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. *

Winter Solstice

8:00 am on winter solstice; the sun rising as far south as it will. Now the days will start being longer and the sun will rise earlier and farther east every day. I wish it could stay like this, late sunrises, but it won’t. I like winter (within reason—not looking forward to the extreme cold we’re going to get). I like being indoors, warm and cozy. I like doing winter things, like reading, working on picture albums, etc.

It’s actually just now really winter. Spring will be here in a couple of months and I dread the heat, the bugs, and the expectation that I need to get outdoors.

I don’t want to. I like indoors.

So for now, I’m still enjoying winter, even if its days are numbered. Drinking my coffee, listening to Christmas music, and preparing for Christmas. 

Have a great day! It will be a heat wave compared to tomorrow. 😀

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

Seasons on the Patio

I haven't posted from the patio in almost 2 weeks. I took pictures, but never managed to get the writing done. Then, the time change. Ugh. I don't mind it either way, but please, can we stick with one or the other and not change it anymore?

It's been so interesting (to me, anyway) to record the path of the sunrises; well, at least the moment the sun tops my barrier of trees in the backyard and invades my morning coffee time.

In the summer, the sun came up in the northeast, the far left hand side of my backyard. By late October, it was coming up in the southeast, the far right corner of my yard. It was also coming up later and later, giving me more time to get my coffee and get out there before the "sunrise."

I guess I'm easily entertained, LOL.

I haven't made it out there this week, but I have pictures from last week and the week before. The first picture, from Oct. 31, shows the sun bearing down on my trusty umbrella, which allowed me some shade for a little while.

The second photo of my coffee (which actually had steam rising from it) was taken last Wednesday, November 2.

I've really enjoyed this season of sitting on my patio in the mornings. I'm not sure how it will go once it's colder out. I may take pictures from inside, out the window in my bedroom, which faces my backyard (and the good 'ol morning sun). Thank God for blackout curtains. 

For the first year that I lived here, I was not sitting on the patio. I was a little discouraged that I didn't have an actual deck, but just a little patio which is seven steps down from my porch. It didn't seem ideal, having to tote my coffee, journal, Bible, etc. down the steps. "I'd really like to not fall getting to the patio," I grumbled inwardly.

So I went on for almost a year in this state of discontent.

Then, just before I started posting from the patio, I felt the Spirit reminding me that this is where God has placed me for this season of my life. He has put me in a duplex in a good neighborhood, situated on a cul-de-sac, so there's hardly any traffic. As He has a way of doing, He has shown me in ways I can't divulge here that I'm where I'm supposed to be.

Of course, after feeling convicted, I repented and resolved to make the best of where I am in this season. I have been much more content in the months since I accepted where I'm living. Someday I will probably buy a house, but for now, this is home, and I am starting to really like it.

As for the inconvenience of the patio location, I have discovered I can put my Bible, journal, phone, etc. in a small tote bag. I can then hold on to the handrail with one hand and carry my coffee in the other.

In other news, I went for a walk in a nearby park just before dark tonight. The sun set at 5:06 according to Weather.com, but the sunsets come fast in the mountains. It seemed like it was a little before 5.

I took a few pictures on my walk, which was timed perfectly with the sunset. I didn't plan that; it just turned out that way. This park is a great place to walk, and I try to go there at least 3 times a week when the weather permits.

Thanks for reading my lengthy ramblings. It means a lot.

From the Patio...Sort of...

Post from Facebook on Thursday, October 27. Posting on October 31 because I'm now starting to post long Facebook posts to my blog.

Long post ahead: grab some coffee.

Embracing the Season: A Post from the Patio

A few years ago I posted a blog, Sitting Beside the Still Waters, published on August 13, 2018, about the things I wanted but had never managed to attain. I strongly desired to see my children and grandchildren more often. I hoped for things like a certain type of patio or deck and various other elements in a house that I hoped to have someday.

