Happy Birthday Katelynn

Beautiful, Graceful, Full of life

Dramatic, Funny, Always Creating

Loving, Caring, Great Big Sister

You were born in a exciting way

and our lives have never been the same.

We love you Katelynn Victoria Sherman.

Happy Birthday to our star!

Strength is in the eye of the beholder

My sister in law sent me a text today. It said " A strong person know how to keep their life in order. When with tears in their eyes, they still manage to say 'I'm OK' with a smile."

Now, this was a forward and I am sure she sent it to others as well. But this text, about strength, got me to thinking. What defines Strength. It really has some many different variances and each person has a different view as to what 'strong' really is. I am not talking about brute, mr universe strength. I am talking, emotionally standing when your world is crumbling all around you strength.

I have always prided myself as being a strong person. I guess I thought that showing emotion was a sign of weakness. I know my parents and siblings might disagree with this as they depict my childhood as that of a crybaby. I guess as I got older, I felt that in order to be treated as an adult I would have to act as one. I now realize that crying is not a sign of weakness. My aunt told me that she heard tears are a buffer from the pain. (or something to that affect). I liked that very much because I had LOTS of buffer! I can cry at the drop of a hat now. Does this make me strong or weak? I think a little bit of both.

I want to convey to you today that strength, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Sure there are some universal ideas about being a strong person. But in general, what you might deem as weak, others might think as stronger than they could ever be.

listed below are just some ideas of what I think strong really is......you might disagree or agree. All I would like to do is to open your minds a little bit. Know that maybe, just maybe, when you think someone is being helpless....that they are being as strong as they know how to be.

Examples of Strength

• Walking away from almost all of your friends because they dont appreciate or love you the way you need to be loved.
• Staying with someone who does not love you the way you need to be loved because it is the right thing to do
• Admitting that you need medication
• Admitting that you are an addict
• Confronting those who have wronged you
• Not saying anything to those who have wronged you
• Confessing the wrongs you have done to people
• Confessing who you really are
• Telling your parents they are wrong
• Admitting you are wrong
• Watching a loved one die, slowly, and knowing you cant do anything to save them so you make sure they are never alone and as comfortable as possible.
• Experiencing loss without losing your mind
• Crying when you are sad, happy, mad
• Watching a person go down the wrong path and not being able to do anything about it
• Seeing your loved one, strung out, and pleading with them to just get help.
• Driving with a teenager
• Going to docter with your newly diagnosed spouse and letting them cry on your shoulder
• Telling someone it will be ok, when you dont know yourself if that is true
• Holding your child, who is sick or hurt, and smiling through the tears
• Telling your child no
• Telling your child yes to something that you know will never work out for the good, but you know they must learn on their own.
• Watching your child mess up and still loving them unconditionally
• Accepting those who might not do things that you agree with but loving them anyway
• Seeing someone who has wronged you beyond anything thought imaginable and smiling and saying hello
• Forgiving those who have wronged you
• Enduring abuse so grave that you never thought you could get through it, but you did
• Watching your children make wrong decisions
• Accepting yourself and loving yourself
• Acknowledging that you need to change and then changing
• Loving those who hate you
• Controlling your past, and not letting it control you

Sometimes we forget that everyone is fighting a battle. Everyone has struggles.Whether they handle things the way you would have, they are handling them. If you see someone who is smiling, and you know that they just lost their spouse, then you are staring strength right in the face. If you see someone who has just finished rehab, you are staring strength right in the face. If you see someone who looks happy, but they are completely depressed on the inside, you are looking at strength. I have my own ideas of what makes someone strong. I have experienced things, endured things, put myself through some things that I feel have helped me be a stronger person. I will never regret these things.

Aaron is SIX!

Happy Birthday Aaron James Sherman!

Your smile is infectious.

Your laugh is contagious.

Your spirit is beautiful.

We love you.

Change is Inevitable

When did this happen? When did I get to be a grown-up? I can remember everything that has happened (for the most part) in the last 33 years, but it seems like it only took about a year for it all to happen!

My little brother got married this weekend. It kind of woke me up. Sure he was 27 years old. Sure he was ready for this life changing moment. Sure my parents were overjoyed to see him say his vows. I am just not sure I was completely ready for him to make that step. You see, by him not growing up I could stay young as well. I understand that I have had 2 kids and have been married for 13 years. I understand that it has been 15 years since I graduated high school.

I suppose that everyone moves on. No one has the luxury of staying in the same place, mentally, physically, or emotionally. Staying in one place means no growth. I have always been a fan of change. But I dont know if I was ready to give Daniel over to his wife. To relinquish my protector status was hard. I shed tears at the wedding. I was not the only one, though I might have been the only one crying for that particular reason.

I am extremely happy for Daniel and Lyndie (as long as she doesnt hurt my baby brother of course) . I am excited about the future and accepting Kellie and Sean and future babies into our family. I guess that change had to come about in order for us to have these awesome people apart of our family.

Change is a necessary evil. Though it is not always an evil it is always necessary. My life might not ever be the same, thanks to daniel taking the plunge into married life. But it will be better. I might not be young but I am not old. I might not be in the same place I was a year ago, but I am better off for it. I might not be the same person I was, but I am constantly growing into the person God wants me to be.

