Moms

It’s hard not to notice Mother’s Day coming up… the commercials about flowers and cards, the TV programs about moms, the stories and news spotlights and the call I got from my mom on Sunday when she informed me my gift can be to pay for the calla lilies she is planting in her yard. So it was no surprise when I found an article about moms on cnn.com. What caught me about this particular article was the list of questions to ask your mom. I sometimes wondered about these things, but have never taken the time to ask.

1. What’s the one thing you would have done differently as a mom?
2. Why did you choose to be with my father?
3. In what ways do you think I’m like you?
4. Which one of us kids did you like the best?
5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?
6. Do you think it’s easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family?
7. Is there anything you regret not having asked your mom?
8. What’s the best thing I can do for you right now?
9. Is there anything that you wish had been difference between us – or that you would still like to change?
10. When did you realize you were no longer a child?

I really like number 10… I’ve never thought to ask this, but I myself am always wondering when I will stop feeling like a kid.

When my mom comes for a visit next week I’m going to go out for coffee and ask her these questions… I’m looking forward to hearing the answers!

Happy Mothers Day to my amazing mom and to all my friends who are new moms this year. I’m looking forward to the time when I will join the ranks of the selfless nurturers and hope I can do half the job my mom did with me.

Icky Bugs and Little Mice... a story of creatures

So I've been having my share of wildlife in the past few weeks... unfortunately this doesn't have to do with cute creatures, rather those beings who make me want to lose my lunch.

First... we got back from Mexico and Dhrumil finds a dead mouse in our basement. Thankfully I didn't have to witness that. I did feel sad for the mouse... we have no clue how it passed away. Perhaps killer spider?

Next... I was about to take a shower and a nasty multi legged bug runs out. I screamed, grabbed the Raid and that was the end of that bug.

Then... I noticed our mouse friends were still around by the beautiful presents they left behind under our kitchen sink. Without thinking I purchased a half covered mouse trap, set it up myself without asking the assistance of my husband, and then forgot about it. Two days later I bent under the sink to grab the trash... and there was the murder scene. All I saw was the back part of the poor mouse, but that was enough. I screamed and then wept. Yes I did... called Dhrumil crying hysterically because I was part of the terrible act of ending the life of the mouse. Next time I'm going to buy a safe the life mouse trap and let them out in a field.

NOW... just got back from a movie. State of Play actually... very awesome movie. Anyways the theater is a little dingy, but you can see well, which is a big thing for someone who is short. After the movie we were walking to the car, I felt something bump me, looked down and saw the BIGGEST cockroach EVER. Ok to me it was big. I have therefore concluded that it was on me during the movie and made its escape during my flight to the car. AHHH

Please no more creatures. I'm off to shower off the roachness....

The Lanyard - a beautiful poem by Billy Collins

ElisaBeth and I have been spending the past few Sunday nights watching a movie called Little Dorrit on PBS. Last night, before the movie, there was a clip of someone reading a poem called "The Lanyard". I didn't realize that 'someone' was a very famous poet named Billy Collins. I usually don't like this type of artsy stuff, and when the poem began I did find it a little corny. But once it was over, I realized how sweet the poem was so I wanted to share it.

You can also watch Billy Collins read it here:


The Lanyard - Billy Collins
The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Happy Birthday To You!

My birthday was two weeks ago and it was an AMAZING day! :) I was so blessed to be able to turn 27 in Mexico. Dhrumil made the day so special for me...

It started with a relaxing massage the melted everything away! When I came back to the beach I found Dhrumil with snorkel masks he had borrowed from the resort... we proceeded to go into the waters we had been swimming in the previous days and discovered a whole other world right under our feet. Crazy I had been swimming around not knowing so many fish were swimming with me...also a little freaky. ;-) After an amazing time on the beach we headed back to the room and ( was greeted with rose petals, champaign and a birthday cake! We ate the cake on our balcony overlooking the ocean... so peaceful. The day ended with a surprise romantic dinner on the beach where we were serenaded by a violinist.

I am now back home in CT replaying that day in my head. Such a carefree day... so full of relaxation, no cares in the world and love.

The reason I have been thinking about my birthday today is because I finally received my parents birthday present. :) My mom picked it out and being the creative person that she is I found in my mailbox "Happy Birthday to You!" a book by Dr. Seuss. I have never read this book and after reading it I not thought it was funny and cute, but I felt extremely empowered! Here is a small excerpt...

"So we'll go to the top of the toppest blue space,

The official Katroo Birthday Sounding-Off Place!

Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky!

Shout loud at the top of your voice, "I AM I!

ME!

I am I!

And I may not know why

But I know that I like it

Three cheers! I AM I"

How awesome is that? It makes me excited to be me. :) I am special because I'm me. :) Think about it...

The Husband Speaks...The Moments of Life

Hey everyone, this is Dhrumil... I have never posted anything on this blog or any blog for that matter, so I thought I would give it a shot. This is supposed to be ElisaBeth AND Dhrumil's blog anyway...

ElisaBeth and I just recently got back from our trip to Mexico. We went for our 2nd Anniversary / ElisaBeth's birthday and had a wonderful time. It's so relaxing and refreshing to get away from the busyness of life.

While we were there, most of our time was spent just sitting at the beach in front of ocean and letting time pass by...I can't think of a more relaxing thing to do by the way. I was sitting there, taking a handful of sand in my hands and then letting it go, doing that over and over again.

I couldn't help but think of the passage in Psalms where it says "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!"

Really? Think about this for a second...being the math nerd that I am, just think about that statement. I find it beyond astonishing that God, my Creator, the maker of the heavens and earth has even one single thought about me. But no, David says He has so many thoughts about me that they out number the grains of sand!

So back to Mexico... I pick up a handful of sand and actually try to count the grains of sand just in my hand (obviously impossible to do). And then I try to think what number would it actually be if we were to number all the grains of sand in the world. It is so beyond reality that I honestly can not fathom that statement in the Psalms.

It made me realize that sometimes I get so lost in this world, thinking I am in the center and it's all about me. I forget to realize how genuinely blessed I am to have this relationship with God that I sometimes take for granted. He is the one that died for me, yet He is the one that has unending thoughts about me. Shouldn't it be the other way around? He saved me, I didn't save Him.

I'm thankful for that one little moment in Mexico. The Holy Spirit gets at you in all places I guess. I'm thankful because it puts me in my place and makes me realize it's not just about me...

I pray that at some point in my life I could have even 1% of the thoughts that God has for me. I believe He deserves at least that much.

Lyrics that make me smile...

Whenever I hear the Jason Mraz song "I'm Yours" on the radio I always smile at the one part that's lyrics I think are so powerful...

"I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what I'm be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue"

The part that really hits me is stop worrying about yourself and just go with what you are on that day. Or at least that's how I see it. I was just looking through a bunch of my pictures on facebook and I can't believe how fast time has flown. It makes me sad in a way... seeing my life going so fast. I'm so thankful for the amazing times I have been so blessed to have and I pray that I can be happy where I'm at in each moment because before I know it I'm going to be 95 with no teeth. :)

A Wicked Anniversary

For our Anniversary Dhrumil got tickets to go see the Broadway show Wicked. I have never seen a musical like this and absolutely loved it!! It helped that we had great seats. :) It was a beautiful day in NYC and we had a fun time walking around my old stomping grounds (Empire State Building area) I can't believe I commuted into the city for a year and a half... I definitely don't miss that, though I do miss the great lunch options. ;-)