Winter Season

Years ago I loved this time of year. The hours changing, the leaves falling, the changing of the season from fall to winter... I loved winter. I would relish in the thought that I could always put enough clothes on to be warm, but could never take enough off to be cool in the summer... so winter was my favorite time. Now, gazing at the peak of my mountain, I am not sure I like either season. I am more often cold than warm and I am increasingly finding that I dislike both seasons.

The world is to quiet this time of year. The morning is still dark and cold when I wake, and as I get in my car to travel to work, the light has barely taken over the dark. When I leave work to travel home, the light has once again lost itself and the darkness has taken over. The world is black in darkness and silent in the quiet. There's no children playing outside. No laughter coming from the streets. Just quiet. Lots of Christmas lights and trees glistening with bulbs but no laughter.

I'm ready for April!

Our Josie

How can you not love this little girl?

Jan & Bekah

This is one of my favorite photos of Jan & Bekah. Thanksgiving weekend at Vanderbilt University on our very first trip to Nashville. The girls couldn't pass up playing in the leaves and this reminds me of happy times.

Life is good when your family is happy.

Life happens...

Even when you're sitting down. My mom used to say that... and so it does. Life. Happens.

It's funny, how one can "feel" something and have no basis for the "feeling" -- that happens to me sometimes. I "feel" something is wrong with one of my children, or I "feel" the kids Granny is not well, or I "feel" something is about to happen... and a lot of times, my "feelings" are right.... and so it is today.

I have had a feeling that things were to quiet -- I kept thinking perhaps things are just busy or life was juggling to many things at once... and I was right -- life happens and one gets busy and from hours away I could feel that things were not right.

I had a talk with a friend tonight... she's sad and tired... feeling that life is just to busy right now... between children, looking for a job, and to many things happening at once, and I am ... well, I am to far away. What can I do to help this far away?

I listened. I suggested. I wished (and still do) that I were there. I am there in spirit.... Of course that doesn't really help when kids are hungry or diapers are dirty or hubby comes home & wants dinner...

Life happens... even when we are not watching... The thing to do from here is to take care of each other... and remember that nothing is more important than YOU.

Auntie with new baby, Abigail Rose Broadwater

Here's the newest addition to our family!! Little Abigail Rose Broadwater was born on October 18th, at 7:48 pm at the Cox South Hospital here in Springfield, MO. She was a whopping 5 lbs. 12 oz., and was 19-1/2" long! She has the most amazing hair and the longest fingers.

Holding her for the first time, I realized how very long we have waited for her arrival. Ben & Debbie have been married for over 11 years and until I held Abigail, I had not realized how very much I missed not being able to watch my sister's children grow.

I look forward to being involved with Abby's life. I can't wait to watch her grow and change... I can't wait to learn all there is to learn about our Abigail!

First Evening

I've always wanted to write. Years ago when life seemed much simpler, I dabbled in writing. I recall a couple of files (fondly I called them "books") I started long ago, on an old laptop that somehow has since wound up in the garage with the display screen out of order & after many years of laying in a box, I am sure has little to no benefit now.

But write I have always wanted to do. I've fantasized about writing the next best seller -- something extremely wild and unbridled, a scandal that one only dreams about being the main character in, or perhaps a novel based on thoughts & dreams of a small town girl grown up... So far, I've found little that needs to be published though a lot still to say.

I found this site thanks to my daughter-in-law, Jan, who with my son, Dan, lives in Nashville with their two dogs, Hubble & Maddie. They love the Nashville area and what I once thought was nothing more than a Country & Western song has fastly become a city that has lured me into its web & I have become entranced by its spell. I LOVE visiting Nashville. It is an amazing place.

I am not sure what will be posted here. Life's happenings as seen from the eyes of a 48 year old mother of three and grandmother of two... Happenings from the eyes of a small town girl, all grown up, with little more than a high school diploma, still learning, and growing, and ever watching the pages unfold.