Make New Friends But Keep The Old!

Last night we celebrated the engagement of two very special people. I'll tell you all about the great party we had in another post. I stayed up way too late but we sure did have fun!

I spent most of today sleeping away the stress of the last four weeks.

When I finally drug myself from bed and found my cell phone

I saw that I gotten a text message from a friend with this picture attached.

You have no idea how good it is to see this face. This is my little brother and doesn't he look incredible in his chic hospital attire?

He is ready to transition to my parent's house in Milledgeville where he will spend the next few weeks recuperating.

Speaking of Milledgeville.......

Marlin and the rest of us has had so much love and prayers sent our way during this marathon and I have to say that the Milledgeville portion of our support system absolutely personified God's love and illustrated once again one of the

best things about southern, small town life.

Many of the high school friends Marlin and I shared wore out the phone lines with calls and texts and checked in on him through this blog and Facebook.

Friends I have foolishly lost contact with, stepped up and visited, prayed and generally made us all feel loved. I am so mad with myself for allowing so many of those wonderful friendships fall by the waysides of life and I plan to be a better friend.

Believe me when I say that they have shown me how to do so. 

Hearing from and visiting with these friends felt like stepping back in time.

Back to the days we lived on West Washington Street right behind Moore's Funeral Home.

Back to the days my mama would look out our kitchen window upon hearing the hearse doors slamming and announce 'Moores has a body.'

Reaching for the radio that sat near that window and turning it on she would lean on the counter while she waited for the local radio station to begin it's daily list of obituaries. (I am NOT lying) 

If the wait was too long she merely called Mrs. Moore who lived in a home next to the funeral home to ask 'Who have y'all got?'  Many times that information meant we had some cooking to do.

To all those old and treasured friends....y'all did your mama's proud!

Now where's the fried chicken, tater salad and pound cake????

Just sayin'.................

P.S.

If my dad is reading this post I'll bet he is singing this song.

Make new friends,

but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.

A circle is round,
it has no end.
That's how long,
I will be your friend.

A fire burns bright,
it warms the heart.
We've been friends,
from the very start.

You have one hand,
I have the other.
Put them together,
We have each other.

Silver is precious,
Gold is too.
I am precious,
and so are you.

You help me,
and I'll help you
and together
we will see it through.

Dear Judy

I do not pretend to understand why you
have suffered so.

So much of life on this earth
is a mystery.

Thank you for such a brilliant
example of quiet
faith.

Watching you love the hardest of
all to love taught me to look for
the good in all children.

It taught me that a soft answer
speaks louder than the scolding
voice I too often use.

Judy, for ever more, when I hear
the words grace, genteel or lady
it is your face, your smile and
your example that will come
to mind.

You have fought a beast we
all fear and loathe.

You have fought hard and well
with a courage that has bolstered
those around you.

On behalf of all the children and
parents you have blessed and the family,
friends and co-workers you have loved....

Thank you and we love you, Judy!

We will keep praying for you.
We will pray for peace
and for a miracle.

Just sayin'........................

To My Friend-Because So Many Love You and Yours

Sore at Heart.  Broken.  Broken Hearted.  Heart Sore.

Grief.

It wears like a suit of armor.

It is stiff, unwieldy. Alternately cold and hot.

It rebuffs the sun and repels happiness.  

Grief requires……..no, it demands death. 

Death of one we love, death of a dream, death of a promise, death of an ideal or death of a perception.

Death of any of these leaves you empty, broken and heart sore.

The fact that none of them must remain permanent is of no comfort at first.

My friend and her family are grieving.
If you are here you probably know who I am talking about.
If you do not know her then I apologize for the lack of details.
I will only tell the stories that are mine to tell and this one belongs to my friend and her family.

This friend, like many of us, is human. Smile.
She has made many mistakes in life-just exactly like you and I have.
She has faults. As do I.

I suppose that I want you to understand that underneath the surface that we show to the world we are all the same.
We all rejoice.
We all love.
And we all hurt.

I suppose that I want my friend to know that over the twenty something years of our friendship I have seen the good and the bad.
The funny and the sad.

What I want you to know, my friend, is that I know the steel that lies beneath the surface. 

I want others to know about the times you chose the rocky road, the uphill battle or the way less traveled.

You had a choice early in life that many of your peers wouldn’t have thought twice about.
But you?
You chose the road of sacrifice.

When I confided my struggle with panic attacks…….you put your child in my classroom.
You will never know how your confidence in me gave me the strength to keep my head above the water and to keep on dog paddling through those waters filled with anxiety and heart pounding fear.

Your complete acceptance of something none of us really understood is a gift I will be forever grateful for.

I watched you raise that boy alone for a time. You did it with little monetary support and you let him love ALL his family. Even the ones who didn’t really deserve it at the time.

You had a baby with a pretty foot.  Where others might have seen it as something to cry about…..you simply called it his pretty foot.

You have calmly weathered multiple stitches, broken bones, emergency appendectomies and freak accidents with your children and rightfully earned the right to be my medical colleague. Smile.

I was there when you helped give a gift that broke your heart.  I know the cost.

You said the words I have never forgotten.
You said them when I called with grief and pain of my own.
You said,
Hang in there. We’re gonna circle the wagons around you and it’s gonna be okay.

