It Happens to Be

One of a Kind

Now every mother thinks her child is “One of a Kind”, we just can’t help it.  When it comes to describing our children, each one is special. What is really exciting though is when others acknowledge the traits and talents that make your child who they are – an individual.

Society believes that childhood is an idyllic time: carefree, filled with lazy days and contentment. No pressures, just toys, television, perfect playmates, summer vacations and the likes of which are publicized in skads of parenting magazines and assorted media around the world. The truth is – childhood is HARD. Sure children typically don't have the worries of high gas prices, food shortages or the multitude of most other adult problems, BUT they do worry and they do have stress. A lot of childhood stress comes from the pressure to be like everyone else – that’s where being “One of a Kind” can sometimes be painful, very painful. As a child it is impossible to see how being different can serve you well in life. “Mom, if I don’t look, dress and talk like the rest of the group they make fun of me”. That sentence makes me want to cry because I know the truth in it.

As a society we have conditioned our youth to believe that clothes, cars and money define who we are. Shame on us!!! I mean that.  What is wrong with us when we no longer value the true qualities that make people special? When you take off those expensive clothes, step out of that fancy car and federal regulators shut down your bank, you will still be that same special individual – minus the fluff.  That’s what I want my children to learn.  I want them to appreciate their friends for their kindness, humor and intelligence, the stuff on the inside.  I also want to appreciate my children in the same manner, to be able to realize that each one is different and treat them as such.

Speaking of which, last week Jordan (my 10yo son) participated in drama camp which culminated in a Friday night performance. All week he practiced his lines and talked about which parts he was playing and when I should be watching for him. This is one of my favorite things to do – watch him perform.  He is oh so dramatic and funny.  He can sing, dance, act and improvise at the drop of a hat.

Great talents for any ten year old but, especially so since he is mine! (I know bragging is not becoming of a lady – today I choose to be unladylike).

As we got settled in for the performance, the director came on stage to introduce the camp theme and give an overview of the week.  She also handed out camp awards – Dear Lord, I can feel that lump appear in my throat out of nowhere. It’s as if I’ve been harboring a fugitive toad in my stomach and he has decided at this very moment to relocate!! Don’t laugh, every parent knows the feeling – “will my child get an award”? So, I patiently waited and smiled as campers crept from behind the curtain to collect their acknowledgements. As I waited, the stack of awards got smaller until there was only one award left – oh, I hope that one is for Jordan! Then the next sentence out of the director’s mouth made the frog in my throat do a double back handspring triple somersault.

“This last award is the ‘One of a Kind Award’, it goes to a camper who, let us just say, made a lasting impression on us and is truly one of a kind”. (OH NO, I change my mind, please Lord, don’t let it be Jordan).

"Our One of a Kind Award goes to Jordan Rhea, come on out Jordan”! (uuugh!  Hooray!!)

(Applause here!) And in an instant with his perfectly bright smile and gracious stage presence he appeared to accept his award.  A brief handshake, slight bow to the audience and he disappeared behind the curtain.

I slumped ever so slightly in my seat. Are people looking at me? Muttering about the kid who is “One of a Kind”? Wondering if he was out there? What kind of impression did he make that would be so lasting? Stop It Renee!! You are paranoid, nobody is looking at you and nobody thinks anything.  He went to camp and showed who he was; his individuality.  Dear Lord, please forgive me for thinking the worst. (Remind me sometime to tell you about my “Nosey Award” at Girl Scout camp – I believe that frog has been hanging around ever since.) To my relief the lights dimmed and it was show time.

As I sat there watching the performances of these 30 or so young actors and actresses I realize that I put too much emphasis on what I expect my children to be and not enough emphasis on who they truly are.

All of these participants are brave beyond belief.  Each one revealing their individual style, creativity and talent to a group of total strangers – that’s impressive. As many times as I have read chapter one of the Purpose Driven Life I still forget that my children are exactly who they are supposed to be.  God made them for his own purpose and carefully planned out every detail of their physical and spiritual being.  I am thankful that He has enough faith in me to entrust three of His precious children to my care. I am proud of my three “One of a Kind” children for who they are.

