Yo. Felix.

I miss you, man. I miss the sound of your laughter in my house.

You should tell your dad to come visit soon, and remind him that you have unlimited Momo access and read my blog and I can talk you into things... like, coming down for a quick visit. 
We'll hit Nifty Nut House again and grab a taco or something.

You're Three Things for today are long overdue, but will always be true:

one Don't stop. Always rise up. Never stop rising up. Don't let the bad minutes drive the direction of your days. All days are gonna have rough spots and you are defined by the grace I see you share. You got this.

two Don't be afraid. Fear is a liar. I've been too wrapped up in my own head to sit here and write you three simple things, for months. That's not how this is going to work. We really have nothing to fear and we're kinda unstoppable. It's in our DNA. I'm not going to stop talking (writing.) 

three Build yourself a website. I know you don't think you need it, but I think you might. At the very least, you're gonna need to build some killah skillz to get your hustle on tight, and I think this internet thing is going to catch on. Learn about extensions, add-ons, apps, SEO, metrics, reviews, copy writing, editing, brand management and creating an empire where one didn't exist before. Jus'sayin. When I was your age, I was working full-time as a proof reader. N-numbers of airplanes. For real. Most tedious job ever. It's a new day - you get to do better. Do it. I can't believe you're ten and you don't fill out taxes yet. 

Move along. I love your guts to the moon and back. Tell your dad to call me.

xomomo

breaking all my own rules

Me before I got a laptop

one I am only one pasty white girl born and raised in the Midwest in the early 60's. My parents were direct descendants of 3rd generation Irish and German immigrants. They were the by-products of Old School Catholic indoctrination and values.  These values were passed along to me and I worry that some of the important stuff may not get passed along. You can choose to disagree with me because we live in America. That's cool. I wouldn't take ANY one single thing I say as gospel truth. This is the Internet, and it's your job to not believe anything you see here and disagree with it if you see fit.

My mom: Momo, Me & BZ

two My mother was a saint, and not a day goes by where I don't want to tell her something and hear her voice. She believed in the Camelot days of the Kennedy's and she bore a strong resemblance to Jackie. She had a tiny waist, a radiant smile and she was a Delta Gamma. Her perfect dark hair curled up at the ends and she wore an apron. She could cook meatloaf and twice-baked potatoes in high heels. She left us her recipes, written in her handwriting and they are among the most revered keepsakes of her love. She gave me the hope that people are, for the most part, good. She, dang-near, single-handedly taught me about forgiveness and survival and hope.

Momo 1 & Momo 2

She came from a solid working-class family in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. He father sold insurance for New York Life and her mother stayed at home and kept an immaculate and well-ordered home. They lived with-in walking distance of parents, aunts and uncles, dozens of cousins, the trolley tracks, the church and school, the doctor who made house calls (out the back door and across the alley) and the pub where Papa Leo could be found when it was dinner time. They played cards and sang in 5 part harmony for entertainment. Family meant everything and defined them. She was one of the five Connor sisters and each of her parents were from families that had, like 15 kids each. I'm talking about HUGE family gatherings that happened often.

JZ, The Lears: Record setting aviation flight

three My father did the best he could ever day. He was a professional success (I've been told that he was the world's very first aerospace editor.) He came from Jefferson City, Missouri and has a past that is either too tragic or too convoluted for me to remember. I know it wasn't pretty.  And, it's big enough to fill a good long blog or a short little book.
There will always remain the question of whether he did, or did not, have involvement with the CIA. He was brilliant and shifty.  He was out of the country often. I used to spend hours thumbing through his passport.

My father's family

He was born into a world of limitations and abuse that speak highly of his ability to survive. He was never perfect, but neither was anybody else, so it never really buried the needle on the weird-o-meter. He was blessed by being born into a world of strong and conscientious uncles and cousins. He taught me to write and edit with the best of them and his expectations both pushed me to be a better person and to become a girl who is prone to some wicked-bad self doubt.

