10 - 31 - 05

Who Will Trick or Treat With Me?
© 1999
by Linda Ellis

The first year she was a pumpkin
and she donned a bright orange smock.
Her daddy took her trick-or-treating,
though she had not learned to walk.

The next year she was a bunny…
and on one leg, she would hop
while her left ear stood up straight
and the right would swing and flop.

Then a bride costume from Grandpa;
a long skirt and lacy blouse,
but she tripped over the train...
so daddy carried her to each house.

The fourth year brought us Lion King
and she roared both day and night.
She was either "Simba" or was "Nala."
(I never could get that right!)

The next Halloween as she got dressed,
she just kept on asking why - -
if she was indeed "Supergirl,"
why then…could she not fly?

Her sixth year, she was all in pink
protecting us all from danger,
as she kicked and "karate-chopped" the air
as "Kimberly…the Power Ranger."

When she was seven, she wore a yellow gown.
She was "Beauty," to say the least,
insisting that her little sister,
by default…was the "Beast."

In my heart I knew the time would come…
and this year our walk together ends.
She said, "it’s not cool for mom to go…
I want to walk with all my friends."

So, I’m figuring out what I will say;
rehearsing one excuse after another,
in case she notices the "ghost" behind her
walks a little bit like her mother!

And I still have Halloweens to come;
my other daughter’s only three.
What worries me is...when she grows up,
who will trick or treat with me?

Dear Mr. Moby

My name is Tracey and I would like to make a very special request please ... Monday, October 24th is mine and my husband Keith's 6th anniversary .... We have lived through 1000 lifetimes in the last 6 years ... please bear with me while I explain ...  

This is the second marriage for both of us and we thought we were through with the "baby thing" since we had teenage children from our previous marriages but just a couple of months away from my 40th birthday on August 6, 2001 we were blessed with the most precious gift that we named Heath .. as the so called "older or second time around" parents we were at a time in our life and able to enjoy things that we probably missed out on with our older children, our priorities were just different now than they were in our 20's (I am sure you can understand this with Gracie) ...

Our Heath was born with medical issues that started with open heart surgery at 3 months old and was followed by many more, through it all he fought like a true warrior, he always overcame the odds and even during the many hospital stays with strangers poking and prodding him at times when most adults would become grumpy and not very pleasant to be around our darling Heath would always be quick with a smile and without knowing it or even trying he would give the adults around him the strength to keep going and a reason to smile ... he also showed all that came in contact with him what pure beauty, joy and love really looked like ...

When Heath was only 2 1/2 years old he underwent another medical procedure that the year before he came thru with flying colors and was considered routine but for reasons I will never understand our little angel never woke up and after 9 horrific days in ICU on February 6 2004 we were forced to let go of our incredible little blessing and send him back to heaven ... the loss of a child is something that should never be experienced it is just not natural ... and many - many marriages do not survive this kind of trauma  ....  

I tell you this story only so you will see that although my grief and sadness is undescribable and something I feel that I probably will never fully recover from .... I also have to say I am blessed ... I have not only been blessed 1 time by being chosen to be Heath's mommy but I have also been blessed a 2nd time because Heath's daddy and my best friend is Keith ...

Although Keith anger, pain and grief runs and deep as mine he puts his feelings 2nd and mine 1st, during the years of extreme highs and even more extreme lows he has been by my side ... he has given me the strength to go on when I felt weak and wanted to give up and the protection to feel sheltered and safe when I was scared and even during times of anger at the entire living world when I lashed out and took it out on Keith simply because he was the closest at hand he allowed me to do so and then understood, forgave and still loved me through it all ... so now you can see what I mean by living a thousand lifetimes ...  

After over 1 year of me basically sitting in a dark room closing out the rest of the world other than Keith I have just recently with his help and support been able to force myself back and started working again ... we ride into work every morning together listening to you on the radio ... we laugh at your funnies and cry at your Small Town Soapbox's ...  

Could you please on Monday (October 24th)  play our wedding song ... Amazed by Lonestar for my darling husband Keith and tell him I love him and I thank God that I have him hold my hand as we walk through this life  ...

