His First Flag Football Game

My little Philip is growing up....

 Time seems to go by faster now that he's almost eight.  I don't know where the time is going, I just know it's not stopping and I'm having a hard time keeping up!

It was his first flag football game ever on Friday evening.

We participate in Victory Sports, which we've been a part of since Joseph was in Kindergarten in 2006.  We started with soccer, but along the way Joseph found flag football and has never looked back.  Of course his little brother has been watching him for 4 seasons and decided just playing with the football in the backyard might not be enough.  He'd like to try being on a team.  So this season he is part of one of the 1st and 2nd grade teams.... the Falcons.  

Their team color is red.  Red is Philip's favorite color.  How cool is that for your first flag football team to be your favorite color!

It was great watching him play.  Mike's Mom, Grace, watched the game with us.  She actually did a wonderful thing for me this day by letting the boys play at her house so I could take my mother to the doctor.  She was so very kind to me!  She is just a wonderful and loving person.  The best mom in law I could ever have hoped for!  She loved seeing Philip play in his very first game!! 

My two boys are enjoying football this year so far.  I'm so happy for them.  Joseph can't ever wait for practice to start or for his games to begin.  His enthusiasm is contagious!  I hope it rubs off on Philip as time goes by!  Joseph is his number one fan!

 Here's to a great spring season! 

A Mouse and a Cookie, A Hungry Caterpillar, Miss Rumphius and Amazing Grace

On the day after I find out my Mom is facing cancer again, our small group from church spent the afternoon at the retirement community with the residents there.  We had planned this over two months ago and it had to be postponed.  I think the best medicine in the world for me today besides many prayers from people I love, is making someone else smile when I need someone to help me smile too.   Spending time with some of the people in my mom's building made my day!  Of course seeing Mom and Dad helped too!  I just so love being with some of these seniors and today my friends could meet many of them, including my folks.

 I feel like we all played "Miss Rumphius" today and I'll tell you why if you don't know who she is.....

Miss Rumphius is one of my favorite picture books the boys and I have read.  

 Miss Rumphius makes the world a better place by leaving something special behind for others to enjoy.  She passes along that concept to her granddaughter and her granddaughter does not ever forget that legacy of making the world more beautiful for someone else.  For Miss Rumphius, it was walking through her town and planting flower seeds that would come up  everywhere for years to come and multiply.  Lupines.....something beautiful to be seen by everyone.

For us today it was cards, and smiles, songs, and stories.  I couldn't help but think of Kaleigh with her basket of cards walking down the hallway in the nursing home handing cards to people and speaking to them.  Or Stewart and Jackson with their Mom picking out cards from their basket and handing them out.  Just like Miss Rumphius!   

The kids in our group had made these cards for the seniors a couple of weeks before and they loved passing them out.  The looks on some of the residents faces in Memory Care and Skilled Care were priceless!  Eyes lit up and those smiles!  Something about going around with a basket and sharing something you have made, just makes you feel so good!

Amazing how God works out little details and connections.  My sweet friend, Cindy, Kaleigh's mom pulled out Miss Rumphius from their bag. "I love that book! It's one of our favorites!" I told Cindy.  She came over to my Mom and sat down beside her, had Kaleigh sit in her lap and they read this story to Mom and the other residents.  I had no idea that they had this book to share! They didn't know how much I loved this book!  And my Mom got to hear it.  I won't forget that.....

Mike, Dad, Mom, Cindy, Kaleigh and Joseph our oldest son

 Philip had a turn reading also.....
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle has been in our household for years.  Philip read it to the residents today and of course the kids took turns making "Greenie" eat through the book.  "That's some book! If you can read that book, I'd like to hear it!" one of the residents told Philip.  It is huge. We have the giant size board book.  

 Grandmama loves "Greenie" the stuffed caterpillar too.... Philip has read Eric Carle's book to her before.

 

 Then Jackson read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie  by Laura Numeroff  to Mr. Byrd.  Mr. Byrd used to be in assisted living with my Daddy.  He has since moved over to Mom's building.  He is a delight and LOVED every minute of being with the kids.  I think they made his day.

