All Things Considered, March 6, 2006 By Cecile Gilmer

I believe that families are not only blood relatives, but sometimes just people that show up and love you when no one else will.

In May 1977, I lived in a Howard Johnson's motel off of Interstate 10 in Houston. My dad and I shared a room with two double beds and a bathroom way too small for a modest 15-year-old girl and her father. Dad's second marriage was in trouble and my stepmother had kicked us both out of the house the previous week. Dad had no idea what to do with me. And that's when my other family showed up.

Barbara and Roland Beach took me into their home because their only daughter, Su, my best friend, asked them to. I lived with them for the next seven years.
Barb starched my drill team skirts same as Su's. She made sure I had lunch money, doctors' appointments, help with homework, Jordache jeans, puka shell necklaces and nightly hugs. Barbara and Roland attended every football game where Su and I marched, every drama performance I was in even when I had no speaking lines. As far as I could tell, for the Beaches, there was no difference between Su and me: I was their daughter, too.

When Su and I left for rival colleges, they kept my room the same for the entire four years I attended school. Recently, Barb presented me with an insurance policy they bought when I first moved in with them and had continued to pay on for 23 years.

The Beaches knew all about me when they took me in. When I was seven, my mother died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and from then on my father relied on other people to raise his kids. By the time I went to live with the Beaches, I believed that life was entirely unfair and that love was tenuous and untrustworthy. I believed that the only person who would take care of me was me.

Without the Beaches, I would have become a bitter, cynical woman. They gave me a home that allowed me to grow and change. They kept me from being paralyzed by my past, and gave me the confidence to open my heart.

I believe in family. For me, it wasn't the family that was there on the day I was born, but the one that was there for me when I was living in a Howard Johnson's on Interstate 10.

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I received this in a email from a very dear friend (also "family") today. It gave me something to think about....

Many times in our lives, we tend to feel "disconnected" from our biological family - in part, or all. It may be over something minor, or a major occurrence, that interfered with our family unit. During the times that we feel "left out" or "not wanted", who do you turn to? Who is there for you? Do you have friends or other distant relatives that you feel are more family to you than your real family?

Do you have people who will love you when no one else will? What do you think? How do you feel? What are your views on this subject matter? Let's talk & share!

John O'Reilly hoisted his beer and said, "Here's to spending
the rest of me life, between the legs of me wife!"



That won him the top prize at the pub for the best toast of the night!



He went home and told his wife, Mary, "I won the prize for the Best toast of the night"



She said, "Aye, did ya now. And what was your toast?"



John said, "Here's to spending the rest of me life, sitting in church beside me wife."



"Oh, that is very nice indeed, John!" Mary said proudly.



The next day, Mary ran into one of John's drinking buddies on the street corner.



The man chuckled leeringly and said, "John won the prize the other night at the pub with a toast
about you, Mary."



She said, "Aye, he told me, and I was a bit surprised meself. You know, he's only been there twice in the
last four years. Once he fell asleep, and the other time I had to pull him by the ears to make him come."

Friendship between Women:

A woman didn't come home one night. The next day she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's house. The man called his wife's 10 best friends. None of them knew about it.

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Friendship between Men:

A man didn't come home one night. The next day he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house. The woman called her husband's 10 best friends. Eight of them confirmed that he had slept over, and two claimed that he was still there.

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Isn't this just about how it works??

This weekend, we hosted the Lady Raider Classic Softball Tournament. The games Friday night were for seating purposes for the teams. I missed the first game Friday night due to having to attend a cheer parents meeting. I got there right at the end & found that we won that game.

The second game was at 7:45. These girls have come a long way since last year. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that they have a new coach & trainer who are very tough on them & require a lot of practice. It's paid off too. The first two innings was 3 up / 3 down, but we made some mistakes after that. The fourth inning was ours too, but that wasn't enough. We lost the second game by 1 point, but these girls didn't go down without a fight.

It was back to the ballpark at 9:30 am Saturday morning for the tournament. It's "single elimination" so if you lose, your out of the tournament. The Lady Raiders were pumped & ready for action!

Our first game began at 10:30. The game was so exciting & very tough (& close), but our girls came out ahead & WON! So, it's on to the next game/round. The girls ate a lite snack & rested themselves up for the next one. This game was also against a team who had already beaten us once, so they were ready to go. They tightened up & played great ball. Yes, we WON this game too. That means that we have one more game to play - for the championship.

There are 4 different fields with games going on in every one of them all day long. Our varsity was also playing. People were going back & forth between fields to see how everyone was playing & who was the potential opponent for their next game. Somewhere during all of this, a few games lasted longer than they were supposed to & put the remaining ones behind.

Our 3:30 championship game didn't begin until a little after 7:00 pm. That gave our girls time to rest up, eat & practice/warm up before "the big one".

This team had just beat a fantastic team that had stomped us in a previous game. They were doing great in their prior game. It started out with them batting first. 3 up / 3 down. Yes! A great start! We get up to bat & get one run in before were out.

It was perfect timing & our girls really wants this. They could taste that big trophy the winner would be receiving. They are watched earlier as their varsity team was presented with their 1st place trophy. They've always been great & this was nothing new to them. Our coach said she had several other come up to hear & were surprised that we were "still in the tournament". Um...sorry coach, but we didn't do so hot last year. We're usually out with the single elimination. She knew how much work our girls had been through & said "of course we are"! She was proud.

The game proceeded with us playing almost perfect! Our bats were batting for ALL the girls!! Our gloves were catching almost every ball. We were really doing a great job against the other team. Those girls are really good - & fast, but we did just the right moves.

We're now winning 13-1. Their team had a quick lift & had 3 more runs come in, but we weren't finished. We knew they got last bat & we had to hold 'em & play defensively.

Our last bat & the score was now 15-4. Can we hold them? Yes! We finished up the last game - for the championship - with our girls on top! We won the championship & the big trophy for the Junior Varsity Tournament!! Go Lady Raiders!! We're so proud of you!

This is Randy's deathly sick car. Actually, his is worse. It went in to a deep coma last week on the side of the road & was unconscious over night. The poor thing had to be taken by carambulance (towed) to a shop that can work on Hondas. Nearly a week later, the bad news is delivered. The timing belt came off & literally cut into the ? cover & did some major damage. The valves need to be machined, etc. This is on top of the already-existing horrible oil/transmission leak! So, he reports that he can either fix this at a cost of approximately $1,000 - which would NOT include the oil/trans leak being addressed, or he can drop in another (good) engine for approx. $1,000.

He spoke to the man about making payments since it's such a large amount, but found out today that they're such small business & can't afford to do this. So...his car remains in a coma as I type.

This is such a catch-22 problem as he can't get to work without his car...BUT, he can't get his car fixed without getting to work! What's a guy to do???

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Prayers for Randy in hopes that some miracle will occur to where he can get his transportation fixed & get on with life!

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Meanwhile, I'm placing a bucket here on the blog for any & all donations.... Drop your pennies in as you walk by!

Seriously, prayers are much needed at this time.