A Greene Family Update

Well, this week we are preparing for the Caleb's prom. I went with him to get Shay's corsage. yesterday was his last practice with the youth symphony. One more month and our Caleb will be a High School graduate! I can hardly believe how fast time is moving.It seems like just yesterday we were sitting in the NICU wishing we could take him home with us. Or dancing around the living room in his "Barney WONDERware" and his blue Binky in his mouth. Sorry son...your friends most likely won't be reading this...and if they do....trust me.. I feel certain they wore Barney WONDERware too.

Gianna has not felt good. Her allergies are really flared up...and she is cutting more teeth. I remember my kids hurting when they cut their teeth...but this sweet baby has really suffered. She has been wanting me to sit and hold her...which is not like her at all. So I know she is feeling poorly. I don't mind just sitting and holding her....watching her shows, and reading books. Spring has been rough on quite a few family members.

Shelby has been staying after school to catch up and stay on top of her school work. Still struggling with the ADD and Dyslexia...but is hanging in there. She has been helping our new neighbors with their laundry. And of course...time giggling at Randall on the phone. She is showing such maturity this year and I am very proud of her. She turned 16 on the 23rd of March and just the other day mentioned driving. Her brothers immediately said NO! Lord give me strength! I don't think our Shelby is quite ready to drive yet. The truth is more like WE are not ready for Shelby to drive! Soon sweetie.

Stephen gets himself up every morning and goes to college. When he is not at school...he is at work. What precious little time he has left...he sleeps, bathes, eats and starts the day all over. He had the whole day off on Sunday and he took his brother and sister to see a movie. He still plays in the College band and just recently accepted a position to play Bassoon in a community players musical. He is thinking of possibly moving into a dorm next semester...which we are not totally against...it probably would be a good experience for him. But, Randy and I silently hope he will continue to live at home. Hey...home is free and I know he is fed and rested. I can't help it...I am still his mommy.

Life for Mr. Matthew is pretty much same ol' same ol'....just the way he likes it. A couple of times a week we try change his routine up just a little. Like by taking him to a movie, or a short walk at the park. He will oblige...but he lets us know clearly that this not what we normally do. He has this thing about getting into the chairs. The fact that it folds makes him nervous. We hold it down for him, he screams as his sits....and then we are fine. Lately he has been going through his chatty phase. Don't get me wrong...he is always pretty verbal....but it is a language that is all his own. Most of the time we can figure out what he is trying to say....Sometimes he says something as clear as a bell....but sometimes we still struggle to understand.

Work is finally slowing down for Randy. Tax season is always quite hectic. But with the warmer weather and the extra daylight we are out in the evening piddling around the yard. Randy has so many things he wants to do outside. Currently he is planning to build a new shop and a green house for me. I mostly want a place to put my plants in case next winter is like this last one. The crazy freezes we had killed quite a bit of our pretty stuff. I am not sure why but it seems everyone has a yard FULL off weeds this year. So he spent half the evening spraying them...and the other half throwing the tennis ball for a certain Labrador.

As for Monica....My photography class was pushed to the end of May...which is no doubt for the best...but I am so ready to get started. I am still keeping Gianna everyday. We spend almost every morning outside playing in the yard. She plays in the butterfly garden and has no clue that she is helping me develop the art of photography. She also has no clue how much joy she brings to my life. I am doing very well. Like everyone else, I have ups and downs, But, I have remained faithful to the promise that I made to myself. Ridding my heart of burdens, letting go of hurts of the past...and focusing only on what and those who bring joy. Though I admit, sometimes that is easier said than done.... I have learned that when I focus on the gifts in my life, I see blessings everywhere.

My Cup Runneth Over!

I really have a lot of reasons to be thankful. Last year, one week before Thanksgiving, Randy was laid off. I remember sitting with my family at the table having a wonderful dinner...feeling really thankful and really scared! It was all I could do to smile, and with each bite of food I felt as if I were trying to swallow a rock. For the first time in many years we were without health insurance and I really wasn't sure what would happen. Would one of our children get sick? Would we lose our home? The year did bring quite a few rough spots...but we came together as a family and we made it through.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Today, my thoughts and prayers are with all who are still struggling through hard times and loss. Those who worked very hard... but lost their home anyway. Those who go to work sick or have a sick child and no health insurance. Those who fought with all they had...but lost their lives anyway.Those who would gladly give away their home and all of their belongings if only they could have their child/grandchild/or loved one back.

I am grateful for this past year...not only because we made it through...but because we made it through better and stronger than before. Our struggles this year reminded my family and ME just how much we have...the love of a family, treasured friends, support when times are rough, good health, a comfortable home.

We were also reminded of the many material things that we do not need. Just giving up eating out not only helped our budget, but also lead to cooking healthier meals, eating together as a family and....the six of us lost between 19-44 lbs.

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that there is a lesson in everything that happens. Good things sometimes fall apart so better things can fall together. Things go wrong so that we learn to appreciate them when they're right.

