NO MORE PAIN

Hi There Guys;

I wanted to let you all know that Ellen passed away this morning around 7:30. She was in the Hospice section of the hospital. . .

We saw her over last weekend and when we went to visit her this past Wednesday, you could see in just 3 days how rapidly she was failing. I talked with her nurse and while we were there, I saw to it that Ellen be baptized. She never has been as a child. The Chaplain of the hospital came in and asked her if she wanted to be Baptized. She said yes. We've been talking about it for a while now and the opportunity never presented itself... Til now. Her honey, Rocky, her (BBB) Bruce and I were there with her. Along with Baptizing her, the Chaplain anointed her with oil, n gave Ellen her last rights.

On behalf of our whole family, I want to thank all of you for your prayers, your love and your support you have given her through her journey. Ellen has gone through soooo much pain and trauma. She kept bouncing back, pulling through all she had to endure, and fought it with all her might for such a long, long time. I know she couldn't have gone through it all without your Faith and support.

I hate this part of life, and it doesn't get any easier to bear each time we have to go through the death of another loved one. For us it was dad we lost in 2006. Then mom last September and now Ellen. We do know that they are happy now, free from all the pain n sorrow they went through. And I know God doesn't give us more than we can handle. But it's hard to keep your head up when these are happening so close together.

ThanQ so much for all your love and support, Ellen will be sadly missed!

Anni : (

3 Generations
MOM - ELLEN - DAD - PEGGY


If God Brings You To It, He Will Bring You Through It!
Your Faith Is A Gift From God!

I HAVE A DREAM

I have a dream, a song to sing, To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels Something good in everything I see,

I believe in angels When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy, To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while,

Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream, I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a song to sing, To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream, I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I have a dream, a song to sing

Sung By: ABBA

THE BATTLE

I wrote before in my "COURAGE" post about Ellen and I wanted to give you an update. But, first, I want to vent if you don't mind?

Ellen has fought this ugly, unforgiving battle with Cancer for the past seven years. She's gone through losing her breasts, her hair, through the pain of Chemo AND Radiation. She also came through reconstructive surgery of caging some of her vertebrae and surgery on her brain and on one of her eyes. She came through the doctors trying to rid the Cancer in her spine, and it also attacked her bone marrow.

In September, just before mom passed away, we got word from Ellen that it came back into her brain. Mom was going through some very serious health problems of her own so we thought it best not to put that on mom's plate.

Ellen told us that they were gonna try and shrink the Cancer in her brain but not to get her hopes up. She was truly living one day at a time. Then they told her to go home and enjoy the quality of life that she has left.

At that time, along with the pain n sorrow we all were feeling, I asked God that she would be able to enjoy one more Christmas with her family. We were there, her honey was there, all her kids and her 2 granddaughters. I was sooo happy she was here with us one more Christmas! ( Just like last year we shared a special Christmas with mom.) God heard and granted my prayer! At Christmas, we saw how her little body was getting very weak. Now it was up to the Lord when He will take her home.

It was so very hard seeing Ellen go through this battle for so many years. She is one of the strongest, bravest, and most courageous woman we've all loved and some of us has grown to love.

Ellen was admitted into the hospital last Thursday cuz she was vomitting for days. When we went to see her over the weekend, it just broke our hearts to see her suffer so much!! It's killing me inside to even talk about it! Tonight Rocky called Bruce and through both their tears he told Bruce they didn't do the procedure and he said that Ellen is being transferred to the Hospice part of the hospital to live out the rest of her days. Rocky told Bruce it could be anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks if that.

In your prayers, please pray for Ellen to be as comfortable and pain free as possible and for God to give her peace of mind during these last few days. ThanQ!

God Bless You And Warm Wishes

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

HOW OBSERVANT ARE YOU

Number your paper from 1 - 25. Answer these the best you know how. Then compare your answers with the answers below. Whether you get 1 or all right, just have fun!

Here we go!

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there in the USA? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty's torch?
4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell's soup label?
5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?
6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?

(Don't you dare get up to see!)
7. How many matches are in a standard pack?
8. On the United States flag is the top stripe red or white?
9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?
10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?
13. On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?
14. Which way do fans rotate?
15. How many sides does a stop sign have?
16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?
17. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?
20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
21. On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?
22. On which side of a mini blind is the stick that adjusts the opening between the slats?
23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?
25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?

