Lucky Girl

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I’m thankful today that an icy road wasn’t the end of the road for my “other daughter.”

The roads were beginning to get icy last night, as I took Doodle Bug home. I prayed the snow would stop and that the sun would come out today but no such luck. A.B. was out early this morning, headed to the college for a really big test. She had a friend with her, whom she was taking home after an overnight stay. Evidently there were some really icy spots on the road and A.B. lost control of the car. I don’t know all the details and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know because just the thought brings tears to my eyes. The car is totaled and she and her friend escaped with minor injuries but it could have been so much worse. Both are bruised up pretty bad and sore as heck. I’m very thankful they are alive and even more thankful that Doodle Bug was not in the car with them.

The lesson hopefully learned today: No class is worth risking your life to get to.

Sick & Tired, Part 2

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What’s with all the snow? I think my toes are going to freeze tonight.

I took care of Doodle Bug today and when I took her home the road was beginning to freeze over. Snow was coming down, and still is. I doubt anyone will be going anywhere tomorrow. Good thing we have supplies to last for a bit.

I’m really sick and tired of this cold, cold winter, although just thinking about the hot, humid summer not too far ahead of us just makes me want to pass out! I use to love the hot summers but that’s when I lived in California. The heat was dry, not humid like it is here in SW Missouri. Of course, I was a younger woman back then too!

I really like the Spring. Why can’t it be like Spring all year long? Is there anywhere in the world that’s like Spring all year long? I’m looking forward to the Spring. I want to take the grand babies to the park and to the zoo. I want to watch them run in their bare feet on the grass. I want to share with them my love of birdwatching. I can barely wait until we can bring out the toddler wading pool so they can splash and laugh and then cry when it’s time to come inside. I’ll be taking plenty pictures, that’s for sure.

I guess I’ll just have to be sick and tired of the cold until the Spring decides to pay us a visit.

When Will People Learn?

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My son’s best friend, A.S. got busted for possession of marijuana and if that isn’t enough, possession of an illegal firearm too. After all the trouble my daughter got into last year, you’d think he would’ve been smarter. Now he has a couple felony charges hanging over his head and his life will be ‘on hold’ until he gets everything resolved. He may end up with jail time, drug court or probation and maybe all 3.

When I talked to him, I told him that every choice we make will effect the rest of our lives. One wrong choice can ruin our lives! He says he’s done with all this; that he has learned his lesson. I hope so.

It really hurts my heart when the people I care about make such bad mistakes. If they would only listen! I managed to make it through high school without succumbing to peer pressure. I never tried drugs and even now would never try drugs. Why can’t people see what drugs can do to a person? Is a high so important that they will risk their health, their lives and even the lives of those around them?

I just don’t get it. I probably never will. When will people learn?

Empty Spaces….

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I’ve been thinking about my son, my “other daughter” and my grand daughter tonight. They have moved out and although they’re close, I will still worry about them. They’ve been living here since last July due to some very unfavorable circumstances. I have enjoyed having Doodle Bug here, no doubt, but I love my son and I feel closer to A.B. now. I’ve always loved her like a daughter but now that we have shared some maternal moments and lived under the same roof, it’s a much closer relationship and I am thankful for it.

My son, C.F., came by and packed up a few things tonight, things they left behind on Wednesday. He seemed in good spirits, perhaps excited about having his own place. It’s an exciting time for them. I pray he and A.B. will work together and be the best parents they can be to Doodle Bug. They can do it, I know they can. They’re young and inexperienced in this sort of thing but I’m confident they’ll figure it out. And I know that they will come to me if need be.

My house is slowly morphing back into the home it was before both of my children moved back home. There are a few empty spaces in my house now, but not for long. S.R. will move into some of those spaces that C.F. and A.B. left behind. With any luck, her stay here won’t be any longer than necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I love S.R. and I definitely love my grand son, D.M., but it would be nice to have my house and my life back to normal. I want her to have a place of her own. It’s just too bad that when she does move out, J. will be part of that equation.

Nothing good can come out of that. But, I don’t know anything, according to S.R. I have to step back and let her find out for herself that J. is very bad news. I don’t know that’s possible though, since he already turned her life upside down, and she still doesn’t see it. Perhaps someday she will see it and realize that sometimes I do know what I’m talking about.

A Nice Surprise

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A few weeks ago, I was thinking of a woman I was friends with back when I was pregnant with my daughter. This woman was my neighbor, my best friend and someone I could count on at any time. In fact, I did count on her for many things. She was there for me all the times my ex was being a real jackass. She was there for me throughout my pregnancy. She drove me to the doctor all the times my daughter was sick, when I was without a car and living out in the country. She brought me a real Christmas tree on Christmas Eve one year when we couldn’t afford one. She watched the baby for me when my ex wouldn’t make time, so I could shower. She took my kids to the park one evening when my ex and I were fighting. Gosh, there were so many things she did for me. I hope I was as good a friend to her as she was to me. I hope she knows how much her friendship meant to me.

I had been hoping to reconnect with her after all these years. It’s been 15 years or so since I last saw her or heard from her. I spent the better part of a day, searching Facebook and MySpace, Twitter and the Yellow Pages – problem was I knew she had remarried and I didn’t know her last name. I tried searching for her boys. They were all small when we knew each other. There were three of them; the oldest was only 7 when we first met, the youngest was about 8 months older than my daughter and the middle child was about 4 or 5. They use to call me Aunt Debbie! I tried to find them. I searched Facebook and MySpace, Twitter and the Yellow Pages looking for them. It was difficult because the names were so common and I really didn’t know what they looked like any more. I was discouraged after many hours. Would I ever connect with any of them again?

This morning, I was catching up on some sleep. I’ve been sick and hadn’t been sleeping well. My daughter woke me up and told me I had a phone call.

It was my good friend’s oldest son. I was really happy to hear from him! He took the time to look me up! He found me on MySpace. (Thank the heavens for the age of MySpace and other social networking sites on the internet! Thank the heavens for the internet!)

He still called me Aunt Debbie! It was a great conversation. We talked for half an hour or more. He told me about his brothers, his mom and his own children. He’s in Iraq right now, working as a medic in the Army.  He’s been in the Army for 11 years! I pray he comes home safe, to his family and friends. He may come visit me when he comes home. It will be totally awesome to see him again. We have connected on Facebook and MySpace and will definitely keep in touch. He has put me in touch with his brothers and his mother. I can’t wait to talk to them all!

I like surprises, nice ones that is, and this was most definitely one of the nicest.