He talked about playing baseball for Wake Forest when he was in college and guess who plays baseball?  Stewart!... one of the boys who was there today;  so they had something in common.  After Jackson finished, Mr. Byrd clapped and told him he did a fine job.

We cannot forget the songs that were played either by Kaleigh and our son Joseph.  Kaleigh first played in the Memory Care building before coming over to Mom's building.  She played "Somewhere over the Rainbow", "The Entertainer" and "Amazing Grace".  Mr. Byrd was tapping his finger on the table to the melody of "Amazing Grace" and Mom was singing along.  I saw her and Cindy singing out of the corner of my eye and I just wanted to grab my heart.  That hymn is very special to my mom.  It was her mother's favorite hymn.  My dad knew it too, I could see the look in his eyes, even if his memory won't allow him to remember the words, he "knew" that hymn and clapped afterwards and said, "That was real nice!"  

There were others we visited today too.  Mrs. Leonard, Mom's roommate loved the kids flocking into their room when we brought Mom back there.  Philip got out the "Hungry Caterpillar" again and read it to Mrs. Leonard while she sat in her wheel chair.  I think Kaleigh and Ryan really liked Mrs. Leonard.  They said she reminded them of "Grammy" their grandmother.  Mrs. Leonard told Kaleigh at the door, "I'm so glad you came for a visit.  Please come again."  She meant every word. 

I didn't get a photo of her today, but here she is last month with the boys.

Spreading love, when you need love, is one way to receive love.  

Thanks Lord for everything today.

PEACE the Evening Before

Tomorrow afternoon I find out what is wrong with my Moma. 

 We have been waiting for this day.  We have put her through doctors appointments and a CT scan last week.  Tomorrow is an ultra sound of the legs and CT scan results.  It is the big day of questions to be answered like....
....does she have cancer again?
....how bad are the circulation issues in her legs?
....what is making her right leg swell and be so painful?
....is there anything we can do to help her through this?
....has diabetes taken its toll on her finally in regards to her circulatory system?

So many questions.... so many answers we'd love to have.  
So many possible answers rolling around in this brain of mine.

I've asked God to prepare my heart for tomorrow's appointment with the vascular specialist and the news we might hear, whatever that might be.

I don't know what I will hear and that's always the scary part....not knowing....but God already knows how this is going to turn out.  I've been praying for Mom a lot.  She is such a trooper.  She's been through so much already in the past 10 years.  Dear Lord, please isn't what she's been through already enough strife?  Isn't having diabetes 63 years enough in itself?  Isn't going through cancer 3 times enough?  Isn't it?  I just so don't want her to have to go through more stress and strife.  

During the morning of her CT scan we sat there across from each other in the waiting room.  She in her wheel chair and I in the waiting room chair and she looked at me and said, "What else is your poor old Mama going to have to need of you?"  She smiled with this smile which was like she was having compassion on ME.

I just looked at her and smiled back and said, "You're going to need hugs and lots of love, that's what."  She just giggled.  I'd do anything for her, and I know deep down her body is beginning to wear a lot from all that she's been through and from whatever is going on inside her body now that we can't see.

So tonight I spent the "night before" this big day on the Flint Hill fields with Victory sports with our two boys.  We had practices today.  Mike's been in Maryland all week and will be home tomorrow.  Practices are back to back from 6:30pm until 8:30pm.  They are late.  Tonight being on those fields with Joseph and Philip, was just what I needed.

I got to sit beside my oldest as we watched his little brother play.  Philip was more interested in the cloud cover and the direction the clouds were moving than anything the coach had to say.  Sigh.... such is my little meteorologist.  I don't know if he will "get" football this year, but we will try out best and have fun with the experience.

Then we switched.  Joseph walked to the other end of the field to his practice, while I listened to the devotions for the younger teams.  The devotions are the same for each grade level, so Philip and I actually heard them twice.  I needed to hear the message twice, because the message was "Count it all joy, when trials come your way...." from Philippians.  Perfect verse for me for tomorrow's appointment with Mom.

