Farewell my uterus!

Well here it is a few days before I expell the traitor in my abdomen ... My uterus!

Yes that's right a hysterectomy!

I fought hard for the past 8 years to keep the bloody thing! (Pun intended)

It turns out that my fibroid tumors, which supposedly don't cause most women any trouble at all, have been wrecking havoc in my uterus for years. Probably even the cause for all the horrendous PMS bouts I've suffered with all these years!

I do want to honor my uterus for the one good thing that did come from it...

My daughter Lyndi-Rae. Even then though my uterus didn't want to cooperate when it came time to expell that giant baby! She was two weeks past due and 9lb 4oz and we had to force my uterus to cooperate with drugs and a team of doctors and nurses forcing the issue for two days!

But it did make a really healthy wonderful baby girl for me so kudos to you, uterus!

But now the time has come to say farewell, sinanara ... 

Don't let the door hit you on your way out!!

In the beginning

Here is the beginning of a sketch I'm doing for my new painting!!

Just thought I'd share!!

Scorpio

Here is a little picture I did for a friend of mine!

A Guide for Spiritual Living







I just have to brag a little here. My Uncle George McLaird has written a fantastic new book!! It's called, "A Guide for Spiritual Living: Hundreds of Suggestions for Finding, Refinding, Refining, Redefining and Reinventing Your Own Personal Spiritual Path". I have read the book and will probably read it several more times, as there are so many great suggestions for creating your own amazing path through life. I might also mention that this book is featuring an up and comping new artist, who has contributed some fun and whimsical visual interest, which only enhances the already fantastic book... Yup, thats me!!!

 

Take a look at that cover... Pretty cool don't you think?

If you want to check it out, go to www.barnesandnoble.com and type in either "Rev. George McLaird" or "A Guide for Spiritual Living" in the search section.
It's there and it's so worth buying!!!
You can also get it for the nook!
It it available for the kindle too at www.amazon.com

Also check out Georges web site he has a great little video about the book, he's even starring in the video.
www.mclaird.com

Enjoy and thanks for your support!!!

Over One Year Ago

I can't believe it's been over a year since Mom died.

It's been over a year since I've posted anything.

It seems like just yesterday, yet at the same time it seems like eons ago.
How does that happen?

Christmas Cardinal

Today I discovered, when I checked my blog, that I got Married on the exact 1 year anniversary from my mothers death, July 15,2012.
I had a jaw dropping moment, let me tell you!

When we were picking a date earlier this year, We were focused on getting a great deal on flights and hotels and wedding venues, the 15th of July seemed to be the date that worked, and it was so far from my mind that it was my mothers date of passing.

"Leap First"

Somehow I think she orchestrated that, she's been in my dreams the past three nights, always with dad and they are side by side, sometimes giving me advice and telling me some random piece of data that makes sense in a dream, but no sense when you wake up.

Last night they were at a banquet table just smiling and nodding in approval. I think it means they were at the wedding, in spirit.

SO,  How does a year go by so fast?
Thinking about whats been going on, I can only recall a few significant details, most days are working to earn a living, cleaning so I don't feel like a slob and spending time with my family and friends.

Mixed in are my personal projects, like art, so I can retire from "work" and create paintings and drawings for a living.
Running, so that I can live long enough to full fill my bucket list.
Mix in my desire to learn about nutrition and healing. (Someday I'll make a career out of that!)
Tending to my tiny little garden so that I feel like I'm contributing to life.
And reading lots of books. I still read "real" books, the kind you put in your hand and turn the paper pages! I enjoy hearing the paper crinkle each time you flip a page; which for me is WAY more satisfying than an electronic version of that.

For the upcoming year, I plan to paint a lot more, sell a lot more paintings :)
Run a 1/2 Marathon, I just started training for that.
Loose 10 more pounds, mainly so running gets easier.
Read more, laugh more, play more and go on more sunny vacations!!!



Until my next post (Hopefully not another whole year hahah)...


Bride & Groom

Here are some pictures of the Art I've been doing... and a snapshot from our wedding photos!


First Raven



Raven Flying



Love Dove

Giraffe's See Far



"Last Bugger" from the Unpublished
Book... "Letting the Bed Bugs Bite"
Written by Charles Lindner

White Butterfly



Horse Farm

"Voodo Bug" from the Unpublished Book

"Seek Passion"



"Wise Heart"

Goodbye MOM

At 5:20 am July 15th 2011 ... Mom died.

I knew this day was coming soon, so emotionally I'm as ready as one can be. I've come to terms with her quality of life being so deteriorated that it was a blessing she finally passed, but still I have to wonder what kind of life she had and it's impact on those still here.

