I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not nearly so entertaining as Dave Barry, but I still do my best to do some sort of  “Year In Review”, although usually it is in the form of a newsletter that I send out at Christmas.  Well, this year I didn’t send out a newsletter.  I have a lot of reasons for that, such as the obvious money-saving excuse, but on a deeper level, I think it is because I have come to the conclusion that, those who are truly interested in what is going on in my life and that of my husband and children, either call me regularly, or read this blog.

I love blogging.  I intentionally have not put up any ads on it, to make it cleaner and friendlier for my readers.  However, my best

Kendall the Journalist

friends never read this blog. And, if they did, it wouldn’t give them any new information.  I talk to them regularly on the phone or in person.  My extended family, to my knowledge, never reads this blog.  In particular:  my brother and sister and most of the rest of my family do not read this blog.  Nor do they talk to me.  I should mention, however, that my sister does call me on random occasions, and she always seems to know where I live and what my phone number is.  I can only assume that means she still loves me!   On the rare occasions that I call them, the conversation usually starts with them saying something warm and caring, letting me know that I matter to them and they keep a close eye on me.  Something like “Oh, hi!  Where are you?  Do you still live in North Carolina?”  Or “I don’t have your phone number.”  (Please note that I have had the same cell phone number for the last decade, and that for the past two and a half decades I have sent out the obligatory annual newsletter apprising everyone of my address and phone numbers.)

Now, my immediate family does read this blog.  My mom, Gaylon, Kendall, his fiance Lishi and Faith usually read it voluntarily.  Alex reads it if I threaten him.  He has Facebook friends to talk to, after all.  Some of Kendall’s friends read my blog, and I am pretty sure several of my homeschool mom friends read this blog.

I do have a huge, accidental readership, though.  Back in September, when we were preparing for Alex’s “Victorian Themed Birthday Party” I decided to blog about the research I had done on Victorian clothing, and how it differed from Edwardian clothing.  I titled that post “Victoria vs. Edward”.  Well, apparently if you are a Twilight fan, you will spend a lot of time Googling those names and coming to my blog.  I have gotten literally hundreds of “hits” from all over the world from people Googling those names!!  Sorry, guys!  Just a conservative, Catholic homeschool mom here.

But, I digress.  I was discussing why I didn’t send out my customary Christmas newsletter with some sort of year-in-review.  Well, the other reason was that I didn’t have much to say.  One year ago, we really thought we knew exactly where God was leading us, and what we would be doing.  Now, that year has passed, and we only know one thing for sure:  we don’t have a

Alex at the Piano in His Victorian Tux

clue!!  Gaylon is still working in Texas, the rest of us are still living in North Carolina.  Our house has not sold. (Duh)  In fact, we only had ONE couple come to look at it, throughout the entirety of 2009, and that was back in January.  Yes, of course we will try again in 2010.  We have to.  And yes, my mother still lives with us.  We love her, and hope she will stay with us forever.  So, those are the questions we usually get asked.  For the stuff you didn’t know to ask:

Gaylon. . . loves working for Network Plumbing in Merkel, Texas, but of course he misses his family and wishes we could all be
together.  He comes home about every 3 weeks.  (Note:  I think he does a lot more ranching than plumbing, but that’s just my
personal observation!)

Kendall. . . is now a Senior at  University of North Carolina, Asheville.  He is majoring in Journalism.  Last February he became engaged to the beautiful and delightful Alicia Skojec, and they plan to marry next summer (2010).  We are thrilled for them!

Alex. . . is a Senior in High School, and is still homeschooled.  He has not done much acting this year, but has really focused on his piano and guitar, and is excelling at both.  He is very active in his church youth group and is looking forward to going with them to the March For Life in Washington, D.C., next month.

Faith. . .is a domestic goddess in the making!  She won three ribbons at the Western North Carolina State Fair in September.  Two 2nd place ribbons for a denim, appliqued jumper that she sewed, and for a crocheted scarf, and a 3rd place ribbon for a quilt.  We took a couple of quilting classes this Fall, and she is really, really good at quilting. (Me, not so much! LOL) She also got her own sewing machine and has been sewing amazing things.  She is a fantastic cook, as well.  She also taught herself to

Faith Shows Off Her Herbal Preparations

knit and has turned out some really pretty knitted scarves and pillows. We have been studying herbal remedies this year, and Faith has done a lot of work wildcrafting and preparing her own herbal remedies.  She is in 7th grade this year, and is still homeschooled.  She loves to read, especially Fantasy and Sci-Fi.  Her brothers have been happy to loan her all of their books.

Valarie. . . still loves “documenting the dead” (Genealogy) and homeschooling. I am also still working on some writing projects, that I might actually carve time out for this new year.  I am forever trying to lose weight, and nope, it’s not working.  But alas, I shall start anew in a couple of days with (hopefully) renewed vigor and commitment!

So, there is our year in review.  It has blessedly passed by quickly, and we are praying very hard that this year, our house will sell, and we will get to all be together again.  Because, even though we could have sent out a newsletter bragging on our kids in depth, the truth is that this has been a very difficult year, and we really are glad it’s over.  In fact, it’s been, overall, a pretty rotten decade.  We are praying a LOT that the next year/decade will be infinitely better. We appreciate any prayers on our behalf, and please know that we pray for our friends and family regularly, whether we hear from you, or not.

Happy 2010!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! There is so much horror in our world, I am grateful to have at least one day out of the year to just focus on blessings. I am grateful, most of all, for my Husband, my Children, and my Mother. Running a very close 2nd are all of my wonderful and amazing friends who have supported, comforted, and lifted me up in prayer over this past year. I would surely be in a padded cell by now, if it weren’t for them!

We are headed out in a couple of hours to our friend, Tiffany Galozzi’s home, where we are going to enjoy her wonderful cooking and hospitality. Woo Hoo! Then, tomorrow, we start decorating the house for Christmas, and finish the day up at the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert down in Greenville.

A week ago today we found out that a young man we all knew had drowned.  His family goes to our church, and his younger sister and brother are friends with Alex and Faith.  They are fellow homeschoolers, and 4-Hers.  I think the last time I saw him was a year or so ago when he was helping lead the Stations of the Cross at our church with the Youth Group.  He and Kendall used to hang out together some.  He was planning to go to Chapel Hill in the Fall.  And, as much as I cannot begin to understand the endless desperation and grief of his family, I do know what it is to lose someone that you love.

The funeral Mass was held Thursday evening, and it was packed.  I realized, for the first time, how comforting traditions are, and how much I need them.  The Mass is always the Mass.  Whether it’s the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, a Wedding, a Funeral, or a Solemnity, the tenets of the Mass are always the same, all over the world.  We know what to expect, and only the readings, responsorial psalms and songs change, to fit the occasion.  The homily will be appropriate, and we will receive Holy Communion to give us all strength and courage.  I think, especially at a time of death, when things are so surreal and unexpected, the soothing traditions of the Church are more meaningful than ever.  I have come to view Mass as God’s security blanket that we can wrap around ourselves.

Afterward we went out to dinner with several friends and our priest.  It was a good time of healing and relaxation.  And it was in reflecting on the funeral and dinner after that it occurred to me, again, that death is not at all about the deceased.  It is all about those of us left behind.  We hug each other and reassure each other that everything is going to be okay, that the rest of us are still here, and that life will go on.  It is one of the rare times that even stoic men will hug one another and publicly display their support and affection.

So, while I hate funerals and receiving lines, I have come to understand why we do those things.  When I was younger it all seemed so pointless to me, and so incredibly macabre.  But the older I get, the more I start to see past my own selfishness and understand the needs of others.

I hate that this sweet young man is gone.  I grieve for his family, who is still reeling from shock and disbelief and unspeakable loss. I grieve for those who stood on the shoreline but didn’t understand that he was ‘not waving but drowning’ until it was too late.  God rest his soul!

Well, just when I thought the sadness was going to engulf our house, I had a visit from an old friend and her adorable baby to cheer me up!  Now, I am not one of those people who thinks that all babies are cute, but this little girl is an absolute doll!!  She has the cutest smile and the biggest blue eyes, and is so delightful to be around.

