Tuesday, April 18, 2017

SHE IS SIX

She is six now and so much has changed.
She is in school now, so our sleepovers have been cut down
a bit and usually when she comes her little sis
is in tow.
Yet, yesterday, it was just her and I.
My sweet Jilly Bean.
So much is the same, oh but so much is different.
We still take adventure walks,
now instead of me pointing out treasures,
she is pointing and picking them out herself.
Our conversations have become more advanced,
"Mumise, do you cry? Not happy tears I mean real tears"
She sings often and wants me to video her.
This is another difference, before her singing was just
for me, a one person audience.
Her coloring is no longer out the lines,
beautiful, vibrant colors, on the chalkboard last night.
I pick her up to place her in the tub,
she is solid, six year old weight,
not the feather light toddler anymore.
She no longer plays with the toys aside the tub.
"Lets hurry and bathe so we can go do card crafts"
She is not tired at 7pm, ready to play our 
favorite night game of "foosh" our version 
of a pillow fight.
Instead we go into the Studio and she makes two cards
for her little neighbors who are moving soon.
When it is finally enough time that this Mumsie can't
go anymore we retreat to the bedroom for "foosh"
No longer do my pillow throws hit her and knock her down.
No, now she hold a pillow up in front of her strategically
and blocks my pillows, stopping each one from knocking
her down. Then just when I am out of pillows she
attacks with a vengeance, My ammunition is gone,
I am at her Mercy.
We then read books, same routine since she was
a baby, that too has changed.
It's her reading to me and a chapter book.
Her head still fits in the crook of my arm but her long
body takes up more space than before.
I am aware of so much this day.
Because she is maturing, growing into such a beautiful child
who can "Drama Queen" with the best but
hold a conversation like she could not before.
I am tired then, having worked in my yard most of the day.
Lights out.... and then, then the one thing that has
not and I hope never does change,
"Hug me Mumsie, hold my hand"
"sing me prayers, Mumsie"
She hugs my arm tightly as I sing OUR FATHER
and when I get to her favorite part, she sings along,
"...FOR THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY
IS YOURS, AMEN"
She still wants to cuddle, falls asleep in my arms with
Oliver tucked between us.
She is asleep in minutes, myself, just a little longer 
as I contemplate the changes taking place in my oldest
grandgirl. Soon she will be a preteen, and perhaps
sleeping at Mumsie's won't be as appealing to her.
I treasure these moments, getting farther apart as she grows up.
She will have sleepovers at friends homes, or friends at
her own home. Yet, this Mumsie will always treasure
our times together, will always play "foosh"
no matter how big she is and how old I am
and we will always cuddle and read books,
no matter which of us is doing the reading.
Most importantly I will always sing to her the perfect prayer
and we shall always sing her favorite part with just a little more
flair,  and our night will always, always end
with an arm around her growing body and
"I love you, Jilly"
"I love you, Mumsie"



Friday, April 7, 2017

A FAMILY LIKE NO OTHER



When living in Thibodaux I met so many  
awesome people, friends. 
Some I speak to here and there and some
I am part of the family.
The Duet's, my once neighbors are family.
Having lived next door to them
for six years we have shared a lot.
Like I have blogged about before,
Katie, the neighbor, being their daughter,
became a close friend to me
with age playing no part, no age gap as
we love scrapping, crafts.
Last time I blogged about this wonderful family,
it was when their son and brother, Stephen
passed away from a rare heart disease.
One of the saddest days of my life so I
can't even imagine what that was like for them.
Today I blog about Donna, the Mother
to this heavenly child and Katie.
Last week Katie informed me that her Mother,
having gone for her routine Mammogram,
was diagnosed with Breast cancer....
WHAT???? How can this happen to 
this most amazing family? Where is the lesson
here? Knowing Donna, she does not like "fanfare"
and if she shed tears about herself, it was in 
the privacy of her home in the arms of her
family. Warren, her hubby, always being the
best supporter of all, has to be worried so.
It has not been enough tragedy that they bury
their baby boy, now his high school sweetheart
having to go through chemo., surgery,
I know him well enough to know he would 
love to take this away from her, to go through
it himself. I have no doubt, Donna will go 
through this with grace, for all the world to see
and like I have been known to say,
sometimes the things we go through has nothing 
to do with us but for someone else
in our world who needs to learn a lesson as they
watch how this family goes through this.
Katie, their daughter, will be at her Mothers side
through it all, her little Cherub, Addison and
Stephen's girlfriend, "Aunt Meal" as Addison
calls her will see them through this as well.
What I want to share is this,
this family will attack this diagnoses with
little tears, hide nothing from others who ask
questions. Donna, no matter how badly she
may feel while going through chemotherapy,
will share that with very few, going to work as
many days as she can through this ordeal.
I hold this family high on a pedestal,
not only today because of what they will face,
but the way they face all the negative things
in their lives, with honor and grace.
Soon it will be over and done, Donna
will get over this and in a few years many
won't even remember she had cancer.
Except I know she will now be an advocate
of yearly Mammograms just as her Katie will be.
Donna's worry will be for Katie and Addison, knowing
that because they are females, they may hold
the same gene she did that made one cell go crazy
to cause this breast cancer.
I love you, Duet's and in pure Lilly fashion, 
I will leave you with one funny statement to 
take the edge off this terrible diagnosis,
"YOU CAN NOW HAVE THE BOOBS OF
YOUR DREAMS AND YOUR INSURANCE
WILL PAY FOR IT!"
Love you all, here for the journey!
The Duets during happy times,  Baby boy and Kd's
wedding. Steve-O sitting, so much life!
Katie, the neighbor and sweet "Aunt Meal"
Camille, Stephen Love, no doubt she will be a 
dentist soon!
And our dear Donna holding the one who will make
this journey a little easier, our Addison, AddieMae to 
me, Aunt Mumsie.
Offer up a prayer for this sweet wonderful family!

