Monday is Quote Day

"It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it."

-Aristotle

Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

It's not only fun to make a list of all the things you're thankful for but it's also a good thing to sit back and think of everything you may not realize you're thankful for or forget to mention.

"Living is like tearing through a museum. Not until later do you really start absorbing what you saw, thinking about it, looking it up in a book, and remembering - because you can't take it in all at once." - Audrey Hepburn

With that said, here is my list of things after taking time to remember and absorb everything in my life for which to be thankful.

Megan's Thanksgiving List:

Family - I wouldn't be here without Family and the love we all share
Friends - They've shown me love can be from people that aren't family and they kept me sane when my family is crazy!
Apartment - Decent priced and has truly become HOME
Garage - Necessary for MN or Midwest in general, especially in the winter
Job - Both for funds and to have something to do and new people to meet
Car - To get from A to B like work, visiting friends, visiting family, etc
Money - pay bills and still have a little fun
Clothing - keep me warm or cool and still be a little stylish
Silk Milk - making the fact that I'm lactose intolerant that much better
Cellphone - Keeps me in touch with important people in my life and can be helpful in emergencies
Movies - For entertainment and learning purposes
Books - To find new worlds and meet new people
Music - there's nothing that makes me happier than dancing and singing
Coffee - to make me a better person in the morning
Food - so I don't die!
Water - so I don't die!
Letters - I love getting real mail from friends and family *hint*


Megan's Other Thanksgiving List (list of random, silly things):

People who are willing to be President - quite a job
Toilet Paper - well, you know why.
Cursive Writing - Making me look like a classy dame
TV Shows - Helping boring moments pass 20 to 40 minutes at a time (Bones, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec)
Bowling League - There's nothing like getting a strike or a spare to make your day.
Old Movies - I seriously think I would go crazy batty if I didn't have classic films and musicals to watch.
Smartphone Apps - It's pretty great that on your phone you can have both Cribbage and a Flashlight. Both of these I use quite often.
White Elephant Gifts - I know these are silly and just gather dust, but the immediate silly joy I get when I receive one.....Priceless. ALSO, they're good to save so you can bring that same joy to someone else in the future.
My VHS Player - 'Cause I still rock the VHS tapes. Why? WHY NOT!
My "Big Girl" bed - I had a twin bed up until a few years ago. I now have a queen bed. I'm a better person because of this upgrade.
"Blondie" Lobby Cards - I have 12+ lobby cards from various "Blondie" movies. Google it.
My Judy Garland signed photo - This is something that I could totally live without but since I own it, I will be forever thankful for it and happy I bought it!
Inside Jokes - You don't need to know someones middle name, or first name for that matter because when you share an inside joke, there's an instant (though temporary at times) bond.
Jokes in General - "I LOVE to laugh. Ha-ha-ha-ha. Loud and Long and Clear! I LOVE to laugh. Ha-ha-ha-ha. It's getting worse every year! The more I laugh, the more I fill with glee. And the more the glee, the more I'm a merrier me."

I know there are many, many more, but that's all I can come up with right now.

What are some things you're thankful for?

Share them with family or write them down and then post them somewhere you will see them on a regular basis.

Thanksgiving is the time we are given to stop, remember and absorb everything we have and experience on a day-to-day basis for which we are thankful.

Monday is Quote Day

"I think that carrying on a life that is meant to be private in public is a breach of taste, common sense, and mental hygiene."

-Myrna Loy

I have written and deleted several comments I wanted to include with this quote, but then I realized it stands strong on it's own.

Any comments I add may only distract or dilute the quote. So instead, take a moment for yourself to let these wise words from Myrna sink in and do whatever is needed to restore your mental hygiene.

Living History

There have been so many things that have happened in my life already that I hope I will be able to remember, with at least some detail, for the next generations. There may be a day, in the near future, that my nephews and nieces will come to me asking what I remember about          insert event here               .  What will I say? What will I remember?



I've always been very interested in history. This stems from my love of old films, so it was quite natural for me to be interested in what was happening the same time many beloved films were being made. This coincidentally was the key to helping me remember certain dates for history tests.


