Yes, it does snow in Texas! Sometimes.
Well, today is the last day of 2012, and I'm another year older today. I am so very blessed with so very much! Thank you, Lord, for another great year!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Snow in Texas!
Yes, it does snow in Texas! Sometimes.
Well, today is the last day of 2012, and I'm another year older today. I am so very blessed with so very much! Thank you, Lord, for another great year!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
End of Year Postcard
I am still collecting photos of gates for a "Gates of Texas" book, which my hiker friend, Thimbleberry, inspired me to create.
Tom and I saw a moose the other day!!
This is by far the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful, loving woman in the world, whom I love dearly, my Mom!
I am so thankful for my Saddlebag women friends!
There is so much history where we live. This Texas Historical Marker is at the corner of Tex's pasture.
Mary Ann and I went by this Historical Marker the other day, while we were walking.
This is me and Mary Ann, my "walking buddy", who lives near Grand Saline.
There is absolutely no place like home, and Tom and I love our new wood stove!
We have already enjoyed many toasty, warm fires from our wood stove, and winter has only just arrived. Two days ago when I woke up it was 29 degrees outside, and this morning it is 60 degrees! Typical winter weather in Texas, which I love, since as most who know me know, I do not like to be cold! In two more days it will be Christmas, and according to the weather forecast, we may actually see some of that "white stuff"! What?? Stay tuned!
Tom and I saw a moose the other day!!
This is by far the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful, loving woman in the world, whom I love dearly, my Mom!
I am so thankful for my Saddlebag women friends!
There is so much history where we live. This Texas Historical Marker is at the corner of Tex's pasture.
Mary Ann and I went by this Historical Marker the other day, while we were walking.
This is me and Mary Ann, my "walking buddy", who lives near Grand Saline.
There is absolutely no place like home, and Tom and I love our new wood stove!
We have already enjoyed many toasty, warm fires from our wood stove, and winter has only just arrived. Two days ago when I woke up it was 29 degrees outside, and this morning it is 60 degrees! Typical winter weather in Texas, which I love, since as most who know me know, I do not like to be cold! In two more days it will be Christmas, and according to the weather forecast, we may actually see some of that "white stuff"! What?? Stay tuned!
Monday, December 10, 2012
November
The month of November has somehow slipped by without me sitting down to write very much. That doesn't mean I have not been busy, because there has been a flurry of activities around here!
My neice, Carla, holds a special place in my heart. While growing up, Carla and Candace were more like sisters, than cousins. I know it has been difficult for Carla, losing her cousin/best friend. I love having Carla and her kids, Holly Beth and Devin, come visit us! While Holly Beth is quiet, polite, and such a "little lady" at almost 11 years old, Devin is an 8 year old fireball of energy and inquisitiveness! Devin loves his Uncle Tom, because Tom will get outdoors and "play", and Tom gets the kids involved in projects outdoors, like pushing over small dead trees and breaking up twigs to use for kindling in our wood stove. Holly Beth and Devin love getting to ride "Tex", while Aunt Erma leads them around.
My neice, Carla, holds a special place in my heart. While growing up, Carla and Candace were more like sisters, than cousins. I know it has been difficult for Carla, losing her cousin/best friend. I love having Carla and her kids, Holly Beth and Devin, come visit us! While Holly Beth is quiet, polite, and such a "little lady" at almost 11 years old, Devin is an 8 year old fireball of energy and inquisitiveness! Devin loves his Uncle Tom, because Tom will get outdoors and "play", and Tom gets the kids involved in projects outdoors, like pushing over small dead trees and breaking up twigs to use for kindling in our wood stove. Holly Beth and Devin love getting to ride "Tex", while Aunt Erma leads them around.
While I was leading Tex with Holly Beth riding, Devin was running around gathering armloads of cut grass to feed Tex. Tex loved that! He would much rather stand still and eat rather than work!
Following their horseback ride, Devin and Holly Beth went scavenging thru our dried up summer garden and found more green tomatoes and some tiny watermelons and a few peppers! The garden that won't quit; I'll get to make one more batch of salsa!
You can see some of my Mom's wonderful baked sweet breads there alongside the veggies! Thanks, Mom! Delicious breads!
Devin was so proud of this tote full of twigs that they helped Tom break apart.
We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving at Mom's home with more than 30 family members! As always, there was plenty of food, fun, laughter, and lots of games played! I feel so blessed to have grown up in such a large and loving family and we always enjoy our time together.
On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, our family once again made the trip to Rosevine, to bury a loved one. This time it was to bury my neice, Deborah, and remember her short life on this earth. The investigation into her murder is ongoing, with several leads, but not solved. We pray that someone, somewhere, sometime will "talk", and will lead the law officers to finding her killer.
In memory of Deborah Leann Vickery.
Each one of her three children placed a bouquet on her grave.
I am so thankful that Kerrie and Scott are there to raise Deborah's children as their own. Since the kids have been living with their Aunt Kerrie and Uncle Scott for almost a year anyway, it made the transition easier for them. We pray that God will bless Kerrie and Scott beyond measure for their selfless love and care of Stazi, Justice, and Jacob.
Two very special human beings!
Scott and Kerrie
Since I was scheduled to host our Saddlebag's Christmas Party, a few of my Saddlebag friends come over to help me decorate our little house for the holidays. I am overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity! What incredible friends they are to me, and I love them so! Our house looks so festive!
"Tex" is totally oblivious to the awesome sunset happening behind him!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Autumn Color
We have been seeing such wonderful Fall color, for Texas! As I was nearing our home the other day, after walking seven miles with Mary Ann that morning, I couldn't resist stopping the car and snapping some photos of the brilliant splashes of color alongside our road, on a misty fall morning!
Our garden has long since gone dormant, mostly. The pepper plants are still showing some green, and we could see a few straggling, yellow banana peppers clinging to the vines. So before we anticipated a light frost recently, I decided to go out there and pick those few banana peppers. Oh boy, was I surprised! Tucked away among the remaining green leaves on those pepper plants was an abundance of green bell peppers, and jalapena peppers! I picked, and picked, until there were no peppers left on the plants, thoroughly enjoying this last surprising remnant of our summer garden.
Oh yes, there were a few small green tomatoes too! I chopped the bell and banana peppers and filled three quart freezer bags! Plan to make some green tomatoe relish also! Thanks to Tom for being such an awesome, avid gardener!
Even our little azalea bushes are sporting some blooms this fall! Normally, they only bloom in the Spring!
My sister, Norma, gave me a pot of purple mums a couple of years ago, and we planted them in a flowerbed on the south side of our deck. During last summer's extreme heat and drought conditions, it suffered so badly that we didn't think it was even going to survive. However, now it is showing off some pretty blooms for Fall!
It is so great to be alive! Thank you, God, for such wondrous fall weather, a bountiful garden, and joyful color all about! We feel so blessed to have so much!
We are abundantly blessed with many friends! We recently met up with some of my A.T. hiker friends! How wonderful it was to have dinner together and reminisce about our time on the Appalachian Trail and all that is happening in our lives since the Trail!
Jane, "Jerryatric", "Shadow", "Country Mouse", me & Tom
It was been an agonizingly slow process finding out what happened to my neice, Deborah. Like I said before, it's not at all like the crime shows on TV, where they have it all figured out in an hour! Apparently, there was so little left of her remains, it has been a very difficult process to even issue a positive identification. Last Friday, we were told that the remains are definitely Deborah's. On Monday, we were told that she died from gunshot wound/wounds. The investigation is still ongoing to find her killer. My sister, Sharon, is hoping Deborah's remains will be released to the Funeral Home for creamation by this coming week. since she is planning a graveside service for Deborah on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Deborah will be buried in our family's cemetery in Rosevine, where my daughter, Candace is buried; along with my Dad, Grand Parents, brothers, and many other family members are laid to rest. It will be a very sad time, finally having a bit of closure, but also knowing what a violent (and still mysterious) end to a young life! Since it is a time of year when most families will be together, we plan to enjoy a time of family reunion at the church fellowship hall next to the cemetery, after Deborah's burial. It will be good to be with a large and loving family on such a sad day.
