a puppy, a lion, and a hot dog

I smelled it before I saw it. This morning when I came down to get some coffee Robbie had a real fire in his real fireplace. That act of kindness thrilled me because it's been two years since I've been able to have my morning coffee in a chair by the fire.

The steaks last night were exceptional, as was the fellowship. Our trip was a long one..........we will have covered almost 3000 miles when we get back to DC, but it was exceptional in content. I was built up, encouraged, and shown great love at every stop.

I just heard from David that Lucy got "trick or treat"down pat. She walked up and said, "puppy" several times and won everyone's hearts. She came home with a big bucket of treats for David and Erika (she doesn't like sweet things). Some pictures will be showing up soon. I haven't heard from the "lion" and the "hot dog" yet, but I'm sure they will have good success as well.

Tomorrow Teri comes and we will attempt to clean out moma's things. I just hope I will be able to get through the next four days. Please pray for us.

God is good and so worthy to be praised!

back in georgia

"This new day....it is a gift for you,
The earth is spinning in it's place because You made it to."

The above is a song by Fernando Ortega that I love.......we listened to it on the road today and it struck me.....each day that we live is a beautiful gift from God and if it wasn't for Him we wouldn't be living it.

We left Louisville this morning at 8:ooam. I beat Bubba's deadline by one hour.

I had one last hold and kiss of little Eli, our wonderful round and smiling grandbaby and we were on our way. Jake said goodbye and waved from the door with the rest of the family.
He is all about the business of play right now.....we just admire him from afar and listen to him talk and talk and talk. Now I will have to wait a little while to see them again. All four of them are precious beyond words.

We drove through a portion of the Great Smokey Mountains as we made our way to Atlanta. The most awesome sight was seeing the mist that rose from the rivers and hid them from view. God's world is the most fascinating place, even in the throes of the curse of sin.

We arrived at the Robert Cleland's home at about 3:00pm. After admiring their always beautiful yard and the always abundant wildlife, I spent some time just relaxing on the sofa. Robbie just informed me that he is fixing steaks tonight and that is very good news.

It is good to be back in Georgia again. I love to travel, but home is Georgia and always will be from the mountains to the ocean.

grammy rescues rocket

The alligators have been wrestled to bed.....all is getting quiet again. Having to wrestle them into blanket sleepers makes this task much harder.

Back in July I bought Jake a stuffed, miniature toy called rocket, of "Einstein" fame. This toy has literally not been out of his hands since I gave it to him. You have probably seen it in most of the pictures that Mark sends out.

Today we took the boys into the mall and Jake was carrying rocket as usual. He became mesmirized by a small fountain inside of a store. He asked politely if he could throw rocket into the water and Amanda said "absolutely not." He accepted graciously.

This mall has a particularly large fountain out in the common area......very enticing! Jake was out of the stroller walking a little behind us. As I glanced behind to check on him he threw rocket with a magnaminous amount of speed right into the water. It was a willful act of disobedience and he received his just reward.

I jumped into action immediately and hung myself over the water to retriveve rocket....sadly it was just out of reach.

Jake had made a small flag hooked onto a dowell rod in Sunday School. I took that rod, hung onto a huge flower pot, and reached for rocket with the rod. Amanda was screaming, "Mom, be careful, your'e going to fall in." It was all quite a scene.

I rescued rocket.....it was soaking wet. We headed for the car to come home. Rocket will be washed and dried tonight and tomorrow it will be as good as new.

I wonder if Jake will ever do that again............

Tomorrow we hit the road again..........to Atlanta to stay with the Cleland's. It doesn't seem like we have been gone a week.

not knowing where

We are now in the state of Kentucky.....back in our own time zone. We left Chicago at 11:00 am and arrived at the Hollingsworth home at 4:30 pm. It was a sun-drenched trip with no problems at all.

