Celebrating Chris

I felt that both Chris and the people at our store needed some closure after experiencing his loss in such a blunt way. I knew all of us needed some time to mourn and get our emotions under control. We decided to Celebrate Chris tonight!

When I originally thought about this, I figured that a Tuesday night at Hacienda would be pretty quiet rather than something over a weekend. A few days ago Mike came to me and said that B-100, a local radio station, was going to be having a promotion there. Dang! Yesterday he said that he had heard there was also going to be a band there because it is 'Fat Tuesday'. Fat what? To me, everyday is a fat something or other. I am naive enough not to know that somehow Fat Tuesday is related to some Mardi Gras celebration.

Anyone who knows me, realizes I am private. I am serious. I am not a party animal. This was not what I wanted to hear. I had contacted Chris, told him to expect more than 5-6 and that no tears were allowed. We had at least 30. No tears. At least not too many. I had picked up Darlene and took her and between everyone seeing Darlene and Chris, we had a wonderful Fat Tuesday night. I mean totally fun! I never go to those things. It was so good to just be together as a working family and laugh and talk. It was good not only for Chris, but for the rest of us as well.

I made Chris a scrapbook that everyone contributed to. He was moved. We had a great cake. He was touched. He said we needed to do it again - next week. He laughed. And after all, that is always what Chris did best. Laughed.

America, America

The first time I really became aware, experienced American pride, was at my first American basketball game when I was 16. We had just moved back from PR. Things were still so new. So confusing. Before the game, the band played 'The Star Spangled Banner'. All of a sudden, it hit me - I was an American. I was proud to be an American.
Tonight during the Truth Project, the tour was about our heritage. Could we have come any further? There are numerous verses in the Bible that say what happens to a country who does not serve the Lord. It is evident in America.
Go into a closet. It is dark. Open the door. It is light. The dark does not diffuse into the light, but rather the light into the dark. What an interesting, yet so simple concept. What would happen if all of us little lights would diffuse into the darkness of our world?
America, America - God shed His grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

The Boys

I spent the past 4 nights at Dryscha's with the boys. As foster parents, we normally had up to 10 children. Nothing rivaled taking care of the boys.
The boys are almost three now. They are perfecting their skills to someday join a demolition crew. I know they are. They can take things apart in a blink of an eye. What one does, the others do. When one disobeys, the others do. When one needs a diaper change, the others do. When one cries, the others do. They are in constant motion. They love to wrestle. They love to climb. They love to jump. They love to read 'Good Night Moon'. So do I. that meant it was time for bed. For all of us.

Flabby Friday!

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I found this on the Triplet Connection, a forum I have frequented since we found out my daughter was expecting triplets.

One of my goals this year was to loose weight. I am not real sure what I am to do to be involved with this group, but I finally got a button to work!!

Confession time. I do not like chocolate. Sorry, but I was born without that gene. I do not like candy. I do not like most cake. How did I get this way? The Bible says that Man cannot live by bread alone. Well, this woman could. Bread is my downfall.

The Grim Reaper

When Troy, LP from Mishawaka shows up at our store, we call him 'The Grim Reaper'. That means that there is an internal theft investigation. Troy is a great guy. He just affects my turnover rate whenever he shows up!
Yesterday after Troy did his thing and the thief led out in handcuffs, Troy came in and told me he was sorry for another loss in our store. I told him that some losses are meant to happen. This young man made a choice. His choice had consequences. He was already on probation for another theft issue that we were not aware of. His entire family is involved in a theft ring. What a legacy to leave your child - encouraging them to steal.
Amazingly, most theft is internal. It also amounts to more than most external theft issues. Our areas has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Jobs are precious. Integrity is precious. Reputation is precious. It always astounds and saddens me when we are betrayed by one of our own......