Nature vs. Nurture

Which is it - the genetics and pre-dispositions put into us before we are born, or the very house and parents that determine our lives; our personalities, success, happiness? I used to really believe it was nature; be sure to check the horse's teeth before you buy it and all that stuff. There was a boy in my hometown I really liked and wanted to date, but mom squelched that before it ever got a chance because he came from "bad seed."
I had an email from my sister today, which I read over and over again. Our lives, while having grown up in the same house with the same parents, could not be farther apart. It is like reading something from someone I don't even know - how did her life get where it is? Maybe my life was intended to go in that direction also, but God blessed me with Andrew and His church, and I am the one who changed. Whatever it is, I am eternally greatful.
Each day, as my students come and go from my room, I think about their lives, and where they will end up. Some truly were born with disabilities, and some were just born in a home that did not know how to foster them to their highest potential. Where one stops and the other starts is a mystery. I guess the answer is to make the most of what life offers us.

Back at Home

Well, after a few days away, we are home. Houston was cool and cloudy - Andy's favorite weather for Thanksgiving. Dana was our Hostess; Erin and Gregg provided a delicious brunch for us Thursday morning. We had a wonderful time, and got home in time to see the Ags beat the s not out of UT !!
On Thursday, we ate dinner at my sister-in-law's home. All the nieces and nephews were there, and everyone but my other sister-in-law was there. As I sat around the table and watched my grown-up neices and nephews all around me, I was struck by what a blessed family the LaMore's are. All the kids are well-mannered, and healthy and intelligent. We are the only members of the clan who live away, so our visits are sporadic at best, but I feel close to them none the less. I hope they all think kindly of their Aunt Amy.
Well, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving as well; it's so important to sit back and relax before the great activity of the holidays come full-swing.

Frustration, thy name is computer !!

Grr, Grr, Grr. I've written, and for some reason, it's not posting. Not Pulitzer Prize stuff, mind you, but still... hopefully, this one will go through.
Yesterday was the "anniversary" of my father's death. 17 years. How could it have already been that long without him? I didn't at the time, but as days and years go by, with major life events coming and going, I feel cheated. When he died, I was relieved, because he was so badly injured and I didn't want him existing in his body without his quick wit and loving spirit around us, but now I know - he should have hung around a lot longer for us all.
I'm a lot more like my dad than my mom. In good ways and in bad, I am his daughter. He made me feel safe and while he was not a gushy kind of dad, I knew he loved me a lot. We did things -- just the two of us, and I miss that.
If I could talk to him today, I'd tell him how much I look forward to being reunited with him for eternity. He loved the whole idea of "church" and what it brought to our lives, and he was quite the song leader. Tempo meant nothing to him except sing it loud and sing it fast. I hear him in my head as I type these words. "Kneel at the Cross"....
Someday, I'll be a grandma, and I hope to Heaven that I'm as cool a grandma as Daddy was a grandpa. Cardboard boxes to play in and wagons to ride in. Swings to push high in the air! And lots and lots of whistling!

Happy Birthday, Margaret

Today is my mother's birthday. She would be 80. Wow. It's hard to realize that 6 years have passed since she died, very suddenly one Sat. morning. I was impatient with her the night before; she was fussing about our plans for the next day, and I was trying to cook dinner - I needed her to get OFF THE PHONE! My last words: "I'll talk to you tomorrow when we get home, mom. Good-bye." I don't feel guilty about that; we had lots of conversations like that, so what was one more. I truly don't feel guilty about anything in regards to my life with her; I just wish...
but wishes don't come true, and you can't change the past. You don't get too many second choices to undo the seemingly harmless things that come back to bite you in the rear. I was a good daughter, and I lay my head down at night knowing that, but I wish...
I hope that Joe Beam is right, that in the hereafter she is looking "down" on my life and knows how I feel about the whole "relationship" thing. I've made peace with a lot of junk and have grown amazingly stronger because of how she raised me.
I hope that when people hear me talk about my mom, that I honor her and leave the other stuff for me and me alone. She gave me all she had and then some, and for that alone I love her.
In case you didn't know her, she was artistic, beautiful, crafty, diligent, extravagant, faithful, generous, hospitable, inquisitive, jovial, kind, loving, menacing, neurotic, open, petulant, quizical, rebellious, smart, talkative, understanding (sometimes!), verbal, will-full, x-troverted, and zealous.
Happy birthday, Mom.

Dave Ramsey, I wish I'd never met you!!

I've written before about how Andy and I are disciples of Dave. We are grateful for how we've been able to "see a better way" and get ourselves into better financial situations. Andy is happier than he has been in years, and it is nice to see a brighter future.

BUT I WANT TO BUY STUFF!!! Right now, I'm having a really, really hard time holding back on some major purchases, like new furniture, and doing some stuff around the house that needs it big-time. But, Oh No, not when you live according to Dave and haven't got it all saved up!! GRRRR !

We had a budget meeting Sat., and things are moving along where we need them too. My surgeries have set us back some, but we are still way ahead of where we started. Last night, I broke a tooth. Yep. Saturday morning, my dentist wasn't in the running of where I wanted to spend money; now, he's WAY at the top. Good news is, it isn't hurting, so I have time. Wait, that's what put me in this mess to begin with!

I shouldn't be complaining, but I really could go with a nice afternoon of swiping plastic and not thinking about the bill. Therapy - escapism - living in a dream world. Yep. Big time.

A long, long week....

Few weeks wreck havoc in the lives of teachers as does Red Ribbon Week. It usually falls right about the time of grades due and Halloween, which makes for a "testy" mood among the adults, at least. But, we plod onward, and try to enjoy the festivites of the week amid a school year where not a lot of fun stuff happens.
This year, our "theme" for RRW was High School Musical. We played snipets over the intercom, we played the sound track during lunch, and our Rally was based on the theme, "We're all in This Together."(one of the "hit" songs, if you are not familiar with the show." It was fun to watch the kids who either LOVE it or HATE it - "Miss, that song AGAIN!", and I feel that for the most part, our committee (of which I was NOT a part) hit it on the head this year. Participation was great, although my SPURS earrings broke on the day we wore sports stuff- and the week ended with success with team building tug-o-wars. If it was just that easy to stick the message that RRW teaches - stay with buddies and away from drugs - then we wouldn't have another thing to worry about. However -

on the way to the playground the first day, a little girl, skipping with glee, came up and said, "Mrs. LaMore, why are we celebrating High School Musical this week?!?" Somedays, the message just doesn't translate the way we imagined!