Dearest Love

My inspiration for today's blog is my husband. He is the love of my life and I thank God for him daily. I would like to share a poem that I wrote to him on our 10th wedding anniversary...

Dearest Love

Isn’t it amazing how God brings people into your life
We used to be great friends, and now I‘m your wife
The love that you have given me has made me whole
I know you are the man for me, my heart tells me so

It seems like a lifetime ago when we shared our first kiss
Now we share so much more, I wouldn’t take anything for this
You always know what to say to make me feel good
Thank you for loving me like no one else could

There are times when I wonder if I am dreaming or if you are real
All I know is no one could make me feel the way you make me feel
My heart beats faster when I look into those beautiful blue eyes
Sometimes I think God has sent me an angel in disguise

It is hard to put into words the way you make me feel inside
I just know that my life was changed the day I became your bride
Our love is strong and will stand the test of time
We are one person now, I am yours and you are mine

May you always know how much I love you and never have doubt. Because you Michael Paul Back are my life, my love, my strength and my soul’s inspiration. I will love you for the rest of my life with all my heart and all that I am. Thank you for loving me in a way that only an angel like you could. I love you.

Yours Always…

Your Wife,

Sherri Kaye

April 22, 2005

Angel in Disguise

Good Morning! It is a beautiful Thursday morning, or as I would like to call it, "Friday Eve" and I am feeling pretty good. My Mom came in to the hospital today to have an ultrasound done. About a month ago, she was diagnosed with a blood clot in her leg and since then she has been on blood thinners and having to have routine ultrasounds to check on the status of the clot (to see if it is moving or dissolving). Well, after today's ultrasound the clot is gone! I am so thankful to hear that. God is good. She is so excited and is hoping that the doctor will take her off of the blood thinners soon. She has an appointment with him tomorrow so we will see.

Well, so far my husband's job seems to be going well. He said they were really busy yesterday at lunchtime. I drove by there today on my way to work and they were already packed. I am sure that he isn't even going to have time to set down much today between breakfast and lunch. It is so wonderful to live close to where we work again. I can be home in 15 minutes and he can be home in 2. This is really nice in the mornings. I get up at the same time I did when I lived 45 minutes from work so I have extra time in the morning for making my bed, doing odd & end household chores, playing with our dog, and just "waking up". I then get ready for work and leave in plenty of time to get there so, no rushing. Then, when I get home (in 15 minutes) all of the housework is done so I come home to a clean house. He gets off a half hour before me so he is usually home before me unless he stays to visit with some of the regulars before he leaves. In either case we are both home before 5:15 and have the rest of the afternoon/night together. This is very special to me considering at his last job we had no "at-home" time together except for Sunday and it was spent running around doing our shopping and visiting family so we still didn't have any "at-home" time. I am so happy to be back into a "routine" way of life and to be back in my hometown surrounded by my family and friends.

Since I mentioned my Mom this morning, I will share with you a poem I wrote about her...

"Angel in Disguise"

God created mothers to love and nurture us
And gave them strength to endure without making a fuss
Beautiful Angels sent from above
Disguised as mothers to fill our hearts with love

My mom gives me love that has no end
She is not only my mother but also my friend
And when God blesses me with a child of my own
I hope my love is like hers, the best I’ve ever known

I remember standing in front of her looking in the mirror as she put on her make-up. She would always let me put a little on myself.
I remember thinking how beautiful she was as I tried my best to do it just the way she did.
Sometimes she would catch me watching her and would look at me through the mirror and say “Here’s looking at you kid”.
Never, since then, have I seen someone more beautiful than she was during those moments.

It’s amazing how much love you can have for your mother. There is no end to what I would do for her.
She loved me before I was born and I will love her until I die.
I love you “Pretty Lady”

Sherri Kaye

December 5, 2003

Sherri K Photography

Well, first I would like to begin by telling you that I finally have my apartment all settled. I finished it on Friday so I was able to spend the weekend relaxing with my husband and our dog Holly. Thank you God for the strength to get it all done in one week.

I would also like to announce the addition of "Sherri K Photography" to my blog page. Taking pictures is my favorite pastime and is something I would love to do one day as a profession. I have taken several pictures of nature/scenery, weddings and some portraits too. I have not included any of the wedding pictures or portraits, other than the ones of my husband, because I have not asked for their permission to post them on my blog page. I will periodically add more photographs for you to view and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoy taking them. Although I enjoy taken portraits, my heart is truly inspired by God's artwork (nature). There is something so serene about a still lake or a quiet forest that just relaxes me so. I feel the closest to God in the outdoors. He has surrounded us in beauty; if we only take the time to look.

