A Message to You ....

.... my Peeps, from my friend, Vicki.

Only in the blogging world…where people are connected by the wonder of the internet highway…can we establish connections and even relationships with

others down the street, across the country, and around the world.  Some we know in our face to face lives, many we only know through our keyboards.

It is through this medium that my dear friend, Janine, has developed a very special connection to people near and far.  She refers to you as her Peeps,

but you are more…so much more. 

I know because you have blessed me and most of you don’t even know me.  You see, I am a friend of Janine’s, and she asked you to pray for my husband and my son.

And you did.  You prayed, knowing she was with me and my family when my husband donated one of his kidneys to our son, Grant.  You prayed when she sent the

word out, not once but twice, when his condition was unstable and we were helpless and scared. You prayed and God heard.  I will always believe that.

And so I want to thank you…thank you for your responsive and heartfelt prayers.  I will always be grateful to you, though we do not know one another and most likely

will never meet, you have blessed me and my family.  

Only in the blogging world!

Vicki

A Very Good Weekend ....

.... was had by all.

Of course it was too short, but then, so are the best things in life.

Son #3 and I went to Tulsa to visit V and her family and to go to the OSU-TU game.  In the end, I decided to give my ticket to V's husband and he took the 2 boys to the game.
And that, in itself, is quite a story.

In a nutshell .... the game was scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. and air on FOX.  At 5 minutes before the scheduled kick off, the spectators were ordered to vacate the stadium .... due to weather.  It seems that there was some possible tornado-like activity heading their way.  And I'm guessing that that whole, "wind-blowing-over-the-stage-at-that-fair-and-killing-some-people"made the higher-ups in Tulsa act quickly, if not a bit rashly.
V and I sat at home, waiting to watch the game and fielding text messages from the guys updating us.  Once the clock struck 11:00 p.m. we gave up and started watching a movie, figuring the game would be cancelled.
Never underestimate the power of the sport of football, or the lure of money to air said sport.
The game was not cancelled.
Oh, no.
Everyone headed back into the stadium and kickoff happened at ..... are you ready for this?  Unless you've already heard about it, I can promise you that you are not:
......... that ball was kicked off at 12:15 A.Stinking.M.!!!
And yes, it was televised.
I lasted until 1:30 a.m. before I headed to bed.  I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.  At that point, we (OSU) we winning.
The guys stayed until half time .... 2:00 A.M. to you and me.
They came home and watched the second half on TV .... until they fell asleep.

My phone kept getting ESPN updates (though only on vibrate) as the teams scored, or as quarters ended and began, throughout the night morning.
The last time I looked at my phone it was the end of half time.
And it was raining there.
Hard.
So I figured that the game would be called at that point.

I seemed to have figured wrongly more than once.

We won the game .... some time after 3:30 a.m.
59-33
I think the two teams just took turns handing each other the ball during the 4th quarter.  I mean really, don't you think those poor boys were beyond exhausted?!!
As I told Son #3, "hey .... it was a once-in-a-lifetime-experience."  And, though hugely, crazily, irrationally postponed ..... it was an event.
:)

In other news .... V and I both experienced quite a bit of retail therapy yesterday.
We both were in need of therapy.
Badly.
We did well.
:)

Night, Peeps.
And Happy Sunday/Monday.
:)

On My Way ....

.... back to Houston, where I'm guessing it is still hellishly hot?

I'm sitting in the St. Louis airport, which had an incredibly long security line, but also some very friendly people, so that balanced out the line.

G had a good night. Thank God. It was his first good night since before the surgery. So that means that V also had a good night.
R is also doing better today, so I knew that it was ok for me to return home. I thnk today will be a day of catch-up-on-your-rest for the three of them. Well, catch-up-as-much-rest-as-you-can-in-a-hospital anyway.

I'm so thankful that I was able to be there for V, and for her family. I'm thankful that my life is where it is at this point and that my time, and my children, are flexible.

BTW, if you happen to live in a hellishly-hot state at the moment, St. Louis is a lovely city and the weather is much cooler than that in TX. The highs were in the low 90's. They've
received some rain this past week, which I wish that I could bring back with me to Houston. So if you have some free time before oh ..... November, and want to feel cooler air, I'd highly recommend it for a place to visit. And no, this is not a paid advertisement. I wish.

I am now sitting on the plane so I'd better end this so that I can hopefully edit it for spelling (again, iPad so please forgive any mistakes ... or don't, I won't lose any sleep over it and I hope that you don't :).

Oh, I also was blessed to meet a lovely woman who reads my blog. :)
She saw me at the gate and introduced herself. Hi, Julie! It was so nice to meet you. :)
I hope your daughter has a blast at school this year. Oh yeah, and I hope she gets a bit of studying in, too. :)

That's it for now, Peeps.
Please keep praying for V, G and R. Pray that the kidney continues to work so excellently and that G's blood pressure goes down, and for quick healing and relief for both G and R.
And for rest, lots and lots of rest for all three of them.

Thanks, Peeps and happy Monday.
:)

A Rough Morning ....

.... is what I wrote about today on V's Caring Bridge sight. I updated her journal for her there. I will re-post it here, so that all of you wonderful Peeps will know how things stand today and how to continue praying.

As an aside, I'm surprised that she let me handle the update. She asked me to write one the night before last, so I just copied my last blog post and pasted it there, with a few additional comments.
Let's just say that Vicki, who is a much "gentler" writer than I am (she says it's inexperience. whatever.), was a little surprised. She laughed as she told me thank you and that she liked it, but to be frank, it was a very nervous laugh.

I think she was worried that her church family might be a bit taken aback by my "voice" on her site, especially since they've only heard her voice. And I say "voice", because those of you who know me can "hear" my voice saying the words you are reading. It's the same on her Caring Bridge site, which is her first attempt ever at writing, and she's done a wonderful job.

Just so everyone knows, though ..... I did warn her readers upfront and then I added my most sincere apologies at the end. I knew they'd be a bit shell shocked by then. :)

We finally have BOTH of them sleeping as I write this over in a corner of the hospital room.
Some of you may be surprised that I am here, since I was supposed to return yesterday.
Friday night V began (or really, continued) to feel overwhelmed. Her wonderful brother and sister in law (whom I adore!) were leaving the next morning, as was N, her terrific daughter (whom I also adore!). So she asked if I could stay longer and of course I immediately said yes. I'm so thankful that I can be here .... I'm not thankful that I have a reason to be here, of course, because it totally sucks that G had to have this disease and a then have the transplant (as another aside, I managed to refrain from using any form of the word "suck" on her CB site. It took a lot of strength .... a whole lot .... but I sweated it out).
She has done so much for me since Jim's death .... been with me and been strong for me when I could not be .... that I am blessed to be strong for her now.

