Letters to My Family

Christmas has passed again although ours is to be held this weekend when everyone is home. We will do the Christmas Eve dinner on Saturday and the Christmas morning thing on Sunday. I was just a bit saddened because I was at work and I was not doing my regular Christmas "thing"... old habits die hard. So Christmas night on my way to the hospital I started thinking about my children and my husband and all the blessings that I do have. I want to share them.

Dear Stan
My heart was more than touched when I arrived home this morning after one of the worst nights I have had at work. I was teary eyed because it was Christmas and I was exhausted. I walked into the house and the tree was lit and the kitchen was cleaned up and the laundry done. You knew how much Christmas means to me and you lit up the house. Made me cry because it touched me that you knew the importance. Thank you for always being there for me. I am glad that you were home this morning. It made my heart smile. I love you.

Dear Josh,
I am watching you grow before my eyes. You are taking control of your life and doing a great job. It's hard for me to let go because that is my nature but know that I love you more each day and I am proud of all that you are doing. I have watched you struggle thru the years and it has awed me that you have taken that struggle and tunneled it into your passion. When you hurt, I hurt and it takes everything for me not to fix things that go wrong but it's your job as you have reminded me and you need to do the fixing. You are creative and intense, the dark and light that make you the wonderful man you are. I am blessed having you for a son. I love you.

Dear Becky,
You amaze me. This year was one filled with anguish and joy, from the death of your friend's father to your marriage. I watched as your emotions were pushed and tossed to see you finally rise above all and take control. That you are blessed with outside beauty is wonderful, but the beauty in your heart is what makes me proud. You do so remind me of Grandma Mercy in that you have her honesty and love of life. I am grateful that you listen to me and love me anyway and that your practical way of looking at things keeps me sane. I wish for you abundant joy and happiness this year because you so deserve that and more. You are my precious angel. I love you

Dear Shane,
I could not have picked a better man for my daughter than you. How wonderful it is that you are a part of our family. I am so grateful that you have a sense of humor and find joy in life. You love my daughter and make her laugh and that is a gift for any mom. I look forward to watching your own family develop and I am so glad to be part of that. I love you.

Okay well that's it. My letters to my family. I love you all and rejoice that each of you brings a piece to the family that is unique and makes us whole.
Merry Christmas.

Christmas Poem

It was the night before Christmas, I was alone in my house,
My son was in Iowa visiting my ex-spouse,
My daughter snuggled up to her husband so near,
My husband in a camper looking for deer,
It was Demi and I, she's a faithful pooch
As long as there's food and covers to mooch.
My shopping is done, the wrapping can wait
I have a 12 hour shift to honor this date
Our Christmas will be held in just two days
When all arrive from places away.
I hope that for each of you reading this piece,
That your celebrations are awesome so these words I do speak
That you remember the Son who's birthday this is
and be kind to each other and say a prayer for bit,
For those who don't know him, to help find the way
To really honor the Savior who was born on this day.

Merry Christmas 2008
Love, Deb

Joshua Update and Drive Through Money Making Opportunity

Joshua made the trip. He called me last night and was IRRITATED at me because I made him tense for the trip. He told me that the trip was easy, the highways were clear and nothing like what I had envisioned. He further stated that old beat up cars were zooming around him. What he is not realizing is that those road conditions were an answer to prayer. A lot of prayer.... from a lot of people. Thank you God. So don't get snappy at me..... I just prayed you a great trip.

Last night at work we got hungry and the only thing open at 2am is Burger King. I went to get three meals for the staff. First of all you must understand that they only will take one order at a time if you are paying separately. I have learned my lesson from past trips so I made my first order drove up to pick it up and told her that I was going to be driving around 2 more times. She kindly told me that since no one was behind me she would break the rules and take the new orders at the window. I paid with a credit card for one order and for mine I gave her cash. She handed me my ticket and somehow my change flew out of her hand hit my car and fell to the ground. I had to pull up and away from the window and get out and locate my 63 cents amid the muck on the ground. I hit a bonanza. I found over $1.50 extra that was not mired in dropped milkshake, food and gra-dou(that is nasty stuff that has no identifiable markers). Being in the Christmas Spirit and since she did give me my three orders without me wasting my gas, I gave her the somewhat sticky money as a tip. She was happy and I had an idea. I am going to hit the open-all-night drive thru places and check the place just below the pay window. My problem is how to get the money without being seen. I may have to contract the job out to a child or a short person because I can't squat and walk anymore and God knows I am not going to crawl thru that mess. I may need to start carrying gloves with me. I know!!!! I'll just drop my change myself and then get out and pick up all that loose silver!!!!

