A Prairie View

A Day Of Blogging

Early this spring, I knew I would be doing the Blogathon. I watched their site for bits and pieces of information. Mid June, I had a banner made up, my charity picked out and I was ready to go. The day has arrived. Looking back, if I were to do anything differently, I would probably just blog all of it right here. But. I’m going to follow through with the original plan. I will link each posting here, or you can just bookmark the site, and go directly there through out the day. Its at: Blogathon 2006

8:00 AM: Stage Fright
8:30 AM: Formalities
9:00 AM: The Day Is Young
9:30 AM: Time Out
10:00 AM: Meet The Family
10:30 AM: Favorite Place
11:00 AM: Isn’t He Cute?
11:30 AM: List Time

12:00 Noon: Guest Blogger
12:30 PM: Guest Blogger II
1:00 PM: I’m Back
1:30 pm: A Hobby
2:00 pm: A Gift
2:30 PM: Most Important
3:00 PM: Guest Blogger “Then”
3:30 PM: Guest Blogger “Now”
4:00 PM: Me “Then”
4:30 pm: Me “Now”
5:00 pm: The Many Faces of Ethan
5:30 pm: The Stories Behind The Many Faces of Ethan

Read More…

Storms of life

I was ministered to today with the words Sallie at A Gracious Home wrote.. … what was said on her Streams in the Desert calendar. “Some of the storms of life come suddenly. Some come slowly. Yet it is in the storm that God equips us for service. Every man who is preeminent for his ability was first preeminent for suffering. The heroes of life are the storm-swept and battle-scarred.”

My mom (who I was very close to) died very suddenly — she woke up with a headache, and a few hours later, she was gone. (”storms of life come suddenly”) With her death, came the responsibility of “looking out after” my aunt (who I was not close to — she was a memory from my childhood), who has lots and lots of major health issues. Right now, her kidneys are functioning at less than 10%, and she has chosen not to do dialysis (Some come slowly.) I struggle with this, because my life has been put on hold, to some degree, because of this person. I love her, she is family. But. I do it because … ?

Because she is God’s gift to me (boy, if I had been on THAT shopping trip, I sure would have requested something different!) Sallie put into words, what I have been struggling with. Yet it is in the storm that God equips us for service. Every man who is preeminent for his ability was first preeminent for suffering. The heroes of life are the storm-swept and battle-scarred.” When I would be holding her hand, after her blood sugars had dropped drastically low, and I was there to help her get back to a functionally level, and she would cry “Why won’t God just let me die”. I would tell her that she was God’s gift to me — that he brought her to me because he knew how devastating my mom’s death would be to be. He knew that I would crawl up into myself, and die as well. But I wasn’t allowed that luxury. Even before Mom was taken off life support, I was “dealing” with my aunt. She hadn’t brought her blood sugar tester to the hospital and we were 60 miles from home, and she was sure it was going low. And so the dance began…. life with my aunt.

Thank you Sallie for, so elequantly, putting into words what I have struggled to put into place in my mind and in my heart.

It Figures

Ethan’s main “around the house” chore is laundry. However, since he is gone this week, that has been my job. Although, unlike him, who works at getting one, maybe two loads a day done, I tackled it one evening, and got it all done, and haven’t had to worry about it the rest of the week.

However. Just as I was feeling “proud of myself” — for not having to be reminded to do laundry. For coming in the house, after getting off work, and going straight to the hamper and getting laundry going … just a few minutes later, the phone rings.

David: “Whatcha doing?”
Me: “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”.
David: Well, could you do something for me? Would you go check in my overall back pocket and see if my checkbooks are there?”
Me: “Gulp. Overalls?”
David: “You just put them in the washer, didn’t you?”

It. Figures.

If I would have gone in and done something else — sat down for a bit, played on the computer, ANYTHING …. his checkbooks would have been saved. But. Noooooooo. I couldn’t do that. He thought it was funny, and he wasn’t mad. I can’t win for losing sometimes.

Favorite

OK, I’m going to kill two birds with one stone. Today is the day of the Blogathon. 24 hours of blogging. Make a difference. I’ve done 30 some entries, but have a dozen or so to go. I need to do a “Carnival of the Blogging Chicks” tonight if I’m going to participate.

