Going home, a hurricane and a "Supermom"

I'm not sure where to start this blog, it has so many parts that I want to share. Bear with me, and it will be worth it in the in.

Jim and I made plans last weekend that we would go home to Alabama over the Labor Day long weekend. Our original plans were to leave Friday morning and come back on Monday. However, a little thing called GUSTAV decided to change those plans for us.

We live in Southeast Texas, and approximately 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Since Gustav hasn't established where he wants to make landfall yet, we have to be prepared. (This is the area that Hurricane Rita, as a category 3, destroyed in 2005. Since living here we have been through Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Humberton in 2007, but with no damages to us.)

All the local newscast have been giving instructions on how to be prepared....just in case we are told to evacuate. I have prepared our "Hurricane Survival Kit", the flashlights, bottled water, canned food, etc. and have it in the closet if it is needed.
While Jim has been at Temple-Inland all day preparing their mill for the hurricane, I have been at home trying to decide what to take with us, and what has to be left behind. (Yes, we are still going to Alabama! If this area is told to evacuate, we will already be gone. The problem may be trying to get back home if things get worse, but we are going to Alabama tonight)
First, I emptied out the freezer/refrigerator and gave everything to our neighbors. I mean, it can't cost that much to restock mustard, milk and eggs, etc. I had rather leave with nothing in them than come back days from now, and find that everything had spoiled because there was no power. However, Jim was a little upset that I gave away a new jar of Wayne's famous homemade sweet pickles that we had just opened!

Next, I started deciding about the "important" things that I wanted to take. Some of the choices were simple:

• Black and white photos of my great-grandparents, grandparents, mother and daddy in their younger years, and pictures of me and Anita growing up.


• All of Krisha's baby pictures, her Certificate of Dedication from church, the bracelet she wore in the hospital when she was born and the outfit she wore home......all of that stuff!


• All of the pictures and memorabilia that Jim has of April and Jed's.


• Our birth certificates, marriage license, titles to vehicles, insurance, all that legal stuff.


• Eli's baby scrapbook and some of his pictures.

I knew that I couldn't take everything, because we are traveling in a Maxima, with all our regular luggage, so I knew I had to start saying no to some things. One thing that was hard to say no to (and I still may pack them if there is room after everything is loaded in the car) is cards that Krisha and other people have given to me over the years, it is a BIG box full. Most of them were bought cards, the typical Hallmark standards for Mother's Day, Christmas, Birthdays, etc. But, one in particular I knew that I was taking with me, even if I had to hold it all the way to Alabama!

This is the Mother's Day card that Krisha made for me in 1990, when she was eight years old. Isn't it the most precious thing ever! It is more like a booklet, here is one of the pages she wrote on the inside:

To: MY MOTHER

My mother loves me best when I care for her. My mother looks prettiest when she wears all of her dresses and other things. I like being with my mother most when she sweet. If I could give my mother something special just from me it would be a new watch and some good smelling stuff. My favorite thing about my mother is shes nice, swett, and loving.

Love, Krisha

********************************

So, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be deciding what to take with us, and what I could bear to leave behind, knowing it might not be here when I return.

It's a Southern thing.................

When Jim asked me to marry him, I told him that there were two things that he had to believe in before I could ever consider spending the rest of my life with him.............1) God and 2) Bear Bryant. Yes, the Bear was already dead, but everything he stood for and believed in was still very much alive.............the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Jim knew who the Bear was, (I mean, hasn't everyone hear of the greatest coach to ever live?!?!) but, he wasn't as familiar with the stories of how the Bear thought and how he put pride in Alabama.

So, our bookshelves became filled with books about "The Bear." Jim started using the Bear's lessons on life at work! He would put up some of the Bear's famous sayings in his office and teaching them to his employees!

"Don't worry about winning personality contests with you staff. You'd better worrry about being respected. Anybody can be liked, a heck of a lot fewer respected."

"It is not an I thing, it is a WE thing."

"It's a lot better to be seen than heard. The sun is the most powereful thing I know of and it doesn't make much noise."

"Be good or be gone." (Sign in Bear's office at Kentucky)

"Work hard. There is no substitute for hard work. None. If you work hard, the folks around you are going to work harder."

"You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load."

"Always be totally loyal to your staff. If you are, then they'll be loyal back. Remember, loyalty and honesty are two-way streets. If you are ever dishonest to members of your staff, you'll never regain their respect."

"Motivating people is the ingredient that separates winners from losers."

"We betray our people if we fail to demand a winning attitude and the full cooperation of all concerned in all areas."

Today, I thank God everyday for my wonderful husband. He is a Christian man trying his best to be a real man of God. I know that when I ask him to pray about something that he is truly talking to God about it..............and no one says ROLL TIDE with more enthusiasm!!!!

Finally some sunshine!

Last week it rained everyday in Southeast Texas, and it had nothing to do with Faye. On Wednesday the police were asking everyone to stay inside unless it was an emergency because of the major street flooding in Beaumont.

The sun did start to peak out of the clouds on Friday. I was able to get some shopping done and prepare for our little "mini-trip" to the beach on Saturday. We live approximately 75 minutes from Crystal Beach, on the Bolivar Peninsula. It isn't the sugar-white beaches we are accustomed to in Alabama and Florida, these beaches are more brown-sugar beaches. But, it is very relaxing. There are no "big-name" resturants, motels, hotels, or malls in the area. Only one or two stores, a couple of local eating places and beach houses. Except for some of the recently built beach houses, this place looks lost in time.