So the plan is for me to return tomorrow .... as long as things look better today. At this point I'm considering staying another day. V's parents will arrive on Tuesday, which hopefully will be the day that G is released from the hospital. If things are still a bit rough tonight, I'll stay until Tuesday.

Thankfully, I have wonderful and compassionate children, who care deeply for their friends. I called Son #3 Friday night to talk to him about my staying until tomorrow, which is also his first day of school (no, not EVER .... his first day of his Jr. year, sheesh!). I wanted to see what he thought, how he felt about me being gone longer. His first question was, "Why? Is Grant ok?". I assured him that he was, but that V just needed me a bit longer. He said that I should do whatever they needed, and he didn't hesitate one nano second before saying that. He told me to stay as long as she wanted me to stay. The "emotional Mom" part of me got a little teary and warm and fuzzy.
The "highly-alert-for-suspicious-activity Mom" part of me broke through for a brief moment and thought, "Why? Are you going to have a keg party?!"
What?!
It was only a brief moment.
Don't judge my mothering.
I do enough of that myself.

I know how much he cares for G and the entire family.
The warm and fuzzy is still there. :)

On to the re-posting of my CB update:

This is Janine again.
Yesterday was a very good day, but today hasn't started off so well.

Grant started feeling really miserable around 4:00 a.m. and began vomiting. His system has also been "sluggish" about kicking in and moving things along so that has added to his misery. At around 8:00 a.m. they placed an NG tube to "compress" his stomach, to remove any additional liquids in there, and to try to get his system going.
Thankfully, it worked on his system. He didn't have much left in his stomach but it was able to remove a little.

He developed a fever while all of this was going on, which also made
Vicki miserable and everyone concerned, except for the dr., which I guess is good. She thought it was a result of all of the vomiting, which was a result from from his system still being a bit "paralyzed" after surgery. Also very normal.
I put a prayer request out via Twitter and Facebook and an hour later the fever had gone down. Praise God. :)
Hopefully it will continue to go back down to normal.

Since I began this entry the dr. came in and, very much to Grant's relief, and said that the NG tube could be removed. That tube was causing him more misery than anything else. He now looks and feels much better.
He can't have anything to eat or drink for the next several hours, which hopefully will ensure that he doesn't start vomiting again, causing them to re-insert the tube.

As I end this, he is starting to fall asleep, which he hasn't done since 4 a.m. I am planning on making sure that Vicki now lies down to get some sleep.
Please continue praying for his fever to return to normal, for his system to return to normal, for relief from pain and for some good, solid sleep.
Oh, and the "good, solid sleep" prayer also applies to Vicki.

As for the the other patient, he's becoming a lot less stubborn. :)
He and Grant both did quite a bit of walking yesterday (which was amazing since it was Grant's first day to even get out of bed!).
Roger is doing well today and is saying that he feels good.

I have been posting pictures on Facebook and would be happy to share them with you if you're on FB and want to "friend" me. Just let me know that you're a friend of Vicki's and I'll get you on ASAP. I'll check frequently to make sure to see any requests. I'm on FB as Janine Teague Eggers.

So, to wrap up in bullet points:
*Roger is doing well and feeling good
*Grant has had a very rough morning but is now doing much better and I'm listening to him as he is finally sleeping soundly.
*Vicki is hanging in there and feeling better, emotionally, than she was earlier. Much better.
*Vicki needs a lot of sleep.
*I'm going to make sure she gets some sleep, even if I have to slip something into her water. Trust me. :)

God is still good.
All the time.


So that's it, Peeps.
You have been updated.
I gave you a topic.
Now pray amongst yourselves.

Thank you.
And Happy Sunday.
:)

A Whirlwind ....

.... and nothing less.

G finally got some relief around 1 this morning, after the pain doc's supervisor called him. Isn't it funny how quickly one responds when one's boss shows up? He claimed to have not received the THREE pages. Kind of quirky that they were each entered into the computer system when they were made, doncha think?
The nurse filed a complaint. Formally, which is good because it makes V and I look less radical because we've complained to everyone who walks by. I think I may have complained to a janitor, but hey, everyone wears scrubs around here so .... whatever.

So N and I returned to the hotel, which is connected to the hospital.
Around 6 am the nurse told V, who had slept a few hours in the room, that G's potassium levels were high and the output still wasn't good so they were moving him to ICU. Poor V was alone and understandably scared to death.

She texted me at 7:30 but told me to stay at the hotel because her brother ands in-laws were with her.
I came over at 9 and things were, and are, much better now. They are giving him a unit of blood because he's losing a lot of blood into his drain, but think that should slow down significantly over the next 24 hours. I remember having those 2 icky drains and they do slow down quickly.
They gave him lasiks through his iv and that has done wonders on his output. To put it bluntly, 'He's peeing like a racehorse' and we couldn't be more relieved and proud. :)

He's still quite uncomfortable due to the bloating ---- his stomach is quite distended with all of the air they pumped in. But that is the least of our worries. I told V that she should put him up to her shoulder and start patting him on the back. I don't think G appreciates my sense of humor.

He will be moved back to his room this afternoon if this continues, and all signs point to it continuing.
R just called V and said that he is being released today .... in a couple of hours, no less. V and I are less than thrilled by that news. How is it possible to lose a kidney and in less than 24 hours, be released?!! Men are so stubborn! He said that he's not hooked up to anything so why shouldn't he go. Ummmmm ..... maybe to make sure he rests and doesn't get an infection? And to give V one less thing to worry about!
And yes, staying in a hospital raises the chance of infection, horrible infection, but c'mon! Twenty-four hours from the time of the first scalpel cut??

Anyhooo, I am not his doctor, though may I just say that I might add him to my growing list of ones who need to be fired?

So, here's how it stands at 11:12 a.m.: G is much better and stable. R is a stubborn cuss who will be over here, brcelet-free, in a couple of hours.
I will be back with G shortly so that V can go take a shower and feel a little more normal.
And then hopefully the rest of the day will be fairly quiet.
Hopefully.
Prayerfully hopefully.
Quiet is a very good thing.

Thanks for praying, Peeps.

It Has Been ....

.... a very long day.
But a mostly good one.

I did not fall asleep until 4:00 or so this morning. This has to stop because I'm not sure how much longer I can handle it.