So….. why not … do the entry as a blogathon entry AND as a Carnival entry. Two for one. Works for me. Oops…thats another meme. And its not Wednesday.

Read More…

Thursday 13: #26

13 Things about the Blogathon 2006

1. Its THIS Saturday, starting at 8:00 am (MY time…which would be central time).

2. 379 bloggers are participating.

3. As of tonight, $59,305.54 has been pledged to those 379 blogger’s charity of choice

4. Did I mention I was one of them?

5. And that we are blogging 24 hours straight?

6. I am blogging for The Truth for Youth … the money pledged will put Bibles in our high’s schools. Planting seeds. Souls saved.

7. Did I mention that you still have time to sponsor me?

8. Or that you can stop by and cheer me on Saturday?

9. In 2003, the Blogathon raised over $100,000.

10. My goal is $250 — or 50 Bibles. A $5.00 pledge/donation will buy 1 Bible. 3 - 49 Bibles are only $3.00 each … so a pledge of $10.00 will put 3 Bibles out there in our high schools.

11. Did I mention you still have time to sponsor me?

12. My guys are going to a Demo derby Saturday night — I will be blogging.

13. 48 entries, in 24 hours. For a good cause.

In Other Words

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh ~

I think I have spent a life time trying to collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. I have a closet full of purses. My file of blog layouts is filled to the brim with different themes I have used, would like to use, or am currently using (esp. if the theme switcher is activated). If you have read my blog for any length of time (no matter how short… like, even since the beginning of this CWO meme) - I change “the look” often. There is some creative satisfaction when I change, being able to make it work, and look good. But, must I have every shell on the beach? Why can’t I just be happy collecting a few? There are lots of areas in my life, where I am almost obsessive in “having” this one, and that one, and Ooohhhh… how pretty, I have to get this one too”.

But, I realized, that I don’t have this obsession in every area of my life. Relationships. Yes, I’ve been married twice. The first time, I married way too young, and marriage at that time was more of an “out” for me rather than a “until death do us part” committment. But I have been married to David for 22 years now. The “shell” has a few nicks in it, and its seen some rough seas. But, we have survived them.

Friendships. I have acquaintences. I have lots of people I say “hi” to when at the store, and, I know them by name. But. There are 2 friends that I would call in the middle of the night if something awful where to happen. These friends know me, warts and all, and amazingly enough, still love me. I don’t “collect” friends. Matter of fact, there are probably a few people out there in the community that I could be friends with — close friends, but, I just have a problem letting people get close. So, I cherish these 2 friends that have broke through the wall, and sit with me on the other side.

And — my God. Literally. My Lord and Savior. He is the best shell of all. There are things in my life that I put way too much importance on, thigns that don’t mean a hill of beans. But, I love my one and only God, and I do my best to serve him, the best I can. I read something the other day. God didn’t “make” me … he is “making” me — I’m still a work in progress. Which means there is still hope for me, to become a better servant, to put those things of insignificance away, and focus on on what is truly important.

So, even though my life is clutters with lots and lots of material things, my collection of shells is few — the most important shells in my life — my family, my friends, and my God — and beautiful they are.

The Sound Of Silence

Ethan has left for church camp … for 5 whole days. He won’t be home until Friday noon. Hear that? ya. Me neither. Silence is golden. I will miss him…but I’m also going to enjoy my time.

Ahead Of The Game

Sunscreen, check. 5 sets of clothes, plus a few extras, check. Swimming trunks, check. Toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, towels… check. Bible. Check. Offering money. Check. I do believe he is packed and ready to go. A first for us. Most years, we are scrambling around, usually packing right after church, to have him ready to leave at 1:30. But. His suitcase and bedroll are in the living room, ready to be carried out. We went to Topeka last night and got most of the stuff on the list that I was wanting to get for him and for myself. So, that is done and taken care of.

