Today is Grandma Great's {Woody's Mom} 86th birthday. We all got together this past Sunday to celebrate at Fay's and Owen's. Who would've guessed that from Mom's 2 children it would grow to 21 bundles of craziness?! And that's counting the adults - for after an afternoon with the little kids, you feel like you're ready to fly!
These are two gals that I've known and been friends with since junior high - Paulette and Candy! I think the 3 of us have seen each other through more trials and good times than can be mentioned. From teen heart throbs to heartaches; from dating to marriage; from children to grandchildren; through sickness and in health we have always been there to share in each others story. Happy Birthday, Candy - you're a Sweetheart!
I have to say that my heart was turned around, and tears filled my eyes, as I turned on the TV this morning to watch what was happening at the Inauguration. Words that come to mind is surreal, overwhelming, pride, hope, excitement . . . to witness the sea of humanity with flags of red, white and blue waving above their heads; to hear the cheers, hope and excitement in people’s voices as they were questioned about their thoughts on the day and the impact it will have in their lives and in the life of our Country; to gaze on the many stoic military and security figures who stand watch and assist those in attendance; to witness the beauty of a chilly, but sunny day, shining down on the nation’s Capitol and all the wonderful monuments surrounding it; the suns rays gleaming through the stars and stripes of the flags wafting in the wind; taking note of the ‘Who’s Who’ from Hollywood and ‘everyone who’s anyone; there to witness the 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama, take the Oath of Office. The Dream uttered from the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963 by Martin Luther King, finally reached the walls of the White House and is coming to fruition.
The things I noticed: Michelle Obama was friendly and smiling, and watching each move as her queue from Laura Bush; Laura Bush was ever gracious, Pres.-Elect Obama smiling and winking with genuine warmness and was exuberant {crowds cheering O-BAM-A!}; Poor G.W. seemed sad and pensive - wondering if the crowds are cheering his exit or Obama’s entrance; the Military required to salute – why doesn’t the majority of Americans’ put their hand over their heart when the flag passes by? On the fashion side – is Michelle Obama color blind? A yellow dress with chartreuse gloves and a red purse. . . some people would disagree. Maybe it’s me with no fashion sense!
There have been few times when I have been so glued to the TV as I have been today. From 1960-1975 we were involved in the Vietnam war – it was a time when I would watch the updates every evening on the news to see how many more of our boys were killed in a firefight – and by ‘our boys’, I mean guys that I knew and went to school with. I know of at least half a dozen of them that didn’t come home alive, and a lot of them didn’t come home the same! There were 58,000 Americans killed and another 304,000 injured. In 1963, a very popular and beloved President Kennedy was assassinated, and we watched in disbelief the happenings of that day and days to follow. In 1965 civil unrest took the streets of the Watts area in Los Angeles, Ca.; in 1968, another assassination, this time Robert F. Kennedy. In 1981 Princess Diana wed Prince Charles in a fairytale wedding. In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded upon takeoff and all on board were killed. In 1989 the Berlin Wall is taken down to the cheers of many and marked the end of the Cold War; the Gulf War in 1991; the death of Princess Diana in 1997; the unthinkable act of terrorism upon the United States of America with the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 and the resulting Operation Enduring Freedom war on Afghanistan. These are all major happenings that have held my attention – Not to down play natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami in Indonesia, but was I so disinterested or unaware of other important times in History?
I was especially moved by words from the Pastor Rick Warren when he invoked ‘wisdom to lead with humility; courage to lead with integrity; and compassion to lead with generosity.’ Much of Obama's address was almost entirely free of campaign style rhetoric - he talked of "gathering clouds and raging storms" and the need at a time as dire as this one for all Americans to do their part to make the nation great again. He stated that ‘Greatness is never a gift – it must be earned’.
After taking the Oath of Office, he looked forward and waved to the throngs of 2 million plus roaring crowd of people with cannons booming . . . .
And then he said, “So Help Me God”!
The rest of the program was frou-frou. But then, Rev. Lowery stepped up to the podium for the benediction. Loved the perfect ending to a lovely morning with these words:
‘Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. {Stick it to the White Man...}. That all those who do justice and love mercy, say Amen’.
They speak of the Peaceful transfer of Power - but the weight of the World is now on Pres. Obama's shoulders. The World is Watching - Welcome to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
P.S. The Man CANNOT slow-dance!!
Three million people will flock to Washington DC tomorrow to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama, who will become America's 44th President. Obama (47) will take his Presidential oath at 12 noon local time on January 20th, 2009, and will be the first black leader in the country's history. The inauguration party will be the biggest of all time and is costing $150 million! Maintaining security throughout Obama's celebrations will be the biggest challenge in the history of the Secret Service. F16 fighter jets and drones will be watching from the skies.