Today I’m especially proud of Jordan for his ambition, talent, humor, kindness and his heart of gold. He is so special and truly one of a kind. I know that God has great plans for him.

I can’t wait to see his next performance - this one was FABULOUS!

Each new child brings the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.  ~Tagore

Uniquely me,

~ Renee

Beautiful Living

Bele Chere = Beautiful Living

...that's the meaning of Bele Chere (pronounced Bell Cher) as translated from an ancient Scottish dialect. But what Bele Chere means to approximately 375,000 festival goers is FUN! Bele Chere is a free outdoor street festival in Asheville, NC and draws crowds from across the country the last weekend in July.

To be honest we hadn't planned on going to Bele Chere this year, but it just so happened that it coincided with Jordan's trip to camp. What luck, we had to drop Jordan off at AICL on Sunday so I saw this as an opportunity to have a bit of fun while we were there. On Thursday night, at the last minute (like I do most everything else) I jumped on Priceline.com and got a hotel room for Saturday.  Just like that, we were on our way for a mini-vacation in Asheville.

Asheville is eclectic. A Menagerie of diverse people, things and sights on a regular day - BUT throw Bele Chere in the mix and it's like nothing you've ever seen before. I actually know folks who go just to "people watch". I know, that may not be the nicest thing to say but it's true. People like to look at people who are different than them and Asheville is filled with originality and imagination. It is a lot of fun and I enjoy cultural exposure in small doses.

In just 24 short hours we were exposed to

music...

          

sort of like music....at least it was a joyful noise

                                                

art...

art 1.

-noun (as defined in Webster's dictionary) the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. (yep, this stuff is art too)

         

fine dining...

         

Are you kidding me?

Of course funnel cakes are fine dining! (extra thanks to Alenia & Jennifer from Burnsville - Jordan scored 3/4 of a funnel cake that these girls couldn't eat) Sweet! Sweet! Sweet!

Cultural & Social Diversity...

          

Artist, homeless, vegan, liberal, activist, tattooed, famous, ethnic, musician, farmer, christian, locavore, hippie, foreigner, chef, botanist, conservative, wiccan, or just plain Jane - you name it, Asheville encompasses the whole spectrum of todays diverse society.

Architecture...

          

The buildings here are amazing, especially the Grove Arcade. Art Deco to Gothic Revival architecture abounds. Many of them from the mid to late 1800's still stand because of Asheville's economic downfall after the great depression. Asheville was busy paying off debt during America's urban renewal of the 1950's & 60's. They were forced to maintain what they had instead of tearing down existing structures. This preservation combined with recent revitalization efforts makes Asheville a History or Art lovers paradise.

Sports...

          

The Slackline puts Soup to the test but Lu Lu is "loving" tennis J

Theater...

          

Silver Girl & Bronze Guy were fascinating - totally STILL - makes you want to tickle them, he! he!

and my favorite...........Shopping...

          

I would love the Mast General Store even if it didn't have the Candy Barrel but boy am I glad it does........individually wrapped circus peanuts and Coconut Long Boys made this a Saturday and Sunday stop. Good thing I'm scheduled to have my teeth cleaned soon.

Okay, right - that probably wouldn't be considered a small dose of cultural exposure, it was more like a big heaping helping. One of those, I'm hot and my feet hurt get me some water and air conditioning before I fall out Helpings! Whew, Thank goodness we had to get Jordan over to Warren Wilson College for camp.

As always, if you want to see more photos of our Bele Chere excursion see my flickr photostream.

As a sidenote I liked to give a little piece of advice for those of you venturing to Bele Chere in the future: No matter how comfy they feel right out of the box, NEVER ever wear that new pair of Sperry topsiders you bought on sale the day before the festival - you WILL get blisters. L

Living Beautifully ~ Renee

If I were 13

No parents, no chores, the beach, lots of friends girls – wouldn’t that be the life for three whole weeks if you were a 13 year old guy. Sounds like the perfect way to while away your summer before heading off to high school if you ask me. Stuart thought so too – and for three weeks this summer he studied Coastal Ecology at the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC through the Duke TIP Program.

