My Grace Is My Pick For MVP

Grace wore green shorts and blue shirt. She misplaced her jersey and shorts over the Christmas holidays. She had stolen the ball and was headed to make some points!

Heading to the other court after a point made!(lower) Driving to the goal for points! (upper)

Gracie got a free-throw after being fouled. She missed the first shot, but made the second!

This is the team taking a time-out with Coach Mason. He is wonderful! Grace had a blast playing on the school basketball team this year. She learned a great deal about the game and had a fantastic coach that was all about letting everyone play and learn. He never raised his voice to them in frustration, but encouraged them and taught them stategy and teamwork. I love that he was able to lay the groundwork for her in this sport. He taught them true sportsmanship which will carry them far through life.

To be her first year, she picked up the game quickly. However, she was one of the smallest on the team and began to feel unimportant because of her size. We told her all about the workings of the team and how it took EVERYBODY to play basketball. I told her to use her size and agility to steal that ball away from the others (which she did...some of the opposing team members were telling her to stop taking the ball away from them! tee, hee) I told her to pretend the ball was one that had been kissed by Zac Effron (from High School Musical) and given to her team. How dare the other team take their ball from them! They need to get it back! Zac gave it to THEM. After those words, she was stealing that ball right and left.

In the final game, she scored 7 of the 12 points her team made. It was so gratifying to me to hear adults all over that gym calling my child's name, encouraging her, believing in her ability to achieve, cheering her on. That is so shallow, but it felt so good! I am always proud of my children for who they are, but last Saturday, I was proud of Gracie for what she was doing, as well.

She had come so far in just a couple of months. She began this season as this insecure, nervous, little girl and I watched her blossom into a self-assured, strong, confident, athlete. She had no hopes of winning the game and they didn't, but she played her heart out anyway. She was a trooper to the end, fighting for a victory that she knew she probably couldn't achieve, but fight she did.

After the game was over, she got compliment, after pat on the back, after "good game, Gracie!", from more people than I can count. But the comment that resonated truer than any, in my mind was, "She may be small, but she is a scrappy little thing!" I couldn't have been more proud.

I've been tagged! Oh, my!!

Kristen Stabler tagged me for memories of 2008 so here goes....

Outstanding memories of 2008

1.My Daddy had two hospital stays and Mama was very sick for a long time.
2.My Daddy and Mama celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, Mama's 85th birthday, and Daddy's 90th birthday.
3. I got my sister back.
4. My family had a great vacation in Gulf Shores

Favorite Foods of 2008

1. Filet Mignon
2.Tiramisu
3. Green salads of almost any kind
4. Soups of almost any kind

Favorite Movies 2008

1. Twilight
2. Tale of Despereaux
3. Prince Caspian
4. Fireproof

Favorite Places of 2008

1. Home
2. Gulf Shores
3. Fort Morgan
4. In my boyfriend's arms

Events of 2008

1. Aunt Bill died
2. Annabelle Lee was born
3. Obama was elected
4. Our 4th wedding anniversary

Things I liked in 2008

1. My hubby
2. My children
3. My freedom
4. My salvation

Things I look forward to in 2009

1. Our new house
2. Better relationships with my family
3. Teaching Micah to drive
4. Spending more time with family!

Well, there it is! I am tagging these people:

Pat Biagi
Kristi Busby
Rick Williams

Ambassadors for the Human Race

I was in the grocery store this morning and a little black girl walked right up to me, slid her little hand into mine and said, "Hi". She proudly told me she was three years old and she smiled and giggled as she stood there and held my hand for the longest time, chatting with me about things in her toddler language, most of which I couldn't understand. My toddler-ese has been gone for many years now. She was completely at ease standing there with her hand in mine. I did not know her, I did not know her mother, but I felt so honored and special. She could have chosen someone of her own color, or someone she knew, but she chose me, for whatever reason. She must have held my hand and chatted with me for at least three or four minutes before she and her mother left the store. Her name is Jamailia McMeans and although she is a small child, she left a huge impression on me today.
In one fell swoop, she crossed the race barrier with no apprehension and no hesitation. She moved with confidence and took my hand with no aggression, only assertiveness. Her bright little smile invited me to befriend her. Her giggle and the sparkle in her brown eyes made me want to join in the fun that is Jamilia's world. Her openness and friendliness made me respond with nothing but kindness, even when being caught so off guard by this precious little person. What a wonderful ambassador for the human race is this little one! Oh that she could hang on to these wonderful attributes throughout her life, how far could she go?

