When Mom passed away, someone gave me some really good advice. He told me "Forget the regrets; Remember the good times." I want to share a few of the good times Mom and I had together.
Mom and I took several road trips together. Dad didn't like to travel much, so he'd stay home while Mom and I would take our little adventures. Once, we took a bus tour into New Mexico and Colorado to see the beautiful fall foliage. That was a fun trip. We also made trips to Santa Fe, N.M.; the Grand Canyon; and Branson, Mo. I remember one time we went to Branson, and my aunt Phyllis was with us. We came out of a music show one evening, and Mom was pushing me in the wheelchair. It was a huge parking lot, and part of it was on a hill. As she pushed me, the wheelchair started rolling faster and faster and faster! I looked back, and Mom was literally running to keep the chair from getting away from her. Phyllis and I were both laughing. It's a wonder the chair didn't overturn with me in it. I didn't know Mom could run that fast, but she sure did that night.
Another memorable trip was a cruise to the Bahamas. I'd always wanted to go on a K-Love Christian music cruise. This took a little more convincing. Mom wasn't too sure about getting on a ship in the middle of the ocean. "Oh, I'll need to think about this for a while," she told me. I said OK, but I knew the cruise would sell out fast so I had secretly sent in a deposit to save a space. I finally convinced her to go, telling her we needed to do it while we were both still able to travel. I'm so glad we did it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
If you ever saw my mom out somewhere, you surely noticed her trademark headscarf. She wore it everywhere. She'd tie it on even if there was only a hint of a breeze, which in the Panhandle is all the time. While we were on the K-Love cruise, we were heading to the outdoor deck for breakfast one morning, and Mom tied on her headscarf. I turned around and told her "Take that thing off!" She didn't want to, but she did. The scarf mysteriously disappeared for the rest of the cruise. I was accused of throwing it overboard, but we all know I would never do something like that.
We weren't sure if Mom would need her headscarf when she got to heaven, but just to be sure we put one in her hand before the funeral.
Mom was always my chief publicist / promoter. When my book came out, I didn't have a distributor. I didn't need one. I had Mom. When she'd meet up with someone, she would talk to them, then she'd say, "Did you know Chris has written a book?" I don't know how many books she sold for me. People probably got tired of hearing her talk about me, but that was my mom.
Everyone knows that Mom loved to talk. She would talk to complete strangers. She would usually end by saying "I just want to tell you one more thing." So here's just one more thing about Mom: People say she spoiled me, and I guess she did. I loved every minute of it, and that's just one of the reasons I loved her so much!
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Accepting The Unexpected
This journey through life is full of unpredictable twists and turns, and my life just took one of those unexpected turns. I always knew that day would come, but I didn't expect it so soon. No one did.
We lost my dear mama on March 23. She passed away peaceably after a month-long struggle. She had fallen in her house on Valentine's Day. It was actually in the early morning hours of Feb. 15 when she passed out in the kitchen and fell. When she came to, she found two paramedics standing over her. She asked how they got in her kitchen! Thank God her life alert system notified authorities when she fell.
Mom had a broken hip and a badly broken shoulder. She underwent a five-hour surgery the next day to put rods in her leg and completely replace her shoulder. Then the long recovery process began.
She was in pain. A lot of pain. Mom was moved from the hospital to the Pampa Nursing Center, which is where I also live. Our rooms were across the hall from each other, and Mom began her physical therapy.
Mom tried to do the exercises, but she was just in so much pain. The pain medicine made her sleepy and confused. She did NOT like going to therapy. We nearly had to force her to eat. She insisted that she wasn't hungry. She tried to eat and do the therapy, but I guess you could say her heart just wasn't into it.
I could see Mom was tired. She was 81 years old, and she had spent nearly 50 years of her life devoted to taking care of me. I remember Mom saying she hoped she'd be here for me as long as I needed her. During the four weeks that she was here at the nursing home, she was able to see how the nurses and aides took care of me and that I was in good hands. Besides the nursing staff, I had Karen and my aunts and cousins to watch out for me. I think when she saw for herself that I would be taken care of, she decided it would be all right to go on ahead to heaven.
In her last few days here, Mom had a lot of anxiety, still struggling and worrying about those of us she'd leave behind. Finally, her heart of gold just gave out. They called it broken heart syndrome. It's a real condition and is basically a temporary heart condition that's often brought on by stressful situations or anxiety.
