This just in….

 

Last night, June 29, 2009, as Hannah M. was brushing her teeth, she lost her first tooth. The tooth popped out in her hand. I was the investigating reporter who had the opportunity to be on the scene as this event unfolded. Though, that is all to the event, it is a milestone in a child’s life, and a realization to her mother, that her “baby” is not so much of a baby anymore. She will always be my baby though.

This reporter happened to get some pictures to record the event.  Hannah will be visited by the Tooth Fairy tonight. More pictures to come….

 

Our world lost another celebrity last week, Farrah Fawcett. Farrah Fawcett died last Thursday morning at the age of sixty-two. She had had cancer for a long time. Ryan O’Neal said at her memorial service that he loved her with all of his heart and that he will miss her very much.  Her friends and family  said that she fought her battle with cancer with courage and very valiantly. I have always been a fan of hers as long as I can remember, but what I did not know about her was that she is a native Texan, having grown up in Corpus Christi, Texas (I am a Texan, just not a native one).

I watched Charlie’s Angels (I thought it was the original show at first, but most have been reruns) a lot as I was growing up and Farrah made that show.  She also played a great villain, as she could do play a variety of roles very well. I will never forget her as the villainess Diane Downs who killed one of her children, handicapped one of them for life, and emotionally scarred one of them also purposely in her car because the man in her life did not want children. She was a wonderful actress whether she was playing a crime fighter or a villainess.

Farrah, you will never be forgotten as a great actress and someone who was brave and strong during her fight with cancer.

One of the Charlie’s Angels is now with the angels.

 

Article Source: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20240288,00.html

is now among the stars.  Ed McMahon died early last Tuesday morning at the age of eighty-six.  I will never forget him on Star Search as the host. Star search had amateur artists (such as comedians and singers) and helped them get noticed. It was like the American Idol of my generation. Ed McMahon had a spokesmodel that was on his show though and people did not call in and vote for people, the audience voted for their favorite and that who won that round and the other person went home. Ed added a lot to the show and I could not imagine anyone else hosting the show. In one of the articles I read, I read that his publicist said that he had a multitude of health problems over the past few months. Another article I read said he had bone cancer. No matter what his cause of death, he was an icon in the entertainment world. He hosted Star Search, was well known for his Publisher’s Clearing House commercials, and was on the Johnny Carson show for thirty years as his sidekick with his favorite “Here’s Johnny………….” famous statement.

Ed Mcmahon, you will never be forgotten. I have many memories of my sister and I watching Star Search as we grew up. We loved Star Search and did  not like when we had to miss it. Thank you for all you did during your life and rest in peace.

The Star of Star Search is truly a star now as he is among the stars in the sky.

Article Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=7905781

Five years ago (this week, 3 days ago to be exact) my father-in-law passed away. He had a sudden heart attack and collapsed to the ground when he was walking back to the car after getting the mail. It was believed that he was dead before he hit the ground, which in a way is a relief, because his wrist was broken when he hit the ground.

I will never forget the day he died. It was June 24, 2004. My brother-in-law H called when we were about to pay bills. I remember my husband saying what and repeatedly saying no way. He then told me that his father had died of a heart attack. I was shocked to say the least. He went and told his work what happened and I had one hour to pack clothes for four people and for us to get on the road.

We stayed with my brother and sister-in-law A and B, but of course, we spent most of our time with my mother-in-law. We tried to do all we can to lighten the load for her while we were there for that week. Thankfully, he was able to be buried in a veteran’s ceremony which helped lighten the load for my mother-in-law and also one of my brother-in-laws helped pay for what was not covered because my father-in-law was a veteran.

A lot of people came to his viewing. People he used to work with, family, and friends. He looked so peaceful, almost like he was sleeping. He really did look he was sleeping and that he would would wake up when he was done sleeping, even though I knew better.

The day of his funeral it rained, especially after we got to Grand Prairie for his service. Therefore, we could not have the service graveside. It was a nice but short service and was a perfect way to honor my father-in-law. Taps was played, and my mother-in-law was given a folded up American flag. My sister-in-law M had written a poem about my father-in-law and she read it.

