A special child calls me Mumsie

Our Bean, we have always believed she is special.

Of course, she is ours so we think that.

She is also very normal.

She can be sassy, have temper tantrums, has the little

diva attitude, yet deep in her, she is special.

Now I know all think that of their grand babies.

I will give you today a "for instance" of why

she is so special to us.

She remembers my Momma.

She asks often about heaven and her Momma 

would like her not to worry about things such as this

because she is just three and a girl that age just should

not think of those types of things.

We had a Mumsie/Jilly night Geeze,  this baby girl

is so much fun, high strung and needs much attention

but that is what is great about the times she spends

with me and her MawMaw, she is the hit of the party 

and we let her call the shots.

So, we picked flowers and she made this bouquet.

She also loves helping me cook.
Oh but she must wear all her gear, her apron, her hat, her
glove, she has her own utensils, all pig inspired,
but really, she is so darn good about following cooking
directions but I have to admit, I heard at least hundred times,
"I want to do it!!! don't help me, Mumsie"
She is zoo freaking independent!

Even with all of this, here comes the real story
that will explain that out of the thousands of children
I have met over my years of school nursing, there are
very few that have this special thing about them.
Bean has this.
We were playing in her room and she came across
a framed picture of her and My Momma.
she asks,
"HEEYYYY Mumsie!! how did I get back from Heaven?"
I explain that was before Mommee went to Heaven whens hew as a baby.
"OOOHHHhh I changed the subject as her parents
don't want her worrying about death or Heaven she is
just too young.
My Mommy had this beautiful Mary statue holding
baby Jesus, I love it, it was given to her on her
90th bday by my dear aunt GaGald and my cousins
Fay and Dela, Bert and their families
I loved it the minute I saw it and always said,
"When she dies that thing is coming home with me and
it did. As I am dressing I hear Bean sitting on the
small box where Mary and Baby Jesus lives,
rocking them. I come out to check on her and
she has gone get Penny too because that is my favorite doll
and she has her Minnie Mouse she jacked from
her baby sisters car seat saying,
"But that is my favorite Momma"
I am dressing and she is just playing to her little hearts content.
We dress and leave for what I can say is the most
fun day we have had a Chuckie Cheese. It's the
first time we go just us and we both agreed it was fun.
On the way home she is tired but won't close her eyes.
"Mumsie, am I going home now?"
She had been at my house over 24 hours and was ready go home.
 "I miss my Mommy"
Not I miss my sister, my house, my room, my toys,
"I miss my Mommy"
I drop her off and Kd I am sooo sorry for teaching her
how to ring the bell and hide and run away.
I kiss and hug up on our sweet J.Belle
who laughs, coos, talks to me. She is just
the happiest baby ever.
I finally head home and there, in my room is this:

There, on the bench where she played while I dressed she
has left me a montage to comfort me
She worries a lot about her Mumsie.
Asks me always, if I am loney or sad,
"Nope my baby, I am not lonely or sad."
So back to my montage.
This three year old who will not be 3 and a half until
September. has taken my Mommy's pillow that she insistes
on sleeping on when sleeps here,  she has
taken my Mommys' mary and baby Joseph, and the Minnie
that is :her favorite" that she jacked from baby belle.
and my favorite doll, Penny and put them in
order in my room. Yet, it is the picture that gets me.
She has to think this through as that picture was
in her room, without me knowing, she went to her
room and got that picture and added it to her gift to me.
Sometimes I wish I knew what her little three year old
mind was thinking when she placed these things together.
And this is one of the many reasons why her Mother and I
think she is such a special child.
Again, normal three year Diva but the heart of gold.
thank you Bean, this made Mumsie's day.
(Permission from her Mommy for this blog)

Another reason why I would change nothing of my life, even if I could

In counseling, she has asked me, if you could change…

and I never let her get farther from that because I know

the answer, have thought it out many times in my life.

the answer is…

"I would live the exact same life with maybe a few changes,

if it mean I could have the very same children I have.

