OUR FRIEND, MIKE, FOUND HEAVEN THIS MORNING- ROGER FOUND IT EARLIER

I don't even know where to start

with this post.

To say we are in a state of shock

would be an understatement.

A while back I did a post

about MyHero's friend, Mike.

MyHero and Mikey have been friends

since they were young.

They drank together when they were young

and gave the devil a chase down the alley

on more than one occasion.

However---

In their early adulthood they settled down.

(well-kinda-almost) 

 Mike led a jail ministry and witnessed

about how God had changed his life 

to anyone that would listen

and to some that didn't want to listen, too.

When Mike and his wife were younger they

had a band.

He had a phenomenal voice and sang like

Kenny Rogers and they made beautiful

music together.

These are pictures of Jan & Mike

each taken with their youngest son, Nate.

I am stealing Nate's pictures but

I don't think he will mind.

About 20 years ago Mike had 

almost the same cancer

that MyHero has now.

He beat it but lost a tremendous amount of weight

and has never been able to eat properly 

since then.

He became weaker and weaker and lost

his ability to do much of anything.

MyHero convinced him to get a feeding tube

several weeks ago.

Mike started to put on weight 

and was feeling better and brighter.

He went back to leading his bible study group

and was 'plugged in' to life again.

This morning, unexpectedly, God called

Mike home.

We are all in shock at this point because

he was feeling better than he had felt in years.

Maybe we all needed to see the 

OLD MIKE 

before he became the 

NEW MIKE in Heaven.

He leaves behind a beautiful wife, Jan,

Two sons, Chad & Nate,

a sweet daughter, Terra,

(plus their spouses)

and beautiful grandchildren.

Please pray for them as they navigate the waters

of grief.

Also, pray for John/MyHero as he mourns the 

loss of yet another long-time friend.

We also lost another friend, Roger, 

earlier this week.

I have not had an OK to do a post about him

so I will make this brief.

Please just send prayers and healing thoughts

to his family, too-his wife and two sons

and spouses and grandkids.

God will know who you are talking about.

Just say you are praying for 

Roger-who was bigger than life!

ps.  He was a musician, too...

I bet he and Mikey are up there

setting those angel toes a-tapping.

Not sure Heaven was ready for 

either of them!!!

A MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE-

I wrote this for Memorial Day

a few years ago but I think it is

relevant every day.

This means even more to me now that I am

volunteering at the VA Center here. 

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is here once more,

We fly the flags above our door,

We plant our flowers that mark the grave,

Of every soldier that was so brave,

They fought for freedom for everyone,

Many lives snuffed out by a sniper's gun.

We proudly march in our little bands,

As daybreak filters across our lands,

But I wonder if we can truly see,

What cost it was to make us free.

Confederate soldiers fought the Yanks,

Some brothers fought brothers in those ranks,

To free the downtrodden that were lost,

To free all men at any cost.

My father was a medic in World War One,

A war not talked about by anyone,

Some men lost limbs and some were gassed,

Some were picked up by comrades, others 

bypassed.

World War II! How tragic indeed,

People standing by watching others bleed.

Souls thrown to the winds with no remorse,

Foreign government standing on their own 

course.

Vietnam was not a war they said,

Then how come so many soldiers ended up 

dead?

No heroes welcome for them in sight,

They slunk home in the dead of night.

Should I go on-with Korea & Desert Storm?

Iran? Afghanistan? Are you getting warm?

Do you feel the pain you see in their face?

Does it make you squirm in your warm, safe 

place?

I've just one more thing I'd like to say,

It's about celebrating Memorial Day,

Look around and everything you see,

Was paid out in blood so that we are free.

Put your hand on your heart,

For the blue, white and red,

Raise your eyes to the flag,

Say a prayer for the dead.

Because of a soldier I can have my say,

So ~God Bless you this Memorial Day~

And To All Our Soldiers-

© Diana Kosmoski 5/31/10

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND & Update on John

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, People.

We have lots of exciting stuff going on

this weekend.

Yes. We. Do.

Our sweet Lulu is graduating from

EIGHTH GRADE!

She is singing at the graduation mass

in the morning.

She is the only girl in her school that they 

ask to sing solos.

She is as beautiful on the inside as she is

on the outside.

A real blessing to us.

My daughter, Mimi, came up from IN

to share the Memorial Day weekend with us.

Her hubby had to work at a

Harley Davidson rally (poor boy)

but her entourage includes

TWO TREE HUGGERS

and 

ONE SCREAMER

Also called 

DIRTY GIRL~

It should be a fun weekend

with kiddos and a graduation party.

As for MyHero:

If you are wondering what a neck looks like

after radiation and chemo

this is it.

Close your eyes if you are squeamish.

There has been NO SURGERY at this point.

He is ever-so-slowly improving.

He is still very fatigued and often feels

light-headed and dizzy.

He has a hard time sleeping at night-

although he gets a few hours at a stretch.