We then went to her house for dinner. It was a good brisket dinner and there was a lot of people there. After the dinner and the house had cleared out, we went back to my mother-in-laws house. It was a sad time, but we pulled together as a family and did the best we could.

It is now five years and three days later. He has not been forgotten and never will. I called my mother-in-law on that day to tell her that I remembered what day it is and that he would never be forgotten. She later told my husband that she was glad that I called that day and that she cried that day also.

Being that he died only about a year and a half after my husband and I got married, I did not get to know him very well. I will never forget one conversation we had about a movie. He knew every fact about that movie from the director to everything about every actor and actress that was in it. Though I did not get to know him well, I am very grateful to him for my husband because if it were not for him (and my mother-in-law of course), he would not be here today and we would have never met and 3 and 1/2 years later, got married. Hannah would not be here also.

Thank you father-in-law, thank you for everything. Thank you for my husband and for the man he is today. You will always be loved and missed and never forgotten.

As a lot of my friends and family know, my Grandma Ginny passed away on February 10th of this year. It was devastating to me and I am still grieving the loss of my wonderful grandma and I miss her a lot. She was a wonderful grandma with a lot of love in her heart for her family and friends and a love for life as well. From the first memory of her to the last, she was always enjoying life. She loved to travel, help people, and serve her Lord and Savior. She loved her children and grandchildren very much.

My family and I did not get to see her as much as we would like because for many years she lived in Pennsylvania, but I always loved when she came to visit us or we got to go to her house. She had toys we did not have and could not find. She lived in a nice quiet neighborhood and had a cat named Morris and had neighbors that had peacocks.

A few years ago, she found out that she had cancer. She may have had cancer, but it did not have her. She fought it with all that she had. She traveled to New York and Germany for treatment. She had a healthy diet, exercised, and took vitamins. She was a member of the Red Hat Club and a church. She traveled a lot with friends and family. She took great care of her home. The one time I got to see it, it was beautiful and well cared for.

The last time I saw her was in October of 2004 when my family and I and my sister and her family met up with the rest of our family in Florida for my grandpa’s (my dad’s father) 80th birthday. She took my family and I to a picnic at a public beach, came to my grandpa’s 80th birthday party, and had my family over for lunch so we could spend time with her and my sister and her family (I had not seen my sister since 1998 except for a few minutes). She was a great cook and made the best banana pudding I have ever had.

As I mentioned, that was the last time I saw her in person. We did talk on the phone when I could find her at home and we sent letters and cards to each other. I truly wish I could have seen her again in person, but it just did not get to happen.

I got the news that she died the afternoon in the afternoon of February 10th. She died early that morning. My sister called me and told me. I will never forget that phone call. My husband and I had gone to Target to get him a keyboard for his computer. As soon as we walked in, we saw my mother-in-law was on  the telephone and told me to sit down right away. I sat and she  handed me the telephone. My sister was on the other end and she was in tears. I asked her what what was wrong and she told me the only two words she could get out “Grandma Ginny” and I said “When?” She told me what time she died and that she was in the hospice center. After sharing some tears, I got many telephone calls and a few emails with my grandma (my dad’s mom) and my aunt K, it had been set up  for my sister and I to fly up the next morning and stay with my grandparent’s (my dad’s parents). It would be a whirlwind trip, but one I am very glad that I made.

The morning I flew from Dallas to Florida there were two plane crashes. That may not be a big deal to some, but I already have a big fear of flying and did not want to hear about plane crashes. The flight from Dallas to Atlanta was uneventful as far as any chaos. I will never forget a lady I met on the plane that was sitting right next to me. She told me she was traveling to visit her daughter before she went to Iraq to serve our country. I told her to tell her daughter thank you for serving our country. I told her why I was traveling and showed her pictures of Grandma Ginny. She told me something I will never forget. She told me that “That is just a longer distance to go to get a hug.”  I will get my hug from my Grandma when I get to Heaven and she will get her hug from her daughter after she gets back from Iraq. It is just a longer time and a longer wait for us to get a hug from our loved ones. I will never forget that lady and her wisdom and good nature. There was also a couple also the aisle from me  who asked to see Grandma Ginny’s picture and asked me if she had accepted Jesus Christ as her savior and had I and I told them that yes we both did and they were so great to reassure me that she is in Heaven and that I will see her again. I will probably never see them again on this earth, but I will never ever forget them. The rest of the flight was nice and smooth and not dramatic, at least until I got to Atlanta.

