Family.

 Family.

 

Nephew Erin came today and visited. He is a good, young man. Well, come to think of it, guess he will be 51 years old this May. Is that not still young? Anyway, it was a pleasant visit. He has been trying to get his emotional well-being up to snuff, while he believes that his sister is still on that roller coaster of loss from their mom’s death. Let’s face it, we all take losses differently. And Lesli was accustomed to talking to her mom quite often. Now she tries to talk on the phone while walking the dog and picking up his deliveries. Ahem.

 

It is difficult to lose our routines or have to change them drastically. And that type of loss hurts just as much as a sudden surprising loss. Regrets? Oh yes! Wishing we could rearrange or change things is usually impossible. And probably unnecessary to boot. In fact, sometimes a complete change is needed for us to get our mindset changed. Whether we “allow” the change or fight it is pretty much up to us. But it stands to reason that adjusting to life as it is now makes more sense than whining and wailing over the losses. Digging up the best memories is one of the ways we can help ourselves heal from loss. Lesli sent some old photos to me the other day. Sitting here remembering the children and Lewis over those years ago just gave me a settled feeling. Nothing is ever really a loss if it can be remembered and cherished. Hope eventually that will be how Erin and Lesli can find peace.

 

Being needed by your family happens to be one of the benefits of trying to stay close to them in your heart even when it is impossible to be close to their homes. You let them know you are willing to listen without reservations, without condemnations. And just be there to encourage and remind them that they are loved. That, too, is something we can do for others in our family—and among our friends. No one should be without that person who willingly listens. We may not have answers: as my “sister” says, “Your prescription will not work for me.” But being available to listen must be worth something to just about anyone. Let us practice listening and being there for others—family or otherwise.

 

Remember to pray for peace, for those whose health is uncertain, for those who mourn, for those who need an extra word of encouragement. We ALL need these things at one time or another.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Wrapping Up the Week.

 Wrapping Up the Week.

 

Ok, got the haircut that was needed to keep my sanity before the hair completely blinded me. Felt a bit like a horse whose forelock had grown down to her nostrils! It is now “wash and wear hair” again. It really is a pretty cool time of year for a haircut, but that just gives me time to find my hat!

 

Went to the Route 66 Group meeting. Met up with several of them over at Pioneer Restaurant. Think we were one short of a dozen. The group plans to go next meeting in March to Bill’s Catfish House in Oklahoma. Maybe the old woman is just being a B*7(H, but she is definitely not going to Oklahoma for any reason, much less for fish.

 

At the meeting today, Kim Bragg got to telling me about their sheep that don’t need to be sheared. Want two little female lambs to raise here on the hill. Yes, that is probably about the craziest thing next to chickens, but always loved Granddad Pollard’s sheep. But those suckers had to be sheared. Other than having to be wormed every so often, sheep pretty much take care of themselves. Well, they have to have a place to stay, which currently would not be a problem. If we don’t get any rain, might have to buy a bale of hay or something like that. And then Barbara said that her son wants to have chickens. Told her that if the broody hen hatched out a rooster, he could have it. Then told her to be sure he buys pullets rather than straight run chicks. Folks think it is an easy thing to raise chicks to be grown hens. SO much is involved, but it is hard to explain to someone who has never been around chickens. Oh well.

 

Apparently, the wind got down to the Ft. Worth area because Carress said her allergies were going wild. This morning my right eye just about glossed over with allergy crud. Used some allergy drops in it and could then see out of it. Not sure just what blew in, but it is all over the kitchen counter again. Sigh

 

Jennifer saw the hand specialist today who thought that her hand would be ok where the cat scratch fever was affecting it. She said it is not as stiff today. It just scares me to think that she has to take the antibiotics and try to get over this mess with all she has on her plate. Her stress levels have been through the roof this year (since February of last year)—one reason she may not have been immune to the bacterial infection. Please pray that she completely and quickly gets over this mess.

 

One of our classmates died on January the ninth from pneumonia. Pat Harmon was a sweet guy, but diabetes and other problems had a cumulative effect on his health. We never know how difficult it will be to take care of ourselves as we age. Two of the women at the table today had had strokes. And one man had had an aneurysm that burst and paralyzed him from the waist down. Thank God he had left his phone on his belt and could call for help. Then there is our friend Roger. Susan takes excellent care of the man, and he minds his manners and only eats what she allows him to have. His diabetes is well under control, but he also just had quadruple bypass surgery this past year. Sitting here praying that he and Susan have many more years together to enjoy their children and grands.