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW ITS LOVE

It has been close to four years since I've been single,
having ended a 30 year marriage.
Having not been much of the dating type
when I was a teen, Ron being my high school boyfriend,
I was determined to enjoy the single life,
and I have, I did.....
I have had many wonderful dates, met many
wonderful men, some I remain friends with,
some that after one date I have not contacted again.
I met most via Match.Com and lots of people
would say its not very safe but for me
(after doing a criminal background check and
always having a 911 buddy, more on that later....)
I have dated more because of it than perhaps I would have
had I not used that dating site.
My famous motto:
"I love dating, I hate relationships."
and thats all those Match meetings were, dates....
Most ended quickly.
No one I incorporated into my daily routine,
no one I had asked my children to meet,
no one worthy of being part of the grand girls lives.
Then, like a needle in a haystack, something changed.
I began emailing this one guy and I liked a lot about
him right off the bat. Through phone calls, emails,
texts that finally led to a date that landed up into a long
conversation night.
He brought me flowers, Lilies to be exact.
He listened, listened well, forgot very little.
He began sharing personal things with me and
I found myself doing the same, something I had
not done during the dating fiasco.
The more I learned about this man, the more comfortable
I became sharing parts of my life.
I found him to not only to be smart but to be Worldly.
Having traveled as a Navy brat and then going into
the Navy himself, he filled me with knowledge that
I have been interested in as I get older.
He took an interest in my business, saw my talents as more
than just a hobby, shared the love of "junking" 
antiquing, shopping. cooking.... So many things.
I found myself, by Valentine's Day, knowing 
there was more to this "date" than just a date.
I was not about to say "THOSE THREE WORDS"
Matter of fact, wanted to run from the same words
when professed to me. But this time, I didn't.
I didn't run, I didn't find an excuse to stop dating,
I didn't remember how much I love my own company.
Because with this man, who is now known in the blogging world
as "MY BOO" something was different.
I asked my children to meet him, I thought about the future
when maybe the grand girls could meet him as well.
We both like the way things are now,
talking nightly, texting numerous times daily.
but our time together is weekends only. It works for
us and it is all either of us can give at this point but I share
all of this now with you all, my blog followers,
because, I am now accepting of the fact that.......
I LOVE THIS MAN.
I do not know what the future holds for us
nor do we worry about it, for now, it is enough for us both
just to know, we are in love.
Which takes me to the title of this blog.
Deana Carter, many years ago, wrote and sang the most
beautiful song,
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW ITS LOVE
First time I heard it, I cried, it was of sadness.
Because I knew besides the love I have for my children,
I had never loved like that and probably never would.
That was over 10 years ago.
Then last week, I ask the Boo, if he ever had heard that song.
That is not very unusual in our relationship as music, lyrics have
played a big part in "us".
No he had not so I read the lyrics to him.
As I did, I felt like I may cry again, but for a different reason
this time, because perhaps, something I thought was impossible 
for me to ever feel towards another had indeed happened.
For the last few days, I have contemplated this writing,
wrote it and deleted it, typed it and saved it,
typed it and erased it, but today, I have the courage to
print those lyrics here and now because, I have no
doubt in my heart that,
I KNOW IT'S LOVE.....
IF YOU GET OUT IN THE DRIVIN' RAIN
STAND IN THE EYE OF A HURRICANE
AND NEVER THINK TWICE
IF YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON SELFISHNESS
AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE FOR SOMEONE ELSE
'CAUSE THEY'VE CHANGED YOUR LIFE
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW ITS LOVE
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S MEANT TO BE
WHEN THE SPAN OF FOREVER 
JUST NEVER SEEMS LONG ENOUGH
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW ITS LOVE
WHEN YOUR HEART INSISTS THAT YOU GIVE IT ALL
WHEN YOU NO LONGER FEAR THE FALL
AND YOU JUST LET GO
WHEN THE PAST IS FINALLY DEAD AND GONE
FATE LEADS YOU SOMEWHERE TO THE ONE
THAT HAS YOUR SOUL
THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW ITS LOVE
NO PART OF YOUR QUESTIONS
NO PART OF YOU DOUBTS
YOU'RE ONLY SURE THIS IS WHAT LOVES ABOUT
AND NOTHING AND NO ONE CAN STAND IN YOUR WAY
OR KEEP YOU FROM SAYING WHAT YOUR HEART IS DYING TO SAY
Yes...... And that is, in fact, Just how I know it is love!                                                                                 

the inspirational JEMMA KATE

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