Special Birthday

Dear Mom -

After many attempts today, this special day, to write you a note of love on your birthday, I am finally getting to it. It's a tough proposition to write down something that I feel so strongly in my heart. Do I make a list? Do I write a poem or a haiku? Do I describe all the incredible things you do for me and for others? Do I draw a pretty picture - but of what would it be? So I just decided to write you a love letter of sorts, and also a thank you note.

You, Judy Wickham, are an incredible woman. Coming from a solid, Christian home life to be married and have five children at a young age, then to raise all of us to be energetic, happy adults, producing 12 successful, happy grandchildren (ages 2-25), is an accomplishment in itself. That family love has been so valuable in both my life and that my brothers and sisters and our children, of your sisters and brother, your cousins, your in-laws, and those family members who have passed. The  meals, the attendance in times of sickness, the caring for our children, the lovely birthday and holiday parties you throw, and let's not forget all the dear and thoughtful gifts. And of course there are just the considerate things that you share and do, including sending sweet thank you notes, calling to check in, giving us vegetables from your garden and taking us to lunch. I can hear it in your voice and feel it in your warm hugs that you love me.

But your arms reach further, to the people in need in your church, your community, and the world. Your Bible study leadership to steer women to better understand the word of God, your monthly trips downtown to feed the homeless, the annual events for which you serve joyfully for your small Texas town, and the mission trips into the world all speak of yours and God's love for others beyond your family. People in your circle of influence through your profession as a Realtor, as a neighbor, a Republican woman, a Christian member of a church and a friend, know you and speak well of you. Thank you for your extensive consideration me and of others, for teaching me how to love and for just being you.

I could write for hours, but alas, the weekend laundry - with school uniforms and PE outfits, jeans and t-shirts are calling, as are the daily lunches and the prep of the morning coffee. Besides that, I need my sleep if I am to ever be the wonderful mother and friend that you are to me. I love you mom - Happy Birthday!

All Night Long

Last night, after I tucked in my two teenagers at 11 pm, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to stay up all night long and watch one or the other as they slept, not thinking that it would ever come to pass. As it so happened, I  got my inclination, although my desire to see one of them sleeping was not to be so.

After I went to bed, tossed and turned for a half hour or so, and then fell asleep, I was awoken at 12:55 am by my oldest. "Mom, the hives are not going away, and I'm really itchy," she said. We experienced this in the fall when for no apparent reason, Rachel started with hives on her back, then to her chest, arms and legs, with her feeling very ill. We went to the ER after presuming correctly that it was an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was taking. She received the adrenaline, hive-stopping benadryl-type drug (she's allergic to antihistamines), 60 mg of Prednisone, and we were on our way. Departure time to the ER was 1 am, and we got home at about 4 am.

This time though, there was no apparent reason for the hives. She began to see them soon after dinner, around 8 pm, uncomfortable but not unbearable, on her back. By the time she woke me, they had spread to her chest and stomach. I gave her a 10mg dose of Prednisone that was remaining from the past time, put cool compresses on her back and stomach. By 2 am, they were on her neck, so I kept up with the compresses, braided her hair and recited scripture. By 3 am, they had spread to her arms and legs, and her lip was beginning to swell. This is when I could no longer tolerate my baby in such discomfort, and I looked online to see what my next step might be with her lip swelling. Emergency medical attention is what webmd, mayo clinic and other online sites told me to do, as it may progress to anaphalactic shock, in which the remainder of the mouth and the throat also swells and can stop breathing. The steroids would take at least 2 hours to have an effect and had not made a difference, especially she had been given such a small dosage.

We woke Kevin and told him our plan, and that he would need to take the youngest to middle school that morning whether we were home or not. Departure time was 3:11 am. We arrived seconds before a car pulled up and went inside the entrance of St. David's ER in Bee Cave (we parked in the nearest spot) and while waiting behind the man in the lobby, were shuffled into a room. I noted that we were not with him, with the nurse showing some confusion, but she led Rachel into a room and asked me to wait at the desk to receive sign-in paperwork. I soon joined my daughter in the room where I entered just as the nurse was asking her, "do you smoke? drink alcohol? do drugs?" with her back to me. Rachel rather smugly said "no" to all of the questions as she was facing me. She was given a shot of adrenaline in the arm (ow - we both almost cried but started laughing to take away the fear and pain), some benadryl-replacement and 40 mg of Prednisone. We were able to leave just before 5 am.

