Laughing is A Must Have

Life changes on a dime, and if I have learned ANYTHING in my almost sixty years, it is you HAVE TO LAUGH!!!! Also I believe we have children, to keep us laughing.
My kids have a wicked sense of humor, and seem to enjoy making me howl.
Brian and Hart hold the prize, but all the other Baron Bunch have their way too.
I'm a proud momma, comedians for kids.
Not one day, not ONE, do I not laugh out loud. I repeat, NOT ONE DAY!!!
Recently Hart has turned me on to a TV show, that has put him at the top of the children pedestal!!
An Idiot Abroad, The Bucket List. The premise is simple, a man, takes another persons bucket list, and attempts to find joy!!! Most of our lists are not the same, I know climbing mountains, of any height is not on mine. Nor is any jumping off of bridges or out of planes. So you can see, one man's bucket list, is not necessarily the other mans. This does not even sound that funny as I type, and it is hysterically funny. The man they send on all of these jaunts, is a miserable fuddy duddy. He has a hard time, finding anything that even makes him smile, so this is torture for him. Plus he is British, need I say more? What a funny lot of people, those Brits. Ricky Gervas is one of the producers, genius!
Thank you number three son, for just being you.

56 months = 4.8 years

Next week there will be a, not so gentle, reminder of my Ward's death. The 13th of every month, the breathe leaves my body, just like on that horrible day. Yet I get dressed and keep moving, and continue to see hope, joy all around me.
This year the class of students that we have had the pleasure of learning from, have restored my hope in the future. Note, that all years are NOT like this one!! No amount of adjectives can explain what they have brought to my life. The desire to learn is such a powerful tool. Each day, they explode with prior knowledge, and hang , like sheets on the clothesline, to each and every story that we tell. We read John Steinbeck's The Pearl, this year, to the advance class of English learners.
The flow of his written words, grabbed them, and held on for weeks. THE PEARL, I just did not see it coming, loving books is so rare. Not knowing the English Language and loving to read, a miracle!!!
These kids are not just smart, they have huge hearts. Brilliant minds, generous hearts, middle school ELL students, my working life complete.
So I think now would be a good time to retire, "go out" knowing that our world will have the best of the best. Diversity is a beautiful thing, we are the world!! ( Had to throw in my hippie days!!)
Each week my kids, write in a journal, here is an excerpt. This young man from Taiwan had lost his 98 year old grandmother......"We will miss my grandma. We are happy because, she finished her responsibilities." That is the most precious thing I have ever seen written about a death.
I'm not dead, but I have come to the end of my responsibilities at school, and my cup runs OVER!!!
This 13th of the month, I will pause, reflect and know, that Ward was finished here on earth, and find peace.

Christian FISH

March continues to surprise us, harsh storms with funnel clouds!!, very warm weather(my car temp read 81 this week), and damn near winter this morning!!! I'm looking for that pot of gold balance. This lion and lamb thing is making me spin, and not like a ballerina!
I think we all get so anxious to, dig in the dirt, way before its spring. Things are blooming, and the fish is frying. March brings the season of Lent to us, beckoning us to give up something??? I usually give up, thinking about giving up something. This rule makes no sense to me, AND if you do give up something for Lent, I don't need to here about it. I confess to loving, Christian Fish, as my son refers to it, every Friday during Lent. We are all so diligent in not eating fried foods, that the yearly Easter season fish fry, is awesome. Our neighborhood catholic church cranks this fish out, and we give the money back to the church. With one exception, our bodies are so not accustomed to fried foods, that we have been sick for two Fridays now!!! That devil grease, he can be so clever. So I guess we will give up fried fish for Lent, and this is just between God and myself!!! I feel kind of lucky this year, I finally have something to give up!!! and I'm telling everyone! Blasphemy, I do not even follow my own rules.
Now I know why at this time of year, it is called March Madness!!!! Christian Fish!!! and Easter, hard boiled eggs, who makes this stuff up???

It's Just A Hug!!

