This month, we have two Featured Moms. Please meet Lulie Cosby
Hi, all Angel Moms. It is an honor for me to have been chosen Angel Mom of the month. I will attempt to tell you a little about myself. My birth name is Ruth, but everyone calls me Lulie, which is a nickname given to me by my dear grandmother when I was an infant. I was born in South Louisiana and have continued to live here for the past 51 years.
I have always been so proud to say that I have lived a wonderfully “normal” life. I was fortunate enough to have two very loving parents who sacrificed so much for me and my two siblings. I grew up happy, innocent, and free from any major worries.
I met my dear husband, Wayne, during my senior year in high school. I never believed that there was such a thing as love at first sight, but I think that we both experienced it that beautiful summer of 1970. We married two years later, finished college, started our careers (I became a teacher), and were blessed with two beautiful children, Todd and Christin. They have been the light of our lives, and we continue to love and cherish them with all of our being. Our family was happy, healthy, and fun for many years. I often wondered when the bubble would burst for us, since our lives had been so blessed with mostly good things for so long.
Unfortunately, on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1998, our lives were changed forever. Our daughter, Christin, was trying to save the life of our dog, Zack, who had been hit by a car. She was trying to comfort him and also protect him by directing traffic around him. As she was crouched down by his side, a young driver who was fighting with his girlfriend and not watching the road, hit her. For 15 hours, our family had to watch her slip away from us into another realm where we can no longer see her or touch her.
Since we lost Christin, our wonderful son, Todd, has blessed us with two grandsons, Tristin and Landon. Our lives have been enriched again with much love, laughter, joy, and pride.
Because of our faith and the faith of Christin, we believe that our family circle will be united again. That missing link here on earth will someday be reconnected in a circle of continuous love for all eternity. I continue to live my life to the best of my ability with Christin’s undying spirit by my side.
Christin Cosby Memorial Web Site
Please meet Georgie King
My name is Georgie King and I live in Centerville, Tenn..I am so honored to be picked as Angel mom for the month of April, I would like to tell you a little about myself and my family I have my husband Wayne in my life 25 year’s and he is my soul mate for life. Also, I have Angel Jeffery 35 (forever), a son Gary age 35 and my daughter Cathy age 33 and I have three stepson’s Danny 36, Mike 33 and Randy 29. I also have nine wonderful grandchildren. My son Gary has two boy’s Gary 11 and Hunter 7 and my daughter Cathy has three girl’s and one boy Ravern 12, Denisty 10, Channce 8 and Heavenly Angle 3, she was born 9 day’s after my son lefted this earth and never got to meet her Uncle Jeffery but she look’s a lot like him. And my Angel Jeffery has two a boy and a girl Crissy 18 and Cody 15. And Mike has 1 son Cody 12.I moved to Tenn. From New Orleans, La. where all my children were born as my Mother and Father were here and I am a only child and they did not want to move as age and sickness have taken a toll on them. We love it here and so does my family as it is a small town and we were always’s so happy as they grew up and started there own live’s. Jeffery became a paramedic and my son Gary is a police officer and Cathy is a E.M.T. Danny is disabled and Mike and Randy work at a factory here. My husband Wayne has been with the gas and water dept. for 30 year’s and in June of this year he is going to retire. I managed a Mapco store here for 18 year’s and now I stay at home. Also I have a daughter in law who is like my own, Jeffery wife and the mother of Crissy and Cody she live’s next door to me and has been a big part of my life. Crissy is now out on her own Cody is in the 9th grade And they were Jeffery’s life and someone stole that from him and his children.
Now let me tell you about how my happniess went to pure shock and pain. Jeffery was my oldest son 35 and I lost him to murder on Jan. 6, 2001. I never knew how much my life would change forever. Jeffery loved life so much and all he wanted was a home and family. But instead someone shot him 9 time’s in his own truck in his front yard and I his Mother heard my Angel’s last word’s to me "O! God Mother I have been shot" and the cell phone went slient and my son was dead. Still to this day it is still unsloved justice has not been served.
I did not know which way to turn, I never got on a pc before. Then I started to look around on one and found a lady named Judi and she told me about Angel Moms. And I joined the group, there are so many that walk in my shoe’s. I soon learned no matter how we loose our children the pain is all the same to a Mother and Father. Angelmoms helped me to try and understand as I thought I would rather be dead than to have the pain I was in. I did not post a lot but when I did and needed a answer the group was always’s there trying to help me And I thank God for them. Judi has done a wonderful job on Angel Moms and I would like to thank her for being there for me and having such a great group of Angel Moms. I have met 2 of the angel moms in person Irene Fitzer and Jonnie Harris when they came throught Tenn. to go to retreat, I can’t tell you what that meant to me as I would love to meet each and everyone of you, but I know that is not possible but each of you will always’s be in my prayer’s and heart as we travel this road together. And I know our Angel’s are forever together in Heaven Please keep me and my family in your prayer’s also that Justice will be served for my Angel Jeffery.
