Sunday Stealing – lettuce

We ripped this meme off a blogger named Haruechan at the blog Haruechan’s Journal. She states that she took it from diek09. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft’s thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing: The Question Meme

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
yes…I am married

02) What was your dream growing up?
I was going to be an anthropologist and travel the world

03) What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could sing

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A cherry coke zero. I do not drink alcohol and shirley temples have to much sugar

05) Favorite vegetable?
lettuce

06) What was the last book you read?
A book my daughter got at the library. 13 Reasons Why

07) What zodiac sign are you?
Pices

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where. I only have my ears pierced and I do not have any tatoos.

09) Worst Habit?
Not letting things go

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
That would depend on if I knew you are not.

11) What is your favorite sport?
figure skating

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?
I used to have a pessimistic attitude, now I have an optimistic attitude

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
I would probably talk to you and etc. to pass the time.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
Not saying here

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
my nose is off center

16) Do you have any pets?
yes a little tiny shitzu mix

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
You better hope it is not raining because I am not letting you in.

18) What was your first impression of me?
I am not sure if I could form an opinion about you. I would be too freaked out that you had shown up un-announced

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
cute

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
I would put my nose in the center of my face.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
conscience

22) What color eyes do you have?
hazel

23) Ever been arrested?
no

24) Bottle or can soda?
bottle

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? pay bills

26) What’s your favorite place to hang out at?
home

27) Do you believe in ghosts? I do not think so

28) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? writing

29) Do you swear a lot? no, in fact I hardly ever swear

30) Biggest pet peeve? people who interrupt me

31) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
smart

32) Do you believe/appreciate romance? I guess, I am not sure

33) Favorite and least favorite food? favorite food: Chicken Least favorite: liver

34) Do you believe in God? yes I do

35) Will you join us this week for Wednesday Wickedness? (Bud has on a mission to make this Wednesday’s most popular meme. Please play this week so I can stop promoting it.) I will try

Silently Screaming

I once knew a young girl who was filled with hurt and anger. Everything she did and said to herself came from that part of her. Her actions were self destructive and also hurt others. She was loved by her family, but her hurt and anger kept that hidden from her. She had no love for herself. She wandered around feeling alone.

Her peers saw that she had no love for herself and treated her accordingly. Whispering things here and there. Hurting her with their words and their glances. Her loneliness grew.

In desperation, she put herself in dangerous situations with dangerous people, hoping to find the love that was missing inside of her. Instead, she found humiliation, rejection and abuse. If by some chance she managed to find someone who truly cared about her, she would not feel worthy of their care and respect. She would destroy things between them. Far better to do that, than for them to figure out just how unworthy she really was.

She carried these feelings with her as she grew older. They clouded her thinking, her actions, and her choices for most of her adult life.

What would have happened if someone had taken the time to show her all the beauty that she possessed? Would her life been filled with more happiness than pain if someone had taken the time to make her feel loved? Or shown her the importance of having her own self worth?

What would I do or say to her if I could?

I would hug her, and hug her and keep hugging her until she felt my love for her. I would tell her that love was not about humiliation, and rejection, it is about respect and acceptance. I would show her how much her family loved and cared for her.

I would go to her family and tell them to look at her, really look at her. Look past her bad behavior, and look past her bad attitude. See that she is hurting. She is silently screaming for help. GET HER HELP!

Saturday Nine – Princess Bananahammock

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we’ve committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do “random questions,” so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don’t have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today’s meme!

Saturday 9: Changes

1. Tell us about one thing that you’d change about yourself if you could.

ummmm I would change ummmm my nose, I would like a nose that was in the center of my face.

2. Mattel decides to make a Barbie-like (or Ken-like) doll of you — what would be the most important accessory or accessories they would absolutely have to package you with in order to portray your lifestyle?