Once I got to Atlanta, I quickly got on a train and went to my gate. I find out that my plane was having maintenance issues (this happening on a day when two planes had already crashed) so I was more than glad that they did not have myself and my fellow passengers board a plane that had maintenance issues. They finally got us another plane and we were on our way to Florida. Once I landed in Florida, I was on my way to baggage claim and before I got there, I found my sister and my grandma (my dad’s mom) and they told me my aunt and uncle, another one of my uncles, and one of my cousins and their wife was waiting for us at my grandmas house. We had a good dinner of KFC chicken, biscuits, sides, and key lime pie for dessert.  I had not seen them since 1999 and my other uncle I had not seen for many years before that. I was so glad to see all of them again, especially my sister who is my best friend in the whole world. I was so glad that I got to see her last year for my grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary in Indiana. We had a nice dinner and a nice visit.

Saturday morning my grandma went to mass while my sister and I were having breakfast. That afternoon, our uncle M and aunt R came for lunch. We had a good lunch and took pictures outside in my grandparent’s backyard. After lunch and after aunt R and Uncle M left, we played Euchre (a card game) and my sister and grandma beat my grandpa and I. Then we changed for the memorial service and we got there early. We met in a room at the church as a family so we could walk in together. It was a beautiful service and  a great way to honor my grandma.

My cousin C spoke of when he went to visit her in New York. He said they went to Central Park and she knew all the bus routes, probably because she had traveled along of them. He said she was always on the go.  My cousins C and M also read these poems about her:

 I Do Not Go Alone

If death should beckon me with outstretched hand
And whisper softly of “An Unknown Land.”
I shall not be afraid to go,
For though the path I do not know,
I take Death’s Hand without a fear
For He who safely brought me here
Will also take me safely back
And though in many things I lack
He will not let me go alone
Into the “Valley That’s Unknown.”
So I reach out and take Death’s hand
And journey to the “Promised Land.”

–Helen Steiner Rice

 This Day is Mine to Mar or Make

 This day is mine to mar or make,

God keep me strong and true;

Let me no erring by path take,

No doubtful action do.

Grant me when the setting sun

This fleeting day shall end,

I may rejoice o’er something done,

Be richer by a friend.

Let all I meet along the way,

Speak well of me to-night.

I would not have the humblest say,

I hurt him by the slight.

Let there be something true and fine

When not slips down to tell

That I lived this day of mine

Not selfishly, but well.

 Anonymous

Her pastor also told of how much they love her and how she always had a smile on her face. He told of how involved she was in her church and loved to help and serve people.  Amazing Grace was sung as a group and How Great Thou Art was sung as a solo.

These verses were also read:

John 14: 1-10

 

 

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

 ¹“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

 ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 ⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

 ⁸Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

 ⁹Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

 Source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=31&search=John%2014:1-10

Proverbs 31 was also used to describe her

¹ The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle ^[a] his mother taught him:

 ² “O my son, O son of my womb,
       O son of my vows, ^[b]

 ³ do not spend your strength on women,
       your vigor on those who ruin kings.

 ⁴ “It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
       not for kings to drink wine,
       not for rulers to crave beer,

 ⁵ lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
       and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

 ⁶ Give beer to those who are perishing,
       wine to those who are in anguish;

 ⁷ let them drink and forget their poverty
       and remember their misery no more.

 ⁸ “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
       for the rights of all who are destitute.

 ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;
       defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
       Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

 ^{10 [c]} A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

 ¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

 ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

 ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

 ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

 ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

 ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

 ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

 ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

 ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

 ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

 ²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all.”

