... apostrophes. My goodness, at the mess apostrophes can make!
A few days ago, I wrote about how I sometimes really miss teaching literature. I gave a short summary of the Japanese work The Pillow Book and gave my thoughts in that form. I still miss it. You would probably get a kick out of the look on Carsyn's face when I recite the first eighteen lines of the "Prologue" to Canterbury Tales!
For today, though, it's a grammar issue that's just under my skin. So, let's talk about apostrophes, why don't we?
1. Apostrophes are used to form contractions. This particular concept is not a hard one. Most people do this one correctly. Basically, if you are putting two words together as a contraction, the apostrophe (a former student called it a "high comma") goes in place of the omitted letter(s). Hence, don't, weren't, doesn't, isn't (you leave out the o). One I see a lot of people making a mistake on is the Southernism y'all. This is a contraction for you all. So you see, you wouldn't put the apostrophe after the a (ya'll) since that's not where the letters are left out. And the ONLY time you use it's is when you mean it is. Makes sense, right?
2. Now...this concept is a big one. Apostrophes are used to show POSSESSION -- as in, the word with the apostrophe OWNS something. Examples: John's car; Tracy's jacket; Papa's pool; Nannie's Bible. If you are tempted to put an apostrophe+s, make sure you can answer this question: ____'s what?
This rule seems to freak people out if the word ends in s. No biggie. If the word is singular (only one), you would still use the apostrophe AND the s. If the word is plural and ends in s, put the apostrophe after the ending s. Examples: boys' jackets; girls' basketball team; ladies' Sunday School class.
3. Apostrophes are generally NOT used to show that a word is plural. The only exception is when not putting an apostrophe would cause misreading. Example: His a's look like s's. Without the apostrophe, a's looks like as, and ss looks awkward.
So WHY, I ask you, WHY???? would names be any different?
If your last name is Smith, and there is more than one of you in the house, you are the Smiths.
If you are a Johnson, and there is more than one of you in the house, you are the Johnsons.
And if your last name is Williams, and there is more than one of you in the house, you are the Williamses -- NOT the Williams'.
If you are a Jones, your family would be the Joneses -- NOT the Jones'.
If the plural of the name owns something, then you use the apostrophe appropriately:
The Joneses' car (The car belongs to more than one of the Jones family)
The Lees' car (Family name is Lee-- plural is Lees -- and they own something together).
If my daughter Lauren, who is a Smith, signs a note, a letter, an email, or a blog from her family, she would sign it as The Smiths (unless she wanted her mama the grammar nazi to hunt her down and lecture her).
If I want to sign anything from my house with our family name, I would sign is as The Williamses OR The Williams Family.
If I buy a Christmas ornament for Vicki and Josh, it will NOT say the Williams'. It WILL say The Williamses, or The Williams Family, or simply Williams.
If I buy something for Mama and Daddy, it will say The Campbells. No apostrophe -- they don't own anything in this case.
Clear as mud?
I'll bet you're running around right now looking at all your stationery, door signs, and email signatures :)
Will making a mistake like this send you to grammar jail? No.
Will it make me (or anyone else) not like you? No.
Will you feel better knowing you are doing it RIGHT? Oh, yeah.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Pillow Book Time
Sometime, I really miss teaching. Out loud teaching. That doesn't mean I don't LOVE what I do now, because I do. But for a born teacher, there's just something about seeing that light come on, or having students suddenly sit up after I say, "Guess what?" One of my very favorite classes to teach is World Literature. Sometimes students ask, "What's your favorite book? Who's your favorite author? How fast can you read?" To most of those I don't have an answer. But I have an answer for "What's your favorite literature class?" Again, that doesn't mean I don't LOVE English and American literature, but World Lit actually covers those too. I love it.
On another note, sometimes I struggle with blog posts. So very much can go on in one day that I'm afraid sometimes I seem to ramble if I talk about all of it. And I have so little time to post that I have to get a lot done at one time.