Thank you Lord for always watching over this family... and for the countless ways you bless us everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!"
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Miracles Do Happen

And I witnessed a very sweet one this morning. Just last night I wrote a blog "Life Goes On" with a bit of a heavy heart. After weeks of watching, photographing and hoping to witness the miracle of not so much "new life" but more of a "Reborn life"... I had given up, lost hope, decided to move on and put the disappointment behind me. When I photographed the butterfly releasing her eggs on the milkweed plant in early October, I wasn't trying to capture anything special...I just thought she was pretty and I wanted a picture of her with wings open. As I looked through the lens...I noticed that she had a pretty good size hole in her wing. She wasn't perfect...what is? In my eyes she was very beautiful and she brought something special to my day.

I have always been fascinated... AMAZED even by nature...but this whole process had me completely captivated. I went outside daily to photograph the caterpillars, and then the Chrysalis. I looked forward to blogging about this....but waited patiently until I could capture the new butterflies busting out of their cocoons and taking flight....heading off on their long journey to Mexico. My heart sank when that first cold snap hit...and again and again with each one that followed. But, I continued to watch and hope. But as some of them began to crack... I could see that they were dying before they even had a chance to change. Normally they are only in their Chrysalis phase for about 10 days....it had now been well over a month. I read that the fourth generation butterflies happen between September and October. We are now nearing the end of November. I quit watching a few days ago...I just gave up. I felt frustrated and that there was no longer any reason to hope. So last night I decided to go ahead and write the blog...it just wouldn't have a happy ending.

Such is life.

This morning as I checked my e-mail and sipped on my coffee...I noticed that my cat was looking out the back door. She had the look that she gets when she see's a bird on the porch. My daughter came over to have a look at whatever was on the porch...sure enough...it was a bird. She said..."mom, its a bird and it is eating a butterfly" I asked her what kind of butterfly...and she said "Monarch". Honestly...I didn't pay it much attention...because in my mind the Monarch Butterflies were gone. A little later we went outside and I realized that my daughter was right...it had been a Monarch butterfly that the bird was eating. I found the empty cocoon and what the bird had left.

Another disappointment. One had actually made it through the cold... and more than a month inside it's cocoon and not only had I missed it...it would never take flight. So we're looking around the milkweed plant and I notice another empty cocoon!

and just as I told my daughter what I had found she shouted "LOOK MOM!" And there he was at the very tip top of the milkweed plant...drying and pumping life into his wings. I stayed outside for a long time and watched until he flew away. Very gratifying.

I realize that some may not view this as a miracle...but I do...and I also believe that I was destined to witness every detail of it. I feel that God found a way to make me pay attention so he could speak to my heart. I listen...but I don't always hear. I suppose like everyone else...I take in what I want or need to hear and block out what is uncomfortable. I have been going through many changes over the last few years. I had a total hysterectomy two years ago...talk about "CHANGE"! I know that doesn't really change who I am...but it does seem like all of my flaws...physically, mentally and spiritually are becoming so much more noticeable. So in a way... I guess feel a little like a butterfly with a hole it is wing. Not all of the changes have to do with me individually. My children are no longer babies...and while I have truly been blessed with four very good children...it is quite different parenting and sometimes uncomfortable dealing with them on a more adult level. My parents...both 79 are changing as well. Many health issues and watching as my mothers memory slips away is sometimes more than my heart can bear. Life is constantly changing...it has always been that way and I have always embraced what each new day brings. In the last few years however... I have begun to view change as almost too painful accept.

The butterfly had a hole in her wing...but she was not broken and even though she had noticeable flaws .... she still had something precious to give. The Caterpillar remained a chrysalis much longer than it should have. Sometimes the process is long, and it is often painful. Change is what life is made of and is necessary for growth and accomplishment...and whether we choose to accept it or not...it is inevitable.

and the message that God put in my heart... though we, life, family, friends will continue to change... never give up...always hope and never let go of your faith. Miracles do happen!

"Change is inevitable, and nothing represents metamorphosis like Butterfly. Within the egg lies a being or thought stirring into life; with birthing, the larva or caterpillar voraciously absorbs all nourishment, thought, and knowledge, manifesting all into the physical; then one “goes within” the chrysalis, allowing inspiration, that connection to oneself and to all there is, to rest and develop; finally the Butterfly emerges and flits and dances from one colorful flower to the next, tasting the sweet nectar's of Life and sharing its gifts with the World.

All of life’s processes take us through these four transformative steps, including conception, birth, growth, and wisdom of old age, but also in our daily thoughts and activities. How easily we change is determined by how thoroughly, creatively, and beautifully we move from one stage to the next." ~ Jan Wright, artist

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." ~Maya Angelou
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Learn more about Milkweed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_curassavica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milkweed

For more information about Monarch Butterflies...please visit the following websites.
http://monarchbutterflyusa.com/MBUSA.htm
http://monarchbutterflyusa.com/Cycle.htm