Let Me Hear You – Day 88

I decided to surprise my adopted grandchildren by visiting their church for Palm Sunday. The service at a Savannah Christian Church was so moving. I have heard the Crucifixion story hundreds of times before. But today, it was different. The minister expounded on so many details that I felt that I was at the scene that day. It was a powerful message. I left he church literally leaving things at the altar that Jesus has already paid the price for.

After service, my grandchildren, their parents and I decided to go to dinner. After pondering over the restaurant selection, my grandchildren’s mother suggested 1790s. There I was thinking Cracker Barrell, Chili’s, Mellow Mushroom or some place that’s kid friendly. But she said 1790s. Wow, I thought.

Well that’s where we went. The atmosphere was great, the food was above average, but the company was extraordinary. We had the best time just enjoying the fellowship. I can’t begin to tell you what a joy it was. My grandchildren are absolutely amazing girls.

While eating dinner, their mother informed me that the youngest, April, had recently won a 4H speaking contest. I asked April to let me hear the speech. “I don’t have it with me”, she said. April seemed a bit relived. I couldn’t believe that memorizing the speech was not a requirement for the contest.

Immediately, her mother turned and exclaimed, “I have a copy in my purse!” No one could believe it. But, we all wanted to hear her say that speech. ” Let me hear you!”, I said. “Please not inside this restaurant!”, April replied.

We comprised and she eloquently delivered the speech outside the restaurant. I gave her a twenty dollar bill for doing such a good job winning the contest. Public speaking is such a great skill to possess.

May Good bless those who enjoy public speaking and those who don’t.

Sonya Larose

Have Courage and Be Kind – Day 74

Today was not my typical third Sunday. However from now on, I want every third Sunday to be the same.

I decided to spend the day with my “adopted” grandchildren, Rose and April. They are such amazing, brilliant, well-disciplined, an attractive girls.

First, we attended the 11:45 church service at Savannah Christian Church. I wanted to worship with the girl’s at their church. It was one of the church’s 8 weekly services. The church is a testimony of how awesome God really is. Although the pastor was sick, a broadcast was played on several gigantic screens of a pre-recorded sermon. It was awesome. He might as well had been there. There was so much energy in the atmosphere that is was contagious.

From the moment I stepped on the grounds of the church until I drove out of the parking lot, the people really made you feel at home. It is easy to see why so many people are drawn to that church.

Then, the girls and I went to dinner at Longhorn’s. It was their pick. It was not the recommendation I thought they would make. It was a good choice. The selection of food was good and the service was great.

After dinner, we decided to go to the movies. The girl’s decided on Cinderella. I know the story well but have never seen one of the movies. Can you believe that!
It was phenomenal. The girl’s were sitting at the edge of their seats.

You know the Cinderella story. It is a story of courage and kindness. Our attitude and the way we treat others determines our outcome. Let’s demonstrate through our actions that we have courage and let’s be kind to others regardless of how they treat us.

May God bless everyone who displays courage and kindness and those that do not.

Sonya Jackson

A Heart That Hurts – Day 60

I was visiting a friend when suddenly, he looked directly into my eyes and said his heart was hurting. As his hands clenched his chest, I realized that it wasn’t me causing his heart to ache. He was actually experiencing chest pains right there in front of me.

Should I call 911? “No, it’s probably ingestion”, he said. “Do you have any aspirin?”, I asked. “No”, he replied struggling. I always keep a bottle in my purse, but I ran out over a month ago. I typically take an aspirin daily. I forgot to replace the bottle of aspirin when I ran out.

I always heard that if you ever think you are experiencing a heart attack, immediately take a low dose aspirin and then proceed to the hospital.

My friend refused to go to the hospital. He said he had too much to do to go there. So I left and went to the closest convenience store. I bought two boxes of Bayer chewable low dose aspirin (81mg); one box for him, the other one for me.

He immediately chewed 2 aspirin and his chest pain began to subside. He again said that it was most likely ingestion. I could tell that this was not the first time that he felt this pain. Heart attacks usually come with a warning. “You should go to the doctor  and let them to run some tests”, I suggested. He said he would but now was not a good time.

Is there ever a good time to have a heart attack? Because a heart attack is the number one cause of deaths in the US, everyone should know what to do if one occurs in your presence. Chances are very high that either you or someone you love will suffer from a heart attack in your lifetime.

The current recommendation for people who may be experiencing a heart attack is to chew and swallow one non-coated adult aspirin (325 mg) as soon as possible. Chewing or crushing the aspirin gets it into your bloodstream more quickly. Swallowing a whole aspirin with water, as you normally would, takes longer to achieve the same effect. Minutes matter when your heart is at risk.

Today, I gave my friend a box of Bayer chewable aspirin. I am not 100% certain whether he was experiencing a heart attack. But the aspirin appeared to have stopped the symptoms. Hopefully, he will follow-up with his doctor.

May God bless those whose hearts are hurting and those that aren’t

Sonya Larose

What’s Your Emergency? – Day 53

Have you ever dialed 911? What was your emergency?

Plenty of calls are made daily to 911. Regardless of the emergency, usually the police are dispatched to the scene.

A police officers job requires courage. They work in unpredictable and sometimes dangerous situations. Their job entails a certain amount of stress. Often they deal with life or death situations.

I am so glad that they are there to protect us daily. I don’t take it for granted. I appreciate the services they provide.

Today, while I was walking downtown in this beautiful city of Savannah, a police officer was cruising by. I stopped him and thanked him for his service. Then, I gave the officer a box of Girl Scout cookies. ( I had just bought a few boxes from some Girl Scouts who had a booth setup in Ellis Square.)

He looked at the box of cookies rather suspiciously at first. Then said, “Are you sure this is for me?” “Yes, I replied. This box is especially for you. I want to give something to you as part of my daily giving.” As his smile widen, he said thanks.