Today, I was going over some of my online English class assignments, and I remembered that I had, for the sake of space, had to leave out Chinese and Japanese literature. I know, I know...big whoop. But I love it, and I love teaching it...the why and where and meaning. One of my very favorite is The Pillow Book written by a lady-in-waiting to a Japanese empress, Sei Shonogan. Don't worry. They can't say our names either :) Anyway, there are lots of reasons The Pillow Book is interesting: It was one of the first books written in the Japanese language (they thought Chinese was a "smarter" language and usually wrote in Chinese), it was written by a woman (very rare), it shows details of everyday life in the palace, and, best of all, it's written in little bitty chapters about random thoughts or events that she dealt with. It's called The Pillow Book because Japanese women slept on hollow wooden boxes curved to the shape of the neck in order to support their elaborate hairstyles. Because the "pillow" was hollow, the woman could put her "treasures" or important documents into the pillow. Sei Shonogan's book was published from her diary-like entries that she stored in her "pillow." Each year, I ask my students to write a series of selections for their own "pillow book." I usually join them, because I love the release writing gives. If you don't write occasionally, you should try it! With all that being said (most of which I'm sure you were not the least bit interested in), here are my pillow book entries for now:
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE
I love when Carsyn says, "ZiZi, um here. Play. Otay?" I love waking up on Thursdays and knowing that Robbie's coming home that night. I smile when Daniel asks for a snack -- right after he finishes supper :) ; when Kaylee says "Wub my peet" ; when I read Nicholas Sparks; when Grace watches herself in the mirror as she's talking; when Blair comes to gymnastics wearing a pink, floor-length, long sleeve Cinderella costume and high heels over her leotard; when Caroline looks at me with big eyes and says "How do you know what the roly poly's names are?"--and believes me when I tell her they have name tags; when Dylan calls my parents Swimming Nannie and Swimming Papa--not because they swim but because they have a pool; when Lily and Breanna sing sooooo loud in Children's Church--but don't know the words and/or timing :) when all the clothes are washed...and it's only Wednesday ; when I child says, "I want Jesus to live in my heart"; when a sewing project comes out even cuter than I imagined; when I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine"; when I listen to Carsyn sing "Peas Ike Ibba" ("Peace Like a River"); when Grace looks at the clouds for shapes and says she sees Uncle Kenny and Uncle BoBo in a boat...
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SAD:
The bridge of my nose stings and my eyes get leaky when Grace looks at the clouds for shapes and says she sees Uncle Kenny and Uncle BoBo in a boat...; when I hear that one of my babies has gotten hurt; when I hear that innocent children have been killed or abused; when I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine;" when I can find only one of my polka dot yellow boxes -- and they would perfectly match my outfit; when I have to leave Carsyn crying, even though I know she'll stop as soon as I'm gone; when I hear people being cruel about others--they way they look or talk; Nicholas Sparks books; Where the Red Fern Grows; when friends grow apart; when all I have left to do is put the elastic in the waistband...and I'm out of elastic and it's 2:34 A.M.
WHY I DON'T MIND EATING ALONE
When I eat alone (or only with close family), my whole meal is so much more peaceful. If I eat in a crowd, this is the way the meal goes: You don't eat ______? Have you tried it? Why not? Try a little bit. It won't hurt you! For real, this is wonderful! It tastes just like ______________. What?!?! You don't eat ______, either!? Where have you been living? What do you eat? Is something wrong with you?
Alone or with close family, this is what I get: This one is yours, Mama. It's not touching anything. I'll eat that one; it's more done than you like it. I cooked these for you because I know you don't like ______. I ordered one pizza with light/no sauce so it would be better. This dressing has pickles; the plain dressing is over there.
And that is why I like to eat alone or with close family.