Not in a million years could I imagine, that February is about over. Time baffles me, it just vanishes. This month is forever associated with love, so I will exit the month with another "Bill" story.
Hubs was picking me up from work last week, while his car was being repaired. He was taking his "Driving Miss Daisey" very seriously. Curb service, and conversation, came with the pick-up!! After assisting in teaching English to students, who do not speak English, all day, I don't have much to say at the end of the day. I am near talked to death, and "Spent" as we say in the South!!! However it being the month of love, I listened. He had been to the eye doctor, and I was on the receiving end of the details." Blah, blah, blah, I'm not blind yet,( is he still talking?), why do people have to hug?" "What are you talking about husband of mine?" "The nurse always hugs me, when I arrive and when I leave, I don't get all the hugging?" GAWD......"Honestly you would think some of the South would have softened your Northern exterior after all of these years!" "We hug big and often, we press people to our bosom!" " Strangers, animals, toddlers, people we work with, the Pope, gas station people!!! we hug, that is what we do!" " We cling, we nestle and squeeze the life out of you! be nice to the nurse and pat her on the back!" and..." if she grabs your ass, say "Thank You"!!!" " That is another lesson!!!"
Bill's car was ready to be picked up the next day!!!! We laugh!!!

Practical, What Did You Say?

Begin to paint or decorate a room in your house, and let the "Mother Tuckers" fly.
Bill and I have been married, I think, almost 32 years? Longer then I lived with my family, or lived in Jacksonville. Crazy long, and we are complete opposites!!! Laughter is the glue that keeps us afloat, and a good tablespoon of love thrown in.
While watching our kids paint the den this weekend, I requested my fill of Starbucks coffee, in case they needed me to hover and give directions!!! Bill tried to give me the "eye", which he has never perfected, saying," You know coffee puts you to sleep!" "Is that a problem?" Hmmmmm...whispered muh?? When in his dry, Bob Newhart way, " You are Special!"
"I KNOW YOU MEAN SPECIAL LIKE MOVIE STAR SPECIAL, RIGHT!!!" replied the ghetto Barbie Bonnie!!!
We laughed, we always laugh. OF COURSE, I had my coffee and lots of it, and went to sleep, the den looks great. Then came decorating the mantle, with books, many old books, turned in all directions. Stacked high, like an old used bookstore. Bill has never had an opinion about design, but this day he said, " Why do you have the spines of the books facing the back, its not practical?" "DO you even know me?, hubby of many years?" "PRACTICAL is you, I'm not even near the box of practical. Look at the artistic flow of the books, their ragged edges, the stories they hold." We laugh.

Houston, We Have A Problem....

As of late, people have had their panties in a twist(wad sounded gross) because Whitney Houston is getting much attention in death. I, on the other hand, cannot hear enough, or see enough about the darling angel. Sure she was an addict, a crack ho, an alcoholic, whatever you choose to call her, but she was also someones baby girl, friend, mother, sister and my friend. My friend is a stretch, but there is love in my heart for her. She lost her voice, literally, and lost her life at her own hands. She was devoured by demons, from the inside out. Bad choices were made. Broken without a voice, is a horrible way to die, I think? The struggle of addiction, is all to near to my family. My precious Ward died at the age of 25, with a syringe next to his body, and we celebrate his life all day everyday, with JOY and LOVE.
When Whitney lived in Atlanta, many a time, our paths crossed. Once outside a flower shop, I had her sign my bunch, (above photo). At that time, I came home and bawled like a baby, telling my family that she was gone. Her instrument was used up, and no serenade would we be hearing anytime soon, that was nine years ago.
On Saturday I will be at "church" with the Houston's, via my TV or computer, maybe both, to send her home. That voice filled with the breath of heaven, repaired and whole.
One of her many songs, "How will I know?"keeps playing over in my head. "How will I know when somebody loves me?" You will know, I promise.

"You Have some Splainin to Do!"

I have many questions, daily!!! they are my pulled hamstring , go with it!!!
While trying to make my face this morning, I discovered a stray chin hair, that required a hair roller!!! Here comes the questions.........Dear God, why in the world would you increase a woman's chin hairs when our eye sight is failing us?? and they are white!!! I'm almost to the point of wearing tweezers around my neck!!!! There is a flaw in your design, and I know you are perfect. We need to talk. Give all the overgrowth of hair to prisoners, they have all the time in the world to pluck. Oh yea, I get it, they cannot have tweezers, or..maybe they can?? Change is good, that is what you tell us. Also....what is the muffin top roll of fat, that jumps on us all after forty, Good Lord regulate peoples hormones. Mother Mary, talk to your son.
I know, blessings, I have a ton.
My big question, or maybe it is a thought for you to ponder, never, never take a mom's child from her. It's too much, even with your help.
Need to run, talk later.
Your child
Bonnie