ANSWERS

1. Bottom
2. 50
3. Right
4. Blue, red, white, yellow, black, & gold
5. 1, 0
6. Right
7. 20
8. Red
9. 87.7
10. Clockwise (north of the equator)
11. Towards bottom right
12. 12 (no number 1)
13. Left
14. Clockwise as you look at it
15. 8
16. Left
17. 5
18. 6
19. Bashful
20. 8
21. Ace of spades
22. Left
23. * & pound
24. 3
25. Counter

MODERN BABY MAKING

A little boy goes to his father and asks, "daddy, how was I born?"

The father answers: "Well son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your mom and I first got together in a chat room. Then I set up a date via and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall. And since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little pop-up appeared that said;

YOU'VE GOT MALE!

"A Friend of God"

MY OTHER MOTHER

(This was on a plaque I once gave Bruce's mom)

You Are My Other Mother
I Received The Day I Wed Your Son,
I Just Want To Thank You Mom
For The Loving Things You've Done!

You've Given Me A Loving Man
With Whom To Share My Life,
You Are His Loving Mother
And I'm His Grateful Wife!

You Use To Pat His Little Head
And Now I Hold His Hand,
You Raised In Love A Little Boy
Then Gave Me A Man.

Mom, I Want You To Know That You've Made Such A Difference In My Life. You've Taken Me Into Your Home, Into Your Life And Into Your Heart With Love And Total Acceptance. I Am Grateful You Love Me As If I Were Your Own. You Mean The World To Me, Mom, I Love You And Want The World To Know!
Forever Love,
Anni

MY ANGEL

I can't remember when my life started, but I know it was a looooong time ago. One of the best things in my whole life was having my sister, Jeannie. She meant everything to me! Because she was 5 years younger than me I wanted to be her protector, mother, confidante and advisor. I think I was all of that and most of all...she was my bestest friend in the whole wide world! We did everything together, especially eat pistachio nuts in bed at night while we were talking about boys. We loved how our fingers n lips got red from the dye on the shells. We liked to shell a bunch at a time and then eat them all at once.


When Jeannie was 10, she developed Diabetes. Back then we didn't know what the heck was going on in her little body. She was fighting for her life! She got so weak she couldn't stay awake for any period of time. The doctor made a house call on a Sunday evening and immediately called the ambulance to bring her to the hospital. He told us she wouldn't have survived through that night if she wasn't treated... So young with such a serious responsibility.

They told us she would not live a normal life. She would die before 30 and she would not be able to have children. Well, she truly proved them wrong in all aspects. She was a fighter and lived a wonderful life. For as long as she was able to. She lived to be 44 and had 2 great boys now with families of their own.


As our kids were growing up we were together every chance we got. We would go to the park or a public pool or beach, make a day of it and bring stuff for a picnic. We always got together to play cards or some board game. Her husband, Howard, was so competitive. He'd love a challenge. Howard has a brother, Gary. The boys were learning how to talk n called him uncle "gunk". We all call him gunk at one time or another. heheheee. We had so much fun together. We laughed so hard we'd cry, lose our breath and/or run to the bathroom. I still can hear her laughing n see her face as if it were here in front of me.


Throughout her life, Jeannie kept having episodes of trauma where she was hospitalized because of seizures or convulsions or in a diabetic coma. I remember one year she spent Christmas in the hospital. Mom brought a tiny white Christmas tree with red ornaments so she can have it with her in hopes to brighten her day. There were a lot of times we wouldn't know if she would come out of any of these episodes. Only God knew! N only God knows why, how n when He will call us home.


Jeannie died in February, 2000. The last few years were so painful to watch her go through all she had to. About 2 or 3 years before she died, her kidneys failed and had to be on a dialysis machine 3 times a week. I took her wherever she needed or wanted to go. She couldn't drive after a while. She loved when I massaged her back. That was one of her favorite little treats.


I live in West Virginia n went to North Carolina for most of those last 2-3 years. I wanted to be with her! I wanted to do everything I can to make her as comfy as possible.

I know she is without pain now, I know she is happy and healthy, and I know she is an angel of God, but it doesn't make it any easier to bear even 8 years later.



I thank God for giving us, Jeannie, even for a short time. She made our world a loving place to be a part of.

I love you, Jeannie - You Are My Angel!