I don't believe that I really knew Mom. I know some facts about her life that she openly relayed to us on occasion. She had Polio when she was a kid and spent a lot of time in the hospital. I know the effects of the Polio rippled through her entire life. Her feet were misshaped, so walking was often laborious. She had somewhat brittle bones because of the effects of the Polio and had broken her ankle and femur in her life.

She lost her own dad when she was a young girl and that she always felt the one person who loved her the most left her life too soon! She told me that she always felt like she was on her own after her dad died. I suspect this had a greater impact than the Polio.

She had a degree as a minister, which she never practiced. When I found a copy of the certificate at age 12, I was blown away and at that moment realized that there was a whole side of my mom that I never knew. When I asked her about the certificate she shrugged and dismissed it as insignificant and a part of her past. Over the years when I attempted to know a deeper side of Mom, she often dismissed and shrugged clearly not wanting to talk about her childhood and the years before I came along.

She loved to tell a story of how she came to FEAR snakes, probably because she blamed her brother. The story goes that George (Her brother) would catch the snakes and torment her with them and he would collect the skins and hang them on the clothes line and chase her with the live snakes and run her around until she ran into the hanging snake skins. She would laugh out loud after telling the story at how crazy the whole thing was. She hated snakes so much that one time we were driving and a snake was slithering across the road and she swerved to miss it, claiming that her irrational fear made her think they could somehow slither into the car even at 60 mph. Of course we laughed out loud over that one too! She hated snakes so much that she would not go see Indiana Jones with Dad the year it came out because she had heard about the snake scene. I find her tortuous relationship with snakes very interesting when I look at the symbolic meanings associated with snakes. Here is an animal with no legs, but moves with ease through grass, tree's water and sand! Snakes shed their skin and are considered masters of shedding the past to transform into something new and re-born. My mom lived a life with "no legs" or at least really bad ones, and could barely get around. She lived in fear of her future because of her hard past. Did she fear snakes because they represented something she could not be? FREE to Move and FREE from her past!

My Mom had a very strange superstition, that I believe developed from her hardships with her Polio and the loss of her Dad, she was convinced that if she expressed hope and joy for something that she desired, that she would be denied that item. She didn't want to talk about good things that happened for fear they would be taken away. I actually have fought my whole life against this ingrained belief, because I suspect what ever you believe in your mind and heart are what you create for your life. By example she did create a lot of good things that were then taken away, because of her fear that they would be. This was the biggest revelation for me and how I choose to live without fear as a controlling element of my life. Through Mom's pain and disappointment in her own life I was able to see the other side, Thank You Mom for that lesson well received.

There were two things that I know Mom had the most remorse over... Not being able to ride Horses and Not being able to Dance. In life she was able to full fill her love of horses thanks to Dad's financial support and my love of horses. Together Mom and I had a wonderful life raising and training horses. She lived vicariously through my experiences when riding and I hope that was enough for her. Dancing is something that I still love to do! I will often break out my I-Pod and dance around the house while I clean and organize. I truly believe now that she is in spirit form and no longer hindered by imperfect legs; Now dancing is all she will be doing! This thought brings me great comfort and joy!

Mom was a great cook, thanks to butter, cheese, crisco oil and sugar! Of course her poor heart couldn't take that kind of diet and she suffered emotionally for her weight, but no one was ever disappointed after a meal mom made!! There are many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that people still talk about the amazing food and desserts! I have a wonderful recipe book of mom's best meals that Carl surely enjoys often. Of course her Lemon Meringue Pie is legendary!! I'm sure I won over my Father-in-Law with that recipe!!

Mom had a green thumb like no other. Some of my favorite memories with mom were in the garden. How she knew so much about when to plant, how to water and what nutrients the soil needed always amazed me. I have not inherited that ability. Every summer we could count on The best tomatoes in the WORLD from my mom's garden. She made artichokes grown in soil and climate they were not suppose to grow in, in fact her plants would produce so much extra fruit that we took bags and bags of Artichokes to school and I'm sure the generous gesture helped our grades!

Pomegranates by the tons, corn, peas, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, lemons, apples, oranges... I still feel a little deprived when I buy a store version of the wonderful fresh produce we had as kids.

Now looking back on these small pieces of my Mom's life I see the giant impact she had in my life and I'm so sure the tiny little pieces of memories I have are merely a shadow of the true impact she had on the so many others whose life she has touched.

God Bless Gloria Jane (McLaird) Lindner... I am grateful for having known her and called her MOM!!

With Love...

Anjanette (Lindner) Petty

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