Our garden has long since gone dormant, mostly. The pepper plants are still showing some green, and we could see a few straggling, yellow banana peppers clinging to the vines. So before we anticipated a light frost recently, I decided to go out there and pick those few banana peppers. Oh boy, was I surprised! Tucked away among the remaining green leaves on those pepper plants was an abundance of green bell peppers, and jalapena peppers! I picked, and picked, until there were no peppers left on the plants, thoroughly enjoying this last surprising remnant of our summer garden.
Oh yes, there were a few small green tomatoes too! I chopped the bell and banana peppers and filled three quart freezer bags! Plan to make some green tomatoe relish also! Thanks to Tom for being such an awesome, avid gardener!
Even our little azalea bushes are sporting some blooms this fall! Normally, they only bloom in the Spring!
My sister, Norma, gave me a pot of purple mums a couple of years ago, and we planted them in a flowerbed on the south side of our deck. During last summer's extreme heat and drought conditions, it suffered so badly that we didn't think it was even going to survive. However, now it is showing off some pretty blooms for Fall!
It is so great to be alive! Thank you, God, for such wondrous fall weather, a bountiful garden, and joyful color all about! We feel so blessed to have so much!
We are abundantly blessed with many friends! We recently met up with some of my A.T. hiker friends! How wonderful it was to have dinner together and reminisce about our time on the Appalachian Trail and all that is happening in our lives since the Trail!
It was been an agonizingly slow process finding out what happened to my neice, Deborah. Like I said before, it's not at all like the crime shows on TV, where they have it all figured out in an hour! Apparently, there was so little left of her remains, it has been a very difficult process to even issue a positive identification. Last Friday, we were told that the remains are definitely Deborah's. On Monday, we were told that she died from gunshot wound/wounds. The investigation is still ongoing to find her killer. My sister, Sharon, is hoping Deborah's remains will be released to the Funeral Home for creamation by this coming week. since she is planning a graveside service for Deborah on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Deborah will be buried in our family's cemetery in Rosevine, where my daughter, Candace is buried; along with my Dad, Grand Parents, brothers, and many other family members are laid to rest. It will be a very sad time, finally having a bit of closure, but also knowing what a violent (and still mysterious) end to a young life! Since it is a time of year when most families will be together, we plan to enjoy a time of family reunion at the church fellowship hall next to the cemetery, after Deborah's burial. It will be good to be with a large and loving family on such a sad day.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Many Blessings!
I am truly blessed, in so many ways each day!
The friendships that have been formed with my Saddlebag women friends are priceless. We accept one another, each in our own way, overlooking our differences, while loving the comraderie of being together, and supporting one another. I have seen lots of women come and go over the years, from our little group, but there is a "core group" of gals that have been my friends since 1985, when I first rode with them on Thursday! We always welcome new riders to join us (no rules, no dues )on our Thursday rides, and we welcomed three new women to our ride yesterday. Only time will tell whether they will stick around thru the coming weeks, months, and years. It's always hard for me to tell when I meet a new gal on our Thursday ride, whether she will mesh with our group of women, and be around a year from now, let alone ten or twenty years from now! Back in 1985, I actually took off work, to join a couple of my women friends, to go and ride with this group we had heard about called the Saddlebags. I had no way of knowing I would still be a part of that group in 2012! However, my life has been enriched in ways I could not have imagined, by the friendships I've formed thru the Saddlebags!
We had a wonderful ride this week around gorgeous pastures and thru wooded trails, hosted by my dear friend Mary Ann (who is also my "walking buddy"). My dear friend, Gill, and I went over to Mary Ann's the night before with our horses and camped out. The weather was just on the verge of being too warm and sticky for camping, however by morning it was a little cooler and we had a little breeze blowing.
