It's a New Year!

I am grateful to God for blessing me to see another Earth year: 2010. Every year, at the year's end, I reflect upon the year that is passed, anticipate and plan for the year to come.

These are some things I am thankful for in 2009. I am glad I was able to reconnect with family ties. I also have made new friends and reunited with old friends. Sometimes my family and friends challenge me, and encourage me. Other times they present me with opportunities to experience different view points and hear other voices.

How did I bring in the new year?

Quietness with candle light,
sitting in silence.
Listening to my thoughts,
feeling God's presence.
Uttering words of rememberance,
thankfulness and hope.

On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, I participated in a telephone prayer and meditation led by Harry Pickens.(http://www.harrypickens.com/) How did the meditation affect me? I am inspired to continue living life and striving to make things better. I desire to be a good steward of the many blessings I have been given. I desire to be a blessing to others. Using the Earth's resources responsibly, is important to me. (Click on the title "It's a New Year! for a gift.)

Copyright 2010 Michelle I Peterson. Some rights reserved. To reproduce or distribute, visit: miva-music.icopyright.com

A Work of Art

This is my second piece of art work simply titled "Sis, mom and me 1969". It is an oil painting on canvas. I enjoy painting. It is a creative outlet for me. It is amazing how you can transform the images and dreams from your mind into art that is visible, and touchable.

I am pleased with the final product. This picture now hangs in my sister's home. I hope it brings her happiness and joy.

Seabiscuit's Resurrection

Hallelujah!!! After two months, my car aka Seabiscuit is driveable. I was so upset on Friday, July 10, 2009 when the car dealer informed me it would cost $1,546 in repairs to get Seabiscuit fixed. In fact, upset is an understatement. I was indeed furious. I felt like I was being taken advantage of by unscrupulous, greedy, people. In my haste, I filled out a form online to give my car away. The next day, Saturday, I talked to my Cursillo friends. What is Cursillo? According to the National Episcopal Cursillo, the goal of Cursillo is "to change the world, to remake the world in Christ and to restore all things to Christ," beginning with our own environments. I participated in a three day Cursillo Retreat. The Three-Day Weekend introduces the strategy of Cursillo – a structure or a backbone for Christian life in every environment. The Fourth Day represents the ways that we continue to support each other in living that Christian life and it consists of Group Reunion, Ultreya, Spiritual Direction, and Communities in Action. My Cursillo group meets on Saturdays.

I shared with the Cursillo group, my transportation frustrations. My friends of course could relate to my car dilemma. I was so mad. I told my friends that I will just ride my bicycle until I save enough money for a new car. "What about saving up money to get your car fixed?" someone asked. No, I am so mad I plan to give my car away and start over with a new car, was my reply.

So, how did that work out? Well, I did not sign the documents to donate Seabiscuit. Instead, I used all my fury to fuel the energy I needed to pedal. I pedaled to work and back. I live 6 miles from work. The route I bike has lots of sidewalks and it is 10 miles. I biked a total of 20 miles a day, 5 days a week totaling 100 miles a week. This does not include the other places I went on my bike aka Mandy. (Yes, my bike and car have names.) I did everything on my bike, I went to the movie cinema, shopping, church, and work. Amazingly, the weather was great. Thanks to God, I did not get caught in torrential rain or high winds. I began commuting by bike to work August 7. As of September 13, 2009, I was still commuting by bicycle. After riding my bike almost everyday, how do I feel? I feel healthier. I also feel closer to God and my environment. There is nothing like seeing outdoor scenery free from the confines and insulation of an automobile. I was able to catch close up glimpses of nature. The creatures of nature tend to stay and continue in their natural habits instead of scurrying away. I was able to feel the warmth of the midday sun. I biked in the luminous light of the harvest moon. I hope and pray future generations will also have the same privilege to witness the beauty of our earth.(Click on the title "Seabiscuit's Resurrection" for a cool treat).

Now, that I have my car back, I plan to use it sparingly. Since I purchased my bike in May, I have rode more than 900 miles. When Seabiscuit was in a coma, Mandy was reliable and dependable. I rode my bike to the auto shop to pick up my car. After paying the very big repair bill, (I ended up going to another auto shop that charged me less than the dealer) I put my bike in the trunk of the car. It worked out well after all.

Car Saga-Seabiscuit's in a Coma

What an adventurous day I have had today dealing with Seabiscuit. I have affectionately named my car Seabiscuit. How did I happen upon the notion of naming my car? There is a hilarious show on National Public Radio called "Car Talk". It is hosted by Click and Clack The Tappet Brothers aka Tom and Ray Magliozzi.Tom and Ray are professional auto mechanics in real life who offer their expertise in diagnosing car problems as their personas The Tappet Brothers on the air every Saturday morning. During one very funny episode, one of The Tappet Brothers suggested the female caller should give her car a name. If the car had a name, the caller could bond with her car and perhaps take it to the auto shop when it was symptomatic.

Why did I choose the name Seabiscuit? Seabiscuit was a race horse who despite having several physical and emotional disabilities,(the horse was described as having wobbly knees, being skittish, nervous and hard to work with) won the 1938 Pimlico. According to the Car Fax Report on my car, it was once a rental car. While it was under the ownership of a rental car company, it was involved in several accidents. The front end had been damaged in one accident. In another accident, the driver side door was damaged and had to be replaced. Despite all of the previous history, Seabiscuit was dependable. He never left me stranded.

Sadly, Seabiscuit is in a coma. The last time I drove Seabiscuit was on Sunday, July 5. Four days, I left my car parked and biked around town on my hybrid electric bike aka Mandy. On Thursday, July 9, I attempted to start the car. It would not start. I had an early morning meeting to attend. Mandy came through for me. Although I was not dressed in my biking gear, I rode my bike in my casual business attire to the meeting. After returning home from the meeting, I called a tow truck and had the car towed to the auto shop.

