With a Heavy Heart

I began this week with enthusiasm & with the hope that I would find time to post about our little spring break get-away to St. Augustine & JAX. But no one could have seen the tragedy that was to come.

On Monday afternoon, I received a phone call from one of my best friends. She shared news that a lady, a sister if you will, had just been discovered by her teenage daughter after committing suicide. I knew her very well. Our daughters, (hers is in 4th grade),were to sing together in the upcoming mother/daughter banquet tomorrow. Even though we were not terribly close, the disbelief, grief, & anger that I felt rode thru my body in sickening waves. She had been battling mental illness for some time now, & I guess things had become unbearable, at least in her mind. My heart is grieved at what her children must be going thru as I can not begin to fathom the intense grief & sorrow they must feel. It has all been so surreal, especially since most of us had seen her at worship the night before & things seemed to be going well. How difficult it is to explain to my own children in a way that is age appropriate while being honest and gentle.

In the midst of this tragedy, however, something amazing happened. I saw God. No, not in the ridiculous sense of seeing the image of Christ or Mary on a piece of toast or a random cheeto, but in the sense that we learn about in the New Testament. I saw God in the many people who flocked to the family's side in the wake of devastation. I saw God in the hands of ladies preparing food, men bringing in coolers of ice for drinks, in the loving kindness of our youth & even some of our elementary age children who hugged and cried and sometimes just sat in silence with the bereaved. I witnessed these young people show great maturity and concern for others that I have never seen before. God was there in a dear brother & sister in Christ who opened up their home to this aching & hurting family. A couple who have since taken off the week from work to help the family with arrangements, making sure the children receive immediate counseling & even sitting up all night with a teenage girl struggling with the memory of that terrible day.

Oh, God was there. In His people, in their eyes, their hearts, their hands, their feet He was there.

TWO Posts in ONE Day!!

To my faithful readers, or uh readER, don't die of shock at my posting TWICE in ONE day instead of in one month! :)

I just could not resist adding this link to one of the blogs I LOVE to read. This post is simply hilarious, as are many of Christie's. (I hope you enjoy it as much I do!)

Also, we are traveling to St. Augustine in the morning. We'll spend the day there & then spend some time w/ Joe's family. I hope to have some great pics when we return! Now it's off to clean, do laundry, & put the kids to bed....although, probably not in that order!!! LOL

Manalays & Birthday Princesses

Does your husband have a manalay? Well, apparently my husband does, or at least in his dreams. One of the fun things about Joe is when he talks in his sleep. The other night as I slipped into bed, Joe was already snoozing. I leaned over & kissed him on the head. He immediately popped up, kissed me, & then leaned way over his side of the bed. You know, like Micah does, where only his legs are still on the bed? I asked him several times what he was doing, but couldn't understand the grumbles. He finally righted himself, & snuggled in beside me. I again asked him what he was doing. He replied he was getting his "manalay." Trying desperately to hold back the giggles, I asked him what a manalay was, & apparently it is something you pick up metal with! Seriously it's not even a word, & when I asked him the next morning what a manalay was, he looked at me like I had three heads. He had no idea what I was talking about.

Of course, that was funnier than the other morning when I tried to wake him up because his alarm was going off and he said, "shut your mouth, it's not my ADDING!" If I didn't know about his sleep habits & that college algebra was stressing him out, I would have pushed him out of bed. In fact, maybe next time...

Here is our birthday princess who just turned eight last Saturday! This is the outfit she put together to go & spend her giftcards:

She is a shopping queen! She found a couple of shorts/pants & SEVERAL tops for around $75 at the "Children's Place" store. Let me put it this way...two of the items were $9, the rest were between $3-$6! I am never so lucky. I'll post pics of her new outfits soon.

Here are some interesting pics of Micah's toys that I took after he went to bed one night:

That is the preschool version of Magnetix he used to create what I assume is an impound lot. He loves to line up things like cars & crayons. He sometimes even sorts by color. If you really knew him, this type of OCD behavior doesn't quite fit. And, yes, if you look closely, that is a Christmas M&M character playing the part of night watchman!