God Bless and keep you always
Georgie King
In Memory of Jeffery
Poetry Section
Remembering Autumn
Although it's been almost three years since you were here,
our love for you is very clear.
We feel you through spring's warm sun ray
as you guide us through each passing day.
Your smile is seen is the nights' bright sky
and in your brothers' smiling eyes.
We watch them play and think of you
and somehow know just what to do.
We hold them close and cover them with kisses,
tuck them in with sweet dream wishes.
We awaken each day with hearts of hope
and ask Jesus for direction to help us cope.
You send us butterflies, hummingbirds and colorful flowers in spring
to give us comfort and love that only you can bring.
Roger Kirby
Autumn's Dad
Easter is quickly approaching and for those that still have small children at home that means Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail! This months craft is simple , yet a cute decoration. Can be used for small ones or older siblings as well as elderly. Why not make up a couple this season, give as gifts and add a smile to some ones face!
HERSHEY'S FLOWER POT BOUQUET
Another quick an easy Easter craft, works great for Sunday school classes for young and old, or large groups of preschoolers is the Easter Color Poem below. Take a small baggy, add the colors below of jelly beans and attach the poem to a ribbon around bag.
ORANGE is for Heaven so bright. (2 Samuel 22:13-14)
YELLOW is for God's perfect light. (Revelation 21:23)
BLACK is for the sins we've made. * (Romans 3:23)
RED is for the blood He gave. (Romans 5:8)
WHITE is for our cleansing from sin. * (Psalm 51:1-2)
GREEN is for our new life in Him. (Colossians 1:10)
PINK is for His free gift to share. Matthew 28:19-20)
PURPLE is for the crowns we'll wear! (2 Timothy 4:8)
My Inner Self Spring Cleaning
Well, I didn't know for sure what to write about so I went back to the previous Newsletters on April and surprised myself. When Josh first died, a kind soul told me that I should journal my thoughts, that it would help, so when he was gone just about 4 weeks into my grief I took up journaling. I had gotten an Angel Pen from someone at the funeral and I bought a very pretty journal and told myself that I would write in it until the ink ran out of that pen. That was my goal. The first day I opened it and wrote in it, I wrote until I couldn't see the paper anymore thru my tears. Pages later, I closed it and slept like a baby. It felt good. I had needed to do that obviously. I had told myself that I would write anything and everything I felt, and I wouldn't let anyone read it because I didn't want to be judged (or put into a mental hospital!) It felt great. It got to a point where I would reread what I had written previously and I could see my growth in my grief. I wrote in that book for 1 1/2 years, until that ink ran out just like I had promised myself. But I felt so much better. So today when I went back to the previous April newsletters, the first being 2002, I read about just recovering from my miscarriage. That much wanted and already loved little surprise I was going to be blessed with after many years of infertility and trying. I remember how excited my husband and my 2 surviving kids were when we learned I was pregnant. We sadly learned 2 days after Christmas that I lost the baby. More grief. I remember asking God why us again? How could I lose my son Josh so tragically in 1996, then lose this baby too? I was thrown back into a grief that was unbearable for many weeks. But somehow I survived, again. I went to April 2003 and I was immediately taken back to last year when I was panic stricken about my surviving son turning 15 that month, the same age Josh was when he passed. The birthday that I had dreaded for Jake since Josh had died. I remember going to Josh's grave and crying my eyes out because I didn't know what to do with all that panic and anxiety and fear that I was feeling. But now, a year later, I am seeing that I did survive again another huge obstacle that was hurled at me. I was able to enjoy this past year with Jake, watching him grow and do things that are new to me and to him like Driving and Dating and starting his first job. Things I didn't get to do with Josh, but I still have so much enjoyed with Jake. So now, Jake and I have a different relationship and are on a different level than Josh and I was, and I didn't expect that. We don't know what to expect until we have to go thru them. So now, this April I am sitting here with Jake turning 16, a birthday I didn't get to celebrate with Josh. New obstacles all the time....but good ones I feel with Jake at this point. So as I go back on previous Aprils, I am seeing I am a new person all the time too. I think that is why we are called "Survivors"....:)
The last week of this month is National Crime Victims' Rights Week. According to statistics, when Shane became a murder victim, I also became a victim. Victim was not a title I ever wanted or asked for. Crime touches each of us weather directly or indirectly, we see it on the news, we hear about it every where, it happens to our neighbors, it happens to our friends, it can happen to us...........
