James Taylor: Walking Man

This song by James Taylor is one of my favorites...and...it happens to be about fall and the drawing near of winter. I love it...there isn't a good video of him singing it, so this is just the song from the CD - Live. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and it helps you to welcome in this glorious time of year!

xoxo -

Kasey

Click this link (all rights reserved to the person who posted this link on youtube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GfWoHafFp4

Welcome Fall...

These are a few of my favorite "fall"things:

Smell of a fire floating in the air from people's homes (usually the "family" room or "living" room); campfires; cooking smores in front of a campfire; falling leaves; the beautifully colored leaves; hot apple cider; driving through the mountains enjoying the leaves; walking down a trail and having the leaves "fall" over my head; the smell of the leaves as they turn colors and "fall" to the ground; glow of fireflies; shiny apples; freshly baked apple pies; hum of cicadas; big fat pumpkins; crisp air; crunch of sweet corn; comfy blue jeans; nice warm sweaters; mums; trick-or-treaters; Halloween costumes; Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin; warm days and chilly nights; good coffee with friends; good red wine with friends; sitting on my screened in porch cuddling with the family; breaking out the toasty scarves; carving pumpkins; cooking pumpkin seeds in the oven and eating them; my kids sweet long sleeve pajamas; hayrides; the Southern Christmas Show; Virginia Creeper Trail; black cats; dirt roads surrounded by beautiful red, orange, yellow, green leaves; marsh mellow pumpkins (I always go through a couple of bags all by myself..lol); cowboy boots; fall festivals at local small towns; and lastly, just realizing God's plan and His beautiful masterpiece...He gives us a fresh start every year.

What are your favorite things about fall?

xoxo -

Kasey

Cancer

Cancer of any kind is really awful. I think pretty much everyone can agree to that. But what I want to talk about today is "spiritual" cancer. Have you ever been in a negative situation/relationship with someone or several people perhaps that you can't get out of? For example, a work environment, family, etc. I feel that these types of situations are very cancerous to the core of us as humans, cancerous to our souls even. At times I find myself thinking, what can I do? How much of me is this cancer going to consume? Sometimes I can just feel the blackness surrounding me inside and outside. Do you ever get that sinking feeling? It's awful...you feel helpless, as if you are drowning on the inside.

But friends, thank the Good Lord for His Word. It is times like these that I really have to dive into God's word and seek His magnificent Face. I thank the Lord that He loves me. I certainly do not understand how people that don't know the Lord get through times like these. I don't know what I'd do with out scriptures like this:

"He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways." Psalm 91:10

"They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Psalm 91:12

"Because he loves Me" says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him for he acknowleges my name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." Psalm 91:1 & Psalm 91:14-15

I thank the Lord for His Word, and His protection, and His love for me. As hard as this cancer is to me, I find myself reading scriptures such as these, over and over and over. And slowly...but surely...the cancer is forced to retreat! Hallelujah!

I love you my dear friends, and may these words be a blessing to you in times of strife as well.

xoxo -

Kasey

CLASS

Friends...I believe that I have just witnessed one of the best displays of CLASS this year...perhaps several years even. When I saw what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift at the VMA music awards, I was SHOCKED (well considering the source...maybe not so shocked...but still)! Artist to Artist - UNBELIEVABLE...inconceivable - her one moment for that award - STOLEN! Now...if that isn't racist...I don't know what is...but...let me not go towards that point of contention. How Taylor handled it (during and after) has been one of the most classiest things I've witnessed in a LONG time and from such a young person! To further the class...Beyonce gave Taylor back what she could of Taylor's "moment" (and congratulations to Beyonce for Video of the YEAR)! What an awesome and admirable thing for Beyonce to do...and I believe she's always handled herself with class.

These people are the ones our children look up to. These people hold our nation's youth "captive" for lack of a better word...everyone is into the "he said, she said" pop culture and all that...I will say now...I will NEVER buy a CD or anything for that matter from Kanye West. I cannot support such vile disrespect for any human being - and what a TERRIBLE example for our children...shame, shame, shame on you Kanye! I will continue to support the actors/actresses and singers/songwriters that continue to act with class.

And yes...just to be prudent, I am glad that Kanye apologized...via his blog and reportedly to Taylor's mother...but...I'm just not sure that I believe the sincerety of that apology...that is only my opinion...we shall see what Kanye proves to be true of his character in the future.

And now...I leave you with the 2009 VMA's BEST FEMALE VIDEO - and it is dang good! Go Taylor!! See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/ - and type in Taylor Swift You Belong With Me.

And to see just how classy Beyonce was go to http://www.mtv.com/ and look for the clip of her win.

xoxo -

Kasey

The Gift of Smell: Often takes me back in time...

Yesterday, it was an absolutely gorgeous Labor Day holiday and Jim and I took the C's to Freedom Park. It really was a delightful afternoon - the park was abuzz with families walking, children playing, dogs and their owners walking...and the weather...ahh...picture perfect! As we were walking along one of the trails across the bridge...a strange...yet familiar scent rolled through the air. I took a deep breath and just shut my eyes and enjoyed the lingering nostalgic moment. It was the scent of wild honeysuckle vines, and pine sap from the trees hidden deep within the woods there. It also held notes of fresh dirt, ready to be run through...it even seemed to hold the crisp notes of autumn drifting in the air. As I inhaled this glorious scent...I was taken back to a certain time in my life. My memories ambled back to my Jr. High School days and I was with my brother wandering like we had all the time in the world through this old man's pasture back behind our neighborhood; my brother and I called it "Paradise". It was a wooded pasture with cows and bulls (that ended up chasing us one day...but that's another story entirely)...

What a wonderful moment for me. I relished my time with my family yesterday at the park, and was so thankful for the gift of scent...and the memories that come rushing back when I smell something familiar.

How about you? Do you have any favorite scents that bring back certain memories?

xoxo -

Kasey

Labor Day: Triumph in American History

Ahhh...Labor Day, the last, long summer weekend before fall. We all come to look forward to this weekend...it gives most of us an extra long weekend...but...do you really know the history of this historic, triumphant holiday?
As the Industrial Revolution swept over our great nation, the average American worked 12-hour days, 7 days a week, back in the late 1800's. That much hard work only provided a basic living. This was a time in which child labor laws were not strictly enforced and children were even working, providing cheap labor to employers.
Because of these ridiculous hours and terrible working conditions, American unions rose up and became more prominent demanding a better way of life. Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 American workers held the first ever Labor Day parade, they marched from city hall to Union Square in NYC. Those who participated took and unpaid day off to voice their issues with employers and honor American workers. As time went by, more states began to hold parades such as these, but Congress did not pass it as a legal holiday until 1894.
On May 11, 1894 Pullman Palace Car Co. workers in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. They looked to their union leader, Eugene V. Debs and on June 26, a boycott on all Pullman railway cars was issued by the American Railroad Union. Not even a week had passed before 50,000 workers complied and all traffic out of Chicago ceased. President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago on July 4. The government's actions destroyed the strike and the boycott soon caved in, but only after much bloodshed and rebellion. Because they had disobeyed the injunction, Eugene Debs and three other union officials served jail time. Nonetheless, this strike brought workers rights to the public eye and Congress declared that the first Monday in September would be a holiday for the American workers, this is the day we now call Labor Day. How brave these men were and what an impact they made on our nation!
So as you celebrate this weekend and enjoy a nice day off of work, remember to also celebrate and appreciate the value and dignity of work and its role in our American way of life.
xoxo -
Kasey
p.s. the photo pictured is a girl in a Cherryville Mill, located in Cherryville, NC. taken by photographer Lewis Hine.