We should all be drenched with compassion for all the police officers who work tirelessly to protect our community.

May God Bless those who protect us as police officers and those who don’t.

Sonya Larose

PS. I gave another box of cookies to a homeless woman, Joyce. She wanted some money to buy something to eat. I asked her if she would like some cookies. Her eyes lit up as if to say, “Just how did you know that I love Girl Scout cookies?”

Always Mom – Day 50

No matter how old they get, your children are always your children. Even when they are grown, you still have to encourage them and give them advice if they solicit it.

Some children have to learn life lessons from their own experiences. Other children seek to learn from the experiences of others. The end result is the same; a lesson is learned.

I remember once when my youngest brother was about four years old, he asked my father was fire “hot”. We were all gathered in our family room watching the only television in the house. It was a winter night and the flames were bright in the fireplace. It was back when the fire was real; no gas fireplaces then.

My father looked over the newspaper he was reading and replied, “Yes son, fire is really hot.” “Are you sure? “, my youngest brother responded. I am certain my father didn’t really intend to say the words he uttered next. “If you don’t believe me, stick your hand in there and see.”, dad replied.

My little brother just couldn’t take dad’s word for it. He had to experience if for himself. Sometimes you have to experience things yourself to truly believe. Experience often is the best teacher. He put his left hand in the fireplace, and immediately pulled it out. “It’s hot!, It’s hot!”, he exclaimed. Off to the emergency room we went. He ended up with 3rd degree burns. The evidence from that day is still visible on his hand today.

I’ve been blessed with my children. They often seek my advice and opinion before making their own choice. They try to learn from the wisdom of their parents first. I have tried to teach them to not repeat the mistakes I have made, but to learn from my experiences.

My daughter called today to seek some advice. She is now a wife and mother herself. She is on her own journey. Today, I gave her some guidance through some obstacles she has encountered. Hopefully, it will make her own journey easier than mine.

I don’t know it all but what I do know, I am certainly willing to share. I will always and forever be Mom.

May God bless all who are parents and those that are not.

Sonya Larose

Starbucks Is Not For Me – Day 26

I have never been a coffee drinker. However, I do have a coffee pot. It is the old fashioned one; the one everyone had before the Keurig came out. It holds enough coffee for about 8 cups; unlike the new one that serves only one. It’s in my home for my guests. Recently, I had a guest (my brother from Memphis) that wanted some coffee. That’s when I realized that I had none. All I had was a coffee pot. I think I thought it came with samples.

To please my brother who was having a fit for coffee, I drove to the nearest Starbucks to get him some. I’ve always been amazed at the craze for coffee. The line in the drive-thru was too long to wait; but to get my brother what he wanted, it was certainly worth the wait. I ordered a grande coffee with sugar no creme and a classic coffee cake. The line moved swiftly and the service was great. Nothing against Starbucks; coffee is just not for me. But for my brother, it was just what he wanted.

While I was out running a few errands on this cold, windy night; I stopped by to see a tenant that had just moved in. The tenant was busy doing some chores. It was obvious that he had been working for awhile. He said he was not going to stop until everything was done. I told him to take a break, he could always finish tomorrow.

After we finished talking, I was headed out the door and noticed in his kitchen a coffee pot. There was no coffee brewing, so I wondered if he was out. I said not a word but continued through the door. I thought to myself, “Tonight seems like a perfect night for coffee.” So on my way home, I stopped by Starbucks. Not for me, but for him.

The line was long but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t in a hurry and had plenty of time. I didn’t know what to order so I ordered a grande coffee with cream and some sugar. When I drove around to the window, the service was great. Nothing at all against Starbucks; coffee just isn’t for me.

I returned to see Eric and he was quite surprised. He thought I had left something behind. I told him I knew he would be up late and wanted to give him some coffee. He smiled brightly, took a sip and said “This is delicious!” I didn’t realize that it was his first cup of Starbucks coffee. He repeated it again, “This is delicious!” There is definitely a reason why so many enjoy this brand. It is “star” coffee that is certainly worth the bucks.

Today, I gave a cup of Starbucks coffee. Although coffee is not for me, I am so glad that others enjoy it!!!

May God bless those who drink coffee and those who don’t.

Sonya Larose

Update: A Tip – Day 3

Renee, my hairstylist at M'Ladys Beauty Salon

Today I returned to M’Ladys Beauty Salon. It was more of the same.  On the  television, “Orange is the New Black” was still playing. I think I have now watched every episode.  It seems that they replay the series over and over.  Everyone in here seems to really enjoy the show. But let me be the first to tell you, in case you don’t already know; Orange is NOT the new Black. Don’t get it twisted; “Black is still Black”.

The WiFi is working today. They graciously gave me the password.  It was nice to be able to write my post while sitting under the dryer. They told me the credit/debit card is working, but I brought some cash just in case.

It’s my second time here in seven days. The last hairstyle didn’t work; I was trying out something new. I would tell you what happened, but it would take a day or two.  Today, I am going back to my old familiar, simple hair style.

Yes, I will tip my hairstylist today. This time she will no longer be surprised.

May God bless those who tip and those who do not.

Sonya Larose

Give Something to Me! – Day 24

This blog is intended to be about me giving to others. But I need someone to give something to me; so please forgive me. I need something. Can you please help me? I need you to give me forgiveness. Forgive me if my words have offended you; forgive me if my actions have bothered you; forgive me if my deeds seem inappropriate to you. Can you please forgive me? If ever my giving appears to be from a place other than my heart, please forgive me. Lord, please forgive me. I ask for your forgiveness; but I also want to forgive. Today I give forgiveness. I forgive all who are unable to forgive me. May God bless those who forgive as well as those who do not. Sonya Larose