# 45 of Reflections Love Lost Hate forever

Love Lost Hate

Forever

By Mary K. Mennenga

Love is something you can’t…

…Hide, steal or forget

Love when it’s shared

Can never be lost

It remains always

The basics are

Hate and Love

Love will always overcome Hate

 It’s why

Forever

Is more than a word

It’s a place within your heart

# 44 of Reflections abilities,capabilities

Abilities, capabilities and choices!

By Mary K. Mennenga

Every person’s abilities and capabilities are different

To stand in judgment of others and or their choices

What qualities are required?

Everyone does the best they can with what they’ve got

No matter what we may think or believe

If standing in judgment of someone

The risk is having someone stand in judgment of us

The choices people make may not be the ones

We would have made

However the choices were not ours to make!

As for me, I will judge only myself

At the end of my life, I will stand

Before the one with the qualities, required

To judge me

Until then I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got

# 43 Reflections Friends.

       Caring and loving the people in my life does not change, because I see them less or more or even not at all. It’s the relationship that mattered most, not the things we did or didn’t do. What’s important to me may not have meant the same to you. Thank goodness we are not the same, wouldn’t have been so much fun, had I not looked at things from your point of view. As each person passes through our life some only once other coming and going throughout the span of time. Life is fluid like a river going on its way changes and choices made will put a bend here and there, in places it will be wide in others narrow too, flowing fast and slow also. As it takes a lifetime to finally reach the loving depth of the sea.

By Mary K. Mennenga

# 42 Honesty - Dishonesty

Honesty-Dishonesty

By Mary K. Mennenga

Relationships a matter of trust and faith

Being honest

Lie to yourself that’s fine

When perpetuating that lie

Passing it on as truth

The harm it’s capable of

When becoming aware

Of a deception

Achieves one thing

Unworthy of honesty

Was it pity and or lies?

A question never asked

Harm it did cause

Wasn’t the intent, but is the result

Of dishonesty

    This is not a typical type of my reflection I've posted here before. However it's a reflection of not one loss but of many, that have come from living with m.s. Being guilty of lying to myself out of pride and foolishness from time to time, and those little white lies that are told to spare one's feelings, because it may hurt them and harm a friendship. 

A new view from my window to the world.

 This winter I’m getting a larger variety of birds, at the bird feeders outside my window to the world. Until this winter it’s mostly been a variety of Swallows, Sparrows with only a few House Finch and Wren. This year now includes a larger variety of birds getting more of the wary, timid and nervous ones like a variety of woodpeckers, warblers, indigo bunting and more…

          The most fun have been the woodpeckers, maybe it’s because I’m learning more about them, that if having seen it myself not sure I would have believed it, as a red-bellied woodpecker put a seed into a spot of the tree bark. Not once but many times going back and forth from seed cake feeder to the tree. Her mate didn’t do this he came eat his fill and left, like some not all of men I known.

          Since all the new kinds of birds have come, I've been trying to get pictures of them that so far I haven’t had much luck they're such wary and nervous bird's they fly away or maybe their camera shy either way, here are the only two shots that have worked so far.

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Female

Hairy Woodpecker
Male

The squirrels on the other hand are posing for me and if the seed cake feeders are empty they sit on top making noise letting me know it! As for cleaning up the ground when the birds and squirrels are gone one crow comes by and takes care of that. Haven’t seen a hawk for a while, however have seen the unmistakable evidence that it’s been by for a snack.

Now these two are on different feeders, all three are from the last litter of squirrels born in the first part of October. Really didn't think these little guys' would make it. Thank goodness for a very mild winter and my feeding them, all have a nice layer of fat to keep them warm

They each have their own personality and still chase each other around the tree. The birds and squirrels put on a pretty good show, on the corner there is a movie theater and people will stop and watch I've heard some of the children ask if they can pet the squirrels a few parents, said sure if they'll let you! First step on the grass and away they all go squirrels up the tree and birds fly to the roof. It's all just good fun for everyone. 

Have been told that I shouldn't feed the squirrels! I tell them why not do you want the hawk's to eat your cat? The squirrel population is well controlled, by the hawk's that winter here. In spring when the eagles and hawk's start moving north it's all as it should be in the end. So we end up with more eagle's and hawk's then squirrel's.

So all is right with my little spot in the world.

