The Elusive Peace

PEACE

1.  A state of tranquility or quiet;

     a.  A freedom from civil disturbance;

     b.  A state of security or order within a

          community provided for by law or

          custom.

2.  Freedom from disquieting thoughts or

      oppressions. 

3.  Harmony in personal relations.

4.  a.  A state or period of mutual concord

            between parties.

     b.  A pact or agreement to end

            hostilities between those who have

            been at war or in a state of enmity.

Dear Peace,

How I long for you.  You are the first hope in the morning and the last prayer at night.  I have searched for you endlessly for years to no avail.  At times, I can see you peeking around the corner.  I run to you at full throttle only to find you have, once again, disappeared into the abyss.  For short, sporadic moments I have enjoyed your company but your visits are brief.  Teasing almost.  I know you are out there, somewhere.  I would love to welcome you a place to reside.  I will ask nothing of you...just your presence.  If you need directions, I will eagerly supply them.  I will even meet you half way if necessary. 

Oh, you are more than welcome to bring your companion along with you, Hope!

Blessings to you.  I look forward to welcoming PEACE and HOPE into my world!

Anxiety Girl

Thank goodness for Xanax!

Push My Button

Brilliant!!! Wish I could take credit for this but alas, it is not mine to take credit for.

Positivity in one's world is so essential. Lately, positivity has been lacking in mine. I am bound and determined, however, to make it my mission. And yes, you can help! Uplifting, positive, kind thoughts wanted within, so...

Go ahead - PUSH MY BUTTON!!! (but not this one - the one over there)

{You will be taken to this entry's page. Just leave a positive comment. The more, the better!}

The Sound of Silence

Ssssshhhhhh...Listen - can you hear it? Me either! Silence -- I honestly don't know what to do with it. It's so foreign to me that I am at a loss with it. What do I do? Turn the television up to full volume? Crank up some Motley Crue? Or should I just sit and take it all in...get lost in it...surround myself with it?

Wait...what was that? "Mommy, watching?" "Butt clean as a whistle?" Hmmmm, must have been my imagination.

Silence...it truly is golden!

Hmmmmmm...Something to Chew On

Independent Paralegals Improve Access to Justice
By Steve Elias

Paralegals who directly help consumers prepare their own divorce, estate planning, name change, and guardianship papers have been around for a long time. Usually, these paralegals gain their expertise from having worked for lawyers or having attended formal paralegal schools. Yet many lawyers have sought to drive these independent paralegals out of business by charging them with "unauthorized practice of law"--a criminal offense in many states. While some of us believe that a thriving independent paralegal industry would vastly increase access to the justice system for the many millions of people who can't afford lawyers, others--especially many lawyers--believe that only lawyers can be trusted to help people with their legal problems.

In October 2007, a Massachusetts statewide commission examining barriers to access to justice recommended that independent paralegals be allowed to speak on behalf of low-income parties embroiled in certain civil matters. According to the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the Massachusetts Bar Association predictably shot the concept down, arguing that poor people deserve legal representation just the same as rich people and that non-lawyer paralegals could not be expected to deliver competent representation. Their answer to the access problem? More court-based assistance to self-represented litigants, more lawyers, and more pro-bono legal services.

What's my point? That lawyers fight tooth and nail to maintain their monopoly and that legal consumers in Massachusetts probably will have a long and rocky road ahead before the Massachusetts powers-that-be finally accept the obvious facts: there are lots of legal tasks that don't require a law school education, and access to justice in Massachusetts would be vastly improved by bringing non-lawyers into the mix of legal service providers.

The Three Amigos

Logan has made some great friends in Colorado!

School has been such a blessing to him, and I am so grateful for the teachers and staff at Arrowwood Elementary. They have gone above and beyond in helping to accommodate Logan while going through some pretty tough separation anxiety. His teacher, Mrs. Stackley, is so caring and goes the extra mile to make sure he gets all that he needs. We will truly miss Arrowwood and all the great people we have met. They will, however, remain forever in our hearts!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

If you follow me on Facebook, you've heard this before. Sharing it, however, never gets old.

