Good Friday Memories

When I was growing up in the Methodist church, my Mom would always point out to me how each Good Friday about 3pm the sky would get overcast. She would imagine that it was a reminder of how Jesus died about that time of the day--about 3 o'clock. Each Good Friday I check out the sky and many many times, more than not, the skies are darkened about that time.

It's worth noting that Nana went to be with Jesus about that time of the day too. I think in some weird way she would be pleased about that.
The forsythia was always out in Connecticut about Easter time also.
Ok--kind of random but at my age it's permitted...

Red Sox chatter

Doting grandmother steps into the Sunday School class where half the kids are blood related, including the teacher, and gives hugs and/or hellos to them all.
Grant gets in a dispute that the teacher is not really my son. As said doting grandmother starts to turn her attention to Matt's conversation--the deprived Red Sox grandson continues coloring and says to Aiden to his left , quite nonchalantly, but with authority " She has a LOT of dirty laundry."
OK-time for grandmother to leave --
ROFL
Got to go home and do my laundry!!!!!

Storms...

Another snowstorm just about 2 weeks to the day I was snowed in when I received word my Mom had died.

Couldn't go to work today with the thought of the boys alone at home while Dad was snowed in up at Norwich University. Was worried we'd have power outage issues and the boys would be without heat and power... an unsettled anxiety inside, so I called out of work. Not like me but I was worried.

Turns out the power lines ripped off the side of the garage during the storm and CVPS had to make a visit to our house and shut down lines to the garage till Matt can come repair the issue.

I keep thinking I hear Mom or her doggie Star downstairs but the house is quiet. Way quiet...

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, not things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, not any other created thing, shall be able to separate us form the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
Romans 8:38-39

"I will worship the One who calmed the raging sea...
And I will worship the one who hushed the rage in me! "
~Mercy Me

I love you too..

This excerpt from my journal on the 12th...

Mom said "I love you" in the emergency room and those were her last words spoken. From then on she was sedated for severe pain. She's receiving palliative care in the hospital suite for her advanced cancer. She won't wake up again and her breathing is very heavy and labored. It won't be long now till she hears our Savior say "I love you" and He welcomes her to Heaven...

That journal entry came true and Mom has gone to be with God now.
I guess Mom's Valentine's day is the most special and loving that she has ever had.

E Mural Mather

May 2, 1930-February 13, 2008

We love you Nana....

Old Friends

I brought an old friend to visit an old friend yesterday. Star was laying at Nana's feet in the hospital saying her last goodbye. We have a wonderful new owner for her that Nana chose with her heart one day when she saw the plowman get out of his big truck and stoop down to hug the cute little dog. Plowman is coming to get Star after the snowstorm. She will ride around with him in the cab of his fancy truck and visit a whole new world.

Mom will soon be in her new world for eternity with God and I feel sure Star will join her there someday--but not till she travels the world with plowman.
Safe journey everyone---

Mr Wizard would be proud

I witnessed my son's homework project this weekend. Soak the onion in Gator Aide and then after it has absorbed enough of the liquid--you put one end of your MP3 player charger into the player and the other end into the onion. Something to do with the electrolytes causes the player to turn on. Yikes. Three of those items weren't around or dreamed of yet when I was a kid.
I can't help but reflect a lot on how much the world had evolved electronically since I was little. But it's not a complaint--it's an awe. It is great to see and experience the differences in the generations. My son gets on the laptop to further research the project--prints out his report, etc etc.
My prayer for my generation is that we won't give up on life before we die. We're responsible to live life fully every day. Get to know the new technology--not all of it but there's plenty to embrace. There's no excuse for sitting on our rear ends and being boring. There's life to be lived and we can do it. No excuses--heck--you might even like it and have a good time!!!

Outside my window...

Boy this is fun! Replacing a furnace in the dead of winter, jockeying/pushing cars out of snowbanks. Always looking for the plow and sand truck more than you look for Santa. Bottles of windshield washer fluid, astronomical heating bills, studying weather.com before you go grocery shopping, or driving your son to DMHC, yadda yadda yadda..... well at least we don't as Yet have the flu.

But David has his hard black cast and silver sharpie for signatures, the heat is nice and warm and I can do laundry again. No need for laundromat. We have a car or else we wouldn't even need the washer fluid and I have money to pay the grocer and the heating bill. So what do I have to complain about??? Well there IS my age..... but the alternative on that is not pretty. So thank you Lord for the beautiful view out my warm house window..and hold on to your hat----yes, my age!!!

Goodbye Amy & Rick

Amy and Rick have left for their new life at Norfolk Naval Station. He will get on a ship in June and probably arrive in Japan in August. Amy may actually get to Japan before he gets there. I so remember my military bride days as if they were yesterday. So I can appreciate the fun and adventure they have just embarked on.

At home we have a reality check as we cope with the departure of our 4th child. When you have 6 kids, at least 4 have to leave before you start to feel the effects of the empty nest syndrome. So I cleaned and cried and now I feel better. But then I see her little ballet type shoes in the family room and well.....

Beautiful cake decorator and flower girl....

Thank you Matron of Honor, Wedding Planner, Cake decorator, sanity check, melt down healer, and cutesy flower girl!!!

Beauty in Love

Night Flights

The light from her den called to me in the night,
But she was not there,
The fairie had left with her true love and flown to
exciting places yet unknown.

Her presence was felt still in her den,
But the light had grown cold.



She will return from far off places to visit us one day,
As fairies always do~

Clink Clink Clink!!! Smooooch!!!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Richard Contreras!!!!

Going to the chapel and we're going to get married..

Guess who is getting married!!

May God bring us all together again someday...

My love and hugs to loved ones far away during this joyous Christmas season....

Boomer Question

How do you know when you're grown up? This question permeates the minds of my boomer generation. For one--we don't intend to "grow up". For another--we are not sure when or where that happens! Here's a great list I've read recently:
You know you're grown up when....
~You know there are many things much more important than yourself.
~You're willing to say "I was wrong."
~You're attentive to the footprints you will have left in this world.
~You forgive the carelessness of the young, regret the thoughtlessness of your own youth.
~You finally realize you have no one to complain to.

Growing up is a choice. The journey begins with the simplest of steps: Identifying your values then acting accordingly. Of course, for this boomer it means bowing to my creator God, Jehovah and letting Him give me His values and acting accordingly. I must admit I am not very good at it but our loving Father God is just that. He paid for my bad....

Mysteries of the Universe Solved

It was a dark and cold winter's morning. 5 am came early as youngish mom (only as old as her oldest son plus 9 months or so)--and her smarty pants 16 year old set out for Dartmouth Hitchcock for the long awaited MRI of his ankle. Up before dawn, creep around to get ready so others can sleep 2 more hours. Sneak out of the house into the cold wintery night. Crunch crunch crunch on the hard icey ground. Open garage door, then all of a sudden car alarm is blaring into the silent night. Very obnoxious. How could that happen ? I carry the keys the same way all the time!

"What was that??" says youngish mom.
Says smarty pants zombee 16 year old from beneath the fur lined hood over his head "It was YOU."

The bunnies are hiding in the winter snows now...

The winter snows are here and the woodland bunnies send us a parting raspberry goodbye...safe now from Matt's orange truck for another year.