I have become extremely fond of this comic strip. Not exactly sure why, but she is just hilarious. Thought you might need the laugh, also.....
Friday, September 4, 2009
This Lady Cracks Me UP!!
I have become extremely fond of this comic strip. Not exactly sure why, but she is just hilarious. Thought you might need the laugh, also.....
Happy Birthday Uncle Roy!
Happy Birthday Uncle Roy! I hope you have had a great day. I'm sorry I'm so late posting this. I didn't realize it was your birthday until I got on my computer later in the evening... (hat tip, Aunt Linda). I have a written list in my email of birthdays and I forgot to look at it. I knew there was one coming up, just didn't realize it was today. I apologize.
Hope all is well in Michigan. Give everyone hugs from us. Wish we could see you!
Much love from your family!!
Blonde Logic
We just LOVE blonde jokes!!
January - Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.
February - Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels....."duh".....bottles won't fit in typewriter!!!
March - Got excited.....finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months.....box said "2-4 years!"
April - Trapped on escalator for hours.....power went out!!!
May - Tried to make Kool-Aid.....8 cups of water won't fit into those little packets!!!
June - Tried to go water skiing.....couldn't find a lake with a slope.
July - Lost breast stroke swimming competition.....learned later, other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!
August - Got locked out of car in rain storm.....car swamped, because top was down.
September - The capital of California is "C".....isn't it???
October - Hate M & M's.....they are so hard to peel.
November - Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days.....instructions said 1 hour per pound and I weigh 108!!!
December - Couldn't call 911....."duh".....there's no "eleven" button on the phone!!!
What a year!!
January - Took new scarf back to store because it was too tight.
February - Fired from pharmacy job for failing to print labels....."duh".....bottles won't fit in typewriter!!!
March - Got excited.....finished jigsaw puzzle in 6 months.....box said "2-4 years!"
April - Trapped on escalator for hours.....power went out!!!
May - Tried to make Kool-Aid.....8 cups of water won't fit into those little packets!!!
June - Tried to go water skiing.....couldn't find a lake with a slope.
July - Lost breast stroke swimming competition.....learned later, other swimmers cheated, they used their arms!!!
August - Got locked out of car in rain storm.....car swamped, because top was down.
September - The capital of California is "C".....isn't it???
October - Hate M & M's.....they are so hard to peel.
November - Baked turkey for 4 1/2 days.....instructions said 1 hour per pound and I weigh 108!!!
December - Couldn't call 911....."duh".....there's no "eleven" button on the phone!!!
What a year!!
Do you have a Friend like this??
I ran across this old Arabian proverb regarding a friend yesterday. I've thought of what a beautiful picture it paints of a true friend, and figured since I thought so much of it, I'd share it. It's just beautiful!!
"A Friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. "
"A Friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. "
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Who They Are!
Remember the "Real People" post, well this is who they are....well a few of them, anyway....
If you didn't read the "Real People" post, you need to read it before reading up this one to understand it.
Let's see, we'll start with Ms. Louise and Clarence. She was a divorced woman who lived with her handicapped brother and sister. Her sister did little to inspire me except for the laughs, but Ms. Louise and Clarence were very inspirational to me. I don't even have the first memory, because I was too young, of walking down the beaten path to her house on a daily basis to play with the children that she kept. She made her living keeping children because her husband left her for another woman, leaving her with 6 young boys to raise on her own, all of which turned out to be fine men, I must say, and were grown with children our ages by the time we met her. The only thing I ever recall Ms. Louise questioning God over was why she had to put up with her paranoid sister. LOL!! Neither of them could drive, and depended on the mercy of friends on Saturdays to take them to the store to purchase everything they would need for the week. They were present at church every time the doors opened. In the 12 years that Dad pastored their church, I could probably count on one hand the services they missed.
They hit the floor running at 5:00 sharp every morning, and were the 2 hardest working individuals I've ever met in my life. Their sister, on the other hand, had to be the laziest individual I ever laid eyes on. I remember a few summer mornings I would get up and meet them at their house between 5-6 to pick peas or butterbeans. They raised the most beautiful gardens anyone ever saw. Looking back at just how pretty their gardens were and how much food they raised on their own, and how much of a job I act like it is to keep my 4 tomato plants alive every year is, I have to say they were 2 of the most talented individuals with the ground that I've ever seen.
Clarence had a major speech impediment and it took a sharp ear to half understand anything he said, but Laura was his "Darling" and he called me "Pretty Girl." Neither of which sounded like what I've just written. We just somehow knew that's what he was saying. He used to get frustrated with us when all of us kids would chase his chickens around the chicken yard and get them all upset. He would get so mad and beat his fist together then act like he was headed down the beaten path to go tell Dad on both of us. He'd get a few yards down and then back out.
But like the song said.......Real people with definitely real struggles.........I see the real struggles now even more than I did then. It's a pretty amazing thing. But their situation never made them consider leaving the love of Christ. It's kinda like it was embroidered into their lives.
--------------------------------------------
Then there's Marjorie Wynn. Now, there's someone who knew real life bruises. She was a young widow raising two young daughters when we met her. She also raised a garden....hunted her own meat, chopped her own firewood. She was the toughest lady I knew. I think back then, I was convinced she was braver than my dad.....truth is, she probably was. (Sorry Dad) I can remember running to her more than one time when I was scared of a particular guy who was "big and Bad" and frequented our church. She forewarned my dad that she was gonna take care of him - and I got to witness it. He walked into church and sat down trying to get me and my sister to come over to him. She walked right up to him.....much braver than me.....and got nose to nose with him and said, "Tommy, if you ever get near or touch one of these girls, I'll kill you." He started stuttering and said, "M-M-Ms. Margie, I - I - I won't h-h-hurt those girls." She said, "I know you won't. I'll see to it!" From that day on, she was my MAJOR HERO! Tommy knew that she was serious.
When I was about 12 or 13 years old, Margie remarried. I remember feeling such a warm and fuzzy feeling about that because she finally had someone to help her share her workload. It was such a relief to my young mind. She married a man named Buster. A couple of years after she married Buster, they bought an old "hole in the wall" gas station in a little town called Silas, Alabama. It was a Texaco that had been owned previously by her brother. They bought it, and worked their ends off at it for not much of a profit at all, but both of them were the most giving people I've ever known. One of the most wonderful things that Margie did for me in my life was something that I'm forever indebted for and will never forget, as long as I live. When I was in college, every Monday morning, she'd fill my car up with gas to get me through the week. She will never know how much I appreciated that. Even with all the struggles she had, still has, and the bruises she obtained, she was real! Oh, how I appreciated that.
