Well tomorrow is the first day of 2012 and we still don't have humans living on the moon or have flying cars. I don't make resolutions because I know I won't keep them but I am happy for those of you that do make them and proud of your commitment.
I have lots of prayers for the upcoming year. I pray for a year without loss. The number of loved ones being lost each year is growing. Is that part of life? Is that part of getting older? Maybe so....... If it is part of life and getting older then why is a majority of the people we are losing younger? There is nothing right about burying someone who has not had the chance to live. But in the end, I remember I am not the Giver of life....therefore I am not the Taker of life either.
I also hope I shake my head a little less this year. I shake my head when people amaze me. Amaze me in a negative manner. Those who make me say "what in the world were they thinkin? Were they thinking at all?". I hope some of the adults I know begin to realize that every move they make and every decision they make affects their family.....their spouses...their kids....their parents..... All of their family!!!! And sadly, their actions rip families apart. Scars are not erased..... They may be masked...concealed....but not erased. Stop relying on "second chances". You only have one shot at raising your kids. The decisions you make as a parent in this very moment stays with the child for the rest of their life. Do you honestly want your child to remember they way you lived life as "what not to do"? Just imagine if you lived your life without needing to look down at the ground and avoid making eye contact with people you walk by. Be real......or you will eventually be "alone".
I know that I do not "walk on water". I make mistakes....daily. But... I am proud to say that my legacy is my family. They are my heart....my reason to breathe....my whole entire world. Nothing or nobody is worth risking their love and respect for me.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Lauana Lane
Ask most anyone around here why we have a road named Lauana Lane and they will be able to tell you. Lauana Lane is named after my grandmother, my Daddy's mother. Her name was Sarah Lauana Cooper.
I never had the honor/ pleasure of meeting/ knowing her. She passed away shortly after Kevin was born. Momma will tell you that she waited to pass until Kevin was born. Hung on long enough to welcome one more Cooper grand kid to the world. You know she had to be so excited when Tami finally made her appearance. She had 6 grandsons. Finally a girl!!!! Cooper girls from my generation are very few..... only 2. That makes us a little special.
So, I never physically met MawMaw but from all of the stories I have been told from many different sources, I fell as though I am somewhat acquainted with her. My Grannie talked of MawMaw often. Grannie thought of MawMaw as her sister. She referred to MawMaw as being the best person she had ever know. Grannie lived to be 92, so she had known quite a few people in her day. What a reunion they must have had when Grannie took her last earthly breath.
My Momma refers to MawMaw as the greatest Mother-in-law ever possible. I am pretty sure Aunt Linda and Aunt Shirley share this opinion with Momma. Momma and Daddy made their home next door to MawMaw and PaPa. When Mother and Daddy moved there, MawMaw made them agree to leave this one cedar tree standing in the yard. To this day, that tree is still there. It has been lit up for Christmas, it has had many balls stuck up in it, and it has served as base for many games of tag. I have never heard any "Marie Barone" horror stories from Momma. However, I have heard stories of MawMaw laughing at Momma and Daddy out in the yard having a food fight back in their younger days. Momma also once told me that MawMaw told her that she had to learn to cook something besides fried pork chops and gravy for Daddy. I know Daddy never complained about that meal at all!! Mother has never mentioned anything negative about her.....makes me wonder if there was anything?
Johnny and Jimmy have often shared stories of their love for MawMaw......their childhood days spent in and out of her house. To be honest, it makes me a little jealous. I never got the chance to run next door to MawMaw's house. Never had a chance to make those memories, so I must rely on the ones that they share. Johnny talks about the time he tried to run away from home and he was moving down to MawMaw and Papa's house and she wouldn't let him stay. She also used to get a kick out of her guineas pecking at him. I have also been told that if you fought too much around her, she would make you sit and look at each other. That must have been torture to have to look at someone you wanted to rub in the dirt. Many memories were made on her front door steps by the Cooper Cousins lucky enough to have known her.
