GOD IS TRUTH

A few days ago I shared the "Does God Exist" video that's making the rounds on Facebook which attributes the conversation in the video to Einstein.  It was pointed out to me via a posted Snopes link that the video was not entirely "true".  That is likely correct.  The video was not entirely true…Einstein wasn't the student who debated the professor.  I'm not sure that the video was intended to exemplify a universal truth as much as it was intended to tackle a philosophical question.  The question being, how can God and evil coexist?  Clearly, a video circulating on throughout the internet is not the best format or avenue for attempting such a deep philosophical debate, but I liked the video just the same and thought it brought up some interesting points.

While I am certainly not willing to, and frankly not able to adequately debate the existence of God, I am very willing and able to share and profess what is my personal truth and belief.  I believe that there is ultimately only One Truth, through God and His Holy word.  I believe that we, in our mortal flesh forms, will never fully understand that One Truth until we become our spiritual selves after death.  I believe in life after death.  I believe in God and have faith in God because I have seen and known His existence every day of my life and I have seen and known his existence in death.  I do not need to fully understand to believe.  My faith allows me to trust His truth for myself and for all of us.

What I believe specifically is this:

I believe in one God, 

the Father almighty, 

maker of heaven and earth, 

of all things visible and invisible. 

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Only Begotten Son of God, 

born of the Father before all ages. 

God from God, Light from Light, 

true God from true God, 

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; 

through him all things were made. 

For us men and for our salvation 

he came down from heaven, 

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, 

and became man. 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, 

he suffered death and was buried, 

and rose again on the third day 

in accordance with the Scriptures. 

He ascended into heaven 

and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

He will come again in glory 

to judge the living and the dead 

and his kingdom will have no end. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, 

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets. 

This is what I believe. 

This is my truth. 

Gut Feelings

As a parent there are times when you have a fear for or about your kids that just simply scares you to pieces.  Scares the living daylights out of you.  Scares you to the bone.  And sometimes, you can't put your finger on it, but you know…or at least you fear that it is something bad, or at least something not good.

Sometimes those "gut feelings", or mom feelings as I like to call them are totally unfounded…resulting in total relief at being off the mark with your gut. Sometimes there is some logical reasoning behind your fear that ends up not being truth anyhow.  And sometimes you are dead on right. That is what you, in parent mode, always hope to be wrong about.

That moment happened to me today.  I'd been having one of those mom moments lately regarding a particular child.  I'd even tried to address it with them privately recently via email, then a very brief one on one.  Both times things were laughed off almost as another "there goes mom being silly again".  I can not tell you how much I hope that is true right now.

Again, I can't really put my finger on it exactly…you just sense something is wrong with your child.  You just sense there is something "off".  I tend to feel like that a lot, so it drives my kids crazy.  But this has been ongoing and basically unfounded.  Just simple things like a little less communication, not as many jokes, fewer smiles, sad eyes.  And then I go back to thinking it's just me.

But today I got a piece of mail with some personal information regarding this particular child.  It was medical information and not even necessarily that specific.  But there it was.  Tests.  Bloodwork.  They'd filed the wrong insurance.  sigh.  All the possible MOM ALERTS a mom can have all go to DEFCON5 instantly.  Do I call?  Do I wait for the 48 hours before I will see them again?  Do they know something?  Is it life threatening?  Is it potentially life threatening?  Oh Dear Lord, please don't let it be her--please make something wrong with me instead.  Please.  Can't breath.  Tears.

So that is where I am right now at this very moment.  I am terrified that something is wrong with my sweet, sweet daughter.  I am terrified that she is not well.  I am terrified that I won't be able to help her, make it better, make her happy.  I am terrified that she won't want to share with me.  I am terrified that she would keep important things from me.  (I now know that "important" is a relative term to a parent and a child, whatever their age…and it changes over time)  I am terrified not knowing what to do, what to say, how to act so that I don't over-react, how to let her know I would do anything…anything in the world for her.

I don't know what to do and I worry God isn't listening.  I know that isn't true, but I want to know everything is ok.  And I guess I want to know if everything isn't ok.  But maybe God wants me to be patient.  To let Him handle things.  I say that for other people all the time.  But when it's your own self, it's not quite as easy.

