REMEMBER “HANGING MEN’S PANTS ON MY BEDPOST” BLOG?

Well…..here is an amazing update. I am not sure exactly what went wrong, but I was geeked at the prospect of hanging a pair of men’s slacks on my bedpost and asking our dear Lord to fill them….I had finally decided to become serious in finding a male partner after 13 years.

I knew God would be sitting in His lazy boy….laughing hysterically, well, He did more than that. Last evening I got a call from my girlfriend who loaned me the brand new pair of pants with a 31″ in-seam to tell me, she’s  getting married! WOW!!!!!  She and her intended met at a crowded venue in West Chase the Oak Room at a Plenty of Fish party…..I am the one who talked her into wearing her little black dress. And go figure, she loans ME the pants to attract a suitor and she ends up being the one to “meet Mr. Right”. How uncanny is that folks?

I guess one never knows where  the “love bug” will bite and find you….So for all of you girlfriends out there, help each other out….create a new look to your shabby chic decor and hang a pair of guys pants and marry off all your friends! Life is so rich, such a hoot isn’t it?

Now I wonder what else I might hang to find my special guy….it’s evident that God just thought this wacky brainstorm was way too funny to not respond. And of course He did…..proof that sometimes things aren’t as they seam….hahahahhaa. Enjoy the moment! Maybe I should have some corvette keys made and hang them on the post…..and God could work on a new car instead of the love of my life….interesting concept!

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away……”

An AMERICAN LADY IN HER 80′S EXPRESSES HER FEARS FOR OUR COUNTRY….LISTEN AND LEARN!!!!

It Began the same with "power" with HItler, are we repeating history?

Today I had the privilege of speaking with an 80 + lady who came here from Lithuania in 1948. Her father was in a bread line in Germany and shot by Hitler’s military for speaking his mind. She and her other 4 siblings eventually made it to America, she’s an immigrant who is now a proud citizen of this country. I will call her” Maggie…”.

Today, as she recanted the many details to me of her life, with a quiver in her voice and I would bet tears streaming down her cheeks with her english touched with her European accent, she expressed the fears of so many of us.

She has a wonderful daughter and son-in-law that are taking awesome care of her since they relocated here from Chicago a few years ago. This fabulous woman was schooled in Europe where she learned 4 languages and still speaks all of them and educated  in the health care field as an RN and also able to work with the pathologists, she’s no dummy by far and fine tuned her skills during the World War II era. 

She said she prays every day to God to save the United States from the destruction which lies ahead. She grew up with socialized medicine and the same type of  plans President Obama is now implementing, all for the sake of power,as Hitler did. She survived and her siblings and her Mom…..many didn’t and she watched as they died the elderly from lack of adequate medicine or the wrong dosages and children and lack of food. It was a period of living hell. All her siblings were separated and sent to different countries, she went to China first,and eventually they all were reunited here. She spoke of the amazing courage of her Mom and her brother. Her voice quaked again.

She said that what we are currently experiencing here is all about “POWER AND CONTROL” by President Obama and his cohorts which has been planned for some time. She said most Americans are not aware as the history of that time hasn’t been told accurately. She is filled with fear for all of us. She knows first hand what is coming down the pike within the next 20 years. “It starts slowly with Socialized Medicine and little by little more and more rights are taken away until the government has total control’….”

I could relate so well to her story, I have read enough, talked to history students and scholars and know the evidence is clear. We are becoming a communistic society by the whims of our current Presidents desire for power. She merely confirmed to me all I have already suspected.

Her plea for all of us….to act now. To pray to God daily for courage and help to undo this mighty threat to our freedoms, to speak out before it has gone on so long we have no right to speak…to write….to educate. She knows full well from working in the environs of the hospitals here that the elderly are already suffering maltreatment and improper use of medications, after all she only retired a few years past when she was 72 as a highly respected professional. She has nothing to gain….except she knows she is doing her part to educate all of us as to the dangers that lay in front of us.

Now will you heed my warnings? Listen to the thoughts of Fox News or Mr. Beck? Will all of us unite and see the tremendously huge threat to the existence of our very nation before it’s too late?

