A Thank You, Well Earned

I would just like to say THANK YOU to all those men and women who have or are serving our country. This IS the best country in the world.
I made sure that my girls understand that today was not just a day off school, but a day of thanks. They know that my dad served as a soldier in Vietnam and as a reservist most of my life. Veteran's Day has always meant a lot to me. I always tear up when I hear the national anthem or even the Pledge of Allegiance (especially if it is said by children.) So many families have had to pay the ultimate price.... their soldier's life.

I heard this on the radio this morning on the way to work and wanted to share it:
The Final Inspection
The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass,
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.


"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"


The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't,
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.


I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear
,And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here,
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.


If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."


There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod,
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.


"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

Just What I Needed Right Now

I Believe...
That just because two people argue,it doesn't mean they don't love each other,and just because they don't argue,it doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends may change.
I Believe...
That no matter how good friends are, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance; same goes for true love.
I Believe...
That you can do something in an angry instant that will give you heartache forever.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe....
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...
That no matter how badly your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of seconds by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe....
That credentials on the wall do not make someone a decent human being.
I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe...
"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything. "
*************************************************************
I love this email that I have received several times. It seems to always find it's way into my inbox when I need it most.

Dinosaur Park

Today, my mom and I took the girls to the Dinosaur Park. There were lots of dinosaurs and trails. The best part for the girls was the park. You could go up a slide that looked like a dinosaur and down it's back. There was also a large tree that had some slides coming out of different sides. Leighton and I had gone off to look at a fight between a couple of dinos. We were walking back toward the playground and I watched the following: Carly went up the tree and down the first slide which came out on the other side. Neither she nor Grandma knew this little, but very important, fact. Grandma became very worried and Carly was searching everywhere for Grandma. They both circled the tree, but, you guessed it, in opposite directions. The look of sheer terror became very apparent on both of their faces. Carly then proceeded to walk up to a bench full of mommies with babies and said "Can you help me find my mom?" At this point, I was nearly touching her and Grandma had finally made it all the way around the tree, back to where Carly had stopped. Needless to say, I was very proud of Carly for doing exactly as we had practiced and very apologetic to my mom for nearly giving her a stroke by sitting back and watching it all play out. This is how much Jensyn loved the park, she spent it laying her head on top of mine.

The girls have been fascinated by the mountains. As we come back from the grocery store, they will comment, 'Wow, Mom, look at the mountains!' 'There is snow on the mountains!' 'Can we go up into the mountains?' Since the Dinosaur Park is at the mouth of Ogden Canyon, it was the perfect opportunity to take the girls up to the mountains. As we are going up the mountain, they are nearly screaming, 'We are in the mountains!' 'Look at the rocks!' which then turns into, 'Stop the car!!! I want to get out and touch the mountain!!' 'Stop the car!!! I want to climb the mountain!!' We did not stop, and continued around Trapper's Loop. It was a beautiful drive. I am learning to see the beauty through my children. I have looked at these mountains my whole life and never thought anything of them. But they ARE beautiful and amazing. Those of you here in Utah really do have a breathtaking view of one of God's creations. Take a moment today to appreciate it.

P.S. Happy Anniversary, Dee! Let's make the number 13 a lucky one! I love you!

You know who you are..this is for you

Expectant mothers waiting for a newborn's arrival say they don't care what sex the baby is. They just want to have ten fingers and ten toes.


Mothers lie.


Every mother wants so much more.

She wants a perfectly healthy baby with a round head, rosebud lips, button nose, beautiful eyes and satin skin. She wants a baby so gorgeous that people will pity the Gerber baby for being flat-out ugly.


She wants a baby that will roll over, sit up and take those first steps right on schedule (according to the baby development chart on page 57, column two).


Every mother wants a baby that can see, hear, run, jump and fire neurons by the billions.

She wants a kid that can smack the ball out of the park and do toe points that are the envy of the entire ballet class. Call it greed if you want, but a mother wants what a mother wants.


Some mothers get babies with something more.





Maybe you're one who got a baby with a condition you couldn't pronounce, a spine that didn't fuse, a missing chromosome or a palate that didn't close. The doctor's words took your breath away. It was just like the time at recess in the fourth grade when you didn't see the kick ball coming, and it knocked the wind right out of you.


Some of you left the hospital with a healthy bundle, then, months, even years later, took him in for a routine visit, or scheduled him for a checkup, and crashed head first into a brick wall as you bore the brunt of devastating news.


It didn't seem possible.

That didn't run in your family.

Could this really be happening in your lifetime?


There's no such thing as a perfect body. Everybody will bear something at some time or another. Maybe the affliction will be apparent to curious eyes, or maybe it will be unseen, quietly treated with trips to the doctor, therapy or surgery.


Mothers of children with disabilities live the limitation with them.


Frankly, I don't know how you do it.


Sometimes you mothers scare me. How you lift that kid in and out of the wheelchair twenty time a day. How you monitor tests, track medications, and serve as the gatekeeper to a hundred specialists yammering in your ear.


I wonder how you endure the cliches and the platitudes, the well-intentioned souls explaining how God is at work when you've occasionally questioned if God is on strike. I even wonder how you endure schmaltzy columns like this one-saluting you, painting you as a hero and saint, when you know you're ordinary. You snap, you bark, you bite. You didn't volunteer for this, you didn't jump up and down in the motherhood line yelling, "Choose me, God. Choose me! I've got what it takes."


You're a woman who doesn't have time to step back and put things in perspective, so let me do it for you. From where I sit, you're way ahead of the pack. You've developed the strength of the draft horse while holding onto the delicacy of a daffodil. You have a heart that melts like chocolate in a glove box in July, counter-balanced against the stubbornness of an Ozark mule.


You are the mother, advocate and protector of a child with a disability. You're a neighbor, a friend, a woman I pass at church and my sister-in-law.


You're a wonder.


-Lori Borgman