YEAH BABY !!!!!!!! 

Tracey Glaze Lawrenceville, GA

10 - 17 - 05

Without A Reason

Sometimes things happen in life for apparently no reason at all. You may think that there isn't any reason for something to happen until one day you realized something has changed in your life or pointed you into a new direction.  

And sometimes things happen to you at a time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming these obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, or will power. The lesson you may have learned can bring countless opportunities in the future or precautions to things that may hurt you instead. Think of them as life's tests. 

Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless. Simply put, no adrenalin rushes. When things happen without any obvious reason, remember that there's something you need to pay attention to. There's always a reason, it's just that you can't see it while it's happening.

And those uncanny experiences, those things that you wish did not happen, those strange synchronicities - things happening by 'chance' are usually a push in the direction you want, didn't know you wanted to go or didn't know you had to go through. 

The people you meet affect your life. Some of the effects might be noticeable right away and some affects might not be noticed for years. But the successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.  If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love and to open your heart, and eyes to little things.  

Look back on some of your past experiences in life. I am sure that there were several times where things happened to you for no apparent reason at all. These events either led to other events or were major turning points in your life that didn't match up anywhere else. They didn't seem to fit in to what you were doing at the time. But looking back, they fit in perfectly. It's just that you couldn't see it at the time.

"In life, the good times are great, but it is the hard times that help us define and build our character."-

10 - 10 - 05

Bill Eeves, Monkeys, And The Paducah School Board

The parents of a nine year old schoolboy from Paducah, KY are suing the Paducah school board for requiring that the theory of evolution be part of their mandatory curriculum, but not allowing creationism to be part of the school curriculum. The boy's parents claim that requiring their son to learn about evolution and not allowing him to learn about creationism has had a dramatic and negative effect on their son and violates 'Freedom-of-Religion Protections'.

Mr. Bill Eeves, the father of the boy, claims that it was a few sentences in a news article that he read online and his son's behavior that motivated him to sue the school board.

 Eeves claims that a change in his son's behavior is what broke the camel's back. "That's when I finally decided I would take immediate action," he said.

"My son came home from school one day and started going door to door in our neighborhood asking people to sign a petition.The petition demanded that the local zoo free all the monkeys from their cages immediately. He then returned home and told me he would go on a hunger strike and would only eat bananas until the monkeys were freed. I suggested that he should simply join an animal rights group and not take all these drastic measures.

"'It's not about animals," he told me."These are our ancestors. They are the origin of all of mankind! How could we treat them this way?"

"I knew right then and there that I needed to take action, for my son's sake," Mr. Eeves said.
"I'm going to fight this thing till it reaches the Supreme Court. With John Roberts in there, hopefully there will be no monkeying around. 

How can the liberals argue with Bill Eeves? God bless him. This is brilliant. 

10 - 3 - 05

An Email from a Listener and a tribute.

A Tribute to a Grandfather

“Papa Bill” which sounded like “paba beel” was one of the first english words 22 month old Kira could say.  Adopted from Russia at 21 months in 2001, they were buddies from the start. This little girl took a mighty marine and wrapped him around a tiny finger.  It was something to see.

He would say” who’s your best buddy?”  She would say,  “You are Papa Bill”!!  And grin from ear to ear the both of them...teasing Mimi of course in the process...a favorite game.

For Kira, Papa Bill was the person who could do anything..he could calm her fears at bumps in the night, keeping the alligators away, and all the monsters were at bay.  He would build a tee-pee, have a picnic, roast marshmallows and play all day.  “ Anything for my little darlin’ “ he would say.

They went out fishing on the boat, take rides in the golf cart, and play at the park. I was amazed sometimes how they connected heart to heart.

Sharing smoked oysters and crackers, popcicles and snacks, walks to the “submarine” the marina. Throwing rocks in the water and watching for dolphins, that is what they loved.

I am so thankful as a mom, that my little girl had such a wonderful man for a grandfather, and so sad that their memory making in over...because they made great ones!!! 

We will miss you everyday Papa Bill!!  Until we meet again Semper Fi. 

We love you with all our hearts, 

Tonya and Kira