A day in our life: July 24, 2010

What a wonderful day we had yesterday, July 24, 2010.  It all started with a visit from Chris, Chelsea and baby Jonathan.  Katie, Andrew and Nicholas had fun meeting their newest cousin for the first time.  At four-months-old, Jonathan is a big boy.

We laughed so hard while trying to get Jonathan to sit up.  In fact, we captured the moment in video.  I was laughing so hard while recording that I was crying.  There is nothing like a baby to cheer you up.

After Chris, Chelsea and Jonathan left to go back to The Woodlands, we met our dear friend Karen at Jason's Deli for dinner.  She has been in Virginia for many years, but now that she is working in the Dallas area, we can see her more often.  Of course, with Karen a lot of laughing always occurs.

After Jason's, she came over for a while.  When we were going into the house, we heard a rustle from the bush with the bird's nest, and then a small brown blur caught our eyes.  The baby birds were trying to take flight!

Later when Katie, Karen and I were leaving to go shopping, we found one of the fledglings fluttering around Karen's red car.  It got scared and jumped into her tire where it got stuck.  We had to ask Pete to come to the rescue and help the fledgling face its fears.  In a short time, it was flying again.  When we got back from the mall, we noticed the little bird had parked itself against our wall, halfway between the ground and roof.  Maybe the baby finch was having an identity crises and thought it was a bat?  (Thankfully this morning it was gone).

Yesterday was a day to remember.  How was your day?

Everyone has a story

Jules has given me this special blogger award.  THANK YOU, Julie.  I feel very honored to receive this award from you. Check out Julie's blogs on cross-stitching, poetry and photography.

The Beautiful Blogger award does not come without guidelines to follow, though.  Here are the things I must do and those listed below will have to do:

1.  Accept the award- check
2.  Thank the person who gave you the award- check
3.  Add a link to the person who gave you the award- check
4.  Put the award on your blog- check
5.  Write 10 things about yourself others may not know about you-
6.  Pass the award on to 10 others-

Okay- the first four were easy...now let's work on the last two.

Ten things about me you may not know:

1. I don't like writing ten things about myself.
2. I had a stalker when I was in my 20s, teaching in The Woodlands and living alone in Houston apartments.  He climbed onto my balcony one morning while I was getting something from the storage closet.  I had to lock myself in the closet (he had his hand on the doorknob and tried to resist my pull) and I was scared to death.  I finally got the nerve to open the door, hammer in hand.  There was no sign of him anywhere except leaves from the bush and two holes where his legs were.  I got out of my lease and ran as fast as I could.
3. After that, I put all my stuff in storage and headed for a fun summer in New Orleans.
4. I have had many interesting jobs- summer day camp counselor, nanny, salesclerk for Dillard's, hostess in a restaurant (sometimes I had to wait tables if someone didn't show up), teacher, dyslexia specialist, tutor, substitute teacher and preschool art teacher.  My #1 favorite job of all...drum roll, please- being a mom and wife, which allows me the time to pursue my life-long dream of writing.
5. I have volunteered at a blood center, with GSA (girl scouts) and at the Salvation Army.
6. I had to kiss a lot of rotten frogs before I found my Charming Prince Pete.
7. God has pulled me through some very difficult times and given me the strength to let go of some deadly dependencies in my life.
8. I had to have three c-sections because my oldest was breech and it was highly recommended that the subsequent deliveries be c-sections, too.  During one of my deliveries, the anesthesia did NOT work and I suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.  All of it was worth it though, and I would go through it all again for my sweet child.
9. Hmmm...this is hard...when I was hired to teach 2nd grade in The Woodlands, it was on Halloween.  I was in the middle of my student teaching, interviewed in a clown costume and started teaching before I graduated from Texas A&M.
10. I gave up a nursing scholarship to Lamar University- Beaumont to go to A&M.  This was probably a good thing because I have a queasy stomach- something I found out later.

The ten blogs I have selected for this award all come with a story- how the special writer and I crossed paths at certain times in my life is very significant and meaningful to me.  As someone once said, "Everyone has a story."  Maybe someday I will share with you how I met these great people.  I have alphabetized by the blogger's by first name.

