I'll See You in the Morning

I've been trying to think of something funny
to write about while on our vacation.

We went to see Russell's Dad
He's in a Rest Home with Alzheimers.
There is just nothing funny about Alzheimers
It robs you of all humor.

It robs you...
of everything you have ever loved...
of all the memories that made you who you are...
of all the joys you have ever experienced...
of your unique personality...
of your independence...
of your dignity...
of life.

It leaves you...
an empty shell.
Nothing like the person you used to be.
Nothing like the person your wife fell in love with...
Nothing like the person your children learned to respect.

It leaves you...
with nothing.


except Christ,
who will never leave you nor forsake you.

I love you, Dad!
I'll never forget who you were...
And I'll never think of you as you are now.


And I'll see you in the morning!

Be Still My Soul

Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, God faithful will remain.
Be still my soul , thy best, thy Heavenly friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul, thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last
Be still my soul, the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know his love, his heart
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul, thy Jesus can repay
From his own fulness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone.
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored
Be still, my soul, when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.


We sang this today at Grace Bible Baptist Church
of Pensacola.
Alex and Lizzie go to this church.
The Pastor is Reuben Ruffin.

I was a little downcast today.
But at Sunday School he shared the verse:
"And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask anything, according to his will,
he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us,
whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions
that we desired of him." I Jn. 5:14, 15

So whatever I ask Him, in His Will, He hears
and will answer.
But I have to have confidence in that fact.
I have to believe His Word.
What great comfort to know this.
I really had hope again when I read this.
I mean, I've heard this verse before,
Probably a zillion times...
But sometimes we forget what we learned
Many years before.
What once gave us comfort,
Is lost in our hearts somewhere...
Til God brings it back for us to believe it again.
And find comfort again.

Then in the midst of this surge of hope,
We sang "Be Still My Soul"
The words comforted and stilled my heart.

When disappointment, grief and fear are gone...
Sorrow forgot; love's purest joy restored...

Creating Memories

For the last week, I have been in Florida
To attend my middle son's wedding.

I can't help but think of when he was little...
Little eskimo baby
(That's what he looked like).
He happily slept all the way through the first night.
I thought he was dead when I woke in the morning
to find they had never brought him to me.
I freaked out...called the nurse.
He had stuck his thumb in his mouth...
and happily fell back asleep.

I remember the time a friend of ours
was working in our barn and Alex sat there with him,
"To make sure you don't steal any of my Dad's stuff!"
(Like we had anything worth stealing)
When Adam and him stuck a stick in a hornest nest.
It was Adam's idea, but he stood way back while Alex
experimented!
He came screeching in the house and had to be drugged
for two days while he healed...
The time when he was four and he hugged his friend,
And the friend pushed him away and said, Don't touch me.
I remember the look of hurt on his face...
The times when he would push Adam
a little too far...
and Adam would clean his clock!
And then they would both get in trouble for fighting.
(Even though Alex really deserved it, for being such a pest!)
All these things a Mother carries with her. Like Mary.
"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."
(Lk. 2:19)

But now, we are creating new memories...
He is leaving his childhood memories...
and going on to his adult memories.
Instead of making my memories...
he is making his own...
memories for their life together.

Kind of bittersweet for a Mom.
Knowing this is how it is supposed to be...
But feeling a loss nonetheless.
Excited for them and their future...
But missing those little moments...
those little memories that you will always carry with you...
but never get to relive.
Loving the quiet time you now have...
But missing the chaos that once governed your life.

I have a friend (Sunnykins) who has a blog called
"A Beautiful Mess". She got the idea from someone else
cause it typified her life.
And I have to claim it too...
cause it describes my life when all the guys were around.
The Beautiful Mess that was our lives.


OK, now that I got you all crying...
Let me tell you,
I am sitting in a motel room on the shores of Pensacola Beach
Overlooking the ocean on a warm summer morning...
writing my blog
while the world goes on around me.
Enjoying a quiet cup of coffee
and the smell of the ocean.


And now, I also am creating new memories.
Memories of grown kids, grandkids,
travels with my husband.
My sister and I can have an uninterrupted conversation.
(Well, unless I go to her house...she still has a 4 year old.)
All the things that make up an entire life.
If life always stayed the same
I would get bored, I'm sure.
I get bored easily. My husband says its a spiritual issue.
No doubt.
I like change (as long as it doesn't hurt...which it usually does, btw)


And now the point of this whole thing...
I have a friend...who sticks closer than a brother.
He will be with me through all the changes my life takes.
He shares each memory, each moment I have gone through.
He can help me through all the tough changes
and laugh with me through all the easy changes.
And one day when I see Him face to face...
All that I have gone through, good and bad,
will fade away as I look at the face I have longed to see
all these years.
And it will all be worth it all...

And I will once again be creating new memories.

Countdown

Tomorrow we are leaving for Florida
To attend my middle son's wedding.

So this is the countdown...
Do I have my sunglasses...
my cellphone...
cord to the cellphone...
reading glasses...
computer...
all cords for computer
(and there are a lot)...
books to read...
DS...
(with all its cords)
camera...
(with all its cords)
shoes...
(this is EXTREMELY important)
I even have a pair waiting for me at my son's!
Important papers...so they'll let me get on the plane.
I can become president without them...
but I can't get on an airplane. Wonder how THAT works?
Address book so I can send everyone a postcard.
(Although I usually don't actually get around to it)
makeup...jewelry...Bible...shampoo...conditioner...
I don't want to forget anything!
I start packing 2 weeks before.
My husband?
He started packing tonight at 9:00 pm.
And he never forgets anything!
That really bothers me.
Procrastination is not something that should be rewarded.
Yet he never forgets anything.
How is that possible.
I plan...I make lists...I check them twice...
gonna find out who's naughty and ...no wait...
that's another story.
I plan...I forget.
He doesn't plan...he doesn't forget.

