National Police Week

This poem really touched my heart last year and I used it in the card for Bob at the time. When I was making his card this year, I found it again. Just thought that I would share.

"The Final Inspection"

The policeman stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining.
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman.
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My church have you been true?"

The policeman squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't,
Because those of us who carry badges
can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
and at times my talk was rough,
and sometimes I've been violent,
Because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep....
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't.....I'll understand.

There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod.
As the policeman waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, policeman,
You've borne your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in hell."

Author Unknown

UPGRADE

Thanks Suzy for updating your blog today. This inspired me to make mine cuter also. I have wondered about using this site to cutsey it up, but was leary to take the plunge.

Thanks for the prayers

As many of you already know we had a bit of an adventure over the weekend. Friday at about 6 am Don called me to let me know that he was not feeling well and was going to the hospital. He felt like his heart was beating funny and he thought he should get this checked out. Good thing he did. He (we) got to spend the night in the ICU at the Lake Placid hospital. Many people were praying that Don's heart rate would return to normal and that we could go home soon. Well the Lord is good, Don's heart rate converted late on Friday and on Saturday the doctor said we could go home. We found out that Don has 2 cousins who have had similar events recently and we plan to follow-up closely on this. Thanks to everyone who was praying for Don. Times like this make you realize that life is short and live every moment.

Checking In

I just wanted to check in to let everyone know that we are all ok. We have been very busy lately. Last week I went to the big city of Land O Lakes to a conference for work. I had fun, but I remembered that I don't like to go away without my family. I really missed them. Thanks to Don's mom Linda for keeping Morgan while I was gone. Don's work hours don't lend well to me being gone. I came home late last Wednesday. Well I am home now and hope to get things back to normal in this house. Mostly want to get back to stamping.

ABC

My friend Heidi has this on her blog and "tagged" people to do this. I thought it was really cute. See if you can answer them.

A - Age: 31

B - Bed size: King, Don's a big guy you know!

C - Chore you hate: Mopping, good thing I have a hubby who doesn't mind.

D - Dog's name: Bandit and Smokey

E - Essential start your day: One Coke (bad I know)

F - Favorite color: blue

G - Gold or Silver: gold

H - Height: 5'3" (just FYI Morgan is 1/2" in shorter and 20 years younger)

I - Instruments you play(ed): Oboe

J - Job title: Mom, Wife, Nurse

K - Kid(s): Morgan

L - Living arrangements: Family and the dogs

M - Mom's name: Linda

N - Nicknames: Catie

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: many times for kidney stones

P - Pet Peeve: chldren who talk back

Q - Quote from a movie: This is horribe, I can't think of even one. Don is always quoting movies and I never know what they are from :(

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 sister Suzy

T - Time you wake up: 3:30 when I work, 7:30 when I don't

U- Underwear: Yes (the fact that some say no just bothers me for some reason, I guess its the nurse thing)

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussle sprouts

W - Ways you run late: I hate to be late.

X - X-rays you've had: lots of KUB on my kidneys

Y - Yummy food you make: taco soup

Z - Zoo favorite: Monkeys (my dad had one as a pet when he was a kid and taught Suzy and I to love them)

Easter Egg Hunt

I would like to thank all of the people who helped with the Easter Egg Hunt. All the donations were put to good use and all the helpers at the field were all put to work. Thank you all for your support over the years, and thanks to those who brought the kids, without you there would be no need for the Easter Egg Hunt.

These are the wonderful people from the Fraternal Order of Police in Highlands County. They donated all of the items for the "Baby Field". I do hope that they will be there to help next year. A special thank you to Mom and Bob for taking the lead and running with it. I think that the kids go lots of things and the parents were happy to have no candy on the field.

Bob played the Bagpipes while the kids were coming into the ball fields. It made for a very festive atmosphere. Most of the pictures here are courtesy of Morgan as I was to busy to play photographer. She is getting pretty good with the camera.

This is one of the ladies that I work with Dorothy with her grandkids Caleb and Emily. I think that they had a good time at the egg hunt. Hopefully they will come again next year.

Friends from Church Megan and her son Jordan. I enjoyed seeing them as it has been a while.

I think that this was my favorite field. For the first time ever we have included a field for the "Miracle League" athletes. These athletes are people who have a developmental disability. As most of you know the "Baby Field" has always been my favorite (except for rude parents), but this field and it's participants was amazing. I am not sure that I can put into words on here the way that it made me feel to see these people having fun and "finding" these eggs.

Junior Miss Lake Placid Cassie Canevari with one of the athletes. She was at the egg hunt the entire time and seemed to have a good time.

This little girl cracked me up. She didn't have a basket so she had her grandmother holding her eggs. When she ran out of room in her hands the little girl started shoving them down in her grandmothers shirt (that's why it is so puffy). She was really a cute kid.

Lastly Mom and Morgan after the egg hunt was over. In the background are Jeannie Fortier, current President of the Lake Placid Merchants Association and Robert Brown, incoming President of the LPMA (they are to official sponsors of the egg hunt now that they Delaney family has passed on out hats). I think that everyone had a good time, but I also think we are always glad when it is over. Now to plan ahead for next year.

Cypress Gardens during Spring Break

We had the opportunity to use our season passes to Cypress Gardens now that they have re-opened. We were able to get there one day during Spring Break. While it is not as beautiful as it was when I was younger and it is not quite like in my memory, but it was still a very nice trip. While we were there the water park was open, but we did not go as it was looking like rain and Don said we should just swim at Grandma and Papa's house. We had a good time walking around the gardens part though. We saw these pretty Belle's while we were there. Morgan would not get her picture taken with them, but Don did. The statues are the Saints. One is the Patron Saint of Flowers and the other is the Patron Saint of Birds (at least that is what the sign said. Morgan was picking some of the leaves off of the flowers for her latest collection. She mostly picked the ones that were loose in the flower beds, but a few she actually picked.