I am so very glad to be a mom. I am also very blessed to have had a great mom, and a great mother-in-law. I am sad and miss them this time of year, but I am reminded that our time apart is only temporary. My mom has been gone almost seventeen years. I am tempted to grieve over all she has missed in my children's lives. Ned was only four, Jer not even a thought, Randy years from finding our home. So many adventures have come and gone; rejoicing and deep grieving. Still the Savior who prepared in advance a room for my mother, has held my heart and my home in His Hand. From her mansion in the sky it is my hope that she with the rest of the cloud of witnesses is able to look down and smile as I finish raising my kids and continue along the Road of Life laid before me.
12 comments:
Happy Mother's Day Sandy. I pray that you feel the blessings of the Lord and the love of all around you.
Love you.
Vic
If I hadn't seen Rob in church today I would have thought he was missing.
(Maybe he has found a different blog to hang out at....)
Glad your gang was with you today Sandy. Praying for Ben... Keep us posted.
Thanks Vic I'll let you know how he is doing. As for Rob, I even talked to him. Maybe he going all high brow on us or something. To good for the farm girls...
Hey, everyone. I've just been really, really busy, and still letting too many little things slip through the cracks. It seems like the eight sites I oversee all need help at the same time... or the planets align and I have a dozen meetings to attend or participate in, via tele- or videoconference. It sounds more glamorous than it is, believe me.
I'm soon out of here, for about two weeks: the next six days in Atlanta, for the National Foster Parent Association conference (with some foster parents from our agency), then meetings in Bedford, a two-day meeting in Northumberland (visiting our bootcamp), then a meeting in Mechanicsburg, then a meeting in Philly.
The 24th, 25th, and 26th? I plan on sleeping, I think. Starting on the 27th I have meetings in Harrishburg, Grove City, Pittsburgh, and back in Bedford (the Hoss's there is very nice to us!). Before you know it, Youth Camp will be here...
As I've typed this, I've received three e-mails. No calls, however. Thankfully.
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I've been feeling convicted, again, about my pride and use of sarcastic humor... not always as humor, but as a means of making myself the center of attention and putting others down.
There's always so much going on, it seems, but I confuse the fluff of (95% of) my job with what's really important...
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As evidence of that last bit, which I wrote 20 minutes ago, I had just received another e-mail, that spiked my anger, blood pressure, etceteras. There are some difficult people I work with (just a handful, thankfully), who make a huge deal about everything, and always trying to make it look like they're the hero of the situation. Like, "It's raining, today, in strict prohibition of my wishes for you, dear foster parents, although Robert has made it known, publicly, on many occasions, that he enjoys rain, so draw your own conclusions. I, however, personally apologize and take responsibility for your cars, now made spotty with raindrops, and for any ruined plans Robert may have caused you."
Anyway --- and you can tell I'm completely over it, right? Right? RIGHT? --- I just wasted time mentally defending myself and getting upset about something that doesn't matter. People see through his stuff, and even if they don't, so what?
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But I do have to go now. I don't have too many hours left to take care of a BUNCH of stuff.
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Hope everyone has a great week. Even if it rains.
I love the rain too. I always thank God for washing my car when it rains... that is the only time it gets washed - except for when the car dealership does it when I get an oil change. I am not a big umbrella fan either - my hair is big and messy anyway - what harm can a little rain do?
Wow- your job is sure keeping you busy. Good to hear from you.
I am love, love, loving my job... but I am sure that isn't a surprise to anyone.
God is so kind to allow me to have joy while working.
Keep me posted on when the next calf is due Sandy - I would love to try and make it out. I am always awake (usually not in bed before 1 am) so call anytime.
Toodles all...
"Toodles"?
Wow.
And if I remember correctly, wasn't your job, at least initially, a trial thing? I'm guessing by the fancy phone and printer/scanner/fax/DNA splitter thing that it's the real deal.
And Sandy, re-reading your short post about your mom, I'm again struck at how much I appreciate your writing and how cool it is to read the thoughts you put to paper...
Glad to have ya back Rob. Oh yea, and sorry your life is so crazy.
Like the imaginary "Survivor" game Joe described, on Sunday, I have no idea what a crazy life is.
I don't have to worry about my animals' menstrual cycles, so I can get semen flown in. I don't have animals.
On a more serious note, I don't have what must be a near-constant worry about my children that moms have. I don't think about where I park, or whether it will be dark when I need to walk to my car. I don't have to really think about anyone else, except my sad and sorry self, on most days. That's a blessing, seriously, in many ways, but also I do appreciate that I've missed a whole different dimension to life.
