HeyJulieBaby's Xanga

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:20:31 GMT

I'm a crier. I've always been a crier. I wish I weren't, but I am. I cry when I'm sad, or when someone else is sad. I cry when I'm happy, or when someone else is happy. I get choked up (and cry) when people or churches work together, or when people are reunited, or when someone has something wonderful happen to them. I cry when I watch someone's dream come true. (THAT is a big one for me.) When Susan Boyle sang for the first time on Britain's Got Talent and knocked it out of the park, I sobbed. When Liv Tyler's character hears her friends' song on the radio for the first time and goes screaming and running down the street in That Thing You Do I get choked up (and cry). I cry when others are not crying, and when they are. I hate the movie The Lion King, except for the first five minutes. When the baboon lifts up the king lion's newborn son and all the animals rejoice and bow down in adoration, I am undone, and I cry. I've seen it a hundred times, and I still cry.

I have hated this trait about myself for my entire life.

I spent a beautiful spring day this past May crying for joy that my dear daughter and her sweetheart were married. Then I cried sad tears when they moved to England the day after they returned from their honeymoon. A few days later, I cried as I watched my precious mother-in-law's tiny body weaken and finally succumb to death. I cried this summer when Bruce and Blake and I visited some of the homes and places I knew as a child in Maine, places I hadn't seen in forty-five years.

These days I have something new to cry about that has about broken my heart. My son and his wife have split up.

So, now I cry for my son's pain and loss and heartache, and for my own. I cry because I'm losing my beloved daughter-in-law. I'm crying now. I cry for the death of a marriage and the broken, aching place it leaves in people I love more than my own life. And I still cry for my daughter, so far away, and for my almost-grown son who finishes high school in a few months. And I cry for my dad, and for my mother-in-law. I cry when I look at pictures and when I hear songs.

I look forward to the place where there will be no more crying. In the meantime, please pass the Kleenex.

* * * * *

This picture is for Michel. A sampling of my efforts at canning, this year and last.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:53:04 GMT

In case you were wondering, it's true. Canning green beans takes forever. Bruce brought home two bushels of 'em the other day and I immediately became overwhelmed. That same day, he brought home two bushels of red bell peppers, a bushel of flat Italian green beans, half a bushel of onions, a flat of raspberries, and a bushel of mixed hot peppers -- and it all needed to be put up as soon as possible.

Bruce and I spent the better part of Saturday chopping red bell peppers until my fingernails were split and tinted orange and my right hand was aching. Eighty-four bell peppers yields 20 very full quart-size freezer bags of chopped peppers. On Sunday I made an old-fashioned, heavy Sunday dinner (chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, zucchini) which we ate when they got home from church at noon, then we popped a Midsomer Murders into the DVD player and settled in to prep green beans.

After the beans have had their ends smipped off and are cut in pieces, you fill the jars and pour boiling water over them. Wipe the rims, apply the lid and ring, and pressure can for 25 minutes. If it sounds to you like the pressure canning part of this operation should take aproximately twenty-five minutes, clearly you have never operated a pressure canner.

First, you bring three quarts of water to a boil in your pressure canner. Then you lower your jars into the water.

Once your jars are in the canner, you screw the lid on the pot and allow steam to vent out of this little pipe doohickey for ten minutes. Then you place the weighted thingamabob on top of the little pipe thingy and watch until the dial gauge says you have reached the desired pressure (15 minutes or more). Upon reaching your desired pressure, you begin timing your twenty-five minutes for safely canning green beans.

Of course, you can not leave the pressure canner unattended for a split second, so you pull up a chair and stare at your stove for the required time. Then you turn off the burner and move the pot over to a cool part of the stove. Now comes the most annoying part of the process, the most endless part, the part where you sit and wait for the pressure to drop sufficiently so you can remove the lid without blowing yourself to Kingdom Come and pull the jars out of the canner. This takes awhile. Maybe up to an hour.

Start to finish, this "twenty-five minutes" actually takes a good ninety. My canner holds seven quart jars at a time, so with 28 jars filled that equals four cannerloads. By my calculations, this means over six hours (allowing for the time it takes the water to boil initially) of canning time after a full day of cutting beans. I would've been up until at least one o'clock in the morning at that rate, so upon the advice of a friend and fellow canner (Maggie M.) I decided to can 14 quarts and blanche and freeze the other 14.

