Support out Troops

I just got this link off of another blog from a SITStah-....

www.anysoldier.com

You can get an address of a contact person for a unit, or an individual, to send care packages, letters, whatever. Stuff like drink powders (koolaid, crystal light), energy drinks, phone cards. Each one listed (there's like 2000) has info about them, where they are from, etc. You give them YOUR info, and then they send you the address. It's an awesome way to show your support for our guys and gals overseas, serving our country. I don't know if a package would get there in time for Christmas, but I don't think they would mind if it was a bit late.

Even if you just write letters, letting them know you are supporting them (even if you don't support WAR, you can support our armed servicemen and women), and praying for them.

Thanks!

The True Meaning of Christmas to Me...Hope

Hope.

So much power in such small word. I have always been an eternal optimist. Always seen the glass as half full, filled with the best thing you could ever want, and expecting it to be completely full soon. After being afflicted with a chronic, debilitating illness, that glass shattered. Some friends and I were talking about this glass-half-full business a while back, and the eternal pessimist said, "Glass? What glass?" Well, that's about where I was.

But thank GOD He didn't leave me there. I can't STAND the thought of no hope. It's not that I see the world through rose-colored glasses, because trust me, I do not. But ponder this:

"Sanity may be madness but the maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be."
-Don Quixote

I may not be healthy right now, but I hope that someday I will be here on earth. I KNOW I will be in heaven. It's choosing to believe the good. Yes, you may be disappointed. But living life, just accepting where you are, to "see life as it is instead of as it should be..." That is so powerful! Think about how different things would be if everyone TRULY started living as they SHOULD. Every moment of every day. Impossible? I don't think so.

Jesus was born so that we can have that hope. Christmas to me, is so NOT commercial. We don't talk about Santa Claus, (I know, how controversial!), we celebration Jesus' birthday. If He never came, there would be no HOPE. And I'm not sure I could live my life like that. I should never have been able to have this precious child, Jacob...but Hope prevailed, and God blessed me so much!

"Hope is like a road in the country; there never was a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." -Lin Yutang

I know life can hurt. I know life can be unfair...believe me, I know. But I also know that HOPE is more powerful than unfairness. It is bigger than fear. It is stronger than despair.
It is the infertile woman knowing she will someday be a mother. It is the sick among us knowing that someday they will be well. It is the "poor" among us who know they are really, immeasurably blessed.

Hope lives. You can take a lot from a person, but as long as they have hope, they will go on.
This Christmas, try living life as it should be, not as is it. See where it takes you.
Always remember the Reason for the Season.
Merry Christmas,
and Merry SITS-mas sisters!

Humble Bunny

I've had this bunny for almost 20 years. I named him Humble Bunny.

I had been student teaching in rural Indiana in the fall of 1993. These were country kids, to the core. I was still (mostly) a city girl, with an appreciation for the finer things in life.

On my last day, many of the kids gave me presents. It was SO precious to see these children giving from the heart! One boy got in line and gave me a matchbox car, because he had one in his desk and desperately wanted to give me something.

Another boy, Andrew, was from a well-off family. Always clean cut, well dressed, combed hair, etc. Andrew was a straight A student, always attentive and well behaved. He was the exception rather than the rule. He was in line right ahead of Bobby, who lived with his grandma. His hair was sometimes messy, his clothes at times unkepmt. Bobby would struggle to grab some concepts, and his attention would occasionally drift. But as you will soon see, he had a heart of gold.

Andrew gave me a gift, fancily wrapped with beautiful ribbon. I commented on how lovely it was. I opened the box, and here is this hand made, bright white thing with hand sewn peach ribbons and flowers. I didn't know what it was. You grab the strings and hold it up and it makes these little pouches. A sock holder maybe? I still have it, and I still don't know what it is! I went on and on about this gloriously clean, glowing, crisp white linen and flowery peach gift. Andrew was pleased.

Then Bobby hands me his gift. I'm about to bawl just remembering this moment. Bobby, a little dirt on his face, a few wrinkles in his clothes, and his hair smoothed down as much as possible, handed me this little, filthy, purple bunny. My mind was racing. This child had just given me something of obvious import to him, and it was filthy. I mean nasty filthy. I had just practically swooned over Andrew's gift, and now this.

I looked Bobby straight in the eye and said, "Oh, Bobby! How did you know? Purple is my favorite color!" (Which is totally true!) I gave him a hug, and he beamed from ear to ear. I had tears in my eyes as I went down the line, thinking about the sacrifice that this little boy had made, because he wanted to give me a gift.

As Christmas approaches, I can't help but think of another who made the ultimate sacrifice to give me a gift as well. Jesus left heaven above, a perfect, clean, glowing place, and came down to this mud ball called earth. To the dirt and decay and horror of human-ness. He died a brutal death so that you and I could live in that perfect glowing place called heaven.

To Andrew, it was no big deal to give me that gift, since his mother made it, wrapped it, and handed it off to him. It's in a drawer somewhere. But that bunny. My humble bunny...I keep it displayed wherever I live. It reminds me every single day of how to live my life.