Then Philip and I sat on the field near Joseph's team.  I started taking photos, and began taking photos of him close up for fun.  He started to pose.  It was so funny.  He loves my camera and he took a few pictures too.  

As I checked the pictures in the view finder and saw that little face (who was sitting right there next to me smiling), I was so grateful to God for him.  He and I have had a rough week.  He's had a hard time with boundaries and just growing up and learning that the world doesn't revolve around him.  It has been one of those "mother-son struggles" this week.  Tonight however, all that washed away and I had my PJ next to me and he was so loving, so calm, and so endearing.  We took pictures of the sky and those looming clouds and each other. 

I made him a clover bracelet as we sat on the grass and he asked me, "How did you DO that?"  Ha ha ha.... oh the little things.  He grabbed my arm and hung on to me most of the time as we sat on the field and watched his big brother.  He kept very close and loved on me.

 He asked quietly how much longer the practice was, only a couple of times.  He didn't have a melt down, he didn't complain, he just asked.  I needed that patience in him tonight.  Thank you Lord.  I needed some calm tonight before tomorrow.
 And watching Joseph's team practice made me cheer, laugh, and be grateful all over again.  I loved Dakota's little jig after he made a touch down.  I loved seeing Joseph catch a few passes and dive for flags.  I loved watching these boys tonight on the eve of my mother's appointment.  Coach Donnie told that story again for devotions and he told it a bit differently than we had heard it just an hour ago.  He said, "No matter what you may go through, when it's hard, just know God knows all about it and He knows what you need to get you through those hard times.  

"Look for the blessings.  Count it all joy."  

It was like he was talking to me, not 25 boys sitting in the clover 10 yards away from me.  As I'm sitting here listening to Donnie, I'm thinking, "This is also amazing, because not even two weeks ago, his daddy passed away.

I so needed to hear this message tonight.

And to top it all off, both boys have gone to bed without complaining, whining, or fighting!  Have I died and gone to heaven?  Just kidding!  It's been calm tonight.  It has not been extremely calm this week though.

I so needed that too tonight.
So I end this day with such a peace I can't explain.  
With prayers for God's favor on my Moma. 
With praises on my lips for all that took place on those football fields tonight, the love of my sons, and God's peace that came over me sitting on the sidelines.

Moma, I love you.... we walk together with you.... no matter what.

Blowing Kisses to "Miss Willie"

 I pushed Mom in her wheel chair up to the dining table this morning at breakfast.  We had just returned from an early appointment.  Miss Willie was sitting there in her usual spot with her head down, directly across the table from Mom.  She was asleep.  As soon as she realized Mom was there she woke up suddenly and smiled with a smile so wide!  My Moma started blowing kisses to Miss Willie across the table and Miss Willie was blowing them back.....  

It was one of the absolute sweetest things I have ever seen.  

Mom was smiling and happy to see Miss Willie too.  

It was like she had missed her.  

I just grabbed my heart....    

These are the things I see in the skilled nursing building where my mother lives.  These are the precious moments I get to witness and be a part of.  I am so blessed!

Miss Willie is 105 years old.  She doesn't see well anymore and is hard of hearing, but somehow my mom ministers to this lady every day.  Mom has kind of taken Miss Willie under her wing.  The staff has told me in Mom's care meetings how appreciative they are of Mom doing this.  She has a way with Miss Willie they say.  I think it is so special.  When Miss Willie isn't eating, Mom reminds her to eat....even if my mom isn't remembering to eat her own meal and needs reminding!  We even have a companion for Mom so she will finish her meals!  So funny.  She listens to Miss Willie.  She engages her in conversation and tries to understand what she is saying.  

She makes time for Miss Willie.

God showed me again today that just because someone lives in a nursing home and has their own medical struggles that someone can serve other people in love.  There is always someone whose life we can touch, we are not limited by circumstances.  God is at work all around us. 

Miss Willie sleeps a lot at the dining table.  Sometimes she talks in her sleep....telling us her dreams.  When she woke during the breakfast hour today, she opened her eyes suddenly and looked at my bright pink shirt and started telling me how much she loved the color, it was so "pretty" she said.  I told her "thank you".  She may have not heard me but she could read my lips.

