Congratulations, your item sold -- and you made a difference

I did it! I sold my first item on e-bay. I down loaded the picture, wrote a description and then sold it. I also, thought it would be a good idea to give a little from the sale to charity……….. I donated $5.00 to Food for the Poor. This is because I am good, kind and giving.

Yes, I said ………” Good, Kind and Giving.”

Just so you know:

I carefully checked other e-bay listings and found I should start my listing price at around $14.00. ……I eagerly started the bidding off at $14.99. After about 7 days and 3 more listing …..I sold my first item, a staple gun.

For exactly what I listed it for.

That’s okay ~ because I carefully figured the mailing price by using the e-bay easy mailing pricing.....we weighed, measured and came up with a grand total of $ 6.75 for shipping. Because I am honest and nice and I really don’t like to be nickeled and dimed to death myself, I decided not to charge any extra fees.

Yup that’s me…..honest and nice and don’t forget good and kind and giving.

The grand total of my sale came to $21.47. I thought, well okay…….that was a lot of work but. I figured it was $21.47 more then I had before the e-bay sale……….I forgot about subtracting the $5.00 for my Godly donation and the $1.75 for listing my item.

Hummm okay now I am down to $14.72…….still okay……that’s fine……not a problem….the way I look at it, I was still a head $14.72 and gee it was $14.72 more then I had before I started. So that was good right? And I donated money to a good cause. I can at least feel good about that.

Of course, in my listing, I had said that I would ship my item out with in 3 days after receiving payment…….

I’m that good! I’m not only……… honest and nice and good and kind and giving…..I’m organized too!

Four days later:

I was still driving around with the staple gun in the trunk of my car………not remembering to buy a box…not remembering the days where going by fast and I really had to get it to the post office.

Friday morning

I thought I would get cleaned up, get everyone where they needed to be, run by Wal-Mart, buy a box…and get all the things I needed to make a good impression with my customer and then ship my item.

Easy!

That is when it started…. ((Thank goodness Mark was still home and was able to drop off Kathryn and Stephen at the church for their VBS volunteering.)). Matthew had the day off from his class and Mary Elizabeth was crying telling me how her tummy REALLY hurt. I picked her up, brought her up stairs and put her on my bed. I rubbed her tummy and talked to her to see what was going on………then the vomiting started.

All over me…..All over her….All over my bed.

I rushed her to the bathroom not knowing which way to go. Now it was all over the floor, the carpet and all the way into bathroom. As I navigated my way through thinking shower, tub, toilet…..Where….Do I put her? I was slipping and sliding all over the place stepping in throw up….. Finely I settled on putting her in the bathtub, took all her clothes off and ran the water.

Yulk!!

She stopped.

I Cleaned everything up, ……bathed her, shampooed the rug, moped the floor, stripped my bed, scrubbed the tub, showered myself, scrubbed my feet, paid particular attention to my toes, scrubbed my toe, and scrubbed my toe again. I threw sheets on my bed and let my baby fall asleep.

Shuuu

Then I check e-mail and see this message:

Hello Lisa

I hope I don't sound hasty...but my payment cleared two days ago and I have not yet received an email stating that my item was sent. Please let me know if/when it will be mailed.

Thank you

April

OOOOPS!!

I sent back this message:

Whoops! I am so sorry. I forgot to e-mail you. I took it to the post office late yesterday afternoon. It should go out today. Again, I am sorry for forgetting...kids, dinner, and who knows what else got in my way. Thank you, Lisa

I’m such a liar……..

So now what? Liz was sleeping and didn't feel good. I look at Matthew and told him I needed to run out to the Post Office, run by the store, tell Kathryn and Stephen what was up with Mary Elizabeth and we would not be able to come to the after VBS pick-nick and I would pick them up at 2:00.

AND

I think she will sleep for the rest of the morning…..She should be okay………There is no fever and I really don't think anything else is left on her stomach to throw……..She…..You…… will be fine…I’ll call you.

First to the Post Office……..no time to buy a box at the cheaper store……I’ll just send the thing. It can’t be that much. I show the guy what I had and give him the address……I tell him I want to send this thing the cheapest way possible and I need a box…..

He say’s…” Okay”……….”That will be $27.82”

HUUU???

$27.82??? Your kidding right?

He says “no” $5.00 for the box……..$1.50 for the peanuts and the rest is shipping and taxes…….

“Okay” I say……..”Well, that didn’t go to well.”

I tell him about my e-bay sale and he tells me to “call him the next time I put something on and he will help me with the pricing.

Okay whatever. Next time I will do that………So this leaves me $13.10 in the hole…….mmmmm That's not good.

I ship the staple gun and think ………Oh! Well, I have other things to do…..I’m off to the store…..buy ginger ale, crackers, chicken soup and sanitizing wipes because my toes still don’t feel clean……run off to the church see the kids……..get home check on Lizzy….she is still sleeping, run back out pick up kids ~ come home, get everyone lunch, clean up, turn on the computer and see this message……….

hello... do you have the tracking number added to my package?

Hhhhh…….just like any good sales person would do……….I ignored it.

Then another message from e-bay comes through……….

Congratulations, your item sold -- and you made a difference

Great!

This time I only lost a dollar……..Maybe e-bays not for me.

