A Bad Case of Stripes

Welcome to my blog.

You might say, "Hm that's an interesting title, what in the world does she have to say?"

I chose the title because it is a wonderful children's book that I just read by David Shannon. In the book a little girl named Camilla Cream loves to eat lima beans, but she does not eat them because she is afraid her friends will make fun of her. She was very concerned about impressing other people. When she wakes up for school she is covered in stripes. And so the story goes, every day she wakes up patterned in a different way until Camilla finally decides that it is o.k. to be different.

I love this book because I think it is important to be who you are. The rest of the world can benefit from the real you. This brings me to my purpose in blogging. I feel that everyone has God given "specialness." My interest is in collecting and sharing stories of everyday life that will inspire others.

Many people around the world are inspired today with the fact that the United States of America has elected a black man as president!! This is amazing to say the least. My blog, however, will not focus on the "big names," but the everyday people and their stories. The people who are striped and proud to be.

The aim of this blog is to share stories, especially stories of some wonderful women. Those who have gone before us, and those we are walking on this earth with today.

I pray that my words may touch your heart.

O.K. so here is a story that will hopefully touch your funny bone.

In January of 2008, as a middle aged mom, I returned to college to get my Elementary Education degree. We are in midterm time and the pressure has been high. I find the consumption of chocolate to be a mellowing agent. So, while doing a run through the big "W" store for groceries I spotted Holiday Oreos. "I thought wow, how wonderful they have a special Oreo just for the upcoming Christmas season, and oh they are mint flavored, isn't that clever." I snatched them up and ran for the checkout. I couldn't get home with them before opening. Delicious and the minty flavor is so yummy. How clever! I put them up in the cupboard, so the teenager in the house wouldn't find them, (O.K. I see how this goes, I have already spilled one of my secrets) and continued to think how novel these Holiday Oreos were. Two days later it dawned on me that these are the same mint Oreos that are on the shelf year round, different package. I probably paid twice as much for the packaging.

Now you must realize that I have been studying college math, history, educational psychology, and educational technology,(some deep stuff) and it takes me two days to figure out mint Oreos.

The moral of the story is, we are all busy with our brains running on 90 miles per hour. We all need to take a few minutes out of our day to relax, do something we love, and be grateful for the people God has put around us.

I pray my blog will give you those few minutes in your day.

Either that or you too, could just enjoy some Oreos.

Thanks for reading,

a very striped girl,

DAT