Touching Your Heart

Hey everyone….even though it isn’t quite Thanksgiving YET….here is a GREAT way to help get you in the Thanksgiving AND Christmas spirit!!  My dear friend and dear boss lady, Diane Paulson is part of the committee for our local “Giving Tree” and I offered to help spread the word via our blog.  {Please see the post below from Diane.} This is a perfect way for all of us to help make a difference…one person at a time…one day at a time. 

Please feel free to share this post/link with anyone you can think of who might be interested.

If you have any questions or would like to suggest someone for the Giving Tree, please email Diane at diane@paulsonseed.com with “Giving Tree” in the subject line.

From Diane: For anyone wanting to help a local charity this year, the Giving Tree is a great way to do so. There are  forms to submit on someone’s behalf that you may know who could use something extra this year. They are available at Social Services & most of the area churches in Bowman & Slope County. Or if your family is in need they would love to receive more requests than they have.  The deadline is Nov. 28th to apply and the gifts can be picked up at the Bowman Lutheran Church on 12/21 8-4 and it is all strictly confidential. Most churches will have gift request ornaments on a Christmas tree and you can take those requests, get the gift listed & return to the tree at the church. It is a wonderful way to help our friends & neighbors have a better Christmas.

{through the eyes of a very proud member of “Ray’s Harem”}

 I first met Mr. Ray Sheets and his dear wife, Miss Nancy, when I started working at the Finder/Bowman County Pioneer about 17 years ago or so.  I remember I was SO scared of him at first.  He was gruff, quite the smart a**, very detail-oriented and had a routine you didn’t want to mess with.  However, within a week or two, as long as I greeted him every morning with a smile and a “Good morning, Ray”, as long as I respected his detail-oriented paperwork and let him stick to his routine, and as long as I made small chit-chat with him…. I quickly learned that his bark was worse than his bite and that deep down he was an amazing loving man who I grew to love and admire deeply up until the day he went to Heaven.  Somewhere along the line he became “Mr. Ray” to me and dear Nancy became Miss Nancy.  I’m not sure when it began or why, but it stuck through the years and to this day and through my remaining years, he will always be my “Mr. Ray” and Nancy will be my “Miss Nancy.”

Mr. Ray was a unique individual…he LOVED working with us women at the Finder/Pioneer.  Or at least, he made us FEEL like he did!  Even before I started working there, Mr. Ray had worked with many many women over the years…and somehow he managed to have a unique relationship with each and every one of us.  No one was more important than the other…we were a group…soon to become known as “Ray’s Harem”, a term which he loved dearly and so did the rest of us.  Mr. Ray and Miss Nancy loved getting together with all of us even after some of us had gone on to different jobs and Mr. Ray had retired.  We got together often to meet for supper at the Sharivar, playing Bingo at Windy’s or HasBeens, tried to get together for birthdays and even managed to get together for an occasional ice cream at Eat’s N Treats.  {He also managed to get ME to dance at the Crystal one night on one of our get-togethers…and trust me, that was a HUGE feat in and of it’s own…I hate to dance, but Mr. Ray loved it and of course I could NOT say no to Mr. Ray.} He and Miss Nancy even came to my 40^th Birthday Party last year and that is where this photo was taken.  What precious memories! 

Mr. Ray was one of those rare individuals who literally took the time to visit with you and who honestly cared what your responses were when he asked you how you were, how your family was, etc.  There was never a time that I met him on the street or in the store that he didn’t ask how I was, how my job was going, how my husband was, how my daughter was and how school was going for her and if she was still dating “that Rafferty boy.”  He truly, honestly cared about people.  At his funeral I heard over and over how important his family was and how he took the time to be with them and to listen to them and how he cared about them.  Trust me, if you knew Mr. Ray at all, he made you feel like family.

Of course, Mr. Ray wasn’t perfect…nor would we want him to be.  You definitely knew where you stood with Mr. Ray and he wasn’t scared to tell you what he thought either.  If he liked you, he liked you.  If he didn’t, he didn’t.  And you knew which one it was for sure.  LOL!  He was quite the smart a** and always had a smart-alec comment or joke for you and no matter how hard you tried to be ready for it….he usually had one up on you. 

