I Miss the Rain

Well, the blazing hot days of summer are here and they are wearing me down. Long gone are the rainy days I had grown accustomed to. I miss the rain. At least it was a little cooler while it was raining. Now we are stuck with 95 sweltering degrees, smack dab in the middle of summer.

I mentioned I might repost my post about why I love rain, and I've decided today is the day. I'm in a slump and I need cheering up. Tomorrow, I'm taking myself to the movies, but for tonight, I want to read about rain and my theory of why I love it. So, without further ado...the Puddles are Dancing, a post from 2014. 

One small edit that I should have made but will leave it alone in the blog itself. My primary love language is quality time; I just didn't realize it in 2014.

From June 8, 2014--The Puddles are Dancing

I love rain. If you've read my bio, you know that I love rain; it's one of my favorite things. But why? When most hate a rainy day, why do I find it so appealing? I asked myself this question this afternoon, as I sat here watching it rain during a break from the closet cleaning I've been inspired to do this afternoon.

It affects me differently than most everyone that I know. For most, it is sad and gloomy, and drains them of energy. For me, however, it makes me happy, even energized. I don't know why this is, but I have some thoughts on what it possibly could be. First, though, the things I love about rain.

I love the sound of rain. It is soothing to me. I love the melodious drumming of the rain as it drips off the trees, house, and carport. All the other noises have to take a back seat as the rain takes over in the music department for a while. Occasionally, there is even some thunder to add a punch of percussion to the tune.   

I love to watch it rain.  It is calming to me to watch the rain pelt down onto the pavement.  Seeing the rain pour out of the neighbor's gutters is mesmerizing.  Watching the puddles "dance"-- a term coined by my youngest son when he was much younger to indicate that it is, indeed, still raining, when the downpour has become light enough to wonder if it has stopped or not. Are the puddles "dancing?" Then, no, it has not stopped.  

Side note: Apparently, this irritates or annoys him, for when I mention puddles dancing, he still rolls his eyes.  But it stuck with me. And I love that it did.

I love the smell of rain.  There is no better smell than the air after a spring rain.  The air smells and feels like it has been "washed," and the trees and plants look so fresh and clean, even if only for a little while. This makes me happy.

These are some of the things I love about rain. But why?  Without intense psychotherapy, or having it revealed to me by God, I really don't know. I think, though, that it takes me back to a time in my childhood when I felt safe and loved.  

I can clearly remember getting ready for school when I was around eight, with the sound of the pouring rain outside. I was with my mother, and therefore, I was safe in my childish mind. She had to drive me to school when it was raining, and this made me feel loved. I remember being dropped off at my beloved elementary school--the one that I wrote about when they tore it down a few years ago. It was early morning, but because of the rain it looked dark outside from the classroom. This is a good memory to me. Therefore, what most perceive as gloomy is comforting to me.

You see, I don't have a bunch of memories of my mom and dad doing stuff with me when I was little. They both worked all the time it seemed. We were dirt poor, and they both worked long hours in factories to provide for us. In the fifties and sixties, the majority of the moms I knew, other than mine, did not work outside the home. Child-rearing was considered an honored profession in those days. Not that it's not today, but in today's economy, one income is generally not enough anymore.

Too bad that my child mind did not understand that working to provide food and shelter = love. My parents were good, and they loved me, but they never uttered the words to me. Since my primary love language is words of affirmation (even though I didn't know it then), I needed to hear it said but never did.  So, I picked up on the times when they showed me love with my secondary love language, quality time.  

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the happy times when I felt loved and safe were most likely punctuated with.... you guessed it.... rain.

I walked to school except when it rained. On rainy days, my mom drove me. Mom spending time with eight-year-old = love.

I could sit on the porch with my mom and dad, and sometimes my grandma, and watch it rain and feel loved AND safe, because quality time = love.

So, there you have it.  A glimpse into my heart and what makes it happy. I struggled with this one; but I really, really feel like God wanted me to share it. I live to serve Him and do His will, and I'm honored that He lets me write to express what He has shown me.

Do your children a favor; show and tell them you love them in all love languages, at least until they are old enough for you to know what their love language is. Then you can focus on that one or two. Until then, tell them you love them. Hug them. Spend time with them. It will make you both happy, and what may not seem like anything to you may just be their rainy-drive-to-school memory someday.