------------------------------------------
Then there's Sis. Doris Holyfield. She and her family were always so good to us. We ate dinner with them quite often and the menu was usually pretty much the same. Either fried chicken or roast. Butterbeans, mac-n-cheese, a few more vegetables, and burnt rolls. Always burnt rolls! lol! We didn't seem to mind, though. We were all trying to keep from laughing the whole time while utter chaos was always present. There was always laughter. Their house was always full of love and laughter. Even though there were struggles. Their entire family revolved around Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy and severe heart disease. He was always the center of attention and loved every minute of it. Their doting ways toward him always impressed me and just his very life impacted me in ways that I'll never forget.
Michael died in April of 2006. He was around 25 years old. I was standing at Westgate Resorts in Gatlinburg, TN, having just discovered I was expecting Addison, when Mom called me to tell me he had died. I cried like a baby right there in the parking lot of that resort. I knew that there was not one thing they could look back on and regret during his life about how they should have slowed down and took advantage of their time with him. They did that well! I think that's what made a difference for me. They knew that one day they would not have him and wanted to make every moment count.
They were all real, with real struggles. My innocent eyes were watching and because of this list of people and many more, it was an easy thing for me to embrace the Love of Christ. I definitely knew "real people," although they had "real struggles", they had "real joy" and "real hope." And through it all I found "real faith!"
If you didn't read the "Real People" post, you need to read it before reading up this one to understand it.
Let's see, we'll start with Ms. Louise and Clarence. She was a divorced woman who lived with her handicapped brother and sister. Her sister did little to inspire me except for the laughs, but Ms. Louise and Clarence were very inspirational to me. I don't even have the first memory, because I was too young, of walking down the beaten path to her house on a daily basis to play with the children that she kept. She made her living keeping children because her husband left her for another woman, leaving her with 6 young boys to raise on her own, all of which turned out to be fine men, I must say, and were grown with children our ages by the time we met her. The only thing I ever recall Ms. Louise questioning God over was why she had to put up with her paranoid sister. LOL!! Neither of them could drive, and depended on the mercy of friends on Saturdays to take them to the store to purchase everything they would need for the week. They were present at church every time the doors opened. In the 12 years that Dad pastored their church, I could probably count on one hand the services they missed.
They hit the floor running at 5:00 sharp every morning, and were the 2 hardest working individuals I've ever met in my life. Their sister, on the other hand, had to be the laziest individual I ever laid eyes on. I remember a few summer mornings I would get up and meet them at their house between 5-6 to pick peas or butterbeans. They raised the most beautiful gardens anyone ever saw. Looking back at just how pretty their gardens were and how much food they raised on their own, and how much of a job I act like it is to keep my 4 tomato plants alive every year is, I have to say they were 2 of the most talented individuals with the ground that I've ever seen.
Clarence had a major speech impediment and it took a sharp ear to half understand anything he said, but Laura was his "Darling" and he called me "Pretty Girl." Neither of which sounded like what I've just written. We just somehow knew that's what he was saying. He used to get frustrated with us when all of us kids would chase his chickens around the chicken yard and get them all upset. He would get so mad and beat his fist together then act like he was headed down the beaten path to go tell Dad on both of us. He'd get a few yards down and then back out.
But like the song said.......Real people with definitely real struggles.........I see the real struggles now even more than I did then. It's a pretty amazing thing. But their situation never made them consider leaving the love of Christ. It's kinda like it was embroidered into their lives.
--------------------------------------------
Then there's Marjorie Wynn. Now, there's someone who knew real life bruises. She was a young widow raising two young daughters when we met her. She also raised a garden....hunted her own meat, chopped her own firewood. She was the toughest lady I knew. I think back then, I was convinced she was braver than my dad.....truth is, she probably was. (Sorry Dad) I can remember running to her more than one time when I was scared of a particular guy who was "big and Bad" and frequented our church. She forewarned my dad that she was gonna take care of him - and I got to witness it. He walked into church and sat down trying to get me and my sister to come over to him. She walked right up to him.....much braver than me.....and got nose to nose with him and said, "Tommy, if you ever get near or touch one of these girls, I'll kill you." He started stuttering and said, "M-M-Ms. Margie, I - I - I won't h-h-hurt those girls." She said, "I know you won't. I'll see to it!" From that day on, she was my MAJOR HERO! Tommy knew that she was serious.
When I was about 12 or 13 years old, Margie remarried. I remember feeling such a warm and fuzzy feeling about that because she finally had someone to help her share her workload. It was such a relief to my young mind. She married a man named Buster. A couple of years after she married Buster, they bought an old "hole in the wall" gas station in a little town called Silas, Alabama. It was a Texaco that had been owned previously by her brother. They bought it, and worked their ends off at it for not much of a profit at all, but both of them were the most giving people I've ever known. One of the most wonderful things that Margie did for me in my life was something that I'm forever indebted for and will never forget, as long as I live. When I was in college, every Monday morning, she'd fill my car up with gas to get me through the week. She will never know how much I appreciated that. Even with all the struggles she had, still has, and the bruises she obtained, she was real! Oh, how I appreciated that.
------------------------------------------
Then there's Sis. Doris Holyfield. She and her family were always so good to us. We ate dinner with them quite often and the menu was usually pretty much the same. Either fried chicken or roast. Butterbeans, mac-n-cheese, a few more vegetables, and burnt rolls. Always burnt rolls! lol! We didn't seem to mind, though. We were all trying to keep from laughing the whole time while utter chaos was always present. There was always laughter. Their house was always full of love and laughter. Even though there were struggles. Their entire family revolved around Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy and severe heart disease. He was always the center of attention and loved every minute of it. Their doting ways toward him always impressed me and just his very life impacted me in ways that I'll never forget.
Michael died in April of 2006. He was around 25 years old. I was standing at Westgate Resorts in Gatlinburg, TN, having just discovered I was expecting Addison, when Mom called me to tell me he had died. I cried like a baby right there in the parking lot of that resort. I knew that there was not one thing they could look back on and regret during his life about how they should have slowed down and took advantage of their time with him. They did that well! I think that's what made a difference for me. They knew that one day they would not have him and wanted to make every moment count.
They were all real, with real struggles. My innocent eyes were watching and because of this list of people and many more, it was an easy thing for me to embrace the Love of Christ. I definitely knew "real people," although they had "real struggles", they had "real joy" and "real hope." And through it all I found "real faith!"
Real People
I have inherited the ability to become so totally lost in thought that I have no idea what is going on or being said around me. Sometimes Addison or Jeremy can say something to me and I'll not have a clue what they said or worse, not even realize they said a thing. It's getting worse with age. But I definitely inherited it.....from my dad. I always had the hardest time figuring out how in the WORLD he could just walk around or sit around with blustering conversation going on around him. Or Laura or myself practically jumping up and down talking to him or waving our hands in front of his nose to break his concentration from whatever he was thinking on. It was frustrating sometimes, but I now find myself doing the same thing. It's actually kinda scary, but I know exactly where I got the trait from.