1.  Carol: Grandma's-On-The-Go
2.  Holli: The Aftermath of Happily Ever After
3.  Jake: It Is What It Is
4.  Jeni: Memories to Cherish (extra-special to me)
5.  Jessica: Praise, Prayers and Observations
6.  Judy: I'd Like to Say
7.  Lisa: Blessings Poured Out
8.  Nancy P: Discriminating Reader
9.  Nancy W: VoiceOver
10. Peggy: The Work of His Hands

I guess I can finally check off the last two rules.  By the way, this has taken me forever.  I'm quite tired now.  I have had to pause and save to go pick up a bridesmaid dress for Katie, rearrange some furniture, do laundry, go to the grocery store and eat dinner.  Not to mention the zipper-getting-caught-in-dress-we-had-home-for-five-minutes-and-almost-ruined ordeal, or talking and interacting with the family.  Sigh...until we meet again.

A wig gig

Several years ago, a dear friend came down with breast cancer very unexpectedly. She and I are the same age and knew each other in school, and now we belong to some of the same groups. When she began to lose her hair, a group of us decided to throw a luncheon to show our support for her. We all met at the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant wearing wigs, surprising our friend tremendously. She had planned on going wig shopping after our lunch, but unfortunately, I think we convinced her to keep her scarf. Thankfully she is healthy today and doing very well. So my question to you is, can you guess which one is me? Please leave a comment with your choice.

One last look at my Christmas cardinals

These beautiful cardinal cards were sent from some very dear friends; people who have struggled through some of the same difficulties I have. We share a very special bond, and it makes me feel very honored that they thought of me when sending Christmas cards this year. Thank you, my friends- you know who you are.

Here is one last "collage" of all my Christmas cardinals. As you can see, a calendar was among my gifts. It is a bird calendar, and the very first picture is this one of the male cardinal. The last picture of 2010 is a beautiful female cardinal. Ahhh...I can tell it's going to be a great year.

For Today...

The other night I was saying my nightly prayers when I asked God to tell Mary I missed her. The next morning after my run, I walked into the house and from my back window I could see three beautiful cardinals right in front of me. Then I heard a beep from my phone indicating I had a text message. I checked my message, and can you believe it was from Jeni, Mary's sister and my good friend! She just wanted to check on me and see how I was doing because we hadn't spoken in awhile. I think God was telling me Mary is okay.

Our time here on earth is so short. I want to enjoy each day like it's the last, love my family with all my heart and try to do the right thing always. I recently lost another friend who was only 52 years old (the older I get, the younger that seems). Her death came very unexpected, too. She had battled lupus, MS and another fatal disease for years and now she is free of pain and misery.

Today I am going to have an attitude of gratitude. Here are some of the things I am thankful for:
1. MY GOD who loves me unconditionally and will NEVER let me down
2. My loving, wonderful and supportive husband, Mr. K
3. Three healthy, happy and fantastically unique children God has given us
4. Family and friends who care and love me when I don't love myself
5. Health and happiness
6. Freedom from bondage
7. The opportunity to pursue my life-long dream of writing
8. YOU- my readers.

Have a great, blessed day and remember- GOD loves you!

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue, an everlasting vision of the ever-changing view. ~Carole King

These Are The Days

I am amazed at how much difference a day can make. When I compare today with yesterday, I can see a difference between...night and day! Yesterday was one of those crazy days. I had a docor's appointment at 10:20 and did not leave the office until 12:30. Then, the kids and I had dentist appointments for our six month cleaning and check-up at 3:00. Katie was supposed to have dance from 5:30-7:00, but she didn't feel well so I let her skip at the last minute. Plus it was open house at the school and she really wanted to go. They split up the times between the lower and upper grades due to the temporary site's parking. Nick's was from 5:00-6:00 and Drew and Katie's was 6:30-8:00. Everything worked out okay because we grabbed a bite to eat in-between, but I still felt like I hadn't had time to sit down and relax all day.

