White Bison - Elder's Meditation - July 31, 2012

Elder's Meditation of the Day - July 31 Look behind you. See your sons and your daughters. They are your future. Look farther and see your sons' and your daughters' children and their children's children even unto the Seventh Generation. That's the way we were taught. Think about it: you yourself are a Seventh Generation." -- Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA The Creator designed us with a free will. That means we function from choices and consequences. It is important that we practice thinking about consequences before we make decisions about choices. Every choice I make is like setting up dominos one after the other that produce consequences. Not just for me but also for my children and for the children that are unborn. My choices and decision today will have consequences for seven generations. For example, if I work on my own spiritual development and I walk the Red Road, the odds are that my children will. They will marry and their children will follow the Red Road and so will my grandchildren even up to the seventh generation. This will happen because of the choices and decisions that I make today. Great Spirit, grant that the choices and decisions that I make today will honor Your laws and values. May I live in peace today that will ripple into the seventh generation. The meditations are copyright of Coyhis Publishing and can also be found in the book, Meditations with Native American Elders: The Four Seasons at www.coyhispublishing.com. Any republishing of part or all of their contents is prohibited.

Random Ramblings.....

Wow!  I can't believe it is Saturday already!!! Just one week ago we were in Ohio celebrating my big sister's 40th birthday party....and now we are in Tennessee chillin' with the dog, watching TV together as a family.  I just can't believe the way my life has changed in the last 7 months.  I am still adjusting to my new home and my new job.  It's going to take some time for me to realize that this is my new life.  

None of this would have ever been possible if not for my faith in a power greater than myself.  None of this would have ever been possible if not for my commitment to building a better life for myself, my husband and my daughter. I miss my friends and family back in Ohio, but I still very happy.  I am nervous about how things will turn out, but I have learned that I don't have to worry about the future as long as I make the best of today.  

Thank you to those who have stood by me through thick and thin.  Thank you to everyone who loves me for just the way that I am and who believe in me and support me in my goals and dreams. Several years ago I would have never dreamed that I would have a place to call my own again...let alone that place being in the city I always dreamed of visiting....now I live here and it's truly amazing.  

Life is not going to be easy and I know that there are going to be times that I feel homesick and lost.  But thank Goddess that I have the internet!

 

A House is not a Home.....

The weekend is over.....the week is almost over...where the hell has time gone?  Went back to Ohio last weekend to move Jeff, Karey and Flintstone to Tennessee.  Had a great time on Saturday, spending one last evening with my sister, family and some of my sister's friends.  We had a surprise 40th birthday party for her.  She was really happy and I am glad that we could surprise her like that.  Then spent all day Sunday finishing the packing and loading the moving truck.  We left Painesville at about 12:30 am on Monday morning.....arrived in Hermitage, TN on Monday afternoon at around 1 pm. (Tennessee time).  It was a long, hot drive, filled with some wrong turns, snags and aggravation.  

Tuesday, I ended up with some kind of stomach bug....spent the day sleeping.  Had to run to the local Walmart to get some kind of food in the house....wasn't much we could afford after spending all of our money trying to just get down here and have a place to stay.  But in the end, I think the sacrifices we have made will be well worth it in the end. 

Right now our place is a jumbled mess.  There is no organization and boxes are laying everywhere.  Trying to get unpacked, but also find "new homes" for everything is a huge chore....especially since I am working 40 hrs a week.  But it will get done and eventually we will settle in and get used to being away from our family and friends in Ohio. 

This is a nice place.  The surrounding area is beautiful.  The upstairs neighbor is pretty nice...he came out to greet us the first night.  I haven't really met anyone else other then those that I work with.  In time, things will get better. 

I am happy that we have a place of our own.  I am happy that I have a great job and Jeff will be going back work in a couple of days.  We now just have to figure out what we are going to do about Karey and school.  I can't get ahold of anyone at her old school to get her records which is aggravating me.  But hopefully things will work out soon. 

Well, I think we are going to try to get to a meeting tonight....Jeff's first one in TN....will be interesting to see how he likes it. 

Hellllooooo Ohio!