Our boys will not forget Miss Willie for a long time I don't think.  Joseph especially.  The day she started talking about "going to Belmont" her home town was a day he has never forgotten.  It was the cutest thing which made us all giggle.  The staff were laughing we were all enjoying that moment with Miss Willie that day.  She had her purse in her lap and was telling us how she had been "drivin' all her life" and she wanted to go to Belmont.  She wasn't eating her lunch though because she was so passionate about wanting to go back to her home town.  One of the CNA's looked at her with a big smile and said the most compassionate, affirming, yet funny thing to her, "But Mrs. Franklin, you gotta EAT before you can go to Belmont!"  Joseph poked me with his elbow and quietly said in my ear, "She's funny!"  Miss Willie does make us laugh and smile so often.   The boys just look at her and can't believe they are looking at someone over 100 years old.  Philip tells me he wishes Grandmama would live to be that old.  

Ok, here I am grabbing my heart again....

Oh Miss Willie, those kisses blown to my Mom today....  It was the sweetest act of love.  

I'm going to bring her some Iris soon.  She loves flowers.  Easter Sunday, when I brought some purple Iris to Mom, Mike insisted I leave one with Miss Willie at the dining table.  She was napping, but every time she woke up she would see this one flower in a vase and discover it anew all over again.... I know she won't know it's me that gave them to her, but then again, that part doesn't really matter.

(And a side note.... I just did the math.  Miss Willie is the same age as Mom's mother would be today if she were still alive.  She's 23 years older than Mom.....)

And on ANOTHER side note….which took my breath away literally when I heard the news….  My mom died on July 1, 2012 on a Sunday.  Mrs. Willie Stowe Franklin died  a day and a half later on July 3, 2012 on a Tuesday.  I find that to just be the most incredible thing…. Two friends dying two days apart.  

Footprints- The Journey of Alzheimer's Disease

Footprints.
It is a poem that my dad has loved for a very long time.   He has a leather book mark with it on it, and a matted print of it as well.

The poem talks about walking on the beach with the Lord and how this person noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:  his and Christ's.  However, when trials were the hardest he only noticed one set.  Doubt and confusion leads to the question, "Why oh Lord would you leave me when you said you never would?  Especially in my deepest darkest trials?"  Christ answers, "It is in those neediest of times that I carried you my child.".  I wonder if my dad likes this poem so much because it brings such comfort.  He also loves the beach and has many fond memories of the beach, with the church youth, us, and his grandchildren.  He loved taking walks. He and I have taken many together.

Footprints.  
It kind of describes what I've been searching for word wise, for a long time.  For months I've been trying to decide if I should personalize this journey of walking my dad through Alzheimers on paper and on this blog.  I am hesitant.  I am fearful at times to share.  It is so very personal.  It is not just my life I describe.  It is my dad's.  It is his life through my eyes.  Sometimes the journey is endearing.  Sometimes it's painful.  Many times it brings regret, sorrow, wonder and questions.  It is the hardest journey I've ever had to walk in my entire life.  It will not be the last of its kind either.  I'm sure additional difficult journeys await me.  Christ never said we would be without trials.

I wonder sometimes how God could have me walk right beside my father on this road that seems so hard.  I get a front row seat.  So very close.....  I see the decline.  I see where we are headed.  I see the past.  And much too often I wish for a time machine that I know will never ever come.  My brother and I have told each other how much we'd love to just have our Dad back like he was years ago.  Right now I'd take last year over this year, and last year I take the year before that one.  I'd give just about anything to have my Daddy back like I've known him all my life.  It's up to me to hold onto the memories of that father I know and love so deeply.  Those memories that bring me smiles and joy.  But you know what?  Alzheimers hasn't made me stop feeling that joy or smiling those smiles.  I still do.  And I still love Dad even when it hurts to see him the way he is at times.  I just can't leave him.  He means too much to me.  I'm too grafted in to his heart and he in mine.  God knew how deep this love would run when he brought me into this man's life when I was 7 weeks old.  There's no denying he knew.