Jake went crazy at our arrival. He took one look at us and started pulling out everything in his storehouse to amuse us. He was showing off to the fullest extent. He got louder and louder and finally had to go to his room to calm down. When he came back out he was much quieter. It's nice to have someone show that much excitement at our arrival. That's why I like babies so much....they don't have to hold back.

Amanda and Mark cooked a wonderful steak dinner and Amanda had made her signature chocolate chip cheesecake. All was delicious.

I gave Eli a really special spa bath tonight. He laid out in his baby tub and I showered him off with the faucet. He was delighted and all smiles. He is starting to scoot all around on his belly and he loves Jake's toys. Amanda is now calling him "the hog." He is adorable.

So far every one we have visited has given us their master bedroom. We feel like some kind of royalty. What a sweet, nice trip it has been.

Another week has gone by with nothing happening on the job front for Bubba. We do know that the UPS option was ended with a very definite closed door last Monday. We are glad that we took this trip as our minds have been actively engaged with fun things.

I'll bet everyone will be glad to know how this "not knowing where we are going" saga will end. I say for sure that I can hardly wait for God to reveal His pathway.

Once again I give glory to God for the great things He has done. I cannot count all of my blessings, there are not enough numbers. He daily loads me up with benefits.

From the road....c

a rolling pumpkin

The trees in Wisconsin are ready for winter.........stick trees with their leaves already in a pile or blowing wildly through the air and down the street, ready to stand rigid against the bleak, gray sky.

There is a tree that sits proudly outside of Teri's kitchen window that caught my eye. It is small in statue and covered with red berries. She said that the berries stay all winter and then just at the right time, when spring breaks through, the beautiful waxwing birds come and eat every one of the berries so that the green leaves can emerge.

Breakfast this morning was a masterpiece......Bubba cooked up massive plates full of fresh bacon and sausage and Teri made some really delicious waffles. This trip will be remembered for all of the great eating.

The trip to Lambeau field was fun. They were hosting a Hallowween carnival for the community. Lucy came home with a small pumpkin. It just made a lot of noise rolling down from the top of the stairs.

Harry has eyelashes now and is filling out nicely. I am waiting for his first smile before we leave. Hopefully we will see him again soon.

We leave tomorrow for Louisville. Our trip is moving right along. It has been so good to not have a care in the world for a few days.

green bay in the fall

We are in Wisconsin tonight visiting with the Crosby's. It was a nice three hour trip up to the city by the bay. It is not outrageously cold.....just cool and misty tonight.

Teri had made chili and cornbread....perfect for a cool, fall evening. There is a lot of fellowship and laughing going on. It is always good to be with your family.

I think I am going to get a picture on this blog tonight. I am so excited. We stopped at the "Apple Holler" today and took pictures in the pumpkin patch. They had a bakery that had some of the most divine goodies. I bought a caramel apple, six apple donuts, an apple dumpling, and a small apple pie. We served the dumpling and the pie with authentic Wisconsin custard after the meal tonight......delicious!

We love the Crosby home. It is so nice and big. I love seeing all of their things again after such a long time. So much of this we stored in our basement while they were in California. We toured Keith's church as well. It is very nice.

Tomorrow we will tour Lambeau field and eat lunch there before heading back to Chicago. The little ones are doing well considering we are always on the go.

God's gifts of family and fun are such a treasure.......

a day in chicago

It is just cold....I have been plunged into really cold weather unexpectedly. How can I tell? My nose is cold and it won't warm up. I can sleep under a down comforter and not be too hot. My old wool sweater feels really good. I am not a person who loves cold weather. I was born to be at the beach.

Bubba put on a show for us last night. His feet got cold and he went upstairs to David's closet and retrieved a pair of very large and slippery "Homer" bedroom shoes to warm his feet.

The stairs in this house ane winding and hardwood. Bubba starts down in these largely oversized shoes. Erika and I and the babies were engaged in various pursuits in the family room. All of a sudden we heard clamoring and a loud boom. Bubba was flat on the floor with the "Homers" sticking straight up in the air.

