This Week ~

I've been wanting to post the roses Larry got for me the day before Mother's Day. They lasted through the next week! I took this picture on Sunday, May 15th (also being our anniversary).
I could tell a little story on Larry here. He's always been tenderhearted towards me on our anniversary. On our 20th, he upgraded my 1/4 ct. diamond solitaire to a 1 carat total wt., with the 2 side stones being 1/4 apiece and the center a 1/2. He's a sweet guy, extremely thoughtful, and a great listener.

I digress. Roses. I love flowers, I often give cut flowers or arrangements, but seldom do I allow the purchase for myself. I'd rather have a plant, or perennials to bloom in the yard. My thought is that they will hang around longer. Larry thinks garden flowers are not romantic. If our anniversary falls on a school day, he's likely to have flowers delivered to the school. (The ladies in the school office think he is the best...I agree of course.) One year, I saw the bill for the 25 roses he sent to me, and let me just say, they took him to the cleaners!! I talked to him about what that much money would have bought in real life (I know, about now some of you are saying how terrible I am), and reminded him that when he comes with me to get flowers we go to a flower mart, or Sam's Club, rarely to a florist. Shoot, that costly arrangement wasn't even in a special vase!

So, fast forward 10 years. These beautiful, long lasting blooms? He went and purchased them at Albertson's Grocery store. And they stood beautifully for almost 2 weeks, amazing. I love him. He doesn't give up on me, and we both continue to learn about each other.

Here are pictures of a few antique quilt tops that were shown in our quilt class. They had such interesting fabrics in them!

~ ~ Well, this is a hard share, you may not want to keep reading. . . I felt the need to write it out for myself. Forgive me for the indulgence. ~ ~

So, May 15th was a special day that I shared for many years with a teaching friend, Jacque Ryan. We worked together for 20 years, she taught in our school's individualized learning center. Our school has morning devotion meetings, and for about 12 years, I belonged in a small prayer group on Wednesday mornings with Jacque, bff Beth, teaching partners Donna Davis and Ginny Bakan, and our friend Ginni P. There was also a few others, but over the years we were the 6 that stayed constant. We'd pray, share little gifts on seasons, have "teas" usually done by Jacque. Her birthday was the same as my anniversary, so we'd share cards each year. She has many homemade items that I'd give to her, or sometimes she would purchase from me (as I had a craft business called "Pure Heart").

The last thing she got was a rag style quilt (similar to this one) that she commissioned from me. Hers had more red florals, and no yellow (she loved Victorian, roses, reds and pinks, but yellow was "just ugly", she said, lol).

Jacque arrived early to school every day, usually before 7 a.m. She made the coffee in the teacher's lounge. If I went to her classroom before school, I'd usually find her reading. Books of her choosing were Women's Devotional Bible, Victoria magazine, or garden books. Country Sampler sometimes, but her style wasn't as primm as my art was. She was a good teacher, I'd seek her advice on my students with learning difficulties.

I missed her when she left 2 years ago, it was abrupt, and we didn't have a proper party or goodbyes. I've spoken to her only 2 times in this time passing. Well, 3, if you count Thursday night's visit. I was told 10 minutes before school started Thursday morning that Jacque had cancer, and was in hospice. I told Ginny, she was able to visit Jacque, she was comatose. How hard it was to hear! Jacque had only been told on Mother's Day it was stage 4. I cried every time I wasn't in front of my kids that day. It was also the day that we had our school wide musical, so I was at school until after 9 pm. Ginny had said that she could be visited at any time . . . so I went. Her grandaughter and ggd's were there, her shift, I guess. I was so glad to visit with her and tell her of the times that we had prayed for them all. Jacque never stirred. I held her hand as I've done before, in prayer. This time, I didn't let go for the whole time I was with her. I was blessed by the opportunity to tell her gd of my love for her precious Grandmother. We shared a bit, I prayed with her and the oldest ggd. We hugged and I left. I was so glad to have stopped by.

Jacque went home to be with her Saviour that night. What if I had not gone? I didn't get to be with my Momma. I didn't get to go to Daddy. Some day, I hope to see them all.



We have four more weeks of school. It seems so long, even for California, but oh, well. I'm so ready for the summer. I'm closing with some photos of another antique quilt top that was shared, it's so cool, again with such tiny pieces and well done. I wonder if the creator had always planned to finish it...?

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is." Jeremiah 17:7