I don't know what it is about the Irish and attending wakes. I think somewhere, deep in our bones, drinkers or not, we Irish still believe someone will hand us a drink. Since the only thing an Irishman loves more then drink is a good laugh or a good cry, a wake is still the perfect place to see loved ones. Last night I attended a wake and as I left the house, each child and then husband called after me, "Have a good time!" Now that is either the Irish in them or a pityful statement on my social life.
The wake I went to last night was for the mom of my mom's dear friend, Mrs. Karasinski. I pretty much only call her Mrs. K. I can tell you the very first time Mom met Mrs. K: We were crossing a side street on Walburton Ave. in Yonkers to our apartment building. Mrs. K and her family lived across the street in an old converted Victorian. She was so young and cool to my experienced Kindergarten mind! Her son Ed and I went to kindergarten,at PS 25, together and and as it would turn out, we went through all of grade school at St. Matthews for the next 8 years. We even went to college together for a few years as well.
A lifelong friendship began on a street corner in Yonkers between these two incredibly different woman. They would do PTA and hot dog lunches and class trips together. They care pooled together and I was the thorn in the side of Mrs. K's in that car....just ask her, she will tell you! Every mark on her son Ed's face, came from me...she can also tell you that I gave him those right before every picture the family ever took together!
In the years of Mom's illness, Mrs. K brought food (come of the best ever!) and she would visit with Mom for a few hours at a time.
At the end, after a visit to the hospital, Mom turned to me and said, "What a good friend she turned out to be."
Well today Mrs. K buries her own Mom. Yes, she was in her 90's and had lived a full life. Mrs. K is a grandma herself, many times over. But she lost her mom. That always hurt, be it at 90 or 53 or 28.
As I've said before, there is a loneliness in losing your mom that only those who know, know.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Over and done...
Well that is that. Never again will the words Pro-Life Democrat mean a thing to me. The truth is party over life. I so wanted a victory for the unborn. But we lost.
We live to fight another day, but how many of babies won't.
Time to get my children ready for school, but with a heavy heart this morning. The fundamental transformation of America continues. On to immigration reform...God save us.
We live to fight another day, but how many of babies won't.
Time to get my children ready for school, but with a heavy heart this morning. The fundamental transformation of America continues. On to immigration reform...God save us.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Vote...
Sabbath: Vote On Abortionby Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
This is it. It seems that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is almost done twisting arms and leadership has just announced a vote in as little as 72 hours. That would make the final vote this Sunday.
I am abhorred that Pro-life democrats are asked to vote on a pro-abortion mandate this Sunday, the Sabbath. This is the Easter season for Christians, a period of time called lent. Speaker Pelosi is demanding pro-life Democrats profane the Sabbath with a vote that will force all Americans to pay for other people’s abortions. This is a first in American history and a new low for Speaker Pelosi and President Obama.
I don't think I can say it better then that. Notice they did the last vote on Christmas Eve...now there is a slap in the face if ever there was one.
I won't hide the fact that I am completely pro-life. There is no excuse, ever.
I heard one commentator explain that while some people have begun to tune it out, that they are wearied by the constant talk of health care, they will have to get use to it. IF this thing passes, we will forever talk about health care, just like they do in Canada, England and Ireland. We will talk about how to make the lines and waits shorter, how to get more doctors, will nurses strike, etc, etc, etc.
As I've written before, I know life with out insurance. Mom had no insurance the last two years on the vent and no, she would not have lived longer had we had insurance. The doctor still made a yearly house call, we took care of the vent, she got her meds...it cost us, but she got plenty of care.
I had no insurance as a student nurse and the first six months I was working. I survived it. This reform is not about helping people, it is about control. It breaks my heart...there is reform that needs to take place but this is not it.
God save us from ourselves as a nation.
This is it. It seems that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is almost done twisting arms and leadership has just announced a vote in as little as 72 hours. That would make the final vote this Sunday.
I am abhorred that Pro-life democrats are asked to vote on a pro-abortion mandate this Sunday, the Sabbath. This is the Easter season for Christians, a period of time called lent. Speaker Pelosi is demanding pro-life Democrats profane the Sabbath with a vote that will force all Americans to pay for other people’s abortions. This is a first in American history and a new low for Speaker Pelosi and President Obama.
I don't think I can say it better then that. Notice they did the last vote on Christmas Eve...now there is a slap in the face if ever there was one.
I won't hide the fact that I am completely pro-life. There is no excuse, ever.
I heard one commentator explain that while some people have begun to tune it out, that they are wearied by the constant talk of health care, they will have to get use to it. IF this thing passes, we will forever talk about health care, just like they do in Canada, England and Ireland. We will talk about how to make the lines and waits shorter, how to get more doctors, will nurses strike, etc, etc, etc.
As I've written before, I know life with out insurance. Mom had no insurance the last two years on the vent and no, she would not have lived longer had we had insurance. The doctor still made a yearly house call, we took care of the vent, she got her meds...it cost us, but she got plenty of care.
I had no insurance as a student nurse and the first six months I was working. I survived it. This reform is not about helping people, it is about control. It breaks my heart...there is reform that needs to take place but this is not it.
God save us from ourselves as a nation.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday again....
6:18...Husband and oldest are out the door, second oldest is running around getting ready and I have 12 minutes until I have to speak to anyone again. Such is life these days. It seems I will have one child home sick today. Again, such is life in a relatively big family.
