Today I will be reading a story I wrote Saturday – A Beautiful
Memory
Growing up as a child my mother loved to visit people, being
outdoors with nature and traveling. Her favorite place to visit was Lake Tahoe. Her friend had a lodge on the South Shore and Cheryl lived in Zephyr Cove.
Mom decided to have a girl's weekend. I was 16 and learning how to drive. My mom called us to the kitchen and my dad wanted to teach us how to fix a flat tire, just in case we got one. My dad said, maybe I can time you girls to see how long it will take. We looked at him and said, we are not a pit crew. Then he gave us each a job. My job was to remove the spare tire from the trunk.Jessie was supposed to loosen up the lug nuts before Cindy jacked the car up.They both started to argue about something that had nothing to do with the flat tire.My dad had to step in and help Jessie.I rolled the tire over to the car and my dad put it on.(That my friend is how I learned to fix a flat.)
We packed the car and said our goodbyes. I was riding shotgun since I was the oldest girl. We made it to our destination,
Lake Tahoe.We immediately unloaded but
my sister locked the keys in the car.My
mom decided to take a nap and said, we better have those keys when she wakes
up.I had the back trunk open, so Jessie
crawled into the trunk and pushed the back seat open.Then grabbed the keys and opened the car
door. We put the keys inside the room.
We then grabbed our bathing suits and headed for the hot
tub.My mom woke up from her nap and we saw her walking with her friend.We
stayed in the hot tub until our fingers were wrinkled.The following days, we visited Cheryl in
Zephyr Cove and went hiking in Zephyr Cove Park and then tobogganing.We visited Virginia City and I got to drive on
Highway 395.In Virginia City they reenacted
a corral shootout.It was cool.We had fun and arrived home tired, but we had
lots of stories to tell our friends.
This weekend I went to Virginia City and remembered our girl’s
weekend.I smiled and said to myself, "What a Beautiful Memory."
Poppy
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Treat your life as your masterpiece.
Know that you get to decide how you paint
every inch of your canvas –
the color, the texture, the size, and the lighting. It is all up to you. Do not be afraid to try new things or add new
designs because it is your masterpiece. Try
bold colors, paint over your mistakes, start over whenever you want.
This is your life and your masterpiece, so create one that you love.
-Nikki Banas
Poppy
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poppytheauthor a country girl at heart on facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Thank you for joining me on this extra beautiful Sunday!
Today I will share a story about "Living in the Moment."
As I sit here and sip on my coffee wearing my worn-out dress
that makes me happy,
I can see the clouds in the sky and hear the birds singing.
After the death of my husband, I was living in the past and worried about the
future that's when it all fell apart. I was forced
to stop and see things more clearly. It was a blessing in disguise. Nowadays, I do not take anything for granted because of the many losses I
have endured.Living in the moment can
truly teach us the art and value of enjoying the small things in life.
Throughout our life journey you will meet a lot of people. Some will give you advice and insights on how to live your life but when it all comes down to it,
you must always do what you feel is right.Always follow your heart, and most importantly never have any
regrets.We only have one life and I plan
to make mine a fulfilling one.
A healthy, positive, and grateful mindset is the first thing
you need.Sit quietly for 15 minutes in
the morning, watch the sunset, go for a hike, go for a picnic, find a hobby, or
bird watch.Find someone who likes the
same things you do.Recognize the value that
people have added in your life and imagine their faces. Enjoy the small things
in life because these are the moments that truly make our life rich. We are all on our own
journey in life, and I hope you make it a good one.
Try and live in the moment - means letting go of the past and
not waiting for the future.It means
living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.
I will end with this quote – Sometimes it is the journey that teaches you a lot
about your destination.
Poppy
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My beautiful friend, I hope you live wild
and free. I hope you do all the things
you dream of doing. I hope you travel everywhere you dream of going and
taste all the foods you desire. I hope you let yourself be wildly and
completely yourself, without worrying about what others will think, and free
yourself from others expectations and criticisms because they will never know all the magic and dreams
within your heart. I hope you trust yourself as the oceans do the moon
and let yourself shine as the night sky does for the stars. I hope you
always have faith in yourself as flowers do in the sun. I hope you live
wild and free, my beautiful and brave friend.
-Nikki Banas-
Poppy
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Poppy’s blog and podcasts are readings of
lighthearted quotes and short stories. My hope is to make you smile and lift your spirits while listening to my quotes and short stories. Come follow poppytheauthor a country girl at heart and share my
quotes and short stories with your family and friends.
Let me end with this quote – Go forward in
life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face.
Peace
Poppy
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Thank you for coming to visit Poppy on this beautiful
Sunday.
Growing up as a child we listened to all kinds of music. My uncle Albert would come over to visit and bring his guitar. He would play and sing with my mom all night. My mom as a teenager sang on TV several times in Salinas, CA. She had a very good voice.