For now I pray that I will find the patience and wisdom to handle whatever lies ahead, great or small with love, kindness, dignity and most of all grace.  Because I am not the one in trouble…and hopefully my sweet daughter isn't either.

.....Welllll, she wasn't.  There was something going on, but "trouble" was not it.

I found this in my unposted posts list and when I opened it up I immediately knew what it was.  I had to smile just a little smile.

My sweet sweet daughter and equally sweet son-in-law became parents one month ago today.  That was what was going on...that was my "gut feeling"

...a new precious grandson.

It's funny how things work sometimes.

Exactly Perfect Planning on His Part

About 32 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted, I remember my reply distinctly--"I just want to be a wife and have kids and be a mom".  Not really knowing at all what that entailed or how, exactly it would all manifest itself, I (and my new husband of course) set our course in that direction.

About 22 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted, I remember my reply a little less distinctly--"I just want a little more space".  At that time I had a 7 year old first grader, a 4 year old pre-schooler, a newborn and anywhere between two to five additional children of varying ages at different times throughout the work week in our 1400 square foot house where I provided in-home child care.

About 17 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted, I remember my reply a bit flustered--"I just want all my kids in full day school".  By then my two oldest kids were in middle school and grade school, but my youngest still had the ever inconvenient half-day kindergarten.  I was working part-time doing estate sales around town and trading out child care with other moms in the same situation.  In early fall of 1997, I was waiting with great anticipation for August 1998 when, after 12 years of being home with children, I would, at last, have seven or more hours at home each and every day for nine months of the year.

About 16 1/2 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted, I remember my reply being quite hazy and blurred---"I think I want a gender ultrasound this time".  I realized around Thanksgiving 1997 with great denial and astonishment,  that I was going to be kissing the thought of soon having "seven-or-more-hours-at-home-each-and-every-day" goodbye.  Yes, I was more than a little taken aback at our news.  So much so that it was suggested I may need to "wait awhile before you talk about this much" after a trial run sharing our news with our oldest and closest friends.  The intention was to share the "fun surprise news", however my uncontrollable outburst of sobbing not only became somewhat inconsolable, but embarrassed the two husbands (mine included) to the point of them needing to leave the room for quite a long period of time.

About 16 3/4 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted, I remember my reply being silent and simply thinking---"I just want to keep busy because I have no idea how on earth I am going to do this".  At 38, I was pretty tired by then, but fear and anxiety and doubt can be great motivators at times and those are the things that motivated me to keep busy.  I was surrounded by supportive, happy, helpful friends and family and I appreciated it immensely. I'd intended on being a mom, had tried to be a good one, but was still confused about the time frame at hand and when exactly I would start doing other things…I knew it wasn't going to be any time soon though.

About 16 years ago on July 8th, 1998 when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted I remember my reply with great clarity---"I just want a healthy baby girl to be born tomorrow". All I was capable of doing that night was to pray for exactly that.  I bargained.  I confessed.  I begged.  I pled.  Dear God, please forgive me for not knowing how to handle this and please Dear Lord just make sure she is ok tomorrow.

About 11 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted I remember my reply being rather distraught---"I just wanted her to start Kindergarten this year".  Pretty much like six years previously, that ended up not being the plan and I would be waiting one more year to have that time I thought would be so valuable.

About 10 years ago, when asked what is was, exactly, that I wanted I remember my reply being filled with excitement---"I just want to take some classes, go back to school, work on my scrapbooks, make the yard more pretty, learn to sew, to use a camera, maybe travel a little".  I had been home raising children for 19 years and it was time for me to spread those wings and do something for me.

About 5 years ago, when asked what it was, exactly, that I wanted I remember my reply being filled with confusion---"I just want to stay here…at home, with my family, at this school where my kids grew up.  I want all my kids home--home from other countries, home from college, home from high school activities and home with me and my husband and this little girl we have".