Today has been MUCH more relaxed. I had the opportunity to go and visit my good friend and my Godson and his brother. Just put me with babies and I'm alright! It was so nice to visit over coffee. I was brought back to my life not too long ago when I had babies and toddlers in the house. I could so easily relate to the constant interruptions and distractions that being a mom requires. I am so grateful for this friend who loves me regardless and doesn't put any "conditions" on our friendship. Friends like that are few and far between. When I got home I mowed the backyard. The weather is so beautiful today. There is even a hint of fall here in southeast Texas. I relish days like this, especially when I just had a busy day like yesterday. I hope you are having a great day, too!

Truly Grateful

I am truly grateful for my friends. Good friends are hard to find. Many friends come into our lives for brief periods and then leave, but true friends are always there~ through good times and bad. In fact, when we are going through difficult or challenging times in our lives we can easily discover who our true friends really are, for they will be by our side to love unconditionallyand support us even when we don't have much to give back. Having just gone through a very difficult time recently, I was amazed at the outpouring of support I received from my friends. Yet at the same time, I was deeply hurt by the rejection of someone I thought was a friend. I felt like I had been discarded like stale bread and I was deeply hurt. Since then, I have discovered that this person who I thought was a friend is so self-absorbed that she will do anything to get her way. Looking back, I can easily see that everything was all about her. Honestly, I do not someone like that as a friend. I need friends who will listen, not talk about themselves constantly or brag about everything materialistic they have. I want real friends, not superficial ones. So I lost one friend. But guess what? I gained a dozen more and for that I am truly grateful. And to my #1 best friend, my husband~ I love you and thank you for everything!

Honest Scrap Award

Nancy, at Voice Over nominated me for this gracious award.
The rules of the Honest Scrap Award are to reveal Eight Honest Things about yourself. Here is what I came up with:

1. When I was a little girl, whenever we went to visit my grandparents in San Antonio, the very first thing I would do when I arrived was get the Pledge out, smell the clean fresh scent and dust their furniture. I loved to dust Nonna and Pawpaw's baby grand piano and other antiques, even though they were already spotless. Ironically, now I hate to dust and would give anything to have someone come and dust my furniture!
2. My nickname was "Goldilocks" when I was little. Then, when I began experiencing the vertigo, my Uncle Bill, who was a pediatrician nicknamed me "Dizzy Blond." I would much rather be Goldilocks!
3. I graduated from Kelly High School with honors and was on the Literary Magazine publishing committee. I loved to write even then. Upon graduation, I got a nursing scholarship to Lamar and went there for a year, but wanted to get away from home, so transferred to Texas A&M. Unfortunately, A&M did not have a nursing program then, so I chose to become a teacher, and graduated, again, with honors. Sometimes I wish I had become a nurse.
4. I student taught in The Woodlands during the fall semester and became a full-fledged teacher by Halloween- before I even graduated in December. I proceeded to teach second grade for six years and then became the district dyslexia specialist for Lumberton ISD for another six years. I thought it was the seven-year-itch! I guess for me, it's six years!
5. I love to run. I would much rather run than walk (walking takes too long). Being outside is therapeutic for me- I feel so close to God when I am outside exercising.
6. Pete (my husband of eleven years) and I had our first date on my thirtieth birthday. We were married the next year and had Katie the following year after that. Then we had Andrew and Nicholas soon after. When Nick was born, I had three children under the age of four.
7. I am shy and quiet, which is one of the reasons I love to write. I am also very sensitive and sentimental. I used to be a people-pleaser, but thanks to a friend named Beth, I now have BALLS (and boy do they feel good).
8. Last, but not least, I am living each day to the fullest, enjoying the present as I pursue my life-long dream of writing. I have a contract with a book out this October ("Christmas Miracles") and have been published elsewhere. Life is good and I am grateful for all of you!

Now, to pass this award on, I'd like to nominate Jeni, Susan and Holli. Keep writing, my friends!