I remember asking my parents and grandparents their memories of so many important events in history, such as (in no particular order):

-What do you remember about the Pearl Harbor harbor attacks?
-Where were you when JFK was shot? RFK was shot? Martin Luther King Jr. was shot? 
-Cuban missile crisis?
-The Women's movement?
-Civil Rights movement?
-Roe vs. Wade?
-Geraldine Ferrraro running for Vice President?
-Home televisions, Johnny Carson, I Love Lucy?
-Rationing during War time?
-The Great Depression?
-FDR Fireside Chats?
-The Kennedy/Nixon debate?
-When Rock Hudson died of AIDS and revealed he was gay?
-Moon landing?
-The Munich Olympic hostages?
-Did you see Kramer vs Kramer, Gone With The Wind, etc in theaters?
-The Challenger exploded?
-Nixon resigned?
-The Berlin wall?
-When baby Jessica got caught in the well? 
-Shirley Temple becoming a U.S. Ambassador?
-And last but not least.....Has Robert Redford/Paul Newman always been so pretty?
_________


Of course these questions range from very big events to not so big events, and often time and media dictates what we deem as important and what we remember.



I'm pretty sure it was not important news, for an extended amount of time, that Shirley Temple was a U.S. Ambassador. It may have made the headlines initially and then sporadically during her time serving, but it has now become a piece of trivia rather than an event in history. Of course it's an interest of mine because of her history in movies so it's a very natural question for me. But how many others know this?



All this brings me to a question:

Of the events happening now and the people involved, which will be deemed only trivia and which will be historical moments to be remembered for generations?


Things I've already lived through:

-September 11, 2001 attacks in NYC and The Pentagon.
-The death of (Princess) Diana.
-The death of Mother Teresa.
-The death of JFK Jr.
-The passing of Jackie, Audrey H, Katharine H, Jimmy Stewart, etc.
-Home computers, Internet, cellphones.
-Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
-Saddam Hussein capture and death.
-Osama Bin Laden found and killed.
-First Female Secretary of State, First African American Secretary of State, First Female African American Secretary of State.
-The trial of O.J. Simpson.
-"Titanic" sweeping the Oscars.
-Oprah.
-Many wars in the Middle East.
-The release of important world dignitaries/leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.
-First African-American President of the United States.
-The meltdown of several celebrities (Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, etc).
-2008 Economic Collapse
-No ban on Same Sex Marriage across many states.

(Sidebar: I'm hoping that the celebrity of Snooki and cast of The Jersey Shore will not stand the test of time because this will not inspire pride or respect from future generations. It will instead make them question if what they've learned from us comes from sound judgement.)



I know there are obvious answers but it makes you wonder as to what will actually stand the test of time. In the Venn diagram of history, what will fall into the circle of important and what will fall into the circle of trivial? What will overlap?

One answer: Only time will tell?

But I also believe that whatever has effected you in your life, that is what will be important and that is what you will pass onto future generations.

I feel that being in the younger generation, it is our job to look between the cracks of "important events in history" and find the other events that have been forgotten. That is truly how we remember and how we learn. I also find that, when asked, so many are willing to share their thoughts and memories. It is also in the questioning that they begin to remember.

I encourage us all to take inventory of our lives and instead of picking and choosing what's "important", make a list or keep a diary as to what happens in our lifetimes. Much of the list will become less important as time goes by, but the list will help you remember the forgotten events and the effect it had on you. That is what you can share.

I think that passing on ALL the information is the best thing we can do for future generations.

This type of effort should not only be duplicated but greatly encouraged when it comes to our personal lives. It has been commonplace for people over time and across the world to pass down stories to younger generations and this should not be forgotten for our families. Never hesitate to share stories from your youth or about Grandparents and beyond. Family history is not less important than public history. In fact, it's MORE important!

To quote Holly Hunter's character in Little Black Book, "Omissions are betrayals", so with that in mind, don't leave anything out. Don't think that you know what will and will not be important or what will matter to the unique personalities in our future generations. Everything is interesting and we should not allow time or the media to dictate our memories.

Monday is Quote Day

"I never cut class. I loved getting A's. I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world."

-Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States of America (4 more years!)

Monday is Quote Day

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." -Friedrich Nietzsche

The Greatest Team.....Back Again

Another Brian and Megan story!

The house that we lived in until I was roughly 8 years old was right across from our church which was where my Dad was serving as pastor. My father has been a pastor as long as I've been born but this was the one time I remember living directly across from the church he served. Our next house, when we moved to a new town, was a block away from the church, so it wasn't far but not right across the street.

