My Pop

Alfonso Mauro, known more affectionately as Pop, passed away at 1:30 AM, July 11, 2009. He was 97 years old.

Pop update

Pop has taken a turn today. He's developed apnea. This morning he was going short amounts of time without breathing but it was much longer when we were there in the afternoon. He wasn't focusing well either. Although, around 6:30, he was awake and, while he wasn't talking coherently, he was making eye contact and trying to respond to what we were saying. He tried to respond with an "I love you." His lungs are filled again and the coughing seems to be hurting him. I'm wondering if it's so much a cough as a death rattle.

The nurse gave him a few hours to a day while the woman in charge of his place said she thinks it might be this week. I'm not sure. Pop always amazes me. I do feel he's suffering though and I don't want that for him.

I'm so heartbroken to lose him. I just want peace. I prayed over him today, that Jesus would speak to and be with him and that he would know it. He wouldn't let my hand go as we were leaving. I know he loves Danny, Lucy and I and appreciates all we've done. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Pop

Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been forever. I finally got a new laptop and we're all getting on with life after the loss of Anthony. It always feels so wrong to me that we just continue on when someone is gone but I know it's for the best. I hate to come back and be all depressing but we're losing Pop. He's starting to shut down and his nurse (we switched him to hospice care at the facility he lives) doesn't think he's got more than a few weeks. I never count him out though because this man is amazing! At the same time, it hurts to see him with no quality of life. He can only eat pureed foods and he sleeps most of the time. He's nothing but skin and bones. I will miss him to no end for the rest of my life but I don't want to see him like this anymore. I know he will be new in Heaven. We've been remembering a lot recently all the wonderful things that makes Pop, Pop and all the wonderful memories of times we've had that will have to get us through until we can all be together and whole again. Prayers for his peace and ours are much appreciated. Lucy's been very upset and neither she nor I are sleeping very well. I AM SO TIRED!

In happier news, Lucy is starting a farm camp on Monday. It's right down the road from our house. They have llamas and goats and horses. She'll learn animal care, have a library day, a journal time, cooking, gardening, green Science experiments, Math, hikes and swimming. It runs from 9-4PM, five days a week for two months. She's going to be wonderfully exhausted and I'm planning on having a rough draft of a book finished by the end! This will be a good thing for all. Especially since we've been going crazy trying to help Danny out with work for the past week and a half. He was awarded a contract with the FCC to install the digital converter boxes nationwide and we've been receiving from 800-1000 calls a day! It's madness and I'm ready for a vacation but we feel so very blessed for this work. Danny's amazing because it seems that anything he touches turns to gold. He's really earned respect in his business world and I'm proud of him for doing it by being honest and fair and Godly. I'm thankful too that God is blessing him in return for his faithfulness. Glad all of us girls found wonderful and Godly men. We're very blessed.

Love to all.

Anthony Jellison

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't been around for a while. We've had a very sad week. Our sweet friend Anthony was struck by a car in front of his school in Santee and killed on Wednesday, April 8th. He was 9 years old. We've set up a memorial website for him at rememberanthony.com if anyone is interested and feel free to leave prayer comments for the family. They are a wonderful family, some of you met his grandma, Laura, at Lucy's birthday party. They need much prayer and support at this time.

We hope all of you had a blessed Easter. Ours was quiet, Anthony and his family were supposed to join us, but Lucy enjoyed herself despite missing her friend. We were blessed this weekend to remember that God will be the greatest comfort to Anthony's family. For He too knows the pain of losing a son.

Love to all.

Ok Liz....we'll give it a try...How Lucy sees me:)

1. What is something mom always says to you? well I have one thing on my mind (pause) Brush your teeth.
2. What makes mommy happy? When I obey.
3. What makes mommy sad? When people don't obey God.
4. How does your mommy make you laugh? Always does silly things.
5. What was your mommy like as a child? Don't really know.
6. How old is your mom? 30
7. How tall is your mom? Short.
8. What is your moms favorite thing to do? Obviously, read and write.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Hang out with daddy. You don't really do much when I'm out.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? Obviously writing a book, obviously.
11. What is your mom really good at? Loving people.
12. What is your mom not very good at? (Long pause) Being mean.
13. What does your mom do for her job? Stay at home mom.
14. What's your moms favorite food? Angel hair pasta.
15. What makes you proud of your mom? Everything she does.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? Probably Jerry (funny huh Liz? I didn't even read yours to her. She calls Danny and I Tom and Jerry because we bicker back and forth:)
17. What do you and your mom do together? Play.
18. How are you and your mom the same?Pretty much everything and every way.
19. How are you and your different? Barely different.
20. How do you know your mom loves you? In everything she does.
21. Where is your moms favorite place to go? Barnes & Noble.

