I'm at a loss for people who have suffered a loss

Growing up, I have been surrounded by people who are amazing at helping others when they need it.  My mother is the most incredible person in a crisis.  She can keep a level head and look at things very logically.  My mom is a very busy woman, and she likes it that way.  The greatest thing about her, though, is that she will drop everything that she has going on if someone in her family needs help.  She is amazing and she has helped me through some really tough times!
My Grandmother is another example of someone who is amazing at service.  Growing up I would always end up accompanying her to visit someone in the hospital, someone who is sick or just someone that she was thinking about and decided to take a meal to, just because.  Whenever someone would have something happen in their lives, instead of saying "If you need anything, just let me know", she would simply do things.  She would take their laundry and do it for them, or clean their house, or show up randomly with food, or take them to run errands.
These amazing women have taught me so much about service, and because I am such a loyal person, if someone that I really care about needs something, I am always there.  I make sure that I help my family and friends whenever I can because it is my way of showing them I love them.
Right now I am having a bit of a hard time.  There is a person in my church whom I have always admired and her mother has just passed away suddenly.  I have never been in a position where someone who I don't know really well, but still care about has needed help.  What do I do?  What do YOU do???  Do I offer the simple non-commital phrase of "If you need anything, just let me know."?  Do I bring her a meal?  Right now I am baking her a bunch of snacks and quick foods to have on hand as her family comes and stays with her, but is there anything else that I can do?  I tried calling her this morning, but she is having a really hard time and couldn't really talk.  What would YOU do???
I would love some ideas because I am truly at a loss here.

Olympics and Bronze

It has been a very exciting time at our house lately.  My kids have LOVED watching the Olympics!  It all started when their Grandma Wilson got to run the torch and we all got to go down and watch her!  SO MUCH FUN!!  Then it continued with daily updates on the medals and ended with a FANTASTIC hockey game!
I think that the highlight of the weekend was when Abby won her Bronze medal game in basketball on Saturday.  We were told that you needed 2 losses to be out of the tournament, but apparently it was only one loss, so it came as a great surprise to the other coach and I and all of our parents on Saturday!  We were very proud of the girls.  It was a great way to wrap up the season!  Abby wore her medal all day long and then she brought it to church on Sunday.  Four of her other teammates also go to our church, so it was cute to watch them all wear their medals to church on Sunday and show them to their teacher!  Abby told me that she felt as though she won a medal at the olympics.  I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC!!!!  I was so proud of her!  The other coach and I told the girls that this was their first medal in a long line of medals that they will be receiving for basketball!  I sure hope that's true!!!
So, WAY TO GO ABBY!  Bronze all the way!!!!

That Mom!

I am THAT MOM!
I am THAT MOM who believes that childhood should be wonderful and magical. 
I am THAT MOM who believes that teaching children to believe in fairy tales is not wrong.
I am THAT MOM who believes that a child SHOULD believe in Santa Clause as long as possible.
I am THAT MOM who believes I should have the right to talk about the Birds and the Bees on my own terms and not have that decision made by anyone else.
I am THAT MOM who believes that children need responsibility in order to feel a sense of accomplishment.
I am THAT MOM who volunteers for almost everything that my children are involved in.
I am THAT MOM who pushes my children to stand up for what they believe in.
I am THAT MOM who will stand up for my children, no matter what the cost.
I am THAT MOM who teaches her children that everyone has the right to believe in whichever religion they choose, even themeselves!
I am THAT MOM who believes that talking trains and animals are a big part of being a child.
I am THAT MOM who believes that the TOOTHFAIRY is the smartest and most generous fairy that the children know.
I am THAT MOM who encourages her children to keep believing that life is a Musical and that Music can cure all ailments of the heart, mind and soul.
I am THAT MOM who sends her daughters to school competely dressed from head to toe in Princess crowns, curls, glitter, dresses, and matching shoes when it is Princess day at school.
I am THAT MOM who does whatever it takes to make her kids coordinate their costumes to their hearts' desire on Halloween.
I am THAT MOM who makes every birthday a big deal.
I am THAT MOM who spends hours working on major school projects with her kids so that they can be proud of what they have come up with.
I am THAT MOM who believes that it is worth the money to create and preserve memories made together.
I am THAT MOM who pushes her children to become better at whatever they are doing.
I am THAT MOM who buys raspberry gingerale when her babies are sick or have sore tummies.
I am THAT MOM who will sit in the hospital waiting room for hours waiting to see a doctor for her children.
I am THAT MOM who will NOT leave her hospitalized child's bedside if they are sick in the hospital.
I am THAT MOM who believes that fabulous teachers make all the difference in her children's education.
I am THAT MOM who make sure that her children see the consequences (good and bad) when making a big decision.
I am THAT MOM who teaches her children to serve others by serving others herself.
I am THAT MOM who believes that her children's faith can get them through any trial.
I am THAT MOM who is tired of people judging her for being THAT MOM. 
Because I am not THAT MOM who is naiive enough to think that everyone agrees with me on everything that I teach and do with my children I hope that other people respect me enough to let me just be the only kind of mom I know how to be.
THAT MOM

Those words!