Seeing her mother, I don't hold out much hope for little Jamailia. Her mother spoke as if she had little education. She was dressed poorly and the look on her face was hard and almost angry. If she had ever had the personality of little Jamailia, she seemed to have lost it and become jaded somewhere along her journey in life. If I had met her alone in a dark alley, I might have been unnerved because of her demeanor.

I remember when my children were small. They didn't see color, or disabilities, or frailities. None of that mattered to them. All that mattered was there was a somebody. The differences were unnoticed as if they were invisible. They only saw a person. One of us. A somebody. I attributed some of that, if not all of it, to the fact that I was teaching them to see people for who they are, not what they look like. I guess, until today, I gave myself too much credit. I think children just don't realize the differences as much as they see the similarities in us. If we are so unaffected by all the "difference" while we are children, when does it start to matter to us?

Maybe the answer is to reach and teach the children, before they develope Jamailia's mother's anger and hardness. Reach and teach the children before they develope my fear of the person wearing that hard, angry look. If we can all come together with giggles and smiles and confidently slide our hand into each other's, not aggressively, but with assertiveness and then say hi and invite each other to be friends, could we not make the world a better, safer place to live? Can we look past the color, the creed, the differences, and just see a somebody? A somebody with whom we probably have more similarities than differences? Don't we owe it to the next generations to try to improve society for them and their offspring?

I am an idealist, I know. But every reality begins with a dream and every dream begins with an idea. Every idea begins with a thought. This thought began when an innocent black child with a head full of blue-beaded braids, spread a little sunshine and human kindness this morning, when she took the hand of an unknown, middle-aged, white woman, smiled up at her with big brown eyes and opened her mind to what just might be possible. For the sake of my children, my grandchildren, little Jamailia, all the children, I hope that possibility can become a reality. In all their innocence, filled with trust and hope, children just might be our best ambassadors for the human race.

On this Inauguration Day, it is my hope that President Obama will be able to use his unique position as a bi-racial American, to bridge some of the racial divides that cause such violence in our great nation. In all actuality, I am banking on the children.

Chloe, Beauty,Prissy,Lady, and Odie. Four ladies and a tramp!

I usually don't worry too much about my big dogs that live outside. They have nice houses with straw bedding put in fresh as needed, plenty of food and water, shade and sun, all in all, a pretty good set up.

Considering they were all strays who were starving and abandoned, it is a pretty cushy home. I keep them on tethers, for which I take a great deal of flack, but I believe in keeping them safe, keeping them from being a nuisance, and most importantly, keeping them safe.

Well, the temperatures were going to be so low for several nights that I just knew I would sleep better if they were not out in the cold. I have bought sweaters for them. Those stayed on a matter of hours and by morning would be off, so what purpose did that serve? So we brought out the kennels, brought in the dogs one at a time, gave them each a bath, then put them in their kennel for the night on a soft, warm blanket.

They didn't know what was going on or how to react to it! It has not been cold enough to warrant bringing them inside for years, so this was the first experience for almost all of them. It didn't take long for them to realize that this was the life. Doggie treats, sleeping with the children nearby, warmth...it was a doggie delight.

They will go back out today and be back inside at night as long as the weather is so disagreeably cold. Anyway, my house, being so small, has been overrun with dogs and kennels and I feel like I am a boarding house for dogs! Although it has taken a good deal of work to bring them in, it has been a great deal of fun for all of us!

Mama, Is Your Seat Hot?

I finally went back to the doctor on Tuesday. I am a firm believer in giving the body time to heal itself and if it doesn't, then go to the professionals. Since I had the same symptoms of my son, who I had taken to the doctor, I followed his prescribed regime for healing. The exception being, I had to keep taking care of others and their affairs during my recovery time and did not have the benefit of lying in bed while someone took care of me. Obviously, rest was a huge factor in the recovery process and I didn't get enough of it.

My daddy had a check-up with his cardiologist on Tuesday, which worked out well for me. I only had to make one trip to Montgomery and was able to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. So Tuesday morning, my mama, daddy, and myself all troop to the big city for a day of medical analysis.

