Sunday, November 9, 2008

Graciebug Loves Her Cousins






We are off island! It was planned to be a restful fun vacation with Graciebug's cousins in Miami, but I brought the plague with me...And by plague I mean all the illness I had been carrying around in me for the past 4 months exploded into a full blown case of walking p. and a dash of acute bronchitis. What joy! So, after the weekend's celebration I hit the bed and have been enjoying Miami from the windows of the guestroom. Meanwhile, although all have been down with something or other the last few days, Graciebug is out of this world happy to be with her cousins. She loves them so much and I love seeing how excited she gets about whatever they are doing. From dress up to shopping excursions to being Auntie's shadow to homework at the table with J Will she is a happy happy girl. I am looking forward to getting her back to the states and getting involved in activities and friends and family. Our adventures have been amazing and no doubt I feel each one was a part of the ultimate plan for us, but it is time to just dig in to the soil and take up root for a while.

Here are some fun pics of Gracie and her cousins. I am missing from all pics as I look terribly unpleasant right now... :)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Shameful!

It has been an insane two weeks of sickness, elections, traveling to the US, holidays, and family. I am exhausted and still sick, but here...again...finally. I get quite wrapped up in the business of "nature" and perhaps that makes no sense. I will explain. If there is something I feel I should be worrying about or helping do or control I will busy myself with its concerns even while I have nothing really to do. This, I have found, includes the things that are far from my control. I busy my mind or my energy on them even when there is nothing to be done. It is like the weather. There is nothing I can do to control the rainy season downpours in Grenada or the beautiful 60 degree weather we are currently enjoying in Grenada, but I would busy my mind with it and distract from what is waiting patiently for me to just sit and be.

Last night, my daughter put me square in my place. I have so preoccupied with our big decision for clinicals and the next destination for our med school adventure that I have been getting nowhere fast staring at internet sites and housing and such to a fault. Graciebug was waiting patiently in bed last night while I pitter pattered here and there and everywhere, getting tea for her cousin, doing a little nothing of this and a little nothing of that....all because of my nervous energy. I had promised a good long foot rub and cuddle with my #1. When I finally arrived in the room once more and did not immediately curl up but found something else to mess with, she made her judgement. Sitting straight up with her hands properly and evenly placed on her hips she declared, "Mommy! It is ALL about me! It is me in schedule. Me time, Mommy! Me!" Okay. I was jolted as she continued to present her case citing my promises I had made to her about a good cuddle and that she needed me and on and on....I put down whatever it was I thought so important (I can't even recall) and got my little self right where I should have been in the first place and quieted my mind and cuddling my little bug.

Monday, October 20, 2008


Every early spring, I eagerly anticipated my traditional outing with my mom. Although, as a little girl I was never far from my mom's sight and spent many a day doing laundry at the laundromat or grabbing groceries at the market or stopping by the bakery, there was a particular event with my mom that I looked forward to more than any all year. It was the start to my favorite season- spring. And so, to usher in the new season into our little home, I would go with my mom to pick my absolute favorite flower in the whole wide of the universe...the daffodil. I love colors and pretty things and beautiful smells. To the average person, a daffodil may not embody all those things but to me, it did. Each year, it was a special time when I would get to be a big girl with my mom and we would pick this beautiful flower that to me represented happiness, beauty, and the beginning of something wonderful. Much of what I love about my favorite flower (and I am quite passionate about daffodils) I love about my mom. As children, we were always amazed at our mom's creativity, storytelling and childlike laughter. Her imagination and fun spirit encouraged us to explore our own adventures in our mind's eye. So, I loved my outings with my mom because I loved these beautiful flowers that were so different and whimsical and so much like my own mom. My other favorite outing with mom was our weekly ice cream cones. Ice cream has always been my greatest tasty treat and the walks to get a delicious ice cream cone that was all my own were always a treat, but like most other memories it wasn't so much the treat itself but the experience. And for me, it was another outing with mom that made it so special. Mom created adventures and experiences in our daily routines that made us feel important and loved. Whether it was board games, a day all curled up on her bed while she read to us all day from a chapter book while the world outside went on its merry way, listening to records together and singing along...Mom took the time to be present...to be with us in such fun imaginative ways. That is so much of who she was as a mom and who she is as a whole person...imaginative, creative, artistic, loving, humorous and kindhearted, giving and adventurous. Today, I have my own little one who loves her Gramsy for all the same wonderful things I see in her. I am so thankful that she knows my mom for the beautiful person she is. And in the spring each year, I am not always with my mom, but I am in a sense, as Graceanna and I go pick the first daffodils of spring and as our adventure nears its end and we arrive back home I see in my daughter's eyes that same spark of excitement that another little girl had when coming home from a special day with her mom.

