Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my baby boy - who is now 34 years old!! I miss you as I have every day for the last 19 years 9months and 11 days.

Here are the last pictures we have as a family. You were 13, S'te was 8, and on the left is a "computer aged to 26 composition made by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children a few years ago. What a handsome man!! I want you to know your entire extended family still misses you and we are all praying daily for any knowledge of you!

Amber and Tylor left for their "summer home" about 6. They were all packed and ready to go. They were real excited to be staying with younger parents - that "do" more. I think they really have unrealistic expectations LOL because both work and the weekends will be play time. They have been enrolled in summer "enrichment programs" to help to get them the skills they need to compete in the upcoming school year.

I stayed pretty busy. No time to think or dwell. I had my discussion with God when I first woke up and he gave me enough peace and patience to make it thru the day. As well as receiving 2 get well cards and a thank you note in the mail. I've gotten 2 thank you cards in my life and both were from Keiths family. One for the coffee cup I had made for his Mom for Mother's Day and the other for the afgan I crocheted for Melody for her birthday. But receiving a "missive" from family members helped me tremendously. As well as a very long conversation with S'te (from the Money Pit) during the morning and another very long conversation with Sister Sharen (Knuckles Knoll) during the late evening. I took the kids shopping for shoes for Austin and my salad ingredients for Monday, and we went swimming for almost 2 hours where I visited with our neighbors from Canada (who got their seasons backwards) and got all caught on thier activities over the last year. So I stayed pretty busy. The Lord found enough for me to dwell on that I didn't have time to dwell on my loss.

Austin loves the water!! He also loves the little whisk broom and dustpan (a man after my heart). He has been no more "trouble" than any other 2 year old - except that he is 40 pounds and cannot express his needs - so I am playing a guessing game all the time and he likes to run from me. I think I will stop chasing him (it hurts my foot anyway) and wait until he comes back around in the circle and snag him. I'm starting to think the chase is a game to him and he is enjoying it way to much.

We also had a shareholders meeting last night with only 2 "dissenters" in the crowd. Dave Atwell is our new President and he worked very hard in holding it all together. It's a challenge. Especially when you have those out to disrupt the meeting to start with. The Village is facing a very hard couple of years. We had such massave damage during the last 3 hurricanes (to common areas - not our home) that it just dosen't get fixed overnight. It has been 2 years (listen up New Orleans) and we still have building that have not been replaced. Several of our Shareholders are unhappy about the FEMA presence and our new CAM is working diligently to make sure those families understand that our Rules are for everyone - including them!! She got a hand for the wonderful Hurricane Prep class that she put on and I'm sure she deserved every bit of it.

So you see, Jeremy, even tho' you are in my thoughts and prayers every waking moment, over the years I've learned to protect the hole that I have in my heart. The one that will be there for as long as it takes to "find" you. I love you Son. And I miss you.

Enough for tonight.