Bless Us, Oh Lord, And These Thy Gifts

My family tells me that my dinner conversation stinks. I mean, really, what's wrong with saying that the back of my throat itches so much that I could scratch it with a fork? No one was interested in the chicken after that, which was really okay with me because it made great chicken salad the next day. I used tomatoes and parsley from the garden and apples, celery, cucumbers, mayonnaise, mustard and pepper - yummy. The next time I cook chicken on the grill I think I'll talk about the how the cat has been throwing up fur balls lately. Even though my family may complain about what I talk about and what I cook and cleaning up, I know they all love having dinner together. It's when and where we connect (who and how are not as important as when and where - any Get Smart fans get that?). We pray, we eat, we talk and laugh and, of course, argue. Sometimes we argue over the silliest things and sometimes we argue over really important things, but the point is that we are communicating and spending that slot of time with each other. God created us to eat and to communicate and to have families and the communion of those three blessings is one the truest and nicest gifts He gave us. Lucky for my family that I'm such an amazing cook :) even if my dinner conversation skills are lacking.

A Story - Part VI - The End

Me and My "Little" Brother

I hadn't seen my little brother for quite a few years. With him serving in the Marines and living in the south, it was difficult. We stayed in constant contact through email, but we hadn't physically seen each other for a very long time. With my husband's encouragement, we planned a weekend for our families to get together in Baltimore. I cried at the very sight of him. He's a husband, a father, a Marine, a hero and my little brother. Have I mentioned that I'm proud of him? We spent the weekend in glorious fellowship. I teased him about the road-kill and about him being a knuckle head. We talked about old times and created new memories. I love him so much and treasure our 22 years of friendship. When we got home from our weekend away I was glowing. I wanted to tell Tina that she was right. I wanted to thank her, from the bottom of my heart, for putting us together. I did an Internet search (do you know how many Tina's are on the Internet?). It took a while, but I found her. I sent her an email and some pictures (old and new). I told her how grateful I was for the huge role she played in our lives. I told her she will always be loved and remembered for her foresight. This is part of the response I got from Tina: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your letter, it came at the most appropriate times. I have just retired and have been re-examining my life and there you were with validation that I had accomplished something truly wonderful. I will keep your letter with my most treasured mementos always. . ."

Well, folks . . . that's my story and for now . . . this is the end.

A Story - Part V

I loved my little brother so much. I was so proud of him. I treasured our time together. I was honored by his love and friendship. Our contract with BB/BS was for one year, but it was now going on 5 and I couldn't imagine him in the Marines. But, I guess, I couldn't imagine him anywhere else either. He was over 6 feet tall, standing straight and strong and broad from the years of sports and lifting. He was smart (well, except the time he wanted me to stop and pick up road-kill because his science teacher said anyone who brought in a dead animal would get extra credit. He yelled, "Stop the car!" I said sweetly, "Honey, it's too late for that animal, it's dead. Don't be upset." He said, "Upset? Heck, that dead animal will get me extra credit." I was like, "Nuh-uh, not in my car, knuckle head."). My little brother gave me more than I ever gave him. Tina was right when she said we'd be a perfect match. I am so glad that my words deceived me when I said "yes" but was thinking "no." I see now that God was directing me, God was giving me an uber blessing. Here it was that I thought I was serving God and my community and it was God who was serving me - a gift on a silver platter. My little brother, a US Marine, a high ranking Military Police Officer. Well, that was nearly 17 years ago and he is still serving in the military. He's married to a beautiful woman and he has 2 amazing children and even though he's in charge of over 500 men, he's still a knuckle head. I know this because his family and my family spent a wonderful weekend together in Baltimore last month . . .

. . . but the story doesn't end here . . .

A Story - Part IV

My little brother had it tough. His mother left when he was 3 and his baby sister was sent away because his father was unable to care for her. His father then got into a terrible accident where he lost his arm and part of his reasoning skills. My little brother was mistreated by a sitter and had no one to come to his defense. He understandably had trust issues. He wanted to drop out of school as soon as he was legally allowed. He had never played organized sports. He never stood up straight. He had never read a book. He had a mattress and box spring, a dresser, a bed table and a lamp. My husband gave him some weights and a bench, a pair of basketball sneakers and a baseball glove. I gave him a detective book and a punch in the shoulder every time he slouched. We entered him in a basketball tournament - he lost - bad - really bad. But he never quit, never lost courage, never showed he was beat. We told him to try out for the Middle School basketball team . He made the team. He started lifting weights and standing up straight and playing organized sports. He read the detective book, then another, then another. I took him to the police station to meet a real detective. He went on to play basketball and football in high school and never considered dropping out. My little brother was growing up strong and I was proud. I wish Tina could see him now, but she had moved on. One night, 5 years after I met my little brother, my phone rang. My little brother had joined the United States Marine Corps and he was calling to say good-bye and thank you. . .

. . . but the story doesn't end there . . .

A Story - Part III

Gone were my dreams of baking cupcakes and sewing. Gone were my ideas of shopping and manicures. Gone were my plans of trips to the mall and a fashion show. Here were baseball games, bowling, go-carts, basketball courts and football. Here were trips to the fire house to look at fire trucks. Here were trips to the police station to talk with cops and look at jail cells. Here we were - a 13 year old boy and me - trying to find common ground to spend time with each other each week. I signed a contract with BB/BS that said I would give my little brother a few hours a week, each week, for a year. After 2 months I wondered how we would fill the next 10 months. I wondered how many times a boy could play basketball or go bowling before he gets bored. To my surprise, boys never get bored of such things. To my surprise, we had a lot in common. To my surprise, it was easy to love this kid, even though he was a boy. And to my utter surprise, I loved every baseball game, basketball game, football game and every visit to the police station. There were good reasons why Tina wanted him to be matched with me. My little brother really needed a big sister - not a mother, not a brother, but a sister. Someone to encourage him and help him along the way, someone to show him how to take responsibility for himself and someone to be proud of him. And proud I was. My little brother went on to do great things. . .

