This Is Me!

It's taken me years to discover who I really and this is what I've come up with.

I’m not an actress, although I have been performing in a scriptless play since I was five days old. Adoption, secrets and lies created the impersonator I’ve become.
I am not a singer but my heart cries out in perfect harmony with the chorus of adoptees who choose to moan and hum because words cannot always express the thoughts we share.

I am however a Conceptualist. I think in the abstract. I create ideas based upon my experiences and the struggles of those around me. I see things as ideational structures that can be made into realizations.

Fall Cleaning

After a 10 day vacation, I'm renewed mentally and physically. It's time to get back to the grind. As Tim Gunn would say on Project Runway "make it work people!" That's what I need to do; make it work. I need to get back to the things that matter, the things that will help me in the long run. I need to clean out the old things that hinder my ability to obtain the new, whether it be clothes, shoes, books, kitchen items and whatever else is causing clutter. We often talk about spring cleaning, this year I'm going to do the fall cleaning.

Over the years I've accumulated JUNK! Today is the day to start letting go. If I haven't looked at it in a year or more, it's out! I'm even cleaning out contacts on my email list and my FB friends list. If I haven't heard from you in a year or I haven't contacted you in a year, you've got to go! It may be a good idea for all of us to get rid of the things we don't need.

One of the most important things I'm getting rid of will be my bad habits: overeating, eating bread, eating sweets, and lack of exercise.

Fall is my new spring cleaning time!

Happy Labor Day

Have a Happy Labor Day!

Saying Grace

This morning while eating breakfast at the hotel, I noticed two men probably in Atlanta for a work related meeting, convention or conference. As they sat down to eat one man politely bowed his head as the other one ravenously dug into his food as though he hadn't eaten in quite some time. The man stayed with his head bowed for what seemed like hours. It was as though he was having a long long talk with God. Perhaps he was giving thanks for the cook, the chickens that laid the eggs, the plants that had given their lives to provide the herbs and spices used to season the food and the grocery store where the food was purchased. At another table full of people, I witnessed one person close her eyes quickly and open them as though embarrassed to be seen giving thanks for her bounty.

How often do we think about giving thanks but someone interrupts us and we stop praying? How many times are we with someone who doesn't give thanks and we simply start eating because they do? I have to admit there was a time I found myself embarrassed to bow my head in public and say grace, but that was long before I knew how good God is to wake me up every morning and provide me with food to eat. There were times in my life that I didn't have money to buy a meal and had to borrow money I knew I couldn't pay back. There were times the Lord sent somebody to me who asked me and my kids out to dinner just when I was wondering what I could scrape up to eat. The bible says "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1) Regardless of who we eat with or eat in front of, we cannot be ashamed to give thanks.

"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Robert Thompson: When Death Hits Close To Home

Today, I awakened early to put a post on Facebook to give encouragement to a family who tragically and unexpectedly lost one of their loved ones only to find out I had lost a dear friend and relative. I have to admit I was shaken to the core over his untimely passing. And although I hated to receive the news on a Facebook post, I'm thankful because I still haven't heard from any of my family members informing me that he had died.

I was recently hospitalized three times in three months for a devastating and potentially life threatening illness and thought "there but for the grace of God, go I." When i saw the post on FB, I was saddened, then I found myself getting angry over the fact that none of my friends or family members bothered to call me to personally give me the news, then a "peace that passed all understanding" fell over me because what's done is done and I can't change it.

There are five stages of grief we go through: the first is denial. I can't deny the fact that God decided to take my loved one home. Number two is anger. Are we really angry that the person died or are we angry because of the reactions or non reactions of others (in my case, no one contacting me). The third stage is bargaining. I have nothing to bargain with. Would I trade places with the one who God has chosen to take home, probably not. The fourth stage is depression. I can't allow myself to become depressed as it wouldn't serve any purpose. Also it could cause me health problems I'm not prepared to deal with. And the fifth is acceptance. In just a few short hours, I've accepted my cousin's passing because I know he had completed everything God had for him to do on earth. There were more things I wish my cousin and friend could have done but it wasn't up to me.

I pray for his mother, his children and grandchildren. I pray for his friends and loved ones. I pray for the city of Muncie who just lost a valuable asset to their community.

This is another one "gone too soon"

Name Chage

On Sunday I changed the name of my blog site to Puzzle Pieces. I had grown weary of writing in a blog that read Just A Sleigh Ride Away (from finding myself). I was finding myself, I just didn't realize it. I thought by searching for my birth mother, I would find out more about myself. What I learned was that it wasn't the search that allowed me to find me, it was the ability to discuss being adopted openly and without fear of hurting some body's feeling. Keeping quiet only served to hurt me.

All of us have opinions about everything, they remind me of pieces of a puzzle. But unless those opinions are given a voice the puzzle will never be complete, questions will never be asked and answers will never be discovered. Today while out and riding I saw a church sign that read "Is life a puzzle? Ask God for the missing piece." That was enough confirmation to let me know I had changed my blog site name to the right one.

All we need to do is ask God, He's the answer to every puzzle.

NAME CHANGE!

My blog name has been changed!!! I created this blog in an effort to discuss my feelings about finding my birth mother L. Sleigh. I'm sure you all got as tired of reading about those thoughts as I did writing them! While blogging under the old name of Just A Sleigh Ride Away (from finding myself)I happen to find myself!

So now I will blog about various topics and life in general. Our random thoughts are pieces to a larger puzzle, we all have them. The puzzle will never be complete if we don't give those thoughts a voice. I hope you will find my opinions exciting enough to continue following me. And those who haven't clicked the 'join this site' button, please do, I just may talk about something you want to hold a conversation about. I may even say something you wanted to say but were too shy to do so!

Be blessed and more importantly be a blessing!

Rosa