Reevaluating the New Year

It’s that time of year again. What is it that you are planning to work on? What is it in your life that you have decided needs to change? What things need your attention? This time of the year forces us to take stock of our lives, besides the incredible media push to discuss our “resolutions” for the new year. After all, we have just come through an amazing period of time where we are shown quite explicitly the miracle of just how good God has been to us each every day. « Continue reading »

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Burnt Biscuits

When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! « Continue reading »

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Let Us Labor For An Inward Stillness

Let us labor for an inward stillness–
An inward stillness and an inward healing.
That perfect silence where the lips and heart
Are still, and we no longer entertain
Our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions,
But God alone speaks to us and we wait
In singleness of heart that we may know
His will, and in the silence of our spirits,
That we may do His will and do that only

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Just Beachy

I sat with the sand between my toes last week, watching my kids tumble in a pile across the beach on a lazy vacation day.  It was the first time in years that I can remember being able to read my own book while they played amongst themselves, happily.  My eyes wandered a lot, to them, and their growing, tumbling, sand-covered bodies, fearlessly conquering the waves of the Atlantic. « Continue reading »

Mean Mom in Awe

My mom passed away two months ago. I have not been the same since. Not just because I lost her, but because of what I learned about my two college age sons.

The first thing they each said when I told them of her aggressive cancer diagnosis was, “How soon can I go see her”, halfway across the country. Neither had the time or money and neither gave it a second thought. They spent an entire weekend devoted to creating last memories with her, building a snowman in her front yard as she watched from inside with her oxygen and cane until she couldn’t contain herself anymore and ran out in socks to have a picture taken with them and the now famous snowman. They baked Christmas cookies and threw pieces of dough at each other until she joined in laughing. When they had to say their final good-byes, both were incredibly strong. « Continue reading »

New Family on the Fourth of July

We just got married June 27th. Took the kids and went to Alabama home. We have also only dated for 3 months. I came with 3 kids and he did also. So 5 boys and one girl ages 4-17. It is a great life! Kids do great together and connect well. We went to a local high school to watch fire works. They had bounce houses and games. The best part of the night was snow cones. Each child had a different color. Unknown to us, it stained your lips the color of your cone. We had red, blue, green, purple, yellow, pink and black lips.

The fire works went off at sunset. Our youngest child was scared of them. I set him on my lap explained how far away they were and told him I would protect him. He sat up, looked me in the eyes and said, “I know that” and then took my hands to hold his ears. He had a blast and has now become more of my shadow LOL. After fire works we went to the parking lot and sat for almost one hour to get out. We talked about our favorite ones. How loud and what was different this year from the past. His children had not seen them this close up in the past. They said they liked how we walked around, laughed and how silly we were when there was music. How we made more noise then anyone and each child replayed who said what LOL. It is never dull in our home!

A Tale of Two Dogs

When our daughter was going on eight years old, she asked me to help her write a sonnet about her dogs.  We sat together and I asked her a few questions.  Soon we realized the sonnet said exactly what Laura wanted to say!

A Tale of Two Dogs

I have two dogs I love with all my might.
The smartest dogs that you have ever seen.
One dog is black, the other is pure white.
To one another, they are never mean.

Whenever I come home my dogs are there.
In circles they begin to run around.
Two fluffy tails a’waggin in the air,
as if a long-lost friend had just been found

Though one dog is the color of the snow
and one dog is as black as he can be
they love each other very much and know
their color doesn’t mean a thing to me.

Some people have not learned all dogs are smart.
Color doesn’t matter in a dog’s heart.

A sonnet by: Laura Jean Bird – Age 7 1/2

To learn more about ProudGrandMom, visit www.birdmommy.com

Fireworks and Memories

She is sitting on my lap as we gaze into the night sky.  This may be the last year she will be willing to do that.  She’s growing up so fast and pretty soon snuggling with Daddy will be embarrassing rather than comforting.  She lays her head against my chest and I smile.  Above us, cascading explosions of light and color brighten the darkness.  I glance down at her wonder filled face.  She doesn’t notice me looking at her so I take a moment to drink in her innocent beauty.  She is my little girl, my grown up baby.  With every flash in the sky, pictures fill my mind of different times when I have looked at this precious face… « Continue reading »

A Parent’s Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I’m pretty sure I’ll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet,
Far from the daily family riot.
May I lie back and not have to think
About what they’re stuffing down the sink,

Or who they’re with, or where they’re at
And what they’re doing to the cat.
I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)

To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish–dead!)
Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)

And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I’ve got the right to dream)
Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,
But as I look around I know,
I must have lost them long ago!

Let Me Give

I do not know how long I’ll live
But while I live, Lord, let me give
Some comfort to someone in need
By smile or nod, kind word or deed.

And let me do what ‘ere I can
To ease things for my fellow man.
I want naught but to do my part
to lift a tired or weary heart.

To change folks’ frowns to smiles again.
Then will I not have lived in vain.
And I’ll not care how long I’ll live
If I can give… and give… and give.