Homeland
This is my friend, Mia, who is standing on her homeland. She posted this picture yesterday, and I haven't been able to shake its image from my mind. Certainly, she's beautiful (isn't she beautiful?), but there is something more that speaks to me here. There seems to be a kinship with the land, an unexpected, overwhelming love, because it's the origin of her people. It's home. Now I'm going to stop right here and tell you that I don't believe she's ever lived there. And I know she would tell you that her home is where her heart is; her home is wherever her little family lays its head. But, there is something about standing on the ground of your ancestry that makes all those old sepia...
Welcome! Do Come In.
My daughter, Emmie, was trying all of Lilli's shoes on her recently, as she had seemed to have a bit of a growth spurt in her feet. They were going through each pair, when Emmie asked Lilli a question. "Lilli, if you could wear any shoes you wanted every single day, what would they be? Which is your favorite pair?" She thought for a minute, then replied. "I'd wear my most beautiful, perfect boots at Mimmie & Papa's house. Can we live at Mimmie & Papa's? They already have that bed for me in the playroom, and Brody can sleep with the laundry. Please?" I fell out laughing when I heard this, but mostly, I was filled with delight. Lilli's getting to be old enough that she remembers a...
Not Going Anywhere
Last night we had an annual business celebration. From July through June, every year, our agents work hard to achieve levels of sales success, and in mid-July we have a party for those who made it. It's always a good time. One of our agents recently adopted a little girl, who, even at her relatively young age, had already experienced some pretty harrowing things. The transition has been a sweet, but not always easy, one, and last night was only one of a handful of times they'd left her with a sitter (the agent's sister, at that). I knew they were both a little nervous, but they had fun and seemed to really enjoy the evening. Then, just as I sat down to write this, my Facebook pops...
Go Team!
I've been working on a presentation for the office this week. I spent one afternoon looking for quotes that would convey the prevalent idea, and found this one that ended up being the winner. Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. ~ Vince Lombardi Every office is made up of individuals who have dreams and goals. We live in America, after all, and we've been taught since we were little to reach for the "American Dream;" if we work hard, stay consistent, and break through our fear, we can achieve just about anything. All of this is true, and it's true in our office, just as it is in yours,...
Left Behind
That title sounds like I'm going to talk about a popular "end-times" book series. I'm not. Instead, I'm going to talk about a bird that just perched on the back of our lounge chair by the pool. You see, I sat down to write about something else this morning, and as I opened my computer and gazed out the window like I always do, I saw the little guy land there on the back of the chair. He was cute, a bunting, and I watched him scan the lay of the land before he suddenly took off, leaving behind a long stream of white poop running down the back of the chair. Now the dark woven back of the chair is marred by the white sloppy mess. It changes the whole look of the chair and, obviously,...