Although I was hesitant to get behind this new President and his V.P., the heaviness of this position, and his willingness to make a difference gives me hope that maybe he will do a better job, or at least as good, as the past Presidents {Besides, what choice do we have?}. I frankly don't believe that there is a viable person out there that could solve ALL the problems with our economy, our situation in the world, and the energy crisis {and I think it quite brave of him to take it on-I sure wouldn't want to!}. But in looking over his original platform I am putting my faith in a divine guidance that he may follow, and his youth to be able to persevere and accomplish what he would strive to do for our country, the wonderful USA!
Best wishes and much love to Teri on her day! She is a very busy gal, what with trying to move real estate in a sluggish market, lending her voice to radio and TV ads, traveling to various locations to participate in Plan B {a play about radioactive fallout effects of downwinders in the 50's}, and her other job as wife to a busy Tom and Mother to 3. Hope your day is as special as you are.
Me and my big brother, Tom! Pictures like this of him and me together are really the only memories I have of that time of my life. There isn’t a memory of Tommy I have that doesn’t include Margie and Leanne. He turned 20 and was married to Margie the same year I was born, so you can see why my memories would not be just of him and me as brother and sister. I know there were a few times during my childhood, when he and Margie offered to take care of me before and after my Mother passed away. I did live with them in Clearfield, for a short time before I went over to live with my sister Nadine. He has always been a colorful storyteller, with the memory to remember dates, places, people names, and times! He was the most adventurous of all of us, I believe, as evidenced in his birthday tribute from last year and Whitey's blog entry.
It's not too late to put in a birthday tribute to one of our most handsome relatives, is it?
Harry: What does this song mean? For my whole life I don't know what this May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline
and may laughter assault your lips!
May your clothes smell of success
and may happiness slap you across the face.
May your tears be those of joy &
May the problems you had be forgotten
and your home be your Sanctuary!
In simple words ....
May 2009 be the best year of your life!
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There is something about coming through the tail end of a tornado-that gives you pause, and makes you count your blessings. The idea that something can creep into your life, and take a hold of every waking hour, every day, every week for months is both frightening and humbling. Such has been the last few months for Gary and Heather. 
See what I mean about Dec. birthdays? With the hub-bub of shopping, baking, cooking {all of which I don't do!}, concert attending, parties, etc. I neglected to wish my DIL birthday greetings on the 14th! She is a whirlwind of activity and ambition and keeps her two guys well in tow.
Gary {our son-in-law} is your average 31 year-old guy – active in sports, hard-working at his job, loving husband to Heather and doting daddy to Taylor and Weston, fastidious about yardwork, home projects, spending time with his family, and – Oh yes! Fighting an aggressive form of cancer known as Burkitt’s Lymphoma; it's hard for me to even write that word, and it's almost if I don't say it .... it isn't so. But it is, and it's a battle.
Burkitt’s lymphoma is a type of B-cell lymphoma. In the Western world, the most common symptom is an abdominal swelling that starts in the bowel. Burkitt’s lymphoma may also affect other organs such as the eye, the ovaries, kidneys, and glandular tissue such as the breast, thyroid or tonsil. It may also affect the lymph nodes or bone marrow. Some people experience a loss of appetite/weight loss and fatigue. For practical purposes, non-Hodgkin lymphomas are divided into two groups: low- and high-grade. Low-grade lymphomas are usually slow-growing, and high-grade lymphomas grow more quickly. Burkitt’s lymphoma is a high-grade lymphoma. This means that it is faster-growing and usually needs prompt treatment with chemotherapy.
Gary is on an A B schedule, and each schedule lasts 21 days. On the A schedule he spends most of his days in the hospital, and on schedule B he gets 4 to 5 different types of chemo a day for 7 days straight. “It pulls the life out of you”, Gary says.
Gary will be spending his birthday and most likely Christmas in the hospital this year. Gary is halfway done with his regimen but we still have ‘til the end of January before he gets to stay home for good (cross your fingers). With this type of lymphoma you have to hit it fast and hit it hard. Gary spends most of his days lying flat, because of such bad migraines that make him nauseous. The migraines are from the many spinal taps he has to have. He never gets a chance to build up fluid before they take it from him. It causes the brain to sag and leaves you with the worst headache you’ve ever had. He will have 8 total spinal taps. 3 with schedule A and 1 with schedule B.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are being viewed in a new light - we're focusing on what's important. We're not worrying so much about getting Christmas lights up, or the marathon shopping trips, all the cooking and baking, or whether there is a gift for each neighbor. With that said, I would like to invite any of you that would like to donate to a fund raiser that Gary's co-workers have initiated. They are selling T-shirts and are donating the money to Gary and Heather to help defray hospital bills, and other expenses. You will never understand the meaning of 'catastrophic medical expenses' until you go through something like this!
They come in gray or black, sizes M-L-XL-1X and the cost is $20 per shirt. To order you may contact
Tina at tinah@mountainwesttc.com or call 888-478-2276.