 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Source: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2031;&version=31;

That night, my aunt and uncle, my uncle and his girlfriend, C and his wife L, my cousin M, and my sister and I went to my grandmas favorite restaurant, an Italian restaurant named Primo’s to honor my grandma. We went back to my grandma’s house after that and took pictures and my aunt gave my sister and I pictures of my grandma and we both got to choose two of her purses and we split up the toys my grandma had. It was too quickly time to because my grandparents wanted us to go to their home so they could go to bed. I cried when I left my cousins and aunt and uncles behind. I did not want to leave them yet, but on  a positive note, we are planning a family reunion for next year. I had to fly home in the morning, but my sister had an evening flight so she got to go out with my family for brunch.

Grandma Ginny, I love you and I will never forget you. You were a great example of love for your family and friends. You loved life and people, and they like myself, still love you. When the day is rough and long, I look at the picture of you on my dresser and remember that you smiled and remained tough even when life was very hard for you. You fought a good fight against cancer, and as I mentioned, you had cancer, cancer did not have you. I will never ever forget and I love and miss you so very much. On tough days, I will do my best to keep moving on with a smile on my face just like you did. I love you grandma and I know I will see you in  Heaven again.

A lot of people say that there is nothing but bad stuff on television today. I saw a rerun of Family Matters tonight and it is one of my favorite episodes of Family Matters, along with the one where Steve stays up all night in a landfill on Christmas Eve looking for Laura’s doll that she has had since she was a little girl that accidently got thrown away. On this episode tonight, Steve Erkel is tortured by a young man and his friends. He doesn’t see the young man for a while and finds out that he has leukemia. He then gets a blood marrow drive going, a donor is found for the young man, and that the end of the show the young man asks Erkel why he did it after how he treated him. Erkel told him it was about more than pranks, it was about saving his life. At the end of the show, the young man takes Erkel to the table he eats at and is going to buy him lunch.

On the show, Steve Erkel is often annoying and clumsy. He breaks things at the Winslow’s house on a regular basis and says his famous line “Did I do that?” No matter how irritating he can be, he is always there for his peers and the Winslow family.  He drove Laura cross country when she missed the bus to her cheerleading competition. He saved Carl’s life by giving him CPR when he became unconscious. He loaned Eddie money. Despite his annoyance, he had a good heart. We all could learn a lot from him and the way he treated people. If there were more people like him on this earth, the world would be a better place.

thankfully is not. Today, along with being Father’s Day would have been the sixteenth anniversary of my ex and I. There are times when I still feel anger at him (especially when it comes to our daughter, but that is another issue), and have had a lot of self-esteem issues in the past because the person who said he would love me forever, did the exact opposite in so many ways. I will never like him or trust him, because of all he has done, but as I was thinking about what today is and how I could possibly be stuck in that marriage where he did not truly love me and did a lot of bad things to me, I actually owe him a thank you. I can thank him for truly showing me that he was not the one for me (though some of the things he did were totally unnecessary and were just WRONG) and for filing for our divorce (which saved me from paying for it and was actually the best thing that could have been done) because if we had stayed together, I may have never gotten together with my wonderful husband Wade who is the love of my life and never had Hannah.  It took me a long time to be able to say that and I still get mad and have nightmares about you  and still have healing to do, but I have come a long way over the years. So, thank you my ex for showing me you were not the one for me.  I am now with the one for me and our beautiful daughter.

A two year old girl nicknamed “Baby Grace” was found last year in Galveston Bay in a storage container. Her mother confessed to ”discliping” her daughter but says her husband was actually the one who killed her. Her real name is Riley Sawyer. Well, she can rest in peace because one of the people who did this to her just got life in prison without parole. Her husband will be on trial later.

Riley, I am so sorry that the people that were supposed to love you and care about you more than anyone on earth did this to you. I know you are with Jesus in Heaven and he is loving you and you do not hurt anymore and you are not sad anymore. Rest in Peace sweet child.

 

Last Monday, my friends at Online Christian Parents suffered a huge loss. Our friend, Renee P. died from breast cancer. We are heartbroken for her four-year-old son, ten-year-old daughter, her husband, family, and friends. She was a sweet, caring, and beautiful person inside and out. We all miss her very much. She was a blessing to us and did a great ministry at Online Christian Parents.  To Renee’s husband and kids, family, and friends, we are praying for you.

