Big Friday! Vendredi Grande!

I do believe that sometimes a few more hours are sneaked into an extra long day--like yesterday. I'm most certain that there were about five extra hours slipped in on us and that God has a brilliant sense of humor.

In our Kairos meetings that we have for several Saturday mornings before a Kairos workshop one of our members, who has no sense of humor, says we should all be serious and "grave" in ministry. However, we are all like family and we enjoy each other's company. We laugh and joke with each other and get serious when we need to get serious. My response has been, that if you don't believe that God as a sense of humor, go to a mirror with that thought and see what we see. It is hilarious, dude.

At any rate, I digress, which is a typical ADD characteristic. I'm owning that big time.

Five in the morning, Mr. Bob Buttons has learned to understand in these past three weeks, that if the radio alarm goes off, the cell phone alarm follows and the wrist watch beeps. In his cat comprehension, he has figured that to meow for breakfast is fruitless until after the nine minute snooze. Smart cat.

Why is it that the snooze is nine minutes long and not five or ten? Who chose that number of minutes anyway? Perhaps it was the snooze fairy in alarm clock land from whence all alarm clocks with the snooze feature originate? Hmmm. Digression here.

My daughter spent the night so that I could get her up to her first class at the community college. I tried to make her eat some nuked frozen pancakes since she complained of being bored with biology class. I think things are far less boring if a morning meal has helped jump start your brain juices in the AM, but that's just a mom speaking. What do we know? Mr. Bob Buttons thinks, Both of them are going to leave me this morning...yet, I get twice the head rubs this morning. That one that's not here as often will leave twice the amount of food in my bowl. I like her.

I swung by the hospital to visit the local vampires. My GP ordered another test for my thyroid because the last one showed a high level of calcium. The nurse said all my cholesterol levels were good, though. That means I can eat pizza tonight? Heh, heh, heh, she chuckles as she rubs her hands together like one of Batman's arch villains.

At the hospital I had conversations with two ladies in waiting room A. One had fluid on her heart and peppered her speech with "Girl, you know..." like she'd known me forever. I felt very comfortable talking to her. She is definitely used to talking to people as if she's known them for years. There was a man on the other side of her who had one leg and his crutches were in the chair next to him. She pulled him into the conversation, too. He chuckled softly behind one hand.

An older lady came to sit next to me and we had her chuckling. Then Girlfriend was called to the back and so was One-Leg guy. Grandma told me that she was here for her niece, whose sister had just passed away. The one who'd passed was only 46 years old and had died of complications of lupus. The niece who was in the hospital was having surgery for something to do with lupus. While everyone else went to the funeral service, she'd agreed to be there at the hospital for this niece.


"She's such a tiny little thing and she didn't want to stay away from her mom. She's a mama's girl. But I told her she was going to stay with me when she gets out of the hospital. She stayed with her mama these last few nights. But her mama and the rest of them need to go to the funeral service and take care of the rest of the family. So she needs to stay with me. She'll be alright. But that lupus is nothing to play with," said Sweet Grandma.

"I know," I said. "Medical advancements have progressed such that with her taking care of herself and keeping in touch with her doctor she will be alright. And of course with daily prayer."

"Oh, yes!" Grandma agreed. "You are right! Prayer is essential. We do that everyday!"

The vampire nurse called my name. I let her suck out a vial of blood into a little tube.

"You're good to go, Ma'am!" she said. "That's it." Like: We will survive in vampireland with this little sample....until you return for your next donation. Mu-hahahahahahaha!

When I came out from the back with vampire nurse Sweet Grandma had moved to standing near the hallway. "Oh! Here comes my niece now," she said with a smile in her voice. "You will see how cute she is."

A nurse had wheeled Cute Niece's gurney out into the hall. She was a tiny little Cute Niece. The gurney looked like a double bed engulfing her. She was awake but groggy and she tried to smile at her Sweet Grandma Aunt. Her shoulder-length sandy-colored hair framed her tiny child-like face as if someone had combed it for her in the operating room. It was not much out of place considering what she'd been through.

"Well, you are cute," I grinned. "How are you feeling, niece?"

"I'm OK," she said weakly. My statement about her cuteness made her blush and smile as Aunt Sweet Grandma walked over to the side of her gurney.

"I'm going to be praying for you and your family," I said. "The quiet times I spend in my car is one of my times I pray."

"Oh, that is so nice!" smiled Sweet Grandma.