An Attitude of Gratitude

One joy scatters a hundred griefs. ~ Chinese Proverb

I am so grateful today! I have discovered that an attitude of gratitude makes life much easier to deal with. Here are some of the things I am thankful for:

1. My family- Three healthy, smart, talented children who are not one bit spoiled; my wonderful, loving, supportive husband who loves me unconditionally.
2. Two sweet, adorable dogs Snowie and Jake.
3. Parents and a sister who live so close and are always supportive and helpful.
4. Wonderful friends who love me even when I don't love myself- who are supportive, caring and understanding. I am so grateful to know they will ALWAYS be here for me~ thanks, my friends!
5. My modest house- it may not be a mansion, or worth a lot, but it's home and I love it. My children were born into this house and they love it, too. There have been many memories made here.
6. Writing, writing, writing (and my writing peers).
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST- GOD. Through Him anything is possible!

What are you grateful for today? Please share!

Mary Poppins Still Lives...

Please excuse this brief interruption from the birthday fairy, but an important announcement must be made. After this, I promise I will let Laurie get back to her blog. Did you know that Laurie has a Mary Poppins purse? I observed as she changed purses to her new birthday present purse and this is what I found:

20 pounds of junk. No wonder the poor chick has an aching back, I mean, her purse is like a heavy weight from the gym. Maybe she needs to start lifting weights again- and the purse doesn't have to be it! Thrown out on the table, I saw six tubes of lipstick, five pencils, three pens, two hand sanitizer bottles, sunscreen, and two Invisible Armor bottles- is this mom worried about germs? And what was that- a flashlight? I mean this mom must mean business. Then came all of her gum, mints, peanut butter crackers,chapstick, yesterday's paper, disposable hand wipes, prayer cards, business cards from writer friends, along with a small pad of paper so if the muse moves her, she can write. Can you believe there was tons of garbage in there- bubble gum wrappers, candy and old school programs? Then, I found an umbrella, a poncho, a camera, a cell phone, her wallet (which is jammed packed with who knows what?). I found a book- can you believe it? It looks like a mini version of the Bible, I don't know- what else can there be? Oh, a calendar and lists of all the summer activities in the area. My goodness- no wonder this chick can't get out of bed. A compact, a mirror...does this girl need to move? I think all she owns is in her purse.

Well, I tried to weed out some of the duplicates, but I don't know. This is one tough momma, and her new purse still seems heavy. Heaven help her. I think she needs a spoonful of sugar and some sleep... what do you think?

My Birthday...

My birthday started out lovely with breakfast in bed. My wonderful children brought my coffee in a new mug from Starbucks with freshly ground coffee from Starbucks (along with a gift certificate). Two of my favorite mugs had recently been broken - one when the kids were playing the Wii and knocked it down, the other when they accidentally dropped one while unloading the dishwasher; hence the new mug. I love it! Along with the coffee, I had Pete's infamous pancakes, strawberries and orange juice- yummy! My great family also gave me other gifts I love: a beautiful picture frame necklace where I can place a photo of the kids and wear it close to my heart, a cardinal windchime, a neat cardinal that looks like it is going through the window (see picture below), a wonderful candle and an Aggie garden gnome.
I was so full from breakfast, I decided to take a little walk. Of course, I took my camera with me, for I would never want to miss a special moment. As I walked down the street, a huge feeling of grief struck me and I began crying because I miss Mary so much. I thought to myself that maybe I should go and visit her grave soon. By that time, I was halfway down the street and guess what happened! My friend, Libby, who just got back (the same one the dove warned me about and who had a cardinal appear to her as she read my card) popped out of her house to put a letter in her mailbox. Of course she gave me a hug, and I instantly felt better! When I got home, my cardinal was munching on some birdseed, as you can see in the photo above. ( He appeared to me all day long).

After my walk, my family took me to the phone store to pick out a new cell phone! I feel like a savy chic now that I can text finally. Katie is going to show me how. (Kids are good at keeping their parents hip). Later on, I stopped by Ms. Angelle's for a quick visit. I hadn't been able to visit her much now that the kids are out of school, so I wanted to take her some banana bread on my birthday. She was delighted and I loved seeing her. After that, the family went swimming at the country club. We had a lot of fun there. It brings back a lot of childhood and teenage memories, though, and seems surreal to be going to the country club as a parent, now.

For dinner, my parents joined us at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. We had fun, although Drew started to feel sick to his stomach (perhaps he drank too much pool water) and Pete had to take him home. I got a cute outfit and purse from Mom and Dad. Here I am blowing out the candles on my carrot cake that Katie made me.