So I walk.  And I cry at times along the way.  
And I smile and I live in the moment with Dad.
And I regret and long for yesterday.
And I dream and I remember his dreams for me.  All of those many, many dreams.
And I know he loves me.

And I know that one day he will no longer suffer with this disease.  He will be with Christ.  He is already in his heart and all of those memories are with Christ.  Dad is never forgotten by his maker.  Only heaven awaits now and a time of rejoicing where there will be no more meds, no more confusion, no more anxiety, no more worry or paranoia.  Only confidence, love, peace and rejoicing in a God who loves him for eternity.

I don't like to think about that day, because that means my dad will no longer be with me..... here beside me.  But I know in the back of mind and in my heart this is where his future lies.  He is not home yet.  A better place awaits him.  There is hope and joy in the morning!  I need not fear what the future holds for him one day.  He has already made that choice to believe and live his life by example as an outpouring of that faith.   It is just sad that the end of his story is such a valley he must walk through that is so incredibly difficult.  As he walks towards heaven, he is losing himself along the way, his mind, his memories, his ability to function.... All of these things are footprints he leaves behind as he moves forward with this disease.

Footprints.  They are plentiful because they are our family's footprints.  All different shapes and sizes.  It is mine. It is my brother's.  It's each of us behind my Mom's wheel chair tracks.  It is my husband's.  It is my eleven year old son's.  It is my seven year old son's.  Then there are others who interact with Dad every single day now, who love on him, care for him and help him a long the way.

I told Dad one time right before they moved to the retirement community that it was like we were walking up this mountain with Mom right then.  She was having a terrible medical issue at the time.  She was in a lot of pain and it was very tough.  She was also on Hospice and we were in an uncertain time with cancer that supposedly was there, but would not manifest itself in any way.  I told Dad, "It's like we are all walking up this mountain with Mom.  When Mom can't walk anymore because she is too weak or in too much pain, you, Tom, and I  help pick her up and carry her.  We are Christ's hands and feet.  He carries her when the strife is too much and gives her peace.  When I'm too tired, Christ carries me and says, 'rest for now'.  When you are tired Dad, Christ carries you too.  He carries all of our burdens if we let him."  He liked that analogy so much.  I knew how much he liked that poem about "Footprints" so I thought he might understand what I was trying to say.

He needed to be carried at that time as caregiver for my mother.  She needed to be carried because her physical burden was great.  We all need to be carried sometimes.

As I walk this journey with my dad I realize more and more that this is a journey that needs to be shared.
I've got so tell other people that there is joy in the journey, no matter how much it hurts.  I've got to let people know God does not abandon the person we love who has Alzheimer's.  He may not heal them, but he does not leave them.  He carries us all during those times of trials we cannot control and shows us the way when he sets us back down.  I am not to stray too far ahead or lag too far behind on this path.  I am to stay right next to the Lord.

Footprints seems like a perfect way to describe this journey.  My daddy has left footprints everywhere in his life.  Footprints on a path of serving the Lord.  Footprints on the path of loving other people as himself.  Footprints of making other people laugh, feel comfortable, and feel good about themselves.  Footprints of honoring others and letting someone know they are valuable and have worth.  Footprints in standing up for what is right when it was not easy or popular.  Footprints in calling out things for what they were in honest fashion and making those "waves" fighting for a good cause.  Footprints of encouragement and affirmation.  Countless and countless footprints..... on paths that make a difference in small ways and large ways in people's lives.  He has touched so many people through out his lifetime.  He still does in his own way today with Alzheimer's.

Footprints.  His footprints are all over my life.  Right now ours are in sync as a family.  Walking arm in arm right beside each other.  We walk through thick and thin, and we will keep walking until Christ says, "Ok, that is all for now."   No matter how hard it gets or how sad I become.  I will walk with the man who has loved me unconditionally here on earth since he saw me and held me as his own.