THE PROBLEM WITH COOKING
Robbie can, without a doubt, outcook any restaurant we have ever visited. So why is it such a temptation to just pick something up while we are out? It's the dish gremlins that live in our house. While we are cooking the simplest of meals, the dish gremlins are messing up every available dish in the house! When we finish eating, the kitchen looks like General Sherman marched his army straight through it. So discouraging. And then of course it's late and we're full...not the best of conditions to foster a "jump up now and clean it up" feeling. So sometimes we go to a place where we leave all the mess. We can't do it all the time, but sometimes, it's just worth it to eat not-quite-as-good food and let them clean it all up :)
THE PROBLEM WITH TODAY'S KIDS
This is not going to sit well...
We always hear, or maybe are guilty of saying, that today's kids are a big problem. What in the world are they thinking? What's wrong with them? What's going to happen to our world if they are left in charge? Soooo...here's my answer:
What's wrong with today's children is yesterday's children. It's the adults who raise them. It's the parents who bail their children out of every scrape, give them the best of the best without their having to work for it, and make sure that they never have to suffer any consequences for their actions. Children are -- well, children. They are going to make mistakes. I'll be the first one to say that if a child doesn't have a good relationship with his parents, there will not be the openness needed for that child to come to the parent for help. But help does not necessarily mean "fixing it." It means guiding the child to do what is right; helping him carry that out; applying house rules consistently so that there is never a question that rules must be obeyed.
Children are not any different than they have always been...tiny humans who need help growing up. Adults, though--well, that's a different story.
TO BE CONTINUED...MAYBE :)
On another note, sometimes I struggle with blog posts. So very much can go on in one day that I'm afraid sometimes I seem to ramble if I talk about all of it. And I have so little time to post that I have to get a lot done at one time.
Today, I was going over some of my online English class assignments, and I remembered that I had, for the sake of space, had to leave out Chinese and Japanese literature. I know, I know...big whoop. But I love it, and I love teaching it...the why and where and meaning. One of my very favorite is The Pillow Book written by a lady-in-waiting to a Japanese empress, Sei Shonogan. Don't worry. They can't say our names either :) Anyway, there are lots of reasons The Pillow Book is interesting: It was one of the first books written in the Japanese language (they thought Chinese was a "smarter" language and usually wrote in Chinese), it was written by a woman (very rare), it shows details of everyday life in the palace, and, best of all, it's written in little bitty chapters about random thoughts or events that she dealt with. It's called The Pillow Book because Japanese women slept on hollow wooden boxes curved to the shape of the neck in order to support their elaborate hairstyles. Because the "pillow" was hollow, the woman could put her "treasures" or important documents into the pillow. Sei Shonogan's book was published from her diary-like entries that she stored in her "pillow." Each year, I ask my students to write a series of selections for their own "pillow book." I usually join them, because I love the release writing gives. If you don't write occasionally, you should try it! With all that being said (most of which I'm sure you were not the least bit interested in), here are my pillow book entries for now:
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SMILE
I love when Carsyn says, "ZiZi, um here. Play. Otay?" I love waking up on Thursdays and knowing that Robbie's coming home that night. I smile when Daniel asks for a snack -- right after he finishes supper :) ; when Kaylee says "Wub my peet" ; when I read Nicholas Sparks; when Grace watches herself in the mirror as she's talking; when Blair comes to gymnastics wearing a pink, floor-length, long sleeve Cinderella costume and high heels over her leotard; when Caroline looks at me with big eyes and says "How do you know what the roly poly's names are?"--and believes me when I tell her they have name tags; when Dylan calls my parents Swimming Nannie and Swimming Papa--not because they swim but because they have a pool; when Lily and Breanna sing sooooo loud in Children's Church--but don't know the words and/or timing :) when all the clothes are washed...and it's only Wednesday ; when I child says, "I want Jesus to live in my heart"; when a sewing project comes out even cuter than I imagined; when I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine"; when I listen to Carsyn sing "Peas Ike Ibba" ("Peace Like a River"); when Grace looks at the clouds for shapes and says she sees Uncle Kenny and Uncle BoBo in a boat...
