Snuggle people....

No man is an island¹³, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory¹⁴Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. ¹⁵ http://isu.indstate.edu/ilnprof/ENG451/ISLAND/text.html

  According to John Donne, "no man (or woman) is an island, entire of itself". I could not agree more.  Some people run into trouble when they think they are the end all, be all, of the world.  I am sure you all know someone who is selfish enough to think of mostly themselves…..you have to feel sorry for these people. If a person is smart, they know that alone, they are nothing. We were created to need other people and other people were created to need us.  It is that simple.  

Have you ever heard the phrase “he/she completes me!”? That is just an impossible statement to me.  One person simply cannot fulfill every single one of another person’s needs.  That is why we have friends and other family members (who are hopefully your friends).

 

While I do believe a spouse can fill many needs in the very important relationship of marriage, a spouse simply cannot do it all. Take for instance my family.  My husband LOVES war games and WWII….I, on the other hand, am not a big fan.  Hubby has tried to get me involved in the games, tried to lure me in using friendlier character games, with interesting situations…but they were just never for me.  Thankfully, our oldest boys have grown up LOVING the games AND WWII, so he had that in common with them and they having grown up sharing that love together. It bonds them and I am happy to be witness to the relationship that blossoms as a result of their common love.  

I believe that every person needs to build their “team” and work together to fill each others needs. I have the luxury of getting instant love from my little snuggle bunnies pretty much on demand.  Sometimes, when I am working, my youngest will come in and just sit on my lap and snuggle for a few, then she will go back to whatever she was doing…her way to say “I love you!”  We need to have “snuggle people” to help us get through life…we just need to remember to snuggle back.

Loudly yours,

Alicia

Five Kernels of Corn....

It is the morning of Thanksgiving and I have stolen away for a quick entry before the craziness of the day begins.  Quiet is never a word you can use on this Thankful day, but at the moment, I have that luxury.  This year, our family is going to try a new tradition.  Let me give you a little background.  Last week, on the radio, I heard about another family's tradition of placing 5 kernels of corn on each plate to signify 5 things to be thankful for as well as to remember that the Pilgrims were thankful, even though they had as little as 5 kernels to eat a day.  Here is a great reference: The Amazing Mess.

I think it will serve well as a reminder for us to be thankful of the things that we have in life. The Amazing mess site shows what each kernel stands for:

Kernel 1: Bounty and beauty of fall
Kernel 2: Love for each other
Kernel 3: Love for family
Kernel 4: Friendship
Kernel 5: Freedom to worship God

I love it!

In honor of the five kernel story, I am going to practice what I will say at the table here.  

Kernel 1: I am thankful for the health of myself, my family and friends
Kernel 2: I am thankful for the love present in my life
Kernel 3: I am thankful for the love of my family and for their undying support
Kernel 4: I am thankful for the great friendships in my life that thankfully include my family
Kernel 5: I am thankful to God for all the blessings He has given me and my loved ones.


I am also thankful that even though having a large family of 7 children can get crazy, it is never boring and there is a lot of love to go around, even though it comes in spurts!!


I am thankful that Gavin is doing great on his missions trip.
I am thankful that Justin is happy in his senior year of school.
I am thankful that Nathan is adjusting to his Freshman year.
I am thankful that Rachael is enjoying Catholic School & is doing well.
I am thankful that Vianne is discovering her talent & doing well in school.
I am thankful that Vincent is excited about participating in sports and has the energy to do well at the sports he chooses.
I am thankful that Gabriella is very self motivated and thoughtful.
I am thankful that I have an amazing husband who supports me in countless ways.
I am thankful that I have a family who loves me.


I am blessed.


Happy Thanksgiving!!


Loudly yours,
Alicia