On This Memorial Day...Thank You

Barbecues. A parade filled with patriotic colors. A day at the beach. Cookies or cupcakes with stars on top. This is what Memorial Day looks like to so many. On the outside, this is what Memorial Day looks like on me.

On the inside, however, I am truly in awe. I could not personally identify one of the 5,462 faces of the fallen in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. I have never left a memento alongside the grave of a loved one lost. I never bore witness to the site of a flag-draped casket holding someone near and dear to me. I never had to say goodbye like this…or this…or this.

My thoughts and prayers today are not only with those fallen, but also with those grieving parents, friends, siblings, husbands, wives and children. For your sacrifices, I honor you, I pray for you, and I thank you.

Photo Story Friday - Be Happy...

...Your Glass is Half Full

We call this Nicholas's "Be Happy!" face. When he senses (or knows darn-well) that someone is angry or sad, he puts on this cheesy grin and (as more of a retort than a reminder) he makes his command—“Be Happy!”

When he first started doing this, I found it trying. "I don't want to 'be happy' right now," I would inform him. "Mommy is upset."

A few days into this new routine, however, my teen-aged daughter picked it up. In the same, high-pitched, clipped tone, she would glance over at me from across the room and, for no reason at all, slap on the identical cheese-grin and imitate her brother-- “Be Happy!”

Then, we laugh.

In those moments, I realize that perhaps the smartest person in the room, the one that is teaching the lessons, is the three-year-old. He’s the one who sees the glass as half full…the eternal optimist because he knows nothing else. In his mind, why not be happy? The alternative is so much less appealing.

I often hear that the key to positive thinking is to practice positive affirmations. These are tools that reprogram your unconscious mind from negative thinking to positive. The process is easy. Think of positive statements that you wish to see manifested, and repeat them over and over until they are a part of your way of thinking.

So, Nicholas offers this one—your glass is half full, so “Be Happy!”

Hosted by Cecilyand Mamarazzi

Week 21 - I Heart Faces "Yellow"

I've been preparing my "yellow" photo for weeks. Other than selecting which photo, of so many photos, that I loved best, I was completely ready to post.

Then, out of the blue we received a letter--"I am pleased to announce that your student has been selected to receive recognition during our annual Awards Ceremony..." Yes, our Jenny will graduate with honors!! Yesterday evening, Jenny received her "yellow" honor cords. In just a few, short weeks, she will walk across the graduation stage, and she will proudly display her accomplishment.

Until then, however, I will proudly display it here!

Congratulations my Jenny! Congratulations Class of 2010! The world is waiting!!

Check out other IHeartFaces yellow photos this week here. They are filled with sunshine and sure to make you smile.

Ocean Treasures

We finally made our appointment with the beach, and the treasures awaiting us made it worth the wait!

"Handle with Care"

Ticklish Traveler

"Clammy" hands

Smile for me!

Show yourself

Going Home - Take only pictures...leave only bubbles.

What is Your Reason for Cloud-Dreaming?

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray."

Heller. For those of you who don't know, Heller means, "Brilliant, like the sun!" Yes, my darling little boy, my sunshine, my Heller, was brilliant--just like the sun.

"The other night dear, while I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms...
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head and cried."

Heller Ritz Photography Capturing Sunshine is about Heller. Sleeping, awake, day or night, I dream of my sunshine. I dream of "Capturing Sunshine," holding it in my arms, and never letting go.

Sunshine can be found anywhere and everywhere, but I know the best place to look. And that, my friends, is why I cloud dream.

I am not alone, Cloud-Dreamers can be found far and wide, and the reasons for cloud-dreaming are countless. Check out this lovely community of cloud-dreamers here. As its creator, Fran, has noted, "Your heart will thank you."

You can also visit My Angel Hippo is Happy--my first official cloud-dream post at Cloud-Dreaming