The rest of the story is that because Rachel had not eaten anything unusual or different that day and had taken no drugs either, the very kind, former army doctor felt that it could possibly be a reaction to something that blew in with the cold front that came in that afternoon. He said that the lip swelling is a new reaction and that she might be better off if she were to be prepared next time and have an epi-pin on hand to administer if she started reacting in this way again. The possibility of anaphalactic shock exists if it progresses one step more each time. The tough part is that it costs over $300, and only lasts a year. We will pray that she doesn't have another reaction such as what occurred last night, but what if? An ER visit is much more expensive.

Rachel was so sweet and calm throughout the entire ordeal, except for the shot, which helped calm me. I count my blessings that my children are so undemanding for attention and care (maybe because they get plenty), and that they do appreciate it when we provide for them.

Tonight, I hope to go to bed by 10 pm, since I'm running on a little over 4 hours of sleep now. And, the next time I even THINK about staying up all night, I'll immediately dismiss it as being frivolous!

The Value of Three

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost."
"Third time's a charm."
"After you hear it three times, that's when you're going to remember it."

I've been pondering the number three a lot lately, because it seems that many things have been showing up in threes and have been speaking to me. Maybe it's because my mind has been freer than usual lately with less writing projects and I'm able to pay attention more. Possibly, God is speaking to me and I'm listening.

     The first set of three refer to Christian faith and the words describing God in the Bible. The Father is the creator of the universe and of Jesus, who is the Son, and the Holy Ghost is who remains with us at all times - He is the presence of God on earth. I can parallel this in my Christian life as attending weekly church service as one, Bible study as two, and daily prayer and conversations with God is three. One topic from the Bible was repeated to me - Jeremiah 29:11 was mentioned in conversation, heard at church and then referenced to in my own reading. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Another is the Book of James, with instructions for life, that I found in Bible study that my mother also completed (so we discussed it several times), addressed by our pastor at church and I pursued it in my need for wisdom in family life.

     The second reference to threes would be counting on luck and is an agnostic or atheist view, although I am sure there are plenty of us Christians who cross our fingers for good luck, say "good luck" to friends, family and teams before a competition. God has a plan for each of us (see Jer. 29:11) and while we may think that it is luck that helped us get that primo parking place, win in the drawing at the marketing party we attended or finish that race in the top 10 in our category, there is a bigger picture of God's hand in the success.
 
   Three times to remember is a marketing reference. I try to emphasize to my marketing clients to repeat their message on Facebook, with a news release or with a blog and with signage and direct mail so that clients will recognize their name when they have a need for their business (real estate, interior decorating, church, school). Why do you think you see advertisements for McDonald's, Coke, Pepsi and Frito-Lay multiple times on the TV during a single program, as well as receiving flyers in the mail and billboards? The repetition is what draws you in to buy that new cracker or cookie from Nabisco, or to look at that cool car from Toyota. The less apparent marketing of a service business makes it more challenging to promote than consumer goods, and that is where word of mouth and personal reference is valuable, and can be included in the value of three times heard will make an impact.

In closing, I'll just state that this blog will not be repeated two more times. :-)

Writing and Other Priorities

Becoming the next Barbara Kinsolver, JK Rowling or Julia Childs is not my goal. I do want to be a good writer that can possibly benefit financially from my writing, or at least influence others to help them to set goals, enjoy the benefits of cooking and baking and maybe to live a good life. The issue is not the idea factory, for I am constantly writing blogs in my head. The issue is making time to sit down and write!

