The Tapestry of a Family

I love tapestries. They always mean something. There is a message in the image that can speak to the heart. This is just as true of the tapestry of a family. The hidden depths of the relationships can show the beauty of the front side, or the snarly mess of the back. No matter which side is seen, its all important because we cannot have the sweet without some of the bitter. 

The tapestry of my family has always been challenging. I spent years focusing on the snarls, instead of the beautiful. I had trouble finding my way past the backside of the image. Time does many things, and sometimes, it really does heal wounds. It took me a long time to get to the place where I can remember the good things, and not focus so much on the bad.I had to get help, and experience a lot of God-given grace to get here. Now, when I think of my family, I don't automatically battle with negative emotions, I often smile at remembering good times. 

Why is this important? Its part of my ongoing emotional healing. Abuse, whether your own, or a family member's leaves scars on the heart. Regardless of the kind of abuse, it holds us back from believing we are worth following our dreams. What often gets left behind is a feeling of worthlessness. That causes despair, and leads to severe depression and isolation. Many people have no idea that their depression isn't the root cause of their problems, its actually a symptom of something else. 

My family's tapestry isn't new. Its old. It comes from childhood. It did not carry into my adult years except as it relates to dealing with the snarls of the backside left behind in my heart and mind. I have spent a lifetime working through them, clipping the threads and cleaning it up up emotionally one by one. I have had great grace given to me along with a loving husband to help me on my journey. 

I engage in battle each day to experience the joy of living and breathing and its worth the fight. I am a positive person by nature, and when given lemons, I do my best to make lemonade out of it. I am a fighter, and not a quitter. I want good things for me and for my loved ones and those around me. It is worth fighting through the snarls of the backside of my family tapestry so that the beauty of the front can shine through. 

Dr. Who has been around for 52 years and is still going strong!

If you have no idea what a Tardis is, then the words Dr. Who are not going to mean anything for you. This BBC show has been around through many major events in the world at large. The various Dr. Who’s have see World Wars and nations change hands. Dr. Who has worn many faces as well over the years, and had many companions to help him on his adventures.

The first Dr. Who started his journey in 1963. His companion was his granddaughter Susan. Together they battled a celestial toy maker, jogged through Rome, Mongolia and France making sport of the various leaders of those times, kept the Daleks from fulfilling their goal of Galactic domination. At the end of three seasons, this Dr. felt the pull to change, and so he went through his transition. When he was done, the second Dr. Who took over and had a far different personality than the first.

The first Dr. Who pretty much kept his work on earth, but the second explored the stars and battle space pirates and cybermen. This fit with the times because by the time Patrick Troughton took over the role, the world had become space mad. Keeping the content of the show contemporary with the times was something the writers and directors were very good at. This Dr. Who also dealt with being tried by his own people for interfering too much with. The forced him to regenerate into a new iteration of himself. Troughton was Dr. Who for three seasons before John Pertwee took over in 1969.

Each Dr. stayed for a span of years, traveling backwards and forwards through time with their many companions helping them accomplish the mission of protecting Earth and the Galaxy at large. Each Dr. was a meddler in the affairs of men, but always with the intent to help and aid mankind. They fought off attacks, obliteration, and mind controlling attempts by a host of enemies. There have been twelve Dr’s across the time of the show.

Each of the Dr’s have had unique personalities, and have tackled cultural elements contemporary to the time of their roles. One of the reasons why the show has stood as fresh for so many years is due really to two things. The contemporary feel of each Dr as they have crossed major events in the world and dealt with them, is one. The second is that there is a sense of timelessness to the Time Lord. Often taking The Dr. out of this world and into space has renewed the show’s vigor.

Honestly as the world has enjoyed this show, and me as well, I have favorites among the cast of Dr’s. I loved Tom Baker and his quirky personality. Those are some of my favorite seasons of the show. He was The Dr for seven years before passing on the torch to the next one in line through regeneration. Of his companions, my favorite was Sarah Jane Smith. She stowed away on the Tardis while investigating a story and ended up with The Dr from 73–76. I loved her feisty attitude! This companion was so great, they brought her back in 2006 with David Tennant.

The ninth Dr. Christopher Eccleston picked up his torch in 2005. He was the last surviving Time Lord after the Last Great Time War. He was only The Dr for one season because he gave over his form to save his companion Rose. One of my favorite stories with this Dr. was when he took Rose to see the end of the world. He had some attitude issues, but there was just something about him I enjoyed as The Dr. David Tennant picked up the role next. He held the role for five years. I really liked this Dr a lot. Like Tom Baker, this Dr was quite quirky. I really like that kind of character development. One thing about the Dr is that he, in his many iterations, seems to battle the same group of enemies over and over again. I also love that many of the companions come in and out of The Dr’s life over the course of time. It makes for a very special kind of show.

