Mothers day recap

Happy late Mothers Day to all the folks I missed telling over the weekend (including my own mom! Oops!) My intentions were good… I had these cards that I was going to make and send out and… blah-blah-blah… didn't get it done… and then it was Sunday and we went to church and it was sort of emotional (more on that later) and we got home and I just really wanted to take a nap so I turned on TCM and started watching old movies and dozed in and out. I had a headache most of the afternoon… but it was still a great day.

I watched Pocketful of Miracles (starring Bette Davis) and I Remember Mama (starring Irene Dunne and a VERY young Barbara Bel Geddes - the lady who played Miss Ellie in Dallas). Then I watched a documentary on hot dogs on PBS… and the Amazing Race… and I started watching "Because I Said So" with Diane Keaton. I fell asleep. This was the second movie I crashed on this weekend - I also fell asleep watching Rumor Has It (with Jennifer Aniston) on Friday night and had to watch the ending on Saturday night (it was being replayed).

Austin WALKED to the store to get me a mothers day card… the first one he has ever actually purchased for me himself, I think. Ryan called. Cody texted. Mothers day just doesn't seem to be a huge deal for me - never has really. The thing about a holiday honoring mothers is that mothers are always on duty and life goes on.

In church this weekend they had a marriage seminar starting on Saturday night and continuing through Sunday School and church. I skipped Saturday night but came for Sunday School and church. The guy who was leading it was a good speaker. I'm not a huge fan of the topic but then again, I am. I would love to be in a healthy marriage - I mean, who wouldn't? I truly believe that strong marriages are the foundation of our society. He went over a list of clues that there is infidelity in your marriage - I could have written that list! It was hard to listen to - hard to relive it - hard to think about it. In some ways it really depressed me. I think the biggest part of the struggle in my marriage was in KNOWING that I was on a slippery slope and knowing that nothing I did would change it. Michael would fuss about me gaining weight and being "sick" (if you can call having dental work, an elective surgery and a bad mammogram "sick"… these were not chronic illnesses!) but ultimately I could have been everything he said he wanted in a wife and it still wouldn't have been enough. His mind was made up, he had checked out of the marriage before I even came to Jacksonville. Knowing that I was facing inevitable demise literally drove me crazy. The infidelity just made it infinitely worse. This past week infidelity has been a hot topic, with Jon Gosselin and John Edwards and this marriage seminar. I've been faced with the issue far more than I wanted to.

So I really needed my nesting/watching old movies time yesterday. And in that respect, it was the perfect Mother's Day.

My friend Misti, one of the first people I bonded with when I moved here, is moving to Louisiana. Louisiana is home to them. Misti and her husband Jerry moved here after Katrina… and they had some hard times here. She had a couple of miscarriages and ended up losing both of her fallopian tubes. They're young… twenties… and want babies! (to make a long story short) Last December they were able to adopt baby Josiah. Because Misti had continued nursing her first baby, Joshua, when they adopted Josiah she was able to nurse him too, which I thought was pretty durn cool! Josiah, however, is not growing. At five months old he is barely ten pounds! He's alert… you can see how he's developing… his eyes follow his mommy… he's holding his head up… he's just tiny. They started trying to supplement him with formula and he throws up EVERYTHING they try. I help him Wednesday night as Misti had planned to leave Friday - driving. The baby is just too sick. They ended up buying plane tickets to fly out today, just her and the baby. Her husband and older son drove the uhaul with a car trailer.

During the invitation time yesterday morning, Misti came down the aisle with Josiah cradled in her arms - the place he's been almost constantly since they brought him home. She was barefoot. She spoke to Pastor Jim and at the close of the service he said that Misti had asked that we lay hands on and pray for Josiah to grow and be healthy. The elders of the church were closest but Angie pulled me forward, closer… and in a mass of a crowd of people, we prayed for Josiah. When the prayer was over, everyone else went back to their seats. I sat down by Misti and took Josiah in my arms and just held him... he kept steady watch on his mommy… so tiny and precious and fragile and yet, so secure in the love of a Christian mother who is not too proud to humbly ask for intecessory prayer. I love how she had such faith… and so much love for her child… that she wanted to give him the best she had to offer - the love of her church family. That will be how I always remember Misti… cradling Josiah in her arms in her bare feet there at the altar.

There were other precious moments yesterday. Abbie wanted to hold baby Josiah so I put him in her arms and never REALLY took my hands off of him while she held him. Abbie just looked at him all sweet and maternal. Sarabeth sang with the children's choir. While they were warming up she was so busy smiling and waving at Aunt Heather that she didn't pay attention to Miss Michelle. I got a few pictures, I'll share them when my NEW LAPTOP gets here! Jamie made a little paper bag burning bush in Sunday School and I asked her about it. I said, "why was the bush burning?" She said, with great big eyes, "GOOOOOD was in the bush!". Jamie asked if I had bubble gum (of course! What kind of aunt would I be without gum?) and before she took it, she asked if I had enough for sister too… awwww… Sarabeth's sweet friend Eli got "sprung" from the nursery before I had left the sanctuary. He came running up asking if I had seen Sarabeth… I told him, no, that I hadn't been up to children's church yet, he said, "If you find her, tell her I'm looking for her"… just awwww!

Austin and I bought a sour cream poundcake from the amish bakery on Saturday for our Mothers Day treat. Most people eat out on Mothers Day… I knew I didn't want to wait in line anywhere so we bought poundcake. Austin had never really had THAT kind of poundcake. He's a believer now! I think he's eaten half the cake by himself. We had a simple lunch of turkey sandwiches on fresh baked bread for lunch… and baked potatoes for dinner. I still haven't made my grocery store run for this week. The little Ingles is ridiculously crowded on Saturday afternoons. I meant to go yesterday but with my headache and it being Mothers Day, I really just didn't want to. Maybe after work today.

The honeysuckle is in full bloom here. Behind the office is a wooded area FULL of honeysuckle. When I stepped out of the car this morning there was a sweet fragrance in the air… it was incredible! I love spring! Azaleas are also blooming and beautiful right now.

My lunch is over now… I started reading an Oswald Chambers devotional. I needed to gather some focus. Hope everyone is well. By this time next week I should be back online! Woohoo! Have a great week! Love and hugs, y'all!