Below is a song I have loved for a very long time and it has helped many times to accept the change that comes so often in my life. I hope you can find some solace in these words.....if you, too, are having a difficult time with impending change.

Sorry about the rambling. Change has never scared me til I saw my brother accept so much responsibility (and he has never ever been the one to do this....EVER) and realized......things are different now. Things are better.

Welcome to our family Lyndie, Kellie and Sean. Get ready.....you are now on the crazy train!

To Every Season
Pete Seeger

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)

There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven


A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing


To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time for every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

Wedding Bells are a Ringing!

Happy Wedding Day Daniel and Lyndie!

May God bless your lives with many exciting years to come!

Dear Drugs, go away.

I am a protector by nature. I want to protect those I love. I have been helpless at times when my loved ones make choices I know will not end well. They are their choices to make. But when I see someone self destructing I can not, no let me phrase this, I WILL not sit back and do nothing. SO this entire entry will be my open letter to the one thing that tries, time and time again, to destroy those I love.

Drugs

I have seen how drugs destroy entire families.
I have seen how drugs can change a person into something unimaginable.
I have seen how drugs can make the most honest people into liars.
I have seen how drugs can destroy the body, mind and soul.
I have seen how drugs can make a beautiful person hate themselves.
I have seen drugs and they are not just recreational.
I have seen drugs and they don't help anyone.


I am prepared to fight for those I love. whatever it takes, whereever I need to go I will go. Please don't try to tell me that a little weed never hurt anyone. it has, in the long run, it has. My family and friends are far to important to just surrender to drugs. I will fight.

Below is a song that I wish anyone who is struggling with this disease can listen to. Absorb the words into your soul and know that you are worth fighting for.

Empathy by A Sound Mind

There’s a glimpse of what lives much deeper in

If you breath enough air into it you will see it floating

As life skips jumps rewind

You can bring change with faith in yourself once again

Don’t let yourself destroy yourself, don’t let yourself destroy self

When you feel like the whole world feels

When you feel like the whole world feels

& your on your own and your all alone

& your on your own and your all alone

Hold you head above the water

Until the water dries

Life or death situation,

You aint good to no-one unless your alive and breathing yourself

Your only an aid to someone if you yourself are fine

So hold your own head above the water

Hold your own head above the water

Above the water, above the water

Don’t let yourself destroy yourself

Don’t let yourself destroy yourself

Don’t let yourself destroy yourself

Don’t let yourself destroy yourself

When you feel like the whole feels

When you feel like the whole world feels

& your on your own and your all alone

& your on your own and your all alone

Hold you head above the water

Above the water

Yeah Until, yeah until,

The water dries

We will self empathise

"Saints are just sinners who kept going" Robert Louis Stevenson

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

I heard something a few months ago. I should have been listening a little bit more than I was. One of my good friends confessed something to his grandmother. The subject matter in which he discussed with his grandmother was a very private and personal issue so I will not divulge that information here. BUT her response was one of complete and utter love. She said, " I love the sinner, not the sin". WOW. She completely accepted him, who he was and what he told her. She did not accept the sin, but the sinner.

So many times, I have been unforgivable but those who truly love me have forgiven me. We all mess up. Because I am a born-again Christian, I believe that my sins are covered by the blood that was shed by Jesus. Having said that, when people sin against ME, I should just forgive them. Whether they ask for my forgiveness or not.

My entire life I have never ever wanted people to be mad at me. Even, which this is terribly hypocritical, those people who I did not necessarily like or even want to be around. I could not stand, still can not stand, to think that someone might think ill of me. I have learned, in the last 8 months, that no matter what, people are going to dislike me for one reason or another. And even if I did absolutely nothing to warrant those feelings, they will still dislike me. Now it does not help that people have lied about me, spread rumors about me and said some really maliscious things about me. I know without all of those things, I still will not able to be everyone's favorite person.

Which brings me to my point (finally huh). When people dislike me, when they sin against me, I should take Jesus and use Him as an example. Forever forgiving me, forever loving me, forever accepting me for who I am. I should just forgive, even those who are not apologetic or even admit to any wrong .I should love people, despite the fact that they dont love or show love towards me. I should accept everyone, no matter if they dont believe what I believe, or think like I think, or if they listen to *gasp* country music and ONLY country music! I dont have to believe how they believe, or even accept their way of thinking. We are all children of God. We are all seeking the same thing. Love and acceptance. Why should I, who desperately wants everyone to think that she is awesome and fun and loving and happy, not give everyone, no matter who they are, the same courtesy. I dont have to be everyone's best friend. I dont even have to be everyone's friend. I just need to be friendLY. Show the love of Christ to everyone I meet, everyone I know.

People will disappoint you. That is a proven fact. Just like it is a proven fact that we will disappoint God. But time and time again God forgives us. So time and time again I should forgive others. Should I forget the wrongs done against me? Not always. By not forgetting, you protect yourself from future hurt. Trusting people and forgiving them are two entirely different things.

Today I will take the advice of my friend's grandmother. I will love the sinner, just not the sin. I will accept those people who have wronged me and are wronging me. I will be nice to everyone I meet. Because the golden rule is still the golden rule. I want people to be nice to me. They wont always be, but I will always try to be nice to them.