He usually naps a few hours a day.

He still cannot eat and is using 

the feeding tube for all his meals.

Nothing 'tastes' right and he has trouble

swallowing anything other than liquids.

I am thinking of getting him a special gift

as he recovers.

He has always loved fish.

Wouldn't this be an

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT GIFT?

There are even online demonstrations!

If you have never seen this you have missed 

something special!

It is only THIRTY SECONDS LONG.

Turn your volume up and enjoy this

FREE DEMONSTRATION!

Looks good, doesn't it?

In every dark cloud there is a silver lining, right?

I don't have to COOK!

I can have a huge bowl of ice cream salad 

for every meal

and no one says a thing.

AND-Whenever MyHero says he doesn't feel

VERY USEFUL

I remind him that he certainly has a 

God-given purpose in his life.

See what I mean!?!!

HAPPY (and I do mean SMILING HAPPY)

Memorial Day!

WHAT? Not a Prayer Request Post? NOPE- It's FANCY ANNA AT A PAGEANT-

It seems like it has been FOREVER

since I did a normal, fun post.

Finally!  Here you go!

I felt that MyHero was well enough

to stay alone for the weekend

if the local kids would check on him.

They did- calling to assure me

that he had NOT burned the house down

mainly because he can't eat anything cooked.

SOOOO

I drove to 

Lafayette, IN 

to watch 

Little Miss Bright Eyes

(aka Anna Ireland)

in a toddler pageant.

First, I want to say that 

my daughter, Mindy Rose, is 

NOT A PAGEANT MOM AT ALL.

She did this on a fluke.

Bright Eyes wore a dress that has been

worn at least 7 or 8 times-

including by her older cousin-

WHO HAPPENED TO BE

the FLOWER GIRL at 

Mindy Rose's wedding!

Who would have thought

one day her own little girl would be wearing

that same dress?

Anyway,

Anna Ireland was the youngest 2 year old 

in the pageant.

She competed in the 2 year old competition.

One was for 'dress up'

and one was for a pageant issued

Tshirt which I took in and 

Mindy blinged up.

It was huge on her. 

She wears a size 24 months and this was

a size 5 or 6 Tshirt.

Thank goodness for needle/thread/scissors.

I will say she had 

THE CUTEST Tshirt there!

Anna, not being versed in

PAGEANT ETIQUETTE

heard the song

"Let It Go" (from Frozen)

playing as they walked onstage.

She LOUDLY sang

LET IHT GO-LET IHT GO-LET IHT GO

over and over again

which made everyone laugh

(except the competing mothers).

We could not take any pictures inside

the room or she would have been eliminated.

But we took some outside.

She was so good-never cross or bratty.

She loved riding the 'elvaator'.

So...how did she do?

She was entered into three categories

(which you had to decide when you got there)

She took FIRST PLACE in all three of them.

I hope I get these right!

Future Model Star/Face(?)

Attire

Personality

AND she came in 2nd runner up overall.

Pretty good for being a 'newbie'.

Her favorite game in the hallway-

ON THE CHAIR~

OFF THE CHAIR!

There were some little girls that

had lots of make up on.

To her credit,

Mindy did NOT put a 

speck of makeup on Anna.

She has the 'high color' that comes

from my side of the family-

ruddy cheeks and light eyes.

The only thing she did was tame her

already curly hair down.

So here you see--

BED HEAD -

Before and After

Now for your laugh of the day-

Mindy Rose decided it would be FUN

to give Anna a

Retro NANA LOOK from the 1990s.

My OTHER SMART MOUTHED DAUGHTER, Tara,

said that she even had the 

Nana Pouty Lip thing down pat.

I may cut then ALL out of the will........

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY-IS NOT SO HAPPY FOR SOME

I wrote this several years ago 

and I got so many private emails

from women who felt that I had

 'hit the nail on the head'.

Not all women have been blessed

with wonderful mothers.

I am away for the weekend.

Our first 'outing' since last Fall 

when John started cancer treatment.

However, I wanted to post this for all of you.

Mother's Day

Some of us have been blessed with wonderful Mothers.

Some of us have Mothers that were not quite so admirable.

Some of us have Mothers that praised us and adored us,

Some of us have Mothers that never said a kind word.

Some of us have Mothers that loved us unconditionally.

Some of us have Mothers that loved us only

if we met all her expectations,

and even that was not enough.

Some of us have Mothers that smiled readily.

Some of us have Mothers that never found much to smile about.

Some of us have Mothers that~

whatever we did~ it is more than they hoped for.

Some of us have Mothers that

no matter WHAT we did-it was never 

"quite right".

Some of us have Mothers that had a charmed childhood.

Some of us have Mothers that were raised in pain & shame.

Some of us have Mothers that

 need us & want us in their lives.

Some of us have Mothers that are needy

 and we seldom see them.

Some of us have Mothers that complete our lives.

