Are Y'all Trying To Tell Me Something?

Okay.


So my last entry, the one yesterday, the one entitled The Final Post, is well on its way to becoming the most read entry of all my blog posts. Which leaves me wonder...

Is it that popular because people were thinking,

Thank God she is wrapping this madness up.

~or~

Please God, don't let her leave.

In reality, the title itself was just the product of a lack of imagination on my part.
Nonetheless, the stats rolling in on this one have me chuckling to myself...

While making me a wee-bit uncomfortable.


Not that I have insecurity issues or anything. =)

The Final Post

Of an eventful year.

I graduated college. 

I played with a cat.

I scrapbooked.

I survived the daughter's first dance.

I survived the graduation of the oldest.

I visited my favorite place.

I read the Twilight Series and lost a month of my life.

I resisted the allure of little, sweet kittens.

I documented yet another repair of Dodge Grand Caravan.

I waited in long line at Chick-Fil-A.

I watched the daughter cut off her hair.

I watched a son cut off his hair.

I planted.

I sat.

I played with another cat.

Here's to the end of one year.

And the coming of the new.

You just never know what might be around the corner.

So This Is What Happened

One week ago today, the parents arrived shortly after the noon hour. Many happy hugs were exchanged and many wrapped presents were unloaded. We sat. We talked. We admired the Christmas tree. Around five o'clock that afternoon, I fired up the grill and exactly one hour later, set the table with pork chops and baked potatoes and steaming biscuits. We ate and talked and laughed and worried... my mom wasn't feeling good, but after a fifteen-hour drive with a short stay in an unfamiliar hotel, who could blame her? I helped her with dishes (and can I just add how much I enjoyed that?) and her next stop was a place on the couch to rest.

And then the stop after that was the emergency room at the hospital.

By one in the morning on a damp Christmas Eve, I had the most unfortunate experience of leaving my mother in a cramped hospital room approximately nine hundred miles from her home. I had planned on staying with her; my dad had planned on staying with her; but by the time we saw the room they had set her up in for observation, we both knew there would be no staying. I'll add walking out of that hospital to one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm sure staying in that hospital was one of the hardest things she's ever had to endure. It was a lousy start to a much anticipated visit.

We were back at her side in the morning- at least the part of the morning where there is light, and spent the entire day waiting for somebody to enlighten us on what was taking place in or around her heart. Supper was being served when she was told she wasn't going anywhere until some test or other was performed. Another heart-breaking experience. My dad and I headed back to the house to inform a now discouraged household that Granny wouldn't be with us Christmas morning. We vowed to dress up at least one kid like Santa and take presents to her and most of all, Smile! when we visited her the next day. For the second time in two nights, I cried like a baby in a dark, quiet room while the husband repeatedly apologized for moving us so far away.

Somehow, Santa Claus still managed to stuff some goodies into the three stockings of three teenagers in the midst of all this and we all prepared the next morning to spend our Christmas Day in that cramped hospital room. I was just stepping out of the shower when the husband peeked around the corner and said, You're mom called and said to come get her. I hurriedly halfway blow-dried my hair and had just sat down to my vanity (aptly named as the place to apply makeup) when the thought occurred, Who needs makeup at a time like this? Walking out of my bedroom to a now smiling family, I jokingly told my dad, Not one word about how I look, and we were out the door and in her hospital room within thirty minutes.

And by noon on Christmas Day, we were all gathered in our living room opening presents.

Only nobody really cared about the presents anymore.

The best present was sitting in a chair and helping me with dishes once again later that night

So what happened? Not a heart attack, but a heart out of whack. Something new decided to present itself that Sunday evening. That something will be checked out more thoroughly by her own doctor back home and hopefully, with medication, that something will be kept under control and finished with interfering with her life... especially when it comes to messing up her time with grandkids.

They hit the road just a little over an hour ago. The oldest and I stood on the front porch and watched until their taillights faded into the darkness of the street. I shut the door and turned the lock and let the tears fall.

Today is my birthday.

I Know I Said Farewell Yesterday, But...

Apparently I'm not done just yet. I mean, I thought I would back away from this computer for a while and yet here I sit. Oh well. My intentions don't always match up to future actions. The parents are on the way; they just made a pit stop to catch up on some sleep last night. If all goes well, we should be seeing them around noon. At least they're finally in the same time zone as me. So here I am. Clean house. Laundry done. Presents neatly arranged under the Christmas tree. Twiddling my thumbs.

I've never been the best at waiting.

One time during a prayer before supper, a beautiful child of mine uttered these words, And give my mom more patience. My eyes flew open and I said, Quick! Take that back! Don't ever ask the Lord for more patience! I forced a laugh to relieve the shocked look on the faces around me, but seriously... do any of you out there know what I mean? There was a time when I prayed for more patience. There was also a time when I prayed the prayer of Jabez. I'll not make that mistake again. I rarely pay attention to any of the latest prayer trends that cross my path anymore. Jabez ruined it for me.

