Speaking with your mouth not technology

I question today's generation. Their lack of communication with each other. It this a result of perhaps the internet, cell phones, too many video games? I don't know. What I do know is that is seems for whatever reason the born in the 80's and later generations seem to sorely lack in the art of communicating feelings, thoughts and even politeness. Is this a fault of us the parents? Did we not properly prepare and teach our young kidlets how to communicate? It seems to me the only communication that takes place is that of criticism and attacks on a peers psyche. I am really disappointed how our youth of today seem unable to express honest feelings and emotions. There seems to be no shortage of yelling, cursing, and racial slurs but when it actually comes down to the nitty gritty of saying, "when you say that you hurt my feelings, or, I wish you could hear what I am trying to tell you" and so on.

Maybe this is one of those cases where progress is really a digression. The progress of electronics and "make life easier" trinkits have led our current generations to lack the ability to fully express feelings.

Oh bother.

Pain

I once thought the death of my father was the deepest type of pain I would ever feel (knowing of course that this depth of pain would follow again with future familial passings). I accepted at the time of my father's death that the pain would never go away and I would never stop missing him. Well there have been times that I have had that aching type of missing and now is just one of those times.
I recently have had to watch my son become so inconsolable and nearly hysterical with pain (so very young to experience this level of pain). A break up after 4 1/2 years although 80% his choice resulted in unbearable pain for him primarily because of the pain he knows he caused the other party. How do you console an individual whose heart was literally turned into ground round? How do you tell this hurting loved one that the pain will get better (without sounding flippant)? How do you convince this individual that this is probably the best for both parties at this time, even though he feels like maybe he made the biggest mistake of his life? How do you stand by and watch this loved one curl up into the fetal position and know there is absolutely NOTHING you can do to take away the pain, except to hold him, listen to him, and constantly reassure him that you love him and always will?
I don't know how to do all these things. They weren't covered in the "mommy handbook". I may not know how to do these things but what I do know is that my own pain watching my son hurt is only a tiny minuscule part of the excruciating pain he is feeling and I am so helpless to comfort him.
I know that our dear God has a plan for all of us, and in the end he has a remarkable plan for my son because my son is a remarkable man. And I do hope that the old cliche', "this will make you stronger" is more than a cliche' and a fact. I also hope that this degree of pain only happens to an individual once in a lifetime.

Ordinary Day

It has been a while since I published on my blog, shows me how totally exciting my life really isn't. The house is very empty now, the only real noise is the constant barking from my dear companion and friend, Libby (I know you were thinking I was going to say my husband, right?, wrong.) It is almost as if now that the hustle and bustle of our children is gone Libby feels she must make up for the "missing" noises, so bark she does and a lot!
Actually as I sit here in my quiet (well kinda) house, I am finding humor at the 2 wall pictures I hung in our bedroom that I recently purchased at Salvation Army. On TV they are commenting that Michelle Obama hired a decorator to redecorate the living quarters of the White House at a mere budget of $100,000 provided by the Congress. I almost find it humorous at how willy nilly the Congress seems to spend the American people's money. A trillion here a trillion there oh and why not a simple 100 grand over there?
It seems everyone has to live on a budget except the Federal government. Save this company save that company (or at least save the CEO's bonuses and company jets). No problem it is just the American people's money. Does anyone ever consider how many people could still be employed with just one CEO's bonus for a year? Think how much smaller our unemployment rate would be if we used those multi-million dollar bonuses to save jobs instead of line the greedy pockets of non-producing arrogant managers.
I heard an interesting comment on TV the other day by Kelly Ripa (actually one of few that she makes that I agree with). Kelly stated (I am not quoting here, only paraphrasing) that since the American people have given all this money to all these companies, and these companies like CITI decide they are going to buy a corporate jet (but they aren't using the money from the government TARP - yeah right, then why do they need the money to begin with if they have that much to spend anyway?) then technically that corporate jet belongs to the American people, and as such we should all be able to use it, hey works for me. Let me think, I really need to fly to timbucktoo for who knows what but it is important, I think I will just order up that new jet to fly me there.
And so it goes, oh bother.....