Jobless With Puppy!

In May 2009, I lost my financial controller job, as residential construction came to a halt in Southern California with the banks not lending. On July 13, my husband's birthday, his musician friends, members of his band, gave him a surprise birthday party. The singer of the band and his newlywed bride had adopted a puppy from a neighbor whose Yorky had gotten pregnant by her sister's Maltese. She named her "Morky" (a designer breed), Gucci (no comments). Falling in love with this puppy, we went to look at her six siblings, but there was only one left! He looked at us with his endearing eyes. Our 21 year old daughter really wanted a Yorky. It was our promise to get her one if she moved back home after college. This lady who lived in an apartment and could not keep all the puppies was trying to find good homes for them, so we took the last one! My daughter named him Simba, after the Lion King cub. She and my son did the whole Pride Rock initiation ceremony with a live musical vocal encore of Lion King score. Yes, I have a very musical and talented family.

This puppy is a God send. He reminds me to wake up happy and grateful for everything. He opens a new page early each day holding no grudges, no rejections, no depression. He jumps and dances at the site of his treats. He brings his ball to me to play, if I have been job hunting too long on the computer. He winnies if it's time to eat lunch and dinner, reminding me to eat as well. He tugs at me to go for his walk reminding me to get my excercize, too. Not only that, he listens to my utterings about feelings, priorities and actions that I need to take without being overburdened about them. He looks at me with his big brown eyes and lets me know that the simple things of peace and love are what is important in life. I love Simba and God who gave me him at this time of tribulation. Happy Job Hunting You All! Keep the Faith!

H1N1 Been There Done That

All in a mother's day's work, which lasts 24 hour day shifts, I finally got a break as my sixteen year old son when back to school today. Nine days it took to get over this H1N1 flu, but he and I survived! I had one of those mother's intuitions, that gnawing gut feel, when he insisted on going to watch a Friday night away high school football game at the nearby rival High School. As I dropped him off in front of that High School to meet his other friends, a little voice inside said, "This is a breeding ground for H1N1." He already thinks I over protect him. His older sister thinks I over protected him as he grew up because of his asthma (Thank God He grew out of it). So, I said to myself "You are being over protective." The Bible says don't dwell on bad forebodings, think happy good thoughts. So I let him go because he insisted. The Bible also says "Honor thy mother and father." Listening to them sometimes, I believe counts as honoring them?

Forty-eight hours later he had a fever, body aches and difficulty in breathing. His survival was due to dilligent motherhood amongst a few other important factors that I need to mention. Googling H1N1 symptoms helped identify the need to see a doctor right away (within first 48 hours of symptoms) to get the Tamiflu pill. The On Call nurse, Liz, who answered my call at ten o'clock pm to represcribe my son's albuterol inhaler medication and called it into the CVS pharmacist who, in turn, got it ready quite quickly for my almost midnight pickup. My sister and brother-in-law that took in my mother and my 21 year old daughter, as my son and I quarantined ourselves. My brother-in-law who drove by and left Emergen C packages at my doorstep and rang my doorbell. Last but not least, my mother who kept calling and shopping so we wouldn't run out of Kleenex, toilet paper, food or Simply Orange Juice, Apple Juice and Lemonade. That Simply stuff is amazingly delicious, as are all the people in my life! Scary stuff...we as in the human race gotta beat these viral and microbial germs...we need great scientists...what will H2N2 be like?..oops...no evil forebodings...and I will honor my mother!