Stuffed Animals and What is Love

Thelma is the "blond" on the left and Ina is the "blond" on the right.

One of my favorite books for children is the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco. I read this to my kids when they were babies and I have even used it in group sessions when I worked in Psych. I am in the process of going thru many many stuffed animals that I have purchased for both my kids and many that have been given as gifts. My son tells me that I am a pack rat. He may be right but I figure as long as you can walk thru my house unimpeded then I cannot be the star of the reality show about the hoarders. I was initially devastated when I realized that they had cleaned out the closet in my middle bedroom. That closet had most of my saved stuffed animals that I had earmarked for future grand kids. My "treasures" and their associated memories did not mean to him what it meant to me. All the animals were stuffed in garbage bags and relegated to my dining room to be given or thrown away. On the top of one bag was "Thelma" and next to her was "Ina". Both were home made and named after Becky's grandmas who had gifted them to her when she was about 3. She wouldn't go to sleep without both of the dolls next to her. They are stained and missing clothes but they were greatly loved. Seeing them in the bag, discarded, broke me up. I cried all the way to work. I knew that I was being ridiculous and that I had to go through the bag to choose what would be kept and what would be thrown. As the days have gone by I have been able to at least separate the sentimental favorites from the ones that I would not miss. Becky will have to come over and go thru it all and make choices as well. Looking at Ina and Thelma reminded me of the segment in the Velveteen Rabbit about what is "Real". Please take the time and read the excerpt.

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"Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'

Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'

It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
— Margery Williams Bianco (The Velveteen Rabbit)


Yes I have saved momentoes from my kid's(and my)childhood and I am going though them all to downsize. But I remain a very sentimental woman who looks at items from the past as touchstones to fond and loving memories. I will not apologize to anyone for that.

Juan Williams. NPR Sucks

Yesterday Juan Williams, the senior news commentator with NPR, was fired because of a conversation he had on Fox's show the O'Reilly Factor. I saw the show and was in agreement with Mr. Williams. He commented that when flying it gives him pause to see fellow passengers in Muslim garb. I have enjoyed his often counterpoint conversations with Bill OReilly and Sean Hannity. He is an intelligent, decent, NON-BIGOTED, individual who presents his opinion in a no nonsense type manner. I am appalled at the actions of NPR. His reasoning was tied back to 9/11 and the World Trade Center attack carried out by RADICAL Muslims(I don't want anyone to say I'm a bigot)He didn't say he would get off the plane just that it would stir something inside him(not his exact words). I would probably get off the plane. Contrary to Joy Behar and Whoopie Goldberg's ambulatory exit off the set of The View when Bill O'Reilly expressed his opinion I agreed with what he said. I am sure that there are very peace loving Muslims but they have to stand up and be loudly vocal or their silence screams support for their more radical brethren. I am for religious freedom for all but if your freedom is expressed in killing innocents just because they don't follow your tenets then your freedom should be limited or denied. We have radical Christians who deserve the same treatment. We have no right to violently force anyone to follow what we believe is the correct path to God. I am sickened by NPR and Congress needs to investigate what is happening with the National PUBLIC Radio and stop funds to an organization that suppresses freedom of speech.

My Daughters Birthday 10/19

Every year I write something to my children on their birthday. It's Rebekah's birthday today and in looking back on my 29 years with her I realize just how blessed I have been that God chose to allow me to raise this remarkable woman. She is goal directed in her desire to advance her nursing degree and I have seen her struggle with assignments that I would have just tossed in the towel. Becky the words I love you are easily said but they come so deeply from my heart. You are loved unconditionally every day in every way. I love your sense of honor, your outlook on life, your dedication to your profession, your faith in God, your understanding in all things. We have grown to the point where I seek your council in many things because your perspective is fresh, honest and on target. I benefit from your patience. Stay as you are my baby girl and know that I love you more than all the stars in the sky and the grass in the ground.
love mama

Joshua and the B.O.B.

