HAPPY NANA

TODAY IS JACOB'S 5TH BIRTHDAY. WE WENT TO HIS HOUSE AND HAD CAKE AND ICE CREAM. AUNT PEANUT PUT "MAGIC CANDLES" ON THE CAKE AND THEY WOULDN'T BLOW OUT! JACOB GOT THE IDEA TO SPIT ON THEM- TO EVERYONES HORROR! SISSY, JACOB'S MAMA, WAS ANTICIPATING THIS AND HAD TWO CAKES. WE ATE THE OTHER ONE! YOU KNOW, JUST WHEN YOU THINK THAT MAYBE YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER IN LIFE, ONE OF YOUR GROWN CHILDREN DOES SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU REALIZE THAT YOU DIDN'T DO TOO BAD! TONIGHT, I FEEL THAT I DIDN'T DO TOO BAD AT ALL. AFTER ALL, I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT TO MAKE TWO CAKES, I WOULD HAVE SAID, "JUST EAT THE CAKE! YOU WON'T DIE!" I KNOW THAT I WROTE OF MY "HOLE" YESTERDAY, AND I AM GLAD THAT I DID. IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT I NEED TO GET OUT OF IT. TODAY, I MADE A SPECIAL ATTEMPT TO FIND EVERYTHING I COULD TO HELP ME OUT OF MY HOLE. I WAS EXTRA KIND TO MARTIN, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS REALLY LATE GETTING BACK FROM FISHING, (HE HAD TAKEN JAYBIRD AND THEY JUST GOT CARRIED AWAY). WE HAD TO TAKE ROCKY TO THE PUPPY FARM, AS HE HAS BEEN HAVING PAIN IN HIS LEG, AND OF COURSE, AS PESSIMISTIC AS I WAS YESTERDAY, I THOUGHT THE WORST. IT IS AN HOUR AND A HALF FROM HERE TO THE PUPPY FARM, AND MARTIN WAS SUPPOSED TO COME HOME EARLY AND GO. I WAITED ALL MORNING, DID MY CHORES, READ A BOOK, WORRIED INCESSANTLY ABOUT ROCKY, AND THEN AROUND NOON, MADE LUNCH. I WAS GETTING MORE AND MORE ANGRY AS I PUTTERERD AROUND, AND JUST AS I FINISHED COOKING, THE TWO OF THEM CAME IN, FIRST PEEKING IN THE DOOR TO SEE IF I WAS ANGRY. THEN, AS I SERVED MARTIN, HE TOLD ME HE WASN'T HUNGRY AND WANTED TO HURRY AND GO. FOR A SECOND, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BURST A BLOOD VESSEL, BUT THEN THE THOUGHT CAME TO ME, "GET OUT OF THE HOLE, GET OUT OF THE HOLE" AND I ASKED HIM, "DID YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME?" BOTH HE AND JAYBIRD EXPLODED WITH JOY TELLING ME ABOUT THE 42 INCH FISH THEY HAD LANDED- AND I PUT ONE FOOT ON THE PATH TO FREEDOM FROM THE HOLE. I CONCENTRATED ON THOSE TWO, TRYING TO OUTDO EACH OTHER IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGHT FOR THE FISH, AND MY HEART WAS PIERCED A TINY BIT WITH THE JOY THAT I AM FAMILIAR WITH. AFTER ALL, HAPPY NANA WOULD NOT HAVE CARED IF IT TOOK ALL DAY TO GO TO THE PUPPY FARM! I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT HAPPY NANA IS IN HERE, AND TRYING TO GET OUT! SO, INSTEAD OF EATING THE LUNCH I HAD PREPARED FOR THEM, WE LOADED UP ROCKY AND TOOK HIM TO THE PUPPY FARM, AND RECEIVED THE GOOD NEWS THAT HE IS JUST HAVING GROWING PAINS. THAT'S ALL. JUST GROWING PAINS. WHEW, YOU KNOW, I DON'T REALLY LIKE CRABBY NANA AT ALL. SHE JUST CAUSES SO MUCH UNNECESSARY GRIEF! LATER, AFTER JAYBIRD HAD GONE HOME, MARTIN TOLD ME THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT HIS MAMA. HE TOLD PAPA THAT HE CRIES INSIDE SOMETIMES, AND PAPA TOLD HIM THAT HE DOES TOO. THEY TALKED ABOUT THE TIMES THAT BOBBIE JO BEGGED PAPA TO BAR-B-QUE BRISKET FOR HER, AND HOW SHE ALWAYS SNEAKED A BITE OR TWO, (OR MANY) WHEN PAPA SLICED THE BRISKET. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DIDN'T BLOW UP OVER A FEW LATE MOMENTS, THE TIME THEY SPENT TOGETHER WAS VERY PRECIOUS, AND I CAN SEE THAT JAYBIRD IS BEGINNING TO FACE THE LOSS OF HIS MAMA. OH, THERE IS SO MUCH FOR HAPPY NANA TO DO, AND SO MANY LITTLE HEARTS THAT NEED HAPPY NANA.