Gill's rig is the big fancy one on the left!
After the ride, while Lanette held onto "Jango" (Gill's horse), Gill convinced "Jango" that batheing is a fun activity!
A few days after Tom and I got home from our Caribbean Cruise, a friend of mine from my A.T. Thru-Hike, "Smiley", came thru Edgewood and stopped for a visit. It was so good to see him again, and reminisce about hiking on the Appalachain Trail! "Smiley" is from Hattiesburg, Ms. and is an R.N., who had been working at a pediatric clinic on an Indian Reservation in Arizona, and was on his way back home to Mississippi for awhile, before he goes to the island of St.Thomas for his next job as a traveling nurse. "Smiley" looks just like I remember him from the A.T. (minus the bandana on his head).
That's "Smiley" in the middle, with the turquoise shorts, red shirt, bandana around his head: we were all enjoying Trail Majic (sodas and snacks) at the hiker footbridge over I-70 in Maryland, in June 2011.
And here is "Smiley" now, a little thinner, but much the same as I remember him from our hike.
"Smiley" and his "toys"!
Me and Smiley!
We went to the great State Fair of Texas! Our Texas State Fair holds a special place in my heart, because that is where Tom took me on our very first "date"! Unbelievable really, that I was born in Texas and had lived in here my whole life (almost), but I had never been to the Texas State Fair until 1997! The Texas State Fair is one of the largest, if not the largest, State Fair in the country. We loved the beautiful, flower-filled landscape, sampling the many different "fried things", the exhibit halls, the 2013 car show. the Chevrolet "test track" (where you can take a new car for a spin). people-watching, and the one of kind, famous Fletcher's Corny Dogs!
Fletcher's Corny Dogs are made fresh while you watch, hand-dipped in the batter and then deep-fried, and wrapped in a tissue and handed to you piping hot. Simply delicious! I usually manage to get to the Fletcher's Corny Dog stand at least twice, when we go to the Fair, however this year it was such a beautiful weather day, and it was the day after the ever popular Texas/Oklhoma football rivalry (which is held in the Cottton Bowl, on the Fair grounds), so there were so many people at the Fair the day we were there, that we had to wait in line (a virtual sea of people!) for 25 minutes to get a Fletcher's Corny Dog! It was worth it, but I don't think I will ever wait that long again!
See, I told you it was a sea of people!
But, those corny dogs were so good!
Usually when we go to the Texas State Fair, (and we haven't missed but a couple of years since 1997), we stay all afternoon, and then at dusk we watch the nightly Starlight Parade, followed by the fantastic Laser/Fireworks Show at dark. However, this year as I said earlier, there were so many people at the Fair, it was so crowded anywhere we tried to go, we had enough of being jostled by the crowds by 5:00 p.m., and headed home to peace and quiet. (Since my hike, I don't handle crowds very well) We did catch a few minutes of some live music being performed on several outdoor stage venues during the day; missed the Chinese acrobat's performance; watched the dog show(frisbee-catching,etc.); we walked a lot and people-watched, and ate "fried things".
Here are some glimpses of our day at the Texas State Fair!
The United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corp were awesome!
The 2012 Butter display!
Yes, those figures are really carved out of butter! I could not get the whole display into one photo. Those are Girl Scouts selling their Girl Scout cookies, since this is the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, and over in the Hall of State there was displays depicting the last 100 years of the Girl Scouts.
Big Tex is standing tall!
Big Tex is probably the most recognizable icon of the Texas State Fair. His mouth moves as his booming voice welcomes visitors to the Fair, describing various activities featured each day. The day we were there, his mouth was not moving, even though he was talking! Electricians worked on the wiring inside Big Tex on the same day we were there. The very next day, Big Tex went up in flames! His giant-size jeans, shirt, face, and hat, GONE! All that was left was his metal frame! WOW! We watched it play out on the local TV News! Think those electricians still have their job?!
I'm sure Big Tex will have a new outfit made for him, in time for next year's Fair! And Tom and I plan to go on a "hopefully" less crowded weekday next year!
