Death's Come in Three's .......Is That an Old Wife's Tale

This last summer my ex husband Paul died in June and the same week my grandson Devon did. A few weeks later my friend Rosie who lived in Sweetwater passed away. That was three. This past week my Pastor's wife Lucy died. That same day my daughter Darla told me her co worker died over the weekend. Then on Wednesday Elvis Pressley died. (That really is his name.) His brother Jerry is the reason I moved here to Fort Worth but after five years he died.

Anyway another three. That sounds like to me it really is true that death comes in three's. Like my son said. " Death comes in 3's, Mom. So no sweat." I am good to go for this time I guess. It just seems like lately a lot of people are dying around my age. That is kind of scary. I know we all have  got to go whenever the lord decides to take us but no one is ever ready I don't guess.

My daughter Jana and her son Conner and I went to church this morning. I knew it was going to be bad without Lucy there. I didn't guess what was going to happen though. The choir started singing. Without Lucy there leading them it wasn't too great. The singing kept fading off. They were all crying. Everyone in that church was crying. It is a small church. The pastor's son David got up to talk. He said no preaching today. He was a song leader at one time too but he just couldn't do it this first time back with no Lucy.

Pastor Jack went to the piano and sang a song that he sang at Lucy's funeral. It was just heartbreaking. Then David put a chair in the aisle for him to sit in. He told everyone to stand up and stand behind the pastor. They had two microphones and anybody could say anything about Lucy or tell the Pastor anything they wanted to. A lot of people told him how much they thought of Lucy. I wanted to say what she meant in my life but shy me just couldn't do it. I am not good talking in front of a crowd but I am good on paper so here goes.

Lucy loved people and it showed in the way she acted toward everyone. Every time I went to church she greeted me and when I left she always hugged me and ask how I was and she was praying for me. I have been to several different church's but never seen any pastors wife do all Lucy done. Like one guy said today, " She was the backbone of this church." It is going to be so hard for the members and for the preacher to go on without her. Like his son said today, " We buried her. Now this is the first Sunday without her here. Next week will be the second time without her. We will never forget her and we don't even want too but it will get easier." I can testify to that. I didn't lose a spouse but I lost a child.

Goodbye Lucy. You are missed and will always be missed.

Lucy......Nicest Lady I Ever Met

Tonight I went to the visitation of my Pastor's wife Lucy who passed away on Monday. Tomorrow will be her funeral. I am so glad I got to meet her. Like the pastor told me tonight. She loved people! There were so many people there tonight. You could tell she was a well liked lady. I had to wait in line for almost an hour to view her body.

The pastor was standing close by and talking to everyone. I told him, "Why did this happen?"

He said, " I don't know."

I said, " She was so nice to me. Always a hug and saying she was praying for me."

He said, " She loved people. Look here at all these people." He waved his hand out over the pews. Full house. Flowers everywhere.

I have seen pastors wife's help their husbands some but I have never seen anyone that done as much as her. She led the choir in singing. Sometimes she sang a song alone. Sometimes the pastor sang with her. She done all the announcements. She done whatever needed to be done until it was time for him to preach.

One time when I went to church I hadn't been for awhile because I had been sick. In the middle of announcing all the things that was going to be happening she looks at me over the audience and says, " Are you okay?"

I said, " Are you talking to me? She nodded. I said," I am fine."

She said," I been praying for you ." I have never been one to like attention drawn to me and everyone turn around and look at me. But she made me feel like she really cared.

We are going to all miss her. The pastor most of all. She was always the center of that church. What are they going to do without her?

RIP Lucy......

Boring Weekend......

It's been a boring weekend even though I had a UTI and taking medicine. No alcohol and no caffeine. lol I should have liked just lying around and resting after the hectic time I had in the rain doing the papers I do. It just seems like the weekends are more boring than during the week. I am not your normal 70 year old.

I have never felt my age for one thing. Maybe all the kids kept me younger. They certainly kept me on my toes. And now all the  grandkids .I love kids! I always have. Guess that is why I had nine. Soon as one of my kids got past two I wanted another baby. And now all my kids are thru having babies as far as I know. It is up to the grand kids to have the babies now.

I know Sundays are supposed to be the day of rest. Supposed to be God's day for us. Some of us have to work on that day even though we are not supposed too. I had to do a little cleaning because it is the only day we can do it. I hope God will forgive me for that.

I do like to read the Sunday paper. I like to see all the ads. Other than that I just watched football and looked at some of my magazines.

