The Empty Nester's View

The Kentucky Derby

2008-04-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

The Kentucky Derby will be on Saturday, May 3rd this year and you are probably thinking about ways to enjoy this afternoon event to the max! Could this event be the Super Bowl for the horse racing crowd? With our age of theme based parties, weddings, etc. perhaps we need to plan to make this an inter-generational event!

Certainly in a day where we are looking for heroes, the beautiful horse is a natural candidate in the animal family, that is! The ability to have a relationship with human beings, a desire to please, teach-ability, and speed all make the horse a creature that is treasured by people throughout the ages. Children are fascinated by the legends of horses beginning with early Greek and Roman times. The Native American stories in the North American culture abound ! Horses make an excellent history thematic unit for students.
The discipline needed to train a horse and to compete in races for both jockey and mount certainly has lots of information for character lessons for all of us.

American Artists have designed a series of plates that depict these animal heroes and their jockeys. Not only for collecting, these can be used to decorate for your Kentucky Derby Party! (380010733622)
This plate and several others available for sale at my eBay store: www.stores.ebay.com/Learning-Online-Treasures
While you’re online, treat yourself and your family to various YouTube video of the historic races!
http://www.horsehats.com/horse-racing-videos.html

Well, as you can see, May is not just for Mother’s Day Celebrations any more! Start a new tradition and create a Kentucky Derby Party! You can be “Off to the Races” with the best of them!

What a Big World We Live In!

2008-04-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today I've had the fun experience of filling in for the receptionist at our University Pharmacy School. I've had lots of time to surf the internet because all the faculty, and students are at a big field day on the other side of town!

I've read alot of blogs and am so charmed by everyone's. I've decided to write more often in mine and lighten up!

The world is a really big place if you haven't noticed!

From my world trade class, I've met a fellow from South Carolina who is teaching in China. He and I are working on an on-line tutoring "business" and he is importing my teaching experience, and I am importing his students in need of internet tutoring! (I think I have that straight)
This is opening and encouraging new cyber-oportunities for me and getting me to work at making my web site into a store front! Check out my new online classroom, called the "Learning Center" at www.emptynesterscloset.com

From my dear MUIB list serve (it's a goodie) I've met a new friend from India and I am working on importing her "kurtie" blouses and she is a delightful designer in an awesome place of opportunity! I spent alot of time today surfing her town and "state" and learned so much. One thing that is very cool is her town is the site of a Ganhdi museum, and his ashram, retreat area. When I go visit her some day (notice I'm not saying "if") I will surely visit there.

I spent a lot of time reading up on eBay boards and have met so many cool people on the Discussion Boards. One fellow in particular, Bob, sells comfortable, good shoes in lots of wide and narrow sizes and he is quite and expert in all things eBay. I'm hoping all my research will pay off some day...?? I made a profit in the First Quarter, but the kid's lemonade stand down the street beat me dollar for dollar! (lol) www.stores.ebay.com/Learing-Online-Treasures

Oh, yes, let me know forget I installed a trial version of Quick Books online on my computer and it is so cool.

Well, my head is just spinning from all the imput I have imputted today and will so be glad to get back to some calm sewing. Check out my etsy site: www.TheEmptyNest/etsy.com I have a cute retro vintage girl's jumper there and making more tomorrow!

Tomorrow is also my DH's birthday, so am planning to do something really special, for a special guy. Those who know him know what I mean!
I asked him what he would like for his birthday, and he said "just a kiss when I wake up in the morning!" Wasn't that sweet. Well he'll get that for sure!

Well, I wonder if Empty Nesters are always this ADD? Maybe it's Menopause starting to catch up with me? Maybe I'm just a life long learner having a fun day field trip on the world wide web!

Self-Defense

2008-03-10T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have been sadly pondering the latest two killings of college students. This is very personal for me because I live in Auburn, Alabama and work part-time at the University. In fact, this is where I first heard of the killing of Lauren Burk. As part of the very close and religious Auburn community I am feel pain and see pain on the faces of people around and about town.

On a deeper level, I too have a college freshman girl, and to me this tragedy is one I hope never to face and is almost incomprehensible. My prayers and thoughts go out to the Burk family as they begin the long trek of living without their precious daughter. My aunt and uncle lost my cousin around this age, and I feel it is safe to say they have never gotten over it. My aunt, who is still living, goes on, but her son, Andy, is never far from her thoughts, voiced or otherwise. I know it is a life long cross she bears, so I feel so for the two families who lost their freshmen daughters this week. They join so many others in this sad fellowship.

