SANDY'S CONDITION UPDATE

On Thanksgiving,
my sister Sandy was hit by a car.
She has a significant brain injury,
bleeding in her brain,
fractured skull, broken thumb
and severe bruising.
It has been a roller coaster ride
since then. Initially things did not look good,
she was not alert. Then she surprised even the
doctors by being totally alert and
communicating well.
Today we are in a down sweep of the roller
coaster. She is once again confused and
not communicating well. There will be
another CT scan today.
We are praying for a miracle!


Please God ~ another miracle for Sandy...

You can read about Sandy's history at Tasha's blog.
Suburban Momma
This is the picture she mentions.
It is Sandy holding Tasha before she goes into surgery
that will alter her life forever.

When I look at the picture above
it makes me think
of the picture below.

Tasha holding d.

Tasha mentions Sandy in a scarf to cover her scar.
Tasha is not in the picture because
Aunt Pam cared for her the first year of her life.

Depending on God,
Sandy had the strength and stubbornness
to persevere and create an independent life.

33 years ago God gave Sandy a miracle
and saved her life.
She now lays in a hospital bed
needing another miracle.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

LIFE CHANGES IN A HEARTBEAT

***Update Saturday Night 11:00pm Nov.29th
After quite a good day Sandy has had a significant setback. Stacy and Heather have decided to spend the night at the hospital. I don't know the details, just that everyone is very concerned.
I do know that God is in control and that recovery
is often a rollercoaster ride. Please pray for a miracle for Sandy!
See Sundays update- Click "Sandy's Condition Update" on right.




My sister Sandy went for a walk after
Thanksgiving dinner.
The bright sun
blinded the eyes of the woman
driving toward her.
In an instant she was hit by a car,
the impact leaving her motionless and still.

She regained consciousness and was
able to communicate.
Once in the hospital,
she became confused and
no longer was able to communicate normally.
The CT scan revealed she is bleeding internally,
the blood is putting pressure on her brain.

This would be a serious situation
for any one of us.
For Sandy it is doubly so.
At the age of 33, pregnant with Tasha,
Sandy suffered a stroke due to an aneurysm.
It took many surgeries to save her life,
including one to remove part of her brain.

Right now we are just waiting to hear.
I wonder if I should be be packing to
make a quick trip to Virginia tomorrow.
I pray for her girls and the
medical people taking care of her.
I wonder if she feels alone, and
I pray she is unaware of the situation and
is in a deep peaceful sleep.

It is amazing how life changes in a heartbeat.
Suddenly the unimportant falls away.
Heading to Kohls at 3:30am with a
shopping list and coffee to fight for
a parking spot has been crossed off
my list. "Black Friday" will have to
survive without me.

I am also so thankful for the days we spent
together this summer. After years of being apart,
we spent 6 fun, silly days together.
I pray that God's hand will be on Sandy.
He is the one who knows and loves her best.

I don't know what the tomorrow will bring
but as the song says,
I know who holds tomorrow.


I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Ira Stanphill
I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

*** Update 1- Saturday, Nov. 29
Sandy is doing better. The doctor said the accident may have been fatal if she had not had the earlier surgeries. The blood pooled in the space where part of her brain had been removed. That open space saved her life!

She was coherent yesterday and ate a bit of jello and ice cream. That was the first she had eaten. Stacy and Heather are with her and Tahsa is arriving on Tuesday. Please pray for all of them for emotional, physical and spiritual strength.

THANK YOU LAURA BUSH!

At a time when role models
are hard to come by,
Laura Bush is one of mine.
I admire her for many reasons.
I am sorry to see her leave the White House
but am happy for her that she will
no longer be in the fish bowl.

Why do I admire Laura Bush?

She is a genuine, classy, accomplished woman.

She values education, reading and
has given voice to forgotten children.

When foes attacked, maligned
and tried to discredit her man,
she never wavered
in her support of and love for him.

She stayed true to herself,
her style and her interests.
In a world that would mold
her into a "visual mirage",
she did not bend.
She remained Laura Bush,
not a stylized version of Laura Bush.

No matter the occasion,
with a queen or a group of young children,
Laura Bush was a compassionate,
humble and gracious First Lady.

The best teachers are role models.
Laura Bush has been that and more!

Thank you Laura Bush!
You made us (me) proud!

OUTDOOR RECREATION- FUN IN THE SNOW



Make a Smilebox slideshow

Giving Thanks

Melodie Beattie : Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

My second grade students are keeping a Thankful Journal for the month of November. The things they are thankful for are so sweet and often very unique. One girl said she was thankful for door knobs because you would be locked in a room without them.

So, in the spirit of gratitude, I will keep a Thankful journal right here...

I am thankful for...

1. a beautiful ride to school complete with a sunflower field, a wide creek to cross and lots of trees and deer.

2. Tim Horton's coffee- now extra large

3. sweet Larry who gets me to do things I never would have done without him (curling ??)

