A NEED I HAVE

I have this need lately to spend time with friends

before this surgery.

Today I head to breakfast with Kim V. before

she goes to work at 10:30.

She and I have tried to get together all summer

and it just didn't happen through no fault of either of us.

Today I make the trip to her house this morning

because I know after surgery I will be tied down to the house.

I have not stopped there.

I have also made plans for my besties to come and eat

supper with us on Saturday evening.

I have spoken to Ann and Laurie and will get in touch

with Tanial today.

I have made arrangements to have my other friend,

Cathy who used to work at my school to come

and have coffee and dessert after work tomorrow.

Now I am working on Wednesday.

Wednesday my plans are to have Becky C.

and Mel T. and her children to come for coffee after school.

Oh and had to add, Patricia and her kiddies to my Wednesday list!

There are so many more that I would like to arrange time for

like my Cam and her sis, Lea but time is running short.

On our day to Baton Rouge with Mumsie on Thursday

my sista's and I were talking. They were saying

the older they get, the less they spend time with others

as they are content with alone time spent at their house.

I am not happy with just this.

I love my alone time and can always be content

hanging out with myself but I also have a need to

be and spend time with good friends, people who are

important to me. Family is so easy to spend time with

but friends, friends take a little more effort so I am

making that effort and hoping that it happens this week.

In that way, I will go into surgery feeling complete.

I HAVE OBSERVED:

... While on baby girls' 21st birthday party...

That although Drago's in a very nice restaurant

and their char-broiled oysters are to die for...

and part of the Cleveland Browns football team was

at a table very near to us...

Nothing can beat an old fashioned

luncheon meat "smash" sandwich on Evangeline Maid bread

and chocolate covered donuts from Walmart.

That is all.

WITH MUCH SADNESS

(Jade is 5th from left bottom row)

One of my childhood friends, Jade Cheramie

is dying from cancer.

It is all I can think of this morning as I just

received an email from another friend, Patrick

giving me the latest update.

This cancer is her second bout of cancer having beat

breast cancer a few years ago and having a recurrence

just a few months ago.

Jade was one of my first elementary school friends.

Her sister, Janelle and my sister, Rosie were friends

at the time also so it made for many hangouts.

She also lived in the back of the street where

my Aunt Jeannie lived so if we went by my aunt,

I could go play by Jade.

Jade had some of the very best slumber parties.

We spent many a nights up all night hanging out

with friends and laughing at her house.

She now lives in Florida with her husband and

two young children, only 12 and 7 years old.

She is now off all cancer medications and now home

with hospice and a morphine drip to help her pain.

Please keep her and her family, especially her little children

in all prayers as I am not really sure how a Mother

says goodbye to her babies in this way.

My heart is heavy this morning....

and all I can think about is this one night when she

came sleep at my house.

We were in my sisters bedroom and we had some type

of board game, a monster type game and we made up

the rules as we went along and laughed and laughed

so much the whole entire night.

It is so very vivid in my mind because it was the very first

time I was ever able to stay up until 3 am.

This wonderful woman has always been an optimistic

individual and does not deserve this at the age of 47

but knowing Jade, she is taking this and making

it a positive experience for all who love her.

Love to all who know and love this amazing woman.

It's a small, small world...

If this does not make you happy on this wonderful

Friday morning, then you should check yourself...

After eating at Cracker Barrel my almost 90 year old

Mumsie decided to entertain three of her daughters.

Myself, C and Veronica just could not get enough

of this part of Mumsie.

I do believe I am my Mother's daughter.

So what do I do all day, did I hear you ask?

As an add to yesterday, speaking of the fact that I am

multi-faceted, that my life is so full of wonderful

things that I was putting second to be able to

complete a job I loved.

You may ask "What in the world does she do all day,

how can she not be bored?"

Well, I will tell you how I can't be bored.

Because I am able to find pain relief in medications that

I could not take while working, I am getting back to basics.

Resting if I need to rest, playing when I need to play.

Decided today I would go through a small list

of just what is that woman doing on her time off?

I can guarantee you that some nights are still long and rough

but I am not crying about it over here:

I am spending more time with these three beautiful women.

Spending time with family, talking to family, making

arrangements to do things with the sisters that

before I was putting off.

Family is becoming priority again.

I am cooking and baking, making things for the freezer that I love

so that post-surgery I only will have to defrost a Ziploc bag

to have homemade foods. I am baking, I love to bake.

BG is loving this and so are all my neighbors because they

all know when I bake they all benefit.

I am sharing these things with people I love, people

who have done for me, people who I owe thanks to for many

reasons. Kris and Kaylee benefited from corn soup last night.

It's Kris' favorite and like I told him, it won't be as good

as your Nannie but hey, it's corn soup...

Thanks Kaylee for the pick-up and the visit!

Scrapbooking, oh how I love this room that I do my creating in.

Just stepping in this room puts a smile on my face.

I have been making gifts for people, organizing,

playing in here much in the week.

I never get bored with hanging out in this phenomenal room.

I will never again have a home that doesn't give me a scrap room.

I know, it looks messy but it is an organized mess,

I know where everything is.

Piano practicing....

as an adult, my sis, C and I took piano lessons together.

Since moving to Thib. and selling my piano I had forgot

about how much of a relaxing thing this was for me.

HOBL bought this small beauty for me from KD and BB

and I am now having the time to reteach myself all

I had forgotten.

I love playing the piano. I am not good at it, never will be

but I love it. More adults should take up learning a

musical instrument. It is something that anyone can learn

it is one of those things, the more you practice the better you get.

It makes me proud of myself....

Journaling, writing, thinking about this book I am going to write.

... and I will write a book.

I have many many times said when I grow up I want

to be a motivational speaker and when I do a speaking engagement

about my life it makes me so darn happy.

Yet I know that to get more opportunities to do this, most

have to write a book to go with these speaking engagements.

It is something I am going to do before I die, it's on my bucket list.

With more time I am focusing on writing, planning...

The pretty little journal on the right?

Well, that is Eskimo Pie's life from his/her Mumsie's perspective.

I journaled for each of my babies, now it is time for grandbaby #1.

I Looovvvvve this journal and the things I share with my baby.

Then there is reading, yes, I read many books at one time

always but I had been laxed even though I love it.

I am once again finding the forgiveness in myself to

lay down, rest, and read, read, read if I want to.

For a while this simple pleasure was making me feel guilty

because I would always think of all else that had to

be done instead of reading.

No more, if I feel like laying on my sofa and reading then I do.

Yes, so far, besides missing my work friends and my kiddies,

I am doing fine. I am listening to God and I am taking it easy

and I am finding myself again....

Yes life is good even with chronic pain...