So, at the constant urging of my oldest child, and the pretty consistent urging of the other two, added to the many friends that think I am a fool for not telling my story, I shall start this journey.. This is absolutely only the beginning.. Much of what I will add won't be my own words.. I love to share things that inspire me and this will be where I will do that.. My life has been blessed.. I will try to concentrate on that and leave the painful memories for the dusty archives of my heart..
Monday, October 19, 2009
Playing on the edge of an 8 story building..
The summer of 1969, when I was 10 years old, we moved to Kobe, Japan.. We lived on the top floor of an apartment building there.. The higher the floor, the bigger the apartments.. There were only four apartments on the 7th floor.. Plus we were on the end which meant we had windows on two sides.. Chuck was 16 and George was 15.. We used to go up on the roof and goof around.. There was a large area there, with a bunch of clothes lines... It was encased with plastic coated chain-link fencing.. I'm guessing that was to keep the wind from blowing the clothes off the line and off the building, and to keep the birds from roosting on the lines.. Needless to say, climbing on the top of that and flopping around was always a good time.. You could see over the edge of the building from there, and if we bounced too high, getting too close to the edge, you could just drop and latch your fingers into the fence to stop the bounce.. It wasn't long before my brothers came up with this really cool idea of swinging me by my arms and legs.. Not from the top of the cage, just on the roof top.. They would each grab an arm and a leg, and on the count of three they would turn completely around, spinning away from me, which would swing me in a 360 degree circle.. It was a total blast.. They tried every way there was, giving me a different swing every time.. We were like gears, with them spinning one way to get me spinning another way.. If I was on my stomach and they spun away from my feet, I would come back at the ground feet first, face down.. I didn't really care about the ones where I started on my back because quite honestly, they were boring.. My absolute favorite was face down, face first.. It was like doing a back dive that kept going.. Then we got the really great idea of getting as close to the edge of the roof as we could to do the back dive swing.. The roof had about a four foot metal fence around the edges.. I would flop down on my belly, with my feet just a few feet from the fence, and they would do the swing.. COOLEST THING EVER!!!! As I would be coming to the top of the swing, my face was to the sky, and then as I was in the backside of the swing, all I could see was ground, 8 stories below.. It's amazing how much trust I had in my brothers.. I knew they wouldn't let go.. We would do this until their arms got tired and they needed to rest.. It ALWAYS got the attention of the people down on the street.. They would point, gasp, holler, and just pretty much freak out.. We would wave like little circus idiots and do it again.. Stunts like that would eventually be shut down by authorities and our parents would probably be arrested if we tried it in this day and age.. We would also have some video proof of our really awesome trick.. It would absolutely be a YouTube sensation.. It never really occurred to us how insane and potentially dangerous it was.. All I know is that it was a whole lot of fun.. We lived in this building for a year before we moved to Tokyo.. Several months before we moved from Kobe, my mom came in my bedroom one night, acting all sneaky, telling me she needed me to help her with something and that we had to be quiet so we could sneak out of the apartment undetected.. Up to the roof we went.. When we got up there she went over to the side that our bedrooms were on and told me to come look.. I had one of the rooms and the boys shared the other one.. Both of these rooms had big box windows, which meant from the outside, there was a pretty deep ledge.. 12-18 inches at least.. The top of their window was full of alcohol bottles!! So, she told me to climb the fence, slide my legs back through the metal bars so she could tuck them under her arms, brace against the fence for leverage, and let me lean the upper half of my body over the edge so I could get to the bottles.. Now remember, we lived on the 7th floor, and I was on the roof above.. I was able to just reach the top of the bottles, and as I soon as I would grab one, I would twist and raise just enough to slide the bottles on the roof beside my mom.. I don't remember how many we wound up with but I remember both of us giggling like crazy at what we were doing.. She kept saying she wished she could be a fly on the wall when they finally got ready to sneak off with their stash, and it wasn't there!! I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to be scared to death when I bellied over the edge of that building.. Yes, my mother dangled me over the edge of a fairly tall building.. When I was ten years old.. No wonder I was such a little daredevil growing up.. I was always being put up to doing something.. As unbelievable as this story may sound, I assure you it's all true.. My brothers and my mom are still around to vouch for me.. Anybody that has ever had the opportunity to be around us at a BBQ or some other gathering has already heard all of this.. I can't help but beam like a Gold Medalist when they tell our story to somebody.. Especially someone that has already heard it from me.. They usually have this look of total disbelief, and amazement, at the fact that I wasn't exaggerating one bit.. Yep, it's official, my family is CRAZY.. And to think I ever wonder how I got this way!! Haha!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I Pray You Enough (Found this in an email)
She began to smile. 'That's a prayer that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I pray you enough,' we wanted the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.'
Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I pray you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I pray you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I pray you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I pray you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I pray you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
Then, she began to cry, and walked away.
They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them....
TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....
To all my friends and loved ones,
I PRAY YOU ENOUGH...... .
Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I pray you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I pray you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I pray you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I pray you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I pray you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I pray you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I pray you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
Then, she began to cry, and walked away.
They say, it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them....
TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....
To all my friends and loved ones,
I PRAY YOU ENOUGH...... .
Monday, September 28, 2009
Childbirth with Missy...My style... (Yes, I was pretty STOOPID)
Childbirth with Missy...My style... (Yes, I was pretty STOOPID)
Being pregnant was amazing, after I got done being sick.. I was totally fascinated with my belly and would watch the baby, rolling around and kicking, for hours on end.. I loved my fat little tummy.. I used to be incredibly impatient and as the weeks turned into months, I was ready to have my baby already.. Well, we all know you can't rush Mother Nature.. But then again, Mother Nature had never met me.. I never knew whether I was having a boy or girl until the Dr held the baby up and said, "You have a girl!".. With Missy, I was 3 1/2 weeks away from my due date when Dr Robinson informs me that I am only a few days away from going into labor.. Are you kidding me?? I was actually just days away from being a mommy?? Well, by all means lets get this show on the road.. With his warning to not waste a second if I thought there was any chance I was in labor, I went home.. Home was on the Douglas/Taney County line on Hwy 76.. If you are familiar at all with the area, you know how very far away I was from Springfield.. That was on Friday.. By Monday, I had waited nicely as long as I was going to.. So, I'm thinking that since I "understood" the dynamics of a pregnancy, that a soft jolt wouldn't hurt me or the baby.. (I can't believe I'm putting this out there for the world to read..) Anyway, I stood in the doorway of the bedroom, took a couple of long strides and launched myself like a rocket onto the bed.. It was a fairly easy launch and a pretty soft landing on my backside.. I bounced fairly gently, got up, and did it yet again.. One more time for luck and I settled down for the night.. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon on June 19th, 1979.. By lunch I'm noticing that my little tummy ache has a distinct pattern to it.. Like every 40 minutes.. I was sure I had plenty of time, if it was in fact labor, but I called my Dr just to make sure.. He tells me to get my butt up there.. RIGHT NOW!! That's hard to do when you are your only ride.. Haying and milking put me at the bottom of the importance list and I was on my own for just an hour maybe.. I mean my pains were pretty far apart.. I had plenty of time.. So, as I wait for Missy's dad to get home from work I decide to clean off the front seat so we could leave immediately.. As I leaned in the window of my car to get my keys, all hell broke loose.. I was talking to my mother-in-law as I was standing there and I just yelped.. My water had broken and I was immediately launched into hard labor.. By that, I mean that my pains were maybe 30-45 seconds apart at the most.. Even as I stood there with water puddling on the sidewalk, it still didn't make sense that this baby was going to be in that big of a hurry.. Wrong answer!! To be fair, we both thought I still had plenty of time and we knew that Missy's dad would be there very soon to take me.. She did not mean it the way it may have sounded, and when she said, "You picked a fine time to go into labor.", I totally understood what she meant.. The timing could not have been any worse.. If you have ever been on a dairy farm you understand how critical milking on time is.. If she had taken me, the cows would have been hours late being milked.. That can devastate a healthy herd for a while in a lot of very different ways.. So, she would run down to the barn, try to get the cows ready, then run back to the house to check on me.. She is not the bad guy here.. Just part of the story.. She never dreamed that this baby was not going to wait 30 minutes.. It didn't take very many minutes before I knew I didn't have that kind of time.. On her second trip back to the house I told her I had called my Aunt June, who lived about 20 minutes away, and that she was on her way to get me.. LaQuita loaded me in the truck and like a NASCAR racer (I'm not kidding one bit!) she flew up the hwy to meet her and pass me off.. Then the race was really on down 76 Hwy, headed toward GoodHope and Springfield.. We never even made it through GoodHope.. She stopped at a country store to call an ambulance.. Well, now we have to head toward Ava to meet them.. Halfway to Ava we meet up and I bailed out of her car, onto the cot, and we were off again.. Lights and sirens blaring, a detour to Mansfield, and a baby trying to be born in the back of that ambulance made for some very surreal moments.. All I can remember, aside from the absolute fear and unimaginable pain, is the massive chest on the lady taking care of me in the back.. All joking aside, she held me tight through every second of every pain, and I felt safe nestled