Siblings

Siblings, not by blood,

not by genetics,

not by fate.

Siblings, through the miracle of adoption.

Fighting Back

James, Bruce, Tansy, Ruth, Cathy,

Scott, Bev.

Just names.

More names that I could ever type, read, or see.

People changed by cancer.  People who 

are loved.

People who are missed.

People whose survival we celebrate.

People whose deaths we mourn.

People who sat in a doctor's office and heard the words,

"You have cancer." People who had

to break the news to their families, their friends.

Cancer knows no boundaries. It can strike anyone, at any time.

It doesn't care your race, your age, your living arrangements.

It doesn't care how much money you make or how much

you mean to your family and friends.

Cancer is a horrible disease.

It is ruthless.  Once it strikes someone you love,

you are forever changed.

The American Cancer Society works to 

fight cancer.  They work to give everyone, young and old,

more birthdays.

On Saturday, they sponsored a "Walk for Life" in our

town.  It was the first time that I've ever attended

a Walk event.

I'm thankful that I did.

For twenty-four hours teams of people

fought back.

They raised money that will go towards

cancer research, early screenings, support

for people that have been diagnosed with cancer.

Our family had the absolute privilege of attending

the Walk for Life with a Survivor.

We had the privilege of walking around the track.

Of doing what we could to support those

who are fighting cancer, will fight cancer, have

lost someone to cancer, or may

one day lose someone that they love to

cancer.

On Saturday, we fought back.

We did what we could to stick it to cancer.

Hopefully, with the work of organizations like

the American Cancer Society, and the people

that come out to remember and celebrate those lives

touched by cancer, my children or grandchildren may live

to see a cure.  May live lives that will never again be 

changed by those words, "You have cancer."

Fantastic Farm Fest

On Friday, we enjoyed a fantastic day

at Farm Fest.

The event was hosted by a local dairy farm, and we

were kept busy the entire time.

This field trip, was by far, one of the best ones

I've ever been on.  There were almost 900 kids there, but it

was so organized that you would have never guessed there were that

many kids.  The farm was broken down into stations.

The kids spent fifteen minutes at each station, and then

a farm guide led our group to the next stop.

We learned all sorts of things during the day.  The kids learned about 

an animal's impact on the environment and the different types of animals

that survive in different regions.

They learned about planting and rotating crops,

growing gardens, caring for baby calves, and

what a large animal veterinarian does.

They learned about harness racing, horse care,

and the way animals are used in the farming process.

Some highlights of our trip were

a visit to the calf barn, watching the cows being milked,

meeting a real large animal vet,

and  taking a hay ride out into the fields to learn

how the crops are grown that feed the cows that give us milk.

What a fun and excited day we had together.

We are all looking forward to next year's

Farm Fest!

Summer Bucket List

Last night, I was doing one of my favorite things...

what my husband calls "random blog

surfing"

I came across a very cute blog

called "Little Wonders' Days".

This particular blogging mama had a great idea.

She calls it her "Summer Bucket List".

The idea being that she and her kids make a list of all the fun

things that they want to do over the summer, and then they do them.

I thought the "bucket list" was a great idea.  So, after

explaining the idea to my kids, then explaining the phrase "bucket list",

then reassuring them that no one was going to be "kicking the bucket",

we came up with a pretty long list.

I was thrilled at some of the ideas that my kids came up with.

Ideas like, "Write a thank you letter to a soldier",

"Donate dog biscuits to the humane society", "Read together".

When we were done, we had almost one hundred ideas.

Following the original summer bucket list idea, we took our list

and divided it into things that would only take an hour or two and things

that would take all day.

Each morning, depending on our schedule, we plan on drawing from our bucket

list buckets and then doing something fun and memorable together.

The kids are super excited about some of our fun ideas, and I have to admit, so am I.

Welcome Summer

Welcome summer.

Long, hot,

sunny days.

Days made just for exploring,

playing,

relaxing.

Days to spend hours and hours

together,

enjoying each other and

all of the sweet things summer will

bring us.

Welcome summer.

Dad's Are Great Because....

They carry you on their shoulders, even

when they're tired.

They never tell you, "Your face is going to

freeze if you stick out your tongue like

that."

 

They buy you a REALLY big chocolate

bunny and let you eat it BEFORE dinner!

They love to shake you upside down to 

steal your lunch money.

They run you through the house like a wheelbarrow.

They give out ice packs and hugs when you're hurt

from all that rough housing.

Days

I've joined a writing group at our local library.

It's really quite fun. Each month, we're given a topic to write

about, and we have one month to write our story.

At each meeting, we share what we've written.

 This month's topic is titled

"A Day In The Life"

The topic choice started me thinking, what day would I write about.

We can choose to write about a real day, a day we wish for,

a day we remember.  Anything we want.

What day would I choose?

There are some days that I would never want to go back to.

The day my Mom was diagnosed with cancer, the day

we were told the chemo wasn't working,

the day she died.

There are other days that I wish I could relive.

The day I first met Jon, we married, we met our children.

Their adoption days.

The day my Mom and I spent at the clam festival

in Maine. Maybe one of my birthdays.

There's always Christmas or Thanksgiving, or the day

I graduated from college.

In this life, I have been blessed with more good

days than bad ones.  There are so many days to choose from.

Each day, one by one, stacked one on top of the other

adding up to a week, a month, a year.

Some days celebrated, some days dreaded, but

most days just lived.

Ordinary days filled with laughter, learning,

hugs, kisses.  Days filled with walks, baking,

reading, playing. Just days.

Good days, bad days.  Days where I know

that I did a great job as a Mom.

Days where I think, "I should have handled that

better." 

When my Mom was dying, she told me she couldn't

believe how fast her life had gone. She couldn't believe that

it was already over.

Losing my Mom taught me that each breath, moment, day

is a treasure.  Each smile shared, hug given, word spoken is a gift.

When my children are grown, what days will they remember.

Will it be the holidays, anniversaries, birthdays, or

will it be the ordinary days spent together laughing.

At the end of my life, what will I remember most, will it be the BIG moments,

or will it be these every day moments that stacked one by one make up

my life.