It was also my dear nephew, Matt's, 22nd birthday. We will all (my sister's family) celebrate more birthday today along with Father's day at my parents for dinner. Poor Pete, though, has to work. Oh well, we were at least able to give him his cards and present. I sure do hope he won't be too long!

I also got lovely calls from my dear friends Karen and Jeni! Thanks so much! Karen sent me a gorgeous necklace, and Chelsea and Angie sent cards, too. Many of my lovely friends also wished my Happy Birthday on Facebook. Thanks to everyone for a wonderful day. Except for the brief wave of sadness, it was a great day, and I know Mary was with me, too.

P.S. In case you're wondering- I'm still 29- can you believe it - hee-hee.

What's Been Going On...

There are a few recurring topics on this blog that I would like to update you on. Things have been extremely busy around here for the...well, since I became a mother of three, but especially at the end of the school year these past couple of weeks. I wish I had time to write more frequently, but there are simply not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. So, here's the latest:

1. My dizzy problem- I went back to my ENT doctor the other day to go over the results of the MRI. He said everything looked fine and there are no tumors (thank you Lord). The doctor said he is treating me for Meniere's disease and that I might also have migraine-associated vertigo, which sometimes goes along with Meniere's. Since I've had this basically all my life and some of the tests were positive for Meniere's, that is how he made his diagnosis. But we still won't know for sure until I can more accurately document my symptoms before and during each episode. For example, stress, diet and allergies can cause the dizziness. I do know one thing- I tend to get this when I am overly exhausted and stressed. I guess only time will tell. Until then, please pray for me. We are leaving Sunday to go to Disney World for a few days, and I would hate to wake up dizzy that morning. In fact, I'm thinking about just staying up, since we have to leave for the Houston airport at 4:00 AM. When I had my hysterectomy, I woke up dizzy and we still had to go. The walk from my car to the hospital entrance took us forever because I was so dizzy and throwing up so much from it. But the nurses gave me some medicine and it helped. I want that medicine!

2. Ms. Angelle- She is as spunky as ever! Ninety-four and still going strong, although moving much more slowly. She went to Katie's dance recital and thoroughly enjoyed watching it, although some of her comments really revealed the huge generation gap. Pete, the boys and my mom sat with her because I had to help Katie so much. Ms. Angelle is very outspoken, and apparently she voiced her opinion periodically. Think about it, she grew up in the days when a girl would never be caught dead prancing around on stage in skimpy clothes. But she enjoyed watching Katie nonetheless.
I also took Ms. Angelle shopping recently. The Dillards here had some significant hurricane damage and has been remodeled. Ms. Angelle worked there in the china department eons ago and wanted to check it out. (Ironically, I worked at Dillards all through high school and college, transferring to the College Station one and then working at this one during holidays and summers, but I don't remember her). I don't shop at the mall much anymore (much to Pete's delight), so I wasn't familiar with which door I should park by that would be close to the elevator. Wouldn't you know I would pick the side farthest away? She huffed and puffed just walking that much. When I take her to Sam's she uses a wheelchair, but the clueless clerk misinformed us when she said Dillards did not have a wheelchair. We later found out they do, and boy was Ms. Angelle hot! Anyway, we had to sit for a while and rest in the shoe department before we headed upstairs to her favorite department- the kitchen ware. She had a great time, but had to sit down and rest. Poor thing got so discouraged.
"I won't be walking by the time I'm ninety-five," she said, head hung down.
"That's what you said about ninety-four and look at you. You'll be fine," I answered encouragingly.
"Really?" She sounded hopeful.
So we ended up having lunch at Applebee's, which she thoroughly enjoyed, and then I took her home. Next time we will use the wheelchair.
Enough of me...what's been going on with you?