It's one of those things in life that I don't get.

So tomorrow on the way to the airport
I'll be saying...did I remember my phone?
My wallet?...My glasses?
Did I turn off the iron?

Sigh...

For You, Mom

If I could give you diamonds
For each tear you cried for me...
If I could give you sapphires
For each truth you've helped me see...
If I could give you rubies
For the heartache that you've known...
If I could give you pearls
For the wisdom you have shown

Then you'd have a treasure, Mother
That would mount up to the skies
That would almost match the sparkle
In your kind and loving eyes.
But I have no pearls, no diamonds
As, I'm sure, you're well aware
So I'll give you gifts more precious...
My devotion, love and care.

I got this poem from the net.
I would give credit to whoever wrote it...
But it was written by anonymous.

It is exactly the way I feel.
My Mother has always been there for me.
She is my closest, dearest friend on this earth.
(Other than my husband)
I know that nothing I could ever do
Would cause her to not love me.
Her love is unconditional...
because I am her daughter.

What a great picture of the Saviour's Love!

I love you Mom!

Onward, Forward

The other day we were driving through town...
And we stopped at a signal
behind this little car
with two little guys sitting in their car seats
both facing backwards.
(I notice little ones a lot lately since I'm gonna
be a grama!)

I know the debate as to whether
kids should be facing forward, backward,
front seat, back seat has been going on a long time.
Well, the debate wasn't going on when my kids were little.
As long as they were in one, no one cared.


And when I was little, no one cared at all!
I used to sleep in the back window.
And when we were really strapped for room...
Mom used to tie us to the top of the car!
(Well, that might be an exaggeration...)

We are much more concerned for child safety today.
And that's a good thing.
But what about the psychological implications
of making a child spend the first few years of his life
FACING BACKWARDS!
Does this not concern anyone?

I heard Brian Regan one time talk about vacations
from the back of a station wagon with a reverse seat.
I can relate to that cause we had one of those.
Since I was little, I always sat back there.

Yep, that was us.

Brian says it's a totally different vacation from those
in the front seat. (Yeah, I used that in my last blog!)
That's true.
You wave at everyone in the cars behind you
until they pass you cause they're sick of you waving at them.
When you get to the next truck stop
your Mom wants to know why it seems everyone
in the restaurant is giving you dirty looks.

Life is about going forward, not backward.
"...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before."
Right?!
But those little guys are watching the world go by
backwards...
Can't be healthy.

We walk forward,
drive forward,
(which brings to mind...race forward),
plan forward,
time goes forward.
And they're doing everything backward.
Somehow, it seems to me it must warp
their little minds.
Just a thought...

Yours truly,
Lisa Hoover
President of Gramas Against Going Backwards

Skunk Wars

The Skunk Wars have begun at the Hoovers!

Every Spring when the little skunks wake up from
their long winter nap...
They come to our house to pillage and destroy!

Chickens, eggs, whatever they can find.

So we have to get the trap out...
every night...
buy cat food,
set the traps,
keep the kitties in...
cause they will find the cat food without fail!
(hmm... imagine that.)

OK, they are not this cute!!

And hope to see Pepe
in the trap
the next morning.
In which case, we get the .22
and VERY humanely send them to skunk heaven!

So far, we are losing.
Whereas, before the traps,
They were in the chicken coop every night
without fail!
Eatin' eggs, terrorizing the chickens,
upsetting the dog, freaking out the kitties,
in general being a nuisance.

That's more like it, although I don't think this is a skunk!

So...Night 1: Set out 2 traps...catch one cat,
a very contented cat, I must say.
(Forgot to bring them in)

Night 2: Both traps sprung...no skunks...no cat food.
(Happily, no cats either!)

Night 3: OK, just the big trap...it has a hair trigger!
Knocked over...not sprung...no cat food left.
(So much for hair trigger)

Night 4, 5, 6: Pretty much the same!
No skunks, no cat food.
But we are thinking of taking out stock in Fancy Feast!

I think it's time for our favorite Montana activity!
Sit in the lawn chairs,
in the garden, in the almost dark,

This is what we do with them!

with our shotguns
and wait for Pepe to show
his little striped face!
So we can very humanely...


send him to skunk heaven.

Random Conversations

Maybe it's just me.
Maybe I have a weird sense of humour...but this is a bizarre conversation:


Conversation overheard in said Tractor Store:

Customer: "What size file do I need to sharpen this chain saw?"

Salesguy: "Looks like they used a 5/16th on it.":

Customer: "So...is that the right size?"

Salesguy: "That's what they used."

Customer: "So...what's the right size?"

Salesguy: "3/16th"

Customer: "So...is it OK to use a 5/16?"

Salesguy: "Apparently"

Customer: (Looking confused) "So...if I ever buy a new chain for this, can I use 5/16?"

Salesguy: "They did"

Same two guys a little while later:

Customer: "Someone gave me this chain saw, what's it worth?"

Salesguy: "Don't know."

Customer: "You don't know?"

Salesguy: "They don't make it anymore."

Customer: "Well, how much would something similar cost."

Salesguy: "$300 or $400.

Customer: "Then I got a good deal?"

Salesguy: "You'd have got a good deal if you'd have paid $12."

Customer: "Uh...ok."

Customer: (Walking out)"Thanks for the files...............I think."