Wednesday, October 3, 2012

So far so good

It's been an exciting year to date.  Our youngest moved out and got her an apartment and a room mate.  She did recently move back in, but I respect that she was determined to at least try for awhile.  Our next to the youngest and her family bought a home here in Beaumont in the Bevil Oaks addition. So proud for them.  Our middle daughter and her husband also bought a home in Lumberton.  It is so pretty too.  The other middle child moved into her Aunts old house after they worked very hard to fix it all up...so pretty and it is affordable for her.  The next daughter is living in Vidor with her significant other and she is working every day to keep her life on track.  The daughter in Houston recently announced she is getting married in the Fall of 2013...so excited for her.  And the eldest daughter came down from Tennessee to visit with two grandchildren I met for the very first time.  What a great time we had.  Mike and I celebrate our 10th Anniversary this year.  Woo hoo!!!  So it has been an exciting year so far.  I am grateful for the many loved ones in my life, it makes life warm and fuzzy.  We adopted two baby kittens this summer and I have been helping my former sister in law with her lawn maintenance business.  It's hard work but rewarding.  I did a bit of charity work and am still staying at home for the most part except when helping Nicki.  The kids are all fine and the grand kids are too so I can't complain and I won't.  I will just say Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have seen fit to bless our family with and may we always be worthy of those blessings.  

Friday, March 2, 2012

Thankful for Second Chances

In a couple of weeks, my daughter from Tennessee is coming down.  She is bringing two grand babes I have never met.  I haven't seen her in 19 years.  She was just a teenager fresh out of high school when I saw her last.  Now, she is a young woman with two children of her own.  Time sure has a way of getting away from us at times, it doesn't seem to ever stop, it just keeps rolling along without mercy.  I was just a kid myself when she was born.  It was a long time ago, but I think back on it now and wonder if it could have turned out differently somehow.  Maybe if I would have been stronger, or more mature, or less afraid, or, or, or...I could go on all day with the what if's, but it won't change the fact that in 37 years of her life I have only spent 1 1/2 years of her life with her.  How she must have felt growing up without her mother to be there to love and nurture her, to wipe away her tears and fears and tuck her in at night. How are we supposed to overcome that?  I find it painful that I still feel like that same sad and confused young woman I was back then.  Only this time I am much older and have missed out on the best years of my child's life.  I often think of how we could have grown up together, two young women trying to struggle to stay alive in a world not yet ready for us.  But in the end, the decision to give her at least a running chance at this life was the best decision I could have made.  At least she had some sense of stability, none of which she would have had with me for awhile.  I missed out, it is true, but I am hoping that the remaining years we have left together will be amazing and I can get to know this daughter that I lost so many years ago.   I am looking forward to the journey we have left, and know that the need to love this child of mine from so long ago is as strong today as it was when she was first born.  But then I have heard that, “Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts. So when you find yourself at the beginning, just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.” 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Life as we know it

Life as we know it is a little crazy at times, a little hazy at times, a little lazy at times.
Life as we know it is a day jammed with sun, laughter and fun, life on the run.
Life as we know it is warm and it's kind, we go out of our mind, but no one gets left behind.
Life as we know it is safe and secure, oh it's far from pure, but it's prevention not just a cure.
Life as we know it is laughter and song, with a little hurt and wrong, some weakness and lots of strong.
Life as we know it is our faith in one not seen, places we have been, being kind instead of mean.
Yes life as we know it is a multitude of chance, with some change and some  plans, lots of love and romance.
We love and we  play, we fight every day, but we stand beside one another in every way.
Life as we know it, it is who we are, some close, some afar, each a bright shining star.
It's just life as we know it, and we do the best we can, whether woman, child or man, because that's God's plan.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

My Grandparents

When I was young, I cherished my grandparents.  I thought the sun rose and set in both sets of my parents parents.  I was lucky I felt, some of my friends didn't have grandparents, they had passed away already, some even before they were born.  I always thought my grandmothers were the greatest, they could cook so good and they were always baking something, cakes, cookies, candy.  My Father's parents were different from my Mother's Parent's.  My mother's parents lived in the city and were more citified, and my Father's parents lived in the country and lived a country life, which I loved.  My dad's parents were grandma and grandpa Richardson and they were very down to earth and lived very simple lives.  They knew alot about nature and growing things.  They raised chickens and ducks and grew beautiful gardens of vegetables and flowers.  They had an outside dog named Tip and an inside dog named Fifi.  I loved those dogs, Tip was one of my best friends growing up, he watched over me like a hawk.  I never knew what it was like not to have my grandparents around, until I was an adult and one by one they left this world for a far better place.  Except one, my mom's mother.  She is now 93 years old and by far the most spirited family Matriarch I have ever known.  She is a wonderful example of human kindness and charity.  She loves life and always has, and life loves her back.  She has 3 children, 12 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great grandchildren.  What a wonderful life she has had.  Some people don't have the privilege of having their grandparents into their teens, and here I am at 54 and still have my grandmother.  Thank you Lord for her wisdom, her kindness, her love, her compassion and her humanity...she has been the most wonderful of examples for my life.