Mom, today, you are 60 years young and I don't want to miss this chance to honor not just your birthday but who you are and who you are to me. I love you for all the stories, laughter, painting, songs, dances, records, icecream cones and daffodils, but most of all, I love you for who you are... a beautiful lady...inside and out.

I love you and a very happy birthday!

Ice Cream Cones & Daffodils,
Marca

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Cool 77 Degrees!

Thankful for the rain that has brought a respite from the sweltering heat.
I am thankful that finally our AC is fixed in our car so that we don't have to sweat on our way to church. Graciebug and I are both grateful that we have a pool we can cool off in when it isn't raining and we aren't enjoying the AC in our car. Oh the hot island days!

You can see a theme developing here. There is so much to be grateful for but on this cool Grenada evening I can't help but think of the relief from the heat!

This is an abnormally short post for me, but my eyes are getting heavy and I am looking forward to actually snuggling under the covers this evening since it is a brisk 77 degrees.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Ice Cream Cones

I was five. I loved coming to my dad's bakery with him. I would climb up on a stool in the corner and watch the dough being kneaded and cut into loaves ready for the giant ovens. While I breathed deeply the smells of baking bread that wafted from the ovens and filled the whole bakery I would eagerly anticipate the moment that my dad would offer me a slice of the warm bread with a dab of butter. The smells, tastes, and sounds of the bakery are still clear in my mind 30 years later, but they are not what made the bakery a special place to me. I loved watching my dad at work, but most of all, I loved the little stories and lessons he took time to share with me throughout my bakery visit.

This week, I was reminded of a particular day at the bakery those many years ago. My daughter has been having trouble with her numbers. She loves letters and words and the books that hold them, but numbers are currently not a favorite. Ice cream, however, is always a favorite and so I reached back to a day long ago when another 5 year old took special interest in numbers only because of her love for ice cream. I too was (and sadly am) fond of ice cream. I remember one particular day at the bakery I sat in the big window and stared off in space across the street and beyond to where children were surely enjoying the park that held the wading pool that I longed to splash through on that hot summer day and the ice cream man with his coveted cones filled with that cold soft ice cream. Amidst the smells of warming breads and pastries I was discouraged. I wanted that cone so badly I could taste it, but 20 was unfathomable to me. If I could count to 20 by the end of the day, my dad promised me whatever flavor and cone I chose- all for myself. I sat there discouraged while my dad worked quietly in the background waiting for me to begin to count again. I remember getting to 12 was easy, but after that they all sounded alike and I thought I would never get them right. How was I ever going to remember the correct order. I would goof up and dad would patiently repeat them to me once more.

I sat there feeling bewildered at the task, much like a certain 5 year old did just the other day. Twelve, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20...Sigh...No, she knew that wasn't it. Gracie looked at me with a flustered discouraged look. I picked up the flash cards again and we went through it once more. Just a few numbers at a time. I sat there half in the present and half in the past.

