Using my 100th Post for the Power of Good!!!

Today is a Double Celebration!!

This is random and pressing details' 100th Post!

*cues confetti and party horns*

It has been a strange journey this last year and change! Ups and downs, lessons learned, pet peeves, foolishment, foolery, side-eyes, and ignance... remembrances, tributes, friendships, inspirations, pleas, public service announcements and advocacy... we've shared a little bit of it all together.  I am honored every time I log on and find that someone (and sometimes several someones) has had enough interest in what I have to say to not only take time to read, but to comment!!  Your comments are the special sauce on the Big Mac of my life! *No Ronald!*


To all of you, I say a most sincere and heart felt "Thank you!! Now get outta my bathtub!!"

But the Biggest, Awesomest and Most Supercalifragilisticexpialidociousest news of all is....

My girl Dwina got to bring lil' Man home from the hospital today!!!  

Thanks to all of the prayer, positive energy, love and support of any and all of you who kept them in your thoughts and prayers!!  Lil' Man is a bona fide miracle baby!  He's beautiful, and he is home in plenty of time for Mother's Day!!


Which is the coolest thing in the world, and made me break out in a Bro. Franklin dance!!


So in honor of this most excellent day and it's dual causes for celebration... but mostly b/c of Lil' Man, enjoy the following!!

Update

I just wanna say that God is Good! Great and Awesome actually.

I posted about my friend and her newborn just a while back.  I felt it was only fair to those who don't know her to bring y'all up to speed.  The babe has had his surgery.  He came through it like a ROCK STAR!!

The alarms, meds, bells, whistles, and tubes are fallin' by the wayside in short order.  If he keeps doing as well as he is, he will be home sooner than later.  That doesn't mean he doesn't still need our prayers for continued healing, growth and health, or that mommy and daddy and sis don't need prayers for comfort, strength, and blessings.  But, man.... they have had a long journey in a short time and come a looooooong way!!

So thanks to everyone who said a prayer or kept a positive thought or sent positive energy their way.  Keep it up.

If you wanna read up on Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, click the link http://www.breathofhopeinc.com/

And remember, 

March 31 is National CDH Awareness Day!

Rock Turquoise in support of the babies and families affected by this condition!

I hate it when I can't fix things...(UPDATED)

Turquoise Ribbon for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day, March 31, 2010





Anyone who follows me on the Twittah or is a Facebook friend knows that my friend Adwina is going through the worst possible kind of parental hell on earth right now.

Dwina gave birth 10 days ago to a sweet, beautiful baby boy.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that he was born very sick, and has spent his whole life so far at Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

Every communication I have had with Dwina has been very hopeful, and everyone else I know who has talked to her has commented on how "upbeat" she has been.  And things are actually looking pretty good for Lil' Man at this point.

But today, on her FB status, Dwina finally let some of the hurt and anger out.

I, for one, applaud her!!  I wanna holler with her!  While we're all praying our collective asses off for Lil' Man's healing and for the family's comfort and support, I think it's perfectly normal, natural and expected for Dwina to be a lil' miffed at the Almighty.  I mean, she was a good pregnant mommy.  She went to the doc, ate well, took care of herself.... and it's just not fair that this arbitrary bullshit random congenital condition should befall Lil' Man.

And you know what?  I feel pretty sure that God ain't mad.  I think He's in His heaven, with a tear in His eye, saying to Himself, "You're right.  It ain't fair.  But I'm here.  We'll get through it, one way or another."

The Big Dude knows this is some ol' bullshit, and He understands that we're only human.  We tend to get in our feelings a little somethin' over stuff like this.  He gets it.  He made us, for cryin' out loud.  He knows how we are.

So Dwina... I'm glad you gave voice to those emotions.  The pressure of holding it back... or in, or down, or whatever... well, it could only result in disaster later.  I admire you for having the courage to let us see that you aren't impervious.  Like I told you on FB... If you didn't have moments like those, it would make you a Stepford Wife.  And that would be creepy and wrong.

I'm still prayin' my ass off for you all, girl.  And I'm holding that faith and belief in my heart that it's gonna be alright!




UPDATED (3/13/10 5:15pm):  Things are looking pretty good today!  Dwina's FB status from earlier today:

 "Blood transfusion went well!!! I got to do some care for him this afternoon!!! Which makes me feel like a mother!!! His fio2 is down to 73% and his o2 sats are great!!! He looks nice and relaxed!! Grandma sent me and Jeff videos of sis riding a bike, then checkin out the baby chicks at rural king!!! She looks like sheis having a blast at Camp Grandma/Papa!!!!! I get to see her tomorrow, YAY!!!"

To learn more about Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) follow this link:

http://www.breathofhopeinc.com/

UPDATED (3/16/10 12:00pm)Things are again looking better!  Lil' Man was declared strong enough for surgery today, and is in the OR as I type this!  Expect news later this evening!

Luvologist made me think....Damn him!!!

Trust.  The Luvologist asks:  Today's Love Question of the Day  (Love QOD) was "what is Trust? And how do you know when you can apply it?"

In 140 characters or less??!!  Maaaaannn! What are you tryna do to us, bae? Make people have brain overload?  The question was asked on Twitter (if ya don't know by now, ppl, Google that ish! I can't keep tellin' y'all) thus the character limit--that's all the space you have for a single update.

Anyyyywaaaay.....

Trust is a hell of a deep subject.  It's like ice cream.   It goes from your basic, generic superficial vanilla to the depth and complexity of a Ben n Jerry's masterpiece (mmmm.....Chunky Monkey! bananas and chocolate and walnuts, OH MY!)  

You have the trust you extend to the world just by walking out of your front door....that the first person you meet on the street won't dot yer eye for no reason, for instance.  There's the trust you extend to your coworkers--I do my job, you do yours.  Trust for acquaintances, we'll kick it and whatnot, part ways on good terms and go on with our lives.  These are just a few examples of the store brand varieties of trust.  This is the trust you have to maintain on a daily basis to function in the world.  It's necessary, limited and conditional.  It's only gonna take one time for your neighbor to steal your newspaper or purposely let their dog sh*t in your yard, and that trust is pretty much done.  

The deeper, more intimate varieties are the coffee-almond-mocha ice cream of the trust continuum.  That's the best friend who has proven they can be trusted with your biggest secrets because they've kept all your little ones.  That's the sister who knows you so well that you don't hafta say a word when your heart is breaking--she's there for you, just like you knew she would be.  That's the lover with whom you're free to share your self, heart, mind and soul.

But where does it all come from.....?

I think it starts with that little seed of faith.  You don't know that guy at the bus stop isn't gonna push you under the bus as it rolls up, you just have to believe it's gonna be ok to wait on that bus and that nothing untoward is gonna go down.  It starts with giving over your little secrets, hoping that they get kept, but willing to take the chance that they won't....allowing that trust to build and grow.  Nurturing it and nudging it along like a mother teaching her child how to walk.  It starts with believing that lover isn't out to make a fool of you and break your heart...going into it knowing both the risks and potential gifts, willing to let it flower in its own time.  So it goes.

But, just as difficult as it to grow, it is just as easily broken.  It is a fragile thing, trust.  Especially the gourmet variety.  The more of yourself you have put into a relationship, the more you trust yourself to another person, the more voluntarily vulnerable you become, the easier that trust is to damage and destroy.  And the harder to restore.

So what is it?  I guess it's how we function in the world without losing our minds.  When do we extend it? Every minute of every day, with varied results....some wonderful, others rending.  That's still too long for a Tweet (it's another Twitter reference for some of y'all who don't know).  But it's what I think. . . . . for what it's worth.