Giving Up or Picking Up?

As most of you know, we are now in the holy season of Lent. If you didn't know, I am a cradle Catholic and attend St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Adamsville and so Lent has deep meaning for me. I understand that many other faiths observe Lent so I thought it might be a good topic to begin with for this week's post.

Our pastor, Fr. Vernon Huguley, has the same approach to Lent that I do. Shall I give up something or should I pick up something? The idea of giving up something is to be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice made for us in denying ourselves something. My approach in recent years is to pick up something as well as denying myself something. So this year I am giving up Facebook. Admittedly I spend way too much time digging through the news feed to keep up with my 600+ friends and posting random thoughts or photos. So far it has been hard but I find that I have more time to do for others or maybe enhance my spiritual life. There's a second part of my Lenten observance -- that is, some random act of kindness; a card, a phone call, a good deed for someone in need, etc. It's going pretty well so far but I am busier than ever these days. It's a good kind of busy though! So how's your Lent going so far?

Since my last post, I have participated in yet another funeral service. Terri Smith Adcock left this world way too early but suffered for many years from cancer. She had left specific directives which included me playing the organ for her funeral and our pastor delivering her eulogy. Terri was so near the end when I left for my trip to Texas and our pastor was also traveling on a long-planned vacation. But she held on and got her wish. What a beautiful celebration of her life as Fr. Vernon delivered a heartwarming and personal message answering the question, "who is she?" She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, cousin and parishioner. I was honored to be a part and continue to pray for her family.

Cheers!

I had a delightful experience on Saturday as I joined with many of my high school classmates in providing an "instant housewarming and moving ambush" for Teresa (Terri) Johnson Brown. Engineered by a close friend of hers, about a dozen of us all arrived that morning with bags and boxes of goods and even a much needed piece of furniture for her bedroom. She was very overwhelmed but grateful for the help. Terri is a very giving person and we were thrilled to be able to give back to her. Here's to you and your new beginning, Terri. We love you!

Speaking of classmates, some of us got together than night for dinner at Zea's (Brookwood Mall). It was a great day but I was a very tired puppy that night!

I have to give kudos to my classmate, Pete Hill, who ran the Mercedes half marathon as a "Bellrunner" supporting his granddaughter, Karly. Pete, you humble me with your devotion to raising money for the Bell Center and for your fortitude in running this race. We're so happy you finished and even happier that you exceeded your fundraising goal. By the way, if you're a runner, check out this cool page about different ways to tie your shoelaces. It just could be your ticket to successfully running a half-marathon like Pete. (Well, I'm hoping that will be MY ticket!)

Pete and Karly

As for family time, I was fortunate to be able to get tickets to the Jim Brickman concert at UAB's Alys Stephens Center for a successful "sisters" gathering. Unfortunately one of my sisters lives out of town and I knew she couldn't be with us but we sure missed her. We will most certainly plan another gathering when she is back in town. Meanwhile we had a wonderful time and a very relaxing evening having dinner and attending the concert. These times are so rare and I am thankful we found the time to connect.

Here's a big "shout-out" to all who supported the Foundation's Teal Taco Tuesday last night at El Gringo's in Homewood. So many came out to enjoy the food and music. We appreciate your support and hope to see you again in a few months.

Luisa and Jonathan

Eddy and I are getting so excited about the upcoming arrival of our new granddaughter. We have an official name (Sofia Estella) and an official nursery! We visited on Sunday afternoon and spent some time with the future mom and dad. Luisa is doing well and looking great, don't you think? I continue to pray for our new arrival (due June 12) every day!

So we all know that February is the month of the Valentine. I had a wonderful visit with my dad and Eddy's mom on Valentine's morning. My Valentine sent me a beautiful arrangement of roses and they are still beautiful sitting on my desk. Shortly after Valentine's Day, I was visiting again with my folks and got to also visit with my niece's little girl, Claire. She was so dressed "in theme" that I asked her to let me take her picture. She always obliges and even added a special pose when I took her picture. So I will close with my sweet Claire wishing you all a wonderful Valentine's Day. After all, what's in your heart is the most special gift you can give to those you love. 

Thanks, Claire! I love you too.

Reconnecting

I'm a bit late in writing but as you read on, you'll understand.

In these past few weeks I have attended a viewing, funeral or memorial more than I care to think about. This past week was one of those occasions and it reconnected me with a dear sweet young girl who was my oldest son's first "relationship" when he was a very young man. Lisa Self Carboni's sweet grandmother went home at the age of 93. I was so touched by a photo that Lisa posted of her holding her Nanna's hand as she neared the end of this life. She wrote "I feel so honored that my Nana chose me to be by her side when she went to heaven this-morning." Indeed I truly think she fully comprehended these last moments she shared with her. Oh that we can all be so close to those we love when they say their good-byes. During this visitation I also saw my former neighbor of 20+ years and other friends I haven't seed in quite some time. It's amazing how death brings folks back together. I guess it's all in God's plan and this has to be the good that we often hear of coming from what is perceived to be bad. But our call home will certainly be a good one and one day we will perhaps bring together others on that day. Lisa, it was so good to finally reconnect and we are definitely going to keep that lunch date promise. Can't wait to meet Ellie Kate and Mollie! Praying for you and your family.

