The Book

A Clock, a Coffee Pot and a Field of Lilies is going into.......(drum roll)......it's second printing!! If you want a book, e mail me at asklulabelle@windstream.net and I will tell you where to get it!

If you don't know about the story and how it came to be...where have you been?

When my father passed away last year, my heart literally shattered into a million pieces. My grief turned me upside down and I didn't know how to even breathe. I have five children to take care of and I just couldn't allow myself to fall apart.

So, I took all that horrible, sad energy and decided to create something meaningful out of it. Telling my father's story was very healing for me. Daddy was a wonderful man who was loved by so many (which is why I was able to sell so many books! I ain't stupid) and I thought people might want to know what made him so special. He not only healed folks physically, he healed people spiritually.

Daddy won the National Science Fair, met JFK, went on the Today's Show, got a scholarship to an Ivy League School, became a doctor, had quite an interesting life. But he struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism. His struggles took him on a journey to find hope and that's what the story is about.

He eventually lived a clean and sober life for the last 24 years of his life until he passed away. Even battling cancer and the terrible treatments, he did not medicate his pain with drugs. He spent his life serving others. He was selfless. He gave all he had away. He was known to trade medical services for chickens, fire wood and art.

Proceeds from the sale of each book go to the J. Michael Hosford Foundation. That way we can continue Daddy's life's work of helping others.

If you need a good cry...then a good laugh... and then to be swept up spiritually and emotionally, this book is for you!

Comments

Hey, y'all. If you have left me a comment recently, I unfortunately have not been able to view it or post it. I think I have finally fixed the problem. Please send your comments again!!

Here's what's new this summer:
We have been so busy. We have had lots of visitors! Adrian's sister's, Susan and Sherry came from Idaho to visit Love but I am glad they spent time with us too. We had fun dinners together. And enjoyed early summer nights out by the swing set.

We have been swimming almost every day. Mollie finally got rid of her floaties and is now an expert swimmer. Fischer learned how to do a back flip and front flip into the pool just like his Dad! Adrian always shows off for me by doing these type of tricks. Jolie and Sydney have taught Nicholas to jump in from the side and he does it over and over again.

Adrian planted our garden and it is lookin' good. I can hardly wait to eat a tomato from the vine.

My sister and niece, Jennifer and Wiley and my sister and nephew, Rebecca and Hosford all came for a visit to mama's house and we pigged out eating El Sombrero a lot! Hosford and Wiley are getting so big. All the cousins were so glad to be together. My sisters and I stayed up late talking and talking. Those moments are the best.

We participated in Relay for Life on my dad's office's team. I cried when they launched the mini hot air balloon luminaries. It was the most beautiful thing. We cheered on Uncle Bill in the Miss Relay drag queen contest and he WON!! We partied all night, I signed about a hundred books and we raised a lot of money for the fight against cancer. It was fun to be there with my whole family.

My birth mother, Nancy came for a visit. She stayed a few days to go to the book reading which was a success. About 150 people were there and we sold about 200 books. Matthew Hoyle played the music for it and it was amazing. He is so talented. I have DVD's of the show. If anyone wants me to mail them one, let me know.

Adrian and I celebrated my birthday a day early on Saturday without the kids! We painted pottery, drove to the mountains and went hiking. It was so much fun and we really needed the break. Now, it's back to craziness. I'll post pictures tomorrow. xoxoxo

Today is a gift

Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift...
That's why it is called the present.

(I don't know who said this, but I heard it on Kung Fu Panda last night and it really touched my heart.)

Today

Don't forget to mark your calendars for June 9 (Tuesday) at 7:30 pm!

At First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, we are hosting a dessert reception to launch of the J. Michael Hosford Foundation.

I will be reading three chapters from the book: A Clock, a Coffee Pot, and a Field of Lilies. Matthew Hoyle will be playing his guitar and singing.

Here is a sneak preview of the book, taken from chapter 2, "A Pathway to Enlightenment"

I was only a little girl, but have always known his palm sized book held so many answers for him. Sometimes I would read it after he would leave for the office. I felt I was somehow unlocking a secret formula when I would sneak a peek into his private thoughts. We could ponder the same things all day and we would be together that way, even though he was going to be gone, being very busy. Sometimes I would put the book to my nose and smell it. Hints of coffee, cologne, toothpaste and fabric softener lingered on whatever my father touched.

Daddy took everything life handed him one day at a time. Sometimes he would say in order to stay sober, he had to do it "just for today." He did not worry about tomorrow. He did not dwell on the past. He focused on today. "This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it," was the scripture we chose for his funeral. How fitting. Today was all he ever had.

Fischer's Fshing Trip by: Fischer C.

This is a fishing trip I went on with my dad. It was at Lake Oconne. I walked on a train trestle. I went camping in bear infested woods!! I burned my hand on the lantern. The first time we went, my dad had bad gas.....in the motor! The motor wouldn't work so my dad had to paddle like for 30 minutes to get under the train trestle. Then we put minnows on our hooks and went fishing in the dark. We did not catch anything except some "stick fish." The second time we went my dad got a big tug on his pole!! It was a big bass!! The fish broke the line. That's why my dad says it is called fishing and not catching. :[

"Don't cry because its over; smile because it happened."

Jolie was required to write an essay for the Georgia Laws of Life Essay Contest a few months ago. It is one of the largest essay contests of its kind in the world. This year, 44,880 students submitted an essay to the competition. Jolie was selected as one of the winners. Not only is it a great honor, she won some money!

