I need a cell phone!

When Annabel was asked if anyone had talked to her at school yesterday, she told Dad, no, she didn't have a cell phone!

OK, that was not the talk I was expecting!

Yesterday I met with the principal and assistant principal to discuss what could be done to help Annabel through the rest of the school year.

While there have been attempts to help her with her adjustment to the English language, there has also been the continued bullying. It is amazing how many people I have heard from that were bullied. The only person I remember trying to bully me was stopped very quickly when my cousin threatened to beat her up. Yes, he was willing to beat up a girl for me! It was great to have a defender!

What I have worked and worked with is trying to assure Annabel that she has a defender in me and the rest of her family. Slowly I see her crossing that big divide and learning to rely on me as mom.

So none of the changes promised by the school took place yesterday, I have high hopes that some will occur today.

I need her out of the environment where she feels threatened so she can learn and some counseling to help her understand she is able to trust adults to help, not just punish her.

This week has been great because my niece Katie came to help out because of her concern for Mom. Katie is the one who came and cleaned, organized, and decorated our house while we were in China. I was glad we had it in good shape when she came so she would know how very much I appreciated all her hard work.

With Katie here, Mom has been able to take things a little slower. Thankfully she had Katie because I have been so distracted with the school and work, that I have not been much help, other than serving char burned burgers Sunday!

Last Friday the hospital threw a party to celebrate my 10 years of employment. It is VERY significant to me, as I have never worked that long in the same job title. One of the best parts of my job is planning programs to help educate the public. Being a breast cancer survivor myself, it seemed like a great idea to do something annually to remind women of the need for early detection and treatment. So the Pink Ribbon Tea party was started. It is always the Saturday before Mother's Day. This year it did not seem prudent (a good George Bush term) to continue with the plans with the threat of the swine flu. It has almost been as much work to postpone the event as it is to plan it. As soon as I announced we would delay the tea party, the CDC announced we should return to "normal". Life, funny, isn't it?

This morning as I am trying to pick up a little before rushing out the door, it dawned on me just how great a support group we have around us. The kindness and love shown me celebrating my employment to the care and concern about mom to the candid remarks and sharing from others who have been through similar situations as Annabel, humble me. Whether you are near or far, your thoughts are greatly appreciated.