Go Forth

Can’t seem to think
Reaction time’s all wrong
And watching the day go by
Went through the motions
Life, take control of my own

Told my niece the other day to take control of her life. Told her that she needed to find something to focus on and not just exist day-to-day.

The irony of me needing to hear the same said to me is not lost on me. Some days you can walk, others you can run, and then there are the days that feel like you’re crawling an inch at a time. The important thing is to just keep going.

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How Do You Keep Going?

Wait just a moment and don’t think,
“How is this going to work out?”
Only take a moment to breath before moving on.
 
So you’ve been here before and failed
A moment in the past doesn’t mean you will again.
You can do this, you must tell yourself.
Slap those doubts right out of your head.
 

Sometimes Terry wondered if what he was learning would sit well with his mother. He knew without a doubt that his father would have understood. Warren had died trying to take out dirtbags like the ones he was learning to fight against. But Mary…

Mary had been a stay at home mom for most of Terry’s childhood and had only started looking for work after Matt had started school. Even then, it had only been part time until his parents had separated. Once she’d been the main bread winner for herself and her boys (before Terry had thrown an epic teenager snit fit and moved in with his father) she’d taken whatever hours she could without stinting her sons on time spent with them.

Sometimes Terry really wondered just when his mom had slept. He knew she ate, because she’d eaten with the boys ever night and tried to have breakfast with them on the weekends before running in to work. His mother is made of something stronger than he is even though he’s definitely her son. He’s been keeping his grades up and still working with his new boss on not only how to run a successful business and running all kinds of errands and getting to know people in his network.

(The local police didn’t know, but a lot of their ‘anonymous’ tips were from one local business man who’s seen enough go wrong that though he doesn’t have the health to join the force or go vigilante he wants to do something to make a difference.)

Terry is always tired in between school, work, learning the ins and outs of his future job (he will be able to make a difference once he’s old enough to enter the Police Academy and he will have the contacts and the know-how in gaining those contacts), spending time with his little brother, his girlfriend and getting any kind of rest.

How is his mother able to do everything when he knows she’s still mourning his father (divorced though they may have been at Warren’s death) and certainly not sleeping through the night. She still manages to look not any worse for the wear, unless you really know her and then you can see that the only thing keeping her from cracking right through the middle (instead of all along the edges) is her love and need to care for her sons.

“Terry?”

Terry looks up from where he had been frying a few eggs real quick to see his mother enter. Her hair was already brushed and she was dressed for work.

“I thought you might enjoy something to eat instead of drinking one of your smoothie drinks on the way to work.” he answered as he pulled the toasted bagel from the toaster and carefully loaded the fried egg on it.

Mary smiled at her son and accepted the breakfast sandwich, unsurprised that there was also some strips of bacon in it, “Thank you, son. I’ll see you after school today?”

“Yeah, I have today off.” Terry called over his shoulder as he moved back towards the carton of eggs to fry up enough for a sandwich for himself and his younger brother.

“Can you make sure Matt catches the bus?” Mary asked as she gathered up her keys and wallet.

“I’ll take care of it, Mom.”

Mary turned and pressed quick kiss to her eldest’s cheek in thanks before running out the door.

Terry watched his mother climb into the car and wondered again how she kept going.


Inspired by the prompt from DungeonPrompts last Thursday.

Measure

image: courtesy of freeimages.co.uk

Do you measure up?
Do you measure down?
What is the yard stick,
That you measure yourself to?
Is there anything that you reach for?
 
She looked up and up and up.
She was the shortest in the house,
That didn’t stop her from piling high
The chairs and boxes until she could reach the top.
She’d make a way to be enough.
 
He looked down and down and down.
There were so many people there.
They were alone and dirty and sorrowful.
He didn’t let that stop Him from bending down
And pulling someone back up with Him.
 
They looked at the one stick available.
There wasn’t enough for everyone to work at the same time.
So taking turns, they passed around
The implement needed to complete
The biggest project they had all year.
 
The smallest person makes the difference,
They can sit and listen, say nothing at all.
They can cry with you, hold you.
Make sure that no matter how small you feel
You aren’t left alone to feel it.
 
So when you look around you
And see nothing but obstacles.
Remember that you can climb over the top,
No matter how high up they look,
Because it’s not just you alone at the base.

This was partly inspired by Sara Bareilles’s song Brave and also from the Friday prompt for Light and Shade Challenge, though I, once again, went over the 100 word limit.

Life Moves Fast!

Most of the house is still packed from before
Only a few things left to do, although it seems like more…
Veracity of the previous statement is under suspicion.
I would really like this to be done and over with.
Never certain just when it will come, yet we’re
Going to get ready regardless.
It’s all about the timing.
Don’t give up even though it looks bleak.
Always remember that He hasn’t let you down before.
Yokes include another pulling with you!
“For my burden is easy and my yoke is light.”
Coming on up to crunch time, I’m ready!
Only a little bit of patience to be put to the test.
Me? I’m trying to do what I can.
Inside I try not to shake too badly;
Not going to let the fear and doubt in!
Got my family all around me to see this through!

Written partially for Suzie81’s challenge this week: http://suzie81speaks.com/2014/05/11/weekly-word-challenge-life/

Also because we’ve been getting ready for a big change! Life in my family takes a long while to build up to something before it moves really fast!

Temperature

Causual relationships come and go
Only those who are willing to fight stay.
Losses in life will always be coming,
Don’t forget that gains will be there as well.
 Every setback is the beginning point of a comeback.
Weather will wear at you, beating you down.
A moment of peace may sometimes be found.
Remember me always, I pray,
Meet me again at the end of the day.