# 41 Questions don't mean answers

Questions don’t mean answers

By Mary K Mennenga

Learning happens when asking a question

Answered or not you’ll gain information

What you do and how you interpret the information

May cause questioning of choices made or not

Reinforcing your point of view or not

It will give you options to consider

To become the person you want to be

Change is hard but a necessity for growth

Without growth nothing changes

Living without growing or learning is uninteresting

Taking the risks to finding your true potential

Depends if you’re willing to ask the questions only you can answer

# 40 of Reflections Honey

Honey

By Mary K. Mennenga

My wonderful joyful distraction

From all the worries the world brings my way

Your ability to make even my darkest of days

Seem bright and calm

I’m able to shed my cloak of dread and hopelessness

In your eyes I’ve seen only love and faithfulness

And a level of acceptance I’ve rarely known

Through all the trails and difficulties

Life brings my way

The love you’ve shown me has taught me

No matter how big a problem looks or feels

It’s never as big as I think or as important

# 39 reflections If I had the ability to read minds

If I had the ability to read minds

I'd have no need to ask why or doubt

That the truth has been told

All questions would have answerers

I can’t so

Questions remain unanswered

Why did all communication just stop?

Was it something I did or didn’t do?

What I will do is

To understand it’s not about

Me it’s about you

Many times I’ve forgotten this

I'll trust you to take care of you

And be here if you need me  

By Mary K. Mennenga

Why I titled my blog this way

 Wanting the title to have some flexibility. Because I've found life is fluid it changes in some spots it moves so fast, in others it's like standing still. Wanting my blog to grow and change a long with me. More importantly by remaining open, to all the possibility life has yet in store for me. 

So that is why it's titled: 

It is what it is, until it isn't what it once was.

Seeing that; I'm not the person I used to be nor am I the person I will be. Change is always happening and each day is a new day. Every choice made is a change that's been chosen.

Here I go again with the weather!

To say it's been a mild winter here so far would be a HUGE understatement. Having April temps in January above average by 10 degree or more for 20 days in a roll. Being able to get out and about every weekend, without all the hassle of dealing with snow and the cold, has really been grand. The weather folks are saying it going to change, can't say I'm not glad to hear it, tired of needing to water the trees. Don't mind the low heating bills and seeing my neighbors walking their dogs in short sleeves  shirts it's 49 degrees today. Yes it is going to end it always does waking up to 16 degrees on Thursday will be a bit of a shock even if that's normal for this time of year. Everyone will get back into the layers and layers to keep warm and all I'll see are their eyes in the bundles they've tucked themselves into. Having missed hearing from the bundles as they are about to get that last piece on, out comes a groan as they start pulling off each layer faster and faster asking them calmly what's wrong it's always pretty the same "Oh (any four letter word will do) NOW I'VE GOT TO PEE!! It's the one for me that never gets old, a time or two I've been knew to run the water a bit longer then needed when grabbing a glass of water. One of the many little things that my Mother taught me. But when she did it there were 5 to 10 kids with only one bathroom and it was up stairs.  

# 38 reflections Win Win

Win Win

By Mary K. Mennenga

For some winning is the only goal

For others it isn't about winning or losing
It's about doing their best win or lose
Knowing their best was given that day
With a willingness to learn
That tomorrow is 
Another chance to run the race
Of living life by
Giving it your best every day
Add all the days together
Win or lose
Making your life one
That is truly being lived  

# 36 and #37 Reflections of 1980

June 1980

By Mary K. Mennenga

If you set your mind to anything

You can do it or it will never happen

That's all up to you

Anything you do must first be learned

Some times doing without feeling

When you feel like praying it's easy

When you don't it's hard to start

But when you make the move to start

You know that's what you needed

Knowing what you need

Is the first step in learning

How to take care of you

This is #37 from the same year. As I read it now I'm not so sure, that parts of it didn't come from something I had read. So I'm unwilling to say that I wrote this. 

One Man?

By Unsure

When your looking for something you need

But you just can't seem to find it don't lose hope

Be steadfast continue your searching

One Man

Once looked for love but was hated

He was fair and kind

But he was judged for sins he didn't commit

and lies he never told

For these he was an Innocent Man

But was put to death

With his death 

He gave us each a gift

Of grace and all we need is faith

This is what one man did

To give us a choice 

2011

2011 has come to an end indeed. I've gained more then I've lost in different ways. That's how I view it as a whole it was a okay year, learned many lessons that I really should have learned a long time ago, back when they first happened the first time so many years ago. Hind sight is always 20/20, yes I do say that a lot, as a reminder to me not to be so hard on myself, because I'm not the same person I was. If I were, wouldn't be calling them lesson's learned. Viewing the high's and the low's of the past year, I find the view better when I look at it from my heart. Change happens no need to worry about the date, it's the journey and the ever changing view no matter if from the high or the low, it's where my heart is focused that counts.