I love living in Canada for a couple of reasons.  The snow and cold isn't one of them, but the healthcare is!  I know that the U.S. is in great debates over this issue, and while I do think that our system is FAR from perfect, there is something very reassuring about the fact that if myself or my family members need medical attention I don't have to think about how much it will cost me and I don't have to make sure I go to a certain hospital or see a certain doctor.  My health and my children's health and well being are the only things on my mind in a medical situation.
One of the downsides to our healthcare is that sometimes (okay, quite a lot of times) there are long waits for things like CAT scans, doctor's appointments and MRI's etc.  However, when there is an emergency you do get in right away (we have all heard the horror stories of the few exceptions so I won't go there).  That is what worried me yesterday.
You see, I have been having problems with my ankle and leg for about 4 months now.  In September, I had sharp, shooting pains going up my leg and I had to go on crutches for a couple of weeks.  Because of this, my doctor ordered some X-Rays to make sure that everything was okay.  The X-Ray came back and showed that I had a calcium tumor on my ankle.  Hearing the word "TUMOR" made me panic and so my doctor was quick to point out that it was probably beneign but that they would send me for an MRI to make sure.
4 months later, on February 8th, I got that MRI.  It took 2 hours!  I was told that my doctor would have the results from the MRI in 7 to 10 days and that they would call me in once they had the results.  On Monday, I received a call from my doctor when I was out of town asking me to give them a call to set up an appointment.  I called on Tuesday and they wanted me to come into his office first thing this morning.
Did you read how I mentioned above that when there is an emergency that you are able to get into things right away with our healthcare system???? 
Do you now understand why I was so freaked out yesterday???? 
It is very rare to get into your doctor the next day unless there is some sort of emergency.
I was so freaked out yesterday!  I couldn't concentrate on anything and I couldn't sleep.
This morning I went to the doctor and he told me the words that I was hoping that I would hear! 
I DO NOT HAVE CANCER!!!  YAY!!!!!
I do, however, have a calcium tumor in my ankle which hasn't changed in the 4 months since my X-Rays.  I also seem to have multiple stress fractures in my leg that I didn't know about (but does explain some of the pain that I have been having) and so I now can't run or do any high impact exercise until I get the "OK" from my doctor.  He thinks March or April.
The kind of scary news is that the MRI did pick up some changes in my bone marrow in my leg, and because of that they are a bit concerned that I might have sclerosis developing in my ankle.  So, now I have more X-Rays and MRIs getting scheduled and hopefully they will show no change.  It will definitely be a long 3 to 6 months waiting for the next MRI to see if there are changes, but hopefully I will get to hear THOSE WORDS. . .
. . . . YOU DO NOT HAVE SCLEROSIS! 
Here's hoping!

Love and Chocolates

That is what I think of when I think of Valentine's Day.  I know that a lot of people hate Valentine's Day and think that it is a made up holiday by companies to sell more chocolates and flowers.  It well may be.  I have never taken the time to learn the origins of Valentine's Day.  I don't really care to know.  I just love the day though.  I mean, who wouldn't love a day that is set aside specifically to show your loved ones how much you care for them?  I love taking this day to spend time with my family and to remind myself why I love them so much.
Growing up, my mom used to make Valentine's Day very special for us.  She used to buy us little boxes of chocolates and write us each a little Valentine's Day card and have them at our spot on the kitchen table when we woke up on Valentine's Day.  That little gesture of love has really stuck with me throughout my life.  I always knew that no matter what, my mom would express her love on Valentine's Day.  Because of this, I have continued the tradition with my kids.  I love to buy them little boxes of chocolates and write them a Valentine from their Mom!  I also buy my kids a Valentine's Day shirt for them to wear on Valentine's Day to remind them to be nice to each other and to show each other how much they love each other.
That being said, I want to wish all of you a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!  I hope that your day is filled with gestures of love from all of those people who are near and dear to you!

My Manchild

When I had my youngest child Lee, I was so excited because he was so small and sweet and mellow.  Fast-forward almost two years later and he is still so sweet and mellow, but he is HUGE and his voice sounds like that of a 14 year old boy.  What happened to my baby???  Why did we skip the child phase with him and go straight into puberty???  He's not even 2 years old yet and him and his 4 year old brother can almost wear the same sized clothing!
One of the most hilarious things about Lee is that even though his voice is low, he still talks like a baby, so when he says just about anything you can't help but laugh because it sounds so hilarious!!! 
Here are some Leeisms:
1 - When you drop something, you have to say "Ah Man!"  There are NO exceptions!
2 - If the phone rings you must drop everything right that second and sprint over to the phone as though your life depended on it. . . . otherwise you will be warned that the phone is ringing and that you are taking too long to answer it.
3 - Age doesn't matter as much as size does. . . . poor Dustin!
4 - If there is a button, it MUST be pushed!
5 - Everything has a sound effect!
6 - Changing diapers is not a fun time. . . unless sound effects are involved.
7 - If the clean-up song is sung, a room must be cleaned.  If it is not being sung, you cannot clean. . . . unless there are sound effects!
8 - Dressing up is not only for girls!
9 - If you get asked to say "Excuse me" you must follow it up with a burp!  There are no exceptions!  Burps are funny and if you don't have one coming up, fake it!
10 - Why would anyone want to only eat 3 meals a day when the cereal boxes are kept on the bottom shelf?  Just grab a box, take it with you wherever you go and VOILA you have a snack with you at all times. . . . and snacks taste better with sound effects!

You meet a homeless person on the street. Do you give them money? Why?

I was looking for a journal prompt and this was one that jumped out at me.  I am curious to know all of your thoughts on the subject.  Me, personally, I usually don't give money to the person on the street.  However, I do donate to homeless shelters, battered women shelters and food banks.  I believe that by donating to these organizations that have the tools to provide help for the homeless that I am doing more good than simply giving the homeless person money.  I have heard of people walking the homeless person with them to get something to eat, but I am just too shy and I have never done this.
Those are my thoughts. . . . what are yours?