Today this girl is sixteen years old and yes, she is a lucky girl. Lucky for her that her parents did meet, fall in love and then get married 29 years ago today…13 years to the day before she was even born. Hopefully she will remember that as she celebrates all that is magical and wonderful about turning sixteen…and hopefully she will remember to wish her parents a Happy Anniversary and thank them, you know, for getting married and all that.
Happy birthday Jodie!
Looking at the shot I captured of Hazel the First and Hazel the Second together with my daughter, Holly I was struck with not just the awesome-ness of this moment.
Although this was a pretty awesome moment for these two amazing Hazels who happened to be separated by just 90 years.
No, looking at this shot I thought to myself how much I treasure it…how much my darling husband must treasure this…how my daughter treasures it…how someday Hazel the Second will see what a gift she was given at such a young age to share a connection with such a remarkable woman. Then I recalled a similar picture…a similar setting with two remarkable people in my life who just so happen to share DNA with me.
Now don’t spoil this moment staring at that red-head with the epic hair. It was the early 90′s for pity’s sake. I totally rocked that look!
Do.
Not.
Judge.
No, instead look at the meeting of the two Austas of my life: Austa Valentine Caudle and Holly Austa. Holly was the same age as her daughter, Hazel, is now in this picture. Austa was just 92 years old then. It would be the last time the two Austas would visit together. What Holly does remember I am not certain of. But more than 21 years later I hope that she can appreciate the unique-ness of this event in her life. It is something that of my five children only she can recall and boast of. She shares memories with her namesake and great-great grandmother. And now, hopefully, so does her daughter with her namesake and great-great grandmother. It is, indeed, a rarity not to be enjoyed by just anyone.
Nobody can do for little children what (great-great) grandparents do. (Great-great) Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.
~Alex Hailey
Wordful Wednesday is like Wordless Wednesday, only WITH words. It’s for those of us that can’t contain the chatter, but in a good way. Have something to be Wordful About this Wednesday? Head on over to Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies to link up and share.
Before I begin, I must point out that behind me sits a highly admired President of the United States and decorated war hero while I, a cable television talk show host, has been chosen to stand here and impart wisdom. I pray I never witness a more damning example of what is wrong with America today.
Graduates, faculty, parents, relatives, undergraduates, and old people that just come to these things
Best commencement speech of the season! I just love Coco, don’t you?
It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound re-invention…
In 2000, I told graduates to not be afraid to fail, and I still believe that. But today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.
For Bill: his favorite modern Christmas song.
Feeling a little ill will towards my neighbors right now. The ones who really don’t give a rat’s ass that the building of their obnoxious swimming pool or the LOUD, obnoxious pool parties under my bedroom window disrupts me during the days that I am trying to sleep after working all night…those neighbors. The man of the house just came over to tell me that my dog is bothering him. It seems that Betty is making his life which means his wife’s life miserable. Betty barking in the early morning wakes them up and now they can’t even have their bedroom windows open in the morning because of Betty, and only Betty. They also can’t walk alongside our common fence because Betty barks at them.
Yes, Betty barks. Betty barks, Buster barks, the three dogs in the two houses behind us bark and so does HIS TWO DOGS! But Betty and only Betty is the problem and because she and only she disrupts THEIR sleep I need to do something about her…now.
I apologized politely and expressed understanding of having one’s sleep disrupted all the time. He didn’t care for that bit of comiserating because he is the asshole who disrupts my daytime sleep all the time. Brushing off my feeling his pain he directed again that I do something about Betty, the only barking dog in the neighborhood that is a problem in his teeny-tiny little world.
So if I do something about the only barking dog that bothers him will he do something about his whooping and hollering slef when he is swimming? Will he do something about his obnoxious bratty three year old who when out poolside, under my bedroom window screams at the top of his lungs just for the sake of screaming? Well, will he? I won’t even mention his dogs.
Okay, snarky bitch-fest over now.