Now if you'll excuse me...the puddles are still dancing. I think I'll watch awhile.

"Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies." Psalm 17:7 NLT

Thankful

Yesterday from 11am-7pm, Chick-fil-A was in town. As usual when they come here, about once a month, they were a hit. I stood in line for probably 20 minutes for my delicious chicken nuggets and waffle fries.

And they were yummy! I was finally able to eat without pain, following my endoscopy procedure that I had just had 3 days before, on Tuesday. Everything except the most bland food was burning as it went down, due to the fact that the doctor dilated my esophagus. (Aging problems; a subject for another day).

I was so thankful to be able to eat something besides mashed potatoes, especially since my favorite chicken place only graces us with their presence once a month.

Yes, my friends from my hometown of Van Buren, I know you have a whole restaurant of said chicken as compared to my monthly food truck. I’m so happy you finally got one! I’ll be eating there on my next visit back home.

I’m just grateful they have started coming here with a limited menu on a regular basis.

That’s the theme of this blog post; by the way. I’m learning to be thankful in all things. I look for things to thank God for, but I don’t have to look very far. He is SO GOOD!

As I stood there yesterday waiting to buy my supper, I was thankful for the pretty sunset going on behind the food truck.

After I got home, I was thankful I didn’t have pain eating my supper.

I was thankful yesterday morning that we got a nice rain shower for about 30 minutes. We had gone a while with no rain in these parts.

I’m trying to post more often, and when I saw the sunset yesterday evening I knew what I needed to write about.

I am thankful for so many things, but I only listed a few. Until my next blog post, take care, my friends. God bless you all.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB

From the Porch: Why is the Tree There?

Rain kept me inside all last week, but I've been able to get to the porch

for my morning coffee and prayer time for most of this week. Sitting out there, I noticed something.

All the other condos in my neighborhood have very similar landscaping. We all have hedges by the front entrance and some other shrubs that are almost cookie-cutter identical. 

My front area, however, has a cedar tree by the driveway instead of a round shrub. As I sat there a few mornings ago, I was pondering why this is. 

I'm not a fan of bright sunlit rooms in my house. I know that's not typical. I like more of a warm, softly lit vibe. Bright sun hurts my eyes; I'm just very sensitive to bright sunlight. I almost always wear sunglasses on the rare occasion that I am outside on a bright day.

This cedar tree shades my living room perfectly. From afternoon through early evening in the warmer months, the sun hits my house increasingly toward the southwest as the summer wears on. Together with the window treatments and mini-blinds, my living room has a bearable level of afternoon sunlight, filtered so well by the tree.

Some would say I was lucky to get the house with the tree when I was looking for a place to rent. I feel like it's more than that, though. I think God had this place in mind for me long ago, when the tree was just a sapling. 

Laugh if you think it silly. I don't mind. I'm sure lots of people laugh when they read my blog. I'm not sharing content that I think will draw people in. I'm just sharing my heart. I know my God orders my steps. Why wouldn't He give me a tree to shade me from the harsh late afternoon sun? 

One more thing. It's a cedar tree; an evergreen. It's green year round, just like God's love is everlasting. 

I'm counting it as one of my blessings. I thank God for the tree that gives me shade.

Be blessed, my friends!

 "I will exalt You, my God, the King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable." Psalm 145:1-3 NASB

Snow!

Well, it finally happened: we got our first real snow here on the mountain. It flurried a couple of times since the first of the year, but it wasn't enough to write home about. 

It's currently 5 degrees out, at 3 something in the afternoon, usually the warmest point in the day. This morning I got up and went to church, then came home to fix some yummy homemade soup. About 12:15pm I looked out and saw snow! It was very fine, still is, but it is so cold it's all sticking, and piling up pretty fast.

I have been kind of down lately. Not only was I "trying" to take down the Christmas decor, not very successfully, but twice in the last couple of weeks we were supposed to get snow and didn't. I worked on packing most of Christmas away yesterday, and by late afternoon I had had enough. I was exhausted and sad. I got everything put away except the tree and the kitchen window vintage ornaments with the santas and trees (oh, and the snowmen display that I leave up through February) and decided to finish up today. 

But now it's snowing! I can't take down the tree when it's snowing! I'll try again tomorrow. I'm a happy camper! You all know how I love snow! 

I'm posting some pictures of the current situation. I may add more later.

Enjoy your snow day if you got some where you are! And stay warm and safe! 