I shared a link on my face book page about a baby who happened to have a BOB(battery operated boyfriend) mixed in with his toys. It was pretty funny till you think about who put it there and why on earth they let the baby play with it.. but i digress. Anyway it reminded me of when Josh was a toddler. Joshua was just 3 when Stan and I got married. I worked on Life Flight in Pensacola, Florida with a bunch of really great, irreverent nurses and pilots. They had a wedding shower for me and I got all kinds of useful things.... the best being a case of Tanqueray Gin and some girly stuff. The last thing I unwrapped was a vibrator. I still remember them all sitting there waiting for my reaction. I was pretty embarrassed because I had never seen one before( I didn't get out much) Well when I got home I was going to throw it out.. then got concerned because someone might know that the trash was mine and "what would they think"? I buried it in my underwear draw and forgot about it. It was a different time my faithful two readers and "Sex in the City" would have been outlawed let alone given Emmys. I refused to tell Stan about it. We could be sexually liberated but still prudish. When Stan and I got ready for our move to Tulsa I was going thru my clothes and saw the B.O.B. Again what to do with the thing. I kept it in the drawer and planned on throwing it out when we got to Tulsa(I really planned on driving behind some store and throwing it in a dumpster..after wiping off my prints). We moved to a condo development and settled in. About 2 weeks after we moved I had been downstairs unpacking and realized I hadn't heard from Joshua and went upstairs to look. I couldn't find him and went outside and he was gone. I was frantic and went door to door looking for him. He was around the block in our backyard neighbor's home. This was someone I hadn't met yet and when she opened the door I told her who I was and that my son was missing. She looked at me for the longest time and then said, over her shoulder, "Joshua your mommas here for you" Up popped Joshua and I enveloped him in a hug and told him he had to go home because he left without permission. As we walked out the door she stopped us and said "Joshua, don't forget your toy". In he ran and came back with that damn vibrator dragging on the floor behind him. It actually was long enough it bounced on the floor while he walked. I was horrified.

"Who does that belong to" I asked my son...

Joshua responded "it's yurs mommy"

"Oh no it isn't" I replied with bravado.

"Yes it is mommy it was in yur nunderwear drawer...and looky it goes vrrrroomm" (as he turned it on.

We are so "enlightened" today so you cannot know just how bad this was. I loaded up the car with Joshua and the Vibrator and drove about 20 miles from my condo and threw the B.O.B. away in a dumpster. I know that of all the wonderful neighbors we had in the condo community, the backyard neighbor was not one of them. She pretty much snubbed us.... and I was glad.

Fat, the Government and a GREAT Email from my NP A. Guidry, RN

Hi there blog I haven't written in a while. I have been watching the news avidly as our country is going down the tubes. We have elections coming up and as a nation we need to not vote for a party(whether TEA, Democratic, or Republican)as much as vote for the appropriate persons who will bring our country back on track. Obama is a failure as a president. He continues to blame Bush for the mess that he has put this country in. It is time to stop the handouts, the giveaways and the attempt of our current administration to make us all dependent on the government for our health, home and food. We CANNOT just sit by and watch Washington move into our homes and tell us how much of our own money we get to keep, and legislate our food intake and access to our own physician. Chubby people out there who happen to be reading this blog take note: as of 2014 your hospital and doctor will have to submit your BMI(body mass index)to an UNNAMED collector in Washington(maybe CDC) If they don't comply and have all your information on electronic medical records they will be punished by the amount of reimbursements they will receive. What the hell do they want my abundant BMI for?? Well it's not a stretch to believe that we will be taxed, pay higher insurance fees, or have our fast food selections limited to what they feel is more appropriate for our size. My mind goes to other punishments as well but most would view me as being paranoid. Anyone who doesn't feel this is an invasion of our privacy, our doctor patient relationship and a risk to our personal freedoms is either living in the woods without access to the news or is just plain stupid. We are a nation of fat people and fat causes increased health care costs... I understand that but I do not want anyone from Washington to have access to just how big my Grannie panties are. EMRs(electronic medical records) will be totally secret and protected...ummmhummm... well my totally smart nephew Kryss could probably hack into the system without breaking a sweat.

My awesome health care provider A. Guidry,NP(anyone needing a referral to she or her partner K. Sonnier just let me know.. they are the best) sent me an email and I have copied for this blog.. it is so true:

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read:
1)You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2)What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3)The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4)When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

5)You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.
Political Science 101

End of Lesson.....Test to follow in November