Oh! Yeah! And my Toes!! Still feel Goopy!

Just So YA know!

Yes!

We are embarrassed!

Yes!

We all wish Mark Sanford ((Governor of South Carolina))

would step down and move on.

AND

Have his midlife crises someplace else.

Just so you know...........We really do have respectable men in this state.

No! He is not one of them.

GEE!

The Faith of my Father

This is father’s day and my birthday………June 21, 2009

It was four years ago tomorrow we got the news “Our Father has Terminal Lung Cancer’. The Doctor said…”We will ‘call it’ stage 3B”…….and he only had a few months to live….like about three.

I can’t express to you how devastating this news was for us….all of us. First of all, we were terribly confused. If anyone could NOT get cancer it would have been our father…….he never smoked….he ate right….he exercised and did all the things right for a body you are suppose to do.

When we heard this news……for me…..it was like being slammed in the face with a bat. I stood there in the dark…….. stunned…… not knowing what was coming next. I felt like I was caught in head lights …… unable to move when the trucks came to plow over me ……and over…..and over…….. and over again.

That night, my father took each one of us alone …….He promised he would fight this thing and he loved us and we each meant the world to him…….and he didn’t know what he would have done without us in his life. He thanked us for giving him courage and he told us what he admired most about us. He told us all how special we are to him and again how much he loves us……….it all came so naturally for him: Streight from his heart. Hearing these words and just knowing how he feels about us is such an incredible gift, for all of us.....a gift that can never be bought. He made us all feel like we where the one that he loved the most……just like he always has.

Have you ever known anyone who makes you feel like you are their favorite person, ever? My father has this wonderful gift of sharing his time…….and making anyone around him feel like he is there for them. I don’t even think he knows he has this gift……….but, we know…….and so do the people that are drawn to him.

He is special.

So, on this father’s day and my birthday……..I can’t tell you how very special it is to share this day with him. and I am SO Thankful God has given us four more years……..and all I ((WE)) will ask of Him is 400 more.

There is nothing wrong with that.

As I think about my father, I have to go back to when I was a little girl…….I thought he could jump over tall buildings with a single bound. I thought he was the strongest, most handsome man ever. I thought he really was superman, and my mother never discouraged the fantasy.

There are so many warm thoughts and memories I cherish of him dancing, singing, playing and just taking time with me that I couldn’t possibly put them all down. But, the one memory that stands out the most in my mind ((today)) is the one that I think will tell you what kind of man my father is….the INTERGRITY he possesses. To me this story shows his true character ……

I was about 16. I had a speeding ticket I had to go to traffic court for and he went along with me…… to help me fight the fine. As we waited in the court room there was a young man standing in front of the judge who was in trouble for something pretty minor…… I can’t even remember what it was now. The young man was visibly shaking…… the judge asked him some questions and then charged him a fine that he could not pay. The judge then gave this young guy jail time because he had NO money………

When my father heard this, he jumped up from his seat…. and said, “What? You’re sending this young kid to jail because he is down on his luck?” The judge asked, "Who are you?" And then she asked the kid, “Do you know this man?” He said, “No”….

My father was told to sit down. He told the court he would not……..he said he couldn’t sit there and listen to the judge send this young man to jail for something so minor and asked how much he owed the court. He also asked if the fine was paid would the young man be free to go. ((I can’t remember the price of the fine now, but, I remember the shaking kid….. I know he was all alone…….and I know he couldn’t believe what he was hearing….)) I remember my father approaching the judge and asking if he could stand with this young man and represent him…..the kid told my father he could not repay him and my father said he didn’t want the money back. I remember my father saying, “I don’t care about the money….I have it and I want to pay your fine. I just don’t see this happening.” He told this kid he wanted him to get into school and make something out of himself and give “it” back to someone else….. when he could.

Now that I think of it……..he was paying it forward…….. way before it was popular.

I remember getting in the car after it was all over and my dad looked at me with this look of "oooohhhh"…..and then he said that he was worried about having enough cash for my fine after paying the young man's. But, he did…..and I remember thinking “ You're wonderful. Of course you had enough. I never doubted him for a minute. ” That day…..as I had many times…… I had a sense of real pride that he was my father. I knew he could move mountains, jump over tall buildings and save strangers…..anywhere, anytime, any place.

Now that I am older and things have changed (like him having cancer now) I still find myself in awe over the things he has accomplished...... over the things that he has done...... over the time he gives to each one of us, even when he is sick and does not feel like it, he still gives to us.

My father has a faith that is untouchable:

He carries his cross and never complains.

He goes to the cancer center to visit his team of doctors and calls them coach. He does what is asked of him and more. He carries on. He has fulfilled his promises to his family 10 - fold and still he carries on and moves forward.

THANK GOD!

Now, four years later, our father is still planning his next move. He is planning to build apartments. He is planning on the fall planting of the muscadines. He is planning to go to Europe for his 60^th wedding anniversary in four more years. He is planning on meeting his 2^nd great grandchild in November.

No one knows what their future holds. No one knows what will happen to the people they love or themselves. No one knows what tomorrow will bring……..but, I think we should all hold on to the FAITH my father has in his tomorrows.

It seems to me, my father’s faith is carrying us all through this journey we are on.

