Introducing ...

Meet Cobalt!

Stang.  Mustang.

Jeep

er, Yota

YoYo.

Um, no, no, sorry ...

meet Blazer!

Ahh, the perils of letting a 6 year old name his new fur friend while trying to maintain a tradition of car lineage!

But whatever the name, Blazer is a sweet, tolerant, cuddle bug of a cat that has padded right into our home and hearts. Bentley seems interested in having a new playmate; Beamer, not so much right now. But we sure love him and are thankful for his antics and lap love!

Hello Spring!

Well, er ... hello March 25th!

Hold On

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road 
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone 
Cause I’m going to make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons 
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down 
If you get lost, you can always be found 
Just know you’re not alone 
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

In the days since Dennis' accident, I've learned I have to:

let go of anger and fear; they are poison to the soul.

realize that while life may never be the same, it doesn't mean that it won't be OK again. 

believe there will be more laughter, more time to make memories, more joy. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.

realize the future may be hard to imagine but that doesn't mean it isn't there. And that how we choose to approach it makes a big difference in the view.

know that I can't do anything about what's to be, but I can do everything about how I "be".

And I've remembered once again that:

prayer is powerful.
strength doesn't mean not being scared; and it doesn't mean going it alone.
I am married to a good man; have a strong daughter; and a compassionate son; and amazing friends and family.

and that love is home. Love is everything.

Together in The Storm

From Nanny:

"I painted this picture on a card, for my Granddaughter Cearra, for Valentine’s Day 2012. I hoped to capture for her the love she and her boyfriend felt/feel for one another. Her boyfriend, Dennis Crowe, is so kind and loving, and I thought it captured the way he made her feel loved and protected. I titled it “Together”.

Cearra just moved into her first apartment and I asked her what I could give her for this special occasion. She asked if I could repaint the picture, making it larger. Of course I was thrilled, and have that project underway.

As I looked at this painting and thought about the trial they are facing I have changed it’s title to, “Together in the Storm”. Just wanting her to know how much I love her and that my prayers will continue until they are home and this picture is hanging on their wall.

Psalm 107:28-29

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

and he brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

the waves of the sea were hushed."

We Need Your Prayers

In the early morning hours of March 13th, Dennis fell from the top of a two-story escalator and suffered traumatic brain injury. He is currently in a trauma center outside Chicago, fighting for his life. Please join us in praying for his complete recovery, and for strength, patience, hope and faith for all of us who love him.

Please go here for updates on his progress as we face a very long road ahead.

Happy Birthday to Me!

So today I'm 46.

I was thinking back to my twenty-second birthday recently. A memorable one; spent in Cancun with a bunch of sorority sisters. We laid on the beach,  snorkeled through the ruins of Xel-Ha, shopped for jangly silver earrings during the day and jumped onstage with the hotel's band to sing "La Cucaracha" at night.

Boy, how young I was then. I had no idea of all that was on the horizon. And how the heck did the years in between go so very fast? How did I get here, to 45 plus 1?

That's midway to 92, an age that seems like a pretty good "mark" to aspire to. And I'm halfway there. Looked at one way, that sounds a bit frightening. Half my life over. That will make the frown lines deepen.

But I choose not to dwell on that in a negative way. I prefer to think this way: I still have (hopefully, prayerfully) an entire life ahead! The past 46 years have been great, and heck, I don't even remember a whole lot about those early ones. Seems like I've been banging around this planet for a pretty long time, so I'm thinking another 46 - or more! - is going to seem like a great run too.

And here's another thing that makes me smile ... I'm loving my life right now. All those people in magazines who tell you it gets better? It kinda does. OK, yes, some things don't; it definitely hurts more to get off the floor after a play session, and I do not at all like the creases between my brows that have appeared in the last few years. There are things I miss about being younger, and sometimes it's scary to watch the days click by.

But ... I have absolutely gained a sense of myself, my place in the world, and an attitude and daily plan that works for me. I've left behind the insecurities that plague most of us in youth, and everyday I get better and better at putting my anxieties in their place. I have great friends and a great family. I have a solid marriage (and to all you newly in love shaking your heads over how "boring" that sounds, come see me in fifteen years). And I am so very blessed and completely happy in my current life role, aka Mom. I'm happy, I'm healthy, and wow, the Ravens won the Super Bowl and I was there!

Yep, life is good! Happy birthday to me!