Good Morning....

Good morning friends. It's been an interesting 12 hours...my father in-law , who lives in Florida fell yesterday and is not doing well in the hospital. So my husband packed a bag and ran off to the airport this morning. It's odd because we have never been apart for the almost eleven years we've been married. It's not that we swore we'd never be apart or anything, it just has never happened. It was funny because before he left he was giving me instructions on the things that need to be covered since he doesn't know how long he will be away. After he left Jake looks at me with a look of concern and says, "Mommy, do you know how to pay bills?" Jeez! What do these kids think I am? I explained to him that it was Mommy who lived on her own, in her very own apartment and paid her very own bills before she married his dad...who I might add still lived with his parents! Then he proceeded to tell me that he'll help me with the math. That didn't hurt since it's a well known fact that I'm awful at math and I will gladly accept his 3rd grade math skills. I would seriously like to make a little visit into his wee brain and see what he thinks of me. If I was the one who had to leave town would he ask his dad if he knew how to feed himself? Do laundry? Give Alex a bath? Hmmmmmm. I wonder. Kids are funny little creatures aren't they?

My dad passed away in March of 2000 at the age of 52 from cancer. Since then I have tried to keep in mind that life is short and to keep everything in perspective. So when I go to the store and the cashier is a rude little twit, do I go to the manager and complain and maybe cause her to be fired? No, I smile, say thanks and forget all about her. When someone cuts me off on the highway do I honk my horn and flip them the bird? No, although the old Tracy would have done exactly that. The new Tracy takes a deep breath and asks herself, "In the grand scheme of things, is it really a big deal?" The answer has never been yes. So the next time you are stressed about something, take a deep breath and ask yourself this question. I promise it works.

I miss you dad!