And I am so proud of my friend, Celena, and all the choices she has made as a mother. She had a homebirth (and is going to bring the video for me to watch this weekend! Yay!) and she is still breastfeeding.  She has also chosen not to vaccinate her little girl.  I loved watching her with her daughter, too.  She is such an awesome mom! She and her baby renewed my hope in the world, and cheered me up tremendously.  Yeah, happiness really does come in small packages!!

I’ve been reading a lot of really good blogs lately, and can’t help but think that there are so many ways that I could improve this one.  I could make it look more “professional”, somehow.  I could focus on just one of the things that interest me, like political commentary, or family life & homeschooling, or genealogy (which I think I will still just make an entirely separate website for that), or Catholic Issues/Apologetics, or, or, or. . . .

The problem is, my brain goes in too many directions at once, all the time.  And I can’t even blame the children for that, I’ve always been this way!  For example, last week, I wanted to blog about so many things that I wound up not blogging about anything.  For example, I had a really great blog post floating around in my head entitled “Dude!  Where’s My Plane?” about Obama pretending he didn’t know that someone took AF-1 and did a low flyover of NYC, terrifying the people of Manhattan and causing them to evacuate buildings and have major PTSD flashbacks of 9/11!!  All for a “Photo Op”????  I hope Obama is smarter than that, but at the same time, that would simply mean that he really is that sinister, to intentionally terrify his own people like that.  (Good thing he didn’t try a stunt like that over Dallas or Houston!)

Or I could talk about homeschooling.  About Faith, and how she’s been so busy lately digging up herbs in our yard and woods, and drying them, chopping them and making herbal remedies!  Our kitchen smells kinda funny from time to time, but I am so proud of her! Or about Alex, and how he did so well in school this year, and how funny he was co-hosting the HCHA Talent Show last week (see pictures all over Facebook!!), or about how Kendall is finishing up his first year at UNC-A, and how much he is enjoying studying Journalism, and how cute he is running around with a digital microphone and interviewing everyone he can.  I could say that Gaylon is still in Texas, and that we’re still in North Carolina, and it still stinks!  Our house hasn’t sold yet (duh.) and we are going to move to Texas at the end of the summer anyway, to be with him and get the kids plugged in.

Then I thought about how I’d like to discuss how well my genealogy research has gone lately, and how much I have enjoyed getting in contact with cousins I didn’t even know about down in Central Texas on the Adams side.  We’ve exchanged pictures and information and it’s just been incredible! And did I mention I’m building a website just for genealogy?   That way I can not only separate my genealogy from my political and religious views, but I can keep from boring to death the few readers I have who are not related to me!

And then there is my Catholic Faith, which I am usually pretty low-key about, because I have so many friends who are not only Protestant, but have been taught that Catholics are not Christians, and must be ’saved’!!  My Jewish friends are much more understanding of me being Catholic, probably because of that whole persecution thing.  But I absolutely LOVE being Catholic, and there are so many things I could ‘blog’ about, that might help people understand our faith, our beliefs, our Christianity.  That would probably be best in a separate site, as well.

So, what to do?  What to blog about??  It’s not like there are all these people reading my blog, and hanging on the edge of their chairs waiting for my next post!  Most of my close friends don’t read my blog at all, and of my family, I think only Gaylon, Kendall, Mom and occasionally Faith read it.  And of course, Lishi, (Kendall’s fiance) who is one of the only people who ever leaves me a comment. (And of course, Laura R. and Laura S.!!  I love my Lauras. . .)  I know there are a few folks scattered across the country who read it, but they never comment.  I tried a Poll once, and only a few folks participated in that, so perhaps the bottom line is this:  I blog for me.  If someone doesn’t like what I have to say, they certainly don’t have to read it.  Lishi’s brother, Steve Skojec, always has really great taglines for his blog, like “Cogito, Ergo Blog” (I think that was it. . . . I don’t remember exactly, and now he’s changed it) or his current one “You Didn’t Ask, But I’ll Tell You Anyway”.  Okay, that one really fits my situation, as well. LOL.  I’ve never met Steve, but I love his blog!

So, yeah.  My blog will probably continue to be a collection of randomness, and my title, “Chasing Thoughts” is probably very appropriate.  Maybe someday I will actually be able to focus on one thing for a great length of time.  But then, I will finish writing those books I’ve started, and not worry about blogging!