This is it!  It is finally here....all the sacrifice of the last 2 weeks has come to an end.  I landed at CLE at 11:15 pm.....and back in Painesville by Midnight.  My lovely daughter and goofy neice made welcome home signs and greeted me in the driveway with sparklers.  My dad picked me up from the airport - Thank you Dad I love you!

Now I am just sitting here waiting for my husband to get home.  Tomorrow morning we pick up the moving truck and from the looks of things I am going to be busy as hell trying to finish the packing that didnt get done while I was gone and cleaning the upstairs so that mom doesn't have to worry about it.  There is way to much to do in too little period of time.  I am a little frustrated, but nothing I can do about it at this point.

In a few short days we will be beginning our new life together as a family, in a new home, in a new city in a new state.  I hope that we are successful and just as happy there as we were here in Ohio - if not more so.

Ohio and Cleveland will ALWAYS be my home.  No matter where I go and no matter what I do in life, nothing will ever change the fact that I am born and bred a Buckeye.

Rain ... Rain .... Rain.....

The end of the week is drawing near!  Yay!  It is storming here in Nashville tonight...and it's putting a calm over me.  I don't always like it when it rains, but everywhere in the US right now, rain is so badly needed that I see these storms as a blessing from Mother Earth.

Nothing too exciting happened today...other then I got a good laugh when a customer called in complaining that the rental company, which shall remain nameless, refused to rent him a vehicle because he smelled like weed....AND when confronted about it, he admitted that he just smoked before he went in to get the rental.  WOW!  Kudos to the person at the rental agency for their keen sense of smell....saved him from potential getting a DUI and saved them from a HUGE liability. 

With some of the things that people say or do throughout the course of my workday when they are trying to handle an accident claim, I can see why it feels like sometimes that our world is in shambles.  Not that I think smoking weed is bad --- cause to each his own, but for God's sake - that's not the kind of stuff you should be telling your insurance company or the business you are trying to get services from.  Wake up people!

In about 24 hours I will be touching down at CLE (Cleveland Hopkins International Airport) My dad is picking me up from the airport and then back to Painesville I go for the last time until November.  I am a little nervous though, cause I had to resubmit my request for time off in November...I haven't gotten confirmation of approval yet....but I am sure I will get the time off needed.  November is important....our 7th Annual Holiday Open House and Craft Show is on the 10th and then we get to watch our dear friends Jeff & Cindy get married on the 11th.  I am so excited.  Not only for the wedding, but because the craft show has become something that I get to do with my sister and we get to help children in need.  It's the best kind of service work in the world!  I would like to establish something here in Nashville eventually, but I have to get out there, make friends and build a customer base here.

I hope that my friends and family in Ohio don't forget that I can still provide them with quality candles, handmade gifts and of course, Creative Memories.....thank God for technology.

Well, it's time to sign off tonight....Jeff will be calling soon for our nightly chat.  :-)  I love hearing his voice.

Ilene Meckley - Secrets of Success

Was just checking out her blog.  Some really good stuff!

Wednesday Already?

I can't believe it is Wednesday already!  Today was my sister's 40th birthday.  I am sad that I wasn't there to celebrate with her...but from I can tell, there wasn't any big celebrations or pomp and circumstance.  I feel horrible for that.  I can only hope that she will understand that I had to take this job in Tennessee.  For me and for my family.  Being the breadwinner of my household, I am responsible for making sure that my daughter and husband are provided for.  Not that Jeff doesn't contribute, because he does, but when more money and a better job are offered...I can't refuse it.  Admittedly, I am happy in some respects to be away from Ohio.  I was beginning to feel like we were stuck, like we were never going to get ahead there.  There appears to be a lot more opportunity here in Tennessee, and I know that once Jeff and Karey are here, they are going to fall in love.  

It is so laid back here...a much needed change from the fast-pace and chaos of living in the Greater Cleveland area.  I also dont know that physically I would have been able to handle another cold Cleveland winter....everyone says the winters are much milder here....I have been told that it gets cold, but there isn't snow like there is in Ohio.  The snow is really what kills me.  I can handle cold as long as I bundle up....but the snow storms from the Great Lake Erie Snow Machine is something I don't think I will miss anytime soon. 

