Life is Full of Ups and Downs

I have been tortured by this rollercoaster ride for over a year now, but as I reflect I have been on the ride far longer than that.

Thanksgiving!

I am beyond excited this year because my entire family is joining forces at MY house for the holiday! I can hardly wait until tomorrow!

Having said that, I have so much to do! I am so hoping that we get to leave a little early today. If not, I just may come down with a case of something or another so that I can get home and get my holiday started!

Changes

Funny how life changes. Nothing ever stays the same. Roles reverse, hair turns gray, wrinkles appear, children grow, parents age, life moves on.

Sometimes I welcome change. I love the changing of the seasons and the way nature dances through each one with such grace. I like the way my hair has lightened into a salt and pepper look. I love that I can depend on Michael's love for me remaining steady and sure no matter how much time passes.

Sometimes I despise change. I hate the way time is marching across my face and body leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. I hate the way the strongest people I know are being buffeted and ravaged by time. I hate that I can't freeze time and keep my children young and safe in my care forever. As grateful as I am that Michael is home a good bit while I am having to work, I am so jealous that I am no longer the one who is home.

It is all a trade off. Nothing remains the same; everything changes.

Love Moves

This is the title of a friend's blog post today. I was captivated and very curious as to the meaning of "Love Moves".

As I read on, I realized it was the definition of Christianity. Their church is engaging in a program that performs random acts of kindness wherever and to whomever, when the oppportunity arises. Filling a total stranger's gas tank, paying for an unknown person's coffee, little gestures such as holding a door for someone, all things that we have all done in some form or fashion. Sometimes we do them anonomously and sometimes we are seen but not known to the unsuspecting recipient of our good deed, but these people are going to perform these acts for people they do not know and then tell them that they are doing this because they are Christians and they follow Jesus and his teachings.

What a great idea! How many times have I taken credit for my good behavior, good deed, helpfulness, generousity, etc.? I have missed the boat! I have tried to make me look good and raise my status in the eyes of society, even piously boasting to others that I did this for Jesus. I totally missed making the recipient of the gesture aware that I was not doing this because I was a good person, but because of the moving, driving force that God is in my life! DUH!

This is a great example of how someone who is brought up right and taught the Bible and who learned that He should get the credit, can STILL miss the boat.

Furthermore, I have learned that when I am frustrated, outdone, stressed, feeling overwhelmed I tend to forget to love others around me, even the people for which I have the deepest feeling of all. It is like I run out of love and that is true. I am only human and I do reach my limit, I do run out of my love for others. What I forget is that I have a well-spring of love overflowing into my life on which to draw and it is endless. I have to remember that I have to give my frustations to my Father and let His love replace all those negatives in my life; fill up those gaps with His unending love. Again, DUH!

Love moves...what a concept!

I love this photo! These little fellas are from some other country. I have no connection to them but the sheer delight and love of autumn weather. The smile on the face of the little man tossing the leaves into the air is utter delight. He exudes joy and it makes me happy to see his face.

I put this on my computer as my desktop so that I can smile all day long at his excitement about autumn.

It Was Raining Cats And Snakes

We finally got some much needed rain! MT and I were sitting under the garage for morning coffee, cigarettes, and couple time. I had gone in briefly to make sure the kids were getting ready when he comes running in the house urgently calling my name and telling me to come look at something.
I get outside in the garage and there was the tail of a very large snake slithering under some cardboard boxes in the corner. MT said it was between 5 and 6 feet long!

I got to work and about an hour or so into the day, I hear a kitten screaming and crying for it's mother. I found this tiny little baby ball of fur, so sweet and so adorable and as I approached it in the gentlest manner possible, talking to it in soothing tones, I extended my hand in frienship and mercy to this little lost and pitiful creature and it hissed, spit, and lunged at my hand with all the ferocity it's frightened little body could muster and I backed OFF! This was one feisty little ball of fur!