My husband has started his new job this morning. I hope things will work out with it. I am concerned about our finances, but I know God will provide. Heavenly Father, I pray that you bless my husband as he starts his new job this morning. I ask that you give him patience as this can be a high-paced job. Give him strength Father to do his job and do it well. Please bless us financially Father. In Jesus' Holy and Wonderful Name I Pray...Amen.

Getting Settled

Well, I have gotten down to 1 room left to finish in my new apartment. I am down to the living room now. I plan on going home to finish it up and do all the final touches throughout the rest of the place tonight. I will be so happy to come home tomorrow afternoon and just enjoy a night on the couch relaxing with my hubby!

He has been so wonderful the last couple of weeks. He is in between jobs right now and I tell you if I could afford it, he would be a stay-at-home husband! He has done all of the things on his "honey-do" list (and many extras that I didn't even have on there), he has cooked supper every night, washed both of our vehicles, kept the laundry up and has gotten up with me every morning to see me off to work; he even went to the grocery store today and picked me up from work to take me out to lunch. Wow! I wish I made double my salary...that man would be home everyday. God has truly blessed me with a good man.

Well, I didn't get to blog until late today and it is almost time to clock out, so until tomorrow...

Going Home

Well, here it is another beautiful day that God has blessed us with. I am extremely tired this morning. I have been moving for over a week now. It is a lot of work, but well worth it. I am moving back to my hometown. There is nothing like going back home; especially, in a small town like I am from. I love walking into the bank in our town and everyone knows me by name, it's not like walking in somewhere where you are just another face in the crowd. In our town, if you go for a walk, there will be at least one person stop to see if you need a ride. I have always felt safe and secure there. That is why I am back and so very excited to be close to my family again.

Although I am moving back home close to my parents and the rest of my family, there are 2 very important people that were a huge part of my life that I will miss very much, they are my grandparents, Louise & John "Torchy" Mullins. I lost my grandmother Louise in 1998 and my grandfather Torchy in 2006. I wish that they were still just down the road from me, but they have gone "home" to live in eternity together with our Lord. I have attached 2 writings below that describe the way I felt when I lost them. I know that one day I will see them again and that is what makes their being gone bearable.

“Camel Cigarettes and Paint-Splattered Clothes”
Memories of Papaw “Torchy”

Some of the things that I can remember most about Pap are…
Stories of how he went to school all day once and having to walk to school “up hill both ways…”
Having us smell the tobacco in his camel cigarettes “that there is good tobacco” he would say
Paint on everything he owned. That is how we could tell what clothes were his.
His favorite color was brown and most of the time that is what color he painted the house. Except for a couple of times it was purple and green.
Telling us “I guess I’ll go to bed now, you good people might want to go home”
Times when he would get a wild hair and paint the house…AGAIN
Going to the river to set lines and bringing home 10-pound catfish
Going to the river and coming back talking about an alligator running him up a tree!
Going to Lebanon to rabbit hunt, Misty and Emmett in tow
Hunting for night crawlers at night by flashlight in Uncle John’s yard
Going to the creek to get crawdeads. He would have to tear the pinchers off before I would hold them...
Always having an immaculate garden, which he would have to show you every time you visited
He loved SWEETS, SWEETS and more SWEETS and giving us “beard”
Breakfast on the table every morning whether you were hungry or not

I could go on and on about the memories I have of Pap. I loved him so much. I know he loved me too, not that he would say it very often, but I just knew. He showed it in the little things he did and in the glow in his eyes. But above all things about Pap that I do remember is the love he had for my Granny. He would go to the ends of the earth for her. I remember when she would just mention something she would like to have and Pap would run to get it for her. He never was the same after she passed. He could not wait to get back to her. Well the day came on January 1, 2006 when he finally went home to be with her. I can only imagine what that homecoming was like. I pictured it as Granny saying, “get in here Old Man Mullins, I have been waiting for you”. Now they are walking hand-in-hand and holding there baby boy Jeffrey. Not to mention having Mammy and Mamaw Shuffitt there too.

I know Pap is in a better place now and he is without pain. Loved ones he has missed for years surround him now. It will be hard for us left behind but we can find comfort in knowing that dying is what he wanted so that he could live forever in the glory of our Father with the love of his life.

