Refill? No thanks...my glass is already half full!

As I sit here looking around at my two stacks of mail, I am overwhelmed....For once they are not bills!! Thank the Lord! One is a stack of "Thank you" notes to send out to friends who sent food & flowers and the other is a stack of sweet cards that have been sent to me by friends with prayers and well wishes for my mother. Even my "beloved" sent me a card full of prayers & sweet notes....Thanks Starbucks!! Seriously, my sweetest card came from MY Dallas Hwy. Starbucks! It was Fan-Freakin-Tastic! Thanks Tim :)

 

My mama always taught me that you have to find the good in everything. Every situation....you have to find the good. You have a bad day at work? Be thankful you have a job. The loss of my dad? He's no longer in pain. My mother having cancer? Made her a fighter & a miracle! I could go on and on....If I listed out the crappy things that have happened to my family in the past few years, your jaw would drop to the ground & your first thought would be "Dang! Your life sucks!! Poor you!" You would be wrong. My life is  great!! Sure, I have had tragedy, horrific job loss (8 family members all in one day! Yep...8), a very sick mother, overwhelming bills (like most of you I'm sure) but through this storm, there have been so many silver linings!

• I have a job with great hours & a lot of laughter
• Glen has a job that on most days, pays the bills
• My kids are healthy, happy, funny & loving
• My mother is a strong, faithful fighter!!
• She loves all 7 of her grandchildren equally!! Not just the 1st born...
• My brothers, Mike & Todd, both live close by and I adore them
• My friends are awesome and are there for me at the drop of a hat (or a bed pan)
• I have life long friends...some from childhood & some more recently
• Starbucks is only 2 miles from my house
• Kroger is not my only grocery store option...Thank Goodness!
• I am not going hungry...obviously!
• Jimmy Buffett is still touring & making music
• Most of all...I am loved by many!

I could go on & on with this list.....If you are having a tough day or week, just sit back and be thankful for all you DO have! Your list may surprise you. So, on that bad day, I dare you...make a list!

Drink up! Your glass is half full and there are free refills!

Papa may have been a Rollin' Stone, but Mama was our ROCK!

I see on Facebook that everyone is changing their profile picture to one of their father in honor of Fathers Day. I found myself following suit. I posted one of my favorite pictures of my dad holding hands with Jake and walking to the lake. Jake was about 2 1/2 or 3, so this was not long before I lost my dad. He & Jake had been sitting on these 2 tree stumps on either side of the path that leads to the lake. As I came out of the cabin, I could see them sitting and talking. About what, I have no idea. After a few minutes, they hopped up & continued their walk to the dock. I love the fact that Jake knew my dad. He was my hero for as long as I can remember, but my how things can change! I always thought that my daddy was the strong one. The rock of our family. Maybe....maybe not.

I watch my mother. Her kindness to others, her way of looking at the bright side even through a really crappy window. Eight years ago she walked into a "Chemo-Lounge" with a really bad prognosis. She defied the odds then & is still doing so today. As each year passes, her doctor is amazed! He remarks that he has no medical explanation for her still being here. She pops back with "Maybe you should leave your Jewish Temple & come on over to my Baptist church & learn to pray!" I do believe that prayer, faith and a great outlook has taken her this far. She walks into chemo every 21 days for a 3 day stint and she inspires people! She actually looks forward to chemo. It is like going to a party for her! They call her "Ms. Sunshine!" She bakes a cake for you & takes flowers to celebrate your last day of chemo, she throws birthday parties & showers there. These women have all become friends. Her family. Some have passed on to a pain free life with no chemo & a head full of hair, while others are still here fighting. 

With a Bandanna tied on her head today and feeling like crap, we ventured out to Costco. She was in a good bit of pain, but couldn't stay put. We ran into my oldest & dearest friend in the world, Susan. We talked & shopped for a while, then headed out.  Later I got a text from Susan : "I LOVE your Mama!" Yep....so do I! She is amazing. A few minutes later, I get another text from her : "She always has this knack for making people feel good about themselves even when she feels CRAPPY! I want that trait!" Me too Susan...Me too! That being said, I have always prided myself on being a lot like my dad. These days I find myself yearning to be like my mother. I know at times I secretly wish to muzzle her like a pit bull, but she is still amazing! Strong and good hearted, faithful and forgiving, loving and as my friend Tim at Starbucks would say ...FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!! She is most definitely my hero. My Rock. So when Glen rolls his eyes at me (unintentional I'm sure. Maybe he has a loose socket) & says "You are becoming your mother!" I am pretty sure that is a compliment! She makes a point to let people know how she feels about them. A friend of mine from High School just chatted me on FB & told me about a letter that my mother wrote him in 2003 when he was deployed to Saudi Arabia. Was he our next door neighbor for years? No. Was he her best friends son? No. He was a boy I went to school with. We knew the family. He was a friend. Did I take the time to write him? No. He was MY friend! She is clearly the better person here! Sorry Eli....

Although I adored my Daddy & loved every single thing about him...I step back and look at my mother in amazement. The way she loves her children & grandchildren is unbelievable! I will try to become more like her. More loving, more forgiving, more faithful. Papa may have been a rollin' stone, but Mama is our Rock!l

Move over June & Ward....Jerry Springer is here to stay!

Hey y'all! I'm new at this "blog" thing so bare with while I learn the ropes. I thought this might be a good way to jot down some thoughts. I'm not saying that I always have a thought, but kinda like fishing, occasionally I get a good one worth keeping!

I am a 44 year old Mama, wife, daughter, sister, pre-school teacher and  friend. I married a man I barely knew...that was 23 years ago. It seems to be working out just fine....most days! We are still in love and I think for the most part, we're pretty happy about that. We have 2 wonderful kids, Jake & Laney. Jake is almost 15 and Laney is 11. They are funny, moody and beautiful!! We have decided to let them stay. Jake's height seems to be the topic of a lot of conversation...He is 6'4 or 5 and Glen is only 5'10....That in itself is pretty funny. I have 2 brothers, a sister-in law, a brother-in-law, 2 nieces, 3 nephews, 2 mother-in-laws, 2 father-in-laws & the best Mama anyone ever knew. As a child and on into my early 40's I thought I came from this "Leave it to Beaver" kind of family. Funny how life can slap you in the face sometimes and make you change the channel to "Jerry Springer!" I wasn't sure how I was gonna like this new channel. I have to be honest....at first, it flat out sucked!! But as I am watching, it is funny!! It has made me laugh more times than cry and I kinda like it. Who knew I would learn to love Jerry Springer? This is the channel where my son can draw "weiners" on the side windows of my van and me not know it until a friend pulls up next to me with a carload of laughing boys....this is also the channel where my mother, the bible beating baptist,  tells a nurse that medical marijuana may not be a bad thing after all....the same channel where Laney told me that she had "decided she was not going to have a period"....I am now addicted to this channel! I have taken the batteries out of the "clicker" because I have learned that this Jerry Springer world is much funnier than June & Ward!!
No matter what kind of family you think you have, if you all take a closer look, you too may find Jerry Springer at your dinner table!

So to my family and friends, no matter how looney you are....in the words of my Nana..."I love you big as the sky & better than strawberry pie!"