Sadness

Today I am sad.  My very first blog was about a dear friend who had cancer, Bobby Renfro.  After many months of fighting this dreadful disease, my dear friend went home to be with his Lord and Savior this morning at 7:30 a.m.

Thank you, Bobby, for giving so much for all of us.  Thank you for sharing the love of Christ everywhere you went.  Thank you for being an inspiration to all you met.  Thank you for being there when we needed a friend, not just a preacher.  Thank you for living an unselfish life.  Thank you for being my friend.

I am sad, not for Bobby, but for me.  You see, Bobby is now walking the streets of gold he so often preached about.  He is sitting at the feet of his Lord and Savior.  He is whole again.

Bobby, you will always be loved and remembered as a dear friend. 

The Hyatt Family Christmas

Ten extra people in the house!  Food everywhere!!  Beds in every corner of every room!  Laughter!!  Memories shared.  A puppy dog who is so tired he just wants to sleep!!  White elephant gift-card time and all the uproar that goes with it.  Twelve people trying to get ready for church on Sunday morning at the same time!

What, you ask, do all these things have in common?  Well, it was just simply another fun-filled Christmas party when all of my in-laws came to our house to celebrate the Christmas season together.  Yes, the "Annual Hyatt Family Christmas" has come and gone and I am a bit lonesome this morning as I sit here and write this post.

Food, and so much of it....from maple ham to roasted chickens to roast to corn casserole to mashed potatoes (Lee and Anthony John did an awesome job on them) to every kind of dessert imaginable.  I don't think I will ever eat again....until dinner tonight!!

Grandpa, Susie and Michael, Andrew, Anthony John, MaryAnn and Tony, Mattie, Anthony Wayne, Amy Ann, and all of my family (including Gunther) had a wonderful time together.  Grandpa shared some really funny stories with us and told us about people we did not know who were in old, old photographs.  The boys had a good time outside with Uncle Gary's guns and bows and arrows (at my house they can only shoot at boxes or bottles - not any of my wild animals!!).  Amy Ann helped me wrap more gifts and all we could do was laugh!!  So much fun.  So many great memories!!

Isn't this is what Christmas should be?  Loving each other and loving our God.  What a truly precious time!!  I love all of you guys.  Come back any time you want to.

The Gift of Laughter

Laughter has always been an important part of my life.  I can still hear my Dad's laugh, a deep one that came straight from the soles of his feet.  My Mother was a very short lady who laughed all over her body.  Our family spent many hours together laughing and just enjoying life.  I had many friends who never heard laughter in their homes and I often felt sorry for them.  A young cousin was visiting from Oregon once and asked why our family laughed so much.  Rather than laughter being the norm in his home, it was a rarity.  I often wondered how we could come from the same bloodlines and have such different homes.  When we were married and started having children, I made it a point to enjoy laughter with my babies.  There were times when I wanted to scream (and I am certain I did on numerous occasions) but found the best answer was laughter.  I have laughed so hard at times that I would cry.  My face felt as if it would break and my sides were splitting in pain.  

There were many, many times when LH and EAH were growing up that laughter could be heard coming out of the house....times when so many of their friends were over and talk and laughter were freely flowing.  I have longed for those moments so many times since our children graduated from high school....just to hear side-splitting laughter coming from those happy faces.  Well, we experienced that once again last night.  We had the honor and privilege of having the College/Career Dept. from our church over for their Christmas fellowship.  Twenty-one young people and teachers joined us for a time of food and fun.  I think I have mentioned in past posts that my husband is a really early-to-bed person.  As usual, he went to bed around 9:00 p.m. last night.  He has sleep apnea and requires a C-pap machine to help him breathe properly at night.  About 30 minutes after he went to bed (and I thought he was asleep), the fun really began with the party going on in the other rooms of the house.  You see, there was a "white elephant" gift exchange which caused uproarious laughter from everyone.  All of a sudden, Gary says, with the machine still on, "That sounds so good!".  At that point, I started laughing...he "rose from the dead" to make that statement and all that laughter sounded so good.  Our gift last night (and it was not a "white elephant" one) was the longed for laughter from young voices once again raising the roof at our home!