I managed at day's end to capture it and discovered that she is female. She is very pretty with beautiful blue eyes and she was so weary from her frightful adventure of the day, that she began to trust us quickly once she knew we would not hurt her. One of my co-workers took her to a friend to foster for a couple of weeks then she will be available to some lucky someone who can make her a good home. She will be a wonderful cat, I am sure.

I am still a bit out of sorts with my situation. Mama is refusing help, unless it is us, but then she will wear herself out and we have to end up there anyway. JJ and I are about ready to throw our hands up! We are between a rock and a hard place with no where to turn.

As I left to do some work that came in, Mama and Ellen confirmed that Daddy has been able to get up out of his chair on his own. We are asking HHC to come in nearly everyday and get Daddy showered and dressed and come back in the evening and get him in his jammies for bed. Yay!

Just got the news that we will be off Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving! Another Yay! Looking forward to November 11th to be off for Veteran's Day!

It Has Been A Long Month

It has been just over a month since I began work at the Licensure Board. It seems as if I have been working here for at least three. I am amazed that it has taken so long to get adjusted to a new routine. Just proves that I am not a spring chicken anymore, I guess. The upside of this is even though it may take this "old" dog a little longer to learn the new tricks, she can still learn! It has been a good experience overall. My co-workers are great people and I am happy to have the opportunity to make new friends, the job is not bad as jobs go, the pay is not bad, the time away from home stinks, but when there are three positives and one negative, I am in a pretty good situation.

October is here. My favorite month is October. The weather is gorgeous, the sky is the bluest it is all year, the holidays are just around the corner, I always feel happy in autumn even when there is so much to be unhappy about. The summer heat is oppresive and I feel oppressed when in the midst of the summer months, but autumn is so freeing. It bursts with color all over my life and then urges me to celebrate all that is good in my world. The fun festivities of Halloween, the thankfulness that is ushered in at Thanksgiving, the joy of Christmas, the feeling of new beginnings that come with January 1st each year.

In spite of all my troubles, worries, aches, and pains, October has revived me. With it comes a renewed strength and purpose to get my life back and get it in order.

Hope is overflowing in my life today. It is a good day to be alive and free and blessed.

August and September were pitiful months, indeed, but oh, how I love October!

Life Can Change In The Blink Of An Eye

Change is inevitable. Everything changes all the time. Change is as constant as the ticking away of the minutes of our lives.

Nothing remains the same. Why is that concept so difficult for humnas to grasp? Why do we resist it with such fervor?

When we know change is coming we cringe and writhe in agony over the adjustments we must make in order to continue living our lives. We weep over things that no longer fit or are feasible in our present circumstance. We stand with our fist in the air shrieking at God Himself for our miserable condition

when will this end/

I am tired of whining, tired of living in fear, tired of having to live day to day

Found Passion

Nursery silhouette for boy to be personalized


Nursery silhouette for girl can be personalized


Beach scene to be personalized


nautical piece. I have added an anchor and a ships wheel. room sign/personalized



my first silhouette



painted gourds for decoration or birdhouse



pencil cups for kids












This is a smaller canvas for boy or girl that is $20.00.


This is another that is personalized. Smaller canvas-$20.00


This is another smaller, personalized canvas that is $20.00 because of extra detailing.

Colorful canvas room sign $20.00

Animal print canvas room sign $30.00

Unisex canvas room sign $20.00

Room Sign Canvas with frog for a boy $25.00

Flowered Canvas for a girl $25.00

Animal print that is popular among the young. All these can be personalized with names or initials. $30.00

I love to paint! Seriously, I love to paint!

I knew I had some talent for it, but never let myself enjoy doing it much because unless I was making gifts, it was doing something I liked to do in place of those things I needed to do. Guilt for doing something I enjoy because I hadn't done all my chores. How screwed up and flawed can one person be?

So I hear about an established event that has happened annually for over 30 years that is adding arts and crafts to make this event a festival. I check it out and it is a feasible and inexpensive way for me to see if what I paint will resonate with people.