Ken should have a pot belly and fart a lot

3. Hey, do you like surprises? If yes, what kinds?

I like surprises, good ones of course, but I have a hard time waiting for them. Just ask my mom, there was an incident at Christmas one year…..

4. What was the last snail mail that you received that was significant?

I cannot even remember.

5. If you could pick out a brand new nickname for yourself, what would you choose and why?

Princess Bananahammock — because I like the way it rolls off my tongue

6. John Edward’s mistress was on Oprah this past Thursday. She stated that no third person can break up a marriage, so it had to be broken before the two started doing the nasty. Do you buy that?

I would say that there were probably problems since he did stray.

7. Do you think it is okay to keep secrets from your s/o?

Some yes. I do not always tell my hubby what my counselor and I discuss, he does not always tell me conversations he has with some people.

8. Have you ever played Truth or Dare? If yes, what’s the weirdest dare that you did?

Yes, but I do not remember the last time I played it and do not remember what the dares were.

9. What, in hindsight, the stupidest thing that you have ever done?

so many stupid things to choose from, so little time…..

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone’s responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, “Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!” Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Frustrations – April 30, 2010

Friday Frustrations-thumbnailMy Friday Frustration Whine for this week is how I have been feeling.  I have spent most of this week sleeping, or thinking about sleeping, or preparing to go to sleep.  I also have a slight wheeze.

I think the spring pollen is getting to me and my depression meds are kicking my butt.  This morning I woke up feeling so off and out of it.  My feet are swollen, especially my right foot.  I cannot even put a shoe on it.  Sometimes I get so sick of feeling this way.  I would really like it if I could go months and months without feeling like crap.

Whine over, now may I have some cheese?

May I Have A Do Over, Please?

There have been so many times in my life when I have wanted a do over. It would be so nice to have an opportunity to do things differently. Like that rotten morning when the kid spilled red juice on the beige carpet, and the dog forgot she was house broken. Or how about a do over for the rainy day when the car got a flat tire? Maybe even a second chance at a relationship with my mother? How wonderful it would be to have an opportunity to fix things with a faraway son.

Fortunately, I have been given many opportunities at do overs. Unfortunately, there have been many times when I messed those up too. It was usually a result of me repeating the same mistakes that I had made the first time. I think the reason I kept making those same mistakes was that I lacked maturity.

At thirty-nine years old I still lacked the maturity to accept my share of the responsibility in a negative situation. When I did get a do over, I was so busy assigning all the blame to the other person, and wanting them to admit that it was all their fault, that the second chance would just pass me by. In my immature state, if an opportunity at a do over did not present itself when and how I wanted it, I would push and push and push some more until what I perceived as a second chance would come into existence. It was not a real opportunity to change things though, it was me bullying another person into doing things my way.

In the last year, I have been granted many second chances. It just so happens that in the last year I have also managed to mature. As a result, the outcome of those opportunities has been wonderful. Surviving my suicide attempt allowed me the opportunity to change my thinking and change how I managed my life. I have been able to do things differently with my daughter and have repaired that relationship. My husband and I have had a second chance and we are fixing things between us. I have even been given an opportunity to do things differently with my mother.

My mother and I have had a mostly turbulent relationship. We loved each other, but we could never really connect. On many occasions, we said things to each other that were better left unsaid. I cannot speak for her, but more than once I have been so angry with her that I did not want to be around her. Then something remarkable happened. My mother and I become friends. I never thought that we would ever have a decent relationship, much less become friends. Yet, that is exactly what has happened. We were given an opportunity at a do over, and we took full advantage of it.

I have not been given all of the second chances I have hoped for. For the most part, that is okay with me. However, there is one do over that I want more than all the rest. An opportunity to do things differently with my son. Everyday I hope and pray for it. I believe it will happen when we are both ready. In the mean time, I must patiently wait.

I am very grateful for all the do overs I have been given in the last year, and also for having the tools to do things differently. It is a nice feeling to know that we have opportunities to fix things if we do not get them right the first time.