Ready for the Father/Daughter Dance

Today has been a really wonderful, busy, day. This afternoon, we attended the Annual Homeschool Valentine’s Skating Party.  It is always a lot of fun, and the kids love it.  Alex gets to flirt with all the pretty girls, (and for some reason, they flirt back) and Faith gets to hang out with her friends.  I get to visit with all of my friends and try to not eat all of the amazing goodies that everyone always brings.  It is hard to believe that this is our 14th such party.  The skating rink has undergone a massive makeover during that time, and many of the faces have changed over the years.  I remember Kendall learning how to skate there, and today he couldn’t join us because he was in class. . . at college!!!  Wow. . . I can’t believe how old I’m getting!!!

Tonight, Gaylon took Faith to the Father/Daughter Dance at our Church.  Faith has been so excited for weeks now, looking forward to her special night with her Daddy.   She got all dressed up, and I even let her wear a tiny bit of makeup for the big event.  Gaylon made sure that he flew in from Texas this weekend, just so he could be here to take her to this dance.  They are so crazy about each other, and I think it’s wonderful.  I never had that sort of relationship with my own father, and am so grateful that God has blessed me with a husband who is crazy about our children.  It’s awesome!

Tomorrow morning, I will make my traditional Valentine’s Day breakfast of heart-shaped pancakes, and we will all stuff ourselves.  Food = Love, right?   Then, tomorrow night, it will be my turn to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Gaylon!  All of the kids are spending the night with friends, and Mom is even going down to a “Pajama Party” with some of her friends down in South Carolina.  So, Gaylon and I will have the house to ourselves for the entire night. . . I can’t remember the last time that happened!!!  Now our biggest decision is whether we want to have cornish hens or grilled steaks.  Ummmm . . .

Gaylon has been in Texas for a week now, and as predicted, our lives have kept rushing right along. We all miss him, and can’t wait until he comes home for a vist.  But we have stayed very, very busy.  And that has been a good thing.

The week started out with getting back into the groove of homeschooling after the Christmas break.  Faith and I decided to jump back into the groove by erupting the volcano she built a few weeks ago.  Not as exciting as we’d hoped, but still fun. We also started working on taking down all the Christmas decorations.  I am not sure how we end up needing more totes every year!  But taking down three trees and tons of decorations is no small task, and it took all of us three days to get the job done. (Gaylon used to be in charge of this every year.  I think he planned this!)

My friends have kept me busy, as well. Saturday evening we had a 4-H Potluck at Marcia’s.  I though it was going to be on Sunday, but was very happy when she called to tell me they were waiting for me.  Faith and I headed straight out, and it turned out to be a lot more fun than sitting at home and feeling sorry for myself, which was my original plan.  My friend, Joanne, spent the afternoon over here last Sunday after Mass while our daughters played.  What a wonderful thing!  Then on Monday I got to have tea at Joy’s, along with several other ladies from our town, while we did a brief Bible Study.  Very relaxing.  Tuesday found us over at Bonnie’s.  Her husband had emailed me and asked if I could come sort through all of her homeschooling materials and sell them for him.  I am glad to help, and it took two afternoons just to gather up all of the books and resources and bring them home.  It was great to see Bonnie’s family. . . I still can’t believe how much I miss her.  I’m not sure her death will ever become real to me.  And sorting through all of her homeschooling books brought back so many sweet memories. Yesterday, my friend Cindy came over and we drank tea and had a sweet visit.  Tonight we have a surprise birthday party to attend. And our weekend promises to be just as busy.  As does next week.

Gaylon has been keeping really busy out in Texas, too.  He has been enjoying his new job, where he gets treated well and enjoys the work.  He has also really been glad to get to spend time with his mom, Dorinda, who came in to help him get settled in her RV before she heads on to her next stop.  He has had a bit of trouble with cell phone signal, but that seems to be pretty much worked out now.

So I’m hoping time will fly, and Gaylon will be back with us before we know it.  We had our first house showing last Saturday, and although that couple didn’t decide to buy it, it was encouraging to know that there still are people out there house hunting.  Maybe the next potential buyers will buy it.

