Thoughts During Quarantine

     Sitting here at the computer contemplating the past weeks of being "Safer At Home" during the pandemic. We are following the recommendations of medical personnel about masking, washing hands and the rest. It has gone pretty well all told. Ter has done most of the grocery shopping while getting up early to go to the hour for older people to avoid the larger crowds. We are getting a little cabin fever but not all that bad. Our Sunday School class has been meeting using Zoom as a platform after some fits and starts trying other platforms. It is good to see our class even if using technology while we would rather be giving each other hugs and being in person to pray for and support each other. We have been watching streamed church services so we still get the Word in our lives. Some have had fairly significant things happen in their lives such as one couple gaining two new Grandchildren which it will be awhile before they can meet them. A couple of people in the class are nurses who have been working through the crisis. Praise God they have remained safe. 

     Other thoughts are about seeing changes in people going through the weeks. I went to our local Walmart last Saturday after going to Publix for most the things on the list. I managed to keep proper distance the bulk of the time. I ended my shopping trip in the vitamin and supplement aisle looking for Milk Thistle. Some of the time I have a little problem finding it and was a little upset because there were a number of people in the aisle and while trying to get on my way quickly. A lady coming the other way asked what I was looking for and I said what. With more than a little edge in her voice she pointed out the place and I didn't catch it right a way due to nervousness. She then picked some out and threw it at me, not with a lot of force thankfully. I felt a huge sense of shame come over me because I didn't see it. I went quickly on my way to head for the check out to get the heck out of Dodge and home again fighting back tears. Everyone in the aisle was wearing masks and I was wearing gloves changing between the two stores. I got to the self checkout deciding whether to remove my gloves or not. I finally decided to leave them on and checked out heading for the car. Most time people are kind enough to help me spot it or Ter would help but one person, one cart right now. Most people are on edge which is totally understandable with Covid being mentioned every five seconds. How I wish the way things were would come back. 

     Our state of Tennessee talking about beginning to slowly reopen next month which will greatly help people's demeanor. People have been concerned about paying bills and putting food on the table with one or no income. I deeply empathize with those who are rightly worried about contracting the virus. My niece had a heart transplant in December of 2018 and has been especially careful self isolating since some time in December. Another friend has severe immune deficiency so he and his family have been self isolating. I feel blessed to have avoided it with having asthma. I look forward to our local nature park reopening so we can walk the trails catching some sun and fresh air along with giving our pooch some exercise other than wandering the yard and our woods. Friends being able to reopen their small business' so they are earning again. Some will not make it. Our small local restaurants have been open for take out or curb side trying to keep going so we have been ordering once a week to help.

     Trying to bring this to an end while still having many sometimes conflicting things going through my head. I pray for the openings everywhere to go well. 

                         The Saga Of A Little Ring  

     As I was relaxing yesterday afternoon Ter came in to show me something. It was the little diamond ring which once belonged to my dear, late Mother In Love. I prefer to use this term as it more accurately describes her for the all to brief time I knew her. She left us in February of 1992 after a battle with cancer. The ring was the only thing I inherited from her as a daughter in law. It has been on my finger for all the years since. Except the times it has been lost due to my procrastination in getting it resized after I lost quite a bit of weight. It was gone for a couple of months after I did the wash one Monday. We both searched and searched and my frustration and anger with myself grew.  Then one day I looked in the gasket to the door of the washing machine and there it was shining brightly as always. How it got there I never really cared because it was back!! I rejoiced like the lady finding the gold coin in Luke Chapter 15. It went back on my finger

     It was lost a couple of more times to my consternation. It was a miracle of sorts it was found before Ter left for Texas when he was cleaning the vent pipe to the clothes dryer. It was caught in the stuff in the pipe, not the filter so it went back on my finger. Miracle number two or three.

     It was back on my finger when I arrived at work one day to do my shift of demonstrating an item for the client. It happened to be the start of a bad day so I wasn't really paying attention as I should have. During the day, I took off my gloves for some reason and the realization it me.... IT'S GONE AGAIN!!! The self depreciating thoughts in my head grew and grew as I surmised it must have come off when I removed my gloves and was in the trash. For some unknown reason, I couldn't bring myself to ask if it was turned into lost and found. Months passed by and I never told Ter not wanting to admit my carelessness in failing to take it to a jeweler. He was sweeping out the car preparing for our upcoming trip to Michigan and there it was, in a crevice just waiting to be found. Ter rightfully told me to kind of get off my duff and get it resized. After putting out an appeal on a local page, we had several choices of places to go. We chose a small, local place in the next town over and headed to see what he could do. I worried a little as my hands swell in hot, humid weather to complicate the size to choose. Thinking back now, maybe it isn't a bad thing so there is room when my hands do decide to make themselves bigger. We walked into the shop and were greeted by a very nice lady who guided us to where the jeweler works his magic. It wasn't long before I was showing him the ring and he helped decide what size it should become. On the way out I stopped to admire the Harry Potter figurines for sale.

