The woman in my life....and why it was standing room only at her party!

On March 8th 68 years ago, in 1945 Joyce was expecting a baby...and she knew it was a boy and she knew he would be born on March 17th (St Patricks Day). And she knew his name would be Michael Patrick (or Patrick Michael, I don't remember).  ....So the next day, March 9th a little beautiful baby Girl was born.  not a boy, not the 17th, and not Patrick, or Michael.  She was Bonnie Joyce! My Mom!

She grew up in the Bay area of California.  She graduated from Cal Berkley.  She married my Dad. She had 2 boys, then 5 girls.  She stayed busy, with 7 children and the daily motherhood trials of illnesses, injuries, stitches, raging hormones of 5 girls (same house, same time)!
Her degree was business administration, she also stayed busy doing the accounting and book keeping of small businesses and also most of her children and other close friends.

She also teaches at a small private school.  does some private tutoring (including all of us kids when we were in college).  and she watches grandkids and gives rides to school, and and and...  believe me when I say the only thing she doesn't do is take liquid medicine!  oh and clean up our throw up if we were sick!  :) 

my mom does ANYTHING for ANYONE.  she is the Woman in my life who I aspire to be like one day.  she is the woman who's heart breaks when she sees her children struggle.  actually not only does her heart break she goes through it with them!  She is the women who knows how to live life with joy, happiness and dignity.  she is the woman who smiles when she wants to cry, is strong when she feels weak.  she is the one who will listen to me when I need to let it all out, and cheer me up when I am down.

7 years ago(almost exactly)  my sister was diagnosed with cancer,  My mom was with her EVERY step of the way!  Dr. appointments, surgeries, chemo, etc etc etc.   Teresa was hospitalized with a blood clot in her leg.  and she was sent home on hospice.  meanwhile.. my mom with her every step!  another meanwhile...  my dad had a mild heart-attack and after a while wasn't responding to treatment, and then was even unresponsive... he was in the hospital for over 5 months.  guess where my mom was?  traveling over 80 miles a day, being with Teresa and my dad! EVERYDAY! 
Teresa's condition worsened, my mom took care of her better than any other "qualified" nurse or Dr. mom gave shots and meds and all that needed to be done.. and she helped with Teresa's 4 young children. 

one weekend my other sister when down and stayed with mom and helped out..  and the rest of us (dad still in the hospital) were around spending time together and being with Teresa.  We all left Sun. night.  Monday morning Teresa died.  my mom lost her baby!  and a little piece of her heart. 
shortly after, Dad was moved to a care center where he could regain strength and get better and come home.  guess where my mom was? EVERYDAY up with my dad! 

mom didn't do this because she had to.  she was with him (and my sister) because she wanted to! 
in September of 2007 (a year later)  my dad was again hospitalized and shortly after, sent home on hospice and died that same night.  what was my mom doing?  making us dinner, making us juice, comforting us.  She is our rock and our strength!  I say our because if I say: MY than the other siblings might get jealous!

shortly after that...My grandma, Her mom, was diagnosed with lung cancer.  she was 400 + miles away.. but guess where my mom was?  traveling and being with and taking care of her mom.  after a short battle with the lung cancer, my grandma died. with mom by her side! 
Meanwhile,  if any of us other kids needed something,  she'd drop anything and help us! 
How does she do it? I don't know!  but I do know that I deeply admire her and I want to be able to have that kind of strength and wisdom!

SO... Not only does she show this kind of service and strength to her family. but to her friends and community as well!  I don't know exactly what she does or who she helped but, at her birthday party...lets just say I've never seen her house so full!  when I was making the list of people to invite.. I asked my husband if he could think of anyone who loved my mom.  and he said you mean more than everyone I know? 

EVERYONE loves my mom!  why? because she loves everyone!!  she shows so much love toward people that you just cant help it!!

My mom is THE WOMAN in my life that will always be THE WOMAN in my life!  there are other ladies that have amazing qualities that I admire and respect. but NONE like my mom!
I love my mom so much!!!

Mom, I love you so much!  thank you for always being there for me!  for teaching me about life and the joys of life!  thank you for teaching me about love, respect, honor, faith, knowledge...the list goes on. thank you for teaching me how to be strong, and how to serve and love and forgive!
Thank you for teaching me about health and for doctoring me up when I was sick.
Thank you for helping me through my trials, and going through my struggles with me.
Thank you for showing me how to live!  thank you for giving me life!
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I remember a long time ago my sister finding a song...:When mama prayed..  and I remember her saying how that was like my mom, because whenever she needed help with something she would call mom and ask her to pray for and with her.    here is that song!

oh how many many feet you meet...

