Things I Still Don't Know

It's the end of the year and by the looks of other blogs and Facebook status updates people are refective of where they've been and anticipating where they're going. I'm sitting here listening to the rain and realizing it's one more thing I don't know about my mother. I don't know how she felt about the rain. No regrets. It's not important, just something I don't know. I know how she felt about snow. I grew up hearing about the icicles forming on her wet bangs after swim class. I grew up hearing about her walking into snow banks as her vision failed. I know snow was something she was glad to leave in Chicago when she moved to California. When Mom first passed realizing there was something I didn't know was a big deal. Wondering what she would think shadowed each event. There've been changes this year. Bright changes. No shadow of wishing Mom were here to discuss them loomed. I'm in a good place as I leave 2010 and move into 2011. Don't get me wrong. Tears still come. I still miss her but more often the my face is moistened by tears of joy. There is awesome joy in knowing she's Home in Heaven pain free and able to see. Sin brought pain into life. Jesus went to the cross so that when the earthly portion of life is over we can be in Heaven with Him. We've just finished celebrating His birth. It's a happy time. The new year is coming at us. Hope is coming towards us. I'm ready for whatever the new year brings. I'm hoping it brings Jesus into many hearts so that He can break chains. Happy New Year everyone. Hope He takes the shackles off your feet so you can dance.

The Mom Filter

It's the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death by murder. I liked his music growing up. It must've made it past the Mom Filter. Mom was very conservative. Did I mention the word VERY? I was allowed 3 television shows (besides game shows) which were Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, and Emergency! I didn't watch Bewitched until I was an adult. Twilight Zone? Uh no. Even if I'd told her that Earl Hamner, creator and narrator of The Waltons, had written a couple episodes that dial would not have budged. (According to my followers list you are are old enough to remember the TV dial so I don't have to explain it.) I saw an episode of The Waltons a few years back that dealt with a Ouji board that I don't remember seeing as a child--Mom Filter. I've tried to have a Mom Filter. Mine is not as conservative as my mother's but it must be stronger. There's more to filter out these days. My kids know what's acceptable in my presense but at their ages I cannot filter the rest of the world anymore. Still I hope my Mom Filter was strong enough in their formative years so that they now have their own filtering system. I know my own personal filtering system is pretty conservative but Mom would be surprised to know I've been watching Ghost Whisperer. And Bewitched is kinda hokey and great company when you have the flu. Then again the other day when nothing was on TV and Dave and I were feeling fluish we had a Walton's movie marathon. Mom would have been pleased.