Thursday Thirteen – Weird But Edible

My Thursday Thirteen for this week is thirteen weird but edible recipes.

1. Chicken Noodle Pistachio Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Note: Must use a mixer or an electric drill with a wide blade attachment.

5 cups of Bisquick
1 box of Jello Instant Pistachio Pudding
1 tsp cinnamon
1 can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 package of thawed Green Giant frozen spinach
1 package of yeast

Icing: Strain the broth from the chicken noodle soup into a container and
mix in the Jello Instant Pistachio Pudding. Stir until creamy. Chill for
45 minutes.

Pound Cake: Combine the spinach, yeast, brown sugar, and Bisquick with the
mixer set on “Low” in a large bowl. Gently spoon the noodles and chicken
into the batter. Be careful not to break the noodles! Pour the mixture
into a bread pan and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cover the pan with a damp
towel and let the batter rise approximately 20 minutes. Place the pan into
the preheated oven and bake until golden brownish-green.

Pour the icing over the cake as it cools. Serve with small cups of tomato
juice. Enough for 2 large men or 14 petite women.

2. Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits (my husband grew up eating his mom’s chocolate gravy and biscuits)

Biscuits: 1 or 2 cans of “whop” biscuits (these are the ones that come in the little tube at the store and you have to “whop” them on the counter to open the tube.) Bake as directed.

Chocolate Gravy
3 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teasoon of vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in shallow pan on stovetop until they’re completely combined. Add milk and stir. Cook on medium to medium high heat until it bubbles and thickens. Add butter and vanilla. Stir. Chunk up biscuits and pour chocolate gravy over the top. Enjoy!

3. Irish Meadows

Two slices of dense, crusty plain bread. Butter them. Cover one slice with thinly sliced Mars Bar (slightly warmed is better). Add chopped chunks of sweet & tart green apple. Cover with second slice of bread.

4. Cricket Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 12-ounce chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dry-roasted crickets

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture and insects, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

5. Fried Hornworms

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
16 tomato hornworms
4 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt and pepper to taste
White cornmeal

Directions:

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil. Then lightly fry the hornworms, about 4 minutes, taking care not to rupture the cuticles of each insect under high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Season tomato rounds with salt and pepper, then coat with cornmeal on both sides. In a large skillet, fry tomatoes until lightly browned on both sides. Top each round with 2 fried tomato hornworms. Garnish the paired hornworms with a single basil leaf.

6. Grasshopper Gumbo

Ingredients (6 servings):
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon minced fresh herbs — parsley, mint, thyme and/or tarragon.
12 frozen grasshoppers, katydids, locusts, or other suitably sized Orthoptera, thawed
1 red pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 small yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges

Directions: Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a nonreactive baking dish. Add the Orthoptera, cover, and marinate overnight. When ready to cook, remove the insects from the marinade. Pat them dry, for ease of handling. Assemble each kabob, alternately skewering the insects, tomatoes, and onion wedges to create a visually interesting lineup. Cook the kabobs two or three inches above the fire, turning them every two or three minutes and basting them with additional olive oil as required. The exact cooking time will vary, depending on the kind of grill and types of insects used; however, the kabobs should cook for no longer than 8 or 9 minutes.

7. Spam Shake

1 can of Spam
1 tin of anchovies
2 12oz cans of beer
4 oz tomato juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped up parsley
1/4 cup chopped scallions
dash of Tabasco
salt (if you’d need it), pepper to taste
put it in blender and blend until smooth
serve chilled with celery stick

8. Dishwasher Lasagna

Ingredients:
* ½ jar of your favourite pasta sauce
* 3 fresh lasagna pasta sheets (or ‘oven-ready’ lasagna sheets)
* ½ 16.8 oz container of Ricotta cheese
* ½ package of mixed grated cheese
* 1 cup freshly chopped spinach
* Spices
* Extra thick aluminum foil

