Whew!

Well, we did it, folks! With your generosity, I have met my minimum requirements for fundraising for the American Lung Association and the Trek Across Maine.

Thank You, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!!!

Of course, I'd love to do more than the minimum, so if you are still inclined to give you can do so right up until Wednesday (June 11) evening. Just click my donation link on the sidebar and go for it!

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Wow, what a whirlwind the past several weeks have been! I have been "right on screech" almost every day. The main time suckers have been preparing for the Trek (those 3-4 hour rides eat up a good part of the day) and taking care of GrammaJ (another 2+ hours per day). Then there's the usual homeschool and housework and 4-H and church.

The Trek is next weekend and after riding 180 miles, I probably won't want to ever get on a bike again (at least for a week or two!), so that will remove some of that stress.

GrammaJ is also improving daily. Although it's going to be several more weeks (perhaps months) before she'll have full use of her hands. In the meantime, she needs help with dishes and tying things and buttoning and kitty litter and washing her hair and opening jars or chopping food etc.

I usually go over in the morning and try to get her all set for the day. But I have today off because our chiropractor's wife has taken a shine to GrammaJ and is going to spend the morning with her. I am so happy to not be going anywhere today.

SO HAPPY!!!!!!

Some folks thrive on a go-go-go schedule, but not Groovy. Groovy needs time to be alone and time to be still and days without constant demands. Having to go somewhere all the time makes Groovy very stressed. Groovy would make a lousy student or nine to fiver! God is good, though and He has helped me to keep a reign on selfishness and anxiety. I have truly enjoyed the opportunity to care for my mom (It's been especially helpful that Mulletman has been supportive). Nonetheless, today - as a day of rest - will be a good day!

A GOOD DAY!!!!!!

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Spending so much time with GrammaJ does have it's funny moments. She and I were sitting in a waiting room killing time before her therapy appointment and she was filling me in on all the latest gossip at the transportation office. (This office is responsible for the cute little buses that take Po Folk to their medical appointments.)

GrammaJ: That Connie over there is a REAL grouch. I always feel like she's mad at me. I have no idea how such a crabby lady has kept a public service job like that for so long!

Groovy: How long has she been there?

GrammaJ: Well, I'm not sure. D told me she's been there for seventeen years, but last week S told me it had only been ten.

Groovy: So basically, the scoop is that she's been there a long time...right?

GrammaJ: (Raises her eyebrows in shock at Groovy's densness, because obviously Groovy is missing the whole point that a conspiracy is at work.) There's a BIG difference between seventeen years and ten years! (GrammaJ screws up her face in deep thought) I mean, that's like...SEVEN years difference!

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It was a bizarre week at church. We got the news on Monday morning that a friend's father had passed away. He wasn't that old - maybe in his 50s, with no known medical problems. He went to bed Sunday evening and died in his sleep. His wife tried to wake him up the next morning and he was gone.

Fortunately, he had a strong relationship with the Savior.

At any rate his wife was so understandably overwrought that she asked our pastor to plan the funeral. So it was on Wednesday, only the third day since he had died!

They had the funeral in this little funeral home in a tiny nearby town. The funeral home was in an old, OLD house and was made up, in old Maine house fashion, of several little rooms all separated by doorways. There were about 25 guests seated in each little room, none of which who could actually SEE the family or the podium or the (shudder) open casket. They all just sat and stared at the tasteful wallpaper and listened to the service on a speaker.

Totally weird.

Mulletman and I and our friend Mary were all asked to do music for the family. While we waited, we sat in chairs in a hallway one behind the other. Mulletman had to hold his guitar straight up on his lap for the whole service so we didn't block the way to the bathroom.

Mary's song was first. It's one that she usually does quite well, but she sounded really off. She forgot some words and left off ending consonants and just sounded, well, not her best. When she came back to our little hallway choo-choo train she told me that A. She was only 2 feet from the open casket when she sang and B. the wife of the deceased sang with her and cried during the entire song. I started crying and thought, "Oh great...and I'm next!"

Mulletman and I worked our way to the podium when the pastor gave us the cue. Two feet away from a dead body. Yeah. I know his spirit wasn't there, but folks, I'm 44 and this was my first dead body. Ever.

I sang with my eyes closed!

And I didn't cry until after I got back to my seat. Whew!

We made it through and the family was very grateful for the service and the music, but Mulletman and I spent pretty much the rest of the day in "coping" mode (Mulletman is a cardiac nurse. He sees dead bodies on a frequent basis, but it's a lot different when it's someone you know or recognize!) and praying for the family.

That night we had practice with our church's worship band. After practice, talk turned to the peculiarities of the funeral, then we prayed and I completely lost it. Not crying - no, no. Laughing. I absolutely could not stop because our sound man started our prayer time by saying, "Thank you Lord for reminding us that we are but vapors..."

My brain never got any further than that.

I am so ashamed.

I am also SO Glad we serve a merciful God!

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OK. I am off to spend time with the girlies and putz around the house and contemplate cleaning the floor (ha,ha,ha) and spend some time working on my novel.

Have an awesome day!