Friends

I'm missing Swaziland but it has been nice to be able to touch base with old friends. I am so blessed! Here are a few of my friends, there are so many more but I forgot to take out my camera.



















Update: My breast biopsy and pap smear have both come back with a thumbs up. Thank you for your prayers.
The first flight back I can get a seat on without a larger cost is on the 23rd of June. So I will be spending my 50th birthday here with my mom in the sunshine and long daylight hours. That was probably the hardest thing to hit me in Swaziland -- my birthday being on the near shortest day of the year! It will be good to be able to spend Father's Day with my mom though and next week I will start my 3 day journey back to Swaziland!!!! I apologize for not taking my camera to get most of my church friends but here is one that they sent me. I also want to say a big thank you to Dixie and Grady for giving me lodging and fellowship the 3 weeks I was in Atlanta. I wish I had thought to take our picture!!! Thank all of you for your prayers and support. If you have not joined the top left hand "Tuned In" section of this blog, please do. Some days it is hard to take the time to write blogs and it helps if I know that you are following me. This will also allow you to be able to make comments on my blog which is encouragement that I cherish. I am joyful for my 50 years of life and celebrate the family and friends that God has blessed me so richly with!!!

My Mom Cruising Along 74 Years Without a Name????

Let me start by saying that everyone should get a passport! My mom and I went to Florida to join the Oasis church on the cruise this past week. My mom is 74 years old and has used her hospital birth certificate her whole life; for driver license, marriage license and anything where one was needed. It was a last minute decision for her to join me so we did not have time to get a state issued one -- (a MUST when on a cruise). The cruise line said they would let her on with a fax of her state certified one (in Oklahoma). Mom was born in Shawnee, OK (never heard of it? I'm not surprised). My mom had an old friend there check with the courthouse where he found that all vital statistics are in Oklahoma City (no relatives or friends there). We finally found out we could also get one in Tulsa and my uncle went down there with a faxed permission for him to pick it up. We got a call later saying they could not find a birth certificate for my mom. My mom is a twin. She was born 5 minutes before her brother. That's when they found it --"unnamed female twin". They would not release it because it "not her name". After almost 75 years, we are now working on getting my mom "officially" named Irma Jean Johnson (maiden name).
We can laugh at it now but Monday it was hard for me as mom made me board the cruise with instructions to have a good time and she ventured back to St. Louis. God IS good!! After the initial trauma, we both had a week of enjoyment and reflection. It wasn't what we planned but God was faithful just the same. Here are a few pictures of my week. It was restful and fun and full of little surprises! Thank you Cabaniss family for adopting me for the trip and for all the love from my Oasis family onboard!!! Check out our pastor boy band on the last night of karaoke!