Although his parents weren’t there, he was under the excellent watch of some fabulous teachers, assistants, RC’s and staff at the Marine Lab. Despite the picture I have painted, this trip was not all play – it was equivalent to a semester course in college. (No, really- I'm serious, one semester of college crammed into 3 weeks!)

That meant no sleeping late, lots of studying, lots of hands on lab work and even doing your own laundry.  (ummm, that was a nice break for me J). Class six days a week and evening activities kept them busy. Needless to say, between the hectic schedule, mud fights and a broken cell phone (scowl) we didn’t hear from him too often.

Fortunately for me, Dr. Phil

did an excellent job of documenting the adventure by means of digital photography – and I THANK him!! This year we actually get to put faces with all the names of this new group of friends. What a wonderful "life experience" to have.

I'm totally awed by, and jealous of the whole experience - I wanted to go too, let me show you why.........

Aren't they amazing? They are the wild horses of Shackleford Banks. They are from spanish descent from around 400 years ago. And if that's not enough, look at what they had for lunch one day - HA! Only kidding! Neat though, huh?

For details (since I only got bits & pieces myself - Stuart is 13 afterall) you will have to email him directly at stuartrhea (at) bellsouth (dot) net. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the photographs.  You can see more of them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ithappens2b/ 

Happy Whatever Day

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, this appears to be your average, everyday, roadside mailbox, but it is so much more than that.

Today, it was the vehicle for my joy. Instead of seeing a pile of bills, junk mail or wasted paper – what I saw when I opened the mailbox door today was JOY!  I had a surprise. You can always tell when there is something extra in the box.  It may be a little larger than the rest or maybe a different color envelope or even bear the now extinct handwritten address. YEP, ink pen is a sure sign that you have gotten something extra in the box! I immediately felt my heart leap. It’s not my anniversary or birthday or anyone else’s in our family for that matter so who was getting the “extra” envelope today?  Thump-thump, thump-thump, I could feel the excitement building as I reached into the box.  Sure enough, in neat black ink the address read, Mrs. Renee Ollis – it’s for ME! I just got a letter, I just got a letter, I just got a letter – wonder who it’s from?

     

There was a return address that I didn’t recognize but no name. Now my heart was really starting to pound.  Somebody has been thinking about me and I don’t even know who it is. I couldn’t wait to open it. As I tore open the envelope and pulled out the card, I knew this card was special.  This card had been handmade especially for me. Someone had spent hours hand cutting and decorating this card with meticulous care and love – All just for me! Imagine as I’ve been going about my routine this week someone had stopped everything they were doing – JUST FOR ME!! I am so lucky. So loved. The card read “Happy Whatever Day” – with the Chinese symbols for love and joy.

Beautiful, yes the card - but even more beautiful is the person who painstakingly created it for me.  This friend and I had recently had a conversation about the importance (my view) or unimportance (her view) of sending cards through the mail.  She wanted to know why an e-card wasn’t as good as a card in the mail since the thought was all the same.  I think there is something purely wonderful and thrilling about the unexpected receipt of a card in the mailbox and I wasted no time expressing this. Thank the Lord she is patient and tolerant (oh! so, so tolerant). She let me have my say, and since we had briefly had the conversation before, I knew her view. No matter, this week she stepped beyond what she thought because she puts others before herself – she sent me an envelope of joy.

I admire her. She is one of very few people that I know who lives what she believes and believes what she lives. She is good and kind and honest. Rare. The most intriguing part about receiving a card in the mail is not knowing that you are in someone else’s thoughts or even the element of surprise, It is knowing that you are loved enough for someone to sacrifice their time for you.

Happy Whatever Day to you too Marcia.

Soft Sounds

One morning last week my husband and I found ourselves sitting at the table sharing coffee before work. Mind you, this is extremely out of the ordinary for us. Our mornings are usually crammed with alarm clocks, hair dryers, closet rummaging, and noise levels teetering around the 100+ decibel mark. But as we sat there unrushed, with our children indulging in summer sleeping hours; my husband looked at me and said, “I miss soft sounds”.

