Hi friends . . . this is my first attempt at a slide show . . .  let me know how you think it came out, ok?

I am back visiting in Ventura.  I drove my car, the dog, the birds and a bit of my "stuff" down here starting mid-day Tuesday.  I spent Tuesday night with Rob's sister and brother-in-law, getting up early to make my way to Ventura.  It was a long, hard trip, but I am here safely, stitches out, bruises turning a ghastly shade of green and ribs still giving me fits. 

However, the most important thing is that I am here and smiling.  I have another "new look" as you will see in the slide show and on my About Me section. 

I am preparing myself for Mother's Day.  Since my mom passed nearly 11 years ago, Mother's Day has been kind of a bummer for me.   I'm not sure if Mother's Day or Father's Day are happy days for a lot of us whose parents are gone.  I never get cards from my kids . . . their lives are over-busy with the lives they have as adults with children.  I pray that my daughter Heather and DIL, Krissy will have good Mother's Days on Sunday.  This will be the first year that not only do I not have my mom, but no children living under the roof.  I struggle with that.  So for those of you who have lost a parent this year or still grieve moms and dads long buried, please know that you are not alone.  There are those like me who feel sad or humbug about parents' days.  It's not the same anymore.  I know where my mom is.  I'm glad that she has been given a new life in eternity and that one day I will see her again.  There's such hope in that for me.

One of my sisters has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will have a mastectomy next week.  Times have changed so drastically since our Auntie Merrie had breast cancer and later died from it when it came back.  Now there has been such a bunch of research done.  There is a way to begin implant therapy at the time of the mastectomy now.  Chemotherapy and other treatments are so advanced.  Two of us other sisters are having our mammograms in the next week.  The other I believe is up-to-date on hers.  I hope all of you are caught up on your mammograms and that you go daily to the Breast Cancer Site and click.  While you are there,  click on the other sites as well.  You could be the click that finishes paying for that mammogram, feeds those children, gives out books, saves an animal, etc.  What's a few minutes of your time worth? 

More than you will ever know.  

I am still weary from my long drive and think it's time for me to rest.  I can be online the whole time I am here and will finally have time to get to some of your journals.  As always, you are in my thoughts and prayers.

            

Tags: Slide show, travel, new look, Mother's Day, grief, Breast Cancer, blogplugs