My Mall Walking Observations

I see short people and tall people,
Thin people and fat people.

I see he people and she people,
And old people and young people.

There are baby stroller pushers
And baby stroller riders.

There are speed walkers and dawdlers,
Smilers and frowners.

Some walkers are cheerful and say “good morning”.
Others pass by without a word, oblivious that I am there at all.

I see window washers and plant waterers,
And shelf stockers and floor cleaners.

Men sitting in groups having coffee,
Women chatting happily as they speed right on by.

I see cel phone talkers, Ipod listeners,
And I didn’t see a single texter!

Some people look lonely.
Others look happy to be alone.

I see trusters (leaving their coats on benches)
And those who don’t trust (wearing their jackets tied around their waists).

I see people who are serious about their health.
I can tell by their expensive walking shoes and fitness outfits.

Some seem to be on their way somewhere else
Judging their business type attire and shoes.

A few (like me) walk at a relaxed pace,
Enjoying the “Show of Life as a Mall Walker”.




*Note:  I am not a seasoned Mall Walker.  I did walk every day years ago, but have not done so in a long time.  This week is actually my first time back.  Hopefully I can keep it up.  But, no promises...

Random Things and Joy

Adar is the happiest, most joyous month of the Hebrew calendar. In fact, its motto is "When Adar comes, joy is increased."

I am posting some random pictures for no reason other than I am happy and want to.

Last night Lance and I went to see River Dance. It was awesome! We had such a good time. Talk about a great show. Very high energy with lots of great music, dancing, and singing.


This afternoon when I was leaving work to go to the Post Office I saw this great old motorcycle with a side car parked on the street. I just had to take a couple of pictures. I was afraid the owner would run out of the house to see if I was messing with it, but that didn't happen. I actually rode in a side car many years ago when I was just a little girl. I don't know how old I was. We had gone to visit my Uncle G.W. and Aunt Mary Grace. He was my Grandmother's brother. His son had a motocycle with a side car and he took me for a short ride in the neighborhood. I can still remember how it felt to sit in that little car as he rode on the motorcycle. I just kept looking over at him, rather than looking around. I doubt if he went more than 5 mph.


Balloons eating lunch. Not really. It's really Sara and Sophie eating lunch while playing with their balloons from Mimi and PawPaw. A few days after Sophie's 2nd birthday party Mimi and PawPaw came for lunch. They had missed her party due to snow so they brought her gifts and brought the girls some balloons.


A few weeks ago I needed to go to the retina surgeon's office to get a work release form signed. It was late in the afternoon, and the sky was beautiful. The clouds had such amazing designs and shapes. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw the flag with this wonderful sky painting by G-d behind it and happened to have my camera in the car.


We've all heard the saying, "There's an elephant in the middle of the room, but no one mentions it." I thought of the saying last year when I saw this great picture in a little thrift shop down in Haskell when we were at the cottage. I paid $3 for it. I have it hanging in my guest bathroom. I think we would all be better off if we would embrace rather than ignore the "elephant in the room" as the little girl in the picture is embracing the elephant in her life.


This is one of my favorite children's stories and has been since I was a child. I have always thought how much better the world would be if we would each "add something to the pot".


This is one of my absolute favorite tiny treasures! I found her at another little junk shop down in Haskell earlier this year. She is the most amazingly beautiful little pin, probably made in the 1950's or 1960's.


This is my all-time favorite picture of my Granny Enloe. She was my Mother's Mother. She looks so beautiful in her pink dress. I miss her!



This is my plate that reminds me to pray for peace in the world, and especially for peace in Jerusalem, when Mashiach will come to rule and reign someday. (May it be soon, and in our lifetime!)


Judaism teaches us that we were put here on this earth to live well and be happy in spite of inevitable negative events. The Hebrew word for happiness is simcha. Simcha is usually thought to mean rejoicing such as the outpouring of joy one feels when a baby is born, or a wedding or birthday celebration takes place. But simcha can also mean happiness as a general state of being. It is a state of satisfaction, contentment, a positive attitude, and optimism toward life.

Kaballists teach that a happy person is not someone who just has the right set of circumstances. Instead, the happy person is someone who has the right attitude under any circumstance and is able to communicate that attitude to his or her soul, thereby being able to somehow either heighten a positive experience or lessen a negative one.

The Talmud teaches us that upon death, every person will be asked questions, and how we answer these questions will determine our entrance into the world to come. These questions include:

Were you honest in business?
Did you set aside time for Torah study?
Did you have hope?
Did you enjoy all the permitted pleasures of life? Or, why weren't you happy with those pleasures you did experience?

It seems as if saying "yes" to the last question, "did you enjoy life's pleasures", would be the most simple, but many of us find it hard to partake of what the Talmud calls the permissible pleasures because we are somehow waiting for things to be better or waiting for prescribed times or events before we can truly enjoy life.

Moses in his final sermon to the Jewish people sums up our choices about life with these words, "See I set before you this day, life and goodness..." (Deut. 30:15) And this remains true today - life is good if we embrace the wisdom of these words in the Torah.

Adar. The month of great joy. It's a wonderful time to begin living a life of joy - or to increase the joy we already have.

An Ordinary Thursday Full of Extraordinary Blessings

After I got off work this morning I picked Sara up. Laurie needed me to keep her so she could take Sophie to get her picture taken. She was scheduled to have the pictures done on Sophie's birthday last week, but they had to cancel the appointment due to the bad weather we were having.

We stopped off the Market Street so I could pick up my medication and few things we had run out of at the house. Sara wanted to push one of the little carts. She thought she was so grown up. I thought she looked adorable.


When we got home we had lunch. Our menu was kosher hotdogs on organic wheat buns, corn on the cob, and fried sweet potatoes. Yum Yum!



After lunch Sara got Bryson's birthday gift bag ready to take to his party on Saturday.

Then we read our new books. All of them.

After Laurie and Sophie were finished getting her pictures made and had lunch together they came over for naptime.



After naptime the girls watched some favorite tv programs and played with the toys. Pop got home from work and there was lots of giggling going on. While they picked up the toys I made stir fry and rice for dinner. The girls tried the trainer chop sticks for the first time.



It was an ordinary Thursday. But it was full of extraordinary blessings! G-d is good!! Psalm 13:6 I will sing unto the L-RD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.