless behavior and I don’t have tolerance for it. |
| PROMPT November 24th In a previous prompt, I asked you to write about your best, or favorite teacher. Tonight write about your darkest teacher. Note from me: The following is something that happened to me I actually learned from. I am not saying there is anything wrong with any type of religion at all(freedom of religion is, after all, something I deeply believe in). It was just so unusual in that time period and in Georgia. I wanted to graduate from high school early at 16 so I could begin junior college so I took a Literature and advanced Algebra course in summer school. The teacher was a new one out of college, I guess someone figured summer school would be an easier way to plunge into high school teaching. It tends to be less difficult anyway because most students are making up courses they have flunked. It was 1970, and this woman was very young, probably 22 and I believe she thought she was doing something interesting. Now you have to understand, I live in the Bible Belt and it was very conservative then. The teacher decided to introduce different types of religions to us. She had someone speak to us about Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, and finally of all things, the group that had members handing out flowers at airports etc. A group of six came in their robes and bare feet and sat in a circle showing us Transendential Meditation complete with beads and Hare Krishna chants. Now I thought this was all fascinating, after all the Beatles and Stones had gone to visit the maharishi in India and that it was cool. She wasn’t really dark ,just different and strange, compared to what we were used to. But this was a group of kids whose parents thought the Ouiji board was satanic. Of course a couple of the kids went home and told their parents. We got a replacement the very next week. I often wonder what happened to her. She made the class interesting, that is for sure but Chamblee, GA wasn’t Berkley. I believe this was the Moonies (The Unification Church of the United States) that came out to talk to us. They were quite famous then for their leader, the Rev Moon that had huge marriage ceremonies for a hundred couples at once. He also supported President Nixon against the Communist “problem”. I remember parents having their children removed from the group and deprogramed. |
| Day 3301: November 22, 2021 Prompt: “Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly.” ― Langston Hughes Use this quote to inspire you blog entry. I can’t think about this quote without thinking about the source, Langston Hughes. If anyone needed to hold fast to dreams it was this gentle poet activist who lived an uneasy life. He was gifted with a quick and inquisitive mind but as a black gay (closeted) man , he not only saw prejudice but encountered it often. I have read a lot about Langston Hughes and watched videos of him speaking as an activist for Civil Rights. He chose to stay mostly among literary people who believed like him. He was fortunate to have lived during a period of the “Harlem Renaissance”. He went to Columbia with Thurgood Marshall and also traveled around Europe, including China and the Soviet Union. The quote is true but hard for many to accomplish. This applies to every person. Some people don’t have dreams, they settle and stay where they are in life. Some can’t accomplish their dreams for so many reasons that they have no control over. I like to think there is always another dream to accomplish and in that, the metaphoric bird can be patched up and repaired and life does go on. All that said, it is a lovely poetic quote from a man who kept working on his dreams, in spite of the obstacles of the times he lived in. He certainly accomplished a lot of literary treasures for us to read and admire, his jazz poetry and other published works have gone down in the pages of history. |
| You have found that you can do something no one else can do. What is this special talent you have? Would it be considered a 'Super Power'? If you could have chosen this special ability, what would it be? My favorite show when I was a kid was “Bewitched”. I wanted so badly to be like Samantha, to twitch my nose and just make things happen. I would love to have the ability to calm people down and make them less anxious and more agreeable right now. Thanksgiving is a wonderful family holiday coming up that I anticipate, enjoy seeing everyone but also worry too much about. My own family is very divided right now like so many are. Some aren’t vaccinated and they are a mix of religious beliefs and politics. I hope we can keep it all from overflowing at the table. Since I am the matriarch (not me, surely?) I want to throw some magic peace-filled "Bewitched" dust over my family so they can enjoy themselves like they did as kids. I had a dream last night that I was in a tower running down steps that kept going in a circle, I was searching for my own Dad. The sense of safeness right now is something many people crave and they reach out for the wrong things to fill that like guns, even God gets weaponized. Peace to all and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We do have much to be thankful for with the vaccines available and pharmaceuticals. |
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