Another year without Mama, as we put on her gravestone, "You were the best!"

Reposting what a story I wrote a while back. I am posting in memory of my Mama, Linda Lee Wirth Reece Lewis who went home to be with the Lord, 14 years ago, today. Some of you may have already read this, but I hope it is a keeper!


Mama Said

I woke up from the dream weeping, "I want my Mama!" I am 58 years old and she has been dead nearly 12 years. Will the need to reconnect with the one who gave me life never end? Is the cry of grief endless?
I first experienced it on the day that she died. It is uncontrollable, inconsolable. Involuntarily, it came from my mouth. A piercing scream to match the piercing pain in my heart. But in my mind's eye, I flash back forty years. I heard that same scream coming out of my mother's mouth at the news of her mother's death. It is nearly a primitive sound.

I was assaulted with thoughts of things I felt I could have done or should have done. In previous months, Mama had stayed with us for a few weeks to recover from several surgeries. We were in close contact but the week before she passed away, my children had been sick and we didn’t get to see each other.

Our last conversation haunted me. We had always been close and I usually called to check on her every morning. It was about 8:10 AM. I was in the midst of Monday morning rush. “Hi Mom, I’m on my way to take the kids to school and thought I’d see how you are feeling and what you are up to.”
“I can’t talk now, the nurse is here,” Mama said. It was her routine house visit to check her post-surgery wound. How I wished I had said, "Call me when she leaves." Because of such a quick call I spoke no meaningful words and felt a lack of closure.

At her moment of death I thought I would be at her side. Although I reached the hospital before the ambulance got there with Mama she had already passed away at home in her own bed.
“Please let me go in,” I begged the nurse.

“A doctor has to check her first,” I was told. Assuming she was still alive, I waited; but Mama had died at home in her own bed the way she had wanted to go.

It was hard to accept not being with her at the end. I had always tried to be the "perfect daughter." As the oldest child wasn't that part of my job description? Yet I couldn't control the uncontrollable; there is a time to be born and a time to die.

Many times when I have a dream about her I wake up and try to think of all the happy times we had. Mama was raised in the Deep South and there was always an “old saying” coming out of her mouth. Mama used to say, "Men will go after anything in a skirt!" but I'm sure we don't want to go there. As a teenage mother, divorced two times, she was probably trying to keep me from repeating her mistakes.

It wasn't easy for Mama to raise four children under the age of nine alone when my stepfather was put in prison. Her own mother and father had already passed away, and she was left on her own when she bypassed advice to put us in a children's home until she could get her life together. Although, she was a high-school dropout she was smart enough to know it could take a long time, and she wasn't going to be without her children if she could help it. I will forever be grateful that we were kept together as a family. Just sixteen when I was born she was quite a survivor! She loved to dance and I remember thinking what a pretty Mom I had as she danced to "Be Bop A Lula;" she adored Elvis, Dick Clark and the American Bandstand, and Chubby Checker, "Everybody do the twist." And everybody did.
Even though we moved often, she always worked and made sure there was food on the table. She had a lot of common sense and was so generous you would think she was a rich woman. Her employers loved her because not only could she work circles around everyone else, she made them laugh while she did it.

She used to say "It's a great life if you don't weaken," "You have to laugh to keep from crying,” and "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

And Mama always said, "What goes around comes around." That is what I would like imitate. That is why I want to sow seeds of goodness, kindness and love because those are the types of things I want to come back to my family. Bless your children and they will bless you. Love your husband and see what a return you get. It is the principal of "sowing and reaping."
Mama also said, "Only the good die young." This must certainly be true. She died unexpectedly at age 62. Sometimes I try to imagine life with her still here. Many times I have gone over in my mind the things I wanted to do for her when she was alive. Whenever we have a family celebration or are eating at a restaurant, I am often wishing she were still alive and here enjoying herself. She loved to eat and used to say, "I'd rather die than not be able to eat what I want."
Diabetes helped that statement come true.
Mama, if I had you back for even one day, I would treat you like a queen. I would take you anywhere you wanted to go. I would make you whatever you liked for me to cook, carrot cake or the little fancy sandwiches for a picnic. We would find a “Po Folks” restaurant even if I had to drive you from Florida to Tennessee to do it. I would take you to a movie and to the flea market. I would rub your back with alcohol and then lotion and I would wash your tired feet with warm, scented water and my tears. I would pray a blessing upon you and show you how much I love you.
These are thoughts I have when I meditate on my mother. Our relationship had its ups and downs, but it is still the strongest bond on the earth, that mother-daughter connection. I will always remember the things my Mama said and it’s funny, but I seem to be saying a lot of them to my own daughters, now.



