"Something to ponder"

"Something to ponder" by Becky Conrad

Look in the mirror. Who do you see? Do you see someone broken beyond repair? Or, do you see someone worth fixing and saving.

Look in the mirror. Can you tell that person, "I am doing my best, but I need to do more. I need to be patient with myself. I need to deal with my anger, hurt, and the pain in a positive way to move forward. I need to learn to forgive."

Look in the mirror. Can you tell that person, "I'm climbing a very high mountain, three steps forward and one step back. But wait! I am still climbing. I must not give up."

Look upward to the heavens, beyond the azure sky. Be thankful you are alive. Your life is not over. It is just beginning on a different and challenging road. A road full of twist and turns. The road is call "life." Gaining knowledge can help me improve and deal with so many things on this hard road of life.

When you look into the mirror, tell yourself, "I am worth this new beginning. I deserve this new beginning. I will face today with a desire to accomplish something to help me grow. I will look forward to tomorrow with a new spirit. A spirit that cannot and should not be broken to please someone else who may take me back to a place I did not want to be."

When you look into the mirror, tell yourself, "I deserve the best. I deserve respect. I deserve a better life---so do my children."

Look into the mirror. Today is a better day. I will embrace it. I will be thankful. I am blessed. I am alive!

(I posted this on my other website at: http://www.authornation.com/ too.)

Hi, Everyone,

I had a very successful book sales and signing yesterday at Border's in Medina, Ohio. The staff was so gracious and helpful. What a terrific store! What a great day! They invited me back.

I talked with many people who have suffered violence, stalking, and abuse in many forms. Their stories were so moving. My heart goes out to them. They are survivors, yet many are still dealing with the after-effects of it all. One person is trying to move on, trying to put it behind her. A sexual assault by a doctor she trusted. Yet she is still dealing with the trauma, waiting for the court systems to move forward with the case. I believe she is strong and will get through it all, but she will never be the person she was before.

A young man I met, I am so proud of. He was abused by his father. He did get counseling to realize that abusive behavior is not normal. Therefore he is on a better road now, not wanting to repeat the actions of his father. Praise God for helping this young man be a better person.

I met a woman who was stalked for eight years. She did not give up, but put her stalker behind bars! Praise God for giving her the courage to do this. She is a survivor!

I handed out literature to those that were open to receiving it. Some could not deal with it. That is okay. One person in particular welled up my empathy. She is a nurse and sees victims of abuse all the time. I could see the compassion in her eyes. She said she cannot read about it. I understand. It is difficult at times to deal with. Maybe another time perhaps.

I'm going to help hubby do more wood today. I'm making ham and bean soup this morning. We already went through the homemade chicken noodle soup this week. Father-in-law will be coming down today too. I'm still painting ceilings. Whew. What a job.

Stay safe, be blessed, get educated on domestic violence and abuse. It could save a life!

Best regards,

Becky :)

Sat. morning, July 7, 2007

Hello everyone,
Wow. What a glorious morning it is this morning. The sun is shining brightly and the fog has lifted.
We received some much-needed rain this week, and the garden plants are not wilting. Hubby's corn has shot up about a foot. The ears are forming and it will be a matter of a short time before we can enjoy the bounty! (hopefully it will rain some more to fill out the ears.)

Miss Clara-Bell (our Lab), got in trouble this past week. She and her sidekick, Lucy, the new beagle, took off towards the woods the other day, and Clara nailed a young groundhog. Hubby went after them, and while I was screaming for them to come back, I saw and heard Lucy yelp and jump in the air, and then she came running back. The little groundhog nailed her on the lip. Well, serves her right. When hubby reached the little groundhog, it had made its way down into the thick bushes, and he said it was injured in its back. He came back to the house and got the rifle to put it out of its misery, but when he returned to where it was, it was gone. Bummer.
Then two days later, Clara and Lucy took off again. This time, it was a bigger groundhog and as we were running after them, shouting, they came back, but Clara had blood all down the front of her. I took (dragged) her over to the water bucket and washed off the blood. It wasn't her blood as I could not find any wounds at all.
Hubby went searching for the groundhog but could not find it. Bummer again.
Yesterday, Lucy went into the field, and pretty soon she came back dragging something with her. It was a carcass of a very large groundhog, and there wasn't much left of it. The buzzards must have been at it. Sheesh. Dogs. They do these things when you live in the country, but good grief, it was awful.

I think I have pretty much recovered from the preparations, and the relatives/company this past 4th of July day. I made lots of food that morning. Up at 4 a.m. I had the potatoe salad started at 6 a. m and finished and in the frig by 8 a.m. Company came around 1:30 p.m. and stayed until 10 p.m. Whew. I was beat. We had to enlarge the dining room table, and set up another table and eat indoors. Around 5 p.m. there was tornato watches all over the state, and the basement was closer to the dining room than the garage, so we opted to eat inside. Earlier in the afternoon, the sliding screen door on the back patio broke. One of the rollers fell off. Hmm. Hubby tried and tried to fix it, but it would not open very well. We got by, and took turns lifting it up so company could go back and forth from the dining room to the patio/porch. I got a roller on Thursday and hubby fixed it. It is working okay for now.

According to the newspapers, the actions of Bobby Cutts, Jr. and his accomplish, Miesha, are headed for the Grand Jury.

It is possible more company is coming tomorrow, Sunday. Haven't heard yet, but we will see. Not sure what to fix in the way of food for this visit.

We have a big family reunion next Saturday. We will have relatives staying with us from Georgia. They will arrive on Friday the 13th. and stay the weekend with us. There should be about 40 people including the little kids. It is over at husband's cousins. They aren't too far from us at a campgrounds.

Lots to do outside today. I have to get some work done on the pond and my flower beds, etc.
I am still working at the office, and trying to get some gals in for the W.I.S.H. sessions. Hopefully Monday some will be able to make it and possibly Thursday evening as well.

Take care, be safe, and tell others about my website so they can get the help they need.
Best regards,
Becky :)