HAPPY NANA IS THE PERSON WHO SMILES WHEN SOMEONE BREAKS A LAMP. I REMEMBER MY LITTLE NEPHEW VISITING ONE DAY, HE WAS ABOUT 6, AND WAS ROUGH-HOUSING IN THE LIVING ROOM. HE KNOCKED OVER MY LAMP AND IT SHATTERED ON THE FLOOR. HE WAS SO UPSET, AND AFRAID OF WHAT I WOULD DO. SEEING HIS DISTRESS, I SAID A QUICK PRAYER. THEN, I LAUGHED! HE LOOKED SO CONFUSED AND SAID, "AUNT JODIE, I BROKE YOUR LAMP. I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I WAS AN ACCIDENT!" THE TEARS WERE STREAMING DOWN HIS LITTLE FACE. I TOOK HIM TO THE SOFA AND HUGGED HIM, TELLING HIM IN A QUIET AND HUMOROUS VOICE, "YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE DONE ME A BIG FAVOR! I HAVE BEEN WANTING NEW LAMPS IN HERE, NOW I HAVE AN EXCUSE TO GET SOME. THANKS SWEETIE!" HE WAS SO RELIEVED, AND I FELT HIS INNOCENT JOY. I KNOW THE SPIRIT INFLUENCED MY WORDS. HAPPY NANA'S ARE PREVILEGED TO FEEL THE SPIRIT! ANOTHER TIME, WE HAD NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN OVER TO SWIM. I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THEM JUMPING IN THE POOL, AND AS IT WAS ONLY FOUR FEET DEEP, I WAS AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WOULD GET HURT. I REMINDED THEM SEVERAL TIMES NOT TO JUMP IN, AND FINALLY IT TOLD THEM, AND MY OWN CHILDREN, THAT THE NEXT ONE TO JUMP IN WAS OUT OF THE POOL FOR THE DAY. I TURNED MY BACK AND WITHING SECONDS, SOMEONE WAS YELLING, "ANTHONY JUMPED IN THE POOL!" WELL SHOOT! I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO OUST ANTHONY, AND I SAID A SIMPLE PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE. SUDDENLY THE THOUGHT OCCURRED TO ME TO ASK HIM WHY HE HAD JUMPED INTO THE POOL. WITH SERIOUS EYES HE SAID, " SISTER SEE, I DIDN'T JUMP IN, I WAS TRYING TO GET ON THE FLOAT AND IT MOVED!" SEEING THE SITUATION THROUGH THE EYES OF THE LITTLE BOY IN FRONT OF ME WAS A GIFT, AND I REALIZED THAT HE DID NOT MEAN TO DISOBEY, HE WAS JUST JUMPING ON THE FLOAT. AGAIN, A GIFT THAT HAPPY NANA'S HAVE, SEEING THROUGH THE EYES OF LITTLE ONES. THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE IN ME, HAPPY NANA, HAPPY MAMA, HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY FRIEND. UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE LET CRABBY NANA, MAMA, WIFE AND FRIEND HAVE THEIR WAY. WELL, THEY NEED TO PACK THEIR THINGS AND LEAVE. I PREFER THE OTHER WONDERFUL LADIES! I PROMISE, TOMORROW I WILL TELL YOU OF THE COOKIE JARS. THEY ARE A STORY IN THEMSELVES AND HAVE BROUGHT ME A LOT OF JOY. TILL THEN, LOVE, NANASEE