Fortunately, the surgeries were pushed back till noon, so I didn't have to be back to the hospital as early as was originally thought.

I'm now in G's room with V and N, her daughter. R is doing well and is on a pain pump so he's sleeping.
G, however, is not doing as well. He has been in a lot of pain and they can't seem to keep it under control. This is a huge children's hospital ... and yet after 5:00 p.m. there is one dr. in "pain services" to cover this entire hospital. And he's either very busy, or has fallen asleep somewhere.
It's beyond infuriating to watch G in so much pain and know that there's nothing we can do except wait for this guy to answer his stinking page.

G is the second of two patients to receive the type of pain management they've chosen. He received an epidural with narcotics added to it, and then some narcotics through an iv. The intention is that he would need less narcotic, thus would be less likely to suffer nausea. Unfortunately, it's not working. The nurse told us that this happened with the first patient, too, but that once they got the meds figured out, she did amazingly well the next day. G has been out of surgery and in pain since at least 6:30. It is now almost midnight. The pain dr came up here one time, several hours ago. They upped the epidural, which seemed to be wearing off, and then added a pain med to his iv. After about 15 mins G got some relief, though the
pain never went away. Now, for the last hour, the pain has been steadily increasing and this dr. is nowhere to be found. And G has not slept solidly since the surgery. He dozes for 10 - 15 minutes at the most and then is wide awake with the pain.
So much for "keeping n top of it".

V is sleeping in his room tonight, but N and I don't want to leave until things are more in control.
And, to add to all of that, G's kidney output is not what they'd like it to be. It's not enough "to keep the kidney working", which is a mighty scary thing to hear. So his dr. has ordered double the fluids (iv), plus replacing the amount that he does pass, every hour through the night.
It's just a wee bit stressful to watch the foley tube not putting out very much, plus watch his heart rate and bp climb because of the pain.

Everyone is exhausted.
Naturally.
The nurses have been wonderful, but they,too, are frustrated by all of this.

So please continue to pray, Peeps. And thank you for all of the prayers you've been sending up all day.

As for me, the moment that we followed G's bed out of pre-op and said goodbye at the surgery doors .... was more than I could handle. And I cried as I lagged behind, trying to hide the tears. But they would not stop and I couldn't hide them. V turned and saw them, then walked over to me, hugged me, and cried with me. I so did not want that to happen. This day was not about me, and I did not want to turn it that way. But it was hard.
So.
Very.
Hard.

But then it got better.
We spent the next four hours talking, laughing, updating various Facebooks, web sites and Twitter accounts. We went down to eat lunch once we knew that G's surgery was under way, but I don't find hospitals to be very hunger-inducing.

It is now 30 minutes after I started this post and the dr. has still not answered his page. The poor nurse is beyond overwhelmed. She has called his supervisor and the transplant surgeon because she doesn't know what else to do. I'd love to go hunt this man down, but I'd hate to be on the news tomorrow. I've already pushed enough envelopes around here today.
But even I know there's only so much you can demand.

And so we wait.

And pray.

Thanks, Peeps, for praying with us.

So Here I Am ....

.... at the airport .... again.
It feels almost like home .... except for the security maniacs in Terminal B. Good grief .... Our government money at work ... people who love the little power they have.

Anyway, I'm waiting to board the plane to St. Louis. Son #1 brought me and as he was driving it suddenly occurred to me that this will be my first time to wait, seriously wait, in a hospital waiting room for a serious surgery since .... well, you all know since when.
At that moment my heart beat accelerated, kind of like it is now as I'm typing this. I hope I don't hyperventilate tomorrow ... or any tme really (it doesn't sounnd like much fun).
Hopefully I'll feel peace. Hopefully I'll feel it soon .... like before I board this plane.

That's all, Peeps.

I'll keep you posted.

And happy Wednesday.
:)

U

Just When You Thought You Were Having Fun ....

.... life comes and smacks you right between the eyes.
And it hurts.

Camp Widow was great. And fun.
And hard. And sad.
And emotional. And physical.
And .... wonderful.

It is an amazing experience to be amongst almost 300 people who understand.
And as amazing as that feels,, it sucks for them.
I love so many of these men and women. It breaks my heart that they have a reason to be in the same room with me, let alone the same hotel .... and conference.

The group of us that have been to all three CWs are a tight-knit bunch. And yet it was wonderful to meet other friends for the first time IRL*.
And wonderful to make brand new friends.

But it was horrible to find out that many of these new friends have been widowed for less than a year.
Much less.
One amazing person was only one month "out".**
There was no way I would've been capable of attending anything, let alone flying across the country to join 300 widows/ers for a weekend.

I had the blessing of meeting a lot of the new "campers" when I co-led the "First Time Campers" workshop. We had a lot of fun, which I think many of them found surprising. We laughed.
We laughed a lot.
I think some of them had not laughed that much in a very long time.
They blessed me.

I slept very little over the weekend, so I felt exhausted a lot of the time, and I only worked a fraction of what the other board members worked.
But by the middle of the afternoon on Saturday, I needed a break.
Desperately.
Or I knew the dam would burst.

And so I left the hotel and walked along the pier for an hour or so. By myself.
I've always been part introvert, so I have always needed to find some time to just "be". And that seems to occur more since Jim died. Probably because I'm alone much more than I'm with other people. Especially 275 or so people.

But the walk did a world of good and when I came back I found a group of friends out by the poolside bar. And we sat and talked.
And talked.
And talked.
Until it was time to go in and get all gussied up for the banquet.
I brought a beautiful red dress that Daughter #1 wore when she was in high school. I wonder if she'll ever find out?!

When I tried it on at home several weeks ago it took a bit of effort to get the back zipper up.
(Another sucky thing about being alone .... there's no one to help with zippers. Or, even worse, bracelets. I kid you not, one morning, not so long ago,  I was going through the McDonald's drive through and I asked the startled woman at the window if she'd clasp my bracelet for me and then stuck my arm out of my window .... and into hers.
She was very gracious.
And I am not proud.

Anyway, it took a whole lot longer to get that dang zipper zipped Saturday night.
But I triumphed over it .... finally, and put on a pair of the fiercest heels I've ever owned (I'll post pics later, but if you're on Facebook you'll be able to see the dress and the shoes.)
They were a hit. :)

And then it was all over. And we were hugging and saying our goodbyes on Sunday morning.