Cut three large pieces of aluminum foil and lie them flat. Begin to layer lasagna ingredients starting with a lasagna noodle, then a thick layer of pasta sauce, followed by thick layer of the ricotta cheese and chopped spinach. Top it with the grated cheese and spices to taste. Repeat layers and top with final lasagna sheet. I liked the idea of cutting the final lasagna sheet into strips and creating a criss cross pattern on top. Wrap the lasagna tightly and carefully with all three sheets of aluminum foil. Place on bottom rack in your dishwasher and select the regular cycle. I used the ‘heated dry’ and ‘sanitize’ options as suggested to get the most heat I could. Once the cycle is complete, pull the lasagna out and enjoy!

9. GROUND PORK PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/2 lb Ground pork
1 c Lard
1 c Sugar
1 c Brown sugar
2 Eggs — well beaten
3 c Flour
2 ts Soda
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/2 c Peanut butter
1/2 c Nuts
1/2 c Orange rind — shredded

Brown then drain ground pork; drain. Cream lard, white sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Add flour, soda, cinnamon. Blend in peanut butter, orange rind, and nuts. Stir in ground pork. Shape into small balls on greased cookie sheet. Press down with fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 10 min. Refrigerate. Yields 5 dozen.

10. Crocodile Schnitzels

250 gm Crocodile Fillets sliced thinly
1/2 cup Minced Walnuts
1 cup Breadcrumbs
1 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
1 Egg

Dust with flour. Dip in egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 cup milk). Blend walnuts and breadcrumbs and coat crocodile with this mixture. Fry in preheated mixture of oil and butter. Serve with Tropical Fruit Sauce.

TROPICAL FRUlT SAUCE

1 large Mango diced
1 Pawpaw — diced
3 tbsps Brown Sugar
3 tbsps Butter
3 tbsps chopped Walnuts
15 ml Rum, Brandy or Whiskey (optional)
1 cup Water

Melt butter in pan and saute walnuts. Add sugar and stir for 2 minutes. Add mango and pawpaw and mash. Add water and stir occasionally until mixture boils. Stir in spirits, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

11. Asparagus Cake

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 small crushed pineapple, with juice
2 Tbsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
2 cups grated asparagus (fresh or frozen)
Powdered sugar icing with orange zest

Sift dry ingredients together and add remaining ingredients.Mix all together well. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour. This makes a large moist cake. Use regular powdered sugar icing with orange juice and zest.

12. Opossum and Sweet Potatoes

1 opossum, about 2 1/2 lb., skinned and cleaned
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Flour
1/2 C water
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Wipe opossum with a damp cloth and trim and discard excess fat. Mix salt with pepper and rub thoroughly into opossum, inside and out. Sprinkle inside and out with flour. Put opossum on its back in a roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid. Pour in water, cover, and roast in oven for about 50 minutes. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and surround opossum [note: I am laughing hysterically as I type this] with them. If water has evaporated, add enough to cover bottom of pan. Cover and return to oven for about 25 minutes more. Remove cover and sprinkle sweet potatoes with about 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar. Continue roasting until meat and potatoes become crisp on the surface. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

13. French Fried Skunk

2 Skunks, skinned and cleaned
1 T Salt
Water to cover
2 c Bear fat or lard
2 Egg yolks, beaten
3 c Milk or cream
1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 ts Salt
2 tb Baking powder

Clean and wash the skunks, making sure that the scent glands are removed. Cut up into small serving pieces. Put a soup kettle on the stove and add the meat. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and boil until the meat is tender, about 40 minues. Remove all the scum that rises to the surface. Make a batter by mixing together the egg yolks, milk, flour, salt and baking ppowder. Mix real good [I didn’t write this, folks] until the batter is about like cake batter. Heat the bear fat or lard in a deep fryer to about 360 degrees. Dip the pieces of skunk in the batter and then fry them in the deep fryer until golden brown. Drain well and serve.