It all happened so fast. I don't think it has really sunk in yet that she's gone. I keep expecting her to walk in. I never expected it to happen this way. I've just tried to accept it as God's timing. He has a master plan for each of us. The Bible says we walk by faith. Sometimes, it takes a whole lot of faith to accept the unexpected. But if we'll hold on to Him, God will see us through.
We lost my dear mama on March 23. She passed away peaceably after a month-long struggle. She had fallen in her house on Valentine's Day. It was actually in the early morning hours of Feb. 15 when she passed out in the kitchen and fell. When she came to, she found two paramedics standing over her. She asked how they got in her kitchen! Thank God her life alert system notified authorities when she fell.
Mom had a broken hip and a badly broken shoulder. She underwent a five-hour surgery the next day to put rods in her leg and completely replace her shoulder. Then the long recovery process began.
She was in pain. A lot of pain. Mom was moved from the hospital to the Pampa Nursing Center, which is where I also live. Our rooms were across the hall from each other, and Mom began her physical therapy.
Mom tried to do the exercises, but she was just in so much pain. The pain medicine made her sleepy and confused. She did NOT like going to therapy. We nearly had to force her to eat. She insisted that she wasn't hungry. She tried to eat and do the therapy, but I guess you could say her heart just wasn't into it.
I could see Mom was tired. She was 81 years old, and she had spent nearly 50 years of her life devoted to taking care of me. I remember Mom saying she hoped she'd be here for me as long as I needed her. During the four weeks that she was here at the nursing home, she was able to see how the nurses and aides took care of me and that I was in good hands. Besides the nursing staff, I had Karen and my aunts and cousins to watch out for me. I think when she saw for herself that I would be taken care of, she decided it would be all right to go on ahead to heaven.
In her last few days here, Mom had a lot of anxiety, still struggling and worrying about those of us she'd leave behind. Finally, her heart of gold just gave out. They called it broken heart syndrome. It's a real condition and is basically a temporary heart condition that's often brought on by stressful situations or anxiety.
It all happened so fast. I don't think it has really sunk in yet that she's gone. I keep expecting her to walk in. I never expected it to happen this way. I've just tried to accept it as God's timing. He has a master plan for each of us. The Bible says we walk by faith. Sometimes, it takes a whole lot of faith to accept the unexpected. But if we'll hold on to Him, God will see us through.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Sore Losers
It's all over but the crying....... and the whining. After a last-ditch effort by liberals to change the outcome of the election, Donald Trump easily earned enough electoral votes on Monday to secure the presidency.
Trump won 306 electoral votes on Nov. 8, and Democrats have been playing the blame game ever since. First, they blamed the FBI director for daring to investigate Hillary over her e-mail scam. Hillary should thank Director Comey for not recommending charges be filed against her!
Then, the libs alleged voter fraud and demanded recounts in several states. That only netted Trump even more votes than the original count. Next, the blame turned to the Russians. They called for an investigation into the Russians' hacking of the U.S. voting system, even though there was no evidence that the outcome of the election had been affected in any way.
I'm surprised they didn't try to blame space aliens of landing on earth and stuffing the ballot box in favor of Trump! They certainly blamed everyone else.
The Democrats are just sore losers. In the days after the election, these cry babies filled the streets to protest Trump's win. It's their right to protest, but it seems a little childish. Speaking of childish, some college students were so distraught over the election that they couldn't go to class or take tests. They went to "safe rooms" where they could play with Play-Doh and color in coloring books. Grow up!
Hillary was said to be so grief-stricken on Election night that she couldn't stop crying. Good! Now maybe she knows a little of the kind of grief she caused the families of the four Americans she let die in Benghazi.
So what's next for Hillary? Well, we know she knows how to use a cloth to wipe things clean (like an e-mail server). So give her a cloth and a bottle of Windex and let her clean the glass ceiling because that's the closest she's ever going to get to breaking that glass ceiling!
Trump won 306 electoral votes on Nov. 8, and Democrats have been playing the blame game ever since. First, they blamed the FBI director for daring to investigate Hillary over her e-mail scam. Hillary should thank Director Comey for not recommending charges be filed against her!