And then I came home.
To life.
The Sons were all fine and the house was in good shape.
Son #1 and I talked while I started the dreaded act of unpacking.
Then Son #2 came home and sat with us.
He was shortly followed by Son #3.
I was happy to see each of them.
I had missed them. A lot.

Then it was time to go to bed.
Since it was after midnight.
And so I did.
But as exhausted as I was, sleep did not come.
I finally gave up at 4:30 and took a sleep med to help.

And it did.
I slept until noon.
Which would have been really great, had I not forgotten that I was supposed to play tennis at 9:00 a.m. Meaning that I left 7 people in the lurch. I felt beyond horrible when I figured it out. I sent all 7 an apology email, asking for forgiveness. Three have answered to assure me that it was ok and to not worry about it. Which hopefully doesn't mean that the other four are too mad to email back.

After I sent that email I went to my Facebook page.
And saw I had a private message.
And that's when life slapped me.
Hard.
I found out that a dear friend, whom I love very much, is here in Houston.
At MD Anderson..
This friend is one of the reasons that Son #1 is named what he's named. She was responsible for setting Jim and me up for our first date.

She fought breast cancer very, very hard over 10 years ago.
And she beat it.
And remained cancer-free for enough years to be called "well".
Almost.
She was just months shy of that magical 10 year mark when she found out that it was back.
With a vengeance.
And that it would take her life, but hopefully that wouldn't be for some time.
This was a year or so after Jim died.

And now, she's here.
Fighting again.
And I cried when life slapped me with that.
Fortunately the friend who told me was also able to give me her cell number (thank you, H!). I emailed, texted and called, not knowing if she'd get the message at all, or if her husband would, or if it was too late to send a message.

A few hours later my cell phone beeped with a text message.
From her.
And I cried again ... with relief.
I had begged to come see her and she said yes. But I have to wait. She is going to have her lungs drained tonight, and is not able to talk.
She said she'd love to see me and will let me know when she's stable and can talk again.

I told her that I am praying.
And she said thank you .... and that she needs prayers, very badly.

And so I return to you, my Peeps, and beg you to join me in praying for her, her husband and their children.
I don't know if I'll be able to see her before I head to St. Louis for the transplant (I leave Wed and the surgeries will be on Thursday morning). But I hope to be able to see her after I get back on Saturday.

So I'm asking you for a lot of prayers this week.
For V, her son G and her husband R, as R's kidney is placed into his son's body.

And for my dear friend S, who's fighting for her life.

This all puts my achey joints at the bottom of any list. And makes me feel ashamed for even complaining about them and the lack of reief I'm getting from the new meds (which thankfully aren't making me sick at all).

I am blessed.
I love my children.
I love my family.
I love my friends, both old and new .... married and widowed.
And for each of you, who are not just Peeps, but are friends .... and loved ones.

Thank you, again.
And again and again.
You mean more to me than you will ever know.
You ... bless me.
Very, very much.

Thanks, Peeps, and happy Tuesday.
:)



*in real life
**the word "out" is used by widowed people to indicate how long ago their partner died. No one is ever told this,or taught it, it just seems to become part of your vocabulary when your widowed. Kind of strange, but interesting.

A Change of Plans ....

              Jim's brother has been hard a work, turning old family slides
              into new digital photos.  I'm so thankful he's done/is doing this.
              This is, of course, Jim .... my trike-riding cowboy.   :)



.... has occurred with my plans for next week.
For a good reason, that happens to come from a bad reason.

As you hopefully remember, my very dear friend, V and her son G came to visit us last week.  V and I have been friends since we were 17.  We then went to the same college (Go Cowboys!!) and joined the same sorority and became closer.  And closer.
Then we graduated, I married Jim, she was in our wedding, she's the godmother to my daughters, she got married, I was in her wedding ..... and we continued to grow closer.  She is much more than a friend to me.
Much, much more.
If you've read from the beginning of my blog, or at least from the point where Jim died (which was only 3 months after I began it) you know that she came down to stay with me more than once.  She helped me during those first days, weeks and months when I could barely see my hand in front of my face.  She was here to help me make big decisions.
She was here when someone, posed as a friend, hurt me beyond belief by using Jim's death to try to take advantage of me.
She was here to make tough phone calls to a certain university which threatened to drop my daughter from her classes because, the week after Jim died, I wrote a check for tuition but forgot to transfer the funds to that account.

She's been here to guide me, hug me, listen to me, not listen to me .... to just be .... with me.
She's worried about me from afar, not knowing what to do or say, but just praying.
She's seen me go through a sobbing haze, through a crushing depression that threatened to be the end of me, to a place where I began to smile, to a place where she knew the depression did not get the best of me, to a person who has held on, grown stronger, moved forward and found joy again.

And now, it is my turn to be there for her.

We have known since G was two or so, that he would one day need a kidney transplant.
It was only a matter of time.  A matter of waiting for his kidneys to let everyone know that they are done and can do no more.
That time is now.

The plan was always that, hopefully, V's husband would be able to donate one of his kidneys.  All signs and tests pointed in that direction.
The last few months have been full of tests on both G, and his dad, R.
They have also been full of many ups .... and downs.  Of tests done .... and passed.  Of more tests done .... and failed.  And stress.  And prayers.  And hope.  And dashed hope.  A few weeks ago hope was almost given up.  But, surprisingly, I demanded that it not be given up.  Me, of all people.

Then two days ago, a miracle happened.
R was given the all clear sign and told that he could, indeed, be G's donor.
And the date of the surgery was set.
To next week.

Tears of happiness, thankfulness and relief have been shed in the last two days.  And those were just by me, so I can only imagine how many have been shed up in Oklahoma.  :)

G's surgery will be next Thursday, in another state with a wonderful children's hospital, where a wonderful doctor who specializes in healing children of this type of problem has been treating G since he was very, very small.

So now it's my turn to fly to be with a friend who is much more than a friend.
It's my turn to sit with her, to hug her, to listen to her .... or to not listen to her.
It's my turn to just be .... with her.

Yes, the situations are different, but the friendship is the same.  Very, very deep.
I never really thought about being there with her when the time came, until she told me that the time had come.  And then I knew.  I knew with certainty that there was no question .... I would be there.
I cannot repay her (or any of my other amazing friends) for all that she has done for me.
But thankfully, that's not what friends expect.

But I can be with her.
I can pray for, and with, her.
I can make her laugh.
I can help her wait.
And I can celebrate with her when both surgeries are over and both of the men in her life are awake and doing well ..... one with the blood .... and kidney, of the other giving him health .... and life.