“Loving by Intervention”

I’m writing and encouraging others to write and help the Substance Abuse Task Force as they go to Tallahassee to speak about addictions and how it affects families. Trudy Duffy has mentioned a new website FAMM - Families Against Mandatory Minimums http://www.famm.org/ with important information.
For those who don’t know what The Marchman Act is, it is a legal procedure (free) that someone can be involuntarily held for about 72 hours in a detox facility. It puts your loved one on a priority list that bumps them ahead in the recovery system. It is named after a wonderful pastor in our area Hal Marchman whose church and reputation are big in Recovery in the Daytona Area and now all over. I’m sure Stewart/Marchman is named after him also; I looked up where it was at his request that the Stewart/Marchman foundation was formed.

But is isn’t as easy or as fast as we may think it will be.
If anyone wants a copy of my free copy of my story,
“Loving by Intervention” Please sign up as a follower of my blog: http://thornrose7.blogspot.com/ and then email me at ThornRose7@aol.com with the subject, “Loving by Intervention” with your email address and I will work on getting you a free copy (for your personal use only) this week.

These "Tidings" will make your heart glad:) book review of Glad Tidings

I have to admit the main reason I accepted the book review call by BookCrash for “Glad Tidings (The First Twenty-five Years of Flanders Family Christmas Letters) by Jennifer Flanders is a friend of mine had told me I needed to do a compilation myself along the same line. So although Christmas had passed I ordered the book that came surprisingly fast. The first thing I noticed when I finally got a chance to read it, (with Christmas clutter still abounding, I have to admit to losing it a few times) was this was not a one-page letter or poem as most of mine have been. This is a diary of a life well lived and a very large family.


Actually I see another book in the future not in Christmas letter form and more detailed. As I had been myself a homeschool mom for my youngest daughter, I also had some preconceived ideas of what this would be and was very happy to find that although this lady is definitely a “superwoman” mom, they were not an uptight family. She really did it in a way that I wish that I had been able to, but did not have the ability to take all those trips or have some of the resources that she had.
From the beginning of the book where it was just the two of them (and Jennifer’s husband is a real “superhero” himself) to the end you will fall in love with this family. It also seemed that Jennifer and Doug had found the Fountain of Youth, as they looked as wonderful in the last pictures as in the first ones. The pictures were a great addition to the book as well as some songs, scripture and a recipe. It is obvious that they all loved each other and loved spending time together. Should I say, “may their tribe increaseJ”?
They have extreme imaginations to do all that they set out to do and their children certainly have taken up the torch. You will “laugh out loud” at many of the antics of the children and although it was hard to keep track of them because there were so many, I loved each name and each little heart. It took me a bit to really get into to book but then I was won over and bowled over by their lives. The only thing that might need to be altered a bit was the perhaps overuse of italics, but that could just be me.
I don’t want to give away the story but these children were very well educated in the school of life and I love that. When they went to Jamestown in full costumes that their mother made, how cool is that? I see a sequel or better yet, let me know when the lifetime movie comes out!
Each letter ended with the love of the Lord and an invitation to follow him. That is the reason for the season and for the book and I know that each person who reads it will be blessed.

Donna Collins Tinsley

Naive Parents

I thank Beth Patch from CBN.com for posting this recently: http://blogs.cbn.com/battlingaddictions/archive/2012/01/20/naive-no-more.aspx

If you don't have time to go there, here it is:
Naive No More

Sometimes as a mother and grandmother I find that I am just too naive about drugs and addictions so I decided to do something about it.
"Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:4-7
It was my first time at the Substance Abuse Task Force Forum. I soon found out that around the table sat people from all walks of life. Doctors, workers from the school system, people from the local drug treatment centers and people representing the Faith based community were all there. Addictions breaks down the barriers we sometimes feel about those in different walks of life. I was grateful to see a friend that goes to a support group for families who have loved ones with addictions and went over to sit by her.