I turned off the kitchen light around 10:00 pm. You can trust me when I say the only Green Bean I'm interested in seeing right now is my Jeep, so named by our friends Sue and Lorry. Green Bean will be taking Blake and me far away, to a distant land where there are no pressure canners. It's homeschool co-op day!

Julie Baby's Fab Food Preserving Tally 2009

Frozen:
Blueberries 19 quarts
Raspberries 4 quarts plus 10 pints
Rhubarb 2 quarts
Bell peppers 20 quarts
Green beans 14 quarts

Canned:
Zucchini relish 8 jars
Dill pickles 17 jars
Green beans 14 jars

Friday, September 04, 2009

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:25:04 GMT

Yesterday was a pretty big day for the Painter Clan. We bought a new car. Not brand new, but new to us. It's another Jeep Cherokee, of course, but this one has four doors, an automatic transmission (which I feel somewhat conflicted about), and most importantly two front-seat cupholders. It's a pretty, dark green with black interior. And it's a 2000, which is six years newer than other Cherokee.

We got a great deal on it locally through Craigslist, but we've found a thing or two that the previous owners were not especially forthcoming about, like the little piece of black tape that covers up the CHECK ENGINE light, which is on, coincidentally. Bruce said he doesn't know what happened to his brain when we got to the people's house to look at the car. So the fact is we may have been somewhat snookered, but it's still a good deal. We knew before we bought it that we wanted to get a couple of things fixed on it, so we're happy and thankful and trusting the Lord. In the meantime we have a nicer vehicle that still looks like our style. If we have a style.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:47:17 GMT

Bruce picked me up after work last night, because we're still having problems with my Jeep. Blake was waiting on the porch for us when we got home and said, "The farm market called. They're not going to have your peaches for tomorrow. You should call back next week."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. Earlier in the week, I had placed an order for a bushel of peaches. Then I checked back in my Xanga archives and discovered that the last time I canned peaches, not only did I have five helpers, but we only canned a half bushel. That doesn't sound quite right, now that I think of it. Maybe someone went out for more or something, because we got 25 quarts and that's an awful lot of jars for half a bushel of peaches. Either way, it was plenty of work for all of us and a big mess to boot. I was not looking forward to doing a full bushel alone.

When my husband saw how relieved I was that Hoover's couldn't fill my order, he was scratching his head. He still can't figure out why I was going to can peaches if I was dreading it so. "Why didn't you just cancel the order, if you didn't want to do them?"

What was it the man said when asked why he climbed Mount Everest? "Because it's there"? In my own silly little way, I think I understand how he felt.

* * * * *

Last night we started watching Grey Gardens, a 1976 documentary about Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Little Edie. I had been trying for months to get my hands on the DVD, but because our library doesn't own it and it was a new item in the owning library's collection, I couldn't request it and have it sent to our library. Two pleading phone calls paid off and they sent the discs to Lititz this week.

What a quirky pair Edie and her mom were! If you're middle-aged, you may remember reading about them in the 1970s. They lived in an oceanfront mansion in East Hampton, one of the most exclusive enclaves in America, and their home was falling down around them. The house, named Grey Gardens, had great, huge holes in the walls, dozens of cats (why do these people always have cats?), no running water, and very bizarre decor. The get-ups the two parade around in are amazing. At the time of the filming, LittleEdie was 56. She clearly had problems that went way beyond mere quirkiness. And her mom was not especially stable, either, and was given to sitting outdoors au naturel. What made the Beale ladies so fascinating, beyond their offbeat lifestyle and their fancy-schmancy address, was the fact that they were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, beautiful style icon and former First Lady of the United States.

The HBO film of the same name is coming soon to a library near you.

* * * * *

Speaking of the Kennedys, I am rereading a book I first read in 1977 when I was working at a library in New Jersey. (Please note: If you are a die-hard Kennedy fan, you should probably stop reading this right now.) The book is called Death at Chappaquiddick, and if you don't recognize that name, then you either weren't born or weren't paying attention in the last months of the 1960s and into the early 1970s.

