Four Down

Four down and eight more to go. But who's counting???

Moving Days

Last weekend Ron and I spent several days with Jennifer (while Rob was out of town) helping her move more items from the old homeplace to the new homeplace. They have a lovely house that they are turning in a warm and beautiful home for three little boys. One day, I took Gantt with me to give Jennifer a bit more freedom to continue to unpack at the new place. I thought he would just play around in the vacated living room with the box of toys still there. On my first trip out to the SUV with boxes, I gave him some small things to carry - simply because I wanted him with me rather than leaving him in the house alone. It took only one trip for him to figure out what we were doing. Guess he decided to forget about the boring boxes, he was going to take things that were important to him!

A hockey stick for Daddy.

And a hockey stick for me!

Here is a photo of Gantt and Mark playing in a bookcase that we had turned on its side before taking it down the stairs.



Gantt trying to mimic Mark's posture.



After all this work, Gantt was ready for a well-deserved rest. He loves wearing GG's glasses - doesn't care if they are right side up or upside down! What a doll.

Mother-Daughter

Last month, I had the wonderful opportunity to taking a trip with my daughter. All alone - no children, no husbands. Just the two of us. We met in Orlando and spent two days at Universal Studios. Both of us being fans of the Harry Potter books, we wanted to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (HPW), and we knew that our grown-up boys had absolutely no interest and the little boys were, well, just too little.

HPW was amazing. As soon as you stepped through the entrance gates, you felt as if you were truly walking the streets of Hogsmeade with all of its rickety, crookedy, "snow-covered" shops and restaurants. We visited Honeydukes, the candy shop with all-flavor jellybeans and chocolate-covered frogs. Dervish and Bangles was filled with magical objects and the requisite shirts and caps. And, of course, we made a stop in Hogsmeade Tavern for a taste of Harry's famous Butterbeer (a butterscotch flavored sugary slushie.)

Most of the shops were nothing but store fronts that highlighted scenes or activities from the book. One such shop was Magical Plants. In this storefront window were plants that the Hogwarts students studied in Herbology class. Plants like Bouncing Bulb , Bobotuber, Devil's Snare, Gillyweed, and Flitterbloom. Highlighted in the center of the main window of this shop was the Screechsnap - a plant that wiggles & squeaks uncomfortably when given too much dragon dung. 

At the far end of Hogsmeade, high on a hill, sits Hogwarts Castle. The gates to Hogwarts are, of course, watched over by a massive pair of "pig-goyles".

Built over a thousand years ago by a (fictional) wizard architect, Hogwarts is now home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is, of course, an enchanted castle. So if "muggles" approach the castle, all they will see is a ruin with a sign warning them to keep out and that the ruins are unsafe. Because of the ancient spells and incantations that protect the castle's inhabitants, muggles cannot see the true goings-on of the castle. One thing is for sure, if you do see anyone in a cloak wandering towards a ruined and dangerous castle, don't stop him; he may have an exam that he needs to get to!

Hogwarts Castle is believed to be located in Scotland. It is built in a forested area and sits on the edge of the Black Lake, high above the village of Hogsmeade. All things magical happen within its walls, including the fact that people in portraits hung on the wall are still alive in another realm - they can talk and actually move from one portrait to another to visit with one another. The castle's interior architecture of staircases, secret passages, and chambers is forever changing, a feature contributed by Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw.

The fictional Hogwarts Castle is actually based on a real, still-inhabited working castle - Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England. Built in 1096, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England. Perhaps daughter and I could make that trip some day.

We spent the second morning of our two-day venture at the hotel. Jennifer reading, computing, and snoozing in our room; while I sat in the lobby reading, people-watching, and keeping an eye on the storm raging outside.

We were able to make it back to HPW and Citywalk the afternoon of our second day. We got a little wet, but we got silly photos of ourselves on the Hogwarts Castle ride - rain ponchos and all.

Most of all, it was just a nice time alone with my daughter to catch up on topics we never get around to discussing with others around, and actually finishing a conversation without getting interrupted. We had great meals together and saw two movies - Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows and The Lincoln Lawyer.

