Author Archives: Margaret Tidwell

Traveling Lady

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Because it has been a very long time since I have traveled anywhere, I thought it might be fun to keep a blog of my upcoming travels, which have been extended to three weeks rather than the original one. In addition to spending a week on a cruise to Alaska, I am also going to be visiting my son, Nick, for two weeks in Monterey Bay, California. You can find my Travel Tales either by clicking on the menu tab labeled Travel Tales or you can find it here.

I am really looking forward to sharing my travel experiences with everyone!

A Flip-Flopping Legacy

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Years ago, I used to sell items that I had crocheted at a farmer’s market in Pickens County, Georgia. I sold all kinds of things ranging from shawls, hats, scarves, and flip-flops that I had crocheted on. Of course, that was before Major Depression and anxiety got in the way of me doing things. In fact, as much as I enjoyed crocheting, my depression and anxiety got so bad that I could not do it anymore. I simply could not concentrate on what I needed to do. However, before I gave up crocheting the Home-Ec teacher at the local high school asked me to teach her how to crochet on flip-flops.

Apparently, there is some type of Home-Ec club that students can belong to. Because it is not one of the more popular or well-known clubs it often lacks the funding to send the kids off for competitions. Her idea was to create a few small inexpensive projects that could be sold at the farmer’s market as a way to help the students raise money for their trips. She thought that the flip-flops would be something easy for them to sell.

I spent a few afternoons over several weeks showing the teacher and a few of her students how to crochet and flip-flops. They set up a booth at the farmers market and seem to do pretty good selling them. Once it became difficult for me to leave the house I lost track of the teacher, the students, and how they were doing at selling the flip-flops.

A couple Saturdays ago I had the opportunity to go to the farmer’s market, someplace I had not been to for a very long time. While I was wandering around I discovered that Home-Ec teacher sitting behind a booth selling products for the Home-Ec club. Guess what she had on her table? If you guessed flip-flops that had been crocheted on, you are correct!

Even after all these years, she and the Home-Ec club were still selling those flip-flops. That made me feel really good. I have left a positive mark in the lives of teenagers I have never even met.

You know, part of my depression was beating myself up, and telling myself that I was worthless and I had nothing to offer the world. I realize that what I thought about myself was untrue, but there is something about seeing a tangible mark that you have left in the world that makes you feel good. It also emphasizes how wrong I was when I believed that I was worthless and had nothing of value to offer the world.

So without hesitation I can proudly say I have a FLIP-FLOPPING LEGACY!

I know that many of you who read my blog are in the place I was a few years ago. It is a dark and lonely place, and you may believe that you are worthless and have nothing of value to give to your family, your friends, and/or the world. However, I want you to know that you do. I never realized what an impact silly, little, crocheted flip-flops would have on people I never even met. I bet know that each and every one of you have contributed something positive and good to the world, but maybe you are just not seeing it right now. I would like to urge you to take some time, attempt to put aside the negative feelings you have about yourself, and really look at your life. I know you will find something that you have given to the world. Do not discount it because it may seem small and silly to you, because it is possible that it has had a bigger impact on people’s lives than you realize.

Writing Inspiration – Emily Suess

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I was thinking about something the other day. I was thinking about whom or what initially put the idea of making money by writing into my head. No, that is an incorrect way to explain it. Let me rephrase that; I was thinking about the person who showed me that I actually could make money by writing. While I was thinking about that person, it dawned on me that I do not think I ever have told her what an inspiration she has been to me.

That person is Emily Suess, of Suess’s Pieces. Emily is one of the funniest people I have ever met. She has a way of writing about everyday events that makes them sound completely hilarious. She is also the first person who ever took a chance on me when it came to paying me for writing. About two summers ago Emily had a little more freelance writing work than she could handle. Knowing that I was trying to break into the freelance writing world, she hired me to do some of her overflow work. It really meant a lot to me that someone who had been writing for money for quite some time would take a chance on me, someone who had never written professionally.