The events that transpired on a tiny bridge on July 18 and 19, 1969, left a young, single woman, Mary Jane Kopechne, dead and probably prevented Ted Kennedy from ever becoming the President of the United States. The cover-up that followed the married Mr. Kennedy's abandonment of Miss Kopechne -- who was very much alive when he exited the vehicle -- in a car submerged in a pond, was evidently forgiven and forgotten by the people of Massachusetts, who elected and reelected him to represent them in Washington for the next several decades. The rest of the country was evidently less forgiving and, due in large part to the scandal that followed Chappaquiddick, the nation was spared an Edward M. Kennedy presidency.

The evening began with a hush-hush cocktail party. The guest list included six young, twenty-something single women who were staunch supporters of Robert Kennedy, and six middle-aged politicos, five of whom were married. Somehow, Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne ended up in a car together late that evening. Miss Kopechne had somehow gotten grass stains on the back of her blouse, but had none on her skirt. When the evidently inebriated Kennedy drove the car off the bridge and into the water, he was able to climb out the car window, swim a fair distance to the shore, and find his way back to his hotel, where he rested for what was it, ten hours? before he finally reported the accident to the authorities.

By the time rescue personnel arrived on the scene, Miss Kopechne was dead. The autopsy showed no water in her lungs, which indicated she was able to stay alive for some time in an air bubble in the car. No doubt she was waiting for Ted Kennedy to return with help.

When Mr. Kennedy appeared on television to address the nation some time later, he was wearing a neck brace. As a friend of mine pointed out, his neck seemed just fine when he swam ashore that July night.

I haven't finished the book, so forgive me if I've gotten any of the details wrong. I'll fix that when I've finished rereading the book, but these are the facts as I remember them.

The Kopechne family accepted a financial settlement from the Kennedy family and part of the agreement was that they not speak about Chappaquiddick until after Senator Kennedy's death. I, for one, would like to hear what they have to say now that the Senator has passed away.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:26:33 GMT

Hallelujah, it's September first! After a very eventful spring, we have enjoyed a happy and peaceful summer. And I did notice the cooler-than-usual temps, too, Lord. Thanks mucho for that. What a blessing!

Our family of autumn lovers usually has a little celebration on the first day of September. That usually means I will make a little dessert or cake or something like that. Today I'm canning, so I'm not sure I'll bake today, but if I do it will probably be a rhubarb crisp or rhubarb muffins. Our rhubarb patch did not have a great year. In all the busyness of Chelsea's wedding, and then MomMom's death, I didn't get out there and pull it, so we only ended up with two quarts to freeze.

* * * * *

My Jeep is having problems, so this morning Bruce drove me over to Hoover's Farm Market to pick up the half-bushel of cucumbers I ordered yesterday. Brought 'em home, washed 'em and stuck 'em in ice water to soak for a couple of hours. Lord willing, this afternoon we will have ten or so quarts of dill pickles lined up on the counter, lids happily pinging that rewarding ping. I haven't canned much this summer -- really only a batch of zucchini relish -- so I feel like I'm behind even though I've just begun. Don't you hate that?

* * * * *

We have a pair of well-worn children's Lee jeans, size four slim, that all my children wore when they were little. For several years, the jeans were displayed in the bathroom in all their faded glory inside one of those cheapo plastic box frames I found at a yard sale. That frame finally bit the dust and I vowed that someday I would have the little britches framed good and proper.

When I got my weekly email from ACMoore last week, and found that they had all their custom framing on sale for 50% off. I headed over there pronto, jeans in hand. I figured it'd cost me maybe $60 with the coupon. Boy, was I wrong. The girl at the counter quoted me a price of $250. Meaning the regular price would be $500! Who on earth would/could pay that? Not me, baby! After I caught my breath, I asked the helpful clerk what options I might have and she directed me to a ready-made shadow box frame that will work just fine. Total price: twenty bucks. Now, that's more like it.

So that's what I'm going to do today. Can pickles and frame tiny blue jeans*. I will also take an inventory of my canned goods from last year and see how many more jars of tomatoes I need. There's wash on the line that'll need folding, too. Heck, I might even go for a walk since the weather is so spectacular.

