{"id":175,"date":"2009-03-17T11:25:06","date_gmt":"2009-03-17T18:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/?p=175"},"modified":"2009-03-17T19:58:15","modified_gmt":"2009-03-18T02:58:15","slug":"march-17-2009-st-patricks-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/?p=175","title":{"rendered":"March 17, 2009 St. Patrick’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy St. Patrick\u2019s Day!\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s a wish, not a statement.\u00a0 <\/span>However, it\u2019s a sincere wish for all of you who have followed and supported this website over the past many months.\u00a0 <\/span>Chloe, Dana, Colin and I have all benefited from your love and generosity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now there\u2019s a word to ponder, Generosity.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s something that springs up out of the souls of those who know what it really means.\u00a0 <\/span>They are the ones who don\u2019t care about the recognition it brings.\u00a0 <\/span>They may be the ones who leave something on a doorstep without any tell tale signs of from whom it came.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe it\u2019s the person who drops by the hospital room when the patient is asleep just to sit with them for a while.\u00a0 <\/span>It could be someone who spends a few minutes each day in a deep sense of caring and prayer for someone in need.\u00a0 <\/span>For sure it is the people who know what it means to give from the heart without attachments or conditions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, some feel generosity is a negative term.\u00a0 <\/span>They feel it is a sign of weakness to accept generosity.\u00a0 <\/span>After all, aren\u2019t we all supposed to be self-sufficient beings, needing nothing from anyone?\u00a0 <\/span>Isn\u2019t the head of the household supposed to be in full control of all situations and never in need to receive any help from the \u201coutsiders\u201d?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This just reminds me of how I feel generosity works.\u00a0 <\/span>If you have in your hand a pile of one hundred dollar bills how would you hold it?\u00a0 <\/span>Would you squeeze your fingers tightly over the pile of cash to make sure it didn\u2019t get away?\u00a0 <\/span>That would surly be the way to hold on to what is rightfully yours.\u00a0 <\/span>Or would you hold that pile in an open palm, knowing that some would leave if a necessary breeze blew?\u00a0 <\/span>Would that be the way to hold the bills?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What if more bills were to blow your way?\u00a0 <\/span>Which hand would be ready to receive those bills?\u00a0 <\/span>Would the fist just punch the new bills away in fear that some of what was there might leave?\u00a0 <\/span>Would the open palm just happen to catch some and be grateful for the gift?\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s life\u2019s generosity as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We have met so many of the open palm people on this journey that it\u2019s nice to know there are others like us.\u00a0 <\/span>(Did you catch that?\u00a0 <\/span>Like Us.)\u00a0 <\/span>On this St. Patrick\u2019s Day we wish upon those of you, with the open palm, that proverbial pot of gold.\u00a0 <\/span>For those of the fisted palms, we wish upon you\u2026 that proverbial pot of gold.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Friday, the 27th,\u00a0will be Chloe\u2019s next MRI.\u00a0 <\/span>This is a biggie for us.\u00a0 <\/span>Chloe went through a lot of changes since her surgery.\u00a0 <\/span>First she gained weight like a gazelle and then she grew 3 \u00bd inches and then she thinned out again.\u00a0 <\/span>Thankfully the doctors feel it is a natural part of the growth spurt and that she may have just gained a little too much too fast.\u00a0 <\/span>Friday will give us more answers.\u00a0 <\/span>My belief is that it will show us Chloe is growing just fine and the tumor is not.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How has the family been doing over these past many months?\u00a0 <\/span>As I am only witness to those of the immediate family, Chloe, Colin, Dana and Me, I can only answer for us.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s been a ride.\u00a0 <\/span>Dana and I have been engaged for over a year and still don\u2019t have a date in sight.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s one of those things we\u2019ll get around to \u2018when the time is right\u2019 but, for now, we are just trying to go it day by day battling one road block at a time and treasuring one success at a time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chloe has grown physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.\u00a0 <\/span>She reads and writes like there is no tomorrow\u2026 although we all know there are many more tomorrows.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Colin has become a teenager and is enjoying all the magical moments that title brings along with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dana is focused.\u00a0 <\/span>Her number one concern is the kids and making sure they are protected and taken care of.\u00a0 <\/span>For her, putting aside so many of her wants and needs comes easily, but not painlessly.\u00a0 <\/span>She knows Chloe and Colin are only in the home for a short number of years.\u00a0 <\/span>Those years, once gone, no amount of generosity can return.\u00a0 <\/span>The return will be in the love received from them in the future, as they will know her sacrifices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Me, I\u2019m looking for a bright future.\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s so much to do and so much to experience that it\u2019s sometimes overwhelming.\u00a0 <\/span>Having someone who loves me as Dana does helps tenfold.\u00a0 <\/span>I thank God for her nightly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Which brings this note full circle.\u00a0 <\/span>Thank God for all of you.\u00a0 <\/span>Thank you for helping and loving Dana, Chloe and Colin.\u00a0 <\/span>They are a trio worth all of your generosity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Blessings,<\/span><\/p>\n

Ron<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy St. Patrick\u2019s Day!\u00a0 It\u2019s a wish, not a statement.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s a sincere wish for all of you who have followed and supported this website over the past many months.\u00a0 Chloe, Dana, Colin and I have all benefited from your love and generosity.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Now there\u2019s a word to ponder, Generosity.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that springs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-news-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.chloewatts.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}