I know it was a couple days ago but my stepdad sent me an ecard which was sent to him by one of his daughters and, even apart from what she said in it, brought tears to my eyes. For those who don't know, my stepdad fought in the South Pacific in WWII for 4 years and is a hero to everyone who knows him, including me. He, however, told me once that the real heroes are those who didn't come back and get to live all these great years that he has been given. Anyway, for those of you who want, I'm posting a link to the e-card (you may have to copy and paste). And it works best when the volume is turned up.
http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=ED44080971
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Travels
Found a cool quote. I don't know the guy who made it, but I of course think it's true. "The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest, and not inferior to either in her mission."
Our Memorial Day was great: we took off at 8:40 from our place and got to Durham to visit with our friends the Buerhles (after all this time I'm still not sure if the name is spelled right) so Wee One could play with their 22-month-old and maybe Mom and Dad might get a little hang out time with some friends. We stayed for about an hour, as Wee One was hungry and that was only the first stop on our mini-vacation. To their kiddo, Wee One was "the boy", and to Daniel, their baby was "niña". Sam also called Hubs "the man." I guess Jesus is "the man". :) Visit www.burlyfamily.blogspot.com for a cute picture of the boys playing the piano.
Next stop: Pittsboro, where our niece (Hubs' side) who just had her first baby lives with her baby's dad, and her brother and sister (also our niece and nephew). They're all in their 20s, by the way. Anyway, the baby is adorable and looks just like his Dad. He's got a head full of jet black hair and we didn't take any pictures. Wee One was very sweet with the baby except the one time when he tried to hit him with a plastic hanger. (Jealous of Mom's attention) But he gave him lots of kisses and called him "niña" also.
My boy is also cutting 4 canine teeth at once, the a/c was out at our niece's house, and it was at least 90 degrees in that place. So he was not the happiest of campers. Last night his temp was 102 but fortunately that has seemed to abate thanks to God, A/C, Tylenol, and Motrin. He's feeling much better today.
Haven't gotten my book yet. Anxiously awaiting.
Our Memorial Day was great: we took off at 8:40 from our place and got to Durham to visit with our friends the Buerhles (after all this time I'm still not sure if the name is spelled right) so Wee One could play with their 22-month-old and maybe Mom and Dad might get a little hang out time with some friends. We stayed for about an hour, as Wee One was hungry and that was only the first stop on our mini-vacation. To their kiddo, Wee One was "the boy", and to Daniel, their baby was "niña". Sam also called Hubs "the man." I guess Jesus is "the man". :) Visit www.burlyfamily.blogspot.com for a cute picture of the boys playing the piano.
Next stop: Pittsboro, where our niece (Hubs' side) who just had her first baby lives with her baby's dad, and her brother and sister (also our niece and nephew). They're all in their 20s, by the way. Anyway, the baby is adorable and looks just like his Dad. He's got a head full of jet black hair and we didn't take any pictures. Wee One was very sweet with the baby except the one time when he tried to hit him with a plastic hanger. (Jealous of Mom's attention) But he gave him lots of kisses and called him "niña" also.
My boy is also cutting 4 canine teeth at once, the a/c was out at our niece's house, and it was at least 90 degrees in that place. So he was not the happiest of campers. Last night his temp was 102 but fortunately that has seemed to abate thanks to God, A/C, Tylenol, and Motrin. He's feeling much better today.
Haven't gotten my book yet. Anxiously awaiting.
Friday, May 26, 2006
I have just been on Amazon.com and ordered a book that I hope will be an enjoyable read. I've heard good things about it. "To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever" about the Carolina-dook rivalry. Will let you know when I finish what it was like. If it's that good I may not be able to wait til the end.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
I heard this song on the radio today and it made me cry...for only about the 100th time that I've heard it. Country music has a reputation for being about "I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison" (the "perfect country song") but there is the occasional song of substance, or at least something sweet, such as this one. I can't remember how the whole thing goes but the chorus is like this:
Let them be little
Cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise
Give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle
Let them sleep in the middle
And let them be little.
In other news, Daniel has learned how to say "yes" and "no" in Spanish and English. He does a lot better with no, as you can imagine. Everything is "no," especially when Jesus asks him if he likes dinner. I guess it's his own little way of sticking it to The Man.