I am not really sure what any of us can do except PRAY for God’s help….and to spread the truth from sea to shining sea…..If we are all united there is power, much more than on elected official has. Wake up….research and read the current events….We all can save this country but it takes is not burying  our heads in the sand and knowing how Communism, Socialism gains a foot hold….Do you know? Do you remember? Talk to a woman like Maggie or a survivor of the Holocaust if you have doubts…..they lived it and escaped to a free America and are trying to help all of us to remain free and powerful in our own rights, not at the hand of a dictatorship of a power monger,leader  and his Czars, which we elected.

Do your part….spread this word….help all of us to survive.

A FAIRYTALE IS HOW YOU SEE IT….

 

Fairy Tales Do Come True....

The Lessons

The Lessons…                   

 

I have never felt more at ease than when I am writing words to you. I feel so listened to, so valued, so respected in ways I have never felt before. Thank you.

 Your wisdom and perspective has helped me to see myself, perhaps for the very first time.

To value who I am as a woman. To cherish the power I have within me. To understand the complexity of my persona. It is by your reflection of the many things I admire and want that I am able to see who I am. Thank you.

 For this moment in time, how long-lived I do not know, but for this fleeting wisp of moments spent, I am able to feel incredibly confident, assured and focused on what I want in my life. I wouldn’t be able to see this clearly if you hadn’t taken a moment of your time to teach me how to see….how to hear…how to just be. Thank you.

 I am learning for the first time to have confidence in my own intuition. To expect the best, of the best. To know I don’t have to know. To trust that a power greater than myself is truly in charge of my life, my future, my destiny. I wouldn’t know these things at this juncture, had it not been for time you have spent encouraging my growth. Thank you.

 Every woman wishes to be touched by a man who will love her for just who she is. There are fairy tale dreams and visions born so long ago, paths walked in hope the prince she so has longed for would find her, and he had not.                   

Yet in the golden years of ones life, one star struck dreamer, is ever closer to finding that prince, someone instrumental not in attempting to rescue her from the disappointments in her life, but to accept the strengths she has shown in facing them. Thank you.

 Perhaps this unplanned encounter, this melding of creative and spiritual minds and hearts was always destined to be. Perhaps it is a gift from God at a time when the prince and Pollyanna need to meet…to come face to face with reality of life…to access the value and importance of their individual dreams and quests that have gone unmet.

 Perhaps, in the relativity of time, of the ticking hands of a clock they both have will find what they thought they had lost, or perhaps something they had never yet experienced…maybe the experience of two separate beings walking the same path has led them to places they were too afraid to travel alone.

 It is not up to us to know….to figure out future plans and whether or not our dreams will ever fully be realized….it is only our responsibility to look at the golden treasures we are discovering, to accept them with warmth, grace and gratitude….knowing that the creator of this vast universe has chosen us to aid one another when it seems no one else can.

 To listen, to touch, to smile, to see all the beauty and creativeness and spirit we each hold in our hearts. Thank you

 For all you have been….for all you are….and for all you will become, not just to me , the princess in waiting, but to you the prince of love.

Withdrawal???? A Positive Lesson Perhaps?

For the past week my laptop was out of commission, which led me to extreme writing withdrawal….I love it so. I literally went to bed and tossed and turned at 8pm and then remembered some paintings that needed finishing touches, so the next few days I listened to music and finished them. The creative juices wanted so to flow and that was the only avenue at my disposal……So folks, now my computer is up and running and I once again can share my eclectic thoughts and God guided perspectives in hope it will bring a smile to your face, ignite the creativity within you and fuel the passion to uncover the love of your life, the passion for helping another, using the trivial network of ideas and thoughts within your mind to brainstorm with someone to help them find “Their North Star”….Life is a precious and short lived commodity, we all are meant to share our passions and gifts with others, as my favorite quote says…“Life isn’t measured by the NUMBER of breaths we take, but by the MOMENTS that TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY”…..

I am so grateful to have found an avenue to share those moments in my life with YOU! Please take the time and share yours with me…..I want to meet and know you….I want my life’s path to be enriched by simply who you are…..Be brave, write your thoughts in a comment….you’ll not ever know how your thoughts can transcend the miles in our universe and leave a legacy of good, compassion and education.…Won’t you try to come out of your self and share your world with me?

The ” Withdrawal” from writing has enabled me to see it not as an addiction to negativity, but as the avenue to help to hopefully make my world a little better because I too have lived……Until next time squeeze some of the sweet juice out of your own creativity….and live the life you are envisioning….find a way to express YOU and make it count!

When life gives you lemons....squeeze out your creativity and savor the juice!

