Don't Get Me Started with Linda Sharp

Special Requests

Just got this from Katy...

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I have a really good friend, he's married to his college sweetheart, is a father of two beautiful girls still in elementary school and a very active member of the church I belong to.  He's got a super personality, and a very dry sense of humor which always makes me laugh out loud.  A week ago, I saw him at church with a bandage on his face and one on his ear and I callously made a joke about cutting himself shaving.  Later, I e-mailed to apologize and said that I hoped it wasn't something serious.  He called me today to say that one of the spots was malignant skin cancer and he would be going in for surgery this Friday (December 4th) to have it removed.  They won't know till later if it's entered into his lymph nodes.  I'm praying that it hasn't.  He is a very faithful person, and is very upbeat about it, but I wanted to pull in some of the "blog" positive prayer power to help him too!   I don't want to give his name, but if everyone could say a prayer for "John," I think God will know who it's for!  Thanks Linda!

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(I have been there and done that, Katy - mine have all been basal cell (the good kind), but my Dad has had many malignant melanomas removed.  The waiting is definitely the hardest part.  I will keep your friend in my thoughts. ~ Linda)

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Also received this one while I was away...

Vonn Anderson, my high school best friend's aunt (then I married into the family and she became my aunt, too) was rushed to the hospital today.  She is now in ICU.  So far, they suspect she has had a pretty severe stroke and is continuing to have seizures.  They have her on a ventilator and heavily sedated and trying to control the seizures.  Vonn has not been in good health for quite some time.  She has had mini-strokes from time to time and has had some serious heart problems and heart surgeries.  She, her husband, Roy, daughter, Loree, and three grandchildren and all the rest of the family could really use some good vibes right now. We're all a little scared.

Thanks,

Jackie

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Sendsing good thoughts their way, too!

Yes, Virginia Update

Hi everyone - just wanted to thank you all again for your outpouring of generosity in helping us purchase new mattresses and bedding for the family I wrote about last week.  I came back from Dallas to find a new email from Veronica, and she had managed to take some pictures of the beds we are replacing.

I'm not posting them here out of respect for the family's privacy, but please believe me, your heart would break.  Reading her words was one thing, but if ever the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" were truer, I have not run across it.  Everything is exactly as she had described and you should all be so proud of coming together to help in this way.

Several of you have sent donations towards getting something special just for the Mom - rest assured, I am working with Veronica on ideas for that.

In the meantime, the clock continues to tick towards Christmas.  If you, or someone in your life needs some help this season in keeping Santa alive  please email me directly.  This isn't exactly The Oprah Show, but DGMS has a heart just as big.

My inbox is open, and the Yes, Virginia donation link is always active on the left side of the page.

~ Linda

Justice Did Not Protect And Serve Dead Police Officers

Having been out of town the past four days, I am slowly making my way through a very backed up inbox and found an email with a request for prayers for the officers gunned down in Seattle this weekend, and for their families. 

As of this morning CNN reports police have a suspect holed up in a house in east Seattle.

If it turns out that this miscreant is the one who walked into that coffee shop and ended the lives of four public servants - four parents, four children, four people who had pledged to protect and serve others - it will shine a glaring light on how mucked up is our legal system.

With a record containing everything from repeated assaults, to aggravated robbery, to CHILD RAPE - one is simply left shaking their head and wondering why this POS was wandering the streets.

Who dropped the ball, looked the other way, hid behind technicalities?

I have to get the kids moving for school, but here is the latest at CNN, and I'll include the email from Debbie in WA.

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Linda, I've never solicited requests for prayers and thoughts before, but after the events in Parkland, Washington today, I'm asking that the DGMS readers give a thought to the people who need healing.  This morning a gunman walked into a small coffee shop and murdered four police officers who were haveing coffee and getting ready to start their day.  None of the employees or other customers were threatened, although they are understandably traumatized and horrified.  This was an ambush perpetrated by a murderous individual.  He's not yet been apprehended, although I have no doubt that he will be.

This has occured about 3 weeks after a separate attack on two Seattle police officers by a lone gunman.  One of those officers was killed.  That gunman was apprehended.

The friends, families and peers of these slain officers will need all the prayers and positive energy in the next few days as the shock slowly sinks in.

Thanks.
Debbie in WA

Sometimes Being A Bridesmaid Is A Good Thing

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride" - so the saying goes.

It's an axiom Carson's team has been all too familiar with the past few months.

As a new Division 1 team, they had a challenging season taking on established teams.  Her new team was comprised of girls from three teams (actually four, come to think of it) - all skilled, all soccer loving ladies, but they were faced with one of the bigger challenges - transforming from 17 girls who know how to play soccer, to 17 girls who know how to play soccer together.

