Do you look back or look forward?

I find that many people spend their lives looking back on the way things used to be, the things they wished they had done. Some people like to look forward. They like to plan every moment of every day and know what is in store. They do not like surprises or spontaneity. They want to be prepared for everything. I am one of those live life in the moment people. I'm not saying I don't have plans and dreams for the days ahead. And I love when I know we have something going on that I can look forward to. But I don't get so wrapped up in the future that I forget to live for today. I think we should always grab the gold ring on the carousel, eat the cotton candy at the fair and bask in the sun on a summer day. Don't let gray clouds or doubt get you down. My favorite quote is one that I would love to have put on my headstone: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO-HOO what a ride!”

It's official...

Well, it's official. Shelby is going to be a lot like her brother. The sweet, little princess was playing the other day and she jumped up to run out of the room. When her grandmother asked, "Where are you going?" She turned at the door and said "On a fire call." Now, I ask you is she a Hayes or what? But not to worry, she is not getting tomboyish. She still has her princess moments. Her mommy brought her some new t-shirts at Disney. Each one has a different princess on it. Her mommy spread them out and asked "Shelby, who is your favorite princess?" Without missing a beat, she placed her hand on her chest and said "ME!"

If I had only known....

There was a song many years back that Reba sang called "If I Had Only Known" that I just loved. As you struggle through things in your life and look back on the past, how many times do you wish you had done something differently? How many times were you asked to lend a helping hand only to pass up the chance because you were too busy? How many loved ones have passed on that you had lost contact with because you assumed they would always be there? My brother-in-law is facing his last days. At best, they are giving him a couple weeks. But they don't expect him to linger that long. Being on oxygen and bedridden with cancer and fluid in his lungs, he has no choice but to spend his last days as best he can. It is to late for the I should'ves and the I could'ves. Don't let it be too late for you. As he faces what God has planned for him, he has chosen to spend his last days at home with his family. He refused a hospital bed and is sleeping and laying in his recliner. His philosophy is that if he was going to be stuck in a hospital bed, he should have just stayed in the hospital. He had spaghetti and fresh cucumber/tomato salad yesterday. He can't eat much, but he is living his last days the way he wants to live them. He said his heart was heavy so he had a preacher come by and talk with him and he is ready to go when God calls him home. It is so hard to watch a loved one slowly slip away, but so rewarding to know when he closes his eyes that last time, he will wake up wrapped securely in the arms of God. Not everyone gets the opportunity to know that death is near. Some go within the simple last beat of a heart. We should treat every moment of our lives as if it is the last breath we take. When your time comes to go, do you want to spend your last days thinking "If I had only known."

A three day weekend

I love 3 day weekends. I hate 3 day weekends. It is wonderful to have an extra day off to enjoy. You plan and get excited and think of all the things you can accomplish. Then the big weekend gets here and you forget half the stuff you wanted to get done. I was going to shop on Saturday, relax around the house on Sunday and catch up on some work on Monday. Well Saturday went well. The shopping was a great success. Got some new clothes for Baby Boy that's due in October. Had a great day. Went to church on Sunday and heard an awesome sermon from Pastor Brandon. After church, I tried to relax and did for the most part. I was restless most of the day. I read, sat out in the sun and read, laid on the couch and read, had a snack and read. (I guess you see I love to read).Allen had the day off and relaxed around the house with me (when I wasn't being restless). He fixed fried chicken, corn-on-the-cob, potato salad and baked beans for our supper. It was SOOOOO good. I ate to much so I fell asleep early on the couch. Monday, I got up early all energized to get caught up on work. I did get the house cleaned, ice trays dumped and managed to catch up on emails from the weekend. But that was the extent of it. When 9:00 rolled around, I thought of all the people enjoying their day off. I thought, why am I working on my day off? The work will be there tomorrow. So I did what I do best...I went shopping. Now, here it is back to work day and I think of all the things I wish I had done on my days off. But more importantly, I want another day off. I love days off, but hate when I have to get back to reality. Hope you each have a wonderful day today.

Thought for the day....

I had not planned to do a post today, but I heard something last night that I wanted to share. Many of us have weathered some pretty rough storms in our lives. Financial hardship, sickness & death of a loved one, personal health issues, betrayals, or just plain mean people trying to upset our world. Satan will come knocking on your door in all manners of disguise, looking to upset the wonderful life God has planned for us. You may sometimes feel like you have hit rock bottom and don't have a clue which way to turn from there. You feel like you are as low as you can go and just want to sit in a padded room and scream "Why me?". I was talking with a gentleman last night who made a random remark that really gave me one of those WOW moments. He said, "When you are down to nothing, you can be sure God is up to something." That hit me as very profound and true. Every obstacle, every trial, everything that has brought me down in my life to where I feel like there is no where to go, God has been working in the background to bring me through it and to make my life even better than it was before. I am going to strive to make the "down to nothing" times of my life into a time of celebration and anticipation, because I know that God has a plan and He will bring me through my trials into something of great joy and blessing for me.

A second post today....

Unless something really inspiring happens, I will be taking a "vacation" from blogging tomorrow and Monday to enjoy every moment of my 3 day weekend. I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful 4th of July. Amidst all the fireworks, cook-outs and picnics, take time out of your busy weekend to thank the military men and women who have dedicated their lives for centuries to insure that we have been and will always remain the land of the free and the home of the brave. Spend some quiet time with God this weekend and thank him for allowing us to live in this beautiful land where we have the freedom to worship him as we choose.

Going gray gracefully....

Am I ready to go gray? NO. I colored my hair again last night. Someone was teasing me several years ago about not being ready to go gray. They thought I was afraid to get older.But they were wrong. I love to color my hair. It is one of the perks I do when I pamper myself. I've earned every gray hair I have and I have no problem at times letting them show. However, I have had a close, personal relationship with Lady Clairol since I was 18 and colored my hair walnut brown when Waylon Jennings came to town. (Why I remember that, I'll never know.) I was naive and had never done this before. So I bought a bottle of brown because it said on brown hair it would lighten and provide highlights. WRONG! It made my hair the color of a overripe walnut. It was almost black. But I survived. The next time I tried it, someone recommend I use a golden blonde because it would simply put light highlights in brown hair. WRONG AGAIN! Since my family has the "red" gene, it simply turned it a strange shade of auburn. So I thought a few months down the road, since I had auburn genes anyway, why not use auburn coloring. It should just be a beautiful shade of brown with reddish/golden highlights. Third times a charm? WRONG! It was so orange, I could have passed for a pumpkin on Halloween. So after many aborted attempts and not willing to spend the money at a salon to do it right, I did some checking. It turns out that if you have red or auburn genes, and you are wanting to lighten brown hair, you simply use a Ash Blonde. The ash tones down the red/auburn and you end up with a variety of golds, browns and blondes that make it look like you've had some streaks placed in your hair. Now that I have the gray, when I use my ash blonde, I get variegated shades and the gray looks much better covered with browns and blonde highlights. So I can grow old gracefully. I have no problem with that. But I will fight my grays as long as I can. Not because I am ashamed or embarrassed by them, but simply because I love changing my hair color. It gives me a lift, boosts my spirits and makes me feel younger. Vanity? No, just one of my little quirks that I like to do.