It's All Good

Day 19 and I'm so thankful for God's creation.  I live out in the country and have a few acres, so I get to look out in my fields, and almost daily, see deer grazing.  I've seen turkeys and I've seen bear.  Once I even saw a mountain lion charging across my field! *shiver*  I've had escaped goats, cows and horses on my property.  You just never know what you might see when you walk out my backdoor.

I love my lunatic dogs that guard my home and make me feel safe (even though I know in my heart that they would probably hide behind me if something happened).  They are as big as small polar bears, but they think they're chihuahuas.  Cleopatra loves to hug...she'll stick her big head between my arm and body and wait for me to hug her neck.  Jezebel has a big ole sad face and is a gentle giant.  They love it when it snows and they'll lay out in the middle of the back yard when the snow has been frozen hard and the wind is whipping through the yard.   They look like big, bear skin rugs thrown out in my yard when they are being lazy.

When springtime rolls around, the woods around me are in a flurry with birds chirping, the trees are budding, flowers are blooming and there's a sweet fragrance in the air.  Springtime is my favorite time of the year.  I love looking out at the mountains of green, speckled with the whites of wild dogwood and the bright purples of redbuds. 

In the summertime, I love hearing the lawnmowers buzzing in a distance, and smell the sweetness of cut grass.  I love taking our boat out on one of the many lakes in our beautiful state and enjoying the solitude it brings when we're up in a cove with no one around us but the mountains, the lake as still as glass, and the squirrels and birds rustling in the woods.

I love when, in the fall, the mountains look like a large quilt that God has put together, with all the different colors on the trees.  The sky seems larger and it seems bluer than any other time of the year.  I love the smell of the leaves as they fall and dry up for a new start next year.

And, even though I do not like cold weather, there is such beauty in the way that God blankets the earth in pure white, and it causes the animals to quiten and the noises to still.  There's something so cozy about looking out the window at trees dressed in white, while we're inside listening to the fire crackle and pop in the fireplace.

I'm so glad that I have a God that loves me and that loved me enought to make the earth beautiful and for my enjoyment.  I don't believe there was an accidental creation, no "bang" and everything was formed and functioning for centuries upon centuries.  I believe a loving God blessed us with creation to look at, to smell, to enjoy.

Psalms 104:24  O LORD how manifold are thy works!  in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

The Crud

Almost didn't make it for day 18 because I've been in bed, sick all day.  But even though I feel like someone ran over me with a truck and poured hot lava down my throat, I can still be thankful.

I am thankful that tomorrow, or maybe the next day, I'm going to be feeling better.  I know that whatever this crud is, it will be gone in a few days and I'll be back to normal.  I'm not facing some terminal illness like some of my family and loved ones are.  I'll be getting better, so hopefully, I can still be a blessing to those I love to help them through their own illnesses.

I'm thankful that my husband takes care of me when I'm sick and that he tries to crack some corny joke to get a smile out of me, even though I don't want to smile and I want to throw my pillow at him.

While laying in bed, half the day, I have been able to think about getting ready for Thanksgiving Day, for how God has blessed us so that we'll be able to have enough food that everyone will be stuffed several times over.

I'm thankful that my family will be here, and that I have a loving family that doesn't fuss and squabble over things.  Our day will be filled with laughter and silliness, and I love every goofy thing that goes on.

I'm looking forward to getting out of this bed and getting my home ready for all my company.  I'm looking forward to another day that I can give thanks for all that God has blessed me with.

Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits;

Lazy Mornings

Day 17 is giving thanks for those lazy days when I can sit in my pj's and watch old movies with my family.

I got up this morning (late, I might add) wandered into the kitchen to make me, my hubby and my oldest son some breakfast.  While mixing the batter for homemade buttermilk biscuits, my husband sat and talked with me and moved around the kitchen getting me things I needed for our meal.  I had the bacon frying in the skillet, while I was rolling out my dough.  I use one of my large glasses to cut the biscuits because they like the huge biscuits for their eggs and gravy.

It doesn't take long for the smell of bacon to waft up the stairs to reach my son's room, so he comes down a few minutes later. 

The sun is shining through the windows, we see a few deer grazing in the field, and watch our dogs press their faces up against the window with their tails wagging.  They smell the bacon, too, and know what's to come.

After the bacon is fried crisp, the gravy is bubbling and the eggs are ready, we fill our plates and congregate in the living room to watch an old Christmas movie on the television.

