to-do lists

most of you already know that i am a serious to-do list girl. i type my lists up on the computer, complete with cute astrisks instead of boring numbers or bullets, and usually an inspiring font and color. i print them out daily, and obsess over them. i tribute most of my to-do list obsession with the fact that my brain does not remember anything. i could go for months and not remember to take my vitamins if i didn't have a reminder.

my to-do lists look something like this:
grocery store
knitting
search for violin repair shop
pay bills
exercise
practice

i'd say the most dire thing on that list is pay the bills. but notice knitting is up there at the top. and who puts knitting on their to-do list? that's just something you do when you're watching a movie or sitting in the doctor's office waiting room. you don't put it on your list of important goals for the day!
at any rate, i base my whole day around this list and take it very seriously.
well, last week, i was in the middle of my to-do list frenzy and stopped for a sandwich at einstein bagels. i had "forgotten" to eat ~ something i do almost every day because i'm so busy trying to accomplish everything on my list. guess i need to put that on there too, along with wake up and take time to go to the bathroom! ha! anyway, i was in the bathroom and i spotted a folded piece of paper on the sink. my curiosity led me to open it up and see what it was. it was another woman's to-do list! i was thrilled to see what another person's list looked like.
what i read stunned me. it read...
1. radiation
2. chemotherapy
3. second opinion?
and on and on. it had a list of times when she would have radiation and some names of different medicines and cancer support websites. i couldn't believe it. i was immediately in tears, humbled by my silly list and how stressed out i always am, trying to get it all done. and how horrible that the entire contents of this list involved cancer ~ no time to think about anything else.
i make these lists so that i won't forget the important, and also to get the most out of every day of my life. how dare i turn that into a stressful event, when there is even one woman out there unindated with such a nightmare?
it put things into perspective for me and how wonderful my life is.

apology

happy monday ladies!
i just wanted to quickly apologize for the two comments a friend of mine posted here recently. he found out about my blog and, as a joke, made some bizarre statements. if he were actually disagreeing with something said on the blog and had wanted to discuss it, i would have been fine with that. but it was all supposed to be a funny joke. not funny to me.
i am going to try to make this blog private, but until then, please do not tell any MEN about this blog. i can't imagine a woman ever doing anything like that, can you? we're all too busy, for one!
i have had a super hard weekend, so if anyone has any monday morning words of wisdom, BRING 'EM ON!!!!

gifted

my friend "jazzmomma" just wrote this great comment on an older post and i didn't want anyone to miss it. it's so beautiful to me when a woman can proclaim how blessed she is! we live in a world where women are taught that confidence means being aggressive, slutty, bitchy, and really, not feminine. we are also reprimanded for being happy with ourselves just as we are and taught that it is braggadocious to be vocal about our gifts. i grew up so worried that someone would think i was egotistical or showing off because of my gifts. i would downplay them by saying, "well, you should see me play sports!" but God gave the gift of music to me ~ i didn't do anything to receive them! i want to shout out to the world what i've been given, and this is what i hear in "jazzmomma". I LOVE IT!

here it is....

I am new to this blog but thank you for such a wonderful place to interact with likeminded women. I wanted to share an experience with you that I had this past Sunday. As you know, I'm singing jazz pretty much full time now. This does not mean in any way that I am neglecting my classical music calling. I am director of music at my church and sing three times a weekend and LOVE it. Sometimes I don't know if the things that I do there are really getting through but this last Sunday I have proof that they did. It is Advent season as you know, and I dedicated myself to singing one solo (that the congregation doesn't sing with me) during mass. I wanted to share my gift that God has given me this season and I wanted to touch some people out there. Well, I sang Come unto Him from the Messiah. I was thinking that it went pretty well, especially after singing for 4 hours Friday and Saturday night and I was singing this at an 8 am mass. After mass the PRIEST came up to me and told me that I was a gift. The PRIEST said this to me. Wow! You don't know how blessed I felt at that moment. That I was a gift to the church, to God, to the priest and to myself. That is one thing we have to remember, that we are using a gift that has been given to us. I don't look at it as a responcibility but as something that I am blessed with and I want to share it with someone else in order to make their life just even a little bit better. Even if it's just for that one momemt. So, singing jazz, opera, classical or church music...it doesn't matter. As long as I am not doing it for me ONLY. Yes, I still do it for me because I LOVE to sing. I am BLESSED this Advent/Christmas season to have a loving husband, a beautiful healthy daughter (who is almost one), wonderful friends and family, and a gift that God gave to ME! How WONDERFUL is that - His Name IS WONDERFUL!

wonderful friends

oh man, i just have the most wonderful friends on earth. they all bring something unique and great to the world. my friend becky is one of them! she read this the other morning and called to share it with me. of course, it's written by joyce...
Don't get rattled about the devil. If he causes problems for you today, just say, "Forget it, devil! I am not staying hurt, bitter, wounded, or angry. My trust is in God. I am a Christian---watch me be happy."
isn't that awesome?????!!!!!
it's funny ~ when i think of a person attacking me, i feel used and hurt and think it's all so unfair. but when i really look at each situation and choose to see that it's really the devil attacking me? that just plain makes me mad. it makes me stick out my chin and punch my fist in the air. oh no you dit-n't, devil!