Sometimes Addison will be talking and calling my name multiple times before I ever realize she said it once. There have been times, Jeremy's called my name and said, "Anita, she's talking to you." It's the craziest thing. I get so lost in thought sometimes, until it's just weird.
There's one thing that really sends me into a world of concentration that I really have to pull myself out of with effort. It's when I hear a particular song called "Real People." As soon as the song begins, I immediately began a mental list of all of the "real people" I knew in my life.
Let me tell you a bit about the song, then I'll tell you about the people.
The first verse of the song starts of like this.....
"Not some tragic struggle, Not some endless search
Just the story of some kids growing up in church
We took in every moment with open eyes and ears
And one day took to heart what we saw in those years
And we saw....
Real people with real struggles - Real lives bruised in real ways
And there was real joy - And real hope
And through it all we found real faith
We count it as a blessing to know such strength and peace
Oh not that they were perfect but they lived with honesty
And the evidence we witnessed daily in each life
Helped pave the way for us to embrace the love of Christ
And we knew...
Real people with real struggles ..........
Remind us oh Father that around us every day
The innocent eyes are watching may they see our lives and say
I see....
Real People.........."
This song is my life's story summed up.
As you know, Laura and I grew up in small rural churches in the southern states. Those were the churches that Dad pastored. They all consisted of simple, hard-working people who loved God and their families. Earthly possessions weren't high on their lists for a couple of reasons. Cost was mostly the reason, but lack of access because of location, was probably another reason.
When I begin to reminisce about the "real people" who impacted me, I have a collage of memories that will never be able to be documented because of the magnitude of the situation. It's just too much to write....
That's why there's a second post. So, stay tuned. I'm interested in hearing about the real people in your life. Write about them, and I'll post it. I would love to hear the stories of the "real people" who influenced you. Until I hear from you, I'll tell you about the "real people" that influenced me....
Sometimes Addison will be talking and calling my name multiple times before I ever realize she said it once. There have been times, Jeremy's called my name and said, "Anita, she's talking to you." It's the craziest thing. I get so lost in thought sometimes, until it's just weird.
There's one thing that really sends me into a world of concentration that I really have to pull myself out of with effort. It's when I hear a particular song called "Real People." As soon as the song begins, I immediately began a mental list of all of the "real people" I knew in my life.
Let me tell you a bit about the song, then I'll tell you about the people.
The first verse of the song starts of like this.....
"Not some tragic struggle, Not some endless search
Just the story of some kids growing up in church
We took in every moment with open eyes and ears
And one day took to heart what we saw in those years
And we saw....
Real people with real struggles - Real lives bruised in real ways
And there was real joy - And real hope
And through it all we found real faith
We count it as a blessing to know such strength and peace
Oh not that they were perfect but they lived with honesty
And the evidence we witnessed daily in each life
Helped pave the way for us to embrace the love of Christ
And we knew...
Real people with real struggles ..........
Remind us oh Father that around us every day
The innocent eyes are watching may they see our lives and say
I see....
Real People.........."
This song is my life's story summed up.
As you know, Laura and I grew up in small rural churches in the southern states. Those were the churches that Dad pastored. They all consisted of simple, hard-working people who loved God and their families. Earthly possessions weren't high on their lists for a couple of reasons. Cost was mostly the reason, but lack of access because of location, was probably another reason.
When I begin to reminisce about the "real people" who impacted me, I have a collage of memories that will never be able to be documented because of the magnitude of the situation. It's just too much to write....
That's why there's a second post. So, stay tuned. I'm interested in hearing about the real people in your life. Write about them, and I'll post it. I would love to hear the stories of the "real people" who influenced you. Until I hear from you, I'll tell you about the "real people" that influenced me....
Really??
Aunt Linda sent me this interesting observation regarding the economy.....and the recovery of it. If this is the way some people spend their time (analyzing such things as this), they need a life!?!
Anyway, then you can give us the interesting reasons that YOU think the economy is getting better!!
Website #1
Anyway, then you can give us the interesting reasons that YOU think the economy is getting better!!
Website #1
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
I'm Learning the Hard Way
On Saturday of this past weekend, I accompanied Addison to my niece's birthday party. It took place at an interesting place called the "Leaping Lizard." It was basically a huge gymnasium full of the big blow up moonwalks and slides. Indoors and air conditioning! In August, in Savannah, that's really all that matters about any place you go!
While we were at the "Leaping Lizard," I learned a few things. For the fir
st little while there, Addison was extremely clingy and nervous about all the monstrous playgrounds that she had to choose from. You know for a 2 year old, a 20 foot blow up slide is quite an overwhelming thing. A piece of them wants to do it so bad they can taste it. Another piece of them about has a heart attack the second they step on the air filled giant and it gives underneath their feet. It's a bit unsettling. Then the bigger feat is climbing the 20 foot air filled ladder to get to the 20 foot air filled slide. Fortunately for her, adults can climb on those, too. Unfortunately for me, the first few trips, I had to CARRY her up that ladder! I wore out way quicker than she did. Five minutes into play time I was sweating my head off, my hair was a mess, and my body was near fainting!
She finally got the hang of it and decided to venture out into the "world of giant blow-ups," thankfully. She was a little hesitant at first, but within just a few minutes, she was ready to go conquer the world - well maybe that's a little far-fetched, but it was much better than having to carry her up those exhausting things!
After a while, she decided she wanted to go into a netted slide / obstacle course for short people! The entrance to get in was a little elastic opening that, to tell the truth, I simply could NOT squeeze into. It wasn't made for people my size, so once she entered, she was on her own, totally. No mommy there to be at the bottom of the slide to help her balance herself on the moving air after an exhilarating ride to the bottom from 20 feet in the air - on air.
She had a blast trying to walk through the air filled obstacles that would pop her in the face as soon as someone else got through them. Once the obstacle course ended, it led to a tall, narrow "ladder" to climb that led to a narrow slide that you had to slide down to exit the course. The only other option of getting out was to go back through the obstacle course against the flow of "traffic", and there was plenty of that. So, she completed the obstacles and started up the little narrow ladder. It was her first time up it, so it was a challenge for her, to say the least. If you've ever climbed on one, you know that the little things you push yourself up on are a sorry excuse for a ladder. You have to know to dig your foot into the air to get some traction.
So, here she started up the ladder, EVER SO SLOWLY. She got about three steps up and an explosion of kids finished the obstacle course and headed up the ladder. They were stepping over her to get to the top and she just rolled back to the bottom. She got up and started again and got about halfway up and the same flock of kids that trampled her the first time had already been through the obstacle course again and were headed back up. This happened about 4 times and one time she was ALMOST at the top and rolled all the way back down. At one point she got a little frustrated and started considering her options on another way out. I, on the other hand, was standing within feet from her the entire time, but was separated by a mesh wall that would not allow me to reach her to help her or to stop the stampede of the other children.