My life is busy, maybe, at times, but never "crazy." Remind me of that, the next time I whine about how crazy my life is. Remind me that my biggest stressor is often getting two queen beds in a hotel room instead of the king bed I wanted.
Man, I've got a lot of things to work on/finish up before I get some sleep. My flight leaves in the morning, so I need to be up extra early. Poor me, and my cra-- busy life.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
I feel like I'm a camp counselor again... Friendly Pines Camp (no, not the computer camp, that was... Arizona Computer Camp... no one said computer people were especially creative) was/is pretty popular, and we literally had kids coming from all over the country and all over the world. Anyway, when new sessions were starting, I, and a group of crack counselors, would descend upon the Phoenix airport, at least one person, and van, at each of the four terminals. It was a nightmare of organization and paperwork (I'm picking up some nine year-old from France who doesn't speak much English, and, surprise surprise, there's a bit of paperwork involved). Anyway, imagine how crazy it was, with kids arriving at different times, with loads of luggage, and many already crying and being very homesick.
That was me, today. I was orchestrating foster parents who were having panic attacks, vomiting out of fear of flying. Problems with getting from the airport to the hotel (instead of taking the $1.75 public transportation/subway, they took a $40 taxi ride). Problems checking into the hotel. Problems registering for the conference. Problems with whiny foster parents. Etceteras, etceteras.
I think my cell phone is half-dead just from the calls today.
I was in the pool, around 9:30, and this kid asked me where MY foster kids were. I said I didn't have any, and he immediately shot back WELL WHY NOT? We could use HIM as a recruiter! He had some missing front teeth and the whole "cute foster child who only needs love and won't set your house on fire" thing going.
But he didn't fool me.
Kickin' back at the Sheraton...
Did you tell that guy you aren't home enough to take care of a gold fish let alone a kid?
You would be a great foster parent though if your job ever changes...
If my job goes full time I am still thinking about adoption... I am home all the time and for the first time ever I have a job where it would actually work to be a mom...
Well, that day isn't here yet, so before everyone goes into panic/lecture mode we will just wait and see what the Lord does...
Thursday, 15 May 2008
This has been a great conference, and I'm sad to see it wind down. Lots of good people, most of them very fun and funny. There's a few "I-can't-get-out-of-thinking-everything-is-a-teachable-moment" mode people: in line for a bagel, one woman accidentally bumps into another one... the former says, "Oh, excuse me!" and the later launches into a lecture about SODA [I thankfully can't remember what each letter stands for, although I think "A" stands for "apologize"] and chastises the woman for not being more aware of her 'body space' and about respecting other's personal space, and what did the former woman learn about rules about being in line? I wish I was kidding, but it was a long, awkward scene. The woman behind me mumbled something about "oh good grief, leave that at home, we're just real people, here" and I snickered.
Anyway, good times. And the food! Oh my... nothing like a having a company credit card in a major downtown full of nice restaurants... lots of big, southern, breakfasts (I'm skipping the grits), and I'm taking in a lot of good BBQ for dinner. Lunch at the Hard Rock or whatever. As I said: good food! Getting desert to go was a neat trick I've learned.
But, again, the people here are so passionate, so motivated... every story is a dramatic story. Not in a show-off way, either. A woman sitting next to me in my 8AM class, today, was from Honolulu. I asked her, at a break, how many hours ahead Georgia is, and she looked at her watch, and said it was still 4 AM, Hawaii time. That's dedication!
There's a woman from Bermuda that I think I've been flirting with. Okay, I'm sure I've been.
Whoa. I think I've said too much. Oh, dear: time to go swimming... this foster dad and I go from the Jacuzzi to canon-balls in the pool (which seems like ice water, in comparison) and back, ostensibly in competition with his foster boys, but mostly with each other, because it's fun.
I think I'll get some wings, and watch The Office and then LOST. My sister and brother-in-law are picking my up tomorrow, after my last class, and I'm spending the weekend with them... more good restaurants, I'm sure.
Yeah: life is hard. It's all for the kids, though... ALL for the kids.
Yeah... my baby brother and his wife are coming tomorrow. We are gonna do pizza and a movie. My brother has only been to my house once or twice (counting both times I have lived here) and the one time it was only on his way to visit a friend. I can't wait to see what movie we watch. He likes scary, slicer and dicer movies and movies like Lord of the Rings, etc... I still have never seen all the Lord of the Rings movies because Gallum (or however you spell his name) freaks me out.
I might need to scream into a pillow and sleep with the lights on tomorrow.
Oh well, I am just thrilled he is coming to visit. I don't get to see him too much. He is really unhappy in his job and looking for a career change. I know the feeling...
Well, can't wait for some pics Sandy. Hope all is going smoothly.
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