Friendship

Here's a picture taken with Nicholas "fairy godmother" (or so, he calls her) and my dear friend Karen. She was in town, visiting from Virginia. We had a great time seeing her and catching up on things. I hope Karen realizes how truly important she is to our family. We have missed having her around since she moved!
Friends are such an important part of our lives. I do not think God wants us to be lonely. Dr. James Dobson cites, "We human beings can survive the most difficult circumstances if we are not forced to stand alone." Even when nobody else is around He is always with us.
Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. ~Matthew 28:20
I believe friends are like angels, sent to share our lives. Some are in our lives for a long time, others just briefly. But they make a mark on our soul, they help mold who we become. We learn from our friends. We make mistakes with our friends. And we never forget them, for as another friend, Rhonda, reminded me this weekend, they are ALWAYS in our heart. I am so grateful for all of my friends. Let's all make a point to tell a friend how special he/she truly is to us this week.

Conversations and Cardinals

Yesterday I was thinking about Mary a lot, missing her. I was very tired after a rough night's sleep and then being woken up at 4:30 by Andrew. When I am overly tired, I get more emotional. Many of you can relate, I'm sure. Anyway, several things happened that let me know Mary was near. I went up to have lunch with Andrew, bring him medicine and check on him. Ironically, one of his friend's grandmother and mother came to have lunch with Thomas, so they sat at a special table with us. Thomas' little sister was there. She is a doll with big blue eyes, tanned skin, blonde baby ringlets. Hannah was all over the place- very active; a real attention getter. I asked how old she was, thinking she was around three (I remember when she was born). They said she would be three this summer. Then something clicked and I remembered exactly when- July 31 (Mary's birthday).

"Hannah's birthday is July 31, isn't it?" I said happily.

The mother looked at me in total amazement. "How did you remember that?"

"I had a dear friend that shared the same birthday, and I remember Andrew was over at your house last summer on her birthday." I looked down sadly.

"Oh yeah, I remember..."

We finished lunch and I went home to rest. Several hours later, I was back at school in the car pool line waiting for my children. I got there early, it was such a beautiful, cool day. I rolled down my windows and heard a beautiful cardinal singing. I looked up, and he was there- in the tree right next to my car, easy to spot...and he stayed there and sang to me for several minutes, lifting my spirits and reminding me to say a prayer of thanks. Then, he flew off, across my car to the other side. I quickly scrambled over to the passenger seat and poked my head out the window (everyone must have thought I was crazy, but I don't care). He landed in a tree on that other side, again visible, and sang to me for a good fifteen minutes. A peaceful feeling of warm acceptance came over me as I watched this beautiful red cardinal sing. I was no longer sad.
When the kids came out to the car, I was ready to greet them, happy and refreshed. The cardinal had given me strength and peace. _________________________________________________________

I have a good friend who called me the other day, ecstatic because she had been outside working on a statue of the Blessed Mother Mary to give to her church, when a beautiful cardinal flew up and landed on the statue. The bird sat perched for a long while, and Debra said she knew he was trying to tell her something- just what she didn't know yet. Remember after Mary died, I was drawn to a statue of the Blessed Mother outside of my church? That is when the wind came over me, and something told me to go inside the church. I was drawn into the room where a priest was waiting for me, Father David (Mary and my favorite name). He gave me words of comfort that day, and I know (as does he) that Mary drew me to him. You can go back to my previous post, "A Spiritual Conversation" on August 8, 2008 to read the whole story.

Did you know that cardinal has several other meanings? A cardinal in the Catholic church, is a holy person ranked right under the pope? Webster's dictionary defines cardinal as "being of prime importance" and Native Americans hold the cardinal highly, as a symbol of deep faith and reverance? According to them these beautiful birds appear at very special and significant times.

All I know, is that cardinals appear to me and other people who loved Mary to help them through the pain, give them strength and feelings of comfort and peace. Do any of you have inspiring stories of cardinals or other birds? Please share!

