I See What You Meme

I was sorting through the cups in the kitchen the other day and realized just how much my collection of mugs told a story of my life.  Today, for a change of pace, we have a photo blog: This might be one of the oldest mugs in the cabinet, dating back from my pig collecting days .   I don't have to add extra sugar to my coffee when I use the Precious Moments mug. I actually have been given two of these over the years.  The back contains an acrostic poem on my name:    R efreshing A dventurous C harming H armonious E ager L ight-hearted It's almost like it was custom designed for me.   When I'm not writing or working on the Foundation, I'm working for Commonwealth Autism Service .  It's the job that pays the bills but it's also one of my dream jobs .  I'm a lucky girl.   Roger is actually the one who drives the Saturn in the family. Our household is on our third Saturn. Not sure what we will do when the latest ...

Life can only be understood backward but it must be lived forward.  ~Soren Kierkegaard  There have been about a million thoughts rumbling in my brain lately but I have been very slack about getting them on paper (or, at least, the blog). Life has just been busy -- in a good way -- and by the time I get around to blogging, I find myself tired. Or distracted.   The balloon launch... Finally, I find the time to collect my thoughts.  There have been many thoughts of Charlotte over the past week. Last Saturday, when we reflected on her passing with close friends, I felt supported and comforted. The day was just what I needed it to be. The weather was a balmy 60-some degrees. It was breezy and (most of) the balloons found their way into the sky as we launched them in our cul de sac.  I am grateful to everyone who left who shared the day, sent us notes, and told us how they remembered Charlotte in their own way.   Then, Roger and I decided to w...

I think almost everyone collects something.    My mother collects angels. Roger collects banks. My brother collects unusual percussion instruments from all over the world.  I have friends that collect items as varied as Disney memorabilia, teapots, shoes, Superman collectibles, and rare coins.   I used to collect pigs. The fascination with pigs started sometime in elementary school. I can't remember whether I was in fourth or fifth grade. I do remember that it all started with a "pig week" at school, sponsored by our media center. There were events throughout the week around pigs in literature. Somewhere along the line, I decided that I liked pigs because they were adorable, unique, intelligent, and incredibly misunderstood. Hmmm...has anyone done a study on the connection between the characteristics of a person's chosen totem and their personality?  Most of what remains of the pig collection Anyway, as the years went on, I acquired all kinds of pig-re...

So here we are on the penultimate day of the year. I survived the Christmas holiday . I even went to church. More on that in a future post (possibly). The last week or so has been a wonderful combination of relaxing and productive. I admit that I haven't blogged much but I've been busy with other projects at home.   In thinking about the close of the year, I considered a collection of lists. I've been enjoying all the other Top 10 Lists populating the Internet these days but when I considered my own, I felt horribly inadequate. I've only seen from 1/3 to 1/2 of the movies that people are talking about on their 10 best list. I don't think I even saw 10 movies in the theater this year. I wouldn't be a good authority on movies. I've read a lot of books this year but I've already reviewed those books on my blog . You can always find me on Goodreads to get an idea of what I liked or didn't like.  Music. Well, I listen to a lot of music and my tast...

People have been checking in with me and Roger a lot lately.  There is the usual banter: "Are you looking forward to Christmas ?" (Um. Sure. I guess.) "Are you ready for the holidays?" (Yeah. We kind of play it low-key in our house. You know.) "How are you doing?" (I'm hanging in there.) Some questions come out of run-of-the-mill small talk. I realize every day how many people I work with or see who don't even know my story. They don't know my truth . And sometimes it's just too difficult to explain. Other comments come from genuine concern. We have a gentle and supportive circle of friends. It is helpful. I am glad that other people remember.  I think about it every day.  I have thought a lot about how much I wanted to push myself during the holidays. Roger and I have had many discussions.  Do we put up a tree? (the answer this year was no)  Do we send Christmas cards? (not this year)   Do we give gifts? (not really)  Do we...

Can you believe that it's been a year since I started my blog? My first post was December 13, 2010 (Yes, I realize that's technically not until next week but I'm writing about it now. Deal with it.) Here's a few stats for the math nerds: 88 posts (this one will be 89) 26,000+ pageviews 352 Twitter followers Where do these readers come from? While most of you hail from the U-S of A, I've had people in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, India, Romania, the Philippines, and the Netherlands read this blog (hi y'all!) This was my most popular pos t, thanks in part to some interesting conversation generated within the comments. This was the next most popular post  but I think this poem was my favorite post of the year. I read an article on Mashable today about the most popular Facebook status updates of 2011 (Facebook's memes , if you will). It looks like I covered about half this list.   For your review: Here are my comments o...

Something to do while you are out this weekend pursuing your holiday shopping: Step 1: Get the latest issue of Richmond Magazine  at your favorite local Richmond retailer Step 2: Turn to page 79. Step 3: Read my essay on generosity in the Richmond community. It's part of the Best of Richmond feature article.  (The rest of the magazine has some great articles too, including a piece on the lack of community services available for adults with autism in the Richmond area.)