I went out to the office and worked this morning, and got the IFTA report (my part of it) done, so now David has until the end of the month to finish it up. THAT’s not hanging over me anymore. If I had been smart, I would have stayed out there, and done the billing this afternoon. David is going to a Farm Show tomorrow with his cousin (his mom and dad are alreayd there, as vendors…. they wanted help tearing down tomorrow night … so recruited David and some others). And Ethan will be at camp. So, if I had done the billing today, I would have most of tomorrow all to myself.

Read More…

To Continue

As I mentioned in the earlier post, Aunt Jo’s blood sugar came down some, but it was still high (in the 400’s). But, she was coherent, and from the sound of things, made quite a few phone calls. But that is a good thing. That means she is getting a bit of herself back.

That evening, however, the physical part of her was continuing to do better, but the emotional side kicked in. She couldn’t stop crying. I think it finally hit her … “I’m. Going. To. Die…… Soon”. And even though she’s “ready” … I don’t think we are ever fully ready to die. The nurse called and asked if I could come up, and just be with her. She was asking for me. I called back to see if it would be OK to bring Ethan. He plays such a big part of all of this.

We went the next 3 hours, just holding her hand — holding her, comforting her, letting her cry. We laugh, we cried. She said “Ethan, sing to me”. And he did. I could see the wheels turning. He didn’t know what to sing. He knows, and sings alot of church songs, but alot of them are about dying, and he didn’t want to do that. But, she didn’t care. She just wanted him to sing. I think he ended up singing Amazing Grace, Old Rugged Cross …. a couple of others, but can’t remember them. And then a more contemporary song he’s been working on is “Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis. He’s been singing it quite a bit today… they often have a talent show at camp, and if they do this year, that is what he’s going to sing.

Read More…

Taking Time

I don’t like doing it this way — being almost a week behind; but the whole intention of keeping a blog — within the big picture of things — is to keep an almost daily running of “what’s happenin’”. And the things I did the bullet list on a few days ago are things, if I had had the time, I would have done as an entry that day. But since I didnt, I’m going to take the time now, and do one long entry, with subheadings & dates, and get it done, and get back up to the current day. This has been my week, in a nutshell….

Aunt Jo
Saturday was not a good day. We were in and out, but not for very long; and both time we were out, the nursing home called. They keep me posted everytime a change is made, or a doctor’s order has been given. Her blood sugar level was pretty high, and they were just keeping me informed of what the Dr. was doing. The meter only goes up to 500, and it was above that. She was pretty much out of it, and that is unusual for her. Its when its low that she gets flakey on us. (her words:)

When I called back with the 2nd called, Saturday evening, they just wanted me to know that the doctor had ordered no more insulin. Even though it wasn’t coming down, he didn’t want to keep giving her insulin. The nurse pretty much implied that with her renal failure, she could slip into a coma with her sugar this high. I called my uncle to let him know; and we both agree to not take any action (i.e. call other family, or make a trip here) until morning and see how she was doing then.

Read More…

Thursday 13: #25

13 Things I Need To Do This Weekend

Ethan is going to Church Camp Sunday.

1. Do an inventory of his clothes, see what he has, and determine what he needs
2. Get suitcase down off shelf so he can pack
3. Go shopping for swim suit
4. Go shopping for shoes
5. Go shopping for misc. items (hygeniene products in small size, bug spray, suntan lotion)
6. Have him wash my van, clean it inside and out
7. Give him a BIG hug good-bye

I am going to KC to scrapbook with my Best Friend on Monday

8. Go shopping Friday night or Saturday day to get Ethan ready for camp
9. Shop for new shoes
10. Shop for new shirt
11. Organize scrapbook stuff so I know what to take (instead of taking “it all”. I.E…Have a “plan” to what I’m actually going to scrapbook
12. Do the Billing Sunday after Ethan leaves for camp so I can “play” Monday
13. Confirm times and place to meet with above mentioned friend.

We did good

Its been another hectic day. It was quiet at work; but afterwards, we were pretty much on the run. I needed to stop and pick up some information from my aunt about this meeting we are having tomorrow with Hospice. From there we went to the grocery store.

And we did good. Instead of throwing pop and chips in our cart … Ethan got yogurt and cucumbers. I’m proud of him for wanting to do this. Malachi is under “court order” not to drink any caffeine. So, we are trying to cut our intake of it as well, so when we go out, or even when he comes over here, it just won’t be around anymore. Not to mention it will be good for US not to drink it!

