A NEW SUNDAY

HELLO, IT IS SUNDAY, AND BOY HAS IT BEEN A FULL ONE. FIRST OF ALL, WE GOT UP AT 3:30 AM TO GET OUR NEPHEW DAVID TO THE AIRPORT- HE CAME TO HELP MARTIN WITH THE HOUSE, AND WHILE HE WAS HERE, WE LOST BOBBIE JO. HE HAS BEEN SUCH A HELP, WORKING HARD TO MAKE UP FOR THE TIME WE COULD NOT WORK. HE IS SO SWEET, AND WE ARE SO VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HIM. HE ALSO PAID FOR MARTIN, RUSTY AND HIMSELF TO GO ON A GUIDED FISHING TRIP FOR MARTIN'S BIRTHDAY. ANYWAY, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HIS VISIT NEXT TIME. THEN, DAD MARTIN AND I CAME HOME, FLOPPED INTO BED AND SNORED UNTIL 9:00 AM WHEN WE RUSHED OUT OF THE HOUSE TO DRIVE 28 MILES TO WATCH JAYBIRDS BASEBALL TOURNAMENT. WHAT A GREAT GAME! ONCE AGAIN, JAYBIRD HIT THE SWEET SPOT AND MADE A TRIPLE. DURING THE GAME, I NOTICED THAT DAD MARTIN'S LIPS WERE SWELLING AND GETTING REALLY BIG. HE WAS FEELING PRETTY BAD, AND I REALIZED THAT HE MUST HAVE GOTTEN TOO MUCH SUN WHILE FISHING. SO, WE CAME HOME AND I PUT HIM TO BED. THEN WE REALIZED THAT WE STILL HAD TO GO AND HAVE BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH ROBBY. SO, WE WENT OVER AND HAD CAKE AND ICE CREAM ONCE AGAIN THIS WEEK WITH OUR LOVING FAMILY. TOMORROW, WE GET TO DO IT AGAIN WITH BECKY! I LOVE MARCH. NOW, THIS IS THE LAST SUNDAY THAT I WILL MISS CHURCH. I HAVE REALLY MISSED MY CHURCH FAMILY, AND FROM NOW ON, I WILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING GETS DONE DURING THE WEEK. OR AFTER CHURCH. IT IS MUCH TOO HARD ON ME TO BE AWAY FROM THE BLESSINGS THAT I GET FROM CHURCH ATTENDANCE. THE ONLY THING, TODAY, DURING THE GAME, WATCHING JAYBIRD, I REALIZED I WAS NOT HAPPY LADY, NOR GRIEVING LADY, BUT GRAY LADY. SHE IS THE ONE WHO IS JUST LIVING, NOT HAPPY, NOR CRYING, JUST LIVING. I CALL HER GRAY LADY, BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT EVERYTHING IS SO GRAY, NOT MUCH COLOR. I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHY GRAY LADY WOULD APPEAR. AFTER ALL, I HAVE SO MUCH TO BE CHEERFUL ABOUT. SO VERY MUCH. I THINK GRAY LADY EXISTS BECAUSE WE GET IN THE HABIT OF FEELING DEPRESSED JUST BECAUSE. YES, I HAVE LOST MY GIRL- YES I MISS HER, BUT WHY IS IT SO EASY TO CONTINUE TO NURSE THE FEELINGS OF "POOR ME"? I HAVE DECIDED TO LIST ALL MY BLESSINGS TO ASSIST MY MOOD IN BECOMING MORE ELEVATED. I DON'T WANT TO WASTE MY LIFE ALLOWING GRAY LADY TO HOVER. LISTING MY BLESSINGS HAS REALLY HELPED, I ACTUALLY WAS ABLE TO TURN OFF THE TEARS TODAY WHEN I ALLOWED MYSELF TO DWELL TOO MUCH ON THE SADNESS. ANOTHER THING THAT MADE ME FEEL MORE CHEERFUL WAS THINKING ABOUT CONTINUING THE LOVE STORY!