Then it was up at 4:00 a.m. to catch a 7:30 flight back to our real lives. This time next year, I plan to be living near her, and I do hope we can make it an annual event to get away for just two days on another "Girl Trip".

Oh, yes. Almost forgot. I did not make any souvenier purchases for myself on this trip. But when we were in Dr. Suess Land, I did purchase Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing 3 t-shirts for my 3 grandthings.

Blissful Sound

There is nothing like the pure love you have for a grandchild - child of my child, heart of my heart. Everything about each one born is uniquely special. Grandmothers never tire of rocking, feeding, diaper changing, hugging, smiles, giggles, and snuggles. Grandmothers may be the only people on earth who take great delight in hearing babies breathing into the phone.

But the most blissful sound is the first time you hear that Special One speak your name. That is what happened to me today. I phoned Jennifer to see how she is faring with all the nuances of her hectic schedule this week and the twins were in the mood to "talk" to me. Brett said Mark and by-by. Then Jennifer asked Gantt if he wanted to talk to G.G. and he very distinctly said "G.G." to me for the first time. 

My heart leapt. My heart was immediately flooded with absolute joy. It doesn't matter how many grandchildren you have, that first time each individual grandchild utters your name is one of those undescribable moments of Pure Bliss that simply must be experienced.

9 Months

Only nine months left - I could carry and deliver a baby within that timeframe. It is actually 38 weeks, and I will be walking out of the school building where I have spent the last 22 years for my last time.

9 Months - but who's counting?

Last year I was very excited as I contemplated what life would be like after retirement. Using mornings for exercise rather than commuting, getting the laundry and shopping done on weekdays rather than cramming it all into a Saturday, and time to visit with family and friends rather than fellow inmates.

Yet now as I am down to counting the weeks, the fears are setting in. Fear of becoming lazy because I will have so much leisure time, fear of becoming a recluse, and the looming fear of will there be enough money to make the ends meet. And sometimes I feel that little demon on my shoulder reminding me that this is the last chapter of the book. Childhood, school years, newlywed days, motherhood, profession...all those chapters have already been read and I am in the last quarter of the story. I try to ignore that little demon as much as possible.

All in all, doing what I want between 9-5 instead of what the "boss man" wants has a nice ring to it.

Retirement is when the living is easy and the payments are hard — Unknown wise person

The Big Countdown - Third Month

Even though March is almost behind us, I can still count this as the third month of my final year at RCPS - leaving me 10 more months to work during 2011. The first two months have flown by. After I get a full week of workdays in this week, I will be off on a special mother-daughter mini-vication with Jennifer the last week of March.

The major happenings of March include

• celebrating with our son as he earns Aircraft Commander ranking with the USAF
• moving to mortgage company #3 to secure the construction loan to start our new home in North Carolina
• planning a mother-daughter trip with Jennifer
• attending church with my 3rd sister and her family to stand in support with her great-granddaughter, Patience, during her night of baptism into the the Family of God.

March has been good. And when I return to the office in April, there will be only nine months left of this chapter of my life. Amazing.

She's My Super Hero.

Where has the time gone. It's truly amazing how life can get so busy with the must-dos that we just can't squeeze in time for the want-to-dos. But I'm back and ready to muse about a fun week with the grands.

Since my last writing which marvelled about how efficiently my daughter juggles the many demands on her time, Ron and I were able to spend a week in Wake Forest staying with the three boys while Jen and Rob took a much-deserved vacation. What a blast. I realize that some of you are thinking I'm a wee bit touched in the brain to think that eight days and nights with a 7-year-old and two 2-year-olds was a blast. But for those of you who are grandparent cohorts of mine, you totally get it! 

But before I begin to bore you with the grandmotherly details of the week, let me just say up front that Jennifer is now officially my Super Hero. I had only eight days but she lives this life every single day. It is demanding, full of non-stop activity, and hectic at times. You can go to bed at night with a gameplan in mind for the next day - but as Rob says, "the plan always is to plan on the plan changing". Oh what words of wisdom. Never did a day go as I planned.

