Dame Judi Dench: 'I’m disappointed having not more kids'

Dame Judi Dench has unveiled that her utmost regret in life is not having more kids..

The Oscar-triumphant actress, 76, has a daughter, Finty, but said she and her actor husband Michael Williams longed to provide her a sibling.

When they attempted to adopt a kid, they were turned down because authorities considered they were too old, Dame Judi said.

“I desire we’d had lots more toddlers,” she told Yours magazine.

“That’s the only regret I have. But I was older and it didn’t occur. We endeavored to adopt a child and they didn’t be keen on it because we were above 40 years and

Michael was a Catholic and I was a Quaker. It certainly wasn’t to be.”

Dame Judi gave birth to Finty when she was 37, further said that she took maternity so gravely that she even thought ending her acting profession to take care of her.

 “I’d had a daughter and having a family, I desired to be at home. Michael wouldn’t let me bring to an end though.

“In the starting I tried my best to place things so that I was with her in the day and going to the theatre in the evening when she was in bed.

“Afterward, when she went to school, I could do things like TV during the day to be with her in the evening.”

Williams passed away in 2001 after a longer fight with cancer and Dame Judi is now dating David Mills, an ecologist. 

 http://currentsnews2011.blogspot.com/

Chinese Kid left for dead hit-and-run collide 'expires'

A two-year-old toddler girl in southern China, who was hit by two vehicles and unnoticed by 18 on lookers has passed away, hospital authorities say.

Surveillance camera footage appeared people walking past the girl as she lay bleeding and unconscious.

It sparked a wave of criticism and soul-searching on China's social networking sites.

Doctors had previously said Wang Yue, who had been in a coma since the accident on 13 October, was improbably to stay alive.

Police have arrested the drivers of both vans involved in the mishap, which took place in the city of Foshan in southern Guangdong Province.

Wang Yue was knocked down by a vehicle while wandering through a market, where her parents run a shop. The driver sped off without evaluating the girl's condition.

Over the following minutes, about 18 people walked past the bleeding child, and another vehicle ran over her legs, but no one stopped up to assist.

The painful video recording was shown on television.

A garbage collector who at last moved the toddler to the side of the street was sleeted as a national hero, but the mishap led several online critics to question the state of Chinese ethics.

A hospital’s spokesman told the AFP news agency that Wang Yue had died of "complete organ breakdown", adding that no expenditure had been secured attempting to safe the girl, whose parents are migrant workers.

There have been millions of internet remarks about how to cheer good Samaritans - and many more expressing anger that so many people denied to help.

Her death was one of the most commented on topics on China's Weibo - a micro-blogging site similar to Twitter - on Friday as people expressed sadness and annoyance over the mishap.

"Farewell to little Wang Yue. There are no cars in paradise," wrote one micro-blogger.

Guangdong province is discussing the preface of a law to force people to help others in clear trouble.

Opening online polls, though, advise most people are against it.

"Talk about being enlightened first. Is anyone paying concentration to that?" read one posting.

Organizations in Guangdong are also watching at other ways to give confidence to the people to act with sympathy when faced with a tragedy.

The provincial government's political and legal affairs committee is utilizing its micro-blog site to gather views about how to "guide brave acts for just reasons" and advertise "socialist ethics”.

Several spectators have associated the collapse of the passers-by to help with prestigious cases in which residents who stopped to help people in misery were later held responsible for their dilemma.

Witch Brooms (Kid Crafts)

The girls cannot bring food or candy to school for Halloween, so we picked up brown paper bags, Halloween pencils & wire twists. We turned pencils into witches brooms & another fun idea for the little princesses would be Cinderella brooms!

Happy Thursday!

Rose-colored Lenses (On Our Children)

Once a reporter stood in front of a fire as it consumed a house and then he turned to see the homeowners and their little son watching it burn. The reporter fishing for a human-interest angle, said to the boy, "Son, it looks as if you don't have a home anymore." The little boy promptly answered, "Oh, yes, we have a home. We just don't have a house to put it in."
 ~Barbara Johnson


What a story! I just loved that little boy's answer. Where did he get such a positive outlook? Probably from his parents! Children may not always turn out exactly like their parents, but for the most part, they do! My first thought when reading that was, I bet his mother had already had an encouraging talk with him. Poor boy, I didn't give him much credit did I? :) However, that was my first thought! This mother was training her child (Proverbs 22:6) to be positive!

Don’t you just love being around positive people? I do! I love happy people. Now, let us not confuse the party people with the positive people. I am not talking about the loud, “I’m here, ready to have a good time, and be the life of the party” type of people. (Very sorry, if you are one of them!) I am interested in talking about people that are positive everyday of their lives! I am talking about the people that are happy before the party, even if it means blowing up one hundred balloons, baking dozens of cupcakes and barely having anytime to get dressed. I am talking about the people that love their life even when it is not all fun and parties. People that are passionate about their sometimes boring, sometimes chaotic, sometimes backwards life.  The people that feel fortunate, grateful and blessed.