The doctor gave me a prescription for steroids and antibiotics, but was still a little baffled at the cause of my plight. There is no major problem like strep or sinus infection. So he hopes this medication will take care of things and it seems to be helping to loosen whatever is in my head and throat and my voice is beginning to come back. I am guardedly hopeful that I am on the way to a full recovery. Daddy's doctor gave him a good report, but changed his blood pressure medicine stating that the current meds were causing breathing problems. Wow, he was hospitalized a few months ago with major breathing problems and nobody looked at that medication and determined that it could be a factor at that time? I am amazed at how advanced technology is and can still miss something to obvious.

After all the appointments were finished, I took them to Jim and Nick's for BBQ since Daddy had decided that was the cuisine of choice for the day. My sister, Ellen met us there and we had a most enjoyable late lunch. Daddy is learning to allow us to assist him with things, but it has been a long journey to achieve this. He has a little difficulty getting in and out of my car because it is low to the ground. I finally convinced him to hold my hand to lower and raise himself out of the vehicle instead of "falling" into it and "rocking" to get out of it. Once I proved to him that I was perfectly capable and strong enough to give him support, he was convinced that was a much better way to enter and exit the car. Victory! A hard fought, years long battle has finally ended in triumph...for both of us!

The weather had been pretty pleasant all day, but as it got later, the winds picked up and it got colder. My Daddy is the most cold natured man on the planet. We had not been traveling long when Daddy asks Mama if she was cold to which she replied, "No, I am comfortable." So he said to her, "Well, tell Laura to turn on the heat!". This is typical of him. I am sitting beside him, but instead of asking me himself, he insists on getting Mama to do his dirty work for him. He insists that Mama do EVERYTHING for him and we have been trying to break this habit, but have met with resistance on both their parts. He, because of his stubborn, willful, pride and she, because she doesn't want to hear him complain (I guess) or maybe just sympathizes with him too much, I don't really know why. It is beyond my comprehension. Whatever the reason, I am sick with this "thing" and I cough horribly when I get too hot, so I was not turning on the heater in the car on a day when it is 68 degrees outside. My car has heated seats, so I turned his on High, turned the AC/Heater to dual, turned his side to 80 and mine to 60. After about 25 minutes, he says, "Mama, is your seat hot?". She said, "No, I am comfortable" and I began to laugh. He said that if he could get his feet under him, he would be alright, but his backside was about to roast! Well, by now, I am almost to the point of having to pull the car to the side of the highway...I am in hysterics. I told them about the seat heater and turned it off. Mama started to laugh and Daddy started laughing and I remined him that he told Mama to tell me to turn on the heat. He said he meant the heater. I told him that maybe next time he might want to tell me himself so that the message didn't get skewed by being delivered third party. We all just kept laughing so hard about it until we got to their house. It was just so funny!

As of late, they seem so much more relaxed and at ease when I am with them. They are actually fun to be around. I think the "come to Jesus" meetings that my sisters Patty and Ellen have had with my Daddy may have just had an impact on him. My hopes are that whatever has made the difference, it will last. They deserve to be able to enjoy not only their last few years on earth, but enjoy each other, enjoy us, and enjoy the time we share. It is so much more pleasant to be with them when we can be ourselves and even laugh at ourselves together.

I Have No Voice!

For about a week, I have had laryngitis. My voice comes and goes....mostly goes. I am quite frustrated about the whole thing. I am phoning the doctor again tomorrow for a visit to see what he can do for me this time. This has been a most horrible week for me. To be unable to speak my mind is torture and I do not know how mute people keep their sanity.

My children and husband on the other hand, have enjoyed one of the most pleasant weeks of their lives and did not mind telling me so. Although, they claim to be making a joke, one never knows how much truth lies in these types of disclosures.

I am counting the hours until I get some relief from this horrid affliction. You may just hear me scream my joy when I do finally retrieve my vocal ability. Be listening.

Photos from the Williams family holiday.

I drove the GG's to and from, so they could visit for the day with Ellen's family members. I think they enjoyed it.

The first photo is Sophia turning somersaults and tumbling on the floor for our entertainment. She is not shy anymore! She kept us going the whole time I was there!

Side note* Mama is wearing the sweater and vest that Pat sent to her for Christmas. Doesn't it look good on her?