I haven't lost a son, I've gained a granddogger

Much to our cat's dismay, we are now harboring a criminal. You know how it is? Son goes to college and lives on his own. Son thinks, "I need a dog." Son gets dog. While son in Maine for funeral, son's friend leaves door of apartment open, dog disappears never to be seen again. What does son do? Gets another dog, of course. "Mom, she was just laying there, all sick and scrawny looking. She needed someone to love." Of course, Mom-who-sees-into-the-future thinks this better be a good dog because she just knows we are gonna inherit her one of these days. Fast forward a few months. Son is looking for new apartment. No take dogs. Oh, what a surprise! Mom picks up dog. Mom loves dog, BUT...

Dog loves to chew because dog is still a puppy. What do puppies do? CHEW! Anything and everything.

My favorite pair of boots...

Chicken bouillion...

Weight clamp ends (or whatever these things are called)...

Pepper spray (um, yeah, that was a close one)...

Corners of coffee tables...

Insulation (yeah, that's just stupid and dangerous)...

Cat is not happy and spends most her days hiding under bed with dust bunnies...

...and despite protestations to the contrary, the spousal unit does, too, like this dog.

p.s. I still feel a little yucky and now the spousal unit does, too. :)

Wah.

Feeling yucky. Cough, cough.

Janet Lorraine Sweet

I've spoken several times of my "blog-friend", Dave and his challenge of waking one morning to find himself himself utterly and completely deaf a year and a half ago. I've also mentioned a few times that his wife, Janet, had her own battle raging with leukemia.

On Saturday, March 7, Janet lost her battle. For a beautiful read about Love, read this post. To read Dave's beautiful tribute to Janet, go here. It's worth the time and the trip.

(Photograph borrowed from Seismic 2000 at flickr.com)

Dust Bunnies and Cobwebs

Well, I can't believe it. I have started a third blog. A third blog! What a dork. Anyway, my new blog is called "Dust Bunnies and Cobwebs". Jim says it's a negative title. What does Jim know anyway? I love it. Anyway, I'm starting it to document the renovation on the living room/dining room/kitchen that we are doing. I'm not sure how often it will get updates, but check it out once in a while, especially if ya ain't stopped by the house in a while.

p.s. I did not win the gift certificate to Target that Auds at Barking Mad was giving away (what's up with that anyway?) Oh, well. I think my name is supposed to go on the Keurig Coffee System she is giving away in April. I've been thinking about getting one for the cafe at church. I better win that one or else...or else what, I don't know, but it sounded good. Man, I hope I win it...

Barking Mad

Not me! The blog, i am barking mad! She's having a wee bit of a contest. The winner receives a giftcard to Target worth $250. I could do a little something with that, yes, I could. All I have to do is post 5-10 of my favorite blog posts. Yup, I can do that, too. I have a few more favorites, but this is enough, dontcha think? So, here goes.

You know, as I look over all of these, there seems to be a somber theme, but it's not, really. It's been a tough year, but it has also been filled with so many blessings. Everything I'm writing is really a celebration. It has been an honor and a privilege to have been touched the way these stories have touched me.

Crown Wretch - written after a trip to Maine last summer. The morning I started the drive home, my sister-in-law and friend learned of her nephew's death in a middle-of-the-night car accident. This happened after two years of one tragedy in her family after another.

Seeing Ghosts At IHOP - since December 27, 2007, I've lost my mother, my father, my mother-in-law and my older sister. It's been a year.

My Little Mum - posted on the anniversary of my little mum's death.

It's Not an 18 year Commitment, It's Forever - written after a horrible early morning phone call.

Knowing God - written in response to a question from Cafe Chat.

A History, A Mystery - a two-part posting of the grant proposal for educators I submitted before I realized my father would not be able to accompany me on a trip to Germany I'd long dreamed of taking him on. I received the grant. My father died while I was on the trip.

Doors, Rainbows and White Crosses - a post about solving the mystery I sought in Germany and the morning my father died.

Fog Delay

As I was ironing my clothes for work at 5:30 am on Thursday morning, I received a lovely surprise---a phone call from my boss and friend. "Two hour delay this morning." she said. I hadn't even taken a gander out the window yet to see the fog which enveloped the area. It was so thick in some areas that school was eventually called off for some. There was no use in trying to get more sleep. I can never fall back to sleep once I'm awake. I was feeling quite lazy though.

With coffee made, I settled in to read a blog I had discovered a few days before. Some things the writer wrote peaked my interest and I had to start from the beginning. This meant reading almost 600 blog posts over a six day period. To say I had other things to do was/is an understatement. I was like an addict, though, and had to read it all. It is hard to read between the lines when a person expresses debilitating and agonizing pain. It makes me want to reach out and find a way to help them heal. This week has been one filled with agony, others' agonies, not my own (Although last week was one of the most stressful ones I've had in a while. Compared to others, it was nothing.) Jim had to help a family deal with the death of a 22 yr old father of a beautiful baby girl. My blog friend, Dave, at Five String Guitar is dealing with the quickly declining health of his love, Janet, in what may be her final days of battling leukemia. Others in blogland are dealing with death, illness, job loss, and what seems to be personal attacks of debilitating proportions. It makes my heart heavy.

I've been thinking a lot lately of experiences our family has been through in the last ten years. We faced demons and personal attacks and rumors and gossip. Our children, most notably our daughter, were caught in the crossfire. For several years, I allowed the anger to rule me. It ruled me to the point that I got lost in myself and no longer recognized the person I had become. I hated what I allowed it all to do to me. But the thing that is becoming clear to me is that I'm coming back. Snippets of who I was are becoming who I am. The heaviness that has ruled my heart for so long is leaving and, I think, most of it is gone. There is a lightness and a hope in my life that I used to feel daily that is returning. I like the person I was. In many ways, I've become stronger. I think the person I'm becoming is better. I like that.

There's been a delay, but the fog is lifting.