Well, my friend.
Hang in there. 
We are circling the wagons right now and it IS gonna be okay. 

If you have read this far then you must love my friend too.

PLEASE leave her a comment. 
PLEASE write words of love and encouragement for her and her family.
I want to show them that they are loved by soooooo many.

If you have trouble leaving a comment In-box me on Facebook and I’ll add it for you.

It is time to circle the wagons.


Just sayin'.....................................

If You Can Read This-Then Please Pray With Us

Our school family has lost a much loved member. We have lost one of our own. Words cannot express the depth of our shock and our grief.  

I have taught at this school for 27 years now and it has always felt like a family. We take care of our own whether it be faculty or student. We don't always agree with each other and we can be as petty as anyone else can but we always, always take care of each other.

Because in the end....that's what families do.

Each time I closed my eyes last night I saw the beautiful face of our friend. Amy had a smile that not only seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face but it could light up a room. As great as her smile was it didn't compare to her laugh. When Amy laughed-you laughed. She was smart and funny and good at her job. She made it clear that she loved her husband and her boys! In fact, some teased her about how much she loved her husband. She just laughed and told them that they were just jealous. If you knew Amy, then you knew that she loved, loved, loved those boys of hers.

I have heard from many others that they too were unable to sleep. On our minds and in our prayers were her husband who lay critically injured in a hospital and her children. Her babies. One thought ran through my mind over and over....Oh, God her boys...please don't take their daddy. 

Today the news about Amy's husband Brian was more encouraging and we know more about how this unnecessary, horrible tragedy happened.

Grief mixed with anger can be a lethal combination. At times, I find myself completely overwhelmed with anger that someones irresponsible, illegal, selfish decision cost a husband his wife, two precious boys their mother and countless others a piece of their hearts.

Sometimes it is downright inconvenient to be the adult. Personally, I'd like to lay down on the floor and scream and kick my feet. Hearts this broken feel every emotion as keenly as the sharpest knife and it will be hard for us to rise above the pain and anger but guess what?     

We will.

We will because we are family and family takes care of it's own.  We will love those little children entrusted to us each day and we will help them to make some kind of sense out of this mess.  We will comfort them and grieve with them as they began to realize that an adult they have come to know and love will not be coming back to school.

We will rise above this pain and anger because our school family answers to a higher authority than any school administrator or superintendent.  We teach because we are called. We will do what we always do. We will take care of our kids first and then....

well then,

we'll take care of each other.

Because that's what we do at RES.

Just sayin'..........................

Dr Friend

I have known Dr. Friend for years.
I knew him before he became my doctor.
That's why I call him Dr. Friend.

I take full advantage of that friendship.
I admit that I talk back to him, self diagnose,
disagree with his diagnosis, remind him of memorable
embarrassing moments at inappropriate times and I
have even accused him of wanting to 'scope' me just so
could have some ammunition ofhis own.

I think he really likes it when I
have an appointment.

So I went to see Dr. Friend whose PA
pronounced me possessed depressed.

I was there for a follow up on the high blood pressure
reading I had last time. The time I promised him
that if he would hold off on the medication
I would walk. 
I promise!
For real!

So...he gave me a month.

I knew that if I went in this time and was honest
about all of my various complaints that out would
come the Depression checklist.

I was honest. I said that I couldn't sleep.
I'm always tired. I'm grumpy, fat and I worry a lot.

She got Dr Friendly. She told me she was
going to tell him she thought I was depressed.

Sigh.
Out it came. The list.

Do you feel sad?
Yes, Duh. My mom just
died and so did my cat. Not that they were on the
same par but still.....come on!
As if my mom dying isn't enough?
My cat!
Dies too!
Jeez.

Are you sleeping well?
No. Not since I spent several days functioning on
two hours of sleep at night and a two hour nap during the day.

Huh?
Well I couldn't leave her. I couldn't trust anyone else
to watch her breathe like I could. I had help. 
I just couldn't leave her.

Have you been exercising?
(Smile) Yeah right.
Like that's gonna happen.
Oh shoot! I was gonna try
to avoid that confession.

Are you anxious? Worried?
Well, only about making the four mortgages and
if Governor Traitor will furlough me more and if
we will ever sell or rent any of these houses and
who I will be working with next yearand....
well the list goes on.
Because worry? It's what I do best.

In the end, I left with instructions to exercise
(and he doesn't care if I'm too tired or not just do it),
eat healthier and up that medication that NO ONE ever
wants me to skip.

Whatever...
He's bossy.

Anyway, my blood pressure was perfect.

Just sayin'.............................

Wanted: Prayers

I have a friend is very sick.
We work together and we attend the same church. 
I have known, admired
 and respected this person for many years now.

She has the kind of quiet faith that
screams God's
love and grace
each time she smiles.

That smile...
that smile and her quiet voice
are such a huge part of her personality.

Her calm spirit helped her reach hundreds
of difficult students during her career as an educator.

I wish I were more like her.

Her retirement this spring
made those of us blessed to work with her
immeasurably
sad.

Our little school will be lacking
an important source of insight,
knowledge,
experience,
talent and
encouragement
in the year to come.  

Anyway, to all eight of you who read this blog,
please pray for my friend.

Her struggle is mighty right now
and her suffering is more than unfair.