Bobbing Along

(Gulp!)

A blog.

My own blog.

My VERY OWN blog.

Now what?

Well, now I suppose I write!

On Mother’s Day, 2011, my grown (meaning they should have known better) children presented me with this blog. Do they not realize that what I write could, maybe, probably, include stories about them? And that those stories, could, someday, probably, find their way OUT THERE…in that big internet thingy? Nonetheless, here I am. Posting. With a rather devious smile on my face.

So let’s begin.

Let’s begin by showing you what these same, wonderful, grown ‘children’ (and I most certainly include their spouses in that group) wrote about me in the initial “About Me” section.

“Cindy is…

an artist dedicated to bringing creativity to anything she does.

one of six children

a loving wife, caring mother, adoring grandmother and the best mother-in-law anyone could ask for

her family’s biggest champion

always understanding and offers good advice

the beloved “Mamma” and “Space Alien” to her Rooster-Tooster

a role model to all moms

set designer, costume consultant, and sometimes actor for Central York High School Performing Arts Department

never a complainer. With all the things she’s been through, how does she do that?

someone who knows how to laugh at the funny (and even the not so funny)

the master of amaretto cheesecake

wears clothes of any color, as long as they’re black

lover of fine (and not so fine) wine.

Most importantly, she’s true to herself in every moment and in every situation–she’s always Cindy.”

Wow. Pretty impressive, eh? While I was touched and awed (and just a little overcome with emotion) with those descriptions, I must say that some of them are VERY true…and others, well, maybe not so much. Like, “lover of fine wine”, oh yeah. Absolutely. (Is it 5 o’clock yet?)

Or, “Never a complainer”, so not true. Just ask my husband.

And then there’s “wears clothes of any color as long as they’re black”. Quite true. It’s slimming. Something has to be slimming ’cause the body ain’t.

Or, “a role model to all moms”. So wish that were true, but it just isn’t. I did my best but I always felt that if my kids could survive me as their mom, they’d survive pretty much anything this world tossed at them. Seems to have worked, just so you know.

And while I am an artist, and I do dabble in theatre design, and I glory in being a grandmother, AND I do make a kick-ass cheesecake (hence the need for “slimming”), of all the things they wrote the one that is the most true, the one that I am the most proud of is this:

“her family’s biggest champion.”

Nothing, not anything, is more important to me than my family. I have, at this writing, been married to the same wonderful man for 41 years. Together we have raised three extraordinary children, each of whom have expanded our family by marrying equally extraordinary people. We have been blessed with one grandson, my Rooster-Tooster, and another grandchild who is on the way.

I count many others as members of my family. Of course, being one of six children (five surviving) automatically creates a host of relatives. And friends. I count friends as family. Similar DNA is not a requirement for “membership.” Mutual respect and unconditional love may be.

Our life together has had its share of trials and tribulations. We are nothing if not ordinary people, like you, with the usual amounts of despair and delight. It is from within those times that many of my stories will come. I imagine that some stories will be humorous, others difficult. Life is sometimes funny and often times not and my writing will, of course, reflect that. I hope to share stories I have learned from others, too. This blog may be nothing more than a personal journal of my experiences blended with a history of the experiences of others, but here it is, nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy what I have to say…

as I bob along…