I don’t  have anything in particular to say, really, just a lot of random thoughts I would like to share.  Starting with clothing.  Mom and I went Christmas shopping yesterday at the mall down in Greenville.  Our annual tradition is to find a really beautiful dress for Faith to wear for Christmas.  So, the hunt was on.  And on.  And on.  I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, and am very laid back about weird fashions, in general.  But I have reached the end of my tolerance on this.  “Skanky” is NOT a fashion.  It’s tacky, sleazy and I will not pay for it.  More importantly, my daughter doesn’t want to wear that sort of clothing, and even if she did, it ain’t happening!  Have you SEEN what they are selling to 11 year old girls????  Who decided that young girls were supposed to look like, ah, how shall I say this delicately. . . prostitutes???

We checked all the usual suspects: Dillards, Belk, etc.  We skipped Macy’s because they officially told their employees they were not allowed to wish anyone a Merry Christmas.  No more of my money for them.  I was getting really, really discouraged, when we finally ran across a store that still sells elegant, tasteful clothing.  Expensive, but worth it.  Thank God for Coldwater Creek!  We found some really lovely things there, and Faith is going to be so thrilled.  But not nearly as thrilled as Mom and I were to find decent clothing.

We found slinky shirts and scanty lingerie being passed off as formal gowns.  We found lots of clothing for the gang banger in your life.  We found some obscenely expensive t-shirts and ratty jeans.  I have to wonder what our world would be like if clothing companies, department stores, designers, etc. decided that they weren’t going to sell that sort of garbage anymore.  What if they decided to sell flattering, tasteful, simple clothing that made everyone look NICE?  Oops. . .sorry, I’ve slipped into my little fantasy again.  The same fantasy in which everyone spends an entire week saying only kind things to everyone they meet and the media only reports good, happy news.  Imagine with me what that would be like!!  Wow. . .

Okay, back on planet earth, I have some happy thoughts, too.  We helped out with a local organization’s Christmas gift distribution today.  The Storehouse here does an amazing job of taking care of folks in our community who are in need of food, clothing, whatever.  Lynn, the self-described “demented elf” is the lady who runs it, and she is nothing short of amazing.  Our 4-H club volunteered to help, along with lots of other homeschoolers and various others in our community.  There were literally thousands of gifts there!  It was heartwarming to me to see all the warmth and love there.  The kids were blown away by how many families were there because they couldn’t afford to buy presents for their children.  A real eye-opener, to be sure.

An added bonus was getting to see our old pastor and catch up with him for a bit.  He is a wonderful man, with a heart of gold and a warm loving spirit.  I got to see lots of other folks that I hadn’t seen in quite a while, and that was really nice.  With our upcoming move looming large, it’s a sweet blessing for me to get to visit with old friends before we leave.

And, no, we don’t know when we are planning to move.  Our house must sell first.  However, we have found a realtor that we really like: Janis Moore with Keller Williams.  She is sending a professional photographer to come take pictures of our home next week!  I am very hopeful.  Even in this economy, God can sell our house!

Tomorrow will find us back down in Greenville to do Christmas with my lifelong friend, Emily, and her family.  We pick a day every year to get together and exchange gifts and of course, eat!  We are all looking forward to that.  Then, on Sunday after Mass, our 4-H Club is going caroling.  Afterward, they are all coming over here for hot cocoa.

I have had a warm fuzzy feeling all day, and it was topped off tonight in the coolest way.  Faith and Alex each have a friend spending the night, and we hadn’t seen or heard any of them for quite a while.  I went up to check, assuming that the boys were probably playing video games, and that the girls were probably watching Christmas movies.  Nope.  All of them were playing a board game together, having a wonderful time!  And people ask me why we homeschool. . .

So, that’s it for my randomness tonight.  Now that my Adobe InDesign class is over I will have a bit more time for this blog.  I love it, but it has been really busy lately.  Peace, out.