I am so excited and so nervous. I worry that it will be a total bust. I am hopeful that my items will sell. I am having the best time painting and it brings me peace and a sense of well-being. Painting is quite therapeutic for me and just maybe it will be profitable in other ways, as well.

Hidden Blessings in the Strangest Places

This year has been plagued with turmoil.

I admit that early on in this chaos, I lost my faith, I lost my way, I lost myself, and I lost my peace of mind. I was a mess in full, living, breathing, vivid color in every way one could possibly imagine. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, psychologically...you name it...I was a total mess.

During this horrid, nightmarish time, I could not see an answer, a solution, or a way out. I was helpless to change my circumstance and hopeless, thinking that no one else could either. I begged God for intervention, relief, support, help, wisdom, to release me from this fear that griped my heart. Didn't happen. Nothing changed. There was no blessing tangible enough for me to grasp, nothing visible for me to see. Everyday a living nightmare from which I could not awaken.

For months this drug out and with each passing day I plunged deeper into this black pit that threatened to swallow me up, with every promise of never allowing me to return to my world, my life. I can't explain the depth of my despair or the overwhelming feeling of fear that engulfed me. Still, I could not see any blessing, grace, mercy, relief, or compassion forthcomimg from the God I had served most of my life. I felt alone, rejected, abandoned. I cried all.the.time.

Not long after this, I realized that I was not feeling anything anymore. No fear, but no exuberance. No sorrow, but no joy. No pain, but no excitement. No anger or hatred, but no love. I was numb to the situation that had persecuted me for so long. In the moment of that realization, I was most afraid. I could not bear the thought of a life that was senseless, that had no feeling, no purpose. Just existing until it all ended. Trudging through day after day of...nothing. I couldn't MAKE myself cry. There was nothing there, at least not at the surface.

I had to dig deep to get to all that I had shoved so thoroughly into myself. I had to save myself because no one else could. If I was going to be even a semblence of the person I once was or ever hoped to be, I had to do this.

It was painful, but healing. It was gruesome, but I was growing. It was torturous, but I survived it. It was anything but easy, but it was done.

My circumstances are not changed much, but I am a changed person. I am facing my fears and doing battle with them. I am looking inward to find what needs to be tweaked or repaired and it gets easier everyday. I have setbacks at times, but I know now that I have the strength to pull myself out of this thing. My God never left me, but was honing and shaping me into the person He and I, want me to be. He has my back and if the Creator of the universe and everything in it, is on my side...well, I know that with that kind of power in my corner, I can overcome it all.

I am a work in progress, but I am still here and I am better than I was before. In retrospect, I see all kinds of blessings scattered along this journey I have been traveling. I couldn't see them then, but they are big as life now. A testament to the fact, that He never once left me alone. I learned that I don't have to see the whole path that is before me in this darkness. I just have to take one step and His light will move with me to illuminate the next. If I never walk in sureness again, if I have to walk one step at a time in the dark, it will be alright. I would rather walk in darkness holding His hand, than walk in light without Him.

I can hardly wait to see what He is going to do with the rest of this messy life of mine. I know it will be good, because His specialty is making good things come out of bad situations. I have learned to look for blessings in the strangest of places. If I open my eyes and search, even in the toughest times, they are there because He is faithful, able, and He loves me too much to let me go or let me down.

Check out my blog video, God's Chisel. It is very poignant and it has brought me much comfort and understanding in this period of my life. Hope it brings you something good too!

Teaching Old Dogs, New Tricks

What we have learned in the last year is huge.

We have learned that victory is not final.

We have learned that we must plan in order to avoid failure.

We have learned that failure although painful, is not fatal.

We have learned that God is faithful. He didn't abandon us, we gave up on Him.

We have learned that we have a very strong marriage and consequently, a very strong family.

We have learned that we are resilient and even flexible when forced to be.

We have learned that we are loved beyond measure by family and friends.

We have learned that we can not only be grateful under duress for our blessings, but that we can even be thankful for the duress that shapes us into better, stronger human beings.