 During this time of economic uncertainty, homes being lost, jobs lost, fear of tomorrow and what it may bring, is running rampant with so many of us.

It’s good to remember, everything happens for a reason: Perhaps your old job was a paycheck, but little more, not the fulfillment you need to feel deep inside, or perhaps you are naturally skilled in other areas but afraid to try, now is the time….what do you have to lose and might have everything to gain.

When “Life gives us our lemons”….it’s time to use our creativity, our guts and our dreams….and make LEMONADE!!!!! Squeeze out those buried hopes and dreams you once wished for so long ago…the childhood desires to make a living, then do what you must  to add extra skills, and go for living it….Now is the perfect time for change, and after all change is the only thing we can really be sure will happen. There is a place for you that you have yet to discover…..Sit on your porch, refresh your mind with a good read: WHAT COLOR IS MY PARACHUTE is excellent….ponder and assess and sip that cold glass of refreshing lemonade in gratitude for the time to discover what your heart really wants you to do, or where you are to go, or who you are to meet.

Enjoy the moment, it’s your “present”….unwrap it!

TIME FOR ACTION….FELLOW AMERICANS!

You can BLOOM.....anywhereZ!

This morning I stopped in my local favorite convenience store in Safety Harbor, First Choice Food & Deli on Phillippe Pkwy, very near the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, and talked with the owner Eddie ….during our short conversation, he expressed the concern he and I am sure other small business owners are experiencing…..EXTREMELY SLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWWW SALES!!!! Which made me think, what can I do? How can I help to keep these folks afloat within my quaint, friendly community during this seige of desperate economic times?

 

I then remembered the outpour of $1.00 donations during the 9/11 tragedy from all over the country, $1.00 at a time. Where those accumulated dollars actually went, still is a mystery….and so is the actual amount of money received, was it 75 million or 75 billion? It seems there is no definite answer out there. The government nor the Red Cross seems to have any clue to actual figures and facts the last time I researched this question: WHERE DID THE MONEY CONTRIBUTED GO????????

In pondering, the brain-surge came to me, why can’t we, each, within our own communities do one of two things: 1) Buy our products locally, whatever we need from hardware, to cleaning, to repairs, to food, to restaurants, to gas? 2) Why don’t each of us living within the community donate $1.00 to each business that is operating within the community, NOT the Wal-Mart’s and Targets, but the “mom and pop” family run businesses that rely on the income from it’s customers…..one little dollar multiplied by thousands of people within an area could mean the difference between existence and shops that close!

The state we are in cannot be blamed solely on our government, all though most of the greed and corruption can be found there, within those who do not serve us, are not good stewards of our trust and money but their sole game plan, to have millions, perhaps billions for themselves. We as individuals must shoulder some of the responsibility for being so absorbed within lives we neglected to be “ever watchful”….we assumed all was well in “paradise”….we have shut our eyes and buried our heads in the sand and done nothing for the most part as aliens snuck into our land on all borders, claiming money and assistance our own native-born folks couldn’t receive, drug lords peddling wares to “hook” folks into squandering money and committing crimes to maintain a habit, budgeting of our tax dollars used for crazy and expensive things, gas prices sky rocketing and we still filled up at the pump while the oil giants reap huge profits, jobs sent abroad for companies to pay much lower wages, huge manufacturers paying out money for benefits and ungodly hourly wages climbing higher and higher each year because of the unions persistance, service to customers declining because of the focus on the “bottom line“….bean counters running the economy not US, not the people….striving for and wanting, more and more and more….At who’s expense?

Now we are all within the confines of the belly of a sinking ship….the USS America…..Do we put on our life jackets and swim elsewhere? Or do we man our life boats with ideas of “preservation” and “elimination of budget waste and printing of more “green backs”?

Crime will be on a huge upswing if we EACH don’t do our part….something in the way to use our brains, our courage and our ideas collectively to turn the tide….

Somewhere....out there....

First, pray each and every morning and evening to God for His help for each of us and for the return of Him as primary within our country, only He can use His power to turn things around, quickly.

Secondly, next year, I for one am going to tout eliminating each and every representative and senator in office now...REPLACING THEM WITH ORDINARY FOLKS WE’VE NOT HEARD OF, WHO HAVE A LOT OF COMMON SENSE,A   COMMUNICATIVE ABILITY AND A CHRISTIAN HEART who know our economy depends on our PEOPLE, by voting them out of office and voting new blood in!!!!

