What a difference a day makes.

How does a mother hate her child?  I would really like to know the answer to this question.  Yesterday I became aware of my youngest brother being on Facebook.  My daughter found him.

Today, and I can only assume because he has spoken with our mother, he has stated that he hates me.  That he will always hate me and used some very colorful language to emphasize his position of hating me.

So no, not everyone loves me. 

I'm devastated, and understandably beyond consolation at the moment.

Gratitude and such

I had the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting yesterday.  I was given Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk from April 2012 General Conference "Thanks be to God" to reference my talk on.  As I re-read the words I'd heard him speak in April, my thoughts were steering me to Gratitude. 

As I was sitting up at the pulpit and listening to the two others that spoke with me, their talks were about the Godhead.  We all had the same talk to reference for our speaking engagement.  I'm always amazed in the ways that we are directed by the Spirit in our lives.

Just the evening prior, I had gone to the temple with one of the gal's I visit teach.  I'm always so grateful to her for inviting me to go with her.  My purpose for this session was that one: I needed heavenly help with my talk, and two:  I needed to know that He was aware of me and my struggles and that He truly did love me.  I was greatly rewarded on both counts and am deeply grateful for His tender mercies.

One thing I'm especially grateful for..........my beautiful daughter is pregnant!  She and Nate are so excited to be expanding their little family.  They're really cute to watch as they make their plans and of course, those plans include some babysitting from Grandma!  I wouldn't have it any other way.

My dear son Andrew has been having a rough time.  He has had to move home, as his wife has decided that marriage and family life are not for her.  This means that Makayla is also living with us too at least 50% of the time. It's quite an adjustment for all, but, secretly nothing beats that cute little face in the morning!  She is the happiest person ever the second she wakes up in the morning!

Mark, my youngest, and the resident comedian is doing fantastical.  He's enjoying his summer vacation thus far, procrastinating starting his summer reading assignment "Tess, of the D'Urbervilles".  He's so funny every time I get on him to get started, he says, "Mom!  It's my summer vacation."  Ah, wait til he finds out summer is no different from any other day of the year.  I, as a mother however, have wanted my kids to enjoy their summers by sleeping late and whatnot.  I figure at some future time they will appreciate that I did that for them when they join the "real world".  Mark has gotten his driver's license and his Eagle project is under way.

Have a good day. :)

When will I be considered in any of this?

My husband decided to start his own "business".  I was never consulted on any of it.  He's spent upwards of $7000.00 on this business in 6 short months and it has made $0.00.  Ever see that show "Storage Wars"?  This house is busting at the gills with other people's garbage.  We apparently now are renting a storage unit to house even more of this trash.  Again, I was not consulted on any of this.  At what point is enough enough?  Why am I allowing myself to be repeatedly run over by this man?  I guess the only person that can save me here, is me.  Can you hear me now?

Life stolen

I came across a picture of my sister today.  It was one I hadn't really seen before.  And I cried.  I cried for the person she would have been if that predator had not come into our lives.  I saw the innocence lost. I found myself grieving for the person she could have been if she didn't have this horrifying thing happen to her at such a young age.  I am surprised at this many years later how angry I am over it.  Could I have done something, anything to stop it?  I miss her so much.

My personal hell

You're looking at what has become my life without my consultation, counsel, or consent. I HATE every bit of it, and that is putting it mildly.

Be very glad that you are not living this.

If I can't help me.........

then I surely have no business trying to help someone else. 

I thought that the experiences that we have in life were for us to learn from and overcome possibly We could then be that fountain of wisdom for someone else who would eventually cross our path, and we would be able to make their load lighter.  Or perhaps, shared our lantern so they could see the way more clearly, offered our hand when they stumbled.

I've recently discovered that I am in no position to be that person.  It would seem more that people are put in our path to glaringly cast a spotlight on all of our mistakes, or administer that all important, "I told you so".
In all of my efforts to make wrong things right, I've set a terrible precedent to those who unwittingly would follow me through no choice of their own.  I've conveyed the message, "I don't think I'm valuable, and you shouldn't value me either".

I know nothing.  In the grand scheme of things.  I don't see myself getting any smarter about anything.  Right now I just feel that everything I've gone through has been for not.

Someone's having a birthday...........

And has no idea what they are in for...........yet.

Oh yeah!

View from the driver's side.

That's right it's filled with balloons.

Sadly, I ran out of balloons before it was completely filled up. There's 72 of them in there.  However, just imagine dealing with this at 6:00am and you're headed for work.  What to do, what to do?

Happy Birthday, Lee!

I'm awesome like that. :)