Oh! I had been so busy basking in the glory of this simple time together that it hadn’t even occurred to me how truly quiet our house was that morning.  Not silent. Just Calm. Quiet. Soft sounds – you know, the ones that you have to be paying close attention to hear. Like the clink of a wedding ring on a coffee cup, tinkling wind chimes on the deck, the chirp..chirp…chir-oop of the finches on my bird feeder. Pleasant, soothing sounds.

 

I never asked him to clarify soft sounds but it was these things that flooded my mind as I tried to appreciate the statement he had just made.  It seems to me that far too many days go by that I don’t appreciate the “soft sounds” in life. Always rushing; frantically searching for last minute items, hurrying children into car seats, rushing through the yellow light to make it to the next destination – all on hyperdrive. It was only because of the conscious decision to get up a bit early (this was my precious husband’s idea) that I had the opportunity to reflect on how hurried, rushed and LOUD my life is.  I’m so grateful that those two words helped me re-focus, if only for a short while; and pay attention to the less obvious, softer sounds in my life.  They are many, mostly pleasant – I might make getting up early for coffee with him a habit!

Renee

Celebrate Freedom!

Today in America we celebrate our Independence. Over 200 years of freedom has brought us endless possibilities, opportunities and choices. We have technology that abounds, food supplies, natural resources, military protection and OPPORTUNITY.

In 1776, John Adams declared, "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

Oh, how I would loved to have met John Adams, I would call him a true visionary. Admiration and thanks goes to all of the “Founding Fathers” for standing up for our country and our citizens. Celebrate your freedom today and say a prayer for all of those who are elsewhere in the world continuing to fight for and protect the United States. I hope that today is one of true perspective on what independence affords us today in America – so CELEBRATE!

~ Renee

New Adventure

Origin…beginning…inception…introduction…

Whatever word you choose, they all mean the same – the start of something new.  This blog is the beginning of a new adventure for me.  Not that I’m the real adventurous type but I definitely consider this an adventure.  Sure, I had heard of blogs but in my mind they were some type of resource for techies – boy, was I wrong! Let me tell you of my unexpected discovery of what blogs really are.  In mid February my dear husband and I snuck off in the middle of the week for a “date night”.  We were really missing each others company so we went to our favorite little Italian restaurant. You know the kind – dim lights, warm, inviting tuscan-esque décor, a portrait of Da Vinci (hence the restaurants name) and Pavarotti mesmerizing me with ‘O Sole Mio in the background. Romantic! Yes, but also perfect for conversation.  As we savored the deliciousness of the food and the quiet we engaged in some much needed adult conversation. Conversation about - get this, the children we had left at home.  Curious how we had needed an escape but once there, we found ourselves laughing and talking about the thing we were escaping.  The din of constant noise that hangs over our home, the dirty piles of laundry, the tears of stubbed toes and the reverberating sound of “mama, mama, mama”.  As the hours slipped on and we sipped our coffee our patient server had captured bits and pieces of our conversation and asked how we happened to get a night away. He said he didn’t have children but had nieces and nephews and knew it was hard for his sister to get a night out.  You know, he said, “You should take a look at my sister’s blog www.justpurelovely.typepad.com sometime, I really think you would like it”.  As we paid our check and polished off the last swirls of coffee, I promised him I would take a look at her blog.

Wow, everything DOES happen for a reason!!  It was several days before I got around to looking at the blog but when I did…there was an instant lure.  This was the life of someone very much like you and me being shared with the world: to learn from, to be inspired by or simply for pleasure.  I was totally amazed, what I thought blogs were – dull, boring, technical was so WRONG!  A blog could be anything you wanted it to be – limited only by your time, patience and imagination. To Lori Seaborg and the rest of the blogging world, thank you for your inspiration to embark on a new adventure. So, here goes………..the origin, beginning, inception, introduction of “It Happens to Be”.  Welcome to my world and my adventure. (And, as with most adventures that are filled with surprises and unknowns, be patient with me as I find my niche. There will be plenty of surprises so please visit often and feel free to share your comments, ideas and thoughts!)

~ Renee