As we sit there and watch the same movie we've seen a half dozen times, we reminisce about the first time we watched the movie and how we all giggled and laughed at some of the antics.  And while we reminisce, we still giggle and laugh once more.

As the movie is nearing the end, and as all Christmas movies do, it becomes touching, and I look over at my husband and he's all teared up...again...as in all the times before when we watched the same movie.  This gives me such a feeling of peaceful joy.

I love my life.  I love my family and I'm so thankful God has blessed me.

My Girls

Day 16 of thanksgiving.  I woke up this morning with my girls on my mind.   Well, maybe I should say my boys' girls...their wives...their fiance.  I am so blessed to have these three women in my life.

When my boys were young, I used to pray that they would find companions that loved God, and loved them above all others.  God answered my prayers.

My youngest son fell in love with a little girl in middle school.  They were young and carefree and in love.  Many people just kind of rolled their eyes at them because they were so young, but I could see something very lasting in my son's eyes and I only hoped that she felt the same.  Well, she did.  She was a couple of years ahead of him in school, so when she went off to college I was so worried that her head would be turned by all those cute college boys, but she was faithful. 

That was when I knew there was something so very special about her, her dedication, her loyalty and her love for my son. 

Through the years, she spent so much time at our home.  She, my son and I would laugh and giggle and just be silly.  We took many trips together and she became part of our family even before she was part of our family. 

Everyone kept saying they should wait until they were both out of college before they got married, and I kept asking why?  I knew they were in love, I knew they were going to get married, and I knew they were going to make it.  Why should they put their lives on hold because of some classes?  I was on their side.

There was a very sad day in our home when my dear, sweet mother in law passed away.  It just happened that her burial day was on my birthday, but there was one person who remembered it...my daughter in law.  She and my son gave me a necklace with a sweet, diamond chip heart on it.  It was so delicate, so beautiful.  I cherish that necklace because of what it means.  It said to me that in the midst of chaos and heartaches I mattered. 

When my middle son met a young girl that was friend's with my daughter in law, I knew nothing about her.  All I knew was that she was raised not too far from where my husband and I were raised, so that made us sort of kin.

She was a little shy when she first came to visit us, but it didn't last long.  We soon became more than acquaintances.  We became friends. 

When my son proposed to her, it was a family affair.  We had lots of people in our house that day, and we all knew the "secret", but she didn't have a clue.  When we saw our son take her out on the back porch, we knew it was time!  As he sat her down on a chair, he got down on one knee, and out in the field his dad drove up in his pick up with a huge sign on the side that went from the front to the back that said, "Will you marry me?" 

Everyone in the house had their noses pressed up to the windows watching all this unveil, while she was looking around at us with this comical, quizzical look on her face.  When it finally dawned on her what was going on, she just cried, and then I cried, and then everyone cried.  It was so emotional and so sweet.

Since that day, we've only gotten closer, my daughter in law and I.  While they were waiting on closing on a house, they were living in a motel room, which lasted several months, so I would go up, rent a room and hang out with her because I knew how hard this was for a young woman far away from family.  It was during these trips that our relationship became strong.  I've spent many days with them in their home and our favorite thing was going to Target and getting popcorn to munch on at night.  We even bought Target popcorn to take with us to the movies.  That stuff is good stuff! 

I've seen how much she loves.  Her family is so important.  Her God is so important. I'm very thankful she is part of our family and part of my heart.

And, then there is my future daughter in law, who is already a part of our family.  The thing that makes my daughter in laws so special is the fact that they adore my sons, and she is no exception.  She thinks my son is humorous, smart and can do anything.  I like this girl. 

I've watched her and my son encourage each other as they have gone through pharmacy school.  I've watched as they've supported each other through the exams, the rotations, and through graduation. 

I've watched her stand by my son when friends interfered.  And I've watched them work things out when things seemed hopeless.

She loves to shop...a girl after my own heart.  We've done some shopping, and have gone to movies, and I enjoy her company.  She loves her little family and that's so important to me.  Family is everything. 

As we sat at my table last night and began making plans for "the big day", I realized that our relationship, although good, is about to get even stronger.  She's already part of my heart, now she's going to be part of our family.  I'm looking forward to many fun days ahead, many girl's nights out, and lots of heart to heart talking.

