Going Home

My mother was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago.  When the doctor gave her a time frame for living, she started making plans with us to ensure everything was taken care of.  She told us what dress she wanted to be buried in, she picked the pallbearers, requested the honorary pallbearers, told my sister the specific singer and the song she wanted sung at her funeral and made sure her will was up to date.  She also told us about a poem that she wanted read at her grave.  During the 7 weeks that she lived, we reminisced about the good times and recalled happy memories.  We all said our good-byes to her and tried to keep her comfortable in her last days.  My mother knew that she was going to a better place but knew that we would all miss her.  As we made arrangements after she passed for the funeral to be later in the week, we asked her pastor/friend to read the poem at the graveside.  Hoping that we had done all of the things that she wanted us to for that time, we sat in the chairs at the cemetery as he read the poem.  When he reached the 3rd line, a huge gust of wind blew around the tent.  On a hot humid afternoon in July, we knew she had reached home. 

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am that swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

God's Creation

I have always been amazed at the ocean and all of the power that it holds.  I can sit and look at the water and listen to the waves all day long.  I look at maps and how much of the Earth is covered by water.  I think 'even if the ocean was only 1 inch deep everywhere, there would still be a massive amount of water'.  To think that the depth of the ocean is miles deep in certain areas is hard to understand.  To think of all of the animals that live in the water and the size of some of them can be hard to comprehend.  To realize what force the water can have during a storm can make a person be more cautious.

And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."  Genesis 1:6.  All he had to do was speak and the waters were here.  Not build them, not spend years creating the water.  Speak and it was done.  How truly powerful God is. 

Happy Birthday Eric

Today is my husband Eric's birthday.  As I thought about what to write on my blog, many thoughts ran through my mind.  I thought about how respectful he was to my parents when we first met and how nice he was to my family.  I thought about him helping me cut my sister and brother-in-law's grass when they were on vacation, even though he had only met them once.  I thought about the times that he dropped everything and would go when his parents called him and asked him to come do something for them.  I thought about the times that he worked out of town during storm damage with the phone company and was gone for 2-3 weeks at a time.  I thought about how he took care of his dad in the few months before his dad died.  There were many thoughts racing through my mind and I knew I could be here all day typing away.  How do you pick out a few things to write about when there are so many that could describe someone like Eric?  You don't.  I just hope that anyone who reads this blog already knows him and knows all that he has done in his 55 years.  And I hope that everyone knows how much I love and appreciate him.

Happy birthday to the best husband, dad, father-in-law and Pops. 

Always Remember

In the late 70s and early 80s, my parents took a lot of one day trips.  They would fly out of Charlotte at 6:00am and return around midnight the same day.  The tour group would be picked up in the city they were visiting and would go to all of the tourist sites.  This was a good way for my parents to travel since they only had to miss one day of work, all of the arrangements had been made for them and they never had to drive anywhere.

One of the earliest places where they went was New York City.  They were excited to see the Empire State Building, World Trade Center, Rockefeller Center and eat lunch at Chinatown.  As they were on the ferry to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, my dad asked my mother what her thoughts were then.  My mother said, "as a little girl growing up in the country, I never thought I would see this".  My mother then asked my dad what he was thinking.  His response was, "I am thinking about all of the service men in WWII who were coming home and the first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty."

I wonder if the service men on the ships cheered as they came into the harbor.  I wonder if the men kept looking at their watches, wondering if they would ever make it home.  I wonder if the men stepped off of the ships and thanked God they were back on American ground.  I wonder if the men saw an American flag and teared up at the beautiful colors and what they represented.  I wonder if the men thought of the many who didn't make it home.

Always remember Memorial Day and what this day means to the United States of America.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday.  I can think of a lot of things to write about her but I picked one subject that I felt described her perfectly.

When I was around 10 years old, my mother and aunt had just started taking a sewing class at the local community college.  My mother bought a sewing machine and could really make that machine hum.  Around that time, I started going to church with a friend.  Since I had not previously attended church, I had a limited amount of dresses.  My mom, knowing that I would want to have nice things like the other girls at the church, started making my dress clothes.  She would buy a pattern that had 3-4 different styles of dresses and a variety of cloth.  She could make a short sleeved dress out of a solid color material with a polka dot color jacket.  The extra polka dot material was used to make a skirt or jumper.  She could always find cloth on sale at different stores and use the same pattern over and over again.  For 3-4 years I had dresses that were as nice or nicer than you could buy in a store. 

When my mom passed away and we were cleaning out my parents house, we found her big sewing hamper.  Inside were remnants of cloth that she had used over the years.  Included was material that had been used to make my dresses for Easter, church camp and other special occasions.  I cut a 1 inch square from each piece to bring home with me.  I really didn't need to keep any of it, I can still see some of these dresses in my mind when I think about those days.   But when I see this small stack of cloth, I am reminded of the time and sacrifices that my mom made for me. 

Happy Birthday momma.

New grandson

This afternoon Eric and I will become Pops and Granny B for the 3rd time.  This is a happy time for our family and we are excited to see who he looks like and how his big sister reacts to him.

My parents and in-laws are all deceased.  When the first grandchild was born, only my father-in-law was still alive.  His comments about her still make us laugh as we remember them. 

Eric and I believe that only good things are talked about in Heaven.  My father passed away several years ago when all of his grandchildren were young.  He missed Eagle Scout ceremonies, high school and college graduations, grandchildren's weddings and great-grandchildren births.  I hope that when my mother passed away, she was able to tell my dad about all of the things that had happened since he was gone.  I know he would have liked to have been here and I know my mother missed having him by her side.

Out of the 8 great-grandparents that our new grandson would have, only 2 are still alive.  I think the 6 who are no longer with us, picked this baby out for us.  I can see my mother rocking and singing to him just like I think she did before my 2 other grands and my nieces children were born.

This morning as the baby is preparing to be born, I think the 6 great-grandparents are holding him one last time and saying good-bye to him.  I think they are whispering "I love you and I will always watch over you."

Welcome to world little one.  We can't wait to meet you.

Home Sweet Home

When Eric and I first started dating, he was giving me directions to his house.  I went down the road frequently but didn't know where he lived.  He told me it was a brick house and there was a big Christmas tree in the front yard.  The next time I went by, I knew exactly where he lived.  After we had been dating a few weeks, we stopped by and he introduced me to his parents.  They were hanging vertical blinds in their den.  Those blinds hung there for 35 years. 


Eric lived in this house until we were married.  There was a big fenced yard and a pasture in the back.  For a while, they had horses until the barn was blown down in a storm.  His dad always had a garden and his mom canned green beans and tomatoes.  She would freeze corn and would make pear preserves.  There were apple trees and peach trees and in the summer, homemade ice cream was made with fresh peaches. 


The house had 3 bedrooms but after Eric was born, one of the bedrooms was turned into a den.  The living room was only used for Christmas.  There was a big picture window in the front of the house where the Christmas tree always sat.  The attic had a fan that would cool the whole house at night after everyone had gone to bed.  Many birthdays and cookouts were held in the backyard.  Growing up there was lots of laughter from cousins visiting for the weekend.

We found the original house plans and paperwork in the attic.  Each week starting in Feb 1951, Eric's dad would buy something for the house; bricks, wood, plaster, paint, etc...  The prices are written on each invoice from the lumber company. 


We sold the house a year ago this month.    It was bittersweet to sign the papers knowing that the house had been Eric's parents home since being built.  The buyers had never owned a house.  We hope that they will be making memories in the house for many years to come.  And we hope that Muriel and James would be proud that this family now calls the brick house their 'home'.