So I will begin to post about parts of this journey that may sadden you as a reader.  It might inspire you.  It might give you a small glimpse inside a family that has love and the love of Christ in their lives and what that looks like.  I cannot walk this road in my own strength.  My sadness would have won out long ago and I would have collapsed on its shoulder.  However, Christ keeps me going.  It is he who inspires, it is his love in me for my dad that keeps me walking....even when a box of Kleenex is required.... ok make that a case of Kleenex boxes, and many questions in my mind.

I believe, Christ's love conquers all.  He is bigger than Alzheimer's Disease. He is the author of family.  Yours and mine and no matter how hard things in our lives become, God never stops being our God.  He is faithful and true and all things are possible with him.  Yes, it's even possible to be the daughter he has called me to be, walking along the way with my Dad. 

Walk with me then if you so choose.  I promise you all of these posts come from the heart.  I do this to honor my dad, to honor Christ and to tell you that you are not alone if you happen to be walking a similar journey with someone you love who has Alzheimer's Disease.

As you see this photo of my oldest son walking on the sand as a small child see all of the other footprints around his own.  There are so  many on this journey of the "long goodbye".  We are not alone.  Though the beach may seem empty and the road may seem endless, rest assured in knowing, God is faithful to walk with us.  Every day.  Every hour.  Every minute.

Love in Christ,
Judith

Today I celebrate Love

 April 11, 1953

Today I celebrate love..... not just any love.  A love that inspires me to be a better person.  A love that shines in my life all the time.  A love that has taught me how to love other people.


 
Today I celebrate love.
 A love and marriage which was built from the beginning on God's love and their love for Him and commitment to Him and each other.


I celebrate a love that has stood through good and bad times, yes for better or worse for over six decades.


I celebrate a love that is honorable and praiseworthy.


I celebrate a love that is steadfast. Bending in the many storms of life, but never ever broken.



Today I celebrate love.

A love which admits when it is wrong, is not ashamed or afraid to say " I'm sorry"  when it has hurt the other, and chooses to make amends.  It is in how Mom and Dad have dealt with their imperfections that have made all the difference.

I celebrate a love which has with great care and consideration  put the other spouse's needs before his or her own wants when it mattered most.  


A love that communicates feelings freely and listens well.  A love that says "  I love you"  often in spoken and written words of encouragement.

From Mom....

I celebrate a love that longs to serve each other and takes the initiative in doing so and finds joy in the serving.

I celebrate a love which has sacrificed when no one was looking and when we were privileged to be witnesses.

I celebrate a love that is not perfect, which does have its own flaws, but strives to be the best it can possibly be with God's help.

This love has walked and endured the road of miscarriages, financial struggles, cancers, diabetes, and Alzheimers.  It has never given up on the other, but always been the others biggest cheerleader, yes even in two wheel chairs on Christmas Day.

It has also experienced the great joys of adoption, being parents, and grandparents.  My brother and I are so blessed to be adopted by them.

I've seen a father's love so deep that he would move mountain and earth for his bride in medical situations, even in his mid 70's.  Always wanting what is best for her.  Always putting her needs first before his own.

I've seen a mother honor, respect, and serve her husband in such a way that inspires me to do the same thing in my own marriage.  

 And Mom started their marriage off that way from the beginning.

I celebrate their dreams which have come true.  I have been blessed and my life has been changed forever because of those dreams.

I've been a witness to this love.  I've had a front row seat and I am a better person because of it.  It is one of the most precious gifts I've ever received from anyone.

My list could go on and on......
I thank God so much so often for their witness of His love for me.
These two hearts are so interconnected, there is no separating their hearts.  It's just not possible.

Easter 2012

And what I realize as more time goes by is that the world needs to celebrate those relationships where God shines through so brightly.  He wants others to see His love through other people.  He wants others to see what a godly marriage looks like.  It is a mirror of His love for us and brings Him glory.  This is why it is so special.  This is why people are inspired.  I can't tell you how many times people at the retirement community say something to me about these two and how much they love each other.  It is endearing.  They are endearing.  I am so very blessed to call them "  Dad and Mom"  .