He frightened us both and then we got tickled because of the absurdity of what he had done. He would have killed me if i had done the same. He seems to be okay.

Today we went downtown. It was very windy. We had a lot of fun and we did a lot of walking which we needed to do. I had a Chicago style hot dog for lunch as we all did with onion rings and fries from Portillos.

We walked to Michigan Ave., the Miracle Mile, and shopped in a six story mall. The highlight of the trip was the six of us sitting around a table eating chocolate fondue. It was the perfect thing to do after our long hike. Lucy loved the fruit and pretzles, but rejected the chocolate and said it was "yucky."

I bought a pair of red shoes....I love them.

Harry is the best baby I've ever seen....he is no trouble at all.

Lucy is very entertaining.......she is such a girl.....she loves her baby doll......I love her.

holding and kissig babies

The trip took twelve hours +. I didn't drive at all. When we arrived, Lucy had already gone to bed. It was a pleasnat trip......the leaves were beautiful even in the rain which lasted most of the day.

All is well and quiet here. What is most striking is that we drove into much cooler weather.....mostly in the 50's. It feels good.........I can get out my favorite sweaters.

David and Bubba are at work. Lucy and Erika are getting their showers and I have baby Harry all to myself. I wish you all could see this house.....It is absolutely "Erika" and I love it. They gave us their bedroom and even the sheets smelled good.

The double stroller has been ordered, but won't be here until tomorrow, so Erika will have to strap Harry on. We will head out to have a good time in a little while. This morning has been to rest and take it easy. My main request is to get some "Lou Malnates" pizza. It is the best in the world.

Until tomorrow.....I will be holding and kissing babies.....c

preparing for the road again

The excitement of Saturday gave way to panic yesterday as I began to think, "what in the world are you thinking." Getting back on the road again to make an initial 12 hour trip tomorrow and then miles and miles after that. A sense of dread began to well up in me.

Bubba and I went walking again yesterday afternoon and it was a long one.....too much too fast was my assessment. As we started out I decided to confide my fears to him. He assured me that this would be nothing like my previous trips to drive alone and arrive to be in the unfortunate nursing home situation every day. "This will be a fun trip," he insisted.

So this morning I am again engaged and minimumly excited about our trip. I know it will be great fun because of all the people and babies we will see. It really is a blessing....my mind is just still not thinking right all the time.

Another list.....who wrote this description of himself and his cohorts:

"we have become a spectacle to the world"
"we are fools for Christ's sake"
"we are weak"
"we are without honor"
"we are both hungry and thirsty"
"we are poorly clothed"
"we are roughly treated"
"we are homeless"
"we toil with our hands"
"when we are reviled, we bless"
"when we are persecuted, we endure"
"when we are slandered, we try to conciliate"
"we have become the dregs of all things"
"we have become as the scum of the world"

and we would complain................for today, c

Capitol Hills Baptist Church

Capitol Hills Baptist Church sits in a residential area at the foot of Capitol Hill in Washington,DC. It is really just a very short drive over the Potomac from our apartment.

I love the architecture of the homes that make up this area. I am intrigued with the shapes and colors and styles that I see. I would love to go inside a few of them and I dream about having one of my own to decorate.

The pastoral ministry of this church is very interesting. The pastor brings young men who are interested in becoming pastors in to train as interns under his tutorledge. Then they go out to have ministries of their own.

Our pastor shares the pulpit frequently with these interns who preach the morning service. The nice thing is that even though he doesn't have to preach, he comes to church anyway. He sits out in the congregation and worships with us. I like that.

The service usually lasts from 10:30 until 12:30. Some mornings we have baptism as well.

Baptism at CHBC is a real celebration. At the end of the service, those who will be baptized come up to the pulpit to give their testimony. After that they go to the back and reappear in the baptisimal pool to be baptised. During the time lapse the congregation is singing a wonderful hymn. Today it was "There is a Fountain." After the person is raised, there is much clapping to celebrate the person's new life in Christ.