I know many parents will read this and think, yeah,

my kids are that great too. And perhaps they are

but I only have these two, no others to compare to,

and I would not change them for anything.

Don't get me wrong, they are far from perfect.

They sometime think they are the grown up and

they are the parent, they give good advice sometimes

but if you choose to do what you want anyway, well

lets just say, they don't always like it.

They do have one thing in common with me,

neither is afraid of saying how they feel,

sometimes they are nice about it and sometimes

they are very abrupt. Yet, they both share one thing

in common with their Mother, uhhh me:

They are sensitive and they don't write love letters half

as much as I do, hardly ever, but when they do, oh 

it makes me cry.

So that is the story leading up to the blog.

I had a date this week and had two weeks to think

about it. I went back and forth talking to gypsy baby

and BB as well as kd as to whether or not I was ready for this.

Friday, when the day finally got here, I was excited and ready.

I got all dressed and headed to my car as we were meeting

in Thibodaux, and there, taped to my drivers side window was

this love letter:

All a Momma needs to know she is doing the right thing,

all a Momma needs to know she raised herself some awesome children.

Thank you my gypsy baby, my baby girl, my best pal.

I love, love, love, you and your brother so!

HELP ME ST. JOSEPH…. sell this house!

My sweet Kd, she has added lots of

ideas for selling this huge house that I am

so ready to be rid of. She asks me a few weeks

ago if I buried St. Joseph in my yard…. uhhhh nooooo.

She goes on to explain that St. Joseph is known for selling

houses. I kind of knew that, I have one in my house

but she fills me in on it has to be buried.

Well, I am not gunna bury my favorite St. Joseph statue

in the yard. I figured I would have to buy a new one.

Then Kd starts giving me all these rules she thinks 

has to be done for it work. WHAT??? Rules

She explains she things I have to bury him

ass up, face facing away from the house,

close to the for sale sign.

Well, I realize I have to get this right Ya know?

So kd sends me some article explaining how it

needs to be done. What would I do without my Kd?

Wednesday, while DTB I go to my favorite religious store

and I ask Tammy, my cousin, 

'I need a St. Joseph statue to sell my house"

Well, Tammy and her hubby Donald been in

this religious supply business for some time so she

knows exactly what I need:

Yep, check that out! A kit with all the instructions!!

look across the box,

"HOME FOR SALE KIT"

Damn this house would be sold by now had I known.

It just made me chuckle a tad when I actually saw

there was a kit for this…. but I know

I gotta believe so today, Old St. Jo

gunna get buried following all the rules and

prayers I need to say.

Look, I am so convinced it's going to work that

I started packing yesterday!

No freaking kidding!

My favorite direction is

ONCE THE HOUSE SELLS, THE STATUE SHOULD

BE UNEARTHED AND GIVEN A PLACE OF RESPECT

IN THE NEW HOUSE.

I am so glad for this because I have grown accustomed

to my little St. Joe statue and kind of feel bad to put him

in the ground upside down, but a girl gotta do what

a girl gotta do.

Maw goose Passed and the celebration was fantastic!

I walked in for the funeral a tad late. Glad it 

wasn't any later as I may have missed it.

I love a Baptist funeral. There is no waste of time and

the funeral is all about the loved one who has passed.

The music was beautiful and there was one song that

just touched me and I knew I wanted to share it here.

I had never heard it before but it said so much of what I think

when saying goodbye to someone I love so.

thankfully, Adrianne, Maw's granddaughter had posted

a portion of the Mercy Me song on her Facebook wall:

Adrianne Duet

Yesterday

"You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you

But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways

The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know

But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same

Cause I'm still here so far away from home"

So beautiful and only one of the most beautiful songs 

sang. It began to rain as it was time to lay her casket

in its final resting place. that is not stop us all from being there.

A bagpipe was played by a family friend,

AMAZING GRACE

I had never hear a bagpipe so close nor played

like this young girl played.

After we were all invited to the church community center.

So many memories I have in this building.