I know my Daddy loved her. His face lit up every time he talked of his Momma. He called her "Mother" or sometimes "Momma" but mostly "Mother" when he spoke to me of her. He talked of her cooking, the way she ironed, her chickens...etc. I wish I could recall every story he had EVER shared with me about her but I can't. But I can picture his face as he told me. Daddy's face was a perfect reflection of a son's love for his Momma. She was taken from him way too early in his life, but I know she watched as he and Momma built and cared for their family.
The days after Daddy passed many people tried to comfort me. Some did and some got on my nerves. :)
I will always remember a conversation I had with Uncle Delbert on the front porch of Mother and Daddy's house. Uncle Delbert told me that Daddy was happy. When he first said that to me, those were not comforting words but as he continued to talk through his tears, his point became more clear. He told me Daddy is happy right where he is at. He is with Momma and knowing that.... was the only way he could accept this. Daddy finally got to see his Momma again. A day he had been waiting on for a very long time.
Someday..... Daddy will introduce me......
I never had the honor/ pleasure of meeting/ knowing her. She passed away shortly after Kevin was born. Momma will tell you that she waited to pass until Kevin was born. Hung on long enough to welcome one more Cooper grand kid to the world. You know she had to be so excited when Tami finally made her appearance. She had 6 grandsons. Finally a girl!!!! Cooper girls from my generation are very few..... only 2. That makes us a little special.
So, I never physically met MawMaw but from all of the stories I have been told from many different sources, I fell as though I am somewhat acquainted with her. My Grannie talked of MawMaw often. Grannie thought of MawMaw as her sister. She referred to MawMaw as being the best person she had ever know. Grannie lived to be 92, so she had known quite a few people in her day. What a reunion they must have had when Grannie took her last earthly breath.
My Momma refers to MawMaw as the greatest Mother-in-law ever possible. I am pretty sure Aunt Linda and Aunt Shirley share this opinion with Momma. Momma and Daddy made their home next door to MawMaw and PaPa. When Mother and Daddy moved there, MawMaw made them agree to leave this one cedar tree standing in the yard. To this day, that tree is still there. It has been lit up for Christmas, it has had many balls stuck up in it, and it has served as base for many games of tag. I have never heard any "Marie Barone" horror stories from Momma. However, I have heard stories of MawMaw laughing at Momma and Daddy out in the yard having a food fight back in their younger days. Momma also once told me that MawMaw told her that she had to learn to cook something besides fried pork chops and gravy for Daddy. I know Daddy never complained about that meal at all!! Mother has never mentioned anything negative about her.....makes me wonder if there was anything?
Johnny and Jimmy have often shared stories of their love for MawMaw......their childhood days spent in and out of her house. To be honest, it makes me a little jealous. I never got the chance to run next door to MawMaw's house. Never had a chance to make those memories, so I must rely on the ones that they share. Johnny talks about the time he tried to run away from home and he was moving down to MawMaw and Papa's house and she wouldn't let him stay. She also used to get a kick out of her guineas pecking at him. I have also been told that if you fought too much around her, she would make you sit and look at each other. That must have been torture to have to look at someone you wanted to rub in the dirt. Many memories were made on her front door steps by the Cooper Cousins lucky enough to have known her.
I know my Daddy loved her. His face lit up every time he talked of his Momma. He called her "Mother" or sometimes "Momma" but mostly "Mother" when he spoke to me of her. He talked of her cooking, the way she ironed, her chickens...etc. I wish I could recall every story he had EVER shared with me about her but I can't. But I can picture his face as he told me. Daddy's face was a perfect reflection of a son's love for his Momma. She was taken from him way too early in his life, but I know she watched as he and Momma built and cared for their family.
The days after Daddy passed many people tried to comfort me. Some did and some got on my nerves. :)
I will always remember a conversation I had with Uncle Delbert on the front porch of Mother and Daddy's house. Uncle Delbert told me that Daddy was happy. When he first said that to me, those were not comforting words but as he continued to talk through his tears, his point became more clear. He told me Daddy is happy right where he is at. He is with Momma and knowing that.... was the only way he could accept this. Daddy finally got to see his Momma again. A day he had been waiting on for a very long time.