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of laughter and for all those young people.  Our Christmas is already a wonderful one!

Supper Club and Taco Soup

Last night Gary and I had the honor of being the host home for what is called "Monday Night Supper Club".  Both of our children and several of their friends get together on Monday nights to eat and just visit.  Paige called and asked if we could provide the house this week if she provided the meal.  Of course, I said, "Yes", and am so happy that I did.  I had been hearing a lot about this "event" every week and wanted to be a part of it this time, too.

I ALWAYS enjoy it when some of my "kids" come to our house, whether it be to eat or just to drop by.  Because our two children are so close in age they have many mutual friends.  During their "growing up years", we had the privilege (and I really, really mean privilege) of having many of their friends at our home on numerous occasions.  There was rarely a Friday or Saturday night that someone was not at our home.  During a "True Love Waits" function at our church,  Elizabeth got up and thanked us for always opening our home to their friends and mentioned that we (meaning Gary and I) never knew who we would find on the sofa or floors when we got up on Saturday or Sunday mornings.  What she does not realize is that I long for those days again....getting up with kids everywhere.  I long for the laughter and talking and mud football games and the Bible studies that they so often did together.  I long for the times when my mother would have to tell Lee and Justin and Matthew to settle down (at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m.) and to get to bed (Gary and I were soundly sleeping and found out about this later).  I long for the times when Elizabeth called me at work to ask me to tell Lee and Matthew to let her out of her room....they had tied her door knob with a rope and had tied the other end to the bathroom door knob!!  I long for the costume parties and for the kids coming here on their way to the prom or Favorites dances.  Those times were some of the best times of my life and I hope theirs, too.

I look forward to visits from all "my kids" who have come through my home at one time or another.  I thank God that we were a part of their lives and pray that in some way or another we have made a positive impression on their lives.  I love being a part of their lives and their babies lives now.  

Thank you, "Monday Night Supper Club", for coming to our home last evening.  Paige the taco soup was wonderful!!  (thanks, Kimberly, for the recipe!!)  Thank you, all of my kids' friends, for allowing me to be a part of your lives. 

"Black Friday"

The name "Black Friday" really puzzles me.  What is so black about it?  True, we had rain storms yesterday, but my Friday is more than "black"!!

Elizabeth Anne and I went on our "Annual Black Friday" shopping trip.  The trip began on Thanksgiving evening when we traveled over to Frisco to spend the evening in the Best Western we had stayed in the year before....that Best Western turned out to be the same Hampton Inn we had stayed in the year before.  Elizabeth fussed the entire time because someone had changed the name from last year!!  After checking in and lounging for a few minutes, we trucked over to the mall movie theater to see Four Christmases.  We laughed our way through it and listened to an old woman in the back row talk out loud about the show the entire time!!

We set the alarm for 4:30 a.m. because we didn't want to miss out on the earliest shopping.  Needless to say, 4:30 a.m. came and went and we were still in bed.  I lay there asking Elizabeth if she was going to get up and she assured me she would, but, "In a little while!".  Eventually we were up and going at 6:00 a.m......Starbuck's first, of course!!  The line was not as long this year as last, or did we just sleep through the crowd?  Our first stop was Old Navy, then Target, then the mall.  Why is it that I always seem to know exactly what I want and the stores never have exactly what I want?  Do I just dream these gifts up or what?  The people we encountered were, for the most part, very congenial and neighborly.  However, when we went to Penney's that was another story.  I have never, never seen so many people in one store in all my life.  There were times we had to walk sideways to get through the aisles.  Merchandise of every shape, size and description was thrown on the floors and was being trampled by the masses.  Elizabeth and I took one look at each other and said, "Let's get out of here!", and we did!!  Back to DSW and Target, once more.  Our shopping spree began at 6:00 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m.  Thank the Lord for our brunch at The Cheesecake Factory or we would not have made it!!  I did not realize just how tired I was until I drove into the driveway and I thought Gary was going to have to carry me to the house!!  Now, that would have been one for "The World's Most Famous Videos", wouldn't it!?!

This "tradition" of ours started 4-5 years ago.  At first we left home at 5:00 a.m. on Friday and did our shopping.  This going to Frisco the night before and staying is a new tradition and we really enjoy it.  I love the shopping and the crowds, but my most favorite thing is just being with my wonderful daughter.  We laugh and talk and just have a wonderful time.  "People watching" is a favorite "sport" of ours; and, boy, do we see some doozies on that day!!  I am certain, however, that some of the people think we are "doozies", too!!  But, back to Elizabeth, shopping is a passion of hers.  I am so pleased that I taught her well!!  Hah!  Hah!!  Now, all that is left is the gift wrapping....and that will come in the days to come.  The most important thing is that we spent the time together, we enjoyed each other and the day and we came home in one piece!!  Thank you, Elizabeth, for spending the time with me.  I love you more than you will ever know.

Sisters

I have two very wonderful, precious, awesome sisters--Sheila and Karen.  I am so thankful for my sisters, my friends.

Sheila and I are three years apart.  She is so talented musically.  Sheila has the most amazing voice, a true gift from God.  She graduated from Dallas Baptist University with a degree in education and a minor in voice.  She was a teacher in the Dallas Independent School District for 29 years.  She always taught in schools that had the "least fortunate students" in the district.  I believe that she was a tough teacher, but Sheila loved her students and just wanted them to succeed because she know how rough the road would be for them.  Several of her students have succeeded beyond words and have come back to thank Sheila for all she did for them.  How many teachers have this happen to them?  Very few I would think.  We had the honor of attending her retirement celebration several years ago.  Former co-workers and principals all gathered to shower Sheila with praise and thanks, which was so deserved.  She was a hard worker who spent many, many hours preparing for her students.  Students in Dallas are better because of her.

When Sheila retired she took on another very important position, one that pays only in hugs and kisses.  Sheila and her husband have four grandchildren and 2 step-grandchildren.  Sheila has taken on the responsibility of caring for three of these babies....a pretty tough job.  Their mother is a single mother and works various shifts and needs the help taking care of them.  Sheila and John have gone beyond basic grandparenting rules to be mentors, educators, care-takers, providers, and love beyond words for these children.  How fortunate they are to have grandparents like these two.  K and T have won first-place awards at the science fair many, many times because Nanna has taken the time to help them.  Nanna has read to them and K and T excel in reading.  

Sheila has many health problems, any one of which would be disabling.  She has, however, managed to continue caring for her babies.  There are numerous days when she really needs to stay in bed or just lounge around; however, she is there, ready and willing to care for those babies.  Pain is a constant companion for Sheila.  I worry about her daily.

It is just in the last six or so years that Sheila and I have been able to really get to know each other as adult women.  When we are together we have so much fun and laugh continually.  It is sad that we were not able to get to know each other this way earlier in our lives.  I have learned to love and appreciate her more and more.  She has become a most precious friend as well as sister.  I am very thankful for Sheila.  

My "baby" sister, Karen, is ten years younger than I am.  I can remember the day she was born. Sheila and I went door to door in our neighborhood to announce her arrival.  We were so proud of our new baby!!  From just a few days old until I moved away from home, Karen slept in my bed with me.  I was very protective of her.