A Coversation With Jeni

I have an awesome story to share with you. Yesterday evening, I was on the phone with Mary's sister, Jeni. She and I have become great friends. Since she lives in New York, and I in Texas, we usually have to either e-mail/Facebook or talk on the phone. We try to catch up on the phone every week, but time had lapsed since our last conversation. She is preparing for a wedding and, well, you know what I've been up to. Last night was so great to talk. We got on the topic of cardinals and other birds, (Jeni has had some of the same kinds of spiritual connections with birds since Mary died). She was sharing with me some wonderful experiences (which you can read on her blog by clicking the big red cardinal to the right), and I with her. I told her there were cardinals hanging around my retreat place, especially after I got up in front of 64 women and talked about Mary's death and the miracles that have occured since, my problems with depression and other challenges I have faced in life. I also reminded her how when I gave her the "Sisterhood Award" for blogs, a swarm of beautiful bright red cardinals filled my backyard, as if to say, "Thanks, Laurie for doing that for Jen- the best sister in the world." We were laughing about sometimes we feel 'crazy' from all of these miracles. Well, as we were speaking, I looked out my back bathroom window (where I sometimes talk so the kids won't bother me) and a beautiful crimson cardinal flew to a branch right in front of the window. It was right in front of my eyes, as I was talking to Jen about our cardinals! I thing he was saying, "Keep in contact with my sis- you both need each other!" I was in awe, as was Jeni. Again, God is good!

What's Going On

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see." - John Burroughs

What an understatement! My life has been so hectic lately, I barely have time to take care of myself. I have been trying to help a sick friend for the past several days, knowing I need to take Ms. Angelle to Sam's and shop and cook for my family in preparation for my leave starting today. (Plus, having had that MRI has left me feeling bad and worried- and I just found out everything came back normal-YIPPEE). Yes- I am getting away...by myself...for four days! I am going on an ACTS retreat from my church. I am so ready for some peace and quiet time. I cannot wait to renew my spirit with thoughtful prayer and meditation. Please pray for my family and me while I am gone. I will be praying for you, too! I leave today at 6:00 and return @noon on Sunday- just in time for Mother's Day. To all you wonderful mothers out there- I hope you have a great, relaxing and restful mother's day, too! Here's a poem I wrote for MOMS:

MOMS

Moms are special, this is true.

They sacrifice their life for

their family, with all the

special things they do.

Moms would rather

cook and clean and

make their house pretty,

than spend their time

shopping or caught up

in the city.

Moms love their children

more than anything else,

and they would do

anything to give

them peace, love and harmony-

a true meaning of theirselves.

So remember MOMS on Mother's day

and tell them you love them

in your own special way.

~Laurie Kolp

Karma

I believe God puts people in our lives for a reason. We meet friends on this journey through life that help mold us into who we are. Some of these friends stay in our lives for a long time and are a constant, like a stream of water flowing through the woods. Others are with us only for a short while, but they can make an impression to last a lifetime. They are like an earthquake- they come into our lives shake us up and really touch us, and then they are gone. The legacy they leave behind is everlasting; it's a gift from God. Mary was like that with me. She came into my life for a brief period of time, but she left an impression in my heart that will never end. And she is still with me. A reader of my blog contacted me several months ago because she was so astounded by my cardinal stories. She had been through some very difficult times and had been inspired by cardinals, too. We began to e-mail each other and she was very curious about Mary's death. She had an inner feeling that she needed to share with me, for she knew there must be more to the story. Well, there indeed was more to the story and I knew some things that had happened the morning before Mary shot herself that I felt I should keep quiet about. I was afraid this information might cause disharmony between Mary's husband and her side of the family, putting the children in the middle. I would never want those beautiful kids cut off from Mary's family. I did not want to interfere. I had written everything down as I knew it and was planning on sharing it with Mary's kids when they became adults. Well, this special friend encouraged me to tell Mary's family everything I knew through our correspondence. I got the courage and the opportunity fell right into place when her little brother David came to visit Mary's grave on her one year anniversary. God does work in mysterious ways! I was able to tell him what I knew and then later I spoke with Jeni, my dear friend, Mary's sister about the situation. They had had their suspicions and what I told them confirmed what they had thought. But it brought closure to us. The miracle of the whole situation is that the friend who encouraged me to tell the family has had many experiences with cardinals since then. Here is one of them:

