"Endure"...in all its contradictions

The other day, I was thinking about a couple I recently was introduced to. They have truly endured SO many things.
...endured...
what a word! I got to thinking...
(walk with me, will you?)

By definition, the word endure is ::

1. to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo: to endure great financial pressures with equanimity.
2. to bear without resistance or with patience; tolerate
3. to admit of; allow; bear
4. to continue to exist; last
5. to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently
6. to have or gain continued or lasting acknowledgment or recognition, as of worth, merit or greatness

If we look at the word endure...and take it for its face value, I see (borrowing Yoda speak for a second), "At the END-U-R" ( I have removed the "e", of course)

just saying the word "endure" or reading it, the prefix of it is so strong...END, meaning, you are done, stop, no more, cease.

So it begs the question to me, why is the English language is such a contradiction? Why is it that we are taught in our basic vocabulary to believe something like the word "end" means done, finished, no more. Then, as our vocabulary progresses, they tack the three letters u-r & e and we are told the word "endure" means keep going, press on, don't give up or loose heart?

Pretty ironic, I think.

But in it, I got to thinking...
isn't it true that is how faith is? We are brought up to believe something and take it at face value. Yet, later, when life hits and we start questioning, sometimes, all we have to really rely on is the actual definition of the Word. (caps on "word" used there intentionally) We are challenged to look passed what it looks like, get deeper into it and believe it for its definition.
So when we look at "endure" and think that at the end you are, we go beyond it, to the core of its definition and press on...we endure!

Also...on this Great Feb 16, I would like to wish a VERY happy birthday to my Pappy!
He is a man of very few words. A smile that isn't often seen, but when it is, its warmth is so soothing. A man, that through the thick, thin, good and bad continues to believe the very best in me. A man who has never ceased from working hard to provide for his family. A man that is called "hero" to many.
I love you, my Pappy! 'appy bir-day uu-uu!!

If my mom were an animal...

So I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. I was laid up in bed and I got to thinking about my mom. As I laid in bed, draped with the fuzzy blue robe she gave me this past holiday, I started thinking, "my mom is like a rabbit". She loves salad. Everytime she comes into town, she is always saying, "I just want salad. I love salad." It cracks me up! She has a passion for salad like I do for sweets! As I said that she is like a rabbit, my mind immediately began to turn. No. She is not like a rabbit....if my mom were an animal, she would be a.....uh....*thinking*

AHA!!!

I got it! She would be a Relephasnailiger!! Pronounced "rela-fa-snail-liger".

Now, although my mom is tiny with her 4'10' frame, I really don't think that just one animal could contain her description. And honestly, she is so eclectic that I had to invent an animal that could fit just her. So let's journey, shall we??

First, is the rabbit. Uh...reference above paragraphs for the why.

Then, the elephant. this is two-fold. If you know me, you know I have always had a large love for elephants, and obviously, this is my Nanny we are talkin' about here, so I love her. But also because elephants are so smart! My mom got her bachelor's while working, raising three kids and maintaining a home. I remember there were many nights that she would be up late at night, in the small corner desk my dad had built for her and with just the glow of a small light, I would see her reading. She went back after being out of school for so long and not only did she graduate, but she was on the dean's list and in an academic fraternity. After that, just a couple of years ago, she completed her masters in library science while still working full time. There are a lot of "older" people that I see that want to stay away from technology and stop learning. Not my mom...she is brilliant. Always on a quest for knowledge!