Third, I will be making my purchases locally….and when I do….ask each business owner to start an $1.00 jar…..for all the $1.00 donations that will be coming in from their patrons to keep their business open and their families surviving. Their part in the process, giving us good deals for our dollars when we do buy….no more fattening the calf….fair is fair.

Fourth, in areas that have seasonable weather, grow victory gardens and begin to
BARTER WITH OUR NEIGHBORS…..What skill do you have I could trade with you for something YOU need?
BECOME CREATIVE IN OUR CLOTHING….DESIGN AND UPGRADE THE CLOTHES WE ALREADY HAVE, ADD PIZZAZ TO THEM…RECYCLE THEM…

Fifth, contribute one family size can or package of food to a local soup kitchen.

Sixth, each time I buy groceries, add a duplicate product or two for the local food pantries.

Seventh, encourage an insurance agent, a bank, a local gas station, a car dealer ship, a lawyer, to work in ‘KAHOOTS’ with one another to provide transportation for the many aging citizens who need to get to stores, doctor appointments and to centers for meals and fun. And the senior’s contributions : reading to those who cannot see anymore, spending time with young children, playing, laughing, teaching them about history….their time spent could offset the costs of their needed transportation especially if a school or church takes on this kind of project.

Only a half a block west of Starbuck's!

Continue to blog…..all my ideas and yours and solutions we yet have NOT thought of….it’s a time to care about PEOPLE, PEOPLE!!!!!And since it is so blatant the government has NO CLUE and cannot manage it’self….we need to take time for ACTION!

For our children and their children or our culture thousands have built will self destruct and the USS AMERICA will succumb to the evil forces that surround us in the unseen world.

Will youCan I count on you?  take time….just sit….chat with God…pray…think, use your mind in ways that add a positive outcome for our country? We have nothing to lose, and so much to be gained….

 

I have room in my “lifeboat” for like-minded folks, ask yourself….Am I one of them, or am I going to continue to add to the problems we all are experiencing? Think about it…..then do what you can, where you are, BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED and God will provide the rest!

WHAT’S UP WITH THIS???????

Why is it a woman finds a great guy, one with a creative spirit, a bright mind, a sense of humor and either he is a “cling on” ultimately possessive and wants to hear the words “I love you” right off the bat, be intimately connected sexually or only looks at appearances and not a bit further? Yeah, yeah, I know men are VISUAL…..but so are women!

If a man has a great smile, gorgeous eyes and a personality and sense of humor too……those assets are what attracts a woman, a woman who wants to spend some time getting to know him, and him her. Why is it if a woman doesn’t respond in the manner in which HE thinks she should, the relationship is stalled or ended?

I have been single for 13 years now, barely made ends meet at times, now, am on an upswing to provide the necessities for myself, to pay my bills, to enjoy life a bit more…..It’s taken a lot of work, re-educating my mind and determination but most importantly FAITH….TO KNOW THE LORD WILL PROVIDE FOR MY NEEDS, my wants and desires is secondary!

I am not a FINANCIALLY STABLE WOMAN, or am I? If the afore mentioned means financially stable, then I am….if it means a huge list of material assets, a home I own, a brand new vehicle and the means to pay my own way to travel….it is not me! I like most women gave up a ton of “success” financially when raising my children….I have recouped to the degree that I realize, material toys are just that….”YOU CAN’T TAKE STUFF WITH YOU”!…..Why is it that the men I seem to meet have so little appreciation for this attitude? I would much rather spend quality time, laughing, deeply engrossed in conversation and being affectionate then having 3 homes, 3 cars, and the boredom that comes with all of the material things.

Material things....are Just STUFF!

I either meet a guy and he’s gung ho to hear the words, “I love you”, darling….or he has his heart so walled up he can’t feel anything….There’s no chance, opportunity to just let the relationship flow for whatever it is….

I want a friendship first….someone to “play with” like two kids in a sandbox, discovering and enjoying the elements uncovered with one another, a man who will pray in gratitude, with me for simply being alive and for all the beauty that surrounds us….one who is willing to “dig” together to uncover the surprises within each of us…..the  intelligence, creativity, the gifts we each have, male or female!

