Skip to main content

Homeward Bound




To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.

~Barbara Bush


One more day to go and I will be flying to Chicago for a few weeks. It’s my Mom’s 96th birthday next week; she has no idea I’m coming! I look forward to spending lots of time with my family. I will be offline for a while and hope to get caught up with everybody when I return.

Comments

  1. Safe travels, Mary! ...
    What a wonderful surprise for your mother! Can't wait to hear all about it!
    xoxox
    Myra

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have a wonderful time Mary!! Praying traveling mercies and JOY-filled days ~ each and everyone of them :)

    Love you soooo!

    Happy Birthday to your Momma ♥

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can see why you're eager to see them all. Don't forget to pack your googly eyes and whoopie cushion. Looks like they'll be appreciated!

    Have a great time. And give your mom an extra kiss from me. Someone who raises such happy people is a gem in my book!

    Blessings, Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  4. CONGRATULATIONS on your upcoming family celebration!

    Looking forward to hearing from you and all your adentures when you return.
    Blessings to you - marsha

    ReplyDelete
  5. There's just nothing to equal family. Loved the photo!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have a wonderful trip. Ther's nothing like being with family.Enjoy your time !

    ReplyDelete
  7. Have a safe trip and fun time sister Mary! Take care and will be praying for you. Happy Birthday to your mom! That's so awesome! 96 years young! God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am sure you are having a great time with your mom.

    Will be looking forward to hear the stories!

    Love
    Lidj

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoy your family Mary! I pray that you will have safe travels.

    Love you,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! 96th? Happy Birthday to her! Have a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Mary -

    Thank you for sharing your family love and joy.

    Please share about your mother's reaction to your surprise visit.

    I would love to read how she responded!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorial Day Reflection

  Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls.  Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts  run through my mind.  The journey of loss takes on various emotions.  The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness.  In a split second, I would forget he departed forever.  I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home.  My mind is realistic now.  He's not coming back.  There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars.  He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day!  And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...

A Surprise at the Mall

I lost touch with a writer friend.  I missed her and her cheerful blog posts.  We met up in a most unusual way!  I’m still in awe of how it happened. I finished my shopping at the mall and took a short cut to get to the parking lot.  The path led me through the food court.  The smell of Chicken Fajitas stopped me in my tracks.  I planned lunch elsewhere, but now I followed my nose. I chewed my first bite of chicken taco salad when, out of nowhere, a loud redhead moved rapidly past the tables and into the booth with me.  “I know you !”  She shouted.  I pondered if I knew this crazy lady.  Did she mistake me for someone else?  She shouted louder and stuck her finger in my face:  “ You’re Mary; you have a blog called Pile of Smiles and you live in the Verde Valley .”   It took me a second to compose myself.  I stopped chewing my food.  I know I stared too long at her face and then she said:...

Abba's Lap

I noticed a behavior pattern in little Amy, twenty months old, that I want to imitate.  She moves fast engaging in one toddler activity after another spinning like a whirlwind from one room to another.  Yet, she pauses,  intermittently , long enough to get refreshed.   I want to be like this grandchild of mine because she knows where to go and how to get comforted. Amy moves at record speed, putting more miles on a pedometer in one hour than my accumulated weekly workouts at the gym.  She can build a skyscraper so tall, I wonder why those bright pink Lego’s don’t topple to the ground as she continues to stack just one more piece on top. I learned never to leave the room to get another cup of coffee.  Once, when I returned, I found her climbing past the couch with hands and feet reaching for the living room drapes. She has a consistent habit that I admire.  In the midst of her activities, as she moves robustly from one play...