* * * * *

So, what are you reading these days? Here's what's on my nightstand:

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar - One of my favorite, new-to-me authors.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - This is the 2009 One Book, One Community selection. Since I work in a library, I read these books every year, in the interest of being well-informed. Just started it yesterday. So far, it's okay. Last year's choice was The Grace That Keeps This World, which was also okay once I got into it, which did take awhile. I think the year before that it was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which is a fascinating book and very eye-opening.

I am counting the days until January 5, 2010 when Anne Tyler's newest offering, Noah's Compass, is released. That's on a Tuesday, people, so mark your calendars and please, for Heaven's sake, do not call me or stop by on that day.

* * * * *

Here's a question for you local, homeschooling types: Anybody have kids participating in the CLCHM concert choir this year? I just signed Blake up for it and am interested in connecting with some carpool buddies. Call me if you want to talk about it. (Just not on January 5, 2010.)

Love to all. Have a swell day!

* Attention all copy-catters: Get your own idea! I don't want every home in Lititz suddenly sporting tiny jeans on the walls.

Julie Baby's Fab Food Preserving Tally 2009

Frozen:
Blueberries 19 quarts
Raspberries 4 quarts
Rhubarb 2 quarts

Canned:
Zucchini relish 8 jars
Dill pickles 17 jars

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:53:24 GMT

We have had a remarkably cool and very pleasant summer. We haven't even used the window air conditioners. Then yesterday the temperature skyrocketed and Bruce and I decided that since we're having house church here tonight, we ought to cool the place down for the comfort of our friends. So Bruce and Blake lugged the two upstairs window units out, put them in -- and they didn't work. I guess sitting for two years finally did them in. The big, downstairs unit is still working okay, but it was clear we'd have to replace the smaller ones.

Bruce called Longenecker's and got some prices, then we went to Wal-Mart first and checked prices there. We bought what we felt were better units at Longenecker's, a locally-owned Tru-Value store in the next town over. By the time we got home we were both sweating up a storm. Unfortunately, there was Some Assembly Required on the air conditioners and it was a bit of a wrassle for Bruce to get them in properly, but bless his heart, he did it and we all slept well in our cool, comfortable house.

Before we picked up the ACs, though, we stopped at Borimex, the Mexican place in Hinkletown (yes children, there really is such a place) and had a delicious mexican dinner. The folks that work there are great. So friendly and warm. Thanks for the recommendation, Blag and Nino and Loch.

Tonight is our house church meeting. I am serving lasagne. Others are bringing salad and bread, and I'm making a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting for dessert. I'm telling you, some of these ladies are great cooks and a tough act to follow, so I am keeping is simple and not even attempting to show off here.

Bruce and I are heading over to a household auction in a few, so I need to get that lasagne going and get dressed. Yes, I have violated one of my own cardinal rules this morning and have come downstairs in my pajamas. I had a Skype date with my Baby Girl and didn't want to take the time to dress first.

Have a blessed day and be sweet!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:44:37 GMT

My husband has been encouraging me to blog more. I guess he sees this as an online journal our kids will have when we're gone. I already spend way too much time online, so we'll see how it goes.

Some of you know we have had some big changes in our family over the past few months, most notably our precious Baby Girl's marriage to our fantastic son-in-law Nathan, and their subsequent move back to England, followed just days later by the death of our beloved pocket-sized MomMom.

Other, smaller changes have occurred as a result of those larger ones. And other, unrelated changes have happened, too. One in particular is my decision to leave the church our family has attended for nearly nine years. At this point, Bruce and Blake are still there. My decision has been a long time coming, as I have significant differences in conviction from the church leadership, and I know that is not going to change. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? I guess I decided to quit being insane. That's always a good thing, huh? Obeying God and not being insane? My husband, who loves and cares for me, has given me his blessing to follow what I believe the Lord is leading me to do, even if it looks unconventional. I love that about him: he lets me be me, trusts me to hear God, and supports me all the way. Having been in church just about every Sunday for the past 27 years, I feel a bit like I am working without a net, but I'm not. I know Who my net is and He is fully capable of catching me if I fall. So I guess my job is to let the fear become a thrill and ask Him to lead on.