We have learned there is always hope and hope means the difference between success and failure, living and dying, positive and negative attitudes...hope gives life.

We have learned that much of what we thought mattered...doesn't.

We have learned that much of what we took for granted is the most important part of our lives.

We have learned to live, really live our lives. Not just exist.

We have learned to love with every fiber of our being.

We have learned that laughter truly is the best medicine.

We have learned to trust the Being that gave us life, for He is holding us in His powerful hand.

This last year has been a hard one that has changed my definition of success. Success is learning from our mistakes.

That would make this last year a huge success in my book.

Dare I Allow Myself To Breathe?

For a long time now I have been holding my breath. Waiting. Waiting for things to pick up with our business, waiting for checks to come in for the work Michael has already completed, waiting to pay bills until money arrived, waiting to enroll the girls in FDA, waiting to get the children some new glasses, waiting to get dental work done for all of us, waiting for the creditors to arrive and start demanding the vehicles or home be returned or sold, and not daring to take a deep breath throughout this season of life that has been dominated by fear.

Last week, Michael decided that he needed to get back to worshipping God with our church family and he has been everytime since he expressed that to me. Why am I still surprised by God at this stage of the game? On Thursday, after Bible study on Wednesday, Michael got a service call. Nothing big, but a service call. On Sunday, after attendance of worship service, another service call. Again, not big but something. Sunday afternoon, a fellow that Michael has done some work for previously called him to ask if he could make a few service calls for him. He will call to confirm on Tuesday.

Dare I exhale and finally begin to just breathe in and out regularly? Could this be the beginning of the end of this horrible nightmare I have been living? I wish I could trust that it is, but I have been burned too many times in the last nine months. I am afraid to be disappointed even one more time. I don't know if my spirit can take it.

I Really Don't Like Rollercoasters.

I never have and lately, my life is a rollercoaster. I am not only riding out the highs and lows of this wicked financial crisis, which I am sure many are experiencing at the time, but I find myself on the top of the emotional mountain at any given moment and without warning, I am plummeted to the deep, dark valleys that lie between.

I am really not complaining about the menopause thing. I love, love, love that I am not having a period right now. It may come back, but so far, so good. I know these symptoms are not going to last for the rest of my life, so I will have to just deal for a time.

Having said that, I feel kinda crazy...all the time. That is not easy with which to deal. I never realized how precious is the feeling of sanity. The unsure feeling of doubt that creeps into the simplest of decisions because you can't tell if what you are feeling is the "big M" over your head or your sane self, is enough to shake me to the core. It is a life full of daily contrasts. Sometimes stark and other times subtle contrasts, but always contrasts. Highs and lows, straight and curved, fast and slow and what I crave most is BALANCE in my life and that is proving to be elusive.

On a brighter note, in the midst of this chaos,I am finding myself. I had become lost in being a wife and mother and through this journey, I am finding me. I take courage in that fact. In the madness there appears to be a method and perhaps that is the purpose of the journey. When all else is burned away, you realize what is most important to you. I have been surprised by my findings. Surprised that I find myself at the top of my list and for someone who has put herself last for so many years, I think that is pretty phenomenal.

Perhaps the balance will be restored when I am fully in touch with myself once again. One thing, I know. I am past ready to get off this rollercoaster and get on with a little smooth sailing again.

As promised...Hope

It seems I predicted my future.

Today, I am very hopeful.

I am hopeful that after the primaries, we might possibly turn this shift in government around beginning in November.

I am hopeful that our business will be picking back up beginning next week.

I am hopeful that we will not lose our employee, who is much more than just a worker. He is our friend and his postitive outlook really helps keep MT focused on moving forward no.matter.what.

I am hopeful that by the weekend we will have cooler temperatures. This heat is so opppressive.

I am feeling hopeful, but I am not breathing just yet. Still holding my breathe until the screws loosen and the vise lessens. I can't afford to count my chickens just yet. They are pecking at the shell, but the are not yet a bird in the hand. Not exactly a bird in the bush, either. Somewhere in between, closer to the hand than they were yesterday, but not a sure thing until they are.

