Tag Archives: Daily Prompt

Daily Prompt; The Outsiders

Posted on by
18

http://dailypost.wordpress.com, DP, Daily Prompt

Tel us about the experience of being outside, looking in — however you’d like to interpret that.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us OUTSIDE.

I look down at my body and what I see I don’t like. But do I really do anything about it? No, well I can say yes if I am not caring for Al, or the weather is nice. If it is warm, or if the sun is shining, or if I have nothing better to do. If no one is stopping by. If I don’t have any laundry or house to attend to. Depends on how I feel. If I get up in time. If I have no errands to run.

I stand looking down at my body. I glance at Al laying there in his bed. Four steel sets of bars holding him so he doesn’t fall out. A cheap, hard, plastic mattress is what he lies on, while I have a pillow top mattress at the other end of the house.

I look down at my body and I see my worn out slippers and my house coat I am standing in. I should get dressed but geesh, who really cares. Then I glance up at Al and he is clothed in a cloth brief, a cut up the back T-shirt. His toes are shoeless. He has a cotton sheet draped over him. Pillows stuffed under, beside every direction to keep him from getting bedsores.

I look down at my body and I wish I could find the time to take a nice, long, hot bubble bath. Soaking in my favorite scent, splashing hot water down my back. Listening to my favorite music while I watch the glow from the lit candles surrounding me. Then I glance up at Al and I can’t remember the last time he felt water splash over his body. Each day he receives at least one bed bath. We all know there is no better feeling than climbing out of a nice shower or bath.

I look down at my body and I glance up at Al.

A sister I know I am

A stranger I do feel

There is no worse feeling

When you know this is very real

Doing all I can

But never quite enough

His illness makes him weak

But I am growing tough.

It isn’t cool looking outside, in

I can not find one word to say

But I know he is my brother I love

And maybe Jesus will come here today.

Terry Shepherd

01/09/2014

 

 

geese

Daily Prompt; The Daily Post

Posted on by
19

http://dailypost.wordpress.com, DP, Daily Prompt

When you look back at your blog on January 2, 2015, what would you like to see?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us PROGRESS.

This is really chancing it. Taking time and putting a stamp on it. But for a blog’s make-believe prompt, I will play the game.

In January and in February, I continued to write about Al’s condition with MSA. One morning though when I went to wake him up, there was a note left behind from him. It said he was sorry he had to go, but he was invited by the angels and decided to fly off with them.

I remember writing to all of my friends about my broken heart and yet could manage to add a line or two about how happy I was that he was no longer in pain.

March and April I could see that Spring was coming. I was able to open the windows off and on to clear  the staleness of winter. I usually made my daily trip to Al’s room where it was left untouched from the day he left.

With the sun shining and the window open a crack I looked around at his huge collection and it came to me it was time to box up his possessions. It took me a few weeks to do it as this task always made me sad and weepy.

Once this was done I had a clear room if you didn’t check the closets. I slowly began to take pieces of my antiques into his room to fill up the empty spaces and within a couple of weeks I had a  new room to look at.

By the end of April Spring was definitely in the air and I noticed one day that I was smiling when I looked into my mirror. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about my dear brother, but I had by now caught up on all those lost hours of sleep.

My birthday had come and my children had all surprised me with a big birthday party since I turned 60. I had pondered on whether to sell my home and move to where my daughter was or to stay here in the frigid winters.

What I decided on was to stay here but go visit her for a few weeks in the winters. A few more weeks I spent with my best girlfriend, catching up on so many lost chats. I made arrangements with different friends I had made on here. I drove or flew out to see these friends in the next several months.

Getting to meet the people who had supported me throughout Al’s illness was a dream come true. We each had our tears and yet there was plenty of laughter and sight-seeing. I came home from each visit with a new-found life. The last visit I made I brought home with me a name and a phone number of an awesome guy whom I had met.

By the time that December had rolled around I was almost back to normal. Al never left my mind for even one day. I could always see him standing hand in hand with Mom and Dad. All of them were smiling down on me and this warmed my heart.

This Christmas was going to be super special. Not only was I going to be able to see my children, the man who I had met was coming here for a visit.

On January 2, 2015, I got the proposal of my life and I said yes. Wow, life was full of sorrow the past seven years. But I was a good sister and daughter. I took care of my family as long as they needed me. Now things are beginning to turn and I find myself waking up smiling every day. Life is good, and getting better. Al, you would be proud of me. I told you I would be alright if you left. See? I wasn’t lying.

woman and sun

Daily Prompt; The New School

Posted on by
10

http://dailypost.wordpress.com, DP, Daily Prompt

You get to redesign school as we know it from the ground up. Will you do away with reading, writing, and arithmetic? What skills and knowledge will your school focus on imparting to young minds?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us SKILLED.

Unfortunately in the ending year of 2013, I would have to take away the basics that we learned as a child from being long courses of all year to cutting them in half. The reason being is there is too many other things that youngsters need to be learning.

You see, there are many brilliant and outstanding youth today, but there are also many lost souls, tossed from house to house. Some have never been taught manners, respect or how to love another human being for just simply being human.

Today when we mention love, somewhere sex has been connected to that, and what was once a beautiful way to show someone special how much you loved them; now it has turned into a nasty, pornographic, giggling at the computer screen side-show.

Some youth go strictly after the weak, fragile and lonely ones. They never learned that word respect. Just because they know how to possibly spell it, doesn’t mean they know the definition of it.

