Party Planner Heather?

After a very busy and stressful couple of weeks I was hoping to finally be able to rest. After being in charge of the final stages of our Cub Scout banquet on Friday I wonder if I will be able to do this job by myself next year. I guess that it was good for me to be "in charge" during these past two weeks as it gave me something to focus on instead of our loss. Of course, trying to help plan a wedding for April (the month, not a person!) has been keeping me busy as well. Strange to say, even though I really enjoy the planning and looking for all the little things to make it all come together, I am so nervous about how everything will turn out and if everyone liked my ideas and work in the end. The same goes for Friday night. I felt prepared to go and set up, but when I got there realized that the centerpieces for the tables were not going to be enough. We had such a wonderful turn out that we were going to need more tables than I originally planned. I had planned for 10-12 tables to decorate and had fifteen instead! On the one hand that was very exciting to see that so many people were going to be there, but as the one in charge who had not gotten the extra things I then found I needed was terrifying! I was so glad to have some wonderful friends to pitch in and help out. The people that I am working with in scouts are some of the best people I know. They never once made a comment about my underplanning or once complained about having to help. How can you not thank God for the wonderful people he places in our lives to help and encourage us?

Proud Momma and Tiger Cub Leader

I was very proud of all of my boys last night. I was able to have all seven of my Tiger cubs complete all their achievements in time to receive their Tiger badges at our Blue and Gold Banquet. I was so proud of my own two boys as I watched them both complete another milestone in their life. They are such amazing guys! I have been so happy to be so involved in their early years, school life and their scouting. I could not imagine not being there with them for all these special moments in their lives.

The Beach

I was quite envious of Joe when he went to Mexico. He called and told me that his hotel was right on the beach and that he left the balcony doors open at night so he could hear the waves on the beach below. Now, I am a mountain girl at heart and would not want to live anywhere but the Smokies, but there is another place that is a retreat for me. My grandmother hailed from Marion County, South Carolina, which is only a few hours drive from the coastline. I have grown up spending most summers vacationing at the beaches of the Myrtle Beach, SC area. The beach has always been a relaxing spot for me. You could imagine my horror and disbelief when after we were married Joe confessed his strong dislike for the ocean. He refused to take me to a beach for years! My parents showed pity for they knew of my love for the ocean. I went several years with them (minus my husband, but taking the boys). I always loved the little tradition that my father and I shared of going for walks on the beach in the evenings after supper. Those are some of the best moments of my vacations. We would some times just walk silently together or some times we would have long discussions on family. Being near the ocean is such a relaxing place for me and right now I would love nothing more than to be there listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and to smell the salty air. Oh, to feel the sand under my feet and see the beauty of the ocean again!

A Time of Need

During hard times we all search for compassion. During times when our emotions are at a breaking point you look to the ones who are not just strong, but also compassionate and sympathetic. Sometimes you just want to have someone to hold you as you cry and who is not afraid to show their own sadness at the circumstances you are going through. I am blessed to have a very compassionate and sympathetic doctor who knows how difficult it is for me when he has to give me the bad news. Today was once again one of those days. Most people expect that their doctors will be stiff and kind of straight forward, no nonsense. I am glad that he is not one of those doctors. I personally know what it is like to look to a loved one to find compassion and yet only to be disappointed at their lack of the support you need. For Christians there is always one who loves us and is there right beside us during these times. As it says in James, The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. During our loss and grief He is our comforter and rock.

A Woman Who Truly Loved

A passage from Persuasion by Jane Austen

And with a quivering lip he wound up the whole by adding, "Poor Fanny! She would never have forgotten him so soon."

"No," replied Anne, in a low, feeling voice. "That I can easily believe."

"It was not in her nature. She doated on him."

"It would not be the nature of any woman who truly loved."

Captain Harville smiled, as much as to say, "Do you claim that for your sex?" and she answered the question, smiling also, "Yes. We certainly do not forget you, so soon as you forget us. It is perhaps, our fate rather than our merit. We cannot help ourselves. We live at home, quiet, confined, and our feelings prey upon us. You are forced on exertion. You have always a profession, pursuits, business of some sort or other, to take you back into the world immediatly, and continual occupation and change soon weaken impressions."...

(Anne)"No, I believe you capable of every thing great and good in your married lives. I believe you equal to every important exertion, and to every domestic forbearance, so long as - if I may be allowed the expression, so long as you have an object. I mean, while the woman you love lives, and lives for you. All the priviledge I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one, you need not covet it) is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone."

