ETHAN BULL RIDE MAY 2009

INVISIBLE MOTHER

To all the GREAT moms I know take the time to read this, please!_________________________________________________________

Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping
the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can
you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock
to ask, 'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a
car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes
that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now
they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's
going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration
for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I
could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals
- we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives
for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and
expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith
that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by
the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God
sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction.
But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the
disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong,
stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one
of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book
went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime
because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's
bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three
hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built
a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home.
And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're
gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will
marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been
added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM! Share this with all the Invisible Moms you know...I just
did. The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not
protect you The Invisible Mother.


It's the things we achieve through God that gives us our joys in life.

THANKS AUNT JEANNIE FOR THIS EMAIL.

"THE SNEEZE"

THE SNEEZE

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing .. and the traditional caps, they looked almost .. as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would NOT pray during the commencements----not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guid ance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....until the final speech received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened.

All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly SNEEZED!!!!

The student on stage.. simply looked at the audience and said,

'GOD BLESS YOU, each and every one of you!' And he walked off stage...

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

Isn't this a wonderful story? Pass it on to all your friends.........and
GOD BLESS YOU!!!!

This is a true story; it happened at the University of Maryland.
Oh, how I wish THIS one would take off and FILL the whole Country!!!

THANKS UNCLE DANNY L. FOR THIS EMAIL

ETHAN RIDES TONIGHT

LAKE HOUSE MAY 20, 2009

I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME WATCHING THE BIRDS. I RELAXED AND BRIAN PAINTED. I THINK THAT IS A GOOD TRADE OFF. BRIAN AND I TOOK A RIDE ON THE TRAILS IN HIS NEW GATOR. DONNA AND CAT LIKED RIDING IN THE BACK OF THE GATOR. THIS IS A FEW OF THE PICTURES I TOOK WEDNESDAY.

ETHAN

ETHAN RODE LAST NIGHT. HE DID MUCH BETTER. HE WAS STILL SHORT OF 8 SECONDS. HE IS WORKING REALLY HARD. BRIAN SAID HIS FORM LOOKED MUCH BETTER LAST NIGHT. I GUESS PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. WE HAVE PICTURES THIS TIME. I WILL ADD THEM TONIGHT.
I AM GLAD IT IS FRIDAY. I WISH I WAS OFF THIS WEEKEND. HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING GREAT.

"MY LIFE IS GREAT BECAUSE MY DREAMS ONLY HAPPEN WHEN I AM AWAKE" - DAVID R.

REST AND RELAX

I SPENT SOME "ME" TIME AT THE LAKE. IT WAS SO NICE. I WISH IT COULD HAVE BEEN LONGER. I WATCHED THE HUMMINGBIRDS AND MORE BIRDS THAN I COULD EVEN NAME. DONNA AND CAT CHASED SQUIRRELS. BRIAN STARTED PAINTING THE LAKE HOUSE TODAY. IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD. I LIKE THE STAIN HE PICKED.

JAKE'S SPRING BAND CONCERT WENT WELL. BRIAN SAID THEY SOUNDED REALLY GOOD. I GUESS ALL THE PRACTICE PAID OFF.

ETHAN WON SEVERAL FFA AWARDS. HE ALSO GOT HIS FFA JACKET.

WE ARE ALL COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL IS OUT. WE CAN'T WAIT TILL SUMMERTIME!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE.