How's your mama and them?

My father's father passed away two weeks ago today. My mother's father passed away 22 years ago this week. Both of these men were big influences in my life and I am so very thankful to have had them as long as I did. I've thought a lot about both of them lately, especially with father's day coming up. I bet this one will be a little bittersweet for Dad. Papa battled Parkinson's and was in the nursing home for the last 7 years. It was a struggle to watch a man that was once so active slowly dwindle away. Although it's tough to say goodbye, there is so much comfort in the fact that he is so much better now. I decided that I wanted to share a little bit about the man I called Papa at his funeral. I wasn't sure if I could do it, because I'm pretty sentimental and tend to cry pretty easily, but I prayed about it a great deal and I definitely felt God with me as I spoke. I thought I would share my words from that day with you all. To most he was John, to som

Ok, so I realize that I haven't posted in a while, and I have a pretty good excuse (other than the fact that I had a little lack of inspiration). Since some time last fall I have been very busy with our local community theater group and most recently our production of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." My friend Truman chose this show as his directorial debut. I decided to sign on with him as assistant director since it was his first show and I knew this one would be an undertaking. Also, it just happens to be one of my all-time favorite stories. I have read the book and watched the movie countless times. (The 1995 BBC version, mind you. Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy!) I wanted to make sure it was done right! :) The show closed Saturday night, May 4th, and I must say this has been one of my favorite casts of which to be a part. Each show becomes a little family of sorts as you share this common experience. No one else can fully understand your bond, your jokes, etc. I

No wait! She didn't! Ok, forgive me for just a moment because this post will digress at little from the previous ones. So, if you are looking for solely inspirational talk, you can stop reading right now :) I want to thank my friends Sara and Rebecca, for the, let's say re-inspiration for this post. They brought the topic up on Twitter last week,sort of. I have always been one to write things in my head, or start and never finish, and this topic was one of such musings in the past. When did I become a ma'am? As children growing up in the South, we are taught to respect our elders. Yes ma'am, no sir are the normal around here. I didn't realize how abnormal that was until I did a little traveling. About ten years ago, I spent two and a half months in Australia with a friend of mine working with and supporting a church there. One gentleman I had the honor of getting to know while I was there, had been a young man during WWII. He was German and did not sympathiz

Spring Has Sprung! In this neck of the woods, Spring has officially arrived. It has been cooler this year than most recent years, but that has not stopped the buttercups from poking their little heads out and the dang Ornamental Bradford Pears from blooming (they KILL my allergies!!!). I love this time of year when life begins to show itself anew. Friday night was date night and I spent a little quality time with the husband. It has been so busy at our house since before Christmas, so we took the opportunity of the rare Friday night off and went to eat with some friends at John T's Barbecue in Winchester. If you live in this area, you should give them a try. We love the ribs! This was a weekend full of activity. Early Saturday morning, the husband and I traveled to Franklin Co. to purchase a couple of heifers to add to the herd. These young girls are so gentle! I stuck my hand in the trailer and the one on the right rubbed her nose all over my hand. Most cattle would run

Fabulous Friends Family Most of you may know that I am a part of the Fabulous Fifties Show, a local production featuring music from 50's, 60's, and 70's with a skit thrown in to transition from one song to the other. It's a pretty big show with about 60 singers, actors, dancers, and band members, all of which are local talent. Each participant volunteers their time and talents, and there are many more volunteers that help with sound, staging, costuming, ticket taking, ushering, concessions, and many other things. It is truly a community event, as most of the county attends at least one of the 8 performances, along with people from all over middle Tennessee and northern Alabama. A few folks make trips from all over the country to attend! The proceeds from the show go to support cancer patients and their families. We just wrapped up 27th annual show this past Saturday. What most of you may not know is how much the show means to each of us who participate. Three ladie

Inspiration Let me start off by saying that I did not intend on this blog being entirely about prayer, but the response that I got from everyone on my last post really flattered me and it got me to thinking. What else can I do to be more deliberate with my prayer life? Making Time For those of you who don't know, I love music. Love might be an understatement. I love to sing, I love to listen to good music, I have complete appreciation for someone who can really play an instrument of any kind (I can still play my very first piano recital piece and that's it), I have an appreciation for people who can write music. I LOVE music. My ipod has anything from Les Miserables to the Beastie Boys on it. Did I mention that I love music? So, riding to and from work is one of my main music times. I go through phases, so it's really cool to have XM Radio which offers me some variety. Sometimes I get on an 80's kick, sometimes I listen to an old CD, sometimes I listen to whatever

This year I have had the mindset to be more purposeful with my prayer. My prayer life has had it's ups and downs as I'm sure most of us have, so I decided to get out of the mundane "Thank you God for...." and get deeper in and more in touch with God. There are a few things I am doing a little differently, and I have already seen how God is using me and blessing me through this experience. For example, Facebook. Facebook can be a wonderful tool for connecting with family and friends. The main reason I joined several years ago was to be able to keep in touch with some dear friends of mine in Australia. It's wonderful to be able to see them and their families grow in almost real time! I miss them terribly, so it's a blessing to be able to communicate with them. But, as we all know Facebook can be very destructive. I decided that this year I will not participate in the negative aspect of Facebook, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to think of a way that I could

I read a good bit online. Blogs, news, sports, recipes, so I thought why not add my look at life and humor to the plethora of information out there. The other blogs I read are all so interesting to me. They either inspire me to be a better person, or they let me know that I am not the only one out there who has thought that or struggled with something. If nothing else, I get a good laugh of them. I hope that I will be able to do any of that for someone as well. Now on to the thought for today. Today would be my grandmother's (my mother's mother) 98th birthday. She passed away in 2008 after falling and fracturing her hip. She had dementia and lived in a local care facility designed for those patients. But, up until her fall she was physically healthy. Probably healthier than most of us. She was an absolute hoot when she still had her mind, and even after it began to fail her, her sense of humor was still pretty strong. Randy and I got married about a year and a half before s