Another Good Day

SO MUCH can change in such a short amount of time

we can be given so much in just one simple year

and on the contrary, so much can be taken away

My wise Aunt Mary (aka Aunt Mary the "Great" -

dubbed by Luke a couple years ago, since it's MY aunt...
HIS "great" aunt)

major sidetrack there... sorry

Okay, so- Aunt Mary the Great shared with me something that was perfectly timed this past spring when my mother-in-law was taken from this earth.  Aunt Mary told me,
"Life is not taken away.  It is just changed."

True. Very True.  And on many levels.

To quote Craig's cousin, it's those "seeming too young,

too needed, and so loved"

The hardest part about this concept is that

WE WILL NEVER HAVE ANSWERS!
We don't even have a right to know.

This can lead to * Anger * Fear * Depression *

And then for the first time this year, I really KNOW what it means to have the world "move on" around you.  - To have my heart re-break in unexpected ways with each passing day.  Friends can't help but sort of "forget" about your loss.  They don't mean it.  They do care.  They just aren't living in your world, so they don't realize how often you ache for just one more day with your loved one.

I also empathetically imagine it's uncomfortable for many people to outwardly discuss the grief of loss.  It includes such confusing emotion.  Within the walls of our home though, we try to frequently talk about "Mimi" with the kids... to remember.

Being Thanksgiving, today more than ever,

I had to focus on what we HAVE, and not what we DON'T.

Here's a story... of a lovely "hospice nurse"

(that was supposed to go to the tune of The Brady Bunch theme)

Did you go back and reread it with the melody? ha ha

A hospice nurse shared a personal story with us.

She hypothetically told us, "What if God came to you and said, 'I can give you a son.  He's going to be wonderful!  He's going to be handsome.  He's going to be smart.  Do you want him?'  Well of course, she proceeded, I'd answer, 'YES!'   God then would go on, 'Now, you'll only have him for 14 years.  Do you still want him?'  She answers without hesitation, 'Of Course!"  She told us that this fictional conversation helped her to deal with the loss of her 14 year old son a few years prior.

SO... I put a spin on this scenario to help myself cope.

At first- my reaction to my mother-in-law's diagnosis was anger.  I was mostly mad because MY CHILDREN... HER GRANDCHILDREN were only going to get a small handful of years with her.  Lydia was getting just ONE YEAR!!!! Can you imagine?!?!  It still pains me to process that.

Here's my version, God approached CHARLOTTE and explained, "I can give you some grandchildren.  They're going to be fun.  They're going to be healthy.  They're going to be smart.  They're going to be everything you'd want.  Do you want them?"  She of course would answer, "Yes!"  He goes on though, "Now, you're only going to have a couple years with them.  Do you still want them?" WITHOUT HESITATION, she undoubtedly would answer, "YES!"

That makes my heart instantly  H A P P Y ! ! !  Immediate contentment to know that my kids weren't entirely "jipped"!   No!!!  Instead SHE was blessed!  SHE was given a the gift of being on this earth long enough to meet and hold and LOVE her grandchildren.  I am wholeheartedly grateful.

THANK YOU, GOD!!!!!

SO... how do I make you laugh today????

Well, my nieces and nephews attempted a drama today-

unfortunately not their first to which we've been subjected.

They spent nearly an hour in preparation (costumes, props, dialog, casting programs, etc.).  Five minutes in, my brother-in-law shouts out, "This Play Blows!"   Sadly, it was a super drag!  They're nuts though, and actually did have a great time goofing around with the adult audience!

In my opinion, the BEST PART about it was that my niece

chose her stage name to be Mayme.  WHAT?!?!

Where in the world did she get that name?

Craig asked if her character worked in a cotton field?  hee hee

Mayme... hee hee   "Now, That's FUNNY!"