The friendships that have been formed with my Saddlebag women friends are priceless. We accept one another, each in our own way, overlooking our differences, while loving the comraderie of being together, and supporting one another. I have seen lots of women come and go over the years, from our little group, but there is a "core group" of gals that have been my friends since 1985, when I first rode with them on Thursday! We always welcome new riders to join us (no rules, no dues )on our Thursday rides, and we welcomed three new women to our ride yesterday. Only time will tell whether they will stick around thru the coming weeks, months, and years. It's always hard for me to tell when I meet a new gal on our Thursday ride, whether she will mesh with our group of women, and be around a year from now, let alone ten or twenty years from now! Back in 1985, I actually took off work, to join a couple of my women friends, to go and ride with this group we had heard about called the Saddlebags. I had no way of knowing I would still be a part of that group in 2012! However, my life has been enriched in ways I could not have imagined, by the friendships I've formed thru the Saddlebags!
We had a wonderful ride this week around gorgeous pastures and thru wooded trails, hosted by my dear friend Mary Ann (who is also my "walking buddy"). My dear friend, Gill, and I went over to Mary Ann's the night before with our horses and camped out. The weather was just on the verge of being too warm and sticky for camping, however by morning it was a little cooler and we had a little breeze blowing.
After the ride, while Lanette held onto "Jango" (Gill's horse), Gill convinced "Jango" that batheing is a fun activity!
A few days after Tom and I got home from our Caribbean Cruise, a friend of mine from my A.T. Thru-Hike, "Smiley", came thru Edgewood and stopped for a visit. It was so good to see him again, and reminisce about hiking on the Appalachain Trail! "Smiley" is from Hattiesburg, Ms. and is an R.N., who had been working at a pediatric clinic on an Indian Reservation in Arizona, and was on his way back home to Mississippi for awhile, before he goes to the island of St.Thomas for his next job as a traveling nurse. "Smiley" looks just like I remember him from the A.T. (minus the bandana on his head).
And here is "Smiley" now, a little thinner, but much the same as I remember him from our hike.
We went to the great State Fair of Texas! Our Texas State Fair holds a special place in my heart, because that is where Tom took me on our very first "date"! Unbelievable really, that I was born in Texas and had lived in here my whole life (almost), but I had never been to the Texas State Fair until 1997! The Texas State Fair is one of the largest, if not the largest, State Fair in the country. We loved the beautiful, flower-filled landscape, sampling the many different "fried things", the exhibit halls, the 2013 car show. the Chevrolet "test track" (where you can take a new car for a spin). people-watching, and the one of kind, famous Fletcher's Corny Dogs!
Fletcher's Corny Dogs are made fresh while you watch, hand-dipped in the batter and then deep-fried, and wrapped in a tissue and handed to you piping hot. Simply delicious! I usually manage to get to the Fletcher's Corny Dog stand at least twice, when we go to the Fair, however this year it was such a beautiful weather day, and it was the day after the ever popular Texas/Oklhoma football rivalry (which is held in the Cottton Bowl, on the Fair grounds), so there were so many people at the Fair the day we were there, that we had to wait in line (a virtual sea of people!) for 25 minutes to get a Fletcher's Corny Dog! It was worth it, but I don't think I will ever wait that long again!
Usually when we go to the Texas State Fair, (and we haven't missed but a couple of years since 1997), we stay all afternoon, and then at dusk we watch the nightly Starlight Parade, followed by the fantastic Laser/Fireworks Show at dark. However, this year as I said earlier, there were so many people at the Fair, it was so crowded anywhere we tried to go, we had enough of being jostled by the crowds by 5:00 p.m., and headed home to peace and quiet. (Since my hike, I don't handle crowds very well) We did catch a few minutes of some live music being performed on several outdoor stage venues during the day; missed the Chinese acrobat's performance; watched the dog show(frisbee-catching,etc.); we walked a lot and people-watched, and ate "fried things".
