A Good Reminder

I received a letter today from an unknown person.  I thought the letter might actually be for my daughter but I opened it and realized I did know who this person was.  The sentiments were beautiful and she was so appreciative for my words that I had sent last year.  I had totally forgotten that I had written her.  I was so touched by her remarks and my heart was full.  At that moment I read the last line I felt exactly how I hoped she had felt when I reached out with some uplifting words at a time she needed it.  “Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life.  Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.”   Roy T. Bennett

 

How About Soup?

The two worse phrases known to women everywhere.  What’s for lunch?  What are we having for dinner?  How is one person supposed to decide what to serve others?  This relationship between food, dinner, lunch and a woman is so very complicated.  Why can’t it be easy?    Ideally a seven day menu placed so perfectly on a while board for all to see is the magical perfection that just does not exist.   If it were that easy women everywhere would be doing it but we don’t – we struggle and then when that phrase blurts itself out of a little human’s mouth, or a big human,  we want to gag it with a hot dog.  Wow, was this a rant?   Sorry I was just trying to think of what to serve for dinner.

The River

My daughter was camping with friends and in the night she looked toward the river.  She took this picture.  I was reminded of “The River” which is a song about life.  It uses the river as an analogy in which you are a vessel floating along.  It is saying that life is a constant battle but it is worth living.  

“You know a dream is like a river.  And a dreamer’s just a vessel.  That must follow where it goes.  Trying to learn from what’s behind you.  And never knowing what’s in store.  Makes each day a constant battle.  Just to stay between the shores.  

And I will sail my vessel.  ‘Til the river runs dry.  Like a bird upon the wind.  These waters are my sky.  I’ll never reach my destination.  If I never try.  So I will sail my vessel.  ‘Til the river runs dry.  

Too many times we stand aside.  And let the waters slip away.  ‘Til what we put off ’til tomorrow.  It has now become today.  So don’t you sit upon the shoreline.  And say you’re satisfied.  Choose to chance the rapids.  And dare to dance that tide.  

There’s bound to e rough waters.  I know I’ll take some fall.  With the good Lord as my captain.  I can make it through them all.”  

What A Beautiful World

Such a wonderful day with lots of loves I need to share.  I woke up to the sun shining directly into my room and my heart was full of joy as I swung my legs off the mattress and onto the floor.  It is a beautiful world indeed.  I thumbed through the Sundance clothing and jewelry catalog and wished and dreamed I could buy everything in it – but I can’t – but it was fun to be in that world for about ten minutes.  I met up with my daughter to look for flowers for my yard and while she loaded the cart I was mesmerized by the beauty of succulents.  She did all the work and I just breathed in the colors.  I got more than my 10,000 steps in today and I just love days like that.

Them Shoes

Costco is the best or the “bomdiggity” as some would say.  I go a couple of times a month and sometimes it has been more.  I’ll shop for anyone that sends me a list and I walk every aisle because it is always good to check out the new “merch.”   There was a beautiful black woman at the checkout.  She had a long green stretchy dress on and she was so tall and striking.  And then I saw her shoes – so out of sorts with the rest of her look.  I asked her if she would mind if I took a picture of her shoes and she said I could if I didn’t get the rest of her in the picture.  I complied.  She told me where she ordered them from and was quite flattered at my request.   Being unique is so much better than being perfect.   You go girl!!

We Do What We Do

An arthritic condition of any kind can be puzzling and seemingly endless with the number of medications that are out there today.  I feel like every pharmaceutical company should be contacting me for my review but my doctor reassures me that in many cases it is just a “hit and miss” as to what works best in a person’s body.  He asked me if I would be willing to try something new again which I agreed to but when this huge refrigerated box arrived I was puzzled.  I dug down deep through the ice packs and styrofoam packaging and found a medicine box but there were no little pills – this was an injection.  I think I must have missed that part of the conversation.

Go To God

“Peace is the gift of God. Do you want peace? Go to God. Do you want peace in your families? Go to God. Do you want peace to brood over your families? Go to God. If you do, live your religion, and the very peace of God will dwell and abide with you, for that is where the peace comes from, and it doesn’t dwell anywhere else.” John Taylor

Tsk Tsk Tsk

Call the fire department.  Ask for the fire chief and please report us for our negligence.  We need to be written up for being irresponsible adults.  All winter long we left our hose hanging on the reel on the side of our house.  We should have put it away like we always do around the time the first snow fall comes but we neglected to do that.  The hose reel hangs right next to the gas heater exhaust fan.  On the other side of wall is a gas heater which heats our grandchildren’s play room.  That heater runs a lot during the cold winters keeping our “littles” warm and toasty while they play.  The heat that was being expelled from the fan melted the hose and heaven help us all it didn’t melt our entire house.  Yup, we deserve a citation.

Introducing

Gwendolyn needs to be the poster child for little micro preemies everywhere.  This little munchkin born at twenty-four weeks and at one pound and ten ounces has wowed all the medical professionals.  She has totally blown all of us away with her resilience, her stamina and her spitfire attitude.  Gwendolyn’s passion is evident in her daily endeavors.  There is nothing this girl has not attempted and succeeded.  She lives the Alaskan life so fully it makes men and women living elsewhere totally envious of her ability to “live the dream.”  Gwendolyn goes to professional hockey games, she jumps on a trampoline, she rafts, she fishes, she goes on beautiful hikes and sometimes naps through them too, she hunts, she camps, she backpacks and best of all she kisses hooligans.

To Serve

“And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”   (Mosiah 2: 17)  And so they did.  They served all day long at Camp LaDaSa at the Single Adult Conference.  They raked gravel, they painted window frames, they moved brush and more.  There was never a complaint nor a tired whine.  They served their fellow man and their God.