The other day when talking to my cousin, I was telling her how weird it is to look back at certain times in my life, like birthdays, weddings and family reunions and feel a twinge of sadness. Almost, like I missed some very special moments. Moments that should have been filled with happy memories, but they were not, because of my disposition and the relationship that I was in. Thinking about those days now, seems like it was a completely different life and I was a completely different person. I can find myself starting to look back and think, wow, I wasted a decade of my life being unhappy. 10 years of my life that I will never get back! However, instead of dwelling on the negative, I find myself feeling grateful to have learned so much.

If I had not gone through what I did, I would not be the person that I am today. Those times were tough and I fell down many times, but I kept getting up because I knew that better days were ahead. I survived, because of prayer and positivity! Our situations vary and our circumstances can sometimes seem bleak, but a positive outlook can make all of the difference. I truly believe that! My life got happier once I started looking at my life, my future, and my circumstances through rose-colored lenses.

We are human and life can be painful some days. I believe that it is okay to give ourselves a mourning period. It is okay to vent to our friends and even tell God, we do not understand why “this” is happening to us, as we ask him for strength, but then, enough is enough. We must get up and get on with our life, because this world has too much to offer.

My mom was always one of those happy people! She was like a happy little bird chirping in the morning and singing her songs, telling us, “Rise and shine. It’s a beautiful day!” Although, I didn’t always understand her happiness and my response was usually "Mom, seriously?!" Now I am going through the same thing with our kids! Yesterday, my hubby and I were joking with our son and he was so serious! He never even cracked a smile, but I kept joking and laughing, because I know that even if he does not appreciate it now, in a few years he will. Then this morning, I walked into the girls' bedrooms singing, "Good morning! It's a lovely daaaaay!" Both of the girls groaned, complained, and gave me grumpy looks. It made me think of my mom!

Kids are going to be grumpy. Kids are going to find something to complain about, but as their parents, we are going to continue to give them all the reasons that they should look forward to their life. To their day. To whatever comes next!

Much like that little boy’s mother did in the story above.  That way when our children become adults, they understand that bad things may sometimes happen to good people, but positive people never let the bad things keep them down!

My Dream vs. My Life

I have been a stay-at-home mom for 6 months now! Where does the time go?! There are so many wonderful reasons why I love staying home, but one reason is that I now have more time to write. I am glued to my computer these days. As I was cleaning out some files full of poetry and story ideas, I came across an assignment I had put together in college. We were told to create & write about what our dream future looked like. I wrote this when I was 19....

*****************************************************

In my dreams, I see a place.
This place is a beautiful house in the middle of green pastures.

There are lilies, sunflowers and rose bushes.

In the yard, there is a big friendly dog, named Bud.

Along with Bud, there is also a pool, patio and swing set.

The swing set belongs to three small children.

However, the three small children are not home.

They are riding in the car with Mommy.
Mommy is a schoolteacher.
A schoolteacher who loves her job.
Mommy says the pay could be better, but the gratification could not.
When the family gets home (to the beautiful house), the children go outside to play.

Mommy begins to make dinner, because Daddy will be home soon.

Even though, Mommy does not like to cook all that much she is smiling (for two reasons.)

The first reason is that she found out a law was passed requiring all districts to pay teachers no less than $40,000 a year.

The second reason is that it is summer break.

Although Mommy will miss her students, she will now have time to follow up on her other passions.

For instance, in the den sits a filing cabinet, full of poetry and short stories.

Work that needs to be typed up and mailed out to Mommy's publisher.

Next to the file cabinet is an easel, with a watercolor painting that Mommy has yet to finish.
So many things to do, and so little time to do it.
On the easel is a paintbrush, a paintbrush that just fell to the floor, because when Daddy got home he slammed the door behind him.
Why you ask?

Daddy won the lotto.
Now everything the family wanted will be possible.
In the summer when school is out the family will travel to the islands, visit foreign countries and go on cruises.
The beautiful house will become even more beautiful because Mommy's walk-in closet will be full of clothes and shoes.
The family can donate to all of the charities they want.
Mommy will be able to pay for her own production of books and possibly even a greeting card company.
Daddy will get the car he always wanted and build an office for his private practice.

The kids will lack for nothing, go off to college and become very successful.

Soon, Mommy and Daddy will become Grandma and Grandpa.
In my dreams, all my dreams will come true.

 ***************************************

• We do have a beautiful home and a pool, but there are no green pastures, lilies, sunflowers or roses. We have desert landscaping with palm trees & red and yellow habiscus flowers :)
• No swing set, but a porch swing.

• Instead of 2 boys and a girl, we have 3 girls and a boy.
• We don't have a big dog named Bud, but we have a little dog named Cimba.

• I did teach for a while.
• I still write and keep everything in the filing cabinet.
• I still enjoy drawing, but instead of an easel I use a Graphic Pad.
• I didn't like to cook in the past, but I do enjoy it now. It feels good to cook for your own family & especially for my hubby who is grateful for every meal.
• We haven't won the lotto (yet), but we never play! :)

Again, I was 19...so yes, my dreams were a little superficial, but umm...I think I'd still love for all of those things to happen! :) It was fun for my family to look at my "wishes" as a teenager and see how my life worked out 13 years later.