Then, the libs alleged voter fraud and demanded recounts in several states. That only netted Trump even more votes than the original count. Next, the blame turned to the Russians. They called for an investigation into the Russians' hacking of the U.S. voting system, even though there was no evidence that the outcome of the election had been affected in any way.
I'm surprised they didn't try to blame space aliens of landing on earth and stuffing the ballot box in favor of Trump! They certainly blamed everyone else.
The Democrats are just sore losers. In the days after the election, these cry babies filled the streets to protest Trump's win. It's their right to protest, but it seems a little childish. Speaking of childish, some college students were so distraught over the election that they couldn't go to class or take tests. They went to "safe rooms" where they could play with Play-Doh and color in coloring books. Grow up!
Hillary was said to be so grief-stricken on Election night that she couldn't stop crying. Good! Now maybe she knows a little of the kind of grief she caused the families of the four Americans she let die in Benghazi.
So what's next for Hillary? Well, we know she knows how to use a cloth to wipe things clean (like an e-mail server). So give her a cloth and a bottle of Windex and let her clean the glass ceiling because that's the closest she's ever going to get to breaking that glass ceiling!
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Sex, Lies and Videotape
Just when you thought they couldn't go any lower, the candidates came out swinging at this week's debate, exposing their opponent's sordid past while denying their own tawdry behavior.
Like scenes from the 1989 film Sex, Lies and Videotape, we've heard about the nine women who have accused Trump of sexual harassment, the videotape of Trump's vulgar talk about women and lies, lies and more lies from Hillary Clinton (whom I now just call "Hell-ary").
This is what this election has come down to: a choice between two reprehensible people. I could never -- and will never -- vote for Hellary. I didn't think I could vote for Trump either. He's said so many rude and crude things about women, veterans like John McCain, and he even mocked a disabled reporter. That's about the lowest of lows in my book.
The third and final debate helped me make up my mind. In the first question when she was asked about the Supreme Court, Hellary said she'd nominate justices who would uphold the rights of women to have an abortion and protect the "rights" of gays. On abortion, she went so far as to say women should be able to have a late-term abortion. I think she'd even support abortions right up until the day of delivery. Hellary approves killing babies! This is plain evil.
At least Trump said he would nominate pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. He said justices should work to reverse Roe vs. Wade, and I agree. It's time to put a stop to the shedding of innocent blood, which the Bible says God hates.
If he can help stop abortion by nominating only pro-life justices, then maybe something good can come from a Trump presidency. The abortion issue alone is enough to make me rethink my opinion of Trump. I still have questions about his level of experience and his views on women, but his position on abortion gives me a ray of hope.
This was the tipping point for me. Hellary and her pro-abortion appointments must be stopped even if that means voting for an otherwise undesirable like Trump.
Like scenes from the 1989 film Sex, Lies and Videotape, we've heard about the nine women who have accused Trump of sexual harassment, the videotape of Trump's vulgar talk about women and lies, lies and more lies from Hillary Clinton (whom I now just call "Hell-ary").
This is what this election has come down to: a choice between two reprehensible people. I could never -- and will never -- vote for Hellary. I didn't think I could vote for Trump either. He's said so many rude and crude things about women, veterans like John McCain, and he even mocked a disabled reporter. That's about the lowest of lows in my book.
The third and final debate helped me make up my mind. In the first question when she was asked about the Supreme Court, Hellary said she'd nominate justices who would uphold the rights of women to have an abortion and protect the "rights" of gays. On abortion, she went so far as to say women should be able to have a late-term abortion. I think she'd even support abortions right up until the day of delivery. Hellary approves killing babies! This is plain evil.
At least Trump said he would nominate pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. He said justices should work to reverse Roe vs. Wade, and I agree. It's time to put a stop to the shedding of innocent blood, which the Bible says God hates.
If he can help stop abortion by nominating only pro-life justices, then maybe something good can come from a Trump presidency. The abortion issue alone is enough to make me rethink my opinion of Trump. I still have questions about his level of experience and his views on women, but his position on abortion gives me a ray of hope.
This was the tipping point for me. Hellary and her pro-abortion appointments must be stopped even if that means voting for an otherwise undesirable like Trump.
Friday, July 22, 2016
R.I.P. Republican Party
The Republican Party has let me down again. This week's convention had its share of high points. I loved the fiery speeches from Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Chris Christie and others, and all the bashing of Hillary Clinton was icing on the cake. It seemed like the party was finally coming together in unity against Hillary.
