Friends for Life

 Since Mother’s Day was last week I thought I would do a post about Mother/Daughter relationships.
 

To start I’ll talk about my relationship with my mom.  Now I have heard and seen mom/daughter relationships where they aren’t close or they don’t understand each other.  But I love hanging around my mom, she’s my best friend. Now by my saying that doesn’t mean that I’m an unsocialized homeschooler who is shut up at home and never meets girls my own age.

Maybe to explain I should talk about when I started getting close to my mom.

She wasn’t always my best friend.  When I was little I had “play dates” with girls my own age.  But when I was 11 I told her that I was lonely and wanted to meet some more girls.  So my parents put me in volleyball.  I loved playing volleyball and when we became an actual volleyball team I was made captain (but I think that was just because I was the tallest).  On the team there were seven other girls, most of whom were my age. 

We had a great time together, we were undefeated until the playoffs, and after the season I even had my first, only, and LAST sleepover (in our family room) with three girls from volleyball and one who had been my best friend ever since I was three.  I don’t ever want to have another sleepover again not because I didn’t like the other girls, but any time I’m not in my own bed and there are other people in the room I have a very hard time falling asleep.

But I’m getting off topic; my post is about mom/daughter relationships after all.

To wrap up the volleyball story I should tell you that I chose not to continue with volleyball the next year. It wasn’t because I didn’t have fun, oh no, I had a blast.  But since it took up so much time away from our family I just didn’t want to play another season.  I eventually drifted apart from the new and old friends I made during and before volleyball by my 13^th birthday because our interests were different.

Volleyball wasn't a waste of time. I did it so I would have more friends and I still did have one friend who became my best friend: my mom.  You see on those 20 minute car rides to volleyball practice several times a week, we had time to talk. I might as well say it, I love to talk. You give me half an hour and I could be talking to you about three to five topics! It was during those car rides that my mom and I started to become close, and by the time I was 12 we were best friends.

Here’s a quick Q & A to answer some questions you might have…

Q: Doesn’t Catz know any girls her own age? 

A: Yes I do. I am currently pen pals with a girl I met when I was 13 and we've become good friends.  But I have no desire to seek out other girls my own age who I can tell my troubles, concerns, dreams, thoughts to.  I have my mom.  We share a lot of the same interests: sewing-baking-brainstorming-skirts-funniness-etc.  We talk a lot about a lot of things.  I love to hang around her and she with me.

Q: My mom is always busy, how do I start spending time with her?

A: Your mom most likely: cooks, cleans, etc. You can start by helping her with these things.  Oh yea, and talk about whatever you want while you do it. That is if it doesn’t distract you! Car-rides are another great place for conversations if it’s just the two of you.

Q: But I can’t stand my mom, why would I want to spend time with her? I don’t even respect her!

A: Because you’ll miss a whole lot if you don’t have a close bond with your mother.  It could literally impact several generations. Like dominoes, relationships through generations can go in the same direction as those before it.  The wrong way or the right way.  And about the respecting part, the Bible says to:
  
Honor your father and your mother…
                        Exodus 20:12

If God had that put in the Bible, in fact in the Ten Commandments, then it must be important!  You might try praying to God that he will change the way you feel about your mom.  You never know, you two might become very close. 

I hope that this post helps to strengthen your bond with your mom and/or encourages you in the fact that there are girls who defy what television says by having a good, real relationship with their moms.

What’s your relationship like with your mom?

If you’re a mom, how is your relationship with your daughter?  Is it going the way that you want it to?

I can show you the world...

