Matty Rock Set GO!!!!!!

It's been such a draining couple of months. I find myself exhausted ALL the time lately but last night I had the honor of watching my two oldest granddaughters for a few hours while their parents went off and did "grow up things" (Auttie Doo).

I had an epiphany based on an incident that happened in MY childhood: I was at home on Sunday while my family went to church because I was sick in some way - not desperately ill apparently but germy enough that my conscientious mother had me stay at home with my dad. Someone had given me a big bag of tiny colorful clothespins and I had been waiting and WAITING for the perfect chance to put them to use! My dad, none the wiser, let me string clothesline throughout the living room from chair to chair and couch to organ, to piano and then back to chair...I then drug out all...not some, ALL of my Barbie, Tammy and Chatty Cathy doll clothes as well as I'm pretty sure, my sister's Barbie clothes...I proceeded to "wash" them, then hang them ALL up to dry with my wonderful miniature clothes pins. My dad quietly read his magazine and the radio played in the background. I sat back on my heels quite pleased with the project. When my mom and sisters returned from church the scene went bad but that's not the point of this story.

As soon as my son and his fiance drove away I looked at the girls. It was raining outside and we don't use TV as the babysitter so I thought to myself now HOW am I going to entertain these lively beings? AHHHHHH!!! I said to Auttie Doo (the oldest), would you like to make a cave in your room? SHE LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE - YES Grandma!!!!! I gave her some lawn chairs, my little table that sits by my couch, a couple blankets and said go make a cave...I heard happy screams as Auttie and Izzy went running to do their fun...Auttie came out of the room and asked for some phones (we let them play with our discarded cell phones and they think this is just IT) so I sent her to the drawer where they're kept...I then had an added epiphany and said to her that she could go into the cupboards and get some of my plastic bowls and so forth for the cave...she was SO delighted. I heard nothing but laughter and fun conversations for quite some time from their room...to top this off, I let her take my phone and take some pictures of her cave...

SUCCESS!!!!

Later last night Izzy was outside playing and she RAN into the house and asked her daddy to come outside and race with her. They did. Victorious and triumphant (Dad and Auttie Doo had let her win) she came running in and asked Mama to come out and race too...E went outside with her and raced then they all came in laughing...

E turned to me and said "you know why I lost don't you?" I didn't. She told me then that when Izzy counted off for race this is what she said "Matty! Rock! SET GO!!!!!" (she misunderstood when Auttie said ON YOUR MARK GET SET GO" because Auttie said it too fast)

E didn't go because she wasn't quite sure what Izzy meant.

Now she does:-)

rich like melted malted...

for lack of a better title I borrowed from "throw mama from the train" thanks Mama!

ahhhh the weekend was exhausting but ohhhhh so rich!

My son is home from Iraq, most of our family gathered to welcome him home and to honor him accordingly as well as all the other veterans who took time to show up that day...a lot of talking and visiting...a little bit of joyous tears, many many stories being told and oh the beautiful SONGS that were sung!

My two daughters (yes, one of them is adopted) dressed in their finest...

Ummm I wonder when I told her she could have my beaded hair ties?

Silly Bella Donna thinks she can drive...

Even the dogs enjoyed the day!!!!

grow gary grow!

I love that no matter what goes on in the world, seeds planted with love and tended to with dligence WILL GROW

healing

big sigh...for now, mom's better, thank you for your kind words - they mean SO MUCH to me!

my two big sons visited this weekend:-) oldest is 28, next is 26...they took me to the river from whence I find great peace, strength and HEALING

bad knees and all, I couldn't resist

complicated...

It's been awhile...and even as I write this, I'm wondering how to put the depth of the last few weeks into words.

In this world of my reservation we call our cousins as brother and sister...we're just that close. Maybe we fight from time to time but you know the deal - close ranks if an outsider tries to chime in.

My cousin passed away last week. She was such a human. The longhouse was filled from one end to the other with people mourning her passing but celebrating her life. She was a giver, a smiler, a tough truth speaker...it was a rich and eloquent few days.

My mom is extremely sick, was doing quite well but on routine checkup found that cancer had again decided to show her who's boss...so there's that, then if that wasn't enough her congestive heart failure (for those of you who may not know, this, as it turns out, is a CHRONIC condition...) reared its ugly head and has ravaged her breathing capacity...one thing after another and she's been laid up for several weeks now...

I've shared my story before, how as a young girl I was adopted out to non-Indians as we call them...I was raised in an unhappy abusive home albeit quite comfortable in some ways...finally at the age of 21 I met my biological family and have been for 31 years building a new "home" in my heart.

This didn't include my mom for as it turns out, we didn't bond immediately, actually, we may never do so, but when I look at her life I'm grateful for the sacrifices she made for we eleven of her offspring...it couldn't have been easy.

My brother and son don't actually believe she'll get to come home this time so I find myself wanting to do small things for her...she understands I think that we're at that point in our lives where we must let bygones be bygones and look into eternity.