I'm a pretty slow learner.  Sometimes I am exactly wrong…but sometimes I just get myself off course. For a brief period of time 32 years ago I had it exactly right.  But then I lost my way.  I didn't understand what having exactly what you want meant or even looked like.  After all this time and all the "wants" and pinpointing exactly what it is I desire or wish for, it has taken me this long to figure out that I already had, and have always had exactly what I want.  I was given everything I ever wished for in these precious human beings called my family.  But it wasn't until I thought that I was done with exactly that part of my life that I began to be yanked into understanding that Someone far more powerful than I knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed and what would be best for me.

At 7:14 am., on July 9th 16 years ago, I was given, what would eventually become exact perspective. She came in the sweetest most perfect little package.  She was and has always been the happiest person in our family.  She was and continues to be easy going and pretty much maintenance free.  She taught us all remarkable things.  She taught responsibility  and compassion to her oldest brother.  She taught care, trust and adoration to her sister.  She taught protection and sacrifice to her younger brother. She taught support, persistence and confidence to her father.  And she taught me patience, kindness, flexibility and a bit of wisdom.  She taught me than even when you think your cup is full of joy and happiness and love, there is always room for more.  Her creation put into perspective exactly what God wants for me and, because of her, I now understand that exactly what I want for myself, pales in comparison to exactly what He wants for me.

The best part--she will probably never know how integral her very existence has been in teaching me God's love.  Her father was my first lesson, her brothers and sisters were additional lessons and she is the exclamation point at the end of this wonderful chapter.

Tomorrow when she turns 16, I will hug her and wish her a Happy Sweet 16 and I will rejoice in knowing I have already been given just exactly everything I could want.

Happy Birthday Anne!

26 YEARS AGO THIS HAPPENED

So yes--twenty six years ago today at 9:26 AM, I was strapped down to a table when both my obgyn's said something to the effect of "It looks like you have a keeper"…and then I heard this cry.

Even though we had one baby previously, due to some complications, I had never heard the brand new out-of-the-womb baby cry before.  This time I heard it and it was loud and strong and fierce.  But then I saw what that piercing sound came from and wondered how that was even possible.  How could such a tiny, frail, petite little creature make such a memorable sound?

26 years later, I can answer that.  Looks can be deceiving.

This was our first baby girl.  Most of my friends had baby girls.  I was one of only two girls in my family.  All my friends were girls.  I knew girls…or so I thought.  This little girl was just that….little.  She weighed in at only 6 pounds, 11 ounces and she was long and lanky and it seemed like I would break her if I wasn't careful.  But it didn't take long for her to let us know that she would not break, nor would she be broken.  She had her very own spirit from day one and that loud, strong fierce noise we heard when she entered that world…that noise was to let us know that she was setting her course and would not be deterred, distracted, discouraged and certainly not broken.

And that is how this precious girl has continued through all 26 years of her life.

Over the years, what she lacked in stature, she more than compensated for in spirit and motivation.  She was never a lazy child.  Where her confidence lacked, her determination took over.  She never had a day without purpose.  When she began to give way to emotion, her self-control would carry her through.  She was a thinker, an observer.  All these things remain true, still today.

This baby grew into such a unique, wonderful little girl.  The little girl grew into such a smart, intuitive, purposeful young lady.  The young lady grew into such a creative, patient, persistent, caring woman.  She has talent beyond her years.  She is overly modest.  She is positive and she is wise…very, very wise.

Besides the beautiful person she grew to be, is the fact that she is a truly wonderful daughter.  She is an amazing sister to her two brothers and her younger sister.  She will tell you (and she would not be lying at all), that I cried for one entire year…one. solid. year. before she left for college at the mere thought of our youngest daughter (10 years younger) not having her big sister with her day in and day out.  To this day we miss her even though she gave us a wonderful bonus family member (our son-in-law) that she handpicked especially for herself ;-)

So, 26 years ago, while I was expecting sweet coos and pink bows and frills and cutesy sing songy behavior from this tiny, seemingly breakable baby, God decided it would be best to send me a sweet 6 pound 11 ounce baby girl who very quickly straightened me out on that stuff right away.  God is good and He wisely blessed me with this precious human being who, to this day, makes such a strong, loving, dedicated, beautiful and fulfilling life for herself, her husband, her family and her friends.

