A Short Leave of Absence

It has been many weeks since I have posted a blog. On Saturday night, February 14, 2009 after a nice Valentine Dinner with sweet hubby, our car was hit (T-boned on passenger side) while going thru a green light. Unfortunately, that was the side I was riding on and yes, you guessed. I was hit....like 5 days in ICU and 6 in a private hospital room..... Still recuperating after many weeks from 4 broken ribs and a collasped lung but don't ever let anyone tell you, that this injury is not painful. No procedure to help except pain medication and pain management is the key to getting well....I have improved so much but still not 100%. Hope to hear from some of my buddies on blog land. I have missed you and hope you have missed me. ~~~Annie~~~

Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY! 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!' Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God..' ~~Annie~~

SUNSHINE AND RAIN GO HAND IN HAND IN LIFE

Signs of spring are beginning to pop up everywhere.. No, this is not my yard but a friend's in California. Does it ever get tooooooooo cold in California to NOT have flowers. Doesn't just the sight of the picture make your smile and feel warmer. Our weather today was in the low 70's after a ice storm in the northern top half of Arkansas. Oh, and so many people are still without power and water. My #5 child and 2nd daughter Kim, was without for over a week. A school teacher, schools were also out and lots of work to be down when school resumed on Wednesday this week. This was one time she would have preferred to be in school though she looks forward to her summer vacations. Just a few scenes of the DEVASTATION in Arkansas last week. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ We got news today, as we had been expecting, of our precious sis-in-law, Gail who passed away after kidney failure. A nurse for almost 40 years and a teacher in a large teaching and learning medical center in our fair city, she knew exactly what she was facing. Diagnosed just 3 weeks ago with Stage 4 cancer (large aggressive tumor in uterus) she went home but had complications and her last wishes were respected and granted to have no life support measures taken. We are so saddened and heartbroken as everything came so fast and has been like a terrible nightmare for her husband and 2 grown daughters. A few minutes later, my Mom called to say my first cousin who was 65, had died today after a visit yesterday to Dr. who advised he did not need to go into the hospital yet to have test.

Life is short... Live every day as if it is the LAST!

• Ladies, just remember to get those yearly check-ups.
• They can be life savers.

My best to all of you ~~~ANNIE~~~

FIELD TRIPS AND HOME SCHOOLING

WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE TO

MEET THE GOVENOR OF OUR STATE

A picture of my 15 year old grandson, Jordan and Governor Mike Beebe who both attended the large gathering Tuesday night in our fair city to hear none other than Bob Woodward, one of the two reporters who worked for the Washington Post and broke the story regarding President Richard Nixon and "Watergate".

Although "Watergate" took place several years before Jordan was born, he was very enthralled by the story as were the other 1500 people who also attended. Part of his curicullum while we are being home schooled this year by yours truly.

It is a lot of work for me to take on this challenge but we are trucking right along. And guess who is learning the most. You guessed it...ME!! ~been along time since I was a student of anything but life and hopefully that counts for something. A very smart and talented young man, (doesn't that sound just like a beaming grandmother???) he will go back to regular school in the fall.

• What won't we do for our grandchildren??????????

Has anyone else homeschooled or had this experience in recent years???

Have a great Friday.

~~Annie~~d

CABIN FEVER

WOW!!!!

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY????

And I say this because we have had nothing but itcky, cold, icykily (is that a word)?

weather this week in Arkansas.

Today it is beautiful outside. It is Cold but atleast the sun is shining...

Too cold to be doing any gardening but we can think about it!!!

Is anyone else really for flowers to start popping up? anything growing, even the weeds..

I am ready for SPRING.

Sunday is February 1, 2009. a whole month gone from our lives...

Did you do something special or productive in January. God always gives us

the different seasons (atleast in Arkansasj) to grow and learn and be productive.

I hope it was a good month

Have a great weekend....

~~Annie~~

FRIENDS AND PRAYERS

ANN, DONNA, ANNA,

MARGE, SUE & ANNIE

F R I E N D S

WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT THEM???

Same pic but with Ms. CHARLOTTE in front

Marge had to take the pic

Today is a dark dreary day

outside but as I think of

the great times with my

friends, my heart

warms.

