Posts

Image
Birds.  I like birds. On July 10, 2020 around 11:30 PM, as I kept a vigil at my Mother’s side,    I experienced a rare moment during those two days to be alone with her.  She had been in a coma since we brought her home, with family and friends visiting and saying their goodbyes.   My chair was up against her bed and I laid my head by her head.  I whispered in her ear, “Mom, I’ve heard stories about people coming back to visit after they’ve gone.  I want to let you know that I’m okay if you want to come back and visit me.  Nothing spooky or scary though.  I like birds.”    Just a few hours later, she left us.  As her sisters gathered at the house to see her one last time, Ray, my brothers and I were sitting at the kitchen table.   No one else was in that kitchen when a water bottle falls off the counter.  My older brother half joking said, “Mom, is that you???”  I responded with I just told her that she could visit but nothing spooky or scary, I like birds.  As soon as those word

Georgie Porgie, Puddin’ and Pie

Image
I want to caution you: this post is raw, ugly and painful.  It won't be flowered to ease anyone's discomfort of reading raw emotion, ugly words and painful topics.  This is my therapy.  I know I'm not the only one who needs it. I love dogs.  My first dog was a black/white chihuahua/terrier mix named Tiger.  Our family got him around Christmas when I was 5-6 years old.  He was mean and I have the scars to prove it!   Not too long after we got Tiger,  we got Mary.  Mary was a black and white dachshund.  For all of Tiger's mean behavior, she made it up in love.  They both lived very long lives.  Our oldest son even remembers Mary.  In our family, they were my brother and sister.  No joke, I would get Christmas presents, even get well cards, from them.  I knew better.  I knew it was my Dad.  So, I will blame my Dad for one of my greatest loves. Another person to blame for this craziness is my Aunt Clyde and Uncle Truman.  That is who we got Tiger from.  She bred dogs.

Ouch!

Ouch! SHARON GALLAGHER SCHMIDT · TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018 There’s bad fire and good fire. Here a few examples of bad fire. Mick Jagger - don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire. I’m pretty sure no one died listening to Mick Jagger sing the song. Then there was the great fire of 1871 in Chicago. Three hundred people died after Mrs. O’Leary’s cow or some gambling men in the O’Leary barn, knocked over a lantern. Believe it or not, the fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, Florida was the third largest, to Chicago and San Francisco. That fire killed seven people and “in eight hours, the fire burned 146 city blocks, destroyed more than 2,368 buildings, and left almost 10,000 residents homeless. It is said the glow from the flames could be seen in Savannah, Georgia, and the smoke plumes in Raleigh, North Carolina.” So, I guess we would all agree that fire can be devastating. It kills, displaces, maims, orphans and otherwise destroys, everything in it

30 Things My Kids (and anyone else) Should Know About Me

Image
#25 What’s your favorite holiday and why? It seemed right to skip over 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 to post about this one :)   My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  Always has been.  The origin, according to my Google search, is i n "1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first  Thanksgiving  celebrations in the colonies." Some may associate Thanksgiving with a time for family to gather together.  My definition of family: friends=family, family=friends. Thanksgiving is about breaking bread (watching football) with the people in your life that you care about.  

Generations later ...

Image
This weekend something pretty amazing happened but before I share let me preface with a few thoughts.  As with most thoughts, they are the opinion and expression of the one who is feeling them.   Those around may not share the same opinion or thoughts, not because they are wrong, necessarily, but because they view their experiences from a different lens.  My husband has tried desperately to find his place in his extended family.  As a small child, the formative years, he developed strong bonds with the elders of his tribe.  However, for a season he was removed from those people and missed  critical connection with his family.  As a young adult, he was reintroduced, but he missed so much in the separation.  This last few days have been nothing short of miraculous.  It started out with visiting his “brother” Jimmy, Leigh-Ann, John, cousins Mary and Kevin.  If that were the end of the journey, it would have been wonderful but it was just the beginning. As many of you know, I am

30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me - #18

Image
What do you think your spouse loves most about you? That is the question.  I'll write my answer first and then ask him ;) I think Ray loves the fact that I am the glue in our family.  That's right, glue.  It's ridiculously important to me that we stay close as we all grow in separate directions.  You know, children grow up, get married, have their own families but that shouldn't separate us.  No, that should make us closer.  I have a big heart for family and am drawn to include those who are lacking in family to be a part of ours.  When I do that, it's probably one of the biggest compliments to that person.  Not everyone is fit :) As I'm waiting his response via text I have to say that I love that Ray has a tender heart.  As we've grown up together I've noticed his heart softened and his compassion for others grow.  His passion for living is contagious and draws me in.   (There is an exception: driving.  If you have poor driving skills he will not

March 6, 2015 ~ Ham & Eggs

Image
The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed. Martina Navratilova But sometimes the chicken wants to be involved but is missing a key element - the rooster!   We got our chickens last summer.  Seriously one of the best things we've ever done.  For the story, check out this video:   Here Biddy, Biddy We've learned so much over the last several months and continue to learn more every day.  In October 2014, a good friend named Allison gave me the sweetest gift.  She gave me a young silkie bantam.  Of course, we named her Allison. Allison began laying on 01/29/2015.  Her eggs are smaller than the other girl's eggs but just as delicious!  I had been told that her breed can be broody and that if she became broody and we wanted to let her hatch some eggs, that Allison (friend, not bird) would supply us some eggs for her. On February 23, Allison laid her last egg and has been broody ever since.  She