Once we got home, got groceries put away, and had just set down, the phone rings. Its my aunt & cousin from Garden City. They were in town, had picked up my Aunt Jo from the nursing home, and were sitting down to eat supper at the Mexican food restraunt, and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. My other aunt and cousin were here yesterday, and we did the same thing. IIt was good to see everyone again, and we managed to work around Ethan’s agenda. Last night, he had a Flag Retirement Ceremony with the Scouts. And tonight, he had Barbershop practice in Topeka. He was supposed to have left at 5:20 … but the guy he rides with called and said they weren’t have a board meeting tonight, so it would be 6:20 when he picked him up. So, it all fell neatly into place, Ethan got to eat supper, see everyone, and then go on with his evening.

Read More…

Going on in Ethan’s World

Read More…

Just testing

…some new graphics and a new layout. I still love the “prairie” layout — but, sometimes, like with a large house, it can be overwhelming. And there are times, I need simplicity. And, I want to play around with this new graphic set I got — with “everyday” girls — and the black background just wouldn’t do. Bear with me. I’m making up my mind. I’ll probably put my theme switcher back in, so I can switch back and forth, and not leave you, the reader, confused to “who lives here”, and when she’ll ever make up her mind. This is just part of “who I am”. *sigh.

The Beauty Of Play

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

Everything is a gift from God. Even though this scripture doesn’t list it specifically, I know God gave us the gift of “play”. A time to play. Even though work is importantly, whether it be working to make a living, or working for the Lord, even God rested. Its important that we step back, from our day to day agenda, and just play. Simple play. I realize in the “here and now”, sometimes the way we play is just as much hard work as what we do in our work lives. I think God intended for us to play simply. To enjoy the simple things of life. To chase butterflies. To tickle our toes in a cool stream on a hot day. To jump rope with our children.

A time to play. To take a day and spend it with a good friend. Doing things you both enjoy.

A time to play. Laughing at your husband’s jokes, even though you have heard them a hundred times. That family time isn’t a rarity, but rather the norm. And board games a way of life, not just something done when the electricity has gone off and you are left to your own devices …. no TV, no computer….

This is the beauty of play. It allows us to be children again. To not feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, for a short time. To laugh and be silly. The beauty of play is as essential as working. We often forget that. There is always too many things that need to be done, too many people to take care of, who need you, depend on you, you feel like you have no time for play. But, you will find, that if you take just a few hours to play, you will be refresh, revived, and ready to tackle life again.

There is a time for everything. Let’s play!

Hostess: Leann

In Other Words

“When life whacks you so hard your head flies off, sew it back on and keep going.”~ Mary Pierce ~

Looking back, there is no doubt that my life has been richly blessed — by a wonderful husband, 5 great kids, 4 of the best granchildren in the world,and another one on the way. I have a church family who loves me. We aren’t rich, but we are getting by comfortable now.

There have been a few hard knocks along the way. Life whacked me when I was 8 year old and molested by the neighbor boy, but my head stayed on, a few stitches unraveled, but I was loved by my family and we got through it.

As a teenager, I created alot of my own problems, again life took a few swings at me, but by this time, I had accepted Christ, and God was my protector. We got through them.

Life with my first husband… was a confusing and “dying to self’ time. He didn’t believe in God, and did what he could to stiffle any thoughts or longings I had to reconnect with my God. Even then, though, I knew my God stood by me, keeping me intact. Again, a few stitches unraveled, but I survived.

I was able to put that life behind me, went from leading a life of total seclusion, to a life full of activity. Working full time, raising 4 … and then 1 more came along, 5 children. Going to trade shows, becoming involved in church, and more importantly, being able to allow God back in my life, and able to raise my children to know and love God as well.

We were a blended family, and it came with all kinds of problems and scabbles, but nothing we coudln’t work through.