in her breasts.. To this day, a hug from a big chested woman brings comfort.. Weird I know.. By now it has been almost two hours of this, and I have managed to NOT push, even though I was crowning.. I was too afraid to and determined to make it to the hospital....any hospital.. A flurry of activity was under way, and the instant they got me inside at Mansfield Tri-County, they were telling me to push.. I was telling them that one of my stirrups kept collapsing which they didn't seem to care much about.. It was kind of making me mad.. 20 minutes later, still fussing through relentless pain about the stirrup, I was told to push or have a C-section.. My choice.. A scare tactic that worked well.. Three pushes later and I watched as they turned the baby around to see what we had.. I had a girl!!! I actually had a girl!! I also had every family member waiting in Springfield for us to arrive.. Obviously that didn't happen.. My actions probably contributed to the scariest few hours of my life.. Not to mention how incredibly stupid they were.. And I wonder why Missy is so impatient.... DUH!!
Being pregnant was amazing, after I got done being sick.. I was totally fascinated with my belly and would watch the baby, rolling around and kicking, for hours on end.. I loved my fat little tummy.. I used to be incredibly impatient and as the weeks turned into months, I was ready to have my baby already.. Well, we all know you can't rush Mother Nature.. But then again, Mother Nature had never met me.. I never knew whether I was having a boy or girl until the Dr held the baby up and said, "You have a girl!".. With Missy, I was 3 1/2 weeks away from my due date when Dr Robinson informs me that I am only a few days away from going into labor.. Are you kidding me?? I was actually just days away from being a mommy?? Well, by all means lets get this show on the road.. With his warning to not waste a second if I thought there was any chance I was in labor, I went home.. Home was on the Douglas/Taney County line on Hwy 76.. If you are familiar at all with the area, you know how very far away I was from Springfield.. That was on Friday.. By Monday, I had waited nicely as long as I was going to.. So, I'm thinking that since I "understood" the dynamics of a pregnancy, that a soft jolt wouldn't hurt me or the baby.. (I can't believe I'm putting this out there for the world to read..) Anyway, I stood in the doorway of the bedroom, took a couple of long strides and launched myself like a rocket onto the bed.. It was a fairly easy launch and a pretty soft landing on my backside.. I bounced fairly gently, got up, and did it yet again.. One more time for luck and I settled down for the night.. Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon on June 19th, 1979.. By lunch I'm noticing that my little tummy ache has a distinct pattern to it.. Like every 40 minutes.. I was sure I had plenty of time, if it was in fact labor, but I called my Dr just to make sure.. He tells me to get my butt up there.. RIGHT NOW!! That's hard to do when you are your only ride.. Haying and milking put me at the bottom of the importance list and I was on my own for just an hour maybe.. I mean my pains were pretty far apart.. I had plenty of time.. So, as I wait for Missy's dad to get home from work I decide to clean off the front seat so we could leave immediately.. As I leaned in the window of my car to get my keys, all hell broke loose.. I was talking to my mother-in-law as I was standing there and I just yelped.. My water had broken and I was immediately launched into hard labor.. By that, I mean that my pains were maybe 30-45 seconds apart at the most.. Even as I stood there with water puddling on the sidewalk, it still didn't make sense that this baby was going to be in that big of a hurry.. Wrong answer!! To be fair, we both thought I still had plenty of time and we knew that Missy's dad would be there very soon to take me.. She did not mean it the way it may have sounded, and when she said, "You picked a fine time to go into labor.", I totally understood what she meant.. The timing could not have been any worse.. If you have ever been on a dairy farm you understand how critical milking on time is.. If she had taken me, the cows would have been hours late being milked.. That can devastate a healthy herd for a while in a lot of very different ways.. So, she would run down to the barn, try to get the cows ready, then run back to the house to check on me.. She is not the bad guy here.. Just part of the story.. She never dreamed that this baby was not going to wait 30 minutes.. It didn't take very many minutes before I knew I didn't have that kind of time.. On her second trip back to the house I told her I had called my Aunt June, who lived about 20 minutes away, and that she was on her way to get me.. LaQuita loaded me in the truck and like a NASCAR racer (I'm not kidding one bit!) she flew up the hwy to meet her and pass me off.. Then the race was really on down 76 Hwy, headed toward GoodHope and Springfield.. We never even made it through GoodHope.. She stopped at a country store to call an ambulance.. Well, now we have to head toward Ava to meet them.. Halfway to Ava we meet up and I bailed out of her car, onto the cot, and we were off again.. Lights and sirens blaring, a detour to Mansfield, and a baby trying to be born in the back of that ambulance made for some very surreal moments.. All I can remember, aside from the absolute fear and unimaginable pain, is the massive chest on the lady taking care of me in the back.. All joking aside, she held me tight through every second of every pain, and I felt safe nestled in her breasts.. To this day, a hug from a big chested woman brings comfort.. Weird I know.. By now it has been almost two hours of this, and I have managed to NOT push, even though I was crowning.. I was too afraid to and determined to make it to the hospital....any hospital.. A flurry of activity was under way, and the instant they got me inside at Mansfield Tri-County, they were telling me to push.. I was telling them that one of my stirrups kept collapsing which they didn't seem to care much about.. It was kind of making me mad.. 20 minutes later, still fussing through relentless pain about the stirrup, I was told to push or have a C-section.. My choice.. A scare tactic that worked well.. Three pushes later and I watched as they turned the baby around to see what we had.. I had a girl!!! I actually had a girl!! I also had every family member waiting in Springfield for us to arrive.. Obviously that didn't happen.. My actions probably contributed to the scariest few hours of my life.. Not to mention how incredibly stupid they were.. And I wonder why Missy is so impatient.... DUH!!