 

Talked to Sterling again today. He was getting ready to practice some music with another guy. They are planning on playing the song “House of the Rising Sun” while a lady sings Amazing Grace to the music. Yes, that sounds strange, but you can bet it will be beautiful when they get it together. Can almost see the music dictator (what Sterling calls him) flinching in his seat! He is all about those “praise and worship” songs that have no real tunes. Oh well. Glad the songs that are in my head will come to me at all times in all places that one never expects. Some music is nearly always floating around up there. Wonder if that happens to anyone else.

 

Both dogs are lying down on the dog bed here in the living room. Together! Thompson really prefers to have it all to himself, but he is sharing tonight. Think Sylvia could clear a room tonight just from her –well, you know how it is when they have had a few treats and not much outdoor time. They had to stay in the house today, but let them out just as soon as possible. Yep, they needed out. Love these critters.

 

Tomorrow is Friday. Trash day. And the neighbors across the street are home as of sometime last night. Have not seen them out and about, but it is pretty cool today for running around in Bermuda shorts and tee-shirts—what he wears most of the time. Think these folks are going to be good neighbors.

 

Jennifer said that when they moved all of Reece’s stuff from his apartment, they got the dirty clothes gathered in bags—and the clean clothes gathered in bags. Now ALL of them need to be washed because they don’t know which is which. He has to go over and finish cleaning this weekend. Can’t imagine how Jenn keeps up with her own house, much less trying to keep up with her boys and their habits. My patience would have been long gone by the time they got out of high school!

 

Sitting here thinking about my own housekeeping. Whooo boy! Have to vacuum again tomorrow and mop. Then the deck needs to be cleaned to keep stuff from tracking inside. Have a load of clothes to fold and put away tonight, and two sweet potatoes are waiting to be peeled and put in the fridge. Those potatoes seem like the very best things to have for breakfast some days. Butter and sweet potato. Yep. Keeps me from being hungry and doesn’t make me feel too full. Much easier to get things done when not stuffed.

 

Honestly am as dumb as dirt tonight. Talked to my sister-by-another-mother this morning. Sharon is between a rock and a hard place in family relations at the moment. What would work for me and my temper would never work for her. Don’t know why, but independence has always mattered very much to me. Never wanted to have someone try to tell me what to do or what not to do. And the word can’t or the word don’t just set me off. Let’s pray for those whose family situations are so stressful that it makes it hard to breathe. May God give us all peace of mind and the will to do what needs to be done to make things work.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

Trying to Remember the Days of the Week.

 Trying to Remember Days of the Week.

 

Years ago—back when Mom was still in charge of sending us to school after getting us fed, having us brush our teeth, and then sending us out the door—it did not matter to me what day of the week it was. Not sure when it finally occurred to me that time was drawn up in days, weeks, months, and then seasons. For umpteen years of my youth, my mind separated time in school and not school periods. Summer was “not school.” Somehow, after the children all grew up and left home, for at least a little while, my mind did not associate time with school seasons. Then the grandchildren came along and their time was allotted to times to be in school. In fact, with online classes, it seemed their time was constant school time no matter what time of the year it was. With Grayson’s completion of his master’s degree, he is the only grandchild no longer stuck in the school calendar. Two more grands will finish in May, and one is in indefinite limbo until she goes back to school after a break. Sitting here hoping that she goes back anyway and gets that little piece of paper denoting a college education has been completed.

 

The point of this little review of perceptions is that while time doesn’t really change, our viewpoints change as we age. This week will be sectioned between Tuesday and Friday because those are trash pickup days. When appointments occur, as they sometimes do, my mind centers a week around before and after that appointment. And then there are the mornings that just waking up is about all a person can deal with. Was supposed to go to Nocona with Connie today. She did not feel like getting out of bed this morning, so we get to consider some other time for that trip. Yep, old age has its own calendar!

 

Have a third book in a series to read today. Have no idea if the series has another book in it, but you can bet your bippy that it will be on my Kindle as soon as this one is finished. Super good story.

 

The air tonight is absolutely saturated with dust and gunk to make it difficult to breathe and hard to blink an eye. Yuck and stuff already! This wind is a mess, but the other stuff on top of it actually could make a person ill. Here’s hoping that tomorrow is better.

 

Saw that Putin has invested in mercenary troops that are cleaning out any and all prisons to use those men as soldiers. Guess that is one way to clean out a prison. They don’t exactly get to volunteer, ya know. It would be about like lining up the criminally insane and taking them to the border on the south to clean up the mess down there. No one would stand a chance, and the horrors would never stop. Wars have always seemed like a type of insanity, but our world just gets more depraved every day. God be with us!