"WOW! I think you are right. They must be. I have double chills again. Listen to this one... After receiving that email bout voting for the pastor I went on your blog and read your story about the bird who was trying to tell you something. So I went outside and two blue jays flew overhead and I didnt see the cardinal. But I heard him. So I said, "Okay, I am going to listen. Oddly the cardinal was singing in the back yard so I went to the back. When I got to about where it was singing it was gone. So I waited and listened. Now it was coming from my back pasture (I have 10 acres) so I walked. As I got closer I notice their were four cardinals! 2 females and 2 males. And they were on the fence in between the two horse water troughs. When I got there I saw what they were trying to tell me. Each trough had one dead squirrel. It would have poisoned my horses or caused them to ot drink and dehydrate! What a miracle. 10 more cardinal little neat quirks to tell during the next 20 min of clean up to finding your email but my God I can't type forever! LOL We'll just say the cardinal made sure I saw your email right away."

I'm speechless. All I know is that God is great and He is sending us cardinals for inspiration. Pete and I had a headstone made for Mary's grave and placed it out there the other day. She will never be forgotten. So please value your friendships and learn from them. Make memories to last a lifetime.

Bird Messenger

Today I had another wonderful, beautiful spiritual experience. I was trying to get dinner ready for the kids, Pete was working and I was lamenting on my day of substitute teaching and how I wish my kids didn't have to go through the rigamarole of portable schooling next year while a new school is being built thanks to the passing of the school bond issue, when I heard Snowy barking nonstop. Wondering what could be causing such a fuss, I looked out the back window and saw that she was looking up and barking- as if something was on the roof. So I went outside to take a peak and there was a beautiful bird perched right on the edge. This bird sat as still as a statue as the dogs continued to bark ferociously at it. I sat down on a chair because I knew this was another sign, but I didn't yet know what. I sat and prayed for at least fifteen minutes and the bird still hadn't flown away. I could hear a cardinal singing, too. Nicholas called me in to help him with something and I darted in real quick and went right back out. The bird was still there. So I started asking God what kind of message was he trying to give me? I knew I had been wrapped up in a lot of things lately and maybe He wanted me to take some time to rest. So I sat. The dogs stopped barking and went off to play, but the bird stayed there. Time was marching...Katie needed to be at a friend's house for a sleepover soon. That's when I heard the ambulance and fire truck sirens blaring down the street. They were headed to my dear old friend Libby's house. Libby and I have known each other for more than twelve years and she is the one who we hunkered down with after hurricane Ike at her brother's house north of Dallas. Libby has had some problems through the years and I have tried to help her on numerous occasions with them. Anyway, I loaded up the kids to take Katie to her friend's house and then stopped by Libby and Frank's house. She had a seizure and they were trying to convince her to go to the emergency room. When she saw me barreling through the front door, she was calmed because I was there. I hugged her and told her to go and I would call her tomorrow. Right then and there I knew that Mary had sent that bird to alarm me...and I am so grateful for that. Thank you God!

On A Happy Note...

Today Pete and I, along with the kids, attended our godson's baptism. We are so honored to be baby Jack's godparents. The baptism was beautiful and Pete and I were so happy to be standing with our friends. It doesn't seem like that long ago when we were having our children baptized. I always had great anticipation for the big day because I would worry about the baby crying, nap schedules being interrupted and things like that, but this time I got to sit back and relax. I was able to help the mother with her child, and that was so nice. The whole baptism seemed longer today, but Pete said it was always that long- I was just too wrapped up in "mommyhood" to notice. Everything about the ceremony touched me. Can you believe our kids sat behind us nicely in a pew, watching their parents become godparents? They were so good. I am truly grateful for this day.

The Last Friday

April is National Poetry Awareness month, so a poetry group I am a member of is writing a poem a day. The chair of the blog gives us prompts each day and we post our poem for everyone to read and critique. Today's prompt was to write something about Friday. Since this is a very significant day for me, I wrote this poem I'd like to share.

The Last Friday

I last saw her on Good Friday a year ago.
We sat side by side in a church meeting
and she wrote "I love you" in a note just so.
A bond as strong as sisters is what we shared,
always there for each other, showing that we cared.
Jeans and a t-shirt is what she wore.
When we walked outside, she jumped for joy,
shouting, "It's a beautiful day-
I want to go out and play."
That is why I was so blown away
when I learned she killed herself
the very next day.