Josie Mia & G'Ma~rella...Everything's Just Ducky

Josie Mia & G'Ma~rella
*A Day At The Duck Pond*

6.11.09

There's just something about visiting the duck pond. I've been going there for over thirty five years, my favorite place to enjoy lunch during my college years and after my first child was born, it was our favorite place. Little has changed over the years, other than a once gravel parking area now being nicely paved and a few park benches have been installed~oh~and restrooms! YAY for restrooms! It's so bittersweet to look at my photo's taken in the late 70's and early 80's.
Photo's of visits to the pond with my own children, full of excitement, wonder and energy. Energy...I had lots of energy back then....Yesterday, my oldest Granddaughter Josie Mia and I spent the afternoon at the duck pond. Her Mommy, my daughter Katie, packed us up a nice little picnic lunch~much to my surprise (thank you Katie!)~her sandwiches are so much like the ones her own Father used to make...brought back some very bittersweet memories. It's been over twenty two years since I've had a sandwich like that!:::sigh:::

~*~

It was a nice, warm and sunny afternoon and the parking lot was full. Josie and I spotted a little park bench up yonder, just waiting for us and our basket of goodies. My 'Red Hat' is always in the back seat of my car, so my Josie decided to wear it~so precious! If one of my other hats would have been with me, you can bet G'Ma would have been topped in red, as well! Yes, I am proud of my 'red and purple!'

~*~Josie Mia~*~

~*~My 'Red Hat' Girl!~*~

Wondering if the ducks would find us...

OF COURSE! What duck wouldn't waddle right up to meet a beautiful little girl, in a Red Hat and carrying a basket of goodies?

Big ducks, little ducks, brown ducks, boy ducks, girls ducks and baby ducks!
So. Many. Ducks!
Geese, too!

"Oh Grandma! Will we have enough bread??" We did! We had enough ducky food to keep the little feathered friends content for nearly thirty minutes, which is quite a long time, in 'duck time.'

Red, purple, a little girl, ducks and bread....

...Ooooh, what a wonderful day...

Never go a day, without stopping to smell the flowers....

...and picking one for G'Ma, of course!
~*~
We had noticed a homeless woman, who appears to live beneath a tree at the duck pond and Josie Mia was worried she may be hungry. We had half a sandwich left in our basket...

...and a can of diet soda...
Josie was truly honored as she handed them to her new friend...

Thank you Jesus...for my Josie.

Hailey's Hope...Prayer Warriors UNITE!

Hailey's Hope

Prayer Warriors....UNITE!
Please keep this precious family in your thought's and prayers
and take a moment to read about Hailey's journey
into the most loving arms of her
Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother...and Jesus.
They will be meeting little Hailey
tomorrow, Friday June 12th.
God, please bless this sweet family....

Meet Angelina~CHD Awareness

So...after a truly heartbreaking day today, I've decided this is the day to introduce you to a very special little friend of mine,
'Angelina.'

Created by my best friend and 'Sis' ~ a German native, currently living in Germany. We 'met' online a couple of years ago and have worked together on many children's 'missions' ~ advocating for little ones who are very sick, and sometimes, terminally ill.
Sandra Kay is very active in CHD Awareness and has helped to raise medical and research funds, literally around the world. Please check out her sweet Angelina site, by simply clicking below.
There is a wealth of information on this site, be sure to check out each link in the left sidebar of each page.



$1 of each book sold will be going to the Chloe Duyck Memorial Fund, a fund for CHD research! http://www.chloeduyckmemorial.com/

About the Book

Children have the natural ability to accept the reality of angels and this delightful first book of the "Angelina" Series will teach them about those heavenly beings. "Angelina in Don't be afraid of the Dark" is a comforting bed time story that gently reminds us that we are never alone. Its contents are written in easy-to-read, and it is wonderfully illustrated with saturated, rich colors. Plus, a bonus *surprise activity awaits the reader on the last page.

About Sandra Kay...the Author, Friend and Sister...

Having worked with sick children for over 10 years, Sandra Kay has a long background and profound experiences in Child Life and Child Psychology. As a constant observer involved in pain and suffering, she decided that it was time to take the next step in order to make people aware of the various diseases our children have to endure. She founded 2 organizations:

• "Matters of the Heart", dedicated to educate the public about Congenital Heart Defects and to bring joy to little heart patients in the hospital
• "Seraphim Children Projects", with the goal of raising Awareness for children with different illnesses like Autism, Childhood Cancer, etc

"Angelina – Don't be afraid of the Dark" is her first Children's book and she is very proud of having created a really unique and special book for soothing the fears of children.

For more information on Sandra Kay's work please visit her pages:
www.myspace.com/angelinasfriends www.myspace.com/seraphimbooks

My Oldest granddaughter, Josie Mia

Reading the original version of

'Don't Be Afraid of The Dark'

See the little *'rainbow' card by her knee?

The children hold the card, leaving all their worries in the card,

then place it beneath their pillow at bed-time.

