Life Is Precious...Life is Sweet

For those of you that haven't heard, (see The Mom Squad Forum - Prayer Request Folder) a very unfortunate incident took place this past Saturday and it really made me realize, even more than ever, just how precious life is. But it also made me realize once again, just how precious it is to have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We can be here one second...and gone the next. Do you know Him? If not, I truly and sincerely invite you to take a moment and ask Jesus to come into your heart right now. He is always waiting for us. The Heavenly Father never said we wouldn't have difficult times, but HE PROMISES TO BRING US THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE. I know Him. I trust Him and I thank Him for yet again, seeing me through...lifting me up...As I continue to pray for the gentleman that lost his life and his family and friends, a portion of my prayer is that they be comforted by the Holy Spirit and that any that haven't had a personal relationship with Christ up to this point, will turn to Him at this time. I've heard so often of trucks and cars running into motorcyclists but this is the first time I have ever knowm of a cyclist running into the back of a vehicle. I lost my cousin Mitchell in a motorcycle accident 40 years ago. Please take more care and slow down cyclists everywhere. Though I did not know this gentleman, I grieve his loss. Bless you one and all.

Boy Am I Tickled!!!

I had no real desires for Mother's Day except to go to church, enjoy a smile from my Mom and some hugs from my children (virtually from Shae Shae since she is in VA) but as usual, they knocked me off my feet. I was awakened to breakfast in bed, a mug they decorated and filled with various cutouts and on each cutout there were words that described how they feel about me. Then they sang a song that they had written. So thoughtful...They made Mom's breakfast too and Micah and I went to church. He was the perfect gentleman once again. The pastor's wife gave the message and what a message it was. First of all her delivery was so heartfelt as well as researched. She provided insight regarding 2 Mom's in the Bible...one being Eve and the other being Mary. Even though I would never be able to reiterate the message, the bottom line was this...One Mom brought sin into the world and the other Mom brought the One that would save us from sin into the world. Profound. Mothers are so important. We can learn from one mother's mistakes and learn from the other mother's example. The pastor then asked every Mom to come to the front, he prayed over us, gave each of us flowers and led us in a very inspirational song. I truly felt honored. Once home, my children gave me another set of gifts that were well thought out...a planner and a sparkling stainless steel pen/pencil set. They know I love things that help me with organization. We enjoyed a nice dinner and each others company. BUT WAIT, night time came and all of the lights went out and I saw twinkling lights approaching. You guessed it. One last gift, a candle holder with 4 of the sweetest smelling tealights ever! Blue is my favorite color and I love angels so this holder was the perfect combination and along the bottom it read "Guardian Angels Are Disguised As Mothers". It just doesn't get any better than that. Thank you Lord for granting my heart's desire to specifically be the Mom of 2 girls and a boy. I SURELY HOPE YOUR MOTHER'S DAY WAS FILLED WITH JOY AND LOVE.

Beranda turned 21 yesterday!!!

And boy did we have an awesome time. PRAISE GOD for this wonderful child. She is amazing. Self-proclaimed the 'Golden Child' but it truly fits. Actually I have been blessed with 3 glowing gems and I am grateful for every similarity and every difference amongst them. They have been such a beautiful support system for me and with Mother's Day approaching, though children usually give Mom's the thanks, I truly want to thank my children and God for allowing me to be their Mom. Well anyway, we had an eating experience. Cuyahoga Community College had a free event about 2 weeks ago and we were blessed to win a gift certificate to The Melting Pot in Legacy Village (Beachwood). If you have never been there, put on some nice duds and go at least once. It is fondue style. I remember when I first married (back in the 70's), the "in" gift was the fondue pot and though I received several I never used one of them, in fact, we probably returned all of them for something we thought was more practical. Now I am thinking I would enjoy having one. Especially now since we eat so much fresh veggies and seafood. It was so much fun and my 15 year old son who is a pretty picky eater laughed, ate heartily and actually tried new things. He was the perfect gentleman. YOU WILL TRULY LOVE IT THERE!!!! I investigated their menu online prior to going so I would have some idea and also touched bases with my oldest daughter, Shae, who dines at their VA location often. It's funny, we used to eat out a lot in VA and there was a Melting Pot near our home there but I just never took the opportunity. The older I get, the more I am embracing new things. By the way, Beranda and I shared the reading of a wonderful book for her birthday. It is titled "The Art of Growing Up". It is filled with marvelous revelations by Vienne & Lipsey and though it spoke deeply to me at my age, I thought it would help her to embrace life more as she travels this wonderous journey. Mom's I truly encourage you to read this book and share it with a daughter or close girlfriend. Love you all.

The Amazing Difference An Honest Mechanic Makes

A few weeks ago I wrote about some auto woes. I really prayed about it because funds are limited and I truly needed a miracle. Several things were wrong with every car I own, and the estimates on my newest vehicle ran from $1,000 to $1300, that included 2 new tires. Well, as always GOD IS A MIRACLE MAKER. My niece, Gina told me she knew someone that was an excellent mechanic..very busy..but honest and reasonable. I had no idea what he would charge me completely (parts & labor) for all that the above estimates had indicated. I am here to tell you that I was blessed to pay $470 and that included 2 new tires!!!!! Little by little I will work to save up for repairs to the other vehicles because it is always nice to have a spare in case I or someone else has a need. I WOULD NOT HAVE EXPECTED THIS TYPE OF PRICING IN A MILLION YEARS...but why didn't I? Sometimes we forget that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE IN CHRIST JESUS. He knows my heart, my budget, how much I am trying to secure employment keeping in mind Mom's care, but He has been and always will be THE GREAT PROVIDER. Thank you Lord Jesus. You can depend on Him always.