So ironically .... or not .... I asked you several days ago to discuss prayer .... not knowing that the doctors would very soon be giving R the awesome opportunity to show his son how very much he loves him.  Not knowing that G's surgery would be scheduled so quickly.
Not knowing that I'd be coming to you within a matter of days .... to ask you, once again, for your prayers.

Thank you so much to those of you who commented, who told us your thoughts and beliefs about prayer.  I appreciate your openness very, very much.  I love hearing/reading what other people think about things, even if ..... no ..... especially if I don't agree with those thoughts/beliefs.  We don't have to agree with each other about things to learn from each other.
We don't have to agree in order to love someone and care for them.
We just have to be open to listening .... open to learning .... open to knowing more about another person.
So thank you again.  I'll have to come up with an even better topic next time.  :)

Everything has been great in San Diego.  It's been a quiet, relaxing visit with my loved ones.  The weather has been amazing.  I really can only describe it as .... perfect.
So perfect that I am perusing real estate magazines and newspapers.  In a couple of years I will be at a point where I can stop, take time to re-think things, and decide what I'd like to experience next in my life.  I have a list.
It's a list of places I'd like to live .... for a year or so, just to experience the vast differences in these places.
And San Diego is definitely on the list.
:)

Tomorrow I move over to the hotel to work with the other board members to get things ready for Camp Widow to begin on Friday.
While I'm sad to be leaving J. L and S, I'm very excited to see some wonderful friends .... and to make new ones.
It's been a great week .... and will continue to be a great week.
A week for which I am very thankful, and still feeling good on my meds.

And I'm thankful for you, and for knowing that I can come to you and ask for prayers for V, R, G and the rest of their family.  And prayers for the doctors, nurses and surgeons.
And for peace .... peace to fill their hearts.

So maybe I pray a bit more specifically than I thought I did.
And I'm ok with that.
:)

Thanks, Peeps ..... and happy Wednesday/Thursday.
:)

An Update .... and a Discussion .... (now entitled, "Are You Kidding Me?")

.... or at least I hope this will be a discussion.

UPDATE on the update:
Really???!!!  Only two people out there have anything to say about prayer???? (Thank you Megan and Beth!).  I'm hoping that we can generate more of a discussion than the three of us.  Maybe some of you are taking time to think before you write (something I'm not very good at, as I'm sure most of you have witnessed!).
C'mon!!!!  DISCUSS!!!!!!
Pretty please?
: )




First, for the update.

I had a great time at the lake with V and G and think Son #3 really enjoyed having G here to tube with and hang out with.
You all know that we came home a day early, due to the break down of an AC unit.
Well the next day, an AC unit here broke down.
And it was all I could do to hold it together.
But I managed.  Not easily, but finally.

My brother and his family came down from Oklahoma (yes, they have decided to move to Oklahoma, rather than Florida, which is nice because they're closer now) on Wednesday night.  The three Sons and I joined them at the lake on Thursday.  Two aunts and an uncle joined us later that day, too.  And then Daughter #2 came up on Friday.

We had a great time.
I think all of the kids, including my two beautiful nieces, had fun on the boat, tubes, wake boards and jet skis.
And the boat worked fine.  Yay boat!

It was so good to see them.  I hadn't seen my sister-in-law or nieces since the summer before Jim died.  That was our last family vacation .... to Alaska.
I'm so glad we went.

Daughter #2 and I came home this morning.
I had a "coffee date" today.
And it was ok.

Then I came home and did laundry and packed.
And everyone else came here late this afternoon and we all went out to dinner.
One last dinner before my brother drives back home tomorrow.

And then D2 and S! and I went to see "Crazy, Stupid Love" at 10:00 p.m.
I slept on the way to the theatre.
But managed to stay awake IN the theatre.  And liked the movie.
Then we came back home and I finished packing.
And now it's almost 4:00 a.m.
Again.
Three nights in a row that I've been awake until 4:00.
Hopefully I'll sleep on the plane in the morning.

That's when I am outta here and outta this crummy, boiling heat.
I'm heading to San Diego to visit J & L & S, Jim's brother and his family.  Then I'm going to Camp Widow.
And.
I.
Can't.
Wait!

It will be wonderful to see old friends again and to meet newer friends.
Very wonderful.

But before I go you know it's customary for me to leave you with a question for you all to discuss while I'm away.
I'll still have my computer with me, especially as these are the last few days before CW and there is still a bit more work to do.

I've had a few discussions lately (again) about .... prayer.
A month and a half after Jim died I wrote this post.
My belief about prayer and the way I had always prayed changed drastically on December 18, 2007.
They have not returned to my former beliefs.
I pray.
But I pray much differently now.
Still.

Before Jim died I prayed very specifically.
And many, many times, those prayers were answered in the affirmative.
I don't know why .... I didn't know why then.
Maybe it was because I was more "in touch" with God and so I prayed for things or occurrences that were already in His will.
I don't know.
I do know that God has blessed me with the gift of sometimes just "knowing" things .... without being told, or reading something .... just a deep-feeling knowledge, a certainty, that something has happened or that something is about to happen.
Jim learned to trust this gift over the years and to just go with whatever I said, especially when I would say, "I don't know how I know, I just know."
It's defined as the gift of "Prophecy".  It also manifests itself in an ability to read people, to see beneath the surface, to read between the lines, and to tell the "Truth" when I feel God nudging me to say it.

So maybe that "gift" shaped my prayers.
Maybe.

All I know now is that I don't pray that way anymore.
I rarely ask for anything specific.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to act one way or another.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to intervene.
I don't believe that my prayers change God's mind.
I don't believe that my prayers cause God to heal anyone.
Not anymore.

I do believe that prayer is for me and for my relationship with God.
I believe that as I pray,  I grow closer to God.
I believe that it's best to pray for people that are hoping for a certain outcome.
So I pray for them and for their acceptance of whatever that outcome will be.
I pray for them to experience peace, love and strength .... no matter what.

But enough about me.
What about you?
What do you think about prayer?
Do you pray?
Do you "meditate"?

If you do pray, why?
And have your thoughts about prayer changed over the years?  How so?

If you don't pray, why not?
And is that something that has changed over the years?

Please feel free to discuss this as much and as honestly as you can.
There is no judging here.
There is no right or wrong answer.
There is just my curiosity on how people pray .... and why.

I think there's a lot of interest in that topic, from the many things I've heard over the last few years.