And for that I rejoice in that piercing sound I heard 26 years ago!!

Happiest of birthdays to you sweet daughter!

I love you,
mom

50 Super Cool, Kinda Weird, Pretty Neat Things About My Sister

1.  Well…obviously--she's a hottie
2.  She was terrified of dogs and flying insects as a child.
3.  She makes THE BEST mashed potato casserole ever (ask her oldest niece)
4.  She's a solid color kind of girl--not so much a print sort of girl.
5.  She's super smart, even if sometimes she says she isn't.
6.  She was a much better behaved teenager than her sister (me).
7.  She was a flight attendant for a while and I thought that was so incredibly cool.
8.  In any single day, she will drink virtually no water.
9.  She fell out of a jeep once in high school (old story, but not everyone falls out of cars)
10.  The first time she tried out for cheerleader she made it and I was pretty jealous.
11.  She was forced to ride stinky llamas every year during vacation in Ruidoso (or Juarez?)
12.  She broke her arm jumping on the bed when she was little.
13.  She broke her nose on the playground when she was little.
14.  She has a high pain threshold.
15.  She has the most perfect natural nails of anyone I know and they grow fast.
16.  She's had nearly as many shoes as Imelda Marcos. Ok, not really--she just likes shoes...a lot.
17.  She hardly ever changes her earrings and she has four earring holes to use.
18.  She's a super fast reader and she likes to read.
19.  She's a rule follower…most of the time…sort of.
20.  She has a really, really loud laugh.  It's great.
21.  She hates to exercise about as much as her sister.
22.  She loves mexican food.
23.  She is an amazing mom---amazing.
24.  She remembers lyrics to old songs and lines from old movies.
25.  She LOVED Michael Jackson (she probably cried when he died)
26.  She has the tiniest fingers of any one adult I know.
27.  She can look at any gory, bloody, gross thing and be intrigued and interested in it.
28.  She raised an incredible son---don't mess with him… she will and could kill you.
29.  She can recite the McDonalds Big Mac song…backwards.
30.  She is extremely organized and loves a good schedule.
31.  She probably still hasn't forgiven her sister (me) for pretending like she (I) was dead in the bathroom while babysitting her one time.
32.  She maybe didn't like her sister (me) for a few years…understandably so.
33.  She has a wickedly sharp, SUPERB sense of humor.
34.  She is not crafty, hates crafts, won't craft but probably secretly is a crafting wannabe.
35.  She calls her brother-in-law "Cousin", when she's not calling him by his first name.
36.  Gin and Tonic used to be her favorite drink (may still be)
37.  Sometimes she dances on furniture if she's had a lot of margaritas and if it's a special occasion.
38.  She had her purse "purse-snatched" on a street in Chicago.
39.  She has a less-than-good back that probably hurts sometimes.
40.  She has super excellent curly hair that she's never really liked, and I've always wanted.
41.  She loves the beach but hardly ever goes there.
42.  She is a very quiet worrier--you'll never know if she's worried.
43.  She is an excellent worker--she can whip any office into shape in a matter of days.
44.  Her favorite thing in the world is to see her son succeed and be happy.
45.  She would make an excellent stand-up comedian rock star actress.
46.  She likes quiet and alone time.
47.  She once gave her sister (me) the coolest gift ever--an enormous Santa painting that I kept up year round for years.  It was (and still is) that cool.
48.  She considered buying a cute Puppy Halloween costume with her sister (me) when she and her sister didn't even own the puppies yet.
49.  She's not a big fan of squirrels…especially when they are in her house.
50.  She was the very best gift her sister ever got.  And I remember the very first time I saw her knowing that she was THAT extra, extra special.

And, I am honored and thankful to have had her for my sister for 50…yes, fifty wonderful years.  She is a true blessing in my life.  She is always there at any time when I need someone.  She is fun and funny and sensitive and thoughtful and kind and gentle.  She is many things I wish I could be and I admire her immensely.  She is a great person, a great daughter, a great mom and, a really wonderful sister that I am so very glad I have.

HAPPY #50 SHEILA!!