Poetry Corner – Not Really

I just had to do a writing exercise. I had to write a poem using the word frustrate in a valid way. My poem is really awful, but it was fun to write. I thought I would share it with everyone.

My mate tends to frustrate
Causing a most un-welcome state
Leading my mate who tends to frustrate
To getting no date
With me on the plate

My mate has learned to not frustrate
Causing a most welcome state
Leading my mate who has learned not to frustrate
To getting a date
With me on the plate

The Queen's Meme – Gratitude

The Queen’s Meme #35 ~ The Gratitude Meme

Sometimes silly.
Sometimes serious.
Always fun!
Step out of the box.
Be creative.
Use your imagination.
No one’s answers are quite like yours!

Sometimes life hands you pomegranates. You get wiser. Sometimes life hands you that icky lemonade. You get stickier. Sometimes life hands you a boatload of people who either enhance your journey in lovely ways or rock the boat off course just for the hell of it. You get an oar and row in your own direction. It happens to all of us. Either way, there’s gratitude to be found if you’re willing to look. Sometimes the conflicts are indeed blessings in disguise – you just don’t know it yet. Sometimes the storm IS the thing you will one day bless while you wait for calmer seas.
Maybe not today, but someday.
So find some patience and hang on.
We all have something to be grateful for one way or another.
I found a few things this week. I hope you did too.

The Gratitude Meme

1. What are you most grateful for when you first wake up in the morning?

My internet connection. That way I can get started on my writing day.

2. What are you most grateful for when you go to bed at night?

pajamas

3. Who is the person who has had the most influence on your life?

I just did a post about this…not a person, a character in book. Sara Crewe in A Little Princess by Frances Hodges Burnett

4. Is there someone you’d like to thank for something special they did for you but haven’t yet? Take the time to do it in this meme.

My dad. I have not thanked him for being accepting and supportive over this last year.

5. Who was your favorite or least favorite teacher?

Least Favorite: The teacher who paddled me for taking too long in the bathroom when I lived in Mississippi.

If you could talk to them now, what would you say?

I did not deserve to be paddled for that. A note home to my mom telling her I was talking in the bathroom would have been more fair. Also, You gave me nightmares for years. Meanie!!

6. Do you say grace at mealtime?

sometimes

7. Name one thing you take for granted everyday.

There is nothing I take for granted anymore. This last year has taught me that things are only temporary and people might not always be here.

8. Have you ever looked back at your life and realized that something you thought was a bad thing was actually a blessing in disguise?

Yes. My depression is one example. If I had not tried to commit suicide and had not started therapy, I would not have had the “do-over” with my mom that I have had. We have a better relationship now than we ever have.

9. What are the top five things you are most grateful for in your life?

1) My family
2) That I am alive
3) The new way I look at things
4) The new opportunities I have had
5) The phone call I got from my mother yesterday

Monday Mayhem – What Are Your Fears

Join Us for Monday Mayhem

Welcome to Monday Mayhem. Today’s meme is What are your fears. For each prompt, list your fears. And for goodness sakes, don’t be fearful of visiting the other participants!

1. What are your fears about waking up in the morning?

Either I will have to go so where in the morning before I have had a chance to completely wake up or that someone will come to the door while I am still not dressed.

2. What are your fears about working?

Unfortunately, my counselor still does not think I can manage work outside the home. So I am currently not working. However, if I had to work, I suppose my fear would be having a complete melt down at work.

3. What are your fears about riding the bus?

People being within my personal space bubble

4. What are your fears about driving a car?

That I will fall asleep while driving

5. What are your fears about riding a bike?

Having an asthma attack

6. What are your fears about making your own meal?

none

7. What are your fears about making a meal for others?

nothing

8. What are your fears about romance?

My fear about romance/relationship is that one day my husband will get tired of the extra stuff he has to do because he is married to a basket case.