Emily gave me a taste of what I wanted to accomplish, which was being able to write and get paid for it. Writing for her was inspiring and motivating. It was something that I could hold onto until I got my own writing job. I believe that if Emily had not given me a taste of what writing from home would be like, I would have eventually given up on that dream. I will always be thankful to her.

Dad Took Me Shopping Tuesday

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My dad took me shopping at JC Penny’s on Tuesday. Yes, I realize that is a rather odd sounding statement since dad died in March but it is the truth.

A while ago, when mom is going through some of dad’s things she found several pairs of pants that he had bought from JC Penney’s before he died. They still had the tags on them, and together they added up to a great deal of money. Mom had set them out in order for one of us to take them to the store to see if we could get a refund. The clothes sat where she had put them for several weeks. Last night I finally had enough of seeing them sit there and decided to take them to the store. Mom and I both hoped that even though we did not have the receipt that JC Penny’s would refund the money rather than giving us a store credit. In the end, due to store policy, I had to take a store credit.

After I was given the store credit I called mom and let her know how worked out. While I was talking to her I noticed that JC Penny’s had huge sales going on. I asked mom if she would mind if I looked for a dress to buy for the cruise and used the store credit to purchase it. Of course, she said yes.

I found a dress that I fell in love with. What made it even better was how much it had been markdown. Originally, the dress was $120. It had been discounted all the way to $47.99. The low cost of the dress meant I still had plenty of money left on the store credit. So I wandered over to the shoe department to see if there were any shoes there that I can afford. I found the perfect shoes for my new dress, and guess what? They were on sale too! I was able to buy a pair of $55 shoes for $35, and there was still plenty of money left on the store credit. That meant I could go to the jewelry department and try to find some accessories for my new dress and shoes. I figured I could probably buy one bracelet or one necklace; however, I ended up being able to buy both, because there were sales in the jewelry department as well.

I love my new outfit, and I really do feel like dad is the one who bought for me since I used a store credit from his clothes to buy it. I know that if dad were still alive he would be getting a great deal of pleasure from how much I love my new outfit. He was just that generous.

I Love My Blog and I am Thankful for My Readers

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It is hard for me to believe that it has actually been 10 days since the last time I wrote in the blog. This time last year, it felt like the only positive thing I had going for me was this blog. I spent all my time either thinking about it, thinking about what to write in it, thinking about who was reading it, or writing in it. My blog represented my whole world.

 

Do not get me wrong, I still love my blog. I still enjoy thinking about what to write in it, thinking about who is reading it, and I still enjoy writing it. However, my life is so drastically different than it used to be that it has become difficult to update it daily like I used to. In the beginning, as my life got busier and busier, I felt a little guilty for not updating it daily. I felt as if I was letting people down. Recently, I realized that just because I cannot update it daily does not mean I am letting anyone down. It is just that I have had to reprioritize the place that the blog holds in my life.

 

I love my little blog. I really believe that it has helped me, as well as the people I have met through it, get mentally healthier than I have been in my whole life. I am thankful for all of YOU who take the time to read it, comment, or give your financial support.

There Is a Time for Everything…

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There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1 – 8

 

I never gave much thought to the concept that there are seasons in our lives. The way I viewed life was either it was going right – meaning the way I wanted it to – or it was going wrong. I never examined the idea that there are certain times – seasons – in our lives when we are supposed to endure and experience certain things in order to help us grow. I am in a season of loss right now. I have lost relationships, lost my father, and have lost material possessions. There have been times when all of this loss has felt overwhelming. However, I am beginning to realize that within this season of loss there are other seasons.

 

It certainly has been a time for me to uproot. When I came to mom and dads to stay for good the only possessions I had were what I could fit in to dad’s car. It has been a time for weeping and mourning. However, it has also been a time for laughter and a time for embracing. As painful as it has been, I have learned that it is also time to give up on certain relationships for a while. At the same time, it has been a time for mending some relationships. It has definitely been a time for love and it has also been a time for hate. I hate the way certain people in my life are behaving, and I hate how they treat me. It was not until the other day that I realized that even though I am in the midst of all of this, life still goes on. My sadness, my mourning, and my weeping will not stop that from happening.