This Saturday, we are going on vacation for ten days. We leave bright and early for Maine, state of my birth, and will be staying at a lakeside cottage close to the tiny house my parents bought in 1959. As that place is for sale, Bruce, Blake, and I hope to stop by and have a peek. I can't wait! The owner of our rental cottage says the fish are biting good at the lake, which will delight my fisherman no end. We've bought the seventh season of Monk on DVD and are taking it along, along with some games, and books (real), and audio books, and swimwear (I actually bought a bathing suit), and a bit of canning equipment in case I get the urge up there, and Bruce's fishing gear, and the camera battery charger, and boy! I had really better get working on that list so I don't forget anything.

Today's Parade of Daily Adventures includes labeling the jars of zucchini relish I put up yesterday, laundry, cleaning ~~Chelsea's room~~ the guest room, and taking the first step in cleaning out that dang hall closet. It is truly a mess. My goal for today is to get it to where the door opens freely and one can actually step inside. If I get that accomplished, I'll be happy. Unfortunately, I have put this job off for one solid year and now I am determined to get it done before vacation. My perpetual procrastination means I now have to work in there on what promises to be the hottest day of the summer. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Who said that? JFK? Benjamin Franklin? One of those real smart guys. I bet their closets were in pretty good shape.

* * * * *

So, what are you reading these days? My nightstand now features:

If Today Be Sweet by Thirty Umrigar - A great read. What is it about the Indian writers that I love so much?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - I generally dislike books written as a series of letters, so I was disappointed to discover that's the case with this New York Times best-seller. However, the story has started to grow on me and I will probably finish it after I finish the Thrity Umrigar book. Unlike many of this books readers, I ahve no desire to create the recipe named in the title. From the books' description, it sounds nauseating.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver - I've only paged through this one. I think it's destined to go to Maine with us.

* * * * *

Well, to the best of my knowledge, that closet isn't going to clean itself, so I'd better get cracking. Hope you all have a great day. Try to stay cool, and don't procrastinate. It'll just come back and bite you.

Julie Baby's Fab Food Preserving Tally 2009

Frozen:
Blueberries 19 quarts
Raspberries 4 quarts
Rhubarb 2 quarts

Canned:
Zucchini relish 8 jars

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:48:33 GMT

Hey, y'all.

Tonight's house church night here, which is always good. Today I have to FINALLY pick that rhubarb (in the interest of time, I guess I'll just freeze it), go to the bank, order pizzas and get the house ready for this evening, pick up Bruce's birthday cake (it's on Thursday, but I'm serving it tonight for desssert at HC) and do a little housework. Kind of a nice, low-key day, doncha think?

Better get crackin'! Have a great day.

* * * * *

Here it comes! Back for the third year in a row, it's that ever-popular feature

Julie Baby's Fab Food Preserving Tally 2009

Frozen:
Blueberries 19 quarts
Raspberries 4 quarts
Rhubarb 2 quarts

Impressive? Nope. But every journey of a thousand miles starts with one small step.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:34:58 GMT

Hey, I just finally got Xanga Premium. Does anyone know how to download my archives? Thanks for any help you can offer, and more later.

* * * * *

Mere moments from now, the other computer will make some sort of beeping or ringing noise and I will log on and see my beautiful daughter for the first time in over a month. She and Nathan finally received their new computer today and we are scheduled to take a Skype-driven tour of their home at 5:30 or so our time. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Things are at last returning to what passes for normal around here. Having a family wedding complete with visitors from overseas, followed in quick succession by the death of a close family member gives one plenty to think about and lots to do. In the midst of all that transition, we also had to close out our homeschool year.

In spite of all the delays, expected and unexpected, and the emotional upheaval of the past six weeks, we were able to finish school pretty much on time, praise God. So this afternoon I went to the school district office and dropped off Blake's eleventh-grade portfolio and handed in my objectives for next year along with the notarized affidavit swearing we are not perverts. (If you have been reading this blog for the past few years you may remember that it is wise not to get me started on that one.) This marked my nineteenth and next-to-last trip to hand in a homeschool portfolio.