A Diamond in the Ruff "O"

Ruff-O came to my mom and dad's house around Halloween last year. She just appeared out of NO where......... Margaret and Reiner said; "Absolutely Not... She is a bad dog and we don't think she would be good for anything. She should not stay......... at all!"

They where very worried she would hurt one of the children............Ruffo was worried about being hurt too.

My dad decided right away he like her.........He started feeding her cooked ground beef, eggs and milk....He decided she should have a chance. He talked to her......... and they came to an agreement......"If she was good to him and his grand children ~ He would be good to her."

He asked me to take her to the vet and let him give her a "once over"..........if everything checked out okay.......My dad wanted her to stay.

Dr. Verdin confirmed what some of us already knew...........she was a very sweet dog. He said she will make a wonderful pet.....His advice ~ "If you are good to her, she will be good to you....." He told me he thought she was an abandoned pup and was just looking for a good home. .......He told me as a pit bull she would set ground rules for the other dogs in the area and then she should settle down.....He told me how the Pit Bull has a very unfair reputation.......they are the gentlest of dogs "IF" people just give them a chance and treat them well. ..........She had her home.............

AND

My father had his first dog ever.........that was just his and not one of his kids.

......Mary Elizabeth named her.............."Ruffo"

Things where a "little" ((okay)) VERY rocky in the beginning........like with the neighbors.......she would chase the cat, beat up the dogs next door, chase the bike riders that rode past the house, chase walkers, runners and anything she saw that came with in 1000 feet of her new home..........There where many problems! The neighbors next to Margaret's kept yelling at Reiner, her and their children telling them; "If they didn't make "her" father do something about that dog they would call the police, call the pound , sue them, and maybe even shoot her.".........The talk for months was how she must go......"She is NO! good........."

...........But, still she stayed..............some of us liked her and figured she would settle down....... Then the accident happened............ Some how, Ruffo got locked into the garage and could not get out for more then half a day........my father searched for her that Friday night and most of the morning Saturday......he couldn't find her any where and thought she had decided not to stay......... He called her.........she didn't come.....He search and called.....still she did not come......

When he opened the door to the garage, she was so excited about getting out and seeing him she knocked him clear into the air off his feet causing him to hit the ground hard breaking his hip..........((Which is a funny story that I will tell you all about one day.))

Ruffo felt terrible about all of this and really does not like to talk about it much.........She stayed with her new master licking his face until she was scolded by him as he laid on the ground and shooed her away........

Bill III was going to avenge his grandfather just as Rhet Butler did in Gone with the Wind when his daughter fell from her beloved pony and was killed.

Luckily for all of us this was just a fleeting thought of passion and he was quickly discouraged.

It has been almost 9 months now that Ruffo has been part of our family and we all marvel at the way she is with each one of the children.

We marvel at the way she is with our parents and how much she loves my father. If she has her choice between hanging out with the kids or being with her master she always sits with him first.

She loves her new family and these days fits in just fine. She does not chase the dogs away anymore but stands furm that "this" is her home. For the most part, she leaves the cat alone. She does not give the people on the street a second thought ........She gets very excited when we come over "to see her".....She plays with the children wonderfully and always gently.......She is afraid of thunder storms and runs into the house for protection. She always seems to have a smile on her face and seems very happy with her life. She listens best to"her' new mom ..........When I am leaving she tries to get into my car and loves to go for a ride.....She always shows us how to get down the drive way. She pouts when she is scolded but will come out for forgiveness.. .....and a dogie cookie

She knows she is safe.....and has become quite the little jewel ~ A diamond in the Ruff - O"

((and she is quite the drum set to boot.))

Where's the Chocolate??

It has taken me a long time to accept ~ I have to run to get back into shape..........because let's face it......the way the economy is going for "us" ((the nation as a whole)) it will be a long time before I can play Karate again. The acceptance of just liking to run has been hard for me...........actually I hate running. I would much rather go to a really hard and long sparing class.............I remember many Saturday mornings walking of the mat bleeding, hurt and in pain....and someone would say Wow! That was a great class........ Everyone would nod their heads in agreement and say "YAY!!" I have been trying to run for quite a long time now......maybe 2 1/2 years ...... and my resistance to running has taken it's toil on me. However, I have decided...... I have to like it...........almost as much as I like chocolate. Okay....... Not that much.

But, I love to have Ice Cream for dinner. AND If I am going to have Ice Cream for dinner, I have to exercise. Right now that exercise has to be running. So, I have been trying..........I have been drinking my water and eating right........Well, most of the time. I am trying to take care of myself for many reasons...........The biggest is my father, who has cancer and has survived much longer then the doctors ever imagined he would..........One of the things he contributes his survival to is exercise..........He has always and still does exercise even on his sick days. AND CANCER STINKS!! IT REALLY DOES! Over the past three years, I have struggled with these big issues; I am not as physically fit as I was BFME........that is......BeFore Mary Elizabeth. It has taken me a long time to accept.........I have a long way to go from pre-baby........to post-baby............even though she will be 3 next month.

And SO, I have struggled!

I think I am getting there. I think I have convinced myself..........It is okay to be where I am and I am learning to like "the" running and not pout about it "all" so much.

