Just North of Texas...

Yes, I am still on the Texas kick. Yes, I am still in the healing process. Yes, I am having difficulties with this whole thing. I am not sleeping, I am weepy, I am not myself. Yet I turn my thoughts again to what still haunts me most. Maybe if I continue to write about it, I will heal faster. Maybe it's God's will that I take this deep journey. I don't know; I only know that my fingers insist on typing. Sometimes I go back and read what I typed and don't even remember where the words came from. It's like I am being guided by unknown hands. Anyways...

Just north of Texas is this wonderful state called Oklahoma. It is home to Oklahoma Raiders, to Oklahoma City and to a wonderful woman by the name of Sarah. Sarah is a new friend but is indeed a wonderful friend!! I met her at my online home of http://www.treasurestoscrap.com/. When I first found out that my sister was sick again, I shared my story with my online friends at TTS. I had asked my sister what I could do to help. She replied, "help keep my spirits up." Well, sheesh, how was I supposed to do that when I was in Minnesota and she was in Texas. So I put a message on TTS asking for ideas. I had already decided that I was going to buy and make cards and send Laurette a card everyday! Just something silly and fun! The gals at TTS came up with a ton of different ideas. (Candy, music CD's, lotions, candles, anything to enhance all her senses that were not yet effected by cancer.) Sarah, who I didn't know yet, went the extra mile and started a RAK (for those of you who do not know this is a Random Act of Kindness) for me and got a bunch of the girls to create blank cards to send to me so that I could send them to Laurette. Wow! I thought what an awesome, unselfish gift for a complete stranger.

A few days later, Sarah and I were chatting on line and I found out that we are also sister's. We are both MaryKay Consultants. I told her that her generosity should be awarded with the Miss Go Give award. (This is an award that MaryKay gives to consultants who have given of themselves expecting nothing in return...not only to other MaryKay consultants but in everyday life. It is not something you can earn...it is truly a way of life.) Sarah humbly stated that it was nothing.

I was very please to find out that two days later Sarah was awarded her units Miss Go Give award! She so deserved this. Not just for her RAK to me but she also listened and comforted me during this whole thing. She gave me her home number, her cell number and told me that whatever I needed when I was in 'her neck of the woods' give her a shout! She chatted with me everyday online. Sunday night at about 11:30 I really needed someone to talk to so I went online and no one was there. About 30 seconds later, in popped Sarah. She said she just had a feeling that I needed her!!

This brings me full circle...whenever we are in need, God supplies! Whatever it is we need, God supplies! Sometimes it is not exactly what we think we need, but we need to trust that God will give us EXACTLY what we need, when we need it! God gave me Sarah on that evening. 4.5 hours later my sister passed away. God knew that I needed Sarah's wisdom and friendship. Thank you God and thank you Sarah. You so deserved that prestigious award. You truly are Miss Go Give!!

As I am sitting here today writing in my blog, my Mother calls me and tells me her home town (my summer playground when I was growing up) was severely hit by a tornado last night. There is almost nothing left undamaged in this little town of 945 people in N.D. My Mother is all a dither. (Yes I said dither! It is a word she uses frequently!) I calmly ask her if all of our cousins are okay? Yes! Is her sister okay? Yes! Is her aunt okay? Yes! She says, but there is nothing left of the trailer park, the school's gym roof is gone, there is a tree sitting in the living room on my cousin's house and on and on and on. I said Mother!!! Stop!!!! Only one person died. Everything else is material. Count your blessings!!!! She stops, we pray for the man who lost his life, and we thank God that the farm is still standing, our relatives are fine, and not one person in the nursing home or the hospital or the shelters got hurt.

As I leave you today, I ask you to put aside hatred, put aside your arguments, put aside petty disagreements. Life is way too short! I would rather spend my time with family, friends and loved ones than to think about anything else. If today was the last day of your life, what would you do? Who do you have unfinished business with? What would you regret not doing?

Blessings