I have learned to be cautious where my feelings are concerned. I hope I have learned much, much more and when this storm is finally over (there is that hope again)I will elaborate more on what exactly I have learned. It seems that life never tires of teaching her lessons to us or maybe, we are destined to suffer the same results simply because we don't learn to change our course. Isn't that the definition of insanity?

I am beginning to realize that learning is an integral facet of life that we never escape until our bodies and brains no longer function and our time on earth is ended. That is quite a revelation for someone who used to have an opinion about everything, then a couple of weeks ago realized she didn't know much about anything, and now embraces that she has still got to open her mind and learn some things. That is not at all easy, nor comfortable.


But for now, for today, hope is enough.

Fear

Fear is a fact of life.

I know that as children we fear the boogey man, falling, mean animals and people, missing something that is going on, etc., but as we mature we learn that most of those get smaller as we grow bigger.

Then we move into the teen years where we believe that we are invincible, immortal, have superhuman power, that our brains contain knowledge beyond anyone else who ever existed on this planet, that we will live forever and any problem in between we will just deal with...no biggy.

But I am totally unfamiliar with this middle age fear. The fear of not making a difference in this world, the fear of being forgotten, the fear of failing as a parent, the fear that a recession puts in your heart when money is tight or worse yet, non-existant. The fear of losing all that is important to you, because now you realize you are not invincible, you are not immortal and neither is anyone else you love and care about, you are not superhuman no matter how badly you wish you were, you don't know nearly what you think you should know at this age, and dying becomes the easy thing to do. Living in fear of all this...life, that is the difficult thing.

I used to think the financially secure were the happiest and least fearful, but I see people with all the money they will ever need be broken hearted when someone they love is sick, they can't buy health for that loved one.

Then I thought the beautiful are surely not fearful because they can have whatever they want in life when the rest of us are so smitten with their gorgeousness. But how many times do I read about those beautiful people who wish they knew that someone loved them just for who they are...on the inside?

Next, I thought that people who are strong surely have little to fear from life and I watch while strong people seem to be required to sacrifice more, give more, endure more than most of us fearful people could imagine having to do.

I finally have concluded that the person who fears the least is the person who is spiritual and has a strong bond with the Creator. He alone is the One who can protect, provide, control, and keep all that we have, all that we do, and all that we are, in this journey called life.

No amount of money can protect us, beauty is going to fade as does strength when we age, but the spirit seems to grow stronger as it matures in its relationship with the Master.

Now to put all that into perspective where my life is concerned. To change it from thoughts and words printed on a page into a living, breathing faith, that works hard to be what the Maker wants it to be. I never seem to have as much problem figuring it all out. I just have problems knowing how to implement it into my life.

Perhaps, after pondering this a while longer I will amend this post with supplements detailing how I made all this real and made it work in my life. Try as I might, it is not happening now...but I am still hopeful.

Hope. Sounds like that should be the next blog topic.

Updates ~ There are several

Grace in the springtime


Callie in the springtime


Micah dressed for work


Photo frame with bird, house, and fence


Wooden Wine Rack


Michael and I at his birthday dinner


Braxton


Annabelle


Caroline


Our lovely dining table

Update #1 ~ I have begun painting, well, mostly practicing to paint, in order to see if some of my items will sell. I have posted a couple of my latest above.

Update #2 ~ Gracie fell down the basement stairs this week and injured her rump and was just feeling better from that, when she clotheslined herself while running home in the dark from a neighbor's house. She briefly looked behind while she was running and ran directly into the cables that hold the power poles sturdy and upright. She knocked the wind out of herself and bruised her jaw. Later that night, she told me she felt cursed! lol. I told her maybe we cursed her by naming her "Grace"!

