Funny How One Thing Leads to Another...

This morning, as I was "counting my blessings", I was feeling a little spoiled, as I was doing so while sitting in the hot tub. Mind you, the tub we have is a very *modest* model without lots of bells and whistles. However, the thought of being able to relax and enjoy the jets pounding against my spine made me feel somewhat spoiled....

And, while wallowing in the guilt of gluttony, I raised my left hand out of the water and looked admiringly at "the ring". This isn't the engagement ring that Mark gave me. Nope, it is a beautiful, almost "Victorian" looking ring. And, how did I acquire this ring?

My parents lived next door to a husband and wife who never had children. My mother has always been a very kind spirit, giving far more than she takes! So, when the woman next to her grew older and knew that she would need to move to a nursing home in not too many years, she gave my mom some jewelry.

In that jewelry was "the ring". When my mom showed me the ring, I was so envious. I didn't dream of the ring; neither did I think of ways to coerce my mom into giving it to me. Well, perhaps not wittingly...

Every time I saw my mom with "the ring" on her finger, I would make comments about how she could certainly "donate" it to me when she was done with it. Or, my birthday is.....Yes, I guess you could say that when I *saw* the ring, I was lusting after it. Sad, but true.

You cannot imagine my surprise, excitement, and ecstasy when I opened a birthday present from my parents a few years ago, and there it was! It was a little big, so I raced to the jeweler, where it remained in his possession for nearly a week! But, then, it was MINE!

I have worn that ring in lieu of my engagement ring and wedding band since, as they were cutting into my finger so, I was afraid they would sever it! This ring is so much more *me*, too.
And then, it hit me as the warm water splashed around me....my one clear remembrance of my maternal great-grandmother is "what little Lola wants, little Lola gets".

Talk about guilt literally washing over you! You see, my mom said that when I was a little baby, I climbed up onto the table to play with the silverware. This is when my great-grandmother uttered that now infamous quote that came to haunt me this morning.

As I sat, feeling rather repentant for my "get what I want" lot in life, a hummingbird came whizzing (very literally!) past my face! I quickly came to attention, jumping up and heading into the house. You see, when these hummingbirds *want* their feeder filled, one must HOP to attention right away! If you are the least bit familiar with hummingbirds, (weighing in at about the weight of a PENNY, mind you!) they are VERY demanding. They are territorial (dive-bombing any other hummer that might fly into *THEIR* zone) and demanding, in that if one doesn't keep their sugar water brimming in the feeder, they will leave and NOT return!

So, as I hopped out of the tub, I came to the glum realization that Lola (the human) was certainly reflected by the little birds that she so loves and admires!!!