Drafted on December 5, 2005
Between MOPS and preschool, Olivia is learning lots of stuff about the Bible. Of course, at 3, mastering the words and names proves to be a bit challenging:
Mrs. Cindy at preschool has been teaching the class that “God is omnipresent and omni-poke-net” (omnipotent), and at MOPS she has been learning the story of baby noses (baby Moses),
We remember you, we miss you and we love you! Though you are missed here, we know you are in a far better place. We are so happy you are no longer in pain. You are in the arms of our Heavenly Father – rejoicing in an eternity with Him.
As we spoke of your death, Joel and Olivia listened. We explained where your soul is now. When Poppy (your son, their grandfather) shared at your memorial he used sea shells to illustrate that our bodies are only our shells. So when we leave our “shells” behind, our hearts go to be with Jesus….
I heard the kids talking in the car – Joel and Olivia with their cousin Cole. They chatted how Gigi died, but they would see you again “when we’re with Jesus”.
A your grand-daughter-in-law (though I never felt separate because of my “in-law” status) I want to thank you for the heritage of belief in God you grew in your children. That seed you planted has bloomed a tree of faith not only in your children, but your grandchildren and now great-grandchildren. My family is blessed by that chioce you made to serve the Lord, and that is the richest thing you could have ever left behind.
Thank you for your sacrifices and hard work. Thank you for working hard to maintain connectedness though the miles apart could have separated. Your early morning birthday phone calls will be missed (like Paul’s birthday today). I will especially miss your giggle and reassuring pats on the shoulder. Also, as a girl from California, your Oklahoma accent has spiced up my ear for words cafe and my own name! Joel noticed at the viewing that you didn’t have your glasses on – he missed that about you…
I want you to know, when all the family got together – we laughed. We cried some too, but I know you loved it most when we all laughed and loved – together… and we sure did that :)
I am not talking about the kind that firefighters fear – I’m talking about catching up on some bloggin’. I have nearly 2 dozen drafts that are either ready or close to ready to post. Most are from the period in January/February where I was unable to post (though the site was still up) due to revamping this site. I have decided to title the series “Backdraft” followed by each title. I am a slave to chronology, so I don’t want to back date these posts. I hope to get to them soon – I have a bit of linking and picture downloading to do before I can do that. Then, there is keeping up on the current stuff too – like our recent trip to Oklahoma, so there is a lot to write about from that experience (for example: being attacked by a 4-year-old at the laundromat and the “accident” Olivia had on the plane on the way home during her nap). Everything is an adventure…
At the dinner table a few weeks ago we were talking about how silly it was that we call Olivia “Livi” and then named Lucy – Lucy. Joel was saying we were silly to do that because they sound so alike. I told Joel maybe we should have named Lucy – Joley. He said, “Um… that would make me feel umcomfortable.” That’s fair :)
So, I sat at my computer to write about how my kids were driving me crazay (say it with me: cray-zay) and that Olivia wouldn’t play outside becuase she didn’t want her pretty shoes to be ruined by slugs so I told her to get on shoes that were good for slug killin’ (maybe I should give them some salt too, hmmm… ooh, science experiment) then I got distracted by this because I get distracted by things I relate to then just as this ended with ultimate sweetness, so did my aggravation with my own kiddos as Joel and Olivia brought me freshly picked grape hyacinths and who cares that I didn’t really want them to pick flowers from my garden because they brought the flowers to me (the mama) instead of stomping them to pieces with their slug murdering shoes….
The “new rule” I started yesterday was that I can’t go to my computer until: breakfast and the mess was cleaned, a load of laundry had begun, my shower was complete (dry hair included), and the dishwasher had been unloaded and refilled… It’s not that I spend all that much time on my computer (the 100 and some-odd un-answered or un-sorted emails in my inbox is proof of that), but it can be a distraction – especially when it comes to posting on my blog, or catching up on others.
So… maybe I’ll start enforcing that “new rule” on Monday. I have a “load” of things to write too! So, while the older two are being entertained by the tele, and the baby is dancing to her LeapFrog Learning Table music, I will at least finish this post!
2 years!!! I’ve been blogging for 2 stinkin’ years! I think she’s a keeper! I knew I loved it when I started, but at points along the way, I was certain this little “spot” of mine would fade away. Tomorrow is the actual anniversary, but I write about it today because who knows how long it’ll be before I will get to post again (baby has now moved on to the foot of my chair to cry, wail and snot all over my legs and feet… this is a perfect example of why my blogging is so sporadic. Excuse me, I need to go snuggle the girl and maybe I’ll finish this post at naptime – while I should be cleaning up the lunch mess, starting another load and cleaning a bathroom. Hmmm…)
Lucy now has a full belly and I think has been distracted by a roll of toilet paper… So, here’s to 2 years of creative expression, silliness, memories that got written down, some sad things, many happy things, some aggravating crud, and a few changes to my own little “spot” on the internet. Once again, I thank Julie introducing me to this world. It has unleashed a wonderful beast of expression and creativity. I see the world as it happens around me as a possible story, looking for lessons and humor in the madness that surrounds me. I also welcome, again, my childhood friends Jen (who I met when I was 3 and was also my college roomate!!!) and Shellie who have only recently begun their own blogging journey :) I wish you both the same joy as you struggle to find time too!
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