Happy Easter

We have both ends this Easter - joy and sadness. We will have the joy of being with Anna and watching her hunt eggs. She now loves life and enjoys every minute of it passing that joy onto us. We also get to spend the day with our daughter and son-in-law, my mom, and my brothers' and sister's families.

On the other hand, our son and daughter-in-law and my niece and nephew in college won't be with us. That makes me sad. I hate it when someone is missing from the crowd. You'd think with the big crowd we have it would be hard to miss anyone, but there will be a little piece of my heart that will shed a tear today. Guess it's selfish - me missing them. But, I am sure they will be missing us, too.

Colin Powell

We were given tickets to hear Colin Powell speak tonight. I've always admired him, but now even more. He was a fantastic public speaker. He is a brilliant man. It was a wonderful experience.

His message was what my Dad taught us. A good leader takes care of his followers and good followers take care of their leader. Everyone has a purpose. The janitor who cleaned his office had the job of getting it ready for the world the next day. And, you let him know his job is important and that he does a good job.

He told a great story about how he sneaked out of his office when he was Secretary of State and went to the basement where the garage is. There were more cars than spaces, so they had to park triple. The last had to wait to get out. He said the workers were mainly immigrants who were paid not much more than minimum. After chatting with them, he asked how they decided who was in the front and who got the back. Finally a brave soul told him. Those who rolled down the window and said good morning got the front. Those who wouldn't even give them a look got the back. My Dad always told us you treat everyone the same. The janitor is as important as the president/boss.

I am so happy we went. Off to write a thank you to my niece who gave us the tickets.

A woman I'd love to have a conversation with

My grandmother died when I was 9. I loved her so much. She was an Irish immigrant who raised 10 children - many years on her own because my grandfather died at a young age. She always felt inferior and was a quiet, humble, hard-working woman. I have so many wonderful memories spending time with her. I'd love to be able to talk with her now that I am older and wiser. I'd like to hear of her life in Ireland.

A woman who I'm is awe of

This is my daughter. She is an amazing person. She is talented, smart, pretty, clever. She has overcome so much. While in school, she was bullied and her life was made hell by several nasty people. It was heart-breaking for her and for us. But, she managed to struggle through it. She now is in a wonderful place. She is married to a great guy and has the most fantastic baby I know! She's going back to school and doing well. She is loved by so many people and is greeted lovingly wherever she goes. I am so proud of her and all she's achieved. She is so strong and has worked so hard to become such an amazing person.

A woman who touched my life in a major way

She's not really a woman yet, but is a female. And, she's touched my life in a way no other person has. It is amazing to become a mother and there's nothing like it...until you become a grandmother. Anna is the sun, moon, and stars to me. I'm sure there aren't many people who know me that don't already know this! I was with her the moment she was born. I went to Syracuse every day she was in NICU. We started babysitting her at 2 months old when our daughter went back to college. Watching her grow and become a little person has been an experience I wouldn't trade for all the gold in the world. She's changed my life. I am working at being healthier because of her. I am a happier person because of her. I am more tolerant with life because of her. There is no way to explain the feeling I get when she sees me and her eyes light up and she shouts out "Grandmama" and opens her arms for me to hold her.

A woman who you laugh so hard I cry with

This would be my friend, Sharon. We can be having a very nice, normal conversation when one of us hears something and just starts laughing. Then the other gets laughing and we can't stop. We also met through the SS scrapping message board. We have been through a lot together. It amazes me still that we can be such great friends and so close, but have only known each other for a few years and see each other a couple of times a year. But those few times are filled with so much fun and laughter.

A woman who can finish my sentences

This would be my friend Mary. I've only known her a few years, but it is like we have cloned lives. We met through SS - a scrapping message board. We've traveled to several retreats together. At night we spend a lot of time talking which means we solve the problems of the world. We discovered we married the same man. We get a lot of laughs over that. The last time we were together, I said that I had married my mother. She got laughing - said she's said she married her mother, too. If one of us says "I was thinking the same thing", the other will say "Of course you were"! We've even sent each other the same email at almost the same time. I get to spend this Sunday with Mary at a scrapping event. I can't wait to talk with her.