Country Music = Heart!

I just love being a part of the Country Music Community.  I have never worked in any other musical format and I never will.  Country music is about the melody, the lyrics, the story, and the heart. 

Country artists drop what they are doing every summer just to return to Nashville to meet with, and entertain their fans at the CMA Music Fest.  Garth Brooks once signed autographs there for 36 straight hours!!  This is also a format that pays attention to radio.  They understand that about 90% of Americans still get their first introduction to new music ON THE RADIO!!  They also understand the absolute necessity of connecting with their fans.  And no format does that better than Country Music.

What I love most though, is that Country Music is about everything we love.  God, family, the United States Of America, and helping neighbors.  That is what Country Music did last night during "Healing In The Heartland".  They opened their hearts, showed their tears, shared their talent AND their money, and they helped people heal.  Nothing does that better than music, and no music does that better than Country!

Wedding Season

Weddings.  If your first thought is "expensive" you are probably right!  However, think back to the most memorable weddings you have been to.  What is it that you remember most?  The dress?  Bridesmaids?  Flowers or cake?  No.  The most memorable weddings are fun, unusual, and comfortable!  If you are sitting around all dressed up and miserable it doesn't matter how much money was spent on the day...YOUR memory is of misery!

So if you are planning a wedding, you should think about what you want most.  Is it about YOU wearing a really expensive dress and being a princess for a day?  Mom, is it about impressing the people you invite?  If it is about the celebration of love then make it a celebration!  I think about Blake and Miranda's wedding.  She made it memorable with atmosphere.  It was not her dress others copied...it was the creative "broach bouquets" she had!  She created those because she loves the vintage look.  It was also the wedding arch made of deer antlers covered in twinkle lights.  Chosen because Blake loves deer!

The best wedding I have ever been to (and that includes my own) was my son Adam's.  It was on the beach at South Padre Island.  We were all barefoot, the sun was setting over the Gulf of Mexico, the groom wore khaki, and the party was fabulous!!  I remember the atmosphere of love...not money.

Given the statistic that we talked about a couple of weeks ago:  8 out of 10 marriages that end in the first 5 years end because the couple is financially stressed over paying off a much-too-expensive wedding...

Taking It Personally

So many of you have often told me that when they think of the American Soldier they think of MY American Soldier.  It is no secret that our son, Eric, is in the Army.  He is stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas.  He is a United States Army Cavalry Scout.  He is a qualified High Altitude Sniper.  He is still my baby.  Roger Robicheau expressed it in a poem that says it all for me...

My Soldier's Mom

My child, you glow in uniform
In pride I live, my heart so warm

I have such precious thoughts cascade
Some old, some new, not one will fade

How hard that day we said good-bye
The joy, the pain, etched in my eye

You left to serve our country well
My perfect one, my tears did swell

No better soldier could there be
For in my love, that's all I see

Oh how I pray for you each day
Be safe, be well, God guide your way

I keep your home in wait with me
Your Mom will guard it faithfully

How great the day when you'll return
We'll talk and talk, night-lights to burn

My Soldier's Mom, is who I am
While you serve proud, for Uncle Sam

****
Thank You to all who have served, who are serving, and to those who died while serving Our Country!

16 Minutes

As a parent I cannot imagine waiting to hear my child's name yelled through a bull horn to find out if they are alive or dead.  And yet many parents in Moore, Oklahoma are going through this exact scenario.  An act of nature, so powerful and devastating it is unimaginable to most of us, hit their town with less than 16 minutes notice.  What can you do in 16 minutes?  Can you save your child?  Can you get just one more hug?

Please take the time to donate to the American Red Cross.  Text Red Cross to 90999 to donate $10 or go on line to www.redcross.org. 

Carry The Load!

The wonderful state of Texas has a new license plate you can buy...and it is CAMO!!  You can also personalize it, as we already have!  Check it out at www.myplates.com. The best part is that partial proceeds go to "Carry the Load" which is an organization that honors and benefits veterans, active military and all first responders.

According to an artical at WFAA.com, a former Navy SEAL named Clint Bruce co-founded the organization with fellow former SEAL Stephen Holly in 2011 because he was so angry that people had forgotten what Memorial Day is supposed to be honoring.  Last year, Carry the Load lauched a walking relay from West Point to Dallas, and invited anyone along the way to join and he ended up with about 500 walkers.  This year, the murder of Bruce's close friend, Chris Kyle, focused national attention on SEALs and sacrifice.  This year, we felt the deaths of 12 volunteer firefighters in West.

Clint Bruce said, "They did what they did because they thought America was worth it.  We're just challenging America to prove it."  And America seems to be looking for a way to show gratitude.  Suddenly, thousands are stepping up to Carry the Load.  "To go from 500 in 2011, to north of 20,000 this year is pretty spectacular.  It's an encouraging thing about America." 

Clint Bruce is just glad more Americans are pausing to consider the price of a peaceful day, and are willing to carry just a little of the load that was carried for them.  For information on how you can help, go to www.carrytheload.org.

Bravo, Angelina!

Bravo to Angelina Jolie for her brave decision to let the world know about her choice to have a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer.  She said she made the choice to be tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations and found she had an 86% chance of getting breast cancer.  Her mother died of cancer at the age of 56. 