Looking forward to it being Monday morning soon. I know  a lot of people don't like to see Mondays cause it is back to work. I only work on Wednesday and Thursday of this week so I don't mind Mondays. It beats the weekend when you don't do anything. I got plenty to do here too. It is just not anything I want to do. Therefore I didn't do any of it. When your single you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I like that! So some of my days may be boring but it gets better. Everyday is a new day and we never know what tomorrow might bring.

How The Amber Alert Was Started........

Last night when I wrote about Amber Hagerman I didn't know why or how the Amber Alerts got started. This morning I read in the paper how it got started and I just wanted to write about that in case someone else wants to know.

Diana R. Simone who is a massage therapist had the idea. Since then 794 children have been rescued. Simone is now 70. Simone and a client Rev. Tom Stoker were talking about what had just happened and crying about it that day on the massage table.

In that day the cell phones were brick-size and she wondered aloud if an alert could be sounded for missing children. The Reverend ask her how about the radio? Simone called KDMX/102 and the Amber Alert was born.

Two decades later, it's working the way she had imagined it. The new cellphone Amber Alerts have rescued 21 children.

At that time , seven radio stations from competing chains did the hard work to set up a local broadcast alert system, similar for thunderstorms.

Until 2002 , the radio managers always credited a "listener idea" and Simone remained anonymous. It was Stoker who got a copy of her follow up letter and KDMX officials confirmed it.

In 2002 , she said she had never told anyone it was her idea because it seemed to be working.

The incidence of child abductions by strangers has declined since 1996,the alerts also discourage family abductions.

With the alerts it puts a million eyes on the lookout in a matter of minutes.

Diane Simone is very modest about it. She says and I quote, "The heroes are the police looking for these children , and the firefighters, and the people working in the battered women's shelters. I only did something, just one thing, one time."

Look how many times it has worked. 794 times.

I only wish it could have been thought off before Amber, before  a lot of kids lost their lifes.

There is Always Something Worse.....Even in Death

Reading in the paper and on Facebook about the 20th anniversary of Amber Hagerman's abduction made me stop and think about what a horrible death she must have went through. My ex sister in law that was married to my brother was her Aunt. Her sister who was Amber's grandma I knew back when we all lived in Brownwood. One never knows what might happen.

Amber was the same age as my daughter was when she died, 9 years old. My daughter died in a house fire. That was a horrible death. No one knows how much she suffered. The firemen told me the smoke probably over come her before she suffered too much. Maybe they just wanted me to feel better. Or maybe it is really true.

The suffering Amber had to go thru was worse I am sure. No telling what that monster did to her plus he slit her throat. That had to be so horrible for that little girl to go thru all of that. And then for the parents to have to wonder what all happened and what she probably went through. That has to be a nightmare one could never get over.

I know kids have been abducted before she was. I don't know why they decided to do the Amber alerts after her death. I know it is a good thing. It has helped countless kids be found. Amber's Mom has helped a lot with her speaking to people about it and just all kinds of things she has done.

They have never found Amber's killer either. You would think someone would know something about that day or he might have told someone about it. Nothing can bring Amber back but it would help to know that monster is not walking around trying to find other little girls to abduct and kill.

I will never forget Julie and I will never forget Amber either. May they both RIP. Maybe they are both in heaven playing together. They are forever 9 years old.

A Better Year

I know this is going to be a better year than last year. I feel it in my bones. In all reality you can make it better. You just got to work at it. And that is what I plan on doing.

I didn't make any New Year resolutions. I never keep them anyway. I can still do things without resolutions. . I am going to work on my writing more starting in the morning. Devote a few hours a day to that at least. I didn't work on it that much last year. I meant too. But before I knew it the year was over.

One reason is I spent all day texting when I wasn't working. A lot of us do that. My problem was I couldn't get away from Guy. I  tried. We had not been together actually since August I think. It's hard to remember. We had actually broke up three times After  a few months I would go back. Not this time . It is over. Too many lies on his part. He just kept texting and wouldn't give up. I would text him and then next thing you know I was listening to his lies again.

This year I decided I am not going to keep on being stressed by him. I want a new year. I want a new life. Right now it is alone. I can live alone. It is kind of nice actually being able to do what one wants too. I do talk occasionally to  a new guy but who knows where that will lead too. I am just taking it slow. If it turns out to be more that is okay. If it don't I am happy being alone. There is no hurry. I got the rest of my life.