I want to be respected, cherished, loved for who I am inside of me….not whether I wear a size 2 clothes or a size 16! I am confident in the woman I am until I meet that man who tries so hard to force his “ideals” upon me….when I am not ready. To say those 3 words when I simply feel I NEED to say them to keep him interested, or worse yet to sleep with someone just because…..I need to have my emotions, mind and spirit connected to do the latter….to make it awesome for me and also for him…..

I am sooooooooooo over trying to find the fellow who will just respond from his heart without saying “you are too guarded”….If being cautious in a relationship and taking it slowly is too guarded, or wanting to know what makes the other person tick is too guarded, or being sure that the other person is walking his walk not just whispering sweet nothings is guarded, then I guess I am. I have learned many, many lessons along my path….and I definitely don’t want to fall into the same hole in the sidewalk….I want to discover the “red flags” and choose whether or not I can and want to live with them….Love is a rare commodity I am finding. My dream of wearing the glass slipper and finding my own Prince Charming a futile quest…..I now see reality with all the foibles and joys and just want truth for two….passion….peace…respect….appreciation and hilarious moments of laughter to lighten the load if you will….

Will I find love now at 62? I am really not sure…..would I like to? You bet!!!!!I want the chance, the 2nd chance if you will to practice what I have learned in so many hard ways…..I have a store house of love within my heart to share, it’s just not that appealing I guess to the majority of guys out there…..Where is the romantic heart? The reader, the conversationalist, the laugh maker, the focused, logical, attractive guy with the twinkle in his eyes the *grin* on his face? Wherever do we look to find that special man to compliment who we are,or us them?

If God meant people to live alone, to grow more mature and wise in their seasoned years, I don’t think He would have given Adam, Eve. He knows our hearts, all about us, and I just can’t let go of the thought He has someone out there, somewhere meant for only me…..The guys pants are still hanging on my bedpost waiting for Him to fill them….and if He doesn’t, I am sure He’s still sitting in His Lazy-boy laughing at my thought….then I must simply continue falling in love with me and sharing the best of who I am with those who see it and who want to know me better, regardless if there is a long time romance or not. Can I do it? YES!!!!  Do I want only that? Absolutely NOT!!!!

So if any of you read my blogs, send me your thoughts, your stories of success, your romantic encounters that fill your soul….share the hope and dreams of others so like me so we know, without a doubt, “what we want, IS WORTH WAITING FOR…..”

GRASS ROOTS NEED TO PRUNE THE GOVERNMENT….NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

I have half- heartedly kept up with the goings on of our government as of late, having far too much fun within my own world….and keep in mind I have chosen to not have a television….so it’s tough to keep abreast of all the greed, corruption, lies and inactivity of our officials, they are OUR employees or not so much?

There are millions of you out there that have been seriously affected by the decisions the “powers that be” seem to making…..jobs lost, now medicare going to be whacked ,which will affect the senior citizens who worked hard all their lives, and many actually live on less than $700 per month!  These folks need the help with their prescriptions! And all the while the corporations involved in this mess from the get-go are now giving THEIR employees huge bonus’ after bilking the taxpayers with money from the “bail-outs”.

What in heck is it going to take all of us to DO SOMETHING!!!!!!

I have written all my congress people, blogged publicly on issues that light that fire of injustice as often as I can, I talk with others wherever I am, I am praying like never before for people I do not even know…..

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO BE HEARD? TO HAVE YOUR OPINIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

What has happened to the determination, the integrity, the power of “the people”…….What has happened to all the lives lost during the early revolutions and the writing of  THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?????????????????????  Is Glenn Beck and I and a handful of others the only ones, speaking out….writing….asking to be heard?

Instead of our military protecting others in foreign lands why are they not here…..protecting us from our own lawmakers and Czars and our own President?

This is simply becoming worse….”Town Hall Meetings” where the congress chooses to “be POLITICALLY CORRECT” in their behavior and follow through rather than  to risk losing their own financial fortunes…..We elected all of you to be voices ” FOR THE PEOPLE”.…NOT as paid representatives of insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies and the lenders who control the purse strings of this country!!!!

Rumors or not…..the  truth always surfaces…..Bank of America now again in financial trouble, where is the  money from the bail-outs, thousands  not accounted for with many institutions, houses built with inferior, actually contaminated drywall imported from China causing panic among homeowners already stressed with the Mortgage Balloon that POPPED, business’ owned on our soil by foreign countries now, money owed to foreign countries in the trillions….People we term “illegal aliens” sneaking into the country and applying for aid for food, housing, medical treatment and they are not registered citizens, and yet our retirees from the big 3 no longer have the medical coverages and pensions they worked their tails off  to be entitled to for 28+ years….WHY DOES THIS NOT MAKE EVERYONE OF US SO ANGRY THAT WE …..DO SOMETHING???????

