Sisterhood

I had a dream years ago - not long after my mother died. I was walking down the halls of the Salt Lake Temple and I passed a beautiful young woman. I could see her from a distance - she was talking to someone else - and when we finally 'met' in the hallway she looked over and smiled at me. It was my mother. At first I thought it was just a comfort dream - for me to know that my mother was happy and healthy and WALKING now that she'd left this earth. But later I decided that it was also a lesson in sisterhood. My mother is no longer my 'elder'. She's once again a young woman and when we meet again in addition to being mother and daughter - we will be sisters.

I thought of this again last week. I had a bad day and a particular disappointment and planned to just go to bed (I was exhausted) and wake up (hopefully) more cheerful in the morning. But Emily brought in her fingernail polish and insisted that she was going to give me a pedicure. I tried to talk her out of it. I didn't think anything could cheer me up. But she wouldn't take no for an answer. As I sat there and received this simple, personal service from my sweet daughter I did feel 'cheered'. And my toes look so cute!!!

I am eternally thankful for mothers and daughters and sisterhood.

SORRY!!!!

I really intended to do a weekly blog and in the future I will - but (and I really hate to admit this) I forgot my own password for the blog and kept forgetting to ask Emily what it was. I finally had to email her at work to find out!!!! So now I have it safely recorded in my inbox and this shouldn't be a problem again.

Things are going well at the Green household. Just busy like everyone else. I'm really starting to enjoy my job. It's still a little stressful and makes it hard to accomplish the other things I need to - but working with the kids is very rewarding.

In book news - Above and Beyond and Spirit of Christmas should hit bookstore shelves in just over a month. I hope to have my copies by the end of that first week of October if not before. I'll mail out my preorders immediately. I am trying hard to make sure I keep careful track of all orders. But if you place a preorder and don't recieve your books/cds by the middle of October let me know. My biggest fear is that I'm going to forget someone!!!

And I've started on the final book in the Duty Series. My original plan was to do a Haggerty book next (and I've got it more than half written). But when I was doing the final edit of Above and Beyond I started getting so many ideas about how to resolve the story - I decided just to go ahead and do that book for March (when Covenant wants another one). The Christmas book has a Haggerty story in it - so hopefully that will tide the Haggerty Junkies over until Fall. And this way we can get Dane and Savannah settled!!!

Grace is HOME!!!

It is SOOO great to have Grace home. She left Provo on July 31st - all alone - with Mapquest directions, an atlas and a fully charged cell phone. The plan was for her to sleep most of the day so that when she left she be rested and refreshed and ready for a long drive. She was headed to Nauvoo where friends of our family (the Hogans and Ackers) had gathered. She hoped to get there on Friday afternoon so she could have time to look around, attend the new pageant (we were cast members of the old one for the last two years) and then spend the night with the Hogans before heading on home Saturday morning. However several last minute things came up on Thursday - interupting her sleep - so she wasn't all that rested when she left Provo. She had to stop several times to take short naps - which delayed her. Then a wrong turn at Des Moines resulted in a detour to Minnesota. So it was 3:00 am on Saturday before she ever arrived at the Hogan's hotel room in Nauvoo. They took good care of her and after a few hours of sleep she followed the Ackers as far as Nashville (where they ahd to vere off toward Georgia) and then made it the rest of the way by herself. It was not a pleasant trip but we were thankful to have her home safely.

Emily started school last Weds. I can't believe she is a SENIOR!!! So far school has gone well. She starts seminary on Thursday so her life will be even busier. Andy and Clay start their new schools on Weds and I started my new job at my old school last Friday. I'm working with three exceptional education teachers who are wonderful. Once I figure out what I'm doing I'll be more comfortable - but I'm thankful to be back at Hueytown Elementary.

I got up early this morning and emailed back and forth with Tommy. He's doing well in Uganda and it's so fun to see him mature and settle in to missionary life. We still miss him and it's still hard to have him so far away, but I'm confident that he'll be okay.

And finally - we've been mesmerized by the Olympics around our house. It makes me so proud of our athletes and so thankful to be an American! GO USA!!!!

July 23, 2008 - Right Place/Wrong Time

Tommy is on his way to Uganda. His plane left about 45 minutes ago and he should be there in less than 4 hours. I'll be so thankful to have him settled at last, under the care and watchful eye of his own mission president (and the mission president's wife). He emailed me on Sat the 12th (2:00 in the morning our time) and said that was when he would have computer time the next Sat as well if I wanted to get up so we could 'chat' by swapping emails (something I used to do when Jamie was in Sweden). So on the 19th I got up at 1:00 am (just to be sure I didn't make a mistake in the time difference and miss him). Right about 2:00 he emailed me that he was there. I was so excited!!! I sent him back a quick email and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally he emailed back and said he only go 20 minutes on the computer and had over 100 emails that he'd been trying to wade through. He said he had to go but would email from Uganda. I couldn't believe it! I didn't even get to ask him what day he was leaving. Or why he was wading through 100 emails when he knew I was sitting there at 2:00 in the morning waiting to talk to him...It's a good thing I love him - and that he was in Africa. So I emailed Sister Libby who works in the mission office in Uganda and asked her if she knew when he'd be arriving there. She emailed back and said he was coming today. So this morning when I got up I had a nice long email from him. The traveling missionaries were all packed up so they had been allowed a little extra computer time - when I WASN'T there to chat back. But it was still good to hear from him. He was excited to get to Uganda and meet his new companion.

And on a related topic (my other kids say all I talk about is Tommy - which is not true - although this journal entry does kind of back up their claim) I joined an Missionary Moms email group shortly after Tommy got his call (like the next day - I needed reassurance). The group has been very supportive and informative and just a pleasure to me. One mom, Shannon Tolman, has a son Peter who is 4 months ahead of Tommy - so she was able to give me very practical advice about how to get him ready. She has some friends (the Cowans) who work for the Church and are currently assigned to South Africa. They go to the MTC frequently to let the missionaries 'practice' on them. While they were there on July 11th they met a missionary from Ethiopia (Elder Shegena) who was headed to Capetown. Elder Tolman is currently serving in Ethiopia and had met Elder Shegena before he left for the MTC. So the Cowans took a picture of Elder Shegena and his companion and sent it to Shannon. When Shannon saw that Elder Shegena's companion was from Alabama - she knew it had to be Tommy and forwarded the picture to me. What are the odds? How huge a blessing was that? To see Tommy happy and smiling in the MTC across the world? The picture is posted on my "About Me" page if you haven't seen it. Anyway, sometimes I am in the right place at the right time - or friends of a friend are anyway!!!