I have a lot of fears about this move.  I fear sometimes that we won't make any friends here.  I fear that financially it will not work out for us, but with the fact that I am making more money now and hopefully Jeff will end up with a promotion to a supervisory role with Walmart, I pray that I can put aside all my financial fears and be successful.  

I do love my job...not many people can say that.  I love the company I work for.  I love my co-workers - everyone is so helpful and they care.....I love that kind of environment.  Even the "big boss", whose name happens to Kari and she has a sister who celebrates her birthday the same day as my sister, is awesome.  She is so down to earth and friendly.  She is serious about her job but she has fun doing it and she portrays that happiness to everyone in the office.  I haven't met everyone yet, I am sure I will in time. 

I have to say though, that I have to find out if I am related to one of my co-workers.  His name is Will Kimbrough and he was born and raised in East Tennessee.  I told him that in some way or another he is likely related to my husband....he laughed...but I don't think the name is very common.....at least from what I can tell and am pretty sure there has to be some relation somewhere.  I gotta get together with my cousin-in-law Becky - she has been working on the Kimbrough family tree.  I really would like for she and I to work together on it.  I personally think it would be a great gift to my father-in-law and Jeff's aunts and uncle.  

Well, that's my rant for today.  

Welcome to my world!

Wow!  So, I found out that it is super easy to start a blog!!!  Why didn't I do this before?  For anyone reading this, I want to thank you for stopping by.  I don't know what direction this blog is going to take me or what my vision for it is yet, but I thought it would be fun to share my "world" with you.  I always wanted to write, but never knew how to get started...I guess this is as safe a place as any to share my thoughts, likes, dislikes, interests and feelings.  

I am going to start my blog by sharing what has been happening in my life.  First, I have to start by saying that I have lived the last 35 years of my life in NE Ohio.  I was born and raised a greater-Clevelander...my heart is in Cleveland and I do actually love that place.  But I had dreams and goals for me and my small family (my husband, Jeff, daughter, Karey, our cats, Smokey & Shenita, and our dog, Flintstone.)  In order to reach those dreams and goals, I found myself looking for a new home.  I work for a Fortune 500 company that operates in all 50 states and Australia.  Australia wasn't in the cards (even though it would have been fun to have a kangaroo or Koala for a pet), so I decided to apply for a promotion in Tennessee.  In May, I flew to Nashville for the interview and landed the promotion....this turned our world upside down!  I had 6 weeks to find a new home, pack our belongings, finalize personal business in Ohio and say goodbye to the place that I called home for my entire life.  Talk about stress!  As it ended up, our apartment will not be ready for move-in until July 23rd and I had to start my new position in Nashville on July 9th...this meant being away from my husband and daughter for 2 1/2 weeks.  I arrived in Nashville on July 5th....now staying in a hotel until our apartment is ready so that my husband and daughter can join me.  Nashville is a beautiful, southern city.  Lots of southern hospitality.  People here are extremely nice and I couldn't ask for a better area to live.  I have had struggles though, being here by myself.  My closest friend is in Knoxville - 2 1/2 to 3 hours to the east and my husband's family is in Pulaski - in Giles County, TN about 1 1/2 hours to the southwest.  There are days that I feel extremely alone.  I know this is only temporary and that is giving me hope.  Soon, we will all be together and we will begin this new life as a family. Until then, I have to make the best of the situation. 

I am a recovering alcoholic and also recently sought recovery from an eating disorder.  These two things provide me with a unique opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.  But I have been uncomfortable and it's not easy.  I am searching for AA meetings and OA meetings that I feel comfortable in.  Trying to open myself to meeting people who are different from me....but are they really that different?  Aren't we all there for a common purpose?  I have to remind myself that this is a new adventure, and things aren't always easy and I have vowed to myself that I am not going to give up on any of it.  If I don't give new things a chance how am I ever supposed to learn and grow?

When making the decision to move to Tennessee, we were faced with the reality that we would not be able to bring my cats with us.  Thank God we found a friend in Ohio who lives on a farm and she agreed to take our Smokey and my mom is going to keep Shenita.  At least I know my babies will be well taken care of.  

Here's some pictures I found online of Nashville: 

 Isn't it a beautiful city????  I have fallen in love with it already....and I haven't even seen the entire city yet!