Until I Saw A Woman With No Legs...

This is a good morning for reflection.....

 Last week as I waited for physical therapy (grumbling inside because I hurt),

a woman with no legs arrived for her therapy. Enough said.

                               

 As I thought an unkind thought about my husband because he didn't pick up the pillow that had fallen off the front porch rocker during a little wind, he called me to a delicious breakfast he had made.

As I re-visited some heated words my son and I had yesterday at the store,

he motioned for me to come to the back of the auction house

so he could load my purchases.

 I have made a conscious choice to finally release my desire to have a perfect circle of friends and family, a formal dining room, a studio, a log cabin in the woods (or better the mountains), to be thin,

to be young again, have everything go my way....

In doing so,  I have to admit something I have learned....

life is too short to continually re-visit unpleasant events and unfulfilled dreams.

Dreams are ok, as long as they don't obscure the present and make you ungrateful.

My home, the physical house, is what it is. As of May 24, 2012, there will very probably no more chances for "add ons" or complete re-do's...so? Is my life any less blessed? Maybe a bigger, better house would be more comfortable, but hey, this one is paid for. It's in pretty good shape. 

It's infinitely better to live in the moment and be grateful for an abundant life.

Always striving for more is exhausting, folks.

We must do the very best with what we have been graciously given.

 If that means moving around pieces in and outside the house and inside your heart, to make something function better, or paint or repurpose what we have...great...but let's not waste another precious second crying over spilled milk.

Examples of "spilled" milk (aka: what might have been):

*It would be nice to be 5'6" tall and weigh 115 lbs...but it "ain't" happening, (unless when I DO have knee replacement, the doctor agrees to add a 5" dowel in each leg during the operation...and the 115? Haha.)

* It would be great to have a 4,000 sq ft home with every little detail "just right"...but then you'd have to dust all that space...hmmm, small is looking better. 

*Wouldn't we all love a family where every member looks and acts like angels 100% of the time...

is it really necessary to go completely berserk about that tatoo, that long hair, those torn jeans?

(This one is hard for me..I must admit.) 

So for all those out there who have all the things I used to long for...then, lucky fortunate you..

(I'm Presbyterian, we don't believe in luck).

For the rest of us, let's live the remaining years of  life trying to play the hand that has been dealt us in a cheerful, loving way...knowing that we won't always be successful, but at least we can give it our best shot.

Be thankful,  

Fairy Tales....

Today the Coach and I drove to the edge of the Delta to see the progress of my sister, Leslie's,

Fairy Garden

 

Welcome to the Fairy Garden!

. (Notice hand built ladder being tested by its builder.)We all agreed it is great.

To understand our fascination with all things FAIRY...you must know that

our grandparents (on my father's side) lived in a fieldstone house surrounded by huge old oak trees.

Grandmother was somewhat eccentric (imagine that!) but had a great imagination. We spent many fun

hours at that house roaming the yard and poking in the abundant little doodle bug holes that were

 around the bottoms of the oaks. There were tons of acorns, feathers, sticks, seeds and assorted other

enchantments that led to stories of fairies, gnomes and benevolent birds and such.

When we spent the night with Grandmother,

Leslie and I slept in the "guest" bedroom at her house

and it was grand to us!

The bed was a  four poster "pineapple" bed with the most wonderful feather pillows

and a pink satin feather quilt! You felt as though you were sleeping on a cloud.

Before we'd go to sleep Grandmother would read some of

the poem Hiawatha to us and then tell us stories about the creatures in the oak trees..

.(I personally liked the story about the little pink bird who lived in the pink house and used all pink china...)

So when Leslie called to tell me she was making a fairy garden in the shade of an overgrown bush in her front yard, it did not surprise me one bit.

I felt you'd like to see bits and pieces of what is under construction.

 This carefully constructed house is one of the centerpieces of the garden. The entire garden is only in its infancy...there are so many possibilities and we spent quite a while discussing them...

even though it was rather warm. (Remember she's the outdoorsy one...I prefer a/c.)

However, when it comes to fairy business, even I will hang around outside.

Here is another house with a frightful cat at its door.

(My sister has always loved cats as much as I detest them. She once trained one to leap out from under the couch and scare me senseless every time I walked through the living room. I hear you laughing, Leslie.) 

This little kitty seems to be as ferocious as those she trained so long ago.

We moved the American flag..it's scale was wrong.

Notice the angel on the left...she's also

afraid of said kitty.

So she just sits aimlessly outside the house as if waiting on the beast to leave the premises.

 

Another part of the garden is the Lily Pad...which is currently under construction (oh, there's that flag again)and hasn't been landscaped as of this morning. (The vintage wagon was an early Christmas present from a friend's mother.) My nephew said that the Lily Pad sounds like a bar...which is just might be or it might be a tea room for the fairies...they've got to unwind somewhere..

My contribution was the frog...I'm the realist in the family.

This is Leslie's rendition of a fairy topiary. I like the pennies...and the touch of pearls.

There are other little parts of this fairy town but they are still under wraps...the wooden fence that runs all around the area...at night there are tiny white lights that light the path of the fence and outline the various structures....metal scrolls outline the wood fence...very fairy-ish. Ferns and woodland flowers must still be selected and planted. Paths must be installed and blue glass pebbles added to a coming water feature.

Mulch is coming in by the yards and more structures will be added in the trees... LIKE  MAYBE A PINK BIRDHOUSE WITH A PINK BIRD WHO USES ALL PINK CHINA!

Now, you might think we are loony...

but I am now past 62 (see below) and she isn't far behind...so we are to that glorious phase in our lives where we don't really care if anybody thinks we are loony...

We are carrying on a family tradition of looniness and fairy loving, 

In Loving Memory of Master Sgt. John R McInnis, Jr.

The military has always been a part of my life. My father, whose wisdom I still rely on and who lives in Brandon, was a Naval aviator. He has many friends who made the Navy their life- long way of life. I understand, to some extent "military" families. 

But, for the first time in my life, I really watched war movies ALL weekend.

As I watched these movies, I absorbed the horror of it all and was struck by the true sacrifice these men and women gave for our country and its people.Whether treading water for days on end, or storming the beaches of Normandy or being involved in hand to hand combat, it's amazing what these people endured.

How could you NOT be grateful to them?

 If you've never taken a few hours and watched true heroism as portrayed in these OLD movies, take the time today. If you don't have time to watch, then just look around at everything you have...

those heroes are why you are able to live in the best country in the world. I've been told that the movies aren't the same as the reality...very probably true, but it's the closest to reality that I can get.

In honor of Memorial Day,

I'd like to remember my husband's father and his remarkable life and death story.

 John R. McInnis, Jr. was a native of Jefferson Davis county Mississippi. He was one of 7 children and grew up in the Clem community. The Clem community is just a little speck of a place in one of the smallest counties in the state, but it's typical of the "homes" of so many of the men and women who fought the wars in WWII and Korea. Johnny, as he was called, was All Army in basketball and football (imagine that!)

He entered the service July 17, 1941 and served in the European Theater with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was briefly a POW and was wounded in the Italian Campaign. He returned to the states in 1944. In 1948 he volunteered for parachute duty and was stationed in Japan until his unit was called to Korea in July of 1950. (My husband, John III, was one year old at the time and he and his mother were in Japan with Johnny celebrating John III's first birthday. John III and his mom returned to the US shortly after Johnny was called into action.)

  (Johnny, John III and mother, Anna pictured above right in Japan. John R McInnis Sr is pictured top left.)

It was believed that "Johnny was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. The division was the first American one to do battle in the Korean War after North Korea launched a general attack across the border on June 25, 1950" (incidentally MY first birthday.)

Johnny's  unit was one of the first to paratroop into enemy territory.
 "Information received reveals that his battalion was stationed in an area where a battle occurred between the Americans and Koreans between July 7 and 10. Later reports say that virtually all of that unit was killed." (Government officials believe he died in the Cho Nui battle on July 11, 1950.)

Johnny was declared MIA on July 10, 1950.

Now here's the kicker to this story...after all the years of heartache and the uncertainty that the family endured, on October 30, 1981, they received notice that Johnny's remains, his helmet and dog-tag had been found by a South Korean policeman. (Also part of a wallet, comb and lighter and other assorted items.)

The grave was reportedly shallow as if the body had been buried hurriedly.

Pictured below are local villagers and Chi Kapchong,
 chairman of the non-profit non-political U.N. Korean War Allies Association
who led in a silent prayer for the fallen soldier.

(This act of kindness was very much appreciated by the family, as you can imagine.)

A member of the Associated Press learned of the find and the news surfaced before anyone had time to contact us. John III learned of the discovery of the remains by way of a phone call from his Aunt Jean Booth who had heard the news on WDAM television in Hattiesburg.We were in close contact with Congressman Sonny Montgomery's office for the next two months.
After the remains were flown to Hawaii, there was positive identification of Johnny.

The remains were flown home in February with a military honor guard which stood guard 24/7 until the service at the Phalti Baptist Church and burial in the church cemetery. A rifle salute was followed by Taps and according to military tradition, the American flag that covered the coffin was given to John III., who was 31 at the time, the same age as Johnny was when he was killed.  