Wow, What a Whirlwind....

HEY EVERYBODY! I HAVE MISSED COMMUNICATING WITH YOU. Well, let's see...where to start. I'm still waiting for the pictures from Mom's birthday party so I will post those as soon as I receive.

I saw a commercial on TV for Free Mammogram and Pap Screening so I signed up. I used to be faithful to get these tests annually but unfortunately a few frustrating medical moments caused me to fall off the bandwagon AND THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO. Anyway, I am still waiting for the results on those tests but when they checked my vitals my blood pressure was through the roof! What a shock to me. As some of you know, over the past 3 years or so I have made many drastic changes in my life to improve my physical fitness and I had never had high blood pressure before so this news blew me down as Popeye would say. Consequently, I was sent immediately to the emergency room and from there given meds. Believe it or not, my pressure has not come down yet (they say it takes about 10 days for the medicine to kick-in) and I have had to see the doctor 3 times in 1 week with a standing Tuesday @ 1pm appointment. They keep sending me for more and more tests and the only thing left to do now is the dreaded colonoscopy...yikes! Though some of the results have not come back yet, those that have are, per the doctor "better than great!". Let's see, I have had 2 sets of blood work checking for anemia, thyroid, kidney function, cholesterol and EKG and a CAT Scan. Whew!

So at this point, they are saying it is either "one of those things", "hereditary" or "something is critically wrong that they have not found yet". I appreciate your prayers in this matter and I PRAISE GOD for allowing me to have the opportunity to be checked out but just in case you were wondering I FEEL FANTASTIC!!! I have none of the symptoms that they are telling me I should be experiencing with hypertension. I am still power walking 3 - 6 miles a day, eating right, drinking 64 oz of water per day and slowly but surely my weight is coming down so I will keep you posted.

Hypertension is called THE SILENT KILLER. I recommend everyone get their pressure checked regularly, with or without health insurance. You can go to any fire station and they will be happy to check your pressure for free. Not sure how accurate the machines are at the grocery or drug store but that is also an option. Don't ignore high results. Take care.

SPRING CLEANING IS IN FULL BLOOM

These past 4 days have been just glorious! Mom's 92nd birthday was yesterday (more about that later and I will post pictures too) and in honor of that, my sister-in-law, Phyllis, wanted to come in and do a good old fashioned Spring cleaning for Mom. And what a magnificent job she did spending roughly one day on the kitchen and another on the living room scrubbing every nook and cranny, washing walls and curtains, etc. The place really sparkles and the wonderful pine scent radiates throughout. Another part of this that was so special for me was that having someone there for such an extended time, seeing her moving things around and hearing her sing from her vast array of Christian CD's, made me think of days gone by, when Mom was moving around the house like that. It felt like old times and that made me so happy. Mom enjoyed her being there too. She loves music and she did her best to supervise. Though it was meant as a gift for Mom, it was truly a special gift for me as well. I could tell Phyllis really enjoyed herself and put her heart into this effort. Sometimes getting away from the normal routine and having alone time or partial alone time to focus on a project can be very therapeutic. Maybe that's why I enjoy mowing the grass so much. Though Dad has been gone 28 years, it feels like he and I are out there handling it together the way we did when I was a teenager. It relaxes me, refreshes me and exhausts me all at the same time. Every now and then, I appreciate someone doing it for me but for the most part, I simply love it. Well, here's a big THANK YOU to Phyllis!!! Also, my son Micah decided to tackle the yard and the garage on Monday so another big THANK YOU goes out to my son Micah, my nephew Rocky and his son Ryan for outdoor cleaning and getting allllll the trash out just in time for trash collection this morning. May the Lord bless all my family!

A Television With A Mind Of Its Own

Last week I noticed a couple of times that when I entered Mom's livingroom, the television was off. I thought, "Hmmm, she must be getting tired of watching it and is now remembering how to turn it off."
There are days like that with Alzheimer's victims. One day they may not remember how to wash their face and the next day, you might find them handling complete body care and getting dressed. I try not to be overbearing. I watch to see what she remembers and what she doesn't and from there step in to help where needed. I always make sure to lay jewelry out for her because that is something she liked to wear daily before the Alzheimer's. Some days the jewelry goes right on...other days she will hold up the earrings and ask "What are these?" Anyhooo, yesterday I realized her television is on the fritz. I checked to make sure the sleep timer was off, so that is not the problem. It shuts off sometimes every 5 minutes and other times it shuts off after several hours. Her 92 birthday is April 8 so I think a new television would make the perfect gift! I'll send out the good old family e-mail to see if anyone is interested in chipping in. Enjoy today's beautiful sunshine my friends! Let me know if you know of any great electronic sales.