Mixed Nuts: Out goes Grammy, in comes Gramma

Quotes

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~Helen Keller
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss
"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -Confucius

Friday, October 14, 2011

Out goes Grammy, in comes Gramma

Today my mom left to go home. It was great having her here. We got a lot of things done and I am grateful for the help. And the company. And the breakfast out each morning. Whatever will I do now?

This evening my mother and father-in-law arrived to round off Mat's trip. Mat will be back Sunday night, so it is nice to have the company. I will be glad to see him - he has been gone a long time.

Today is has done nothing but rain. We are slowly creeping toward winter and are wishing for nicer weather to enjoy our last few days outside. Tennis was canceled as well today, so we had to fill our evening with other activities.

Finley brought home a cool ball from school today. Her teacher for the vision impaired (TVI) knew she was struggling with low light. Finley's evening soccer was becoming a bit of a problem as we have gotten deeper into fall. So - she got a "beep ball". It beeps so she always knows where it is. She has been playing with it all evening, and I have to admit it is driving me a bit crazy. But what a great thing! She wants to take it tomorrow morning to soccer practice, but I am hoping to talk her into waiting until next week when she really needs it. We will see.

A really nice article was written in our local paper about Finley and our work with the foundation. The author did a nice job capturing the big picture. I have already gotten a few emails from people I don't know saying that the article really touched them and they offered to help in any way they could. Like I always say - people want to be charitable - they just need to be given a direction.

My mom and I worked this week on a list of people we are going to send invites to our first dinner in the dark in Connellsville this year. It is going to be so fun. We are going to hold them at my parents house - so if you are interested in this experience, look for more information soon! The concept is, of course - eating in the dark to represent what it is like for a totally blind person to eat a meal. And when I say dark, I mean can't see your hand in front of your face dark. This is a big concept for the blind community - a really unique fundraiser. It is a humbling experience and I hope you are willing to try it! Stay tuned - we will be doing them all over - Connellsville, Indian Head, Monongahela, and here in our new home town. All will be intimate dinners of 16-18 people at a time. You have to try it. I can't wait to share this experience with you.

Tomorrow is morning soccer, a craft fair, and hopefully nice weather to spend time in the yard. The leaves are starting to turn beautiful colors and fall to the ground, so pretty soon it will be time for raking and jumping into the giant piles. Looking forward to that.

Sort of.