Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Decade of Blessings

10 years ago I became a mommy. While other kids were making plans to become Doctors, and Lawyers, policemen, and firefighters, all I wanted to do was have a family. I was far too old to play with dolls, yet cuddling and nurturing a toy gave me a glimpse into the future I so desperately wanted.
The road to become a mommy was not simple. There was infertility and loss. I did everything right, yet seemed unable to have a baby. I made the painful conscious decision that if I were not blessed by having a baby of my own, I would make it my mission to be the best aunt, cousin, etc. to the children in my life. Not soon after making the proclamation to myself, I became pregnant... and stayed pregnant, and had my baby girl. The baby girl for whom I had dreamed of since I was old enough to dream.

Now, Juliet Kramer was not born the sweet, kind, and happy girl that you would see in her today. She came into the world with drama (I had pre-eclampsia with her and had to deliver her early), and she made her presence VERY known during the first three months of her life, as she had one massive case of colic that rendered her screaming for hours upon hours upon hours... and so on, and so on, and so on. I cannot believe that her vocal chords, and our dwindling patience, could handle such screaming.

During this time, we burned out 2 vacuum cleaners. It seemed the best thing to calm her was to turn on the vaccum cleaner; so if you had popped by our home during that time, you would find bleary eyed parents, watching closed caption television, and listening to a blaring vacuum cleaner running yet parked in the corner.

Those months are but a brief memory, and her addition to our life is irreplaceable. When we had Dylan nearly five years ago, I realized what completion felt like. Looking at perfection in my arms, my heart felt full, nearly overflowing.

Happiness and contentment for me is being a Mom. Knowing that someday my kids will look to me at where the bar should be raised as a parent is a huge responsibility; and one I do not take lightly. I make mistakes daily, and I wish I knew all the answers and pray that someday they will use my mistakes as lessons for themselves. I know there will be rough days ahead, but I am so grateful for every last day that has been behind us.

The bad moments don't even compare to the blessings that being parents have brought to our lives. Thank you, God, for giving us these two beautiful blessings to take care of for you. Now I just pray you stand by our side even closer as we approach the TEEN YEARS!!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Many thanks to Volunteers

This weekend our small town celebrated its 89th annual All Home Days celebration www.allhomeday.org Up until this year I always was so busy organizing different aspects of it that I barely got to appreciate all that it offered. This year I was able to attend it as a community member, as my husband stepped in to take my place and I simply was his helper from time to time.



What would we do without volunteers? So many wonderful things in our communities operate solely on volunteer help and donations, and so often the volunteers are not even thanked, actually from my experience they are often criticized. My parents were always very active in our community and I always felt it to be an obligation to be as well. As I have gotten older and am now having my own children volunteer, I have finally matured to realize that it is not an obligation, rather it is a priviledge to create a better world in my own community.



I would like to take this time to thank all of those who take precious time out of their weeks to work as:



Sunday school teachers

PTA members

Volunteer firefighters

Mentors

Program coordinators for various events

Environmental clean-up crew members

Sport coaches

Scout Leaders

Big Brother/Big Sisters

Library helpers

Meal delivery personal for elderly

and many many others...



My goodness, the list goes on and on...doesn't it? There are many other volunteers than what I have posted here and each one is very necessary and their work is greatly appreciated. If you get a chance this week, thank the volunteers in your own life. I guarantee, they will appreciate it, and it helps rekindle the spark in them to continue when they know they are making a difference in the lives of others.