I can pinpoint the day life whacked me so hard, my head flew off. It took months for me to regain — or “sew” my head back on. That day was December 13, 2003. My mom was in the hospital — yes, it was serious … any hospital stay constitutes “something serious”. But it wasn’t so serious that we never considered the possibility that she would never leave the hospital. I sat by her bed. We laughed. We talked. We plotted and planned. “Next week, once I am out of here, we will ….. “.

Even when she woke up with a headache, it never occured to me that within a few short hours, my life would be torn apart. My head would be filled with thoughts of “how can this be happening”. My heart breaking with grief.

My faith, my friends, my family — these were all things that allowed me to sew my head, and my heart back on, and keep on going. I didn’t want to. I wanted to die right along side of her. But life doesn’t work that way. God still has plans for me. The scars are still there, where life whacked my head off; but with time, the scars have faded. The pain has lessened. The memories have faded a bit. I’m still a bit unraveled. I still have a lot of healing to do. But, I continue on. Leaning on God’s promises. Taking Him at his work to see me through the rough times. He is the great mender of life, and I know that life will send my head flying again — and again before my life is over, but I take comfort in knowing He is there to help me mend my way back to a life filled with family and friends who will be there, waiting for me, to show me the way because I can’t take another step. Just as I can’t sew my own head back on, as a ragdoll, I can’t take what life dishes out alone either. God has showed me that, and I rest in his arms of comfort knowing he will do whatever it takes to get me through. He won’t let me unravel completely. He has promised me this.

Community Theatre

This is what Ethan has been up to lately. I didn’t get any of his late play documented; so I am trying to do better this time … although, he didn’t have much of a part. It was a cute production though. I’ve included here the newspaper clipping of the show. A cartoon clip of who Ethan was — which was Schroeder … and then a couple of video clips that I did get.

Click to read comic strip

Read More…

Famine to Feast

… where blogging is concerned. I go from twindling my thumbs, wondering what I could …should write next — to having a basket full of things I want to get in here, and a busy busy schedule and not sure when I’m going to get to them.

So, for my sake, I’m going to make a bullet list and get them done as I can.

• Community Theatre
• Aunt Jo
• Malachi & The Bubble
• Working yesterday
• Ice cream out to David’s mom’s house
• Carnival of Beauty entry
• In Other Words entry
• Today’s schedule
• Flag Retirement Ceremony
• Barbershop Singout
• Ethan’s enrollment papers
• >The agenda for this weekend
• Ethan - Church Camp
• Gordon - Vacation
• Ruth - Scrapbook Day

Blogathon

Sponsor me HERE.

What is a “Blogathon”?:
On July 29, hundreds of bloggers from around the world will put their endurance to the test for charity, blogging every 30 minutes for 24 hours straight. This is the Sixth Annual International Blogathon, an event that creates a worldwide community for a day, serves up fascinating content, and most importantly, raises tens of thousands of dollars for dozens of charities. Bloggers choose the charity and collect sponsorships. At the end of the event, those sponsors fulfill their pledges directly with the charity.

It’s not too late to sign up if you’d like to blog! You can also help by sponsoring a blogger, just check out the List of Bloggers at the site. Stay up late, make a difference

Why am I doing it?
The shallow answer is …I like to blog, so just seems like a fun thing to do with hundreds of other like-minded people. But, to go beyond that, it gives me a chance to do something for a worthy cause that is within my realm of being able to do. There are lots of “thon” things out there — all of my children have done them … I DID them … as a teenager, I walked for March of Dimes several years in a row. But now…I’m old, and physically not able to push myself hardly beyond the front door. Going to work everyday is a marathon in itself.

But. I can blog. I’m good at it:) And I’m doing it for a good cause.

The Truth For Youth.

Getting “The Word” — God’s Word — out to our youth.

For every $5 you donate, a teenager might be saved. $5 buys a Bible, that will be distributed In High Schools. all over the country.

My Blogathon blog is here. I am doing short updates now, and then will use it to do the actual blogathon. I encourage you to help me reach my goal of 50 Bibles ($250).

From their site:

THE TRUTH FOR YOUTH is the entire New Testament with powerful full color comics packed with absolute truths regarding these ten issues: School Violence, Safe Sex, Evolution, Pornography, Rock Music, Abortion, Homosexuality, Drugs, Drunkenness and Peer Pressure. Student’s legal rights on public school campuses displayed on back cover.