Here are some glimpses of our day at the Texas State Fair!
Yes, those figures are really carved out of butter! I could not get the whole display into one photo. Those are Girl Scouts selling their Girl Scout cookies, since this is the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, and over in the Hall of State there was displays depicting the last 100 years of the Girl Scouts.
Big Tex is probably the most recognizable icon of the Texas State Fair. His mouth moves as his booming voice welcomes visitors to the Fair, describing various activities featured each day. The day we were there, his mouth was not moving, even though he was talking! Electricians worked on the wiring inside Big Tex on the same day we were there. The very next day, Big Tex went up in flames! His giant-size jeans, shirt, face, and hat, GONE! All that was left was his metal frame! WOW! We watched it play out on the local TV News! Think those electricians still have their job?!
I'm sure Big Tex will have a new outfit made for him, in time for next year's Fair! And Tom and I plan to go on a "hopefully" less crowded weekday next year!
Friday, October 19, 2012
Unexpected Tragedy
It has been such a whirlwind of activities in our life for the last month! The 10-day tour of Ireland with my sister, Norma; followed by the 7-day Caribbean Cruise that Tom and I enjoyed with Tim and Kathy H.; then one of my A.T. hiker friends, "Smiley", came for a short visit; then Tom and I celebrated the 15th anniversary of our first date,(where it all started), at the great State Fair of Texas! However, I can't even begin to journal about "Smiley" or the "Fair" because of the tragedy that has struck our family.
On Monday evening, Texas Rangers/Sheriff deputies arrived at my sister Sharon's home, to tell her that a decomposed body found in a wooded area just north of Palestine, is believed to be the body of her youngest daughter, Deborah! What!?
As a single mother, Deborah, 34, had recently moved back to Texas from Oregon, with her 3 children, ages 3yr.,7yr.,13yr., and was staying with her Mom, Sharon; while her 3 children were living with Kerrie, (Deborah's older sister). Sharon and Kerrie were helping Deborah make "a new start" in her life.
Around noon on Wednesday, Oct.10, Deborah left Sharon's house, walked to a corner store to meet a friend who was picking her up. Sharon never heard from Deborah again! Deborah wasn't answering her cell phone or returning any text messages that Sharon was sending her. (We now know that all activity ceased on her cell phone on Wednesday evening around 5:00p.m.)
We find our blessings where we can. We feel very blessed that a landowner (a retired Dallas county sheriff deputy) was walking about his property on Sunday afternoon and discovered what he believed to be human remains in a wooded section, and immediately reported it by calling 911, and knew not to disturb the scene, keeping it pristine for law enforcement officials, thereby helping them look for important clues, to find out what exactly happened to Deborah. If the landowner had not found her remains when he did, there probably would not have been anything at all left of her body, we would have never known what happened to Deborah, we would never have had closure.
Deborah was brutally murdered! Thankfully, Sharon was not required to view Deborah's mutilated remains! Instead, Sharon and Kerrie both provided DNA samples, and Deborah's partial denture(which she had left at home), and a recent photo of Deborah showing her small "ankle tatoo", all in an effort to establish positive identification of the severely ravaged and decomposed body. This is just awful! Absolutely no human being should ever have to die such a trajic and horrific death!
Fortunately, Deborah's killer did not know that her cell phone was still in her front pants pocket! Hopefully, her recent cell phone activity will lead law enforcement to identify who perpetrated this despicable act upon Deborah. We pray for the officers as they investigate this crime, to bring these criminal/criminals to justice. We pray for strength and grace to help each of us cope with this unbelievable tragedy.
We see and hear about tragedies like this on the TV News, and it seems so far removed from our own lives. However, it is quite different when something like this happens to someone we know and care about! Veritably earth-shattering! We are understandably still in shock and disbelief that this could happen in our very own family. Thanks to God for my large family; loving siblings, loving Mom, loving neices and nephews, loving children and grandchildren, who all come together to love and support one another thru both good and bad times in our lives. Not to mention, all of our many friends and acquaintances whose love and outpouring of prayers and support mean everything to us.
