236 years later. . .

This is 2012.  1776 was 236 years ago. I’m not getting into the whole “signed versus approved, ratified” mess. I’m going with this  - the birthday of our country is celebrated as July 4, 1776. . . So that makes today our 236th birthday. 

I wonder if our Founding Fathers (and Mothers) would even recognize the country we have today, with what they invented.  I’m not sure they would have. They had their own set of issues – I get that.  I am just fascinated with how they created something that could stretch, change and adjust as times changed. They were brilliant – simply brilliant.

There are some things we think we all know.  We “know” that John Hancock wrote his name really big so that “King George could read it without his spectacles.”  We know that Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the text, there’s all sorts of stories. It was hot, they wrote it in secret. If I had a time machine, that’s one place I”d love to visit. 

Every time I read the Declaration of Independence I’m caught by these words:

“we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

I think they knew what was going to happen – when they signed it, they were really willing to  risk it all.  What happened to that? I think now, most people in our country are so concerned about ME that we don’t’ think about US anymore. 

I’m glad those 56 men were willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes and their  sacred honors. I hope if I’m ever faced with such a decision, I’ll be willing to do that.  I’m very proud and feel very blessed to be an American.  Someone once said “right or wrong, my country is still my country.”  I feel that way -  and hope I always do. 

I’m not sure we feel that same sort of attachment and willingness to devote ourselves to anything. There are a group of people who pledge their lives – we do have the largest volunteer military in the world.   They are willing to sacrifice their lives – and they are MUCH underappreciated and underpaid. They  are underpaid, mistreated and have to fight for the benefits that we OWE them. . but that’s another story. 

My NOT Favorite things about our vacation

So last night I wrote about my favorite things about our vacation. Tonight, these are my NOT SO FAVORITE things.

5) Tropical storms that stir up the water. . .

4) Forgetting I was standing on a wall about 2 feet wide and stepping backwards to avoid a wave, and almost falling on my behind.  Instead I just blew out my flip flop and and banged up my foot.

3) Chaffing from a wet bathing suit. Enough said.

2) Packing up and driving home. Why do we take home more stuff than we came with???

1) My momma not being with us! Or my nephews. That would have made it PERFECT. 

The Keys

Most of my family just got back from a week in the Florida Keys.  My sister Patti and I haven’t been back since our mom passed away at Fisherman’s Hospital on Marathon in 2001. My sister Robyn and my dad have been back a couple of times, but we’ve not been all together. Robyn turned 50 this year and she really, really wanted us to go all together. We had a WONDERFUL time! I’ll probably have another blog later, but here’s a little taste. Here’s a list of my  seven most favorite things about our week.

7.  Stopping today on the way home to see my Granny and my Aunt Cecelia. My granny will be 92 in September – I’m not sure she knew who we were, but she got out of bed and walked to her chair to sit with us!! My aunt  has 4 broken ribs – but still is taking care of my granny, and she gave us boiled peanuts!

6.  Watching the sun set over the Gulf. I love how the sun just melts into the water. . .

5.  Showing my niece Key Deer –f or the first time. I remember one time when we went to the Keys before, my Uncle Wayne and my Aunt Cecelia showed us Key Deer. It was quite an experience doing that with my niece.

4.  Attending Calvary Baptist Church.  This is the church my family visited on Sunday before my mom had her heart attack on Monday. Several people from that church visited us and asked us could they do anything for us. I’ll never forget that – EVER.

3.  Hearing my daddy sing in the shower.  He always sings – and it makes us laugh.  It always has. 

2.  Hearing my niece sing in the shower – and everywhere else.

And my most favorite thing of this whole week: 

1.  My daddy saying “It’s been a good day” and “It’s been a great week.”

Ridiculous Things

Okay, I just had to comment on two absolutely ridiculous things that have appeared in my life lately.  Just absolutely silly things.

1. I had to buy a  new curling iron a few weeks ago. I use two – a skinny one for the short hair underneath, and one with a fatter barrel for the outside layers of my hair. My fat one died and I had to buy a new one. I go to Wal-Mart, yes, Wal-Mart, thinking I’ll get the best price. They didn’t have one the same size as my old one, which just irritated me beyond belief. And call me crazy, but I am not spending $29.99 on a CURLING IRON.  So I found the closest one. It looks something like this:

 

 

Here’s the ridiculous part. It has 25 heat settings. Is that not crazy?? I need HOT and OFF. That’s all. Does anybody really need 25 heat settings??  And it has a TURBO setting – it gets hot in 30 seconds.  Do I really need it hot in 30 seconds?? NO.  I just wanted an off/off switch - not 25 settings.

 

2. Here’s the second new ridiculous thing. I buy toilet paper in big packages. I don’t want to run out – I’ve blogged about that before. My last package of toilet paper came with a free. . . wait for it. . .  Toilet Paper Cover, designed by some artist.  Really?? Don’t we all know or at least HOPE that a bathroom with have toilet paper in it? We have to hide it? Really, if I’m ever at your house and I have to use the restroom, and I use the last of the toilet paper, I don’t want to have to hunt for a new roll. I WANT to be able to find it. I don’t want to leave an empty roll on the toilet paper holder and I don’t want to have to dig around for a new one. I want it to be obvious.

Is it just me or are both of those just crazy??

Memorial Day, 2001

I know – it’s not Christmas. But for my family, Memorial Day and this song both mean something different.