So here I am............With my "I love exercise Finnell Grin"

.........We have a secret........"We" the Finnell's and the Advent's are far from being athletes.....all we do is......"TRY". We pick a sport we like or in my case right now....... can tolerate and learn to like it. Then, we give it our all. We are not fast............We persevere.......We work through the humiliation of always being last. We work through the pain of what ever it is that hurts and we just 'do it'. We put our hearts into it and get the job done. And We do it with a Grin..........My sister and I have named it "That Finnell Grin"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So anyway, I have been getting up really early........I mean really early and getting out there. The sun comes up at six. I have my shoes on. I am ready to go with my phone and my daughter’s I-pod............ I am excited about seeing how long the miles will take me and what my plan of action is for the day..............I am trying to increase my mileage and cut down on my time. It is fun right?????? That was until Monday morning..........I was going by my neighbors house........I should tell you, he has JUST started running again after 1o, 12 maybe he said 15 years........ I forget...........the most important thing here.......... IS............ HE! SMOKES!! He smokes!..............He just started running and he smokes........ Okay ya........Good for him, right?? ~ Maybe he will cut down on his smoking and all that great stuff. He will be healthy AND we all have to start some where. RIGHT?? It was about 7:00 am........and I had been running for about an hour. He sees me and says, "Why don't you run with me to the top of the hill?.......It is only a mile. I am just trying to run a mile." Being the nice, caring, encouraging person that I am ~ I said, "Okay" I have 10 more minutes........I can do that. He says, "Let's go!" He takes off.................He "smokes" me..............He "smokes" me!! I am way behind........huffing and puffing and starting to cough like the smoker HE IS..........my asthma is starting to kick in........... I can't breath..........I can't stop coughing. I can only say.........THANK GOD! My phone rang and it was a customer........I had to stop to answer my cell phone........out of breath..........I got to tell this guy.........."I am running and that is why I am sooooo out of breath and please forgive me.........could you please call my husbands phone and he will be able to help you." .............. I didn't tell this guy.........I was losing badly to my neighbor who just started running like 2 days ago and by the way he smokes............. BUT! there is good news "he" can run a 9...........I said a 9 minute mile............and he smokes.........and he just started running again.......He has gone from doing nothing........NOTHING!! to running a 10 minute mile....now down to a 9.......and he beat me...... bad!! Stupid Rick!! Where's the chocolate??? Oh! The good news..............Today .........He has shaved 12 seconds of his time..............Stupid Rick!

Rock 'N' Roll Marathon!!!!!!!

Today is the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon!!!!!!! My sister, Margaret, cousins Jen and Charlie are running in this Marathon.....Today! It should be VERY exciting! I am going to do my best to keep up with all the happenings of the GREAT event. Margaret, Jen and Charlie decided to join this race because of the effects that cancer has taken on in their lives. Jen and Charlie have dedicated this run to a lot of people, mostly to their friend Deana and my father..... My sister, of course, has dedicated her run to our father................WHO will be there waiting for her at the finish line. Our father has suffered the effects of Nonsmokers lung cancer ~ found in the late stages and given only 3 months to live...............4 years ago.

What do the doctors know? Hopeful a lot.... I know that Margaret worked very hard at her training. She ran when she was suppose too ~ She tried to eat right ((well not really, but it sounds good)) BUT! She ran!! .....Her husband very lovingly gave her wings to be able to do this run and should be commended for his patients, dedication and loyalty to her and the marathon she felt so strongly about. The training took a lot of work, dedication and perseverance on every ones part.

They all did a great job and now is the time................they PLAY!!

So exciting!

I am going to try to keep up with this event on line................TRY!!

No matter if they sprint,walk or crawl across the finish line we are soooooooo very proud and excited about this HUGE achievement for all of them! ((.....Mostly Margaret!....ssshhhh.....don't tell the others I said that! )) We are excited for them too.

AND THEY ARE OFF!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update 1

I forgot to ask for Jen and Charlie's bib numbers and I can't find information on them but

Margaret is doing AWESOME!!

Here are the results as of an hour ago:

20203 Margaret Hoverath F TNT Fundraising Half Start: Gun 6:30:03 Chip 6:41:12 Times:1:10:53 Pace:11:25 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update 2

I went to the Zoo with the family and NOW! I cannot remember how to access the information I had before........UUGGG!!...........STUPID Computer!!

((It is always the machine and never the operator))

This Just In!!

7:40 PM

~ I just got this E-mail from a friend of my sisters ~

I just talked to Maggie a few minutes ago and she finished the race in under 6 hours!!!! She had a great start to the race and ran the first 13-14 miles without stopping! Unfortunately around mile 21 Maggie stepped wrong and rolled her ankle. From then on she had to walk and was pretty upset. Someone told her to focus on all the people who were at home cheering her on and she got emotional thinking about all of us. I think it was her cousin that let her know we were all walking/running today while she was competing and that just meant the world to her! Maggie's parents were at the finish line and she cried when she saw her dad. You'll have to talk to her about the entire experience - she said it was just amazing! Also, 8.8 million dollars was raised for cancer! She said there were runners/walkers who were survivors and some that were in treatment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is over and everyone did great! Jen, Charlie and Margaret all finished and we are very proud of them all!!

YAY!!!!

GREAT! Job Everyone!!