Please help me purchase Bibles for our youth by donating to The Truth for Youth. After the Blogathon is over, I will get back with you with instructions on what to do next (how to honor the pledge). Thank you!

Dreams

dream ( P ) Pronunciation Key (drm)
n.
1. A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
2. A daydream; a reverie.
3. A state of abstraction; a trance.
4. A wild fancy or hope.
5. A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration: a dream of owning their own business.
6. One that is exceptionally gratifying, excellent, or beautiful: Our new car runs like a dream.

n.
—> 1. The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective. See Synonyms at intention.
2. Sports.
1. The finish line of a race.
2. A specified structure or zone into or over which players endeavor to advance a ball or puck.
3. The score awarded for such an act.
3. Linguistics.
1. A noun or noun phrase referring to the place to which something moves.
2. See patient.

And yet, are dreams the same thing? Or are dreams a little larger, a little harder to obtain?

At the rate I’m going, cleaning off the 2nd desk in the computer room, something I really want to get done, should be a goal. But as long as I have wanted to do it, and its not gotten done, its quickly becoming a “dream”.

I have a list of things I would like to achieve. We talk about making dreams come true. Is a dream a dream when its still in our head. But once we put it out there, and start to make it come true, it becomes a goal?

See what I mean? so let me go in a different direction. With what instantly popped up in my head when I saw that the theme would be “dream”.

There she is again. My mom. Gosh. I have missed her so much, but there she is. Standing right there. Laughing. Talking to me. Whatever what I thinking? what have I done? I’ve given away all of her belongings. Her apartment is rented out. The life insurance was spent on funeral costs and a head stone. And yet, there she is. With no place to live, no money, nothing.

How am I going to correct this? I want her to come live with me. I dont’ want to let her out of my sight.

I thought she had died. I was there. When her speech started to slur. Her eyes rolling back. The doctors rushing me out of the room, telling me maybe I should go call family. A fancy excuse to get me out of the room so I wouldn’t have to watch them work on my mom.
Man. What a nightmare — and such a long one. It was so real, I went through the motions of a greiving daughter. Of burying her. Working through a lifetime of accumulated possessions, learning to live life in a new and different way. One that was void of my mother. I had never had to live that way.

But … there she is. What a relief.

*BEEP **BEEP ***BEEEP **BEEP

The alarm clock goes off. I open my eyes, and look around. She’s gone. She’s not there.

It was ….. just a dream.

Friday Funnies

They walk among us

Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old, still working fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: “Free to good home. You want it, you take it”. For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were too un-trusting of this deal. It looked to good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: “Fridge for sale $50″. The next day someone stole it. Caution … They Walk Among Us
=================

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, “Does the sun rise in the North?” When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, “Oh, I don’t keep up with that stuff.”

They Walk Among Us!
==========

I used to work in technical support for a 24/7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, “The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.” He responded, “Is that Eastern or Pacific time?” Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, “Uh, Pacific” . . . . . . They Walk Among Us!
==========

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible, but “didn’t think she’d get sunburned because the car was moving” . . . . . . . . They Walk Among Us!
==========

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it’s designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk . . They Walk Among Us!
==========

My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount. …They Walk Among Us!
==========

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, “Wouldn’t the chain rip out every time she turned her head?” I explained that a person’s nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned. . . . . . . . They Walk Among Us!
=========

I couldn’t find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. “Now,” she asked me, “has your plane arrived yet? ” . . . . . . . They Walk Among Us!
=========

While working at a Pizza Parlor I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. “Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat 6 pieces. Yep, They Walk Among Us too.

They walk among us, and they also reproduce!

Thursday 13

13 Things That Soothe The Soul

1. Finding a devotional that really “speaks” to me
2. Having an anxioius moment, turning to God, and having that wave of calm come over me
3. Journal writing
4. Spice scented candles
5. A book, or journal, and a table at the park
6. Watching my grandson play
7. Watching my grandson’s face light up when he sees me
8. Connecting with an old friend
9. The feeling of success when trying to accomplish something, and actually making it happen
10. Knowing God is in control even when everything around you is so out of control
11. Learning something new, when you have tried and tried before and failed - and you finally “figure it out” and you can do it now.
12. A quiet evening, alone
13. Going to bed without having “how am I going to get out of this mess” worries hanging over my head.