One thing has changed; While my sons still live in two other states, I do see my daughter and grandchildren often, because I moved to the town where they live after I retired in the summer of 2021. I'm thankful to be in their lives so much more. My sons and I Facetime and talk and text a whole lot more often than we did pre-pandemic. So, while I still am not physically with them, we are in touch a lot more and that's a definite improvement. The rest of the items on that list are still out of my grasp, but they are just things. It's my family that really matters.

I now live in a duplex in a good neighborhood, and I like it here. While it doesn't have the specific elements I was hoping for (and still hope to have eventually), I have to admit it is a good place for me to live in this season I'm in right now. I was sitting on the patio one morning last week, and it sort of hit me like a ton of bricks that this is as good as it gets for a while. The other things I wanted aren't happening right now. So I decided I would embrace the season in which I find myself now, which includes accepting this duplex as where God wants me to be. I believe He has placed me here.

As duplexes go, it's got a lot going for it. It is situated in a cul-de-sac, so the traffic is minimal. The entire neighborhood of duplexes is surrounded by a perimeter of trees, which muffles the noise of traffic on the nearby highway and allows the residents here some privacy. 

I have a garage, something I have never before had, and I'm loving it! This home has everything else I need, really; an adequate kitchen with a dishwasher, a washer and dryer closet, and a patio. All these things are comparable to what I had in my house I sold, and some are better. I'm really learning to be content here.

The patio is the part I want to focus on for a minute. I had great plans to have my prayer time and coffee out there several times a week this past summer, but it was too blazing hot. It was hottest summer in probably at least 10 years! Also, the patio faces east. Yes, that's right; I have to race the sun and get out there early, before it peeks up over the tops of the fairly dense stand of trees behind my house and bathes everything in my backyard in its brightness. 

It wasn't happening in the summer; the sun comes up too early. But it's starting to happen now that fall is nearly here and the sun comes up a little later every day. The first picture I included, with the steaming coffee cup (don't know if you can see the steam, but it was there!) was taken just about 8:00 am. 

The second picture was 30 minutes later and the picture doesn't do it justice. I couldn't see anything for the glare on the patio table. So I got up and went inside, LOL!

Before the sun made it to the tops of the trees, I had prayer and coffee out there this morning, and it was so nice out. I love fall! It was 57 degrees when I first went out just before 8 am.

So...I'm trying something different with this blog. For at least a little while, in an attempt to embrace where God has placed me in this season and revitalize my blog of 13 years, I'm going to be posting "from the patio." The pictures I take that morning may not actually end up in a blog until later in the day, but it's all a work in progress.

As always, it is my hope to encourage and inspire, while showing you a glimpse of my real life, not sugar-coated at all, as you will see below:

I'm a 67-year-old retiree who moved halfway across the state after retirement to be near family. I won't lie: it's been hard getting used to a different town, and truthfully, I have shed many tears over the town and friends I left behind. The trade off, however, makes it worth it. I am with my grandkids a lot.

Also, I'll admit it; I don't like getting up early. Never have, though I did it my whole working life before retirement. It's not super early, and I'm not looking for approval or expecting any praise. I just find that getting up around 7:30 am seems to be what my body clock likes. 

Finally, I don't consider myself super spiritual; I'm not trying to impress anyone. I love Jesus and I really like my morning coffee. I enjoy having my coffee and talking to Him outside. I don't know what it is about being in nature that makes me feel closer to Him, and I don't go outside every morning. Some mornings I'm just drawn out there, though, and it's proving to be a wonderful start to my day when I make the effort to get outside.

It's just a little patio, nothing fancy at all, but I'm learning to accept with grace what the Lord has blessed me with. Come along with me and maybe you'll be encouraged, maybe you'll have a laugh or two. Maybe you'll just see it's ok to be yourself, like I've decided to do. It's my hope to post weekly some little snippet of encouragement or something to laugh about.

Embrace where God has placed you. He has great plans for you!

Love and hugs, friends! <3

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

Sadness and Hope

Well, obviously I haven't been writing. My last post was in March, and here it is, June. What have I been up to, since I'm not writing?

I guess you'd say I've been a little down in the dumps.  

