The Rings

I will have to give a little background for this one. My Nanny started coming to my church when I was older...like late High School. She had always gone somewhere else before, but taking care of her mother, Mimmie, did not allow her to go for awhile. After Mimmie passed away, she had not really gone back, and I was wondering why. So one day I asked her to come to our church, and she did. The Sundays that I was in town from college, I would always sit by her and my parents in the service. She had these beautiful rings...one remade from all the diamonds in her wedding set, one from Mimmie's set, a gorgeous sapphire ring, and a pink stone ring she got when she graduated from high school from her parents. I would always mess with her rings and try them on. Usually during the service I would have on the pink stone ring the whole time. It was just the thing we did. When my Nanny suddenly had an allergic reaction to several antibiotics doctors gave her to fight bronchitis and pneumonia, my mom took her to the ER because her fever was 104. That was the last time she was at home. The reaction was misdiagnosed, more antibiotics were administered, and she died about 10 days later from Steven-Johnsons. When we got back home, we knew we had to go to her house. None of us wanted to, but we had to do it. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. To see her datebook out with a pen beside it, showing all the upcoming things she had going on, a little purse she had set aside for Makenna when we came home next, her clothes, her life, her food waiting in the fridge, the chair she last sat in...it was too much. We knew she had always told us to go to the safety deposit box if anything happened to her. What she left out was where the key was! We looked everywhere, and as we were on the hunt, we started thinking about her rings. They were not on her dresser, not in the bathroom, not anywhere. We tried to remember if she had them on the night she called with the high fever, and just assumed she had to have had on some of them. Looking everywhere imaginable...drawers, cabinets, under beds, every nightstand, every purse, we came to the conclusion that someone must have taken them at the hospital when she was admitted. It was heartbreaking for all of us. Just one more thing gone in the blink of an eye. The days went by, filled with planning, crying, grieving, and just barely making it. Eventually, we sold her little house, which she had just bought a few years before and LOVED decorating, and had to move her things out. The lady who bought the house wanted to buy the couches, so that was all that was staying. On the last day my mom and aunt went over to finish the rest of the things and to clean. They asked me to go, but I could not do it. They were gone for what seemed like forever. It was their last time in her house, and I knew they were working hard and savoring those last moments full of memories and tears. When they got back I was sitting on Mom's couch watching tv. They walked in and said,"You are not going to believe this." I knew it was the rings and immediately started crying. Mom was holding up a black velvet bag, and inside were all the rings and special jewelry Nanny had owned. I put on "my" little pink ring. "Where was it?" I asked. They had loaded up every piece of furniture in the house and were vacuuming each room. They had all walked back into every room to vacuum and to make sure nothing was left anywhere. My aunt wanted to go back into Nanny's room one more time, and lying on the empty floor was the black velvet bag, all by itself. We did not even know she had a velvet bag, and why would she put the rings she wore everyday inside some velvet bag before she was taken to the hospital? How did they appear in a completely empty room? We have no idea, but from then on we knew it was going to be alright. Awful, heartbreaking, and lonely, but alright. We received a gift of sweet surprise, our very own miracle, just when my family needed it most. I think sometimes that I would love to know how it happened, but I am sure when I get to heaven that will be the last thing on my mind! I have the ring, and it will be Makenna's when she turns 16. Her miracle ring.

Chasing Rabbits

Hmmmm, what on earth am I going to blog about? I have been a bit "under the weather" really since I found out I was prego. Also some very weird things have happened to me. Bronchitis, food poisoning, cracked rib, sinus infection, chronic cough-did I mention the rib thing???, and fever blisters of death. Sometimes I think I might be sick all nine months. Not morning sickness, thank you, Jesus, but just yuck. Maybe it is those adorable pre-k kiddos, maybe it is Tracen and I just giving it back and forth, and maybe it is just how it is for now. I am tired of the fog and tired of not being able to roll over or get up very easily. Preparation for the next months? I also hate that I have taken so many medicines during the early weeks of this pregnancy. Oh yeah, we had a sonogram and saw the little thing, heart going to town at 145/min. Since Tracen was high risk, I was spoiled into believing all sonograms were the same. TOTALLY WRONG! The one we just had 2 weeks ago was like from the ice ages. So fuzzy, blurry, far away, and just awful. With Tracen I had one a week, and they were at the specialist's office. It was so encouraging, no matter what was going on in his brain, to be able to see him move around every week. I rememeber that I would always tell the lady to not show me his face in the 3D one. We didn't find out what Makenna was, and we did not intend to with Tracen either. I wanted at least something to be a surprise. Little did I know the way he would enter the world would be very surprising! Emergency c-section anyone? My mom has already had one request of me this time. I think her exact words were, "Please, please just have a normal pregnancy and delivery this time. My heart cannot take anymore like the last two." Amen, sister! I am praying for normal...whatever that is. Maybe I should be more specific? I also have to find a new doctor. I love the one I have, but she had to sign something with her group saying she would not do VBACS. I am really wanting to try for this plan, so I have to find someone who will do this with me. Pray for that. I have a peace about it, but just want to have someone soon. So this post is about a bunch of nothing and a lot of something. So many people have had such a hard October and now November. Babies, Mothers, Sister-in-laws, health...all gone. My mind thinks of these things constantly, and I have been so sad right along with them. What is going on, God? I have asked that a lot, and I know he does not mind. I also know he is still the same as he always has been. My next post will be about miracles, and I hope some of you will share yours as well. Start thinking...