I Believe... Author Unknown
I Believe... (Don't know who wrote this but I love it!!)
I Believe...
A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
I Believe...
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
I Believe...
Pictures show that we lived!
I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love
each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love
each other.
I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if We understand that friends
change.
I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for
life.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the
last time you see them.
I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to
be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays
you've celebrated.
I Believe...
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you
have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for
your grief.
I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, But, we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change
your life Forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally
different.
I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't
even know you.
I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when
A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe...
That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in, I
just did.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything..
They just make the most of everything.
Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the
journey of life.
A Birth Certificate shows that we were born.
I Believe...
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
I Believe...
Pictures show that we lived!
I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love
each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love
each other.
I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if We understand that friends
change.
I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for
life.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the
last time you see them.
I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to
be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays
you've celebrated.
I Believe...
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you
have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for
your grief.
I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, But, we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change
your life Forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally
different.
I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't
even know you.
I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when
A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe...
That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in, I
just did.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything..
They just make the most of everything.
Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the
journey of life.
The 45 lessons life taught me.. By Regina Brett
The 45 lessons life taught me...
This is something we should all read at least once a week!
Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to
90 in August, so here is the column once more:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8.. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.
But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25 No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27 Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44.. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.
Tequila and Salt (Don't know the author)
This should probably be taped
to your bathroom mirror
where one could read it every day.
You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.
1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't
like you.
5.. Every night,
SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world
has turned its back on you
take another look.
11 Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.
And always remember....
when life hands you Lemons,
ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!
Good friends are like stars........
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway"
I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone.
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only
God keeps You Going
'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'
to your bathroom mirror
where one could read it every day.
You may not realize it,
but it's 100% true.
1. There are at least two people in this world
that you would die for.
2. At least 15 people in this world
love you in some way.
3. The only reason anyone would ever hate you
is because they want to
be just like you.
4. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone,
even if they don't
like you.
5.. Every night,
SOMEONE thinks about you
before they go to sleep.
6. You mean the world to someone.
7. You are special and unique.
8. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
9. When you make the biggest mistake ever,
something good comes from it.
10. When you think the world
has turned its back on you
take another look.
11 Always remember the compliments you received.
Forget about the rude remarks.
And always remember....
when life hands you Lemons,
ask for Tequila and Salt and call me over!