So, you can see why I'm so thankful for my girls.  I love them, I'm proud of them, I'll defend them, and I'll open my heart and home to each of them.

My BFF's

Day 15 of thanksgiving moments will be about my dear friends.  Some have said that if you can say you've had one good friend in your lifetime then you can consider yourself blessed.  Well, I've been blessed a few times.  I have had lots of friends, but there are a few in there that have shared my heart.

My closest childhood friend and I were inseparable. I'll call her K.  We giggled through the nights, played through the days, and barely took time to eat before we were off on another adventure.  We kept the roads hot between our houses riding our bicycles.  We loved climbing the surrounding mountains together, taking our little lunch boxes with us (which by the way, on one of the mountains there are still two little boxes we left behind when we were scared and left in a flurry of screams, giggles and sliding down the mountain side). 

We had weddings in the front yard, complete with my sisters old prom dresses, we climbed monkey bars in the schoolyard and we whispered through the night about cute boys in the neighborhood.  There was no end to our imagination and where it would take us during our pretend excursions.

She could play the piano like a professional, so we talked my mom into letting her be the one to give me piano lessons instead of the lady down the street.  I hated piano lessons.  When it was time for her to come to the house for the lessons, we'd sit down on the bench, and it would be my turn to start playing all the little songs that I was supposed to have practiced that week.  Since I spent all my time playing and running around with her, I had no time for such a menial thing as piano practice, so while mom was out of the room, listening to "my" recital, K would playing the music herself.  We felt so clever for that little deception.

Halloween was fun for us.  It was back in the day when parents could let their children go throughout the neighborhood by themselves and not fear for harm.  Everyone watched out for each other's kids.  One particular halloween, we decided to dress as a two headed person.  We took a pair of pants and a shirt from my stepdad, we were so tiny we could each get into a leg of the pants, and we buttoned the shirt up around us with both our heads popping out the top.

You have to remember that this was back when the men's pants were pegged, or for those of you who have no idea what pegged is, they were sewn super small to just fit around the ankles of the men. So, instead of actually walking down the road, we were shuffling.

We were on a section of road, after dark, that was kind of secluded and we heard someone walking behind us.  We struggled to turn our two heads around to see who was behind us, only to see that it was the boy who had dropped out of school, wore cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve, had his hair greased back, and was rumored to have hurt a girl.  Why does fright cause little girls to giggle uncontrollably? Our hearts were beating out of our chests, we were whisper giggling , and shuffling so fast I think we were causing sparks! 

It's funny how I met my next special friend, R.   K introduced us.  K was a year older than me, so she was in high school and was moving on in her life to things that included other friends.  Our friendship never changed, just the time that we were able to be together.  From the moment R and I were introduced, it was nonstop laughter.  I mean the can't catch your breath kind of laughter.

My high school days included my new friend R.  We became inseparable, too.  We were at that "I'm in high school now, so I'm pretty sure I'm grown" stage.  We had classes together, we were cheerleaders together, and we were best buds.  Boys were our main topic of discussion.  Music was almost as important.

There were many times that after dark and time to go to bed, one of us would call the other and say, "Can I come over" so we'd meet half way between our houses, in our pajamas and laugh ourselves to sleep that night. 

Everywhere we went, we were accompanied by my german shepherd, who was about as goofy as we were.  I can recall many times when my dog would peel up some road kill and chase us down the road with it, while we were screaming and squealing.

Our daily escapades at school were even better when we'd rush home to tell her mother everything that had happened.  Her mom would laugh and giggle as hard as we would.  She loved hearing our stories and I loved telling her.  R and I would listen to the popular music of the day and would dance through her house and out the door.  There were nights of us dancing down her steps and onto her sidewalk, while we were clad in our pajamas.  I will never forget those carefree days.

Later on in life, after I had my own family, I met another lady at our new church.  Her name is S.  It probably wasn't a good idea for us to get together, because we fed off each other.  We also became inseparable.  Our families ate together, went to church together and hung out together, but it was when she and I were alone that it became borderline insanity.

Our favorite thing was driving around and looking at homes for sale. That's not so bad is it?  Well...it depends...and I'm not saying that we would do such a thing, but it has been noted that if the house is empty and the door is unlocked that some people might just go in and look around.  Just sayin'.

Shopping was always an adventure that ended up at our favorite restaurants...thus, the expanding waistline.  Thanks, S.  We travelled a few times together on mini vacations, and I won't go into details.  We'll just leave it at that.