AS I LEFT OFF, WE HAD FINALLY AGREED THAT MARTIN WAS A JACKASS, AND I WAS SASSY! I ASKED HIM TONIGHT IF HE COULD REMEMBER OUR SECOND DATE, AND HE SHEEPISHLY ADMITTED THAT HE COULD NOT. (LETS DON'T TELL HIM I HAD TO ASK BECAUSE I COULD NOT REMEMBER EITHER!) SO, SUFFICE IT TO SAY, WE DID GO OUT, AND AFTER THAT SAW EACH OTHER ALMOST EVERYDAY. ONE DEFINING MOMENT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP CAME AS FOLLOWS. BEFORE I TELL YOU THOUGH, LET ME TELL YOU THAT I WAS WORKING MY WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND NOT MAKING MUCH MONEY. SO, I REALLY LOOKED FORWARD TO DATES THAT INVOLVED DINNER. NOW, ON THIS PARTICULAR DATE, MARTIN TOOK ME TO DENNYS. I HAD NOT EATEN ALL DAY, BECAUSE IT WAS SATURDAY AND I HAD TO WORK. I WAS STARVING! ANYWAY, HE HAD GOTTEN PAID, AND MAGNANIMOUSLY TOLD ME "GET ANYTHING YOU WANT!" NOW, I DID NOT WANT HIM TO THINK I WAS A PIG, SO I SAID, "I'LL JUST HAVE A SALAD". "OH NO" SAYS HE, "YOU ARE GOING TO GET A REAL DINNER!" WELL, MY BACK WENT UP, I BECAME KIND OF TICKED BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT HIM TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME AND DID NOT WANT HIM TO ORDER ME AROUND. SO I STRONGLY INSISTED TO THE WAITER, THAT I WOULD HAVE A SALAD THANK YOU! "OKAY"HE SAID, " BUT I'LL HAVE A STEAK AND FRIES WITH TEXAS TOAST". (OH, HECK, A STEAK! FRIES!, TEXAS TOAST!) WHY DID I HAVE TO BE SO STUBBORN?!!! WELL, HERE CAME MY PALTRY SALAD, AND MARTIN SAID HE NEEDED TO BE EXCUSED. GOOD, 'CAUSE WHEN HE LEFT, I ATTACKED THAT SALAD AND THE SPARKS WERE FLYING OFF THE SILVERWARE! THE LETTUCE WAS FLYING OUT OF THE BOWL AND I HAD TO CHASE A CUCUMBER SLICE THAT ESCAPED. I WAS A GOBBLIN' GOOSEY, BELIEVE ME, THAT SALAD WAS WAY TOO SMALL FOR MY APPETITE! SUDDENLY, I FELT A CHILL GOING DOWN MY SPINE. I LOOKED BEHIND ME, AND GOOD HEAVENS, THERE STOOD MARTIN, HIS ARMS CROSSED AND A SCOWL ON HIS FACE. HE WALKED TO STAND IN FRONT OF ME, SAT DOWN, TOOK MY CHIN IN HIS HAND, AND SAID, "YOUR'E HUNGRY! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO? YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIDE ANYTHING FROM ME!" I GOT SO ANGRY, I SAID, WITH STEEL IN MY VOICE, "I AM NOT HUNGRY! ANYWAY, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" HE SAID VERY QUIETLY, BUT WITH ALL THE STRENGTH IN THE WORLD, "YOUR'E HUNGRY. I KNOW IT, AND NOT JUST TONIGHT. ALL THE TIME.AND I AM GOING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING LITTLE GIRL, YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BE HUNGRY AGAIN. NEVER." BY NOW THE TEARS ARE STREAMING DOWN MY FACE, OUT OF MORTIFICATION AND APPRECIATION, BUT MOSTLY WONDER THAT HE COULD BE SO SWEET. THE NEXT THING I KNOW, A HUGE STEAK, FRIES AND TEXAS TOAST ARE PLACED IN FRONT OF ME. "EAT! AND NONE OF YOUR CRAP!" AND SO I ATE. AND ATE. AND WHEN I WAS DONE, I SNITCHED A FRENCH FRY OFF OF HIS PLATE. AND THE NEXT DAY, WHEN I GOT HOME FROM MY JOB, I GOT THE SURPRISE OF MY LIFE! IN MY KITCHEN, THERE WERE SOME NOTES FROM MARTIN. (I DON'T KNOW HOW HE GOT IN). ON THE FRIDGE, THE NOTE SAID, "YOU WILL NOT GO HUNGRY AGAIN!" WHEN I OPENED THE FRIDGE, IT WAS STUFFED WITH FOOD OF ALL SORTS! THE NOTE ON THE CABINETS SAID, "YOU WILL NOT GO HUNGRY AGAIN!" AGAIN,THEY WERE STUFFED. ALL I COULD DO WAS CRY. I WAS NOT WORTHY OF HIM. WHERE DID HE COME FROM ANYWAY? MORE ABOUT THAT LATER, LOVE, NANA