A day at a time

Week by week, day by day, minute by minute we go through life........some days are hard, some days are easier, none are easy. I know that the veil of grief will lift in time but it's a dark curtain right now. I pray daily that He will give me the strength to keep up a strong front in public. I really feel sorry for Kim though. He takes the full force of my pain daily. My friend, Laura, lost her mom just a few months ago. It's amazing how we can e-mail or talk and both feel better. Sharing.......

I normally go to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursday nights but tonight it was cancelled. I write a journal of blessings each week....kinda like my prayer journal....so...this week my blog gets to see it.

Thankful for the family God has given me in this marriage.
Thankful for the faith to know that He will see me through this.
Thankful for my father....he is SUCH a man of God!
Thankful for the friends that God has placed in my path to help me on this journey.
Thankful for the mom He graced with me.

I am truly blessed!

I am truly blessed

This is a picture of the entire Bos family.....aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters and dad......

We are all home again. It was a very long and stressful two weeks. Mom is dancing with our Lord today but we are all still learning to cope with our loss. Dad is amazing. He has been so strong and stands in the faith that they will be reunited one day. He continues to remind us all what a blessing mom was in his life and ours. He is truly a man of God. I was truly blessed to grow up with parents that were such wonderful examples of Christ's love.

Of course, my entire family is not quite so "heavenly". It was difficult watching my sister turn her back on me each time I entered a room. However, hearing dad tell me how proud he was of my behavior let me know that I had his support. I made a conscious decision to forgive her for the pain she has caused me and my family. I will continue to pray that God will lighten her heart and allow his love to work forgiveness through her.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. I have learned that there are many wonderful people in this world. Airport lines, security lines, stewardesses, travel agents, taxi drivers.....they all worked together to help me get through this.

Lastly, I have to say how blessed I was that Dad asked Royal Caribbean if I could cruise with him. I have learned to love and respect my dad even more through those three days. They were filled with tears, laughter and many long nights of talking. I am truly blessed.

Found

Jill and Jacob found my luggage! It was vacationing in Grand Caymon. Now....hopefully it will be here so I can have a little toothpaste and deodorant (and, or course, clean undies!!!). Guess the problem will be customs. Dad and I can go to the airport and meet the plane. Hopefully that will speed it through. Of course, I do not want to anger anyone here. I understand Mexican prisons are not the best! Besides....I do not need more clothes that desparately. HAH! Please, let Kim know that I will call him tonight if I can get through on the cabin phone. Love you all. Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers. Keep em coming!

PS I love the United States!!!!!!!

Nightmare of a day...week...month

First came Ike......then Tuesday my mom passed away....today I tried to get to the cruise ship to give my dad some company and
1. my flight from Houston to Miami was delayed 2.5 hours
2. this caused me to miss the ONLY flight going to Grand Cayman in time to make the cruise ship before it sailed
3. American Airlines automatically put me on the next flight to Grand Cayman which I declined and booked a flight to Cozumel which is the next stop for the cruise
4. Arrived in Cozumel.....taken to beautiful hotel all set up by the cruise line...however....my luggage is not here.
5. Call our wonderful assistant from Royal who tell me I must go back to the airport and report this.
6. Got ripped off $10 for a cab.....they say they have no record of my luggage ever being checked.
7. Luckily...I have the bag check number....they are going to look for it tomorrow...after all it is 5pm and they close
8. Only one flight into Cozumel tomorrow.....2 thirty.....if luggage is not on that flight I must wait another 2 days......
9. Tried to call from room and left message on Jacob Count cell......needed someone who would answer and he usually does.
10. He did not answer so left a message at 25.00 a minute.
11. Left message on everyone blog.....complete info is on thecountsfamily.blogspot.com
please....if anyone reads this......let my family know I am alright and need some help......I am safe....staying in hotel....not walking streets of Cozumel.......would love to have some English TV!!! Guess I will try to get some much needed rest.

Please pray for my family..........we have many tests this week. I am so blessed by my immediate family. Kim, Dan, Jill, Jacob, Kristy, Curtis and Kaylee (placed in order of Schwartz family membership...no favoritism shown!) I love you all so very, very much. I miss you all. Thanks for helping! Sorry about the goffy blog....typing on a Mexican keyboard....and YES it is different!

Hugs from God

This has been a very difficult 24 hours. My mom, whilst on a cruise docked in Haiti, passed away yesterday at lunch. My dad is now sailing alone until I can get onboard tomorrow at noon. I had no idea how hard international water laws were to get around, but I'm learning. Royal Caribbean has cut through enough red tape to allow me to enbark at Grand Cayman tomorrow. The ship is in Jamaica today but couldn't be done there. My poor father is sailing alone surrounded by mom's belongings while mom is in the ship's morgue. We have figured out how to transport her from the ship to the coroner and then on to the mortuary where she will be cremated. My dad and I will drive from Cocoa Beach to Destin on Sunday. My brother and sisters, dad and I will meet with the pastor of my parent's church Monday afternoon with services scheduled Thursday at 11:00am. Considering it's only been 24 hours, we've taken care of so much.

This is entitled Hugs from God because I continue to thank him for the blessings he has given me.

1. A wonderful mom for 52 years of life

2. The financial means to see them two weeks ago on a "spur" cheap flight and to join dad in Grand Cayman.

3. That mom passed away doing what she loved the most. Dining with full waitstaff on a cruise line!

4. That the cruiseline has allowed me to board.

5. That the majority of my family has enough strength in God to know that HE is always in control.

6. The list goes on and on........I am surrounded by so many friends and family that I can not help but to continue singing my praises to Him. My mom is now dancing with My Lord and Savior. I truly believe this to be so. I am at Peace in His word.

Grandkids

As my grandma once said, "Aren't they grand?!" I had a great day yesterday. Jill and Jacob had to teach NFP (Natural Family Planning) at the church and Kim was working so I had 5 hours alone with Curtis. It was WONDERFUL! We biked to the lake and fed the ducks, geese, turtles, and fish. Then we went to the park and played on the swings and slide while watching a soccer match. Then we came home and baked chocolate cookies together. It was so much fun watching him learn. He was amazed at the turtles (or as Curtis says Tu-tle). Then whilst baking, Curtis was covered in flour but loved pouring the ingredients into one container and then the other. He also loved eating the chocolate chips, dough and finished product! Now today, I get to babysit Kaylee! Ahh....I like this new position in life!!!! All in all, a great week-end. I leave for South Padre on Wednesday for work but will bring the laptop along.

A visit with the parentals....

Had a great visit with mom and dad in Destin. This picture shows a typical exercise at 2:00 every day....dad does the pushing and pulling while mom does the grunting! :) It was a wonderful visit. We had lots of time to just visit. That was the main reason to go. We did a little shopping but not much. We'll save the rest for the Christmas season. My next trip is to South Padre for business. It's a tough place to go but it is business - HAH!

This is mom and dad talking to Aunt Barbara.

Be sure to check mom and dad's blog! Dad's learned how to do it again!!! Here he is practicing......Way to go Dad!!!