Love,
Your Older Sister

What You Really Taught Me Mom

So, my eldest daughter posted this really cool blog about me for Mother's Day.  She mentioned "influences" I've had on her.  I'm glad she didn't mention any of the really crummy influences she now knows to steer clear of.  But it got me to thinking…

How did my mom influence me?  What did my mom teach me?

So here it is mom--here are the things you taught me…

1.  You taught me that soap opera time was not "kid time".  I never quite understood why soap opera and ironing time were basically "off limits" for me because I remember you spending inordinate amounts of time with me as a kid.  Little did I know, how important it was for you to have your time free and clear (except for the whole ironing chore thing) to rejuvenate yourself for all the hours in a day you spent with us---really with us, doing things, teaching us stuff and letting us be with you.   I've not always been real good at this one with my own kiddos--I hated playing "dolls" and "pretend"…but give me a coloring book, a Lite Brite or some puzzles and I could outlast any 4-year old!  I found out years later that you really weren't so keen on the whole Girl Scout Leader gig that you volunteered to do for a few years, but you stepped up to do it.  I was a horrible baton twirler, and I'm sure you knew I was, but I remember loving it and you encouraged me to continue (or at least finish out the lessons).  What you really taught me was that time spent with your children is the most valuable commodity a parent can give their child and how important it is to give your time and be present for your children unconditionally--this is what you did for me.

2.  You taught me that you could sustain a family of four on a loaf of bread, some flour, milk, salt and pepper, a jar of "corned beef" and a toaster for about a week…and most of the time they would be happy.  You cooked for us every night.  Every.  Single.  Night. You made great meals.  You could stretch that grocery money and get a meal for four on the table for less than $3.00!  And you never complained.  At least not that I know of.  You always acted as if you had just created another edible Rembrandt and I remember thinking dinner time was really pretty fun most of the time…yes, except for Wednesday nights--but we've covered that one.  What you really taught me was the lifelong value of a family having dinner around the table at night…every night--this is what you did for us.

3.  You taught me how to be clean and neat.  Our house was clean.  Our clothes were clean.  We were clean.  Our teeth were clean and our hair was clean.  Our nails were clean, especially on Saturday when we had them "trimmed".  I remember hearing "cleanliness is next to Godliness".  While I am certain you may not have believed that literally, I do know it was important.  It was important to be clean and it was important that things were neat.  We knew where to find stuff.  Yeah, I know, we didn't have that much stuff to find, but when we did…we knew where it was.  It wasn't about the act of "being" clean or neat, it was about placing value on our bodies, our possessions and the things we worked for.  I don't know if we had "a lot" or not--I doubt we did.  But I never knew any differently because what we did have was treated just as respectfully and with just as much care as valuable possessions owned by the wealthy.  What you really taught me is not that "things" were important, but that being respectful of the things you work for and have is a duty and an honor that shows thankfulness for those blessings-- that is how you approached our "things".

4.  You taught me the Envelope System wayyyy before Dave Ramsey did.  You were doing the envelope system before time.  I remember a sense of frustration when those envelopes would come out, but I knew they were important and I knew you had a good handle on what was written on those envelopes.  Those envelopes had something to do with our family's budget and your job was to make sure those envelopes didn't self destruct.  And you did it.  You never seemed too upset about it, but now that I know about those envelopes, I am sure it caused great stress at times.  All I remember really thinking was that come August we would be making a trip to Penneys and Trippets and I'd better "choose" wisely.  I don't think I was the one who really got to do much choosing, but you made me think I was!  I know now that being frugal was how you were wired and, while you fretted about us not having certain things, I never once heard you whine or complain about any of that.  I remained clueless for wayyy too many years until I really did have to have one of those new-fangled Envelope System classes, where I thought "My mom has been doing THAT for YEARS"!  What you really taught me was that living within a budget, being thrifty and making a dollar stretch was what responsible people did and doing so with grace and humility and class was what honorable people did--that is what you do.