Even with their imperfections and struggles like everyone else, it is their commitment to each other in walking out " whatever life may bring"  , which I see so clearly.  This is what has helped their love last a lifetime.   

Whatever they face, they face it together.  It is their story and has always been this way.

50th Wedding Anniversary 2003

So I celebrate a young lady from 4th Ward and a young man from Dilworth who met at work, all because a co-worker pointed out Mom to my Dad and said he should ask her out; she was cute and sweet.

And I'll share a little story of persistence which has lasted a lifetime.... 


Their First couple of dates....well as best as I can remember them from what they have told me....
The persistence in asking my mom out for a first date is a trait that still remains in my dad.  Persistence is one of of his strengths.
Persistence also paid off because every time my mother told him she was busy the nights he asked her out, (usually church choir practice) he would ask her again the next time he saw her.


Since she always seemed to be at church, he eventually came up with the idea to surprise her by showing up at her church after choir practice one night and asking her if he could give her a ride home.  This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that has spread across six decades and fifty-nine years of marriage.

The next date would take them to a restaurant on Wilkinson Blvd where Mom got a lemonade and Dad ordered onion rings.  Onion rings on a first date?? Guess who still likes onion rings?  

On the way home, only a few blocks away, after dropping Mom off, my dad wrecked his car by running a stop sign. What an impression Mom must have made that night for him to not pay attention to a stop sign!  The police came to investigate and of course had Dad come down to the police station where they called his parents.  My granddaddy Joe Sr. was happy to leave him overnight there, he was so mad Dad had wrecked this car.  (My granddaddy owned a service station and was an auto mechanic).  My grandmother Elizabeth, strong woman that she was, defended her only son and told her husband to get off of his duffer and get down to the police station and pick Dad up!!  

Granddad did....but I'm sure begrudgingly.  
Sigh.... all this hubbub....all because of love.
I don't think Dad ever wrecked another car in his life. 
And I'm sure Mom wondered where he was when he didn't come to work the next day....


Yes, today I celebrate love.

My Daddy's favorite photo of them in Hawaii, while he was still in the Navy.

They are precious to me.  So very precious.  I love them with all my heart.  What a privilege to be a witness of this kind of love.
I don't deserve it, no I don't, but I'm so grateful for this tremendous gift of them.

No other love have I seen like this one.....  

(If you'd like to read more of their story click on this link 

" No Other Love"   which goes to the the label of the same name where I have shared parts of their story.  Or click on their photo in the right hand margin on the main page.)

1953

 Post Script:
And when I ask the Lord, "Why?  Why have you blessed me so much when others have not had the same type of loving family I have had?  I don't deserve all of this goodness, yet you have allowed me to have it, witness it and learn from it."  I have heard the Lord tell me just this week.

"Judith, because you have had all of this love from your parents, it is so YOU could LOVE like that."

I now know that to be true, because I could not walk my Daddy through Alzheimer's or Mom through her health issues like I can today without that LOVE.  I'm sure there are more reasons than just this, but God really told me something new about myself this week.  He showed me one more time about LOVE and His love.  That is definitely something worth celebrating!

Judith

Sharing Easter Together

At the retirement community this afternoon with Mom and Dad.  
The weather was absolutely perfect.  We started inside sharing flowers and chocolate eggs and finished outside in the fresh air.  

Philip asked me what Mom's favorite color was so he could bring her an egg in that color.

Photo by my brother:  Tom Poston

Photo by  my brother:  Tom Poston

There's dark chocolate in there somewhere!

Our Navy Dad!

Always.... ALWAYS happy to see each other!

Dad never stops smiling.

My Three Guys!

Philip

Mike

Joseph

Beautiful blue eyes....my daddy!

And the day could not end without a grandson sharing his caterpillars with Grandmom!

Philip was also able to read the Easter story out of one of his picture books to Grandmom and Granddad.  He did a great job.  Mom followed along with every word.  Tom was able to video it on his iPhone, however, I can't get it to load onto blogger.  If I figure it out I will post it for you to see.  It's too sweet not to post.

Happy Easter to all!  We've truly had a wonderful day from beginning to end!  This was only one special part of our day.