Update

Hi,
Sorry I've been gone. Preparing the house and ourselves for The 700 Club was um...a challenge. We weren't nervous about the interview but getting everything just right was a little overwhelming. We pulled it all together though so check out my writing blog for info and pix.

The 700 Club...another update

Check my writing blog for an update on our 700 Club interview. It's been finalized and is in a couple of weeks.

P.S. Thanks so much to all who came to Lu's party. Thank you for your remarkably well-mannered children and for the thoughtful gifts! So glad Liz could be in town to join us too. Since my cat destroyed my computer, I only have access to Danny's when he isn't working, but I will post some party pix as soon as I can.

February 20th...Happy B-Day Lu!

Happy 9th Birthday to our beautiful baby girl!

We love your inquisitive mind. The questions, specifically about God, that you come up with are amazing. We love your sweet, empathetic heart. We love your energy, un-ending and enthusiastic. You are our sweet and crazy angel. Our life would not be the same without you. Lucy truly means "light bringer" and you have brought so much light to our lives! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Thank you God for trusting us to be your parents. We feel so very honored to have been chosen.

P.S. We love your silly side too:) (Refer to picture)

Happy 97th Birthday Pop!

Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for your generous heart.

Quiet Hero By: Unknown

My hero is the quiet type. No marching bands, no media hype.
But through my eyes it’s plain to see, a hero God has sent to me.
With gentle strength and quiet pride, all self concern is set aside,
to reach out to our fellow man, and be there with a helping hand.
Heroes are a rarity, a blessing to humanity.
With all they give and all they do, I’ll bet the thing you never knew,
my quiet hero has always been you.

We love you Pop....aka Pooh Bear...The best in the East, West, North, South and even in the middle:) Lucy, Danny and Jess

700 Club Update

Just a quick update. Mindy, the producer we interviewed with on the phone, left a message today saying that our story has been approved. A camera crew will be here the week of March 9th. Someone is supposed to call and let us know all the specifics so I'll update again later. We're excited but suddenly a list of things that need to be done before they come ran through my head like a grocery list. We desperately need haircuts, the tiny patch of carpet by the "cat's room" needs to be shampooed and I'm at the top of my five pound--grace period-weight. And I only have three and a half weeks! No problem:) I just hope our story is inspirational and that I don't have to do a, looking longingly out the kitchen window, scene--right Nicole?

More Prayers Please

Kat went and saw our family practitioner about her hand and he's sending her for blood tests and X-rays. He's concerned that all the muscle in her hand appear to have atrophied. And while he said it may have been caused by an injury or something like carpal tunnel, he's concerned. This, of course, made Kat more concerned. I know the blood draw is to rule out any neurological diseases, there are many, the main one's being quiet frightening. I guess if both tests show nothing, he'll send her to a specialist. I'm hoping it's a damaged nerve or something that is small and reversible.

Please pray that the blood test comes out clear. Please pray that it's nothing neurological. I know, because of her age, it's probably not but the slight possibility really concerns me. I know God says fear not but there are some really frightening things in this life and it's not always easy to place all worry into his hands. Especially since bad things do happen. I just want Kat to get the chance to really live. I want her to get the chance to know happiness in herself and in her life. I want her to experience the satisfaction of success. I want her to grow to love herself, something she's struggling with now. Please just pray complete and total healing. I appreciate your prayers. I figure if we place our cares at Heaven's gates and we agree in numbers, as it says in the Bible, God will provide. He promises and thankfully, we serve the one God that never breaks His promises.

Update

Just got the news that Mr. Railey is doing much better. He was moved from the ICU today to a regular room. Let's continue to pray him home and thank God for his mercy. Thank you all for joining in prayer with me.

Adoption Option

Kat called me about an hour ago. She has been talking for a year or so, now, about finding her birth mother. It was so easy to find mine because I had her name in a baby book she sent with me, along with the names of all of my family members. How many Abbra's could there be out there? It was the most simple search ever. I wondered though, how we would help Kat with hers. I'd always heard that adoption records are sealed and difficult to pull information out of. Besides, the information we had to go off of was so little. We had no name and while we knew what state she came from, we had no city. Kat wasn't even born in that state. Her bio-mom lived out her pregnancy in an unwed mother's home, Highlands, in Kansas City, Missouri. A hospital near the home is where Kat was born. This seemed to be a difficult venture but I know now that that's not why her interest peeked over the past year. Instead, it was God preparing her heart.

Kat's voice had excitement in it as she told me that she and our parents had received letters from her bio-mom, Darla. She had contacted Highlands, now in Arizona, and a social worker took up the task. I guess it's legal now because Kat is an adult. Kat put in a call to Georgia (the social worker) this afternoon and left a message. I told Kat that if she was ready, she should at least let Darla know she was interested. I'm sure the poor woman is anxious with anticipation. Being the one to seek out my bio-mom, I remember that even though she'd written me a letter saying she hoped to meet me someday, I feared rejection and disinterest. I hope Darla can rest assured this weekend that she will soon have a friendship with the baby she gave up 20 years ago.