Below is pictured Johnny with his one year old son, John III.

I always initial documents with AMc rather than just AM...wonder why?

It's in honor of the last name McInnis....not just any ole name...but one of honor and sacrifice.

 Master Sgt. John R McInnis's, Jr. life and loss of  his own life ensured his family's name would be remembered with honor and respect.

In memory of all those who gave all they could,

He Watered It, He Pulled the Weeds....

Writing about Father's Day is tricky for me.

I had a wonderful father and would like to salute him and thank him for his love and support all these many years! He worked hard to support a family of five and still to this day...works so as not to be a "burden" to others. BTW: He's NOT a burden to anyone! So Happy Father's Day, Daddy...you are loved...you are the best!

So I know you are waiting...there is a BUT coming here, isn't there? And the answer is a resounding YES, there is....here it comes...."BUT....everyone isn't so fortunate." I would like to use the following analogy to explain...

Fathering a child is a lot like being a planter of a garden. A good gardener continues to take care of the seedlings as they mature...he waters, nurtures, attends to the needs of, and weeds like crazy. The good gardener doesn't just leave the seedlings to "bring themselves up". The good gardener doesn't desert the troops...he hangs in there...through thick and thin...

He doesn't see another plot of land that looks better and begin a new garden. If he does, for some reason, begin another garden, he makes sure he continues his allegiance to the first one...so that the seedlings don't wither and die.

Too many "seedlings" are left to someone else's care. Whether it be a mother, grandparents, gang members, teachers, friends...step-parents...somebody is going to raise those seedlings...

For just a minute, let's talk about step-gardeners...you know those people who are darned if they do and darned if they don't...you remember them, don't you? The ones who seldom, in the seedling's eyes, do anything right. Until the seedling matures and then many times, the step-gardener begins to look a lot wiser...remember him? He stepped up to the plate...and he kept on keeping on when the original gardener got more interested in his new plot of ground than the one he already had tilled and planted. It's rather difficult to take the high ground here...when you see so many children who are fatherless...it takes a heck of a lot more guts to actually raise a child than to father one.
I would like to tell my husband, one of the millions of step-gardeners in this country, a very heartfelt Thank YOU for being such a stand up guy. A public show of appreciation is due all the good step-parents in this crazy world of ours. Those are the ones who truly stepped up to the plate and if they didn't hit a grandslam, then they were exhausted by the effort they made.

For those of you who weren't or aren't in the good gardener category, well...I'll be silent on that point...besides, it's not me you are going to answer to. I'll leave that to the Great Gardener.

Words worth pondering,
Angela

SS Refrig, Family, Banana Pudding, Earrings

What do any of these things have to do with each other? Hmmm...let's see.

I think I am in love....after 18 years, a new refrigerator! Why not French doors? Because I couldn't reach the top shelf...that's why! No Freezer on the bottom? Hubster didn't like it...that's why! We LOVE this one...she is wonderful! I am a happy camper!!
Next subject...Family!

The hubster's father was one of seven McInnis children, now all deceased. Pictured above are representatives of six of the seven children's families. I love my husband's family...salt of the earth people who take you in, love and support you. I am proud to be a part of such a clan! The hub is second from the left...styling, I must say. Below is pictured one of the dishes we took to the reunion...HIS world famous Banana Pudding...everything (except the Nilla Vanilla Wafers) was made from scratch...oh, yummo.

Handsome and CAN COOK...could I ask for anything more?

Speaking of family, one of the clan is an extremely talented vocalist and entertained the crowd with some wonderful Gospel songs. His card is below. I told him that now that he has "appeared" on this blog that he is WORLD famous!!

Speaking of famous...We also boast of a jewelry maker, supreme....Jan! Scroll down and look at some of her beautiful designs...she uses top notch findings and the ladies were treated to "shopping" her designs...wonderful gifts and so beautifully made. Contact me if you are interested...you will NOT be sorry! I will get you in touch with her.


Oh, yes...these were calling my name! I snapped them up! They are even beautiful underneath!


What's that? My name again? Oh, yes...I loved these, too.

Mine, all mine!

Loved these tiger eyes pictured below.

She also strings pearls...these were exquisite.


Jan couldn't make it to the reunion because of her work schedule...so I sent her hubby home with a mixed media journal I made for her. We love her and missed her!




Such a great day with such nice people...thanks to Peggy and Skye for organizing everything so well...can't wait for next year.

I am linking with Pink Saturday & Sneak Peek Friday...see buttons on right and join in the fun.
BTW: some of you are having trouble leaving comments (as am I) on blogs...keep trying...they will get the bugs worked out! I love your comments! Thanks for taking the time to say hello.



Love your family,