Happy Mother's Day to Me......

The best part of Mother's Day?.....

grandbabies!

Which of course you would not have if you did not have children in the first place.

Yes, my children I love you with all of my heart but my reward for being a mom is your offspring!

Mandy is spending Mother's Day in Paris reuniting with her husband after 6 months.  It is a much needed reprieve for both...and a gift for the grandmothers.  We get to spend our next five days loving these babies.  

It comes with work....

water spilled all over the table at IHOP, less than a restful nights sleep, toys everywhere, and CHAOS!

But when you wake up in the morning with little arms wrapped around your neck and tons of hugs and kisses the rest does not matter.

I count my blessings daily and when I do I start with these babies!

Happy Mother's Day to ME!!!!

Corked!......

I has been two months in the making. 

 Well, actually it has been a year and a half if you count the time the equipment sat in the box in the closet....but, now it is brewed and corked!!

This is Jimmy's first attempt at homemade wine and in a months time we will know if it is a win or if we will join the brothers of Duck Dynasty when they sampled their first bottle of their homemade brew and declared it has the same flavor as deer urine (I have only seen one episode of the show and I was lucky enough to catch that one...uuugh).

I have observed the whole process from the doorway and I have a new found respect for those that brew.  It is bottle to bucket and back again multiple times.  It is add wood chips, spice, and yeast...and hope for the best.

 It is wash and sanitize. 

And finally bottle!!!!

We now have 30 bottles of Shiraz in the closet...fermenting.

I am not sure why we have a shiraz since the family drinks cabs and pinots but that was the choice.  

I am also not sure how we are going to label this incredible brew or how we will celebrate the uncorking of bottle one.

We have a month for the big decisions....it matters.  I could be the answer to supplementing our retirement fund....

BREW BIG!

Gearin' Up.....

I have not seen these shoes in a year.

  I seriously had to hunt through the mess on the floor of my closet to locate them...because it is time!

It is time to pretend like I enjoy exercise.  No, I don't walk, ride a stationary bike, jump rope, or do aerobics.  Surely I need to but other things call my name.

So, why the sudden need to get fit?

It is time for "Carry the Load".

I have exactly three weeks to make my body think fitness matters because I have a goal this year.

Last year I made it just short of 7 miles.  It was awful!  I was not prepared.  I did it because when you see people with artificial limbs, people in their 80's, young men in wheel chairs, and firemen in  full gear with firehoses hanging over their shoulder making the trek, you push yourself beyond what is comfortable.

 This year I am making 14 miles my goal.  That is two full laps of the course.  I am not taking this on in one long walk.  I plan to do the first and last lap.  I can do it.  It is not supposed to be easy.  It is supposed to be hard.  It is hard as a public servant be it military, firemen, or policemen to face what is in front of you everyday.  It is hard as a parent, wife, child, brother, or sister to lose a loved one because of the commitment that loved one made.  I know.  My family all knows.  

To join with so many others that understand the sacrifice and are willing to give up their weekend to walk, share stories,  and hugs is an honor.

 One of my proudest parent moments was the end of the walk in 2012 when Drew crossed the finish line with Steven Holley carrying 20 lbs. of weight and completing 42 miles.  It was a mission for him and still is.  He was the catalyst that drove us all to come out. Now our whole family is involved.  

It matters.

We are missing one of our links this year.  

Tim will be walking with us but he will cover his distance across the ocean in Africa.  We will still be together in spirit and we will be remembering...

because that is what Memorial Day is about.
It is about "Carrying the Load".

Happy May Day......

Happy May 1st!  It is May Day and to be perfectly honest I am not sure why I even thought of this today...except it is a beautiful day and I thought it called for taking the morning off to sit and do nothing.  My intent is to soak in the beauty of today for as long as I can get away with it (other things looming in the distance that will need to be addressed sometime today...but not now!).  It is now noon and I am on the patio, teeth not brushed, and still in my pajamas, which is how I took Sara to work today.  Do not judge...it is May Day!  I am doing this totally guilt free!

Kids used to look forward to today because it meant May baskets and dancing around the Maypole.  Being raised in a Catholic school, today meant crowning the Virgin Mary in the courtyard.  I can actually still remember the song we sang as we put those flowers on the top of that statue.  The highlight of your grade school year had to be chosen to be the one to get assigned that task.  I loved that day.  I know they still do it in parochial schools.  I was at church last year on May 1st.  

Just a huge moment of deja vu. 

Today, I have declared another holiday....I do that often.

My gardenias are blooming!  I love gardenias about as much as peonies.  