My mom loved music. I think she was tone deaf, but she loved music. She  tried so hard to make us all musical – Robyn plays piano, Patti sings. I play the radio. I love music, but have no talent for it.   It was important for us to have lots of music at her funeral.  We all needed something different. Coach Stacy who sang at my parents wedding, sang at my Mom’s funeral. Daddy needed that. Our dear friend Mrs. Rita sang – Momma wanted that.  Our friends Kerry and Laquita sang – we needed that.   Our Mom loved the Hallelujah Chorus. She told us for YEARS that she wanted it played at her funeral.   I almost wonder sometimes if she knew she would be leaving us early. . . she gave us very clear instructions on what she wanted!  So at the very end, we played the Hallelujah Chorus – actually, my CD is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, just as this video is! I’m not sure why she loved it so much, although it is moving and wonderful. I love all the different parts, where each group is singing something completely different. I love that big pause at the end.  But now, every time I hear it, it hurts a little.  Not as much as it used to, but there is still a twinge! 

This summer, my family and I are going back to the Keys. For some of us, it’s the first time we’ve been back. I have mixed feelings – I’m very excited, but I’m nervous too. . . It will be bittersweet – going to a place she absolutely loved, but without her.   

May 23, 2001 (11 Years Ago Today, part 3)

So today, 11 years ago. We – Daddy, Robyn, Patti and I had to meet with the doctor and tell him to unplug the machines. I have to say,  we had no issues with what we told him. We didn’t like it, but we have NO guilt  or no regret for that. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we KNEW it was what she wanted. 

We were in the hospital waiting for the doctor, looked down the hallway and saw a wonderful sight. We saw some dear, dear friends coming down the hallway. Frank and Rita Newberry and Jim Elliott,  who had been friends with my parents since 1970, had driven all the way to the Keys to be with us.  It was unbelievable. My sisters and I were worried about our Daddy. We had each other, but he didn’t have anyone – but they showed up! We stood in a circle around Momma’s bed, we prayed, and walked out. The doctor came in, did his thing and in just a few minutes he told us she was gone. 

We went back to the rental house, and packed up to go home. Mrs. Rita is a cleaning machine, and she started cleaning and packing. It wasn’t much longer than an hour or two and we were on the way home. It was a LONG drive home. I rode with Robyn and her boys and Patti rode with Daddy.  Robyn and I would pop up with random things, we’d cry a little, then keep on.  Robyn said “You know we’re gonna have to play that song.” I said “ I know.”  My mom had told us for YEARS  she wanted the “Hallelujah Chorus” played at her funeral.

As we rode home the strangest thing was – the world just kept on spinning. Kids were going home from school, getting off the bus, and everybody else just went on like normal. Our world was completely off-kilter and everybody else was just having another day. That was the hardest thing to get.

I’ve written before about how much I love Steven Curtis Chapman – here is one reason why.  The only thing I could think of was a song of his.  The chorus goes like this:

“We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again”

The second verse says:

“And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done”

You can read the rest of the lyrics here: http://stevencurtischapman.com/node/261

(and you can hear part of the song. I love him – you can buy it on iTunes!)

Another Bible verse kept popping into my head – “. . . that you sorrow NOT, as those who have NO HOPE. . .” 

I know as much as anyone can know about someone else, that my mom is with Jesus.  I don’t know why He needed her more than I do, but I have to trust that His ways are higher than my ways and that He works everything for our good.

So today, 11 years later, I cry with hope.  I ache with hope ‘cause I KNOW our goodbye was not the end. Oh no! We said goodbye with hope, knowing we’ll see her face again!

11 Years Ago Today (part 2)

May 22, 2001.

I don’t remember much about today. I just talked to my sister Robyn and she remember my Granny, and my aunts (my mom’s sisters)  driving down and eating with them.  I have no recollection of that. I do know that my granny was in a bad place – her youngest child had just passed away not long before my mom. Robyn remembers Granny saying “ I can’t go through this again, I just can’t.” But she did – although it was hard. She’s buried two of her children – doesn’t seem quite right does it??

I remember four specific things about today.

First, I called my friend Mrs. Smith early in the morning and explained why I wouldn’t be at school that day. I started rambling off all the things that weren’t done in my class room and she said “I’ll take care of it” and she did. I didn’t do one more thing in my room or with my report cards or anything. She took care of it.  Later, she took care of me, but today, she took care of all my stuff.

Second, they were painting a mural on an outside wall of that small hospital in Marathon. I watched the painter paint. I know it was an underwater scene but I can’t tell you anything else about it.  It seemed like it was taking forever!

My sister Robyn is a nurse and the third thing had to do with her.  She had to give our Mom CPR on the beach.  Someone came up and told her they had called 911 and helped her with chest compressions, but afterwards, nobody else saw or could remember that person. Kind of strange, huh??  I watched her switch between being a daughter and being a nurse. She would come in and check Mom’s chart like a nurse. Then, she’d go out into the hallway and cry. She flip-flopped back and forth the whole day.

The last thing I remember may be the sweetest, but to non-church people, it will seem strange.  My family had gone to a church in Marathon on Sunday and filled out visitor cards. They had marked “just visiting” and yes, we have a home church.  Tuesday night, two ladies from that church came to the hospital. I think only Patti and Robyn and I were there. They said “Is there anything we can do for you?” We have yet to figure out how they knew what happened, how they connected the story they’d heard to the people who had visited on Sunday, or how they matched that to us. . No idea.  It was the nicest thing I’d ever heard of.  They have no idea how much that meant. I hope I can do that for someone else one day!

I don’t remember sleeping.  Isn’t that strange? I can’t remember eating.  I know that I did sometime, but I can’t remember it. I know one time they sent me back to the house to go to sleep and I swam laps in the pool. It was gray outside and I just swam back and forth and back and forth. Maybe it was nighttime – I just can’t remember.