You may remember when I wrote about a preseason tournament in Houston where they performed amazingly well.  Going from last place to second place trophies in the space of hours.  It was a war they'd survived and they were thrilled to be the bridesmaids.

Moving into the actual league play of regular season, they struggled.  Not terribly at all.  But tying was the best outcome.  Not that their losses were ass kickers - they weren't.  They just weren't on the winning side of the 1-0s.

Through it all, Carson has been Carson - focused, upbeat, positive, working as hard as she can on her personal skills and strength, and acting as a first rate captain for her girls.  And she has been happy.  Regardless of their season record.

For Rudy and I, that is all we ask for.

As long as she is feeling challenged, growing in skills and confidence, and enjoying the process - we're gold.

So with losses not bothering her, they certainly weren't bothering us.  In fact, we are very realistic - we didn't expect a newly formed team to storm through their first DI season taking no prisoners. 

What we expected was to see the girls being forced to dig deep, play faster, harder, more creatively.  That's what happens when you are challenged.  And that's a good thing.

Unfortunately, not all parents view competitive sport the way we do.  And their discontent and laser focus on scores is loudly translated to their children. 

Which brings us to this weekend.

When the tournament was first brought up, our trainer took a lot of heat from parents who didn't want to take the girls to Dallas.  The Texas Cup is a notoriously ass kicking contest where the competition is stiff and the college scouts are on hand for the older teams.  They complained that the girls were going to lose - badly - and how it would be bad for their morale (delicate flowers that they are).  That it would be a waste of money.

The girls knew exactly how their parents viewed this.

Personally, I told Carson that every touch is a good touch - win or lose - because it makes you better.  And that the best thing for her team was for them to keep playing as much as they could before the winter break.

I was very happy when her trainer put his foot down and told everyone we were going, get on board.

So we went - checking into our Dallas hotel on Thanksgiving.  Parents still mumbling about this waste of time, how bad the weekend was going to be.

The girls had other plans.

Game 1: 0-0.

Game 2:  2-0.

Game 3:  1-1

Those scores sent them to the semi finals as the top seed.

In between Game 3 and the semi final game, Carson called a players only meeting in the lobby of their hotel (she has little stomach for parents sticking their noses in at this point).  She and her co-captain used the time to cheerlead, strategize, highlight each individual player and what they had been doing great, and finally, to flat out state, "Our parents thought this weekend was a waste of time.  Let's keep proving them wrong."

They took the field at 5pm yesterday (SIX club trainers on hand - no pressure...) and knocked out a 4-0 win sending them to the championship game this morning. 

(Note:  Carson has successfully moved on from goalie duties this season.  And I know Lori from TX will back me up because she came to three of Carson's games this weekend - Carson belongs ON THE FIELD.  She is fast, strong, aggressive, and skilled.  The third goal in that semifinal came from the most gorgeous left footed ball you've ever seen.  She shot it high and hard from the far left of the field to directly in front of the goal and a team mate knocked it in.) 

But back to the tournament...

This morning was dreary and threatening rain, but they were up before dawn to be at the fields by 715am. 

The opposing team was the one they had gone 1-1 with in round robin play, so everyone knew it was going to be a hard match.

And it was.

Both teams are made of up girls with guts, determination, foot skills, and a desire to win.  As a parent, I don't sit there hating on a bunch of 13 year old girls just because they wear opposing uniforms.  I sit there and admire the hard work I know has gone into their development.

The first half was a hard one.  And it was on a set piece - a corner kick by the other team - when things went badly.  The ball came flying in and one of our defenders went to clear it out.  Unfortunately she kicked it directly into another defender and it ricocheted into our goal.

The worst goal there is.  An "own goal" - when you actually score for the other team.

For the remainder of the half they fought hard to get it back, to no avail.  With four trainers on hand, they must have received the mother of all half-time talks because they came out transformed.  While the other team dominated the first half, our girls kept them on the defensive for the next 35 minutes.

They ran till their lungs were on fire, they trapped, they headed, they tackled, they took shots.  They had everything they needed to equalize the score.  Well, almost everything.

The one thing they did not have was enough time on the clock.  The whistle blew, sending them into the record books, yet again, as a bridesmaid, not the bride.

No matter.

The medals and team trophy they brought home are completely overshadowed by the pride and satisfaction they wore on their rides back to Austin.

They proved the parents dead wrong.  And I personally think that's a really good thing.

