Tell those you love how special they are

Can you believe this picture from CCD (Catholic education) says that Nick's guardian angel is Annabelle? That was Ms. Angelle's first name. The CCD teacher has no idea about our life and Ms. Angelle. Somehow, she chose this name for Nicholas. I do not think that is a coincidence at all. I think Annabelle is looking down on all of us from up above, and I am especially grateful she is Nick's "guardian angel." You see, ever since he had that horrible nightmare, Nicholas has been scared to be alone. He thinks Ms. Angelle's skeleton is hiding under his bed at night and that she follows him around to haunt him. Poor thing. I told Nicholas that Ms. Angelle is looking over him to tell him he doesn't have to be afraid anymore. Let's hope that works.

This picture was taken at Sam's last year.

I really miss Ms. Angelle. I miss visiting her and bringing her sweets. I miss listening to her stories, going to Sam's and out to eat at the Golden Corral with her. I miss hearing her laugh at silly things and speak her mind at things important to her. But I am comforted in knowing she is still with me in memory and spirit- just like Mary. One day I will see both of them again.

It has been exceptionally cold lately and we had to get out our big coats. Ms. Angelle bought coats for the boys last year, so we all thought about her when we got them out. She always wanted to buy clothes for Andrew (her godson) and when she bought his coat, Ms. Angelle bought one for Nicholas, too. She and I were planning on going shopping again this year, but God had different plans.

I am grateful to have known spunky Ms. Angelle. She brightened my life during a time I really needed it. My biggest wish is that she knew how much she meant to me. So, if you have someone dear to your heart, tell him/her they are special to you. You never know when God will call them home.

"I am standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her sails to the breeze and starts for the ocean. I stand watching her until she fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says: 'She is gone.'
Gone where? The loss of sight is in me, not in her. And just at that moment when someone says: 'She is gone,' there are others who are watching her coming. Their voices take up the glad shout: 'Here she comes!' ...And that is dying."~Author unknown

Let's Do Lunch

I feel like I have gone from one extreme to the other these past couple of days, and, indeed, I have. Yesterday I had lunch with a bunch of loud, energetic noisy first graders, and today I had lunch with a quiet, aching lady~ Ms. Angelle. Looking back on these two very different luncheon experiences, I must admit that my usual peaceful and quiet lunch is something I take for granted.

First, let me share with you how my lunch with Nicholas went. When I met up with Nicholas's class (they were already on their way to lunch), I heard several remarks from the other kids, like "Wow- Nicholas's mom sure is tall," and "Where did she come from?" I got in line with Nicholas and gave him a hug as we proceeded to the cafeteria. Remember that the kids are in a portable school? Well, they have several "dining halls" (portables) and use one per grade level. So when you get @150 six-year-olds together in a small space, the noise level is amplified a hundred times over (or so it seems). A little boy and girl sitting across from Nicholas and I were little chatterboxes and I could barely hear what they were saying, but they kept on talking to me anyway. I had to laugh when the girl said, "I'm supposed to learn to act like I do at school when I'm home." Then, of course, when lunch was over Nicholas pulled the 'wanting to come home' act on me. I reluctantly left anyway and my ears hurt for quite a long time.

My lunch with Ms. Angelle today was completely different than yesterday's lunch at the elementary school. Ms. Angelle loves to go to the Golden Corral. She sat down and waited while I went to fix her a plate. Ms. Angelle asked me to get five corn on the cobs on a separate plate and she ate every last one~in silence, hunched over her plate. I went back and forth five times to get us our various items. The last time was to get six more ears of corn so she could take them home and have them with her chicken tonight. I got some strange looks from the patrons of the restaurant as I hauled all that corn back and forth. She had brought her own tupperware container to put the leftovers in. After lunch, we had to stop by Walgreens so Ms. Angelle could get some razors. "Funny how when you get old, the only place hair grows is on your face," she said. I had to hold up several different kinds of razors before she found what she wanted and then she had the clerk open it for her, so she could check it out. Right there, in the drugstore, Ms. Angelle started shaving her whiskers! Liking the results, she bought two of them. Unlike when I left Nicholas, I must say I was ready to drop Ms. Angelle back at her house. It was an exhausting and humiliating lunch.

Even though the two lunches were different, there is one thing they had in common: I thoroughly enjoyed each one and am so grateful I have the chance to spend time with loved ones.