Update #3 ~ Callie has been busy this summer but most of it has been away from me at two different camps, swimming, parties, youth functions, etc. I don't have photos of those so I posted one I took of her in the spring, under my beautiful tree. Aren't they both beauties?

Update #4 ~ Micah has acquired his first REAL job. He is employed at our local grocery store and is doing very well. He started a little over a month ago and already they are giving him more responsibility and more hours. We are quite proud of him!

Update #5 ~ Brittany delivered Braxton Glee Thurman on June 27th. He weighed 7lbs,13oz and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. He is a big boy and precious. All are well and I think very happy. We hope to be able to visit them soon. Annabelle's hair has turned blonde and she is just as pretty as ever.

Update #6 ~ Rick (my nephew) and Brooke (his wife) welcomed their first child on June 30th. She is Caroline Taylor Williams and she is beautiful and weighed 7lbs, 4oz, and was 20 inches long. Their family couldn't be any happier...until the next baby arrives!

Update #7 ~ Michael had a birthday and Gracie really treated him like a king on his big day. She made a breakfast of toast and waffles and made dinner for the both of us that evening. We had to dress for dinner and she and Callie served us a dried beef wrapped ranch carrot as an appetizer, followed by chicken noodle soup and a baked potato, and ending with a tasty birthday cupcake for dessert. It was delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Update #9 ~ Today is July 4, 2010 and America's 234th birthday. We are going to a neighborhood party tonight. The hosts, Charles and Linda Goodwin are providing the BBQ chicken and some other kind of meat. I love BBQ chicken and sorta quit listening after he said those words cause I knew I was having the chicken. I am taking a cake decorated with fruit to look like a flag and maybe some baked beans. There will be fireworks and I am looking forward to a nice visit with our neighbors. This will be our first encounter with them socially. Fun! So Happy Independence Day to all of you and Happy Birthday, America! May God bless you for at least 234 more years!

Changes

Reflection

I changed my blog title.

I am thinking that midlife has begun some changes in me. Changes in my thinking, changes in my beliefs, changes in my attitude, changes in my behavior. I believe they are changes for the better.

Lately, I find myself quite often replying to others questions with, "I don't know". In the recent past, I can't remember NOT having an answer for nearly every question posed to me. Not that I was a know it all, I just had an opinion on EVERYTHING. If I was stumped by a question, I would talk endlessly about possible reasons WHY I did not have an answer.

It may be that I don't have the energy to solve the world's problems anymore. Why I ever thought I could, is beyond me. Possibly, I have realized that I don't have to have all the answers and that even if I did, my solutions won't be the answer for everyone else's life questions. We are all responsible for finding our own answers. Maybe I just realized that it is not my job to have all the answers. I have concluded that all those around me will reap the benefit of searching for their own truth and finding solutions for themselves. Life is so much better when you experience it yourself, in leui of living vicariously through others.

So I have laid to rest She Who Must Be Obeyed and am Living Life Simply from this moment on. I no longer pretend to have control over those things in my life that are separate entities. I do have influence, but thinking I control them is pointless. I am living by a new mantra these days... Keep It Simple, Sugar or KISS. The sugar reminds me to be sweet and kind to others as I encounter them. I read a revision of the Serenity Prayer that applies to my new way of thought.

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
The courage to change the one person I can
And the wisdom to know that person is me

I have resolved that I will change my world by changing the one thing I control and that would be me. I am anxiously awaiting the fall out that inevitably occurs when one dynamic of a family structure is altered. It may be good, but I expect it will be not so good, early on. I am ready in any case.

JJ told me the closer you get to 50, the better life is. I am looking forward to the big 50 and I LOVE MY GRAY HAIR! Age and maturity are not so bad after all. JJ was so right!

The winter is over and gone...

Hopefully with it are gone many struggles.
The last few,months have been so difficult on Michael and me. We have struggled in every arena of life

My Siblings, My friends! I am a Lucky Girl!

Patty (seated)Janet, Tommy, Laura, and Ellen after dinner at the Brew Pub.