The meeting was very well organized and well run. It became evident who was there in the professional capacity and who had been hurt by addictions personally, although they seemed at times to overlap. The people whose stories and input moved my heart most were the parents who had lost loved ones. Full of pain, anger and frustration these parents not only wanted help and resources in the community, they demanded it.

One mother said the cost of housing and providing an attorney for the man who gave her young son a lethal dose of methadone was much more than the cost of bringing NOPE* to our county. She was there to get the word out, to make sure that her beautiful son did not die in vain. She was there to help save other middle school students, if at all possible.
I remember reading about this young teenager earlier in the year, whose body was found after dumpster diving for drugs. As I read the newspaper article my heart went out to this mother. She was in my prayers. The man responsible has been indicted on a charge of first-degree felony murder in connection with the death.

The perpetrator told the children how to retrieve discarded Methadone bottles from the dumpster. The boys went into the dumpster and retrieved two large bags full of plastic Methadone bottles. The trio returned to a home where small amounts of Methadone from each bottle was extracted and shared with the two boys.

The boys later became sick and passed out. The woman at the forum's son never awoke and was discovered dead the next morning. This man used teenagers to get his high from drugs and now one boy is not alive and there is another grieving mother because of drugs. What a horrible thing to happen to a young child at the hand of his neighbor.
How heartbreaking for this mother, yet she was there to try and make a difference for another family, so perhaps they can be spared the pain she has experienced.

We all need to become more educated concerning what is going on in our communities. As Forums are provided within the community, take advantage of the knowledge and education provided. And then pass it on to others in need. I think "naive no more" will be my motto as I strive to "get wisdom."

The Message says it this way:

Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!

Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch!

Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life;

love her—she keeps her eye on you.

Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!

Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!

Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it;

never let her go—she'll make your life glorious.

She'll garland your life with grace,

she'll festoon your days with beauty."

Dear friend, take my advice;

it will add years to your life.

I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,

I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.

I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,

or wasting time making wrong turns.

Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip.

Guard it well—your life is at stake. The Message Proverbs 4:5-9

Donna Collins Tinsley

Donna Collins Tinsley, wife, mother and grandmother, lives in Port Orange, Florida and has been included in several magazines and book compilations. Find her at Facebook, http://thornrose7.blogspot.com/ or join Somebody’s Mother Online Prayer Support Group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/119408188089314?id=244911885538943

Please email her at Thornrose7@aol.com /

*Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education http://www.nopetaskforce.org/

I Have a Dream, too

An old poem revisited: A Mother who Dreams


Will I ever have the family

Of my dreams

Or will I forever be

As my friend called me

A mother who dreams?



I’ll never forget the day

I was discouraged.

She was cheering me up

She meant it in a special way, as if I was the mother of her dreams, a prayer warrior, faithful and kind.

Yet I, knowing myself as I do, struggling at times to just keep my sanity,

heard it as what I truly am,

a “mother who dreams.”



I dream of sanity in our lives instead of chaos.

I dream of peace and right standing with God for all my children and grandchildren.

I dream of testimonies given of overcoming by God’s grace and the mercy He lavishes upon us each day.

I dream of happiness, wholeness and health.

I dream of restored relationships.I dream of learning to go down a different path and being happy to stay on it, instead of falling in the dark pits of familiarity.

And I dream of the day that all my children will be taught of the Lord and great will be the peace of my children

Heal our hearts, Lord

And may my dreams come true.


Donna Collins Tinsley

I dream and yet every day I am also doing this:

“I emptied myself of all my old ideas of what my life should be.” (From the al-anon book Discovering Choices)
Click on the link to see Dr. Martin Luther King
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBx4vPr27fo&feature=related

Rewriting Your Story; Is There a Happy Ending Out There?