THINGS THAT MAKE ME SAD:
The bridge of my nose stings and my eyes get leaky when Grace looks at the clouds for shapes and says she sees Uncle Kenny and Uncle BoBo in a boat...; when I hear that one of my babies has gotten hurt; when I hear that innocent children have been killed or abused; when I hear the song "I Can Only Imagine;" when I can find only one of my polka dot yellow boxes -- and they would perfectly match my outfit; when I have to leave Carsyn crying, even though I know she'll stop as soon as I'm gone; when I hear people being cruel about others--they way they look or talk; Nicholas Sparks books; Where the Red Fern Grows; when friends grow apart; when all I have left to do is put the elastic in the waistband...and I'm out of elastic and it's 2:34 A.M.
WHY I DON'T MIND EATING ALONE
When I eat alone (or only with close family), my whole meal is so much more peaceful. If I eat in a crowd, this is the way the meal goes: You don't eat ______? Have you tried it? Why not? Try a little bit. It won't hurt you! For real, this is wonderful! It tastes just like ______________. What?!?! You don't eat ______, either!? Where have you been living? What do you eat? Is something wrong with you?
Alone or with close family, this is what I get: This one is yours, Mama. It's not touching anything. I'll eat that one; it's more done than you like it. I cooked these for you because I know you don't like ______. I ordered one pizza with light/no sauce so it would be better. This dressing has pickles; the plain dressing is over there.
And that is why I like to eat alone or with close family.
THE PROBLEM WITH COOKING
Robbie can, without a doubt, outcook any restaurant we have ever visited. So why is it such a temptation to just pick something up while we are out? It's the dish gremlins that live in our house. While we are cooking the simplest of meals, the dish gremlins are messing up every available dish in the house! When we finish eating, the kitchen looks like General Sherman marched his army straight through it. So discouraging. And then of course it's late and we're full...not the best of conditions to foster a "jump up now and clean it up" feeling. So sometimes we go to a place where we leave all the mess. We can't do it all the time, but sometimes, it's just worth it to eat not-quite-as-good food and let them clean it all up :)
THE PROBLEM WITH TODAY'S KIDS
This is not going to sit well...
We always hear, or maybe are guilty of saying, that today's kids are a big problem. What in the world are they thinking? What's wrong with them? What's going to happen to our world if they are left in charge? Soooo...here's my answer:
What's wrong with today's children is yesterday's children. It's the adults who raise them. It's the parents who bail their children out of every scrape, give them the best of the best without their having to work for it, and make sure that they never have to suffer any consequences for their actions. Children are -- well, children. They are going to make mistakes. I'll be the first one to say that if a child doesn't have a good relationship with his parents, there will not be the openness needed for that child to come to the parent for help. But help does not necessarily mean "fixing it." It means guiding the child to do what is right; helping him carry that out; applying house rules consistently so that there is never a question that rules must be obeyed.
Children are not any different than they have always been...tiny humans who need help growing up. Adults, though--well, that's a different story.
TO BE CONTINUED...MAYBE :)
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Summer So Far...
Lots of stuff going on here!!!
*I've been sewing garment bags and baby gowns and monogramming towels and making birthday outfits.
*Carsyn has learned to sing "Peace Like a River" (peas ike ibbe in my tole)
*I've been cutting car decals and planning weddings and buying flowers.
*I had to explain to Grace why the KJV is called the KJV -- because of the king who had it translated, not because Jesus spoke 16th century English. Seemed a bit early to have to have this conversation...
*I've been making those huge feather flags you see beside the road.
*We had Vacation Bible School at our church and then Grace went to Grannie and Grandaddy's church for another fun week of VBS.
*I took Carsyn to the doctor and she had such a meltdown (she always does) that the doctor met us in the hallway and saw her there.
*Grace thought she would include Carsyn in her imaginary play the other day, but when she said, "Carsyn, where are your customers?" Carsyn looked around, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "I don't know!" Ha!
*I had a student email me to ask if I thought she would be ok if she used an American Literature book in place of a World Literature book and a vocabulary book by a different publisher. Ummm...no.