 

Will tell you that the visit with Michelle Malay was heartwarming. Love that lady. And tomorrow will get to visit with old friends from school. While the world around us may be getting stranger by the day, we still know that many of the people we have known forever are so very loving. Tonight we can pray for those we know—and those we don’t know—that healing can be on everyone. Health, peace, faith, love are just the things that God has promised. Now or later, His timing is the best. Let us praise His name.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

More Winds, More Fires.

 More Winds, More Fires.

 

So today the City of WF has begun to implement drought rules for our water system. Our combined lakes have only 65% of the water they should currently hold. We lived through five years of drought some years ago and lost trees and anything else that depended on water. The ground cracked open in so many places that our city water pipes broke in some places. People found their foundations had broken and cracked all around their homes. Then, of course, we have now been warned, again, that we can’t have any kind of fires outdoors. And if anyone were to be stupid enough to light a match outside today, the wind would have put it out immediately. Opening the kitchen door a few minutes ago to go out and close up the hens in their coop and put my hand on the kitchen counter. Dadgum. Gritty and grungy. But the wind does that, even from the west and more from the north. Such fun.

 

At least we don’t live in California. Again, they need our prayers. If we can’t shake ‘em off the map, they can just wash off the map! Weather, whether in Texas, Oklahoma, or points East, just waits for no man to prepare for its vagaries.

 

Got tickled—well, amused, today. Vice President Pence was talking about the differences between finding national security documents in President Trump’s home and those in Biden’s past office. His statement: “If they didn’t have double standards, they’d have no standards at all.” No, if Biden’s son can go to Russia and come home considerably wealthier, then maybe President Trump’s son should think about traveling like that to one of the nations of the Middle East. Kinda think Saudia Arabia has more wealth than Russia ever hoped to.

 

Don’t normally look at the news right now as it tends to make me either angry or disgusted, but it is just strange that the world just keeps toddling along with the amazing uncertainty of a child finding little bits of treasure that are meaningless in the long run. The things that matter hardly ever find their way into what we call “the news.” And what do you think really matters? 

 

Today my sister-by-another-mother posted a bit about how athletes are not heroes. Oh, they make the money and entertain the world. But you don’t call a football player or a golfer when you have problems with the neighbors. You call a police officer. Those folks are the heroes who come to protect us when we need it! That is the reason that while we pray for those who get hurt, like player Hamlin, we truly should appreciate the real heroes in our world—soldiers, nurses and medical personnel, firemen, and all other first responders. Our children need to hear us appreciate the real heroes in life.

 

Also, read some other little factoids that you might find interesting. Of all the careers one might choose, those held in lowest esteem are politicians. Yet they are very highly paid. One of the lowest paid professions: teachers. Teachers also have one of the highest stress jobs around. And, to tell the truth, it seems that it is becoming more and more dangerous. What teacher goes to school and even might consider that a first grader would bring a gun and shoot her?! This world is just absolutely wacky!

 

Other than reading a few little bits of this and that online today, this old woman is about as dumb as dirt. Have another good book to read, so will do that tonight and hope that my allergies leave me alone long enough to get some decent sleep.

 

Will ask you to pray for my doctor’s nurse, Jennifer Garcia, because she had emergency surgery. That means my doctor is going to be overwhelmed with all the appointments, the basic computer tasks, and just doing her job without anyone in the office to help her. Would have offered to go sit in the office, but that is all this old woman could do. Warming a chair would not help all that much, me thinks. Let’s hope that Jennifer gets back on her feet and heals completely and quickly.

 

Let us pray for peace. Let it begin with us. You are loved.

Hawaiian Winds.

 Hawaiian Winds.

 

Bought some bar shampoo from a lady on Etsy—Meredith Killingsworth from Aransas Pass, TX. Oh my! Smells good enough to eat! She included a coupon for 20% off the next order and a little botte of hand and body lotion called “Ocean.” Again! A delightful scent without being overpowering. Looking forward to washing my hair now! Her website is MKLonestarHandcraft. etsy.com in case you might want to enjoy some of the same. It does not bother me in the least to give someone a shout out when they produce a nice product or have a good bargain to share with others.

 

Got a text from Michelle Malay saying that she and her friend Kera would be here tomorrow. Really enjoy Michelle. She is such a sweet lady. Not sure that Kera has ever been around here, but if Michelle trusts her to take care of her house and critters, you can almost bet she is a sweetheart as well. It seems that is one of the better factors in life that good people gravitate toward other good folks. Or so it has always seemed to me.

