R.I.P. Agnes, you will be missed.

1921 - 2011

My mother-in-law, Agnes Barker died peacefully in her sleep Saturday.  She was such a wonderful person.  I was very lucky to have known her, she was an inspiration to so many people, especially me!  I miss you already Agnes!

AGNES MARY HOWE BARKER, 95, of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., formerly of Huntington, widow of Karl Barker, died Dec. 10 at home. She was a homemaker. Funeral Liturgy will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Huntington. Rite of Committal will be at Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington. Visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Reger Funeral Home, where the Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m.

The Broken Chain
I little knew that morning. God was going to call your name,
In life I loved you dearly, in death I do the same.
It broke my heart to loose you, you did not go alone,
for part of me went with you, the day God called you home.
You left me beautiful memories your love is still my guide,
and though we cannot see you, you're always at my side.
Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same,
but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.
Ron Tranmer

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I did not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
Mary Elizabeth Frye

I am definately getting older!

I can certainly tell that I am getting older when it takes me a week to get back to normal after a 2 week vacation.  

But boy did we have a great time.  First of all, John and I got to see our family which is always GREAT!  Then as a Birthday Celebration for John, we headed off to history heaven - Gettysburg.  They say that Gettysburg is the place where history comes alive and I have to tell you that we definitely agree!

We had a wonderful time.  John told me after supper on his Birthday that it was the BEST birthday he could remember.  I was just thrilled.  

On the first day we arrived at Gettysburg, they had scheduled a parade ~ I like to think they were celebrating our arrival.  John on the other hand said it was in celebration of his Birthday of course!  We dined the first night at O'Rorke's Eatery & Spirits.  It was a lovely pub with plenty of atmosphere.  If you get a chance be sure to check them out ~ 

On our second day we were complete history hounds.  We toured, walked, drove and gawked!  We were there 4 days but could definitely have stayed 10 and still had thing we didn't get a chance to see.  

On the evening of John's birthday, I took him to Historic 1776 Dobbin House Tavern where we dined on Primal Rib of Beef.  Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Well, it took us a while to rest from our fabulous vacation.  Guess what, we are already discussing our next visit to Gettysburg and the things we want to see and do next time!  Maybe we will celebrate my next birthday there!

So, have you ever been to Gettysburg, PA?  What did you think?

Where have we been (in pictures)?

John and I were on vacation to see the family - enjoy the pictures while I rest and try to unpack!!!

It was a wonderful vacation.  I will get back to blogging regularly next week.  


So, how have you been enjoying Fall?

Question(s) of the week.

Instead of my normal "Question of the week"  I am going to attempt to answer 11 questions today.  Hopefully, those of you who read my blog but do not know me may get to know me a bit better.  And for those who know me - it will be interesting to see if my answers match what you think I would answer. 

So, lets get started...

1. Do you have any siblings?  Yep!  One older brother John.  

2. How do you get along with your family?  Pretty good.  I do not have a large family.  3 Aunts & Uncles, 1 Brother, 2 Nephews and 1 Niece.  My husband's side of the family is not too large either.  1 Mother In-law, 1 Brother and 1 Sister In-law, 4 Nieces & Nephews, 3 Step Sons, 6 Step Grandchildren.  Well, I guess that isn't too small!

3. Where do you live? Do you work?  I live in the Western Foothills of Maine and I work 8 miles from home.

4. What do you like to do in your free time?  I like to spend as much time as possible with my Husband (his name is John also!) and my BFF - Diane.  I am truly a homebody.  

5. Have any bad habits?  Not really.  I guess junk food could go here.  I use to smoke but haven't for over 2 years!

6. Describe yourself in 3 words.  Faithful, honest, caring

7. What’s the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?  I usually notice if someone behaves in a respectful manner. 

8. What personality traits do you look for in a partner?  Some of the traits I cherish the most in my Husband are that he is:  kind, respectful, honest, giving, funny, caring and trustworthy.