Remember despite how great the roads are up north, please pray for the safe return of my son.

Josh In Iowa for Christmas

It's Christmas time again and my favorite time of the year. Joshua is off for his trip to Iowa to visit dad Steve in Decorah. It's snowing. Bad. I am of course the panicky-worrywart-anxious mom. I even wrote Steve about the trip maybe being dangerous when I got a call from my sister, a fellow Iowan telling me the roads were horrible. Steve assured me that while there was snow it was safe with precautions(not his exact words)I was discussing this with my friend and remembered that I never let Joshua go anywhere at Christmas because that was MY HOLIDAY. I informed her that I felt that I had really grown up about the whole issue. She looked at me and said...... cripes he is 31 years old, don't you think he can go where he wants to when he wants to??? Well that took the air out of my self-congratulatory balloon. Yes my baby is 31 and he can go where and when he wants. What I wish is that nauseated worry feeling would abate with both my kids aging. I don't want to be one of those moms that everyone talks about but I think I am. I am the natural worrier. I packed 2 sleeping bags in the car for him just in case. He has water, snacks, his phone, presents for Steve and Peggy and his first niece. I made sure that the insurance cards for the car and his health were in the right place. I prayed over the car, sent a text message with a prayer to him, and I have covered him with angels. I HAVE to let my kids grow up and run their own lives without my interference. I keep thinking that I have and then I worry. A lot. As I recall my mother worried too. Maybe it's a genetic anomaly and then when my two have kids they will worry too. What justice. I don't sleep well when my chickens aren't near the roost but that is why they created benadryl and if that fails, Dalmane or wine, or champagne or whatever. I can only do what is the most important and that is turn them over to God and try to let him handle the situation without my interference. So here it is.... God you take care of my boy and my girl and my new son-in-law in all their daily travels. You bring them home safe and while they are gone make them an example of your love and allow them to help others in your name. AMEN

Snow and My Birthday

Stan took me out for a belated birthday dinner and I made a grand entrance at Blackberry's Restaurant. Blackberry's is located at the casino in Opelousas and is a great place to eat. Thank God that Wednesday is slow and only one other couple was dining because I fell into the restaurant. I tripped and went head first onto the floor. I know the staff was figuring that I was going to sue... believe me if I could have gotten out of there I would have but I couldn't get up off the floor. BWS: Beached Whale Syndrome is the hazard of being overweight. With the help of multiple people I was able to get off the floor, reassure the staff that I wasn't going to sue and go about my birthday dinner.
I had various aches and pains during the night and awoke early. Stan came out to walk Elizabeth and called to me. Sometime during the night snow had fallen and was still coming down. We had about an inch: our entire lawn was covered, the cars were covered, the tree limbs were covered. It was a winter wonderland and I was in awe... for about 30 seconds before it hit me that I was in Louisiana and I really hate being cold. I really lost it's appeal quickly. I slowly moved my aching body inside and sat in my recliner and covered with a blanket. As bad as I cannot stand to be cold my thoughts turned to my childhood and remember that magical moment when I looked outside and saw the first snowfall of the season. It was so white and soft looking and it sparkled. I remember going outside dressed from head to foot in snow gear to keep me warm only to throw myself in the stuff and make an angel. I remember opening my mouth for the first cold taste of clean snow. I remember snow men, snow balls, hot chocolate with marshmallows, ice skating at Westgate Park, the crunch of the snow when I walked and chains for our tires. I remember just how hot my face was when I came in from the cold. Most of all I remember hoping and praying that it would snow for Christmas. By afternoon there wasn't a hint of the snow anywhere to be found except on my camera phone. Do I miss the snow? No. I would like to visit it sometime but don't ever relish living with it for the winter months. My memories are good enough and they keep me warm.