 
I'm really excited to see what they do come Spring season, which here in Austin starts in ... February.  :O)  (And yes, that would be Carson - the one in front with the cleats the color of macaroni and cheese.  Again, Lori will back me up - you only wear shoes like that if you can back them up on the field - Carson can.)

Happy Thanksgiving To Everyone In The DGMS Family!

I apologize for it being quiet on this end today - kind of an unorthodox Thanksgiving week for the Sharp clan (like things in our lives being unorthodox is history making...).

Rudy is up in Seattle slaving away on budgets, so he won't be home this week.  Culley is enjoying her time in Nashville.  And tomorrow, yes, Thanksgiving Day, Carson and I will be loading up the minivan and hitting the road for a soccer tournament up in Dallas.

Sooooo.... today I did something I have never done.

I made Thanksgiving dinner for Kendall, Carson, and myself.

That's right, yours truly has never, ever, ever, evereverever cooked a turkey.

That's what Rudy is for.  :O)

But with our tummies now full, I am happy to report that I done good.  I made Maple Bacon Turkey (I wrote about it last year - the one where the turkey is really beside the point.  It's all about the bacon on top of the turkey that has been repeatedly basted in maple syrup.), mashed potatoes, stuffing, and crescent rolls.  There's even a pumpkin pie on the table.

(Note to Kitty Pimp - See?  When push comes to shove, I CAN cook.)

So that's what I have been up to all day.  Well, that and...

...Putting all your contributions to good use.  I am happy to report that I have ordered not only two wonderful mattresses, but two warm quilts for the mom and son whose story Veronica shared with us yesterday.

So on Thanksgiving, as you gather your family around the table to give thanks, know that tonight, Kendall, Carson, and I raised our glasses and gave thanks to all of YOU.  My daughters are up to speed on this latest effort and they, too, are blown away by all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.  I'll "see" you when I get back Sunday night.

Much love,

Linda

How Can We Sleep At Night?

This has been going round and round in my head since I received it this morning.  And as I face my own comfortable bed in a few hours, I know I will lay down tonight and every night till I can help make this right, asking myself, "How can I sleep at night..."

Veronica shared a story with me this morning.  She knows a family - a mother and son - who are struggling, like so many in this country.

And while the Yes, Virginia fund is not full enough currently to manage what I'd like to manage, I am hoping we can do something on the side.  Please read the email.

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Linda,

I have been debating asking for your help for a friend of mine.  She lives alone with her son in a small one bedroom apartment. She is disabled and had neck surgery last year and waiting on Social Security Disability to come through.  She is financially crippled and she really could use a boost this year.  Her son is 11, and one of my sons better friends,  and honeslty, he does not still "believe" in Santa.  Earlier tonight, I had given them a ride to Wal Mart and she told me that she hated this time of year.  She told me her son had asked if there would be any presents under the tree at all this year.  I asked he what she thought he wanted most, and she said "those tech decks".  She also mentioned some new "WWE Wrestling Ring" that he said he wanted.  Most likely, I would be able to supply her with a few packs of tech decks, but I have four kids here at home to make the magic happen for and (blessedly) this year is the first that I am not behind on my utility bills and other payments going into the Holiday Season. 

I was hoping that DGMS could maybe help her out in a slightly larger way.  (Not sure how at all!  You know the magic you have made in the past and if you have an abundance of donations and no one writing for help, then maybe you can help them.)  Trust me when I say, they live a pretty modest existance. Her washer and dryer stopped working last May, and although I have a lead on a used set for her,there is no guarentee that they will work.  She has been washing their clothes by hand and hanging them to dry since then.  She does not drive and has very limited income, so they don't get very many "pleasure" items. Last year, her ex-boyfriend bought her son a Playstation 2 that her son mentioned tonight in my car that it overheats and locks up. I do not kid you when I say, she and her son both sleep on old used beds and they are in very poor shape.  The mattresses are crushed down in spots and you can see the springs poking through them.  She had to cover her sons bed in plastic because her cats kept trying to pee on his bed.  Because of financial stress she has been trying to get rid of the cats, but it has been difficult for her because of the overcrowding at the shelters locally. 

Anyway, let me know if you think you can assist at all, and what other information you would need from me to speak to her directly.

Thanks for your consideration,

Veronica

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As I said, the Yes, Virginia fund is a lot shallower than this time last year, but that's understandable.  Economics for everyone have changed drastically and as much as folks would like to be able to help, charity truly is having to begin at home for many this year.

While we can certainly swing a few gifts for the young boy in the email, I would like to attempt to try something a tad larger. 

I have researched mattress prices on Overstock.com (my preference since shipping is $1 regardless of items)  For $300, we can get this young man and his mother two new twin mattresses to sleep on.