During all this, I was heavily weighing my options. The "mommy" in me wanted to lash out at the other kids who were so inconsiderate of her as they were a little older and bigger than her. I was starting to become a extremely frustrated that no one was willing to help her get to the top. Had I been able to squeeze my "hippocampus" into the net, I'd have just helped her up myself. So, as I stood there quietly, almost tearfully, considering my options, there was a little boy who came up behind her (about her size) who was unwilling to let anyone pass him, therefore allowing her to complete her climb to the top. Once she reached the top, she looked around the net to find me and when she finally spotted me right at the bottom of the slide, she threw her arms up in the air and smiled this huge grin and yelled down to me, "I did it, Mommy." Her feeling of elation at her accomplishment was extremely evident. She really was totally oblivious to the fact that through the whole process it was because of a little boy's insistence on not being passed that she was able to do what she did. Nonetheless, she did it. And she was proud of her hard work.
I've dwelt on this particular scenario in my head for the past few days and I have learned several things from this. I thought about the fact that if I could have reached her to offer my help, her appreciation for the climb would not have meant a thing to her. She wouldn't have really thought to thank me for the help to the top. It wouldn't have mattered to me either way if she would have, anyway. The "mommy" in me wants her to succeed, regardless. At the same time, as frustrating as it was, being able to watch her fail more than one time at her task, then to succeed with such triumph, was a great learning experience for me. I would have much rather had her succeed the first time, but the failure at first made the triumph sweeter for her and for me.
The other thing I knew and had to take another lesson from the great teacher, Experience, on, was that life's not fair. I know life's not fair and that's a fact that, regardless of how we feel about it, we have to accept it. It wasn't fair that she had to be trampled time and time again, only to start climbing and almost get to her destination to be knocked right back down to square one.
Life consists of people wanting to achieve and rank higher that they are willing to climb over whomever they may, to get what they want.....destroying lives, dividing relationships, breaking hearts......all to pursue what makes them "happy"....although, that happiness usually is short-lived. This is present in our personal lives as well as the professional world. The hurts caused by the need to achieve a certain status in life can cause lifelong scars for those who are affected by another's greed, whatever nature that greed may be.
The lessons that I learned on Saturday have been kinda like "cud." I chew on it for a while.....let it go.....then chew on it some more.....let it go......you get the point.
As far as the life's not fair part goes....at least Addison had an air-filled cushion to fall back onto. I wish that life would always be that gentle....
While we were at the "Leaping Lizard," I learned a few things. For the fir
st little while there, Addison was extremely clingy and nervous about all the monstrous playgrounds that she had to choose from. You know for a 2 year old, a 20 foot blow up slide is quite an overwhelming thing. A piece of them wants to do it so bad they can taste it. Another piece of them about has a heart attack the second they step on the air filled giant and it gives underneath their feet. It's a bit unsettling. Then the bigger feat is climbing the 20 foot air filled ladder to get to the 20 foot air filled slide. Fortunately for her, adults can climb on those, too. Unfortunately for me, the first few trips, I had to CARRY her up that ladder! I wore out way quicker than she did. Five minutes into play time I was sweating my head off, my hair was a mess, and my body was near fainting! She finally got the hang of it and decided to venture out into the "world of giant blow-ups," thankfully. She was a little hesitant at first, but within just a few minutes, she was ready to go conquer the world - well maybe that's a little far-fetched, but it was much better than having to carry her up those exhausting things!
After a while, she decided she wanted to go into a netted slide / obstacle course for short people! The entrance to get in was a little elastic opening that, to tell the truth, I simply could NOT squeeze into. It wasn't made for people my size, so once she entered, she was on her own, totally. No mommy there to be at the bottom of the slide to help her balance herself on the moving air after an exhilarating ride to the bottom from 20 feet in the air - on air.
She had a blast trying to walk through the air filled obstacles that would pop her in the face as soon as someone else got through them. Once the obstacle course ended, it led to a tall, narrow "ladder" to climb that led to a narrow slide that you had to slide down to exit the course. The only other option of getting out was to go back through the obstacle course against the flow of "traffic", and there was plenty of that. So, she completed the obstacles and started up the little narrow ladder. It was her first time up it, so it was a challenge for her, to say the least. If you've ever climbed on one, you know that the little things you push yourself up on are a sorry excuse for a ladder. You have to know to dig your foot into the air to get some traction.
So, here she started up the ladder, EVER SO SLOWLY. She got about three steps up and an explosion of kids finished the obstacle course and headed up the ladder. They were stepping over her to get to the top and she just rolled back to the bottom. She got up and started again and got about halfway up and the same flock of kids that trampled her the first time had already been through the obstacle course again and were headed back up. This happened about 4 times and one time she was ALMOST at the top and rolled all the way back down. At one point she got a little frustrated and started considering her options on another way out. I, on the other hand, was standing within feet from her the entire time, but was separated by a mesh wall that would not allow me to reach her to help her or to stop the stampede of the other children.
During all this, I was heavily weighing my options. The "mommy" in me wanted to lash out at the other kids who were so inconsiderate of her as they were a little older and bigger than her. I was starting to become a extremely frustrated that no one was willing to help her get to the top. Had I been able to squeeze my "hippocampus" into the net, I'd have just helped her up myself. So, as I stood there quietly, almost tearfully, considering my options, there was a little boy who came up behind her (about her size) who was unwilling to let anyone pass him, therefore allowing her to complete her climb to the top. Once she reached the top, she looked around the net to find me and when she finally spotted me right at the bottom of the slide, she threw her arms up in the air and smiled this huge grin and yelled down to me, "I did it, Mommy." Her feeling of elation at her accomplishment was extremely evident. She really was totally oblivious to the fact that through the whole process it was because of a little boy's insistence on not being passed that she was able to do what she did. Nonetheless, she did it. And she was proud of her hard work.
I've dwelt on this particular scenario in my head for the past few days and I have learned several things from this. I thought about the fact that if I could have reached her to offer my help, her appreciation for the climb would not have meant a thing to her. She wouldn't have really thought to thank me for the help to the top. It wouldn't have mattered to me either way if she would have, anyway. The "mommy" in me wants her to succeed, regardless. At the same time, as frustrating as it was, being able to watch her fail more than one time at her task, then to succeed with such triumph, was a great learning experience for me. I would have much rather had her succeed the first time, but the failure at first made the triumph sweeter for her and for me.
The other thing I knew and had to take another lesson from the great teacher, Experience, on, was that life's not fair. I know life's not fair and that's a fact that, regardless of how we feel about it, we have to accept it. It wasn't fair that she had to be trampled time and time again, only to start climbing and almost get to her destination to be knocked right back down to square one.
Life consists of people wanting to achieve and rank higher that they are willing to climb over whomever they may, to get what they want.....destroying lives, dividing relationships, breaking hearts......all to pursue what makes them "happy"....although, that happiness usually is short-lived. This is present in our personal lives as well as the professional world. The hurts caused by the need to achieve a certain status in life can cause lifelong scars for those who are affected by another's greed, whatever nature that greed may be.