Remember how I asked everyone to pray for my little brother and reconnecting with him? My relationship with my dad and stepmother has been tenuous at best for the last few years over somethings that were said about me (commented about in the entry that I later deleted). Anyway, the other night my stepmother called...out of nowhere! But she asked for forgiveness and said she realized that things weren't what she thought they were when they said what they said those years back. So I am going to try and reconnect with them. It will be slow going as you can't just jump right in as if nothing's happened, because it has, and it hurt. I think it probably hurt both sides, as we are all human beings. I thought and prayed about it and these are the conclusions I came to: 1) I would not want my dad or stepmother to go to their graves and me have unresolved issues. I would carry that with me for the rest of my life and I don't want that. 2) If they come to me, ask for forgiveness, want to see me and my family and I say yes and later there is another falling out, then I can deal with that and its consequences. I'm a big girl. But if I say no and have nothing more to do w/ them, and they were sincere, I will have to answer for that one day. I'd rather be on the side of grace, since Christ did (and does) that for me. 3) It's not up to me to judge motives here. What is up to me is how I react to what's presented. 4) I was studying the outline of our pastor's sermon the other day (on unity) and there were verses in there that had to be from the Lord that kind of confirmed what I had been thinking:
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you many have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace."
Still, any prayers would be appreciated, as we have tentative plans to get together in late June after Fathers' Day.
On a different note, for those who care, our livingroom floor got vacuumed today for the first time in like 2 weeks.
Let them be little
Cause they're only that way for a while
Give them hope, give them praise
Give them love every day
Let them cry, let them giggle
Let them sleep in the middle
And let them be little.
In other news, Daniel has learned how to say "yes" and "no" in Spanish and English. He does a lot better with no, as you can imagine. Everything is "no," especially when Jesus asks him if he likes dinner. I guess it's his own little way of sticking it to The Man.
Remember how I asked everyone to pray for my little brother and reconnecting with him? My relationship with my dad and stepmother has been tenuous at best for the last few years over somethings that were said about me (commented about in the entry that I later deleted). Anyway, the other night my stepmother called...out of nowhere! But she asked for forgiveness and said she realized that things weren't what she thought they were when they said what they said those years back. So I am going to try and reconnect with them. It will be slow going as you can't just jump right in as if nothing's happened, because it has, and it hurt. I think it probably hurt both sides, as we are all human beings. I thought and prayed about it and these are the conclusions I came to: 1) I would not want my dad or stepmother to go to their graves and me have unresolved issues. I would carry that with me for the rest of my life and I don't want that. 2) If they come to me, ask for forgiveness, want to see me and my family and I say yes and later there is another falling out, then I can deal with that and its consequences. I'm a big girl. But if I say no and have nothing more to do w/ them, and they were sincere, I will have to answer for that one day. I'd rather be on the side of grace, since Christ did (and does) that for me. 3) It's not up to me to judge motives here. What is up to me is how I react to what's presented. 4) I was studying the outline of our pastor's sermon the other day (on unity) and there were verses in there that had to be from the Lord that kind of confirmed what I had been thinking:
"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you many have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you...Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace."
Still, any prayers would be appreciated, as we have tentative plans to get together in late June after Fathers' Day.
On a different note, for those who care, our livingroom floor got vacuumed today for the first time in like 2 weeks.
Retro Wee One & Papa
...from last summer when they were surely the coolest dudes in the neighborhood.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
I just had to post this because it falls under the category of "you've got to be kidding." A citizen panel in Oregon says that its state legislators shouldn't show up to work drunk. Well duh! If a nurse (or police officer or McDonald's french fry cooker or whoever) can't show up drunk, one would dare to hope that someone who's making laws for a state or country shouldn't be able to either. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1992236
Musings on baseball & motherhood
When, oh when, will it ever change?? The Cubbies are next to last in the NL Central, 10 1/2 games out..they shoulda never kept that guy with his goat out of Wrigley. We'll always have 1908.
In honor of my friends Miles and Brooklynne finding out their baby is going to be a girl, my boy now knows how to say girl. It comes out more like "goal" but he tries. "A" for effort. He also says "how" (house), cahkee (car keys), ball, and tee-kee (stinky). It's true, once they start talking, they don't stop.
Wee One woke up at 5:50 this AM. 5:50!!! Even the sun has better sense than to be up then! And of course, the second he opens his eyes he has to know where we are. So at 5:50, we hear "Mamá! Papá!" and are thusly awakened. We tried to get him to go back to sleep; nothing doing. So he is at Mother's Morning Out while I attempt to get at least something productive done. (Laundry, not blogging.)