Grandma Memory: Where's my Floor

Gosh it was fun writing about the snoring and while I was driving home this morning I remembered another funny incident with my mom. I was 15 or 16 and we didn't have a lot of money and certainly not enough to redo the ancient flooring in the kitchen. The floor was an old linoleum dated back in the 50's and it was yellowed and cracked in places. In the cracked places a wide planked wooden floor peeked thru. I got the brilliant idea to redo the floor by myself as a surprise to mom. I had it all planned out, after she went to bed I would stay up and remove the old floor, wash the wooden one and throw a spot of wax on it and the next morning she would be thrilled. I mean how hard could it be... the old floor was just lifting up by itself. Mom went to bed and I started in and discovered a problem about 2 feet into the removal. The old linoleum was affixed to the floor with a black tar like substance with the consistency of cement. I had a knife and a wall paper scraper. When I realized the problem I couldn't go back because the old linoleum broke apart as I lifted it up. I continued on hacking and scraping thru the night. My hands were a mess but I had broken piles of linoleum everywhere and managed to get them out of the house. I made very little headway on the black tar like substance and I cannot describe just how awful the kitchen looked, it was already morning and she was up. We had the old kind of coffee pot, a drip type, and I made coffee for her and sat myself at the kitchen table awaiting my fate. She came down stairs and walked into the kitchen, said good morning and went to get her coffee. She poured a cup at the stove and I can still see her beginning to drink when she just stopped and stared straight ahead. She looked down and said Oh my God someone stole my kitchen floor By this time I was weeping and she repeated Debbie someone took my floor Her tone of voice was shocked puzzlement. For that moment she really thought someone had come in and taken the whole floor. When I tell you it was a bizarre moment I kid you not. She finally realized I was crying and asked me what was wrong. Thru the hiccups, runny nose and tears I told her what I had wanted to do and showed her my hands and continued to cry. Man she was unflappable. She just hugged me and told me it was all right that she would fix it. We ended up having to have it sanded off and sure enough under the tar was the floor that I had seen in my imagination. My mom ranked right up there with the best, snoring and all. She appreciated the 'gift' for what it was and never held against me the mess that I had created. I miss her.

Memories: Grandma's Snoring and The Big Pin

Seeing as how this is my blog and I get to write what I want I have decided to occasionally start putting in memories of events that were special to me. So I will begin with Grandma and her snoring. My mom was a world class snorer. She has sleep apnea and would snore and sputter and gasp her way thru the night. She could be heard thru out the house and if you didn't get to sleep first it would keep you up for a time. Now all of us girls took turns in sleeping with her. She had the big bed and it was comforting to get to sleep next to mom... except that she snored. She was nudged, poked, prodded and awakened to stop the constant noise. We could have slept in our own rooms but the noise wasn't that much less. I read one day in a self help column(Dear Abby or Ann Landers) that you should pinch or stick the offender with something sharp. Made sense. I must have been at least 14-15 because I remember being very cocky(hard to visualize, huh) and the night I got to sleep with mom I went armed. My mother, God rest her loving soul, did not cuss. Ever. She would not tolerate anyone using our Lord's name in vain. When the snoring commenced she was on her left side and I took my weapon, a pin, and stuck her in the butt. She leaped out of bed screaming Jesus Christ something just bit me in the ass!!!
I leaped out the other side of the bed and stood there with my hip cocked and my hand on said hip with the pin in my other hand. Mom turned on the light on about the time I said (can you believe I was this stupid?) I did it, I stuck you with a pin to make you quit snoring. She slowly turned and looked at me... her face was purple but she quietly asked What did you say? Like a fool I repeated myself. She was furious... but her voice was quiet and oh so controlled and she informed me that this was her house, her room and her bed and if I didn't like what I heard I could return to my own room. That memory is so vivid but it stops there. I know she didn't beat me and I don't remember if I told her I was sorry and I also don't remember where I slept that night. I was undoubtedly traumatized from hearing her curse and from the overall lack of sleep. Folks, my mom was a saint.