Moving. It's a stressful experience for most people. Even just moving across town can be a challenge. I've done that--move across town-- multiple times in my 67 years. I always moved within a few miles of where I had been living. After a while, I adjusted to my new digs, whether it was a step up or a step down. 

Let's don't delude ourselves into thinking that every move is an improvement. Most of mine have been, but some weren't.

Over the years, every time I moved, whether it was a great move or just a necessary move, it was always in the town where I grew up. So while I had to unpack and settle into a different home, I had familiar surroundings right outside the door; my wonderful little hometown. 

Home Sweet Home. I never considered moving out of my hometown until all my kids moved away. I love my hometown; always will. However, living alone in a town without any of my immediate family in it became unbelievably lonely during the pandemic. I decided that when I retired at the end of the 2020-2021 school year that I would sell my house and move to the town where my daughter and her family lives. I was tired of simply watching everyone be with their grandkids; I wanted to be around mine, too.

So here I am, settled in to my cozy little duplex in a town which is a 3 1/2 hour drive from where I lived for the first 66 years of my life. Yes, that's right. Three and a half hours. I've never been a fan of driving, and now it's also expensive.

No regrets. Am I sorry I moved? No, I am not! I have family about 2 miles away. I can be at my daughter's house in less than 15 minutes. I see my grandkids at least once a week; sometimes more often. I love that I'm getting to be a part of their lives. I love that I got to attend my grandson's Kindergarten graduation and the school awards assembly for my granddaughter in person for the first time. I love that I get to have lunch with my daughter on a weekly basis. 

What's the problem, then? Well, I'm sad. I'm homesick. There, I said it. I'm sad, because I miss my hometown. I'm sad because I miss my friends, extended family, and co-workers. I worked at one school for 26 years and I miss those people dearly. 

I lived in my hometown for sixty-six years. That's a long time. I had never lived anywhere else before. I didn't go off to college even. I married right out of high school and stayed in my hometown and raised my children.

I'm not upset that my children all "flew the coop" and moved to other cities and states. I raised them to have wings. I told them all as they grew up that if they could dream it, they could do it. I meant it, too. They are happily living their lives in their chosen vocations. All three have advanced educations, for which I am grateful and proud.

I just needed to write and express my feelings. If I've learned anything about emotional well-being, it's that bottled up emotions are not healthy. I've been really "stuck" for the last few months; unable to make myself do the things on my "to-do" list because I wouldn't give myself permission to be sad. I felt like I shouldn't be grieving the loss of everywhere and everyone I ever knew except for my daughter and her family. So I pushed it down and tried to "soldier on" as the British say. 

I'm declaring tonight that I've gone through a major emotional upheaval. My sadness has to give way to hope, though, because I'm giving it to God and asking for grace and peace, which I know He will give. He's put lots of projects on my heart, but two of them are front and center:

I'm writing a book. I've been wanting to work on it, but I haven't been able to focus on it. Getting started is usually the hardest step; at least it was when I was in college and needed to write a paper.

I'm the self-declared "family historian." I know I have lots of work to do, organizing and working on my photo albums, journaling throughout the pages to help the pictures tell the story of my family. I have always loved working on these albums. It's time to get back to it.

This has been a raw and real post, but it has been very cleansing. I know that tomorrow I will start to feel better and will be better able to take a step toward my ever-growing list of things to do.

Perhaps someone reading this has had a similar experience and is also feeling stuck. It's ok to feel sad, but don't feel sad alone. Talk to someone. Also, tell God about it. He will lead you to the healing you need. He is doing that for me.

I will forever love and miss my hometown and those dear friends I left there, but  I am allowing myself space to feel the sadness and then give it to God. I will visit there periodically, and see old friends and familiar sights now and then. 

I have a book to work on, and picture albums to journal in. 

Tonight though, season 9 of Call the Midwife beckons. (At least the first episode. It's getting late). I'm loving re-watching all these. I love British TV! I also love Father Brown and Doctor Who. 

Be blessed, my friends. <3

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1