May I Continue?

(Scroll down to previous entry to get up to speed on what this rant is about).

Because I am the person I know me to be, no matter what the circumstances this afternoon, I will keep my mouth shut. I will not get into a grudge match. I will not getting into a shouting match. I will sit quietly — my mind might be shouting things that I would like to say — but I will remain silent. And, in light of the circumstances, this is probably a good way to be.

But, it doesn’t stop the thought process.

And I had a thought.

Why am I going this afternoon? after all, I’m just the grandmother. The EX Mother in Law. I sure wouldn’t want MY Mother-in-law OR Ex-Mother-in-Law at anything that pertained to my marriage, dissolved marriage or not.

And, yes, it will look like I am there for The Bubble.

Read More…

I Don’t Get Her

I know that I show a lot of my doubts and fears and flaws here, and today is no acception. I can’t help but think — in all honesty, just how hard it is to honestly go before God this morning and say “Your will be done”. I want to direct Him in how I think things should go. I trust Him that everything will go OK — but its the “man” part in all of this that scares me. I know whatever the outcome, if any today, is, God will see us through this.

But. I want to tell Him — “this is what should happen”. What kind of prayer is that?

Today is “the” day — a Court date. That perhaps my friend, my ex-DIL will have to stand before a judge and convince him she is a fit mother. Any one who knows her, laughs at the just how stupid this situation is. And, it would be “funny”…if my grandson wasn’t the one riding on the line to what the judge decides. She said her lawyer thought all that would happen today is that the 2 lawyers would meet in the judges chambers, and go over stuff. Here’s where “God… this is what we want to happen” comes in. I hope the judge sees just how ludicrase this is, and throws it out, with a warning to my son and his girlfriend to stop all this stupidity and quit wasting his time.

Read More…

In Other Words

Once in a while you have to take a break and visit yourself
- Audrey Giorgi

Bag in hand, I am setting out to visit an old friend. The bag contains a bible, a journal, several ink pens, an big insulated mug, filled with sweetened tea. I’ve included vanilla smelling lotion and a similar scented candle. Lastly, towards the bottom of the bag, is an ounce of determination.

You see, its been awhile since I have visited this friend. In the busyness of her life, she mostly generally doesn’t have time to stop and just visit. She is busy working 2 part time jobs — and what crazy about that …. its not the money they need. She does it because she is “needed”. And she doesn’ know how to say no. Her son is in high school now, but still young enough not to be able to drive on his own. He’s involved in various school activites, scouts, drama, church … the list goes on and on. She herself is involved in several things, but not as many as she used to be. She is learning, slowly, how to slow down, and not be involved in everything that comes down the pike.

She has a grandson that she adores, and even though her son and daughter-in-law are divorced now, she loves her DIL as her own. They are going through a rough time right now, and it just doesn’t feel right for my friend to just sit back and not be involved. She is there for her grandson and ex-DIL, as much as she can be, which doesn’t seem like much, but for now, it will have to do.

This “old friend” is me. But, somewhere along the line, I have lost msyelf. I am constantly on call as a wife, a mom, a grandma, a niece who has found herself in a semi-active role of caregiver. A co-worker, a worker. A volunteer. A housewife. A friend.

I mask my life by many sources these days. Food. Spending. Creating, and recreating webpages, never able to get it “just right”. This is the “now” me, hiding, not wanting to deal with life.

And yet…. I miss her. That old part of me. The part that took pleasure in the quietness. That found contentment in sitting at a desk, candle burning, and just writing. No “getting it right”. Just a pouring out of thought and feelings. She found satisfaction in her successes. She drove herself hard to succeed, and even if she didn’t make it to the finish line, there were lots of little celebrations along the way for the steps taken, the journey embarked.

So, I have my bag packed. I’m going visiting. Its time I touch base with that old friend again. Its time to pay her a visit … and maybe, just maybe, I can bring a piece of her back with me.