Positively Happy

After one of my very first marriage posts, I received a comment that upset me. Someone had made a few very opinionated statements and my first reaction was to be angry. I commented back trying to disagree with her in the nicest way possible. Then after a day had passed, I read the comment again. I actually began wondering, do I talk about my marriage too often? Is it wrong of me to write that I love and respect my husband? Does it sound like I am bragging? It was almost as if my passion for my marriage and family, and my happiness had offended her in some way. Of course, I recognized that I had a right to be happy and there was no reason to let someone else’s negative opinion upset me, so I decided to delete the comment.  

I realize that blogging is just like anything else in life. We are going to cross paths with people who have different views and opinions. We are going to meet people who are kind, happy, and mostly positive and we are going to meet those that are not. Although, I wonder, unless it is someone’s job to be a critic, why do some people let the negative thoughts turn into words?  Shouldn’t we encourage happiness? Isn’t it the positive thoughts that we should let flow so freely?   

This morning Jocelyn called me into her room as she was getting dressed for school. She was holding up a red satin dress with rhinestones that she wore to her uncle’s wedding last year. My first thoughts were that she would be the only person at the school dressed up in a shiny red party dress. I said, “Why don’t you wear something else? Maybe you can wear it to school in a few months for your Christmas party.” She looked disappointed and started looking through her closet for something else.  

As I walked away, I thought about why I tried to change her mind. It was not because I would think the dress was too fancy if I saw another little girl at school wearing it. It was because I have heard many comments by other parents about how Easter dresses, certain types of shoes and red polish are not appropriate for school. My daughter is a spunky little seven year old who loves to express herself through her colorful, sparkly and versatile wardrobe. She has her favorite t-shirts and they are usually the faded ones that she has worn dozens of times. She also likes to wear fancy holiday dresses and her neon pink Hannah Montana fake hair clip to school. I usually let her wear whatever she chooses, because I love to see her express herself.  

After thinking about it for a few seconds I said, “Actually… go ahead and wear it.” She wanted to know why I changed my mind. I told her that it is a fancy dress, but it is beautiful and since she doesn’t have P.E. she should wear what she wants. So she did. She put it on and when I dropped the girls off at school, Jocelyn climbed out of the truck and walked towards the gate. All of the other kids were in shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes, but not my Jocelyn. She was in a little fancy red satin dress and she was glowing. She wasn't worried about what other people would think or the negative comments she might get, she just did what made her happy.

Letters to My Children

One of the greatest inventions ever...the camera! We get to capture moments that may never happen again. Moments that make us gasp, laugh, cry, pray and sometimes scream. The camera allows us to preserve our memories. We may forget, but photos never do. They are a reminder of what was.
Although, if I had to choose between my camera and my pen, I would gladly choose my pen! Images are beautiful, but words are what speak to my soul. The written word has made me fall in love, brought me to tears, caused me to laugh, helped me understand, has given me perspective, stimulated my mind, provoked anger, encouraged sympathy, developed passion, inspired motivation, taught me so much and yes, this long list goes on!
I love scrapbooking. I take pictures daily and save them for my children, but I also write them letters. Some of the letters, I have already given to them. Others, I save, because they are to be read by them, when they are much older. There is no standard form. I just write whatever I am feeling at the moment. Some of their letters were written during times that our family experienced change or on their birthdays describing the things that they currently love, say and do.
I plan to be around long enough to help plan the kid’s weddings, to cuddle with grandbabies even great grandbabies, I hope! However, just in case God has other plans for me, my words will always be there to remind them of my love.
I will post some of the letters to my children on occasion. Here are bits and pieces of the very first letter I wrote to Jocelyn 7 years ago, when I was still pregnant with her.

5/2003

Dear Jocelyn,

Oh, how I want to teach you so many things.

…………I want to teach you that it is important to create a relationship with God and keep it……Always remember that you have a family that adores you and a God that will never turn his back on you………..Remember to pray about everything. I know we have a tendency to pray only when things go wrong, but remember to pray and thank God for the good in your life too. Keep a bible next to your bed, on the kitchen table or even in the bathroom. Keep it someplace that you will see it every day to remind yourself what you should aspire to be……..Try to make friends that have the same values as you.....choose wisely......Do not judge people for their mistakes, love them, help them and learn from them……..Be an honest and kind person. Always think before you speak. Speak your opinion when necessary, but always do it with kindness…….I wish so much for you! Every night when I feel you kicking before I fall asleep I am so happy and yet so afraid. Will you adore me as much as I adore my mother? Will I be able to protect you from the world and still give you just enough freedom to find your true self? Will you get to experience a strong loving relationship by watching your parents as I did growing up?.........I simply adore you and so far all I have to hold is a blurry black and white picture that I hang on the fridge. I love you so much and all you can do it toss and turn in my belly, eat my left overs and hiccup occasionally. I cannot even imagine how much I will love you the moment you are placed into my arms.

Until Then,
Mommy