A whole new saga started with the eleventh Dr. This was supposed to be the last regeneration. I knew they would find a good way around that! Why get rid of a great thing?! Matt Smith held this role for three years, and covered a lot of important story ground. For the first time I have ever seen it, The Dr got married! He has had many companions, but never a wife! He also had the opportunity to see his own tombstone, and meet a past him and get to straighten out his own past mistakes. He worked with the tenth Dr to save his home world instead of seeing it destroyed. For his hard work the Time Lords granted him a whole new cycle! Yay, more Dr. Who! This brings us to the current Dr. This Dr is older, had forgotten something as basic as running the Tardis and had to have his companion teach him, and is getting to have some time off to hang out with his wife River Song.

To find a series that has stood true to its story line, and endured is amazing! Its pretty unheard of when it comes to the entertainment industry. Through its many ups and downs, and Dr’s and companions and enemies, not to mention the real life events of the world around us the viewers it has remained an integral part of British television and with the advent of technology to allow for shows like this to be seen the world over, a major favorite for fans all over. I might not like going to my Dr, but I love me some of 

It’s A Gas, Gas, Gas!

There are some days that life just seems like a bitter pill. It takes a lot to make you smile because you just don’t feel the love from people around you and especially not from the world at large. This A.M. it made me think of Jumpin’ Jack Flash. That song, sung by the Rolling Stones in 1968 is gritty. Of course most of the time life is gritty too, so the song resonates with many of us who find hope in surprising places, and can laugh at unexpected moments.

The movie Jumpin’ Jack Flash, released in 1986, is a pop culture classic in my opinion. You have a gal just doing normal everyday things, working at a bank job with a boss that is a jerk, and all of a sudden she is contacted by someone via her computer who is in need of help. Its not a straight forward cry though, its very mysterious. Who is this dude? He seems to be a spy caught somewhere and needing a way out and he needs Terry’s help! Let the games begin because its a gas, gas, gas!

For this spy, Terry is his hope. Through her he can get the help he needs to escape his trouble. Its pretty bad, and talking with her, walking her through what to do to help him, encourages him not to give up, or to lose hope. We all need that sometimes don’t we? I know I do.

Life seems to be full of woe today. There are a lot of really bad and sad things happening. Every time I read the news via my computer, or watch anything on t.v. I get an ache inside because its heartbreaking. Why can’t we be kind to one another, loving, respectful? Why do we have to hurt people, make other fearful? Why can’t we get along? For whatever reason, it make me think of the son, Jumpin’ Jack Flash. The subject of the song has been down and out, had troubles, and even been left for dead. How does he respond to the bad he has been handed? He says its alright, its a gas, gas, gas. What he is really saying is that its alright now, its wonderful, life is actually good. He has let go of the bad to grab a hold of the good and he isn’t letting that bad drag him down!

There are some important life lessons in there. Terrible things are going to continue to happen. I wish they didn’t, but hey, its not up to me. So, how can I deal with it? I can decide its not going to hold me back from still giving others good. I can give a smile to those around me that I don’t know. I can treat others kindly and be a source of hope instead of the pill they have to swallow because of my bad attitude. I can run around today with the non-verbal message in my face, and body language and attitude that its alright, its a gas, gas, gas! Let’s all be kind to one another today and pass on hope to others so that, today, their bad feels a little lighter!

Posted from Original Reveries Published by Elise Welburn Martin a Medium.com Publication

The Power of Flowers and Sunshine!

Do you ever battle with too little sunshine? I sure do! If I go too many days without soaking up the sun, I get grouchy! I could never live in Alaska, though it is such a beautiful state, because they literally spend six months of their year in the dark! I am like a flower, and I need that sunshine to be healthy!

Right now my home is filled with flowers. Its summer, so the flowers are blooming in my yard, and it was also recently both my anniversary and my birthday, so flowery presents have come my way! I love it! They are pretty to look at, and fill my house with some of my favorite scents. Due to the summer weather the sun is shining a lot where I live, which fills me with feelings of happiness. Why do the flowers and sunshine have such power over me?

