Good morning all...

It's not so early by many standards, but early for me. I have muffins in the oven and coffee is ON. (Decaf works, it really does!)

I am happy to ADD that my daughter and I "talked" on the phone last week briefly, but that was GREAT! She was on her way to the hospital or HORSE-PISTOL as one friend's grandlet used to say. She is home now and healing from an infection she intoduced into her body following a fall on the way out the door. It was only a small cut, but big enough to cause a major threat. She had to go to the ER three times before they decided to admit her for 24 hr. IV's...HEALING makes us happy, but...we are also healing our relationship.

Yesterday we "shared" on the phone again and it wasn't a brief encounter. We were able to hear each other's voices. This is GOOD for me and hopefully she shares this feeling. ANYWAY...I want people to know that working on relationships DOES pay off! No...we still aren't going to see each other for a while...not even for the holidays. THIS is where we are both in agreement. We are allowing ourselves this time apart to "connect" our hearts before our "face to face" JOY. We're doing our homework...which doesn't consist of a LOT of re-hashing, but rather learning more about WHO we are to each other and to ourselves.

Relationships are TOUGH, but we WANT and NEED them. Family relationships seem to be the TOUGHEST. We are bombarded by so much, but we can FIND ways to reconnect as we battle the TOUGH issues of life. I hope many of you who read this will FIND that even in the midst of mental illness challenges, we can find PEACE. I am finding that I am patient for what I thought I'd not EVER receive. I find that there is much to share with even "strangers" who are "working on themselves and on mental illness issues. Let's face it...We all struggle to get along and sometimes we give up.

My prayer this holiday season is that many of us FIND the PEACE that passes "understanding" each other and REACH OUT to each other with the LOVE and MERCY of CHRIST JESUS! AMEN to all and it's not just what AlaneSays, it's what the Bible tells me! May you all continue to discover that PEACE can be found "in HIM"!

Happy FIRST holiday of the season. I'll be back and I mean BACK before the new year dawns!...This is my QUEST...to care without INJURY to myself or to others! Sometimes when we HURT, we HURT OTHERS! Let's all pray for HEALING of SPIRIT for this entire season and into the new year ahead. None of us knows WHEN we'll lose the chance to "connect" and it's not just OLD people who die and leave us.

Check out You-Tube for the Hawaiian version of "Somewhere over the rainbow". My daughter referred me there yesterday and THIS song is my song for HER! I had not chosen one for her until recently, but I'm so HAPPY I chose this one for her. THEN she gave it back to me in the form of a beautiful man who is "over the rainbow" after GIVING us his wonderful music. Thank you Israel Kamakawiwo!...and Thank you Katie Jae! LOVE TO ALL OF YOU AND ESPECIALLY TO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY...ALL OF YOU!

GOD BLESS US ALL AS WE THANK HIM FOR THANKSGIVING!