Maybe because I was tied to the computer writing nearly 100 articles about wheel chocks, or possibly the time I was glued to my chair over three days writing 40 articles about wicker furniture that I don’t like to prioritize my time here. It could also be the age of my computer, one put together at the turn of the century (wow!) and reconfigured internally probably five years ago. The distractions of family life are the third obstruction to sitting down and writing. Either a sweet child of mine or my dear husband is calling my name in need of a talk, a lunch made or a ride somewhere, or something on the stove, in the washing machine or the ironing board is making more noise for attention than my old computer. The fact is, I feel guilty sitting down to write when there are needs of others and I’m not getting paid. That’s where my big priority to be a writer keeps getting pushed down – I prefer to be paid to sit at the computer when I have so many other owners to attend to.

For example, I just got up momentarily to use the restroom. While I was in there, I noticed that it had a faint odor a litter box that had been temporarily stored in the bath last night as we have a new cat. So, I needed to spray a cleaner on the floor. No paper towels meant going to the kitchen to retrieve a new package, unwrapping them and using a few. When the job was done, I didn’t want to leave the used towels in the room, so I went to put them in the laundry room trash. There, the trash can did not have a liner, so I went back to the kitchen to get a grocery bag, and placed it in the can with the trash. While in the laundry room, I noted the damp towels that needed to be placed in the dryer, which I took care of. Once back in the kitchen on the way to the office, I passed by the pork that is sitting on the counter, still partly frozen, squealing to me to place it in the crock pot. That, however would require me to cut onion, potato and carrots to add to it with the chicken broth and spices, which would surely distract me long enough that I would not get back to my writing before my family wakes up – missing the moments of silence (except for the squealing pig, laundry, and bathroom). I am a wife and mother, and I accept the responsibility.

Saint Patty's Day

Being raised Catholic, I was exposed to Saint Patrick at an early age. In Dallas, my family went to Saint Patrick's Catholic Church from the time we moved there in 1971 until I graduated from high school and left for college in 1980. Every week, the bulletin showed his name with the clover, and the church colors were green. So just how did Saint Patrick happen to be associated with March 17, the clover and the color green?

It's been said that Patrick, a Brit, was a young man of just sixteen who was captured by Irish pirates and enslaved in Ireland. He saw in a dream that he was to escape, and when he was successful, he joined the church and studied to become a priest. Even though it would have been much easier for him to stay and preach in England, he opted to return to Ireland to spread the good news of Christ.

The clover is said to be St. Patrick's way of teaching the holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, because if you observe a usual clover leaf shape - it does have the three leaves extending from the stem. How the four leaf clover became associated with St. Patrick  another story. Blue was the original color used to represent St. Patrick, but the connection to green with the saint is said to have come from the relation to the shamrock. March 17, 461 is the day that St. Patrick died.

The St. Patrick holiday was declared in early 1600 by the Catholic church, and today, it is celebrated all over the world with green clothing and four leaf clovers, parades and corned beef and cabbage (an Irish treat). So this Sunday, on March 17, wear your green and eat your meat to celebrate a man who strove to Christianize the pagan Irish.