This has been one of the longest weeks I can ever remember.  Starting out any week with mourning is always tough.  But, to add to the mix, on Monday night, Alex wrecked his new car.  He is okay, but his car is not. He is not sure what happened, but thankfully nobody else was involved.  He lost control of his car just past the Green River Bridge on 176.  He said he wasn’t speeding, and I believe him.  That is a really winding road, and it was a really dark night.  Interestingly, just a few days later, a friend of his lost control of her vehicle in almost the same spot.  Only she was luckier than Alex, and didn’t hit anything.  He hit an embankment.  Thanks be to God, because he could have ended up going over the edge of the road into a ravine.  So, anyway, once he’s done with Orphan Train, he is planning on going back to work to pay for damages to his little car.

Tuesday found me doing laundry and a bit of cleaning for Bonnie’s family.  Mom went to help, and that was really nice.  We came home to find Faith with a 102.8 degree fever, and her upper lip really swollen.  Note to anyone who might need this info:  Alleve can cause swelling and hives.  So, no more Alleve for Faith!  Benadryl seemed to fix the swelling, but she ran fever for another day, and started finally feeling better by Thursday.

Thursday afternoon we attended Bonnie’s funeral.  She was buried in an absolutely beautiful location, high up, overlooking the mountains.  It was a glorious autumn day, and I am sure I felt her smiling at all of us.  Her service was short and very sweet. Her pastor talked about how Bonnie had kept a journal, and in part of it she had made a list of the things she wanted to do before she died.  One of those things was hiking up to the top of a mountain with her family and singing “How Great Thou Art”.  Although her children didn’t get to go along,  she and her husband did do just that.  And I thought about how all the things I seem to want to do cost a lot of money and involve so much time.  Like travelling to Greece or Europe.  I think I am going to make a conscious effort to want the things that God gives to us for free.  I think there’s some sort of great wisdom buried in that simplicity.  It seems even in death, Bonnie is still teaching me!

Last night we had our Halloween Party, and it was nice.  Almost all of Kendall’s friends were unable to come because of a football game at Appalachian State, so it seemed much quieter than last year!  However, we enjoyed the friends that did come, and the food and games.

Today, as you may have noticed, has been spent updating my blog again.  I never did really get used to the ‘theme’ I was using.  Even though it was very customizable, it just wasn’t ‘me’.  I found one I really liked a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t had time until today to play with it and make it work.  I am very happy that I’ve been able to tweak the code to make everything that I was having trouble with work for me.  Let me know if you find anything strange that I need to fix, such as broken links or missing images, or places where images just don’t seem to fit right.

So, that concludes our long week.  Next week, with the election, may feel even longer.  God Bless America.

I just found out that my friend, Bonnie, went home to Heaven at 4:45 this morning.  Her family was with her, and her daughter, Laura, tells me it was very gentle and peaceful.

I spent the night with Bonnie in the hospital on Monday night.  It was a long night.  She had several seizures, and was unable to really tell me what she needed or wanted.  She was so restless, and my biggest task was probably keeping her untangled from her IV cord, catheter and bed sheets.  As I sat there in the deep hours of the night, watching over her and praying for her, I was struck by her youthfulness.  Her face was soft, like that of a young girl.  And her legs and feet looked like they belonged to a healthy young teen, not a woman dying from cancer.  It was all so surreal and incongruous.

Bonnie was so young!  Her birthday was earlier this month, and I know she was only a year or two older than me, so that would mean she turned 43 or 44.  She has four children.  I delivered her youngest child, Sarah, at home just twelve short years ago.  It seemed so strange to me, that the last night I’d spent with Bonnie was during her labor and birth, helping to bring life into this world.  And now I was once again spending the night with her, this time as she reached the end of her own life.

Bonnie is not the first friend I’ve had to die young.  Before I turned twenty years old, three of my friends took their own lives.  Two were killed in car wrecks. Yet another was a casualty of a gang fight.  It wasn’t his fight, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But it doesn’t really matter.  The end result is the same.  And the rest of us are left here on earth to make sense of it, somehow.

I don’t understand why Bonnie had to die so young.  I don’t understand how someone who had never smoked, drank, or eaten junk food could have cancer.  She told me that she had not gotten enough rest, and that when she did sleep, the room hadn’t been dark enough.  I told her that she was the only person on the planet who could say something like that, that the rest of us had a litany of health faux pas we could blame, but only she could say she should have gotten more rest!  She had never even taken so much as an aspirin until a year ago, when the lymphs in her armpit got so swollen and painful!  No, that will never make sense to me.