So please discuss.
Yes, even you lurkers.  :)

And discuss only what you believe, or what your friends have told you they believe.
Please don't comment on what anyone writes .... especially in any negative, critical or judgmental way.
I will delete any comments that are written in that context.
I'm proud to say that I've never experienced that here .... from any of my readers of this blog, so I don't expect any of it now.

You are all wonderfully supportive Peeps and I hope that you'll jump in and discuss.

So, discuss amongst yourselves ..... and enjoy the different viewpoints.
I know I will.
:)

And thanks .... ahead of time.
And Happy Sunday, Peeps.

The next time you hear from me I'll be in a MUCH cooler climate.
YAY!!!!

So ..... Prayer.
Now discuss.
:)

Now Is The Time For All Good ....

.... men Peeps/Prayer Warriors to come to the aide of their country Blogger.
And pray.
 :)

Here is my day, in pictures.
Enjoy.

                     This is the view from under the Bimini top on our boat.  If you look closely, I think you can see a wasp, eating a spider.  Yep, that's pretty disgusting, but the first thing I said to Son #3 was, "Take a picture!"  See, I'm always thinking of you, Peeps.  :)  Disgusting or not.  I also thought it was quite interesting.

         Son #3 and G.  Son #3 trying to be all "GQ" .... or something.  WhatEv.

                                  We tried to drown them .....

         We tried to break them .....

      And still they did did "show-offy" things.  Guys.  Sheesh.

                  We anchored the boat at an island and enjoyed some relaxing time, on the boat and in the         water .....

               .... in spite of the fact that it was so dang hot out that we could not put out feet down on anything black .... or, even worse, anything metal! Yes, I know that it looks like our feet are down on the black part of the deck, but they were not.  They were tucked up on the end of our seats, hanging over the black part.  Trust me, we would have blisters now if we'd kept them there.

                             The water was like glass .....

                     So the boys got back on the tube ....

                 and continued to show off .....

                  Which led to this .....

                            And this .....

And a whole lot of laughing by the two moms in the boat.

Yes, V and I took our turn on the tube.  And we busted out on that thing and topped out at the amazing speed of 15 mph.
Don't judge.
The older you get, the harder it is to recoop from those spills.
Especially with one shoulder not all the back to perfect health yet.
We.
Are.
Not.
Stupid.

And so we stayed tubing at around 11 mph.
I bet many people whizzing past us thought that these two young men were rescuing us .... or something to that effect.
It was a bit pathetic.
But fun.
And not painful.

The only unplanned thing that happened (well, unplanned by the two of us) was that Son #3 tried to drown us when he slowed the boat down so much that the tube was forced under the water, thus dumping out its two occupants.
The boys that it was hysterical.
Us .... not so much.

But we got back in and went out for a bit longer, under dire threats of making everyone go home if we happened to get dunked again.
Yes, I'm mean like that.
But it worked.
;-)

After we brought the boat in and cleaned up, it was time to finally do the deed.

Methotrexate.  Four pills once a week for 4 weeks.
Then back in to have blood drawn and chest x-rays.
To make sure my kidneys, liver, blood count and lungs are A-OK.
Sounds fun, no?
No.
But hopefully, this will work.
And hopefully it will work without the horrible side effects.

I took the 4 pills at 6:00.
We had dinner at 7:30.
Steak.  Corn on the cob.
All good.
All I wanted to enjoy tonight, just in case I can't enjoy them tomorrow, or the next few days.

It is now 2:00 a.m. and I feel fine.
I know enough about this med to know what the side effects are, or can be.
But I haven't researched it enough to know when they can hit, though I think it's the first couple of days after taking them.
I didn't want to read too much about it.
Not to be in denial.  But just to not focus on the "what ifs".
Because sometimes, though you might not know it from reading this blog for the past 3+ years, .... sometimes ..... the "what ifs" don't happen.

And that's the hope I'm going with tonight/this morning.
Again, all prayers are appreciated.
Very much. :)

Night, Peeps.
I hope to post to you sooner, rather than later.
Happy Monday.
Happy August.
:)

Hanging At The Lake ...

.... with Son #3, my wonderful-long-time-friend, V and her son G.  A time to relax.  For me.  For V.  For G.  And for Son #3.
Hopefully Son #2 will be joining us soon.

Today the boys went out on the boat .... and had fun.  Then G went out on a jet ski for a while.  Then he returned to pick up V and take her out.
A good day was had by all.
In spite of a pot of boiling pasta .... left to boil.  Forgotten.
And when remembered .... void of water.

It is the lake.
And we are flexible.
And relaxed.
So .... who cares?

So we started all over.
And the second batch of pasta?
Came out fine.

And the relaxing continued.
And I had, what may be, my last glass of wine for a very long time.

Tomorrow, or rather .... today, since it's 1:30 a.m., I start a new med.
Tomorrow night.
One hour before dinner.
To be exact.

An RA med, that ... in larger doses ... is a chemo treatment for cancer patients.
I was told to expect nausea, vomiting, sores in my mouth .... and a general not-feeling-so-hot experience.
I.
Am.
Beyond.
Thrilled.

Way beyond.

But .... I am hopeful.
(My word for the year.)
I hope that my body accepts this drug easier than we think it will.
I hope that the nausea isn't as bad as it could be.
I hope that I don't spend the following few days feeling miserable, and not able to be more than 5 feet away from a toilet.
I hope that my body will adjust to this drug easily and quickly.
I hope that my hair does not start falling out.
I hope, that in spite of all the "what-ifs", this medicine helps the pain I am currently feeling to go away.
And to stay away.

I tried a "more natural approach".  And I hoped that it would work.  And that I would notice a difference.
I did not.
Bummer.
So .... I admitted defeat.  I got off of the river of Denial, and I went back to the doctor.
Who said that it appears that I am one of the very-so-rare-humans who is "zero positive RA".  Meaning that non of my clinical tests, blood & x-rays, show that I have RA.  But clinically, I present as having RA.
And, after being treated with steroids, I do indeed have some sort of inflammatory disease.  That, after a week of being on steroids, seemed to have disappeared.  Completely.
And once the steroids were taken away, reappeared within 48 hours.  And, for over a week I lived with the pain, thinking that it was "do-able".  That pain .... I could live with.
And then the next week came .... and with it came a new level of pain.
And I knew, that I could not live with that.
And it grew worse, day by day.
And so I gave in.
I threw in the towel.
I admitted what I did not want to admit.
I let go of the hope that the pain I had experienced in May, and June, was just a fluke.  I let go of the hope that I would not feel that pain again.
And I called the doctor.