5.  You taught me that change is good and positive attitudes are even better.  I remember quite a few houses and towns.  I remember you always smiling and looking for the next opportunity…the next church to join, the next bridge group, the next neighborhood to enjoy, the next set of volunteer opportunities, the next friendships to make.  I don't know what I was like outwardly way back then, but inwardly I was shy and I was afraid.  And I watched you go into new and different situations over and over with determination, a smile and a great attitude…whether you had one or not.  I remember a few glitches…a bad school, a rat in the basement, a tornado, but you just moved forward.  You were not going to be distracted from the mission you had and in the end all would be good.  And it was.  What you really taught me that change is inevitable and even if we're shy or scared or mad, it's still up to us how we deal with things--the better we deal with them, the better they end up--that attitude is still your guiding force today.

6.  You taught me that pulling your hair through a cap is a necessary beauty treatment.  I remember you sitting in grandma's living room having your hair pulled through a cap to be "frosted".  I remember watching you put your makeup on and thinking how cool it was.  I remember you laying down on the floor with some pulley contraption hooked on to the door knob that when you pulled with your arms, your legs would move up and down. I remember you doing your nails every single week.  I remember curlers and bobby pins and pig tails. I remember you playing tennis.  I remember you swimming and teaching us how to swim.  (I hated that zinc oxide though)  I remember bike rides and walks and your first aerobics class, power walking at the park and now yoga.  I remember shopping for the "perfect" prom dress, wedding dress and vacation attire.  You have always had such great health and style and beauty.  What you really taught me was how important it is to present yourself in the best manner possible, deal with a few gray hairs with grace and take the very best care of your body and mind that you possibly can--and you continue to do this daily.

7.  You taught me that laughter heals almost everything besides broken hearts.  There were so many times I screwed up growing up---some big screw ups and thousands of not so big ones.  Later in life I could think back and gauge my screw ups by laughter…your laughter.  If it was a screw up I remember you eventually laughing about, I knew it was "normal".  But if it was a screw up that even later never elicited a laugh, I knew I'd pushed the limit.  Fortunately for me, you laughed a lot.  I remember you laughing so much at times with friends and family that I'd start laughing too not having a clue as to what was so funny other than the sheer amount of laughter going on.  I remember you laughing with friends, with family and with us.  You were willing to laugh at yourself and never laughed at others.  You probably laughed a little at times to hide some tears, but I remember feeling like most of your laughter was joy-filled good times.  What you really taught me was that laughter is truly the universal language--a way to get along with people and a way to stay positive; and that a smile can be some of the best medicine a person can offer someone who's unhappy--and you still offer up that laugh and smile all the time.

8.  You taught me that church is where the action is!  I think I remember nearly every church we were members of.  You made sure I was dressed in Sunday clothes---dress, black patent shoes, hat and gloves required on certain Sundays. When I was very small, you would lean over and tell me (ever so nicely) to hold still and "shhhh" during services…I was usually given a finger with a ring on it to mess with or sometimes a piece of paper and a pencil.  You assured me that people would not see or care about the swimsuit I had on under the white robe I was fully immersed in for my baptism.  You smiled at me after my first Communion and I remember it.  I remember feeling so important handing out cotton balls before giving my youth sermon on "Warm Fuzzies" on Sunday.  You made sure to come in my room a few Sunday mornings and tell me that even though I'd been out super late the night before with friends, I needed to get up because I "was going to church"  You encouraged and I enjoyed youth groups and bible studies and choir.  I remember feeling like there were other adults watching me…watching over me.  I remember feeling loved and cherished by a faith-filled community.  What you really taught me was the blessing of God's love and how, more than anything else, that is the ultimate joy and grace we have in our lives and that we should, as adults, always be willing to worship and give thanks for that gift--as you grow in your love of God still today.

