Mackinaw Island

Wednesday, Missy and headed to Mackinaw Island. Every year we attend a women's conference on the island at the Grand Hotel and it's a time for us to catch up on our busy lives. It's a wonderful weekend for us to 'get away', pamper ourselves, and eat fudge! We took long walks, rode bikes around the island (8.5 miles) and ate awesome meals!

I'm grateful for Missy's friendship! She motivates me, encourages me, and she rekindles my inner spirit. In the sweetness of our friendship, there is always a lot of laughter and joy!

In honor of . . . my mother

MOM - Ilene Marie Daly

Today is Mother's Day - - a wonderful day to celebrate having a mom and being a mom - - however a part of me is sad and lonely. After losing my mom to a horrible, ugly, and debilitating lung disease almost four years ago, Mother's Day has brought a whole new meaning to my life. I'm very blessed to have had my mom as an example of motherhood. Because of her, I am who I am today. My mom was the purest definition of unconditional love. Mom was a pillar of strength and hope. Because of Mom, our home always filled with dreams and determination. On her knees, we were daily bathed in prayers.

As I reflect back across the years, I see myself on my mother's knee and I feel her gentle hand guiding me ~ restraining my selfish moods, my blind sense of wrong and pain. I hear her uplifting and encouraging words. I see the smile on her face. I feel the love from her heart. Truly, Mom is the wind beneath my wings. Isn't it true that a mother holds their children's hands for awhile, but their hearts for a lifetime. My only hope is that Jonathan and Julia will one day look back and remember a mother who prayed for them, a mother with time to listen and share with them, and a mom with loving arms to show how much I cared! I hope they will remember me as a "joy bringer", a "memory maker", and a "heart warmer", like I remember my mom! I love you, Mom, and I miss you more than ever!! MOTHER is a special word for LOVE!