The mood changed on Wednesday night when Senator Ted Cruz spoke at the convention. Cruz gave a fine speech, but the audience turned against him when it became obvious that Cruz was not going to endorse Donald Trump. Cruz merely told the audience to vote their conscience, and the crowd literally booed him off the stage.
After the speech, the media turned against Cruz, too, calling him everything from self-centered to a sore loser. They declared Cruz's political career is over because he wouldn't fall in line with others in the Republican party in supporting Trump.
I admire Ted Cruz for standing firm in his convictions. Many said Cruz should have kept his pledge to support the GOP nominee, no matter who it was. But, as Cruz pointed out, how could he support a man who slammed his wife and father? Trump made vicious comments about Cruz's wife, Heidi, and made wild accusations against Cruz's father. I can understand how Cruz feels. Could you support someone who attacked your family? I couldn't.
I don't blame Cruz for not endorsing Trump. I respect him for it. People are telling me that I should just buck up and vote for Trump, but I can't get past the fact that Trump mocked a disabled reporter on national TV. I know what it feels like to be mocked. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It's not only insensitive. It's mean and cruel.
The convention took another ugly turn Thursday night when Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel spoke to delegates, saying he is proud to be a Republican, and he is proud to be gay. The crowd erupted in applause. They stood up and cheered, giving him a standing ovation. It made me cringe.
Later, Trump himself reached out to the LGBT community “As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens,” Trump said to wild applause. Then he went off script: “And, I have to say, as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.”
They did more than cheer. They embraced the whole gay agenda. This proves that if Trump becomes president, he will do nothing to fight for normal one-man one-woman marriage. I would expect that from the godless Democratic Party, but I thought the GOP still had a little respect for the Word of God and its mandates on marriage.
The Republican Party will never be the same again. With Donald Trump at the helm, we may never get back to a true conservative party. The Republican Party as we know it is as good as dead, and that makes me sad.
The mood changed on Wednesday night when Senator Ted Cruz spoke at the convention. Cruz gave a fine speech, but the audience turned against him when it became obvious that Cruz was not going to endorse Donald Trump. Cruz merely told the audience to vote their conscience, and the crowd literally booed him off the stage.
After the speech, the media turned against Cruz, too, calling him everything from self-centered to a sore loser. They declared Cruz's political career is over because he wouldn't fall in line with others in the Republican party in supporting Trump.
I admire Ted Cruz for standing firm in his convictions. Many said Cruz should have kept his pledge to support the GOP nominee, no matter who it was. But, as Cruz pointed out, how could he support a man who slammed his wife and father? Trump made vicious comments about Cruz's wife, Heidi, and made wild accusations against Cruz's father. I can understand how Cruz feels. Could you support someone who attacked your family? I couldn't.
I don't blame Cruz for not endorsing Trump. I respect him for it. People are telling me that I should just buck up and vote for Trump, but I can't get past the fact that Trump mocked a disabled reporter on national TV. I know what it feels like to be mocked. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It's not only insensitive. It's mean and cruel.
The convention took another ugly turn Thursday night when Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel spoke to delegates, saying he is proud to be a Republican, and he is proud to be gay. The crowd erupted in applause. They stood up and cheered, giving him a standing ovation. It made me cringe.
Later, Trump himself reached out to the LGBT community “As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens,” Trump said to wild applause. Then he went off script: “And, I have to say, as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.”
They did more than cheer. They embraced the whole gay agenda. This proves that if Trump becomes president, he will do nothing to fight for normal one-man one-woman marriage. I would expect that from the godless Democratic Party, but I thought the GOP still had a little respect for the Word of God and its mandates on marriage.
The Republican Party will never be the same again. With Donald Trump at the helm, we may never get back to a true conservative party. The Republican Party as we know it is as good as dead, and that makes me sad.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Hillary Does It Again
There's no stopping her now. Hillary Clinton will be the next president. After a yearlong criminal investigation, FBI Director James Comey laid out the case against Hillary beautifully and then..... he let her off the hook, proving once again that there's one standard for Hillary and another standard for everyone else.
The FBI director admitted that if anyone else had done what Hillary did with her private e-mail server, there would be serious consequences. But Comey said Hillary didn't intend any harm by sending top secret material over an unsecure server. She didn't intend any harm. That's like saying O.J. Simpson didn't intend any harm when he bludgeoned his ex-wife to death.
