Faith, Hope, and Love . . .

". . . beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up...and it will too."


"I realize that it doesn't matter who or what or when or where the hugging happens. Sometimes you just need a hug."

(From "Hope Floats")


Every time I watch the movie "Hope Floats", I find more things that I have never seen in it before. I think one of the reasons I love the movie so much is because it reminds me of the strong sense of family in southern families - and it reminds me so much of the bonds I have with my own family.

The last two years have been difficult because of the loss of so much for my family in Hurricane Katrina, in addition to losing both of my paternal grandparents (and losing my maternal grandmother one year prior). I think in the time immediately following loss, it is hard to truly put everything in perspective and you spend much of the time in a haze. For me, it has taken time to really think about and to accept that loss is part of life. I have always been a sentimental, touchy-feely type person and now more than ever I try to make a conscious effort to tell those around me how much they mean to me - regardless of what their reactions may be. I don't ever want to regret not sharing my feelings with others. I would encourage others to let friends and family know what they mean to you - every day - not just on special occasions.


The first quote really speaks to me right now because this is a time of lots of new beginnings. I wish that I had more control over things that are happening right now, but I don't and I am finding that that's okay too. I am learning to trust myself more than ever - and trust my heart - and hope for the best. I know good things are to come.

Think . . .

The Shawshank Redemption
Quote from Red


"I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

Some special quotes from my favorite book . . .

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

Quotes from Ms. Jean Louise ("Scout") Finch


"This night my mind was filled with Halloween -- there was to be a pageant representing our county's agricultural products; I was to be a ham. Jem said he would escort me to the school auditorium. Thus began our longest journey together."

(This quote always reminds me of the bond I have with my twin brother. Regardless of how young or old we are/were, he is always my best friend.)



"Neighbours bring food with death, and flowers with sickness, and little things in between. Boo was our neighbour. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives."

(This quote brings back memories of the way we should all treat each other - exemplified by both of my grandmothers and the other women in my family. It also reminds me of all the "Boos" I have known in my life - at many different ages - and what each one taught me.)

Thoughts about the coming of Fall (one of my favorite seasons)

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Lots of News!

My twin brother (Joe) and his wife (Bekah) had their first baby about a week and a half ago - I am now an Aunt for the first time! And he is also the first grandchild. He is Joe IV and is cute as a button - blonde hair and blue eyes. He was a little early but I like to think it was because he was anxious to meet his Aunt Stephanie!

The pic on the left is at the hospital - and it is three generations of Joes! The middle pic is of me holding him the day he was born. The pic on the right is after his first bath at home.