These are the beautiful roses given to the four sisters by our sweet waitress, while we enjoyed the musical and vocal stylings of the piano man at the Renaissance Hotel.


We had a great Siblings Weekend! We worried that snow and ice might do it in altogether, but it was only postponed by one day.

JJ and I left about 1:30 on Saturday to head to the Embassy in downtown Montgomery to be checked in before Ellen, Tommy, and Pat arrived. We settled into the room and went to eat lunch at Dreamland BBQ where their Brunswick Stew was great!

Pat and Ellen arrived and we all got settled in. Tommy got there at 4pm and we talked and visited together, enjoying old photos, new photos, scrapbooks, and exchanging little gifts with each other. Then we were off to dinner at the Brew Pub where the food was excellent, as usual and the staff friendly and efficient.

We then made our way back to the hotel where we discovered the heat was not working. Tom looked at it and we got the maintenance man to come fix it. We were good. Tom had to leave at about 8:30 and we girls munched on the beautiful Valentine treat basket Janet had brought, then topped it off with a couple of chocolate covered strawberries that Ellen contributed. By this time, we are feeling the heat and I mean feeling the heat. It was over 80 degrees in our room. We found that we had to turn on the heat and turn off the heat to regulate the temperature in our room. We called maintenance again. He showed up and fixed it. We were off to some sweet sleep and dreams after our celebration. We woke many times during a fitfull slumber to find ourselves extremely HOT! The heat was not fixed, so it was a constant battle to keep from freezing and roasting consecutively all night long. Our weekend catch phrase was "It's hot in here!" complete with tugging on our shirt and sweater collars for a little cool air.
We requested a new room the next morning and the same situation was found in it, so after a great breakfast buffet at the Embassy we were on the move across the street to the Rennaissance Hotel...nnnnnice!
The Rennaisance is a gorgeous hotel with loveliness everywhere your eye may fall. A huge step up from the Embassy and it was cool or warm at the touch of our fingertips. We went flea market shopping and found several treasures in Prattville on Sunday, had lunch at Jim and Nick's BBQ, then headed back to Montgomery to visit Linda. We had a lovely visit with her and hurried off to make it to our restaurant for dinner, before they closed.

Sa Za's was fantastic Italian cuisine nestled in downtown Montgomery. It was really as if we were not even in Alabama. Downtown has really grown and been developed so nicely. It offers much more than we were able to do, see, and experience in one weekend. We highly recommend a stay there in the Riverfront area. It was like being very far away from home, without all the miles. Back to my story.

On our way back to the hotel, we heard piano music and loving music like we do we had to see where it was coming from. We walked in to find a musician playing older music that we loved, so we sat down and listened for awhile. J ended up singing Mustang Sally (for those of you who may not know it, that is J's signature song!)with the guy and we laughed, I mean really belly laughed like we hadn't done since the Sibs Weekend in March of 2008! We were having so much fun that most everyone in the place was having fun with us. Our waitress brought us each a red rose for Valentine's Day and one young woman asked to take our photo because we were "a Hoot" to quote her. She is texting the photo to Patty who will send it to us. Anyway, we had a great time and it was "a hoot"!

We were sad to leave our little respite place, but we had to come home sometime. So Monday morning around 10, we pulled out of the parking deck and headed home.

I have the best sisters and brother in the world, hands down. They support and help me when times are tough and they lighten my mood and world with much laughter and many good times. They are ALWAYS there for me, no.matter.what! I can only hope that I have been as good a sister to them. They are the greatest I am such a lucky girl. No, blessed. I am a very blessed girl, indeed!

Winter Wonderland

The sound of rain is a very soothing sound for me and is heard often here in central Alabama.

Today, the frozen rain has me enthralled. The quiet silence as it gently floats to the waiting ground is nothing short of mesmerizing. It is the feeling of being thrilled and calmed all at once.

Here are a few pictures to commemorate the beautiful weather that is surrounding us in Alabama...the deep south of all places!

