Sunday, October 28, 2007

Notifying Next of Kin



There are several reasons why we didn't bring Sophie with us to Florida. At 14, she didn't need the stress and confusion of living in an empty house for an indefinite period of time. She loved packing up and going to stay with MeeMaw and PapPaw English, but we didn't have childcare arrangements here. The lovely pond behind our new house held the potential for alligators, and...I don't even want to go there. Drew said we didn't have a closet big enough for her wardrobe. The girl loved to dress up, what can I say?

My mother recently lost her dog to cancer, and my sister's 16 year old Lhaso wasn't doing so well, so they offered to keep her in Lubbock at one house or the other. She often made the trip to west Texas and was lovingly known as The Uppity Cousin from Dallas. We knew she would be loved and dressed appropriately.

Linda called last Monday in tears. Sophie had been up all night sick to her stomach. When Linda went home to check on her at noon, she knew something was horribly wrong. She took her to the vet who diagnosed kidney failure. There were a couple of options of keeping her alive on an IV for a few weeks, but Linda made the right and difficult decision not to prolong her pain.

I felt so bad for Linda. Her dog, Sadie Mae had to be put to sleep just 6 weeks earlier. Sophie had only been sick a couple of days in her little Shih Tzu life, and one of those was because she OD'd on a leftover piece of pound cake. I called Drew and the boys and they were surprised and sad as I was. But, also grateful.

She was the family pet you hope for. Low maintenance, didn't shed, and had a great sense of fashion. Whenever we took her with us in the car, she hopped on her satin pillowcase and slept the whole way.

Sophie had her own Swankie Blankie with her name embroidered on it, an assortment of hair bows and sweaters, an Old Navy T-shirt, an Easter dress, a Sunday dress, a cheer leading outfit, an angel costume, a witch's hat and even a red boa that she wore to Karen H.'s 30th birthday party. Her recent additions included a little black taffeta number with spaghetti straps that she only pulled out for special occasions, (black was her signature color)and a cheetah print dress with hot pink trim.

She was patient with the little friends that came to our house. She taught us to be gentle and responsible. We surprised the boys with her Easter weekend 1993. They lifted the basket lid and out she hopped. (She looked more like a guinea pig than a puppy!) I kept her hair long until I was paying more to have hers done than mine.

Anyway, if you were in our home, you probably had Sophie in your lap, and we just wanted you to know. Linda said she held her while they administered the drugs, until she died.

"What was she wearing?" I asked.

"Her pink sweater."

"Oh, good. That was her favorite."

Sophie went out in style!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Have You Seen My Keys?

That's one of those questions I ask on a regular basis. I'm sure if I had a designated spot in the house for them, I would never be late again. And if I could find the perfect purse, it would also have a convenient key spot, which would eliminate the rest of the problems of my life.

After church Wednesday night, a lady misplaced her keys. She finally had to call a relative to come, and they found the keys in the trunk of her car.

Been there.
Done that.

And done that.

While we were waiting, the stories of lost keys were shared. My tale has become legendary in our family.

Lubbock, TX 1983 B.C. (Before Cellphones)

I'm not sure why I had to drive downtown to the courthouse, but I remember it involved standing in a long line with two year old Matt and two month old baby Scott. It wasn't until I was trying to put the stroller back in the trunk that I realized I couldn't find my keys.

They were not in the diaper bag, my purse, or the ignition. They were not on the pavement, in the grass or under the car. They were not at the counter or on the floor or...anywhere, as far as I could see. I decided I had laid them in the trunk when I got the stroller out and slammed it shut.

Both boys were hungry and fussy, and all 3 of us were ready for a nap. I hated to admit defeat, but I had to call Drew at work. He was in the middle of a very important meeting and it was obvious that he was frustrated. In his defense, it was not the first time he had to come and get me. I'm not sure why there was not a key in the magnetic holder under the bumper. I probably used it and forgot to put it back, but for my sake I'll say it was his fault.

"Can you bring me your key?" I asked politely.

"Not right now. I'm in the middle of a meeting." he said not very politely.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I asked sweetly.

"Where's the key I put under the bumper?" he asked not so sweetly.

Suffice it to say this went on for way too long until finally, I played the 'mother of your starving children' card and he said, "I'm on my way."

On our adventure Matt had spotted a blind gentleman at a candy counter just inside the door. I decided to get us a snack while we waited.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'll take some M&M's, please. By chance, have you seen a set of keys," I asked the blind man. I was just about to apologize for asking him if he had seen my keys, when he held them up and said, "You mean these? Someone found them in the grass."

I was simultaneously filled with delight and horror. Yea for the keys, but oh no, Drew's about to waste a trip. I ran to the pay phone to call off the rescue, but the secretary said Drew had left.

He was already mad. I didn't think it would exactly thrill him to have left his meeting and driven across town only to find that the trip had been inconvenient and unnecessary. So, I made an executive decision...

After going through the different scenarios and possible outcomes, I determined that it was in the best interest of our marriage for him to be celebrated as the hero he was. I went to the car, opened the trunk, threw the keys in and slammed it shut.

Oh, yes I did!