They also take me back in time to the smells in my years growing up.  

Our front flower bed was full of gardenias.  I loved to sit outside and smell them at night.  I must have had a need for outside and the beauty of flowers even when I was young.  

As soon as my plants begin to bloom, I know all is right with the world!

Today I have started a new book, had two cups of coffee, browsed through some blogs on my computer and read what is new on Facebook.  I have a sink full of dishes, sheets to wash, and a floor to mop due to a bowl of cooked rice falling all over it two days ago. Jimmy is due home from work in 30 minutes so I am going to get up from my spot on this lawn chair soon....maybe.

But...for a few more minutes I am going to look at the this tray on our outdoor mantle and think how appropriate it is today and be EVER SO THANKFUL for the chance to savor the morning...after all it is May Day!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Ask and You Shall Receive.......

Sometimes I think you better be careful what you wish for...or ask for!

When Tim sent out an APB for the supplies they were requesting to serve the orphanage in Djibouti, little did he know that...

"Ask and you shall receive" would become the tagline.

A family wide operation began to fill the request on the list that was sent.

Mandy and her family sent out the word and mailed many packages that way.

Our family and friends sent another  large load.

And finally a request to the Women's Guild at church to select this for our April charity filled the trunk of my car, the backseat, the floorboards, and what room there was in the front seat.

It was a simple suggestion...."maybe we could send some things off this list to those who are in great need in another country". No questions asked, just supplies given with a generous heart.

Tim has 15 large boxes in his possession right now with about another fourteen headed his way.

This will make a difference.  There is a HUGE need.  And in addition to the supplies needed for the children, there is a need for those in the military to get away from the stress and the loneliness faced each day and go share some fun with those so less fortunate.  It is a win/win for all.

Maybe the hugs from those precious babies over there will make up for the hugs they are missing from their own babies during the year that they serve.

I have to say I am now on a first name basis with the clerks in three different post offices.  Mailing overseas is a time consuming process.  There are customs forms to be filled out and packages to be weighed, measured and marked.  In order not to cause those standing behind me in line to riot, I have tried to be kind and only take in about three boxes at a time.  A little more work on my end but it saves all from experiencing "postal rage" in the confined space of post office and it's satellite offices. 

I have been truly overwhelmed at the generosity and giving spirit of so very many people.  At this time of the year when we are experiencing Easter, spring, and renewal in every corner of our lives it is especially touching.  We all have so very much, so much more than we really need....but sometimes it takes a project like this to remind ourselves how great it feels to give.  What a wonderful feeling that is.

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

1 Chronicles 29:17

Here Comes Peter Cottontail......

And the rest of the family because it is Easter and we love getting together when it is time to celebrate a holiday!

 Sadly, I remember hiding eggs for these girls and watching them fill their baskets..like yesterday :(

Now they are hiding the eggs for another generation of babies....

and I really don't think I got any older so how exactly did this happen?

 I really have no verbiage for these pictures of my "girls".  I just want to look back someday and remember  their little faces because sadly like my nieces above they will be big faces way to soon.

 So, enough of the mushy.  If you think four little kids are going to wait to long after dinner is finished to get out and hunt eggs, well you have forgotten your childhood!  Packing up leftovers will have to take a back seat for now because there were four little kids waiting with Easter baskets in hand!

 What's wrong with this picture?  

Actually nothing but it would be much nicer if we had the WHOLE family in it.  

Next year we will have Tim home and hopefully the Bergeson's (all six of them) back in Texas where they belong!  We are lucky to be able to get together and to all enjoy each others company.  We laugh and tell stories and maybe have a few too many glasses of wine, but we are family and that is what holidays are about!

 And just as an added bonus...

Texas bluebonnets in full bloom for a perfectly beautiful Easter Day.

"Uncle Drew, jumping in that pool with all my clothes on was not the best idea I ever had.  If you don't mind maybe you could just not tell my daddy what I did."

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love,  joy,  peace,  patience,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  and gentleness"

                                 Galatians 5:22-23

Not So Typical Tuesday.....

Typically...yes typically, Tuesday is sort of my day of rest.  I try not to overload my day so I can practice my period of "pause" that somehow always gets lost over the weekend.  So, how did this day get so off  course?  It started with a 6:00 a.m. alarm because I am making the effort to get to church everyday during Holy Week.  Since I was a total Facebook fail as far as Lenten sacrifices go, I decided this last week that to make up for it I would commit myself to the biggest sacrifice I can make....getting out of bed in the morning.  Maybe if I make myself wake up when I really hate it, I can make up for everything else I failed at.  