The lessons that I learned on Saturday have been kinda like "cud." I chew on it for a while.....let it go.....then chew on it some more.....let it go......you get the point.
As far as the life's not fair part goes....at least Addison had an air-filled cushion to fall back onto. I wish that life would always be that gentle....
Are You Happy??
The essential difference between the unhappy, neurotic-type person and the happy, normal person is the difference between get and give.
Happy people roll with the punches. They know from experience that everything changes. Today's good fortune may vanish tomorrow, today's crises may turn out to be tomorrow's good fortune.
Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time at least.
- Charles Wiley
The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings not his cash.
Happy people roll with the punches. They know from experience that everything changes. Today's good fortune may vanish tomorrow, today's crises may turn out to be tomorrow's good fortune.
Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time at least.
- Charles Wiley
The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings not his cash.
"Decompression Therapy"
Since the videos I posted on Aileen's birthday have been such a hit, I decided to post my all time favorites. The ones I posted had a variety of scenes that were good for a great laugh, also, but the ones I'm about to post are better video quality and are ones that I go back to time and time again. I just love a good laugh. Just ask Aunt Linda. I nearly killed her once laughing.....literally!! She's never forgiven me for it!! LOL!!
So, here's a few more laughs for the day. We've all had enough stress lately I'll call this our decompression therapy!! Sounds technical enough, huh?? ;-)
So, here's a few more laughs for the day. We've all had enough stress lately I'll call this our decompression therapy!! Sounds technical enough, huh?? ;-)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Happy Birthday Aileen!!
Today is Aileen's 75th birthday!! I think that's a cause for celebration. For most of the birthdays so far, I think I've just included videos to sing "Happy Birthday!" I tried to do a little something special for Aileen, that we can all enjoy.
You know they say that laughter is the best medicine. Hopefully, if that's the case, you'll be cured of any ill by the time you're done watching the videos I attached for you!!
Happy birthday and may you have a laughing /side-splitting good day!! Make sure your volume is up before you start viewing!
You know they say that laughter is the best medicine. Hopefully, if that's the case, you'll be cured of any ill by the time you're done watching the videos I attached for you!!
Happy birthday and may you have a laughing /side-splitting good day!! Make sure your volume is up before you start viewing!
Hello Monday!!
Well, a new week is here. Another opportunity to begin again has arrived. I have a love / hate relationship with Mondays sometimes. I usually don't "work" at my nursing job on Mondays, but the mess left behind at my house by busy weekends, is enough work for DAYS!! I like the calm of Monday mornings because I usually get to start off at a slow pace, but it's like the cycle starts over again. It's weird!!
Anyway, hope everyone is well today. I'm actually hoping that a few of you will check in with me and "greet the folks" to say hello to everyone in our little blogging world.
Looking forward to another week ahead of us and hopefully we'll have some fun and interesting posts this week.
Amy, are you out there? I know you've been a busy little bee lately, but we'd love to hear from you!!
I'll close this post out to get the next one posted. Just wanted to say hello!!
Anyway, hope everyone is well today. I'm actually hoping that a few of you will check in with me and "greet the folks" to say hello to everyone in our little blogging world.
Looking forward to another week ahead of us and hopefully we'll have some fun and interesting posts this week.
Amy, are you out there? I know you've been a busy little bee lately, but we'd love to hear from you!!
I'll close this post out to get the next one posted. Just wanted to say hello!!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Memories
Since today is my mom and dad's anniversary, this is a small tribute to them. I didn't want to include it in the other post I wrote about them. I needed to separate the two post.
I have been thinking about all the good and bad seasons of our lives and what they (we) lived through. There's one memory that particularly comes to mind. I think it would be considered in each of our minds as a bad season. It's one that we talk about VERY often as a family and laugh at how bad it was and how close we became in living through it together.
Dad was pastoring a particular church in South Carolina and it had more cons than pros. While we were there, we had a theme song. It became our theme song during the Christmas holidays. But as a family we're all extremely fond of it. Every time any of us hear it, we are taken back to the time it meant so much. To be frankly honest, probably all of us would live through it again just to create the memories that we created there. It was a building block of our lives that made us all stronger and gave us all a sense what a true family is all about! So, for that, we are all thankful for the "bad season" of our lives.
It just might become the theme song for the Prince family shortly!
Here it is.....
I have been thinking about all the good and bad seasons of our lives and what they (we) lived through. There's one memory that particularly comes to mind. I think it would be considered in each of our minds as a bad season. It's one that we talk about VERY often as a family and laugh at how bad it was and how close we became in living through it together.
Dad was pastoring a particular church in South Carolina and it had more cons than pros. While we were there, we had a theme song. It became our theme song during the Christmas holidays. But as a family we're all extremely fond of it. Every time any of us hear it, we are taken back to the time it meant so much. To be frankly honest, probably all of us would live through it again just to create the memories that we created there. It was a building block of our lives that made us all stronger and gave us all a sense what a true family is all about! So, for that, we are all thankful for the "bad season" of our lives.
It just might become the theme song for the Prince family shortly!
Here it is.....
It's Been 34 Years!!
Well, today is an extremely busy day in the blogging world. Today is Zach's birthday and today is also Mom and Dad's anniversary. Seem like a coincidence??.....well it's not! Laura got the opportunity to choose Zach's birth date. She had the option of any day in the week he was born. She chose Mom and Dad's anniversary instead of her birthday, if you recall was 3 days ago, so that she wouldn't have to share her birthday with him. She said she was afraid she would never get another present!! LOL!! Just couldn't resist telling that! We give her a hard time about it! I have to say, though, their first grandchild being born was probably one of their favorite anniversaries to remember. I'm sure they didn't mind!
So, this post is dedicated to my parents. 34 years ago today they said, "I do." Been alot of ground covered in that time. Figuratively and literally! 34 years of marriage is almost an oddity in the current society we live in, but definitely a cause for celebration. Both of them have been extremely successful in life and I for one am very proud of them.
To quote Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson, his definition of success goes like this:
To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!
Life in the ministry, away from family, is not always an easy position to be in. You often times depend on the friendship of people you've never known before. I think being in that position of not having the support system of family has a tendency to strengthen a marriage to levels that might not be recognized or possible with it. Although I know for a fact that had they been able to do what they do with the presence of family, that's what they would have chosen.
Regardless of what the situation has been, they've come through it with grace and with a good name. I have no reason to be ashamed of who my parents are.
So, to them today, I say "Happy Anniversary." I love you. I'm just tickled pink that you're my parents! Wouldn't trade either one of you for anything in the world!!
Happy Anniversary!!!
Love, Anita
Happy Birthday Zach!