Josie was at one time a very anxious sleeper...

at nearly six years old now, she actually looks forward

to her nightly story, prayers and sleep. :)

Hope you take a few moments to check out the above sites and learn a little more about CHD. Matters of the heart....isn't this truly what life is all about?

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G'Ma~rella

Praying For My Katie...

Katie Marie is my youngest, my baby. Born September 15, 1983 at the oldest (at the time) military hospital in the nation, Katie was in such a hurry to meet her Momma and Daddy, big sister and brother ~ she made her precious appearance as I was being transported from the labor room to the delivery room (no birthing rooms way back then). Silly L&D nurse told me to "cross my legs and do not push!" But Katie Marie was so determined, she was not waiting. When I announced "my baby is HERE" the silly nurse actually chuckled. That's when I reached down beneath the military green sheets and gently lifted my beautiful daughter to my chest. Silly nurse quickly wrapped an Army green towel and sheet around my girl, helping me swaddle her~it was all so surreal and seemed like very slow motion~God was right there, allowing me to enjoy every second of the beautiful memory my little Angel and I had just made. My Katie didn't cry, she simply looked right into my eyes as if to say "I'm here Mommy, I'm right here and I am alive!"
When she did finally cry, she sounded like a little newborn kitten at first, then all the sudden "roar!" LOL! To this day, I still get a good chuckle out of that particular memory~as does she. :)

A MIRACLE....my baby girl made it through 40 weeks and 4 days, safely protected, knitted together by God Himself, growing and swimming around in the warmth of my womb. Things were not always so safe, though. In April 1983, I became very ill and just chalking it up to pregnancy related symptoms, I rested more and needed a little extra help caring for my two older children...Jaime, 4 and Timothy, 2. Then one morning I was not able to raise my head upon waking and my legs felt very sleepy. Sounds became very muffled and my vision was blurred. Off to the hospital we went and by the time we arrived, I was limp as a wet noodle. Many tests and two spinal taps later, it was discovered I had meningitis and was immediately admitted to the Maternity ICU. Within five days, another spinal tap would have devastating results~I now had full blown encephalitis, also known as meningoencephalitis, which is often a fatal diagnosis. The first words out of my OB doc's mouth~ "you must terminate this pregnancy." Um, say what?! Though my cognitive state was barely holding on by the tiniest thread, his words struck my heart like a bolt of lightening. No way. No how. Not happening. If God chose to take my unborn little girl Home, then alright, I could accept that even though I would never hope it. Not even when my OB doc insisted terminating my pregnancy would better my chances for surviving the disease, did termination become an option. Only my God in Heaven had the right, the love to make this decision. So~the OB doc does several ultrasounds. My baby girls heart rate was declining...rapidly. Her tiny body...very still. A final u.s. would show my sweet baby girl no longer had a beating heart. However, she had the will to live...and God had great, beautiful plans for my girl......He wasn't done yet.

HOPE~HOPE~HOPE

Always BELIEVE...

My husband rolled me into the hospital chapel, at my request. It was there, God spoke clearly...and quite loudly. Things appeared in that chapel, which only God and I could see and hear. Hundreds of glowing candles, the sweet sounds of a harp, a slight breeze...
and so...much...more. I knew, right then...my baby girl was safe. God truly spoke to me, yes He sure did! He had great plans for my little girl. He continues to have those same great plans...

~*~

When Katie was in kindergarten, her hearing test came back with questionable results. Her 'low tones' lacked clarity, which I was informed could be a side effect of my illness during pregnancy with her. Throughout Katie's childhood, it was unnoticeable~to her and to those around her. She did seem to have more than the normal amount o ear infections, yet not enough to warrant ear tubes to prevent them. (I should have INSISTED!!) In her later teenage years, I noticed she was saying "huh" quite often. She insisted she could hear just fine, just had not been 'listening.' My Mommy-radar told me otherwise though and off to the doc's we went. Once again, low tones lacking clarity, "don't be overly concerned." On Katie's 21st birthday, five days prior to her baby girl turning a year old, Katie was involved in a tragic, freak accident. A drunk driver crashed her car through the building Katie was in and debris hit my girl in the head, face, back and ears. One month later we would learn this accident would leave my Katie legally deaf~for the rest of her life. Two weeks later, Katie heard her own baby girl's voice clearly, for the very first time. She sobbed. We sobbed....and prayed. Three sets of hearing aids later, my girl Katie continues to struggle. The drunk driver who injured my girl barely got a hand slap. Though she was insured, her liability had already topped out due to previous claims. The owner of the building was not held liable. My Katie has faced this tragedy head on, absorbing all costs not covered by her own medical insurance. As luck would have it, this policy does not pay for hearing aids....

Being the single Mommy of two little girls has it's challenges, but Katie has always worked very hard to support her little family...on her own. Giving up her dream of becoming a RN was very difficult, but without being able to hear, the nursing programs would not accept her applications.
She loves her job at our local hospital, in the sleep lab where she is a Polysomnographer. The pay is good, benefits nice and she loves the patients as they do her. BUT~ it appears as though her job is now in jeopardy, because of her hearing impairment. Even though the hospital was well aware of her situation and disability (I can't call it that in her presence!) they are just recently treating her with very little respect. Just yesterday one of her co-workers made the remark~ "wow Katie, you really are deaf, aren't you?!" Followed with laughter...LAUGHTER!! Another co-worker takes it upon himself to let Katie's patients know, "she is hard of hearing, so you have to talk very loud." I know there must be some discriminatory protection available for my sweet girl... Her hearing impairment does not interfere with her work performance...