 

Grandson Grayson is staying at his Aunt Sonny’s house to take care of her critters and her mother-in-law. This morning he got a call from the kennel where one of the dogs was being kept. The dog was ill, and he had to go get her. Of course, she did a bad thing in his Mustang, so he now has that little problem to clean up and try to deodorize. Oh boy! He and his dad both are “gaggers” who can’t stand the sight or smell of bad stuff. Lewis was like that, but he was also pretty good to just go ahead and gag and clean up the mess. It was a good thing, especially when the children were young. Waves of a stomach bug were never easy, but getting two or more down with the hupchucks at the same time was just about more than one person could handle. And we had children in the days before those throw-away diapers were a thing. None of the young parents today would have been able to care for kids with the gag-reflex and just plain wash cloths with cloth diapers.

 

Today children have no idea how to play outside unless someone like Chelsey Bahe or one of the other young people will take the children in their care out to explore and just BE in the parks and near a river or anyplace that is not perfectly groomed and devoid of broken trees, little puddles, small streams, or cattails near the edge of the lakes. We of the older generation may not be up on all the terms and wrinkles of the latest technology, but we probably know how to make a willow whistle from a willow twig or how to enjoy the airplanes from certain tree seeds—usually maples or one of the other older trees found in older areas of nature. Even our parks are really not quite as much fun as exploring was for us when we were young. Oh, we knew to watch for snakes and even recognized the different ones to avoid, but we also played with horny toads, striped lizards, and toads. And our children knew quite a bit about these things as they were growing up. Naming the songs and the different types of birds and how they nested and where was something we learned naturally. It was a different world in so many ways. Things certainly do change from one generation to another.

 

Sterling was talking about making a wind generator that could produce electricity. He has some kind of little motor thing that needs nothing more than wind to help it generate power. That is the sort of thing that has a fascination to it that should interest just about anyone! It certainly fascinates me! If we were suddenly without power for extended periods of time, do you suppose folks would learn to develop their own electrical power from other sources than those omnipresent wires from the electric company? Our dad was the kind of guy who could invent things and make them without a pattern sent to him by mail or certainly not by the internet. He explained how a wind charger worked when he was a boy at home. They had a radio that needed electricity, but no lines had as yet been stretched into that corner of Clay County when he was a boy. They had a battery that powered the radio, but that battery had to be charged by the wind charger. This was back in the day of “Fibber Magee and Molly.” To listen to an entire broadcast, Dad’s job had to have been completed—to charge up the battery with the wind charger. Can you even imagine being a young boy who cut a barrel in half, wired it together, and made a “boat” out of it for their stock tank? Then when all his play was finished, if he had not set the wind charger to work, he did not get to complete his day by listening to the radio. Bet he never forgot more than once!

 

Growing up in Petrolia, our house was probably the quietest in town except for some of the little old folks who slept most of the day. Our parents read lots of books, as did we children. We would be sitting in our living room reading and hear a bird call. Mom would look at us and expect us to say the name of the bird. Not all that hard since we did not have all that many strange birds in our area. But once in a while a bird of a different species would fly through and make us wonder. Here on Lake Wichita we have seen so many different species, even a Painted Bunting. But the silly grackles have the strangest calls and noises. And they never come in just pairs. They fill up a tree and the lines above until they make more racket than a house full of children or a bunch of old grannies at a quilting bee. Nature has her bounties in all different ways.

 

Guess my son-in-law is getting stronger finally. He can work at least half a day now without totally giving out. Will be so glad when his blood count gets normal and he can stop taking the blood thinner to get rid of the clot the IV caused. Honestly think sometimes that going to the doctor or to the lab can cause more problems than it can solve. Not sure they ever did find out why he was losing blood or where. Guess about the only thing to do is pray for healing and hope he takes good care of himself and doesn’t get cut or whacked at work or at home.

 

About as dumb as dirt today. Have not looked at whatever the internet calls news other than the usual mess of stuff about politics. Blood sucking, tax making, obfuscating dipsticks who love their own voices above all things: politicians.

 

Let us remember to pray for those in the Ukraine who have still no guarantees of freedom or safety. May God bless them and protect those who have stayed behind to attempt to live in that beautiful land.

 

Rest well, my friends. Appreciate all the blessings around you and beside you. You are loved.

Plans for a Week.

 Plans for a Week.

