Freedom

 I remember when I gave birth to my son. My Mom posted a picture of the baby fresh out of the womb and on the blanket next to him was a blood stain, from me, of course, giving birth to him. I looked at the picture of him from her perspective and loved it. She was so focused on him that she didn’t even care about the spot on the blanket.

Our second butterfly emerged from the cocoon today and I found it interesting that, with both butterflies emerged from the cocoon, there was, what looks like a blood stain. I never knew this is what happens when a butterfly also emerges from the cocoon. 

A few attempts of flapping it’s wings and it was off in flight, dancing around the garden. What a beautiful masterpiece the butterfly is. I’d never guess what it’d look like from looking at it as a caterpillar, but, the butterfly is truly a magnificent creation. 

Happy Memorial Day

Music: “The Star Spangled Banner” - PS 22 Chorus

“Why do we have an Army in America? To protect our liberty. - Over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail!” 

“Why do we have a Navy in America? To secure and keep us free. - Anchors away my boys!”

“Why do we have an Air Force in America? To inspire our confidence. - Off we go, into the wild blue yonder!”

“Why do we have a service called the Marines? To help insure our National Defense. - From the halls of Montezuma!” 

Music: “The Military Song” - by: Janeen Brady 

Horse Ish

 It seems as though I spent all day today cleaning up dog poo. My sense of smell has been ridiculous since I’ve been pregnant and I don’t really appreciate how good my sense of smell has become at certain times. I gag like crazy and often vomit because of whatever I smell during this pregnancy. 

We have a teacup dog and I was so excited thinking about how I’d easily clean her poop because it’s so tiny. Then, it seems as if everyone in our family got a big dog. So now, when I go on poop patrol it can sometimes feel as if I’m cleaning up horse poop. 

During this pregnancy I pep talk myself about it. I can clean that without getting sick, I think to myself. Then I go outside with the poop patrol bag and scoop it right up and the sight of it makes me gag all the way to the trash can. The kids all watch with amazement, waiting for the vomit to arrive. 

I sit by the spa a while later while the kids swim and all of the sudden get a big whiff of another one. Oh gosh, I’ve got to clean that before the smell of it makes me vomit, I think to myself. I quickly go inside for another bag and go to clean it. Again, gag all the way to the trash can. Will my newfound sense of smell remain? 

Would You Hire a Pregnant Lady

I’ve been applying for jobs even though I’m four months pregnant. I started applying a long time ago and now it’s become almost a sort of routine. My Mom told me nobody is going to hire me while I’m pregnant and I’m really starting to believe that. It seems nearly impossible. Most of what I’ve been applying for I would probably be able to continue on throughout my pregnancy and the birth, first year and so on. One of the jobs I applied for I’d not be able to wait to get back to work! 

I forgot about that application in particular until the Starbucks barista reminded me about it. Then I thought to myself, what if I actually got hired while I’m pregnant? The descriptions I read say that the employer will not discriminate based on factors such as pregnancy, but I’m not really sure I fully believe that. Luckily, I am blessed enough to have a supportive significant other who is happy about me spending time with the kids. 

Of course, I’ve been trying to get a job with Disney. The legal team directed me to get a job with Disney before I could try to get the Beauty and the Beast Ride up and running at the original Disneyland. So I’ve been trying to get a Disney career for a few years now. I just found out recently that Disney careers offers daycare for employees so I’m extra happy about the idea of getting hired. My kids have already agreed to going to Disney daycare and are excited about it. Of course, overall, I prefer a job/career where I can bring the kids to work with me if I wanted to. Is that possible? 

Unrest

 Last time there was a plague, it was followed by the 100 years war. After what we’ve been going through in the world, it’s safe to say I’m a little bit nervous. The reason being when people die, their loved ones go through a grieving process, in which one of the steps of grieving is anger. Many of us have lost loved ones and it seems as if the entire world is going through stages of grief together. This is possibly a reason why the 100 years war followed the Black Plague long ago. 

We, as human beings, this time around, have evolved since that last happened and hopefully, have become sophisticated enough to be able to avoid that type of consequence to the pandemic we’ve been going through. In this situation, are we better together, or are we better alone? 

The Unseen

 Our local Starbucks store has this wonderful wall full of notes. Each note is a quote that can help brighten our spirit. You choose a note off of the wall and read it. I usually get at least one for each member of our family. 

Today mine had this quote: “Faith is unseen but felt, faith is strength when we feel we have none, faith is hope when all seems lost.” - Catherine Pulsifer

I believe God exists within each one of us. When we go through difficult times or read a news story that is horribly sad, etc. it can sometimes cause us to question. The stories, when our collective attention is brought to the situation, could be God’s way of helping those involved. Together, we are better in those regards. What happens to each person is between God and that person. Only God knows how he/she was guided and protected through the moments the rest of us hear about, read about, etc. Faith is in the trusting that God is good and will carry us through the most difficult moments we’ve had to and will have to endure over the course of our lifetime. 

The Cocoon

 The caterpillar is sorta like a sperm before it meets the egg. Once it meets the egg, it’s similar to a caterpillar turning into a cocoon. Once the butterfly emerges out of the cocoon it takes a little time for it’s wings to dry and until then it walks around trying to fly. The process can be compared to a baby being born from the womb and taking time to learn how to walk. 

Our caterpillars have now left what they once were to become what they’re destined to be.