'Oh Lord, please hear this Mother's prayers...
may my girl Katie someday hear
the sweet sounds of nature...
her children's laughter...

I BELIEVE...
in Your
MIRACLES, oh Lord...'

Well....my baby girl may be twenty-five years old, but she's still my baby! I BELIEVE my Katie is an 'old soul.' When she was barely two years old, she would tell me about all the Angels she had met in Heaven, especially her elderly lady friends. She spoke of 'bi-focal's, silver strands of thinning hair, holding and gently rocking the smallest Angels while singing lullaby's.' She often expressed how sad her Angel friends were when it was time for her to make her earthly apearance and how they hugged 'good-bye for now.' Though one would imagine these conversations being sad, they were anything but. My girl glowed as she clearly spoke her truly emotional testimony. She frequently spoke about her visits to Jamaica and how she healed little children. At 15 years old, my sweet girl did indeed visit Jamaica, during a missionary trip, even though she was three years below the qualified age to go. While there, on the very first day, she was bitten by a very poisonous spider which would normally include a fatal ending. BUT~this spider didn't know who he had bitten~and my girl didn't even tell me about it until she returned home from the mission! To this day, Katie and I have a spiritual closeness which goes beyond our Mother/Daughter relationship. I thank my God eternally for this gift He entrusted unto me. To think back on what could have been, had I followed medical orders, words of loving family and friends.....let's just say I do not visit there often.




This Momma will do whatever it takes,whatever I can, to help my children. We've looked into surgery...not eligible. Researched Cochlear Implants...not eligible. The only hope we were told could even remotely help would be continuing to use stronger hearing aids, until the day nothing worked. Continue the weekly ENT visits, when inner-ear infection is present, to have Katie's ear canals suctioned which is horribly painful. Prepare for complete and total deafness, learn sign language.....basically, it seems as though they have given up all hope. HUH? No, no, no!! Have these medical/audio/rehab folks not heard of Prayer?! Do they not understand, my Katie will never give up? Her Momma will never cease praying? Do they not know, our God is not finished with my Katie, that He continues to have great plans for her? Do they not realize God follows through with prayer, creating MIRACLE after MIRACLE, every single day?Silly people.....

Please....would you pray for my girl Katie....
and her precious little girls....
BELIEVE with me?
God continues to have great plans
for my Katie Marie...

He's going to surprise my girl someday...
I
ALWAYS
BELIEVE....
Photo taken on St' Patrick's Day '09
while stopping by Mommy's work for
Irish Lovies...
Sadie (L) is now almost 5 months
Josie (R) will be 6 in September

~*~

Thank you so much, with all my heart!

G'Ma~rella

Happy First Birthday In Heaven, Grandma

~*~ Grandma's 90th Birthday Party ~*~
Her last earth birthday...

Seems nearly impossible one year ago, this very moment, I was sleeping under the covers my Grandmother had 'tucked me in' with. It was her ninetieth birthday and I had spent the night with her ~ oh how I thank God for that night. Somehow I just knew, it would be the last time I would fall asleep in Grandma's spare bedroom and wake up to the smell of Aqua Net hair spray and Charlie perfume. June 1st is also the anniversary of my wonderful Grandparents and I could never hear 'their story' too many times. How as young teens in Nebraska, they met at a country barn dance. Grandpa asked Grandma for a dance and from that moment on, they truly lived happily ever after ~ nearly 50 years ~ before Grandpa passed away in January of 1985.

~Happy 75th Anniversary in Heaven, Grandpa and Grandma Brown~

Tonight I imagine them dancing in Heaven, holding each other as if it were that very first time, back in the early 1930's. Seven children and over 60 foster children later, they could be found hand in hand and 'smooching' around little corners, in their huge Victorian home. Big holiday gatherings, with children, laughter and the best home cooked meals you could ever dream of ~ it was always the very best of times, anytime I was in their home.

Grandma loved the ocean ~ the sight, the feel, the smell ~ the breeze upon her lovely face...

She found such true joy, just watching her Granddaughter, Great Granddaughter and Great-Great Granddaughter, frolicking in the sand and jumping little blue waves of
The Pacific Ocean. We built sand castles and sea creatures, sipped on iced tea and the best part of the day was, making beautiful memories, to last our life times.
~*~
Someday, I will blog and share so much more about my sweet Grandmother. Today, I just want to wish her~
'Happy Birthday in Heaven.'
~*~
I've just tucked my own Grandbabies into bed, under the covers which once lay upon my Grandmother's bed. Just to walk into the 'Grandbaby room' ~ I get lost in your scent, Grandma....I truly miss you ~ Forever love you. (((HUGS)))