Some Recent Conversations

Here are a few recent random conversations with the girls.

In the last month or two, Darren and the girls have been visiting an elderly lady (93 years old) from church at least once a week. She's either been in the hospital or a rehab facility. They love going to see her and usually draw her pictures to put in her room. On Saturday I heard that she was being moved to hospice, so I figured I had better start to prepare them. On Sunday morning over breakfast I said, "Lucy and Elaine, I want to tell you something about Ms. Marian. She left the hospital and went into something called 'hospice.' She's getting sicker instead of getting better. Hospice is where they can take better care of her. What I really want you to know is that very soon, Ms. Marian is going to go to heaven so she can live with Jesus."

I was looking carefully, especially into Lucy's face, because I thought when I said that she would start to cry. Instead, she got the most beautiful, joyful look. "She is?!" she breathed. "She gets to go live with Jesus?!" It made me tear up. I wish I could live and think like that. I told her, "Isn't it so wonderful? I know we're all going to miss her though." She answered solemnly, "Well, Mom, I've been preparing myself for that."

We had that conversation at around 7:30 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., Ms. Marian went home to live with Jesus. We found out about it later in the day, and when Darren came to kiss the girls goodnight, he told them. He also told them that all they did, visiting Ms. Marian and drawing pictures for her, was a wonderful thing and made her last few weeks here on Earth happier because of it. Lucy said excitedly, "Maybe she's telling Jesus about the pictures we drew!"

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On a lighter note, also on Sunday morning, after I got ready I went back into my bedroom to look in the full-length mirror there. I was wearing a fuschia sweater, a houndstooth skirt, and some new black boots (w/ pointy toes and heels), and a fuschia bead necklace. Lucy looked at me and said, "You look just beautiful, Mom! You don't look trashy at all. You certainly do NOT look like one of those Bratz dolls."

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The other day, I was working in the kitchen. Elaine told me she had to go to the bathroom. "You go with me," she commanded. She likes me to sit next to her while she goes. What can I say? She's a girl. You know how none of us can go to the bathroom by ourselves. But I was too busy so I said, "It's ok, you run upstairs and go. The light's on up there, and you'll be fine."

She didn't say a thing, but she laid down on the kitchen floor and curled up in a little ball. I kept on working. Finally (I guess I wasn't taking notice of her) she lifted up her head, gave me a disapproving glare, and said, "I am MAD at you" then curled back up. Of course, that just makes me laugh, and usually I go Dr. Phil on her and say, "So, how's that workin' out for ya?" It was so funny I just had to take a picture.

Here she is in all her rage (note the red rubber rain boots with the pajamas):



Another time, after she actually did go to the bathroom, she wanted a reward (her bathroom skills are still new enough that she can occasionally scam a piece of gum for them). "You can go get it out of my purse," I told her. She didn't want to go by herself again, so she enlisted Lucy. Lucy ran down and got her some other gum that did not come from my purse. Darren and I heard the ensuing argument. "What's going on down there?" he yelled.

"I want gum from Mom's purse!" Elaine roared in the background.

"Daaaaaddddd!" Lucy said. "She has to learn that you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit!"

Later on, Elaine was sitting on my lap along with my laptop. As my background, I have a picture of them. "There's me and Lucy at the pumpkin patch!" she said happily. "And guess what?"

"What?" I answered.

"There was a scary witch there too!"

"There was?" I said. "What did the scary witch do? Did she cackle at you?"

"No," she said definitely. "She BOSSED me."