Mother's Day

This coming weekend we're going to Houston to go see Thiago and Xabi, our two baby grandsons! Thiago has had a cough, so Anna took him to the doctor yesterday. Since he's only about 5 weeks old, they can't give him any medicine. And in light of the flu that's going around, they told Anna that if he develops a fever, they have to put him in the hospital. So I hope he gets better soon.

And this weekend it's Mother's Day. My mother is 78 years old, and in poor health, but she's still with us. So it's hard for me to think about myself on that day, since I still have my mother around. So I wish her a special day on Sunday.

When I was a little girl, and maybe even a teenager, I remember my grandmother would be serenaded outside her bedroom window, in the wee hours of mother's day morning. That was so special, and she would get very emotional at the beautiful music the Mariachis played. There is a song that has such beautiful words that is played lot on that day. That's one thing about Mexican macho guys, if you ever insult their mothers, you'd better run fast. They can be the meanest guys around, but there is always a soft spot in their hearts for Mamacita.

Likewise for the Virgin Mary, a lot of hardened criminals have a tatoo of the Virgin Mary on their arms, or chests or backs. If they're in prison, they've probably done something very bad, but they have tatoo of Jesus' mother. I always wondered why.

On Friday, I am invited to attend an Avance luncheon. They will honor a graduate of Avance during that luncheon. She is supposedly the first one to get a college degree. These are women that take parenting, and other classes to help them to be better mothers. I suppose it is for fathers too. I'm sorry I don't know a whole lot about Avance, but I probably will after that luncheon. A very worthwhile cause, it sounds like.

Happy Mother's day to all Moms!

Bordeaux

Lauren, who is studying for a semester in Spain has decided to stay after the semester is over. She will be staying with one of her best friends who lives in Bordeaux, France. We miss her, she misses us, but her adventurous streak wins out! And what better time to be able to do that than when you're young, single, and in school. I never had that opportunity, so I'm living vicariously through her adventures.

Lauren knows that sometimes adventure wins out over comfort. She frequently steps out of her comfort zone, and it is hard sometimes, but the rewards are amazing! I wish I was more like her. Last summer she wanted to go to Peru. But she had made plans to go to World Youth Day in Australia. We figured that 2 international trips in one summer would have been hard on her, yes, and hard on the pocketbook. So she was a little upset at first, but thank God she got over it.

One of her friends, Elana, from St. Louis U, lived for a summer in Tibet. Allison, her other friend has been to several places in the world. I guess in the quest for helping others, they get to travel the world. In the fall, though, she will be staying at St. Louis U for her senior year, while her and her friends will be roommates sharing a big house. They all like to cook, and they are not really party girls, as far as drinking too much and other stuff. I'm sure they do drink, though! They do go to concerts and parties, but they seem to be more mature than I was at their age! Thank goodness!

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Well, Fiesta is over, the Spurs got eliminated, so what else is there? Well in San Antonio, there is always some kind of fiesta somewhere in the city celebrating something or other. Any excuse to party! Now it's Cinco de Mayo, and there are little celebrations everywhere. Viva San Antonio!