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Cross the Finish!

I made it.   I crossed the finish line.   I had hoped I would but always left myself the “out” if I needed. Early in the Slice of Life daily blog challenge one of my sons asked what I planned to do after the challenge was over.   Would I continue to blog? Ever since he asked that question, I have been asking myself the same.   While I was writing my blog I frequently asked myself about my “why” and my “what”.   What was the one thing from my day that was noteworthy?   Why did I feel so strongly about one emotion over another?   Why did I accept the challenge?   What was I hoping to accomplish?   Like all other races or events that I have trained for, the circling in my mind at times became overwhelming.   In my unclear moments, my why became the understanding that life is a journey worth noting and sharing. I accepted the challenge to blog daily for the same reasons I have accepted other challenges in my life.   I wanted to see if I could.   I wanted to see what I would lea
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SkeeBall Anyone?

Last night Bill and I had a great time watching the Auburn Tigers move to Elite 8 status in the March Madness contest.  While watching the Auburn players effortlessly shoot  3 pointers I was reminded of years of playing SkeeBall at Rehoboth Beach, DE.  As a child, during my college days, in our dating life and as a Mom, I have always been the family reigning SkeeBall champion.  I would stand at the SkeeBall throw line and effortlessly sink one winner in after another.  Like the Tigers, the joy and elation were obvious.  Each 50 point shot gave me more inspiration and more confidence. Winning at sports games and routinely beating my brothers, Bill and my sons helped to define who I am.  I have always been an athletic person who loves a good challenge both on and off the court. Last night, the Tar Heels were outplayed by the Tigers but in the defining moment when the high scoring Auburn player Okeke was severely injured the Tar Heels reminded us what playing sports is all about.
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Read for a Change

Today I was reading an article about how to prevent cognitive decay in your brain and increase your emotional intelligence. After all, who doesn’t want that? One of the best ways is by reading!   A Yale team of scientists asked: What is it about reading books that boost our brain power whereas reading newspapers and magazines doesn’t? Researchers believe that reading a book forces your brain to think critically and make connections to the book and the world around you.   Creating these connections forces new pathways in all regions of the brain.   Over time, with continued reading, these new networks assist in creating quicker thinking which may fight against cognitive decay as we age.  However, what was more interesting to me is what the Yale researchers found about the benefits of increased empathy and emotional intelligence. The researchers found that readers who read a chapter of a fiction book showed increased empathy over those who only read a newspaper or magazine.
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Read to Them

One of the quotes that I often think about is Emily Buchwald’s “ Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Teaching reading is very difficult and reading to a child that has never been read to makes the job seem impossible.   Today it made me think about what made me a reader. As a child, my mother, who taught reading for years, read to my brothers and I  every Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.   I do not remember the stories exactly but I remember loving the stories and cherishing our special time together.   Later in life, my father and I did a book study for religious education on the book Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Harnard.   Again, I do not remember much about the book but I remember the time we spent together and the close bond that I felt.    Today I decided to look at a review of Harnard’s book.   The review states that over 2 million copies were sold.   “It is a timeless story of God’s children yearning to new heights of love
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