grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

It Is A Wonderful Life

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While staying with my mother at Plano Medical Center, I heard a few stanzas of Brahms Lullaby playing softly over the loudspeaker. The tune, like a music box, was played randomly throughout the day and night, offering a nice break from the hum of hospital equipment. 
“What’s the purpose of the music?” I asked Jessica, Momma’s dedicated day nurse.
“We play the music, each time a baby is born here.”
A sweet reminder, sometimes necessary in the hospital, that life is exceptionally good.

talya

Musical Pairing:

Lullaby, Johannes Brahms

“Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” Zuzu Bailey- It’s A Wonderful Life

Triumphant!

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My mother, the BAT (Barbara Ann Tate) got a total knee replacement for Valentine’s Day. Fancy, schmancy, it was made especially for her, crafted in Switzerland. 

Last night, I stayed with her in the hospital. As expected, there wasn’t much sleep. A shot of Benadryl straight into the blood stream provided incoherent rambling. She yammered non-stop about various friends (Minta, Jimmy Gann, Becky Sue, Bob and D’Lynn Irby), strawberries, Mexico, a gravel road, Jobber applications, playing marbles, and deleting ‘sloppy’ Facebook friends.
She explained to the young night nurse all about ChristianMingle.com. 
At one point she looked toward the side of her bed and said, “Gabby, are you ready to leave? I’m about ready to check out of here.” Gabby is her cat…

At midnight she said, “I think Dr. Taba is running late. Guess I’m not having surgery today.” 
By the end of her rant she declared, “I’m changing my name! I’m sick to death of being called Barbara Ann Creecy Tate.” 
At 1:30, she turned on the television to distract herself from the knee pain. Thankfully she slept.

My dreams were fitful, coated with television background noise about the stranded Carnival cruise ship. All night long. Ask me anything about it, and I can tell you.
Overall, we had a triumphant night. Momma and I survived to see the new day, and the cruise ship limped to shore. She hasn’t told me her new name yet, but I’ll keep everyone posted.

talya

Horse with No Name, America

Do you vision board?

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Apparently we should each have a Vision Board. No, this is not the same as Pinterest, although possibly a bit related…
I had never heard of vision boarding until Bob Barnett explained it to me a few weeks ago. A visual representation of your dreams, goals, heart’s desires, you literally glue pictures, words, drawings, photos, anything and everything to a poster board. A reminder of where you want to be in the next year, five years, ten years, so on…

A bit old school, no?

The idea behind this is simple. If your board is created of images that fill you with passion, you will attract these things. Your dreams will become reality. That’s a bit deep, but I do believe envisioning something is the first step to realization.
My ninth grade Home Economics class made vision boards. We were soooo ahead of our time. I remember cutting pictures from Teen Magazine, gluing on faces of girls with hair ironed stick straight, Jontue perfume ads, adjectives I hoped would someday describe me, pictures of the type house I wanted to live in…
I bet my ninth grade vision board is still home in my bedroom closet deep inside the Batcave.
I don’t yet have a title for the book I am writing, but I have a header that prints on each page. Wishful thinking? Vision boarding?

Last year at the Baylor Bookstore, I snapped a picture of the shelf containing books written by Baylor graduates. I suppose it’s the closest thing I’ve done to vision boarding. I look at the picture often and think someday I shall have a book on that shelf…

Baylor press
Publications by Baylor Graduates:)
talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:
Dream On, Aerosmith

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!