On a beautiful afternoon, Logan and I sat in the car conversing as we ran some errands.  In a statement as matter-of-fact as could be, little man says...

"Mommy?"

"What Sweetie?"

"Did you know that Daddy's house has wheels on it? And he can hook it to his car and move it wherever he wants!"

It is we, as adults, who take a simple matter-of-fact statement and obscure it into something other than what it was meant to be. And, at times, if we derive a sense of pleasure from said obscurement, than, as adults, that is our pleasure to revel in!

In Order to Move Forward...

...at times one must step back. Life WILL move forward - it has, however, taken a detour on a newly constructed road to an old familiar place.

Stay tuned...

My Rockstar

Oh my little Rockstar he is!!!

You'll find his FAVORITE song below...it's pretty much our morning ritual - 1) Load Rockstar up on the computer; 2) Make ABSOLUTELY SURE that the "visualizations" are on the monitor; 3) Turn the volume up LOUD; 4) Remove ALL clothes (thankfully, only Logan does this); 5) Grab a microphone (a handful of pens, golf club, brush, whatever's available); 6) ROCK OUT!!!; 7) Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, & 6; 8) Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, & 6; 9) Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, & 6.

Rock Star
Artist: Nickelback

I'm through with standing in line to clubs I'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth and I'm never gonna win
This life hasn't turned out quite the way I want it to be
(Tell me what you want)

I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough for ten plus me
(Yeah, so what you need)

I'll need a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club at thirty-seven thousand feet
(Been there done that)

I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between Cher and James Dean is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleached blonde hair
and well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes
Sign a couple autographs so I can eat my meals for free
(I'll have the quesadilla... ha ha)

I'm gonna dress my ass with the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to blow my money for me
(So how you gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleached blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
They'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial
well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I'm gonna sing those songs
that offend the censors
Gonna pop my pills
from a Pez dispenser
Get washed-up singers writing all my songs
Lip sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong

Well we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleached blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
They'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

My Little Boy

No amount of gold could ever compare,
to the gift of love that my son shares.
I've been blind and I couldn't see,
that all the love I'd wanted is right in front of me.
He gives reason to get through another day,
Maybe it's how he loves me in his special little way.
And when it gets hard for me to sleep at night,
He wraps his little arms around me and says,
God will make things right!
From sweet gentle touches to his bear hugs and a kiss,
He makes the journey on earth seem like a peaceful bliss.
That great big kool-aid smile and the twinkle in his eye,
Every time I look at him it makes me want to cry.
But they're not tears of sorrow,
they're tears of pride and joy,
To know all the love in Heaven,
is wrapped around my little boy.

© Sabrina A. Hernandez

I just can't seem to get used to the fact that my precious little boy must be "shared." Every other weekend, when it is time to kiss him goodbye and send him off to his father's, my heart just aches. I feel alone and lost, as if part of my own flesh has been ripped from me. What were my days filled with pre-Logan? How did I spend my time? What did I do with all the long hours?

Logically, I fully understand that Logan needs to have time with his father - time to form a relationship and a bond that can only be shared between fathers and sons. I know that his father gives him things that only a father can - things that mothers just don't quite "get." But each time my heart thinks about the 48-hours spent without my angel, the logic flies out the window.

I miss him...TERRIBLY! I miss his hugs, I miss his kisses. I miss the way he "pets" my hair when he's tired. I miss the pitter-patter of his Fred Flintstone feet as he searches for me in the morning. I miss his I love you's. I miss snuggling with him at night. I miss him...TERRIBLY!

And so, today, just like every other Friday, I kiss him goodbye and say to him, "I love you to the stars!" I slowly walk away, tears in my eyes, and I don't look back.

I can't wait til Sunday!