 

Other than a trip to Pioneer on Thursday to meet up with the Route 66 Group, it did not seem like much was going on this week, even though the old woman had hoped to see Michelle Malay soon. She said she would let me know Monday whether or not she could come Tuesday, so there’s that. Connie Cooke wants to drive down to Nocona and to the lake lot she owns down there to see if the guy she hired to mow it had done that and if it would need further attention. That might be a separate day trip. It’s not like going somewhere is all that usual for me. Staying at home and messing with dogs, hens, and tree limbs is more my style.

 

Had intended to call Stephen and remind him about the tree in my fence line and ask if he wanted to come look at it or if some other person(s) needed to be asked to take it down. Some day in the future, the Bradford pear also needs to come down, but for now, the one near the side of my house is on my mind. Have to remember to call Stephen. Sigh. Remembering things is not always that easy to do.

 

Before going out to close up the chicken coop, Thompson was on my case about something. He “talks” to me and grumbles about things. It is not always easy to figure out what he wants. Then when we got up to go outside, it finally dawned on me. He wanted HIS recliner, dear hearts! Sitting here at my desk and thinking that when he finishes cleaning his food bowl, what do you bet he will go straight for that recliner! These dogs!

 

The mailman who delivers packages came today and brought some dog biscuits. Happy dogs. But they thought each one needed to be handed to them. Uh uh. Not happening. Cut one panel off the top of the box and left it open. Sylvia just could not make herself put her head down inside that box top. And the biscuits were right under the edge of the box! Finally put one of her toys in the box and balanced a biscuit on top of it. Held my finger just nearly on the biscuit until she reached over and got it. Now she gets them for herself.

 

Cooked a big ham from United the other day. Sylvia is not all that fond of it, but Thompson thinks it is mighty fine. He stands here and watches me and waits until he has to grumble to get me to give him a bite. It’s not like he did not already have some in his feed bowl. If you don’t think dogs can talk, you just should listen more carefully. Know for a fact that Jennifer’s dogs talk. But she also takes care of her son’s cat Atlas. He talks, too. Animals make life so much more interesting than just about anything around.

 

Have been noticing some of the pictures from around the world on FB where people show the world from their kitchen window or wherever. The world is so diverse and holds such beauty! And people are just as diverse as the world is wide. Oceans, mountains, snow, deserts, buildings crowded together with the sun shining off of them, cabin views onto lakes and valleys, each destination filled with the memories and joys of those who live there. If we lived three or four as many lifetimes as we currently do, we would still be hard put to see all the beauty and the changes of that beauty with the seasons. Imagine how learning about people would be if we really got to know even three or four people per month or year. Again, we would never know the depth of character or experience of even three or four people. And yet God created the world and all that is in it. He KNOWS the lives, the memories, the suffering, the loves, and the beliefs of each person on this little blue ball. He set in motion the cycles of nature—the migration of the birds, butterflies, and other creatures. He causes the winds to blow and the rains to fall. And the reverse—the winds blow, but the rains do not fall. What if we were so close to God that we could ask as the prophets did for rain in due season. Well, guess what. Being close to God is our choice each day. What we ask is also our choice. His answer may not suit us, but you can bet He has His reasons for the rains, the storms, and any other movements of the heavens above or the seas below. Let us rejoice to know that He is in control of everything. What He allows may be disheartening to us at the moment, but in His time, things will be what is best for all concerned.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.

TSC Trip.

 TSC Trip.

 

Went to Tractor Supply today. The entire building looked different inside because they opened up the back storage area so folks could get to the supply of hay, feed, or whatever. Yours truly did not go back there, but stood by the chicken scratch and watched a lady just about lose control of her Doberman. His collar just nearly came off before she was able to get it back on him. He was not aggressive toward people, but there was a dog back in the grooming area, and he wanted a piece of that dog! Whoa! A collar that will slip over the dog’s head is not the best bet for a dog, dear hearts. Bought one of those Halti things for Sylvia and have not used it on her yet. But am hoping it will make it easier to deal with her pulling on me.

 

Unloading the feed and diatomaceous earth from the truck and left the freaking gate open—both dogs got out and decided to explore a bit. Sylvia went to the Anderson’s place, and Thompson went down on the Zupkus field. They both came back happily enough, but it bothered me that they got away from me so quickly. No one was out and about, so it was not a big deal, but still. When that gate is open, it is Katy-bar-the-door as far as they are concerned. Good thing the hens are not like that. Would be herding critters all day!