Renee, thank you for everything you did for Online Christian Parents. I wish I had gotten to know you better while you were still with us, but I do look forward to seeing you in Heaven.  We will always miss you and you will never be forgotten. I wrote these poems for you. I hope you like them.

 

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer can sicken our family and friends,
those we love,
and those we depend on.

Cancer can take some of them away,
from being in our lives everyday.
But there is so much it can’t do.

It can’t take away our memories,
or, that in our hearts, they will always be.

It can take away family and friends,
and make it to where our hearts have to mend.

It can’t end friendships and break up families,
because, we know one day in Heaven,
again them we will see.

Cancer can try to upset,
all that is good in our lives with our loved ones,
but that is something we won’t let happen.

Cancer, you may think you have the victory,
but the victory is already inside of us,
in our hearts and minds it will always be.

It will be there when we pray,
for our sick friends and families.
It will be there on the days when we have to say
goodbye to them.

It will be there when we are holding the hands of,
the sick friends and family that we love.

Cancer, you may think you have won,
but, someday, your victory will be done.

Someday we will live in a cancer free world,
and all that you have done,
will just be a memory.

Cancer can temporarily take away,
our friends and families,
but it doesn’t think about the day,
when it won’t any longer be in the way,
it will no longer have a say.

Cancer will no longer be a worry,
it will be a memory.
When we are in heaven,
we will live in happiness and joy,
on that blessed and happy day,
that we will someday see.

Renee’s Legacy

There is so much sadness in our hearts,
for our friend Renee,
had to part from this earth.
It makes us very sad to part,
with such a dear friend,
a lovely and strong lady,
someone we have loved right from the start.

Less than a year ago,
it came to be known
that she had cancer,
but she stayed so strong and wonderful,
this we know. She did not let it get in the way of her life,
as an employee, friend, mother, and wife.
She stayed as strong as she could be,
and that is something we all could see.
Her body could not fight anymore,
so she went to Heaven,
to be with Jesus forevermore.
Shock, anger, and sadness are our feelings,
from this tragedy, we are still reeling.
We know that she is no longer in pain,
but our hearts do,
and that is so true.

Our hearts break for her friends and family,
who must be without their dear sweet Renee.
Renee, you left behind such a legacy,
your friendship, love, and support,
with us, will always be.
Your friends and family will always have in their hearts,
the love and joy you gave them from the start.

Until we see you in Heaven our friend,
our prayers for your friends and family we send.
We know you are with our Lord and Savior Jesus,
and that is a blessing to us,
because we know you in Heaven,
one day we will see,
and through our grief,
and on that day,
how very happy we will be.

 

 

 

Hugs and Kisses to Heaven (In Memory of Renee)

This is one of the poems I wrote in honor of Renee.

My daughter loves to send,
kisses up to my friend,
in Heaven for her to get,
because she recently joined Jesus there,
our dear, sweet Renee,
that we will always care about.

She likes to send her hugs too,
and that is so true.
Every day she sends a prayer,
to let Renee know she cares.
She hopes Renee likes the prayers,
when her she asks God to take care of,
Renee in heaven and give her lots of love.

But also to care for and love,
the ones she left behind,
the ones who must find,
a way through the sadness and grief,
and in Jesus believe,
that in Heaven one day they will be,
and, again, Renee will see.

She knows she didn’t get to see,
Renee on earth, like we all wished it could be,
for all of us too,
but she knows when she gets to Heaven,
to be with Jesus and many others too,
and look at Jesus and our loved ones faces,
and that is so true.

 

 

There is a cat that lives in my mother in laws garage named Broken Tail because the tip of her tail looks like it had been broken. Anyways, she had kittens a few months ago and now she is pregnant again. That is why I call her Mama Cat.  A few weeks ago, one of my sister-in-laws took all but one of her kittens to live with her mother. The other kitten, one of my brother-in-laws and his live-in girlfriend took it in. Ever since my sister-in-law took the kittens to her mom, she cries at the back door for her kittens, especially at night.

I can feel her pain. I lost two of my daughters, one because of my ex and on because of his mother.  I miss them a lot and love them very much. There are times when I cry for them because I do miss them so much. That is normal for a mom to cry for the loss of her children. So, Mama Cat, I feel your pain.