Mother's Day

Today was such a beautiful Mother's Day, I'd have to say the best one I have had in years...maybe ever.

We woke up and went to church, and the sermon was amazing (as usual). He spoke about the greatest example of selfless love (other than Christ) is a mother. That really touched my heart. We also got to watch a baby dedication, and it was so beautiful watching all these young moms and dads give their babies back to God, and make an eternal commitment to raise them according to His word. It made me want to pull out the pics of Samuel and Michael's dedications. <3 Seems so long ago... *sigh*

Every Mother's Day I sit and think about my boys' entire life...just like I do on their birthdays. I always think that the near death experiences (me), early births (both boys), incubator (Michael), iv's (Michael), feeding tubes (Michael), three day labor (Samuel), bili-blankets (Samuel), projectile vomiting (Samuel), hole in the heart (Samuel), prolapsed rectum (Michael), more kidney damage (me), weight gain (me), stretch marks (me), becoming a mom at 17, etc.... was all worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! I love every minute with my children.

I also like to sit back and reflect on everything my mother has given me...and she has give n so much. It is hard really fathom her horrible childhood, 15 year marriage to a drunk, and being a single mom...and STILL meeting EVERY need and EVERY want. She worked her butt off for us, and still made time to be at all of our events. She is the strongest, most compassionate, loving woman that I know. She truly is my hero. Even after I was grown and had a family of my own, she was (and is) still there for everything that I need. She is the very definition of "best friend" to me. I wish everyone could have such an amazing mom!

Back to my story..

After church, we all went out for lunch. We REALLY wanted Cracker Barrel, but when we arrived, the wait was over an hour long...so we said, "Nah." We will just go there next week after church, when it is not a holiday. :-)

Golden Corral was next door so we decided to go there. It was packed, but you could get straight in, so that was a bonus. I usually don't care for buffets, no one does but the kids, but the food was really good today. They had a "brunch/lunch" thing going on- it was yummy.

Then we headed home for our routine Sunday naps...it was beautiful. I love Sunday naps, I am not sure why they are better than Wednesday naps, but they are!! [:

All in all it was such a wonderful, peaceful, happy, day- filled of family and love. I simply could not ask for more.


Hopefully the link below works, it is the album from Mother's Day.....basically it has the gifts my boys gave me, and my creative way to tell my mom Happy Mother's Day! Check 'em out...

MOTHER'S DAY PICTURES

Now I'm angry!

Normally I do not let new stories get to me, it is like I care, but it does not effect me. You know? And sometimes, if you think about a story too long, it will start to become personal to you, or at least that is the case with me.

Anywho, I feel PERSONALLY effected by this news story...THE OIL SPILL. This spil is bound to hit my hometown (Destin,FL) any day now, and that infuriates me. I have seen God's beauty in the Gulf of Mexico, I have swam with dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, I spent half of my childhood in the Gulf of Mexico! I cannot even imagine what the oil looks like in person, I am sure I would lose my mind crying.

My dad was a fisherman (still is), and I have been out on countless fishing trips, way out in the "deep sea." I love the childhood memories from those boating trips, and all the time I spent swimming in that beautiful water.

Now the government is placing bans on fishing and shrimping...and I believe with all of my heart that BP should be FORCED to pay every single fisherman that is without work right now. If you know fishing, then you know you only make money when you go out. My heart goes out to the countless men that are without work for who knows how long. It is a sad state of affairs.

And...and...AND...I do not even want to think about the poor sea life. :'( Their home is being destroyed more and more each minute. Way to go BP, congrats on all of this horrific damage!!




I can't talk about it anymore.

Beyond Happiness :)

In the last year I lost...

*my home.
*my husband.
*my income.
*5 of my dogs.
*my trust.
*my kitten.
*my guinea pig.
*my best friend.
*my belief that there are good men.
*my new furnace (we can't use it, and ins. won't cover it).

I have been fighting cancer, been diagnosed with lung problems, trying to fight through severe back pain...I have discovered that Michael has a "suspicious nodule" on his thyroid, I learned that Samuel is living with a Right Bundle Branch Block and a Tri-Cuspid Leak...I received word from my granddaddy that he is fighting Melanoma. We are currently trying to keep our home, but the bank really wants to take it back. I keep doing for others, but continue to get stabbed in the back.

I could go on for days about what has happened to me in a years time, but I don't want to talk about that anymore. Let's face it, bad things happen to everyone, if they didn't- we would never learn. I feel like I have learned A LOT this year!!

Through all of the storms, I still have a smile on my face, and a lot to be thankful for!

In the past year I have...

*become much closer with my boys.
*gained a close relationship with Sam & Kathleen, and the kiddos.
*experienced true love from my mom and dad.
*been lucky enough to live in a house full of family, where it never gets lonely.
*built up friendships to levels that I never thought they would reach.
*learned how to let others help me.
*been blessed by God, every single time there is a need!
*accepted cancer as a part of my life, and I know someone is being touched by my story.
*learned what TRUE forgiveness is.
*become Hollie, a girl that I have never known until now.
*been smiling more.
*really enjoyed the small things in life.
*learned how to confront a problem, in a Godly way.
*decided that I want to have a worth that is "far above rubies."
*taken lemons and made lemonade!
*realized that home is not a structure, it is where the heart is.

I have also become so much closer in my walk with God...I know that my granddaddy with Melanoma is saved (which mean everything to me)...I found a church home that I am so thankful for...I have prayed to become the mother that God wants me to be, and I believe I am doing that everyday. I have laid on the fresh cut grass and enjoyed God's beautiful world, I have and listened to the wind whip, I have gone bike riding while making a joyful noise to God, I have watched animals work with their tiny hands, I have prayed over my children as they sleep, I have received freshly picked wild flowers from my boys, I have enjoyed God's creation in every way possible.

Again, this list is sooo long, you just got the Reader's Digest version. :)

I feel like you can choose happiness, or you can choose sadness- but wither one is a CHOICE. I choose to be happy. If you read the list above you can see all the ways that God has blessed me, what right would I have to not be happy? The true test is, can you be happy when all the bad stuff is happening? I can honestly say YES. I have reached a point in my life, and in my faith, when something bad happens I simply say, "I'm not gonna worry about this, God has a plan." You would be amazed how much your mood will change if you say that out loud every time you hit a bump in the road.

I suppose I have chatted enough for one night! I hope that you all read this and it makes you smile...and you share that smile with others around you. Remember, SMILES ARE CONTAGIOUS!

:-)

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