My boy already has his own fashion style, and far be it for me to squelch it. We got dressed today to go to MMO and I put him in a pair of bluejeans and a lime green tshirt. I asked him to go get his Elmo shoes thinking he'd run for his tennis shoes; wrong. He got the red slip on Elmo shoes from his grandmother. Not exactly a match with lime green. But far be it for me to put any other shoes on the child. Of course, he would look adorable in a burlap sack.
In honor of my friends Miles and Brooklynne finding out their baby is going to be a girl, my boy now knows how to say girl. It comes out more like "goal" but he tries. "A" for effort. He also says "how" (house), cahkee (car keys), ball, and tee-kee (stinky). It's true, once they start talking, they don't stop.
Wee One woke up at 5:50 this AM. 5:50!!! Even the sun has better sense than to be up then! And of course, the second he opens his eyes he has to know where we are. So at 5:50, we hear "Mamá! Papá!" and are thusly awakened. We tried to get him to go back to sleep; nothing doing. So he is at Mother's Morning Out while I attempt to get at least something productive done. (Laundry, not blogging.)
My boy already has his own fashion style, and far be it for me to squelch it. We got dressed today to go to MMO and I put him in a pair of bluejeans and a lime green tshirt. I asked him to go get his Elmo shoes thinking he'd run for his tennis shoes; wrong. He got the red slip on Elmo shoes from his grandmother. Not exactly a match with lime green. But far be it for me to put any other shoes on the child. Of course, he would look adorable in a burlap sack.
Monday, May 22, 2006
McDonald's and America
It isn't every time that you go to McDonald's that you see something moving enough to blog about. But today was different. Before I tell you, let me say that we are not in there every day. We just wanted to get something for Jesus before he went back to work after visiting the chiropractor.
Anyway, as we pulled in the parking lot we saw a man in combat fatigues walking across the parking lot into Mickey D's. I'd say maybe early to mid-40s, nice looking, African-American. Hubs pointed him out and we thought no more of it. I went in to get our order (to go) and saw him waiting for his order to be ready. It was at that point that I saw an older white guy, probably old enough to have himself served in WWII or Korea although I don't know that he did, turn to him and ask him if he was "in the service", as he put it. The soldier answered yes, at which point the older man looked him square in the eye, took his hand, and said "Thanks. I appreciate it," and walked away It was enough to make me teary eyed standing there waiting for my order. I myself thanked him as well but felt like what I said fell way short after watching that exchange.
I have a special spot in my heart for folks who serve our country, whether or not I agree with any particular conflict that they're engaged in. We owe all the ones serving honorably a huge debt of gratitude.
Anyway, as we pulled in the parking lot we saw a man in combat fatigues walking across the parking lot into Mickey D's. I'd say maybe early to mid-40s, nice looking, African-American. Hubs pointed him out and we thought no more of it. I went in to get our order (to go) and saw him waiting for his order to be ready. It was at that point that I saw an older white guy, probably old enough to have himself served in WWII or Korea although I don't know that he did, turn to him and ask him if he was "in the service", as he put it. The soldier answered yes, at which point the older man looked him square in the eye, took his hand, and said "Thanks. I appreciate it," and walked away It was enough to make me teary eyed standing there waiting for my order. I myself thanked him as well but felt like what I said fell way short after watching that exchange.
I have a special spot in my heart for folks who serve our country, whether or not I agree with any particular conflict that they're engaged in. We owe all the ones serving honorably a huge debt of gratitude.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
Mothers Day (late)
I found this in an editorial column of Sunday's Raleigh N&O and thought I would share it for Mother's Day:
"The text for today's Mother's Day homily comes from an unlikely source: page233 of Will Blythe's 'To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever'. Actually, this is a poor choice of titles, implying this is just another book about what is reputed to be the fiercest college sports feud in America: the Duke vs. Carolina basketball rivalry.
Blythe's book is much more than that. Through vivid writing rich in smiles, humor, and penetrating interviews, the obsessed Carolina grad and former literary editor of Esquire probes the depths of the human condition as revealed through the medium of the nation's sports mania. Blythe does his homework: hanging out with players from both schools, visiting recruits in their homes, interviewing former players, and even infiltrating the camps of Kryzyzewskiville. All in building his case that Duke is the most hated basketball dynasty in America.