And so I start this new med tomorrow.
Why tomorrow?
Because he would rather I (and all patients) start it on a Sunday night, so that if I experience serious side effects, I can see him on Monday .... rather than go to an ER on Saturday.
Wow.

So I am hoping .... and praying.
And we all know (or hopefully know .... go back to Dec. 18, 2007 if you don't know) my thoughts on prayer.
And yet .... I pray.
And hope.

And ask you to hope with me.
And pray for me.
In spite of ..... well, you know.
Just .... in spite of.

Thanks, Peeps.
And Happy Sunday.
:)

Like Sand Through The Hour Glass ....

.... so are the white sandy beaches of Destin.

It's beautiful here.
And hot.
Quite hot.
So it's a good thing I live in south Texas and am used to heat and 143% humidity.

But the beaches are beyond beautiful.
And that is something that is never, ever said about the beaches in Texas.
Well, unless one loves brown sand ..... and water.
But hey .... at least we have a beach.
:)

My friend D and I flew down/over here on Saturday.
It was ...... hmmmmm, I'm trying to think of a good word here ..... (because you all know that I type as I think .... which would probably make for a very bad book) ..... let's say that Saturday was epic.
Yes, epic.
No, I don't know why I'm using that word.  It's not like that day was anything like a Cecil B. DeMille movie or anything.
No parting of any sea occurred.

But it seemed kind of epic in how many things could go wrong in just a few hours.
Nothing huge.
Just .... hugely irritating.
And frustrating.

It all started with our arrival at the lovely George Bush Intercontinental Airport (we down here still just call it "Intercontinental").
D and I had already printed off our boarding passes so we headed to security.
Where a woman who loves her job very, very much was waiting for us.
Yes, Peeps ..... that was dripping with sarcasm.

This woman, whom I will now refer to as UCF (Ultimate Control Freak) kept yelling out to all of the innocent people waiting in line, "Take everything out of your pockets!!  Wallets! Coins! Phones! EVERYTHING!!!"
She was the pocket gestapo.
I had no pockets so I just put all of my stuff on the conveyor belt and went through the simple security check.
D, however, was caught red handed.
And made to pay the price.

She carried, in her back pocket ....... are you ready?  It was horrible, really....  prepare yourselves ..........
her boarding pass.

Yes, she had a folded piece of paper in the pocket of her jeans.
And UCF was P***ED off!
To put it mildly.
D's family has no idea how close they came to never seeing her again.
It was kind of like a scene out of "Midnight Express".

She squinted at D and snarled (she may have even had a bit of spittle down the corner of her mouth) .... "Got anything in your pockets?",  to which D answered .... as she removed it and showed UCF ...., "Only my boarding pass."
That's when it seemed that UCF's head spun around.
And a demonic voice came out of her mouth.
(Why yes, I did major in Theatre .... why do you ask?)
"I TOLD YOU TO TAKE EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR POCKETS!!!  Now you have to go through here!! ..... and she pointed to the new-ish security scan cubicle where some person sitting in a closet can see your inner-most thoughts .... and body parts.
D looked at her and said, "It's a piece of paper.  It's just a piece of paper."
I'm glad that I was in the other line, where all of the "good" people went and was busy putting my shoes on and my things back inside my bag or I would have surely been undone by what seemed to be D's imminent demise .... or imprisonment.
UCF snarled again .... only snarlier .... "I.  Said.  EVERYTHING!"
I think D may have muttered something about never having had to do that before, but I'm guessing that since she's sleeping in the bed next to me at the moment, whole and healthy .... she kept those words pretty quiet.

So just beware ..... if you ever have to go through security at IAH in the A terminal ..... the war lord(ess) of security works there.
Or maybe just a woman who longs to run up the corporate ladder .... all the way to the C terminal.
Either way, she's a very bitter woman.

After passing through there with all limbs and tongues intact (see: "Midnight Express") we headed to our gate to take what was ..... and would be ..... our first and final trip with US Air.
I'm not sure I have ever been through a slower boarding process in my life.
I think I could've stood in line, stepped out of line, caught a cab, gone home, made a loaf of bread, caught another cab back to the airport, gone through security hell with absolutely nothing in my pockets, and stepped back in line ..... before they were ready to board my row.
(Yes, a Theatre major .... quit asking me!)

US Air likes to call their row sections "Zones".
D and I were in Zone 5.  Out of 5.
Which means that we were totally screwed.
Even though we had seats in row 14.

Zones 1 and 2 got on the plane.
In about 30 minutes.
Maybe there was some test you had to take to get into Zone 1 and I missed that.
It must've been a test to prove you have the speed of a sloth.
And .... that you can take up all of the overhead space with your baggage ... or maybe just with lots of small articles.  Like bananas.  Or sweaters.  Or tiny backpacks.

Because before the first part of Zone 3 could even get on the plane .... the overhead bins were full.
And so they announced that everybody else ..... two thirds of the flight .... would have to have their bags checked.
And the grumbling commenced.
Because if you're like me ..... I pack a carry on to ..... oh, I don't know ....... CARRY ON!!  I had my medications, my Kindle, my toiletries, my make up ..... and my clothes .... in my carry on.  I did not want those things taken away from me.
But .... I got past that.
And we all waited ..... in now a much slower line, so that we could get the little gate-checked tags put onto our carry ons/un-carry ons.
But, as I finally made it to the front of the line I saw that they were not gate-checking our bags.  Nope, they were putting  baggage tags on them and checking them through to our final destination.
Only, they never announced that.
So ..... there was no time to grab the important I-don't-want-to-lose items out of our bags.
I managed to get my Kindle out of the front pocket, but that was it.  And then my bag was gone.
My nice, never-before-thrown-into-the-belly-of-a-plane-bag.

And it was at that moment that I knew.
I will never use this airline again.
As God is my witness ..... I, nor any of my kin, will ever go hungry ...... ummmmm ... wait .... (sorry, went a bit off there) ...... will ever fly US Air again.
And that was only the beginning.

Seeing that it is now 1:08 a.m. I am going to end this post.
And leave you wanting more.
Well, hopefully.

Peace out, Peeps.
And happy Tuesday.
:)

Guess Who Came ....

... a knockin' on our door this weekend?
The PURGE!!!
He's back and this time .... it's serious.

I decided to tempt the two Sons to clean out the attic.  In our home, tempting means .... money.  Moola.  Green backs.  Cold, hard cash.

The Sons, being the teenage consumers that they are ..... accepted the offer.
Yay.
For.
Me.