The test is a simple blood test.  The aftermath is the tough part.  If you have the mutations, a double mastectomy reduces your chances of getting breast cancer by 90 to 95 percent!  Reconstructive surgery is usually done at the same time.  For Angelina Jolie, this has been a three month process, but she can tell her six children that she has less than a 5% chance of breast cancer taking her away from them like it took her mother away from her.

How do you know if you should be tested?  If you have a close family member (mother, sister, grandmother) who has had the disease you need to get tested.  There is a very good chance your health care will cover the cost.  And one of the things Angelina Jolie stressed is that reconstructive surgery has come a long way in the past few years. 

From The Mom Files

We had lunch yesterday with our youngest child, Rachel, and were laughing over her selective memories from her younger years.  It just made me think about how very different each one of our kids were. 

Even when punishing them, we had to do that differently with each child!  Adam, our first born, was always such a social kid, his worst punishment was being grounded to his room.  He would sit right in the doorway and look out longingly.  Eric was, well, stubborn.  He gets that from his father who is the most stubborn man I have ever known.  I knew Eric had to be tough and stubborn to have survived his early and difficult birth...but geez!!  All I can say now is that that quality serves him well in the military.

Rachel's worst punishment always came from herself.  She doesn't like failure.  She never liked to disappoint, and Mike could make her cry with "The Dad Look".  The most amazing thing about motherhood is finding, after all the raising is done, that you really LIKE the people your children have become.
That is something to hang on to during the long, sleepless nights with your little one in your arms.  Happy Mother's Day!

Laws Schmaws...Let's Just STOP!

How long can we say "It will never happen to me" before it happens to you?  I am sooooo guilty!!  Watch the Tim McGraw video and ask yourself if you have had a close call on the road with your cell phone?  I have.  In fact, I have done just what the girl in the video has done!  Dropped the phone on the floor and tried to pick it up while driving.  I did that just once and nearly killed myself and someone else as well!  In fact, when I looked up I was heading straight for a car with 4 people in it.  They looked terrified and I swerved just in time.  But just how many chances do we get?

I know we talk about laws banning texting and driving, but we have got to start policing ourselves!  We should not need a law to make us stop doing something that is clearly dangerous to ourselves and others.  If you take your mind, attention or eyes off the road for even a second while going 70 mph in a vehicle you could die and take innocent lives with you!  It only takes a second.  I wish I could say that I NEVER look at my phone while driving...I can't.  But I have promised myself that my phone will stay in my purse until I get to where I am going.

How about you?

How To Become Bear Poop!

Shortly after we got to our cabin in New Mexico on Friday, we got a call from our neighbor.  She wanted to warn us that there is a "medium sized bear in the area".  She also told me that three four wheelers with teenagers driving them had been "herding" and chasing the bear.  They finally treed the bear and left.  It climbed down and the teenagers were back!  Our neighbor told them she was going to call the Game Warden if they didn't leave the bear alone.

All I could think of is just how stupid are these kids?  Even a "medium sized bear" can KILL them with one swipe of a paw!!  I have a very healthy respect for bears.  I read the book about bear attacks.  It scared the *#+t out of me!! 

We spent the weekend inside the cabin.

"Divine Appointment"

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who has just unknowingly given a great perpective on a situation you are in?  They might not even have known anything about what you are going through but they say something that comforts you or helps you deal with it?  I call those "divine appointments".  I really believe that God sends people to you with a direct word from Him.  He will use YOU for this purpose as well.

A year ago I had a fantastic opportunity to spend a week (the last week I would ever spend, as it turned out) with my mother-in-law, Maisie.  She told me that every time someone took over doing something she had always done like Thanksgiving Dinner, birthday cake baking, or paying bills (even if it was just to help her out) she felt like she "dissappeared a little bit more".  It just made me realize how we tend to marginalize our parents and grandparents as they age.  I think THAT was a "divine appointment" God set up just for me.

As it turns out, everyone I have shared that story with has also needed to hear it for a special reason.  Keep making those appointments Lord, and I will keep listening...and talking.

Save Your Life!

My dear friend, Rachel Dobbs, was in a car accident on the very deadly intersection of 158 and the Craddick Highway about a week ago.  She was pretty banged up and her car was a total loss but she was  ALIVE!  We were talking about it at her son's wedding shower on Saturday night and she credits the fact that she took a Defensive Driving class in November with helping her minimize the accident as much as possible.

So I spent 6 hours Sunday taking an on-line Defensive Driving class.  It has been 4 years since I took one and many things have changed about the class.  It is no longer really about recognizing warning signs, etc.  Now, defensive driving is about really DRIVING DEFENSIVELY!  What a concept!  I learned so much about how to minimize risks when approacing an intersection, how to create a cushion of safety around your automobile, what to do to avoid an accident, and how to stay in your "adult" mindset while driving. 

Without question, the best thing to do to avoid an accident in almost every situation...SLOW DOWN.  If you haven't taken a defensive driving class in  the last couple of years...think about spending the 25 dollars, and the 6 hours in your pj's on the computer.  You will get a discount on your insurance...and it just might save your life, like it saved the life of my friend.