A highlight of the volume is the long-awaited and lengthy interview with the primary target of his dislike, Coach K himself. It was during the interview that Blythe experienced an epiphany: the realization that the man might be human after all.
Coach K recalled the time when his mother, before she died in 1996, asked, 'Mike, how did it all happen?', referring to his success and all the championships. When he replied 'Because of you,' she said, 'C'mon, c'mon.'
'She's the reason I'm not afraid to lose,' the coach told Blythe. 'That's because I always had her...And you know what she wanted from me? Nothing.'
As the coach turned his face away, Blythe saw the tears, and his own eyes filled as he recalled his own mother. And he thought, 'Here was the man who had come to represent everything on earth I loathed...and we were woo-wooing about our mothers...Man, this hatred gig was tough.'
Good mothers are like that. Their love is all powerful, melting away the icy crust of hate and causing grown men to cry in memory of them."
So, to my own mother, Happy Mothers Day Mom. I love you bunches.
(And Go Heels!)
"The text for today's Mother's Day homily comes from an unlikely source: page233 of Will Blythe's 'To Hate Like This Is To Be Happy Forever'. Actually, this is a poor choice of titles, implying this is just another book about what is reputed to be the fiercest college sports feud in America: the Duke vs. Carolina basketball rivalry.
Blythe's book is much more than that. Through vivid writing rich in smiles, humor, and penetrating interviews, the obsessed Carolina grad and former literary editor of Esquire probes the depths of the human condition as revealed through the medium of the nation's sports mania. Blythe does his homework: hanging out with players from both schools, visiting recruits in their homes, interviewing former players, and even infiltrating the camps of Kryzyzewskiville. All in building his case that Duke is the most hated basketball dynasty in America.
A highlight of the volume is the long-awaited and lengthy interview with the primary target of his dislike, Coach K himself. It was during the interview that Blythe experienced an epiphany: the realization that the man might be human after all.
Coach K recalled the time when his mother, before she died in 1996, asked, 'Mike, how did it all happen?', referring to his success and all the championships. When he replied 'Because of you,' she said, 'C'mon, c'mon.'
'She's the reason I'm not afraid to lose,' the coach told Blythe. 'That's because I always had her...And you know what she wanted from me? Nothing.'
As the coach turned his face away, Blythe saw the tears, and his own eyes filled as he recalled his own mother. And he thought, 'Here was the man who had come to represent everything on earth I loathed...and we were woo-wooing about our mothers...Man, this hatred gig was tough.'
Good mothers are like that. Their love is all powerful, melting away the icy crust of hate and causing grown men to cry in memory of them."
So, to my own mother, Happy Mothers Day Mom. I love you bunches.
(And Go Heels!)
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I found a cool website pretty much by accident today; www.weareamericaalliance.org It's an immigrant organization that basically encourages people to contact senators etc. like many others but is also encouraging 1 million Latinos to register to vote. Fewer Hispanics are registered to vote than any other ethnic group in America; of course some of that is due to immigration status (permanent residents cannot vote), but even those who could vote don't in many cases. Anyway, I thought it was worth visiting.
Daniel's new word: cooba (school bus)
We went out tonight for Mother's Day, since May 10 is Mother's Day in Mexico and I'll be half-asleep Sunday. And I was absolved from doing any housework today. I did, however, have to make a trip to the Teeter for trash bags, milk, bananas, and a Mountain Dew.
We are getting some chili peppers in on our chili pepper plants that Jesus is cultivating in our backyard. Still waiting on the beans, peas, and tomatoes. My husband is the only human alive I know that is resourceful enough to dry out seeds from veggies we buy at the store and plant them and actually make them grow!
"The Da Vinci Code" the movie : to see or not to see??
Today in my devotional I ran across this very encouraging piece of Scripture, and since it says to encourage one another with these words, here they are: "And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet Him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel and with teh trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who ahve died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Daniel's new word: cooba (school bus)
We went out tonight for Mother's Day, since May 10 is Mother's Day in Mexico and I'll be half-asleep Sunday. And I was absolved from doing any housework today. I did, however, have to make a trip to the Teeter for trash bags, milk, bananas, and a Mountain Dew.
We are getting some chili peppers in on our chili pepper plants that Jesus is cultivating in our backyard. Still waiting on the beans, peas, and tomatoes. My husband is the only human alive I know that is resourceful enough to dry out seeds from veggies we buy at the store and plant them and actually make them grow!