Over the years Mr. Ray’s health declined and he just wasn’t able to do the normal ROUTINE things that he loved to do, playing cards, going for coffee, visiting with people….enjoying life, but he gave it a great fight with dignity, and for that we loved him even more.  Our hearts broke for him and Miss Nancy as we saw the changes in Mr. Ray, but it was still always a pleasure to see him on the street and to be able to give him that little squeeze and have a quick little chat with him…and yes still usually with a smart a** comment from him. 

This last week the world lost an amazing man, mentor, friend, husband, dad, grandpa, etc…..I know I speak on behalf of all of the members of “Ray’s Harem” when I say:  Mr. Ray….It was a pleasure to serve you, our dear master of Ray’s Harem.  We are blessed to have shared your life and we will miss you dear friend.  May you rest in peace….your work here is done.

Sometimes our hearts get tangled

 And our souls a little off-kilter

 Friends and family can set us right

 And help guide us back to the light.

 ~Sera Christann~

We have had the privilege of having my hubby’s sister, her hubby and their adorable three girls here visiting from Washington the last few weeks.  Of course they didn’t come to see just us {lol}, as Kort’s dad lives here and that is the main reason we get to see them quite often….but The Tivey’s have thoroughly enjoyed every minute we have had with them.  They will be heading back to Washington soon and it will be hard to see them go. 

We SO enjoy every visit we have with them and are so blessed to be able to see them often enough to watch the girls grow and to learn their personalities.  Tia and Alli {the 2 oldest} have been old enough for a while now to remember us….and for all of you aunties, uncles and cousins out there, you know how much that  means to us.  My heart swells with pride and love each time I see them and I am continually amazed at how much they grow physically and emotionally between visits. 

We got to meet little Miss Kennedy Ann {the baby} for the first time a few weeks ago and she has captured our hearts just as fast as her sisters did.  Unfortunately she won’t remember us like her sisters do, but it is enough for my heart knowing all the cuddling and loving, smiles and giggles I got to get in on….. and yes a few cries of “Aunt Jodi…please let me go!! I want my Daddy!”  {Okay, so of course she really couldn’t say those words yet, but believe me, I know that is what she was thinking! LOL}

The picture above cannot possibly capture how much I love these nieces…and ALL of my other nieces and nieces-by-heart…I just hope that they know in their hearts too how very much they are loved.

Thanks to my amazing sister {in law}-Kortney and her hubby, Shane, for sharing their children with us….and thank you Kort, from the bottom of my heart, for always reminding me in the way you live your life and by being the wonderful person you are just how important family is and how important it is to slow down and take in all of these precious moments of life.  I love you!

A song I sang with my grandma as we walked on the farm, as we climbed the manure pile, as I said goodbye at her funeral.  One of the most important messages I will ever receive is from one of our favorite songs.

Along with knowing that God is going to help me through anything life hands me, knowing to take each day as it comes has helped me grow into the person I am today.

What other life lessons did I learn from Grandma Mushka?

-How to make homemade bread (although I can’t find my recipe card covered in lard).
-How to clean/butcher a chicken (something I would love Trevor to experience if anyone out there knows of someone who does chicken picking… please let me know).
-To yodel (or at least try).
-To swing your hips when you are really dancing or excited.
-How to cuss.
-To play rummy.
-To write on the back of things (more on this below).
-To love with every bit of your heart.
-How to really be alive.

The picture from above is one that I gave Grandma Mushka in 1995.  It was from Trevor, Dave and I and she loved it.  How do I know all these facts?  They were all written right on the back of the picture (with a permanent marker).  Very often, when she received a gift from us, she would write on the bottom or back of it along with the year so she knew who gave things to her.  When we received gifts from her, the same was true.  In fact, often the item had a story or sentiment written on it.  I have a framed picture of the poem “Footprints” that talks about the ‘faux dust’ on the frame so I wouldn’t have to worry about people thinking I was a messy house keeper.  Housekeeping is a skill I WISH I had picked up from her.  Now that I think about it, she did teach me a thing or two about making a bed ‘the right way’.