     God must really want me to have that ring to remind me of Mom's kindnesses and lessons taught 

      to me before she left us.You can be sure that ring won't be left so poorly sized to my finger again. The cost of the resized is nothing compared to the memories that little ring holds.

Life On The Small Side

     I have been thinking about doing this for awhile and I am going to try this out. I have been living life on the “small side” since birth and it has been an adventure. I am going to try and discuss the good, the bad and the humorous things. There is never a dull moment, that is for sure and you have to learn to “roll with the punches” as most anyone does as it comes to life.

     The first thing you learn is the world is not gauged for anyone extra small or extra tall with each presenting special challenges. When you are small, going to the grocery store can become interesting. You walk in and start shopping pushing your cart along. Coming to one of the needed items you notice things have been rearranged so what you need is on the top shelf. Rats, now you have a choice to make since the “grabber” for getting high things is conveniently (once again) sitting at home. The choices are: asking a stranger to please reach the thing for you (which most of the time people really don’t seem to mind if you ask politely), go get a store employee to get it down (which can make you feel like you’re interrupting their work) or the least favorable to step up on the lowest shelf and try to get it yourself. Most of we older folks have been brought up to be fiercely independent so it hurts to have to ask but physical realities overtake those feelings and really it isn’t bad. It can often lead to teaching opportunities about being a little different. But when push comes to shove you find a way to get the job done.

     A second thing which comes up is buying appliances. Should seem simple enough but you still work at trying to make things a little easier. One example is the clothes washer. A front loader certainly makes the job easier to handle. Things get interesting when attempting to get things out of the bottom of a top loading machine. Another is the freezer. Opt for an upright rather than chest style. As a child there was a fear of falling in and the top closing when reaching for things out of the bottom. There was thankfulness each season when Mom and I finished freezing fruits and vegetables for the year plus the packaged beef which came each fall from the meat processor which filled the freezer to the top again. To get things out of the bottom I would either pull up a chair to stand on and reach or there was always jump and kind of hang off of my belly to get it (would you believe that was painful?). Anyway, that was kind of a lesson in overcoming fear because did I really want to tell Mom I wouldn’t do what she asked to get the stuff out for supper or lunch? Nah, you didn’t tell Mom and Daddy no. Then think about the stove. I started cooking dinner for the family when I was eleven and Mom went back to work. Was I tall enough to reach the control knobs on the back? Not really so being inventive came in again. I would pull a chair up to the stove and start cooking. Not that the meals were anywhere near great and I apologize for that, dear family. I was trying my best and learning at the same time. At least something was ready to go on the table when Mom got home at night. Thank goodness I have learned much in the intervening years and can put out a pretty darn good meal

     School was another place where life was interesting. Particularly gym class where I did my best to try and keep up with the others as my lack of height became more and more apparent as we got older. I was actually fairly athletic growing up with two big brothers. They were both three sport athletes in High School and did pretty well for themselves. Back in our day there were few things for girls to do which were even remotely athletic. How much this has changed. Cheerleading was the big thing. Marching band was pretty good exercise, too. Yes, I survived marching band up until High School when the director began to put pinwheels into our routines. If I was on the inside I was fine as that took small steps. But on the outside was a whole different ball of wax. I really had to work to stay with things (think faking playing that clarinet and more about running). I ended up quitting band after the first semester my freshman year for several reasons. I still loved athletics and fondly remember playing ball with my brothers after the evening milking was done. Even after taking a ball bat to the noggin (for obvious reasons I don’t remember much) and it really was an accident, folks, the result of which was not being able to see any direction but down for close to a month.  Another aside I found out later there actually were folks in the community who thought my smallness was due to that incident, wrong! There were many things which made school life, shall we say, very interesting. Suffice it to say I was more than overjoyed when I could start driving myself to school and not have to ride the bus. Teasing and other events could be pretty much an everyday occurrence. In retrospect I brought some of it on myself due to immaturity but some was really uncalled for and really left a mark upon my mind.  I was already very unsure of myself for many reasons and this only added to it. High School graduation couldn’t come quickly enough for me.

     I really have to say I thank God my family didn’t let me use my height as an excuse for things. It sure made me be independent which isn’t all bad. I grew up in church and came to faith at about age ten while watching a Billy Graham crusade on TV. There wasn’t anything really dramatic which happened but things grew slowly through the years learning more about the Bible and His way. He has provided some real opportunities as time has gone on for some neat events in life but I’ll bring this to a close for now.

   My, It Has Been A Long Time!

     In looking at my posts it has literally been years since I wrote a blog. Much has happened in that time which has been chronicled on FaceBook. But many thoughts are coming to mind. One of which is how things change as we get older. The way you view things, how we physically change and what we have to accept. A big one is how the world has changed. Our country is so divided along so many lines to the point where my mind is spinning. My heart breaks for our country and I pray, "Lord, what will it take to bring us back together, unite us the way we were during World War II?"  How countries are fighting among themselves. I just don't know the answer, He alone, the Lord Jesus, does and as a Christian I have to cling to that promise from his Word. It is what gives peace to my mind. 

