An Unexpected Blessing

Tuesday, September 8, my baby girl is having a birthday. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was sitting in the doctor's office and he told me I was pregnant - again. With a 6-month old, a 4-year old, and living below the poverty level, I was overwhelmed. How would I ever cope? As my eyes filled with tears, the doctor took my hand and said, with such assurance, "you will do just fine and this child will be a big blessing to you". How right he was! I did just fine and I cannot imagine life without my Sonia. I've always felt she was my special blessing from God. She was, and still is, my "Sonny Rae". Sonia has always been very compassionate towards those less fortunate, especially the "underdog". I remember the boy who took after her with sticks on her way home from school. When I was feeling frustration and anger at the boy, a few days later Sonia wanted to make him a special birthday card. I learned a lesson on forgiveness that day! Sonia was also my most artistic child. She made beautiful things and she was able to move in beautiful ways. I will always regret that I did not find a way to provide her with more opportunities to develop her talents. Oh, there are so many memories - her unusual birth, singing "Into My Heart" and really meaning it, breaking her leg while jumping off the diving board, chicken pox, napping together on the big orange couch, cheerleading, the day her teacher took her favorite ring away from her and threw it away (That still makes me mad), her just-right gifts, the beautiful bride, the new mom. My heart yearns to have you close, my girl. I want us to be best friends day in and day out - not just over the telephone. I miss you so much and love you so much. Happy, happy birthday. May this year be the best you've had, full of happiness, good health, and love. And for what it's worth, I pray for you every day.

A Little Miracle

It wasn't much - but it sure was appreciated! Wednesday night. Hotel in Texas. 4 hours sleep the night before. A cough that wouldn't quit. A voice that was gone. A very early morning flight. Then a thought - "He anoints my head with oil". The thought of soothing oil on my miserable throat sounded really good. "Lord, you can do it. Won't you please??" Next thing I knew the alarm was going off. I didn't try my voice out until I was checking out at 5:30. It worked! It sounded normal! And I barely coughed all day. Yup, it sure was appreciated.

Intense

It's good to be home! Some trips go really great and others are stressful from beginning to end. This past week was one that was very draining. Every meeting was intense and emotionally tough. And I ended up with throat trouble that led to being barely able to talk. So it was continually physically draining as well. Even getting home was tough - cancelled flights, tight connections, bad seats. After a good night's sleep last night, I feel much better and I can talk again. I put in a short day at the office and got lots accomplished. In the morning I get my hair done, then I'm getting a pedicure. By Tuesday I'll be all recuperated - and ready to head to Virginia for six days. But you know, in the midst of all this, I still really, really love what I do. I made a lot of progress on some very huge problems -- and that is very fulfilling. I treated myself by investing in the new noise-cancelling headphone set from Bose. Life just got a lot quieter!

Bob - #10 out of 10

Robert Jon, formerly known as Bobby, and now known as Bob – when you think about it, this is one guy that is really lucky to be here. How many parents, after all, have ten children? And how many are still pro-creating in their forties and fifties?

Before Bob, we had 5 boys and 4 girls in our family. A wee bit unbalanced. I had reconciled myself to being in the minority. But the promised advent of another baby gave me great hope that we would balance out at 5 and 5. Maybe that is why I did not like Bob when he was first born. I really wanted a sister in the house with me; instead it was yet another boy. I was so upset that I would have nothing to do with him for many months. (Not that I ever hold a grudge, or anything like that – haha). Most of the family knows the story of how things changed. There were several of us siblings in a circle and they put Bob in the middle. He was just starting to walk. And wouldn’t you know, Bob turned around, walked towards me and fell right into my arms. It melted my heart. Since that moment I’ve really liked my brother Bob. Some favorite memories of Bob:

• As a toddler and young boy, he was so cuddly and mild mannered
• Playing in the dirt in the "trees"
• Going fishing
• How he stepped up and looked out for mom after dad died; he was only 13
• Staying at his house when I moved to Colorado
• His strong commitment to his own children after his divorce

The picture was taken in 1966. He so graciously posed for me many times as I was attempting to learn a little photography. This is one of my favorites.

Happy birthday, Bob! I love you!

Carino's Times Two

Ever eaten at Carino's, formerly known as Johnny Carino's? It's pretty good Italian food. And they have a couple really good salads. I like Carino's. Today I took one of my clinic managers to lunch at Carino's. Great food and great time. Tonight I took the Medical Director to dinner - to Carino's. His choice. Good food and, uhh, "interesting" conversation, to say the least. And I think I've had enough of Carino's for a little while.

Getting out of Texas

Here I am in Odessa, Texas, again. Midland/Odessa is a very nice city out in the middle of nowhere. Too bad it is so hard to get to. I have to take United from Denver to Dallas, then take American from Dallas to Odessa. Coordinating the departure and arrival times is quite a challenge when using two different airlines. Well, I finally got caught. I made it here okay on Monday, even with an hour and a half delay leaving Denver. There was a 3 hour layover in Dallas anyway. But today I checked my AA ticket to see what time I was leaving on Thursday. It said that I leave Odessa at 11:20 a.m. Now I knew that I was getting to Denver at 1:00 p.m. Suddenly I got a funny feeling - how can this be, with a layover in Dallas??? Well, I discovered that I land in Dallas at 12:30 - and I leave Dallas for Denver at 12:01. Impossible! How could I do that? Well, changing my United flight to later would cost more than $900. And changing to an earlier flight from Odessa would be over $300. But there is another option. I bought a one-way ticket from Odessa to Dallas, leaving at 7:15 a.m. for $130. A new flight is cheaper than the $150 flight change fee! I'm glad I caught the mistake earlier than the night before I leave - which is when I usually check. I'm sure I'll be much more careful in the future!

I Miss My Girls

Amy and the kids were at our house today. It is always so fun to see them and spend time with them all. But I MISS MY OTHER DAUGHTERS!! Sometimes I get so lonesome for them. I wish I could take them out for tea or a Starbucks latte. I wish I could bring them shopping to help me pick out clothes that make me look good (they are both so much better than I am with colors, styles, etc.). I wish they could pop in once in awhile. I wish I could see their kids much more often. I wish I could share some holidays with them. And I really miss hugging them.

I love you, Rana and Sonia! Won't you p.l.e.a.s.e. move to Colorado???