Although things have quieted down somewhat here we are not without drama. For example, I have been giving myself little manicures lately and it turns out the Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps fingernail hardener I bought in England last spring may work too well. My nails are looking really long and they make my hands look pretty, but it is becoming a challenge to accomplish the simplest of tasks, like scrubbing out my favorite steel skillet. It's sixty years old, stainless steel, and belonged to my maternal grandmother, and I am telling you people it looks brand new. Seriously. It pays to buy quality. Anyway, even with rubber gloves and a brand new Brillo pad, I can't get real close in the corners because my nails are in the way, so I am reluctant to even attempt to clean the kitchen.

Folding towels feels really weird with long nails, too, so I haven't been doing much laundry.

I have also taken to wearing pull-on slacks because it is just to dangerous to risk zipping a pair of jeans. Unfortunately, pull-on slacks have elastic waistbands, so you can pack on forty pounds before you notice your clothes fitting differently.

I bought fabric the other day to make some new curtains for the dining room, but you know what? I'm really worried that carrying the machine down from the spare room and setting it up on the dining room table might put my manicure at risk, and besides, guiding the fabric under the presser foot? Yikes.

Adjusting my car seat to a comfortable driving position (my legs are longer than Bruce's, plus I have a built-in seat cushion he does not) requires me to pull a lever on the lower front edge of the seat, and I am telling you it really puts a strain on my nails to pull that thing. I have found only two workable solutions to this problem: I either drive with my face pressed against the windshield, or I only go places with Bruce.

Funnily enough, the length of my fingernails does not impede my ability to surf the internet, although it does make a creepy tapping sound when I type.

Time to talk to my Baby Girl!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:05:00 GMT

Bruce's mother, the pocket-sized MomMom, best mother-in-law in the entire universe and grandmother extraordinaire, passed away on Tuesday evening.

Ruth had had a stroke two years ago, but on Saturday the 30th of May, just one week after she joyously attended Baby Girl's wedding, she suffered seizures which took a great toll on her health. The staff at the emergency room and our family agreed that the local hospice center was the best option for Ruth, as she had suffered brain damage and was almost completely unresponsive.

She lingered in a coma for ten days, during which time we all had the opportunity to say goodbye, to take our time sitting with her and just being with her at the end of her life. Chelsea and Nathan arrived home from their honeymoon in the Dominican Republic the day after Ruth entered Hospice, and we drove the straight from the airport to Hospice so Chelsea could say goodbye to her beloved grandmother for the last time. It was a profoundly difficult time for my Baby Girl, and I am so thankful her loving Nathan was with her to hold her and give her strength, because the next morning they had to leave to return to England.

When Bruce and I returned from taking the newlyweds to the airport, we once again went directly to Hospice, where we found both our sons and our daughter-in-law visiting with MomMom and loving on her. So we all hung out for awhile spending one of the most memorable evenings of our lives saying goodbye to and sharing our hearts with this beautiful little dynamo who enriched our lives so much.

I spent the night there at hospice with her a couple of times, as did my sister-in-law. On Saturday night, my friend Andrea and I spent the evening praying for my sweet mother-in-law and our families and friends there in Ruth's bedroom at Hospice.

This past Tuesday evening -- it seems longer ago than that -- Bruce had to drop by to see our friends Todd and Gina, who live about thirty minutes away. I asked him to drop me off at hospice so I could hang out with his mom for awhile. I was with her for only an hour when she took her last breath.

I could never begin to convey what she meant to all of us. Her obituary is in today's newspaper. My sister-in-law wrote the first part, and I wanted to add a note of my own. I sat with a pen and pad in the funeral director's office yesterday afternoon, writing and writing about the dear woman who gave birth to my husband. I knew I could write for hours and still come up short so I scribbled out most of what I'd written and added only this:

Ruth lived a life of loving service to others. Her home and heart were always open, and everyone who ever met her loved her .

What a treasure she was to our family, our friends, everyone.

Thank You, Lord for Ruth. Thank You for her loving heart. Thank You for the many years of support and encouragement she lavished on us, her family. I thank You so much, Father, that she was able to be with us at the wedding and see Chelsea and Nathan begin their new life together. I can never thank You enough for placing her in my life. May I be to to Ashley and Nathan as good a mother-in-law as Ruth has always been to me. Comfort those who mourn her passing, Lord. For a little tiny lady, she left a great big void. We will miss her terribly. Thank You so much for sweet Ruth.