State Speller

First off, good news! Our HHS student 2nd in AA State UIL Spelling. She scored 94 and improved her finish from 6th last year to 2nd this year.

We had a good time and enjoyed the state meet. We let her choose where to eat and exactly what activities she wanted to do. That's her reward for working so hard. So, we ate at Joe's Crab Shack on Town Lake. That's her favorite.

We went back to verify and await results. She was nervous. When she got her paper, she saw her score - 94. She didn't know what to make of it. It was higher than last year's score, but was it enough to place this year? An acquaintance, also from a 2-A school, said she had seen another 94 and a 97. So, we were understandably optimistic, yet concerned.

As the director began calling out the places, we knew that she'd placed fourth or higher, then, when she wasn't third, we knew she must have placed 2nd. What a wonderful surge of pride came over us all!

As always, the state meet was congested, but that’s its nature. It's good practice for the actual college experience--no parking, no place to sit, walking long distances, curt people. After having conquered this, I think she'll do fine.

She was given a super send-off on Friday. It bolstered her confidence. What a testament she is to goal-setting! I am hoping to have a Spelling team there next year because I know she’ll be going back and we might as well take others with her.

State UIL

Today is the day that UIL students should work for all year long. It is State UIL at tu (ugh) in Austin. We have one magnificent young lady who has earned her way to State this year.

She is only a junior and this is her second trip. I order her study materials in the summer and they come in right at the first of school. She begins studying immediately so that she can get a head start on learning her spelling words. She is amazing. Her dedication is unsurpassed at HHS.

So, today, we go to State. Tomorrow she tests. Hopefully, she'll improve her placing this year over last year although last year's place was respectable. She's shooting to win it all. I know she can, too. We'll find out results tomorrow at 3 p.m. As always, I'm requesting a little prayer for her.

Testing

We are currently in the midst of the annual chaos called TAKS testing that someone in our state government deemed as "the" test of student skills.

I think it is really just a minimal skills test. I'm told that the questions are written questions for each subject area of the test. If a child has a problem reading or comprehending, then they are in a pickle. For some, the test is very elementary. For others, it is a challenge. In either event, the test puts pressure on the students to perform (especially at the exit level). Some students take the test seriously because they realize the ramifications of passing it (or not). Others just blow it off as yet another chance to fail. We all know that some students do not perform well on tests.

Linking the TAKS test scores to the school's report card dictates that the powers that be require a great performance on the tests. That, in turn, means that teachers must teach to the test rather than being able to teach the content that will truly interest the students. The teachers are unable to share the things they have learned and experienced in each of their disciplines in the manner that the students learn best. What emerges is a cattle call. Driving the students through the gates of TAKS objectives learning so that they can perform. It becomes a trickle down effect from the Texas Legislature, to TEA, to the school board, to the superintendent, to the principal, to the teachers, to the students. All entities feel the heat.

I remember some of my teachers who shared their stories of bygone experiences and distant travels. They used these to bring the world a little closer to home and make my learning more relevant. Not only did they keep my attention, they kept me engaged in the learning process so that I could clearly see the usefulness of what I was learning. I have to ask: Does the TAKS test allow for the same? I think not.

I agree that students must learn a prescribed set of objectives like our TEKS outline. I also think that we should expect the very best from our students. When we do, they tend to give their very best. However, to take the opportunity away to experience greater material and ideas than those presented on the TAKS test is a disservice to our teachers and to our students. Is this what is best for our students?

No wonder that great teachers leave the profession because of frustration. They come in expecting to share their learning and to impart their wisdom only to be told that their students must score well on the TAKS test. . . or else.

Those of us who teach elective classes are somewhat relieved, however, we also must reinforce the learning from other disciplines within our classes. So, even we are not really off of the fire.

Please keep our little students and our teachers in your thoughts and prayers this week as they take and pass their TAKS tests so that they can prepare to be our future leaders. Does that not sound odd? Think about that for a while.

There must be a better way.

Update

Brit and J. P. have their embryos-- one is a 4AA and another really good one. Sounds like grading eggs doesn't it? I got to see pictures of the embryos. They look like circles about the size of a quarter or maybe half dollar with little indentions on their surface. Of course, they are not that size at all. The images are enlarged and enhanced so that the embryologist can make decisions about them. It is so hard to imagine seeing my grand-embryos. What wonderful advancements the medical and science fields have made!

They'll know on Monday whether they attached or not. Brit said that the J. P.-sized embryo and its partner would probably be hungry and attach themselves to find something to eat. So, like me, she's expecting the best outcome.

They have a little nephew named Kall. He is a hoot! He's five and very precocious. Kall has an idea that Aunt Bit and Uncle Bay-P are having twins. He told J. P.'s mother, whom he calls Honey, that he thought they should be named Ashley and Max. So, that's how Brit and J. P. have been referring to the embryos. That's so cute!

The doctor told them that she was able to freeze five good embryos. That is way more than they expected to have. They were thrilled.

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers as she is on bed/recliner rest this week. Monday is coming soon, yet is so far away. We're hanging our hopes on Cinco de Mayo.

Anticipation

Today is the day for which we've been waiting a long time. We didn't know the date exactly. We just knew that ONE day, we would get the news.

Brit and J. P. have gone to Bedford today to pick up their embryo. Today is the day that the transfer takes place. Today is the day that will forever change their lives (and mine).

The anticipation has made us anxious, but now that it's here, elation takes its place. I pray that God sees fit for everything else in the future to go as well.

If any two people ever deserved to be parents, those two do. They will make great parents.
They are cautiously excited about the prospect of becoming parents, but, heck, I have thrown caution to the wind. I'm downright giddy.

Please keep all of them in your prayers.

Crazy

The spring is a time of excitement. New growth; warmer weather; nice breezes. Springtime gives us a sense of renewal. Then, why don't I feel renewed?

With the spring also comes a whirlwind of activity. Since I'm a teacher, I know firsthand how crazy spring can be. We have softball, baseball, track, tennis, golf, powerlifting, Ag contests, UIL contests, OAP contests, pre-registration for the fall, prom festivities, TAKS testing, cheerleader tryouts, banquets for every conceivable organization, the push to get all the seniors graduated (no easy task), the typical spring sap rising (arguments, fights, general chaos amongst the kids), summer plans to be made, meetings, meetings, and more meetings.

This organized chaos makes me tired. I'm wishing for June to hurry up! As I've said before, I've got a know it my rope and I'm hanging on like crazy.

Within

“What lies behind us

and what lies before us

are tiny matters

compared to

what lies within us.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Pepe Le Pew

Late last night, we had an unwelcome visitor. Like most nights, I let our doggie daughter, Cindy, outside. Instead of taking her to the front yard, for some reason, I let her out the back door that leads onto the carport. She ran just as fast as she could to the yard.

While I was waiting for her, I noticed something outside the corner of my left eye. I suspected that it was the stray cat who likes to curl up there.

No, no, that was not the case. As I looked beyond the exercise bike and weight system, I saw little black feet moving toward the far corner. They were not cat feet. Then, I saw a tall wispy tail moving slowly back and forth. You guessed it, it was a skunk.

I called for my husband to come and help me, but because of the “wind tunnel” that we live with, he didn’t hear me thus he didn’t respond. So, I’m left to my own devices to deal with our guest.

I called Cindy to come to me hoping that she would not notice nor investigate the skunk. Good luck! She ran so hard and fast that she blew right by him without so much as a glance.

Once I had her safely in the house, I closed the door and marched in to get my husband. He jumped up and grabbed the rifle. I’m thinking, “You can’t shoot that skunk on the carport!” Recognizing my apparent thoughts, he said, “I’ll wait till he gets in the yard.”

So, we go to the doorway and peek outside. The skunk is still there. My husband knocks on the inside of our door to scare the skunk. He’s not affected. Next, I press the lock button on my key fob so that the horn on my car will honk. I do this several times and it appears that the skunk is deaf. He’s still not affected.

I retire to the bedroom to let my husband handle the situation. I hear a gun shot. Okay, he’s shot the skunk. No, no, he shot just to scare the skunk away. That skunk has nerves of steel. He’s not going anywhere. He’s still inspecting everything on the carport.

My husband gives up and turns in, too. We figure the skunk will just go away.

Now picture this, it’s a nice spring night. Our windows are up to let the cool breezes in. Sleeping is good. Middle of the night. . . wake up to the odor of a skunk. Strong. . .stronger. . .whew-wee! It finally subsides since the breezes are streaming in from the northwest.

As I leave to go to work, I exit through that same carport door. This time, I get a strong whiff of the skunk smell. Yep, he’s unloaded somewhere in our carport. Now, the entire back of the house, my car, my husband’s pickup and everything else there smells like our uninvited, unwelcome guest, Pepe Le Pew.

We had a fire drill at school this morning and all of the kids evacuated the building to the other side of the street where my car was parked. One after another, they exclaimed, “Smell that skunk?”

Sheepishly, I said, “Yep, yep, I do. It’s my car!” Now, I've got that smell caught in my nose hairs. That's all I can smell. Skunk. My classroom smells like skunk; the kids smell like skunk; I smell like skunk; everything smells like skunk. I hope it wears off soon because people don’t like to be around you if you smell like skunk, you know.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Nostalgia

I received the following in a Powerpoint with Ronnie Millsap's song "Lost in the Fifties" playing in the background. A sweet nostalgia surrounded me as I listened to it. Enjoy!

Try to remember. . .

Close your eyes. . .and go back.

Go back.

. . . Before the Internet or PC or the MAC. . .

. . . Before semi-automatics and crack. . .

. . . Before Playstation, SEGA, SuperNintendo, even before Atari. . .

. . . Before cell phones, CD’s, DVD’s, voicemail and e-mail. . .

. . . Go way back. . . way. . . way. . . way. . . back. . .

I’m talkin’ ‘bout hide and seek at dusk

Red light, Green light

Red Rover. . . Red Rover. . .

Playing kickball and dodgeball until we dropped. . .

Ring around the Rosie

London Bridge

Hot potato

Hop Scotch

Jump rope

You’re it!

Parents stood on the front porch and yelled (or whistled) for you to come home – no pagers or cell phones.

Take one giant step. . . May I?

Seeing shapes in the clouds.

Endless summer days and hot summer nights (no A?C) with the windows open.

The sound of crickets.

Running through the sprinkler.

Cereal boxes with that GREAT prize in the bottom.

Cracker jacks with the same thing.

Ice pops with 2 sticks you could break and share with a friend

. . . but wait. . . there’s more. . .

Watchin’ Saturday morning cartoons Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Mighty Mouse, and Bugs Bunny.

Prime time brought Sky King, Fury, Lassie, The Lone Ranger, National Velvet, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Red Skelton, and the Wonderful World of Disney

Catchin’ lightning bugs in a jar.

Christmas morning.

Your first day of school.

Bedtime prayers and goodnight kisses.

Climbing trees.

Swinging as high as you could in those long swings to try and reach the sky.

A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers.

Jumpin’ down the steps.

Jumpin’ on the bed.

Pillow fights.

Runnin’ home from the western movie you just saw ‘til you were out of breath.

Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.

Being tire from PLAYING.

WORK: meant taking out the garbage, cutting the grass, washing the car, or doing the dishes.

Your first crush.

Your first kiss (I mean the one that you kept you mouth CLOSED and your eyes OPEN)

Rainy days at school and the smell of damp concrete and chalk erasers

Oh, I’m not finished yet. . .

Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer.

So was a swig from the hose.

Giving your friends a ride on your handlebars of your bike.

Attaching pieces of cardboard to your bike frame to rub against your spokes.

Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school.

Class field trips with soggy sandwiches.

When nearly everyone’s mom was at home when the kids got there from school.

When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance, and another quarter a MIRACLE.

When ANY parent could discipline ANY kid, or feed him, or use him to carry groceries. . . and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.

When your parents took you to the cafeteria and it was a real treat.

When being sent to the principal’s office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited you at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn’t because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. We simply did not want our parents to get mad at us.

Didn’t that feel good? Just to go back and say, “Yeah, I remember that!” Well, let’s keep going!!

Let’s go back to the time when. . .

Decisions were made by going “eeny-meeny-miney-mo”

Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, “do over!”

“Race issues” meant arguing about who ran the fastest.

Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.

It wasn’t odd to have two or three “best” friends.

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.

Nobody was prettier than Mom.

Scrapes and bruises were kissed by mom and made better.

Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

Abilities were discovered because of a “double-dog-dare”

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.

The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.

Water balloons were the ultimate, ultimate weapon.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived during a more pleasant simpler time!

I wonder how many of you who have read this, remember all of these things. I know some of you are my vintage.

The story has ended.

Those of you who remember will have lived in an era that no one else will ever experience. The era has passed and slowly those of us who lived it are passing also. If you do not remember, then ask your parents, grandparents or great grandparents. We went from AM radio to the stars. Your era is here, be part of it. Make it worthwhile for future generations to build on. Keep God in your lives. We did.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

A day well spent

If you planted hope today in any hopeless heart,

If someone’s burden was lighter because you did your part,

If you caused a laugh that chased a tear away,

If tonight your name is mentioned when someone kneels to pray,

then your day was well spent.

Peggy

Last week, I had an opportunity to see an old friend, Peggy, who lives three hours away. She and her mother, Betty, came to visit my mother in the hospital.

Although we keep in touch by e-mail, we haven’t seen each other in several years, but it was like we had never been apart. In just a very few minutes, we were all caught up. She brought pictures of her son and her extended family.

Her parents moved to the Lamkin area when she was a very small child. Her dad ran a ranch here until they moved back to Eden. Our families were great friends. We used to visit each other almost every day. Betty made the best cornbread and gravy in the world. She served us on her square plates. I thought they were so neat. Mom considered Betty the sister she never had.

Peggy has an older brother, Bobby, who is between my brothers in age. The boys were always close and had tons of fun together. I thought it was neat that their names were Johnny, Betty, Bobby, and Peggy. You know, double letters and all.

Anyway, when Peggy was learning to talk, she couldn’t say my name. She called me “Bun”. Her dad perpetuated the name and needless to say, it stuck.

Peggy is the only person I know who got married and her last name never changed.

Even though they were only here for a day, we vowed not to let time pass so long before seeing each other next time. I hope we stick to it.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Big Brother

Today, our technology crew came in and installed a new program that is designed to let the teacher monitor all of the students’ computers. I can

see their screens,
take control of their computer,
allow them to vote,
run a program from my computer or theirs,
limit their internet use or limit other programs that I don’t want them to use,
limit their printing,
show them my screen,
show them another student’s screen,
take a snapshot of their screen,
message them,
chat with them,
collect files from them,
shut them down.

It really is like George Orwell’s description of Big Brother in his book 1984. The kids hate it; I love it. It really makes monitoring their work much easier. I tell them that I’m watching them. They comment that it’s Communist. I just laugh. It’s too cool.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Hollow

I haven't written in several days because I just feel hollow. I know that feeling will subside, but until it does, please understand and pray for me.


"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Mom

The following is the eulogy that I gave at Mother's funeral yesterday. I thought that I'd share it with you so that you could get a sense of who she was.

Thank you for coming today to celebrate the life of Lemine Louise Massingill Stephens. She was born in Comanche County, Texas on November 29, 1924 to Johnie Marie Tally Massingill and William Lemma “Lemmie” Massingill both of whom are deceased.

On December 21, 1940, she married J. Wayland Stephens in Comanche, Texas. She passed away on Friday, March 28, 2008 at the age of 83.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and two grandsons, Joni Lynn Stephens and Shannon Chad Stephens.

Lemine had four children, all of whom survive her: Gayland Jay Stephens and his wife, Ella Faye of Hamilton; Rickie Don Stephens, and his wife, Gloria, of Comanche; Brenda Gail Stephens Andrews, and her husband, Kenneth of Hamilton; and Karen Kay Stephens Price and Rick Price of Gatesville.

Her grandchildren are Jana O’Neal and husband, Randy, of Weatherford; Dana Chancellor and husband, Tommy, of College Station; Dr. Tonya Stephens and fiancée, Dave Cyplik, of Ocala, Florida; Brett Stephens and fiancée, Elizabeth Sanderson, of Early; Dr. Rena Dunahoo and husband, Nick, of Lake Belton; Britney Aaron and husband, J. P., of Cranfills Gap; Chad Andrews of Texas A & M; Whitney Posey, Lexi Price and Nick Price, all of Gatesville, Tyler Price of Corpus Christi, Coltyn Price of Graham, and Tierra Campbell of Waco.

In addition, she has seven great-grandchildren: Riley O’Neal, Jaret O’Neal, Layton Chancellor, Aaron Chancellor, Addison Dunahoo, John Simon Waller and Cooper Waller.

She lived almost her entire life in Comanche and Hamilton Counties within a twenty mile stretch. However, there was a period of time during World War II, when she lived in Kilgore, Texas while Dad was stationed at Camp Fannin.

During her lifetime, she worked as a telephone operator, as a clerk at Garner-Alvis Department Store, a seamstress, a cook, and as a sitter for those with Alzheimer’s, including my mother-in-law.

She was named after her father, Lemmie, but she never particularly liked her name. . . Lemine Louise. She said it was too unusual. People couldn’t remember it. So, her old friends, obligingly called her “Meenie”.

As with most people, she passed through stages. Whenever we were little, she made us feel safe and secure. She was the person we ran to for comfort and solace. She was our rock. Mom’s life was one of curves and challenges that she could not anticipate. Yet, she somehow managed to cope with them and become an inspiration to us all.

Mother was a cowgirl at heart. As a child, she developed a love for horses. She rode her little horse, Old Short, the three or so miles to and from Lamkin to school from her home place north of Lamkin. She told us stories about how she would cut a green switch to work him over if he needed it. She instilled in us her love for horses. She taught us how to ride and reminded us that a horse was part of our legacy. Mom said that our grandfathers and great grandfathers were as good a horsemen as there ever were and that we should respect their legacy enough to learn the skills of horsemanship. It thrilled her when she learned that Brett was breaking and training horses.

Mom loved rodeos, too, especially bull riding. When she got to where she couldn’t go to them in person, she’d watch them on TV.

Another of Mom’s great loves was fiddle music. Her daddy, Papa Lemmie, was a fiddler. On Saturday nights, he’d join with other local musicians for home-made dances. The ladies would prepare their best dishes and the adults would dance while the kids played outside.

Her love of fiddle music probably was the reason she loved to dance. She and Dad would take us to dances when we were teens. She’d say “You’re here to dance. When you quit dancin’, we’ll go home.” All our friends loved being around her. As she got older, she continued to dance by going to the Senior Citizen dances where she was an equal opportunity dancer – she’d dance with men . . . or women, just so long as she got to dance.

Mother made do with what she had. She raised chickens and maintained a garden. Her meals were made from what she grew. She was creative, too. She’d make vinegar pies when she didn’t have fruit. We’d eat wienies and gravy at the end of the month.

On her washing days, she’d saddle up Papoose, our horse, and put me on him. After swatting him on the rear, she’d watch to see which way he went. If he took off to the left, she knew he’d take me to Harrison Ellenburg’s barn where he’d eat oats. If he took off to the right, we’d be headed to the tall green grass over Euel Eddleman’s septic tank. She’d simply call them and tell them to send me back home when she had finished her washing.

She met adversity head on. When she was thirty-nine, she thought she had a cancerous tumor. So she braced herself for the news from the doctor. It was Karen.

Mom enjoyed watching Rick and Gayland, “the boys” as she called them, play football. She never missed a single high school game. In fact, she had Karen on a Sunday and went to Gayland’s football game in Comanche that next Friday.

Mom attended our school plays. Her favorite was the Rick’s fifth grade play when he was “Hoss Cartwright”. She made costumes, helped with classroom parties and school festivities, taught Bible school, and took us to church.

Mom valued education and encouraged each of us to go to college or gain some sort of self-sustaining skill. She was so proud of her children and grandchildren and their accomplishments.

Mom was not a high maintenance woman. She liked things simple. She didn’t wear much jewelry; she didn’t much like ruffly clothes; she didn’t wear colognes.

However, Mom was a woman of strong opinions about some things. . . she did not like blue (she always told us that if we buried her in blue, she’d come back to get us). . . she hated collars. . . she didn’t like chicken no matter how it was prepared. That was as a result of eating so much of it during the “chicken raising” years.

She wasn’t complicated either. If she liked you, she liked you. If she didn’t, she didn’t. There was little doubt to which category you fit.

She found an unusual strength within following her second surgery. In the recovery room, she quipped that “now I’m the same height as Kenneth Dale.”

She said that once she “got back on her feet” (so to speak) that she could pursue a new vocation: base-board painting.

Once becoming a patient, she appointed herself the assistant nursing home administrator and assistant director of nurses at Hamilton Healthcare Center. She felt it was her duty to help the personnel with the “old” people who resided there. Many of the nurses and aides bonded with her and would spar verbally with her which was something that made her days more tolerable.

She was a high-tech grandmother. After losing her legs, the television and the cell phone were her links to the outside. She talked to her special friends, Darlene and Frankie Nell, daily and just “listened” to Karen. She could discuss with us what was going on in the world at any time because she watched the news. She was an avid sports fan, too. She followed the Dallas Cowboys and the Mavericks.

We’d go for rides together. On our outings, we’d sometimes go out to Lamkin and Gentrys Mill and Carlton to see how things had changed where she grew up. Within the past few years, Mom required that we check on the Circle T Arena’s building progress. It became her project. She thought it was a great asset to our community. Whenever the arena manager allowed us to drive inside so that she could see it, she was in awe. That’s all she talked about for weeks.

Although I’d offer her alternatives, she always wanted to go by Chicken Express to get a 5-piece catfish meal with two sides – cole slaw and corn nuggets. We’d go to a park somewhere and she’d eat every bite. While we were out, we’d pick up some Dollar store pickles, tomatoes, and Doritos to take back to the nursing home.

A while back, someone mentioned that my mother was the most optimistic person she’d ever known. She continued by relating a story that her daughter had told her. Her daughter had taken communion to Mother at the nursing home and had observed that mother was upbeat and light-hearted and required the same from those around her.

She said that if anyone in the home had any reason to be down or angry, that it would be Mother given her condition. Yet, time and again, she held a positive outlook. She handled life from then on with a lot of humor. Her demeanor served as inspiration to us all.

She was well-known by the hospital employees and doctors who marveled at how she would recover from her hospitalizations. They often referred to her “nine lives”.

Both the nursing home and the hospital were exceptionally good to her and spoiled her rotten and the family and Mom appreciate their work.

When preparing her eulogy, I asked for adjectives that described mother. Some of those adjectives included: positive outlook, big-hearted, bossy, determined, feisty, independent, jokester, jovial, a kidder, opinionated, a pill, set in her ways, spunky, strong-willed and sassy, tough and witty. Each one of these words could adequately be used.

When you think about it, the adjectives used to describe mother’s personality also describe her children. We have come to realize that the apples don’t fall far from the tree.

As we grew older, she knew that we must become self-sufficient. Mom was an only child and Dad was an only child. That meant that the four of us had no aunts, uncles, nor first cousins. Because of that, they knew that they must give us both roots and wings because we would only have each other to rely on once they were gone

To her grandchildren, she was Nonnie, and she loved them very much. They could do a lot worse than using her life’s example as an inspiration.

Last night, there was a lot of laughter at visitation. In our family, there’s always a story. We heard many more last night that we can pass along. Thank you for sharing in Mom’s special day with us. She’d be so pleased.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Decisions

Lots of people think that I am bossy and controlling. In my classroom, I would say that is probably accurate. However, outside the classroom and at home, I am different.

Ask my husband about his honey-do list and he’ll tell you that he doesn’t have one. He hardly ever has had one. Only when our schedule is impossibly crowded do I ask him for help. That’s not to say that he doesn’t help out, because he does. He takes initiative to do lots of tasks, but not because I ask or demand it.

I think it is important for people to make their own decisions based upon accurate information. I don’t mind helping obtain that information, but I don’t want anyone to make a wrong decision because I’ve skewed it.

In addition, believe it or not, I am not in charge of my social calendar. I learned early in our thirty-one year marriage that if I made plans in advance, that they would probably be changed. So, my husband and my children make our social plans. They are usually tentative and always last minute, but never-the-less they are plans. When asked, I usually let them know my preferences, but I don’t make final decisions.

They learned that when the decision is left to me, they won’t like it. For instance, when we used to go to Waco to shop or visit, I’d ask where they wanted to eat. Always, the reply was, “I don’t care.” They didn’t want to make the decision for fear of not pleasing the others. It may sound abnormal that they weren’t selfish kids who insisted on their own way, but being selfish was not their nature.

They were like the vultures perched on the limb in The Jungle Book. They would say, “What do you wanna do?”

“I dunno, what do you wanna do?”

“I don’t care, you decide.”

“No, you.”

Whenever that would happen, then I’d finally choose. . . Catfish King. Oh, the complaining I’d hear. Although they loved the food, we were always the only people in the restaurant without gray hair. So, they learned that they had to make decisions and not leave it to me because they’d have to live with mine and they wouldn’t like them.

Decision-making remains a dilemma for our family. Don’t misunderstand. The big decisions seem much easier to make. It’s only decisions that are relatively meaningless that remain a problem. It’s the “whatcha wanna do?” decisions that cause the most stress.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Re-run

I hate red tape. Yesterday, I told you that I was going for my infusion. Well, I did, but I didn't get it. When the nurse that gives me the infusion opened the package, there were only 3 vials of medicine, not the prescribed 13 vials.

To make a very long story short, I contacted the online pharmaceutical company that shipped it to me and they said that it was dispensed as prescribed and that it was the nurse's fault who ordered it for my doctor. When I approached the nurse, she, of course, said it was the pharmaceutical company's fault. You know, the fingers were pointing at each other.

So, even though a nurse called and presumably straightened it out, it is still very inconvenient. I took off from work for half a day and drove the 80 mile round trip to get it.

Needless to say, I will have to wait several days for my infusion which means that I will feel worse and worse and I'll hurt more and more before I get better. I spoke to the head of the ACS unit today and she is a doll. She said that as soon as I got it delivered to my house, to call her and she'd see that I got the infusion immediately.

The big issue is that I might not feel better by the time of Jana's wedding on Saturday. I surely hope that I do. I've been looking forward to her big day for several months.

Keep me in your prayers. I will need them and so will those around me.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Re-fueled

Today is my infusion day again. I am going to get re-fueled with "liquid gold" at Needles 'R Us. It's even more expensive than our current gasoline prices. I can tell that it is time. Although I am not nearly as sick as I sometimes am, I am getting tired and having some pain. I'll be back good as new in a day or two.

I spoke with my nurse this morning and she has everything all set up for me. I always look forward to visiting with the ACS girls. They make me laugh.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

We hurt

We hurt when our children hurt. My son e-mailed me this morning to tell me that one of his good friends at college had been killed in an automobile accident. At the time, he didn't have any details on the accident or other arrangements.

He said she was from Tyler and that her dad was a minister. He said that she was such a good friend. He said, "I absolutely loved and adored her. It really hit home. She was amazing. I played 'Sorry' with her almost every night and watched 'So You Think You Can Dance'. She offered me many great pieces of advice. I will truly miss her. Please pray for her family as well."

"I just never knew how close it could hit home. When dad says be careful I'm usually like 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever'.... now I truly understand."

Please keep him and his friends and her family in your prayers as they face this difficult time.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Patience

Whenever I was younger, I had very little patience. . . for anything. Like your typical adolescent I wanted things quickly. I didn’t want to have to wait.

As I grew in my career, I had to learn patience. My first full-time teaching assignment was in the secondary Migrant program. Those students moved from district to district throughout the year. I had to diagnose and analyze the gaps in their learning because of their migration. Often, they didn’t learn exactly as I did so I would have to determine the best way to present the material so that they could understand it. I would break the subject down into small steps, reinforce their successes and re-teach (over and over) when they didn’t grasp the ideas. Most of the time, I would just get started filling the gaps and having the student be successful at the lesson when their parents would up and move them again. From this teaching assignment, I learned that I had the capacity for developing patience. In fact, since then, I have become a very patient person.

My students and colleagues have commented that I have the patience of Job. I’m not sure about that, but I will admit that I encourage and support my students as they learn and that I am willing to re-teach (over and over) lessons until the light bulb moment. So, I would consider myself a very patient person, but it didn’t come naturally.

On the other hand, I married a man and I also have two children who do not have patience—none, nil, nix, nein, notta. I question whether they have the capacity to acquire patience. They want what they want now, if not before. We joke about it amongst ourselves. I say that whenever God passed out patience, they said “No, thanks.” Sarcastically, I call the guys “Mr. Patience” and my daughter, “Miss Patience.” My son-in-law, in contrast, has a fair amount of patience and he is not a complainer. He just goes with the flow.

I have resigned myself to accept the things I cannot change—that is, successfully teaching patience to my family. They are unmotivated learners where this virtue is concerned.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17

Fortunate

During the moment of silence we are offered every school day, I thank God for his many blessings that he bestows on my family. We are all very blessed, but my children are particularly fortunate. Perhaps it is because they are strong young people and they have postured themselves to be successful in their endeavors. Perhaps it is because they are prayerful themselves. Perhaps it is because of intercessory prayers of many of our friends and relatives. It doesn’t really matter from where their blessings originate, the fact is that God does bless them in so many ways.

Out of the blue, J. P. got a raise last month. Brit and J. P. are in the “study” which pays for many of the expenses associated with in vitro and, hopefully, that, too, will be successful in the near future. B. C. was notified last week that he got another scholarship which is enough to pay for the rest of his TAMU expenses.

Those are just the blessings of the past month or so. Just imagine what lies in store for them.

"A friend loveth at all times." Proverbs 17:17