Our homeschooling community is grieving collectively.  Bonnie, in her quiet, gentle way touched so many of us very profoundly.  She was the kind of Christian “Proverbs 31″ woman that most of us can only hope to be.  She was so firm in her faith and convictions, yet never judgmental or legalistic.  She loved everybody without compromising her own faith or family.  Her children are a living legacy of her faith and beauty.  Her oldest two daughters are barely grown, but they already shine with the strong Christian Faith and Spirit of their mother. I have no doubt that her son and youngest daughter will, as well.  If all of us could be that sort of Christian, this world would truly be a different place.  She was the kind of friend who inspired me to be a better wife, mother, person.  And, without question, I am a better person for having known her.  I can only pray that I will grow to be more like her, and that maybe, in some small way, I can pass on the many blessings she gave to me to someone else.

I got to talk to an old friend today that we’d lost touch with over the years. It was really nice, and he sent me some links to him singing on YouTube. Excellent, as always, and he said I could share, so, enjoy. . .

We thought we would
Be young forever;
Thirty days to eternity
And we could wear a fist.
We would give it all away
Just to keep it.

There were no limits
To the dreams we shared
Over tables flowing with coffee.
While we learned about love
As the smoke of our cigarettes
Swirled around our laughter.

I can still see the river
Smoky green and fast
Through the knotted oaks.
I can smell the smoke
Of campfire guitars
And breakfast burritos.

I can still remember
Burning summers
In a small gray room.
I can still feel
The closeness of midnight talks
And Led Zeppelin mornings.

We never thought it could end,
That any of us would ever grow old,
And we would all still be together
For the next campout.
Yes, it would last forever
And none of us would ever die.

~Camp Ben McCullough: Austin Campout~Almost Heaven~

Written in Memory of Steve McAllister, Norman Allen, Kim Settle and so many others. . . with special gratitude to Stewart & Sara Sroufe.

We had a really big thunderstorm tonight. While it was still raining, and the sun was just barely beginning to glow behind the clouds, the most magnificent rainbow I’ve ever seen emerged across the entire sky! It was so big I could not capture all of it in one photograph! But I tried. I ran outside, in the cold and blustery rain, and stood out there like a crazy person pointing my camera into the sky. It was truly the most beautiful and bright rainbow I’ve ever seen!

And there are a couple of analogies I’d like to make here. First, I would have never seen it if my friend, Lisa, hadn’t called me to tell me about it. Sometimes, I would completely miss God if it wasn’t for my friends helping me out. Second, the storm was not completely over. It was still raining, the wind was still blowing. But at the sight of that glorious rainbow, the storm was forgotten, and nothing else mattered. God was in the storm.

I do not believe it is an accident that God placed His first rainbow in the sky as a promise to us. Every time I see a rainbow, I think of God, and of how much He loves all of us. I am reminded that He is even more glorious and magnificent than any rainbow, and that it is a symbol of His faithfulness. The storm does not have to be over before we find God. Even in the storm, that rainbow outshone everything around it. And isn’t that just like God?

Several years ago, I became aware of the fact that we never got invited to any Christmas parties. I had all these wonderful ideas about how fun that would be, but we never got the opportunity. For a while, I felt really rejected. Then I realized that I didn’t know anybody who went to Christmas parties. So, I determined that we would have our own Christmas party. Apparently, it was a great idea, because everybody was delighted to accept our invitation!

So, after several years of Christmas parties, the kids started saying that it would be really fun if we had a Halloween party, too. So they could dress up and invite all their friends over to dress up with them. And I thought it was a great idea, because since we homeschool, my kids can’t go to the Halloween party at their school unless I create it myself! And, it seems that those old time Halloween parties/carnivals are getting fewer and farther between.