Close our country’s borders….to illegal aliens, to corporations from overseas, to the imported goods we bring into this country and create jobs here …..by going backward a tad, to move forward!!!!!!

Have we NOT learned a thing from all the wars, all the lives lost to protect this grand country? Have we not learned and were the ones to take control of our own financial destiny? WHAT PART OF OUR AMERICAN HISTORY HAS BEEN NEGATED AND RE-WRITTEN TO SUITE THE NEEDS OF THE “ELITE”….?????

I am so frustrated! Exasperated! Even embarrassed to live in this country during this period and time…..We are to be an example of truth, independence, honesty, the scales of justice, leaders …..Where have we ventured off too? How did we choose this path of self destruction? Is there no hope, no way to begin at the beginning and re-build this country?

Where are you “peons” of this country, the “little guy”, the “ordinary Joe’s and Jane’s“, the “backbones of manufacturing and technology”, the folks who have invested their hard earned dollars in purchasing goods, food grown here, established charities, foundations and ways to help our fellow brothers and sisters in troubled times? THERE IS A TON OF POWER IN the united NUMBERS OF PEOPLE ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

When I first started blogging and speaking out with my thoughts when the country first began it’s down turn, I had hope….faith….and the belief that if peoples apathy could be turned around, their heads “yanked out of the sand as an ostrich lives“, we collectively could make a huge difference….be heard and use our brains to find creative solutions to the mess that a handful of people created…..It’s NOT so….I am losing my enthusiasm for believing in the “power of the grey haired, the power of the grass roots”…..we are lazy, fearful and plain don’t give a damn about anyone or anything….DOING NOTHING IS THE SAME AS DOING SOMETHING…..it’s YOUR APATHY  that’s killing our country! Stand up for your beliefs. Speak out. Write those letters and make the calls.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, ALL OF US NEED TO VOTE OUT EVERY CONGRESS PERSON WHO IS IN OFFICE AND REPLACE THEM WITH PEOPLE  WHO HAVE NOT EVER BEEN TAINTED BY THE GREED OF OFFICE!

ARE YOU WITH ME AMERICA? Are we going to take back our country together or stand in mass “lament: I should have DONE SOMETHING, ANYTHING ….IT MIGHT HAVE HELPED!”  If every one of us changes how we think about what’s going on and take even one small action, it just might make a world of difference in our lives and lives of our friends and neighbors.

Muster the courage…..it’s your opportunity to see what YOU are really made of……ENOUGH IS JUST ENOUGH!! Listen again to the lyrics of “Coming to America” by Neil Diamond…..it says it all. The land of the free…..We need to come home to liberty, justice for all of us!!!!

 Who would want to follow our lead, when we are not able to lead our own country without corruption, bickering, passing the buck, spending and printing the buck, no accountablity and cheats and liars at the helm of most every corporation and government entity? Why would any country choose to respect, listen to us, or to follow our example?

It can remain as such, or YOU AND I can change it, it’s all in our choices and courage to do so.
 

I NEED A FOOT RUB….AND A CHIROPRACTOR!!!!!

I had the pleasure to attend yet another POF, Plenty of Fish, local meet and greet at Brew City Grill by New Port Richey a few Saturday nights ago now. A return to my very first venue….and I had a blast!

It’s so fun to watch the dynamics of people intermingling, to be able to make new acquaintances, to meet the “faces” and actually talk with those that have taken the time to write profiles on “Fish” as the long term and Forum members refer to the site. It’s a great way to meet other singles, men and women and to kindle friendships, that otherwise might never be experienced.

The music was a great mix of 60’s and 70’s and some swing and hustle too….it appeared the best place to dance in the county last night….The dance floor packed….yeehah!!!!! We even have the pictures done in a slideshow with music on you.tube, check out the link below . I haven’t danced so much in eons. And a phenomenal thing, women were dancing fast in huge groups and then a guy would just pop in and dance too….it seemed as if everyone was having a great time.                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdpxJ5oOjK4             

Women beware tho…..it’s not like it was “back in the day”….If you expect a man who catches your eye or turns your head to approach you first and break the ice, so to speak, it’s just not probable. It appears that if you want to chat or meet someone, it’s up to the female to “take the lead” in these golden years. Why? I really have no clue but would love to know…..so if any of you out there could fill me in, I will post your comments….

