For My Grandson

There are pains that a woman has who doesn't have children of her own. The thoughts of what "might have been"...the loss of that sacred shared experience that you feel with almost every woman you meet. You learn to live with it and count your blessings.

I was fortunate to meet a man who had children. His oldest daughter had an eight year old son. I was technically a "step-grandmother", but would I ever feel like a "real" grandmother?

Due to a tragic accident several years before, his daughter would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. His father was not around. The day I met Ryan, the first thing he said was, "Can I come over?" I was immediately drawn to his happy and energetic eyes! Just look at that face!

His mother wanted him to have experiences outside the home that she couldn't provide. We started to get him on weekends~ and that was 10 years ago. It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by~~

Ryan and my youngest stepson around our wagon that we took on trailrides...

Two boys acting very dignified and refined in dh's mancave :-)...

One of my favorite school pics...
Ryan winning Reserve Champion in steer riding...
It was so easy to feel sorry for him. Afterall, he was "disadvantaged" in so many ways. I'd like to think that Tom and I modeled a loving relationship for him. I hope that we showed him that he was special and important.
I taught him the finer things in life...like how to put chips Inside your sandwich...and the words to every song from the Broadway musical "Chicago". :-)

What I didn't know is how much he would teach me. He has an energy that radiates from the inside out. People are drawn to him because of this. He has an optimism that had to have been by choice from a very young age.

I look at him now (with my mother and dh)...

And I realize that I am the one who benefited the most...
I also realize that I AM his grandmother and was all along, because family is who you make a committment to. They are those you choose to love and support forever.

To my little boy who is almost grown up~ We love you!
Mom and Pop

Three or More Tuesday

This is my first time participating in 'Three or More Tuesday', hosted by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner!

Not long after my dh and I got married, I walked into an art gallery in our town square and saw four paintings by a local artist. It was love at first sight! I loved each one of them, although I immediately spotted my favorite! :-)

Christmas was coming up and I started throwing out hints to my dh. We walked into the gallery just a couple of weeks before Christmas and they were gone! The owner said someone had come in just a few days before and bought all four. Waaaaah! And my dh had the nerve to actually ask later that day, "Well, what else do you want for Christmas?" They were all I wanted! How could he ask that?!

Well, low and behold, the sneaky thing had bought them on the sly! He told me that he had to wave a signal to the owner to not let on. I must say she did an outstanding acting job! :-)

Which one is your favorite? :-)

Now let's go check out the other participates at The Gypsy's Corner!

Thanks for stopping by! Laura

The Sisterhood Award

My good friend Ann, who is one of the most gentle spirits I know, gave me the Sisterhood Award! Thank you Ann! If you haven't visited her before, please stop by and see her and her pet rooster, Roo, at Life at Ann's Place!

Here are the Sistah rules! :-)

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude.

3. Be sure to link you nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I'd love to pass this award along to:

Dolores at Moving Forward with Alzheimer's

Helen at Living Boldly

Cindy at Sisterhood of the Creative Hearts

Chari at Happy to Design

Gloria at Happy to Be

Athella at OCDesigner

Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict

Christine at Christine's Home and Travel Adventures

Kelly at Much to Do with Nothing

Lynne at Lynne's Gifts from the Heart

Wouldn't you know just when I start a blog...life got BUSY! Hopefully, I'll be able to 'puter play shortly! In the meantime, I'm enjoying reading all my favorite blogs and your drop-in visits! :-) Laura

My Aunt D's House

In my attempt to figure out how to post pictures, I thought I would show one of my favorite places to visit~my Aunt D's house! She and my uncle recently built this lovely garden home that we were able to see for the first time last summer. I am showing her living room. Isn't the overhead light fixture gorgeous! I fell in love with the lamp that is sitting next to the rocker. She surprised me when I got home by sending me one just like it! Can you see it in my header picture? :-)

I love all her built-in cabinetry! Every since I was a little girl, I would walk around her beautiful homes just studying how she made such wonderful and sentimental vignettes. She's also a lover of lamps like so many of us! :-)

A view towards her kitchen and entryway. I just love her rocking chair!


Her beautiful secretary and collection of crosses. The picture in the middle on the right shows my father and aunt when they were young.


This pic pretty much sums up what we like to do when we get together! :-)


Aunt D, thank you for letting me use your
home for my first "real" post!

The Launching Pad :-)

I started a blog without, ummm meaning to start a blog! I was playing around with it one day and got frustrated and x'ed out of it! I thought it was gone until just a few days ago when I saw "my blog" on a friend's blog! Hmmmm, after my good friend Cindy decided to create one to have a place for comments, I thought I might do the same thing until I really have time to figure all this out. I always thought if I created one, it wouldn't be until summertime when I had time off from teaching. So here I sit wondering if I will ever go any further than what you are reading. :-) I guess time will tell just how long it will take me to blast off from the launching pad! Until then, please feel free to leave a comment and thanks for stopping by!
Laura/"Tomarie" from HGTV's Rate My Space