Research continues to show that flowers indoors, along with plants, give a sense of mental well-being. It brightens up your space with color and something alive and fresh, and that improves our moods. In addition to the looks of the flowers, the scents actually can be a source of relief from anxiety and stress. That is one of the reasons botanicals are used in essential oils that go into lotion, bubble bath and diffusers so that, when fresh flowers are not around, we can smell them and feel more relaxed.

Flowers are interesting and beneficial in a variety of ways, and another is that they are a language all their own. Granted it is us who has assigned meaning to them, but flower messages are part of our culture in a very real way. Different flowers have different meanings to people, and we read emotions by them. If you give a gal a dozen roses, it symbolizes emotion and worth. Roses are expensive, so it tells us gals we are worth the cost of those roses. When you add in the color of the rose, well it says a lot about your feelings for us. Guys, never give a red rose to a gal unless you want her to believe you love her! The emotions of flowers are a big deal to us gals!

So, what about the benefits of sunshine? Well the first benefit is that it is light. Do you feel the blahs when it is cloudy? A lot of people do. There is a reason for that. Sunlight is known to provide real health benefits. It increases levels of serotonin. This hormone is often called the happy hormone. We all have it, and we all need it. I helps balance us out and improves mood. In addition to happy feelings, sunlight also uses serotonin to to keep our circadian rhythms straight so that we can sleep at night. Sunlight helps our bodies produce Vitamin D naturally, so that our bones are stronger over time. Finally if you are battling with a skin condition, sunlight can actually help you along the way to clearing it up!

So, a mood booster, with real physical benefits, both flowers and sunshine really are a power in their own right! Beautiful to look at, and to enjoy, and healthful for us too! Nothing like the power of flowers and sunshine!

Reprinted from My Stories at https://medium.com/@elisewelburnmartin

On the Sunny Side of Crazy!

Sometimes life is full of a whole bunch of gunk. I feel like a hot mess! In the midst of it, I think about screaming, but usually I find a way to make it all good. I tend to be a glass is half full kind of person. I like to find ways to make sense of my minor bouts of crazy life moments.

I kid with my family and say "I might be crazy, but ha!, not enough to commit me!"  They always laugh at me because they know I am really not kidding. Now I know that there are varying degrees of crazy, and some of those degrees are really a bad thing. When I talk about crazy I mean wacky, a little zany, fun loving, full of good humor that is not traditional in all senses. That is my crazy. Sometimes I feel a little more crazy due to hormones, but hey, that is a different kind of story and not for today.

Sunny side up. Well my first thought is eggs that haven't been cooked all the way. Their golden round goodness like the sun in the sky. Its bright, and cheerful and oh so tasty. So my sunny side of crazy is all about good, fun loving, exuberant and very whimsical humor. Its me singing a familiar song, but not remembering all the words, but I don't care, so I will make up my own words, and if you don't like it, well that is your problem because I am enjoying singing because I am full of music!

So much of life is so serious, and hard. People like me tend to lighten the mood. We can be very serious ourselves, and our sunnyside of crazy helps keeps us grounded and sane. We feel things deeply, and care a great deal and this kind of heart restores our balance. Its all about perspective. I practice this kind of crazy every day. If you see a nut driving down the road with a big smile on her face, and it is obvious she is singing a song and be bopping in her car as she is driving along, it might be me! Or someone like me that is just full of some kind of joy and letting it out. Those people should cause us all to smile because we need them in life. They help us keep perspective that not all of life is hard. They bring a laugh, a smile and a sweetness to life.

My sunny side of crazy says let me be an energy giver today instead of sucking that energy out of everyone around me because I am a grump. It says, lets work together to be joyful and to care, and to help others even if its just with making them smile. I am bound and determined, when appropriate, to help those around me enjoy a little bit of my crazy so that hopefully their day might be just a little bit better! Come along for my ride! I am waiting to laugh with you!

Shoe Sale 40% Off!

I will share honestly that I love shoes! My husband has called me Imelda Marcos when it comes to my shoe buying habits. Today I went with my son to an appointment and while he was having his eyes examined, literally, I went next door to the shoe store! Woot! I wandered around enjoying trying on this pair and that. I found a pair that I really liked, so I toted them around while making sure they were really the one. I had decided before going into the trenches that I would walk away with only one pair today.