*Dylan, Daniel, and Kaylee came to play. Dylan went fishing with PopPop and Uncle David, so he was really anxious to get in the pool the next day. Really anxious. 8:00 in the morning anxious :)
I had a meeting in Montgomery, saw some great online teacher friends, had a wonderful lunch with Robbie, and spent the rest of an AWESOME day getting important stuff done -- like making sure Carsyn's Tiny Toms had both a left and right foot :) That was an interesting exchange.
Lots of fun going on this summer!
*I've been sewing garment bags and baby gowns and monogramming towels and making birthday outfits.
*Carsyn has learned to sing "Peace Like a River" (peas ike ibbe in my tole)
*I've been cutting car decals and planning weddings and buying flowers.
*I had to explain to Grace why the KJV is called the KJV -- because of the king who had it translated, not because Jesus spoke 16th century English. Seemed a bit early to have to have this conversation...
*I've been making those huge feather flags you see beside the road.
*We had Vacation Bible School at our church and then Grace went to Grannie and Grandaddy's church for another fun week of VBS.
*I took Carsyn to the doctor and she had such a meltdown (she always does) that the doctor met us in the hallway and saw her there.
*Grace thought she would include Carsyn in her imaginary play the other day, but when she said, "Carsyn, where are your customers?" Carsyn looked around, shrugged her shoulders, and said, "I don't know!" Ha!
*I had a student email me to ask if I thought she would be ok if she used an American Literature book in place of a World Literature book and a vocabulary book by a different publisher. Ummm...no.
*Dylan, Daniel, and Kaylee came to play. Dylan went fishing with PopPop and Uncle David, so he was really anxious to get in the pool the next day. Really anxious. 8:00 in the morning anxious :)
I had a meeting in Montgomery, saw some great online teacher friends, had a wonderful lunch with Robbie, and spent the rest of an AWESOME day getting important stuff done -- like making sure Carsyn's Tiny Toms had both a left and right foot :) That was an interesting exchange.
Lots of fun going on this summer!
Monday, May 28, 2012
End of the School Year...And Beginning of Summer!
Goodness gracious, the end of this year was sooooo different! For the past 20+ years I have been wrapped up in Senior Awards Day, Class Day, Baccalaureate, and Graduation. Although I stayed in touch and helped out, it was certainly not as...busy...as previous years.
The seniors asked if I could help a little on Class Day, and I was glad to. They did such a good job!!! Their cute skits and ability to make fun of themselves was the perfect tone for Class Day. The next week was full of graduations and ceremonies. Lauren, Ashley, and I went to Richelle's graduation on Monday night. Mama, Carsyn, and I went to see Kaylee get her certificate for this year (she will stay in her preschool another year because of her birthday) on Tuesday morning, and then Lauren and I went to Ashley's graduation on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, Mama, Carsyn, and I went to Dylan's awards day, and then Daniel's kindergarten graduation immediately following. I'm sure this arrangement worked well for the school. It did not work quite as well for anyone managing a near-2-year-old. The mistake was probably mine. I said, "Let's go in the gym and watch Daniel." Carsyn misunderstood "gym." She spent the morning doing arabesques, walking on the "beam" (the lines on the court), and doing flips on the gym floor. And then, three minutes out of the parking lot, she was sound asleep. And she slept all the way home.
That's when the real fun began...Carsyn woke up when we got home, started to play, and suddenly started throwing up. Helloooooo, tummy virus. She was pitiful. I babied her. We stayed outside most of the afternoon, nearly naked and with a waterhose handy (not for her, silly- for the porch). I decided to hold onto Big Mama's declaration that a person cannot get sick from family.
And I held that notion until about 2:00 A.M.
Big Mama was right about a lot of things.
This was not one of them :)
By Friday I was feeling much better and Grace came to stay with us. She was such fun!! I was just cracking up all day at the things she said. Lauren sent a text after I shared some things on facebook: "Ought to be a fun summer." Yes indeed, it will be fun!
