Good vs. Evil

Today, I caught the end of the movie "Ever After." It stars Drew Barrymore as Cinderella, and it's one of my favorites. The humor is right up my alley, and the wicked are truly evil. A great flick.
Toward the end of the movie, Cinderella asks her evil step-mother if there was ever a time when she loved her. The woman's response is, "How can a person ever love a pebble in her shoe?", which crushes Cinderella to the core.
It made me think of my mother-in-law. She married Andy's dad shortly after Andy's mother died when he was not yet 5 and his brother 2 years old. She moved into her home, ate off her dishes, and sat on her furniture. She worked to pay of the hospital debt left without a complaint and, without going into too personal information, dealt with relatives on all sides who were non too happy with the marriage.
And she raised Andy and Bruce as her own. The term "step" never was uttered in the house, and the family grew to include two more children. Now, I imagine there were days when being Andy's mother was not fun - after all, his mommy had just died and he had a lot of adjusting to do. And yet, he was her son. She gave up her homeland to become an American in case the boys ever had to go to war and had to fight. She gave up many other things as well, and never complained.
I don't tell her often enough how much I honor her and love her; outside my own grandmother, she is probably one of my earthly heroes. She is 83 now, and she and my father-in-law have had a happy marriage. Just like Cinderella and her prince, they have lived "happily ever after." And they deserve it .

Post # 350 !!

Wow. 350 times I've had something I thought were worth sharing. One day, I'll go back and read them all. Maybe...
The other day, I went to Blockbuster and came home with 10 movies. Haven't rented any all summer, so this is the week to catch up. Yesterday, I watched "The Other Bolyn Girl" with Natalie Portland and Scarlett Johanson. I enjoyed the scenery and the costumes were gorgeous, I think it was the best acting I've seen from Natalie P., but I came away from the story really sad at the mess those people made of their lives because of ambition. It reminded me of the ambitious Father Ralph from the Thorn Birds - how his whole life came to ruin because of his ambition in the Catholic church.
I got to thinking that ambition is one of those character traits that can be either really beneficial or detrimental. How far does someone's ambition go to cause them to ruin either their own lives or the lives of others around them? If you are ambitious, people look up to you as hard-working and confident - unlike unambitious folks who just go-with-the-flow and live life as it comes to them. I think I'll choose to live somewhere in the middle. I don't want to lose my head over it!!

Well, here goes....

I wrote a long, very personal post today and then dumped it. Surfice it to say, it was very therapeutic in nature, and opened my own eyes to some things I do not want to face. I wish I would have had the guts to publish it, but hopefully it served its purpose just seeing it myself. Why is it so very hard to face one's demons?

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice....

Never again will I call her an "it." That's right; Erin and Gregg are having a daughter!! Something inside told me that she was a "he"- but I cannot tell you how very right this feels at this moment. Here are some things I'm pondering at this time:

I am on the search for the perfect rocking chair. It has to be comfy for long stretches of rocking = a good, roomy seat. It cannot scoot across the floor, cannot squeak or moan (no comments here!), and have "adjustable" speeds - quick for fussy, restless baby girls and a slow, quiet speed for a sleeping baby and contented Nana. Any suggestions?

Erin has the most beautiful hair, but I'm thinking this baby needs Gregg's curls. Are blonds ever curly-headed? I don't recall seeing many blonds with natural curls. Hmmm....

My mom would be so happy to know her name. It seems funny now to say it since she's not born yet, but I think I'll adapt. It's a lovely, elegant name honoring women very close to Erin's heart. She will have a lot to live up to... yet there's plenty of room for her own wondrous personality.

Oh, dear. I really sound like a Nana now!!! After I see it in print on Erin's blog, I'll fill you in, but I don't think it's my place to go first. I'm trying very hard to do things the right way here.
Don't want to mess up the visitation priviledges before she's ever here!!

One last thing; she's a big one - all of 12 ounces!!

Hurry up! - Slow down! -

Sunday, for a treat, Andy took me into SA for lunch following morning worship. We rarely eat out, and NEVER drive into town just to eat, so it made me a happy girl. On the way, we got behind some folks who were not in a hurry and we were on a double yellow stripe, so we had to wait until we were able to pass. It didn't hold us up that much, but just the idea of not going 70 was frustrating. I mean, our lunches were there for the picking, and we were behind some old country bumpkins!
Soon enough, we were there enjoying our dinner, not thinking again about the holdup. Later, that night, our minister was talking from the pulpit about how he and his wife had stood just below where he was to be married years before. As he talked about it, his faced transformed into one of wistfullness; of a man whose life has gone by much faster than he'd ever dreamed it would - in fact, he made that statement almost word for word. The moment took him back to his younged life, and you could feel the wistfullness just looking at him. I thought about that morning, how I'd been in such a goofy rush to get somewhere that meant nothing to my life; to not be "too late" having lunch. How foolish....
Now, today I think of my coming granddaughter, Liz. When I look at the ticker on the blog, those days to come seem very far off, and yet I know she will be here before I know it. There is a Star Trek movie we watched the other day where the people on the planet can slow time down, to "hold on" to a moment to fully enjoy it. I hope I figure out how to do that before she is born.
Time. God is so lucky not to be bound by it. I guess we will enjoy that in Heaven.

A little preview

Well, Andy has been at home this week; a little taste of retirement to come. It's been a productive week so far; the list of things to do has been shortened by several items, but there's still lots to do. Hopefully, his next week off will be more recreational !!
We've been very relaxed in our labors - do a little, stop and visit; do some more; eat lunch... you get the drill. Our yard looks great thanks to his efforts, and the cars are all taken care of. Now, I'll be happy to get the bathroom painted in the next couple of days. It's been nice to have him home, and to see how the 24/7 life of retirement will be.