Well, today is Zachary Don Long's 6th birthday. That's SOO hard to believe. Wow, how time flies! I'm enclosing a new photo of him, so that you know what he's looking like these days. He's such a little man!!
5th Sunday Fellowship
Well, Mom, you asked in your comment about food ideas for the 5th Sunday Fellowship. Thought I'd offer a little bit of advice. This suggestion might be beneficial in more than one way! LOL!!
I actually found this strip yesterday when I found the Garfield one. When I read your comment, I went on the search to find it again. Couldn't resist!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
I'm Changing Professions
Aunt Linda and I have decided we are going to change professions. We're going to start a lawn mowing business. Why? I was hoping you'd ask! Here's why......Researchers have discovered that a chemical released by a mown lawn makes people feel happy and relaxed, and could prevent mental decline in old age.
Now scientists say they have developed a perfume which 'smells like a freshly-cut lawn' which relieves stress and help boost memory.
After seven years of research, Australian scientists say 'eau de mow' works directly on the brain, in particular the emotional and memory parts.
Dr Nick Lavidis, a neuroscientist at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, came up with the idea for the perfume, named Serenascent, after going on a forest trek in the US twenty years ago.
'Three days in Yosemite National Park felt like a three-month holiday,' he said.
'I didn't realize at the time that it was the actual combination of feel-good chemicals released by the pine trees, the lush vegetation and the cut grass that made me feel so relaxed.
'Years later my neighbor commented on the wonderful smell of cut grass after I had mowed the lawn and it all started to click into place.'
Dr Lavidis said the aroma worked on the emotional and memory parts of the brain known as the amygdala and the hippocampus.
'These two areas are responsible for the flight or fight response and the endocrine system, which controls the releasing of stress hormones like corticosteroids. The new spray appears to regulate these areas.
'There are two types of stress. The first is when you are about to perform something or you know you are going to have to do something well. That's acute stress and can be a good form of stress.
'Bad stress is chronic stress and is associated with an increase in blood pressure, forgetfulness and a weakening of the immune system.'
Chronic stress has been shown to damage the hippocampus by reducing the number of connections between communicating cells, leading to memory loss.
Students working on the Australian project found that animals exposed to Serenascent – which combines three chemicals released when green leaves are cut – escaped damage to the hippocampus.
The scent is said to have the 'pleasant aroma of a freshly-cut lawn or a walk through a lush forest'.
It will go into production next month and sell for around £4 a bottle.
Dr Lavidis, who worked with pharmacologist Professor Rosemary Einstein, said: 'It can be used as a room spray or a personal spray on bed linen, a handkerchief or clothing. Down the track we will look at incorporating the feel good chemicals into other products.'
Inspiration
This is how the inspiration for blogging comes..........It's just little LIFE moments!! But then again, who's scared of a little mouse, right Mom?
We have stories.....broomsticks, broken legs, bruises that take years to heal, damaged vocal cords..... All because of a tiny, little harmless mouse!!!
Seasons
I'm sure if you were asked the question, "what is your favorite season of the year?" you'd have a quick answer. Right? If I'd ask my dad that right now, he'd probably be a little torn in his decision because his favorite time of the year is Christmas. He also is very fond of mowing the grass and planting things, so he might say spring, also. Alabama summers are intolerably hot, so I have a feeling that summer would definitely not be his favorite season.
As for my favorite season /seasons, I love the late winter, early spring, and late fall. I can't make up my mind which one I like the best. If I lived in the north, I might have a different opinion.
That also means I have some seasons I don't like very well. One of the things I hate about the south are the excruciatingly hot summers. At times it's so unbearable that you can't stand to step your foot outside because the heat and humidity wrap you up so quickly, within seconds you look as though you just stepped out of the shower - being drenched with sweat. On the other hand, there's not a day my dad or my husband have ever had to shovel snow off the sidewalk or driveway either.....and I promise you they are not complaining about that.
We're not rich enough to be drifters in seasons.....so we have to take the heat to get the good winters. On the other hand, you in the north have to take the icy winters to have a decent summer.
That leads me to the point of my entire post. Seasons! Fortunately for us, summer doesn't last all year long. Thank GOD!! Someone very wise once told me, "the good thing or the bad thing about seasons is that they end. Some seasons you wish would stay forever while others you pray will end sooner than they are meant to."
You know life consists of seasons......all kinds! Life has always been this way, and always will be. That's a fact we just have to accept. Changes in seasons of life are the reason why the age old question exists..."Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people?" Maybe later I'll write just about that question, but for now, I'm focused on seasons and I have a bit more to say about it.
It's on my mind because I would say that our lives as a family are in, and hopefully on the way out of, a season that we would like to see come to a close. A season of frustration, tears, anxiety, and helplessness. There are seasons that I don't like in life and would really prefer not to have to go through them, personally, but it's been determined since the beginning of time that these times would be building blocks to establish us and we know they're coming. If we had warning, the anxiety for what is to come might be too much for us, so we are not privileged to see beyond the veil of today. And as much as we might like to believe it's not, it IS for our benefit.
See, in THE manual for life, also known as the Bible, we were equipped with a knowledge of what to expect from daily life.....It goes like this.....
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiates 3: 1-11.
It would be really nice to just take all the seasons that are positive and forget about the bad. But attitudes, relationships, and personalities are sometimes molded into better things in the bad times. So, it would not be to my benefit to take out the bad times.
I really like the New Living Translation of the 11th verse of the passage I just typed. It goes like this:
"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."
Several years ago, my mom and I attended a concert and we were talking to Janet Paschal afterwards. I asked her what the inspiration for a song was that she had written, which was one of my favorites of her writings. The name of it was, "If I'd Had My Way." She began to tell us that the inspiration came from an event in her life where she had a broken engagement. She said it had broken her heart so badly and one day as she boarded a plane she began to list the things to God that she would have done differently had she been in charge of the situation. She said, "I began to tell God, if I'd have had my way...I'd have done this, this, and this." She said, "as I began listing God all these things, He quietly reminded me that His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are MUCH higher than mine." She said, "I became a broken vessel before him realizing how selfish I was in my own ways that it never occurred to me that His plan for me was better than what I ever wanted for myself."
After that, she penned the words that said, "If I'd had my way, I might have been wading through the rivers, when you wanted me to walk upon the sea....If I'd had my way, and all of my wants, and whims, and wishes, you knew how weak, how shallow I would be.....I trust Your wisdom over mine. Cause You've proven over time, that in my narrow way of seeing things, I leave the BEST behind sometimes... I might not have stayed as close if I'd had my way."
I've never forgotten that conversation we had that day. It's helped me in my life more than once....because believe me, there's been more than one time in my life that I did NOT see things the same way God saw them. And I assure you, when you like to FIX things the way I do, it's not always easy to keep your opinion to yourself about the matter. Learning to trust has been an ordeal in and of itself.