4. wide eyed students who LOVE books, today it is Scaredy Squirrel. (I am suffering grammar guilt. How do I underline?)


5. hot showers!

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Until then I am thankful for 6 soft, squishy pillows and a 7 comfortable, warm bed.

8. car starters

9. gourds of all shapes and sizes

10. fluffy white snowflakes

11. did I say hot Tim Horton's coffee??

12. pumpkin pie

13. our church family

14. friends who listen

15. Sabres on the radio to keep me company while doing report cards!!

16. football

17. new beginnings

18. Trent Edwards

19. the Bills - if it weren't for the Bills, I would not have met Larry!!

20. days off from school

21. Canada - our favorite get away place!!

22. my garden

23. freedom

24. the United States of America

25. randomness- to my linear friends. please don't think this in the order of importance - ramdom minds think random thoughts!!

26. friends that stick with you through thick and thin

27. opportunities for change - every day is a new beginning

28. forgiveness- makes the world work

29. seasons- every thing becomes new all over again

30. Christmas decorations

31. Christmas lights

32. Christmas movies

33. the first gift of Christmas - Jesus

34. moments of peace, moments of fun, moments of sparkle

HONORING VETERANS

"Thank you for your service to our country.
I am able to live free because of your sacrifice.'

The above is a quote from cards my students made cards to honor and say thanks to the men and women who have fought to keep our country free. My eyes teared and my voice cracked as I tried to explain to 8 year olds that we stand on the shoulders of people who have sacrificed for us.


Many Americans do not understand freedom's price nor what life would be like if our freedoms were taken away. Daily our country is maligned by it's own citizens who scoff at the values that allow them to dissent.

My immigrant grandfather understood. Grandpa came to America from a war torn, oppressive Germany. He knew of neighbor spying on neighbor and the lack of freedom to openly worship. He experienced the heartbreak of having loved ones imprisoned on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall and and family members who were beaten, threatened and lost jobs because they helped their children escape.

Grandpa Wilde was so proud to be an American citizen that he held a private flag raising ceremony at dawn every day and lowered that same flag with respect and honor each evening. He tolerated no disrespect for our country, flag or anyone in the service of our country whether he agreed with their policies or not. He sent beautifully penned letters to express his views when they differed from a politician while maintaining respect for the position.


How do we say thank you to generations of men and women on whose shoulders we stand? The enormity of the question stopped me from being able to write anything for this blog. Then I came across this the letter below. It was written by a veteran in response to a student asking for help on how to complete a homework assignment to "honor veterans".


Dear Student,

I'm a veteran, and I really don't think you need to demonstrate any kind of honor in the terms of physical or financial action directly. The topic of veterans could give you some cause for deep introspection.

Consider that over the years millions of men and women have stood up and said I love this country so much I'm willing to give everything I have just to ensure it's survival.

With that said, all I really want other Americans to do is to make the best of everything they have and put forth the effort to ensure this country remains the light of the world, which is has been for the past 200 plus years. Which sadly seems to lacking greatly these days.

The military has allowed me the opportunity to live in and experience the cultures of many different countries. From these experiences I have concluded that the US is the best place live without reservation.

To truly honor our veterans all I would ask anyone to do is make the best of the opportunity the sacrifices of our fighting men and women have provided. Love your country with passion, and do what you can to make it a better place.

Your friend,
A Proud Veteran

What a country!! We all have the opportunity to honor veterans by loving our country with passion, and doing what we can to make it a better place everyday!!

THE VINE FALL FESTIVAL

Make a Smilebox slideshow

THE ELECTION

We have a new president elect, there is dancing in the streets and celebrating around the world.

President Elect Obama was not my choice, however as an American I will support and respect him as our country's leader.

He had some great things to say in his acceptance speech.

*A new dawn of American leadership is at hand,

* To those who would tear the world down, we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security, we support you.

* In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.

However, my stomach churned when this sentence crawled across the bottom of our TV screen.

* Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Hmmmm - “Working to put aside partisanship, pettiness and immaturity.”

Let's look back...

Was that the cry when George Bush was elected president?

Did our leaders in Washington, who did not support President Bush for president, put aside their partisanship, pettiness and immaturity when he took office eight years ago?

Not from what I have observed. The day President Bush was elected, partisanship was ramped up in an attempt to discredit him and turn our image of him into a “cartoonish bumbling idiot “.

What will happen in the future if I have concerns or questions about President Obama, and I have the audacity to express those concerns?

Will I be labeled "partisan, petty, immature" and maybe even racist?

Why is it that those who continue to discredit and question President Bush are labeled "enlightened"?

For the sake of our country

I hope a new day of civility has dawned.

For the sake of our country

I pray that unity will prevail.

For the sake of our country

I hope decency will return to political rhetoric.

For the sake of our country I hope

we will get on our knees to pray for the wounds to be healed

and the work of democracy to be successful.

For the sake of our country

I pray President Obama will be wise beyond his years,

decisive and compassionate.