Karen, like Sheila, is a school teacher.  She has been a speech therapist and now a reading specialist.  She plans to retire at the end of this school year.  We, all three of us, have so many plans.  I hope our husbands understand!!  A few years ago the three of us met our Aunt and Uncle in Seattle to go see another Uncle who lived in Aberdeen.  We stayed three days in Aberdeen and visited and had a wonderful time; but, then the three sisters went back to Seattle and had the time of our lives.  We laughed and ate and saw as many sites as we could in just a few days.  Memories, memories.  How special they are.

Karen and her husband, David, had a son, a true gift from God.  Joshua came into Karen's and David's lives one Thursday just before Mother's Day.  He was 2 years old when God sent him.  What a blessing he was.  He was a special young man who went home to be with the Lord when he was just 19 years old--a massive heart attack.  I saw my Karen and David hurt more than words can explain.  But, during that time what a witness they were to others.  I learned a lot about death during that time.  I learned that I am no longer afraid of it because earthly death is just the beginning of eternity!!!  Karen and David allowed so many--co-workers, neighbors, friends, family and total strangers--to be a part of this and were witnesses to everyone.  

Karen is a slim--unlike her two sisters--and very beautiful lady.  She wears elegant clothes (you should see her closets!!) and perfectly groomed.  She has always been this way.  I can remember the days when she would "set" her hair in cleaned out juice cans!!  I remember the times I tried to teach her to drive my stand shift Mustang!!  I remember her trying to get Sham, her Irish setter, to let her bathe him and he got away and ended up in the back seat of her car!  I remember the day she married David and was so happy!!  What wonderful memories of my little sister.  I am so thankful that I have been blessed with Karen in my life.

Thank you, Lord, for my sisters, my friends.  I pray that we only become closer and have many more adventures together.   

Our Princess and Booger Bear

There was a time when I thought I would never have children.  Gary and I had married "later in life" (what a term!!) and I was convinced that I had waited too long to have children.  Gary kept telling me that God had children for us and that we just needed to be patient.  How correct he was!!  

On September 21, 1979, our most wonderful, most precious daughter was born.  I think I floated on air the entire time of labor and delivery.  When she was born I can remember thinking how perfect it would be if only my Grandma Droddy could see her, my beautiful gift from the Lord.  I immediately called my parents and told them how perfect she was.

Elizabeth Anne (or Princess or Peetie or Punkin) has been the joy of our life.  No one could ask for a better daughter.  Oh, don't get me wrong, we have had our "times" when we had differences of opinion, but we have always worked it out and loved each other even more.  She is very creative, a great thinker, quite an academically adept young lady.  She has always excelled in whatever she attempts.  Elizabeth loves to travel--from Los Angeles to Boston to Lima and Trujillo, to the "Big Apple", to Taiwan,  to the travels of Paul in Greece--she loves to globe-trot.  If someone says, "let's go", she is ready before the plane is!!!

Elizabeth has a great love for the people of Peru.  She has made this love contagious.  She will be once again traveling to Lima and Trujillo in March to assist with some work in an orphanage, a place that has really touched her heart.  Elizabeth has a love for children, birth to high schoolers.  Hannah, Hallie, Jillian and Emma are truly blessed to have her in their young lives.  She thoroughly enjoys going on adventures with Hannah (now that she is a young lady).  To listen to Elizabeth and Hallie talk is like listening to two old friends who have shared so much together.  Jillian and Emma are now her babies.  She can get on Jillian's level and communicate with her so well.  Emma just sparkles when she sees "Bibbis" come into the room.  Elizabeth loves her friends and is very loyal to them.  I thank God for D and J and P and for what they do for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth has become one of my best friends, not just my daughter.  Crawling on the floor to "cut in" the walls of her apartment when we were painting it was quite an adventure.  I often wondered if the neighbors wondered what we were doing in there.  Our "day after Thanksgiving shopping trip" is a wonderful, blessed day.  We run, and I mean run, at 4:00 a.m. to be one of the first shoppers and we go laughing all the way.  I am thankful that Elizabeth still wants to do this with me.  I am thankful for the fun we have and for the fact that we are now friends and enjoy each other so much.  I am thankful that my Lord has given me such a beautiful, loving daughter.  I am thankful that her Daddy and I were the ones who lead her to the Lord and that she now serves that Lord we shared with her.  I am thankful that she is concerned about her brother.  I am thankful that she loves her brother and wants to see him happy.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for being the best daughter and friend a Mother could ever ask for.  You are my baby and always will be.  Thank you for giving and loving and being patient with your "old" Mom.  I love you more than you could ever imagine.  I love you, Elizabeth!!