SO? WHO NEXT????

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found the results!! June 1 - 12:30AM

Just for Margaret.......

Bib20203 FName LNameMargaret Hoverath City Simpsonville State SC Country USA Sex F ChipTime 5:59:15 ClockTime 6:10:25 Overall 11428 SexPl 5159 DivPl 371 Pace 13:43

Maybe, Just Maybe, We are doing a good job

Wow! I can’t believe it has been a whole week since I have written any thing on this blog. You know it seems when life gets busy the things you enjoy are the things you let go first. Life got in my way: So anyway, first I would like to say Thank YOU and I love the blog button Sniffles and Smiles has awarded me.

I will wear it proudly and give it a good home. I promise to feed it everyday and teach it not to bark……. You are so good to think of me… Sniffles and Smiles….You have really become a special friend and I just want to thank you properly.

THANK YOU!

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There have been lots of things on my mind this week; First things first ~ School ~ We have been schooling now for 7 years and this is the first year I have not doubted myself…….as much. Every year I have people ask me if I think it would be best to put the kids back in school and every year we have held our breath and held our feet steady and said; “No, we are doing a good job and this is best for our family.” Hoping…….. We where right and everything would be okay. Believe me, when I tell you it has not been easy………”IT” has not been easy! We have home schooled through………. THREE very long lay offs, under employment, family divorces, accidents, the death of Mark’s father, a baby (Yeah!), cancer, a heart attack, a miscarriage, self employment, dyslexia, bratty kids, defiant kids, stinky kids, great kids, now a toddler and the list of the fun stuff just goes on and on………..My point is in telling you all this is we have stuck to what we thought was best thing for our family even when it was hard. Choosing to home school is never an easy choice……….. It has been hard to stay focused and keep our eyes on the goals we have set for our family. It is hard to see these goals day after day; It is hard to stay focused through tears, fighting with kids that really don’t care to get school work done or do not believe one day they will grow up and things will be different. They will be the ones that are in charge. They will actually be in college and have jobs one day. It is hard to stay steady through day after day ~ doing school all day, every day…. ((and I mean all day…some days from 8 or 9 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night))…….We have taken away privileges, friends, parties and anything that will help the kids see if math is not done and done neatly......they will not, can not and should not do whatever or anything they want.....If they don't study for that test they will fail...It has been hard to make kids understand Mom is not mom in the class room. She is the teacher. Do your work!

..It has been hard explaining our position to well wishing friends that are teachers or to people that just think we are making the biggest mistake of our lives. Through all this Mark and I have stuck to our guns. We have stuck together strong. For us, Home school has been our only choice……..WE live in South Carolina and let’s face it…..This state is not family friendly. The education level of this state ranks last ~ This is not because we have bad teachers……we have some great teachers in our area…teachers that really care…... I am sure this is due to the funding the schools are NOT getting from the state. The class rooms are over crowded and there is just not enough money to go around. When we realized our children where not getting what they deserved in our schools and we where unable to afford a private education the next best choice was to home school. At the time we left the school system the company Mark worked at for 20 years was closing it’s doors due to “over sea’s competition” and 9-11…… Since then…It has been a long hard road…..I look at our family now and see……..we have grown and survived so much. Our family is strong…….the education we have given our children has been great for everyone…..even me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a secret about our oldest…. Matthew…that I must tell you about;

He has started the “Jump Start” program at the Technical School in our area. ((“Jump Start” is just what it says…….a “Jump Start” on college.)) He earns high school and college credits…..at the same time… The kids that take these classes have to qualify for these course. To qualify they have to pass the college entrance exam…..which he did……. I am so excited about all this. I can’t help but think things are finally starting to pay off…….all those years of fighting with him to get his work done….all those years of making him go, dragging him, to debate class. All those endless hours, tears and sleepless nights…..We have sat in our class room working…….. is paying off. I am so excited for him. I can’t help but think this is going to be a great way to ease back into the school setting. AND you know what?

The best part....

The best part is, the other kids are seeing Matthew’s success and they want it too. They want to start college in high school. They want to qualify……These past two weeks……..when I have been looking for kids to start school……..they have already started……..with out ME……

I am just giddy!!

…Can you believe it? I think I can let my breath out…… just a little this week……because I think….I just think maybe, just maybe I am doing a good job with this teaching thing.

Just maybe I am.

The Church Light

Last year around this time, on Mothers Day, my nephew, Joe was hurt in a terrible accident. We where all praying hard that Joe would make it another minute, an hour and day……Every time we saw the doctors that week they all said the same thing………”Every minute he hangs on is good. We are taking this minute by minute, hour by hour.” They where tough words to hear……….mostly for Karen, Joes’ mother. A year later Karen wanted a party to celebrate Mothers Day and the fact that her oldest child made it through what we all hope will be one of the toughest trials in his life. In fact; In their lives. The night was dark, rainy and late…….Joe was going home coming from a party. While he was riding his bike down a dark country road something terrible happened………We really didn’t know what it was…..All we knew……… he was hurt and hurt badly. Among the cuts and bruises he had hit his head. There was a cracked skull and swelling on his brain. While in a drug induced coma, he had a stroke and things only seemed to grow worse for him…….Later that same week…..part of his skull had to be removed. It would be saved and replaced for a later date when things inside his head had settled down. He was in the coma for almost a month…………. I think……..

