HEAVY HEARTED

I sit here today, beginning my day as I do most days,

drinking my coffee, surfing the net and listening to the news.

What makes today different?

The loss of a young life by her own hands.

Only 13 and felt like life was too hard to continue it.

I can't say much about it as I don't have parental consent

but I knew this child, beautiful with so much going on in 

her future. When we met, she was funny, talented and

I knew she was a special child. 

Hard to believe she is no longer part of our world.

That life became so complicated at a time in her life

when she should still be playing outside, tag, Mother May I.

Reading the classics, doing art work she was so good at.

My heart so sad for her parents, siblings and all those 

who loved her.

The second thing is, the news....

The news that speaks of the Florida school shooting,

the one man trained and armed to protect these children,

Their school police officer,

instead of going inside and taking control of this massacre,

stayed outside of the building...

Four minutes and he never went inside the building

with the weapon he carried on his belt,

the only one who had permission to have a weapon.

In six minutes the whole ordeal was over

and he was not the one who ended it.

He at first was put on probation without pay

and then he resigned. I know he may have been 

scared, I understand he had 30 years and even had won an

award for his work, yet when really needed to carry out

the job he was hired for, he never reentered the building.

I have mixed feelings about our President of today.

I still believe what Dad taught us,

"No matter how you feel, the President is to be respected"

This morning I am very proud in his statement about

this same school shooting, something to the effect,

"Instead of advertising all over schools, we are a 

'NO GUN CAMPUS' 

we should be advertising,

"THERE ARE GUNS ON THIS CAMPUS AND

IF YOU COME IN HERE TO DO HARM,

THERE ARE PEOPLE TRAINED AND ARMED

WHO WILL KILL YOU"

Guns are not the problem.

Just this week in a nearby town, teens got into an argument

and knives came out and one was killed,

in a neighborhood.....

So will people next be taking the right to have a knife away

from us.

Weapons are not the issue, actually I think more weapons 

to protect us from these insane people are needed, with

proper training.

No matter how many guns, knives,  tazers you take away,

people who want to cause harm will find a way to do it.

It is not us, the ones who follow the laws, that should be

punished by not being able to have arms.

Lets train our teachers, Principals, those who we entrust

our children to daily, to protect themselves and our children

from those harmful people.

Sorry for my rampage, but I am just overwhelmed 

with all the negativity in the world that my grand girls will

be raised in.

Yet, I end this post with prayers, prayers for our World

and mostly, prayers for the sweet, young child and those

who loved her as they find some way to go on with living

without her. She was a wonderful child.

RIP S.......

THE ONE AND ONLY, AUNT MAE MAE

We hear of silent hero's but rarely do

we find out who these people are.

They don't get media attention, they

don't look for pats on the back.

They just do what they have to do 

to make a difference in the World.

I have had the fortune to be raised with 

one said silent hero I called 

AUNT MAE MAE.

She was one of many of my Dad's sisters,

she was widowed at a young age,

My Uncle Joe dying after a car accident

leaving her with six children to raise,

ages ranging from approximately 17 to 17 months.

I was 8 years old when my Uncle Joe died.

I am sure My Aunt Mae Mae was devastated

and cried herself to sleep many a nights

but all I remember seeing is this petite little woman

picking up the pieces of her and her children's 

shattered lives and build a new "Normal".

As a child, I often wondered, how she did that?

How she raised 6 children single while working

jobs, first Roscelle's (sp?) Sports, making 

trophies and then eventually taking over the trophy 

business on her own.

Everyone below Intracoastal, associated 

"trophies" with "Rosemary"

My aunt Mae Mae was a true legend,

not many like her. Never asked for a handout,

had a tough outer skin with a soft marshmallow inside

that you only saw in the presence of her grandchildren.

What I loved the most about her was her brutal honesty.

When others were afraid to say something,

she put it out there for all the hear.

She loved to joke and just like the Collins,

had a string of Cajun slang of not so nice words

that could leave you laughing, looking for a bathroom.

I loved going to her house as a child and didn't

realize until I was an adult with my own children

just how hard it must have been to raise children,

work all day, then come home to cook a home cooked

meal for her big family. Like that was not enough,

let me add all she did for the South Lafourche High School Band.

For many years, even after all her own children were grown,

she still stayed active and was a big part of

the success of the High School Band.

There was never time for rest for this 

Aunt of mine. Saying all this I guess my biggest

comfort comes from the fact that now, she rests.

Rests near the God that she loved, along with being

reunited with the only man she ever loved,

my Uncle Joe. I pray that there is truth in 

stories of dying and in your journey to Heaven all those

who have gone before you are there waiting to greet you.

I think of all who would be there, 

The love of her life, Uncle Joe,

her siblings, including my Dad and my Mom.
And many cousins, especially Fay and Dwayne
who she loved like her own.

What a party to be had!

Rest my dear Aunt Mae Mae, 

no one deserved it more than you,

my silent hero.