My prayers for Darla and Kat? I pray God ordains their relationship. I pray Darla is a strong and wonderful Christian woman, wise beyond her years. I pray she can be a wonderful influence in Kat's life. I pray love will live in their relationship. I pray so many wonderful things to come from this. I pray that it is all that my relationship with Abbra is not and was never meant to be.

One prayer request for Kat. She's supposed to start beauty school next week and there's something wrong with her right hand. She REALLY needs to get going with this career and her life. Her hand almost looks like it was crushed. I know she keeps saying that it's been bothering her a bit here and there since elementary school but she never consistently complained about it. It also never looked like anything was wrong with it. Now, it looks like a broken wing. So, I pray that she will find the right doctor and that it will be something small and easy to fix. And that she will still be able to start her schooling on time.

Prayer Request

Hi ladies,
We have a homeschool group friend whose husband is currently in the ICU. I don't know any details about his condition. They have a daughter around Lucy's age (8). I just cannot even imagine how scared the family must be. I do know that, that little girl (and of course Kim as well) still needs her dad. Please keep Mr. Railey in your daily prayers that he will be home with his family soon.

Sometime today, give your hubby and kids a BIG hug! It's so easy to forget to be as thankful as we should and take the time for the little moments--just to look at each other and love one another. We shouldn't wait until there's threat of loss to stop and love. We should never have regrets in the way we loved those most precious to us.

Ok Liz, here I go:)

USING ONLY ONE WORD Not as easy as you might think! Now you try, change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers!

Where is your cell phone? Missing
Your significant other? Silly
Your hair? Scary
Your mother? Complicated
Your father? Confusing
Your favorite thing? Books
Your dream last night? None
Your favorite drink? Tea
Your dream/goal? Peace
What room are you in? Bedroom
Your hobby? Writing
Your fear? Lots
Where do you want to be in 6 Yrs? Published
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Confident
Muffins? Blueberry
Wish list item? Contentment
Last thing you did? Read
What are you wearing? Pjs
TV? Binge
Your pets? Abundance
Friends? Faithful
Your life? Brighter
Your mood? Optimistic
Missing someone? Eternity
Drinking? Coffee
Smoking? Wabbit
Your car? Messy
Something you're not wearing? Hat
Your favorite store? Anthropologie
Your favorite colors? Opal
When is the last time you cried? Reading
Where do you go to over and over? Store
Five people who email me regularly? None
My favorite place to eat? Home
Favorite place I'd like to be at right now? Bookstore

Fam update...been a while...I know

Ok. I've had a really tough couple weeks (nothing like Liz's last few days) fighting off depression and loneliness and blah blah blah. But that's why I haven't posted anything here. There were a few happy moments though. Here's what we've been up to.

Last weekend we took Lu and a friend to the Ceramic Cafe and each painted a ceramic "thing" of our choice. I will blog about my snail experience later when I get a pic. Sunday, we went and saw the play "Annie" with my parents...yikes! We sort of made nice-nice at Christmas because they had no one to spend it with. We're on truce-like terms. My radar is tuned to extra cautious and I'm proceeding carefully. In other words, I will only be around them in public situations. They behave. "Annie" was cute. Lucy loved it. I liked the movie script better but this one was particularly quirky in its characters and lines. After we went to Corvette Diner, which is always fun. Lucy requested a song and the DJ liked her name so much he kept talking about her and played the "I Love Lucy" theme song. Lu had a ball.

I'm really trying to make Lu's days count for more and spend quality time and enrich her life on a weekly basis. She's been fighting off a little bit of sadness too and that scares me to death. I hate that she has taken on so much adult concern and she, like me, is empathetic to a fault. I keep racking my brain as to how I could've shielded her better from the situations with the families. Nothing I can do about the past, I know. I just hate to see her hurting.

This past Sunday we ran down to W-Mart and my parents called and invited us to lunch downtown. We ended up having lunch and then went to the Ruben H. Space Theater for their Ocean's Documentary. Of course the theater is always cool (although we sat a little too close and got a little dizzy) but the show isn't the best one for kids. It's a little boring. It still has it's interesting points and the shots of South Africa are beautiful, as are its people, but...the film in its entirety is a little boring.

We might be famous soon:) Well, sorta. We got a call last week from a producer at The 700 Club that they might want to do a story on our business blessings through this economic downfall due to faithfulness in tithing. We have a phone interview tonight. I don't know if they'll do a story but it's cool to be considered. Tithing is a biggy in our family and we like to share its blessings with others, every chance we get. Looks like we might get our chance on a much grander level.

I can pull out a few prayer requests in this blog. It's like a game. There are three. If you can find them, and you keep them in your prayers, YOU WIN! Love you all...smooches:)