Christmas in the Hometown

I went back to my hometown for a Christmas visit last week, but I'm just now posting about it.

It was a good visit; I saw friends and family (sorry, didn't get pictures of everyone I got to see) and visited places in town that are new to me (since I haven't lived there in over 2 years). My oldest son flew in from Atlanta, so we got to hang out for a couple of days.

Interesting perspective: My children visited me lots of times in the many years I lived in Van Buren; I would take them to see new things and they would comment on how much their hometown was changing. Well...this time, my son and I were BOTH seeing our hometown as visitors who hadn't lived there in a while. We were amazed and delighted by visiting some things that hadn't changed, such as Paul's Bakery, Pizza Parlour, and Braums. Thank God those places are there! Neither of us have anything as good or nostalgic in our current homes. (Ok, it's not all about food, but we still have to partake of their goodness when we visit! IYKYK!)

We were also amazed and excited to see things that are different, like Arts on Main, which is delightful, and the beautiful downtown area that is vibrant with glorious color and is so alive with the community gathering there.

Also, finally a Chick-fil-A is coming! About time! Although, the traffic is already terrible in that area. I hope someone can engineer a solution to the traffic problem.

We drove through the City Park one night to see the lights there. It's so fun to see what they have done there; they have added some since last year I believe. We forgot to take pictures of them, though.

We also visited Creekmore Park in Fort Smith. Some of the pictures are from there. The line was extremely long, so we didn't ride the train. We just walked around the walking path.

Saturday night, after Jeremy had to go catch a plane, I watched the Christmas Parade. I thought I was videoing the very awesome VBHS marching band but found that I wasn’t! I hadn't pushed the record button apparently. I almost cried about that. They were magnificent.

So there aren’t many pictures of the parade because I was heartbroken I hadn’t captured the band’s performance.

I also walked around and took some pictures of the area close to the depot where the skating rink and tree are (can’t remember what it’s called). I hadn’t taken pictures of it lit up when Jeremy and I had seen it earlier that evening.

It was a great trip, and I'm pleased that my hometown is doing so well. I miss living there, and I miss lots of people there, but I'm so glad to be living where I am now, 10 minutes from my daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids. I'm also gaining new friends and have a new church family here. I'm so blessed.

I hope you all have some wonderful experiences this Christmas season, and that you remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family! ❤️🎄❤️🎄❤️

Can We Talk About Band?

Something I didn't think about missing when I moved halfway across the state after retirement was how much I would miss the things in my hometown, in addition to the friends I have there.

Don't get me wrong; I love being in the same town with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids. It's amazing to have family so nearby. I've settled in here quite nicely, and I am well into my third school year retired (I guess spending 26 years as a school employee has caused me to think of time in school years. Occupational hazard, LOL). 

I manage pretty well most of the time. I'm in a routine of picking up my grandkids from school when needed, I have lunch or coffee with a friend every couple of weeks or so, and I attend church on Sunday and Wednesday, as well as Bible study on Thursday mornings at my church. 

Mostly, life is good.

Then I'll be scrolling Facebook and see posts from someone in my awesome hometown and get a wave of nostalgia.

Old Timers Day, or whatever they call it now, was either very recently or is coming up soon.

Someone posted a video of last week's events at the school where I worked and it got me right in the feels.

And then...last Thursday night I came home from Walmart, and as I was unloading my groceries, I heard the sweet sounds of a band playing a few blocks away at the football stadium. I didn't realize I would be able to hear it from here, but maybe because of the mountains and valleys the sound carried. Anyway, a Thursday night junior high football game was going on close enough for me to hear the announcer and the band.

And just like that, I was instantly homesick for my hometown and my little house, which was in close proximity to the football stadium where I heard the band playing countless times.

I got online and was temporarily overjoyed to see that my hometown team was coming here to play the local high school football team this coming Friday night.

But, after doing some research I came to the conclusion that the band would not be making the trip all the way to here. I was crushed. I'm not a sports enthusiast in the slightest. (Sorry if you are. I'm just not. It's a long story, for another time). I only go to the football game to see the halftime show. Usually, I go home after halftime.

So, will I go to the football game this Friday night anyway? Maybe. It might be nice to see some familiar faces on the visitors' side. If I go, I will probably walk around to the home side to watch the local band, like I used to do in the old days when I chaperoned with other band parents and the band almost ALWAYS went to the away games. 