So, we have been having alot of discussions in our family this week. Most all start with the freedom and abuse of guns in our society. Most end with ways to circumvent the avenues that one of propose to keep guns out of the hands of killers. We have talked about tighter licensing, banning, and even one great suggestion to license bullets. But, humans always can find a way around rules and regulations, even if they are meant to protect the greater good of all.

Another discussion we have had is about the vulnerabilities of our college campuses, and the need to tighten security. Auburn University is very secure, but being in a small Alabama town perhaps has given us false securities. Still, I remember a few years ago when we were so shocked by shooting in Elementary schools. I was a first-grade teacher then, and remember keeping the classroom doors locked and going to meetings to instruct us on new safety precautions. I suspect college campuses are and will go through changes too.

But, reflecting on it all, their are two main solutions to un-merited danger. The first, in my opinion is self defense. I'm not talking about the karate type self defense. I feel we need to defend ourselves much as we do in our driving. The safest driver is a denfensive driver. As we go about our tasks in our days, we need to be alert and aware that the unexpected can in fact happen. I know a minister friend of my husband and I's certainly didn't expect to get kidnapped in the shopping mall parking lot! Thank God he was rescued. We need to maintain a clear headed alertness, which is sometimes hard when we have other things on our minds. Especially if you are absent minded or "creative" as I am. Police pull people over and issue "warnings" when people are not "paying attention" to speed rules (So I have heard!)

My kids always told me I was "paranoid" when I would tell them about sad events that happened in the news, and reminded them of possible dangers when going to various events and activities. And perhaps I was. But I do have a comfort now of knowing that at least with my daughter, and hopefully the other two boys too, she has an "alert" imprinted upon her consciousness. It's similar to that feeling you develop as a woman when you first start carrying your purse all the time. You develop over time a "feeling" when you walk off...and you feel for your purse strap or handles. It becomes a habit, that keeps you from leaving your purse around.

So to recap this long blog, the first thing you can do is keep a clear mind and ready to be on defense. The Second thing you can do is actually sort of Zen, if I understand it. It's something you CAN'T do. Human life is ultimately, NOT under our control. We can not control natural events, or even deviant human events. We have to actively realize that we can't control all events.

But, to quote a very fine evangelist and theologian, E. Stanley Jones, there is "Victory in Surrender." When you find the blueprint for your life in the deep understanding that God is ...and is beyond our human perception other than as revealed in Jesus Christ...you accept that God is Good, God is Love, even when we can't understand it in our actual life experiences. Many use the phrase "Let Go and Let God" to try to express simply this Surrender to God's relationship to our world.

Finally, I remember a story my sister recently told me about a nun that works with death row criminals, and her response to the negative reactions she received to her mercy she shared with the criminals. (I think this was a movie she saw). The last scene showed the nun coming into the chapel to light a candle and pray for direction about her ministry. There she sees bowed in prayer the father of one of the victims of the criminals who had also lit a candle. Both nun and victimized join on the level of prayer. I think only in prayer and deep communion with God that we can receive the ultimate comfort and safety we seek.
Visit me on www.emptynesterscloset.com

Caregiving 101

2008-02-24T00:36:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am at 2:37 a.m., waiting for DH to finish restroom duties. Yes, I am so lucky that he is becoming so independent, yet, for many people this is so foreign. To be so intimately tied to someone else's "activities of daily living" is a aspect of caregiving that parents of young children and those caring for the elderly are familiar with.

When you are a caregiver, like me, at age 51, continuing a caregiving role changes the look of my Empty Nest. Yes, the last daughter went off to college! My heart has felt loss and elation at the same time. What do you call it when you finally sleep at night stop wondering "What time will they be in?" and listening for the door to open and re-locked? What do you call it when you wake in the morning and wish to have the demands of your active teens driving your plans for the day? (Well, you actually have a full day to plan with your own needs in mind!)This is lonely at first, until you do it a few days, and then it becomes great. You actually remember who you were before kids. You start getting into that old set...only better, wiser and hopefully with a few more resources.

Just when you are begining to thrive...you get the message..."Guess what, I'm coming home next weekend!" I was even shocked at myself when my first thought was, yes, but I was planning to .... But then, a Sunomi of excitment rushes in, and I start thinking... clean, get food in the house, prepare, activities...and the anticipation busyness takes over!

It's funny that you don't forget how to go back into parenting mode. Only this time it is different, because your weekend visitor is now a young adult, taking charge of their world, and that holds lots of new opportunities for growth and insight for you as an Empty Nester.

Well, back to caregiving on different levels. The disabled spouse is hopefully back sound asleep, so I can return to my comfy bed and sleep as well. I'm going to need it to face the challenges of tomorow...in this "Brave New World." Come visit me at my cyber home away from home: www.emptynesterscloset.com.