So, painfully, I've learned.....I'll take the good seasons with the bad seasons. The whole picture has not been painted yet of my life. Since His ways are perfect, and his abilities are flawless, at times when seasons are good, I'll thank Him. When they are not so good, I'll trust Him, still. After all, it's just a season......and the good thing about seasons is that they end!!
As for my favorite season /seasons, I love the late winter, early spring, and late fall. I can't make up my mind which one I like the best. If I lived in the north, I might have a different opinion.
That also means I have some seasons I don't like very well. One of the things I hate about the south are the excruciatingly hot summers. At times it's so unbearable that you can't stand to step your foot outside because the heat and humidity wrap you up so quickly, within seconds you look as though you just stepped out of the shower - being drenched with sweat. On the other hand, there's not a day my dad or my husband have ever had to shovel snow off the sidewalk or driveway either.....and I promise you they are not complaining about that.
We're not rich enough to be drifters in seasons.....so we have to take the heat to get the good winters. On the other hand, you in the north have to take the icy winters to have a decent summer.
That leads me to the point of my entire post. Seasons! Fortunately for us, summer doesn't last all year long. Thank GOD!! Someone very wise once told me, "the good thing or the bad thing about seasons is that they end. Some seasons you wish would stay forever while others you pray will end sooner than they are meant to."
You know life consists of seasons......all kinds! Life has always been this way, and always will be. That's a fact we just have to accept. Changes in seasons of life are the reason why the age old question exists..."Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people?" Maybe later I'll write just about that question, but for now, I'm focused on seasons and I have a bit more to say about it.
It's on my mind because I would say that our lives as a family are in, and hopefully on the way out of, a season that we would like to see come to a close. A season of frustration, tears, anxiety, and helplessness. There are seasons that I don't like in life and would really prefer not to have to go through them, personally, but it's been determined since the beginning of time that these times would be building blocks to establish us and we know they're coming. If we had warning, the anxiety for what is to come might be too much for us, so we are not privileged to see beyond the veil of today. And as much as we might like to believe it's not, it IS for our benefit.
See, in THE manual for life, also known as the Bible, we were equipped with a knowledge of what to expect from daily life.....It goes like this.....
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiates 3: 1-11.
It would be really nice to just take all the seasons that are positive and forget about the bad. But attitudes, relationships, and personalities are sometimes molded into better things in the bad times. So, it would not be to my benefit to take out the bad times.
I really like the New Living Translation of the 11th verse of the passage I just typed. It goes like this:
"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."
Several years ago, my mom and I attended a concert and we were talking to Janet Paschal afterwards. I asked her what the inspiration for a song was that she had written, which was one of my favorites of her writings. The name of it was, "If I'd Had My Way." She began to tell us that the inspiration came from an event in her life where she had a broken engagement. She said it had broken her heart so badly and one day as she boarded a plane she began to list the things to God that she would have done differently had she been in charge of the situation. She said, "I began to tell God, if I'd have had my way...I'd have done this, this, and this." She said, "as I began listing God all these things, He quietly reminded me that His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are MUCH higher than mine." She said, "I became a broken vessel before him realizing how selfish I was in my own ways that it never occurred to me that His plan for me was better than what I ever wanted for myself."
After that, she penned the words that said, "If I'd had my way, I might have been wading through the rivers, when you wanted me to walk upon the sea....If I'd had my way, and all of my wants, and whims, and wishes, you knew how weak, how shallow I would be.....I trust Your wisdom over mine. Cause You've proven over time, that in my narrow way of seeing things, I leave the BEST behind sometimes... I might not have stayed as close if I'd had my way."
I've never forgotten that conversation we had that day. It's helped me in my life more than once....because believe me, there's been more than one time in my life that I did NOT see things the same way God saw them. And I assure you, when you like to FIX things the way I do, it's not always easy to keep your opinion to yourself about the matter. Learning to trust has been an ordeal in and of itself.
So, painfully, I've learned.....I'll take the good seasons with the bad seasons. The whole picture has not been painted yet of my life. Since His ways are perfect, and his abilities are flawless, at times when seasons are good, I'll thank Him. When they are not so good, I'll trust Him, still. After all, it's just a season......and the good thing about seasons is that they end!!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Machans
Here's some new pics of Ethan and Mikayla. The one of them together is their first day of school at Summit Christian Academy. Too cute!!
A Note From Barb
Hey, everybody. It's good to be home - even though my thoughts are continually on the Ohio situation. This whole event seems like a bad dream, doesn't it?
I'm just now getting access to my computer again, so I'll try to catch you up on the past few days. We brought Dad home Friday. Didn't get home until about 7 - Dad needed his medication for that night. We thought they were going to provide 2 weeks worth but that didn't happen. He took his medication well the whole week-end. (Depakote 2000 mg is 4 horse pills every night!)
Near panic attack after our arrival back at the house Friday. I was in the kitchen fixing supper and I saw Dad go to the TV cabinet and look on top behind some picture frames. Of course, in my "Curious Barb" state of mind, I waited until he went downstairs then went to check it out. I moved the frames aside and much to my HORROR, I saw 2 Smith and Wesson 357 pistols up there. I nearly died. I knew I couldn't get them - I was afraid he would hurt me, honestly! I didn't mention them - but the next day while Nic was there, I casually said, "Oh, yeah, Nic, there are 2 more revolvers on top of the TV that need to be secured. We overlooked them." He said, "Oh, OK - got up and got them, then unloaded them." We later secured them in the gun safe. To be honest, I really think Dad has guns that he has access to - that we were unable to locate. But he's going to have a gun . . . even if he has to go buy more. And the thing is, he has the money to go do it. We just did our part by securing what guns we could find. You kids would have died laughing at Linda and me. Had no clue how to unload those automatics - so all the guns are secured . . . fully loaded. (Except for the ones Nic put away!)
My eyes are screaming for sleep. I averaged about 3 hours/night since Dad came home. All 3 of us slept in the living room. They in their recliners; I had the couch. Every time Dad's chair squeaked, I knew it. The first 2 nights he was awake til after 2:30 am. Saturday night was a scream! He had a flashlight trying to find a gun that had been hidden way back beside the TV. I had found it Friday morning and secured it in the safe. Mother also found one while she was dusting. He was digging everywhere trying to find those guns. I wanted to just howl with laughter!!!
His appointment with the therapist went fine, I guess. Same one that he had seen when initially taken to Firelands. He'll see the Psychiatrist 9/2 @ 3:15 and a Psych nurse @ 3:45. After that he will be scheduled for appointment with a different therapist. Mother will be attending the sessions with Dad when seeing the therapist. Will only see the doctor if he requests to talk to her.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers for Abby. They were here this evening when I got in. She stays on the run. I'll have her the next few days . . . pray for ME! I'll be a nervous wreck trying to keep her from finishing her head cracking job!!