Ah, the nineties. Life was just different, wasn't it?

I've heard that my hometown high school band is going to be playing in a marching contest on Saturday. It's a 2 1/2-hour drive from here, almost as far as going back to my hometown, except in the opposite direction. I might go though, if I can verify for sure that they are going to be there and find out exactly where the high school stadium is.

If I do, there will be another post this time next week, complete with pictures. I do love a marching band contest. 

Until then, blessings my friends! I posted a few pics from the 90s band experience. <3

#foreverabandmom

A Note About Spring

I've mentioned before that I didn't like Spring. In fact, I believe I said I hated it. Granted, I mostly hated it because of tornadoes, but I also didn't like the pollen that torments allergy sufferers.

Anyway, there are some new developments on that topic.

Spring is...growing on me. (I promise there's no pun intended here, seriously). It might have started with something my granddaughter said to me recently. I had mentioned that I was sad Winter was leaving, and she said Spring was her favorite season because that's when Jesus died for our sins and then rose on the third day.

I started to argue that we didn't know the exact time of year, like for instance, Christmas probably isn't the time of year He was born. But then, I quickly remembered, concerning His resurrection, yes it is. Yes, Jesus' death and resurrection was in the Spring. It was at passover. So I had this little argument in my head, thankfully, and never said a word about it out loud. 

A while back I was having a little prayer time while walking in the park, and I felt convicted about my stance on Spring. The Lord reminded me that Spring is a joyous time of new growth, and, as my granddaughter had mentioned, it was when He redeemed all mankind. 

As I walked, I was noticing the daffodils blooming in large bunches all over. Daffodils are very special to me (see Just a Daffodil, Feb. 25, 2018 in my older blog posts), but I've actually started to enjoy other things about spring as well.

I enjoy hearing the birds singing. I love to see the birds at my birdfeeder in my backyard. I also really enjoy a day when I can raise the windows and let the fresh, Spring air flow through the house. 

So I guess the Lord is changing my heart. If He can work in the heart of an old curmudgeon like me, He can work in anyone!

On a related note, I haven't posted the sunrises much lately, but I took a picture this morning. The first picture is January 27. The second one is this morning, March 15. Look how much farther toward the northeast it is rising now! 

I love this part of science. It's fascinating to me!

Also, notice the birds at my backyard birdfeeder. I love to watch them. 

Be blessed! 

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118.24 ESV

Christmas 2022 with Family

December 10-12 (even though the 12th was a Monday): 

Over the weekend I went to see friends and family in my hometown. It was a good visit, but too short. I spent some time with BFFs. We had dinner at a restaurant downtown, then we watched the Christmas Parade.

I also got to spend time with my firstborn, who lives out of state. I hadn’t seen him in too long. I blame the pandemic. We had a nice visit with our cousin and her husband (but forgot to get pictures).

My son and I watched movies, talked and got caught up, got coffee and walked around in the beautiful downtown area, and the last night I was there we drove through the park to enjoy the Christmas lights. It was a great visit.

We didn’t take many pictures, but the quality time is more important than the documentation anyway. We did take a picture of eating biscuits and gravy at our hometown's Braums. Neither of us have one where we live now. I have posted pictures at the bottom of this post.

December 25, Christmas Day with Family.

My daughter posted the following: It started calm. It ended wild. But, that is always the case when Rhett is involved. Absolutely wonderful Christmas!! We even sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! Merry Christmas!!!!

My youngest and his wife drove in to spend Christmas with us. So we had a great time hanging out.

...Christmas with family, continues…

Christmas night after dinner at my daughter's, we came back to my house. My son, his wife, and I opened our gifts to each other. We had our traditional Christmas crackers and even remembered to take a picture.

After a late breakfast we went for a walk. The pond was still mostly frozen because is the extreme cold temperatures we’ve been having. We had to take pictures because we southerners don’t often encounter frozen ponds.

We wanted to go to the library, but they were closed. Hopefully we can go there before they head back home.

December 27...

We went to the library and looked around. My son and his wife had never seen my library here, where I spend a lot of time. It's a fabulous place to be.

Afterwards, they got in their car and headed back to the far away city where they live. It was a great visit, but I was lonely the rest of the day.

I love spending time with my family. Over the course of 2 weeks, I got to see all three of my grown children, and my grandchildren (they live across town from me).

