Truly

I was born and raised by very proud and loyal Catholic parents.
My family was in church every single Sunday
& my siblings and I spent many hours in our Catholic elementary and middle school.
Catholic education was a very important part of my youth
& I have many fond memories of Our Lady of Grace.
Go Knights !

I sure don't know why but, for some reason my 8th Grade Graduation keeps popping into my head these days.
Not the whole day, just one certain part.
I remember walking into church and being greeted by Sister Humberta.
She was a gentle lady, a very loving person and teacher.

Sister Humberta smiled, hugged and wished me well
& she asked what plans I had for my future.
I don't remember what I said.
The shy, adolescent me stammered something totally irrational, I'm sure.
But, I do recall Sister Humberta saying she always thought I would become a nun.

Now, she might have used that line on every girl who walked into church that day.
Who knows ?
But, those words have been stuck in my brain for years.

I walked out of O.L.G.'s doors that day and went on with my life
& never even considered becoming a nun.
Me ? ? ?
That's just weird.

Lately though, I've been thinking about 'what ifs and would I's'.
What if I had taken Sister Humberta's cue and had become a nun ?
Would I have enjoyed that life ?
Would I have been a good nun ?
Would I still be ?
& most importantly, would I have wholeheartedly walked the religious life walk ?

Maybe it's because the older I am getting the more spiritual I am becoming but, the wiser me hopes I would have been the very best of the best.
Because this me feels if I had felt the 'call' ...
I mean really, truly felt the 'call' ...
I would have tried to be the happiest, sun-shiniest, little nun the world had ever seen.

Think about all of the spiritual people in your life.
Those who have Reverend, Father, Preacher, Sister, etc., attached to their names
& those who don't.

The ones who TRULY feel the love in their hearts and are TRULY walking the walk are the jolliest people on this entire planet.
These special beings are singing the joy of everything, every single day.
Continually dancing the dance of happy.
No need to wonder because it's there.
Right there.
You can feel the love that surrounds a truly spiritual person.
& that love is continually shared because it's so very easy and so completely natural.

Sure makes me wonder.
About me.
About people I know
&
About humans.

I would hope that, had I gone on to become Sister Jacqueline, I would have talked the talk and unquestionably, wonderfully, joyfully walked the walk
& that I'd still be sharing that love.

I sure hope the Jacki I turned out to be has done the same.

:)

I Am My Feelings

Don't Stop

I am sitting in an airport, waiting to head home after a PERFECT family weekend.

Weddings.

Wooooo weeeeee.

I LOVE THEM.

I've been having so much fun with a bundle of people I adore that I feel completely separated from the heartache and horror that is surrounding us, yet again

& now, as I sit watching the airport tv, I have been horribly awakened to what has happened in our world.

Words seem absolutely meaningless today

& I know this is going to sound incredibly naive but, I feel I must say it anyways.

Please, please, PLEASE don't stop believing.
In good.

In love.

In joy and hope.

They are there.

Somewhere in all of this hate filled ugliness they remain and will never, ever, ever leave

& as hard as that is to believe on days like today, remember good always, always, always defeats evil.

ALWAYS.

I may be banging my head against the wall and shouting from the rooftops to nobody but, I plan to keep on shouting.

Believe.
In us.

In people.
Believe in humankind.

Because the good in this world outnumbers the bad all the time, every time
& love does and always, forever WILL conquer all.

:)

I Am My Feelings 

Take the Bus Home

I don't know about everybody else but, I have songs in my head all the time.
All day.
Every single day.
It's definitely a 24 / 7 kind of thing.

I'm assuming this is normal
& if this is something I should be concerned about, I am long past the due date.
oops.

At least I know Younger Brother has the music in him too.
He and I text each other lyrics throughout each ditty filled day.
He receives whatever tune happens to be in my brain
& I receive whatever is strumming through my sibling's brain.
Back and singingly, jingly forth.
YaY.

When my son was a child, bath time always included Bobby Darin's wonderful  'Splish Splash' song.
'Splish Splash I was taking a bath..!....'
Son and I sang that melody so much that at 4 years old he jumped onstage and karaoked it in a local, summertime beer tent
& yep
The crowd went wild.

My children's names were each given a lovely, little name song.
First. Middle. Last.
Why ?
Because !
&
when they were in elementary school we had songs for just about every daily activity.
The 'Bus Song' and 'Friday Song' were most definitely the favs.

Take the bus home.
Take the bus home.
Take the bussssssss home.

It's Friday
It's Friday
It's Friday Friday Friday...

Classics, I tell you.
Classics.

On the days those darling children of mine pushed me to the edge and were thisclose to being planted on our infamous 'Bad Chair'...?
Yes.
There's a song for that too.

I. Love. Songs.
& I love singing.
Loooooove  !!!!!
Oh & btw ...
I am pretty darn positive I was Adele in another lifetime.
Oh, yes.
Yes, I Was.
Weeeeeee.

I'm so hoping all people go through life with musical notes floating happily around in their head.
It really is quite enjoyable.
And if this is not typical ?

shhhhhhhhhh.

I don't ever, ever want to know.

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala.
Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


:)

I Am My Feelings