I love the joy and excitement that is present at these services.

Proverbs 4:18
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day."

I love this verse!

a walk and a talk

Last night the winds blew ferociously around these building. I got up and went out on the deck several times because I could hear things blowing around and people screaming, but the wind finally gave way to a voracious downpour of rain and then it all departed. Bubba never woke up even when I crashed into the door on my way back inside. So it goes for my "protector."

The stormy night gave way to a beautiful, cool morning so Bubba and I went on a walk around town. We walked to the post office to mail some thank-you notes and then headed on a circuitios course leading back to the condo.

While on this course we made some momentous decisions:

We will pay another month of rent here in DC because there are still irons in the fire.

We will continue to wait for a definate word from the Lord on where we will go as He has promised to "make our way straight before us."

We will take a trip from DC to Chicago back to Savannah and then back to DC.

This trip will commence on Tuesday, October 23rd, very early in the morning.

While in Chicago we hope to make an overnight trip to Green Bay to see the Crosby's in their own environment. (this could be eye-opening.)

We will leave Chicago on Sunday afternoon, the 28th, to make our way to Louisville for a couple of nights.

We will leave Louisville on Tuesday morning, the 30th, to proceed to Atlanta to stay with Robbie and MaryAnn overnight (if they will have us.)

Wednesday morning will will proceed on to Savannah.

I don't know when we will make the return trip to DC as Thanksgiving would be only a little over two weeks away. That will need to be debated some more.

So there you have it......all of this came about because of a simple walk.

Adage: I know I will not start feeling really good again until I start back with my exercise. I feel really sore right now, but I must proceed on through the pain...

I may write more later....Nothing excites me like a trip!!! CAOC

"fullness of joy"

I walked over to the Pentagon City Mall this morning before it started raining. Amanda had called early to let us know that they did not get blown away last night and that Macy's had an extra 40% off of their clearance items. I was dispatched over to see if there were any rock bottom bargains for her to sell on her e-bay business.

Sure enough some treasures were found and will be on their way to Louisville very soon.

I am struggling with the reality that my mother is gone. During the week of the funeral surrounded with so many people and happenings I guess my mind was anesthetized to what had happened. Now the reality is setting in.

I dream about her almost every night and then wake up a little confused. It's hard to believe that someone I was so close to for 59 years is just gone.

I don't sit around crying all day or anything like that......it's just that I have a great big empty space inside of me. I know that this is God's way, it's one of life's trials that one has to go through, but I miss her very much.

Another week has gone by and we still don't know anything.....there will come a point when we have to make a decision, but neither of us want to make it right now. We have enjoyed our time here (what little we have had together) and would like to stay a little longer. Only God knows what is ahead for us and we rest in that.

Psalm 16:8-11
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad,
And my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.

For Thou will not
Abandon my soul to Sheoul;
Neither wilt Thou allow
Thy Holy One to undergo decay.

Thou wilt make known to me
The path of life;
In Thy precense is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.

tornados are coming

One cell just went through....another is expected in an hour. The weather is rough in Louisville tonight. The tornado sirens have been wailing. Amanda is home alone while Mark is working at UPS and she is literally freaking out. I feel so bad.....there's not much I can do over the phone.

The babies are asleep.....she put Eli's bottle in the basement just in case. She is afraid she won't know when to run....I told her she would know without a doubt if a tornado is coming. I told her to grab Jake and Eli, run to the basement, and put the mattress over them. She said, "yer right, I can see myself holding two babies and man-handling a mattress."

I'm putting them in hands of the Lord like I always do and asking Him to protect them. It does no good to worry.

Amanda is playing the McDonald's monopoly game. She is so close to winning and is very excited that she might.

