"Mom, he touched me!" ...

How many parents have taken the family on a trip longer than the nearest grocery store?  The sun is shining, music playing, children sitting in the back seat smiling and all is right with the world (for about the first 10 minutes of the trip), when suddenly a sound breaks through the air like a high-pitched siren, and you hear "Mom, he touched me!"  Oh oh, I can see this trip is going to seem longer than the 500 miles it will take to visit the grandparents.  And, being the adult, you immediately want to bring peace (and quiet) back into that close-knit loving family, so at first, you say to your oldest child, "Mark, please stop touching your sister" - expecting your wish to be fulfilled, but the middle child decides to get into the act and he, too, gives a poke and that pitiful cry becomes much louder, "Mom, he's touching me and now Darren is touching me!"  Well, this can go on for hours unless you get a handle on the "closeness" of the children and suddenly, my husband driving says, quite firmly, "If I have to pull over to stop this nonsense, I can guarantee there will be no more touching!"   Wow!  That's all it took to bring a sudden peace and tranquility back into that vehicle on the way to Grandma's house!  and that folks, is now just a memory of some of the good old days, when our children were growing up.  History does repeat itself, as I now have ten grandchildren and guess what?!  They are touching each other when the come visit me!  

Bee

I am sure each of us can share some stories that get passed around during family gatherings.  One that the children still laugh about happened the day I took my sons fishing at a nearby pond.  The pond was quite muddy, but it did have some great fish and the boys were standing on the edge of the water throwing out their fishing lines - what a lovely summer day!  The youngest son get his line tangled in an overhanging branch about 4 feet from the water's edge.  I said, "Oh, no problem, I'll walk out and untangle the line" - after all, it was quite warm and the water, murky as it seemed, would cool me off.  However, just before I reached that fishing line, with water up to my knees, the next step I took dropped me into water over my head!  Worse, I seemed stuck in mud at the bottom of the pond and I can hear the children screaming with the water rushing through my ears and suddenly, someone touched me!  A strong hand had reached down and pulled me up from the water and I looked into this stranger's eyes and he appeared to have the look of someone who wanted to laugh, but didn't, I guess to save my dignity but, today, I laugh about this story and think back to that summer day, when someone touched me and oh, how thankful I am that he did!

Today, putting aside politics for a few minutes, I thought about all the people in my life who have "touched me" and also, things that touch me when I think about America.  Each of us can make up our own lists, or add a comment to the one I will start, here:

*  Fourth of July celebrations, with parades, bands playing, flags waving and watching our servicemen and women march pass always touches me, sometimes to the point of tears, as I think what a grand country we live in.
*  Holding a grandchild in my arms for the first time, in the nursery of the hospital (thank you, kids!)
*  After raising my family, hearing those words "You're hired - welcome aboard!" after being out of the work force for almost 17 years.
*  Discovering years later, that life doesn't end when you retire and  as long as I'm breathing, there is work to be done - ah, how amazing to discover creativity you never knew existed inside yourself.
*  Meeting new friends and calling them your "on line buddies" - isn't the world of technology amazing?!
*  Finding folks, who like yourself, are deeply concerned about our country and are willing to comment on blogs along side you, to give a voice for freedom, as we demonstrate a deep concern for issues we face today.
*  Knowing in my heart and soul that there is a holy Father above who always listens and is in control, no matter how foolish some of our "leaders" appear to be in the scheme of things beyond our utmost control.
*  Discovering in my "golden" years that there are lifelong desires that can still be fulfilled, if only I keep my eyes open.
*  Knowing that nothing is impossible for me, unless I lose my sense of imagination.

Experiencing during my battle with cancer a few years ago, that life truly is a gift - one we experience every day when we first wake up, and never taking this gift for granted.  That the joy of living far outweighs those trivial moments of disappointments and the older I get, the more trivial those disappointments become!

In closing, I would like to add that Mr. Grumpy touches me with words of encouragement, his invitation to allow me to speak here on his blog,, and for opening new doors that were not even available a few months back!  Thank you, Grumpy, for being my friend.

With a Few Good Friends By Carly Simon

 (What did you expect from a "Bee" who loves honey?!