I hope all my readers had a fantastic and Merry Christmas! Blessings to you in 2023!!!

* My apologies for the haphazard way the photos are installed. The options for moving them around have been taken away. So this is what we are left with. *

Full-On Christmas Season

Hey y’all. Just checking in. This is my version of a blog these days. I will also post this on my blogspot, too, so I can keep track of it.

I write for fun, because I love it, but also to share the love of Jesus and hopefully encourage and spread some joy here and there.

Usually late at night like this I’ll get inspired and just ramble on and on. It’s currently 11:34 pm, but I’m retired so who cares? I have no appointments tomorrow. (I love that!)

Ok. So….It’s after Thanksgiving, so those of you who really know me realize that it’s full-on Christmas everything now:

I’m wearing some type of Christmas clothing or earrings every day, (my cousin Peggy got me started doing that that over 20 years ago), Christmas music is playing in the house (when I’m not watching a Christmas movie), Christmas music plays in the car, and my humble abode is fully decorated for the season.

Well, all but the last one, anyway. I’ll get there.

I used to be a real grinch, but something shifted in me a few years ago. I have slowly begun to realize His truth. I know the true meaning of this season and it brings me great joy. I’m happy, ok?

I’ve also found freedom in just being me. I have no agenda; I’m not out to prove anything or impress anyone. My decor is simple, maybe even cheesy, but it’s heartfelt. It makes me happy. I am not a decorator by ANY stretch of the imagination, but I put a little seasonal decor in each room.

The tree is up and the house is *almost* all decorated. Yes, it’s only a 2 bedroom duplex, but I’ve been busy. I’m working on it, but I’ve also been reading some great “un-put-down-able” books this month. Priorities, y’all. I’ll report on that soon.

I should be finished “Christmas-ing” the house in a couple of days. Until then, keep calm and carry on (as the Brits say).

I love this time of year!

#ilovechristmas

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matt. 2:10

What I Read in February 2022

February has come and gone. Since it's only 28 days 3/4 of the time, it doesn't take long. I'm always sad to see February go; the last remnants of cold weather (which I love!) are usually gone by the time March shows up in the southern state I live in.

I'm not totally moving away from encouraging posts, but I'm trying something new. Once a month I will be posting what I read in the previous month. If you like to read, maybe you'll get some ideas of what to read next from my meager little list. If you find this helpful, comment on my Facebook or Twitter posting of this blog and let me know what you are reading. I'm always looking for recommendations. 

And now, let's get to it:

I did get a lot of reading done in February with all the ice and snow we got this year. Following is the list of what I completed during the month. Note: I am not very practiced at reviewing books or movies. I hope to hone this skill, but for now, my assessments will be sparse.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I had never read any of her works, and I decided it was high time. I really enjoyed it and will be reading more of her books and more from this genre in general. I've found I like mysteries. (I should have known I would since I love the British TV show Father Brown.) After I had read the book, I watched an older version of the movie that I found on a streaming channel for free. It followed the book very well and was nicely done I thought. There is a more recent version that I may watch eventually, but it was about $5 and I was looking for free.

When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal. This came highly recommended by a fiction book club I follow on Facebook. I was not disappointed. It was not at all hard to get into and held my interest the entire time. It was a great read; it was both compelling and heartwarming.

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. This was a delightful book I listened to on a trip "back home" to attend a funeral a couple of weeks ago. I've wanted to read something by him for a while, and my younger son recommended this one to start. It was so good! It's actually a children's book, and there are 4 or 5 of them in the Tiffany Aching series of his books. It's fantasy, so if you like that genre give it a try. It's a pretty fast read. I will be reading the rest of this series and will move on to more of his books. His writing style is captivating.

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah. This is the sequel to Firefly Lane by Hannah. I found it a little hard to get into; it's very dark and depressing at first. If you stick with it, though, you will be rewarded. By the time I was halfway through I had trouble finding a stopping place. It is a very good book, full of the character development, in-depth looks at real life, and all the little details I've come to expect from this author. 

Those are the four books I finished during February. I have also been reading Max Lucado's 3:16, one chapter (sometimes 2) at a time as part of my morning Bible and devotional time. I'll include it as part of March books, because I will finish it within the next week or so. 

I didn't think I could read more than one book at a time until I remembered my years in college. Since I was an English major, there was often lots of reading for multiple classes. I did it then, and I can do it now. It's really no different, except now I'm reading whatever I want to.

