Sunshine and Warmth!

On Tuesday I got up and got dressed and it was such a beautiful day.  The sun was shining, the temps were near 60 degrees!  I went to St. Louis and Alton shopping with Daddy Tom, Momma Rosie and my Aunt Louis.  We always have a great time and it’s great to get out of the house!!  We always laugh and laugh.  I know now where I get my craziness from .. it’s apart of my gene pool on the Jackson side!  We went shopping and as always daddy takes us all out to lunch.  Tuesday’s treat was Ponderosa!  OH it’s so good and the best part is daddy Tom gets cake and doesn’t want his icing so I get to eat it!   

Later that night I heard sirens and saw the lights and I went outside to look and it appeared to be at my Aunt Barb’s .. Please remember her in pray as she is on life support and not doing very good. 

Wednesday was another beautiful day and with the sun shining I spent as much time as I could outside.  I even got all the snow and ice cleaned off my back patio.  It’s been months since it’s been that clean from snow and ice!  Later in the afternoon Daddy and Mommy showed up to pick me up and we went to visit Aunt Louis.  Had a great visit and that evening my precious jewels came to spend the night .. so I got a double treat! 

Thursday .. wow the temps went really high with a high of 68 degrees!  It almost feels like summer!  I had to get up early and get the grand kids ready for school and drop them off before I could start my day.  I rode to Jacksonville with Daddy and Mommy and we had a great day.  Found a new thrift store called the Attic and got me some good deals.  I needed some pillow cases really badly and they had em for a .25 cents! 

On our way home we stopped at Aunt Louis and visited and Aunt Pearl was there so it was icing on the cake to get to see her.  I got some more bad news .. my brother in law passed away yesterday.  RIP Rusty Blackburn .. he had been very sick and in lots of pain for sometime and his wish finally came true.  He is now in heaven with his beloved wife (my sister) Rosemary who passed away 2 years ago this coming March.  It seems that with every good thing in my life there is always a bad thing right behind it. 

Later in the evening the weather took a turn for the worse and the winds picked up and the electric kept going on and off.  Wow, Mr Wind sounds like he is coming through the walls.  There are tornado warnings and wind adversary’s everywhere .. it’s a good night to just curl up on the couch and snuggle with my babies.  none of them are enjoying the sound of the wind.  One of the shutters on the outside of house is just a banging and I’ve noticed several shingles in the yard   Looks like this spring I’m gonna have to find someone to come replace those missing shingles.

I enjoyed the warm weather while it lasted and it gave me a taste of spring that I am so looking forward too.  But it appears Mr. Winter is not ready to leave and it’s going to continue to get colder with temps back in the single digits next week!

I will just take what life has to offer and when it’s lemons .. I will just make lemon aide!!

How Do I Begin …

I titled my blog today with the title of a poem that my niece Amy wrote for her loving brother who we recently lost.  It is so how I feel about writing this blog post.  It was a year ago today that we pulled out of Ajo AZ to head home because of some personal issues with our oldest son and grand kids.  So much has happened in my life this past year.  Some of it not good.  It feels like my life has been on a roller coaster ride the past several years and there has been much grief, hurt and pain in my life.  There has been happiness as well, but the happiness seems less then good.  I am thankful for my faith and being able to trust that my heavenly father has given me the strength to endure this ride.  God has embraced me and I know that this too shall pass and in the end I will become a much stronger person.  I have held together as God created a strong endurable woman when he created me.  God blessed me with gifts of courage, to be strong and stand up fight for my family and beliefs.  That is what I have done this past year.  There have been days when I have been weary and wondered if I could go on but my father always picks me up and holds me tight.  I can feel my  father encouraging me to be strong.  God has blessed me with a wonderful family and friends whom I have leaned upon (you know who are).

 

I know that there are many ruff roads ahead as I am still dealing with several issues, including health but as I have always done my entire life.  I will stand strong on my faith and in the end I will learn from my experiences and I will become a better person because I endured.  I have learned that as long as I lean upon my faith, trust and believe “with God all things are possible” I am living proof.

It’s been one ruff winter with lots of snow, severely cold temps and lots of hibernating!  Lots of back, neck and knee pains I have been experiencing.   I have accepted the fact that pain is apart of my life and enduring it is all I can do.  We’ve had snow 1-2 times a week any where from a dusting to up to 10” and we’ve went weeks with below freezing temps and a lots of below zero temps!  If temps reached the low 20’s it’s felt like a heat wave!  Were dealing with high utility cost due to the extreme cold temps as most of the nation is!

looking out my back door .. this is the view I have experienced most of the winter

On a good note something I have been doing when the weather permits is getting to visit with family members that I haven’t spent time with in years!  Every afternoon Papa Tom and Momma Rosie picks me up and we head to my Aunt Louise house to drink soda (me) and coffee (them).  We have a great time visiting and sometimes I get blessed with my other aunt’s Pearl and Betty, and cousin Carrie coming by and saying hello.  I’ve come to enjoy these moments this winter.  Their the highlight of my day.   I’ve also started playing Bunco every other Tuesday night with family and I’ve enjoyed that.

This is the grand dog Oreo who is normally an outside dog but because the temps have been so cold he has become an inside dog.  Oreo seems to be enjoying the indoors, although he does get bored and likes to be put back outside during the day if the sun is shining.  He barks to come inside and he barks to go outside

I’ve always been blessed to get to spend lots of great time spoiling Hurricane Hailey and Tornado Toby my precious grand jewels!  I’ve missed the warm temps and being outdoors this winter but in return I have to admit it’s been worth it with the memories and love I have been blessed with. 

My winter has been spent spending time with family and wishing for warmer weather.  I’m so ready for Spring and being able to get outdoors.  I guess you could say that I’m starting to get back into the life style of living in one place.  I have to admit my heart yearns and misses traveling but I have to also admit I have missed some wonderful memories with family members that are no longer with us.  Traveling is like anything else you give up some things to gain others and the same with living in one place.  Right now because of circumstances in life I am giving up my hearts desire of seeing and exploring new places in exchange for memories with family members that I love very much.  Regardless of bad or good situations that have been thrown my way and weather I am living my life in an RV traveling and exploring new places or living in my dad’s home.  I am truly blessed because regardless where I am living, I am still a child of God’s and I am living my life the best possible way that I can to honor my father and in return my heart is being filled with memories that I will always hold dear to me.  That is what the true meaning of life is.   Hope your all have a great winter.

In Memory of Bubba who may be gone but will never be forgotten

Today we had the memorial service for nephew Little Larry .. of course the weather did not corporate and we had severe cold, snow, ice and the roads were terrible.  But even Ole man winter did not stop us from celebrating our beloved Little Larry’s life. 

We had lots of pictures  of his life

We setup a memory tree with cards for guest to share a favorite memory with for his dad and sister to go back later and look at

My aunts and cousins always go together and get a angel when there is a death in the family

The service was started out with the song “I Will Rise”  by Chris Tomlin ..

My brother Larry and his daughter Amy lit a candle to start the service off with

My husband Lenny did the ministerial part of the service … He welcomed friends and family

My niece Amy read a poem she wrote for her little brother

How do I begin to say Goodbye

to someone who’s so dear

Someone I have always loved

who wiped away my tears

No matter what came my way

whether happiness or pain

you were always on my side

Your love I felt so plain

 

Family and friends meant everything

you always had their backs

No matter what you’d be right there

That was a well known fact

 

How do I begin to say Goodbye

I’m really not so sure

To someone who I love deep

so complete and so pure

 

My children ask a lot about you

I tell them everything

the good, the bad, the happy, the sad

I don’t want to miss a thing

dad and I have this covered

don’t worry about it any

They’ll know exactly who you were

for the stories we have plenty

Ho do I begin to say Goodbye

it makes my heart so heavy

There’s so much I want to say

my heart just isn’t ready

 

Your contagious laugh, and great smile

are among the things I’ll miss

But most of all it’s simply hearing

the words, I love you sis

Although we were miles apart

we shared a special bond

I felt it every time we talked

Now, I feel it from beyond

 

So there’s no need to say Goodbye

You’re with me every day

I’ll simply say “I love you Bubba”

See you again some day

Then the memorial DVD played with songs

Lenny read scriptures and gave words of comfort to the family.  something Lenny said that myself and many of us will never forget is .. We have pain right now, pain turns to memories and memories turn to love.  Our love we have for Little Larry will never leave our hearts.  So in truth Little Larry will always remain with us even though his soul has passed from this earth.  What an amazing gift of words to the family. 

Larry and Amy gave each other a long stem Rose in memory of Little Larry

we had a wonderful meal after the service and shared many memories and stories of our beloved

Our Aunts were there to support us .. We draw our strength from these very strong ladies

All of dad’s kids .. Larry, Patty, sitting L-R Cheryl, Jimmy, me, Ronnie and Rosie

Of course as always in the Jackson family lots of love going on

Patty and me kissing Larry

Larry kissing our sister in law Cindy (my brother Jimmy’s wife)

Larry with his daughter Amy and her family .. It was a day filled with tears of sadness, tears of joy and lots of love as we remembered and honored our beloved Little Larry. 

Bubba fly high and know that even though you have departed this earth, you will never leave our hearts.  Our memories we shall cherish until we meet again on the other side.  Your work here on earth is done .. God has called you home so spread your wings and fly high.  RIP Bubba!