Good friends are like stars........
You don't always see them,
But you know they are always there.
"Whenever God Closes One Door He Always Opens Another, Even Though
Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway"
I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone.
Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only
God keeps You Going
'Worry looks around, sorry looks back, Faith looks up.'
Friday, September 25, 2009
Kimberlee Diann
Again, wow... Where do I even start?? Five weeks early, yet healthy.. Very difficult delivery for me.. Emergency C-Section brought you into this world.. It took me four days to name you.. You ended up being named after me, Grandma Jo, and Grandpa Spicer.. Complications made me very sick and kept us in the hospital for 18 days.. Probably some of the darkest days of my life defined your first year or two.. You were an amazing baby.. Just beautiful and so easy to take care of.. THANK GOD for my family.. You were surrounded by so much love.. I've spent years beating myself up over the guilt of not wanting to even have to be bothered with taking care of you.. I did what I had to and I had my moments of pure enjoyment at being a mommy.. Then the clouds would roll in and the darkness would take back over.. I understand now and forgiveness of my own mistakes still eludes me from time to time.. A very difficult delivery compiled with a major upheaval of our lives when you were five weeks old, were exactly the ingredients needed for a major postpartum depression.. How very heartbreaking that there wasn't a lot of support, or even recognition, of this very debilitating condition.. I had no idea what was wrong with me.. It took reading, "Down Came the Rain", by Brooke Shields, a few years ago before I could even accept that I wasn't a horrible person for how detached I had felt.. I experienced almost exactly the feelings she described, and finally, the healing has begun.. You were easily the best natured of the girls, well, until you hit about four years old.. It was then that you became known as Satan.. It was used lovingly, but it was a nickname none-the-less.. Away from home, you were absolutely everybody's favorite out of you three girls.. At home, you flourished on your ability to create chaos.. We could see it in your eyes when you were about to start stirring things up.. You were a feisty little thing and every single boy in the neighborhood was very afraid of you.. The fact that you could send them running over the hill for their lives, when all you had with you was a whiffle-ball bat, is testament to that.. It was also the reason they challenged you on a daily basis.. The words, "Bet you can't" or "I dare you!!" were all it took to get you to prove them wrong.. You were a daredevil anyway, but that just clinched the deal.. At Six Flags, when you were six, you stood on the front of my feet, just so you could be tall enough when they came around with the yardstick, to ride the roller coaster.. You screamed "NOOOO!!!!" the entire time, yet as soon as the ride was over you were ready to go again.. Matt Burns challenged you to a race on your bikes, down our hill, which you happily obliged.. You were winning, and looking back to make sure.. As soon as you turned back around you slammed into the back of the Waggoner's truck parked in the street.. The trip to the ER told us what we already knew.. Your nose was broken.. Then, right on the heels of that incident you accepted yet another challenge from Matt.. He bet you that you were too chicken to jump off the rails of his deck, over the bushes, to the ground below.. Which, being on the hill we lived on, was probably about a 10 ft fall.. Pffftttt!! Piece of cake.. That trip to the ER revealed a broken arm.. I think you might have been the one that put Missy and Matt on the skateboard (sitting) and sent them down the our driveway.. That trip to the ER revealed a severely sprained neck for her.. Stephanie swears you were the organizer of the events that resulted in her being locked in the bathroom, requiring her being rescued by Aunt Debbie.. You started you career at the ER when you were three, racing Brigette Hodges around their earth-home, and while looking back to make sure you were winning, you bit the dust.. That trip revealed a broken leg.. Those trips also put me under fire by hospital authorities, questioning your injuries.. The questions were put to rest when I allowed the witnesses/partners in crime to tell their version of the story.. You could not say your R's until fifth grade, and this blog would not be complete without quoting our all time favorite saying from you.. "Andy Pee-tohs.. I want a divohse!!" ("Andy Peters.. I want a divorce!!") That was in second grade.. When you were 13, you and Steven McKnabb started going steady.. That went back and forth for the next few years.. Even when you two weren't "together" he was always at the house, hanging out with everyone else.. He was so crazy about you that he gave up some very destructive behaviors.. His family credits his love for you as the reason they got their son back.. Then two weeks after his 16th birthday, on June 22, 1998, he was killed, trying to save his beautiful Canary Yellow '69 Firebird after it popped out of gear.. We all lost a very big part of our innocence that day when tragedy got right in our faces.. It "rained" on my cheeks for probably a year constantly.. I'm not sure how, because it wasn't any particular thing, but you changed as a result of that loss.. You were still a turd, could still create a commotion on a whim, but the really raw edge was gone.. You were, in fact, softer somehow.. Then three years later along comes Steven Robert, whom you named in honor of him.. You are the only child of mine to follow the motherhood path at this time.. The other two will eventually bless me with a few more grandbabies.. But for now, Steven and Emberlynn are more than enough.. Steph and I were just talking about how you have had her babies, and wondered which of her two sister's babies she would have.. Her first thought was probably Missy's and that they would be crybabies.. Then I said, "Or, you might have Kim's, since she had yours.." The few seconds of silence, followed by the gasp on the other end of the phone were priceless.. I'm still laughing at her.. That response pretty much sums you up.. You stand up for what you believe in, which I admire immensely, and I laughingly tell people you would fight a buzz saw running backwards.. The funniest part about that statement, is that I am not kidding!!