During an emotionally low part of my journey a number of years ago, I found I needed to read for pleasure again. A part of my soul was in need of a different type of reading, somewhat like one might watch a movie to relax and forget troubles for a bit. Some might say it's escapism, and they would be right. I need some of that in my life. Books take me to faraway lands and let me have experiences I would never have otherwise. But I digress. I do not need to defend my choice to read.

As I have grown older, however, I will admit I have learned to pace myself. When I was younger, I did not know how to "reign it in," so to speak. It was all or nothing; I either read non-stop or didn't read at all. I also didn't read the variety of books I've come to enjoy in the last fifteen years or so. I think college reading gave me a taste of better reading material. It broadened my horizons and whet my appetite for different genres than I had read before. 

So with that said, I'm reading again, but it's only a small facet of my wonderful retirement days. There's so much I enjoy doing! I'm working on photo organization, decorating my new home, watching YouTube for decorating and minimalism encouragement, and in the near future, I will be converting VHS tapes to digital. I'm a busy lady! I don't know how I had time to work before! LOL!

Reading brings me joy! I find myself happier, more content, and more inclined to be joyful and want to pass on that joy to others when I've spent an hour or so a day reading.

I don't like to close without leaving you with some word of encouragement, so I always try to end with a scripture. I found this passage in Psalm 63 to be encouraging.

"So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips." Psalm 63:4-5 NASB

Until next time, be blessed! I love you, my friends! 

January Happenings

So here I am, January 29 and just now writing a blog post in 2022. I've lived here in a new town for almost six months now. My first day here, when I rolled into town with the remainder of what was in my house before I went to the closing was August 3, 2021. Six months next Thursday. Wow.

I did a recap of 2021 in my last post, so I won't do that. I will say that I have been to my hometown twice since I moved here. The first time was in December, the weekend of the Christmas parade in my hometown and of course I went to it with one of my best friends who is like a sister. It was awesome! I love Christmas.

The second time was a couple of weeks ago when I had to see my doctor from back home to get my meds refilled for the next six months. I only stayed one night because we were due to get snow here the night I drove back. I got home before the snow started, but not by a lot.

We've actually had snow 3 times since January 1; the first time was January 6. It started snowing after the school buses ran that morning and melted by 3:00 to the point where it was safe to drive, so they didn't even get out of school for it. Unbelievable! Of course, as a public school employee for 26 years, I always think about snow in terms of "will we get to stay home?" Haha! I'm a kid at heart. I felt bad for them; kids and staff members alike.

The second time, January 15, it was snowing when I got up. It snowed all day long, and into the night. However, it was above freezing all day, around 34 degrees, so we only accumulated about 2 inches. It was sticking some, but also melting. It probably snowed a foot that day. It finally dropped below freezing well after dark, then it stopped snowing. Then it snowed again on January 19. My grandma would have predicted that it would; she always said if the snow stayed on the ground 3 days it was waiting on another one. LOL! Old wives' tales. Sometimes they run true.

The January 19 snow stuck with no problem because it was well below freezing. It just didn't snow as long this time. We probably got a little over an inch.

I've included a couple of pictures of the snow on January 15. Snow was the big news for the month, at least for me. I love snow! Even though I'm retired now and get to stay home every day, I still love the snow! It's magical to me, watching it snow.

Oh, and I had birthday number 67. I'm telling my age these days because why not? I'm retired, so who am I fooling if I try to hide my age? I'm feeling really blessed these days that I've been allowed to have another birthday. I hope I have a whole bunch more. I have lots of projects to do that will take many years to accomplish.

Thanks, my friends, for taking the time to read my little blog. Hopefully, I'll get in a routine of writing more often. 

God bless you all! 

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

Perception Problems

I've been going through old photos while listening to old music. Sounds funny, I know, but it's what I have been up to lately.

I've been in a season for the last 8-12 months or so. I can't really remember exactly when I entered this valley I've been in, but it's been at least that long. Maybe a little longer. It's not been a comfortable place to be, which is the case with most valley experiences.

A sadness started to develop in me from dwelling on the fact that all 3 of my children live away from this area. The closest is 3 1/2 hours, and thankfully that is the one who has the grandchildren. The other 2 are nine hours and twelve (or so) hours away by car. I could get there faster by flying, but it's too expensive.