I'm just glad we like to be together after all these years!!

A Day Late

While yesterday was Father's Day, I want to take my time today to reflect on the many wonderful men who have had an influence on my life. I know as soon as I sign off, however, that one or two will pop into my mind, but for now, here goes:



1. My dad. Graves Calvin Young. Mechanic extrordinaire, singer and whistler, loud laugher and champion yard/gardener. I hear him in my head as we speak, and I miss him so very much. Not a man of "words of affirmation" but you knew he loved you and wanted to be with you. He loved his grandchildren even more than the three of us.



2. My father-in-law. Frank LaMore. Has always been kind and helpful. Raised some great kids, especially my husband.



3. Jon Rhodes. College professor/ mentor/ "college dad." He

made a big impact in my life and then broke my heart by divorcing "mama Rhodes." But life goes on, doesn't it?



4. Jon Kelley. Every son should have a father like Jon. Patrick was at his side every step of the way growing up; and he was shown every example of how to serve the Lord's people.



5. Jim Lassiter. Our other college dad. Strong, fun, faithful.



6. Lin Johnson. Gregg's dad. See # 4 An amazing pair of men, who bless my life everyday. My grandchildren are blessed to have them in their lives.



7. Robert Hutton. He is everybody's dad. Watching Jarred as a father is testimony to his influence.



And I have to mention Andrew. I knew he came from a strong family full of high standards, but never dreamed he would be the man he is. His daughters have always been his focus, and our lives are stronger because he is our leader.



So, a late "Happy Father's Day" to all the guys above. Thanks for being part of my life, past, present and future. I hope you know how very much I love you all.

Trust

When the girls were young, we'd talk to them about trust and what all that entailed. We would model that for them by following up on promises and keeping confidences. We made sure that they understood that, once trust was broken, it took a long, long time to build back and relationships were damaged by losing trust in someone. Throughout our marriage, that trust has stayed strong in each other.
This year, in both our jobs, we've lost trust in co-workers. People we felt secure in our professional relationships with have done and said things that have made us wonder if we should have trusted in the first place, and have caused us to change the way we felt about our roles in our jobs. It is a horrible feeling, and for both of us to go through that in the same year has been devistating. It certainly takes away the joy of working with others, and the good we felt we accomplished.
Sure makes retirement look good....

I'm not in High School anymore....

Today, I started a 3 day training in San Antonio with a couple of co-teachers. We left bright and early to be on time, then talked our way past the street and ended up rushing anyway. (Tomorrow will go better !) Anyway, it was a quick day, an hour lunch and out by 3:00. Today was just the overview of the program, so I didn't get a lot of new information, but that's okay. Sometimes, just being around other teachers is enough to invigorate you and get you ready for the coming year.



I learned, however, that "one size doesn't fit all." We are at a High School, sitting in those lovely, hard student desks. Now, I know those big football player boys fit in them, and I fit in them, but by 2:00, I was ready to stand up the rest of the day. And we have two more days. I'm going to have to drag a chair from the teacher workroom and make myself more comfortable, or it's going to be painful. Bad thing is, we are sitting at the back of the classroom, so I'll have to lift it up over the others and make a spectacle of myself. My choices appear to be anonymity or comfort - tomorrow will tell.

A Retraction of Yesterday

I feel like I need to apologize for the mood of my last post. I guess I am still getting over the last year of school- hands down one of my worst. Both my girls called to "tease" me about sounding so in-your-face; I really was just venting. Sometimes things just add up and explode. Those of you who know me know that I'm not usually like that. So, if I came across as moody or angry, I apologize.

Tomorrow we head to the great city of Houston. I say that tongue in cheek, because except for my family there, I'd never go back. They are the only draw for me, and so I'm trying to develope a better attitude about the city as a whole. Hmmm, another new attitude... is this a pattern?
Anyway, we will be there for the quick weekend, and then back home. Week one of summer will be over.

Enjoy your Friday!

What, a post without the Spurs in it???!!

Greetings after a week away; I'm back to writing on my home computer which is tentative at best, so posts will depend on its "mood." I'll do my best, but be patient....

People who are not involved in teaching just don't get it. I'm about ready to just give up trying to explain that the end of the year is traumatic. I guess the closest I would come would be if you quit your job and had to pack up everything in boxes and walk away after completing 6 surveys, checking everything off 5 lists, turning in everything you've checked out from 10 different people, and then walking away from the kids you've given your heart and soul to for 9 months, wondering like crazy if you've made any difference in their life. I'm really trying not to whine - I don't like whiners - but why does everyone I talk to think I need to "do something" immediately after school is over?!?! My in-laws, neighbors, and even dear friends are probably tired of looking at my glazed-over eyes whenever they ask me what I'm going to "do", but until my brain is rested and quiet, I have no plans. None. The first couple of weeks, I'm on coast. Rest. Vegge. The old Amy will arise again in time, but until then, know that I am doing what I need mentally to adjust to the end of a long, stressful year.

Now, that rant's over.

Had a wonderful visit with my dearest friend, Shanon. She came over and we talked, and talked, and talked. Played a new game so she could beat Andy, and took a nice nap one afternoon. Other than that, we talked.... I love her with my whole heart, and when I am with her, I realize how much I wish she was in my life more often. She's seen the best and worst in me, and has seen me grow into a better woman through the years. I've seen her at depths of sorrow and anger that no one should have to face, and she has come out of it with her faith in the Lord to sustain her. We strive very hard to hold on to a friendship that could easily be given up on considering the miles between us, but we won't let it. I am so grateful for that.
She calls me her "forever friend" and I am honored. I feel the same.

Thanks for coming, dear friend. I miss you already -