     One thing I do know, is we have to regain some sense of respect for many things. Our leaders federal, state and local , our police and other First Responders who keep us safe and take care of us in sometimes unthinkable situations laying their very lives on the line each and every shift they work. Those who aren't a proper fit for the job need to be weeded out and removed but by far most of them are good, hard working people who just want to come home in one piece from a shift. We need to pray for their safety as now there are cities having to issue bullet proof vests to their firefighters due to their being times people are luring them into ambushes. We need to regain respect for life. Too much of the time life is being given a very low priority anymore. Babies are aborted, elderly or disabled are in some quarters pushed to end their lives so as not to be a burden. As a disabled person myself this really picks at my heart. As I have grown older more things have come up with my body. Just in December I was undergoing a number of tests (one reason I didn't get a Christmas letter out). Some routine to keep an eye on several conditions going on but some new ones to get to the bottom of and try and treat new symptoms. Ultimately we (my doctor and I) did find a physical reason for my fatigue and we are working on treating it. Yes, there are times I can feel like with all the things going on in my body why does God keep me around? But I then cling to the hope in the Bible that He does still have a purpose for me here on earth. I can be torn, like the Apostle Paul having a desire to be with Christ (Phil 2:23) and staying here. One of my primary reasons to stay around is my family. They can give me the strength to endure and fight. Another is Christian friends and family. They can keep me encouraged and positive and I am thankful for them. 

     Pray for our nation and world like you never have before my believing friends. 

  

 

Christmas 2012

 

 

     It is once again the Holiday season, that time to reflect on the year past but also look forward to the future.  This has been kind of an unusual year with us doing more traveling than we have in the past, but also blessed with pretty good health and opportunities to be there for others.

 

    We took three trips this year. One in March to Florida to see family and attend a Detroit Tigers spring training game.  We also saw some of the sights around where my brother, wife, nephew and family live, a good time.  In July we traveled up to Michigan to help my wonderful step-mother celebrate being the Grand Marshal of the local Fourth of July parade to honor her years of service to the community.  We were able to surprize her with our arrival with other family members. Finally we took a trip in October just to have some fun over to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  The Great Smokies were beautiful but I will have to work harder at being ready for some hiking.  It was great to get away without any family obligations or schedule. 

 

     We were busy as usual with church and other activies through the year. Part of the year has been helping build some rooms over at our son and daughter in laws home.  It has been an ongoing thing for several months, but is beginning to come to fruition. Ter also volunteered time working on some Habitat for Humanity houses being built not far from our home.

 

     The biggest news and blessing of the year was the completion of the adoption of the four Grandchildren.  It was a journey began over two years ago and we are blessed beyond measure now the Grandkids are in their forever home.  We have always loved them as family since we met them, but it is now extra special with the adoptions being finished just after Thanksgiving to bring extra joy for the season.  We thank God for each one of them!!

 

     Our prayer is this finds you doing well and enjoying all of God's richest blessings for the season and beyond. Above is a picture of the Grandkids and their Mommy enjoying some frozen yougurt at a wonderful little shop not far from here after a swim in the pool on Fathers day.   

What Is In A Life

I know this has been a subject of my blog before, but this is one time I feel I must speak out even though I don’t know the people involved. There was a post on Facebook concerning a young man who is in a wheelchair due to a medical condition. At a recent school choir concert this young man wheeled himself to the end of the risers where the choir he was a part of would be performing. The director got up and began the music selections while leaving this young man sitting at the end of the risers without acknowledgement or assistance to get up by the other music group members. The picture of him sitting by himself speaks volumes.
I have no idea what was going through the director’s mind during this time. I really don’t want to judge, but the perception of this cannot be mistaken. The young man seemed to be completely ignored by everyone involved, fellow students and the director. Why? We don’t know, but it is all too easy to think it was due to his disability. No statement about the situation has been made by the school district that I know of at this writing. The reaction on Facebook has been quick and fury at the actions of the director is pretty unanimous.
I am thankful that while I was growing up those around me saw me as just another person for the most part. Yes, I took a lot of stuff about my size with being short and always having a battle with my weight along with other things. Some days were far from easy and tears were shed. I am thankful in my day I could come home and pretty much get away from the teasing and stuff. Today it is worse with the “cyber” ways of keeping the attacks going at all times….Facebook, Twitter, texting, and other things make it extremely difficult to find a place of sanctuary. We all need our place to have quiet and kind of escape from the world. The things said seem to be meaner and really more personal.
The Bible tells us in numerous places we are all creations of God, His Handiwork. It doesn’t matter our size, whether we have physical or mental challenges, or whatever it happens to be. The fact remains He made us the way we are and we should all be treated like we are worth something. Teasing once in awhile isn’t wrong when done in love and in knowing it is joking. It is when it is mean spirited and meant to hurt it becomes wrong. We all have things we have to face in life, even those who seem to have what most would consider a “perfect” situation. Rather than putting labels on people or judging let us try and include them as much as possible. Try to understand them rather than separating from them. God does have a plan as He promises. Remember to be kind to those around you. You never know how those around you might impact your life so be open to those lessons.