S finally moved away to be nearer her children, and it's probably a good thing.  There was nothing but trouble when we were together, but, boy, it sure was fun.

I still have so many friends and I consider myself blessed.  But, those friendships were more than that.  They were sisterhood.  They were two people sharing the same heart and I still love my dearest friends and when we get together, it's like no time has passed. 

Aristotle said, "What is a friend?  A single soul dwelling in two bodies."  These were my friends, and I am so thankful that they gave me a part of their lives.

Proverbs 18:24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

My Sister My Friend

Day 14 is a day of thanksgiving memories of my sister.  I don't know how I'm going to condense my sister down to one page, because she deserves a book.

She was nine years older than me, so there are no memories of playing dolls together, or wearing each other's clothes, but there are stories of admiration, laughter and love.

My sister took care of me from the time I was born.  I guess I was her real life baby doll.  Our parents divorced when I was three, so Daddy wasn't around and Mom worked everyday, so we didn't see alot of her.  We were very poor, but I didn't know it because my sister helped make my life happy.

My brother, my sister, and I slept in one room, and I usually slept with my sister.  We had an old radio sitting at the head of the bed, and we'd go to sleep with songs from The Beatles and Elvis filling the room.  If we didn't have the radio on, then my sister would sing songs for me until I went to sleep.

Every morning when we would be getting ready for school, I would think how beautiful she was and always would ask her to twirl around so I could see if her skirt would spiral out like a ballerina's.  I don't remember her ever getting tired of that game. 

There were many times when she would take me on dates with her. I'm sure the boys just loved this idea...said with much sarcasm, but with a grin on my face.

On Saturdays, we would catch the bus to town, and we would window shop and occasionally go see an old Bob Hope movie at the Bijou.  When I graduated from kindergarten, I was in a play and mom said I needed a new dress.  It didn't occur to me that anyone but my sister would take me on this special day, so my sister took me uptown to shop for the perfect dress.  Since, basically everything I wore was hand me downs, this day was  wonderful.  I was "Mary, Mary ...how does your garden grow?" 

 We found the perfect little dress!  It was green with little, different colored flowers embroidered around the bottom of the skirt.  I felt like a princess.

When she would have a girlfriend over for the night, the girls got kind of aggitated at this little red headed intrusion into their discussions of boyfriends, school and teenage drama.  However, my sister saw no problem with it, and didn't hesitate to say so.  I admired her so.

When she got married and moved away, I felt so alone.  She was my sister/mom and I missed her.  But,  I think she missed me, too, and she would have me come and stay with her for days and days. 

My mom remarried and we moved to another state and my visits to my sister weren't as often.  However, during the summer, I would stay for weeks with her.  By this time, she had given me a little nephew.  He was my best little buddy.  I held him, fed him and played with him.  She never made me feel like I was an intrusion, or any trouble.  I was still her little sister and we had good times.

After I married and had my own family, we still made time for each other.  I would take my kids and go stay at her house, or she would come to mine.  This time of year always brings a flood of memories because she would bring her family to my house for Thanksgiving.

They would arrive on Wednesday evening.  My husband and her husband would settle down for some tv, while our boys would gather for some games and goofiness.  She and I would go to the kitchen, turn on the Christmas music, and the cooking would begin. We made homemade pumpkin pies, homemade stuffing, potato salads, macaroni salads, and jello salad.  We always traditionally made a green jello salad, with nuts, fruit, and cream cheese that got the name "puke salad" that everyone gagged at, but my sister and I loved it and we'd make it just to get that reaction. 

Usually, the day after Thanksgiving, after we'd stuffed ourselves like the Thanksgiving turker, we'd go on an outing.  We had an extended cab truck with a camper top on it.  We'd throw the boys in the back with sleeping bags and snacks while the adults would get in the front, and off we'd go to who knows where.  We made many movies of our outings and they are all filled with laughter.

Oh, and did I mention the laughter?  When she and I would get together, it became a contagion.  Everything made us laugh.  We'd laugh at everything that moved.  I can remember laughing so hard and thinking to myself "can someone actually die from laughing" because we couldn't stop and we couldn't get our breath.  I remember a time when we were sitting on my front porch of an apartment I lived in and the lady across the street was so nosy that she'd pretend like she was washing the window on her storm door just so she could see what we were doing.  After days of this, my sister and I decided we'd put our hands up to our eyes, like binoculars, and look back at her.  We did this and then we nearly fell off the porch laughing at ourselves.  We always cracked ourselves up.

