Thankful for so many blessings!

 What a wonderful week, so far! We got Nam Sunday afternoon, and he spent two nights with us. It had been a couple of months since we’d seen each other, so all three of us were really excited! (I think Sheila and Matt were happy to have some couple time, too!) Nam doesn’t always like to give hugs and such, but when he got to the house, he kept running over to hug me every few minutes. Of course, I just ate that up! We really loved our couple of days with him.

I’ve actually heard from all of my kiddos over the past few days…including the ones by marriage. That fills this momma’s heart! I got a video from Mandy of her playing a song she has been learning on the piano. When we got our “inheritance” from Daddy, I shared it with my kiddos. Stephen and Mandy used their share to purchase a piano, which I thought was great. They hope to have the kids learn to play, as well as Stephen. Mandy is very musically inclined and has been really enjoying having it to play. It makes my heart glad to think that they have such a special reminder of Daddy.

I’ve also heard from a couple of sweet friends that I hadn’t spoken to in several months. I’ve been trying to keep up with different ones since we aren’t able to get around like we’d like, but there are always some that I miss. I’m thankful when others think of me and reach out! What would we do without our dear friends and family?!

We also found out this week that Ricky has landed a good career job. I am SO happy for him and Amber! He has really been working hard to support their little family and trying to find the right position that will continue to support them throughout the years (and kiddos) to come. This looks like it will fill the bill!

All of this joy has been making my eyes leak a LOT!

In other news, I finally had my follow-up with my cardiologist. He said both my stress test and carotid scans came back good, so I don’t have to see him again for another year. I took my yearly bloodwork results with me, and he told me to try to work on my cholesterol levels. They are borderline high, so he doesn’t want to put me on medication…just lifestyle modifications. We have already been working on that, but there’s always a little room for improvement.

Dennis got all of the new interior doors painted, got the mantel built and hung, and has been doing some repairs and maintenance at the church house. I’ve had my CASA work, as well as my regular stuff around the house. I’m doing much better with my stationary bike. I’ve been getting in 4-6 days/week for the past couple of months. I used to find excuses to not do it. I finally decided to just do it and not worry about getting my 7 miles in on days that I’m busy or don’t feel like it…just do what I can. Once I get going, I usually go ahead and get in at least 6 miles…sometimes as much as 8. I really need to keep moving! If I don’t, I freeze up and hurt when I do move! I’m not really losing much weight, but I’m keeping my blood pumping and (very gradually) shedding a few pounds. I have to admit to envying Dennis and his 30 pounds that he’s lost. I’m struggling to get to my first 10! (I'll lose a couple, gain a pound, lose a pound, gain 2, etc... I've lost about 7-8 pounds, depending on the day.)

We only have 3 weeks and 3 days until time to leave for cold country! We are super excited! We loved our last trip to Yellowstone and have wanted to return ever since we left. We’ve never been to Glacier, so we are really looking forward to going there, too. Just getting away for awhile sounds so good! Travelling was one of the things that we looked forward to when Dennis retired. Life kind of got in the way over the past three years, and we’ve missed it. So thankful that we have this opportunity to go again!

Well, that’s what’s going on here. I hope all of you are having good things come your way, too! Stay safe and reach out to someone!

I'm baaack!

 Yeah, I know, that was a short leave of absence! I missed having that connection with people more than I realized I would. Even though I was making an effort, as were others, to keep in touch, I missed the pictures and the "funnies" and the lifeline to a whole network of friends rather than just a select few. So, I'm back, for better or worse. I am being much more discriminating of what I look at though. If someone upsets me with a post, I just unfollow them for awhile. I'm trying to focus on good things and helpful things. So what did I miss? 😁

Last week was SUPER busy! We were getting ready for overnight guests that were coming Sunday evening. So we had to get the living room finished to the point that we could move furniture back into it, and get the stuff we were storing in the guest room out, so I could get it suitable for company. Dennis got the entertainment center finished, except for the doors, and I got it loaded up...discarding a lot of stuff in the process. This remodeling is really good for helping us "simplify". By the time we finish, I only want to still have things that we really use, plus some special memory items. I have gotten rid of a lot of old pictures...going through and just keeping our favorites. It is amazing how many poor quality pictures or duplicates that accumulate over the decades! That is a very time consuming process, so I just work on it a little at a time. I've trimmed down our collection of photo albums probably by half. The individual photos that I decide to keep are going in a box for now...to be reorganized eventually. I also went through all of my books and took more than half of them to a local second-hand book store. I saved my collections of my favorite authors and some that carry sentimental value. With what I have left, plus my digital collection, I think I have enough to keep me busy if I decide to reread them all! I do love books!

We still have more detail work to do in the living room: touchup painting, finish putting up trim, and of course laying the carpet at the end of everything else. I really worked on the concrete floors...getting them cleaned up (except for the stuck on texturing and paint and etc.). I think I mopped every square inch at least 3-4 times. I also got the entry way tile scrubbed. All of the (hands and knees) scrubbing I have left to do is the dining room, which I'll probably have to do in sections. Dennis is currently working on building the mantle for over the fireplace. We looked at buying a premade one, but they were ridiculously expensive! So Dennis is building a beam by gluing together 1x6's. That's how he made the corner posts on Sheila and Matt's bed, and it turned out beautifully. He will stain it to match the rest of our wood furniture. We eventually hope to replace the fireplace with a gas one, but that may take a while!

We really enjoyed our visit with Geo and Mae! We have known them for several years, but we've had little opportunity to "get to know them". They were going on an anniversary trip and graced us with a stop on their way. I look forward to many more visits in the future with this sweet young couple!

I've had a lot of CASA work lately...had two hearings this week that I had to prepare for. One case closed, so that just leaves me with two cases with one child each. I'm doing all of my visits virtually right now. Thankfully, the children are both in really good places, so I feel comfortable doing things that way. 