"Thank you," said Cute Niece.

"Her name is Megan," said Sweet Grandma.

I started to walk away. Then I remembered I'd put on a special cross necklace that morning. I took it off and walked back toward the gurney.

"This cross," I said, "was made from the plastic shopping bags from WalMart. I am a volunteer for a prison ministry called Kairos Prison Ministry. One of the volunteers has a son who is incarcerated. Since the son has returned to Christ, he makes these neclaces all the time. He gives them to his dad who gives them to us for donations to the ministry. This one is for you. I really want you to have it to remember that someone is praying for you---and that when you come through this, you will have a testimony to the awesomeness of God to share with others."

"Wow!" Cute Niece Megan exclaimed. "That was made with WalMart bags? That is beautiful! Thank you!"

"Thank you!" said Sweet Grandma. "From a WalMart bag! Imagine that!"

From the hospital I went to my first school. The young lady I check on is in a community-based class and they were working on the computer. She had an Intellikeys hooked up but she preferred the regular qwerty keyboard with large print stickers on the keys, her teacher explained.

Meanwhile her classmate, who is more verbal asked me about Jazz. "Where Jazz? I want see her!"

Jazz was Jasmine a former student I'd first had as a preschooler and then as a consult student in elementary grades. I used to take both girls to my room because they'd play off each other--although this one was not my student. Both were wheelchair users. She'd not forgotten me or Jazz since elementary school and she always asks at every monthly visit if I know where Jazz is. Jasmine used to keep her laughing and she used to help keep Jasmine working for me. They were so funny together. I miss Jazz too and I wish I knew where she'd gone. I figured she was the same age as my daughter so she must have graduated. But where did she go?

The teacher in that class and I have known each other for a while from other schools. She'd heard that another former principal had passed and told me about the progress of some other former students. Then she and her class left for a field trip.

The para from my home school texted me asking if I still had the keys to the classroom. I texted back, "No. Is that something else I'm being accused of?" Her teacher, whose class I had last semester, is obsessed with me in the negative way. She heard what a great job I was doing with the class and decided she needed to tell her doctor that she was to return immediately after Christmas. Upon her return she felt it was her duty to let everyone know that I had actually done everything wrong and that the children had actually not learned a thing in her absence.

"Yes," the reply text came. "We R going on a field trip. I want 2 lock my purse."

I replied, "U R welcome 2 lock yr purse n our office. I'm sure Mrs. W (the hearing impaired resource) is there & she'll lock it up 4 U. Where is the field trip?"

"Bowling alley."

"OK, I will show up there 2 greet u all. I'm sure C will b happy 2 c me."

"LOL! U r crazy!"

Of course I wasn't interested nor would I have the time in real life. It's just that whatever I do seems to upset the lady. So it's become a running joke. Thursday morning my simple "Good morning!" seemed to set her off. Poor thing. What a miserable life she has to lead in that sad little world of petty jealousy and...well, just pettiness. I keep her in my prayers.



I decided that, instead of going to Mr. Hebrews 13:1-3's [This kid is the "Angels Unaware part of that Scripture.] class today that I would complete some work I needed to do for him. This was a short week due to the Mardi Gras break. I'd do him justice if I play with this Overlay maker and make more Dolch list flashcards in Braille and them take them first thing Monday morning.

I took the Classroom Suites program down to the resource class and that teacher was so very grateful. Monday I will show her the details as to how she can use it with her kids, whether they have sight or not. It is a great program.

While I was there, she was venting to the site facilitator who was listening patiently. I was glad she felt comfortable enough with me to vent. She was rather upset that one of her kids was going to another school and that the mom was blaming her for things beyond her control. Having that program installed cheered her up.

Later that evening, the reading coach invited me out to dinner with her and a group of teachers. "We are just going to meet at T.J. Ribs for dinner and a little get together. I hope you can come!"

I knew it would be good for me to go since during and after chemo I was always tired and my social life was at a snail's pace. I called Hunnee to see if he wanted to go 'cause his social life is about like mine--or worse---of late. He had to stay with his grandson to take him to state testing practice.

So I went and although some in the small group looked surprised to see me there, everyone was happy. I don't drink alcohol but I do eat food and I do love a good fellowship. It was a good time. I met another Christian lady and we talked like we'd known each other for years. I actually stayed awake after 10PM! My daughter and Mr. Bob Buttons were not waiting up for me. I have a feeling Mr. BB was laying in wait for the 5AM alarm.