Pink Moon Rising

I’ve had an ugly head and chest cold this week.  There are so many things I could say about that, but you’ve all experienced the congestion, the coughing, the sneezing, the phlegm!  The thing that is hanging on, and really bothering me at the end of this virus, is this:  I can’t smell or taste anything! UGH! Been there?

I have a hot cup of green ginger tea with honey next to me as I write today, but those sips are tasting like…well…hot water.  I know the tea and honey are doing good things in my throat, but the joy of tasting is not there. 

I know my son made breakfast today, complete with bacon and fried potatoes. However, I cannot smell any of it.  It makes a difference.

I am diffusing Thieves© Essential Oil all over the house so that our immune systems can get built up, the house can be disinfected, and Thieves also dissolves excess mucus. I’ve been oiling with RC © and Raven© Essential Oils, too. These are all strongly scented oils, but I can’t smell them at all.

Sometimes, I can get so caught up in the busy-ness of life that when something happens that slows me down, I get frustrated.  Can you relate?  😉 The day-to-day routine takes over and I forget to enjoy the in-between joys.  We all know we are supposed to stop and smell the roses, so why don’t we do it more? 

Today, even if I wanted to, I would not be able to smell any roses.  I know this virus will work itself out of my body eventually.  The cough and congestion will end and my life will resume.  I may just put a reminder to myself about a month out on my calendar to stop and smell…pay attention to…the scents of life and joy.

Mark your calendars for Friday morning, April 19, just before dawn to go outside and take a look at the Pink Moon! Have a blessed day.

Panda's Birth Story

Birth stories: do you know yours? It's those bits of information that your parents share around your birthdays. I still like hearing my Mom tell about how the maternity ward was being remodeled so I was born in the men's ward of the hospital. It's kind of grounding to hear the stories about those first days.

Panda turns 32 this week.  My firstborn.  We call her our Angel Baby; Man of the House made You Are My Special Angel her song. I've been thinking about her birth story:

April 3, 1987, was your due date. Your Dad was leading music at a weekend revival service in Phoenix   We left our house knowing we would be bringing our baby back with us. 

We were staying in someone else's house, sleeping on a waterbed. I'd never slept on a waterbed, so it was so uncomfortable!  LOL  But they were being so sweet and generous that I couldn't tell them. I felt like a beached whale and couldn't move all night. 

 April 6, 1987: what a long day that was! We went to the doctor first thing that morning and he did something to soften my cervix so it would dilate. Then, we walked. LOL

First it was the Fiesta Mall in Mesa. Your Dad finally realized we were having a baby and spent tons of money in the toy and book stores. We ran into an old friend from college there and she said I didn't look big enough to be having a baby yet. That made me smile. As the day wore on, I became increasingly more uncomfortable, but every time we checked back into the hospital, they said, "Not Yet."

Our next adventure was a visit to Home Depot/ They were fairly new at the time and being who he is, Your Dad wandered the aisles like a drug addict in a pot field.  I sat on the edge of the wood piles and rubbed my tummy.

It was close to dark by now, and Your Dad decided we should check out Show Biz Pizza (which is now Chuck E Cheese's).  By now, you were making your move and I had no appetite. I kept going to the restroom.  One trip, one of the celebrity guests was in the hallway by the restrooms. It was Ladmo of the Wallace & Ladmo Show. He saw my distress and wished me well, which I thought was kind of him. 

As we left the pizza place, I reclined my seat and told Your Dad that he needed to get me to the hospital.  Not wanting to be sent away again, he decided to stop at a softball park and watch a few innings of girls' softball to pass the time.  I was not interested,

The reason we kept getting sent away from Labor & Delivery, we found out later, was due to "copy-cat contractions." I was having contractions every 5 minutes - 3 minutes - 5 minutes - 3 minutes and so they weren't thought of as consistent. The last time we went back, I was having difficulty breathing through the contractions and couldn't talk.  They finally admitted me.

Grandmom & Granddad drove up and got there in time for My Dad to pray one great Baptist prayer (that's what the nurse called it) over us before I went into the last part of active labor.

April 7, 1987: You decided to do a major flip before making your full entrance and this made your umbilical cord warp around your neck. Your heart rate decreased significantly and everyone went into full medical mode. . The birthing room was instantly changed into a surgery room, complete with instruments nearby.  The seasoned doctor cut your cord and said he would give me three chances to push and then he would do a c-section if you still weren't out. So, with everything I had, I pushed.

At 3:13 A.M. Your Dad says you shot out of there like a cannon. There was a pillow under the doctor's hands but he caught you. LOL  You cried.  I asked, "Who is it?"  They brought  you to me and you stuck out your lower lip in a pout and then began to wail.  We'd had quite a day and night and we were both tired and ready to sleep! 

Later that day, family and friends came to see you and everyone was so excited to have you here!  I held you and fed you and I remember thinking, "I have a best friend now for the rest of my  life." 

Spring is Coming!

I’ve been watching a pair of cardinals build a nest in a tree out back.  The shot of red as they pass a window catches my eye.  It’s been a forever-long winter this year, with enough snow and rain to overfill the rivers and keep the trees bare of leaves.  Yet, these two redbirds know that spring is on its way, and so are the little cardinal babies that will hatch in this nest.  Their instincts are stronger than their sight.  They continue to gather the materials to build a strong nest They picked the perfect spot where two branches come together to keep the wind from knocking their hard work to the ground.  And, above all, they sing while they work.  They sound excited and happy as they sing out to each other.  Soon, one will be looking for food while the other keeps the eggs warm.

I’m eager to hear the sounds of baby cardinals in the trees.  By then, the leaves will be out and the branches will be full.  We won’t be able to see the nest anymore, but we’ll hear the sounds of life.  And, if I’m lucky, and I pay attention, I may have the privilege of seeing a few little cardinals fly out of the tree and begin to explore the world.