Small Town Benefits

Another advantage of living Spacewoood is its proximity to another nearby small town that is much more citified, yet not cosmopolitan. Marble Falls is a huge resource for beauty, decent food, interesting entertainment and its awesome library. It seems that when I attend an event in Marble Falls, the people that are there are truly interested in what they are pursuing at the event. One example is the tea party rally we attended a number of years ago that had droves of people attending, speaking and selling their wares. It was a beautiful day in Johnson Park along an inlet of the Colorado River. Hats, t-shirts and bandanas spoke to the red, white and blue of the organization, with many smiling faces and friendly people.
     Today, I was pleased to be able to attend the Writer's League of Texas writing workshop at the library. There were at least 30 hill country writers there, all seeking knowledge from professionals, many eager to speak up and comment.
     Three speakers addressed individual topics, and each was excellent. The first was Scott Wiggerman, a Texas poet, who gave us prompts and had us fill in the blanks of an existing poem by Denise Levertov. Alliteration with the letter "S" - Singing separately, yet almost one, Assonance with "ahh" - pulled over, arguably pausing. and Assonance with the long, deep vowels, You pause for the groove of love, often lonely. Scott gave me good marks on my efforts. He was clever and interesting.
     The second speaker was my favorite, Suzy Spencer, a true crime writer that graduated from Baylor. The titles and topics of her books are, as she stated, not to be expected from a girl that went to Baylor, including Wasted, a story of murder involving a lesbian love triangle. She noted that the book was banned from the library in Nacogdoches in 1996 because the word "lesbian" was on the cover. Her latest book is Secret Sex Lives that details the chase of sex that people undertake. Written from a journalistic perspective, she details a wide variety of zany sex pursuits.
     Her words were very impactful - noting that we must start a book with a big Kaboom!, especially if we are writing a proposal letter for a non-fiction book. She emphasized the geometric line that curves up to the end of the story, building suspense with vulnerabilities and conflict that matches the needs of the characters. Some of the ingredients of a good story may include laughter and emotional renderings. She also said that we writers must have the big picture when we start writing. I could go on, but I must address the next writer.
     Carol Dawson was the third speaker, and she addressed Voice in writing. She addresed the fact that we as humans have been telling and listening to stories for as long as humans have lived, and that our brains need stories. I can relate to this because its so much easier to tell and listen to a story than just a list of fact - at least for me.
     Carol noted that voice will set the tone of the story and can be determined by person - first, third or omniscient - and also the tone - active, reflective, passive, ironic, truthful, inviting, justifying, loving or many other ways. She read the intros from a wide variety of books and asked us to point out what we heard or felt from the writing. She stated that we need suspense in the beginning, middle and end to keep the reader tagging along.
     Overall, it was a very productive session for me, to get my writing brain in gear. I hope to pursue more writing and formulating on my potential novel, children's story and cookbook/non-fiction in the coming year. A representative from the league stated that just 200 words written per day for a year will be a complete 70,000 word book at the end of a year. Sounds doable to me, now let's see if I can do it. Love and Peace. 

Nick and Sunny

I love living in Spacewood. Bordered by Lake Travis to the north, beautiful Hill Country to the west, more sloping landscape to the south and the thriving metropolis of Austin to the east, in the great state of Texas, I couldn't imagine living in a more excellent place. Our community is one of friendliness shown by the smiling faces and the hand wave when passing another car on the road.

We have an little incredible gas station with convenience store just two miles away. Quick 'n' Save is the name of it, with Exxon gasoline at the pump. It's run by a couple of fellows from India named Nick and Sunny. At 6 am EVERY SINGLE DAY, Sunny is manning the register, greeting customers as they enter and pay, and DAILY, at 3 pm, Nick takes over the register and runs the shop until 11 pm, when it closes.While not a bright, shiny corporate establishment, it is generally clean inside and out and has all the last-minute ingredients such as flour, milk, cheese and eggs, as well as plenty of snacks, beer and wine. I am amazed that Sunny and Nick are the only two employees that I ever see.

Sunny is subdued. He doesn't smile much. I less frequently see Sunny because I don't stop in at that time as often. Once, about a year ago, I went in to buy something and we chatted. I spoke about my darling daughters in some regard, and in the same breath asked if he had children. He looked down and said "No." I paused and he looked back up and then told me, "She died." I was humbled and it was my turn to look down. "I'm sorry," I said, took my purchase and left. That feeling of sadness overcomes me each time I see him since then. I try to be cheerful each time I see him.

Nick is another story. While I don't know whether or not he has children, we have spoken a lot about life and living. I am "Mrs. Kevin," to Nick, and am addressed in that way with a smile every time I walk in. He asks me about Kevin always, maybe because he is out of town a lot and Nick is either vicariously going to the interesting place that Kevin is visiting, or is just checking up on me. Recently when it was slow and I was in a nosy way, I asked him about his store.

Nick told me that he is from India and he still has family living there. He said that he and Sunny own the store and that they are the only employees. What hard workers! When we were talking about places we've been and would like to visit, Nick said that India is the only place he wants to go. He said that he is making his way in America so that someday he can go home with the money he has earned and live a good life there.

I have never been to India but I  have heard that many areas are very poor, with squalid living conditions. I also have seen that it is very dry and dusty. This brings me back to the life I have, living in Spacewood. Running water and electricity in every household, wonderful weather conditions - despite the drought, automobiles in every driveway, and an awesome convenience store to pick up that butter I forgot for the cookies just two miles away.