If you don’t have time to read it all, this is the main thought that I am feeling: “If it were up to me…” and then the words pound desperate and hard, “I’d write this story differently.” (Ann Voscamp)


"If it were up to me,” yet I know we have to yield to the Lord's hand and people's choices. The whispers of the enemy can be so strong that the love of family and the Lord are silenced. But it won’t be forever, hold on! This story isn’t over yet.
I’m reposting something that is so beautifully written that it may help someone today. Actually I am also someone who needs to read and believe. Drink this word deep into your soul. Ann Voscamp says, “God reveals himself in rearview mirrors.”

She also says, “When it gets dark, it is only because God has tucked me into a cleft of the rock and covered me, protected with His hand? In the pitch I feel like I’m falling, sense the bridge giving way, God long absent. In the dark, the bridge and my world shakes, cracking dreams.

But maybe this is true reality; It is in the dark that God is passing by. The bridge and our lives shake not because God has abandoned, but the exact opposite; God is passing by. God is in the tremors. Dark is the holiest ground, the glory passing by. In the blackest, God is closest, at work, forging His perfect will. Though it is black and we can’t see and our world seems to be free-falling and we feel utterly alone, Christ is most present to us, I-beam supporting in earthquake. Then He will remove His hand. Then we will look.

Then we will look back and see His hand.” (Ann Voscamp)

She also wrote at a time that they were burying the second baby son of her brother and sister-in-law’s within a span of a few years: “If it were up to me…” and then the words pound desperate and hard, “I’d write this story differently.” (Ann Voscamp)
My dear ones, that struck my heart today as I think upon the sorrows that so many are going through. Losses through death, mental illness, estrangement, unforgiveness, bad health, financial losses, and addictions the list is endless. How I wish I could write each of your stories differently so you all get that happy ending that we sometimes long for. Yet think on those we admire and what their story cost them. Think of Joan of Arc, and Corrie Ten Boom to just name two. Their stories and pain have prompted many to live holy for Jesus. The Lord is weaving with golden threads the love story He is writing about each family. The dark times and threads only serve to make the gold and diamond threads He is inserting stand out stronger. Love, Hope (whose name is Jesus ) and prayers, Donna
It is said as Joan was burning she said these things:

Joan asking for a crucifix to be held level with her eyes:
"Hold the crucifix up before my eyes so I may see it until I die."

Joan of Arc's last words.

"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"

New Year Musings

I know I am late with a New Year post. With Rosemary Upton (my writing mentor)passing away right before Christmas, and then the book review about As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson, Christina-Taylor Green Roxanna Green (Author), Jerry B. Jenkins (Author) corresponding to yesterday's one year anniversary, I wanted to keep some of those posts up for longer. One of our ladies from our Somebody's Mother Online Prayer Support Group lost her daughter this week and we all were devastated. I ask for prayers for their family.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/119408188089314/
But here is a little something I posted on FB recently:
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
His ways are good even when we can't see for the darkness. His ways are good even when they aren’t our ways. His ways are good through the valley of the shadow of death. His ways are good when we are lonely because He will come to us. His ways are good when we are struggling because He can calm ...the struggle. His ways are good when our children have abandoned or forsaken us (and Him) or gone astray because He is the mighty shepherd who searches for the lost one. His ways are good in pain as He is the healer. His ways are good when the road is long and the journey seems too hard to travel for he travels with us.


His ways are good we will believe for this year. We can’t create, change or cure but His ways are good and He can. Think on your blessings, as that is the only way to overcome the darkness of this world. He is the light and His ways are good!

A Mother’s Tribute of Love for an Unforgettable Child

As Good As She Imagined: The Redeeming Story of the Angel of Tucson, Christina-Taylor Green Roxanna Green (Author), Jerry B. Jenkins (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Good-She-Imagined-Redeeming-Christina-Taylor/dp/1617950122/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325174882&sr=1-1-fkmr0

This story written from a mother’s viewpoint will rock your world as you experience a part of the pain she felt in losing such a dear child.
Christina-Taylor Green truly did seem like an angel sent briefly to earth. From the birth date of 9/11 to the day of her tragic death her light shone so bright in a dark and sometimes painful world, it is hard not to weep through the whole book. Yet it was so sweet and touching. It reminded me at times of Carol Kent’s book ‘When I Lay My Isaac Down’ where there was a moment when life was so perfect and then their world was turned upside down never to return to that perfection. In saying that I also thought of the book of Job throughout.