When we go to Epcot’s World Showcase we always go from left to right around the lagoon.  I don’t know exactly why, we’ve just always done that.  Maybe it’s because the only rides on that side of the park are at the first two pavilions on the left, in Mexico and Norway.  And that brings me to my Disney topic for today: Epcot’s World Showcase.

a perfume bottle topiary in France

I’ll start off with things that might be useful to bring along: 

• water bottles on your water-holder lanyards
• a camera or a camera phone
• your autograph book or journal
• pens for the autograph book
• your Disney pins for trading, if you have them

the Rose & Crown restaurant at UK

Now to “the World” which includes:

·

• Mexico
• Norway
• China
• Germany
• Italy
• The American Adventure
• Japan
• Morocco
• France
• United Kingdom
• Canada

part of the Germany pavilion

At almost every country you’ll find great food, music, storytellers, entertainers, and history all according to that country.  Mexico and Norway each has a ride.  Norway, China, France, and Canada each have a short film about that country.  The American Adventure has a sort-of long film/show that includes animatronics.  The film at China might be my favorite short film at Epcot; the mountain scenes are simply gorgeous!

Also, every country has something called “Kidcot” but don’t be deceived by the name and think that this is just for ages eight and under.  Even though you can color in “Duffy the Bear”, the Kidcot Castmembers will stamp and maybe write a message (in their language) in your autograph book or journal.  I have seen some sort of World Showcase passport for purchase, but I don’t know that much about it.

a "Lady and the Tramp" topiary at Italy

When it was my 15^th birthday, I asked at each Kidcot station if they would write “Happy Birthday” in their language (e.g. Japanese).  So you can ask for a special message if you’re nice about it.  Also, you can ask them to sign their name.  I didn’t think to ask, but two Castmembers did it anyway.  Now my Disney journal is stamped by each country and is really cool to look back on.

I hope that this post will help you to enjoy Epcot as much as I do.  Stay tuned for the next post for my Epcot series: The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure!

glasses: part two

photo courtesy of MS Word

Recently I submitted a long-ish short story to a magazine.  If you haven’t read part one go read it.  Yes! Right now!  (long pause…) Okay, you’re ready.  Here is part two of my two-part story. 

“Can you help me?” she asked.
                “Yes, with God’s help. That is why I’m here,” the old man replied.  “I’ll get right to the point.  You say that nothing good comes your way; that you’re never picked to be anything important. Well my dear, you need to change your prescription.”
                “My what?”She asked.
                “You need to change the prescription of your glasses,” he said as he came to sit down beside her. “You need to change the way you look at everything around you; the way you see life.”
                “For example the log we’re sitting on…I could complain that it’s very hard and not as nice as a cushioned chair.  Or I could be thankful that I have a place to sit that’s out of the sun. I could be thankful that it’s a nice breezy day and that there’s a bird chirping nearby.  If you think about it there’s so much around you it isn’t hard to find God’s blessings.”
                Merrie pondered this a moment then said “But what about my never being chosen to be anything special in the village play?  And don’t just say that being a castle servant is special!”
                “Well you are in the play,” he said “when there are many who aren’t.  And you have been chosen to be someone special. God chose you to be His darling daughter, His princess; don’t you believe that’s more special than the main role in a play?”
                Merrie turned to the man to say something but he was gone.
 
The next day was the first showing of the village play.  All of the cast were backstage getting ready.  Merrie, seeing Maylien, walked over to her.
                “Hi Maylien, I…” but Maylien cut her off.
                “Stop…if you’re going to say how hot it is or that your shoes are tight or how much you wish you’d gotten the part of the princess then stop…don’t say anything!  I really don’t want to hear it.”
                “Actually I wasn’t going to say anything like that,”  Merrie said. “I was just going to apologize for the way I’ve been behaving lately.  You know, complaining and such.  Will you forgive me?”
                “Umm sure…” Maylien said, a little confused.
                Merrie continued, “And I wanted to say that I’m glad that I‘m not playing the princess.  I know that if I was I wouldn’t have time for anything else.  I was so angry about not getting the part that I didn’t realize it until now.  I guess that Sally being the princess instead of me was really a blessing in disguise.”
                Maylien was shocked. “What happened? You never said anything like that before.”
                Merrie smiled and said “I just happen to have new glasses.”
                           The End