I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Barbara:  I know why you are heading off to St. Jude.  St. Jude helped give me a lot of strength to cope with so many frightening problems my DD has had with her diabetes.  However, she has born it for over 30 years now and she's still coping.  I will be remembering you and your son in my prayers tonight and for you especially to be able to climb this most difficult mountain you have to cope with. Sometimes our mountains are not a joyful experience but we must tackle them especially when one of our children is at the top.  He is fortunate that you got him to the hospital in time where they can monitor his glucose and make sure he gets the insulin he needs to help him fight off this scary sounding infection.  I'm sure his doctors will see that he gets the best of care.  However, it never hurts to get extra strength from St. Jude or any of our beloved saints.  One of my favorite's is Saint Padre Pio. I keep his prayer card beside my bed.  Take care and please let us know how your son makes out.

((((((Barbara))))))

Hoping for a good recovery for your brother.  Good to talk to the docs when they first arrive (I'd get there by 7:30) to get a clear picture of the problem AND the solution.  All the best,   Linda

BarbaraA- love and prayers to you for strength as you are there for your brother, my friend.

Medigal- my mom always says to me she is so proud of me for my career, that she never did like anything but raise us, to which I reply is that if I can be half the woman she is, I will be a lucky one. She is my hero. She fed, cared for, taught us so many things (by example- which is really the best) and was just about the best mom in the world, to me and most of my friends. Our house was filled with my peers always knowing they would take away a little of her love with them. I used to fret sometimes for we were solidly middle class in the midst of some extremely wealthy folks- I never wanted for anything but in my teens suffered some real nasty envy ( a couple of lovely years for my parents I am sure) over some of my friends for the credit cards in their own names, the maids, the trips to NYC for clothes twice a year and so on...yet even I saw how these same ones showed up at my door looking for some mom:) Sometimes I would actually get p&ssed off because they would come over when I wasn't there to see her. My dad too. Real bummer when the hot guys show up and find out they wanted to hang out with my DAD FOR GOD'S SAKE! I am so damn lucky to have had the childhood I did with those two raising me. What is really cool is that my dad considered mom an equal partner in his life-he was real man's man but that was his wife and there was no lord and master going on. He always said he could never have had the life he did without her running things. And he meant it, again, in words and actions. How cool is that? The only time she ever worked outside of the house was every year around Christmas for three weeks-to earn her own money (even though she had free reign over the checkbook) to buy my dad a beautiful Christmas/Birthday gift (his bday was on Christmas). It made such an impression on me, both then and now. Yet she urged me to reach for the stars telling me I could be and do anything. And when I stumbled with my youngest being diagnosed with autism, guess who pulled up her sleeves and worked side by side with me for a solid 2 years 5 days a week to pull him back from the abyss? Not the country's top experts who told me to put him away. Nope, it was that woman who was just a wife and mother...and grandma:)

Sorry for rambling- I am all turned around for my 3rd TE fill tomorrow and then going to md anderson to see if i make into the clincial trial for the stop smoking dealy...I am pinging all over the place and when I read what you wrote medigal it made me ping to my mom:) Thanks...

Annette:  Your post made me think of my mom.  She couldn't read or write (I had to teach her how to write her name) and yet she was the strongest woman I have ever known.  When she wasn't cooking, she was saying her rosary, and when any one needed courage to face anything, they came to her.   Like yourself, I learned from her that there is no such thing as "just being a wife and mother".   It takes the utmost courage to raise children and bring them up hopefully to be good members of society.  What your mom said to you is what makes me so angry at a society that belittles the true "homemakers".  It takes great strength and courage to be "just a homemaker" and I am so delighted that you have the wisdom to know this and it shows by the loving way you write about your beloved mom.

 I do hope you make the MD Anderson Stop Smoking Clinical Trial.  I am so proud of you for having the courage to take this on.  I will be thinking of you and know if you get in, you will have the strength and endurance it takes to overcome the smoking.   Best of luck to you, dear one.