I finally made it back to the clearance area, and found a pair I liked even better than the first pair. So, I put the first pair back and toted around the second pair. The first pair was full price, the second pair was about the same original price, but had 40% off. I got to the next rack and found a pair of wedges made by Sofft that I fell in love with! So comfortable,and so stylish. I love that I can dress them up or down depending on my outfit. I restocked the second pair I had been toting around and snagged that third pair for my own. Sometimes you hit on a pair of shoes that you just know is it! Those shoes were it. I didn't even bother looking at the last rack. I found my one!

The beauty of those shoes is that they were fifteen dollars less than the second pair at original price, and on top of that they too were 40% off! Woot! I was practically giddy! I bought my shoes, met my son at the optical place, and hung around until he was done. We had thought he would need his eyes dilated, so I went as designated driver. He didn't end up needing it, but boy was I glad I went! Those awesome shoes are mine! They were sitting on the table when my hubby got home tonight. How does he handle my shoe buying habit? He laughs, asks me to show them to him on, and then, because I usually end up buying in the clearance area, listened to me share what a great deal I got on them and all about my 40% off buy! He calls my shoe buying shoe therapy, and usually when I go buy shoes its not just because I love shoes, I have something going on in my head space I am trying to work out.

Life is complicated, challenging, and full of both joy and sorrow. We all have our coping mechanisms. For me, today, it was that shoe sale 40% off that cheered me up and helped me pop a smile instead of continuing to frown!

Waspecades and the Screeching Lady

Once upon a time, this lady had a swimming pool built in her back yard. She watched it go in with extreme excitement, for she could not wait to dip her tootsies into the warm, blue water. Through many long days she waited, sometimes patiently, sometimes not so much. Finally the day came when the pool was done and the water was cold, but who cares, right? In she went. It was October, and the weather was still reasonably hot so the cool water felt good. She only got to use it a couple of times before the season changed, temperatures cooled and the pool went into maintenance mode.

She eagerly anticipated the weather warming back up so that swimming could once again be done. It was March when the weather was warm enough to really start swimming. Little did she realize she wasn't the only one that would be enjoying her pool. The community was obviously tight knit, so the wasps also came to play. Urgh! How dare they! She had her pest company come out and spray her yard and eaves, but she could not go door to door and have the same thing done for all of her surrounding neighbors. She watched, as she floated in her pool, as waspecapades were done in her pool by the neighboring wasps who saw that body of water as a great place to grab a drink and cool off from the heat of the day.

That lady screeched many times in the following years. I am sure the neighbors find it quite amusing. If it were me I would say to her, what did you expect, the pool is outside with all the bugs and it is a big drinking hole for them to enjoy. Reason sometimes has little to do with phobia's though. This lady isn't fond of bugs, especially stinging ones, and so when they come into her vicinity you can see her paddling furiously around that pool and you can hear her screeching at them to get away from her.

Time to fess up. Yep, that screeching lady is me. Logic has nothing to do with this at all. I know I am a lot bigger than those flying bugs, but I don't care. I haven't wanted them using my pool to get a drink. I want to enjoy my water space without worrying about their waspecades. I did notice something this year as a new pool season has started. There are not as many wasps as before. I have floated and swam several time not being bothered by them at all. It makes me wonder which watering hole they are dipping their toes in, or whether my neighbors are having their yards sprayed. I won't go so far as to say I miss them, but I realized you can get used to most anything if you have to, and apparently I got used to my wasp company, so I wonder where they are roaming these days. Do you think my neighbors will miss my screeching at all? I can't help but smile at the thought.

A Message With No Voice

This can be taken one of two ways. From a marketing viewpoint it could mean that you have no platform for the message you have and you would like to build one. It could also mean that you have problems giving voice to the message you have, usually because of a fear of speaking to others.

This is the kind of situation I am sharing about today. Finding your voice to share your message is a fear filled situation for many people. Its terrifying to get up in front of others and speak passionately about the topic you are suppose to share. People have adopted all kinds of tricks to help them speak publicly with varying degrees of success.

There are some approaches, and mechanisms that can help any speaker get their message out. The first one is know your topic. Be very knowledgeable about it and I would go so far as to say develop a certain level of passion and conviction about it so that you speak with sincerity about your message. Another important point to give voice to your message is understanding what kind of voice needs to be used for your message. Is your topic personal? Then you need to be very personal about what you share. Is your topic factual? Then you need to have done your research, have your facts straight, and honestly, work through your topic out loud so you use voice inflection to help your talk not be boring and dry. Is your topic a story? Adopt the storyteller model of speaking so that your audience is drawn in and can mentally see what you are sharing with them. Finally, know the audience that your topic might draw. You can prepare for your talk based on your audience if you do your planning ahead of time.

