FADS

My children have joined the recent crazy fad called Silly Bands. My daughter has an armful of them. It has made me think about fads and fashion. Who is it exactly that decides what is "in" and "out" as far as fashion goes. Why is it that in my teenage years that members only jackets were the thing to wear but today that are OUT. Even more dramatic is that what was acceptable last year is not so this year. It is crazy. My children tell me all the time that i am out of style. I refuse to buy into all that. I dont buy it for the kids either. No way am I gonna buy $100 shoes just so they can be in style. My daughter actually saved here money to buy a columbia jacket but I would not buy it for her- she has five perfectly good jackets in her closet. The funny thing about that is though she waited until they went on sale and bought it.
The sad thing is that it is not just our kids that are buying into all of this. Many adults are going into debt so they can be in style and keep up with their friends. It is a sad fact of our Country. I just think my money would be better used in other ways then buying too high fashions and supporting that whole industry. I refuse to pay out hundreds of dollars for things that will be considered "out" next year. I hope I am able to teach my kids what is actually important in life and help them escape this cultural need to keep up.

MAY

May use to be my favorite month. It is the beginning of spring, the month I graduated from high school and college and most important my birthday. Now however all that has faded and May is just the month my whole life changed. I feel the sadness fill me as May 1 st comes. I thought aftrer all this time the pain would have been lessened but it hasnt. It is just as strong as ever. It will be 5 yrs this May that Tim left us. In a way it feels like it was yesterday but then again it feels like is was so long ago. I have now parented my children alone as long as we parented together. Everyday I learn more ways to survive as a single mom. I have learned how to fix things and do things I never thought I would. I have found strength I never knew I had. I have survived and that in itself is a miracle.
For the first few years I was in a panic about being alone. Like I was less of a person because I was alone. But now I have come to accept my aloneness and find the good in it. I have had the best gift in having Tim in my life and if God never choses to bless me again then that is ok. He gave me more then I deserved. I am not even sure anyone else could measure up anyway. I dont know what the future hold and I am glad I dont!