hey hey we're the monkees!

here they come....
flying across the states,
well one is driving,
but the ends the same.

hey hey its my children!
we'll be together again.
it was last january,
and that was too long ago.

so what am i doing?
i need to get up and move.
finish uh-up the laundry,
clean a bathroom or two.

woohoo!!
   

 
 
    

peace be with you

times like this sure make it hard..
hard to know even what to think.
like yours my heart is heavy for the 
tragedy in Newtown.  
and even closer to home, 
the killing of two police officers in 
Topeka. 
    
i'm adding my prayers with the nation 
for healing for the families, and
entire communities. 

and prayers for Peace.
 

Arthur Murray 1982

long ago and far away a soft sweet Indiana grandma 
gave me some of her treasures.
she was "living small" and
needed to disperse things....
so she blessed us.

now these are genuine treasures.
they are ornaments she had while
raising her family. 
(maybe from her childhood tree even)
i was very honored she entrusted them 
to us. 
we have a small cymbal clanging angel 
standing on a pink bell.
it is perfect with the ivory colored Holy Family
we also were given. 

however there is one ornament that causes
dreams and fancies to take flight in my mind. 
along with the glitter embossed cardboard doll buggy and
rocking horse was a gold Christmas tree ornament.
you know....
those kind you can have engraved. 
printed across the bottom.
and it had been: 
Arthur Murray 1982  

Arthur Murray?
isn't that a dance studio?
did this beautiful lady and her 
dashing hubby, that we never met,
take a few lessons?

i'll probably never know.
and even if i did ask her and 
have now forgotten, i prefer my 
flights of fancy truthfully.

each year as we adorn the tree
i put Arthur Murray 1982 out.
each year i smile remembering 
this delightful lady.   

we came in to each others lives
just when we needed one another.
she was grieving over the death of 
her only daughter.
and we were too far away from 
family and our kids needed a
grandmother. 
someone who could attend school programs,
birthday parties, and love on
our kids completely.
God knew what He was doing.
He richly blessed our friendship
many times over.
such love we shared.
and lots of giggles too.

so....
Arthur Murry 1982
it's great to see you again. 
 
 


  

              
 

Merry Christmas from Heaven

I still hear the songs
I still see the lights
I still feel your love 
on cold wintry nights

I still share your hopes
and all of your cares
I'll even remind you 
to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you
you still make me proud
You stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment
to stay in His grace
I came here before you
to help set your place

You don't have to be
perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
If you continue the climb

To my family and friends
please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you
In a new special way

I love you all dearly
now don't shed a tear
Cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year. 

*************************

I first read this 7 years ago when 
my sweet friends momma joined her
handsome hubby to celebrate in heaven.

Merry Christmas momma and 
Delores. Bet you two are having fun.  

  

it was a bumpy ride...

nope, we didn't take a physical trip
but an emotional one.
rather i took it.

with the holiday season approaching and
plans up in the air for turkey time
this thought crept? (hah!)
no more like stomped and stormed in.
" how is it going to be without mom?"
and then my heart cracked open...
wide.
bleh.
grieving is just not a fun ride for anyone.
i had a very rough couple of weeks.
my heart was broken, again,
and my body was physically staging 
it's own wars and misbehaving.  

however, 
it's not like we didn't have offers
of places to go, people to see.
we did.
brown-eyed-handsome-man and i had several options.
but we really just wanted to stay home.
and i began to mentally prepare for the day.
no big dinner to fix.
b.e.h.man suggested chicken pot pie
and i got on board with that.
that way i could watch the parade on tv more!

although we didn't eat quite so simply.
one of our options was inviting my
sweet-mom-in-love and 
hubby's youngest brother to join us.
fortunatly they were able to come.
i cooked the traditional dinner.
they brought the pie and cranberry jello salad.

it was a nice peaceful time with just the four of us.
was delightful to listen to 'mom' tell some of 
her memories of dust-bowl-day living.    
i still marvel at all those who persevered,
hubby's and my grandparents among them.

my heart was no longer broken .
just full of love and thankfulness for many things.

i was blessed by 2 event's prior to thursday.
1. when watering my roses i discovered
the rose bush of moms i transplanted was leafing out.
it had died completely back this summer. 
i thought it might be gone for good.
nope, maybe i couldn't see it, 
but it was still there.
just like my sweet momma.
i can't see her, but she's still such 
a presence in my life.   

2. wednesday evening the animated movie 
pocahantes was on tv.
mom LOVED that movie.
especially the music.
i have sweet memories of a long car trip
to california that she and i took.
sometimes the radio was boring
so we listened to her cassette of that music.
we would crank it up loud and sing!
fun to do then and fun to remember now. 

thanksgiving 2012 was a good day for me.
and i am very thankful to say although 
the approach to it was very bumpy...
it was a sweet and gentle landing. 
thanks be to God.