Then next one is the snail. I know, it is a contradiction to the rabbit. But I didn't say that she was like the rabbit for it's speed. I said she was like the rabbit for its diet! LOL! She is like the snail for its speed. My mom is very slow. She even speaks slow. (Nanny, if you are reading this, I am NOT making fun...it is endearing and cute!) I think it is something that is in her family however. If you hear her, her sister or cousins speak, they all speak slowly and accurately. Most of the time, when you think of people being slow, it is obnoxious. The whole, "hurry up, get out of the way", American attitude. My mom is slow just right. She knows how to just be. Many years back, my mom and I set out on a small, personal journey. We drove from CA to EP and made all the stops we wanted. There was no agenda. It was wonderful! While we were in CA, we spent one day in Santa Monica and walked around. We got to the edge of the pier where the ocean met the earth and stood leaning over the old wooden deck. There were some fishermen below us. They were old and spoke what we thought to be Algerian. There were so many people all around us. My mom and I just sat there for what I think was over an hour just watching...listening. With the cool ocean breeze at our face, the words my mom and I exchanged were minimal, but the moment was enormous! In that trip, we went to a miniature museum, saw an elephant that paints, and ate some amazing food. Truly, like a snail, my mom is slow. And where others would say that pace isn't good enough, I say it is perfection.

And last, but certainly, not least, the Liger. Made famous by Mr. Napoleon Dynamite. Gosh! I love that movie! It totally cracks me up!! In that movie, he made up this animal that is part lion, part tiger and he names it a Liger. The last animal in the combination of what I think my mom would be has to be the Liger. No, it couldn't just be the tiger and it couldn't just be the lion. She has qualities from both. Just as the Lion, she is courageous. I remember we had a dog named "Malo". (Uh, for those of you who understand Spanish, he really wasn't, he was a great dog) We lived near a canal that was used to irrigate the cotton fields near by. One time, we all took a walk along the canal and, as normal, Malo would jump into the canal to cool off. Unfortunately, this time, he jumped in right before we hit a damn and it was only partially open. So it created this large undercurrent that started taking him under. My mom jumped on the bridge where the damn was, jumped over the guards they have you are not supposed to pass, leaned over the bridge, holding herself with one arm, leaned into the canal and as Malo came up from the undercurrent for a moment, she grabbed his collar and yanked him out, flinging him to the bank of the canal in one swoop! Now, Malo was a Shepherd, so he wasn't a light dog. My mom didn't even think twice! She just did what was needed. She truly has a courageous spirit, heart and mind. From taking on the City in Socorro to get us "city water" to being an "Adelante Mujer Hispana", as a lion, she is full of courage. As a tiger, she has and continues to be a dominant force to be reckoned with. Like the tiger, she is not lazy and protects and provides for her family. Growing up, like most young couples starting off, my parents didn't have a lot. But her and my dad always made a way. My mom was super creative in making everything a really big deal. (no wonder she made such a great teacher!) She was resourceful in that she made a lot of our clothes and the kitchen was always filled with the smell of homemade food! Truly, as the Tiger, my mom protects and provides for her family.

Anyway...all in all, my one little thought of my mom and her salad inspired this blog. Eh...I think it's cool! Who else can say they have a Relephasnailiger for a mom!!

Why can't it be the way it was?

Yes, yes, I know this is a question we will always find ourselves asking. Or maybe it is something that we prefer the opposite of...we are glad it will never be the way it was.

Today I read a status on Facebook that a mother was watching her daughter make her Valentine's cards to her friends....she was expressing how cute she thought it was. It got me to thinking...

"Why don't we give each other Valentine's cards anymore?" Is it because we don't feel like we have to? I mean, think about it. When we were in school, there was usually a party and there was a time, yes, an allocated time, where everyone would get up and pass out their Valentine cards. In on of my classes, we actually used to decorate brown paper bags and pass hang them on our desk like our own little mailbox. Because there was the pressure of knowing that "everyone" was going to be giving out Valentine's cards, there was almost a subtle obligation to give out cards.

I remember sitting there, looking through the box of cards my mom had purchased for me trying to find the "best" ones. When I was in 3rd grade with Ms. Daniels, I had the biggest crush on Johnny Dominguez (I hope he's not reading this blog) and I picked the BEST card for him.

AHEM! *clears throat*

ANYWAY....I digress. The point is...did we just give these cards because we felt peer pressure and didn't want to be the only one? Or is it that we actually wanted to take a moment to share the love? Sadly, I don't think it is the latter....)o=

Why don't we give Valentine's cards to each other as adults? In this world of fast media, we even have the option to do e-cards!
I don't know. I guess it comes down to the small things I think we have gotten so far away from as we've gotten older....just a thought!