A quote I read that is us, "Of two sisters one is always the watcher, one the dancer."-Louis Gluck.  She

was my watcher as I danced through life.

I love my sister.  She's been everything to me my whole life.  She's been mom, sister, and best friend, and I'm so thankful God put her in my life.

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and

edify one another, even as also ye do.

Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,

Wife, Mom...Me

Day 13 of thankfulness is going to be centered around me.  Yep, you heard it...me.  Today, I'm going to be thankful for being able to be Mom and a wife.

I have had many titles throughout my life...daughter, sister, cheerleader, secretary, student, office manager, billing clerk, and on and on, but my favorites are mom and wife.

When I first started this "wife" thing, I pretty much sucked at it.  I couldn't cook anything but eggs, toast, boxed pizza, and brownies.  I remember calling mom to get a recipe for her buttermilk biscuits.  So, I went out to the store and bought the milk, flour, and shortening.  Ohhh.  When one says flour, it needs to be specifically spelled out "self-rising flour."

I made these little flattened patties that could have been used to knock out a cow.  When my husband cracked one on the edge of the table, I didn't find it humorous.  Shortly thereafter, my mother in law bought me a cookbook. 

Housekeeping? Ha!  My mom wasn't much on me helping out when I was home other than making my bed.  She would rather do it herself, so that left me in a quandry.  For some reason, when I came home, my house wasn't magically cleaned.  And now, not only did I have to clean my own messes, I had to clean someone elses.  Well, I didn't sign up for this.

After thirty six years of marriage, I'm doing better.  I'm a really good cook.  Housekeeping? Nya.  I do okay but it's not one of my favorite things about being married.  As a matter of fact, it's so much more fun to be writing a blog than mopping floors.

Sometimes when I grumble about picking up socks, or putting away dishes, I'm reminded of a ladies group meeting I attended one time.  We were talking about these very things...dirty socks, dirty dishes, dirty house.  One elderly widow lady quietly replied, "I just wish I had someone's socks to pick up." 

Kind of puts a new perspective on this cleaning thing.  So, now when I find myself grumbling, I remember her statement and am so thankful that I have a husband (not the socks, so much).  I'm thankful that I have a husband who loves me above all others.  It's such a good feeling to know someone wants me to be happy, someone who, when he sees me smile, makes him smile.  It's good to know that I'm the most important thing in his life. 

Yes, he spoils me pitifully and I enjoy the spoiling.  It's not the things he gives me, but it's the reason he gives to me that spoils me.  Everytime he brings me home a moonpie (my weakness), it says to me, "I was thinking of you today."  He's so funny at Christmas time.  He's always grinning and telling me he saw "ole Santy" at the store.  I get so tickled at how much fun he has giving to me and it's fun to him because he loves me.  And I love that.

I love being his wife.  I love being introduced as his wife. I love that he wants to take me to his conferences and dinners.  I love that he loves being with me.  I love being his best friend.

Being a wife is like having this huge chocolate cake and you can eat it all without gaining any weight.  Happiness.  And being a mom is like smearing chocolate frosting all over it.  Ecstasy.

I never knew happiness or love existed in such intensity, until I held my first child.  My goodness, it makes your heart swell because there is so much love in there.

Being Mom has been the most satisfying experience of my life.  I cannot comprehend how anyone could ever even contemplate harming those little souls, or leaving them, or putting my own wants ahead of theirs. 

The job is demanding, exhausting, frustrating, aggravating, and overwhelming.  It's also fulfilling, heartwarming, joyful, hilarious, and extremely rewarding.  I wouldn't trade it for any amount of selfishness in the world.  My children's lives are much more important than anything I could want, more important than anyplace I could go, more important than any selfish desires I could have.  They are my life.  And I love my life.

My children are all grown.  I have a son in law and daughters in law.  They all have their own lives, but the "mom" feeling is just the same.  It never changes. 

I'm so thankful that the Lord allowed me to be a wife and mother.  I'm so thankful for my husband.  I'm so thankful for my children. Oh!.... and did I tell you about my grandchildren....

Proverbs 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord.

Ephesians 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave his life for it.