I sure hope as women we have not intimidated most men, it would be such a shame…..both sexes have undoubtedly had difficult experiences and the lack of attention, companionship and laughter and touch has affected all of us, different stories, same emotions and fears I would believe. It’s uncomfortable for some to just walk up to someone and start talking or introduce your self….but for me it’s ideal. I can actually spend a few minutes assessing the other person and whether there might be a touch of that elusive chemistry many of us hope to stumble upon. At least in person, you meet the “real deal“, it’s not photos from 10 years ago that are often posted online, you get to see the eyes of another, peek into their character and soul if you will and spend a few minutes laughing, smiling or dancing. And the nicest part, unlike going to “bars”….is that you are pretty certain the majority of folks are in the same life raft….single…wanting a few moments of unexpected attention and laughter and smiles and the chances of building a true friendship so much more likely. We all know that anyone can be anyone they choose online, from Nigerian scammers….oh yes, had that experience too, but thats a whole other story. To the unhappilymarried who is seeking solace on the superhighway to escape the situation they refuse to deal with…..to the “new kid in town” who wants to develop friendships and is naive enough to believe the person on a site and all they seem to share. For me, the face to face meeting is so much more…..I adore it.

There's plenty of fish in the sea.....just need the right bait!

In fact, on Halloween, in Bradenton there is a huge state wide gathering….a “tasteful Toga Party”, that in itself might be amazing….to be held at the Marriott there. A roman style hotel near Sarasota too….and 8 hosts from all over the state are encouraging their local fish to attend….There’s a bunch of us from the far western side of Florida that are staying over night so we don’t have the long ride back, but who are looking forward to meeting the folks we probably wouldn’t likely meet that are single and spread out over this awesome state….The hotel is giving the “Fish” price breaks on the rooms and we can dance until we drop! It should be fun and entertaining and a festive way to celebrate the Halloween Holiday! I am geeked to go….and would love it if you might consider it as well. You don’t have to be a member of POF, check out the site under events for all the details….I guarantee, now that I have been to 5 different events in venues here, you’ll have a blast….different folks, different personalities, different stories….all in one place.

SEE COMMENT BELOW AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION THE BRADENTON ‘TOGA PARTY’ HAS BEEN CANCELLED….BUMMER…READ THE COMMENT!

 

You really will feel you aren’t alone at all…..there are Plenty of Fish in the sea.….and once in a while we have the opportunity to swim in schools we never thought possible. Thank goodness for online dating sites….and for gatherings of the minds and bodies…..Come on out and join us….it’s just over the bay and across the bridge and who knows, that ”Grouper” or flirty little “angel Fish”  you’ve been seeking,  just might be there too!

Bring your bait ( your best smile, with or without a toga but puleeeeze wear something!), your rested feet to dance and let’s get out there and swim in the big pond…..because “strangers are friends we just haven’t met yet”. After all, our lives are NOT a dress rehearsal, they are the real thing, venture out from the reeds and move your fins to the music and delight in each moment……

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”…..try it for your self….it’s a gift worth giving and receiving. It’s sharing ourself with those we meet…..the best part of living your life to the fullest. I will see you there! At Brew City Grill on Saturday, October 17th and also a halloween “toga” party on Friday, October 23rd….check out the details in Plenty of Fish under Events! Or choose your own state and see what kinda fishing is going on there! Regardless, it’s worth the  bait to see who you might just meet.

Michael “Scott” Taylor of MI,a dear classmate and friend, wove a beautiful FABRIC for our LIVES…WOVEN WITH LOVE

Months ago I wrote about our lives being like a beautiful, colored piece of fabric, intricate threads of color twisted, woven, wrapped about one another to create a coverlet for our souls…….The threads representing each and every person who is “woven” into our lives: some by happen stance, some by deliberate action, some by choice, some by circumstances, some simply by love…..the love that magically flows from us to them and simply, and quietly draws them back again to us in the form of precious friendship or love of family and co-workers and neighbors. It seems again today, the realization of just how short our lives truly are is paramount in my thinking.

The colorful threads of people, and life!