Twenty in one day? This seems a little tough, I know, but Dad never came across to us in a tough manner. He was sure we could do it. He knew we could. Nathaniel had to learn to swim in a day and I would learn to count to twenty that day. So, I kept at it all day. It was a long long day for a 5 year old who didn't have the same confidence in her abilities as her dad. What I did have was a stubbornness to succeed (much like another little girl I know). So, I sat there. I did it over and over and over again, goofing up each time. The day was nearing to a close and I still hadn't achieved the goal. I can remember the moment it finally happened. My dad was cleaning and I tried once again while looking out the window across the street. Then, it just clicked in my mind. It made sense and I counted all the way to twenty. I was so excited that I had finally done it. Surprised. Dad wasn't as surprised. He knew I could do it and he had patiently helped me all day until I realized it as well. He said he thought it was time for that ice cream cone. So, off we went walking through the park to get our ice cream cones. It never tasted so cold and delicious and perfect, but like every time in my childhood, my dad helped me finish it off licking the "drips" and evening out the sides.

My mind returned to the little 5 year old struggling to comprehend the difference between 13 and 14. I smiled and said, "let's make an icecream cone with 20 scoops of icecream!" Her little eyes lit up. She was interested in that kind of 20. I made a deal. With every number she knew we would add a scoop to our icecream cones that we made out of paper. And, as soon as she had 20 scoops on her cone we would go on our own ice cream cone date. She was almost sold, but had one question, "can my ice cream be pistachio?"

And then, "Can I have it all to myself? No help?" I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

Blog Makeover

Hello Everyone!

I am working on redesigning my blog! Sorry for its messy appearance! I am really enjoying figuring all this out. What fun!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Thankful Thursday on Friday (again...I'll catch up soon)

I Am Happy Inside & Here is Why
by GracieBug

  • My Momma cuz she is wonderful and I love her and I love to cuddle her!
  • My daddy cuz he wonderful too ... no actually, he is really handsome and i love him!
  • My Gramsy...just because she is my very own Gramsy.
  • Grandpa and Nana and being on the farm... I know they love me a lot and Nana says I can always ask her if Mommy says no.
  • Aunti Rose cuz I think she loves me.
  • Auntie Drea cuz she makes me silly and funny.
  • My Grandma and Grandpa and she makes great popsicles and I love them.
  • My WHOLE family because they are my very own and I love them all.
  • Jesus makes me very happy inside cuz He is like a prince to me and I love him.
  • Ladybugs and all kinds of pretty things.
  • Lilly and Buster. They are my dogs and my friends. And I love them.
  • And it makes me really happy to eat ice cream.
  • Bear Bear and Kitty cuz they cuddly.
"That's the end because I am yawning and sleepy and Mommy's going to cuddle me now."

Friday, September 12, 2008

Thankful Thursday (on Friday)


Mommy and Gracie cuddled up in Gracie's bed after a full day. A sleepy Gracie said, "I am thankful for my parents. They are special to me."

I am thankful for you too, my little gift. You are special to me too.

I love story time with Gracie. We have started chapter books at night, as well as, the classic Golden Book poetry and prayers. Here is a Thankful Prayer we read at night from our Golden Books. It is by an American poet and essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This particular stanza is very true for our life here in Grenada.

...For blue of stream and blue of sky...
For pleasant shade of branches high...
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank thee....

There is so much to be grateful for here in Grenada. I am thankful that Gracie is old enough now to have some memories to take with her from our life here. I am grateful for the home we have, the friends we've made and the simplicity of the life we lead.

Worldless Wednesday (on Friday)

Pool Day at True Blue: Gracie and her mommy pose for an under water photo, courtesy of Pirate Johnny.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Remembering Our Referral Day


It was week of prayer at Pisgah and Matt and I were busy with juggling programming and our classes. I had read the email the week before. Expect referrals within the week it had said. I was excited to say the least, but tempered it knowing how things go thinking it probably wouldn't be within the week. It was the early afternoon. I had just returned from a class and was in my office going over some papers with my reader (the student who worked as my grader and overall manager of my office space and time). My office phone rang and Jenny answered it. "It's for you. It's Hillary." My mind started to think, "Well, I only know one Hillary but she wouldn't call me at work..." Then, it hit me. Hillary!

