Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Life With Thorns ... A Book Review

I was a bit skeptical as I began reading this new book. I've grown a few rose bushes in my life but not had much success, living in the heat of Arizona; I have never found the perfect spot for rose bushes around my home.

As I tackled the first chapter or so I began to find I had something in common with the main character, no, not roses, kidney disease.   A disease that led our family down a difficult path for 8 long years, which gave us glimpses of God in new ways, which allowed our family to grow closer together than ever before and a disease that ultimately took my husbands life on Christmas Eve 2010.

Though there were portions of the book that brought back painful memories, there were also many more portions that filled my heart with understanding. Our lives can all be filled with thorns, things that cause us pain and sometimes even injury, but what would life be if everything was always roses without the thorns.

Margaret Dilloway captured parallels of life as she weaved this story, adding interest, intrigue and truth to a world that is not always rosy.

For the next several weeks we (over at BlogHer) will be talking about how roses and thorns and people can lead us down a path of joy and understanding, as well as gleaning knowledge from them all.

Though I did received a small compensation and a copy of this book, all opinions and writing on my blog are my own.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

When Daddy Laughed In Heaven

Today I have a little story

It is my nature to take control and get things done
Around The Place since Mark moved on to Heaven
I have tackled many projects and
Have felt good about the results

So, I had NO concerns about replacing the handle
In the guest bathroom tub

I purchased what I needed
Came home and proceeded to get to work
As I was unscrewing the handle from the wall
There was an 'explosion' of sorts
The handle AND the internal parts decided to burst
Off the wall and water began shooting Everywhere

OMGoodness~~~

Let me just say
I wish I had thought to take photos during the 'crisis'
Because they would have been hilarious Today


My youngest son was home so I immediately
Told him to grab a trash can and start taking water from the tub
And throwing it in the sink
He was smarter and began dumping it out the back door

I ran outside to attempt to shut off the water to the house
With no avail
I could not find the main water key
Which is necessary to shut the valve off


As son #2 continued hauling water out back
I called son #1 and yelled for help :)
Fortunately he only lives a couple miles from me
And high tailed it over as quickly as he could

My neighbor came home just then and tried to find his water key
No luck but brought over a couple of tools
By the time he arrived my son arrived as well
And they got the water shut off

Ok, so things didn't go as smoothly as when
I replaced the garbage disposal or the kitchen faucet
But with a bit of help from my boys
And a trip to Ace Hardware
We got the faucet fixed and a new handle attached


When all was said and done
My youngest sat on the couch and told me about
The conversation my boys had while going to Ace

Oldest tells youngest
"Daddy is Laughing in Heaven"
Youngest tells oldest
"Yes, Like This"

So the picture I get from youngest

Daddy sitting in Heaven
With head in his hands
Shaking his head
Laughing at Mommy
Oh My Goodness
What am I going to do with Her

We laughed ~ A LOT
Because Daddy Really Was
(Probably)
Laughing In Heaven

Oh, And By The Way
I had the Water Valve Key
It just looked different than what I thought
I Won't Forget Next Time
I Try To Flood The House :)