What if you had terminal illness...

I decided to blog on this subject today because the theme for the day seemed to fit. We had a little guy that worked with us here at ACE last summer, Mason. He was such a nice young man. Always polite, courteous and kind. He is the son of a teacher I had at Lithia Springs High School, Gerald Harper. Gerald and his wife had Mason and his sister later in life. I'm sure Gerald is close to 56 or so.

Mason had been diagnosed with terminal cancer (I'm not really sure what kind he had so I'm not going to guess here; if I find out for sure, I will post it in a comment)a few years back and last summer he had a relapse. He has been in both Dallas, Texas & Orlando, Florida Cancer centers. He and his Dad came home a few weeks ago from Dallas where the doctors had told them there was nothing else they could do.

So, my what if? for today is: What if you were 20 years old, with your whole life ahead of you and you were told that there is nothing else that could be done? Would you hold close the friends and family who have always been there for you? Would you spend what little time you had left making sure that those people knew how much you loved and appreciated all of the love, care & sacrifices that have been made on your behalf to have a comfortable and peaceful journey into the unknown? or would you be mad at God and everyone around you because they were going to live and you were not! Mmmmm, tough place to be.

James Mason Harper passed away today. He was twenty years old and had his whole life ahead of him only to be snatched like a thief in the night by the terrible, horrible cancer that lived in his body. From what I understand, Mason was mad. He was mad at everyone and everything that represented life. I had heard through some of his friends that they didn't think he was saved. I can only hope that Mason and Jesus were the only two that knew the answer to that. I will be praying for the Harper's and their loss of such an amazing young man.....I will also be praying that in the end, Mason was able to take the hand of his precious Lord and Savior for his journey home.

In Memory of James Mason Harper: September 7, 1988 - March 25, 2009

Last Tuesday of 2008

Well, here we are....winding down yet another year. It seems like the older I get, the faster the years pass. Is it me or does that happen to everyone? I can say that this has been a pretty good year for us. We had several family vacations, paid off some of our debt, added a new front porch and carport to the house and aquired Bunni, our Mini Daschund/Jack Russel/thinks she's a human dog. I've been to the ER twice with Mom, once in April and once this past weekend. I have to say, I really hate hospital ER's. Now for those who know me, you know I don't like to use the word hate because it is such a strong word, but I HATE, HATE, HATE the ER at Wellstar Douglas Hospital.

Not only did they mis-diagnose my Mother's illness this past weekend, it seemed to me like they didn't care at all that they had an 81 year old patient who came in by ambulance, NOT wheelchair like it sated on her discharge papers and they said she possibly had an inner ear infection.....WHAT! The doctor, and I use that term loosely, that examined her didn't look in her ears, nose or throat, ENT for those who are medically prosed.

In fact, all he did was poke her on her stomach a few times, asked her to follow his finger, God only knows where that had been, ordered a CT scan that showed that her brain is shrinking - a common occurance with Geriatric patients, and bloodwork....none of which could accurately diagnose a Urinary Tract Infection which is what she has. Come on people...I know it was the Saturyday after Christmas and all of the dregs and druggies were in the ER seeking a quick fix from the revolving door "free" clinic that ER's have seem to become, but it's pretty sad when the Police escorted young woman brought in for a drug a test, who was so stoned she could barely walk and the whites of her eyes were red, gets quicker attention than the little grey haired lady in the room next to her who has been patiently waiting for 5 1/2 hours, has medical insurance that will pay for her visit and had to walk out of the hospital without the aid of the wheelchair they blantently stated she came in with....they haven't heard the last from me!

Twas the Monday before Christmas

So, as all of you may know, we have had a very short holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. During this very short time, I have been involved in two concerts, a Messiah Sing-a-long hosted by the Douglas County Chamber Singers at the Douglasville FUMC and our annual Christmas Concert. I have also helped my Mother put up her Christmas tree and Alan has decked the outside of her home. I have also taken her on a few shopping trips around town so she could satisfy her naughty and nice list, which takes most all of the day since she is 81 and doesn't move as quickly as she used to. I'm not complaining, I feel very fortunate to still have my Mother especially during the holidays when so many of my friends only have the memory of their Mother to get them through the holiday.

I've also had a great luncheon with my "Red Hat" girlfriends and our husbands, made tons of candy and goodies to give away as well as consume and even attended a holiday party. With all of this hustle & bustle what I haven't done is finish what I need to get done at home. So, my Menu for today is to get those packages wrapped, finish the goodies to bring to work and do my grocery shopping for our Christmas Eve dinner for us, Mom & Stef's friend Donna. I already have the bone-in Cowboy Ribeye Steaks aging in the fridge, I still need the green beans for the Green Bean Bundles, the potatoes for the Lyonnaise Potatoes, the Shrimp for the Shrimp Cocktails and the Lettuce & Tomato for the Salad Wedge. Yum, I can hardly wait until Christmas Eve...Merry Christmas Ya'll!

A Late Sunday Reward

So, I am writing about my Sunday Reward on Tuesday....just call me Late Linda ;)

I spent most of my Sunday moving and stacking a HUGE load of firewood that was delivered to us on Saturday morning. I think by the time we were done, there was about a chord and a half of wood. Now I'm really not a superstitious type of person, but I do believe in the old wives tale stories...you know the ones; A cricket in the house brings good luck, if the bottom of your foot itches you're going to take a trip, or how about the one that goes: Pulling out a gray or white hair will cause ten more to grow in its place. Lord, if I believed in that type of stuff, I'd surely be bald.

Since the Fall season began, we have had an over abundance of acorns. Huge acorns. So many acorns as I have never seen in the 21+ years we have lived in our home. I have always heard that when there is a crop of acorns such as this, our Winter is going to be wet & cold. I couldn't find a wives tale about this, but I did find a page on the "net" that talked about such things. Even the Squirrels and Chipmunks can't keep up with the supply that has been offered unto their plate.

Back to the subject at hand: What is my reward in stacking so much firewood that my hands were sore, my back ached and I could hardly get out of the bed the next morning? What is so rewarding about stacking so much firewood that by the time I was finished, I didn't feel like finishing the decorating of my Christmas tree which I like to light up on Thanksgiving just like the Lighting of the Rich's Great Tree (which is another blog in itself)?

What was rewarding to me is that I got to spend quality time with some of the great loves of my life. I had the distinct honor of having my first and last born child out there in the yard, stacking, moving & hauling firewood with me. It was also rewarding to me to have a husband who spent his whole off day picking up leaves with the mower and making our yard look nice for the holidays. Most importantly, it was rewarding to me to have my whole family together.....even the dog was out there.....what more could a "fat" girl from the South hope for ;)........ Happy Thanksgiving!

What If You Knew...

that you could make a change in one thing in your life, and you would feel better, not be sick all the time, not have pain anymore, would you do it?

What if Vacations

What if you could go on vacation, all expenses paid, to anywhere on the Earth. Where would you go? Me, I'd go to Tahiti and probably never come back......I'm sure they need someone to sell sunglasses or something???

Another What if....

What if your nose was running money? Would you blow it all on someone you love? tee hee....my little giggle for the day.

What if you....

What if you found out that you only had a certain amount of time to live. What would you do? Would you continue to work? Would you cash in your life savings and go do all the things you ever wanted to do? Would you get a bunch of credit cards issued to yourself with an unGodly credit limit and then go out and charge them to the max? Would you tell anyone or keep it to yourself? No, I'm not dying. Just thought it would be a good first "What if" post ;)

What If You Were Going To Phoenix?

If you were going to Phoenix, what would you want to do there? Would you have your picture taken with a Saguaro?