I picked up the phone my hands shaking uncontrollably. I could hardly say hello. I can still hear her cheerful voice say, "Marca, this is Hillary. I have big news for you. I know it has been a hard journey for you and so I wanted to be the one to tell you that you have a little girl waiting for you. You're a mom." I could hardly speak. I was so overwhelmed. She said she was sending her picture to me right away and to open my email while she would tell me all about her. My hands were so shaky I could even type and then, I FORGOT MY PASSWORD. I couldn't believe I forgot my password. Jenn moved in front of me and effortlessly entered my password (how she knew...I don't know). I saw the email and clicked on it. The picture started with a small strip of bright red and slowly downloaded little bit by little bit. There she was. I was sitting at my desk with students backed up behind me surrounding my chair. The room was quiet. Hillary asked me if I was still there. I choked out, "she's beautiful...that's my little baby..." I looked at this little round face with such a serious expression and she was not a stranger to me. I can't completely explain it, but I knew her. I just knew her in my thoughts, my dreams, and my heart. I was choking on my own sobs of so much joy and release of other dammed up emotions. I could hear the whispers of Jenny shooing all of the excited students from my office and then I felt Matt's hands on my shoulders. A student had excitedly hunted him down to tell him the big news. We stood there looking at our daughter our ears pressed to the receiver gathering all the information Hillary could give us.

"Her name is Fu Li Xian," she told us. "It means, beautiful, wise and able. They call her Xian Xian. She is a sweet natured and determined baby who lives up to her name." She was found one year ago to that very day under a tree on a street corner in a basket with a bottle, no note. She was about a week old when she entered the orphanage that would be her home for 14 months. She was now 12 months and about 1 week old. Then, she warned us that the picture we saw was from 6 months old that she had since been very ill (pneumonia) and that the pictures we would get the next day in a fed ex package may be startling at first, but that she was recovering. She told us her current height and weigh, foot size, head circumference, and I wrote down every detail ready to prepare a care package to send to my little baby girl half a world away.

Behind us, students gathered in the doorway. It isn't often that you share such a personal, important moment in your lives with your students. But, they knew much about the long road we had traveled to reach this moment and the news spread through out the school. Fu Li Xian's picture made a mass emailing throughout the faculty. And that night at week of prayer, we shared our first picture of Fu Li Xian, with a church full of students, faculty and friends.

One year after she was found, we found her or maybe she found us. I guess we found each other. I told Gracie the story again today calling her my sweet Xian Xian as I often do. We cuddled and she said, "Mommy, you are so special to me. You are best mommy in whole wide world to me and so beautiful. We are all beautiful...except daddy, he is handsome."

Beautiful.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Sara Graceanna Turns 5: Gathering the Moments

Graceanna on her 1st birthday in the orphanage in China.
Graceanna on her 5th birthday

Was it just yesterday? Monday evening after a day of celebration with an adventure together collecting treasures from the yard and creating a princess wonderland of flowers and pillows, my tired birthday girl snuggles up to her newest "friend," a cuddly turtle, and sleep peacefully under the canopy of lavender netting and dragonfly lights. I sit beside her trying to gather the years that have slipped by so quickly. She is now five. It was four years ago on Sept. 8, 2004 that her little face flashed across my screen and I heard the words, "this is your little girl..." My heart knew her and that little round serious face staring back at me was the most beautiful face I had ever seen. She was one year old. She was 14 months old when I first held her. I look down at her face now, the dragon fly lights casting blotches of lights across her face. I can't help but reach out and stroke her hair as I think back continuing to gather back the last 4 years. I think of who she is now and who she was then...so much the same and so much that has changed. I think about today and her excited voice bursting into our room in the fog of my dreams announcing, "it's Gracie's birthday. Let's have cake!" So excited all day. So full of giggles and wiggles during her promised tea time with the princesses who graciously shared her day with her. Serendaing herself with Happy Birthday while dancing around the house. Thankful for every gift, every hug, every experience of her day she finally drifted to sleep under the "castle" we created for her special day. I know she is growing up. I know that pretty soon I will be sending her off to school, and so I don't want to lose even a moment. I scoop up my sleepy princess still donned in princess fashion and cradle her in my arms. My little gift.

