Driving Down My Highway Of Life

I have been deep in thought about parenting-both my fails and successes lately. I have been compiling a long list of my parental guidelines that I implemented over the years, mostly because my husband keeps telling me to write a book (as if anyone would care about anything I write! haha!). Now that the kids are older it is fun (sometimes) to reminisce about their youth and what they thought about it all.  As I write down something that I thought would be interesting to add to the book that will never come to pass I'll ask the kids what their thoughts and views are on the subject.

It was fitting that this popped into my memories today because it is the people of our past that make us who we are today. These can be positive or negative influences but they are influences nonetheless. It is how we deal with our past that truly makes us or breaks us. You can only control how you deal with situations-driving yourself to your own happily ever after, taking detours, small swerves, letting passengers in (kicking some out), and car repairs along the way.  As you drive down the highway of life you'll notice that the road you turned off of sometimes blurs into the distance.  It isn't that road of long ago you focus on, it is the one in front of you that demands your attention.  

This image is me on my wedding day.  I wore my grandmother's dress.  My mother wore it before me.  My grandmother died of breast cancer when I was still in high school.  I can still remember the tears squeezing out of my eyes in study hall when I was left alone to my thoughts.  She was only at my wedding in spirit, and I sure hope she is smiling down on me.  I almost didn't wear her dress, since it did not bring my mother's marriage very much luck.  I almost felt it was cursed, but I decided to take the risk..it was about that time in my life when I finally hopped into my driver's seat of my own life and I haven't looked back since.  It is such a freeing feeling, to know you have control over your own life.  The flowers (and other adornments) I wear in my hear every day represent that freedom.  I know people look at me funny when I wear that crap on my head in public.  They make ME happy, and I'm driving damnit!