Usually when I'm driving I see a McDonald's on every corner so I decided to go there for lunch and purchase a Happy Meal to get a game piece for her. I drove and drove and never found a McDonalds. Oh well. If any of you have some and would like to pass them on she would love it. The game ends on Oct. 29th.

David and Erika have found an exceptional doctor in Chicago who treats port wine stains with laser technology. Her prognosis for baby Harry is very good. He will receive his first treatment in two weeks. The mark will never go away, but it can be lessened greatly. She checked other areas that could be affected and said she saw nothing out of order.

What a blessing that God saw fit to give this child as a gift to these parents who will love him and raise him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Also Lucy who got to walk barefoot in the puddles on the day of moma's funeral. That I'll never forget.

God bless them every one...

drop dead date

clouds without water
carried along by winds
autumn trees without fruit
doubly dead
uprooted
wild waves of the sea
casting up their own shame like foam
wandering stars

I like lists....I found this one in the book of Jude. I keep going back to it. Incredible pictures of things in nature that portray futility and aimlessness.

These verses refer to three men in the Old Testament who rebelled against God and let their own selfish desires control and destroy them.

The opposites of the things listed would reveal stability and usefulness which is what a life of obedience to God would produce. The Bible is beautifully written....so much to study and learn.

Bubba and I played tourist today and drove over to Anapolis, Maryland. This is where the Naval Academy is located and it is beautiful beyond description. We had lunch and walked around a bit. It was a nice day.

Bubba told me to take a pad of paper and a pen so that we could chart our course for our future. When we got home the only thing that I had written on the paper was;

drop dead date - October 31, 2007
(that is when we have to be out of the apartment if we leave here)

Late this afternoon he received an e-mail from another consulting firm. (Is it a sign?)
To be honest, we don't have a clue

We will wait till God shows us His way.....He will.

In the meantime, I sleep and write thank you notes, and no, I am not kin to Mrs. Futrell, we just always called her "Aunt Louise."

"Aunt Louise"

When I was a child we lived in the 1200 block of east 35th Street in Savannah. She lived in the big white house on the hill and we lived down on the corner. About five houses separated us.

She was tall and stately and very attractive. She was my friend Loucinda's mom so I saw a lot of her while growing up. Her house was unique to me and I loved spending time there. Lou and I would play with our dolls in her walk-in closet and parade in our "fancy" dresses up and down the stairway leading to the front door.

As we got older Lou and I became very industriuous with our style creations. We used our hula hoops as a means to make our skirts stand out all around us. The cloth was sewn onto the hula hoops (with some help from our moms) and we became the "bells of the ball."

After we got the dress thing down, we decided to plan our "weddings" to be held in front of Aunt Louise's house. It was truly a grand affair. On the day of our "weddings" we ascended those steps and married our imaginary husbands with only our proud moms in attendance. Even today I recall how real all of our play was.

One note on those hula hoop skirts.......sometimes we played "dress up"on the front porch of my house. My Aunt Althea had brought my mom two beautiful planters that were made in Italy. Loucinda managed to get her hoop skirt tangled in one of the planters. With one swift movement she, the hoop skirt, and the planter all fell off the porch. The planter lay in shards. Moma was not happy to say the least.

Aunt Louise was at my mom's funeral last week. She is still tall, stately and beautiful. It was so good to see her again. So many memories came flooding back.

She was so much a part of my childhood.....and did I mention her cooking, the best in the world. Thank you Lord for my friend and her mom.

and she slept, and slept

I didn't know anyone could sleep that much. I slept all weekend. I'm still not completely over my need for sleep, but today I required a lesser amount.

Yes I know the verse...Proverbs 24:33-34

"A little sleep,
A little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,
Then your poverty will come as a robber,
And your want like an armed man."

I did manage to get to church yesterday, but as good as Mark Deaver is, I had to strive with myself to stay awake.

I have my computer back. It came home from the repair shop while I was in Savannah. I thought about this fact all the way home on Saturday.

