My Baby

Poor Dottie had her "surgery" yesterday. Oh my word I've never had a dog cry so much, the poor thing just didn't know what hit her. On the ride home I sat in the backsit because she was so restless and uncomfortable and wouldn't stop moving around. Once home she got her pain meds but still cried. She just wanted me to hold her..............I'm tellin' you this dog is part human!!

Poor poor sad Dottie!

Reflections

Over the past two weeks or so I have thought a lot about Mom, aka Nana. Sometimes it is just hard to wrap my brain around the fact she is not a phone call away. But I've learned I don't need a phone call to talk to Mom. I've learned that when I try to emulate her example of caring, sharing, and friendship (and the list goes on) I've actually grown closer to her and feel her spirit live on in me.

Recently our Relief Society lesson was on friendship. Joseph Smith taught that friendship unites the human family, dispelling hatred and misunderstanding. This really struck me as I read the lesson. We always tried to teach our kids......friends may come and go but families are forever. That's not to say we haven't had our differences but as Joseph Smith taught "I don't care what a man's character is; if he's my friend -- a true friend, I will be a friend to him...helping him out of his difficulties."

Today I'm grateful for the wonderful example of Mom.

How to Dance in the Rain....

A story worth sharing.........

It was a busy morning, about 8:30 , when a gentleman in his 80's arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redressed his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' He smiled as he patted my hand and said,
'She doesn't know me, But I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,

'That is the kind of love
I want in my life.'
True love is neither
Physical, nor romantic.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the best of everything they have.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
But how to dance in the rain.

White or Red?

In July we were in Utah for a nanosecond; that equates to about 12 hours of awake time with the Grands! During that time I had the opportunity to tuck Crazy 2 and Crazy 3 into bed. They have in their room one of those "white noise" machines; you know like the sounds of a babbling brook or ocean waves crashing into the shore! After leaving their room I remember commenting......"I can't sleep with noise, I need quiet!" Well, after returning home one night I awoke to very, very heavy breathing, it wasn't quite snoring but it was loud enough to wake me up! Normally I would say to Mr. Man (the offender) STOP breathing and give him a hearty nudge. Not that I really want him to actually stop breathing but that's just our "little system," well actually it is my "little system!" But this night I opted to get up and go to another room inasmuch as Mr. Man had not been feeling well I hated to interrupt what seemed like some much needed deep sleep. The next morning Mr. Man found me and was apologetic for his "loudness!" It was then that I realized I prefer red over white............noise that is!!

Mottos to Live By.......

When the kids were little I made up a motto for each of them. For some reason today I’ve been thinking of those mottos. I am a “saver” and actually found the index cards they were written on. I know it is crazy that I still have those cards and even crazier that I was able to find them so quickly. Yellow for Amy, green for Grant, red for Kimberly and blue for Justin. I share their mottos and a picture of them from December 1983 and another picture from 1994.

Amy:
As I stand for the right,
I will be a beacon of light.
This I do proudly too,
As I live the gospel true.
Grant:
Families Forever.
Friends smiling bright.
Keeping a positive attitude
Day and Night!
Kimberly:
I may be small,
But my smile is bright!
I always stand
For truth and right!
Justin:
I may be tough,
But I am good!
I always do the
Things I should!

As I think about each one of these motto today; I believe I see your motto in each of you!!

I love you guys!