The Day(s) that changed my life forever.

 Last week I read a blog from a lady who had just been diagnosed with diabetes. 
She titled her entry: "The Day My Life Changed".   She then went on to describe (complain) how much her life was going to change - the diet, the lifestle, the constant monitoring of her blood sugar, etc, etc. 

It made me STOP!  I mean . . . is diabetes the WORST that could happen? 
Really now! 
Wasn't  she being a little melodramatic here?

After thinking about it for awhile I decided
No . . . it isn't and she wasn't

She made me realize that all of us face joy, disappointments, sorrow, obstacles,

and victories that "change our lives forever". 

More importantly, I realized it happens often throughout our lives.

Maybe even daily!
Think about it. 

We all have traveled a road we did not ask for.
Our lives have zigged when we thought it should have zagged. 
Or maybe it even zigged when we wanted it to zig. 

WHICH BRINGS ME TO TODAY - SEPTEMBER 2, 2009.

40 years ago TODAY at about 4:30 pm my life was changed forever!!

I became a mother!! 

A precious beautiful son entered my life.
You've never seen such a cute baby - ever! 
Well . . . . except for my daughter.
And I'm not even the prejudicial kind.
Not one iota!



No longer could Marvin and I just SUDDENLY decide to leave the house and go somewhere.
It would require planning and carrying half the house - it seemed
And sleep - what was that?

My hearing became more astute.
I could now hear (having slept soundly before) a change in breathing or the beginning of a
cry or whimper, as my husband would be calmly and soundly sleeping next to me. 

I even began to develop those 'eyes in the back of my head' which most mothers have & which had always been a mystery to me before. 

It was a day that changed my life forever.  What a glorious day it was. 
40 years ago today. 

Spurred on by the blogger above.  I thought back to events that had somehow shaped my life and thus changed me forever.

It's not just the big things,
but the little things.
Not just the bad,
but the good.
Not just the choices we made,
but choices someone else had made. 

I had tended to think of events that change our lives forever, as only major negative events in our lives. 
I WAS WRONG! 

In reality, it applies to anything that changes us in any way.
Or affects us in any way.
Changed our opinion, our thoughts, our feelings, our actions,
our attitude, our habits, our . . . . . . . anything. 

Wow! 
For example:

• the day my parents packed and moved us all to a Free Methodist orphanage & retirement home to serve the God who was 'calling them'. 
• the day I decided to follow Jesus Christ.
• the day my grandfather moved in to live with us for 5 wonderful years.
• the day of the phone call that stated my teenage cousin had committed suicide.
• the day my my 6 y/o brother was injured and give a 50% chance of survival.
• the day we knew he would survive.
• the day I fell out of bed because my little sister's bear didn't have enough room! 
• the day my brother I I forgot to tell my Mom that we were going to the lower pasture and pick her a gorgeous bouquet of 'forget-me-nots'.  (We later met the "cavalry" she'd called to go look for us).  We 'forgot-me-not-' to tell her from then on. 
• the day I decided that nursing was the career I would follow.
• the day I realized my parents were actually intelligent people and did know what they were talking about - after all.  Who would have known? 
• the day I fell in love with the man of my dreams.
• the day my beautiful daughter was born.
• the day my 16 y/o son died.
• the day a friend came back into my life - at just the right moment.  No - actually, at just the right minute. 
• the day a poacher entered our property and viciously attacked my husband and left him for dead.
• the day I decided to 'take care of myself' - even if it was a little late in life.
• Last Monday when I decided to look fear in the eye and - with God's help - triumph.

We all look at life differently because of our life's experiences  -  that have 'changed us forever'. 
Our perspectives change because of our life experiences

My personal prayer is that I'm a better person because of all the days that have changed me. 
That I understand a little more,
am a little more compassionate.
I hope that I have not wasted all that I've gone through.
That I'm using my life lessons for good. 

Today, I've CHOSEN, I've made a conscious choice to celebrate how my son's birth & life changed my life forever. 

For the good!

• His wit!  How he made us all laugh.  How it seemed he felt it was his goal in life to make us laugh.
• How he could see the funny, the silly, the irony in most anything.
• His laugh!  How thinking of his laugh can still make me laugh.  It was his grandfather Sidney Malcolm's laugh, you know?
• How he taught me to note sadness in others , because he was concerned when someone else was sad.  
• How I learned all about the B-1, B-2, the space shuttle,  fighter jets and space travel because of his passion. 
• How he taught me to say "I'm sorry".
• How I HAD to learn to appreciate snakes, dirt bikes, jumping out of windows & off roofs.  All kinds of living beings;  box turtles, snapping turtles, frogs, crawdads, praying mantis, bugs, more snakes, and more snake,, and then even a few more snakes. 
• . . . . . and especially those little pull-firecrackers that he  tirelessly secretly rigged to the refrigerator and oven doors every July . . .

He did change my life forever

40 years ago today.
And for the next almost 16 years that he was with us here on earth.

For the good.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

"See you later alligator"

I love you
I miss you
I'm so glad I had you, even if it was for such a short time.
My life has been so much better because of you, Terry.
SO MUCH BETTER.
Mom