Losing Shane has changed me forever, I will never be the same. But I have found that after six and a half years of becoming a victim, I have become to feel more like a survivor than a victim. I am the mother of a murdered child, I cannot change that. But I can take what I have learned and try to help others and make a difference in any way I can. By doing this, a part of Shane lives on through me and the things I do.
There has been a lot of talk lately of how we are doing so well then... BAM! something comes out of the blue to blind side us.... A graduation, a wedding, a commercial, an autopsy report, the birth of a baby, finding our child's clothes or pictures, our surviving children birthdays, even spring!!! WOW, listing just some of the triggers, I can't believe any of us are sane!!
I have always said, it is the least expected things.. the ones that catch us off guard, and sends us back into the darkness and the never ending tears of grief are the worst. Unlike Easter.... we know its coming, we prepare our minds, and family. We get ready for the tears and heart ache that comes with every holiday.
If I could say anything to make this better, I would. I'd wipe away all these things that make us hurt over and over again. All the things that make us doubt our own life, our sanity, the ability to still parent, our marriages, and our faith. But there are no words, no magic wand. You have to go through this. You have to shed the tears. You have to get blind sided from the unexpected, and prepare for the the expected. This is all apart of grief and our new life. It doesn't feel like it, when you are in these down times, but you ARE healing. Instead of thinking "I'm back sliding, and I was doing so well." think "I'm over come by my love for my child" Every tear that falls is not a failure that you are not coping well any more, it is an unsaid "I love you" to your angel.
What Brings YOU To Tears?
Well, I began to think about this as I found myself in tears…after watching a Kellogg’s cereal commercial! I know all about Hallmark commercials. I haven’t seen one in quite awhile. Then, there are the telephone commercials. They used to make me cry, but I don’t remember seeing one lately that didn’t put a smile on my face. In fact, my children think I find the wireless phone commercial TOO funny, as I empathize with the Mom, who has gotten roommates for her children in an attempt to raise cash to help defray the cost of the cellular phone bills.
Why cereal? It is funny how the mind works. I have been feeling that I am in control of my emotions, so it had to be something subtle, something that could sneak up on me without my being suspicious. I guess it had to be cereal. I watched the commercial about flakes with fresh fruit all in the same box.-Cereal with strawberries and bananas. First I thought of how when I was a kid, the only fruit in a box of cereal was a raisin. And then I had a vision of my grandfather fixing his breakfast-cereal with a sliced banana on the top. He placed it on the table and went to get the milk. My son scooted through the dining room, the curls on the top of his head just visible above the table, climbed onto a chair and plucked a piece of banana out of my grandfather’s bowl. Then, with a grin on his face, my son scooted away before he could be caught. My grandfather laughed and I scolded. Now I am crying again! Darn cereal! It just reminds me of how much I miss them both!
So, what brings you to tears? Paint? Garbage bags? I guess I will never be in total control. Something bland and non-threatening will trigger a memory and open the floodgates again.
Thank God, I have all of you!
Have a blessed holiday.
E g g s
Of all the symbols associated with Easter the egg, the symbol of fertility and new life, is the most identifiable. The customs and traditions of using eggs have been associated with Easter for centuries.
Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and were used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts. After they were colored and etched with various designs the eggs were exchanged by lovers and romantic admirers, much the same as valentines. In medieval time eggs were traditionally given at Easter to the servants. In Germany eggs were given to children along with other Easter gifts
Different cultures have developed their own ways of decorating Easter eggs. Crimson eggs, to honor the blood of Christ, are exchanged in Greece. In parts of Germany and Austria green eggs are used on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday). Slavic peoples decorate their eggs in special patterns of gold and silver.
Austrian artists design patterns by fastening ferns and tiny plants around the eggs, which are then boiled. The plants are then removed revealing a striking white pattern. The Poles and Ukrainians decorate eggs with simple designs and colors. A number of eggs are made in the distinctive manner called pysanki (to design, to write).
Pysanki eggs are a masterpiece of skill and workmanship. Melted beeswax is applied to the fresh white egg. It is then dipped in successive baths of dye. After each dip wax is painted over the area where the preceding color is to remain. Eventually a complex pattern of lines and colors emerges into a work of art.
In Germany and other countries eggs used for cooking where not broken, but the contents were removed by piercing the end of each egg with a needle and blowing the contents into a bowl. The hollow eggs were died and hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter Week. The Armenians would decorate hollow eggs with pictures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other religious designs.