We are moving forward with our vacation plans for next month. We are really getting excited! Just getting away for a couple or three weeks sounds wonderful...it has been a long time since we've been able to do that. Going to a MUCH cooler climate sounds great right now. We hit 110+ degrees today. Going somewhere where we'll have to wear jackets will be such a relief! We are hoping that the crowds thin out quite a bit once school starts. Dennis has been monitoring the crowds going into Yellowstone online, and they are still crazy busy! Since we were there five years ago, we don't necessarily plan to visit the "hot spots" in the park, so maybe we can avoid the worst crowds. We are hoping to spend most of our time looking for wildlife. Dennis just bought a new lens for his camera that should help him to get even better pictures than on our last trip.

Well, that's what's up with us. What's going on in your lives?

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu!

This will be my last post for a while. In the past, when people “demonized” facebook and other social media, I contended that it wasn’t evil…it was how you used it. I have tried to use it for sharing positive things, as well as staying in touch with those that I don’t see often. My belief has been that if the people who try to use it for good leave, then it will be what others have said it was.

I’m admitting defeat. I don’t know if I’ll be back or not. I will miss the ability to know how folks are doing and who is having babies and such like. But the ugliness is just more than I can take right now. I find myself getting angry and bitterly disappointed in my fellow man. That’s one reason that I avoid the news. It is depressing, and I feel helpless to change anything, so why subject myself to it? I felt like facebook was different…that I could make a difference. Rather than feeling like I’ve done anything positive with my efforts, I just feel more frustrated and vexed (as my dear Granny would say).

So, if you need to communicate with me, please feel free to call, text or even (dare I say it?) write me. There are still a few “old souls” that use that archaic form of communication. If someone dies or gives birth or gets married, etc., I would appreciate it if you could let me know via one of the aforementioned modes. Who knows? After I have had some time to calm down, I may be back. Or I may decide life is just much nicer without social media.

Stay safe, be kind, and keep in touch!

Blessings

Even though I’m sitting here with a heating pad on my lower back, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and contentment. I feel so incredibly blessed! I just wanted to share some of the reasons that I feel this way.

First of all, I am blessed to be a child of the God of the universe. I understand this always, but it gets brought home to me especially on the Lord’s Day. Singing songs of praise to God and His Son stirs up my emotions and helps me focus more perfectly on how much I have been given. Remembering Jesus’ sacrifice every 1^st day of the week, helps me to keep fresh in my heart how much love He has for us and how much He demonstrated that love through His death. Hearing thoughtful sermons brings principles to mind that I need to focus on more and more as I grow in His love. Being with my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ brings me joy and encourages me and helps me remember to reach out to others.

I am blessed with a beautiful family. I’m not talking about physical beauty, even though I think each and every one of them are attractive. I’m talking about their hearts and their spirits. None are perfect, and I understand that full well! But each one has a love for God and for their fellow man, and each of them finds ways to reach out to help others using their unique talents. I’m proud of the people that my kids have grown into, as well as the ones that they have chosen to spend their lives with. I don’t mean proud, as in feeling like I deserve any credit for who they are. I mean it in the sense that I recognize and rejoice in who they are and what they do. They have all grown beyond their upbringing. Each has spread their wings in a slightly different direction from the others, but they all strive to serve God to the best of their ability and to His glory. 3Jo 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

One of the reasons that I have such beautiful children is because of the wonderful man that I’ve been blessed to spend my life with. I’m not sure why he chose me, but I am so very thankful that he did! There are days when he drives me crazy, but I’ve never regretted my decision to become one with him. He has devoted his life to serving God and has never let anything get in the way of doing that. Lord willing, we’ll celebrate 43 years together in a few short months. I hope that the Lord blesses us with many more to come!

Of course, some of my very best blessings are my grandkids! I’ve always loved babies, and I’ve discovered that the very best babies are the ones that come from our kids…whether they be biological, adopted or steps. The burdens of old age are more than offset with the joys of grandchildren. They aren’t more loved than our own children, but they are able to be enjoyed more without having the responsibilities that come with parenting children. I dearly love each of them and look forward to having a few more in the future!

I am also very thankful for where I live. I’m thankful to live in this country and be able to enjoy the freedoms and abundance that we have here. I’m thankful to live in MW. The longer I live here, the more I appreciate it. It is just the right size for our desires and needs. It is a friendly and caring town, and I love the rich history and the newfound appreciation for and restoring of that history. I love my home. Even though it has been a work in progress for 5 years, with each improvement made, it becomes more comfortable and compatible with our needs. Ricky and Amber spent the day here yesterday, and we were able to use our living room for the first time in months. It felt SO good to relax and see things coming along. Our house will never be fancy or trendy, but it reflects who we are and satisfies the lifestyle needs that we have chosen.

I’m thankful for the health that we have. We are getting old and have our aches and pains and physical limitations that come with our advancing years. We’ve each struggled with different diseases and/or injuries at different times, but we’ve made it through them. The tribulations that we’ve faced just sharpen who we are and strengthen our faith. Even though I hate it when one of my family is suffering, I know that God will see us through it, as He always has. Even when a loved one dies, I know that God is still present and gives comfort and strength to deal with our grief. And just as a forest grows more lush and healthy after a fire, and just as rushing waters polish rough stones into gems, beauty can always come from pain…when we allow God to use it for our good.

I can’t list all of the things that I’m thankful for or that have me feeling so blessed today. There are too many to count and too many for me to even recognize. I strive every day to see those things and focus on those things. Some days it is harder than others. Some days, like today, it is as easy as breathing.

I hope that each of you can focus on your blessings and think on these things: whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy.