All God's Children

How can you look at the tragedy in Haiti and not feel compassion? How can you not feel compelled to help in some way? I know we all sometimes wonder why such tragedy happens. If God loves us all, why does horrible things happen to some? I don't know that answer. I do know he loves us all and is a perfect ruler of an imperfect world. Right away I have heard and seen criticism of our country's response to the disaster. I have also seen and heard gripes about the Hope for Haiti fund raiser the other night on all the networks. I know there are people in our country in need, but how do you turn your back on your fellow man? How can you look at a poor country with distaste that when we had Hurricane Rita blow through our area, they had 4 hurricanes that same season? These people have much of nothing on a good day. I don't know. I am just trying to make sense of the tragedy and those like it. The scriptures are always a good place to turn when in doubt over anything, but I was curious as to what Bono would have to say about things. He is one of my favorite celebrities and seems to have been given a calling when it comes to describing what we as a world need to do for our fellow man. He, along with some others, wrote a song about the tragedy in Haiti. They performed it the other night on the fund raiser, but I was on the phone with my sister and missed hearing the performance. I looked up the words, and thought some of the words ring with truth for us all. I highlighted my favorite part.

When the sky falls and the Earth quakes
We gon put this back together
We won’t break
[repeat]

Sa Pa Sé, my Port-Au-Princes
my Haitian Gods and all of my Princesses
Our condolences as you fightin’ against this
we’re right by your side as we tryin’ to make sense of this
heavenly father help us see through these problems
and for those thats left accept them into your garden
so here’s my theory, the country’s already starvin’
so we sacrificed many to shed light on all of them
God please pardon, I speak from the heart
its the only way I see this tragedy befall on them
so lets get involved with them, hand to hand with them
arm to arm with them til they get strong again,
When the sky falls…

Can’t wait until tomorrow
Haiti, Mon Amour
Haiti, Mon Amour
Not gonna leave you stranded, alone, alone
oh no

[Chorus]

Learn from the past, New Orleans was flooded
So we know we just can’t rely on the government
We under the rubble again, here we go rumbling when
When we gonna catch a break, my friend lost his mother and then
And then, Carline lost her uncles and them
Buried with no caskets, they just put covers on them
And the tears fall, and we fight back
Story ain’t done, it can’t end like that
Nah not like this, tomorrow’s survivors gonna carry on your name
You live on inside us, your memory’s alive with us
You inspired us, to rebuild this country, you just guide us

It’s not the angels that are on their way
its not the bells of Santa Trinite
the people waiting, position vacant(?)
for hands to help, not just to pr

[French singing]
Haïti va s’élever
Tu vas te relever
Nous nous éléverons
Ensemble ensemble ensemble

(not gonna leave you stranded…)

we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break

Cocoa

A few months back I posted about the puppy that showed up here. She was a beautiful little chocolate lab looking puppy. She was aggravating like most puppies are, trashing the yard and jumping on you when you went outside. Randy spoiled her by bringing her in the house to sit with him. Many times both puppy and Randy would fall asleep in the recliner together. Sarah named her Cocoa. We had accepted her as the newest addition to our pet family.

I am sad to say that on January 3, I ran over Cocoa in the car. She was following me out and somehow got in front of the car. It was horrible and something I am still trying to deal with. I feel like such a puppy killer. She was warm, sweet, and loving. I hope that Cocoa rests in peace.

New Years Resolutions

I stopped making New Years Resolutions many years ago. They usually involved some form of losing weight,and I have never had much success with that. I have decided that this year I will make a few or set a few goals. They are as follows:

1. I stopped worrying about the numbers of losing weight several years ago. I now go by how my clothes feel and most importantly how I feel. I have found that if I exercise at least 4 or 5 times a week, my clothes feel loose and I feel better. I do have a size I would like to wear or I have some clothes that are snug that I want to be loose again. My fitness resolution is to keep up the 4 or 5 times a week on the elliptical and to be mindful of eating too many sugar laden products. I want to enjoy meals with my family and not feel bad when I splurge on the bad food. After all....tomorrow is another day!