 

It took my mom’s dog to show me that life goes on. Su Ling has been in the midst of her own grief. She has missed dad and her big sister, Mei Ling, immensely. Su Ling always had a special relationship with Mei Ling, and as Mei Ling got older that relationship seemed to intensify. One way that this special relationship manifested itself was in how Su Ling seemed to know that Mei Ling had a difficult time hearing and seeing. If we could not find Mei Ling anywhere it was useless for us to call her by name since she could not hear us; however, Su Ling had a way of helping us find Mei Ling. All we had to do was say, “Where’s Mei Ling?”, and Su Ling would start searching for her. She was very intent in her endeavors to find Mei Ling. Once Su Ling found Mei Ling, she would get excited and start barking. It was a very special bark that she only used after she had found her big sister. In addition to barking, she would often use her body to gently guide Mei Ling to where we were. Obviously, with Mei Ling being gone, we have not seen Sue Ling do that in quite some time. However, that changed the other day.

 

I knew my dog, Minnie, and Su Ling had been spending quite a bit of time together, but I did not realize how close they had become. The other day, I could not find Minnie anywhere in the house. I assumed that she would be in mom’s bedroom curled up with Su Ling. I stuck my head into mom’s room and asked her if she knew where Minnie was. Su Ling heard me ask about Minnie and began to follow me while I searched. I eventually found Minnie outside lying in the sun. I did not realize that Su Ling had actually been earnestly looking for Minnie. The next thing I know, I heard Su Ling’s special bark and saw her herding Minnie to where I was. She was doing the exact same thing for Minnie that she used to do for Mei Ling. I know she has not forgotten about Mei Ling; however, she has found a way to move past her loss and become close to another creature. She has not allowed her sadness to interfere with life.

 

I know that there have been plenty of times in this season of loss that I am experiencing, when I have allowed my grief to interfere with life. I find it very interesting that it took a little dog to remind me that life goes on, and I cannot allow myself to get bogged down by my feelings of sadness. It allowed me to see that within this season of loss there is also a season of healing.

 

 

I Don't Care Who Did It

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Watching the United States government in action right now is like watching a bunch of kids who have gotten in trouble for breaking something. They are so busy trying to assign blame to each other that the mess is not getting cleaned up. They are all fighting to be right, rather than fighting for what is best for the country. Every time the President or one of his representatives speaks they assign blame. It is the same when the Republicans and Democrats speak. What they are doing is not helpful, nor is it productive. My personal opinion is none of them, including a past President, have clean hands in this mess.

 

At this point, I don’t care who messed up the budget, got the United States of America in so much debt, or who comes up with the idea/plan to get the US back on track. I don’t even care about the United States losing its credit rating. As far as I’m concerned, in the grand scheme of things, none of that matters. What matters is the fact that our federal government is in a state of chaos. Personally, I think this state of chaos is going to cost our country a lot more than a credit rating. I believe it is going to further damage our already iffy reputation in the world, as well as harm its very own citizens. Part of me feels as if United States of America is on the verge of destroying itself. At the very least, this country will never be the same nor will it ever be as good as it once was.

 

I think the citizens of this nation have some extremely hard times ahead of them. I realize that life for most of us has not been a picnic the last few years, but I believe things are going to get significantly worse. Already there are thousands of more people looking for work because of the end of the Space Shuttle Program and because Congress failed to pass some much needed legislation with regards to the FAA. People are already angry about their inability to properly take care of their families. In my opinion, that anger is going to get worse and more volatile the longer chaos reigns in our federal government. I would not be surprised if some of the citizens of the US chose to riot in our nation’s capital in a similar fashion, or worse, to the riots that have recently taken place in Greece.

 

My family – my parents and grandparents – taught me to be proud of the United States. I tried to teach the same thing to my children. The US had a form of government that, for the most part, respected the rights of its citizens and their well-being. It was a government that may not have been liked by other countries but it was respected. I think that is gone. Where does that leave the US?