9.  You taught me that granddads hide money in their pockets and grandma's sneak candy.  I loved knowing my grandparents and my great grandmother.  I can tell a thousand stories about Grandma Ollie taking me to that candy drawer, about Grandma Helen teaching me how to make jewelry, about Pap-pap sitting me on his lap and having me peek in his coverall chest pocket for "dodders".  You made me ride those llamas for a year or two too long, but you made the BEST fried chicken, for our long trips to New Mexico for vacation.  The bottle rockets on the 4th of July were kinda scary, but you'd let me hang out with Grandma Ollie and watch her iron.  We got with Aunt Sharon's family when we lived in Kentucky and we went to Aunt Shirley's for Thanksgiving one year.  Uncle Jack teased me a lot, and I hated that I didn't get to throw rice at their wedding, but Aunt Kay helped me be BEE-UTIFUL for one of my dance performances.  You took me to Aunt Fi-Fis and Uncle Bobs to go water skiing.  And I got to take Anne with Grandma Helen every Wednesday for a Super Walmart run.  You took us to visit as much as possible and then took such great care of Grandma Helen when she moved here.  What you really taught me was that there is no value you can place on family.  It is the single most important thing in our human lives and that we should cherish and honor and enjoy every moment we have with our family…always--while you delight and take interest in your growing family year after year.

10.  You taught me that Life is Good.  Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that from you or read that in something you've written in the last 50 years?  I don't even know if you know there is a company called Life is Good (check it out--http://www.lifeisgood.com).  I think they probably stole this  little slogan from you and are making millions of dollars off of it all the time I believe YOU originated it!  You have car problems, they get fixed and you say "Life is Good".  You are faced with 40 things to do in a week when you may be a little tired, you comment that you are just glad to be waking up in the morning and "Life is Good".  You bust a knee up, have a health scare, need some medical procedure and you go willingly, be the best patient you can, get better and say how "Life is Good".  You give and do and think about everyone else constantly, never asking for a thing for yourself and in your mind "Life is Good".  What you've really taught me is simply….that Life Really is Good and that we only get one and that is goes by fast and that we better make the best of it and love all the people we can--just like you do.

And that is what you have taught me….at least for now.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I love you,

Stephanie

Today Our "Baby" Boy is 22

                                           


Twenty two years ago today a little 8 pound, 5 ounce baby boy entered this crazy world.  

We went to the hospital the morning of March 5, 1992 fully prepared to welcome a new baby boy or baby girl to our family.  At that time, there would be a 7-year old brother and a 4-year old sister awaiting the arrival of this new sibling. This time, when the c-section surgery began, I wasn't quite as nervous as I'd been in the past.   We were anxious for his or her appearance.  At 12:14 pm that day, it was announced that we had a healthy 8 pound, 5 ounce baby boy!  After letting it be known he had healthy lungs, our baby boy was relatively quiet.  The nurses did all the stuff baby nurses do when babies are born.  Dad looked on with a big smile on his face.  The nurses wrapped him up, and brought him over so I could see our new baby boy.  I will never forget that "first look".  I remember looking at him and thinking how much different he looked than our other two.  I saw a chubby little face--our other babies hadn't been as chubby!  I saw some dark curly hair--our other babies had little, if any, hair!  And I saw that God had graced us with another precious, unique gift that we would cherish for a lifetime.

My instinct was that this baby boy was different in the way that all new babies are different and special--each with their own unique personalities.  He was fairly relaxed from the beginning (probably because dad and I were more relaxed by this time too!)  This baby boy had the cutest little smile that was slightly ornery but went along with his sweet personality.  He was a cuddly baby. He loved being around people.  He was almost always happy.  His brother and sister doted over him and he loved the attention. But as much as he liked attention, he loved running and being outside and playing with his dog and toys and cars and trucks and sandboxes and bikes and moving. This little boy loved moving.  He loved his pets and he loved his friends and his family. He didn't talk very much at first when he was little but he loved to hear people laugh.  At a pretty young age, he learned he could make people laugh by doing funny things. And funny things, he did. 

As this baby boy grew, he was always sensitive, he was smart, he was fun and funny, he was a little ornery at times, he enjoyed being with people, he was an animal lover, he was a good dancer, he was strong, he was passionate, he was idealistic, he was talented, he was persistent, he was loyal, he was a hard worker, he was faithful and he was a blessing.

Today is no different. He is still all those things and so much more.  On his 22nd birthday we wish him all the joy his heart can possibly hold and all the love he is so deserving of.  He has enhanced our lives in ways he will never fully understand and we are greatly blessed to call this son our very own "baby boy".  Happy Birthday Ryan!  We love you.