I also visited with my friends from church, Pam, Bobby and Ed Black, at the viewing for Pam's grandmother. It's so important to me to try to both pay my respects to the decedent but more importantly, to let the family know that I am there for them to try to say something that could help to lift them up at this difficult time. If you don't know Ed Black (Pam and Bobby's son), he is a very special guy. Ed is autistic and so expressing himself verbally is somewhat difficult. However, Ed knows me well as he sees me week after week providing music at the piano and organ at our church. I know Ed relates to music especially well and so I think he is attracted to me because he relates to me on that "musical" level. As I sat next to him at the funeral home, he eventually grabbed my hand to hold it and then began to hug me. I just loved the moment and I look forward to spending more time with Ed and exploring expression through music together.

This week brought a familiar adventure but one I never thought I would experience again. I was asked to help exhibit at the TCEA annual technology conference in Austin, Texas. After working to help prepare for a successful exhibit (preparing a marketing Powerpoint, packing a few giveaways, and making sure we had supplies that I thought might be missed), I left very early on Tuesday morning for Austin, Texas. My co-worker, Skip Platt, did a nice job of interacting with customers and prospects at our exhibit. Skip is a fine young man and the biggest bonus for working this conference was that I got to spend a little more time with him. I also got to reconnect with customers like Mary Jo from Hondo ISD, Mike from Red Oak ISD, and Kyle Berger from Cedar Hill ISD. I met Kevin Beaty from Calallen ISD, one of our newest customers. It's folks like Kevin who make me love what I did for the company all those years. He came to the conference specifically to find our exhibit and thank us for all the support while rolling out his new website.

Kyle Berger and Skip

Mary Jo Peters and Skip

Kevin Beatty and Skip

Amy Birdwell, his Account Manager, was 'the bomb' and really helped him beyond the call of duty as he found himself in this new position of having to energize his web presence. Our whole team stepped up and made his experience the best he could have expected. He even wrote a letter to the management about his experience. Perhaps this one story will help you understand why I agreed to work this conference. I loved this part of my job and hopefully one day will have the opportunity to help again in future exhibits.

Aunt Libby is really enjoying her computer and is quickly learning how to use Facebook and her e-mail. I may have to tweak that machine a bit (it's not a new one) but I'm hanging with her until everything is working just perfectly. And the best news yet is that I have my dad's favorite computer (yes, he has more than one) back up and running, restored with all his files and ready to use. I will be setting that up for him in the next day or so and seeing if I can reconnect him with all his old e-mail friends. I am so hopeful that he will latch on to this world again. Recently I took my iPad over and put it in his hands to see if he would play Solitaire like in the old days. He seems to be getting the hang of it again. I remain hopeful.

More family time last week as we met Jonathan and Luisa to celebrate her birthday. We dined at Nabeel's in Homewood as we caught up with their progress of moving into the "expectant" world of our new little bundle of joy. We are so looking forward to the world of grandparenthood in June and pray for a wonderful pregnancy and healthy arrival of this baby girl. Also, we had a wonderful time celebrating Margaret Moody's birthday last Sunday ("Meme" to all who know her). That included some real special time with her newest granddaughter, Peyton. I so enjoyed getting to hold her and play with her. She is just a joy!

Switching gears a bit, we are pleased to be able to spend a little time with our grandcat, Hagrid.
Although he's a bit finicky at times (what cat isn't?), we're glad he's back at Moody Manor for a day or two while his mom and dad are away for a couple of days of R&R.

We had a great experience last Thursday night as Cecilia Crandall once again presented on behalf of the Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation to the Ladies Auxiliary group from St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The good folks at Jim 'n Nicks were so gracious and we had a wonderful engaging and interested audience. Cecilia does such a good job of enlightening women on the symptoms of this dreadful disease and I am proud to be a part of this aspect of our mission. I look forward to continuing to work with her and all the important aspects of this Foundation as we carry out our mission.

As always, I leave you with a couple of interesting web discoveries I came across recently. Yes, I was having my nails done again and while there, I enjoyed a program on daytime TV about one person making a difference in the world. Hannah Brencher is trying to bring back the old-fashioned concept of letter writing. Yes, real, snail-mail, put-a-pen-to-paper-and-write-a-letter letter-writing. She appeared on a syndicated daytime TV show and shared her efforts with the host. It is a remarkable concept. Everyone yearns for a love-letter and this young lady is making it happen She actually wrote letters for everyone in the studio audience and some of them stood up and "testified" as to how that letter affected them when they read it. In this world of Facebook and Twitter and e-mail, it was refreshing to know that good old fashioned letters still exist for those who care to value that art.

Finally, a dear friend shared this video with me. It's called I Like Adoption. I believe it's worth a few minutes of your time. It's amazing how generous this couple is as they bring together such a family, and what love exudes from each and every one of them. Get out your tissue and take a look and listen. You'll be glad you did.

So here's to connections and reconnecting to the ideas, people and life experiences that make you the happiest.

With the beginning of Lent coming up this Wednesday, it's time to think about ways we can draw closer to the Lord through sacrifice, a more profound prayer life and almsgiving. So my thoughts steer in that direction as I close this post.

Until next time, I hope you have a wonderful, blessed and safe week.