. . . to be continued . . .

A Story - Part II

. . ."What?!?!"

"Before you say no, please sleep on it," pleaded Tina.

I hung up the phone and thought, "You've got to be kidding me. I don't have to sleep on it, it's not what I want. The answer is no." I told my husband and he said I could say no. I told my best friend and she said I could say no. So, I called Tina back and said, "No, this is not what I want." To which she replied, "I think it would be a perfect match." To which I replied, "No."

She called me a week later and asked me again. I said, "No."

She called me a week after that and asked me again. I said, "No."

She called me a week after that and asked me again. I shook my head no, no, no . . . but my words decieved me . . . I heard myself say, "Yes," while my head was going back and forth. When I hung up the phone I thought, "What in the world just happened?" I told my husband, "Well, it looks like I have myself a 'little' . . . a 'little brother!'"

Yup, me and my little brother would be the first ever cross-gender match in the history of Big Brothers/Big Sisters . . .

. . . but the story doesn't end here. . .

A Story - Part I

This story starts 22 years ago. My husband and I just bought our home and we were feeling extremely blessed. We wanted to share our blessings in a way that would be personal. With my husband's support, I volunteered to become a big sister for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. The way I saw it was that I could spend time with a little girl doing the girly things around our house that my husband would not want to do. In that way, we all benefited. My husband would not be pestered to learn to bake cupcakes and arrange flowers and sew curtains, I could do these things with a little girl that needed some special attention. I would be serving God and my community. A win-win-win situation. I went through the screening process to become a "big" and then I waited to be called. I wondered about the little girl I would get to spend time with. How old would she be? Would she have disabilities? Would she like to be read to? Would she like to sew? Would she be allergic to our cats? Would she love me as much as I already loved her? It seemed like forever before the social worker called me. Finally, my phone rang and this was the conversation as I remember it.

"Hi! This is Tina from BB/BS and I have a 'little' for you. I think this a perfect match. I think you will be a fabulous mentor to this 'little'."
"Okay, tell me all about her. When do I meet her? Oh, I just can't wait to get started."
"Well," says Tina, "about your 'little'. . . "

to be continued. . .

My Seriously Selfless Strawberry Patch

My seriously selfless strawberry patch has produced another perfect beauty. (Was going to make that a total alliteration of "s and p" but I began spitting at my computer screen.) This one I shared with my son - big mistake - now that he knows how tasty they are he's going to want the next one. I may have to tackle him for it. Maybe I'll set up a decoy strawberry (hee-hee). He's just goofy enough to fall for it. Or maybe I'll be selfless like my strawberries and just let him have the next one . . . imagine, I'm learning lessons from strawberries. God can use anything in His Creation to teach us a lesson. I Praise my Creator for strawberries and the creative way He uses them to teach and nourish, body and soul. Go figure.

My Son

My son is an amazing human being. He may shy away from cleaning his room or picking up after the dog or taking out the recycling, but when it comes to being a stand up boy for a big responsibility, he's there. He was there for Pop-Pop every step of the way. He was there for the boys of our friend who died in February and yesterday, he was there for his friend who's mother was dying. He spent 6+ hours in the hospital with his friend. He was there in his goofy 14 year old self, riding a wheelchair in a disguise, making everyone laugh for a moment and forget about the dying woman in the room next door. He was there in his 14 year old self snapping straws and playing cards and telling inappropriate jokes. He was there in his 14 year old self buying nasty blue power drinks and eating candy. He was there. I guess, that's the part makes him seem so much older to me. He was there. He was present. He stood up for a big job and never shied away. His friend's mother died last night. My son seemed all of a sudden a young man and a little boy, all at once, standing tall and strong, but with a broken heart. Please pray for my son's friend, his sister and his father. They lost a remarkable woman . . . I know, because she was also my friend.

Thanks

My mother taught me (yet, I have failed to learn) to just say, "Thank you" when someone gives me a compliment. It's hard - I stutter or say, "Oh, no" or look down at me feet. A simple thank you and smile is all I need to do. I am trying. So, this post is a shout out to all those wonderful compliments I got this week and didn't respond properly to. Here is a list:

"Mom, I love summer, I love my life, OORAH."
"Mom, thanks for your help. You're the best."
"Thanks for my gift. I really like it, it's beautiful. I love you."
"Thanks for the macaroni salad. It's the best macaroni salad my family ever had!"
"I'm glad you're my wife."
"Wonderful post."
"Breakfast was just lovely."
"You made my day!"

And the ultimate compliment - the best one this week so far - the cream of the crop. . .

"Did you lose weight?"
*smile, smile*
"Thank you."

God Bless America

Happy Independence Day folks! I love America and the history of our leaders joining together to write the Declaration of Independence. The commitment to leadership and to each other and the reliance on God is a beautiful thing. The words that end the document: "And for support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor" speak of the kind of people that understood and respected a moral code of ethics that was promised in word and deed. Our country's freedom was established by kind people who felt we should have the rights to Life and Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We were not built on anger or laziness or self-serving values, but on attitudes of charity and work. We are a nation of inventions and dreams and hope and love, a nation that values community and commitment, a nation that freely worships the God of all Gods. We are people who unite together not only to celebrate victories but also to help the lost or lonely. We are proud and strong and with the protection of Divine Providence, we have the ability to spread the love of Christ to all nations. God Bless America!