The Future is Now

When I was a kid and they described the future in books or on TV, two things stand out in my mind - flying cars and television phones where you could see the person you were talking to and they could see you. Well, it's almost 2010 and we don't have flying cars but tonight, as I talked to Mackenzie at school and saw her face on the computer via a Web tool called Tokbox, I felt that that future was now. I know that video conferencing technology has been around for long time and programs like Skype and Toxbox have been around for awhile but I've never really used this technology for personal conversation like this until tonight. It was so cool. It was magic to a Mom who misses her girl.

A Psychic Experience

I'm very delinquent in writing some of the "Everyday Magic" events of this summer. One I have to document because I truly felt like I had a psychic experience. On July 16, Mackenzie was to get information about her OU roommate. When I woke up that morning I was excited for her and started thinking about it. "I wonder what her name will be?" I kept getting names popping into my head like Kaleigh, Kelsey, etc. Then, I thought, "I wonder where she's from?" For some reason I thought - "I bet she's from somewhere like Wapakoneta." A little while later, we pulled up the info online and . . . her name is Kasey and she's from . . . Wapakoneta! Yes, the hairs on my arm stood up!

903

Today we took Mackenzie to OU. Previously I wrote about how she was born at 9:03pm and I always seem to look at the clock at 9:03. Today I realized that she came into my life at 9:03 and left my nest on 9-03.

Graduation Magic

The high school graduation of your child is magic! It's proud, exciting, happy, exhausting, expensive, and heart-breaking all at the same time. Today, I am physically, mentally, financially, and emotionally exhausted. But, I am so, so, so proud! What a wonderful daughter I have in so many ways.

The ceremony itself wasn't anything extraordinary. In fact, it was probably like hundreds of ceremonies across the country. But something interesting did happen. First, though, I need to explain. My grandma was a watercolor painter and liked to paint birds. After she passed away, I read a story about a lady who believed that her mother visited her in the form of a butterfly. Everytime she saw a butterfly, she felt it was her mother. One day, right after Grandma died, I was sitting in the cafe at work by the window and a little bird kept knocking against the window - like it was trying to get my attention. When I really looked at it - it looked just like the chickadees my grandma used to paint! So, I got it in my head that my grandma was visiting me in the form of a bird. Right before the graduation ceremony started, there was a slight commotion and many people in the audience started pointing to a bird flying around the arena. To them, it was a funny distraction. But to me, it was so much more. It was Grandma. She loved Mackenzie so much - I knew she just had to be there!

Happy Birthday Header

Yesterday I turned 45. There's not much magic about turning 45 or the thought of getting older. As in past years, I spent my birthday on the soccer fields at a weekend tournament. Some people might not think that's a great way to spend a birthday, but for me it is. I love it. There's not much else I'd rather do. This year is especially meaningful because it's probably my last Memorial Day/Birthday soccer tournament and probably my last soccer tournament period. Alex says he isn't going to play soccer anymore. But this weekend he was awesome. He scored 3 goals and two were beautiful headers on a corner kick. One of those was on my birthday and it was the game winning goal! It also gave them the win they needed to go to the championship game! He also played awesome defense. I really saw him grow in confidence this weekend. Now, he says he doesn't know what he's going to do next fall. So, maybe there's an inkling of hope it's not totally over! But, he has to do what makes him happy. Whatever happens, though, his playing this weekend and the championship for the team made my birthday magic!

Writer Unblocked

When I was in seventh grade we had to write several kinds of poems and make a poetry book. One of my favorite types of poems was the Acrostic poem where you write a word vertically and start the beginning of each line of the poem with each letter of the word. The poems are usually very succinct. I wrote one acrostic poem with the word SPRING -

Soft
Pitter-pattering
Rain
In a
Newly blossomed
Garden

My teacher told me I should get it published someday. A few weeks ago I saw an ad for a writing contest sponsored by the Westerville Library as part of Celebrate the Arts month. I decided to enter the contest with that poem but I felt like it wasn't enough so I wrote an acrostic poem for each of the four seasons. Yesterday I got a call that I am a finalist in the contest. I get to go to the Westerville Library in a couple of weeks where they will announce the winners and we get to read our work. The paper is going to be there, too, and all entries will be bound in a book! I think this means I will either get 1st, 2nd, 3rd or Honorable Mention. No matter what I'm really excited to be a finalist and my poems will be published in the book! I feel like it's a dream come true in a small way - just to have a little tiny success as a writer! I always liked to write poems and I always thought it was something I was pretty good at. It makes me think of my Grandpa Sarver who liked to write poems. I think he'd be proud!

Gold Skies At Night

"Red skies at night, sailor's delight." But what does it mean if the sky is gold? I haven't written in awhile. I guess I haven't been looking for the magic. But tonight, it forced itself on me with an "in-your-face" dazzling gold sunset Driving home, the sunset teased me from behind, forcing me to constantly look in my rear view mirror. This sunset was golden - no trace of red or orange - just pure, deep, shiny gold. I don't think I've seen a sunset that was just one color like that and so intense. Maybe it was extra intense because we haven't seen the sun much in a long time. The light reflected off all the buildings on Polaris Parkway making them golden glowing towers of light. It was really incredible. "Gold skies at night - pay attention to the light!"