One last Thanksgiving thought

Before this Thanksgiving fades into Christmas chaos, I wanted to just capture one last thought that has been kicking around in my head the last few days. I have been thinking about my own childhood and it always makes me chuckle to remember that for about two years I tried to convince my family I was a dog. I wouldn't eat unless my mom fed me from a bowl on the floor. The best part about it was that I refused to answer to my "human name" and would only answer when someone called me by my "dog name" which I decided was "Glorious". So for 2 years of my childhood I was "Glorious the dog". What great self esteem I must've had to give myself that name. (It was fun this weekend to be around all of my little neices and nephews and to see that this kind of self image is still alive and well in kids under 6.) I wish I could connect with that little girl and see in me now what she saw in me then. There are many days recently when I've beenbeaten up by life; and I'm certain if I had to rename myself I don't even think I could honestly call me "Average the dog" - let alone Glorious! Well, I remembered a scripture during this Thanksgiving celebration and looked it up. The words made me laugh and fostered a new hope that maybe I can see myself as Glorious again someday...but this time not as a dog but just as I am right now. D&C 78:19 "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious and the things of this earth shall be added unto (her), even a hundred fold, yea, more." I am so thankful....for me.

Ok Crystal, Here it is (I hope it's not too much of a disappointment)

Last week for an assignment in my 2010 French class, I had to write a little essay. It has been years since I have written essays, and probably just as long since I have actually put intelligent thoughts down on paper in English, let alone French. But I was happy with the outcome, probably because it was hard but I did it anyway. The essay had to be 3 paragraphs. The first paragraph has to describe someone physically, the second paragraph has to contrast and compare that person to myself, and the third paragraph is supposed to tell something about the person that the reader will never forget. And so since it is already written and is mostly coherent and due to the fact that I promised Crystal I would post something this weekend, I submit my french essay lesson C3L3f as my first official blog (I can't believe I'm doing this! light years out of my comfort zone) Oh by the way, this essay is about Rachael because she was sitting in the room when I was writing.
The first time that you meet Rachael, you immediately see a beautiful girl. She is long and slender. She has blond, straight hair and large blue eyes. Her lips are well defined. Her facial features are delicate and refined. Her skin is peaches and cream. Because she is so beautiful, once you meet Rachael, you want to know her better.
If you have that chance, just by speaking with her you will see that she great to be around. She smiles easily and loves to hear funny stories. I love to tell funny stories. As her mother and daughter, we share some physical characteristics, but our personalities are very different. She prefers listening to speaking. She is discreet. I love to talk (yes it's true!) Often, Rachael won't tell me what is happening with her and out of fear that I will discuss her life with my friends. I love to be in the center of activity. Rachael is content just to watch. Another difference in our personalities is that she has to spend money once she gets it in her hands, I have to save it. Having said all that, there is something we have in common: both of us love to travel. We dream of faraway places we can discover together. We have already conquered some of Europe and most of the Western United States. Because our contrasting personalities also compliment each other, we are the perfect travelling companions.
Rachael is 18 years old. She waits for the day of her liberation from our home with great impatience. She wants to wander far from our little town after graduation from high school. I will miss her enormously. I can make myself cry right now if I think of it too long. However, I have 5 other children who are still living with me, and they will make sure that I am too busy to break down after Rachael departs. But there is someone at our home who exists solely for Rachael. It is her cat Lucy. Every morning when she leaves for school, Lucy waits on Rachael's bed hardly moving all day until Rachael walks back thru her bedroom door. It seems as if Lucy's life is suspended until her friend comes back home at the end of the day to be with her. This has been Lucy's ritual for 4 years. And when Rachael finally leaves that last time to move on to where her life takes her next, still her little cat will wait on the bed for her to return. When that day comes, I will be busy with soccer games, laundry and mothering; yet a piece of my heart will rest quietly next to Lucy, waiting for my life to continue once my beautiful daughter again comes home.

Testing