Gave Lives for the Children

On this Memorial Day, I give honor and tribute to all veterans of all wars who served our country. I especially give honor to the memories of those who died in battle and/or service to the preservation of freedom and rights for all humankind, for which the great nation of America stands.

Beyond paying honor to the memories of those who died in battle, I also pay tribute to those who served and lived , and those who served but passed on to the next life, though not dying in battle.

Most of all, I honor those who served their country to preserve it for the children. This blog is about children. The children are our future and our hope for humanity to continue. In this spirit, I say thanks and may God bless all our heroes great and small and may God bless our children and allow them to inherit an honorable God loving nation that honors God and one another.

God bless us every one.

Lillie Rain Dancing

The one thing that really makes Lillie's heart light and happy is dancing.

The winter months that I spent in Pocatello living at my daughter's home in 2007-2008 will resonate in my memory forever. I experienced so much joy just sharing lives with my daughter Kelly and her three beautiful children. My husband and life partner Cephas, really enjoyed the grand children. They added the sparkle in our eyes, the joy in our laughter, and the desire to be alive.

First I should introduce you to the people in Lillie in the Rain's movie. Make no mistake, in Lillie's mind, the movie is all about her. For Lillie's short seven years (her birthday is in June, so I'll count her that age now)...she has packed a lifetime into our days. Experiencing Lillie is a treasure.

Lillie has a sister named Ivy, who is a personality in her own right worthy of noting. Ivy loves to dance as well, but her story has its own stage. The feature here is Lillie in the Rain. Ivy is the eldest sibling at the grand age of nine. Her birthday was yesterday, May 22, 2008. What a bright mind little Ivy has! What a beautiful heart she holds.

Lillie has a baby brother, her dream come true. His name is David Andres Jones. Lillie and Ivy and Mommy Kelly call him Davy Jones. I call him baby David, because his uncle has the same name. David is the giggle in my laugh and my walk. He teaches me way more than I can ever teach him with his active curious mind. In fact, all the children do.

Cephas and I have eighteen grandchildren, so our joy is very full. At the moment, we are far away from them all, and that leaves me feeling a longing for them that nothing can satisfy. To help fill that void, I decided to write about them.

Back to Lillie and her dancing. She loves to improvise and create the choreography for her dancing. Her talents are incredible. Lillie snaps her fingers to the beat as she creates the tempo for her dances, as she creates the steps and the moves. Lillie even gets into costuming for her productions as she makes up her own songs.

Lillie's voice is more beautiful than an angels voice. I love to hear her sing.

At Christmas time, Ivy and Lillie had a chance to perform at the high school through a community program. For several months, they rehearsed and learned some dance steps which included ballet, hip hop and tumbling.

Performance night was a real treat! All these beautiful young children in that matching outfits entered the stage and performed with their little hearts for the families that came to watch. At curtain time on the last act for Lillie and Ivy's group, Lillie stood waving at the audience as the curtain was beginning to close. They had to keep the curtain open as Lillie waved at the audience receiving ahhhsss and laughter and applause. Talk about cute!

The girls dream of being ballet dancers. Ivy and Lillie watch shows on television where ballet dancers perform and they mimick the dancers in the living room to any willing audience. They also love to watch the model contest shows which helps them with costume, hair and make up ideas.

Star search ....get ready! Ivy and Lillie are bound to be two unforgettable contestants some day.

Born in A Meadow on Alpha Farm

If I remember correctly, the moon shone brightly enough that night, but I don't think it was full. The stars shone prominently, as the Shaman Native American midwife and I stood gazing at the stars.


We stepped off the old schoolbus that was situated in a corner spot of the meadow on Alpha Farm, to take a breather in the birthing process. As we gazed as the stars, one came blazing like a rocket and fell from the sky. We looked at one another, and we both knew. It was time for Lillie Lorraine to enter this world. We affectionately nicknamed her "Lillie in the Rain". She is the inspiration for this blog.