I have checked my sites too many times to count today. I must gain a little control over my need to check constantly, but it is so wonderful not to have to go to the library and fight the masses for a machine.

I have one problem.....somewhere in the process of the repair I lost my toolbar and it is not to be found. This is upsetting to me but not devastating. I still wonder why I can never have a fully functioning computer at my disposal. It's just not in the cards for me. I think I just love it too much.

Beautiful weather today.....wouldn't someone like to take a trip up to see us in the next couple of weeks? We may not be here that much longer.

miles and miles until I sleep

The first 500 miles go very well. It is the fact that I have to do 162 miles after the first 500 that does me in. I left at 8:00am and arrived at 5:00 pm.

For my mid-morning snack I had seven steamed shrimp left over from last night and some cheese-its. This provided some much needed protein. For lunch I had a delicious Maurice's Bar- b-que sandwich and iced tea. For my afternoon snack I had a very small chocolate covered cherry blizzard which provided the extra little boost I needed to make the last 162 miles.

I had six extended phone conversations. Normally I "hate" talking on the phone, but when I'm driving it makes the time goes by amazingly fast. Estelle, I did get your message....I was talking to Teri when you called.

My music CD's still make the trip very pleasant.

So all of this to say, I'm safely home. (I guess this is home)

Bubba and I walked to the California Pizza kitchen for dinner....I needed the excercise. We have unpacked the car and I am going to bed.....yes at 7:30pm.

Once again I thank the Lord for another safe trip. Until tomorrow................Cathy

worthy to be studied

It is something I do in the morning after I have my coffee. I really look forward to it. If I don't do it for some lame reason I regret it. When I do it the tone is set for the rest of my day.

Reading God's word, as I've mentioned before, is a must for me. I am reading through the books in the New Testament and the Psalms. I presume you could guess that from the verses I use in this blog.

I write every verse in my notebook as I read it, and I study the words and context that I do not understand. I have almost filled a huge, yellow, spiral bound notebook. It is one of the most valuable acitivites of my life.

I believe that everything in God's word is true and worthy to be studied. The whole book is inspired by God and accurate in every detail. It can be trusted to give instruction in all of the circumstances of life. I know I would have fallen apart years ago if not for this blessed Book.

Psalm 12:6
"The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times."

Tomorrow I leave Savannah. Nine more hours on I-95. I am packing up once again and heading north. I need to really rest and recuperate.....pray for me....C

flying alone

Life moves on after a person dies. I think that is how God intends it to be. No trial lasts forever, we could not bear up under the strain.

Daddy and I are taking care of the business "things"........insurance policies, credit union and banking issues......sending out certified copies to prove that his Shirley is really deceased. I guess there would be a lot of fraud without the official notice, but I want to scream, "Don't you see how sad he looks," Can't you see his red-rimmed eyes?

Because he was confined in the nursing home for so long, he is like a little child in his excitement of just being out and driving around, seeing things he hasn't seen in a while.

We lunched at the Masada cafe behind the Temple of Praise for all People on Bay street. This is a place that I found on some of my wanderings around town. (actually I read about it in a magazine). Some of the best "soul food" in Savannah is cooked right there. He loved it and wants to go back.

I am leaving to go to DC on Saturday. I struggle with leaving him, but he has to learn to "fly alone." Teri and I will meet back here with Frankie in a couple of weeks to go through and deal with moma's things. I have to let a little time go by before I attempt that!

I can literally feel God's abundant grace on us as we live these days. Thanks for your prayers.

craziness

This family that I live in goes from one ridiculous situation to the next at record speed. On Saturday night, according to Grace's blog, my very own husband Bubba revealed himself to be to my dismay, a night stalker. My poor nieces will be scarred for life because of his unconventional way of trying to wake them up an hour earlier than planned.

Even I did not know of this until I read Grace's blog on Sunday night. What a tumultuous situation he caused in that house. It is a wonder he was not shot down on the spot. My heart goes out to Teri, Keith, Grace, and Anna as they try to recover their sanity.