"The Da Vinci Code" the movie : to see or not to see??
Today in my devotional I ran across this very encouraging piece of Scripture, and since it says to encourage one another with these words, here they are: "And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet Him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel and with teh trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who ahve died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Friday, May 05, 2006
My boy's newest words: balloon, goggy (doggie)
Hubs caught Wee One's cold...funny how Wee One was running and playing while he had (still had) his and Hubs was just barely able to pry himself out of bed to go to work today!
Have you heard about that computer game going around? It's called "Border Patrol" (does not have anything to do with the real US Border Patrol) and basically the point is to shoot as many Mexicans crossing the border as possible. You get extra points for shooting "breeders" (pregnant women with small children). Replete with blood spurting out of their bodies and all Now everyone has an opinion, of that I'm well aware, but that is sick. I hope the people who invented it and are sending it around aren't the same white Southern Baptists populating the pews of Eastern NC. Fortunately, the people who would actually find pleasure in something like that are in the minority, regardless of their stance on immigration.
Having an almost 19-month-old is so much fun, if trying at times. He loves to help and will pick things up off the floor for me, will hand me stuff, and will help me sweep the floor. The one thing he's not crazy about is the vacuum cleaner while it's turned on. When it's off he drives it all over the house. The other thing he's currently crazy about is having the Mexican flag draped over his face/body and then having you call out, "Mexican flag, have you seen Wee One? I can't find him anywhere, Mexican flag!" Little by little he works his way out from under it laughing hysterically the whole time thinking he's the master of disguise. It is so cute! BTW, this is not disrespectful to the Mexican flag. Jesus has assured me that there aren't any laws about stepping on the flag or letting it touch the floor etc.
In above cute picture, Wee One is helping Hubs wash the car and got surprised when the hose suddenly got turned on him. ("Who wants to drink from the water hose??" Sorry, couldn't resist a little UHF humor...)
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Eph 6:18
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
This was the verse that our pastor used as the base for his sermon last Sunday on prayer. He usually emails the powerpoint presentation to me as I'm not always in church due to my work schedule. As I was going studying it this AM and making the notes from the sermon the Spirit really convicted me that I'm not doing this as I should be. Especially the "pray on all occasions" and the "be alert" part. I think praying on all occasions helps one be alert, actually. So I wanted to share this with y'all hoping that it would encourage/challenge you as it did me.
This was the verse that our pastor used as the base for his sermon last Sunday on prayer. He usually emails the powerpoint presentation to me as I'm not always in church due to my work schedule. As I was going studying it this AM and making the notes from the sermon the Spirit really convicted me that I'm not doing this as I should be. Especially the "pray on all occasions" and the "be alert" part. I think praying on all occasions helps one be alert, actually. So I wanted to share this with y'all hoping that it would encourage/challenge you as it did me.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
New words
Turkey, after he discovered that he loves sliced turkey from the Teeter deli. Although sometimes we get confused and "cookie" comes out.
"Oh yeah!" I don't know where he got that one from. But he uses it appropriately.
We got new tennis shoes for him today. He is currently on an Elmo kick, so they're Sesame Street with Elmo & Cookie Monster on them. And of course they light up. Before we bought them my boy had to test them by banging on the sole. No light, no buy.
For those of you who are into traditional hymns, the album "Precious Memories" by Alan Jackson is great. Very soulful, sincere, and moving.
My boy's soon-to-be preschool sent me a letter this morning to reserve dates etc. for their open house. We are excited about that! He loves going to Mother's Morning Out a day or two a week and I think he'll love going to Big Boy School. Preschool is going to be at Englewood Baptist Church here in Rocky Mount.
Wee One has awakened, so this has to end!
"Oh yeah!" I don't know where he got that one from. But he uses it appropriately.
We got new tennis shoes for him today. He is currently on an Elmo kick, so they're Sesame Street with Elmo & Cookie Monster on them. And of course they light up. Before we bought them my boy had to test them by banging on the sole. No light, no buy.
For those of you who are into traditional hymns, the album "Precious Memories" by Alan Jackson is great. Very soulful, sincere, and moving.
My boy's soon-to-be preschool sent me a letter this morning to reserve dates etc. for their open house. We are excited about that! He loves going to Mother's Morning Out a day or two a week and I think he'll love going to Big Boy School. Preschool is going to be at Englewood Baptist Church here in Rocky Mount.
Wee One has awakened, so this has to end!
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