9. What do you most appreciate in life?  My husband, my BFF, my health, family

10. Are you mostly a clean or messy person?  Messy but organized - if that is actually possible

11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?  At the beach again

So, do you wonder how I came up with 11 questions?  I was hoping to answer 20 questions, but thought I could answer questions you may have instead.  


Do you have any questions you would like me to answer?  


Ask away and I will answer them in next weeks Question of the week Blog!


I can not wait to see what you want to know!


 

Question of the Week

 What do you miss most about being a kid?

When I first read this question I had one simple answer - my MOM!  

But, as I mulled the question over and thought about being a kid, I really do miss my MOM, but there are also many other things I miss about being a kid.  I miss the fact that on most days, my biggest concern was making sure I was in the house by dark.  I miss the feeling of being loved by Granny and Grandpa - completely.  I miss the excitement of new events like the first day of school excitement that I felt or the excitement of going to the fair.  I miss crawling in bed between my Granny and Grandpa early in the morning.  I miss going on vacation to my Aunt & Uncle's house each summer in North Carolina and swimming, fishing and seeing the beauty of the ocean.  I miss feeding the ducks.  I miss all the friends that lived in our neighborhood.  

I think I could go on and on for hours.  I was so lucky to have grown up the way I did - with the family and friends that I had.  I know that the experiences I had will always make me smile whenever I think back on almost any situation.  I had very little sadness growing up.  When I look back on my childhood it is hard to recall bad times.  I know that my grandparents died when I was in grade school and that I felt that loss greatly and that there were other losses in our community throughout the years, but I think because of my family and friends love and support, it was not the devastating loss that it could have been.

I do have to say the the answer to the original question "What do you miss most about being a kid?" still has to be MOM!  And she is what I miss the most about being an adult too!

God saw you getting tired

God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered,
"Come to Me"

With tearful eyes we watched you
and saw you pass away
and although we love you dearly
we could not make you stay.

A Golden heart stopped beating
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best

 

Do not stand at my grave and weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
(Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!)

© 1932 Mary Elizabeth Frye

Legacy of Love

A wife, a mother, a grandma too,
This is the legacy we have from you.
You taught us love and how to fight,
You gave us strength, you gave us might.
A stronger person would be hard to find,
And in your heart, you were always kind.
You fought for us all in one way or another,
Not just as a wife not just as a mother.
For all of us you gave your best,
Now the time has come for you to rest.
So go in peace, you've earned your sleep,
Your love in our hearts, we'll eternally keep.

 

Don't cry for me

Don’t be sad
I don’t want to see you cry
I’m not forever away
Nothing could ever
Keep me that far away
People die
Just don’t plead
Why
Know I’ll still answer
To that nickname
Don’t weep when you hear it
Don’t be sad
And never fear it
Speak to me
As if I was still here
No weakening yourself
With useless tears
Death cannot separate us
All my love
And all my trust

A season

"For everthing there is a season...
A time to live...and a time to die"
Until we meet him in the air
"In the twinkling of an eye"

"For to be absent from this life" we shared
"Is to be present with the Lord"
It is, this season, until we meet again
That we find so awful hard

"There is a time for each of us to weep
And there is a time, that we should laugh"
For we know our Savior has overcome
All of this, on our behalf

"For I will wipe away all tears from their eyes
And there will be no more sorrow"
..."And a little child shall lead them
In the world tomorrow"

There is an "Appointed Time" for each of us
And then "Our Change Will Come"
"For God so loved the world
That he gave his only begotten Son"

(By: Lonnie Budro Jan 6 2011)

Those we love

Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.

If tears could build a stairway,
And memories a lane,
I’d walk right up to heaven
And bring you home again.

How often do you...?

Clean out your Purse?

It actually took me misplacing my wallet to get me to finally clean my purse out. 

It is never an opportune time to misplace a wallet, but for me I was actually saved by my BFF.  We met for lunch and some chat time on Saturday.  We had a nice long leisurely lunch with plenty of time to get caught up and then......the check comes.  I picked up my check and dug my hand into my Junk Bag purse, I felt around, and around and realized at that moment that I REALLY have too much JUNK in my purse!  I then picked up my Junk Bag purse, set it on my lap and looked in while searching again for my hiding wallet and suddenly realize - it is gone.