Some of us have Mothers that

leave us aching, wanting and empty.

Some of us have Mothers that stand

on this side of the Great Beyond.

Some of us have Mothers that have passed

 over this earthly barrier.

Some of us will emulate our Mothers.

Some of us will vow to never be

anything like our Mothers.

Some of us are happy and fulfilled,

no matter what kind of Mother we had.

Some of us will never be happy

even if we were nurtured by an amazing Mother.

Today I am blessed to be a Mother.

My daughters are blessed to be Mothers, too.

Today I vow that I will be

the best mother (and grandmother) I can be.

Today I vow that I will love

as deeply as I can those that share my life.

Today I know that I am blessed indeed~

Today I hope that you find blessings

in your own life-

and love your Mother

even if it is just because she gave you life.

~Happy Mother's Day from Me to You~

©Nana Diana 

A Prayer Request- An Update and An Unexpected Passing

Mary from 

My Dogs My Garden And Mary

emailed me a few minutes ago

to tell me that her cousin,

Donna Dudley,

passed away.

Please pray for Donna's Mom, Nellie,

as this older lady deals with the 

loss of her dear daughter.

Mary thanks you for your prayers.

Also, one of my daughters' friends

from school, Kelli Roddan,

 passed away very unexpectedly yesterday

from an embolism.

She was only 38 and leaves behind a

husband and son.

She was one of those 

'larger than life' personalities-

always laughing at something.

Please pray for her family.

Even though Heaven is brighter 

for gaining two new angels,

those that are left behind

must cope with the loss.

Please pray for peace

for their Earthly families.

A PRAYER REQUEST FROM ANOTHER BLOGGER

I was gone most of the day but came home

to find a special request from

Mary @ My Dogs My Garden And Mary

Mary is a beautiful lady and she and I have become

good friend through blogging.

Mary never complains

even though she has her own health issues.

This is Mary- I do not have a picture of her cousin.

Hope you don't mind that I stole

this picture from your blog, Mary.

This beautiful woman

 is asking for prayer for this precious cousin.

Here are some of her own words.

Diana, I need to ask a special favor - my cousin is in the hospital and not expected to live.  They gave her too much radiation and fried her lungs. Can you please ask for prayers for her.  Her name is Donna Dudley and she lives in Buchanan, VA.

She is a lovely, soft spoken, sweet lady who raised Border Collies and loved her roses.  A very gentle soul ~

I know that prayers work and I have been praying like crazy, but they are going to bring hospice in, so please send an SOS out for her

Please send up some prayers for this dear woman.

Her dear mother is still alive and just heart-broken 

that her daughter,

barring a miracle,

 is going to pass away.

Please pray for a peaceful, 

pain-free passing for Donna.

Thank you!

Thank you, too, for all the prayers you have

offered up on our behalf.

Blessings and Love- Diana

STUCK AT HOME WITH THE OLD BAT---ME! An Update on John

For those of you that can't access

THE CARING BRIDGE

I am posting that journal entry here.

Hi Everyone,
I was not going to do any more updates because we thought John would be going back to work this week. However, they did an assessment on him at the Cancer Center this morning and they feel he is NOT READY to go back to work yet.  While his heart is willing, his body momentarily fails him.  The fall he took last week was a bad one and he is still bruised and sore.    He cannot get a deep breath, nor can he move freely-thus making it impossible for him to do his job as a chaplain adequately.

Once again John is on that rickety old bridge that crosses the cancer chasm.  He is certainly closer to the final shore of healing than he was--but he is not there yet. He talked to the head of his department today and it appears that they will hold his job for him.  That is comforting because it is one of the things that has spurred his healing.  He wants to go back to work and minister to people.  We will have to deal with some insurance issues but we will skirt that pot hole in the bridge when we come to it.
  
This past week our sweet Mindy came to visit us with little Anna Ireland.  She came to watch one of our other granddaughters, Maria, compete in a dance competition.

Wish you could see little Anna's arms.

She has a wonderful TATTOO that she 

did all by herself as mom drove from

Indiana to Wisconsin.

It is a work of art and covers her whole arm.

At least she hasn't learned to write 

naughty words yet!

Our little Maria walked away with top honors. 

She is the best of the best.  

Watching her dance is like watching wind blowing across a sheaf of silk.  

She is pure poetry and beauty in motion. 

 Last week she took top overall in Madison, W.

 She won a one week workshop with the Rockettes in NYC next summer.  She was thrilled and we are so happy for her, She works hard to perfect her art and it is all self-driven.  There is no stage-mom in the family; the inner spirit of dance comes from Maria's soul. Watching Maria dance is pure joy for John.  He loves his grandchildren and is so proud of all their accomplishments.
 
So-that's it, folks!  That is where we are at today.  While the progress is slow it IS progress and that is what matters.  Slow and steady wins the race..and he is winning

THE BATTLE AGAINST CANCER!

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and cards, letters & support.

Love you all!