Friday afternoon, Robbie and I left for a weekend at the river. I'm here to tell you, that is one peaceful place! Well, the six miles of dirt road getting there...not so peaceful. In fact, I posted this on facebook: "
The seniors asked if I could help a little on Class Day, and I was glad to. They did such a good job!!! Their cute skits and ability to make fun of themselves was the perfect tone for Class Day. The next week was full of graduations and ceremonies. Lauren, Ashley, and I went to Richelle's graduation on Monday night. Mama, Carsyn, and I went to see Kaylee get her certificate for this year (she will stay in her preschool another year because of her birthday) on Tuesday morning, and then Lauren and I went to Ashley's graduation on Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, Mama, Carsyn, and I went to Dylan's awards day, and then Daniel's kindergarten graduation immediately following. I'm sure this arrangement worked well for the school. It did not work quite as well for anyone managing a near-2-year-old. The mistake was probably mine. I said, "Let's go in the gym and watch Daniel." Carsyn misunderstood "gym." She spent the morning doing arabesques, walking on the "beam" (the lines on the court), and doing flips on the gym floor. And then, three minutes out of the parking lot, she was sound asleep. And she slept all the way home.
That's when the real fun began...Carsyn woke up when we got home, started to play, and suddenly started throwing up. Helloooooo, tummy virus. She was pitiful. I babied her. We stayed outside most of the afternoon, nearly naked and with a waterhose handy (not for her, silly- for the porch). I decided to hold onto Big Mama's declaration that a person cannot get sick from family.
And I held that notion until about 2:00 A.M.
Big Mama was right about a lot of things.
This was not one of them :)
By Friday I was feeling much better and Grace came to stay with us. She was such fun!! I was just cracking up all day at the things she said. Lauren sent a text after I shared some things on facebook: "Ought to be a fun summer." Yes indeed, it will be fun!
Friday afternoon, Robbie and I left for a weekend at the river. I'm here to tell you, that is one peaceful place! Well, the six miles of dirt road getting there...not so peaceful. In fact, I posted this on facebook: "
Friday, May 11, 2012
It's Not About Me
That's what Kenny used to say...even at his sickest. That was brought home to me today. I went to a blog I follow to find a tutorial I had seen, and read the saddest thing. It made me realize that my little problems are just that, little. I'm figuring out some way to help...
http://www.honeybearlane.com/2012/05/the-alice-hansen-family-fund.html
http://www.honeybearlane.com/2012/05/the-alice-hansen-family-fund.html
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Multiplicity
I think there is a movie by that name. It's the story of a man who wishes there were more of him, and suddenly there are! So, I was thinking about that. I could certainly use more of me. Let's see...
1. I need one of me to take care of my house. This would include laundry, dishes, making beds (we do have little company often, you know), and the normal household chores. I believe Household Me would have time for grocery shopping, but if not, I'm sure we can whip up another me :)
2. The second me needs to take care of the outside. With an outside as big as ours is, I didn't feel it fair to put this on my household clone. Outside Me would take care of the porches, the arbor, the vegetables (don't choke...we really did plant some), and the flowers (I hear you sputtering-- stop it!) .This chick would also take care of washing the vehicles. She's a busy one!
3. The third me would be in charge of ZiZi's Stitch and Stick. This would definitely be a full time job, and therefore this clone would be unable to help out on other jobs. She would take orders, buy fabric, design items, sew, change thread...well, you get the picture. I would not see this clone very much because she would be constantly busy sewing and keeping the Den of Stitches clean.
4. The fourth me would be in charge of Carsyn. Now, this is no small task. Just yesterday, this happened:
1. I need one of me to take care of my house. This would include laundry, dishes, making beds (we do have little company often, you know), and the normal household chores. I believe Household Me would have time for grocery shopping, but if not, I'm sure we can whip up another me :)
2. The second me needs to take care of the outside. With an outside as big as ours is, I didn't feel it fair to put this on my household clone. Outside Me would take care of the porches, the arbor, the vegetables (don't choke...we really did plant some), and the flowers (I hear you sputtering-- stop it!) .This chick would also take care of washing the vehicles. She's a busy one!