6th Folder, 6th Picture

Jill has tagged me, so here is the 6th folder, 6th picture. Really the 5th folder, 6th picture, because my actual 6th folder has only 4 pics in it!

This is when I found Tracen asleep on the floor in the living room. So sweet! I have no idea what else I am supposed to do, but at least I put the pic up...and I have no one to tag.

Lewisville...I forgot

I just realized I never posted about our fun trip to Lewisville to visit Bubba and Sarah. We had so much fun at the Pumpkin Patch, carving two way too small to carve pumpkins, eating a great places, watching the Tech game on the biggest TV I have ever seen, going to The Village to worship, playing some Guitar Hero and Rock Band, driving back to Waco, seeing sweet Hollyn get dedicated, celebrating Granny's, Marc's, and Mom's birthdays, and just being able to be with our family!

Teachable Moment

Yesterday Makenna woke up asking who won the Presidential race. I told her who would be the next president, and she immediately said, "UGGHHHHH! I do not like what he says!" At her school they have been discussing the election and some things each candidate stood for, and they voted for who they wanted to win, what kind of new playground they wanted, and what the cover of the yearbook would look like all on Tuesday. So I asked her what he said that she did not like. Her response was, "I don't know, but I didn't want him to win." She had a very strong opinion, but no information to back it up. I decided that sounded a lot like most Americans today. We fight and argue about so many things most of us know only a little about, if any. I told Makenna that she needed to know what each person stood for before she decided who she wanted to vote for. I also told her that God will place who He wants to place in power, and that we are to respect that person. The night before the election Rudy Guilliani said something great. The news anchor asked him what he would do when McCain did not win. He told him he would do what every single American should do the next morning. Wake up an American that supports their president 100%. I told Makenna that God's plans are way bigger than the plans of every person in the country, and that we need to know and be ok with that. It made me think of how God kept on chasing after Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel. Neb would turn his heart back to God, and then time would go by and it would stray again. God showed him through Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, through Daniel being saved and his service to him all those years in Babylon, and through being completely insane for 7 years while his kingdom watched. As soon as Neb cried out to God, his sanity was restored. I have always been amazed at how God kept after it with Neb. He was the king of Babylon...huge empire, huge influence, and God wanted him as His own. God got his attention in so many ways. I am praying God's influence would prevail in our country, regardless of who is president. Why are Christians freaking out, crying at their tvs, saying the world is ending, and becoming depressed over this??? Do we not know the Truth? Because of this have we lost our faith...over a man? Can we really rest completely in Him, knowing He is completely in charge? We say it, but are we believing Him through it? Yes, everyone has worries about the future. If the outcome had been different, we would have still woken up to a sluggish economy, houses that are not selling, bills to be paid, sicknesses, disappointments, worries and fears. No man can fix those things. Men do the best they can do at the time, and sometimes they just don't do much. But how can we expect more than that. They are both men, from the dust of the ground. Same as you and me. Would you want the job? Let's be who God has called us to be, not fretting and freaking over the future, but loving and fully confident in our God...and may we be teaching our kids the same. "It is by ME that kings reign and rulers enact just law..." Proverbs 8:15

Pray

Please pray for my friend Beth. She just lost her mom about 2 weeks ago, and last night they just received news that her sister-in-law in Chicago suddenly passed away from an apparent heart attack. She was 34. They had one son, Evan, who is 4. Pray for this family today when you think of them. This is so much, so soon, but I know God will give them the strength they need. They will arrive in Chicago at 12:30 pm. Pray also for her twins who are about to be 4, that they could wrap their little minds around losing a grandmother and an aunt in 2 weeks. Love all of you and thanks for being prayer warriors.