It all begins at 6:00 a.m. and you finally get a minute for yourself at 9:00 p.m. (if things go according to plan, that is). By that time, you no longer care about all those things you thought you would do once you got all the boys asleep. Forget the reading, forget the TV, forget the sewing, forget calling friends or family - you just look at each other and say, are you ready for bed?

It was a busy week. Brett was well that week so there were no additional medications for him. But as most of you know, his usual medications and treatments take up a couple of hours each day. Then the grocery shopping and laundry and cooking and diapering and the playing and the loving and the chauferring - whew! This was one tired granny.

As we pulled out of the drive before dawn on February 27, I settled back thinking about the week and marvelled over and over again about Jennifer's dedication, stamina, commitment, and great love. We made it safely home and we were in bed at 7:00 p.m. - probably asleep by 7:10 p.m.  And every night that week I was in bed by 8:00 at the latest. But it was such a wonderful week that I wouldn't trade that time for anything. I have sweet memories to last a long time.

This is my second week back home and I am finally feeling rested and refreshed and ready to go back and do it all over again. Today, I am still reflecting on all the responsiblity that Jennifer carries on her shoulders. She could not do what she does without the unique partnership and support that Rob provides. She could not do what she does without a heart overflowing with unconditional love. I know that her strong faith is the main Source in the development of the outstanding traits she possesses.  And that Power is what she depends on to get her through each day. As I watch her minister to those three boys, I see "Jesus the servant in action". Am I proud of her? You bet!!! She's my Super Hero.

She's My Hero

This is the story of a little girl who came into my life many years ago. From the day she was born, she always had delicate features. When I would hug her to myself, I would always marvel at how fragile her bone structure felt in my arms and I would usually say as I hugged, "you are so little."

One Christmas when she was about six years old, we saw the movie, "The Little One", which is the story of a tiny little donkey who was given an important task - he was to carry Mary to Bethlehem. That was the day I began calling my daughter Little One. I called her that a lot through childhood and even through her college years. But I stopped when she married. I guess I thought she had outgrown the name. Even though she still has those delicate features and fine bone structure, today she is a poised young woman and the childhood nickname sounds a little out of place so I only call her that in times of extreme stress.

My Little One became a mother for the first time in 2003. For six years she thoroughly enjoyed mothering that little boy. I watched her grow as she seriously embraced this new role. There were many fun times during those six years as well as several trying life episodes.

After several months of trying to enlarge her family, she not only was blessed with pregnancy, she found out there would be two babies this time. A few months later, she learned that these two new babies were both boys. How could she be more blessed? She was going to be the mother of three boys. She would be the queen of an all-male household.

I watched that tummy grow and grow and grow, and worried that it could not possibly grow any larger

Then the surprise. Labor pains were coming sooner than they should have. Water broke. The rush to the hospital and the emergency C-section.

Then the uncertainty. One baby was small but just fine. One baby was small and had a problem. He was rushed to another hospital for surgery. Daddy went with this baby while Mommy and brother remained.

Then the heartbreak. The diagnosis for Brett was cystic fibrosis. But my Little One has a quiet strength that rises up when called upon. She has a fierce love and determination to give everything within her to her own little ones.

Its been almost two years now since that day, and I'm even more amazed with my Little One than ever before. She has been with Brett through more surgeries. Each surgery holding that unspoken fear that he might not survive. She has nursed him through multiple infections that have weakened his little lungs. She has made an untold number of trips to the CF clinic. In 24 months there have been 12 hospitalizations. When he is home, the medicine administration and breathing treatments take up several hours of her day. All the while, there is another baby to take care of and a 6-year-old that still needs mother's guidance and caring.

She runs a small enterprise..and its a lot more than just cooking the meals and washing the clothes. She is a dedicated planner, organizer, decision maker, psychologist, teacher, nurse, life coach, life partner, comforter, chauffer, cheerleader, and confidant. Doing all of this and more while she caters to the schedules, preferences, and needs of the people she loves. And she even manages a few minutes to call her mother once in a while.

Yes, at the end of the day, she sees the results of her efforts. She sees it reflected in the eyes of her husband and children. She sees it in the happy smiles on the faces of her children. She hears it in the joyful ring of their laughter. She feels it with each set of arms that hug her tightly each night.