It was a huge job.  I went into the attic yesterday morning with Son #2 to show him what was to stay and what was to go.  I put sticky notes on everything that stayed.  I did not use a lot of sticky notes.

The boys decided to divide the job in half.  I told them there would be a bonus if the job was finished by tonight.  Son #2 started his half yesterday.  Son #3 started his half today.
And I am proud to announce that they both finished cleaning out the entire attic .... an attic that is by no means small.  And was filled with lots and lots and lots of stuff.  And a good amount of crap.

So yay for them.  They were paid handsomely and I took them out to dinner tonight.  They earned it.

I had told them to bring everything not sticky-noted down into the garage.  I thought it would maybe fill one side of the garage (so I could still park my car inside).  Well, did it fit into one side of the garage?  Of course not.  :-p

Here are the pictures I took tonight.  About one or two rows of this stuff/junk/crap is from my purging inside the house.  The rest is from the attic.


               This picture was taken from inside the house, looking across the garage:

                               This one is taken from the other side of the garage, towards the house (this is where I     should be able to park my car.  Ha!!!)

                     A shot from outside the garage on one side:

                              A picture from the other side:

So ..... anyone want a 10 foot Christmas tree?
An aquarium?
A gerbil cage?
A hamster cage?
A guinea pig cage?
A litter box?
A hot rock for a pet turtle?
Tax files from 1989 until the present?  Yes, one could say that Jim, being the true-blue accountant that he was, was a bit .... a-hem, anal about keeping records.
Me?  Ummmmmm .... not so much.
You know that phrase about someone spinning in their grave?  I often tell the kids/friends that, if Jim were in a grave, he would indeed be spinning.  And yes, probably only the widowed-Peeps will think that is hilarious.  All the rest of you will just nervously wonder if I'm OK.
Not to worry ..... we enjoy our own senses of humor ..... death humor, immensely.  You don't have to.
Really.   :)

I picked up the Purge bug today and hit more closets and drawers.  You know, those junk drawers that have everything, and more, in them?  Well, mine are looking pretty empty.
Deep, deep contented sigh .....

I also purged some more clothing.
Mine, as well as Jim's.
And it felt ok.
In fact, it felt ..... well, it didn't really feel like much of anything.  Just that it was time to clear out space and to get rid of things that no one here was ever going to use.
The kids have gone through his clothing and picked what they wanted, so the rest was just ..... hanging around.
I did keep all of his biking shirts.  I'm not sure why.  But I did.
For now.

Yesterday I was able to hang out with my wonderful friends, J & J.  They were being visited by two friends from Oklahoma.
One day, years and years and years ago, this couple came to visit them.  J realized that this girlfriend, whom she went to high school with, had gone to Oklahoma State at the same time I was there .... and that we were in the same sorority!  Small world.
So yes, I know B and now her husband, S.  They have visited several times over the years and I love spending time with everyone.
We girls went out to get pedicures yesterday.  Believe me, my feet were in dire need of one.

Pretty nice, huh?  :)

                      This is J piloting his new boat.  He sold a ski boat and bought a very nice pontoon boat.
        You know, an old person's boat.  I absolutely love it!!  So yes, I guess I'm officially old.

                     It was a great afternoon to go riding around on the lake:

                         This is B, looking out from on top of the boat dock.  Yes, it really felt as peaceful as it
                               looks:

So that was my weekend.  My back is tired, my body is pooped.  But I feel like we accomplished a lot.  It was a very good weekend.

Life is good.
Very.

Happy Sunday, Peeps.
:)

Thank you .... yet again.

     So .... it's been very interesting to see the comments regarding friends. I guess we can all define "friend" in different ways. But I think we need to be careful when we're so stringent with our definition that we limit our blessings.

     I have many friends. Actually, too many to count. They are not acquaintances, they are not just people I wave to once in a while, they are true friends.

     My definition of a friend is someone I care about- a lot (so of course it's someone one I know). A friend is someone on whom I can call --- for anything -- and know that this person will help me, willingly and without keeping an account of how many times I've asked.

A friend is someone for whom I would do the same. A friend is someone I support and encourage and who does the same --- no matter how far apart we are, how many times a month we talk with each other, how much we share -- or don't share -- our feelings.

No. Matter.

     I have friends whom I don't get to see very often, but when we do see each other we pick right up. And if I ever needed anything, I could call these friends and they'd be there for me. They don't "require" huge investments of my time, deeds or stated feelings. They are my friends because we care about each other --- even with my shortcomings and lack of ability to emote unselfishly. They like me because I'm me.

     And now I need to thank many of these friends. Because they've done some great things for me lately.

     I had 2 wonderful friends go with me to visit Son #2, because they knew it would be a difficult weekend and wanted to be there for me.

     

     I had several friends come to my house after Ike hit and they trimmed my tree, removed it from the hole, patched the hole in my roof, raked my yard, cut up all of the huge branches all over my yard, stacked the new logs on my corner, bagged up every thing that had fallen ..... and put the bags on my corner. It was a lot of work on a Sunday afternoon. And my yard was full of people. People who knew I had a mess and that I was upset and who wanted to help. I didn't ask a single one of them to come ..... but they did.

     I have a friend who had a generator and so made coffee for me and my mom and brought it to us in the mornings.

     I had a friend come and rescue us in the middle of the storm Saturday morning and take my mom, my son and me to his house where we could enjoy light and the news with their generator.

  

     I had friends invite me over just so that I could leave the house and be distracted.

     I had friends who froze water (in what seemed to be all of their available containers (they had power) ) and brought it to me daily. She also made me chocolate chip muffins. And took some of my freezer stuff so that I wouldn't lose everything.

     I have friends from all over the country who called to check in on me and see if we were OK or if we needed anything. They also volunteered to let us stay with them.

     I have a friend who volunteered to bring me a generator --- from Oklahoma.

     I have friends who bought food, batteries, water, ice, coffee, etc. for me.

     I have friends who came over to help me celebrate Son #3's birthday when he was depressed that his dad wasn't here.

     I have friends who celebrated (and still do) with me when the power came back on.

     I could go on and on. I'm sure I'm leaving out hundreds of deeds and people.

I don't know what your many definitions of "friend" are. All I know is that I have more than one person should have.

And that God has blessed me abundantly with them.

And that I need them --- He knew I would need them --- and I hope that I can give back to them even a quarter of what they've given to me.

     Here are some pictures of a few of my friends (if I had carried my camera around more over the years I would have hundreds of these):