Someday..... Daddy will introduce me......
Friday, December 23, 2011
Come home Crystal
Tonight's writing will be straight to the point. I need everyone who reads this to whisper this statement to God tonight when you say your prayers. "Lord, bring Crystal home safely.". Crystal is a very special young lady from Avilla church that I love very much. She has ran away from home. Nobody has seen or heard from her since Wednesday. I have not mentioned this since I found out because I was praying it would resolve quickly. Her parents, as well has her friends, who are more like sisters are sick with worry. We all are. I just told her the Wednesday of the funeral that she was one of the best parts of me......Crystal....you still are. Lord please put your protective hand on Crystal and bring her home.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Unusual Blessings :)
It has been a while since I have written. No particular reason.
2011 has been a tough year around here. 2010 was a tough one also. It seems the older I get the tougher each year gets. 2011 has been grim to say the least. So many young lives gone too early. That is just my opinion. But I know The Maker. He giveth life and He taketh it away. My dear friend Darci lost a very special student of her's this year. Glen Rose lost it's Ladybug. And my family lost a diamond in the rough, Tanner. I know the Momma's of these new angels would give anything to have just one more day with them.
So...... this blog will contain some unusual blessings:
1. I am blessed to have a little girl asleep in floor with Hannah Montana Daisy's huge head rested upon Laci's leg and 2 knot-headed boys asleep some where in this house.
2. I am blessed with a clothes basket full of socks..... albeit....a very frustrating beast in itself to conquer.... the owners of all of those socks are my reasons to live.
3. I am blessed with stale french fries under the seats of my suburban.
4. I am blessed with empty toilet paper rolls still on the toilet paper holder.
5. I am blessed with friends that make me smile even when they text me while I am sleeping.
6. I am blessed with too many open cereal boxes.
7. I am blessed with a refrigerator that has a broken shelf in the door that has been repaired with camo duct tape.
8. I am blessed with need to know exactly what my children are wearing every time they are away from me.
9. I am blessed with a stack of folded towels that has been passed by everyone in the house and nobody made an effort to put them away.
10. Lastly, I am blessed knowing that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, so my priorities don't lie in having a clean house, clean vehicle, or perfect kids but in making sure when my family closes their eyes every night, they know that they are my world.
2011 has been a tough year around here. 2010 was a tough one also. It seems the older I get the tougher each year gets. 2011 has been grim to say the least. So many young lives gone too early. That is just my opinion. But I know The Maker. He giveth life and He taketh it away. My dear friend Darci lost a very special student of her's this year. Glen Rose lost it's Ladybug. And my family lost a diamond in the rough, Tanner. I know the Momma's of these new angels would give anything to have just one more day with them.
So...... this blog will contain some unusual blessings:
1. I am blessed to have a little girl asleep in floor with Hannah Montana Daisy's huge head rested upon Laci's leg and 2 knot-headed boys asleep some where in this house.
2. I am blessed with a clothes basket full of socks..... albeit....a very frustrating beast in itself to conquer.... the owners of all of those socks are my reasons to live.
3. I am blessed with stale french fries under the seats of my suburban.
4. I am blessed with empty toilet paper rolls still on the toilet paper holder.
5. I am blessed with friends that make me smile even when they text me while I am sleeping.
6. I am blessed with too many open cereal boxes.
7. I am blessed with a refrigerator that has a broken shelf in the door that has been repaired with camo duct tape.
8. I am blessed with need to know exactly what my children are wearing every time they are away from me.
9. I am blessed with a stack of folded towels that has been passed by everyone in the house and nobody made an effort to put them away.
10. Lastly, I am blessed knowing that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, so my priorities don't lie in having a clean house, clean vehicle, or perfect kids but in making sure when my family closes their eyes every night, they know that they are my world.
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