Happy Birthday to you, Sweet Sweet Baby Girl. I love you so completely!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thankful Thursday

For little hands that hold mine.

For little whispers that wake me in the morning.

For little cuddles that start my day.

For little laughs that are contagious.

For little feet that love to dance.

For sweet I love you's softly said while little eyes drift off to sleep.

For all the little stuff...

Saturday, July 12, 2008

"I Tripped!" & Other Flower Girl Stories




In December, Gracie was asked to be a flower girl in Ricky's and Andrea's wedding. She was very excited to say the least. This is of course expected. Afterall, what 4 year old doesn't want to dress up in a pretty princess dress. She was also very serious about the whole prospect.

"What if I mess up Mommy? Andrea can't walk down the aisle without petals. Then, Ricky can't marry her...Oh no, Mommy! This is serious."


And so it went for 6 MONTHS! First, she worried about the arrival of the dress. If it came in the mail how would the postman keep it clean? I can't wear a dirty dress! Was the dress going to fit? What if it was too big? How do I drop the petals? Do I count them? Where do I stand when I am at the front? Will Becca be there? Is Andrea going to really KISS Ricky, because boys are gross and she should only kiss her daddy. Is Andrea a princess or a queen? Can I stand next to Becca? I need to practice. You be Becca and I'll be me. I going to practice. You be Andrea and I'll be me. I going to practice. Lilly, you be Becca. Stay at the front Lilly! You not supposed to move! I going to practice! I need music!


On and on it went. I would find her outside stripping the flowers around our yard of their petals and putting them in her princess hat that would hold by its ribbon and use as a basket. After asking her to slow down on the petal usage I found clothesline clips scattered in a perfect pattern in a long row.


"Why are there clips all over the back yard?" I would ask.


"Mommy, I practicing! You said not to pick the flowers."


We went back to flowers. Yes, this was serious. She wanted to do her very best. I stacked the odds against her. We traveled an immense amount the week before traveling from Grenada to Miami to Idaho and then Asheville in less than 5 days. Little sleep, anxiety, etc. The recipe was perfect for a complete 4 year-old meltdown. By the time we arrived in Asheville it was only 3 days until the wedding and we needed to get the dress fitted and altered (she is seriously a skinny one), find shoes, hair stuff and prepare for the weekend of church, practice, pictures, wedding and such. We slept late, drank Barocca, ate a lot of fresh food to stay off the bug that was threatening. Practice went great. I must hand it to Ricky and Andrea because it was one of the shortest practices in which I have been a part. The wedding day arrived.


She was up early and very calm. It was as if she had worked off all her anxiety for 6 months and the day was here and she was excited and calm and in control. After getting all ready, pictures we taken at a local beautiful arboretum. After snacks and touch ups, the wedding party lined up and Graceanna stood quite confident in line. I had cameras and video camera ready. Then, I stood their with my video camera on record as she stepped confidently and gracefully through the doors. It was a strange thing for me. This wasn't her day. She was just the flower girl and what hit me in that moment had less to do with the event and more to do with where she came from and where and who she was now...in this moment. I thought about this frightened grieving baby girl that clung to me to this energetic, "I can do anything" little girl that was walking down the aisle not needing me to hold her. She is a miracle to me. I put down the video camera and camera because I wanted to take in this moment and be present. It is hard to do that through a camera lens. She made it to the front having scattered her flowers in a very organized fashion picked up the skirt of her dress to mount the steps when she tripped on the edge of the hem and fell to the floor. I know my daughter and I know embarrassment and failure are among her ghosts. I wanted to run and pick her up. Rick, the handsome groom, stepped forward and whispered to her telling her it was okay. She looked at him and he took her hand and helped her up and she stood just as tall and graceful as could and walked to her spot on the platform with not a tear on her cheek. I could see her disappointment, but she looked so grown up as she listened to Erin the minister and to Becca as she sang and as she bowed her head during the prayer. I watched this whole thing with a rush of emotion. Here was my student getting married and starting his career and own family. Here was my daughter no longer a baby, but an amazing little girl.