On Friday, the auto shop gave me Seabiscuit's diagnosis. The fuel pump, fuel regulator and steering column all needed to be replaced. The estimated cost: $1,546. Friday evening, I rode Mandy to the auto shop, called a tow and had Seabiscuit towed back home.

I don't want to seem shallow and ungrateful to Seabiscuit for being so good to me. As my bank account would dictate, I could not afford the $1,546 repair. Herein, is the crux of the situation. I secretly long to be free of the bondage of car insurance, car repairs, car taxes, and dependence on crude oil. Among the people I admire, are the cyclists I see commuting to work daily. Therefore, I have made my decision. While, Seabiscuit sits in a suspended state of unconciousness, I will be riding around town on Mandy.

There is hope for Seabiscuit to have a new life. I visited the Car Talk website. On the website, there was a link for vehicle donations: http://www.v-dac.com/cartalk
I filled out the form online. I decided to donate Seabiscuit to my local public radio station: WFPL-89.3 Seabiscuit will live on in my memories and this blog.
(Click on the title "Car Saga..." for a link to a special treat.)

Copyright 2009, Michelle I. Peterson. Some rights reserved.
To reproduce or distribute, visit: miva-music.icopyright.com

Lemonade Anyone?

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Ere goes the first few lines of one of my favorite hymns. This hymn reminds me of the beauty of nature and the God who created it. The timeless words to this hymn were written by Cecil F. Alexander in 1848. This is the story of Creation from the Book of Genesis.

Life is an awesome, astounding, wonderful, beautiful, miraculous, thing.I remember preparing for the birth of my first child. Even though intellectually, I knew what was going on, the emotional, spiritual, and physical experience was beyond words. From cells, a human being is formed. I am convinced babies have their own distinct personalities before birth. Before a child is conceived, she is known by the Creator. I am blessed to have two daughters who will soon be embarking on their own paths in life.

Each little flow'r that opens
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors
He made their tiny wings.

No, motherhood is not easy. Is anything worthwhile ever easy? I'd say motherhood is rewarding, enriching, full of joy and pain. The hardest part of being a mom for me was when my beautiful baby girls started pulling away from me to find their own identities. That is how it is supposed to be. I look forward to the next chapter in my life relating to my children in their adult selves. No matter their ages, I will remember the little baby girls that used to cling to me whenever a stranger was near.

The cold in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

My oldest daughter has been living with her father since she was 14. She is now 18 and preparing for her freshman year of college. The youngest daughter at 16, is back home with me after living with her dad and sister for 2 years. I went from suddenly having an empty nest to having a 16 year old roommate. I have enjoyed having my youngest daughter back at home. We are having a lot of summer fun.

I love the summer weather. My daughter and I have been riding our bikes around town witnessing the beauty of creation. Summer is also the time when lemonade is served after church. There is a volunteer list to serve lemonade. Guess what? I signed up to serve lemonade. This time last year, I could not see any good that would come out of me living apart from my children. Both of my children decided to go live with their father. During those years, they also decided to stop attending church.

What good came out of the separation? Suddenly, I had so much free time. I was free to pursue my interests and hobbies. I ended up enrolling in college,rekindling my interest in painting,and engaging in activities that challenged and stimulated me creatively and intellectually. My children grew, and matured to find themselves.(I think this is called "growing pains"). They had to decide what influences from both parents they were going to accept or reject.

I invite you to come to church and enjoy a cup of sweet lemonade.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.




Copyright 2009, Michelle I. Peterson. Some rights reserved.
To reproduce or distribute, visit: miva-music.icopyright.com

iPhone and me.

I have not been blogging lately. I have been busy with school, work, and my iPhone. I purchased mine about three weeks ago. What can I say about this revolutionary invention? I am pleased at the plethora of applications to choose from for the phone.
The iPhone is not only a functional cell phone but also a personal data assistant. With my PDA I can, record memmos, e-mail,take photos, use a calculator, notate important upcoming events on my calendar, and use the internet. I haven't even mentioned all of the thousands of applications that are availabale for the iPhone. You can program your iPhone for your lifestyle. Some of the applications I have downloaded on my phone are, Quicken for banking, Lose It to keep track of my caloric intake, and The Weather Channel to keep me informed of atmospheric conditions. My iPhone is linked up also with Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter and Facebook are both social networking sites. Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with family and friends while Twitter is a great way to connect with the wonderful world of business. My analogy of the differences between Facebook and Twitter gives insight on the ways I use each network.

I am looking forward to my family reunion this summer in July. I plan to use my iPhone to help me in recording my family history.

Little Women

Last spring break.

Yesterday was a special day. I spent the day with two up and coming young women. One was a sixteen year old,(my youngest daughter) and the other was an eighteen year old,(my oldest daughter).

The eldest soon will be embarking upon her own adventure. She has been anxious and ready to be on her own at a very young age. She is determined. She began talking and walking when she was 9 months old.Her first word was dada. She has decided she will be a graphic designer. Look out world. She will be a driving,and motivating force, who goes after what she wants.

The youngest is still deciding what she will do in the future. She is making decisions that will impact her future. She is a watcher and observer. At 13 months she decided to walk. I didn't hear the usually baby speech babblings from her. Her first word was a sentence spoken at 11 months. "I want some water." Whatever she decides, it will be her choice and not mine.

Self reliant children is what they appear to be. Yes, that is what I wanted. However, I sometimes miss the days when they were little. " Where is the little girl I carried? Where is the little boy at play? I don't remember growing older. When did they?" (lyrics from "Fiddler on the Roof")click on title"Little Women" for a video.