BarbaraA, hoping for good news in the morning. Since I was a small child and would have nightmares from watching some scary thing on TV, mom would say "everything will look better in the morning".

I've been reading since last night whenever I could to catch up. Man, you girls have been busy. I just happened to have been out of pocket for the last 5 days on a little trip to the gulf with a couple of girl friends. It was cold as crap and actually sleeted on us on the way, around Bay Minette. It was good to get off even if it was work related (not too related).  

Medigal,

Your post was pure music. The ocean has always been my "mountain".  It makes me feel so small to stand on the beach and look out at the vastness of the ocean. Not small in a bad way but in the respect that this is something no one can control or stop. Those waves keep coming no matter what. For a while, I can let go of my need to control things. I have no responsibilities for the actions of the waves and could not change them if I wanted, so I can just let it all go for a while. It's like a mental fix.

BTW has anyone seen one of those letters going around the e-mail boxes where every word in the letter is misspelled but you can still read it? The premise of the e-mail is that if a word has the correct number of letters, and starts and ends with the correct letter, then the ones in the middle don't matter. I swear its not hard to read and there isn't a single word spelled correctly. 

Blue, what a beauty! Those looks did not come from the shallow end of the gene pool.

My kids went to public school. That was the only choice. They had all kinds of teachers, good and bad. They both graduated from college and are gone from the nest.  It was my position that regardless of the teacher's ability or dedication, they would get from a class exactly what they put into it. Their job was to learn and if the teacher didn't want to help then they needed to do it on their own. They had a book. The information was in it. If they didn't learn, it was because they chose not to and it was not the teacher's fault. I would say they are both adults who take responsibility for their actions. 

You know! From the recent posts, it sounds like we were some pretty good moms!!!!!! 

Barbara .. thinking of you and your brother this morning. 

hugs,

Bren

Thanks all for the well wishes. He is improved today. Fever is down, anti-b's seem to be working. Won't know if it is flesh-eating bacteria for 24-48 hours. He may have to go back into surgery this PM but the surgeon will make that call. Am going back in mid PM.

Fingers and toes crossed for a full recovery, Barbara.  Fever down sounds goods to me too.

Thank you Barbara for the update. I am praying all goes well.

Barbara, hope your brother is doing better.  Praying that the infection gets under control.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/07/arizona.citizenship/index.html?hpt=Sbin

(CNN) -- The Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee began holding hearings Monday afternoon on proposals to end birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Lawmakers in a total of 40 states are considering similar proposals "to correct the monumental misapplication of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution," according to the legislators' new group, State Legislators for Legal Immigration.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in the wake of the Civil War, provides in part that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." The provision has the effect of granting "birthright" citizenship to anyone born in the United States, even if both of the child's parents are in the country illegally.

Dear Barbara, I am so glad to hear that there is improvement with your brother. Prayers are coming his way for continued improvement and healing. God bless you, Kathy

I doubt it PIP!

Ok, This is no joke.  Considering everyone else wants us to do everything on the internet, I can almost see a day coming in the "future" where Catholics can scroll down a list of sins they have committed and then pull up what their penance will be for such.  You know "20 Hail Marys" and 15 "Our Fathers" for certain sins and more for others.  I used to pray "real" fast at the alter doing my penances so my friends who happened to be there would not guess how sinful I was according to how long my penance took.  As for the absolution, maybe a Catholic can then return to the website and get the absolution from a "Priest on Demand".  They say the day may come when we can visit our doc like this over the internet so why not the priest?  After all if a person is going to lie about their sins, they can do this face to face to the priest and who is going to know but God.  Besides, who lies about sins to a priest, in person, or on the internet.  I love the "How many times did you say a curse word to your mom, little girl?"  Like I counted them?  It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Barb:

Hope your brother continues to do better by the hour.  Infections are scary things.

I looked up the confession app too.  What will they think of next?