Twenty-one months after Elizabeth was born, our home was once more blessed with the birth of our "Booger Bear" (his MawMaw named him that), Lee.  That little package we brought home that day has grown into a wonderful man.  

Wherever Lee goes, he leaves an impression.  I can remember him in Miss Sikes' kindergarten class at Bowie Elementary.  The letter he dressed as was the letter "S" and we made quite a costume for that day.  He was so proud of it and showed it to everyone he came near.  There was also the time that Lee dressed as one of the characters in the children's book Stone Soup.  For some reason this was Lee's all-time favorite book.  We made an ancient soldier's costume in green felt.  We even made the shoes with the pointed toes.  He read that book to younger children on that day and did a wonderful job!

When he was in elementary school Lee and one of his friends had an obsession with the military.  We spent many, many hours in the military surplus store purchasing old uniforms, from caps/hats to actual uniforms and boots.  I remember the time Nancy Brantley, the music teacher at Bowie, had her older students do a performance on Veterans' Day.  Lee and Jason dressed in their uniforms and were the stars of the show.  I remember thinking how much Lee looked like his PawPaw in that uniform and how much I loved him because he wanted to be a part of something so special.  People talked about that little show for quite a while.

When my Mom had a stroke and had to move into our home, Lee was the one who made her days for her.  She really spoiled him, and, in return, he took care of her.  She would have special snacks prepared for him when he would get home from school.  She would slip out of bed during the night and would call to us saying that she had fallen.  Lee would run to her bedside,  pick her up with a swoop and set her down in the bed saying, "Now, old woman, stay where you are supposed to!!"  She thought that was something very special.  They had a very special relationship and I am so thankful for that.  She helped Lee purchase his brand new Chevy pickup when he turned 16.  

Just before Lee graduated from high school he decided he wanted to learn to play the bass guitar.  I have said over and over again that I never really listened for the bass until Lee started playing it.  He is basically self-taught and is really very good at it.  He has been in many bands and really enjoyed them.  When he decided he was going to seminary he started selling his guitars and it broke my heart.  I love to hear him play and I knew he loves playing.  He, however, was planning ahead for his future.  He has always been that way....a thinker, a planner, and pretty much self-sufficient.  

Now, my baby boy is going to move far away from me.  Lee will begin Covenant Seminary in St. Louis in January, 2009.  He will be working to get his Masters of Divinity.  When he shared his plans with us months ago I was proud, yet sad at the same time.  Lee has a heart for the down-trodden, the ones most people will not go to to be a witness.  Lee was baptized by his Daddy a number of years ago.  We taught Lee to love people and to share God's with them.  He is doing just what God wants him to do, but I will miss him so much.  I will miss his teasing and his hugs.  I will miss him coming to the door of our bedroom to tell me goodnight.  I will miss him calling to ask if he can bring me something for lunch.  I will miss our trips to Lowe's to buy roses.  I will even miss his telling me something just to see how I would react.  I am so thankful for my wonderful son and the man he has become.  I am so thankful that he did not quit listening to God as He talked to him.  I am thankful that he loves me and puts up with my many quirks.  I am thankful that God blessed my life with this young man who has become a tremendous man.  I love you, Lee!!

In Psalms King David says that, ".....children are a gift from the Lord....".  God has gifted me with two wonderful, precious gifts.  Thank you, Lord, for my babies.