All of this being said, the greatest reason people lack the voice to share their message is usually fear. I have stood to share something with a group of people and my knees were knocking, and I was sweating, my heart was racing and I wanted to throw up. My own fear has stopped me many times from sharing with others those messages I feel I have been given to share to help other people. I do fine one on one, but I have always believed I have things to share with a larger audience. It do not lack knowledge, or passion, conviction or preparation. I know my audience as well. That which I lack is the ability to work through the fear and use it in a positive way. One of my favorite movies of all time is Dune. The old version. Paul is being tested and you hear his words to himself when his hand is in the box, I must not fear, fear is the mind killer. How true the words.

I have determined that fear can be overcome carefully and by starting out speaking small and working my way up to larger and larger audiences. Overcoming fear can become a valuable skill set. What I am seeing for myself is joining a book club with people I don't know and putting myself in a situation where I have to talk in front of others and then expanding my horizons by joining a group that works on learning public speaking. From there I can start actually participating in situations where my audience is larger so that my fear either goes away, or is decreased to a level that doesn't make me feel like I am going to have a heart attack.

I have a message, and I need to exercise my voice so that I can share with others those things that are important to me, and that I feel would be of benefit to them. Its time put away fearful thoughts!

Christina Grimmie's Tragic Death

My heart goes out and my prayers are with the Grimmie family as they grieve her loss. How horrifying to lose someone period, but to lose her in such a way is almost unfathomable. 22 years old and a young man plots to take her life, travels to her concert and in one moment of time changes things forever for Christina and her family and friends.

There are words of comfort to say to the Grimmie family, there is the sad truth of their loss and the difficult days ahead. The won't even be able to see justice come out of it as the young man killed himself. It won't bring her back, but I hope in the days ahead there is some kind of understanding of why.

Again, my prayers are lifted up for them, and for the family of the young man as well as they grapple with what has happened because of him, and then losing him as well with what is such an awful act of violence.

Now to the memories. I watched her on The Voice. I loved her voice and her charm as I saw it on the show. She didn't win, but she was third and that is pretty amazing. She had far to go and would have definitely gone far in the music business as she really had what that it factor. I loved it when The Voice had her on the shows as a reporter on the various fashions and looks on the show. She had a great, and infectious smile.

Some of my favorite renditions of songs she sang

https://youtu.be/y9d_XebdtPk?list=PLw5_gI6jgjJWc34h2XSwJtZ-nB8FXdZ8K

https://youtu.be/zTIfBXxgfrk
https://youtu.be/QfifaWeiem4

A Soda Pop Haze

Warning, this post is going to magnify the addiction of soda pop. If you are not addicted to soda pop, or have never struggled with any kind of addiction at all, which includes to sugar, chocolate, etc... this blog post might not be for you!

I have gone through times in my life where I have flown straight and narrow and completely eliminated soda from my diet. I went a year and a half once being so good and not drinking it at all! Then, I went to a barbecue that didn't have anything else to drink to go with my burger and brat, and that was all she wrote! I drank my soda, and I was once again hooked by the beast of a drink.

Its not good for me, I know that. I have started pulling back and limiting my intake, but it is hard, no question about that. It takes good with all its sweet, bubbly fizz. It satisfies something in me that, as much as I love Tea, other drinks just don't. Sometimes though I feel like I live in a soda pop haze. I have drunk too much of it, and definitely not enough water, and I just feel yuck. That is a bad thing of course and that makes me pull back for a few days, drink more water and as soon as I do that, I start to feel better again. Unfortunately, I often fail to really learn my lessons well enough to make them stick. I might go a week doing really well, then something happens and I am right back in my soda pop haze.

So, what to do about it? Well enough sleep at night would be great, because then I wouldn't feel the need for the boost on caffeine. One of my drivers for drinking pop is that I don't drink coffee therefore soda is a way to ingest caffeine. I also need to make a limit of 1 a day and stick to it and drink water, tea and other things so that I don't feel like my body is being fueled by the syrup of that tasty soda pop. Finally I need to remember way better that taking care of myself is very important because after all, this is the only body I have got! If I let it fall apart by being stupid, its going to abandon me and then I will really feel like yuck. I might live too often in a soda pop haze, but its time to get on the health train and stop drinking junk that hurts me instead of helping me!

Enjoy the Show!