After mass, an extra Meals on Wheels Day.  I won't go into a lengthy narrative on why I am delivering on the wrong day, but suffice it to say that I already had way to much to do today so I did not arrive at my pick up spot with my cheerful face on.  Lesson number one on this crazy day.  The day when your heart is least in to your obligation is the day it touches you the most.  I was dreading it because I have so much to get done before Easter....but guess what I realized as I told each of them Happy Easter.  They probably won't even have one....an Easter that is.  They won't have anything but an ordinary Sunday because all of these people are so isolated and not even Meals on Wheels delivers on Sunday.  Lesson number two...count my blessings.

Midway through delivery the phone rings....Sara forgot to take her lunch to work and her lunchtime was in thirty minutes.  Time enough to stop and go get her lunch and take it to her and then resume deliveries.  Patience please!!!  

All I was wanting at this point was to grab a diet coke and continue on to the next stop.  No, I did not cave!!  Surprised even myself on this one!  Lesson number three...will power does work.  

It was now noon and before my 1:00 hair appointment I managed to reward myself with a trip to the garden center at Lowes because I have a secret!  Every Tuesday the garden truck comes and brings new plants and they put the older plants on a clearance rack.  I am in heaven...flowers at a discount (a big discount)!  Lesson number four....it is the little things!!!

Haircut done and home to plant!  

I love my yard.  It is my happy place.  I can sit and look at the flowers and soak up the sunshine and count my blessings.  After delivering my meals I realize how many blessings I have.

Time to type up a few letters to scholarship applicants, grab a sandwich and head out the door to a ball game.

I love the ballpark.  Some of my best friends and best memories were made at the ballpark many years ago.  A repeat performance is nothing but good.  

Guess it was not such a terrible Tuesday.

FAITH.....

Today is Palm Sunday.

This is the official start to Holy Week.  

It saddens me to know how many years I let this time slip by me not totally involving myself in the magnitude of the meaning of this week.  I had the knowledge, I think.  I was educated in Catholic schools.  Maybe I daydreamed through all of my religious education, maybe I forgot it, or maybe I just missed the impact of it all somehow.  

Friday night I went to a living portrayal of the Stations of the Cross by the eighth grade students at school.  It was a representation of the Stations unlike anything I have ever seen.  These kids get it.  Thirteen year olds tend to not want to share such deep feelings in Christ publicly.  Not these kids.  They were strong and unintimidated as they shared the journey of Christ to His crucifixion.  They congregation was in total awe.

This week changed the history of Christianity.  We have been told that life is a journey, not a destination.  I think the opposite is true.  I believe life is a destination, and that destination is eternal life with the Lord.  It is how we navigate that journey that determines our destination.
That destination that we all hope for...heaven...is possible only because of this week.
Christ arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to celebrate the Passover and was hailed as a King.  Our King was subsequently arrested, sentenced to death, crucified, died, and was buried....all for our sins. His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday insured our ability to join with Him in heaven.
It is a week filled with emotion, sadness, thanksgiving and a wide range of other feelings.  It is mostly a time of gratitude for the gift we have been given.

"God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life."

John 3:16

"........In the world you will have trouble, but take courage.  I have conquered the world"
John 16 :33

Missing Them......

While I am busy guiding youth to become more academically fit, I am missing these precious faces and the fun we have when we play.

They are really a lot more fun and their hugs win every time!

Back To The Work World......

 Three days in a row!

Yes, I got sucked into three days of 5:00 a.m. alarms and packing my lunch.....

to cover for one of my very favorite teachers.

I can do that!

 Have I mentioned that being a retired teacher is the best?

I can simply decide that I want to work a day or two, pick a job that appeals to me and go.  Where else can you get that amazing opportunity and get paid to do it?

I love chalk, and pencils, and staple pullers!  But, I only love them on my own schedule.
I love reconnecting with former co-workers and catching up on the latest trends in adolescent lingo.

I love an occasional extra paycheck, which I spent the day before I even woke up and went to earn it! 

 It was a good day.  But a good day that begins at 5:00 a.m. requires a two hour nap to recover.  It means that my 8 hour day with 45 minutes for travel and a 2 hour nap becomes pretty long.  

Now I have laundry and dinner and picking out my school clothes and packing my lunch for day #2.

Does it sound like a complaint? Not really....because tomorrow when I finish my bulletin board assignment I think I will take a good book and read, and hope no one discovers that there are no kids in my classroom!
Sounds like a day that will end with a big happy face to me!