The minister began the prayer and Gracie bowed her head and closed her eyes. The minister finished the prayer and Gracie's eyes remained closed. The minister finished speaking and announced that Ricky may kiss his bride and Gracie's eyes were still closed. I began to think she had fallen asleep. But once the kiss brought wedding guests to applause Gracie opened her eyes in shock. I am sure she was wondering why people would clap and holler during prayer.

I met her at the doors to the church as she finished walking down the aisle. She eagerly gave me a hug and then informed me that she "made mistake and tripped."

"Ricky is so nice, Mommy. He said it was okay."
Since that day, when she shares her exciting story she never fails to emphasize Ricky's kindness in helping her. And for her mom, it was more than just helping her up it was letting her know that it really was okay. How I want her to learn that mistakes and oopses happen and that it really is okay. In the end, I managed to beg some pictures off of others and find that I had not recorded even a second of the wedding. Oh well! Mistakes happen. And it is okay.

It was a very special day...for the two beautiful people who are starting a life together and for those who were there to witness and participate in their special day. That is the beauty of these special occasions. We are so often surprised to find that we are inspired in some way by the important moment we witness.

After the newlyweds drove away to start their new life Gracie bug and I jumped into the van and drove straight for Toys R Us to spend her gift card from Andrea, the bride. She wanted a Barbie bride. She settled on a princess. (Mommy is not ready for Barbies). Walking the aisles in her pretty dress she was nearly dancing with joy.



Falling asleep with her princess doll tucked in beside her, she dreamily whispered, "I wonder what we will do next, Mommy."
"Me, too, baby bug. Me, too."



Thursday, July 10, 2008

Remembering My Sister Sara

Sara Graceanna is named in memory of my sister Sara who left this life before she could hold her long awaited niece. How happy she would be to know her and laugh and play with her. I know they would've been quite a pair. Although they are certainly two very different people, they share more than just a name. Gracie has that same joy for life that poured out of Sara and affected everyone around her. She has a sense of adventure and determination to conquer whatever crosses her path much like Sara. I always admired these traits in my sister. And, she like Sara is a bit on the dramatic side. Ask my husband and he thinks this is a trait that all the ladies in my family enjoy.

Two days ago Sara would've turned 30 and we would've celebrated in grand measure, but that day we remembered her for the beautiful life she led and the amazing person she was. I will always have a sadness that my little Sara Graceanna will not know her Auntie Sara here on this earth, but I look forward to that moment they will meet.

For now, I share as much as I can about my little sister with my daughter and she already loves her. July 8th is a rainy day. As we drive to the cemetary to take a fresh bouquet of daisies and roses, Gracie sits quietly in the back seat holding the flowers and pensively staring out her window.
I ask her what she is thinking about.
"I just thinking about Auntie Sara. I miss her. I wish I could see her....Do you miss her, Mommy?"
"Very much, love, very much."
"Let's go to heaven and see her...I think we should go be with her."
I don't know what to say except that we will someday.
"I am sad she is not here, Mommy."
I choke back tears as we near the hill where Nathaniel and Sara rest. We climb out of the car and she asks questions about death and heaven and all the tough ones that are hard to explain. We do our usual routine and Gracie places the fresh flowers in the vase. We hold hands and pray to end our little time on the hill.
The rain returns just as we turn and walk back to the car. We arrive home in a short trip that seems like an eternity of questions trying to understand something adults rarely come to grips with. Then, we are home. We talk about Aunt Sara's laugh, her smile, the way she danced when she walked and I look into the eyes of my daughter who genuinely wants to know all she can about the Aunt she has never met. And me, I just try my best to share all the wonderful details with her and my heart is grateful, grateful that my daughter longs to know my sister and that those sparkling eyes that my sister Sara looked up at me with as I shared something she longed to know are so much like the inquisitive sparkling eyes that are looking at me now. What a little gift this moment is. I feel so close to my sister this day, unexpectedly through the eyes of my daughter.