I've been praying, of late ,a great deal about our children, not just mine, but the corporal body of our children. I see this trend towards moving away from the Lord as they get older. Young adults just old enough to be independent and just young enough to be stupid. It's the hardest age group I know of. The age when you are deciding what to be for the REST of your life, falling in love, deciding on who to date, will you date, getting married, does marrying a believer really matter, where to live, will Mom and Dad be that strong influence? Ugh...tough age. I would so not be twenty again for all the tea in China.
I think so many of us are capable of raising good kids. The the thing is, I don't want good kids. I want holy kids. Now how to you get there?
How do we not provoke our children to the point of being exasperated as the NIV puts it in Ephesians or to wrath as the KJV puts it? I don't know. I find myself looking to my older and wiser contemporaries who have kids in college and I find most of them weeping over their kids. I don't know the answer and I don't know any parent who does. It sometimes feels like uncharted waters here. Raising kids who stick to their faith when Mom and Dad are not looking seems to be few and far between.
My girlfriend Leslie puts it this way, "To raise a kid who does NOT share the testimony: I was raised in a Christian home, BUT..." We long to raise Christian kids who can make it with out the "BUT" in their testimony. No BUT I went to college and fell away, no BUT I married an unbeliever, no BUT I started drinking heavily or was enticed by cocaine...no BUT.
If we are truly raising our children, even in a wicked age, in the fear and admonition of the Lord, we are told that when they are older they will not depart from it. So it leaves me to wonder, what are we doing wrong?
"Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is older, he will not depart from it." God's word never ever fails and is never ever un-true. So what are we missing?
My kids are still young enough that no one is in the "BUT" stage as of yet...but it won't be long before their faith will be theirs, not mine and not just to please me. Will they stand or will they "BUT". I would like to head the BUT off at the pass.
I took 18 minutes instead of 12 so now I have to get another child up and get one out the door. Off to the races, again.
I've been praying, of late ,a great deal about our children, not just mine, but the corporal body of our children. I see this trend towards moving away from the Lord as they get older. Young adults just old enough to be independent and just young enough to be stupid. It's the hardest age group I know of. The age when you are deciding what to be for the REST of your life, falling in love, deciding on who to date, will you date, getting married, does marrying a believer really matter, where to live, will Mom and Dad be that strong influence? Ugh...tough age. I would so not be twenty again for all the tea in China.
I think so many of us are capable of raising good kids. The the thing is, I don't want good kids. I want holy kids. Now how to you get there?
How do we not provoke our children to the point of being exasperated as the NIV puts it in Ephesians or to wrath as the KJV puts it? I don't know. I find myself looking to my older and wiser contemporaries who have kids in college and I find most of them weeping over their kids. I don't know the answer and I don't know any parent who does. It sometimes feels like uncharted waters here. Raising kids who stick to their faith when Mom and Dad are not looking seems to be few and far between.
My girlfriend Leslie puts it this way, "To raise a kid who does NOT share the testimony: I was raised in a Christian home, BUT..." We long to raise Christian kids who can make it with out the "BUT" in their testimony. No BUT I went to college and fell away, no BUT I married an unbeliever, no BUT I started drinking heavily or was enticed by cocaine...no BUT.
If we are truly raising our children, even in a wicked age, in the fear and admonition of the Lord, we are told that when they are older they will not depart from it. So it leaves me to wonder, what are we doing wrong?
"Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is older, he will not depart from it." God's word never ever fails and is never ever un-true. So what are we missing?
My kids are still young enough that no one is in the "BUT" stage as of yet...but it won't be long before their faith will be theirs, not mine and not just to please me. Will they stand or will they "BUT". I would like to head the BUT off at the pass.
I took 18 minutes instead of 12 so now I have to get another child up and get one out the door. Off to the races, again.
Friday, March 5, 2010
"If it be winter...
can spring be far behind?" So pondered Tennyson. Yesterday as my youngest was getting dressed in a wonderful batch of hand me downs, she tried on a perfect Easter dress and asked, "How many more years until Spring?" What a smart question after the week of snow we had! Most of our friends were with out power for days on end, but we fared quite well having only lost power for a few hours...of course the power went out just minutes before the a.m. coffee pot was about to start to drip! Thank God there was a Red Bull in the fridge...it gave me wings you know! LOL!
I will address my silence on the blog another time. It was a God-calling-me-to-rest time and so I have. No, the laundry did not get done, duh, but I did rest. Eventually, I rested in Him. Now He has required much more of my heart then I had anticipated to share with Him or anyone else for that matter.
Initially I had intened for this blog to mirror the book by the same name. But frankly, I ran out. Not that I don't have a million more stories to share, but maybe, just a maybe here that is not what blogs are for. Maybe no one needs more of the same. So here I will share my "notes and asides" as Mom would have called them and pray they bless. I will post a scripture in the morning, but for now, I am going to curl up next to the good looken' man I am blessed to have married and say good night.
Good night all.
I will address my silence on the blog another time. It was a God-calling-me-to-rest time and so I have. No, the laundry did not get done, duh, but I did rest. Eventually, I rested in Him. Now He has required much more of my heart then I had anticipated to share with Him or anyone else for that matter.
Initially I had intened for this blog to mirror the book by the same name. But frankly, I ran out. Not that I don't have a million more stories to share, but maybe, just a maybe here that is not what blogs are for. Maybe no one needs more of the same. So here I will share my "notes and asides" as Mom would have called them and pray they bless. I will post a scripture in the morning, but for now, I am going to curl up next to the good looken' man I am blessed to have married and say good night.
Good night all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
