You just never know...

Toby enjoying a romp in the snow!!

What a beautiful day in North Texas.  The sun was out and melted most of the snow.  Sounds like we are in for round two tomorrow night on into Wednesday.  Hopefully, this will be a shorter blast.  I didn't realize how much the weather dictates whether I go out or not!  Oh, the joys of getting older!






We ventured south of Dallas to Corsicana yesterday for Michael's Aunt Leola's funeral.  I had only met Leola a few times but each time I met her, she exuded charm and had such a gentle spirit.  I know her sons and their families and her friends will miss her terribly.  She was a servant of the Lord for much of her life ... always giving, always encouraging, always smiling...  Michael has a very loving family and it was good to talk with many of them today.  We are hoping that we will be able to get together more when the little casa is finished.



Cabinets in Honeysuckle Yellow!

 Since we were so close to the little casa and to Mom S, we decided to head further south to check on them both.  When we opened the back door of the little casa, I was soooo excited.  Lowe's has started putting the cabinets in and they look wonderful!!  We've chosen the stone back splash and granite counter tops so it's just putting together the final puzzle pieces and finishing up on the water damage.  I told Michael that it would be nice to have the house finished for Valentine's Day.  I don't know if he'll be able to light enough fires under people to get it done but hey, I can wish can't I??




1998

 When I got home yesterday, I opened up my email and my son had sent me the obituary of my ex-husband.  I read and re-read it ... it seemed so surreal.  Hoot was a country cowboy and always seemed bigger than life ... it's hard to believe he is gone.  In a matter of seconds, my mind flashed through our seven years together.  As a city girl, Hoot brought the world of old Texas into my life.  When I met him, he drove a big black pickup with tinted windows.  On our first date, I had trouble getting up into the truck and from then on, he called me "short legs."  We toured the Texas countryside staying in old bed and breakfasts.   In each little town, there were those who "knew him."  This cowboy worked as a conductor on the railroad and showed horses ... Stanza Star, his stud Paint, was his pride and joy.  We were a good team for a long while.  I brought culture and a love of the city to him and he brought the excitement of Texas history to me.  Hoot had childhood secrets that he couldn't get beyond and eventually they caught up with him and our marriage was dramatically affected.  Sadly, Hoot became involved in some activities that wooed him into a world I could not enter.  A man once my hero became my nightmare ... sadly, our relationship ended as quickly as it started.  It is my hope and prayer that Hoot is at peace with a God of forgiveness and grace.  I say adios to a man who gave me new sight about the world of the cowboy.

Gosh, life has been so fragile lately...  My Aunt Lorna died the same day at Michael's Aunt Leola.  My old friend Ralph A passed not long ago ... now, Hoot...  We just never know when our time is up.  Will I be next?  At the end of the day and I close my eyes, I always thank God for my time on earth ... when I open my eyes, I thank him for the newness of another day.  It makes me want to get off my duff and do something special each day no matter how I feel.

When I was sitting in the chapel yesterday, I looked around me ... Leola had touched so many lives and each was grieving in their own way.  Leola had gone to be with the Lord and her beloved husband, Leroy and this memorial service was for those left behind.  I know that you're not supposed to touch the body but I did ... Leola's hands were cold ... a single flower was in her left hand.  Her hair was perfectly "done" and her face glowed.  I touched her cheek and it reminded me of when I touched my mother in her casket.  There was no sign of life ... only a waxy shell of a body.  I remembered kissing my mother tenderly on the forehead and saying my goodbyes.  It was so tough to leave her and have them shut the casket.  I was the only one in the room with Aunt Leola ... I picked up the basket of flowers Mom, Michael and I had sent ... it was so fresh and the fragrance filled my senses.  Oh the beauty of flowers ... as a gardener, they are a sign of love!  I was aware of the music being played ... The Rose ...

Before the service started, the funeral directors shut the casket and placed a beautiful spray of flowers in the center.  I thought about what I wanted when I passed.  I have a fear of being closed in and the thought of even a slight chance of being buried alive always gives me shudders.  I have sat on the teeter totter weighing the pros and cons of burial or cremation and decided that cremation would be best for me.  It has always become important for me to go back to where I was born and in cremation, I would be able to join my mother and father and so many of my father's "kin folk" ... dust to dust.  I want people to remember me as I lived and celebrate me for who I am.  I am at peace with that part.  My husband is not sure about my decisions but I hope he will honor my wishes.

Do you have days of reflection?  Days you just want to snuggle in with memories of times gone by?  Yesterday, I heard lots of "do you remember when ......?"  Family ... so precious ... I am so honored to be a part of Michael's family.  They have welcomed me warmly and, for that, I am grateful.

I love inspirational poetry and came across this one ... I wanted to send it on to you, my precious readers ... please know you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

Life's Journey

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time, you live all of the days of your life.

Do not give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly.
In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings

Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope.
To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been,
but also where you are going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

     ---Author Unknown



When you look out the window of opportunity ... dream BIG!
Life is a gift ... untie the ribbons!!