Life is Fragile, Handle with Care

Recently, I heard about a girl (now forever 18) who was killed in a car wreck.  Her name was Jessica and she played on Karmyn's softball team.  They played together when she and Karmyn were in the u-14 class.  That would be the age group of 13-14 year olds.  When Jessica passed away, she was attending college on a softball scholarship I think.  I have to admit that Karmyn played with so many wonderful girls but after we all moved on, I lost touch.  So, I do not know what is going in their lives anymore.  I wanted to share with you something that, perhaps, only 3 people in the world ever knew about until now. 

I remember during Softball Nationals in Owensboro, KY, the girls wanted to hold a bible study.  The leader of this idea was a wonderful, well rounded girl named Brittany G.  She had asked permission from the Drury Inn help desk if they could occupy the conference room.  The hotel did, indeed, have a conference room available and Brittany led the bible study for the night.  I sat in the room as strictly an observer without a peep.  My heart could not have been prouder of these girls.  On their own, they took such a mature and outstanding initiative. 

After the study, they went along their way.  I remember that somehow Jessica had wanted to talk to me about 'spiritual' things.   She thought it was curious that numerous times people were talking to her about the subject recently.  Also, there were some doubts and questions that she had swirling in her mind.  I really do not know how she and I came together to talk about it.  But, somehow,  as it happened, I found myself, Jessica and Karmyn sitting in the empty stairwell of the hotel discussing faith and religion.  To date, I am not sure how the rest of Jessica's spiritual life unfolded.  What I am sure of though is this, Jessica's heart and soul were open to communicating with God that night as we prayed.  Just the three of us were physically praying together on the bottom metal step of the hotel stairwell.   But, I do have faith to believe that we were not only 3 in attendance.  I know that God was with us there as our tears and prayers were lifted up.  I hope that Jessica is with Him today in heaven.

Day 128 of 365, A good Steam Cleaning

Well, well, well!  Happy Monday Yall!  Ok, so can I vent a little?  See that Shark Steam Mop?  Oh my gosh!  Remember, a couple posts ago I shared our new bambino with you?  Yeah, Bellie Belle is her name.  Poopin' and Peepin' is her game.  Uh, huh...you got it! 

She is just about to drive me out of my ever lovin' mind with all the BIZ!  Also, remember how my youngest daughter bought her from SPCA at Petco and smuggled her in and hid her away until the next morning because she didn't know how I would react.  Then, when I did meet her the next morning all warm and sweet and baby puppyish....how could I deny?  She was such an itsy bitsy, preshy, cuddly wuddly, iddle baby puppy?  How could I deny?  I couldn't and I didn't.  So, she became part of the family.  We goo goo'd and ga ga'd over her and instantly fell in love.  Why do baby puppies make you talk (or type)  funny?  Flash forward to today.  She is around 10 weeks old and just about to wear me out!  

I have never been able to tolerate the thought of my having a dog in the house.  Don't get me wrong, I can go to other people's house with dogs and that is perfectly fine.  I think nothing of it.  But, for myself, I have always been dead set against having dogs inside.  Then, Kayla asked me a couple years ago if she could buy a dog.  I think mostly she liked the idea of carrying it around in the doggy purse like Legally Blonde or Paris Hilton.  Goodness, gracious I could picture it too....At any rate, my resistance was starting to wain.  A few weeks went by and she found one for sale on the internet that she immediately knew was 'her' puppy.   She put the deposit down and had to wait until it was old enough to come home.  During that time, I had a running list of 'what it better not do's'.  Such as, "It better not stink up my house.  It better not be all yappy!  It better not cost me one thin dime.  It better not change my lifestyle one IOTA!  It better not lick on me."  And here is the one that I kept inside, "It better not make me like it."  So, there!  I didn't want to hear it, smell it, or know that it was around.  Hummmph!

If you have been following my earlier posts, you will see a little dog named Mia.  She is Kayla's dog and  the very one that I didn't want to change my lifestyle!  What I didn't know then?  I didn't know that when Mia got a stomach ache, I would be the one to rush her to the animal hospital like she was a sick child.  I didn't know that when I came home, I was going to be greeted by 10,000 toe licks and be able to tolerate it.  I didn't know that I was going to be making her a doggy coat because we had her shedding hair shaved and she couldn't stop shivering.  I didn't know that I would ever actually call her to come take a nap with me.  I didn't know that she would become a constant companion.  For goodness sakes, I didn't know that it would end up this way.   Treachourous, I say!  Now, here comes number two! 

Bella aka Bellie Belle

This is her face when she thinks she is in trouble.  Seriously!

As I type this, I am waiting for the floors to dry because I used both the traditional mop and the steam mop.  Here we go again!  I am going to have to tolerate another one of those little monsters being forced on me!   Why didn't I learn with the first one?  I guess I need to be even more specific next time when I say,  "It better not...".  A few mornings ago, I had fallen back asleep in the big chair in the living room.  I could feel someone standing near.  I opened my eyes and Karmyn was standing there with her head bent around the side of the chair watching me wake up.  I realized that I had been  napping with Mia in her usual hemmed in position between my hip and side of the chair.  Then, there was Bellie Belle.  She had gradually made her way up to perch herself around my neck somehow.  Karmyn laughed at this scenario.  She said, "Mama, you look like a dog lady."  grrrrrrr....That is exactly what I always never wanted to be.....