Acts Of Kindness
Acts of Kindness for March were presented to:
Judi Walker by Connie Mohney
Judi Walker by Carin/Toad Furgison
Heather/Wart Eide by Carin/Toad Furgison
Marge Costanza by Carin/Toad Furgison
Eydie M. by Loni Wendt
Rosa Brown by Loni Wendt
The Act Of Kindness Award will be given to an AngelMom that was nominated for their kindness and thoughtfulness. It will not be a contest, it is "Thank You" kind of award. Anyone can be nominated. If someone has touched your heart by doing something special, please nominate them by emailing Debbie. There is no exclusions, everyone is included. We will list each member that has received an Award.
Angel Mom's Acts of Kindness
After a traumatic event such as the loss of a loved one, we may feel as though our life has stopped. Nothing can go forward after this. What sense can we make of the rest of our life?
Fortunately, life will pull us along, whether or not we give it our blessing. And one day, like a storm that passes, we will see light again, and realize that during all the time we felt lost in darkness and confusion, processes of healing and growth were doing their slow and often silent work. We have not lost time at all, but like the seed that has lain apparently inert in the ground all winter and now is ready to begin its springtime dance, we have been moved along in steady and unseen ways into new life. Like the butterfly emerging from the cocoon after a long darkness, we will shake caterpillar dust from our wings and realize we can fly.
Sometimes I feel frozen in place, as though I will never move or grow again. But all the time, One who is higher than I is leading me through this dark land.
From Healing after Loss by Martha Whitmore Hickman
Autumn
We miss you little one. The past 3 years you have been on our minds every minute of the day. We love you and will be with you one day.
Love ya
Daddy, Mommy, Skylar, Seth, Thomas, Heather, Grammy,Pappy, Nanny, Uncle Scottie and Aunt Brooke
Thanks to a generous donation by one of our Angel Moms, we are able to give 10 Angel Mom t-shirts to those Moms who are not able to purchase one due to financial hardships. If anyone would like a t-shirt through this donation, please email Loni at slwendt@charter.net with the size and color (white or light blue) as well as your home address.
Siblings Day
April 10, 2004
A day to pay special tribute to honor our brothers and sisters who are living and memorialize those who have died.
Siblings Day Foundation
National Crime Victims' Rights Week
Victims' Rights: America's Values
April 18-24, 2004
Office of Justice Programs Home Page
National Crime Victims Rights Week~2004
Cancer Control Month
April 1-30, 2004
American Cancer Society Homepage
2004 WalkAmerica
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
April 24-25, 2004
WalkAmerica
Quick Chicken Cacciatore
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute Meals Episode: Pastabilities
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (3 pieces) or, 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs, if you prefer dark meat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 portobello mushroom caps, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 cup beef broth or stock
1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound egg ribbons or egg fettuccini, cooked to al dente
Crusty bread and grated Parmigiano or Romano, for passing
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the extra-virgin olive oil and brown chicken breasts or thighs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and season with salt and pepper. Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining. Add crushed pepper, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt (salt is a magnet for drawing out liquid). Cover and cook mushrooms 5 minutes or until mushrooms are dark, tender and have given off their juices. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to intensify the wild mushroom flavor, then stir in the tomatoes and parsley. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks or slices and add to sauce. Simmer sauce 5 minutes to finish cooking chicken pieces and to allow the flavors to combine. Toss pasta with cacciatore and serve with crusty bread and grated cheese.
Tidbits: Beef broth and stock is now available in resealable paper containers, which can be found on the soup aisle of your market. These paper containers make storage of remaining broth easier; keep some on hand in your refrigerator. Beef broth is used instead of chicken broth in this recipe because it pairs better with the beefy taste of portobello mushrooms. The broth will make your cacciatore taste as if it simmered all day because it accents the mushroom taste well.
Depending on your brand, 1 large can of tomatoes can vary in weight from 28 to 32 ounces. Use your favorite, but check to make sure the product is sugar free.
Some Links To Share
Even Now
Heartprints
The Most Beautiful Heart
God Make Me A Coffee Bean
I believe, there are two kinds of angels. Ones that
have earned their wings and are forever imbedded in
our hearts. And there are the wingless ones. Angels
on earth, guiding us through life.
Unknown
Angel Moms Newsletter-April 2004-(Printable Version)
Judi at:AngelShanesMom@aol.com
If you have something you would like included in next months newsletter, please e-mail Judi
Editor: Judi,
Staff: Toad (Carin), Deb, Debbie, Kelly, Chrissi, Lynn
Angel Moms Web Site