2. I will strive harder to be a better wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, step mother,sister, sister-in-law, aunt, 5th grade teacher, and friend. This is a daunting task for I sometimes feel like a failure at most of the roles I have in this life. I can only try to live life in a peaceful and clean way. I ask forgiveness where I have failed. I so want to be a good example to everyone in my life. I realize that striving to be that good example involves both my physical and spiritual life, and that I must improve things in both these areas. I think that number one takes care of the physical and God and I are working together on the spiritual.

3. During Mardi Gras, I will move into a brand new school. I teach 5th grade at DeQuincy Elementary and a new school has been built(and is very near completion) that will house grades 3rd through 5th. I taught 15 years at a school that was built in the 40's. I inherited two class rooms while I was there. I always said if I could have a clean slate, I would be a more organized teacher. I am getting my wish. The school is beautiful. I have been in my classroom. It will truly be a blank slate. It is modern with the ability to be a technology progressive classroom. I guess my resolution or goal is to organize this classroom into a modern learning environment. I so want to have the joy of teaching back in my life that was taken from me 2 years ago. In all reality I will probably teach for 8 more years. That is a long time to just be going through the motions of a job, especially one where you are on stage everyday in front of children who deserve to be educated in the very best way possible.

4. I would like to be of more service to my fellow human beings. I look at the devastation in Haiti and my heart cries. I know there are just as desperate situations in many other parts of our world. I also know that probably within a 10 mile radius there is a soul in trouble. I don't know what I can do, but I do know my heart not only cries, it hears. I suppose my goal is to listen more carefully and act.

5. I would like to plant a garden. We have had small gardens in the past, but I would like to expand on that. I want to learn how to put things in jars rather than in the freezer. I also like the idea of knowing what has been used to grow the food I put into my body. A garden will provide food for us in much healthier way. A garden needs to be tended to daily, so maybe that will keep me from wasting time on Facebook. My goals: To plant, tend, and harvest a successful garden. To learn how to put up things in jars instead of in the freezer. We do not know what the hurricane season will bring, so having things in jars will relieve some of that worry.

So, there are 5 goals I have. I am sure there are many other things I could improve upon. Life is just one continuous journey of improvement. When we stop trying to improve we become stagnant and do not move forward. We must always try to move forward.

Holiday happenings.............

Christmas tree 09

This is the 3rd year that Randy and I have smoked turkeys for his family. We did 6 just like the one in the picture. On Christmas Eve, we spent the day visiting his family and delivering their turkeys.

Liam kissed Nemo when he opened it.

Liam loves cars...can you guess what this is?

Liam and Uncle Jake

Daniel got an IPod Touch in a "big" box.

When Liam comes to visit, there are always many tractor and 4wheeler rides. It was cold most days he was here so we had to bundle him up. I do not know who looks the happiest.

Christmas 09

Christmas dinner was at my sister's house this year. She some how talked my mom into it. It is the first time we have not had Christmas dinner at my parents house since my grandparents died. It was a wonderful day.

Pizza Dip, spinach dip, German Chocolate Cake...thank you Paula Deen, I mean Carla

Green bean bundles

My niece, Skylar, has been giving her cousins "Dollar Store" Christmas gifts for many years. It is always the highlight of the day. In this picture, my nephew Drake, shows off the box of Honey Buns he got from her. Her reasoning: He works at Outback. He could put one in his pocket while waiting tables and have a snack. If you look, my son Jacob, has a sock monkey on his arm. I don't know why she felt that was the best gift for him. Daniel got pens because he is in school. Sarah got cookie cutters. My niece, Tera, got what she has got every year...shampoo. My nephew, Stephen, got a shoulder belt cover that said"Wild Thing".

My niece, Tera, gave Daddy a Christmas card that was very funny!

My parent's grandchildren and great grand child

It was a wonderful day at my sister's house!