Georgie Porgie

 Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry; When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away. ~ Mother Goose

 This is George. He is my brother George's oldest son. George is one of those people that will leave a soft place in your heart if you give him a chance. He is quite, doesn't give his opinion unless he is asked and is reserved. If you look at him the first thing you would say is:  "He needs a hair cut."   We have heard this over and over again about George.  Just recently we all learned ~ George grows his hair long for a reason. He donates his thick, beautiful hair to Locks of Love. . . and he never says a word about it.      To me it's powerful that he just takes the looks and comments: and never says a word about how he shares and cares for other in the best way he can.    So here he is ~ taking it all in. . . and most importantly ~  Giving. 

Lisa


ABC Wednesday

My Favorite Days with my Grandpa

I have discovered the beauty of the Blog: When I first started this blog I really did it for my mother. She was after me for years to start one. I "yessed" her about it for a very long time until last year ~ Finally, I just did it. She was delighted! and so was my father. They loved the pictures and stories and I figured it was nice enough they both seemed to be happy with the whole thing. So, I have tried to keep it up. You see ~ I have never been the writer in the family. I have never kept a diary. For that matter, I have never even kept a shopping list. I have always been to worried about my terrible spelling, not hearing the difference in the sounds of "W" and "Wh" and 'wh'ere to use them, not knowing really where the coma should go and let's not mention my difficulties with the computer......All this held me back. It has kept me from being a writer, blogger or even organized enough to keep a list. To tell the truth my sister is the one who I always thought to be the writer and list keeper, and really knows her way around the computer. Over the past weeks......The weeks after losing my father....our Father....I found the beauty in looking back at an organized "book" of our life. I have discovered this blogging "thing" is wonderful. My family and I can go back and see the beautiful times we have had together. We can see the laughs we have had, the birthdays, births , all our celebrations and how do we forget the tears we have shed....This blog has evolved for me.....It was just something I did for my mother and now it is a simple story about a family in Good times and in Bad. Looking back I can see "It" has brought me so much joy, driven me to tears and is always a comfort. I love the fact that friends I know and friends I have never meet are generally sorry about "Our" terrible lose, rejoice in our joys and love to see pictures of our family. What a comfort this is. But........The thing is........My mother was right when she asked me to do this "thing"....My only wish is........ I obliged sooner. Shhhhhhh..........Let this be our little secret....Don't tell her I said so......She will never let me forget it. With this said, I am delighted to see that my son Stephen has been writing too: I want to keep this little paragraph he has written forever......What safer place then here:

My Favorite Days with my Grandpa

One of my first memories of working with my grandpa is when I just learned to drive

the lawnmower. I think I was 8 years old. I was not heavy enough to keep the lawnmower running. The machine would not run unless there was a certain amount of weight holding the seat down. To hold the seat down …Grandpa hooked bungee cords to the seat to keep it down that day. We cleared the yard of limbs. He would cut the limbs and I would take them away with the lawnmower and put them in a pile to Burn. When I would drive away I would turn around in attention to solute him and he would solute back to me. One of the times I turned to solute I hit a trailer that was parked in the middle of the field. The next day I learned how to fix a lawnmower bumper. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

By: Stephen

Because of home-school there have been so many wonderful days like these for all my children. ...Days of joy and learning they ((We)) could have lost if they went to school. .......An irreplaceable relationship grew between my father, my mother and my children these past years. These are the lessons of life, gifts of relationships and love they could never learn in school.

For the Love of Graceland

I am simply amazed at the kindness of James, Matthew and Stephen. Over the past couple of years..........and mostly this summer........these three young 'men' have kept the grounds beautiful at my parents house.

~ Graceland~

Lovingly named after our mother by our father

Every weekend these three guys meet at their grandparents house. They ask what needs to be done around the area and then.........they simply do it.

They have kept the yard beautiful.

They mow the grass, keep the pool going, till the gardens and try very hard to make things grow. ~ Wonderful Willy ~

They know their grandfather is sick this summer and some days doing the simple things he loves to do like; cutting the grass, weeding the flower beds, keeping the fountain running and cleaning out the pool maybe to much of a chore for him.

I am amazed and delighted at the love and dedication they show for both my parents.

We all know they just want to show how much they love both of their Grandparents and they just want to make these..........sick days........ as easy as possible for them both.

~ My dad often says ~

"I don't go out much these days but I love to look out and see all the work being done."

Although, I admire and love the loyalty, dedication and perseverance James, Matthew and Stephen have shown through out this summer: I admire and simply love the fact they have become teachers to the other children.

I find it all so heart warming to know "THEY" understand the difference between saying I love you Nana and Grandpa and Showing the love they have for their Nana, Grandpa........ and Graceland.

My Little Flower

Yesterday, I went with Kathryn and the club she belongs to, called the "Little Flowers", to a nursing home. The group wanted to hand out home made Valentines, Mary Kay hand lotion and some foot cream.

It was a great experience.

It just so happened that day the director in the nursing home said "her" people needed a "pick me up." Our group of girls had just the thing an aching heart may call for..........Little Flowers handing out well wishes, candy, presents and hand crafted valentines to people they didn't even know.

That day, the people in the Nursing home where grieving over a death of one of their close friends from early that same morning. They where more then happy to see our girls come in and spread cheer.

At first the girls were very shy and nervous until they discovered the people in the home were just like the people they know and love in their homes. It was so amazing to see how all the girls slowly bloomed from shy little flowers into loving, caring roses that wanted to make a difference in someone's day.

All the girls lovingly gave out "thier goodies" while they talked to the residence. Everyone felt great about how they were spending their Valentines Day.

I really think these young woman understood they where actually making an impact on someone's day. Before we went into the home, the mothers where telling the girls....."How life was not about what you get, it is more about what you give".....and yadda, yadda, yadda.

It seemed to me that day.....the message was not just for our little girls.........the message went to the big girls as well.

I was ,of course, encouraged the most by my little flower, Kathryn.

To the outside world she is a shy, quite girl that is not always sure of herself. In my world she is a loud Tom boy that tries very hard to keep up with her 6 foot plus, brothers and dreams of "whipping the tar out of them". Kathryn loves animals of all kinds, music and her baby sister.

This day I saw my future in "my Little Flower". She blossomed into this loving young woman who gently opened gifts and lovingly read the cards she crafted for people she was afraid to meet. She held hands with sick strangers. She gave hugs to grandparents who told her they didn't get to see there own granddaughters and could she just do this one more thing.

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

Sometimes I wonder........ am I doing enough for society? Am I helping others the way I should be? Should I be fund raising, doing bake sales and doing all those other outside things people do to make a difference........I wonder and then I research....... and then I think........ I am just a stay at home mom that home schools her kids. I take care of my family, teach my children, help my husband and try to help my extended family..............then I look at my girl......my little flower

AND I know..........