You may or may not have heard that I have a foot wall.  And you may or may not have known that I have a slight obsession with feet.  Don't ask where and when I got it...because I don't know.  ok ok, if I had to think about it and wonder... I like the way my feet look and I used to think I could model shoes and stuff... when I got my Sr. pictures taken in High School, my sister and I mentioned that I wanted my feet in some of the pictures because I had capris on and I thought my feet were cute.  So she's taking the pictures and told me she was getting ready for a foot one...and she says "put your feet here"  so I did... and then click flash snap.  I had a picture of my feet.... this is the one :) 



so...  ever since then, I guess is when I had this obsession. 
However, also since then I have thought a lot about feet and the meaning and purposes of them.  it is obvious that you need feet to walk and balance and and and.  the list really goes on.  so here is what I have thought of over the past 8 years. 

Balance:  we need our feet to balance...  why do we need balance.. you try to do a days work of what ever it is you do, with one leg or one foot.  not very easy!  (ok so I've never done it but the thought is hard)
we need balance in more areas of our lives than just physical.  We need the other kind of physical balance... like all your parts inside working correctly and a balanced diet.  We also need emotional and spiritual balance. 

Steps:  Think about life with out steps....  ? yep that's right no moving forward, no climbing stairs etc
our steps start out small.  as a baby learning to walk we learned little by little.  we learned to walk.  we then learned to run and skip and even walk gracefully..(ok I am still learning that one)!  when we run its like we get to experience flying for a measurement of time that's smaller than a second...  our feet propel us when we run and in those moments of running there are times when our feet aren't even touching the ground! 

absorption:  did you know the feet are SO absorbent!  I've never tried this exact experiment but:  you can put a clove of garlic on your feet (like holding it with your toes) and within a small amout of time you will start tasting it!  crazy huh!    There are nerve endings from your whole body ending at your feet.  therefore absorbing all that is put on.   if your sick, you can put things(vicks, essential oils etc) on your feet and it will help your cough or sickness heal up and be more manageable.  so with that said?  what do you put on your feet?  what are you absorbing?  what are you absorbing in the rest of your life? regardless of this talk about feet :)

electricity and grounding:  I don't know the scientific-ness of this statement or sections  but in my psychology class, (and I have heard it else where) that they electromagnetic fields (that are all around us, and increasing)  have a negative effect on our bodies!  the things we were talking about in our class was a herd of cows.  there was this herd of cows that had two places that it could be.  one was in a field by a big electrical plant, and the other was far away from this plant and what they found is that when they were grazing near the electrical plant the cows had significantly less babies, lower birth weight babies and less milk. and other numerous health problems.  But when it was far away from that power plant.  they had healthy babies, more babies, plenty milk, and overall good health.  so my teacher was explain that just like cows...electromagnetic-ness causes problems with us too.  what does that have to do with feet?  if you go outside barefoot...it helps reduce the static and electric-ness that's in your bodies.  Play in the grass.  work in the garden. etc etc just ground yourself back to nature and the earth!  ......(by the way, I'll talk about shoes next but you cant ground yourself with shoes on, it blocks the connection between you and the earth and defeats the purpose)

path and direction:  you cant walk in the direction your head or heart want you to go unless your feet are pointed that direction.. simple as that!

Shoes:  shoes cover your feet, keep them warm, protect them, take you places, etc etc.  but you collect so much Crap! from all those places that you just were.  so when you get home.. take them off.  you don't really NEED your shoes on at home.  so why have them on?  its partly a matter of cleanliness because who doesn't love a clean house?  but really?  your home is your special place!  your home is...well its my baby, and pride and joy.  I am pleased with the specialness of my house!  it isn't my house its my home, its my safe haven, my protection, my school, my life! and the yucky outside nastiness (in more than physical dirt) has no place here!

Following:  how do we follow someone? we watch their balance, we watch their steps, we watch their path and direction?  if it rings true? we follow them! 

this blog didn't turn out how I thought it would but I hope you enjoyed it!!
so at some point in my life...(in the past 8 years) I decided I was going to have a Foot Wall!  so now that I'm all grown up and have a house :)  I have a foot wall.  its at the entrance of my house...(coming and going...get it).  its not done?  I have some more things I want to put on it.  but I was tired of waiting till I got them :) I had these and I didn't want them sitting there collecting dust anymore :)  so I put these up and when I get the other stuff I will add and re-arrange :)