Here in the South, so many folks really take issue with Halloween. They see it as evil, and promoting witchcraft. I respect that position, even though I do not subscribe to it. I take a more romantic, Charlie Brown/Great Pumpkin view of this holiday. I think it’s a lot of fun to dress up and have a party, and Halloween seems like a great excuse! Or maybe it’s the Irish in me, because it was the Irish, after all, who brought the celebration to the states. At any rate, I don’t believe it’s evil. I understand that some people do evil things in honor of Halloween. But some people do evil things for no reason at all, on any given day of the year. I’m not going to stop celebrating my wedding anniversary just because it also happens to be the calendar date that JFK was shot!! (It’s also the date of C.S. Lewis’s death, but for some reason nobody ever mentions that. Go figure. I liked C.S. Lewis a lot more than JFK, but I digress. . .)

So now in addition to our annual Christmas Party, we also have a big Halloween party every year. I spend days and weeks planning, and Faith loves to help. The boys even pitch in when they can. I make really cool treats, and we decorate the house. This year I made a Frankie’s Bride cake, “Bloody Eyeballs”, Caramel Popcorn mix with little pumpkin candies in it, deviled eggs (I dye the whites orange and the filling green), orange punch, tortilla chips shaped like pumpkins to go with the seven layer dip. Faith made a special “Halloween Mix”. My friends all brought food, as well. One friend always comes early to help me decorate, and she made the cutest cupcakes, decorated like little witches with ice cream cone hats. Last year I also made “Finger” cookies, Queso Dip and a Graveyard Cake. We carve pumpkins and set them out on our front porch. We break out the fog machine. Sometimes we play guitars and sing. And we have an absolute blast.

This year we even had games for the younger children. Faith and I made a very cute “Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Black-Cat” game. The kids also played “Boo Am I?”, a variation on charades, “Pass the Pumpkin”, which is similar to “Button, button, who’s got the button?”, and “Mummy Wrap”. For the second year in a row we forgot to do the costume contest, but nobody seemed to notice! We also bobbed for apples! Yeah, I know, that’s terribly politically incorrect, but for some reason, everyone loved it.

I have uploaded a new photo album, if anybody wants to see pictures. One of Kendall’s friends, Marianna, also took a lot of pictures and let me have copies, so we have tons of pictures to share. Please check it out! If you like the pictures, leave me a comment! I’d love to know you were ‘here’, LOL!

I meet a lot of people.  I like most of them.  Once in a while I meet someone I admire enough to want to get to know them a little better.  And very rarely, I meet someone who changes my world.  Someone who teaches me things about God and Life that I was completely unaware of before.  Who challenges me to become better, to grow in holiness.

When I first found out we would be moving to North Carolina, I started to pray.  I asked God to give me friends out here.  I only knew one person here, and my nearest relative was going to be two states away!  So I knew I was going to have to make friendships and that I needed God to bless me with people who I could count on.

So when we got somewhat settled in our new home, I packed up my boys and went to a La Leche League meeting.  God was faithful to answer my prayers at that meeting in ways I would never have dreamed!  I met several women there who are still my friends today.  And a couple of them were those rare gifts who have blessed me over the past thirteen years in more ways than I can count.

We really struggled financially when we first moved out here, and one of those dear ladies reached out to me and shared with me concepts I’d never before heard of.  She taught me about buying foods in bulk, about Once-A-Month-Cooking.  She gave me wonderful recipes for natural foods. She made copies of her out-of-print Christian homeschooling natural living magazines for me. She called me when there was anything interesting going on in our homeschooling community.  I delivered her 4th child at home, and she babysat my boys when I had to go to the hospital to have my 3rd child. She blessed my life in more ways than I can ever count! 

Over the years we have drifted apart somewhat, not talking on the phone nearly so often, or visiting one another’s homes much.  But I am a different and better woman because of her friendship, and I am forever grateful for the wisdom she has shared with me over the years.  And last night I got an email asking for prayer for her today, as she goes in to the hospital this morning for testing to verify the diagnosis she received yesterday.  Her doctor thinks she has breast cancer.

I feel helpless that all I can do for her, after all the many wonderful things she’s done for me over the years, is pray.  But I am praying for her (and her family) with all my heart.  I don’t always understand God, but I know that He is Sovereign and Good, no matter how things may appear to the mortal eye. I am asking for healing and wisdom for my dear friend.  And I’m also thanking God for putting such an amazing person in my life, who continues to teach me so much through her quiet, unwavering faith in Him.