The Candy Man

This is my sweet Uncle Lomax who died February 3rd at 96 years of age. He was married to his devoted wife, his Elizabeth for just under 69 years.

My sister said upon hearing of his passing, "I just hate losing such a big part of our past. Don't know if you are old enough to have been included in all the Saturday night dinners @ Nanny's house. Our family and theirs were always there and we had such a good time every week. Uncle Max was the "candy man" as he brought a bag of treats every Saturday."

He always had a kind word, a big hug, and a piece of candy for anyone who wanted it. He always called people "Sugar" and when he wanted to be kissed on the cheek, he would say,"Give me some sugar".

You can see the theme here...sweet, sugar, candy. He was the Candy Man and one of the sweetest people.

There are only three siblings of the ten left. My Daddy, Aunt Frances, and Uncle Haurice. If age matters, it will be my turn next to say goodbye to my Daddy. May it be a long time before the next goodbyes come.

Because We Love You...

Here lies the first draft of the dedication that will grace the back cover of our program for the Senior Appreciation Banquet. Each individual will have a place card with their name on the outside and one sentence inside telling them one reason we love them. I will try to post pictures after the event to let you see how big a celebration this is for us every year.

Here goes...

Each of you have a place card before you that contains within it a love letter of sorts. Inside the card, you will find just one of the many reasons you are loved by us. In keeping with the love notes theme, we wanted to share with you some wise words from others that help us express our affection toward you.

A quote from Robert Heinlein says, “Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
You have shown us that depth of love through your selflessness.
The unique way you have sacrificed your time, resources, and selves to make our lives happy is one of the reasons we love you.

It has been said that,
“A Friend is a treasure more precious than Gold,
For love shared is priceless and never grows old.”
Many of you have given yourselves to us in friendship for many years and we love you for being a part of our lives on an intimate level, helping us solve problems and rejoicing with us when blessings come our way.

Victor Hugo wrote, “The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.”
You have loved us when we were unlovable. You have accepted the individual that we are and cared for us, even when you didn’t like us very much. You believed in us, until we could believe in ourselves. For your acceptance of our frailties and your understanding that given time, we would mature and exhibit the very values you taught us, we love you.

"Love is shown in your deeds, not in your words" is a thought from Jerome Cummings.
We are twice blessed because you not only told us we were loved, but proved it in every conceivable way, through your actions. Sometimes, the love we needed was not in the way we expected and now that we have children of our own, we understand how the discipline you measured out truly did hurt you more than it hurt us.

“We can not do great things. We can only do little things with great love” are immortal words from Mother Teresa. Most of us will never achieve greatness, but we can do great things with the love you instilled in us. We can never repay you for the many wonderful ways you have enriched our lives, but we can tell you that you are loved more than you will ever know.

A Poem For You!

The Songbird
By Jason Goldtrap 01.17.10

A songbird can do something no human can do
He can sing simultaneously- not one note but two.
The syrnix, in his throat, allows parallel harmony
So he can sing a duet even if lonely.
About 10 days after hatching he learns his first song,
From Papa bird and his friends when they sing along.
Baby mimics their melody and then over time,
He modifies the chirps; he adds his own lines.
Soon, he's grown up and singing a unique tune,
And filling the trees with peeps, whistles and croons.
And though birdie doesn't know it, he is doing God's will,
And setting an example so our worship may fill
With altos and bass and baritones and tenors,
From the aged, the young, the experienced, the beginners.
For though we don't pick twigs and mold them into nests,
When our homes ring with psalm, we give to God our best.
We become as the Robin, the Thrasher and Nightingale,
And we harmonize with angels just beyond the vale.

Breathless In More Ways Than One

I am breathless! Watching a beautiful sunset, full of color, silhouetted against the naked trees, listening to a chorus of toads and frogs singing their hearts out, while taking a walk on God's wonderful earth at dusk. Breathless!

I am breathless because I have not walked very far in over a month.

I am breathless because I am walking a very small dog who is pulling me along.

Breathless. All in a good way!