Where could it be. I tell Diane that I must have dropped my wallet in the car, I slip out of the restaurant to go and look in my car (all the while wondering if they think I am running out on my bill), NOPE not there either.  So I slowly walk back into the restaurant and ask Diane if she has her credit card (she usually pays with cash) and of course she does and of course she also says SURE to covering not only my meal but shopping after! 

Whew, was I lucky.  All I could think about is what if this had happened when she (or Hubby) wasn't with me.  What if I had gotten stopped by a police officer and had no license. 

Then I realize that I have NO idea where my wallet is.  My mind starts racing over the last 48 hours and when did I actually have the wallet.  After much review I narrowed it down to "it must be at work".  I am almost sure that I had it Friday.  As I think this - I have that twinge of doubt - did I really have it on Friday?

As soon as Diane and I were finished with Lunch and Shopping (with Diane paying of course - Thanks again Diane!) I headed to my office to see if I could find my wallet.  And of course as soon as I walk into the place - everyone needs me for one reason or another.  It actually took my 30 minutes to even get to my office.  And low and behold there it was - my wallet laying in the drawer where I keep my purse each and every day.  I guess I was just too excited to get home on Friday that I didn't even notice that it had fallen out of my purse and was still in the drawer when I left. 

So, I just spent a good hour cleaning and organizing both my purse and work bag.  NO MORE JUNK BAG! 

So how was your weekend?

via

My weekend was definitely better AFTER I found my wallet! 

How often do you clean out you purse?  (I will be cleaning mine more often now!)

Question of the Week

 What are you reading?  
You may already know that I am an avid reader.  I will sometimes read several books each week.  I equally prefer fiction and non fiction.  Sometimes I wonder if I would be able to get to sleep without a book to read.  But I digress.  The question of the week is: What am I reading?

I am reading Tess Gerritsen's novel Body Double.  It is the 4th book of Tess Gerritsens that I have read so far, and I am loving her writing style!  

Editorial Review From Publishers Weekly:

Pregnant women play key roles in this bone-chilling fourth novel in Gerritsen's edgy, suspenseful series of thrillers featuring Boston Medical Examiner Maura Isles and Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli. Both of the usually gritty crime fighters are uncharacteristically vulnerable. Rizzoli is carrying her first child, and Isles—divorced and alone at age 40 and suddenly, unsettlingly aware of her biological clock—is experiencing decidedly unspiritual feelings for her priest. As the novel begins, Isles—an adopted child who never knew the identity of her birth parents—is confronted by the corpse of a murdered woman who is apparently her identical twin. Another detective, Rick Ballard, comes forward to say that he knew the victim and is certain her killer is a powerful pharmaceutical baron known to have stalked her. Isles falls for the handsome Ballard, but she isn't convinced by his theory, and she launches an investigation into her sister's past, following the trail to a state correctional facility and a schizophrenic inmate who may be her mother. This opens the cobwebbed pages of a nightmarish family album and leads Isles to a remote cabin in Maine where the long-dead body of a pregnant woman is discovered buried in the woods. The killer, Isles discovers, has been murdering pregnant women for decades, making periodic sweeps of the country. Meanwhile, brief scenes chronicle the diabolical kidnapping of an affluent pregnant housewife who is kept buried in a crude coffin. An electric series of startling twists, the revelation of ghoulishly practical motives and a nail-biting finale make this Gerritsen's best to date. (Source: http://www.amazon.com/Body-Double-Jane-Rizzoli-Book/dp/034545894X)

 

I haven't finished this book yet (only about 3/4 through) but so far I really LOVE it!

I definitely suggest you pick up one of Tess Gerritsen's books - just remember - you may have trouble putting it down!  Enjoy! 

So, do you have any suggestions for me to read next?