When Baby boy and Scott, Sue and Foe's son 

became best friends at 3 years old for many years,

we were fortunate to spend so many of Scott's birthday parties 

there. there was a huge gym so there was skating, eating,

basketball playing, Pool tables, my kids loved it there.

Many times gypsy baby also practiced biddy ball there

for All Stars. Lots of memories and so many people had

prepared food for the celebration after. I love mingling

with so many I knew and others I didn't.

Ma Gus would have loved her party.

I am so honored that the family thinks of me as family.

I am a distant cousin and over many years,

I and this family spent much time together,

but I did not expect to he handed a red rose from

the casket bouquet that was being handed to the family

members. I cried then. That they think of me as family.

There is one thing I will always, always be thankful for,

that I took that Saturday to spend with Ma Gus and

"My family".

Now the hard part, My dear Godson, Rick,

leaves tomorrow to go back to the Navy.

He keeps reassuring us that he is in a safe place and

not to believe what we hear on the news,

but having him here the last two weeks has been 

wonderful and him leaving tomorrow will be almost

as hard as laying Maw Gus down to her final resting place.

We know our Rick is coming back to us.

I am so darn proud of this child, especially because

he calls me Nannie.

I joke with those who love him that he can drive me crazy

sometimes, and as a child he truly did, but there is 

something special about Rick, he never gives up on

anyone he loves. I told those who would listen that I have no

doubt when it is me in the bed Maw Gus laid in as she died,

that my children will be on one side, and my only Godson

(I have 5 goddaughters but he is my only Godson)

will be on the other side of my death bed.

It is who he is, much like his Mom when it comes to 

caring for elderly and the sick.

I love my Rick, safe travels my dear one.

 His mom

his godmom

The way to leave this world

If there is ever a perfect way to leave this world,

it would be the way our dear MaMa Goose is doing it.

I entered her home yesterday to all those who love her surrounding

her hospital bed in her own living room. 

There was her daughter, Connie sitting close, holding

her hand and on the other side of her was an empty 

chair. I guess for whoever felt the urge at the time

to take up the place to be closer to Ma Gus.

Surrounding the wall of this room were chairs and not

one seat was empty. When one got up, there was another to

fill it. For the few hours I was there, never was there and empty

chair. It is evident she is on her last days, ready

to check out to her next journey. Her family has shared

stories with me of how she has said she is ready to

go home while pointing to the heavens.

She has been seen speaking to her dear husband, Sam

who went ahead of her many years before.

On this most beautiful day, Gus slept the whole

time. Still we spoke as though she was hearing us.

We all shared old stories, laughed and cried.

I rubbed her hair, told her a few time how much

I loved her, joked with her that I was hoping

she had me some "canad" cooked.

You see, every Sunday, even when she felt badly she

cooked Sunday lunch and her family went there.

All were invited, the menu was whatever her loved ones

requested. I have had many Sunday meals in that home.

so I teased her about how I had come to eat.

It was not a sad place to be, even though death was

imminent. Of course there were tears shed at different times

of the visit but none were overly sad.

I was so glad I had made the the unplanned trip.

It was inspiring and reminded me of my own Mommy's passing.

How beautiful death can be, giving me the hope that there

is so much more after this life.

As I kissed all that surrounded our Gus that day,

I saved her for last.

I bent down close to her, I rubbed her head, I kissed her

cheek. I then asked her a favor,

"Ma Gus, I know where you are going when you leave her,

you are going straight to heaven, Our Lord, I know

that is where my Mommy also is. When You get there,

can you give my Momma, Minta a big, big hug and kiss

and tell her that is from her baby girl and that I miss her?

For the first time since I had been there, she tried to open her

eyes, she tried to focus on me and she gave me a small nod.

One tear fell down her cheek. A few fell down mine and

a few others who were close enough to hear my request.

I don't think I will see our dear Ma Gus alive again.

I love this woman, I love her family.

Through her illness much healing has been done in

this family. God is good like that. 

Her only daughter that has not been there is on her way

from Texas. I have no doubt it is she who ma Gus is

waiting for to leave her family to be with her husband.

RIP wonderful woman, they don't make them like

you anymore.