Thanks for supporting sister (Joan) and me while we were in Ohio. Couldn't have survived as well as we did without your faithful support. That's a 2-week vacation I don't want to repeat anytime soon!!! The Lord was our ultimate strength. No doubt in my mind about that. It's been a very emotional experience. Still having my "moments" - if you know what I mean. I had to sacrifice several meals/snacks and potty stops cause my face was a mess from crying - but I made it home safe and sound.
Sorry this has been so long - had to catch up. Love you all more than you'll ever know!
I'm just now getting access to my computer again, so I'll try to catch you up on the past few days. We brought Dad home Friday. Didn't get home until about 7 - Dad needed his medication for that night. We thought they were going to provide 2 weeks worth but that didn't happen. He took his medication well the whole week-end. (Depakote 2000 mg is 4 horse pills every night!)
Near panic attack after our arrival back at the house Friday. I was in the kitchen fixing supper and I saw Dad go to the TV cabinet and look on top behind some picture frames. Of course, in my "Curious Barb" state of mind, I waited until he went downstairs then went to check it out. I moved the frames aside and much to my HORROR, I saw 2 Smith and Wesson 357 pistols up there. I nearly died. I knew I couldn't get them - I was afraid he would hurt me, honestly! I didn't mention them - but the next day while Nic was there, I casually said, "Oh, yeah, Nic, there are 2 more revolvers on top of the TV that need to be secured. We overlooked them." He said, "Oh, OK - got up and got them, then unloaded them." We later secured them in the gun safe. To be honest, I really think Dad has guns that he has access to - that we were unable to locate. But he's going to have a gun . . . even if he has to go buy more. And the thing is, he has the money to go do it. We just did our part by securing what guns we could find. You kids would have died laughing at Linda and me. Had no clue how to unload those automatics - so all the guns are secured . . . fully loaded. (Except for the ones Nic put away!)
My eyes are screaming for sleep. I averaged about 3 hours/night since Dad came home. All 3 of us slept in the living room. They in their recliners; I had the couch. Every time Dad's chair squeaked, I knew it. The first 2 nights he was awake til after 2:30 am. Saturday night was a scream! He had a flashlight trying to find a gun that had been hidden way back beside the TV. I had found it Friday morning and secured it in the safe. Mother also found one while she was dusting. He was digging everywhere trying to find those guns. I wanted to just howl with laughter!!!
His appointment with the therapist went fine, I guess. Same one that he had seen when initially taken to Firelands. He'll see the Psychiatrist 9/2 @ 3:15 and a Psych nurse @ 3:45. After that he will be scheduled for appointment with a different therapist. Mother will be attending the sessions with Dad when seeing the therapist. Will only see the doctor if he requests to talk to her.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers for Abby. They were here this evening when I got in. She stays on the run. I'll have her the next few days . . . pray for ME! I'll be a nervous wreck trying to keep her from finishing her head cracking job!!
Thanks for supporting sister (Joan) and me while we were in Ohio. Couldn't have survived as well as we did without your faithful support. That's a 2-week vacation I don't want to repeat anytime soon!!! The Lord was our ultimate strength. No doubt in my mind about that. It's been a very emotional experience. Still having my "moments" - if you know what I mean. I had to sacrifice several meals/snacks and potty stops cause my face was a mess from crying - but I made it home safe and sound.
Sorry this has been so long - had to catch up. Love you all more than you'll ever know!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
******Abby-licious
Well, the Long household has had a rather eventful past 24 hours. Yesterday evening, Abby was attempting to climb into one of the chairs in our breakfast nook and took a very hard tumble. She landed directly on her back with all of the impact being on her head...I watched it all as I ran from the living room but could not reach her in time. I was probably 4 feet from here when she hit, and she hit HARD. She was unable to move or cry and was totally limp when I got her into my arms. Her little eyes rolled back in her head and all color drained from her face. She was unable to control her body/head. Needless to say, I hit panic mode. I am not a nurse when it comes to my children...I am a spased out Mommy. I threw her to Don (yes, I know not the greatest thing to do), and called 911. I pray fervently that the 911 tape never makes it out of the Choctaw County E-911 building. The ambulance arrived within 8-10 minutes and headed out quickly. After a few minutes in the ambulance, she began to cry a little and was actually able to drink some of her bottle (which suprisingly I had thought to fill up and bring). We literally flew to the hospital - lights and sirens, the whole 9-yards. By the time we got there (45 minutes after the accident), she was more alert and responding well. The doc ordered a CT scan which showed a skull fracture but no bleeding/swelling, etc. Thankfully, the doctor thought that we were safe enough to go home as long as I did frequent "neuro-checks" to make sure that she was responding well - she responded as well as any normal 1 year old would being awakened every few minutes! Today, we took her to her regular pediatrician's office and did a very thorough neuro assessment and feels that she will be okay in a few days. He wants us to watch her very closely due to the risk of a slow bleed, but we are trusting God for complete healing of her little head.
Love,
Laura
Love,
Laura
The Difference Is In ME!!
Aunt Linda wrote a post earlier about inner joy. It was excellent and OH SO TRUE! The reason why our happiness comes and fades is because it is revolving around temporal things. Knowing THE reason we HOPE, changes happiness into joy - which at times, as she so well explained, continues even when there's not a reason to have "happiness" or joy, necessarily.
After I read her post, this song came to my heart / mind and has been in my head ever since. I decided to put it in your head, too. There's no video, just audio. But from the first time I ever heard this song, it moved high onto the list of favorites. It kinda helps put that spring back in your step. So, while you listen, just let it kinda bathe your heart in a little balm of "feel good."
After I read her post, this song came to my heart / mind and has been in my head ever since. I decided to put it in your head, too. There's no video, just audio. But from the first time I ever heard this song, it moved high onto the list of favorites. It kinda helps put that spring back in your step. So, while you listen, just let it kinda bathe your heart in a little balm of "feel good."
Boots and Trust
Mother called earlier and said Dad said he MAY have found the boots Jerry stole!
She asked where he found them and Dad said, “he hid them in a good place.”
Mother said, “I remember you saying if you found them you would call and apologize.” Dad said nothing. I few seconds later he said, “I’ll go out and check again, those may not be the right boots.”
We’re hoping he’s leveling out chemically . . . but if he is not, we still trust our all-the-time-good God. Here’s today’s verse:
"Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful." Proverbs 16:20, NLT
Barb and I talked this am that everyone keeps expecting us to keel over w/all this mess, and we would have keeled over long ago if we trusted in ourselves. But we are trusting and entrusting it all to God, moment by moment sometimes.
We are not jump up and down happy, but we are not cast down, and have JOY because of trust. Join us, lay your cares down in obedience and see God pour in JOY. Joy comes up from within; happiness depends on external circumstance. The world will marvel at God when they see us walk in joy in spite of yucky stuff!
Check your heart. Is your joy gone? then you are NOT trusting. He said there would be a test . . . will you trust the all-wise God?
Linda
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