Then there is youth who are working so very hard with one or even more part-time jobs, striving to help pay their college education fees. But then there are others who don’t understand the dollar. Some never get that the real way to get money is to work. There are those who believe the cheating way to get money is to rob.

I guess drugs have been around for years. I know they were present when I was in high school. But for me, there was pretty much the fear of God placed in me by my parents  that I better never get into drugs.

Now it seems the key is to continually keep finding cheap ways to get  thrills. But this has a price included, which may have the word death in it.

So for me, there would still be reading, writing and arithmetic, but I would include at least half the year if not a little more balancing checkbooks. Budgeting classes would be almost as high of a priority as reading. Learning what percentages to save back from a paycheck in order to buy groceries, pay rents, gas, food and clothing. Training for work would not only include college prep classes. It would also include the regular jobs, how to look and represent yourself for a check-out job, or maybe a restaurant job. How to act and work in order to move up in the job.

Another class would be called, The You Inside. This class would be all about how to respect yourself. Teaching youth that they are worthy of existing here on earth. This classroom would have many mirrors in it, full length mirrors. Students would have to stand in front of them and look at themselves repeating positive and motivational sentences that refer to themselves as a person.

I feel today there is much lacking in the learning department. A lot of this is learned in the very young years, but when the home life is not the best or even suitable, many children are not taught that they have the right to be who they want.

In my area, schools are taught to preach about college. Not everyone is going to college. So many youth don’t even know what they want, but it pays the bills for these colleges getting all types in. But the drop out rates are pretty staggering.

So let’s get involved with each and every student. Let’s make sure that the poor as well as the wealthy kids are receiving a chance to be someone they are proud of, no matter what or where they came from. After all, we all started with nothing in the beginning. We all came here the same way. We all arrived with a clean slate. I say, let’s help every single human get the best chance in school to be the best they can be, no matter what.fancy rabbitFox-animals-5370160-620-476ANIMAL RACOON

Daily Prompt; A Bird, A Plane, You

Posted on by
9

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/, DP, Daily Prompt

You get to choose one superpower. Pick one of these, and explain your choice:

  • the ability to speak and understand any language
  • the ability to travel through time
  • the ability to make any two people agree with each other

Photographers, artists, poets: show us POWER.

The ability to speak and understand any language is the one that I choose.

The language of love and compassion and understanding are all formed in one area and that area is in each of us. In between our rib cage right under your left upper breast is a heart.

The heart is where most feelings start.grains-of-sand-990x500hands I don’t need to know Spanish, German, Italian, French, African and so many other languages to feel love.

I can look at you whether you are white, brown, black or polka-dot and see and feel your love. The pain will be seen through your eyes and felt within my heart. I can reach out my hand and lock it in between yours and there is an understanding. A peace that gently surrounds the two of us like a gentle rain falling around our souls.rain

A good example is our blogs, I have some of the best friendships and it is due to hearts, not so much the words. I can be here in Indiana and you can reside in England, and we connect through our hearts.

Yes, this is my choice. For what ever human being my path crosses in life, there is a chance to connect. A chance to love, feel, and touch through our heart and soul.

Daily Prompt; Food For The Soul

Posted on by
16

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/daily-prompt-food/, DP, Daily Post

Tell us about your favorite meal, either to eat or to prepare. Does it just taste great, or does it have other associations?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us FOOD.

When I was a young mom I cooked and baked a lot. But after my divorce and taking care of so many patients I have faded from the kitchen. EASY is my thought. Never stay too  long in the kitchen.

Even the foods I make for Al are easy. I have a page on Facebook called It may not be healthy, but it’s darn easy. https://www.facebook.com/pages/It-May-Not-Be-Healthy-But-Its-Darn-Good-n-Easy/347995258619883

If you look on there you will see I like recipes that are really good with few ingredients. I make a lot of home-made soups here at home. I also use my crock pot quite a bit. Partly because it is easy, partly because Al has trouble chewing meat. The crock pot makes meats very tender.

I make BBQ chicken a lot here. Here is the recipe I use. I use this recipe for chicken, chops and ribs. I absolutely love it!

Crock-Pot BBQ Ribs Recipe
The meat falls off the bone as you take them out of the crock pot!
Ingredients:
4 pounds Ribs of your choice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoons vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle of sweet baby rays BBQ
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoons oregano
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the ribs themselves.
Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.

Here is another recipe I use, and one that is on the link I gave you.

 

No Bake Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

1-18 oz. jar of smooth or chunky peanut butter – I prefer smooth
1 – 16 oz. bag of confectioners sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
chocolate almond bark
or
chocolate candy melts
or
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips & 2 tsp. shortening

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, confectioners sugar and melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. For the next step, the best way that I’ve found to make a smooth filling is to use your hands to mix everything together.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll the peanut butter filling into 1 inch balls and line the baking sheet with rows of the balls. Set the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-7 minutes to chill the peanut butter balls for easier dipping.

While the peanut butter balls are chilling, melt the chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl that is deep enough for dipping. I melted 6 blocks of chocolate almond bark at a time, stirring at 45 second intervals until smooth.

Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into a peanut butter ball and then dip it into the chocolate, turning quickly to cover the entire candy. Place onto a second baking tray that has also been lined with foil. Swirl the chocolate on the top of each candy for a pretty design. Refrigerate until the chocolate had completely dried.

Store the candies in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

So you can see that I make home-made foods, I just don’t spend all day in the kitchen.Blog of the Year Award 6 star jpegthanksgiving table