She wrote a song and sold it to a band. They were planning to debut it, but their
singer got kicked in the face with a horse in Mexico. So, they passed on the song, and it was sold
to another band. Just recently, I was at
the America’s Tire shop in Salinas and heard it playing on the radio. I was taken back and had to listen
carefully. That was my mom's song she wrote. I remember her writing the music, singing it and humming it over and over. It made me happy and sad when I heard it.
As a child we learned how to play an
instrument. I was in the 3rd
grade when I learned to play the flute and piccolo. Mr. Mora was my music
teacher and I remember the armstrong flute my parents rented then purchased for me. My big
brother played the trumpet and trombone, my other brother played the drums and
my little brother played the saxophone. One Mother’s Day we surprised my mom by putting on a concert. My dad pulled a few bales of hay and we used
them as benches. We made lemonade,
bologna sandwiches and chips. She had a smile on her face the whole time
until one of the cows took down a portion of a fence and they had to go and
round up the cows and fix the fence. That was a typical day on the farm.
My mom was so adamant to sign us up for music talent shows.
We played songs she selected. My big brother played the
“Lonely Bull, by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass on his trumpet, I played
“Greensleeves a folk ballad by Aafje Heynis” with my flute. When I went on
stage, I put the music stand up high so that nobody could see my face. Then,
Mr. Mora my music teacher would come on stage and fix the stand. He would say, do
not hide that face. In the beginning I
was stage fright then I got over it.
I thank my mom for instilling music in my soul. Music
touches our soul because it expresses at times what we cannot verbally express
ourselves or that it expresses nearly exactly how we feel. Its universal and,
therefore, brings us together. It starts with a beat; raindrops tapping against
a window, the roar of the ocean as the waves break and rush towards the shore,
the beating of our own heart. Music brings me closer to creativity,
tranquility, and beauty. Did you grow up listening to music? If so, what kind?
I will end with this
quote “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who
could not hear the music.”
Poppy
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Thank you for joining me on this holiday weekend. Today I will share a story I wrote on February 29, 2020.
It was a couple of days before my 8th birthday and I overheard mom talking with my
godmother about a party. Hosting gatherings came natural for my mom because she loved having company. The night before my birthday, my godmother Mary and godfather Ernie came to
visit. They had a special present and wanted me to open it. I slowly untied the
pretty bow and opened the box. My eyes lit up as I pulled the dress out of the
box. It was emerald green on top with a pink ribbon tie and off-white pleats.
They asked me to try it on. I ran into the bathroom and slipped it on. I felt
like a princess, it was pretty, and the material was soft. I walked into
the kitchen and everyone stopped to stare. Mary said,
"it fits perfectly." I went over and gave Mary and Ernie a big
hug to thank them for my birthday dress.
That night, as I went to bed, I thought about my birthday party and
how fun it was going to be. I cannot remember if I slept that night.My sisters and me woke up early and mom had
breakfast ready. We ate and then put our play clothes on to help with the
decorations. My mom had music on and was dancing as she
cooked up a storm in the kitchen. We went out and blew up balloons, set up the chairs and covered the
tables. My cake was a "carousel cake" my dad had ordered at Wilson's Jewel Bakery, where he worked. It was colorful. My mom made her special punch
with orange slices. I had to stop on the way into the house to look at the punch bowl because the suns reflection
made it sparkle.My dad had the barbecue
going and my mom and her sister Mercy along with Mary helped with the side
dishes. Everything was perfect. After we finished with the decorations, we went
back into the house to dress for the party. My friends from school started to
arrive and were sitting at the table along with my cousins.
We finished dressing and mom brushed our hair. My sisters and me ran to the front door and tried to fit through the doorway at the same time. I ended up
falling and scraping my knee and arm. My mom came running as I cried.
She hugged me and helped me up. I told her my dress was ruined and my
knee was bleeding along with my arm. She cleaned my scrapes and then
applied red medicine. As I cried, she tied a red balloon to my wrist. She said
when my boo-boo started to hurt to pull on the string and my pain would go away. I stopped
crying as I looked at the balloon. I tugged on the balloon several
times throughout the day. The party was fun and I forgot about my scrapes.
As I became older, the red balloon which became my safety blanket as a child
reappeared because of the many loses I was experiencing. My daughter and friend had to pop it before I floated away. The red balloon had taken me from a child, teenager and now senior. A couple of months ago, I released it, for someone who may need it. If you see a floating red balloon catch it and tie it to your wrist. It will help you through the tough times.
Let me leave you with this quote - As they say, you may not end of where you thought you were going, but you will always end up where you were meant to be.
In memory of Mom – My kitchen is for DANCING
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at heart
Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each
other, when we do not judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give
each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting
someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with
someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when
someone does not handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is
refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive
someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.
(A Marvin Ashton quote)
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