From Kim...
From Kim...
After an hour on the phone with my Momma I learned 2 things.... 1-it is ok to cry over a story you read the night beforehand and 2 that you can then laugh at the silliest things all in one conversation .... Oh the late night talks with that silly goon ... :) Love you so much Momma. — with Susan Spicer Mason.
Hey Mom..... you say "yes sweetheart " I say "hey ya know your the best, thank for always being there, for wiping my tears, for kissing my BooBoos lord knows I had severel. :) for holding my hand when I was scared and for pushing me when I didnt think I had any thing left. Thanks for always comming at the drop of a hat, rather its to get the kids or to come sit in silence cause I had a rough day, or getting a 2 am phone call just cause i needed to talk you never say Im tired or I was asleep you talk for hours if thats what i needed" I LOVE YOU MOMMY. THANK YOU FOR NEVER LOOSING FAITH IN ME OR REMINDING ME HOW STRONG I AM. Just thought u needed to know that. Love you.
Kisses from angels... Missy called tonight so her and Eric could pray with us for Kim.. Kim was in the tub so I put them on speakerphone, sat on the toilet next to the tub, and we bowed our heads as Eric started the prayer.. Missy finished it and we said Amen.. Kim and I raised our heads to look at each other and we were both bawling, which made us both start laughing.. Thank you Missy and Eric for the overwhelming peace your prayers brought.. We love you so much.. Kim has never had such an audience taking a bath!! I am so blessed.. Please, everybody, pray for my baby tomorrow.. I love you all SOOOOO much!! :)
Kim posted this... Too wonderful not to share.. I am so blessed... TISSUE ALERT!!!
Pay it Forward
by Kimberlee Dalton Hull on Friday, July 29, 2011 at 1:24pm
So I'm in Casey's in Ozark which use to be Quick Trip, getting a drink and candy bar and the old man in front of me is so confused on why he cant use his QT card to get gas anymore, he tells the clerk that's all he has besides 5 dollars and that wont get him to his wife at Cox and back home, so with a store full of people I start sobbing when he starts to tell his wife's condition and she probably wont make it much longer, so he says guess I wont get to see her today and walks out, I put my stuff down and told the clerk to put 40.00 dollars on that pump and I will take care of it, so she does and I walk out to him and tell him to get his gas that someone took care of it, he looked at me and said "my sweet dear you need to keep your money you probably have a family at home" I said yes sir I do and I promise they will be glad I did this, he said please give me your address so I can mail your money back and I refused told him to remember me if he ever saw me on the side of road, then he teared up and said I will never forget you young one, you are truly an angel and now I can see my love today.... Tear Tear cant stop crying. As he was leaving he had a sticker on back glass that said retired Navy, its so sad to me that the very people who got us here today cant even get gas and struggle like they do, I don't know why I was there today but I believe God put me there to help, and when all the others in the very packed store were so frustrated I told all of them right there you all ought to be ashamed at yourselves for being so mad over something so sad, they probably thought I was crazy because as I'm telling them that I am bawling. The women behind me looks at me and had the nerve to say "I work to hard for my money, your crazy for doing that" I didn't even has a response to that surprising I know. Will I ever see him again probably not, but will I ever forget him no I wont he touched my heart so deep and I really don't know who helped who today. God Bless all our troops.
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