My movie interests are up and down like a yo-yo. I have to be in the right mood for certain kinds of genres. For instance, I am rarely in the mood for romance movies, and never horror. I love action movies and most fantasy/sci-fi movies. I like big explosions, and lots of drama. I do not like movies that make me sad at all, and one of my worst movie experiences was with my sister while I was visiting her. She likes sad movies, so one evening while we were hanging out, she talked me into seeing one of her favorite movies. She cried like a baby, I cried like a baby, my niece cried like a baby, it was one freakin' cry fest and I hated it. It was too close to real life for me and too emotional. I want my movies to entertain me. I want to enjoy the show!

Everyone wants different things out of their movie experience. Some people want to be scared, others filled with reflective thoughts, and still others want movies to make them laugh or cry or maybe even to relax. Some people only watch movies at the theater, and others not until the movie is released on DVD, Blu Ray, 3D, etc... and possibly Netflix or Fire. Whatever a person's favorite movie type is or favorite environment, it goes without saying the movie watching is big business and the first day of a movie release tells the money makers if they have a hit or a flop on their hands.

I will be honest, one of my favorite parts of going to a movie is the snacks. I love getting a Coke Zero and a small popcorn and sitting there and munching and slurping, no I don't really slurp, my way through my snack while I get ready to watch a show. I enjoy it so much that in my home we actually have a mini movie theater popcorn popper on its own stand! Win! One of the things I hate about theaters is deciding where to sit. I get claustrophobic, so I like to sit on the end of an aisle so my claustrophobia doesn't activate. My family would prefer to sit in the middle so seating is always a mini guilt trip for me.

From what show to see, and where to see it at, to seating and snacks, movies should be whatever floats your boat for your own enjoyment. So whenever you go, don't forget to Enjoy the Show!

Sally's Fun Day

Sally! What are you doing?! Sally turned around and looked at her momma standing on the porch. I'm playing in the rain Momma, Sally said. Child you are going to get sick like that! Sally stood there and thought about it and said, Momma the rain is warm, its not cold at all, and look, there are frogs hopping around!

Sally loved outside. She was six years old and as soon as she woke up in the morning, she was ready to head out the door of their farmhouse and play. She loved roaming around on the farm and helping with the animals, and going to the frog pond. She had just learned to read and she would take her books over to her favorite tree in the front yard and climb up the boards  her grandpa nailed on for her and sit there on her favorite branch and read.

Today it was raining when Sally got up, but that was okay, because warm rain is fun to play in. Lots of critters come out in the rain because they like it too and so Sally had critter friends to play with. She really liked the frogs best because they hopped and made ribbit sounds and Sally thought that was pretty funny. She often pretended to be a frog inside when she was playing with her grandpa.

Her Momma went back inside and let her play in the rain knowing it really was warm and Sally wouldn't get sick from it. Sally splashed in puddles, and sang silly songs, and chased frogs as the rain came down on her like a wonderful shower. It wasn't a hard rain, but not a sprinkle either, it was just right for playing in. No umbrella needed!

At lunch Sally's Momma called her in and she had made her tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich! That was Sally's favorite lunch of all! Sally ate it all gone, and asked to be excused. He Momma looked at her and said, Sally I think its time for you to dry off and hunker down and do something inside for a while. Sally looked at Momma and said, what could I do inside Momma that would be just as fun as being outside? Her Momma said lets play some board games, its a great day for relaxing and having fun. Sally smiled really big and said, yay! She ran to her room and changed her clothes into something dry, and went to the living room where her Momma had set up Chutes and Ladders to play.

Sally and her Mom spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, and reading books aloud and Sally even fell asleep for a short nap. When she woke up her Momma was making dinner and it was Fried Chicken! Wow, her favorite lunch and her favorite Dinner all in the same day! Grandpa came home at five o'clock and they sat down at the kitchen table to eat. Sally told him all about her fun day playing in the rain, and playing games and reading stories with Momma and then that she got her favorite lunch and dinner! Grandpa smiled the whole time and when Sally was done, her grandpa asked her if there was anything special about the day she wasn't remembering. Sally thought about it but couldn't think of anything, so she shook her head and said no grandpa, I don't think so. Her Momma turned around then with a beautiful chocolate cake and candles on it! She put it on the table and said, Sally, today is your birthday! You didn't even remember!

Sally was so surprised! She wasn't six anymore, she was seven! This year she would get to go to first grade!She was so excited and she laughed and laughed because she didn't even remember her own birthday. It had been such a fun day and it wasn't even over yet! She smiled at her Momma and Grandpa and said I love you guys!