The Teacup Bouquet

A moment I shall never forget: when my mother stopped breathing. On August 9, 2012 , only moments after the doctor said she was well enough to go home from the hospital, I found myself standing in the corner of an emergency room in that same hospital with a medical team surrounding her bed. The team worked like a well running machine - attaching monitors, inserting an IV, drawing blood, - at least 10 of them working with speed and precision. As the team worked, I watched her eyes become fixed, unmoving; she did not respond to the nurse shouting in her ear, but seemed to be staring at something only she could see. In a matter of mere seconds, her skin turned a strange gray color as the shadow of death passed over her. Then I heard someone on the medical team say. She's not breathing....bag her! A team member placed a bag over her face and squeezed air - she began to breathe again. Then, she began to seizure. I watched, helpless, understanding how fragile life itself is; I knew in

When I was a child, I learned I could have money if I found it and no one else claimed it.  I also learned that its a good idea to look for financial opportunities where others may not.  See, my daddy sold recycled parts of cars and, when we wanted a little treat, like maybe a 10¢ coke, he didn't care if we spent all day looking through the broken down cars on his lot to find a few coins.   My mother once made a deal with me and I learned a little more about handling money: you can only stretch a dollar so far and groceries are expensive! She asked me to babysit my brother and cook the family meals while she worked at our gas station on the highway out in front of our house.  I think she gave me $20 to buy the groceries for the week and I could have whatever was left over. I don't remember ever having anything left over.   Then, our family had a financial calamity when I was 16 and my Daddy was seriously injured while he was working at his business. I learned to figure out