Disclaimer: Click the above link to learn more about the prayer of Jabez and please understand, if you haven't figured me out yet, that most of my comments are sprinkled (okay, DOUSED) with sarcasm. I do stand by the theory, however, that it was that prayer about expanding my territory and all that that sparked the bright idea of a cross-country move into the husband's head years ago- which is why I now think before I pray ( go ahead and laugh) and the virtue of patience is just something that I accept I need to work on. I don't ask for it.

Moving on.

I have successfully twiddled away one full hour.
A second cup of coffee. A piece of cake. Looking out the window.

I think I'll go wake somebody up.

They love me around here. =)

Over & Out

One week after that awful Friday, I dropped my kids off at the high school for their last day before Christmas Break. They were loaded down with books for their final exams, gifts and cards and cookies for their friends, and big smiles with goodbye waves for their mom. Everything looks brighter on a Friday, especially the Friday before the big winter break. I came home to the local news detailing heightened security surrounding public schools and images of candlelit vigils for lives forever changed last week.

This is why the television is off and my attention drifts between what I think I want to write and the dirt and grime between the keyboard keys. One cat is cleaning his paws while the other cat chows down at the food bowl. I can smell the spice of a candle that's not even lit and hear the howl of the unusual wind currently assaulting our house. If I'm not mistaken, the Christmas tree on our front porch has just blown over again. Fragile limbs and vulnerable pine cones periodically tumble and clang their way down our metal roof.

And I'm going for another cup of coffee.

Even with all the nonsense taking place in our world today, I am excited for this coming week. Although there are few presents under our tree this year (the fewest our tree has ever seen), I can't wait for them to be opened. As I told our kids, this is the year of The Thoughtful Christmas Gift. We surrendered our credit cards, went cash only, and the result has been a pretty much stress-free holiday for the mom. When you've got nothing to spend, there's no sense getting out. When you don't get out, there's no traffic and crowds to deal with. When there's no traffic and crowds to deal with, there's no frustration. You get the idea.

Although I would like to get out tonight.

Even Holly Homemaker needs a break from the Christmas apron.

I'm anticipating a busy week with little time to blog. If the weather and health holds, my parents will be here in a few days and of all the things I plan on doing, sitting at this desk is not one of them. Of course, all that is subject to change pending my mood and computer availability, but just in case...

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And Everything In-Between.

Please, Load My Kid Up On Sugar And Send Them Home To Me

Normally this time of year, for the past four years, I get a little depressed (don't laugh). Maybe not so much depressed as in I can't face the world, but depressed as in mildly bummed out. I've blogged about it... you could probably look back and find at least one December post dedicated to this little stinker of a bug that sneaks up on me the week or so before Christmas.

The School Christmas Party.

Okay. Tacky or not, I loved the whole party in the classroom concept. Selfish or not, I adored the whole give the teacher a gift tradition. I miss the night-before-rush to fill all my own little red and green paper bags or plastic snowflake-themed cups with things like pencils and chocolate and candy canes to give out to the class. I miss sitting at my desk while my beloved students stood in line to watch my reaction when they ceremoniously presented me their individual gift.

Good Lord, I'm gonna cry.

And you all know it's not the gift, right?

I've still got the coffee cups and the hand-drawn cards and somewhere, I've still got the shark's tooth. Any number of my former students could walk through my house and see, though they might not remember, their own gift hanging on my wall or sitting on a shelf. From third grade to eighth grade, I really enjoyed them all.

Yep. It's that time of year again.

I think in honor of The School Christmas Party, I'm gonna fill a basket with candy canes and go visit some of the classes I've been substituting for... where I know it's party day... and where there's bound to be cupcakes and cookies and kids wildly out of control.

I think that's a splendid idea.

Obituary Of A Laptop

It's been six months since my laptop was put out of commission due to an uncooperative power button, a sincere attempt to fix it that only made things worse, and lots of....  well, I'm gonna stop right there. No need going to into all the statements that have been made to look at it or fix it or get the parts ordered. If you read my last post, then you know that we, as a family, are getting along uncommonly well. I'll spare the names and promises to prolong the peace and good humor that currently exists in my home.

However.

If I had known that my beloved laptop would still be collecting dust while taking up space behind my bedroom door, I would have gladly paid the questionable computer-fixer-guy at the flea market his requested one hundred and twenty-five bucks to fix the darn thing back in July.

Then again, it is only a laptop. Maybe I shouldn't place so much stock in the crazy gadget. I mean, it's only holding prisoner a resume or two, pictures, family fun stuff, essays, power points, and a working version of Microsoft Office. It's really not important to anyone but me. Surely my patience should be greater.

I used to think things like When I start getting a regular paycheck, I will buy a couple of new pillows and some rugs for the kitchen and maybe some jeans for the kids and definitely stock up that freezer.

Now I think to myself,

When I start getting a regular paycheck,
IF we haven't had our internet service terminated,
And the lights and water are still connected,
Assuming the refrigerator still contains a gallon or two of milk...
THEN I will have that blasted laptop fixed.

And everyone said, Amen.