3. The third me would be in charge of ZiZi's Stitch and Stick. This would definitely be a full time job, and therefore this clone would be unable to help out on other jobs. She would take orders, buy fabric, design items, sew, change thread...well, you get the picture. I would not see this clone very much because she would be constantly busy sewing and keeping the Den of Stitches clean.
4. The fourth me would be in charge of Carsyn. Now, this is no small task. Just yesterday, this happened:
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
A Different Kind of Sign
So much is going on that sometimes I'm amazed when I have a minute to sit down to the computer. And then I have to figure out where I am in life...what I've blogged about...what I need to say...and to be honest, sometimes I get overwhelmed with it and just put it off until later.
Have I blogged about our sweet, sweet Grace winning her division of the Little Miss CCA pageant? I don't think so. We are so, so proud of her. Of course, we were ecstatic when her name was called, but I was so much prouder of her attitude. In her own words, "Winning is not important; having fun is what's important, and I did that." So sweet :)
Have I blogged about David opening Country Farm Supply? That may be one reason my computer time is shorter...NO.WIRELESS.INTERNET!!! Seriously. And blogging from my phone is hard. I do hope everyone will support David's new venture. I truly believe we are supposed to support those businesses in our area. My brother said it best just the other day. He said, "People say the 4-lane is killing McKenzie. But it's not. People are killing McKenzie when they choose to go other places." Smart man, my brother.
Have I blogged about the spring competition season at Greenville Gymnastics? Lots of kids doing lots of amazing things. Grace competed with several other gymnasts in our very first Level 1 team. They were just the sweetest little girls. Other girls competed Level 3 and Prep Ops. We had so much fun--and stayed sooooo busy! And Ashley--sweet Ashley--competed in her last meet. I think it hit all of us at the same time. She is such and amazing young lady and a wonderful role model for our other gymnasts. More about that later. She deserves her own blog entry :)
Have I blogged about how I hate changing times? I mean, can't we just pick one and stick with it? It just messes up my whole schedule and body rhythm. And anybody that has, takes care of, or teaches small children can attest to the fact that changing the time and being expected to adjust in one day does evil things to a little person. Heck, it does evil things to a grown person! And why in the world, if time is going to change, can time not change on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning? We would at least have the whole weekend to adjust. But nooooooo! One day. That's it. I vote no.
And now, the real reason for the title of this entry. I may have to explain a little. Those of you close to me know that three years ago, Robert died in a car accident. I was so devastated--there is truly nothing to prepare a person for losing a child. Even though I've always considered myself a strong person (albeit with leaky eyes), that tragedy just really took rug out from under me. I remember sobbing uncontrollably on Daddy the day after the accident and saying that I would have thought I could be stronger. I'll never forget what he said: "It would take a mighty big oak not to bend in a wind like this." Whenever I find myself "leaking," I think about what Daddy said, and I know it's ok to bend. I just have to be willing to get back up when the "storm" is over. One thing I've found helps me get back up is the signs I believe I'm given all along.
The day of Robert's funeral, March 1, it snowed. SNOWED. In south Alabama. Robbie walked out on the back porch, snow swirling all around him, and said, "Well, hello, Robert." For the next two years, snow occured at unusual times. I feel with all my heart that the snow was for me...a sign from above. So this year I waited for snow. I was quietly sad when it didn't snow around Christmas. Around the three-year anniversary in February, I got concerned because there was still NO MENTION of snow. Then the anniversary of his funeral came. I think everybody wore shorts. People were going to the beach. No snow. I was beyond disappointed.
But then, just the other day, Carsyn and I were outside playing, and I glimpsed something -- a sign! Right after Robert died, we turned his basketball court into an arbor. Not wanting anything ever to happen to the precious memories we had there, we put up a swing and moved the kids toys over there. Vicki ran across some azaleas and brought them home to plant in the trees near the arbor. But it snowed on them for two years and I thought they had died. But this year, for the first time since they were planted, this is what happened:
Carsyn must surely have thought I had lost my mind. Who else dissolves into a puddly mess over blooming azaleas? Words cannot express the incredible peace and comfort those sweet blooms gave me. So I didn't get my snow; I got a surprise that was just as beautiful and maybe a different kind of sign. Those beautiful blooms gave me just a peek at what gorgeousness Robert is experiencing now, not in the cold world of snow, but in the warm garden of God's presence.