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It has been a hard year for Joe, Karen, and the family. William, Joes “little” brother, made himself available daily to help his brother in his recovery. Karen never left Joe’s side. This Mother’s Day was going to be different. This Mother’s Day Karen wanted to celebrate the trials and tribulations of the year. Through out this whole year there where questions left unanswered. All we knew about the night Joe was hurt was; some one…….a man…maybe…..watched over Joe and waited until help came. We didn’t know who it was. We really didn’t know much about anything……just that someone helped Joe that dark, foggy and rainy night.

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Among other things this past year; Joe had decided to go back to school and we are proud to say he is progressing beautifully. The first day of school; As often as it happens with a brain injury………….Joe got lost. He found himself at the school counselors’ office. She was talking to a woman. This woman happened to be going to the same class Joe was headed too…….The counselor asked if this woman would mind making sure Joe found the class…..He followed her. In the new class, the new teacher wanted to help her class relax. She had her students play a “get to know you game.” Each student took one card. That student had to find the match …….which another student would have. When the student found his match they were to find out as much about each other as possible and then he would share it with the class. Joe took his card and set out to play the game. It happened Joe found his cards match in the woman’s hands that lead him to his new class. They talked……”small talk”……they shared a few uninteresting facts. There names……….Joe ~ Sharonda There ages……….30 ~ 28………Where do you live……..?.......What brings you to this class…….?........ Then the big question came…….. Sharonda asked…………..”What’s with that big scare on your head?” “What happened to you?” Joe tells her………..what he knew………She listens and then says……….. “What????” “When????” “Where????” “That was you???????????????” “I am the one that stayed with you that night………I am the one that called the police…..I am the one……….I thought you died……..Oh! That was you? I almost didn’t stop…….If it was not for the church light shinning on you that night……I wouldn’t have stopped…….I can’t believe that was you?”

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Sharonda came to the Mothers Day party ……..Then it was Karen’s turn to ask the questions……….

Sharonda told us all about that night…..The Church Light……and the dark, long, country road.

Sharonda told us as she was driving home from work that night. She saw a light in the sky…..spinning……she thought it may be a license check. So she fasten her set belt…….she told us how she hates set belts and never wears them………and she also said, she slowed down. (This part was very important because as she told us; this road………the road Joe was on…….. was one of those roads that you “drive straight on and people don’t stop for nothen.” “They don’t care if there is a dog in the road or whatever. They hit it and keep on go-en.”)

She said as she approached the light, she saw a man and a bike in the middle of the road………..But the thing that got her attention was not the man lying beside the bike. It was the light from the church shinning on the man. She said she "was scared"…….because she doesn’t trust people……She said, she didn’t know if the accident was staged and the man would grab her when she got out …….. Or what would happen….……She told us, she "was scared for her life". …..She told us, she has been in and out of foster homes most of her life…..she told us her mother tried to kill her when she was just 12 years old and ……she told us about the beatings her mother gave her..….. She told us, she had to fight her way through……. most of her life………. She said if it was not for the church light that was shinning on Joe…..showing him plainly, she would have just kept going. But the church light bothered her……the church light showed he was bleeding on the side of his face…..she said she saw a “white” man in a “white” truck drive….look……and drive past…….(maybe he was going for help………we just don’t know….)

Sharonda said she tried to call the police on her cell phone……….but her phone had one bar on it and “out there you can’t get good reception.” So she drove in a panic to the nearest gas station, called the police……..”gave as little information as quick as she could” and raced back to the man in the road and the church light.………hoping, praying….. NO ONE else would race down that dark country road too…. She made it……… She stayed with Joe until the police came…..until the ambulance came….until the crowds came…….she said she heard a woman crying saying “that’s my son”……”my son is dead”……..”that’s my brother”….” my brother is dead”…….”that’s husband”….. She said she had to stay at the the scene because the police questioned her about what she saw….she said they checked under her hood to see if she hit him…….She didn’t……..They thought he must have hit the sign….after all the night was rainy, fogy and dark…He didn’t………..they checked for deer prints…there was nothing.….They thought maybe he slipped on the straw on the side of the road……he didn’t …..The police said many things…….

But nothing seemed to fit…..

Nothing seemed to fit until Sharonda told us more about what had happened..…….She felt; Joe could not have slipped on the straw…..the bike was to far away from the straw…….Joe could not have hit the sign. The sign had no damage to it. There was no damage to her car or his bike ……. …..Sharonda felt he slipped on the road……..There were heavy rains, heavy fog and visibility was tough that night……...Sharonda said he slipped and hit his head on the yellow reflector in the road……….

She told us she tried to find the man in the road the next day. She said she went to the local hospital but they did not have any information on him…..She thought he had died.

The images of the church light shinning on the man in the road haunted her. They haunted her so much she could not travel down that road and........after the accident she couldn't sleep for days. She said she still has difficulty traveling that way......so much so........she moved.