The Birthday Girl

As a parent I have seen through my own children how quickly time passes. Today we have just celebrated Lily's first birthday. I remember a year ago when she was born and how she was so small. It is amazing to see how much she has grown in that time and all the things she can do now. She is mobile and talking. It was funny to see her digging into her birthday cake. She turned out to be an icing girl. All she wanted to eat was the yummy icing! So here is to the birthday girl! We love you little girl!

A New Branch

After letting it slip about my blog to some fellow Cub Scout leaders last month, our Pack Leader decided to check out Joe's blog and mine. He like them so much that he created his own. After weeks of begging I finally got him to tell me what he had named his blog. For some unknown reason he was reluctant to tell me. Well, I finally got around to adding a link to his blog and now I invite you all to take a peek at Traveling The Trail by our own Mr. T. Welcome to our blogging community, T!

Side note: Maybe this should be the picture we use for our Blue and Gold Banquet, T! What do you think?

Let it Snow

I have been looking for snow since December! I always love having snow, though I also like being able to drive. Of course sometimes it is nice to get snowed in at home, too. So until this week we had no snow. Then Wednesday night as I am driving back from Monroe County, we finally got some snow! It had already covered the ground by 9pm. At around 10pm when I got back to my parents' house there were almost two inches on the car and it was still snowing. Now this was still the very wet snow that seems to be quick to leave, but still I was excited. I went around the next morning taking pictures of the beautiful snow-blanketed area. It was so breathtaking how it all looked covered in snow. I even found some of my favorite livestock that were too irresistible to pass up! What is it about cattle standing around in the snow that is so cute? Maybe it is my soft spot for cattle, who knows, but it is probably just me! The snow did melt within a few hours of these pictures. Today on the weather reports they are saying that in the East Tennessee valley we may get 2-6 inches of snow tonight. Roads in the area have already been treated to keep them free from ice. I am looking forward to seeing what comes of this storm moving towards us. I will hopefully have more pictures to add later!

Time for the ones we love

As an imperfect person I know that I will never be the "model" parent. I am sure that when my children grow up they will have certain things that they will want to be different from how their father and I have raised them. I did the same thing when I was younger and thinking of my future family. One thing I hope that I have changed from my childhood is that I am there for my children. I might not spend every minute of everyday catering to their desires and whims or making myself their only source of entertainment, but I pray that I am spending more time with them then all the other things that try to take my time from my family. I have tried to be very active in my sons' school and their other interest. I look forward to the times that I can get them by themselves so we can have some one on one time together. A mother asked me one day (after my mentioning that I wanted to have more than two children) how can you say "no, I cannot spend time with you now" to one of your children?

First of all the myth that you have to divide your love the more children you have is completely "busted." I know it is hard to believe that you can multiply your love, but it happens. Just think of your families. Do you say to your family members, "sorry, but I cannot love you because I have only enough love for 20 people and my 20 have already been accounted for." No!! You can love many people and your love for some is different than the love you have for others. It does not change the fact that you love them all.

When I mentioned to this other mother that your love increases, she agreed though she said your time does not. That is true. I have a husband and two children to divided myself between. Then you have to consider, Are they the only ones (or things) that I have to split my time between? Again, no. As a Christian God is to be our first priority. Above all others, He is first (or at least he should be). After God then my family comes to bat.

The reason for this was a sad realization that there are children who have parents who put everything else before them. Have you ever seen a young child with their parent and all the parent is doing is business or anything else they want, but that child just wants a little time with their parent. To know that they are loved, valued, and are important. Yet to all who can observe that is too much for that child to ask of their parents. Even something so small as one hour a week is hard for some. Can you imagine a parent that cannot take the equivalent of ten minutes per day, or just a lump sum of one hour a week with their children? Of course, I will not even touch the topic of the parents who sign their kids up for all the different sports or other extra curricular activities just to have a place to "drop" them off and let someone else spend time with them. Now I am not saying that all parents who put their children in several different activities fit that mold, but I have seen too many that do.

I know that fathers are the head of the family and that they have to work to provide for their families. Sometimes I think that some people are so focused on making the most money, having the best "stuff", providing every material desire that they forget what is really important. To love. If you are spending more time working and cannot take a few hours out of each day for your family you might want to reconsider your priorities. I do not think anyone has ever looked back at their life and said "You know, I wish I had worked harder at my job rather then spend those hours with my family."

I guess I should end my rant. That was something that I really needed to get out. I want to end this with the lyrics to a song by Chris Rice:

Life Means So Much
Chris Rice
Everyday is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there’s plenty of room for writing in
All we do and believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessings
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketchings

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Everyday is a bank account
And time is our currency
So no one’s rich, nobody’s poor
We get twenty-four hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who’s under

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Has anybody lived who knew the value of a life?
And don’t you think giving his own
Would prove the worth of yours and mine?

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much