So, Saturday morning we packed our beach chairs, umbrella, and coolers. (For all of those wondering, no Eli did not get to go. It is still too hot for him. He has never been to a beach, so we are not sure yet how he will feel about the sand and salt water. However, we do plan to take him once it gets cooler.)

We didn't bake in the sun, but we did have some red areas on our feet! (Why do we always forget to spray/lotion our feet?) We both enjoyed a good book while relaxing and listening to the waves come in.

Eli hates the camera.....

I'm not sure why, but Eli hates having his picture taken. He will walk away, turn his head, and even get under the bed when he sees me with a camera!

The house next door to us sold recently, and the new family has started moving in. Today, the BIG 18-wheeler van came pulling up with their things. Of course, Eli being the "neighborhood watchdog" that he is, sat at the window watching.....and barking. I thought I might be able to get some photos of him on the job, however he was quicker than me!

(Above photo is of him watching the movers unload the truck) However, shortly after the photo was taken, Eli realized what I was doing and then he preceded to disappear..............................

After I finally got him to come out from under the bed, I suppose he still felt insecure with the camera sitting on the table, so he hid under the computer table!

He is so weird in some of the things that he does! But, we would not have him any other way.

We hope that the new family next door enjoys the neighborhood. It is definitely great for families with children (we think there are three) and pets (saw one large and one small animal crate/carrier being unloaded.) We will give them more time to settle in before introducing ourselves. (If they have a cat, Eli says he will just wave hello from our front door to them!)

Our 5th Anniversary with Eli!!!

Five years ago, on August 9, 2003, Jim and I met Eli in person for the very first time. We drove from Idabel, Oklahoma to Tuscaloosa, Alabama full of excitement, anticipation, and a lot of fear.
I feared the unknown, of having a dog in my house. (I grew up with a dog in our home, but my mother was constantly complaining about something he did that he shouldn’t have. Krisha was not allowed to have an inside dog when she was growing up. And now, here we were bringing a dog, not just any type dog, a BULLDOG, into our home!)

But my biggest fear of the day was that Eli would become "attached" to Krisha or Martha and not want me to be his Mommy. (Krisha and Martha picked Eli and Beau up that morning and had spent most of the day with them before we arrived. Naturally, Krisha wanted to bond with Beau, so Martha was left to babysit Eli until we arrived.) I can close my eyes and see Eli for the very first time again............he was sitting inside of a clothes basket, whining very, very loud.

He won our hearts immediately and has had control of them ever since. He was an angel from Heaven during those first couple of months for me. I had only just recently moved to Oklahoma myself, and left all of my family and friends behind. Jim was working seven days a week........Eli was my constant companion. But, no one was more thrilled to see Jim come home every afternoon than Eli! (Eli usually got the first kiss from Jim too!)

Jim liked to call him the "King of the Country Club" since we lived in the Country Club Estates. Eli ruled the house, but he did find himself in trouble over some situations!

Eli has had a couple of serious health threats over the years. And, during both times Jim and I have said that we would give up every Earthly possession we own for Eli to just get better. Funny how our "fear" can change from not knowing if we really want a dog in our house to saying we would sacrifice EVERYTHING for Eli's wellbeing.

It is hard to remember life before Eli, and we pray every day that we don't have to find out any time soon what it would be like without him. He is truly our gift from God.

And if you were wondering, I had nothing to fear about him bonding with someone else as his Mommy.

He is 110% Momma's boy!

Eduoard and the Tongue...........

On Tuesday Eli and I stayed inside waiting for Eduoard to finish passing through. Thankfully, even though he made landfall approximately 50 miles SW of us, a day of rain and wind was all we got. It was a great day to curl up with a book.

On Father's Day 1986 my sister, Anita, gave our Daddy a book written by Charles R. Swindoll. The book is Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life. She passed the book on to Jim Christmas 2006. He has been trying to get me to read it for a long time. I suppose just knowing that the book had been held, read, studied by and belonged to Daddy made it difficult for me to want to read. However, yesterday it seemed to stick out on the bookshelf at me, so I took it down and started reading.

One chapter under "Winter, A Season of Reverence" caught my attention. It is simply entitled:

The Tongue

"It's merely a two-ounce slab of mucous membrane enclosing a complex array of muscles and nerves that enable our bodies to chew, taste, and swallow. Equally significant, it is the major organ of communication that enables us to articulate distinct sounds so that we can understand each other. But, the tongue is also as volatile as it is vital. Verbal cyanide. A lethal, relentless, flaming missile which assaults with hellish power, blistering and destroying at will."

I have often remarked that if given a choice, I think I had rather be physically abused rather than verbally. Bruises heal and fade away, but harse words spoken remain inside of us forever, returning at will to fester up and cause pain again.

All of us have been hurt to the bone, as a friend of mine used to say, by someone's words to us. (and most of us are guilty of saying them to someone) It hurt even more because it was from someone we trusted and respected.....someone we love. As the book says, "our pain was inflicted by the stabbing of someone's tongue." Often times, the person doesn't even realize how their words pierced us so deeply.

Psalm 39:1

I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle.

The writer explains that we should 1) think first........what type of words are we preparing to say? Are they kind or cutting, grateful or complaining, necessary or needless? and 2) talk less.....conserve verbal energy. We often regret our speech, but not our silence.

The Bible gives us clear instructions about using our tongues too!

Proverbs 12:18

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 21:23

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.

Ephesians 4:29

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up others according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

In conclusion, I think all of this means that if what we say to people, especially our family and friends, doesn't help to heal them and build them up..........maybe we should just put on a muzzle.