The Way We Were! #family #reunions #reminicing #memories

Over the last couple of weeks with a dear uncle of mine passing away, and the reunion of my best friend, a lot of time has been spent thinking of the past.  The good, the bad, the ugly and the exquisite. With his passing a lot of memories have been foremost in our minds, remembered and shared.  Mostly the memories are of those that have gone before him.  People, that in your mind, he will love to catch up with, if there is a next life.  People that were part of his life, my life.  People who would have nurtured, given advice, taught and encouraged him to be the great man he was.   
These memories can be both bitter and sweet.  People like him, and others, have brought joy and meaning to our lives. They have encouraged us to conquer our fears. They have guided us when at times we thought there was little hope. They have shown by action, rather than words, their strengths and their weaknesses. These memories consciously or subconsciously have led us to be the people that we are today.  In our silence, away from the great tributes of joy that this man and many others have brought  us, we meditate, reflect, and recount why people such as he, have formed our lives. Sadly we also remember some of those people that have given us grief, not encouraged us. The ones that, without the help of those who are great, may have caused us to fall by the wayside and suffer badly.   
It just so happened that my best friend came at this time.  To her I recount those great stories! But, along with those, there are some very hurtful ones and we have been able to spring clean. Being a true friend you are free to share those scattered pictures of your past.  You are able to showcase them in their original form, and display for everyone to view your mantle of many happy occasions.

There are however, some pictures that are only to be reflected upon. Some pictures to be viewed, and contemplate, how they are only the negatives of our album.  These pictures can be seen through lenses that blur our vision of our past.  These pictures are exposed for their poor quality and having  revisited these snaps of our past, you can dust them off,  re box, seal and dispose of finally.  These unhappy snaps of our life should be aired, observed and visited, but we must call on the happy shots that have brought us strength.  Allow these beautiful memories to over ride the evil negatives that have been lurking in that box of nostalgia.

We must look at the positives that these people have given us through our lives.  Let them take precedence and shelve the negative influences.  Until we dispose of the negatives properly they will give our mantle a smoke haze rather than the warmth these embers of hope and joy have given us.  

It is great to speak these thoughts and feelings that you have.  It is also great to expose these negatives  so they can never be displayed on a mantle of horror.  We must deal with and then dispose of, so that their influences can never discolour the beauty that we have found within.  Until we deal with these memories, we can never truly see the beauty, and we can never forget those who were/are not so good.

Air these memories, dispose of the negatives and remember the way we were with a view to a great future. Only then will our newly dusted pictures be truly exquisite and shed real warmth and a glow for those around us.

Cheers!

Bitchescoz

Contact: luke65mcbride@gmail.com

The Way We Were! Barbra Streisand

Life's Pleasures #inspirational #love #heaven #truelove

Today, I am going to talk to you about the pleasures of life, about sharing experiences with your partner or your loved ones.  Think how nice it would be to stroll down the cobbled streets of the oldest streets in Rome with your partner, dine in the most chic restaurants in Paris, share your berth, your bed and romantic views from your own balcony aboard 'The Christina' on the Mediterranean. Meandering hand in hand through the zig zag of narrow streets of Venice, making wishes on the Bridal Bridge in Central Park.  STOP THE PRESS!!! You have no money to do these things!  How do we enjoy the pleasures of life without money?

Do we really need a lot of money to give us pleasure?  Does money bring us happiness? Do diamonds and pearls assure us of love, romance, and true commitment from our partner?  Yes, they are nice, but do these things really give us that warm feeling inside? That feeling, that you are special? That feeling that special person gives you when you touch! That feeling that you can bare your soul and not care what others think but that one person.  To look in their eyes and know without hesitation that that special person sees you, and not cares that you have that little zit on your face.  That person sees beyond your imperfections and, loves you for you.  That person wants to share the ups the downs and everything in between - with you! All they ask in return is that you share your love and build hearts filled with love not money.

How often do we read in the tabloids of the rich and famous - of their romance, their fairytale weddings, their honeymoons in the most desired destinations of the world.  Quite often in our lunch hours, while shopping for some groceries, in our mere mortal workday drudgery we purchase a magazine. We rush back to the drudgery and think, 'Tonight I will escape into the world of glamour and read about a life of which I can only dream.'  But, maybe if I just grab a quickpic, my partner and I can maybe join this glamorous couple once our numbers pop out of the shoot in tonight's jackpot.

You get home, after driving yourself through that peak hour traffic and unpack the groceries. You water the garden, share with your partner how your day was while you are ironing tomorrow's clothes and he is preparing dinner. You trample through the bills that need paying, feed the dog, wash the clothes for tomorrow's iron. You eat, then clean the dishes, and finally sit down on the couch to share your magazine of escapism and watch the numbers drop on your screen. Your partner sits with pen and paper to collect the numbers and, as he shares the numbers that weren't on your ticket, he turns to you and says, 'Hey honey, the headlines say that Mr and Mrs Famous have split!' This is before you have even opened the magazine!!!  You close the magazine, throw it on the coffee table along with the million other unread mags, fall into his arms and toddle off to bed to share the passion with him (a passion that gets better every night). In the after glow, you lay there thinking in your not so dream destination bed, how wonderful it is to share your life with someone who loves me, just for me! Then you click your heels three times and say, 'There's no place like home!' and  fall asleep to face another day.  

What I am saying here is that money can't buy that love.  Take some time with the one you love. Pleasures don't need to cost a dime. Share you life with the one you love and they can bring much pleasure. Whether its cleaning house, washing the car, pruning the garden, just put some fun in it.     And, enjoy, is the word I use here.  Enjoy their company! Enjoy it when you both are bent over the floor scrubbing that spot off the carpet! Enjoy the water play while washing the car! Enjoy wiping the sweat off each other's brow and other places while all hot and sweaty in the garden.  These things don't cost - they bring the achievement that you are still together and that eventually,you will enjoy that day of walking those zigzag streets of Venice.  

In the meantime, enjoy the simple pleasures- take a stroll along the beach, a walk in the park, grab some take out and eat romantically beside the river, go for a drive into the country.  Believe me these are the pleasures of life that money can't buy.

Cheers!

Bitchescoz

 Contact: luke65mcbride@gmail.com