Justin (JT) and Chelsea

four I got to help make two exceptionally gifted, thoughtful and conscientious children. They have proven that they are solid citizens and empathetic and accountable parents. They write letters by hand and they help strangers. They live life large and in meaningful ways. They're capable and kind. And they never fail to either make me crack up or get button-bustin' proud. They have given me grand babies, and I can only tell you that the love is exponential. I keep thinking my heart can't get any more full, and then it does. I don't get to see the babies often and I want to make their worlds easier than mine and my parents. And truthfully - they're still too young to get it, and I don't want to forget it before they'll get it. Nor do I want to bore 'em with it when we could be swimming or somethinng.

There. That's my street cred and history. I am thinking it will give you some insight into why I am here and doing this. Hope your winter rocks out loud, and let me know when you disagree with me OR if you would like to be a guest blogger. I love learning what other people think. And, for whatever reasons: People just keep sharing things and stories and laughs and tears with me ... and I think they are all pretty fantastic.

copyright 2011 moemasters thesethree things

Coffee grinds, egg shells and BB guns

an chéad Treat other people how you'd like to be treated. Nobody is any cooler than anybody else and kindness works a whole lot better than crankiness. Do not exclude people and do learn how to make them feel welcome. 

an dara Don't put coffee grounds or egg shells down the garbage disposal if you have one. Papa Z always said you couldn't put melon rinds in there either, but Momo strongly disagreed. And, if you have a compost heap (which you should) you won't need to put anything down there because it will all be recycled into your garden.

 an tríú Do not shoot BB guns in the house. This is just a roundly bad idea. 
And, no - I can't tell you why I know.
Just don't do it.
Trust me. 



copyright 2010 thesethreethings

Just These Three. Unless There's More.

I've had enough time thinking and too many hours listening, so I'm not going to make you listen to me tell you this stuff. If I have loved you, or were going to love you – I would want you to come armed with this.

I'm all about making the most of our time together.

I'm not going to waste it listening to me talk.

Know these three things today:

ONE

Perhaps this above all else: You are funny and brave and strong and smart. Your beauty shines from within and will always enter a room right before you. Your mother and father are like this too. This is an asset that you have gained simply by being born. Never think less. Have a back bone about it. Don’t sell yourself short or compromise your integrity.

Not everybody gets this Super-Power, guard it and use it wisely. Never take it for granted and be sure to notice it occasionally, as it gets better with age.

TWO

Everybody and every (little) thang has a job to do. The bats have to eat mosquitoes day after day, bears probably keep the wolf population in check (or some other equally important deal) and every person you meet is going to have survived some harsh and heinous stuff.

They’re doing the best they can, day after day. They never put their pants on in the morning and go, “y’know... I think I’ll crush some souls today.”

Life happens. We are evolved humans. We all have limitations and thumbs. It’s a crazy old world out here and those are the givens.

THREE

Cope. Don’t yell and scream and stomp your feet and get all litigious and indignant about the injustice of it all. Almost nobody who hurts you MEANT to hurt you. It’s just life. For real. Get all the way over it. We all have a job to do. Breathe. Relax. It really is all good.

If you’re doing your job right, there will come days when you are so heart-broke and sick and crippled by the weight of life you will wish you were done. You will lay down and look up at the heavens and beg the only God you ever believed in, to spare you....

Suck it up.

There will come days that pass into weeks where you are so blissed-out you will forget to eat. You will have crazy, uncontrollable cartoon tears of joy and you will laugh so hard it hurts for days. If you are doing your job right - there will be more bliss than sorrow.

More good rug burns, less broken noses.

It really IS all good. It balances out. 

Do what you’re here to do and do it with passion. If you pay attention, you’ll know what you’re here for long before you know that you’re old enough to even know it. 

Just trust your instincts. 

If you’re supposed to be something that you think you’re not – figure it out and turn it around. Life is too short.

Some family is choice and some is blood.

We will always be related.

COPYRIGHT APRIL 2010: TheseThreeThings