Consequently, I don't see my children often.

So, I was feeling really down, and I sought the Lord for answers. He is the only one who knows why He moved them so far away, after all. So I had questions, and I know He had answers. He just didn't choose to reveal those answers right away. All communication seemed to be one-way--me to Him--although I knew He was right there.

He was just so silent.

I prayed and talked to God every day, and did what I know to do. I prayed for my family and for those He put on my heart. I read my daily Bible reading. I went to church. I had praise and worship music on a good bit of the time.

Meanwhile, I had stopped working on pictures back at the start of this valley when it got too painful, back when I was only working with pictures of my early childhood. Off and on in the last couple of years I have worked on them, more out of a sense of obligation than joy. I am, after all, the family historian by default. My mom, dad, and brother passed away many years ago, so it's up to me. My children are going to inherit all these pictures from our heritage someday, and I want them to know who these people are. Since my parents were terrible at writing on the backs of photos, I had to organize them and write captions to identify people and times.

Slowly, over the course of the last couple of months, I began to have a longing to go through the old pictures again. Simultaneously, I was drawn to Southern Gospel music from my childhood and teen years.

What?!?

It made no sense to me, because I never liked that type of music, even when it was all there was in the Christian music world. I was the rebel that, once I discovered her, listened to Reba Rambo in the 70s in spite of my brother's protests that I would go to hell for listening to Christian rock. He was halfway kidding. I think.

So, I walked away from all that type of music 25 years ago and never looked back. I discovered contemporary Christian and Vineyard worship music in the 90s. It is still my preference, I might add.

But I digress. Back to the longing to work on pictures and listen to old music. I listened to my Pandora playlists and looked up music on YouTube to access the music I wanted to find, all while working on the pictures.  The two seemed to go together.

It was like the train wreck that you can't stop looking at. I didn't want to listen to that old music, but at the same time, I was drawn to it. I didn't think I could handle seeing all those old pictures of my childhood, because it was just a reminder to me of how alone I was. However, day after day when I came in from work, I would drift into the spare room where I had the boxes of pictures and scrap-booking supplies. An hour here and there, and before I knew it I was into the grade school pictures of my childhood.

A funny thing happened as I listened to old music and looked at old pictures. God was healing me from the inside out. There were wounds from childhood and teen years that I didn't even know about. I had buried them so deeply that I seemed to forget, until I saw a picture or heard a song that triggered a bad or painful memory. This has gone on for weeks now, and as of today, I'm working on pictures from my senior year in high school.

God has redeemed my past -- pictures and music -- in the marvelous fashion that He manages to do while we are tempted to think He isn't paying attention. The music I thought I hated has grown on me. It's still not my favorite, but I can endure it now because as I looked at those pictures with that music playing, He restored my soul in that area. He has attached new memories for the music and the pictures in place of the bad ones by causing me to remember something happy about each section of my life.

I still don't understand how He did it, but it all came into focus a few nights ago. I found I was listening to a mixture of gospel, contemporary Christian, and Vineyard/Hillsong worship music and singing along as I journaled captions about the pictures I am putting in a scrapbook.

I have my joy back! I realized tonight that I am no longer doing this out of obligation; I can't wait to get back to work on these albums! God has downloaded the skill into me to do this and given me a passion for it.

So, nothing has really changed in my life, but now I see it through a different lens. God has miraculously altered my perception in several areas:

Instead of feeling alone and abandoned, I now choose to remember that I have many ways to keep in touch with my kids. The internet is a fabulous tool. I am thankful that I have children and grandchildren, and I proud that they are fulfilling God's purpose for their lives. I still don't know why they all live so far away, but God has a purpose for it, and He has given me grace to bear it. I am blessed.

Instead of feeling slighted by God because I grew up like an only child, since my brother was grown and out of the house by the time I was old enough to begin to know I even had a brother, I choose to remember that He has given me very dear friends who have become sisters and brothers, and as a bonus, I now have nieces and nephews. I am blessed.

Instead of feeling obligated to be family historian, I now choose to see it as a privilege that God allows me to record all the facts and history and I get to journal about the pictures so there is a story told through them! We all know how much I love to write!  I am blessed.

If you're struggling with sadness or feeling alone and abandoned, take heart. God can and will fix that. You just have to give it to Him. He will take it from there. 

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Living Life

January is almost over, and I am just now writing my first post of the year. In fact, I haven't posted anything since October.

So, we have left 2015 in the past and have begun a new year. As with any year, it had its good and bad moments.  It started off good with my 60th birthday in January, when all 3 of my children came for the surprise party even though they had just been here a month earlier for my college graduation. I was absolutely blown away to see a room full of my friends and family with my children and granddaughter standing among them.  It was the best birthday ever.

I flew to Arizona in May to see my sweet daughter-in-law graduate with her Masters Degree.  That was a great trip; I wrote a blog about it in June.

Everything else was pretty blah until November.  That's when my grandson decided to come at 36 1/2 weeks, weighing 5 lb. 9 oz. but in perfect health, thank God! I took several days off work to help out, and made another couple of trips to see him as well.

My youngest son and his wife came for Christmas and spent a week with me.  It was awesome. We had a great visit, which included seeing several movies  and getting him and his wife caught up on the current season of Doctor Who so they could watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special with me on Christmas Day.  We even went to see their new nephew while they were here, with a detour to see Crystal Bridges on the way back.  The only thing that kept Christmas 2015 from being perfect was the fact that my oldest son couldn't come home.

So, as you can see, I was busy living life and couldn't find the time to write. I am happy to be busy. I am blessed to have family and friends and we have so much to do and say when we are together. I think that's how it should be.

That was my 2015 in a nutshell. The new year came in quietly as most years do in the last few years; just the cat and me. I watched the New Years Day Rose Parade like I always do, and fixed blackeyed peas and hog jowl for supper on January 1.

I promise the next post will be more interesting.  I am already working on it, but I wanted to recap last year and officially welcome 2016.

Stay tuned for a post in the next few days. It is one of those that is like a "fire shut up in my bones." I think God is up to something.

A Birthday with a Zero

What a weekend I just had!  I don't know where to start. Before I can tell about it, I have to give some perspective on just how rarely I see my kids.

I've mentioned my children on here, and it's common knowledge that they are grown and out of the house. Really, really out of the house. None of them live nearby.  One lives a half day's drive away, but the other two live in two different states to the east and west of here. I've learned to accept the situation and have come to expect to see the two that live farther away once or twice a year. Last month, as a rare treat, they all three came in at once for my graduation from college.  It was the first time I had seen them all at the same time in 3 1/2 years.  

So, this weekend, even though they had just been here a month ago they all three came in again to celebrate my 60th birthday, which is coming up on the 20th.  They threw me a surprise party at a local pizza place. Unknown to me, my daughter and my best friend had been working together for several months to make this party happen. Several white lies were told in the process to pull this off.

Friday night my friend texted me and said we should go shopping the next day. I didn't think too much about it; we don't shop often, but we do on occasion.  I told her ok, and she said she would come pick me up about noon or a little after (we're both night owls. No early shopping for us!). 

She showed up at my house as she said she would, but she looked at little upset. She told me she was sorry, but she had forgotten she had to make an appearance at a co-worker's birthday party before we could go shopping. She said not to worry, though; they wouldn't mind if she brought someone and we would only stay 15 minutes.  

She was very convincing. I trust this woman with my life. She and I are like sisters. I was still not suspicious; it sounded reasonable. So we got in her car, and I saw the gift with the person's name on the card.  More evidence to support her story. 

We got to the restaurant and went inside.  When we got close to the party room, I was greeted with a loud "surprise!" There, in the party room were all three of my children, my son-in-law, my granddaughter, and some close friends and family members. I. WAS. SHOCKED! 

The prettiest cake ever!

I've never been so surprised in my life! They had totally kept it a secret for months!  It was the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time. I have never been given a party like that. I was so touched that they had gone to so much trouble to make this party happen for me. 

Everyone has gone home, and I'm sitting here alone in my house just trying to process it all. I knew that for a Big Deal like this, I had to blog about it. I have the best children, family, and friends in the world!  I know that one of my love languages is quality time, and I was given a bunch of it this weekend. We all had the best time visiting at the party and afterward.

God is so good to me!  He brought my children home to help me celebrate this zero-ending birthday number (that also involves a 6) and "soften the blow" in the process. We've already established that I don't act my age, anyway, so it's just a number. It does not define me. Tomorrow morning, I leave my fifties and enter my sixties.  

But the world will keep on turning.  Hello 60!

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. Psalm 103:2 NLT