 

Ordered some treats from Amazon last night and then got six lamb sticks from TSC today. Each dog knows that it is available, but they still fuss with one another just a little bit. Seeing the other dog chewing must trigger that “where’s mine” reflex. Usually get two of every toy so there won’t be any reason to fuss, but one or the other will still be a favorite even when they are identical. Go figure. It is surprising how much dogs and small children have in common.

 

Lance and Tracy will fly back tomorrow and get picked up at DFW by their oldest. Having children who are willing and able to pick someone up at the airport is mighty handy. Have driven down there a couple of times, but that road is marked fairly plainly so even little old ladies can find the airport. And then there is trying to figure out which one of the terminals to go to! Such a puzzle unless someone has figured it out ahead of time. Probably will never do that again anyway. Can’t imagine willingly driving that direction again.

 

Had the big portabella mushroom caps with cheese baked in them this morning for breakfast. Just thought you might like to know: camembert cheese melts nicely and tastes pretty good with the mushroom. The goat cheese and feta crumbled and did not melt at all, it seemed. Tasty, but not like gouda or any kind of cheddar. Anyway, now we know. Really like the camembert on crackers and the feta in salads. Different kinds for different foods.

 

Jennifer sent a picture on her phone of the butter rolls that she made today. Boy! That was just enough to make a person drool! Those things are just wonderful. If the old woman were not so terribly lazy, she would make some. An entire batch would last—well, not sure an entire batch would last at all even with just one person eating them. When making them for Thanksgiving, a doubled recipe just about took care of everyone having all they wanted for dinner and for snacks later. There is something about butter crescent rolls made from scratch that just makes the entire house smell delicious! Wasn’t even hungry before she sent that picture!

 

Talked to Patty for a bit about dogs and memories. She seems to be in a pretty good mood. The other day coming back from her appointment with Quest Lab, we talked about the fact that Home Health would come to her house to do the blood work needed. Don’t really think she wants to mess with them, and she certainly does not want to mess with Hospice yet. Maybe next year, but not right now. She is to be admired for wanting to be as independent as possible for her own feelings. No one really wants to be dependent on some health service—even when we really are. As it is, she has to have four or five bottles (the small ones she can carry around) of oxygen each week. She cleans her own house, does dishes, cooks, and does whatever cleaning of the floors, does her own laundry, and keeps her bed made to suit her. She is a tough lady. Have been following along with the adventures of a woman named Karen S. who cares for her disabled son, keeps her own house, and takes him and herself to national parks or whatever places they can go in the camper on her van. She has some kind of tumor and really needs some surgery, but am not sure anyone is available to help her in the recovery, much less the care of her young son. Asked her if home health care was available, but apparently it is still in the works. Simply can’t imagine doing all the things like Patty does with just half of her lungs or that Karen does while caring for herself and her son. May God bless them and others like them with the strength and resources to get their lives to be as happy as possible.

 

We never really think too often about what makes us happy, do we? Have you ever just sat down and made a list of the things that you really like in your life? Did that one time. Still need to do it more often. The top of my list always involves those children and grands. They have no idea how happy they make me! My critters, this windy ol’ hill, the house that holds up to the wind, a neighbor or two, good books, the quiet of just being and listening to the birds on the porch, the flowers when they get a chance to grow, the rain storms (when the wind doesn’t take down any trees), the lake down the side of the hill, the friends from years ago who are still alive and remember what we were like umpteen years ago, and the newer friends who seem to understand where we are in life today. Those are just some of the things that make me happy. Oh, would list our country and the relative safety from war and hunger that belong to some of us, but at the same time, those things worry me because they are not available to everyone. Pretty hard to think about safety and comfort when one considers that down each road are those that have no reassurance of any of the blessings which are in my life. Then come the bigger things that make me truly happy: faith, God’s love and blessings, forgiveness, assurance of a life to come in His presence, and justice—true justice—in God’s kingdom. Of all the things that we might have in this life that others may or may not enjoy, the things of God are always available to everyone in equal measure. We all can be thankful and find joy each day that we wake up to this knowledge.

 

Have been having dreams lately about my parents and grandparents. Lewis is always driving our truck in my dreams. He never says anything, just knows what to do. Just like he always was in our life together. Strange dreams.

 

Am reminded again after reading some things on FB today that everyone noticed the crowd reaction at the football game the day of Hamlin’s injury: no one shouted or caused noise. Silence. Prayers in the stands. Comforting words and gestures to each section of the fans to the other. Yes, faith is still alive and well.

 

Rest well, my friends. We have so much for which to be grateful.