This memory took place in late October, early November around when I was 5 or 6 years old. Brian and I were outside playing catch and running plays with the football. Brian was the quarterback and he would tell me which way to run and turn so I'd be where the ball would be thrown. Of course, every catch equaled a touchdown and because I loved sports and did well, there were A LOT of touchdowns. <------That was me tooting my own horn!

So, we were outside in the Fall air and leaves playing football when all of a sudden Dad asked us if we'd run over to the church, go to his office and grab his monthly planner. Of course we happily obliged and brought the football with us.

I know you think you can see where this is going but trust me....you're wrong!!

So we walked across the street and went into the church. I'm not sure it was because this was a while ago or if it was because we lived in a small town but the church was ALWAYS unlocked. I always loved the idea that the church was open to the congregation or even strangers if they wanted to be in a sanctuary and pray. Of course events happen and things change and so many churches now are locked to the world. It's unfortunate and symbolic really, but I digress.

When you walked into the church from the particular door we always used, to the left was the fellowship area and kitchen. When you walked into that area you could see into the sanctuary through windows and there were double doors to the middle isle into the sanctuary. If you were looking at the alter there were two podiums on either side. The left podium (lecturn) was usually where the readings from the bible were read, the right was where Dad would give his sermon and read the gospel (the pulpit). The pulpit was bigger and a bit more pompous in comparison. If you were a visitor to the church in general, you would assume that's where the big presentations come from, and you'd be right.

Sometimes pictures are a helpful tool so below is a picture that is similar to how our church looked but minus the HUGE pillars on the side. Basically, where the pillars start is where our church ended. It was a big church but not that big! The white door on the right was how you got to Dad's office.


So we walked down the center isle to the alter and then walked in front of the pews and went through the door to Dad's office. His desk was immediately to the right when you opened his door and though he wasn't the most organized person, the desk was never too messy. His monthly planner aka appointment book had a red cover so it was quick to spot. We grabbed it and went on our way.

As we were walking through the church it was only natural to run down the center isle toward the back fellowship room and go for a "Hail Mary" pass. (I feel the stars are aligned when you throw a "Hail Mary" pass in the sanctuary of a church. It feels the most natural place for that pass to happen and we did not allow for this irony to pass us up!)

We played catch up the isle but then we started to actually play football. This usually meant that Brian would pretend to tackle me, lifting me up in the air and laying me down slowly. We LOVED doing everything with slow motion movements and sounds. You'll have to look at my last blog entry about the "mountain avalanche" for a visual of slow motion action at it's best.

We then realized that the fellowship hall was this huge expanse of open space just calling for us to play football. So the geniuses we were (are), remembered that the pews had cushions on them that could be removed, so we grabbed 10-15 burgundy colored cushions and laid them down in the fellowship area. It looked like a football field dreamt up by Roald Dahl's "Willy Wonka"! But of course, his would be made from taffy and it would taste of raspberry.

So we had begun playing football and I would say got 15 minutes of play in, which comes to about 10 or so plays, when all of a sudden we heard the front door open and shut.

IT WAS DAD!!

Growing up, Dad had a short fuse and only occasionally would listen to an explanation or colorful excuse. However, this time he was completely at a loss for words. His reaction was instead to not blink and slightly shift his bottom jaw to the right, like a lopsided under bite! Can you picture it? Did your parents do this? Do you do this now, if you have kids? If you do, DON'T! It will make them laugh Every.Time.

After about 15 hours (or so) of silence, Dad finally spoke.

"Megan, Mom wanted me to let you know that there is a movie on TV with Dolly in it."

I was the BIGGEST fan of Dolly when I was really little (still am in many ways) and it was not unlike my family to alert me when she was on TV or the radio. What I love about this memory is that it was almost painful for my Dad to tell me the news, having just witnessed our shenanigans!

So with that, I was able to leave and Brian was left to clean up our mess. The moment I realized I was able to leave, I BOLTED to the door. "BYE BRIAN!!!"

Off I went, back home to watch Dolly in "A Smokey Mountain Christmas". It was much too soon to be showing Christmas movies but I wasn't going to question it. I should really write Dolly Parton, letting her know she got me out of a jam when I was younger. I'm forever indebted to her!

I'm guessing Brian had heartburn for me AND Dolly after that, but it faded quickly.

After all....we were the Greatest Team!