The affect that young Christina-Taylor had on people seemed magical, even down to her relationship with her brother, Dallas. Although he had some special needs she made him feel so special and loved that it was a big part of his healing and he seemed to cope so much better with life after she was born. I adored the stories about Christina-Taylor’s relationship with her grandmother. I know they are happy to be together in heaven now.
The time-line of the shootings and the facts given about the tragedy were very informational. But being allowed to journey with this family through their personal grief was a wonderful contribution to the world. I also loved the small but poignant writings from the Dad especially in the last chapter where he said, “I love thinking about Christina-Taylor and will do so forever.” He also wrote a poem called “Faith:”
Christina-Taylor Green on one-eight-eleven,
Was laid to rest and went to heaven.

She left her mark in nine short years,
And we remain to shed our tears.
Mom, Dad, and Dallas will love you forever,
Awaiting the day we’re together again. (John Green)
The letters from friends and family added so much to the value of the story of a life that was much too short. It was good to read what the President said to encourage our nation at the State of the Union address shortly after the shootings. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was also wounded and Christina-Taylor Green was one of six people that were killed, with 13 people wounded.

Shattered in soul and spirit, this mother, Roxanna Green gave us such a gift in writing this book (along with Jerry B. Jenkins) and the heart of a loving mother was so evident. The focus on forgiving and not dwelling on the murderer was commendable.

Any thoughts I have now of Christina-Taylor make me smile amidst the tears. There are some that the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 speaks of, that “the world was not worthy of them.” Our world was not worthy of such a pure, sweet, kind angel-like spirit as Christina-Taylor Green was. We are so glad the Lord sent her for a brief moment of time to show that you can really live a life that is better than can be imagined. Unforgettable book about an unforgettable family!

Donna Collins Tinsley

A Decidedly Different Christmas Message: “You’re Such a Mother!”

The word of the Lord: But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

“Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also) that the hearts of many may be revealed.” Luke 2:34-35

“You’re such a mother!” she said as she put her arms around me. I was at a support group and my friend and I often would just look at each other and start crying. Sometimes it seemed we could feel each other’s pain. The pains of being the mother of people struggling in addictions, pains of being a part of dysfunctional families, and just the pain of living life in general at times was enough to make us cry. We knew members of our group who had lost loved ones throughout the years and we hurt for them.

Maybe it was just the relief of coming to a quiet room where we didn’t have to be strong for anyone. A room where we could just sit and listen, have peace and serenity, maybe that is what brought the stream of tears from our eyes. Sometimes when I saw my friend weep I would think of my own daughters. Hearing her share made me think how some of my own daughters just might be feeling the way she felt right then, broken and hurting, and thinking that their mother misunderstood them. It was always a prayer prompt and I would pray that there would be someone there for them, when I couldn’t be the one to help bind their wounds; another mother standing in for me to give them a hug and some mother’s love.

You’re such a mother!” Although being a “good mother” had always been in my heart I had failed at that endeavor early on. The funny thing is, though as much as I failed I would have people coming up to me in my later years, saying crazy things like, “Oh you’re a good mom.” Many times I have heard even people older than I was, saying “You remind me of my mother,” and it would be in a sweet way. When grown men that I barely knew started calling me "Mom" at conferences I realized deep in my spirit that it was the gift of God to me. His love and His hand can redeem that person who has failed miserably and still continues to fail. That He knows deep in my heart there is a "Mom" thing going on. That our Lord is the Lord of the second chance and third and fourth chance. That there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still (Corrie Ten Boom.)