The FBI's refusal to recommend criminal charges against Hillary clears the way for her to become the next president. Even if she doesn't get the most votes, that won't matter. They'll anoint her president anyway. Hillary is above the law. If she wants something, she'll get it one way or another.
The big question is why did James Comey chicken out on recommending charges. After talking tough during the investigation, Comey is now willing to look the other way. What changed? Was he afraid of Hillary? Maybe he thought he might be the next Vince Foster "suicide."
This will only embolden Hillary to commit more crimes. No one is going to stop her. At least with O.J. Simpson he finally got what he deserves and ended up in prison. I doubt Hillary ever will.
The FBI director admitted that if anyone else had done what Hillary did with her private e-mail server, there would be serious consequences. But Comey said Hillary didn't intend any harm by sending top secret material over an unsecure server. She didn't intend any harm. That's like saying O.J. Simpson didn't intend any harm when he bludgeoned his ex-wife to death.
The FBI's refusal to recommend criminal charges against Hillary clears the way for her to become the next president. Even if she doesn't get the most votes, that won't matter. They'll anoint her president anyway. Hillary is above the law. If she wants something, she'll get it one way or another.
The big question is why did James Comey chicken out on recommending charges. After talking tough during the investigation, Comey is now willing to look the other way. What changed? Was he afraid of Hillary? Maybe he thought he might be the next Vince Foster "suicide."
This will only embolden Hillary to commit more crimes. No one is going to stop her. At least with O.J. Simpson he finally got what he deserves and ended up in prison. I doubt Hillary ever will.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Making History
Congratulations, Hillary! You've made history! For the first time in our nation's history, a major political party will nominate a career criminal to run for president. Yes, Hillary Clinton is the first one to run for president while under criminal investigation by the FBI.
That's quite an achievement. You must be so proud, Hil! Normally, politicians wait until they're in office to start committing crimes. Not Hillary. She's got a rap sheet as long as her growing nose! Her crimes date back to her days in Arkansas and Whitewater. She must figure that when she becomes president she can just pardon herself.
She can expunge her record, you know, like she did with her internet server when she deleted all those e-mails. The voters don't seem to care about Hillary's criminal past. It took her until June 7, but she's finally racked up enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. It was an historic moment.
Not to be outdone, the Republicans are making history, too. For the first time in history, the Republicans will nominate a Democrat to run at the top of the GOP ticket! How about that!
In the past, Republicans have nominated several RINOs (Republican In Name Only) to run for president. Remember John McCain and Mitt Romney? They weren't exactly conservatives but at least they supported most of the GOP's positions. But Donald Trump is the first bonafide Democrat to run on the Republican ticket.
Trumps says he's a conservative, but his talk is far different from his walk. The man is campaigning as a conservative — but I’d be willing to bet that he’s secretly plotting to govern as a liberal. In just the past few days, we’ve seen him begin to waffle on issues like abortion and religious liberty.
There have been many firsts already in this election seasons, and we're not even to the conventions yet. This is definitely one for the history books!
That's quite an achievement. You must be so proud, Hil! Normally, politicians wait until they're in office to start committing crimes. Not Hillary. She's got a rap sheet as long as her growing nose! Her crimes date back to her days in Arkansas and Whitewater. She must figure that when she becomes president she can just pardon herself.
She can expunge her record, you know, like she did with her internet server when she deleted all those e-mails. The voters don't seem to care about Hillary's criminal past. It took her until June 7, but she's finally racked up enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. It was an historic moment.
Not to be outdone, the Republicans are making history, too. For the first time in history, the Republicans will nominate a Democrat to run at the top of the GOP ticket! How about that!
In the past, Republicans have nominated several RINOs (Republican In Name Only) to run for president. Remember John McCain and Mitt Romney? They weren't exactly conservatives but at least they supported most of the GOP's positions. But Donald Trump is the first bonafide Democrat to run on the Republican ticket.
Trumps says he's a conservative, but his talk is far different from his walk. The man is campaigning as a conservative — but I’d be willing to bet that he’s secretly plotting to govern as a liberal. In just the past few days, we’ve seen him begin to waffle on issues like abortion and religious liberty.
There have been many firsts already in this election seasons, and we're not even to the conventions yet. This is definitely one for the history books!
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