Last night and today have been particularly stressful. Thanks to my mom much of that stress was relieved. It is very easy to become overwhelmed with all that is required of you as a parent. Monday night I was very busy trying to help my kids get all of their homework done. Avery was typing a report and I had mentioned to him that he should email it to Grandma and have her proofread it for him. Grandma was a school teacher for many years. She is an excellent editor. The report was due the next day and I never suspected that there would be any problems with that suggestion.
My mom is always happy to help. She is great when it comes to last minute requests. After my mom had corrected the report it was very late where we live. We had already gone to bed. Grandma lives on the west coast. We do not. The next morning when we woke up, Avery checked his email to see if she had sent it. For whatever reason, we were not able to open the attachment. Avery was going to be late so I told him I would fix the problem and bring his paper later.
Of course because of all the commotion, I was not able to get lunches ready for the kids. So I told them I would bring them later. Farihn doesn't go to school until 11:30 and we usually try to read and work on school work in the morning. I could already feel the stress starting to mount up. I called my mom after the kids had left. We started trying to figure out what the problem was. (hour, by hour, by hour, went by.) We tried everything to get that paper to open. The next thing I new it was lunch time and I still had not taken the lunches to the kids. Farihn was also going to be late. I told my mom I would call her back. I dashed down to the kitchen to whip up something for the kids lunches and hurried out the door. (Mind you...... looking lovelier than ever and still wearing some ridiculous, mismatched, hurry- and- throw- it- on outfit.) Don't you just love it when you're having a day like that and someone offers you a piece of gum. Truely, what else am I suppose to think but the worst. My breath smells like a dog's. Nice! OK back to the story.... Sometimes I get a little off the subject. Where were we? Oh yes, my crappy day! The lunches were late and so was Farihn and I still didn't have that @#$%^&* paper printed. So back to the house I hurried. I was so mad! I'm sure my neighbors thought I was yelling at someone. I was the only one home yelling at myself. I called my mom back. Now mind you, this whole time my mother was so happy, calm and patient while reassuring me that all would be well. We finally came to the conclusion that we would need the help of Cesar. So we called him and he gave us some really bad tech support over the phone. When that didn't work, we decided to make corrections over the phone. This is when I thought I might loose my mind. Avery had typed his report in Notebook instead of Word. Every time I fixed one sentence, another sentence would get messed up. All this time my mother was patiently giving advice on how to fix the problem. I told her I was going to retype it and call her back. Here is where the next problem comes in. Avery typed this on the laptop with the broken screen. UGGGGGGGG!
To make a looooooong story shorter, my mom ended up typing the paper over again and faxing it to me only minutes before school was over. She's amazing! Never once did she loose her temper with me or tell me she was too busy to help. My mom is the greatest. I have put her through a lot of junk over the years but she has always stood by my side. My heart aches for all the pain I have caused her. I will forever be sorry for that.
Some of you reading this may not have your mom with you anymore and my heart goes out to you, or maybe you didn't have a good mom. That doesn't mean you can't be a good mom or dad. Mothers are so important. They are the foundation of society. If you have lost your mother, take a moment and think of those elderly women around you that are in need of a son or daughter in their life. There are many. Nothing would mean more to them then your company and your helping hands. I know you will gain more from that friendship then you ever gave. If you are a mom or dad, hug your kids. Never give up on them no matter what they do. Someday they will come back. I did!Mom, I love you! No one will ever take your place. Thanks! You are not only my hero of the day, you are my hero of a lifetime.

Rachael (Code name Super Woman.)
Today I had the great opportunity to spend time with an elect lady. Her name is Rachael. Rachael is on my Top Ten list of women I would like to be like. She is a rare jewel.
Rachael is kind and sensitive. She never judges others. She always points out the best about those she speaks of. Rachael has more talents than I have time to list. I really would have a hard time believing that there are things Rachael does not know how to do. She is so willing to share all of her knowledge so freely.
A few weeks ago I asked her if she would mind if I taped her making her famous, very delicious, homemade wheat bread for my website. I know she was very unsure about this and I can understand that. It can be very intimidating to teach people how to do something on tape. Well, I was very excited when I saw her yesterday at church. She grabbed my arm and told me she would be making bread tomorrow and I was more than welcome to stop by and tape her. I'm so grateful for the time I spent with her. Rachael not only taught me how to make bread. She has wisdom beyond her years. She is like a hundred year- old woman in a thirty year- old's body. I felt so uplifted and inspired by her. I left her home with a resolve to be a better person. You know, Rachael will spend hours in her kitchen making bread each week only to turn around and give more of her loaves away to others then she keeps for herself. Today she already had made her list of people she wanted to drop a loaf off to.
Rachael you are my hero for the day! I know that there is a special place in Heaven just for you in the bakery of love. Keep up the good work. Your the best!

Collete's smile

Today's thoughts..... I'm a pretty sensitive girl and today when I was at church something really tugged at my heart strings. A new family moved in a few weeks ago and are attending my church. I have the privilage of having one of the children in my Sunday school class. Her name is Collete. I absolutly love her. She is a darling little girl. Well anyways, I was running a little late ( which is not uncommon for me). I quickly grabbed a chair in the back before the prayer was about to be offered. As I sat down I was greeted by a warm smile from Collete. She and her dad and sisters were sitting in the row in front of me. You may have noticed, I didn't mention Mom that's because Collete's mom passed away a few months ago, leaving her father to raise three little girls ages five and under alone. As I looked up at her family a tear dropped from the corner of my eye as I noticed the attempt their father had made to dress and style the hair of these precious little ladies. The ponytails were lopsided and the dresses mismatched. I was just so impressed with him. What a man! I can't possible imagine what he has gone through. Yet he was there with his three little angels. ( And he arrived there before me! ) He is my hero for the day! I have decided to dedicate my thoughts to the heros all around me. So, Collete's dad, you are my hero! God bless you in all of your endevors. You are truely AWSOME! I am so grateful to have the chance to know your precious little Collete. She is a beautiful child of God.