 Because of these things I created The Somebody’s Mother Online Prayer Support Group,” so that everyone can have the prayers of "somebody’s mother. "

A few years back a woman who had gone on many pilgrimages and is a woman of prayer laid hands on my head and prayed that I would receive whatever God had given her. She had a beautiful story to tell of a rock she had picked up on her journey that depicted the story of Jesus. She also had visions of Mother Mary and the pain she felt being the earthly mother of our Lord. Trust me if you are a mother you will endure pain of some sort along life’s way. I believe that she imparted somewhat of a mother’s heart to me that day and it is a worthy thing to obtain. But a mother’s heart can also be painful as it is broken over and over again. And the funny thing is, when God imparts such a gift to a woman she doesn’t even have be a mother to have this kind of heart. She can be a sponsor, sister, youth worker or a daughter but this heart can rise up in her to love and defend to the end those the Lord puts in her path.

“You’re such a mother!” In this day and age a statement like that can be profane, yet I choose to call it divine.  

Prayer: Lord, you know how much we would like to hide at times from the pain of life, especially when it involves our children. Help us instead to steer them to the blessings that are in our daily lives and the Season before us.

Thought for the Day: Sometimes as parents we bleed for our children when we see them go through painful situations.

Prayer Focus: Families in pain during the holidays.

My friend Kim, Al-anon, Celebrate Recovery, The Addict’s Mom Facebook Group and most of all Jesus inspired my

“Decidedly Different Christmas message.” 

Thanks to all of you and Merry Christmas!

Donna Collins Tinsley

Christmas 2011

You are welcome to join The Somebody’s Mother Online Prayer Support Group (on Facebook) if you haven’t joined alreadyJ

Or sign up to follow my blog at http://thornrose7.blogspot.com/

Christmas and The Gift of Prayer

Christmas and The Gift of Prayer

 It is said in the Bible that the only thing that is saved in Heaven from earth is our tears and our prayers.

Love, Hope (whose name is Jesus) and prayers is something I sign off with often on Facebook or in letters to others. It’s not something I can wrap up, or you can see visibly but I have to believe the gift of prayer is worthy of giving this Christmas and throughout the year.

Maybe you think it doesn’t take much effort, but the time involved in taking your needs, hurts and family situations before the Lord each morning may involve more than you realize. I was so blessed this year when a noted author, speaker and benefactor of scholarships to many told me that he would commit to pray for a member of my family for one year. I am touched with his gift to me, someone he barely knows, yet he could see that the burden I had for this one needed sharing. I am very grateful that he was so willing to be a part of my life in this way. Tears fill my eyes each time I think of this gift to me. Yes, it is priceless.

Things got even worse during the year for many months and I so wished the mercy of the Lord would come and make all things good for the one we were praying for. It hasn’t happened totally but I can now write this prayer partner and say, “Thank you for the gift of prayer you gave me for my brother. Things are better."

When I first walked into the Port Orange Winning Women Bible study taught by Anita Smith over 20 years ago, I was desperate for help and fellowship.  I had one child holding onto my pants and one in my arms and I sat in the back as my kids weren’t used to going to a nursery. I was so welcomed that day that I knew I had found my home, “my tribe.” During this time I felt that these women held my arms up as helpers held Moses’ arms during times that his own strength was failing. By prayer and fellowship my battles have been won as I listened to the Word of the Lord and acted on it.

It could be said that we are never so tall as when we are before the Lord on our knees. One reason I believe the gift of prayer is so important is I know there were many than prayed for me though-out the years. And sometimes I get prayer requests from others that I can literally feel the pain of the one reaching out for prayer. As a mother, I can feel a mother’s pain as she weeps for her children, as a daughter I can relate to how someone such as me can fail so miserably at life yet be extended mercy from the Lord. One thing I have asked the Lord to do is to remind me often of where I have walked in my life and remember to think of the painful shoes that others may be walking in. Shoes that He, my savior walked in first that we might have life and love

So this year my gift to you will be the gift that I treasure the most from others. Prayer. It is the gift that keeps on giving as we all pay it forward for Christmas.

May your Christmas be full of Jesus and love!

Blessings, Donna Collins Tinsley 2011

A Decidedly Different Christmas Message: “You’re Such a Mother!” Will be posted on http://thornrose7.blogspot.com/, Somebody’s Mother Online Prayer Support Group, The Addict’s Mom, Fractured Families, Friendshipline Ministries, GRG, Women United in Prayer, Prodigal Hope and my other support groups that I treasure probably tomorrow.