Rip those labels off Baby! Rip Em!

Imagine this, You're attending a festive party, the music is soft in the background, laughter of old and new friends tickle your ears, and sweet aromas of gourmet deserts dance in your nose. Newly arrived attendees are greeted with an excited "HEY!" when they walk through the door. The hostess runs around frantically trying to keep all guests happy then suddenly the door bell rings and the room falls silent. Faint whispers are heard in a confused tone. Bug-eyed stares are all on the lady standing in the door way.

She's the girl who fell and tore Picasso's famous painting called, The Actor. Funny and sad thing is, this girl is always going to have this label. No matter where she goes, her wedding day, and even her funeral. There will be chatter about how she was in an art class and she fell and tore Picasso's painting.

Wouldn't it suck to be her? Yum, Yah. Here is a link to that story. Sad thing is it was a pure accident.

Then there are those who do things on purpose.

It's like Tonya Harding. Forget that she was a talented skater and even made it to the Olympics. That girl has been labeled for life as an evil jealous nerd who wanted to rid the Ice World of Nancy Kerrigan. No matter how many attempts she tries to make it right in the eyes of the world, she will always have a tarnished reputation.

The list goes on even more. From boxers biting ears off others (hello Mike Tyson) to televangelists double dipping in the offering plate, and to even politicians like those who have a thing for interns to others who can't spell potatoe potato.

We all do things we aren't proud of. Trust me, I have a closet full of them. I have good news for you today. Even though we are full of labels, there is one who doesn't see labels but sees us for who we really are. God looks at us with different eyes. Practically impossible to understand just how He sees us with such love is beyond me.

I hope that one day I can obtain that super power gift. It is an awesome one to have. To see past one who has done awful or crazy things and then be able to mentally rip off the labels on people and see them for who they are. Forgive them fully. Letting the past go and moving on is a powerful tool. It's something I want to strive for.

"Even God doesn't plan to judge a man till the end of his days, why should you and I?" Abe Lincoln

JOIN ME LIVE TONIGHT at 9 EST on USTREAM!

Live TV : Ustream



Come JOIN ME LIVE! TONIGHT !! 9:00 P.M. EST For my Ustream chat show - The REAL Desperate Housewife
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-real-desperate-housewife

Curses and Early Risers

I dropped a TV on my big toe at 5:00 am this morning while I was half dead to the world. Thoughts raced through my mind of why on earth do I have to be cursed with an earlier riser?! My son who is six has been a textbook earlier riser from infancy. I am so JEALOUS of you mothers who get to sleep in and have to actually wake up your children.

 (Curse You Nerds!) 

I used to dream when I was pregnant those sweet moments how it would be to wake up my sweet babies. I daydreamed that I would have at least a shower, two cups of coffee, cook a full breakfast, and eat in peace. Then quietly walk into my children's rooms and break out into a tune from Oklahoma ..."Oh What a Beautiful MORNING! OH! What a beautiful day! I got this beautiful feeling... everything's going my way." Okay, so maybe that's a bit of a stretch. 


Instead my experience with this early riser has been a demanding little man begging for food, fighting over toys, and demanding that I move a TV off the toy box ( I know dumb place to put it ..don't tell me). 


When the TV landed on my big toe (and thank GOD it was just the big toe) I swore. Oh yes, I swore. Pain shot through my body and I had insane thoughts of duct taping my son to his bed after serving a nice size of Nyquil. I looked at him and said, "Why on earth do you have to get up every morning at 5:00 a.m.?!" He replied in his sweet logical six year old tone that his mind tells him its time to get up and his body just moves. 

Sighs. How can you stay mad at that? 

I can only hope one day that his children become earlier risers as well. Wishing awful things on our children is a well deserved pleasure that has been happening for generations.Trust me, ask my mother. Unfortunately, he probably won't have to deal with it as I am sure his poor wife will have to deal with this curse. 

Curses. My toe hurts.  

My 1983 Nerd Self

Something very unusual happened today. Before I divulge on the happenings, let me take you back to my life 26 years ago. I just had to recount the years on my fingers 4 times because I just can't believe that I am THAT old.

The year was 1983 and I just moved to Florida from Baltimore. I was 12 years old. We moved in the middle of a school year, so I had to start all over making friends during the worst time of my life. (puberty) I was in the middle of transition between my childhood years and my teen years. I had a lot of friends up north and the thought of starting over being the new kid seemed like a nightmare. My reality wasn't kidding because it was. People were different in the south. They interacted differently. They talked a heck of a lot more differently. I felt like I was sent to mars. That was how out of place I felt.

Somehow, it seemed to get a little bit better when my doorbell rang. I opened the door and it was two girls from my new school who were there to "greet" me. Mindy and Samantha weren't really there to greet this nerd girl. They were there to see if I was prettier than one of them because one of them had a boyfriend.

(hhhmm I know 12 yr old love... snorts)

That is how I met Mindy. She admitted to me some years later that she was RELIEVED that I wasn't attractive. This girl Mindy was the coolest girl in school. She was blonde, blue eyed, and was doing things that I had no idea what it was. I was always so worried of what she thought of me, instead I should have been worried of what I thought of myself. This was evident when I opened the door. I was so unsecured in myself and I based my entire self esteem for most of my teenage years on what was Mindy's opinion.

Fast forward to 2010, I just got home from running errands. Turns out that Mindy has had a very difficult life. She never finished high school because she found out that she was pregnant in her senior year. The baby's daddy is a low life abusive jerk who is now no where to be found. She's been arrested for DUI and the rumors only get worse from there.

Don't get me wrong. my heart went out to her and in fact she didn't even recognize me. I felt so bad that I am glad she didn't recognize me. A fat mother pushing age 40 in a year or two looks nothing like a nerdy 12 yr old girl who was just trying to fit into her surroundings.

If I knew now what I knew then, when I opened that door for the first time, I wonder if I would reacted the same way.

I wished I believed in my nerd self in 1983.

Florida Snow!

My kids were so excited this morning to see if it actually snowed outside! Being that they are children born and raised in Florida, this had to be just as big as Christmas Day! They wanted to get dressed for this event. They put on their shorts and flip flops as they chatted with each other on whether they are going to build a snowman or do snow angels! I have to admit, I was excited as well! I have great memories of building forts and playing in the snow with my childhood friends when I lived in Baltimore.

My children's wide eyes focused intently on my words as I explained to them that I didn't want them to be disappointed if they don't see a lot of snow. They agreed and they ran to the window and pressed their little faces on the window. My excited kids looked up at me with their rosy cheeks and innocently asked why they didn't see anything white snow outside and that it looks like its raining.

Disappointed, I felt sad for them because I knew how much they have been anticipating on their dreams of seeing snow. I gathered them together with me and hugged them and kissed their heads. I told them that one day they will see snow. Just not today. Later this morning, I went online and checked the weather reports in the area, to my amazement and delight I was shocked to see that snow and frost greeted my area!

I live in Florida and it never snows in Florida! I quickly shared this exciting news with my kids and they wanted to get in the car and see it immediately.

Can you believe it?! Snow in Florida?! Wow. Just for your information, I never have believe in global warming and still don't. (snickers) The picture is of snow on a palm tree that I found. I love it.