I will keep all the memories I have of Pap in my heart forever and I will look back on them often. But the first thing I will think of when thinking about Pap will be…
…Camel cigarettes and paint-splattered clothes.

I love you Pap. You will be truly missed.

In Memory of John L. “Torchy” Mullins
September 26, 1928 – January 1, 2006

Sherri Kaye

January 6, 2006

"Granny"

I remember sitting on the front porch with her and talking about everything. She would always listen and give her good sound advice. It is quiet moments like this that I miss the most. We had a special relationship. We would do things like go shopping all day, sit on the front porch enjoying the scenery, and lounge on the couch watching soaps and game shows. She was my Granny and I loved her so much. She made me feel like I was so important and she always made me her priority. I knew if ever I needed someone to talk to, day or night, she was there. She always made me feel so safe. From the time I was a little child I remember crying when I had to leave her. We just had that special connection. I remember my aunt telling me that the day they brought me home from the hospital after I was born, Granny took me into her bedroom, rocked me, and cried. I think that is when our hearts bonded. When she died I felt like part of me died with her. There are so many times when I long to go back, back to the days when Granny & me were always together. I miss that since of security and love that she always gave me. I found myself many times getting ready to pick up the phone and call her when something had gone wrong in my life only to remember that she had passed on and wouldn’t be there to answer. There were many times when I would drive to her house to see her just by habit only to be disappointed again. I found this void in my life that I didn’t know how to fill. To this day I still break down when I hear certain songs, watch certain movies, or talk about her. But I feel that God has a way of putting those things before you so that you never forget those people so important in your life. It has been a long struggle, but I have finally grasped reality enough to know that she will never be gone, that her spirit lives on in me and she will always be there with me. She is only a dream or a prayer away. I feel her presence around me often and I think of her every day. She helped make me what I am today and I will forever be thankful for it. She changed many lives during her short time here on earth and I am sure that she is making Heaven a little brighter now.

She is truly missed.

I love you Granny!

In Memory of Margaret Louise Mullins
February 4, 1933 – February 2, 1998

Sherri Kaye

March 26, 2004

I Remember…
Memories of a “Daddy’s Girl”

God gave us a Daddy to love and admire,
Someone who loves you so much that he would walk through fire.
A strong man so kind and so true,
The one man in your life who will always be there for you.

I remember being small and thinking there was nothing he could not do,
He could go to work, mow the yard, and still have time for me too.
I was his little girl, the one he sprayed with a water hose in the back yard,
When it came to spending time with me, he was never too tired.

I remember Saturday trips looking for new shoes,
Playing games with him and he would never let me lose.
I was “Daddy’s Girl” and this I could not deny,
And Daddy thought the same of me; I was the light of his eye.

I remember all the thought he put into putting together my toys,
And how strict he was when it came to hanging out with boys.
“I got a mean shotgun” to them he would say,
It was “Don’t hurt my little girl” just put in a different way.

I remember the year he bought me my first ten-speed bike,
He tried to be sneaky when he asked me what colors I liked.
And the stereo he bought me for Christmas that one year,
When I woke up to Bon Jovi playing in my ear.

I remember telling him “Daddy he’s the one”,
And him telling me, “Honey your future has just begun”.
Daddy knew he loved me even from the start,
And he trusted this boy with his little girl’s heart.

I remember, him crying the day he walked me down the aisle,
As he thought that his little girl was no longer a child.
I remember thinking as my new husband slipped on my ring,
I may have found my prince charming, but you Daddy will always be my king.

Many years have passed and I still feel the same,
I will always be “Daddy’s Girl” the only thing that changed was my name.
My Daddy is so special and he means the world to me,And because of that, “Daddy’s Girl” is what I will always be.

Sherri Kaye
October 20, 2003

A Little History

Since I will be posting a lot of my writings, I thought I should give you all a little history about myself so that they will make since to you. First and foremost you must know that family is the most important thing in my life. I am totally a "Daddy's Girl" and I am so in love with my husband that some people find it sickening. When I was 13 I moved in with my grandparents and in the last 10 years, I have lost them both. Another thing that has affected my life is the fact that I haven't been able to have children. However, I have 2 Godchildren and many nieces and nephews that fill that void well. You will see all of these issues in the different writings that I will periodically post.

Some of my writings are not based on my life but issues that are going on in the world today. Issues that touch my heart, like our soldiers overseas and their families waiting for them at home. And some are "magical" like dreaming of loved ones lost and their "visits". I hope that you will enjoy these writings and my daily blogs. I will start with one of my favorites...