In Memory of Linda, on her birthday

Today would have been my best friend Linda's 42nd birthday. Instead of celebrating here on earth, however, she is rejoicing in heaven, and probably having one heck of a party! Linda was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic endometrial cancer on November 1, 2007. She had her first chemo treatment on her 40th birthday.

You can read her story here.

Linda died on October 2, 2008, 11 months and 1 day after her diagnosis. She was in hospice for only a few days. She WORKED up until about 3 months before she died. Linda was almost as bullheaded as me! Well, maybe even MORE so...I just ache with how much I miss her.

Linda was the kind of friend you get the privilege of knowing once in a lifetime. She was the kindest, most compassionate, most loyal, faithful friend anyone could ask for. She was beautiful inside and out. I always told her that God gave me her as kind of a big sister (although she ALWAYS told people she was younger than me, that stinker!)...My older sister, almost exactly Linda's age, was killed in a car accident when I was 16. She was 18. I didn't meet Linda until my early 20's, but we became fast friends. Linda didn't make friends very quickly, but when she did, you were a friend for life. Who knew that "life" would be such a short time?

While Linda could never replace my sister, God filled that void with Linda. And then when Linda passed, He gave me another wonderful friend in Joanna. Again, never replacing, just God's provision. (Love ya girl).

Before Linda died, while we were both trying to be very optimistic, we knew. And so we didn't waste time. I told her everything she meant to me. She did the same. In the 12 years that we were best friends, we had one stupid fight. One. We walked down memory lane, a lot. PLEASE do that with your friends and family NOW. Don't wait until one of you is on death's door to remember the good times.

If I could say anything to Linda, it would be how much I miss her. It's like learning to walk again with a prosthesis instead of your real leg. Or like losing part of you, and not quite knowing how to fix it...until you realize there is no fix. I will forever be changed by her death, but more importantly by her life. There is a part of my heart that will never be mended completely.

I still think, "O my GOSH I HAVE to call Linda!" when I see something scandalous on a show we both watched. I can't watch Rachael Ray because it's simply too painful. Linda got me hooked, and if I watch, I almost get angry that something so important to her can just go on like nothing ever happened. I don't know if that makes any sense at all.

I don't think a day goes by that I don't think of her. I still hurt. I still get angry. I still wonder why her. I want her back, but I know that she is so much better off. She is whole and happy and perfect, and will never feel pain again.

I love you Linda...I miss you so, so much. I know I will see you again someday, but in the meantime, it still just hurts. I can't wait til we can get all caught up again!!
Happy Birthday my sweet, sweet friend.

Spit.

No happy post from me today folks. Sometimes life is just crappy and unfair. Missing my niece's wedding. I feel like garbage, Doug is sick too now, and to add to the loveliness I dropped an 8 pounds can of peanut butter on my foot this morning.

I haven't even met my new nephew (Jessie's husband Daniel), and Jacob was supposed to be the ring bearer. Pi$$ed doesn't even begin to cover it.

Reality Bites

So this is what I get for trying to live a normal life. I feel like poo. Roadkill. Just plain yucky. Headache, a little bit of a sore throat, slight fever, chest congestion, cough. I've felt WORSE.... But I've also felt better, for sure.

Tomorrow is my niece's wedding, and Jacob is the ring bearer...so we could REALLY use some prayers!! For me that this is just a TINY big or NOTHING but over-doing it, and that I"ll be fine for the wedding romorrow, and for JACOB, that he will be a big boy and walk down the aisle WEARING his little tuxedo. We are missing the rehearsal tonight, so......PRAY! : )

Thanks.....

Pictures

Well, I have been requested to post some pics of my hubby's handiwork...Although I WILL take credit for all the straight, beautifully organized shelves... : ) He did all the hard stuff, as far as building, and I put everything where it was supposed to go...This big ol shelf Doug made a few years ago. It's in the kitchen, and used to hold all of our homemade canned goods.




This shelf has all my baking supplies and cook books, hot cocoa (Doug),coffee and tea.
Now on to the pantry....I can't explain how, but my husband used the legs from only 2 shelves, but the shelves from all 3 shelving units. The pantry was like 3 inches short, so he pulls a Frankenstein on the shelves, and viola...we exchanged a cube freezer for a chest freezer, and he still got everything to fit.


We took Every. Bloomin'. Thing. out of that pantry, and cleaned everything and put it all back in...but now it's SO purdy! I'm in OCD heaven. I can walk in and see everything we have...




OH, and before anyone calls the hoarding show....let's just say we're PREPARED. (for nuclear holocaust!) : ) But serioulsy...we do stock up when things are on sale, but the biggest problem before was not being able to find anything, so we bought whatever we thought we needed. Then, of course, while redoing all of this, we found the original (s). How else do you end up with 3 jars of honey and 3 boxes of corn starch??



The final project was the entertainment center. This used to have a huge hole in the middle for a 32" TV with the huge back end. (As opposed to the svelte LCD TV's now...)



You would never know that now! The new TV sits on top, and the stereo and new DVD player sit where the old TV used to be. Amazing. Told you I married McGuyver!!



Pretty slick! But I'm glad it's all DONE!!! Lots of work. I haven't completely recovered yet! But when I walk into my lovely kitchen, or perfect pantry...It's allll been worth it!!