Now this young woman not only handles it all, she handles it all with grace and dignity. I watch her. I watch her juggle all of this and listen to her hum while she works. I see the tiredness in her face, then I marvel at how she can overcome that fatigue and give those boys a sweet smile while patiently providing them whatever it is they need at the moment. She has plenty of love to go around.

I watch my Little One these days. I watch her prepare different foods based on each boy's desires and needs. I watch her find the way to play with each boy at their own level. This means playing sports with one, trucks with another, and baby games with another. I watch her dispense the medications. I watch her give the baths. And I watch her change diapers and change soiled outfits all day long.

All of this happen while she spends hours and energy taking care of a CF baby. I see the hurt on her face that she can't cure the disorder for him. I see the worry on her face that each hospitalization and each new health challenge brings. I ask her how she manages the fears and hurts. She simply replies that she is just doing everything she can to make his days as healthy as possible. She's one absolutely amazing woman. She's my Little One. She's my hero.

Happy New Year

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2011 is the Year of the Metal Rabbit, which begins on February 3, 2011, and ends on January 22, 2012. The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animals signs. The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar.

For 2011, today is the Chinese New Year and ushers in the Year of the Rabbit. A placid year, the Year of the Rabbit will be very much welcomed and needed after the ferocious Year of the Tiger. According to the Chinese philosophy, good taste and refinement will shine on everything and people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force. The Year of the Rabbit should be a congenial time in which diplomacy, international relations and politics will be given a front seat again. We will act with discretion and make reasonable concessions without too much difficulty.

It is also a time to watch out that we do not become too indulgent. The influence of the Rabbit tends to spoil those who like too much comfort and thus impair their effectiveness and sense of duty.

In this auspicious year, our lifestyles will tend to be languid and leisurely as we allow ourselves the luxuries of a slower paced life. For once, it may seem possible for us to be carefree and happy without too many annoyances.

Being born in a Metal Rabbit year myself, I plan to luxuriate in "my" year. Rabbits can be rather congenial, but we also enjoy our space. I look forward to walking placidly through this healing year in my life, taking the time to reflect on my Creator and the reasons why He has set me on this path in this particular time in history - and taking time to reflect on the words of Desiderata, with its words of wisdom written almost 100 years ago.

desiderata - by max ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann c.1920

The Big Countdown

February has arrived. One down and only eleven more to go. At the end of the day yesterday, I removed one of the 12 calendars from the Big Countdown of Calendars hanging on my wall in my office.

Now don't get me wrong. My job at RCPS has been good in so many ways. When I retire, I will have worked here for 22 years. However, my dreams in my early years were simple. I just wanted to be a good mother and wife. I never really sought a career other than that, but one day life changed for my husband and me, and I suddenly needed a paycheck.

So 22 years later, I can say that working at RCPS has certainly provided job satisfaction and friendships along with that steady paycheck. Yet I look forward to reaching that delightful day of taking that retirement check and returning to my original dream...except this time it will be grandmothering rather than mothering.

If life follows the plan Ron and I are developing, then one year from today I will be in Wake Forest probably still unpacking boxes and turning a new house into a home.

My oldest grandson will be starting another hockey season...one in which I will actually be able to attend all of his games.

My little twins will be going on three, so I will have a little bit of time with them before they enter the magical realm of pre-kindergarten.

My prayer is that all our planning falls into place. But all of us know that the road of life is filled with the unplanned - those unexpected twists and turns and detours. Our best lessons are learned as you deal with the unplanned. In my mind's eye, I have created what I think is a happy scenario for next February. But being happy does not necessarily mean having the scenario play out exactly as you had planned; it means determining to look beyond any imperfections and find joy in what is. Happiness can be found in remembering to be grateful for all the people in our lives and find the beauty that surrounds us all every day that we are alive.

On this first day of February, embrace gratefulness for your life, however it looks. Stop for a few minutes and take a mental walk among your blessings and "count them one by one".

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

            Hymn by Folliot S. Pierpoint