Little did she know Joe was transferred to Chapel Hill…….Little did she know he was in a fight for his life…….little did she know……… He made it. Little did she know she would be sitting on his front porch celebrating this fact with his family and friends. All because of the church light…….because she was kind enough to stop…..little did she know……She was his angel that night…….seems to me they both may have been saved by the church light…… Joe has learned a lot this year….he has learned he is a fighter…and he has learned he is not afraid of school and he has learned …the body can take many things…..He has also learned….you never know where your friends will come from….. Maybe Sharonda will learn to trust and learn about faith and family…..I know she has found a life long friend in Joe.

I can’t help but wonder………..what will come from all this? I hope only good things……..For both of them.

The May Birthday

Tuesday, May 12, was my mother's 29th, 28th or 39th Birthday.

All though we are all very confused about exactly how old she is we celebrated anyway ......

After all, there was Chocolate Cake.

Even though the cake was not Simply Sweeter's..........It was good!

I must tell all my cousins ,for those that don't know,............my mother GOT the COOKIES!!

AND

THEY WHERE "Simply" Fabulous!!

BUT!

The best present came from my father's Oncologist. When he told my parents things where going nicely for my dad and he is doing very well...Better then they had ever expected.....Dr Stephenson also said, my parents should go to San Diego and Cheer on the Marathoners!! for the BIG run.

Maybe there will be more Cake when they get home!! Well! We have to Celebrate...............26.2 miles is a long way for my sister to go.

OOP! There it is again!!

So the other day, Well maybe it was a couple of weeks ago…….I was talking to a friend of mine. I don’t know if I have mentioned this or not but I try (and I use the term loosely) to sell Mary Kay. Every now and then I may have a class for a friend who is trying to raise money for something special. I give the profits to the charity and sometimes I get a new customer out of the deal. It is a fun way to help out a little and try to stay connected. I am not the greatest Mary Kay consultant there is………I don’t keep a lot of stock in. I don’t have very many parties and I don’t try to get new customers. I fit the Mary Kay in when I want to or if someone asks me. I really like to use the products for myself. I can get it for half price being a consultant and well, that is enough for me. So anyway, we where talking and she was telling me what she thought……..She thought I needed to make Mary Kay more of a priority. I was not doing all I could……… I need to sell, meet people and just be a GREAT Mary Kay woman……I can do it! ….I can rise to the top! Get a car! OHHH!! ……."It takes work! Hard Work!" And I need to get out there and place my orders and decide what I want and…………HERE it comes………..P-U-T My PRIORITIES in order. I simply smiled at her.

Well, this made me think another time I had this conversation……..I thought of the time I sat in the office of my Karate Instructor or shall I say………the Master Instructor of all of South Carolina……… maybe even the country…..maybe the world….I just think he is that good. I remember the day we had “the talk”……….I was teaching classes at the school but I did not receive payment…AND ……..I paid for my families instruction……….(Yes! I know! C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!! Who in their right mind would do such a thing………only a real sucker)………WELL, NO! People who have a love for the Martial Arts do these things…….and people that just want to learn all they can. You will do it especially if you are told you would recieve ONE ON ONE instructions with the Master……. You grab it! AHHHH!! To do that again...... how Tempting!!!!!) OH Sorry! I forgot what I was saying! Back to my story; I walked into the school excited about a weekend trip that Mark had surprised me with………He had planned a trip to the beach. But! The trip interfered with the classes I taught at the time.…….I asked one of the other teachers if they could cover my classes because I was going to the beach………She couldn't and to my surprise someone else told me……… HERE it comes …… I needed to put my priorities in order and decide what it will be. You will be pleased to know, I went with my family……….We had a great time. The women that came to my classes understood why I canceled and wished me well. But, there was trouble when I returned.......I was told I was taking to much time off and away from my training, away from my classes…..I really needed to decided what I was going to do……I needed to ......here it comes again......Put my Priorities in order........I did……..I hung up the teaching towel………or It hung me up……..Yeah! That was more like it……….I was “weeded out” …….like it so often happens when your priorities are not in order. All okay because I loved it ALL and even though I was sad not to teach anymore I think it was time to stop. I still went to class and enjoyed it all very much. The last Karate straw……..I was expecting our fourth child……….It was time to step back from what I truly loved to do for myself and enjoy the new gift we where receiving. I put my priorities in order and I am now taking a break from Karate. I realize what all these people where doing was telling me my priorities needed to be their priorities and they where very unhappy that I was not conforming to their norm.

In my last post, I recieved a comment from a friend of mine that I never expected………She told me how much she admired the things I did. She told me I have been an example for her………she even went as far as saying I (me) am an example of a Proverbs 31 women……which I had to look up……..I know now …She is giving me way to much credit…..I was stunned and honored by this and I really didn’t know what to say or think. After giving it much thought….....very much thought………I have to say……….I had a Great Example………My Mother. She taught me how things should be done………When we where growing up she was the one that was there for us. She was the one that put her self last. She was selfless………She was the one who put the family first. She was the one who would be there with the kids, doing home work, getting the meals and helped my dad with his business……… helping his dreams grow. She was the one that gave the support…………..She was and still is the wind beneath our wings. It just so happens I (WE… all 5 of us) have been blessed with two wonderful parents……….Great examples of how to give of yourself……how to give to your family. However, I must give most of the credit to my mother. She has taught me that my family should be first. Everything else comes second. My intention in my past post was to show my priorities are my family just like my mother taught us all they should be. All 5 of us are many things but the one thing I know we are is excellent parents. Let’s face it………… I am not a doctor. I will not be saving lives anytime soon. I am not a writer. I will not be publishing books that will change the world…….. I am not a political figure. I will not be changing laws in the near future………Today.....….I am a wife, a mother and just a woman…….Just like my mother……….I am proud of that. My hope is to be the example for my family………..like she has been for hers.