Then I prayed.

When Drew arrived, I lavished praise and thanksgiving upon him.
"You are my hero! Give dad a big hug, Matt! Thank you for coming to the rescue!"

I apologized profusely.
"I am so, so very sorry for messing up your presentation."
"I just said it was a family emergency." His tone was softening as he opened the trunk and handed me keys. "You have got to be more careful..."
"Truer words were never spoken!" I exclaimed.

As we drove away, I turned to his offspring in the back seat, "You must never speak of this to anyone...EVER."

And I didn't, until the summer all four of us were on our way to Austin and stopped at a Dairy Queen in...

Brownwood, TX StarDate 1987

We went in for a break, and came out to find that Drew...DREW... had left the keys in the ignition for the first time in his existence. We happened to be parked next to a DPS officer who popped the lock within seconds, at no charge and we were on our way.

You would think we would be on our way rejoicing, but Drew couldn't forgive himself. "I can't believe I did that!" "What if that officer hadn't been right there?" That was totally irresponsible of me!" "Where is the key that is supposed to be in the magnetic holder?"

Since I could tell this was about to take a nasty turn in my direction, I decided it was time to lighten things up a bit. "I have the funniest thing to tell you, and ha...I mean, you are just going to laugh out loud when I tell you this very funny story. Remember the time I locked my keys in the trunk of my car?"

"In Sherman?"

"No, not that time."

"At the retreat?"

"No. not...okay, do you remember bringing keys to the courthouse when the boys were babies?..." and I began to retell the story. It was all coming back to him until I got to the part where I found the keys at the candy counter. His puzzled expression changed to horror as I said, "and so I, ha...here's the funny part...put the keys in the trunk and slammed it shut! Can you believe how funny that is? Now? Several years later?"

I turned to the back seat for support and saw both boys with their little jaws dropped and their eyes bugged out. Drew looked at me like I was some crazy woman and said, "You did what?!"

As I told this story to the group in the church parking lot, I noticed something interesting. The women figured out what I was going to do and high-fived me when I got to the part where I slammed the trunk shut. The men had that oh-so familiar look that I saw on Drew's face.

Like I'm some kind of crazy woman! ha! Can you believe that?

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Mike Cope Sings the Classics

I still love this! Hopefully they'll do "Once There Were Three Wandering Jews" in the sequel...

GG


My mother came to visit last week. She flew by her 82 year old self from Lubbock, Texas at 10:00 a.m., stopped in Dallas, changed planes in Houston, and arrived in Tampa at 8:30 p.m. I am so proud of her for being brave!

As I drove away from the airport yesterday, I called my sister Linda to tell her GG was on her way home. We were talking about how blessed we were to have her as our mother and role model. Positive. Gracious. Remarkable. And as my new friend Melissa said after meeting her Sunday, "Your mother is just so darn cute!"

That, too.

She was the perfect guest. The closest she came to a negative comment was when we took her to the beautiful Don Cesar resort for dinner. It is a favorite place to take guests for a light meal on the beach. There is usually a wedding or two while we are enjoying our dinner and watching the sunset. I was reading her some menu choices when she saw the prices.

"Does that say $10.95 for a turkey sandwich?!"

"It's okay, GG. This is our treat." (What I didn't tell her was that she was looking at the wrong line item, and the sandwich was actually $12.95.)

She bragged on every little thing in and around our house.

She struck up meaningful conversations with strangers everywhere we went. This photo was taken at Vinoy Park by the bay. Within minutes, she was counseling this lady in pink who was unhappy in her nursing home, and had asked a man walking his dog is she could hold it!

She insisted that I not change one thing in my schedule just because she was here. (what schedule?)

I found her outside by the pool. "GG, do you want to go for a swim?"
"Sure! I brought my Speedo!"

We ventured to the Beall's outlet. "Don't even show me where the shoes are. I don't need any more!" She bought 2 pairs.

She encouraged me to buy a new purse at Dillard's...I celebrate that!

Her sandals came flying off the minute her feet hit the beach.

After church Sunday morning she said, "Well, on a scale of 1-10, I give your preacher a 10! Or 12!"

She just called while I was writing this to thank me for the perfect visit, and tell me about the people she met on the plane. It gave me a chance to tell her about one of the sweetest compliments. Last night at Ladies bible class, someone said the older they got, the less they thought they knew about God. The teacher, Sandy said, "Sometimes we can't see it in ourselves, but as we mature in Christ, we become more like Him. Like GG! How many of you met Carolyn's mother Sunday morning?" (Hands went up all around the room. She must have been working the crowd while I wasn't watching...) "When I met her mother, I said, 'I feel like I know you from somewhere'. Later I realized that it wasn't that we had actually met, but she just had that sweet, beautiful expression that comes from someone who has walked with the Lord her whole life."

My dad was the outgoing, social one. She willingly let him have the spotlight for over 50 years of marriage. We weren't sure what to expect after he died in 1999. It shouldn't have surprised us to see her find her own place, her own voice in the world. She did it with grace and dignity and a positive outlook on life that amazes those of us who love her.

That's our GG! You Go, Girl!

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