The purpose of the essay is to challenge young adults to examine important character values such as love, loyalty, generousity, courage, compassion and perseverance. They had to pick a well known quote and write about how they use it in their lives.

The quote Jolie chose doesn't surprise me. My friend, Amanda, gave us this little quote in a frame after Daddy's funeral. It is on a shelf next to his picture and we read it every day. As we approach the anniversary of the day he left us and went to God, I am smiling because it happened. Jolie is too. I am so proud of her. She is a wonderful example to us all. Here's her winning essay:

“Don’t cry because it is over; smile because it happened.”
--Dr. Seuss

Losing my grandfather, “Boompa,” was the hardest thing I have ever been through. He had cancer. We thought he was winning his battle, but he suddenly took a turn for the worse at the end of April. I remember standing by his bedside. He looked so handsome and peaceful, even on his last day. I got to tell him goodbye. I got to tell him how much I loved him. I am so glad I had that chance. But it was incredibly sad.

I tried not to cry in front of anyone. Everyone was holding back tears. Eventually I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer. I went into a room by myself and finally let it all out. I wondered how I could ever feel happy again because I had never felt so low before. Boompa passed away later that night. I cried for days and days. I just missed him so much. I was sad that he won’t be at my plays. I was sad he won’t be able to teach me to drive a car. I was sad he will miss my graduation. I was sad that he will miss walking me down the aisle when I get married with my father, because I was so close to him, he was like my father too. And when I was little, before my mother married the man who adopted me, Boompa was the only father I had. How could I ever be happy knowing he is gone?

Eventually, my grief turned into gratitude. Trying not to think about Boompa only made me more devastated and only made me cry more, so instead I let myself think about him. Good memories began filling my heart. I remembered spending the night with my grandparents last year and watching High School Musical 2 with Boompa. It was cheesy, but the two of us enjoyed watching it together. Boompa was a pediatrician and he said he always had to keep up with what was cool for children so he would be able to talk about it at the office. He would pretend to see different characters in children’s ears while giving an exam, and so he needed to always be current with the times. Whenever I was little, he would see Barney, Big Bird and later, Zac Effron or Brad Pitt in my ears if I had an earache.

I began remembering all my summers spent with my grandparents at their pool or at the beach. Boompa loved having all his children and grandchildren around him. He was a family man. Boompa used to take me out in the ocean to find sand dollars. He would hold my hands and help me jump waves. He would tell me stories about the phases of the moon, the currents and the tides of the sea. Boompa loved to read, but at the poolside, he would always look up from his book and watch me and my brothers and sisters do tricks in our swimming or diving. He would cheer for us.

The memories of my grandfather now fill the space he left when he passed away. I still miss him more than anything, but I can now smile every time I think about him. It is okay to be sad. But it is also good to count your blessings too. And because of my Boompa, my life is filled with many, many blessings. I am so glad he was in my life, even though it was much too short.

--Jolie Cutchshaw age 14

My Little Square Peg, Sydney

After a 7 year battle with the school...Sydney finally wins! We claimed victory today in a three hour long meeting! Sydney has struggled to keep up in school for her whole life. Things do not come easy to her. She just learned to tie her shoes and is in the sixth grade! But she is smart, creative, articulate, funny, mathematically inclined and artistic. She has many gifts and talents, believe me!

Sydney gets things mixed up. She is not organized. She has terrible memory problems. She is like Dori in Finding Nemo. I have been begging the school to test her for learning disabilities. I have known for sure since she was little that she had ADHD and sensory integration dysfunction. She makes terrible grades. And she has been called names like space cadet, lazy, stupid, slow, etc... Both teachers and kids are guilty of making fun of her. She hates school. It is no picnic for her.

This year we hired an advocate and it was the best thing we ever did for Sydney. We've had long meetings, sometimes heated discussions and arguments from both sides. I have been emotional and cried. It has not been easy. I have felt tempted at times to give up. But I look at Sydney and see this bubbly, beautiful young woman and my love for her makes me get up and fight harder to help her. I would do anything I could for her.

Sydney and Nicholas really do have a lot of things in common. In fact, they speak the same language. Sydney has a very special bond with Nicholas and I think their minds work in similar ways. Dr. Rubin said it is very typical to see an autistic brother to have a sister with some form of learning difference. Girls usually fair better than boys if there is some type of glitch.

Today Sydney finally received an IEP. That stands for Individual Educational Plan. It means she will get help! It means no teacher can accuse her of not trying or say that she is just unmotivated. Anyone of you who knows Sydney knows that she is the opposite of unmotivated. She is a go getter in the real world. But when you fail constantly at school and you are terribly confused about what you should be doing at your desk, you eventually do give up.

It is sad, but at least things will turn around now. Where I felt despair, I feel hope. I am so happy! I cried and cried when I walked through the door this afternoon and hugged Sydney and yelled, "You won!" She smiled and said, "Does this mean no one can call me stupid any more?" And I said, "That is exactly what it means!" That piece of paper gives her power. It gives her power to ask for help. It gives her power to be understood. It gives her power in validating she has a real problem and it's not a CHOICE. Most teachers will look at Sydney and think because she looks normal, that she should learn like everyone else. But we don't all fit into the model for typical learning. Sometimes there really is a reason beyond a person's control of why they cannot do certain things without help. And I know a little bit of help goes a long way for Sydney because she has such a cooperative, generous, grateful spirit. So my little square peg finally got her IEP to help her find a way to fit into a round hole! Yipppee!