Rockin' the Presidency!

Good Morning!

Today marks the inauguration of Barak Obama as president of the United States. As I watch the festivities in Washington, I am reminded of another inauguration back in the 60s when another young family was in the spotlight and the American Camelot was born.

A lot of things have happened since then, and I have witnessed the inauguration of a number of individuals who came into the Oval Office, changed what they could, pushed some issues into the closet, and sometimes were downright embarassing. Every of those inaugurations marked a new beginning for American. In some cases we were embarrassed at the result.

Yesterday Washington was full of visitors, people there to welcome the new president and to witness the concert at the Lincoln Memorial. A veritable galaxy of stars came out to welcome Barak Obama. They quoted Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and others who were not afraid to step out from the crowd and make a difference. This concert saw thousands of people at the national mall, watching the concert - which rocked more than a little bit - and singing along with Garth Brooks, Pete Seger and an array of stars.

I admit I was moved. I admit I was moved, and I can't wait to hear President Obama's acceptance speech today. In the meantime, I am prouder than ever to be an American and to see a time when real change becomes a reality.

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All that said, I wish you a bright day. Keep on the sunny side, Terry

Terry L White -Author of the Chesapeake Heritage Series

"Travel Through Time With Terry"

http://www.terrylwhitesblog.blogspot.com/

My Thanks for Then and Now

Good Almost Thanksgiving,

I know the economy is supposed to be in the pits, but what better time to give thanks for all we have. Gas has gone down under $2.00 per gallon, and if that isn’t a blessing, I am not sure what is. Let’s start there.

When I was a kid, we lived in a house with no plumbing, and no central heat. I don’t remember being unhappy because it was what it was. I did wish to be warm a lot. Today, I have a beautiful home, but I can’t say as I am always warm. Fuel is still expensive, but I wear lots of layers and am pretty comfortable all the time. I wonder how warm the lean-tos and cabins the Pilgrims lived in were. No wonder the ladies wore those long skirts and shawls. Talk about tough. They must have had a big lot of faith to endure those times.

When I was a youngster, we walked. We walked to school. We walked to the store. We walked to church. When we were on vacation, we walked to and in the woods, and we walked to visit all the old ladies who lived on the surrounding farms. A car trip was an occasion. Today I have arthritis and can’t walk far. Maybe I should have been more thankful when I was a kid.

When I was a kid, I wore hand-me-downs from an aunt who worked. I was a big kid in high school and that arrangement worked, although I was sometimes less than grateful because I wanted the same sorts of skirts and blouses the other girls in my class wore. Today I happily shop at the local thrift shops, and couldn’t care less what the crowd is wearing so long as I am covered and warm.

We feasted on holidays when I was a kid, living on a farm provided all sorts of foods that seem like luxuries when one has to purchase them in today’s supermarkets. I guess I should have been more grateful back then, because preparing for a holiday is serious business for people on a fixed income.

When I was a child, I wrote my stories on a tablet of lined paper with a always diminishing yellow pencil. Today I use a computer that highlights my mistakes and sends the stories off to my publisher Write Words Inc. at the speed of light. Whodathunk it!

I am grateful and happy for what I have today. I wish that little girl in hand-me-downs could see all I have today. I bet she would be amazed at the harvest I have gathered in my life. I am grateful for the rich variety life has given me, and I am thankful for all of my happy harvest.

Keep on the sunny side,

Terry

PS: I forgot to say I have published more than a dozen books. I am very grateful that particular dream came true.

Snow Days

Good Morning Bloggers,

We are having some real pretty weather here on the Eastern Shore, but I called my brother Thursday and he said he is still digging out from the big storm that hit the Dakotas last week. Guy said he was snowed in for two days, but that he had made it out to the store before the storm hit. Good for him. Snow days are such fun when you have enough groceries and the television works.

The other day I was watching a show on television, and one of the characters called his girl 'a snow day.' I thought that was really sweet because when I was young a snow day meant freedom, lounging around in my pajamas all day and baking sweet treats in the kitchen. Snow days meant hours fooling around with my tablet writing poetry or trying to do a watercolor and finding out how many colors there are in a field of white snow. That freedom to experiment led to all sorts of other freedoms as I grew older. I always did appreciate a snow day.

We had a lot of snow one winter shortly after I moved to the Eastern Shore, although such storms are rare. That year we had several big storms and I found that the streets were neither plowed nor salted as they were in the northern mountains I had lived in all my life. The world was simply closed. I wondered how I could ever dig out my car until a local preacher came by and dug it out for me. My neighbors in the apartment building all trudged out to find bread, milk and sundries at stores miles away. There was laughter on the streets and soup on the stove.

It was days before the world started to move again and I came to realize that sometimes it is wise to appreciate a good thing - even if it means a delay in ones's plans. Personally, I think it is too bad we can't order a snow day when we really want one.

I guess that makes the point. Enjoy the moment all. Terry