The Sunshine Blog Award

Thank you to Kent for nominating Jane’s Unsound Mind for a Sunshine Blog Award. This award is given by other writers to, “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.”

Ironically, this was not my goal when I started this blog. I’m super quiet and I have a tendency to keep things bottled up inside until they explode. I also have a sarcastic side that I don’t always get to let out. I started this blog to release all the crap I hold inside and to make people laugh with my sarcastic thoughts on life.

Well, if you have read any of my recent posts, you know that all that changed when my mom died suddenly and unexpectedly. All the things I used to think and write about suddenly didn’t seem important anymore. I went from writing 3 or 4 posts a week to maybe 2 or 3 a month. I now write only when I’m inspired and lately, I only write about what I have learned from losing my mom. I don’t know where this blog is going. For those of you who started to follow me because I’m sometimes funny and a little sarcastic, don’t worry – nothing has changed. I expect I’ll be back to that soon. For those of you who followed me because of the inspirational things I have been writing about lately, don’t worry – that’s not going to change either. Actually, these ideas can sometimes marry together to make a great blog post. Sarcastic inspiration! After all, this blog is titled “Jane’s Unsound Mind.”

Thank you to Kent for nominating me and all you other awesome people who choose to read my thoughts. This has been very therapeutic for me in so many ways. It has also been a blessing to read others’ comments on how this blog has made them laugh or touched their life in some way.

Rules to Accept the Award:

1) Include the award logo in a post or somewhere on your blog.
2) Answer 10 questions about yourself.
3) Nominate 5 to 10 other fabulous bloggers.
4) Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blog, letting them know about the award.
5) Share the love and link the person who nominated you.

The 10 Questions…and Answers:
1) What is your favorite color? It used to be pink and still mostly is, but my mom’s favorite color was royal blue and I am finding myself drawn to it. Long story short – I love them both!
2) What is your favorite animal? Cats! Have you seen my new kitten?! I wrote a post about her so if you haven’t, click here!
3) What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? Decaf coffee. Yeah, I’m off caffeine.  Read about THAT here.
4) Do you prefer Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. Still trying to figure out why I’m on Twitter.
5) What is your passion? Lately, it is photography. I was just getting into it before my mom passed. She was the first person I showed my gallery of pictures I am selling to and she was convinced I would be famous for it. This new passion has been another form of therapy for me through this difficult time.  Check out my gallery!
6) What is your favorite pattern? Weird question. How about my favorite shape? I LOVE hearts!!!
7) Do you prefer giving or getting presents? Giving.
8) What is your favorite number? 7
9) What is your favorite day of the week? Saturday. I love to sleep in.  Gotta get my 12.
10) What is your favorite flower? I’m a sucker for a rose…but I’m also girly and I love all things pretty 🙂

And My Nominees Are:
Soapbox Glory (Because she is my sister and she inspires me every day.)
Roam If You Want To (Because he is my brother-in-law and also my boss and one of the strongest people I have ever met.  He doesn’t update his blog often, but you should go check out his stories about how he and my husband traveled from Miami to the British Virgin Islands on his boat.  There are some really awesome stories of how God came through and truly saved their lives when all hope was lost.)
Never Give Up (Sami Awad is an inspiration to everyone.  I have personally met Sami twice and he is a true follower of Christ and is giving his all to see peace in the Holy Land between all people.
Firestone 2012 (The post she wrote entitled “And Jesus Wept” about a little girl was beautiful and touched my life.
Holy Ghost Bumps (He shows true courage and love for Christ in his posts about losing his daughter just a short time ago)
A Life Revived (I love reading about her workouts and how she relates all that to Christ.)

The RIGHT Thing to Say…

When you know someone who is going through the loss of a loved one, it can be difficult to know the right thing to say.  I’ve been on the other side of this and let me tell you, it can be hard to know what to say or do sometimes.  I’m not necessarily here to tell you what to say but I’d like to tell you what NOT to say.

About 5 minutes after my mom left this world, I received a text from someone saying, “Praise the Lord!”  This person was referring to the fact that my mom was with Jesus.  This is true, but let me tell you something.  When you’re sitting next to your loved one’s bedside only minutes after they pass, it is not a “Praise the Lord” type of moment.  Truthfully, it pissed me off.  I wanted to call this person and tell them off.  I felt truly hopeless at that moment.  I didn’t want my mom to be with Jesus!  I wanted her here, with me.  I wanted to talk to her again and be with her until she was old.  “Praise the Lord” is NOT the right response when someone just lost their loved one.  Don’t argue with me either – I was just there, in that position.  It is a very vulnerable place to be.  You are not thinking clearly at this moment in time – especially if the way the person died was unexpected.

You know what meant the MOST to me?  A dear friend who couldn’t be there with me got my text saying my mom had passed and she called me on the phone.  She told me she was so sorry and she just sat on the phone with me and cried with me for the loss of my mom.  You see, it’s not always what you SAY to someone – it’s your actions.  She sat with me on the phone for over 2 minutes and just cried.  She told me she loved me and would be praying for strength and peace.

I write this because I know it can be difficult to know what to do in these situations.  My point is to just be there, whether in person or a phone call or text.  Sometimes not saying anything at all, but just sharing in someone’s grief is the most powerful thing that you can do.  That call felt like a hug from Christ Himself.

I dedicate this post to my dear friend, Myrtha.  I love you.

Fleeting Memories

She was safe.
Her smile could light up a room.
Her laugh had a childlike innocence.
She loved with abandon.

I can still remember what it felt like to lay my head on her chest and listen to her breathing in and out as she read me bedtime stories.
Her voice was mesmerizing.
I loved the smell of that flowery perfume she always wore when I was a little girl.

She was a quiet spirit.
Quiet is sometimes interpreted as weak but she was so strong.
She knew how to pray.
She was my friend.

She wasn’t perfect but she was always striving to be better.
Her lifelong dream was to be a mom.
She achieved her dream.
She is my mom.
I love her always, forever and eternity.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

A Special Bond

Did I tell you my mom owned 5 kittens before she died? I had recently visited her and fell in love with one of them. My husband was not excited about the idea of us taking one (we are still grieving the loss of our dog who passed away January 31, 2012). In fact, he said “No,” when I asked if we could take one.

One kitty in particular had already stolen my heart. I spent the weekend of March 16-18 taking pictures of her and playing with her.

After my mom passed away, I told my husband, “You know, you have to let me have this kitten now.” His simple reply was, “Yes.” So, that’s that! I now have a sweet kitten! Not just any kitten though. This kitten is special. This kitten was loved and brought into this world with the help of my mom. She was there the entire time mama kitty was giving birth to all these kittens. We were looking at her calendar after she passed and she was documenting important moments in their lives, just like a mother would do with her baby. We share a special bond. We were both loved by my mom. Enjoy the pictures – isn’t she cute?

P.S. I named her Debbie in honor of my mom.

I encourage you to read this post written by another blogger. May it touch your life as it has touched mine.

firestone2012

And Jesus wept

Last week I was invited to a shelter to address about 50 men and women. I thought I had prepared my speech well, but when I got there and got talking to some people there, everything changed the whole scenario and subject of my visit there. I am a confident person, but this weekend I faltered a little. The stories were sad. I thought my situation, where I have come from and where I have been was bad but I realised I was blessed. One young girl caught my sight; let’s call her Fatima, aged 14. This young lady first asked me if I knew how to fix her head scarf because she is Muslim and since she had a stroke no one has tied her head scarf for her. As I fixed her headscarf for her, she asked me again if I could feed her before…

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