488973333_11bc4be0aa_m.jpg I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my grandmother, and what it was like for her when she lived in California. She was far away from home (Colorado) and didn’t know anyone. I’ve been thinking about her, and this time in her life, because, of my having moved to Alabama far from home (Texas). I often get so incredibly lonely that it just aches. It was during this time in my Grandmother’s life that she had her first child. The baby, Anne, died when she was five months old. It must have been so painful to be so far from home, going through something like that. I remember Grandmamom telling me that she was often at home alone, with Grandpa off working. And that is when her love for crocheting really blossomed. That may have been when she got into crosswords and jigsaw puzzles, too.

Anyway, I got really sad this morning, and I was feeling homesick ….and sorry for myself, and my thoughts wandered to Grandmamom, and how utterly painful it must’ve been when Anne died. I thought about how grateful I was to have three healthy children, and I had a good cry. I got up and I was feeling better – sort of refreshed – from just letting it all out. And then I walked into the kitchen and found a message on my phone from one of my very favorite people in the world – my sister-in-law-bestest-friend, Tracy. Now if that’s not God and Grandma reaching down from Heaven to hug me, pat me on the back, and tell me ‘everything is gonna be alright’, I don’t know what is!

I’m still fighting this rotten ear infection, and not feeling my best – so I’m sure that’s what brought this all on. After my emotional morning, I’ve just set myself up in bed to work. I’ve got my soda and my coffee and my lappy (Thinkpad), paperwork, crossword puzzles (love you, Grandmamom!), and some super cool children’s books I need to review. I put shorts on, instead of jeans, I refused to put shoes on – and I feel gloriously pampered. I think I needed a day in bed to work.

I took breaks throughout the day to check in with online friends, so I wasn’t just working straight through, with no human interaction. I love my online friends – I’ve become quite close with some of them. And this last time I checked in with them, led me to release some more tears, but, it felt so good. And it really hit home, as Anne and Grandma have been so on my mind lately.

Grab some tissues, and watch this beautiful story about a special, shining light of a boy. My sweet friend, Ang, of Ang.’s Chicken Coop, is the one who sent me this. Thank you so much, Ang! (Photo by:MarvM)