Summer Blog Challenge #8: A Skill or Talent I Wish I Instantly Had

Okay. Really. There are SO MANY talents I wish I instantly had. Like being able to automatically command a room or always being able to say the right thing or being approachable. I see these as being talents, but really the talent I wish I had more than anything in the world is the talent and gift of music...

Yes, I am fairly musical. I can carry a tune and minimally play the piano and the clarinet. I understand that this is more than many have been blessed with, and I am grateful. I love music. I love to sing. I love to dance with my children. I love to plink out a song on the piano. I love it.

However, I wish I could instantly sit down and play any song on the piano. I wish I could compose. I wish I could write killer lyrics. I wish I could play many instruments. I wish I could play the piano, the violin, the guitar, and more! I would love to be one of the blessed ones who can express themselves through music all the time. I know people like this. I'm related to people like this.

This is the talent I would love to instantly have, and I would love to be able to use that magical talent as a catalyst for good.

Summer Blog Challenge Post #7: Movie I Want to Live In

If you know what movie this is...well, you win!

Summer Blog Challenge Post #6: Favorite Smells

Hmmmm...

Homemade bread

Rain

Freshly bathed baby

Polo Black on my handsome hubby

Summer Blog Challenge Post #5: If I Could Change the World...

If I could change the world...

Candy would be a food group. The sun wouldn't burn. And power hungry people wouldn't exist.

If I could change the world...

People would listen to one another with an open mind and heart. Violence wouldn't beget violence. People would try to help one another.

If I could change the world...

My worry for my children would only be that they outgrow their fear of monsters under the bed, and I would not have to worry about them meeting monsters in the street.

If I could change the world...

Women would know how powerful and beautiful they are! Men would know how important and essential they are in their children's lives! People would understand that we NEED one another. Men and women working together to create a beautiful world.

If I could change the world...

Babies would always be safe and loved. Children would be able to run and explore without fences. Our teenagers would learn the value of work mixed with play.

If I could change the world...

We would once again be "One Nation Under God Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All".

Summer Blog Challenge Post #4: My Dream Home

I dream about homes a lot. I look at everything that is surrounding us in hopes that we can someday soon actually purchase a home. We got a little sidetracked from the home dream, and, as I think I have mentioned before, dreaming about anything has been really hard for me. So, I look at the houses for sale in our current area on a regular basis, and I dream about the day we can become home owners. (It still feels really far away.)

However, my dream home is really less about what my house looks like and more about what it FEELS like. I want to have a home filled with well-worn books, warm colors, delicious smells, laughter, lots of songs. I want a home where everyone who enters feels welcome. A home where people feel like family--whether they are related or not. I want a home with a piano that someone is often playing. A home where the kitchen in always buzzing. A place to open the cupboards and find plenty. A place where we never want for love and affection and safety.

My dream home is a landing pad for friends and family. A place to hide away from troubles for a few hours and re-energize. I want a home that feels like a hug.

Look, I know I have a long way to go to create this kind of sanctuary. I know that this home is a constant work in progress. But, my home is filled with love. My home is filled with laughter and little kids playing, and imagination! My home is filled with a family I have worked hard to build. A family I fought for for a long time. Now, as I am fighting to regain my sense of self and to better appreciate my own self-worth, my home is a place for me to fall apart a little in order to rebuild. My home is my dream home with all my dream people present and accounted for.