For that stuff between paydays. That’s right, the time away from the office. Experts say taking time off is good for the body, mind and soul, and makes us more productive. So smart, those experts. But it’s not always easy or possible to get away. So each opportunity to do so is quite the blessing. Make sure you schedule some time for yourself, within your zip code or out of the country, no matter where, just do it.

This morning, although we’re missing the other half of our pack, we are super thankful for our downtime.

From Jacob Lake, AZ, until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

What are you thankful for today?

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”
-L.M. Alcott

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.”
-Michael Palin

“Time is that stuff between paydays.”
-L. Ochs

For Mothers. This is the very first Mother’s Day we won’t have Mom here to celebrate with her. We miss her. And I will miss that “¡Mom, felicidades!” I would greet her with on her special day. But, I know she rejoices with the Lord above. What an awesome gift that is.

As for me, what better gift than these two cuties right here:Ahead of this coming Mother’s Day, I want to wish all the Moms a very beautiful and blessed day.

Until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

What are you thankful for today?

                    “When God Created Mothers”

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of “overtime” when the angel appeared and said. “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And God said, “Have you read the specs on this order?” She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts…all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said. “Six pairs of hands…. no way.”

It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” God remarked, “it’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.”

That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”

God,” said the angel touching his sleeve gently, “Get some rest tomorrow….”

I can’t,” said God, “I’m so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick…can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger…and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower.”

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

But tough!” said God excitedly. “You can imagine what this mother can do or endure.”

Can it think?”

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise,” said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model.”

It’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

What’s it for?”

It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride.”

You are a genius, ” said the angel.

Somberly, God said, “I didn’t put it there.”

– E. Bombeck

I’m sharing with you today information about a great cause that’s making a difference in the life of many — Miggy’s Gift — a non-profit organization that is working on fulfilling Stephen Miggy” Chavez’s last wish:  to help pediatric cancer patients and their families. In a short timespan, this charity has taken off in a big way, but it needs much support to continue accomplishing its goal.

To learn more and for the latest progress, please check out miggysgift.com, @MiggysGift and @Miggys_Gift, and read how it all started in this excerpt from the gofundme page:

Stephen “Miggy” Chavez passed away on Tuesday, November 14th, 2017 after a four-month battle with Cancer.

Stephen’s immunotherapy treatment required that a port be surgically implanted into his right side of his chest. Stephen often complained that he was uncomfortable in his hospital gown, which had to be buttoned up and down each time the nurses needed to access his port. One day, Stephen relayed his frustration to a nurse. “These gowns are not designed for people with a port,” he said.

Then Stephen had an idea. He decided that he was going to design hospital gowns for children with cancer that would make it easier to access their ports for treatment. It would have a flap that could be opened and closed without removing the whole gown. The gowns would have superhero themes and be unisex for boys and girls alike. Stephen constantly reminded his family about this idea, and we assured him that when he recovered that would be their next project.

Stephen’s idea inspired his grandmother and aunt. They found a Spiderman t-shirt and sent it to be made into a poncho. It became his new hospital gown.

My name is Leanne Rodriguez. I am Stephen’s (Miggy’s) cousin, and my family has asked me to keep track of this campaign. We are located in Miami, Florida and the money we are raising will go to purchasing fabric and employing people to put together the gowns. The gowns will then be donated to cancer patients in our local hospitals.

In honor of Stephen’s wish to turn his idea into a benefit for others, we are starting this gofundme page to launch a new project to mass-produce these unique gowns. The ponchos will become Miggy’s Gift and be given to people of all ages as they undergo cancer treatment.

This charity is close to my heart, as Stephen was part of our family. Whether by donating, partaking in the fundraising events, and/or spreading Miggy’s legacy, you, too, can make a difference.

Some find their heroes ‘mid the battle’s strife;
The greatest heroes are in private life.
-S. Carter

The purpose of life is not to be happy — but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.
-L. Rosten

For things that break down. Huh? Sounds odd, I know. See, lately, we’ve had a bunch of things conk out on us — TV, washer, A/C, car battery — all around the same time. Ugh, que pujo!  Such a pain in the butt to deal with. But, you know, a few (venting) curse words later, some (frustrating) calls to repair people, and a reminder (apparently needed) from my hubby that at least we have these things and the means to fix them, rationalization set back in: Better to be blindsided by unexpected breakdowns of material things we are fortunate to have in the first place, than by something serious.

In the scheme of things, these life glitches are just inconveniences, really, that sometimes come with having stuff. Stuff I’m thankful to have, even when it breaks. Our health being most important, as long as our bodies don’t break down on us, we’re good. More than good.

On a side note, I dedicate today’s post to Barbara Bush. She had it right:

“Your success as a family… our success as a nation… depends not on what happens inside the White House, but on what happens inside your house.”
-Barbara Bush

Until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

What are you thankful for today?

“The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.”
-Murphy’s Law

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”
-A. Karr

That whatever God has in store for us, He will equip us for. That’s been the case for me, time and again. In my craziest of times, in my darkest hours, and in my hair-pulling moments, there He is. In the midst of it all, just like that, out of the blue – a way thru. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever been infused with His peace when worry was crushing you? Or felt a sudden flush of strength when you thought you couldn’t go on? Or, one of my favorites, ever been freaked out by His timing? It is absolutely amazing. You just have to believe. You just have to trust.

For His awesomeness, I am so thankful.

Until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

[Note: In case you’re not Spanglish-speaking, “si Dios quiere” means God-willing. Mom finished most of her sentences with that. I added it to my sendoff after her departure].

What are you thankful for today?

“There are no ‘if’s’ in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety – let us pray that we may always know it!”
-Corrie ten Boom

“I do not understand the mystery of grace–only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.”
-Anne LaMot

“I’ve seen the lighting flashing,
I’ve heard the thunder roll,
I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing,
Trying to conquer my soul;
But I heard the voice of Jesus,
Telling me still to fight on,
Because He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.”
-M. Tomlin