Worldless Wednesday



A Very Young Pilot



Two Cheers for Alaska Airlines!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

One Little Moment



It has been too long since I posted. We have been traveling around the states since our return from the islands. Graceanna was a flower girl in a former student's wedding so we camehome for the wedding leaving Matt to finish his 4th term. It has been a time together, but also hard. We spent a few days in Idaho visiting with my grandfather who is in a assisted living facility and not doing well. He struggles to breath and to interact with those around him. It is only a matter of time now. I tried to prepare my 4 year old as best I could, hoping she wouldn't be scared or say something as 4 year olds do. We were walking with Grandpa around the facility and he was struggling to move his legs with the motion of his wheel chair and we stopped in the middle of a hallway. He looked overwhelmed and weak. Gracie came up to him and took his fragile motionless hand and said, "it is okay, Grandpa. I will hold your hand and will we do it together...then we will both be winners..." He looked up at her and gave her this tender smile and we continued slowly down the hall to the outdoor garden. It was just this small ordinary moment and with her simple little words she made it so much more....Before we left for North Carolina, we made one last visit and I knew this would be my last time with my grandfather who had been so much to me and I whispered into his ear and hoped he could hear as he was in his bed and because of lack of oxygen very weak and unresponsive. I wanted to say goodbye and let him know how much I loved him. I imagine it could be frightening for a little one and I could see a little uncertainty in Gracie's face as she looked at him in the bed, but after I explained things as best I could, she climbed unto the bed and bent down and kissed his cheek saying goodnight and "Love you, Grandpa!"


Graceanna has a tender and patient heart and how grateful I am everyday of the little gift I have been given. She is beauty to me...in every possible way...


Thursday, June 12, 2008

Thankful Thursday

There is so much for which I am grateful.

Thankfulness is too small a word to encompass the gratitude and appreciation I feel every moment for this little life that has made me a mom. She is my joy, my sunshine, my everything wonderful.

I am thankful for so many aspects of who she is and what she does.

I thankful for

her ability to find joy in everything she does.

her constant curiosity and sense of adventure that inspires me to be just a little more adventurous.

her courage in the dark, in thunderstorms, or the deep end of the pool.

her courage in the bigger things like new homes in stranges places and facing the fears she still holds.

her constant affection and sincerity in showing her love and devotion.

her gentle nature with other children.

her strong spirit...even the seriously strong-willed side.

her determination to learn and overcome her struggles.

her helpfulness whether hanging up laundry on a hot island afternoon or cleaning her room.

her neat freak habits that find her bed properly and precisely made, Gracie style.

her storytelling.

her smile that melts me every day.

her cuddles and snuggles.

her laughter and sense of humor.

her love for Jesus.

her love for her mommy and daddy.

I guess I could just say, I am thankful for who God made her to be and how she touches the lives around her.

Wordless Wednesday




Thursday, June 5, 2008

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful.

I am thankful...

for the rain that fell last night easing the long dry season here in Grenada.

for Graceanna's joy that bubbles over into everything she is and does.

for Graceanna's nurturing spirit with other children and the tenderness she displays with them.

for Gracie's wonderful group of little friends here.

for nap time.

for scrumptious, cold and fresh key lime pie that is sooooo refreshing and satisfying in this sweltering heat. (Think I need a piece right now, actually).

for the long awaited trip back home to the states in just 10 days.

for my husband's willingness to help out around the house...and especially for those incredible made-from-scratch brownies he made last night.

for a pool to cool off in in the Grenada heat.

for my wonderful family's interest and support in our crazy new adventure across the seas.

for the ability to give and help others.

for my mom's long awaited Grenada visit.

for Friday's stocked shelves at the grocery store.

for the prayers of others and the opportunity to pray for others.

and always, for God's unending astonishing grace.

Wordless Wednesday