With all that said……….I know now why I can smile and walk away when someone tells me my priorities are off………When my priorities are not what someone else wants them to be. I can walk away happy knowing they are wrong and my mother was right when she taught me what was important in my life. Thanks Mom……..I Love you!

Alexander's Announcement!!

This is Alexander Michael Hoverath.

He is the son of my sister , Margaret, and her husband, Reiner.

He is 8 years old and Home Schooled.

He is very bight I might add.

He also has a big announcement to make that he wants the share with the world....

He has received his First Communion!! He is very proud as you can see!!

Look at that happy face!

What a doll!

This is his Dad...........uuummmmmmm!!!

No, he doesn't always look like this.......Sometimes he looks worse.

But, I seem to remember he did shower before Mass........

Maybe that is why Alex looks so happy.

Just kidding!! He cleans up really well!

This was just my shameless attempt to get a picture of Reiner on my blog

after the mud run he did Saturday.

We are proud of both these Hoverath Men.

They had a great weekend!

Hey, what is family for?

Love you Reiner!!

“See all these plates I have in the AIR?”

“Oh! You Home School do you?” “You must really have a lot of free time.” Or and I love this one: “You home school, can’t they just do “it” tonight, tomorrow or this weekend.” “Can’t you just skip it?” and my all time favorite…………”When do you have your ‘Me time’?” The answer is…….. NO! No! I don’t have a lot of free time………..No! I can’t just do it tomorrow. No! If we don’t start in the morning we won’t get it done. No! I don’t want to do school on the weekends………….and Yes! We will be working this summer. Oh Yeah………..and……..ME TIME??? Does it count on the nights I can’t sleep and come down stairs to read or maybe even write on my blog. Is that ‘me time’? Being a mother to teens, a preteen girl and a toddler takes up all my time. Being a home school mother of a high school student, 2 middle school students and a toddler that wants ALL the attention takes up even more time. Having a husband who is self employed and who needs someone to handle; accounts, phone calls, office needs, and help keeping track of names and numbers of customers, and scheduling takes up even more time. I’m busy………and that’s good. But sometimes people really don’t understand just how busy I am. I’m home and some think if your home maybe your not as busy as you say you are and you have time for; a drop in or a phone call or running to the mall or lunch with friends…………..Some people think you maybe able to watch their kids while they …..run errands, have a date night or maybe …..Have a little ‘Me Time’…..Exactly, what is that again? When I am asked to meet for lunch or the phone rings and it is a friend or sometimes even a family member………..I screen calls during school…(I’m sorry! But, it is true).. I don’t go to lunch…and sometimes the party that I have been invited too seems like a lot …..YES! I know…..seeing it in black and white …… it seems bad……It really seems very bad. But! Ya know……in my defense…..Sometimes I just can’t talk or have that visit while we are in school ….I maybe in the middle of a math lesson with my daughter who cries when she can’t understand her math or I may be in the middle of a discussion with my son about the Theology he is studying…and I am having trouble understanding exactly what he is saying ……..I may be helping my other son ,who is dyslexic, remember spelling rules we have worked so hard on. I could be reading to my little one who has waited all day to have a turn to “do school with mommy.” Sometimes I just can’t socialize on the phone or in a group. Sometimes I just don’t have the time or the energy. There are times I maybe dealing with a customer or Mark may need me to check on a price or find a number for him. I have to drop everything, even school, to get those things done. I have been known to cut telephone conversations short or even completely off when the business phone rings ……..I need to get these phone calls. They pay the bills, feed the family and hopefully will keep the roof over our heads. All these things that I do may make me seem isolated, selfish even………I am told I seem unsociable……..I am told I don’t want to bother with people. I have been told I only seem to like my own kids…………Yes, sometimes true……but not mostly….I do like people. I do want to be bothered and I do like other people’s children. AND Yes, it is true……..I do like my own children better. I know they are not perfect but they are my children and yes I like them more then anyone else’s. I think this is just honest. These things are just some of the things that I am needed for in my own family never mind; laundry, grocery shopping, getting dinner on the table at a decent hour or even the outside factors of my life. I have a lot to do and I know it. So when I am asked if I can go here or there or meet people for lunch, a party or a trip to the park, a lot of times I have to say NO! Sometimes, I try to make it and then I have to cancel because I am needed at home. Sometimes, I am very late because I got a last minute phone call from Mark asking me to call someone or check on something for him. People get mad and upset and figure ~ Well, she is home…..”Why can’t she get it done”? Or they think I am just being inconsiderate or I am not very giving. I feel like I am juggling all the time; Sometimes, I take on more and think, “Okay, throw another plate up here. I can juggle one more"……and then sometimes, I think; if I take on one more thing I will drop all these plates I have in the air and then I will have to start over. I just can’t. Then I hear, Well your home anyway...... Why can’t you just………and I think...... Oh! Boy, if they only knew.