Have I blogged about our sweet, sweet Grace winning her division of the Little Miss CCA pageant? I don't think so. We are so, so proud of her. Of course, we were ecstatic when her name was called, but I was so much prouder of her attitude. In her own words, "Winning is not important; having fun is what's important, and I did that." So sweet :)
Have I blogged about David opening Country Farm Supply? That may be one reason my computer time is shorter...NO.WIRELESS.INTERNET!!! Seriously. And blogging from my phone is hard. I do hope everyone will support David's new venture. I truly believe we are supposed to support those businesses in our area. My brother said it best just the other day. He said, "People say the 4-lane is killing McKenzie. But it's not. People are killing McKenzie when they choose to go other places." Smart man, my brother.
Have I blogged about the spring competition season at Greenville Gymnastics? Lots of kids doing lots of amazing things. Grace competed with several other gymnasts in our very first Level 1 team. They were just the sweetest little girls. Other girls competed Level 3 and Prep Ops. We had so much fun--and stayed sooooo busy! And Ashley--sweet Ashley--competed in her last meet. I think it hit all of us at the same time. She is such and amazing young lady and a wonderful role model for our other gymnasts. More about that later. She deserves her own blog entry :)
Have I blogged about how I hate changing times? I mean, can't we just pick one and stick with it? It just messes up my whole schedule and body rhythm. And anybody that has, takes care of, or teaches small children can attest to the fact that changing the time and being expected to adjust in one day does evil things to a little person. Heck, it does evil things to a grown person! And why in the world, if time is going to change, can time not change on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning? We would at least have the whole weekend to adjust. But nooooooo! One day. That's it. I vote no.
And now, the real reason for the title of this entry. I may have to explain a little. Those of you close to me know that three years ago, Robert died in a car accident. I was so devastated--there is truly nothing to prepare a person for losing a child. Even though I've always considered myself a strong person (albeit with leaky eyes), that tragedy just really took rug out from under me. I remember sobbing uncontrollably on Daddy the day after the accident and saying that I would have thought I could be stronger. I'll never forget what he said: "It would take a mighty big oak not to bend in a wind like this." Whenever I find myself "leaking," I think about what Daddy said, and I know it's ok to bend. I just have to be willing to get back up when the "storm" is over. One thing I've found helps me get back up is the signs I believe I'm given all along.
The day of Robert's funeral, March 1, it snowed. SNOWED. In south Alabama. Robbie walked out on the back porch, snow swirling all around him, and said, "Well, hello, Robert." For the next two years, snow occured at unusual times. I feel with all my heart that the snow was for me...a sign from above. So this year I waited for snow. I was quietly sad when it didn't snow around Christmas. Around the three-year anniversary in February, I got concerned because there was still NO MENTION of snow. Then the anniversary of his funeral came. I think everybody wore shorts. People were going to the beach. No snow. I was beyond disappointed.
But then, just the other day, Carsyn and I were outside playing, and I glimpsed something -- a sign! Right after Robert died, we turned his basketball court into an arbor. Not wanting anything ever to happen to the precious memories we had there, we put up a swing and moved the kids toys over there. Vicki ran across some azaleas and brought them home to plant in the trees near the arbor. But it snowed on them for two years and I thought they had died. But this year, for the first time since they were planted, this is what happened:
Carsyn must surely have thought I had lost my mind. Who else dissolves into a puddly mess over blooming azaleas? Words cannot express the incredible peace and comfort those sweet blooms gave me. So I didn't get my snow; I got a surprise that was just as beautiful and maybe a different kind of sign. Those beautiful blooms gave me just a peek at what gorgeousness Robert is experiencing now, not in the cold world of snow, but in the warm garden of God's presence.
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