I am one of seven ladies in a group that we call the "Garden Club". Not too much gardening going on right now (and I don't know that but ONLY one or two really gardens ) but you can feel the sunshine and the love when we are together that can produce a lot of beautiful seeds. We are like the different flowers, all with different personalities that makes a beautiful bouquet

when we are together.

They have enriched my life in so many ways thru the years, been there for me all thru my days of chemo, encouraged me with cards, food, phone calls and little acts of kindness that only another silly gal could do. Everyone needs a Garden Club of Friends...........!

And now my heart aches for one of our group--DONNA -- (she is our Rose) as she experiences a major set back in her life. She was diagnosed over a year ago and had the painful surgery for TN (trigeminal neuralgia). It is a neuopathic disorder of the trigeminal nerve that causes episodes of intense pain in the eyes, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, and jaw. Surgery, as I understand it, means going thru the back of skull and clipping a nerve.

It is estimated that 1 in 15,000 people suffer from trigeminal neuralgia, although those numbers may be significantly higher due to frequent misdiagnosis. TN usually develops after the age of 50, more commonly in females, although there have been cases with patients being as young as three years of age . My friend is a female and over 50...(oh, she may not like me telling that!)

The condition can bring about stabbing, mind-numbing, electric shock-like pain from just a finger's glance of the cheek. After her surgery in Sept. 2007, the Drs told her the surgery should last/or could last up to 5 years. Within 3 months, she was back in pain. All it takes is brushing

her teeth, a slight brush of her face while putting on makeup, or even eating...and the pain explodes. Pain medication does not always do the job.

Please pray for our friend--DONNA-- a very fine Christian wife, mother of 2 grown girls, grandmother to 4 young men and a very jovial person whose family is her center. She is so giving, thoughtful and wonderful to be around and we are so sorry that Drs. have not been able to help her. More testing to follow...will keep you posted on results of a follow up Dr. appt this next week.

Please remember our Donna.

Have a great weekend my friends and always GIVE OF YOURSELF!!

~~~ANNIE~~~

THANK YOU! GLAD TO BE OF HELP!!

Have you ever said that to someone..???

Have y ou been in the right place at the right time to help someone???

This has happened to me lately that sometimes, it scares me...but I love to be alarmed

this way. Oh, not in the sense that someone needs me. It's just reminded of how much help we could be to each if only we ask. Both times in the last two days, I have called someone to just check on them and ended up doing something for them.....why??? they, my friends needed some help. One, was an elderly lady who detest calling on anyone to help her but she needed a ride to the Beauty Shop. I volunteered to take her. I asked her b 4 we left if she had any other errands ......she meekly said, well I do need a few groceries...she proceeded to give me the grocery list and I promised to do that while she was getting beautified. I had not been gone over 5 min. when she called to say her hair dresser was not in.....had been hospitalized over night with some serious problems. I turned around to go get her... She did get her hair fixed by someone but after going back and waiting on her, I told her we would just together to get groceries. That said and done, we picked up some lunch and drove home.....appreciate, oh, yes she did....but alas, I was the winner....

After leaving her home, I called a high school girlfriend we'll call Mary. Her husband died 9 years ago and she still has her up and down days. Yesterday was one of her down days.

How do I know? She did not tell me over the phone, other than at late afternoon, she was still in her pj's....(you might catch me anyday in mine and in a good mood too) I felt that I needed

to check her on and she was more than receptive. When I got there (15 min drive), she had changed clothes, spruced up the house, she said, and had candles lit. I drove thru a local fast food place after calling her on the way and asked if she had eaten dinner...she said no...Oh, she was so excited to see me and you would have thought I had brought a top sirloin meal with all the trimmings. (A chicken sandwich from Burger King) Nothing special although it was tasty and very hot. But she went on and on about the timing and how down she was....Ladies, I did nothing really and am not looking for acolades....but how often do we get so wrapped up in our selves that we overlook the little things in life that we, the givers, receive so much more from life's experience than those we extend our love to. And shame on me for not doing more for others. Having been in chemo for so long and home bound, I know how it feels to be the recipient. Thank you God, for reopening my eyes. I must get back in the swing of things.

LIFE is what we make it....for OURSELVES and OTHERS.

Be a Winner....Give of yourselves to others.

Have a good Sunday.......

~Annie~