Read Grace's account on her blog if you have not already done so: www.grcenotes.blogspot.com

Jake, our eldest grandson, got a stomach virus on the last leg of their journey home on Monday. He vomited for a grand total of eight times in four hours to the dismay of all that were riding in that car. He is better now, but the rest of them await their fate.

Good news about Harry. His right eye is not in any way affected by the vascular disorder and his peditrician, who goes to their church, is getting them an appointment with a doctor who is foremost in the field of this disorder. Harry made the hurried trip well and was no worse for the wear.

They promise cooler weather is on it's way tonight. I welcome the relief. If large amounts of acorns are any indication, it will be a very cold winter, but what do I know about acorn production?

I think I will leave to go to DC on Saturday morning. I need to get away for a little while and we need to see whether we are moving. Lots to be packed if we are.

spending time with daddy

He doesn't seem like the same daddy. He is emerging from his long burden of taking care of mom as a new man. He is resting and relaxing and eating well again. I see a metamorphasis taking place before my very eyes.

Today I took him to the bank and he took me to Johnny Harris for lunch. He wanted a "good hamburger" and they have one. We went to the cemetary and then I took him home. Yesterday he went to the mall alone to buy a new pair of "black" tennis shoes.

Today he told me that he wants to buy a new car....he wants a small Honda SUV. I told him to "go for it." He said he might just buy it even though he knew he didn't have long left to drive. I told him to enjoy what time he has left as life was meant to be lived.

He breaks down occassionally. This morning he saw her shoes and lost it for a moment but overall he is is doing just fine. He talks and talks and I mostly listen. He is clearing his head and making plans and doing what he needs to do.

Pray for daddy....he needs it right now. We are amazed at how God's grace has covered us through this last week. We are doing a lot of thanking and praising Him right now.

The great God of the universe walks very closely with His loved ones in these times of sorrow.

i'm sorta back

It all hit me today. I went into town to do a few things and couldn't hardly go. I went back to the beach and slept for four hours. I feel like a new and better person tonight.

Bubba will once again go back to DC in the morning. He has stayed with my dad for the last three nights and we think he (dad) is doing alright. He (dad) has talked so much in the last week that he has lost his voice. I am planning to go back at the end of this week.

In moma's honor her funeral was a great, big, family reunion. We were all together for the first time in many years. We have caught up. We laughed, cried, reminisced, ate, talked, and talked some more. We got to know Harry, out newest grandchild, and we all enjoyed being with Jake, Lucy, and Eli.

I couldn't blog during this past week, but I noticed that now 550 people have viewed my profile and this is my 102nd blog since early June. I am so amazed. Even tonight I am not with it blog-wise, but I wanted to at least try to start back.

The whole of the events of this past week are overwhelming. The comfort of so many people around me during this time and the mighty outpouring of love was amazing. I think that what happened to me today was the result of all of the flurry of activity being over and now I am starting to relax. (no more adrenaline rush)

I Peter 1:22 ........"fervantly love one another from the heart."

Because of you, I feel very loved.......thanks for everything, Cathy

my mom and my grandson

She died this morning a little after 8:00. Frankie and I were with her. She went peacefully and at rest.

The visitation will be at Fox and Weeks on Hodgkin from 5-7 on Wednesday evening. The funeral will be Thursday morning at the chapel at Fox and Weeks at 11:00.

We are all thankful that she has seen Jesus and that she is now with Him. We are left behind to cherish her memories. My mom had a great sense of humor that made life always exciting for us. She will be greatly missed.

David called just now to say that they will pick up their new son tomorrow. Hopefully he will be at moma's celebration on Thursday. God has brought new life into our family on the day that he took my mom to be with Him

The blessings of God are heaped upon us without measure. Thank you God for the blessings of this day .

"He daily loads us up with benefits." O praise the name of the Lord!

With much thanksgiving....Cathy