It is an awful "waiting game"! An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, however we have not been told any results yet. The investigating officers are not telling us anything as they search for Deborah's killer. We are accustomed to seeing murders solved, autopsy results shown, criminals brought to jail, all in a one-two hour episode on TV. However, that is not at all like it happens in real life!
I would like to honor Deborah and her children in the following photos.
Deborah - August 19, 2012
13 yr.old Stasi w/her greatgrandmother (my Mom)
7 yr.old Justice w/her Aunt Kerrie in background
3 yr.old Jacob (my neice, Carla in pink top &
Justice across the table)
May God bless and keep these children in his loving care for the rest of their lives. We, as a family, will surely do our part.
Here is a picture of my Mom with most of her great-grandkids on August 19,2012!
What a great family I have! I am truly blessed!
On Monday evening, Texas Rangers/Sheriff deputies arrived at my sister Sharon's home, to tell her that a decomposed body found in a wooded area just north of Palestine, is believed to be the body of her youngest daughter, Deborah! What!?
As a single mother, Deborah, 34, had recently moved back to Texas from Oregon, with her 3 children, ages 3yr.,7yr.,13yr., and was staying with her Mom, Sharon; while her 3 children were living with Kerrie, (Deborah's older sister). Sharon and Kerrie were helping Deborah make "a new start" in her life.
Around noon on Wednesday, Oct.10, Deborah left Sharon's house, walked to a corner store to meet a friend who was picking her up. Sharon never heard from Deborah again! Deborah wasn't answering her cell phone or returning any text messages that Sharon was sending her. (We now know that all activity ceased on her cell phone on Wednesday evening around 5:00p.m.)
We find our blessings where we can. We feel very blessed that a landowner (a retired Dallas county sheriff deputy) was walking about his property on Sunday afternoon and discovered what he believed to be human remains in a wooded section, and immediately reported it by calling 911, and knew not to disturb the scene, keeping it pristine for law enforcement officials, thereby helping them look for important clues, to find out what exactly happened to Deborah. If the landowner had not found her remains when he did, there probably would not have been anything at all left of her body, we would have never known what happened to Deborah, we would never have had closure.
Deborah was brutally murdered! Thankfully, Sharon was not required to view Deborah's mutilated remains! Instead, Sharon and Kerrie both provided DNA samples, and Deborah's partial denture(which she had left at home), and a recent photo of Deborah showing her small "ankle tatoo", all in an effort to establish positive identification of the severely ravaged and decomposed body. This is just awful! Absolutely no human being should ever have to die such a trajic and horrific death!
Fortunately, Deborah's killer did not know that her cell phone was still in her front pants pocket! Hopefully, her recent cell phone activity will lead law enforcement to identify who perpetrated this despicable act upon Deborah. We pray for the officers as they investigate this crime, to bring these criminal/criminals to justice. We pray for strength and grace to help each of us cope with this unbelievable tragedy.
We see and hear about tragedies like this on the TV News, and it seems so far removed from our own lives. However, it is quite different when something like this happens to someone we know and care about! Veritably earth-shattering! We are understandably still in shock and disbelief that this could happen in our very own family. Thanks to God for my large family; loving siblings, loving Mom, loving neices and nephews, loving children and grandchildren, who all come together to love and support one another thru both good and bad times in our lives. Not to mention, all of our many friends and acquaintances whose love and outpouring of prayers and support mean everything to us.
It is an awful "waiting game"! An autopsy was performed on Tuesday, however we have not been told any results yet. The investigating officers are not telling us anything as they search for Deborah's killer. We are accustomed to seeing murders solved, autopsy results shown, criminals brought to jail, all in a one-two hour episode on TV. However, that is not at all like it happens in real life!
I would like to honor Deborah and her children in the following photos.
Justice across the table)
May God bless and keep these children in his loving care for the rest of their lives. We, as a family, will surely do our part.
Here is a picture of my Mom with most of her great-grandkids on August 19,2012!
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