Saturday Shoutouts

7 Strategies For Coping With An Irritable Sweetheart Or Spouse

 

 

Saturday Shoutouts

Have We Come a Long Way, Baby?

When It Rains....

....it pours.  Thank you all so much for the kind words, prayers, and support for my family last week.  Darrell and I left Thursday morning for WV, arriving early in the evening.  We spent Friday at my mother's house just talking and catching up with relatives.  It's said there is a silver lining to every dark cloud and that's been proven to me over and over.  If anything good came from my daughter Shana's death, it was the mending of my relationship with my mother.  The past 5+ years have been so healing for my heart--and for hers, too, I like to think.  The silver lining last week was getting to know a brother I've never met before.  He went to live with his paternal grandparents before I was born and while we knew of each other, we've never had occasion to meet until now.  It was so wonderful!  I immediately loved him and his wife--not to mention their grandson Jake!  We had so much in common and I look forward to visiting with them again.

I'm sure you've heard of the tornadoes last week.  While we were at my mother's funeral Friday night, a huge storm came up.  We could hear the thunder, pouring rain, and hail outside.  Luckily, we never even lost electricity and the service proceeded as planned.  Darrell and I had planned to leave after the funeral and headed off in one direction while my sisters and their husbands headed in the other.  We didn't find out until Saturday morning what happened to them after we separated.

The closer they got to my mom's house, the more trees were down, until finally they couldn't go any further.  They parked the car and proceeded on foot, climbing over trees while wearing heels and dresses.  When they finally arrived at the house, it had been hit by a tornado and was almost completely gone.  Next door to my mother's is my sister's house--it was hardly damaged.  On the other side of that house is my other sister's--her house is gone, too.  Almost unimaginable.

Here's the news video that aired Saturday night.  This is my sweet sister Sharon.  Other family members can be seen in the background.  It's hard for me to believe that just a few hours before, I was sitting on that front porch.  Fortunately, their electricity was restored Sunday evening, as it snowed about 3 inches that night.  Please keep these people in your prayers, as well as so many others who have lost homes or family members recently.

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/TORNADO_DAMAGE_141329303.html#.T1ONrkKyjCg.facebook

(click on "Woman Says Mother's Funeral Saved Her Life)

I Won't Say Goodbye

My mom died this morning.  She held on for a long time, but there was nothing the doctors could do.  Yesterday was a long, hard day--just waiting, waiting.  I wish I could have been there to hug her one more time and tell her I love her.  We didn't have enough time together.  We were just getting to know each other.  Sometimes life isn't fair.  But I'm so very thankful for the years we did have and the relationship we built in a short time.  You can read more about our story in this post, if you like.  Thanks for your prayers and support.

Prayers Needed

My mother had a stroke overnight and is not expected to make it.  Please keep all of us in your prayers.  Thank you.

I Heart the Hodgepodge Questions-Vol 66

1. George Washington-Abraham Lincoln-Thomas Jefferson...who would you most like to meet and why?  Lincoln--I'd ask him about his marriage to Mary Todd and how they dealt with her depression.

 

2. What's your favorite chain restaurant?  O'Charley's--they have some of the best salads!  And I could literally drink their honey mustard dressing!

3. I spied this question on the Bears at Home blog last week and she gave me permission to steal
borrow it-

When you look back on your life, do you imagine you'll think about the goals you failed to meet with regret? Or will you look at what you accomplished and say: it was good?  At this point in my life, I'm already looking back and regretting the goals I failed to meet.

4. Grapefruit-take 'em or leave 'em? Given the choice between an orange and a grapefruit which would you choose? Would you prefer it served as is or squeezed into juice?   Give me an orange--and squeezed into juice, because I'm lazy like that.

5. When was the last time you cleaned out a closet? Is there a closet in your home that currently needs cleaning? What are you waiting for?   Can't remember.  More than one.  Second Tuesday of next week.

6. You get to have lunch with three famous people...who would you like to see round your table?  I honestly am not impressed by famous people--especially celebrities.  How about Paula Deen (is she doing the cooking?), Sarah Palin, and Trace Adkins (but not to talk, just to sit there and look purty--and maybe sing).

7. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your ability to parallel park?   -5

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Can you tell I'm in a bit of a funk?  Maybe it's the time of year.  Maybe it's the rain and gloomy weather.  Maybe it's just me.  That's one of the reasons I haven't posted. Didn't want to inflict my Eeyore-ness on the rest of you.  Just been feeling invisible lately.