Photographs were another item that needed writing.  When I would hand Grandma a picture for her to keep, it was vital that all the important information had been chronicled on the back.  Child’s name, age, parent’s names, grandparent’s names (not kidding) and anything else she felt would help keep the story and information from that image safe… on the back of the image.  Having lost all four (and an extra adopted) grandparents, and going through pictures each time, I know why it is important and need to be better about doing it myself.

You can see in her video (uploaded to youtube because I can’t figure out a better way) some of the fantastic memories that were created with our family over the years.  There are some notes from the ‘backs of pictures’ that we loved as we were sorting through.  She was one of the most amazing people anyone could meet.  As Rick Krebsbach said at her family service, “She is someone who will be missed.”

A Life to Celebrate

Video was created by Jacki (Osendorf) Fischer, Amanda Tivey, and me.

 Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.  ~Author Unknown

I think most often we think of our spouses and our kids, but our Valentine(s) can be anyone we want it/them to be.  As the quote says, “It takes someone special to catch your heart”….and that’s exactly who I think of when I think of my Valentines…those who have captured my heart!  Of course my hubby and daughter are at the top of that list, but I also like to include my little nieces and nephews and my nieces and nephews by heart as my Valentine’s!  They have captured my  heart more than I would ever have imagined and I have so many precious memories of all of them.  I may not always be on top of it and get them a Valentine gift in the mail or to their houses each year, but I sure hope they know how much their Auntie Jodi/Jo-Jo loves them through the year and that I am thinking of them on this Valentine’s Day!  Thank you for capturing my heart! I love you all! 

Happy Valentine’s Day to my hubby and daughter…and all of my dear nieces and nephews and nieces and nephews by heart… and all of my friends and family.  Wishing you all a day filled with knowing how much you are loved by those who have captured your heart.   But keep in mind….it’s not about how spoiled you get on Valentine’s Day…it’s how you are treated throughout the entire year by those you love. 

~just me and that’s enough~jodi~

Do you say, “Nine and five is thirteen,” or “Nine and five are thirteen”?

Happy Friday everyone!!!  Please submit your teaser answers simply by posting a comment here on the blog (answers will not be displayed until answer is revealed), on our TouchingYourHeart.net Facebook page, or email to mjativey@ndsupernet.com by Tuesday, Feb 15 at 5pm MST. 

~Update 2/21/2011~

Answer:  Nine and five is FOURTEEN, not thirteen.

We had correct answers from Kortney, Lori, Dad, Diane A, Mitt, Steph and Brenda P and our winner is Steph!!!  I need to check with our “Teaser Fairy” to find out what the prize is so will let you know!! Thanks for playing and stay tuned for next time!! 

Hey everyone…Happy Monday!!  Let’s have a little fun today and do something a little different. 

We all know the Super Bowl was yesterday and some of the talk today will be about what your favorite commercial was.  I’ m not much into football, but I do enjoy checking out the commercials.  I have to admit I didn’t plan on watching this year.  I was just going to kick back and work on some paperwork that needs to get done that I have been procrastinating on and just let hubby go over to Pa’s by himself.  However, at the last minute I decided to go with and I am so glad that I did.  I had a great time hanging with hubby and Pa, eating vegies/ranch and junk food and watching the commercials…though I have to say I just didn’t think they were as good this year.  (but hey-that’s just me!!..but I did have a favorite!) 

One thing I have noticed over the years about the Super Bowl is that it is definitely a FAMILY and FRIENDS event and a great time for families and friends to come together, let our own inner child out and just kick back and have some fun!!

So, on that note, in addition to wanting to hear what your favorite Super Bowl commercial was, I want to know what your favorite family/friend MOMENT was of the afternoon/night.  Even if it was someone’s amazing chip dip…I want to know!!! 

Let’s have some fun and share some of the fun we had yesterday!!

I’ll start it off…my favorite commercial was the Bridgestone Beaver commercial where the man did not hit the Beaver on the road and later in turn, the beaver gnawed down a tree to save the man.  LOVED IT!  And…my favorite family/friend moment was just hanging with Pa and hubby!

Have a great Monday everyone…make it a fun day!! ~Jodi