What to do when your dear friend or family seems to be demeaning your heritage or family?

ie.Bodden Chicken, "you are acting like a Bodden!", That's just like the Boddens do things!, etc.

I don't like it, but I laugh along. I know that we are like the "Unimind!" LGM's, etc. Those are my characterizations and I can laugh at it. But sometimes the characterizations hurt! :( Waaaaaaa! Mommy, they are making fun of us, is what you want to say. It starts with the SAT's and tests like that where they find a question that makes everything in your soul crawl and seethe with anger. They talk about fat people and Christians and Black people and Southerners and Northerners and New Yorkers and I feel like getting them back. Could they possibly have a good motive and a friendly reason for hurting my feelings like that?

It is hard being sensitive. Education does some to help you to put on a stoic expression, when you are hurt or seething. It is kind of like childbirth classes. You know it is going to happen, but when it does all the classes go out of the window and it is every expression for itself!

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!

Even after much prayer and crying, you have questions about what you did to cause this and what could you have done to have prevented it. God is growing you and strengthening you for this time, so that you can be more sensitive to others' pain, when they go through it. How could I be going through puberty again? Come and lift up your sorrows and learn to laugh with and at yourself and how people may or might characature you in life and practice. Your tears mean that you are not an idol. You are human! Keep getting up from those skinned knees and you will become a great and mightily used woman of God!

You are not here to experience the trepidation and fear and growth as a family

that we face as we stand outside of the door of saying goodbye to our dear dog Emma!

We are all stumbling over ourselves. I hope that your message to God's people on Sunday will reflect the hope that we all feel that one day, no person or dog will ever go through these horrors and sad occurrences again.Your father and Enoch are growing in their leadership and teamwork with eachother. They are seeing that masculinity lends, with its receipt, a responsibility to protect and do things that are very difficult.

I do wish that you would have seen them in the teamwork of cleaning her, in her most scrungiest moments of suffering. Enoch had to direct much of the operation, because your father was beside himself that it had come to this.

NObody looks at their puppy and imagines that she will one day become completely incapacitated. Those same legs that woke each day and ran and jumped and helped us in so many ways throughout her, seemingly short life, would crumble under her so that she can't even stand or move herself. Jesus is with us, even now.

It is hard because Emma represents our childhood in NC. She stood with us through the pains of adjustment from the big city to the "boonies", so to speak. We stand at the door of her departure and attempt to hold onto the childhood that her life touched for each of us. She was there for the changes from elementary to middle school and rejoiced each day, when the little feet came home from school! I am so sorry when I see Ezzy with no happy greeting or happy goodbye from this canine friend that came to live with us. She was there from "counting the quarintas" to the "evacuation drill". It was as if God knew that her heart couldn't rest, if she really thought that she had let one of the sheep escape and she had to know where you had gone to, each time you left. She got to sleep in your room and say goodbye to that part of her care of you.

We are learning, in this epoch of our family dynamic, to respect each other's gifts and contributions to the family. Enoch has been directing and taking the authority of caring for Emma. He is very tired of that responsibility and it is coming to a very real end soon. At this point, I would get another Border-Collie, but we are swiftly becoming individuals and I don't think there will be a group for her to herd.

We wish you all the best in your message, this Sunday and we would be there to support, if we could. Do well!

Were you here with us on Sunday? I miss you

It was wonderful having you home, deary! I know that you are now not used to helping at home as much. But your cooking has truly developed and I was grateful for the wonderful peacemaking and peacekeeping skills that is clearly your forte.

As soon as you leave there is an argument and we all say. Evvie is the one who would have made a joke about that which would unraveled the conflict. Thanks for all you do and keep up the good work! Love MOM.

Nobody does it Better, except maybe Elyse{ha}

We had a wonderful moment in the sunshine for your father. If you couldn't be there, it was a wonderful representation that you sent!

He was surprised and he was truly impressed with what you said! That is the most important audience you could ever have! If your daddy knows that you love him, there is no greater wind under your wings. You did it, girl!

He blamed my family's influence for your brevity. I am glad to see that you are not a long-winded preacher woman. You got to the point and placed tears in your father's eyes. I would say that you are a real tiger, with words! Super shot! Love MOM

Happy New Hair Day!

I love It! A new look. I call it Little House On the Prairie Dreds!!! Who KNEW?

What happened after we left you? About the chicken...

We looked at the receipt of the hotel and it said that Checkin ends at 11 pm. It was 10 minutes to 11! We were 20 minutes away from the hotel. We had Emmy checking for other hotels or motels that might not be closed and might accept pets. What alot of worry went into that 20 minute time period. Some of the noise behind me in the van were laughing and small talk and I couldnt enter into it because of the real possibility that we might be all sleeping in the van that night: "Bojangles notwithstanding?" I am sorry that we couldn't stop the vehicle to pass a piece out of the box to you. I knew that you would understand! Love you, baby

Third babies and after are quick to move out of the way, but don't miss the wonder!

I do try to feed each baby in my lap each day, even after they are able to hold their bottle. It is not as easy as it may seem. It is a moment to do the other things while they are quietly holding a bottle and certain not to jump out of the seat.

Yesterday, Malia made herself endeared all the more. She is so observant and always carrying on gibberish conversations with me about this and that thing. We have alot in common, it seems. She doesn't try to get too much attention and she has a very short temper. She was the very last to get a one on one, with Ms. Jayne. She grabbed my face, instead of her bottle and put her finger on my chinhair. You know what she was saying. How come you haven't pulled at this one? What a little observer? She knew that I had gotten all the rest of them and she kept her finger right there until we finished the feeding.

Don't miss little moments like that with child number 3 or 4 because you think you know them all!