As I said, it kills me to know how they are sleeping currently.  I know we can pull an additional $300 together to do this.  Thousands of people come here every single day - I "see" you.  :O)  If each person could throw even $1 in the pot, just think of what we could do.

If you can help, please use the Yes, Virginia link to the left and indicate that you would like your donation to go towards this effort or the general fund.

Again, I will be asking myself "How can you sleep at night..." - and I think the heart of this blog will be doing the same.  Let's make a miracle, shall we?

(P.S.  I received the $200 check today - you know who you are.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.  If you would like it to go towards this particular effort, please shoot me an email, ok?  Otherwise I will put it in the general fund for gifts.)

For Now...

As I knew it would, this final year in Culley's high school career is zooming past.  Fall show, two SATs, the ACT coming up, theater convention, cap and gown pictures - one thing after another quickly shovels one day into the next.

Adding to this beautiful girl's biggest year thusfar has been the unexpected finding of someone who makes her heart beat faster. 

And mine does, too, whenever I look at her and see what this addition has done.  She glows.  She is focused.  She is happy. 

As regular readers know, Culley met him while doing the Research Internship Program at Vanderbilt over the summer.  Two insanely smart kids who circled one another for six weeks before admitting, despite living in separate states, they liked each other.

Enter Mom, the enabler.  Kind of like a crack dealer, only I deal in airline tickets.

I bought her a plane ticket and sent her back for a week before school started.  He came this way for Homecoming.  I snuck him back for her fall show.   And she is on a plane right now, headed to Nashville to spend the week with friends (and my sister), and enjoy Thanksgiving with his family.

His mom and I have not encouraged this simply because we can afford the airfares.  It's because we recognize something different is happening in our children's lives.  Neither of them has had a huge dating career.  They are smart, they are picky, and no one has truly ever stopped them in their tracks.

Until now.

I admit I also do this because I know it is not an option my parents would have even entertained with me as a teenager.  I love my parents dearly, but they felt no compunction about moving me to another state and ripping my heart apart in the process when I was 15.  I was simply expected to suck it up, not look back, and besides, teen feelings aren't "real feelings, right?

Wrong.

A teenager's emotions are every bit as real and important as an adult's.  Perhaps more so because they are more honest and raw.

So this morning, I drove her to the airport yet again - my confident, beautiful, intelligent world traveler daughter - and in several more hours she will be picked up by the person who has moved into that special piece of real estate in her heart.

And I am so happy for her.

Is this forever?  Probably not.  At their age very little in their lives should be forever.  But it is for now, and that is fine with me.  Because she is incredibly happy and experiencing what happens only once in a person's life.

And because I know there is a young man in Tennessee who thinks the sun rises and sets on Culley, and who can't wait for her to get off that airplane and into his arms.

And that is all a Mom could ask for ... for now.

Adam Lambert Kisses Off Double Standard

It is likely the kiss that will be seen 'round the world, and 'round the clock as media outlets replay it over and over and over and pundits debate it.

Adam Lambert kissed a boy, and he liked it.

Quite frankly, so did I.

During his performance at the AMAs last evening, he delivered what he called an "in the moment" kiss to his keyboard player - another guy.

And this morning the world is weighing in.  Gasp!  Shock!  Scandal! Gross!

Um, double standard much?

It seems when Madonna and Britney shared a carefully choreographed liplock many years back, the world enjoyed one big boner.  Girl on girl action was "hot," "titillating".  Sure, the religious folks who "love everyone" (except those people) had their puritanical panties in a wad, but that kiss was hailed as provocative and groundbreaking.

Why should Adam's be any different?

Because two guys swapped a little spit?

Look, music, musicians, lyrics have always pushed the societal envelope.  And live performance adrenalin is, as Adam said after the show, "a crazy, crazy, crazy feeling. Some of the things I love most about performing is when you're up there and all of the sudden you just have these feelings, this rush that comes over you."

Anyone who has ever performed - be it music, acting, etc - will back him up.  Some of the best moments are simply the organic, unrehearsed ones that wash over the performers.

As for those who have a problem with seeing two men or two women share affection?  Get over it or look the other way.  I kiss my husband in public whenever and where ever I want to.

Until every person is afforded that same right?  Something is completely wrong.

(And to those parents who are apoplectic that their precious children may have seen it last night?  Sorry - you lose.  By now, if parents don't know that music awards shows are cutting edge, flesh revealing, and sexual?  Well, you'd better start paying more attention.)

It's Martha's Day!

All Things Being Equal...

Rick posted the link in the comments - This opening made me laugh - give it a view.