I received an email, thank goodness for technology, that a very dear classmate I had written of not long ago had passed on to spend eternity with our Lord, on October 6, 2009, Michael “Scott” Taylor from Lansing, MI, my hometown.

At such news, I feel numb…..memories and thoughts whirling through my mind as I recall our last conversation, his last email, all the times in between when he sent me humor from afar or updated me on the passing of another dear classmate, actually 2 of them….How thoughtful he was to keep me in the  “loop” knowing I could not return to Michigan to express my condolences and to cry the tears of sadness with the families mourning the losses. And yet, through Scott, I was able to share precious moments I wouldn’t have had otherwise…..we  laughed, we cried, we questioned, we discussed everything from the Vietnam war to the one and only date he and I had in high school so very long ago. He got carried away with the enthusiasm he had for riding his motorcycle, or shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor, the delight he had for having his own cozy home and of course the joy in his heart of spending such precious moments with Chloe, his granddaughter, the apple of his eye…. He spoke so lovingly of his relationship with his family, how dear they all are to him and his love of his Mom….what he wouldn’t do for her!  I was privileged to hear the joy others gave to him and he returned 10 fold in such ordinary and sometimes extraordinary ways….

We talked of our Catholic upbringing and how many of us have grown to know so much more than our foundation gave us. We’ve sought answers to questions of the 60″s within our own hearts and souls and some like myself and Scott developed incredible personal relationships with Jesus, with God ,because of the trials and joys within our own lives.

I will miss knowing he’s in Michigan and perhaps one day will plan a trip here….I will miss his sense of humor and his magnetic smile….his kind and understanding heart and his badge of courage not only in the war but in the last days of his life. Nothing I could begin to write here would compare with the way this man lived his life, wove the threads of others in his own tapetstry….he was an incredible and brightly woven thread within mine, one of positive hope and laughter I am so blessed to have known him and shared the special moments we did, I will miss him ….as will all his loved ones, but I know in my heart he will always be looking down upon us, sitting near our Lord and possibly sharing a humorous, quick-witted story or two with Him….He will remember each one of us and every member of his family and when it’s our time to join him in the peace and wonderment of heaven….there is no doubt he will be walking with God, to hug and greet us with his radiant smile…..you will live always in all the hearts of those who knew you…..

Is Your Life One of Truth or Hypocrisy?

Original Poem written by Michael Lee Ford, Tarpon Springs FL

It’s in the choices that we make in life that determines the character of our souls……Enjoy this poem, it  hits the mark for all of us from time to time.

Hypocrisy

A challenge of two faces cause
A duel unto the death,
One that longs to breathe in life
The other steal your breath.

A predictable front runner
A reliable facade,
A courtship with the devil while
You dare to summon God.

Dancing with the fire while
Secure behind closed doors,
Then praying with the saints while sin
Is oozing from your pores.

Nestled in a lifestyle that
Perpetuates your plight,
This passion creates hunger then
Condones the appetite.

One foot on the mountain while
You glance up toward the sky,
The other in the grave that
Resurrects a sacred lie.

Sunday you confess your sins
Or so the story’s told,
Walking with the righteous you
Adorn your tailored mold.

Hypocrisy
Reciting solemn rituals
You excavate a prayer,
“Bless me Lord for I have sinned….”
Displaying mock despair.

Standing to your feet you feel
Your needs have now been met,
While rushing from the church you smile
“ I’ve now absolved my debt”.

Returning to the waiting world
You won’t hold Satan’s hand,
But let him tag along in case
You need him on demand.

Walking in the darkness while
You’re sleeping in the light,
A drama of deception that
Impairs your will to fight.

A quest to visit heaven
But content to play the field,
Consuming dissertation
You convince your flesh to yield.

When you are neither hot nor cold
You might not be aware,
That the destiny of Satan is
The destiny you’ll share.

Hypocrisy
Formalities persuade you that
You now have paid a price,
A purchased crown of glory which
Secures your place with Christ.

But God does not reserve a place
For those who bend a knee,
When they happen to feel holy or
Serve God reluctantly.

Death becomes befitting when
You play games with your soul,
By living life, but cheating God
The game will take its toll.

When saints no longer see you and
You’re standing all alone,
Will you fear the Day of Judgment when
You’re called before God’s throne?

Your silent screams will tell the tale
Cascading from your eyes,
“I missed the mark relying on
Hypocrisy and lies”.