9. What are your fears about friendship?

That I do not know how to make friends

10. What are your fears about entering a public restroom?

Everything. Germs mostly

11. What are your fears about using a public restroom?

catching someone else’s nasty germs.

12. What are your fears about being in crowds?

crowds make me feel very anxious, I cannot really clearly define the fear about crowds, it just is. I have been known to have panic attacks in crowds.

One Child's Inspiration

The following is a writing piece that I have entered into a writing contest. The writing prompt was to write about “who are what inspired you as a child”.

As a child, I could often be found with my nose buried in a book. At recess, I would sit on the edge of the playground, tuning out the hoots and hollers of the other kids, and absorb myself in my latest find. I would go to bed before bed time, giving myself time to read before lights out. When I became older and more reluctant to close my books, I would either use a flashlight to read by or claim I needed the hall light on and read by that dim light.

It was not just that I loved reading, books and their characters filled an emotional void that I always seemed to have. The character I connected with most was Sara Crewe, in A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She would draw me into her story, allowing me to watch and feel what she was going through. She was my friend and my inspiration.

Our friendship was firmly cemented early on in the book when I learned of Sara’s special relationship with her doll, Emily. Sara felt the same way about Emily, that I felt about my dolls, they were our companions. We also shared a belief that dolls were alive, however, they only chose to move about and talk when their humans were not around. With such special, almost secret things in common, I felt as if I had known Sara all of my life.

As a child, my family traveled and moved a great deal. I was always encountering new people. The variety of people I met could be overwhelming. Some looked very different than I did, or they spoke a language I could not understand, many even had a culture that I was unfamiliar with. Sara Crewe taught me to look past a person’s differences and see them for who they were on the inside.

What I learned from her allowed me to play with kids who did not speak my language, nor could I speak theirs. We got to know each better that way. We relied on body language and hand gestures to communicate for us. Without Sara inspiring me to really look at a person, I would not have discovered that body language does not lie.

One of the best friendships I had when I was growing up probably would not have happened without Sara Crewe’s influence. Sara had opened my mind and heart to the joys of getting to know someone who was completely different than I was. So when I met this girl, who was so different from me, I was ready to begin a friendship with her. Culturally, this girl and I were worlds apart. I spoke English and barely one other language. She spoke three languages, including English and a language that was very specific to the area we were living in. Because our early years were spent on two separate continents, our interests were very different. Yet, even with all these differences we forged a friendship.

As an abused pauper, Sara Crewe showed a strength and a sense of inner peace that awed me. No matter what her circumstances were, she showed kindness and respect for other people, even when they treated her badly. However, as much as I appreciated these qualities in her, the way she used her imagination to rise above her circumstances and to keep a positive attitude impressed me the most.

Sara had a way of transporting herself to places far away. She used this ability to comfort herself when her days were long, hard, and full of sadness. She showed me that even if there was not a physical way to escape a difficult situation, that I could escape with my mind. She taught me that there was no place too far away for my imagination to take me. With her help, I discovered that what I imagined could comfort me in a world that felt comfortless.

As I have grown older, Sara has remained my constant companion and friend. She has been with me through every trial and tribulation I have faced, still providing me with comfort and inspiration. Reminding me that no matter what our circumstances are, we can find moments of happiness.

Over the years, I dreamed about the day that I could introduce Sara to my daughter. It was exciting to think that my daughter would have a chance to enjoy Sara’s friendship and influence in much the same way I did. When that day finally arrived, I gave my daughter my precious copy of Sara’s story, and told her how much it meant to me. As I had hoped, my daughter was as enthralled with Sara as I had been the first time I met her.

Never far away from me, Sara’s story is among my treasured possessions. Now, I dream of the day when my daughter has a daughter of her own and we can introduce Sara to a third generation. My hope is that like a precious heirloom that is passed from one family member to the next, Sara’s friendship will bless many generations of women in my family