Busy Day

I got three things done today.

First, I had lunch at a friend's house. She was trying out a new receipe and we enjoyed her quiche and a good visit in her bright and beautiful kitchen. Grace is a splendid cook and a great conversationalist. She's one of the ladies I do pool aerobics with every weekday morning. We also both belong to the Red Hat Society and the Lunch Bunch as well as the Breakfast Club, so I see her often.

After lunch and a brief rest, I went to Wal-Mart to pick up my meds. I was smart, I went in, got my pills and went straight back out without looking at a single other thing. I was already tired when I got there because I had made a wrong turn, forgetting I was on my way to Wal-Mart, so ended up in Poincianna instead. It was a nice drive, though.

As I was driving, the air conditioner didn't seem to be working. It was blowing tepid air, not cool air. I began to pray, dreading having to go to the repair shop. Then I realized I had the temp dial turned to warm! When I turned it back to cool, I was rewarded with the icy blast of a healthy AC unit, praise God. He didn't have to fix the AC, just remind me about the dial,

I got lost again on the way home from Wal-Mart, but this time, I was trying to see if a new road would take me on a more scenic route. It was scenic all right. I ended up at the land fill.

It was almost six in the evening by the time I finally made it to the grocery store, but even though I was already tired (and that's not a good thing for me) I had my list and stuck to it and was out of there in about an hour. I even remembered to bring all the groceries in from the car and got everything put away before Richard got home from work.

It was a blessed day and we had a pleasant time playing Gin Rummy on the computer after dinner. We play on http://pogo.com The graphics are cute and they do all the scoring and card shuffling. Also, they help you keep track of "legal" moves or plays, etc. We both enjoy Pogo a lot.

So, now the day is spent and so am I... a gentle fatigue, and almost a welcome one. How thankful I am to live in a safe place, enjoying the peace and security of our quiet home.

Finished & Gone

My work on the church project is finished, not as well as I'd like, but then it wouldn't be even with another month's work. On the other hand, it came out a whole lot better than I expected. One thing is sure, without the Lord's lead and enablement, nothing would have been done at all. To Him goes all the glory.

I am even almost ready for our little get-away. To celebrate Richard's birthday, we're going to poke around the Everglades and eastern coastline of Florida, and we leave early tomorrow morning. We didn't make reservations because we like to find out-of -he way places to dine and sleep. I'd really like a small motel on the beach but I doubt there is such a thing any more.

We are both looking forward to this time together with nothing special to do, no plans or schedules to keep, just winging it. We are definitely ready for that!

We don't plan to take the computer along, so I will not be posting until we return.

Possibilities

I have been working on a project for my church for several days. Well, actually, in varied forms, for about a month. I am still not sure why I was invited to be a part of this operation which is quite involved and has great importance for the future of the local church family.

It is quite humbling and I know all too well that I am not up to the task. Several times, I've asked myself why I accepted, why I wasn't more frank about my limited abilities. Oh yes, I told them up front about my brain injury, but I know that few people really grasp the degree it interferes with productivity. I am "good in the moment," but the moment is short and usually lost later on. Even though I seem on task because I do eye contact, rephrase what has been said and nod a lot, I am often lost.

I have had to ask the pastor for clarification twice... the exact same question. This time, he wrote it out for me. I should have requested that to begin with, but even so, I am unequal to the task.

So, here I am with my work incomplete and needing to finish by tomorrow. I have prayed and prayed, but it is not yet done. God is letting me fully feel the impact of my complete inability to do this. Yet, amazingly, He has granted me the faith to believe it will be done!

Now, deadline or no, I am waiting on the Lord for inspiration. I have several ideas and I know He will put them together or lead me to do so... With God all things are possible.

Home Sweet Home

I helped prepare and serve lunch yesterday at the local homeless mission. Over 100 were served, but I was perhaps the one who received the greatest service, the most abundant blessing. More happened during that time inside my spirit than this short blog or my meager words can convey.

Our house is small and I have recently been scouting around for a larger one. Yesterday, God spoke to my spirit through people who live on the streets, who would be thrilled with our small home that is paid for. Why is this home not good enough for me? It is actually more than we need. So what is the word for me in this? What is God saying?

Oh, please don't assume I was so emotionally impacted by pity that I interpretted it as a word to me from the Lord. I know the difference and have seen much harder cases than these... after all, I have been in the worst parts of Watts, Harlem, NYC, St. Louis, etc.

No, God had something to say to me and, just as I knew when He told me that I had made an idol out of cigarettes, I know He is now telling me to wait until (or IF) He decides we should move to other quarters. Meanwhile, I am to appreciate and love the home He has provided and not eschew anything about it.

Jesus once told some Roman soldiers to "...be content with your wages." This on the heels of telling them not to use force or treachery to take money from anyone. (Luke 3:14) Basically we can all apply that concept of being content and not "grasping." God knows what we need and if we we find ourselves in a place of want, He is more aware of it than are we.

If, after casting our cares on Him in prayer and trusting Him enough to say, "Thy will, not mine," as did Jesus in Gethsemone, we remain in need and in some painful state, we can only assume that He has a purpose in it. He will indeed right the situation either here or in heaven, for He thinks eternally. (That is so hard to get our minds around!)

But back to my home situation and God's message to me. I am told to be content, to wait on Him (in all things, not just this) and with that came the enablement. Today, I walk around my house and see how comfortable it is and notice how blessed I am to live here! Amen!!!

Pooling It

I started pool aerobics this morning. I did the program last year and liked it a lot. It isn't meant to replace the gym, but it is fun and good for me plus I enjoy spending time with the other people there. I had a killer tan last year and need to get out in the sun again.

Because of needing to be in the pool rather than linger over breakfast as I do my Bible study, I moved my time with the Lord back to lunch. Lunch with the Lord was a Planner regular, then I went to breakfast for some forgotten reason. I am thankful I live where I can have a Bible!

Tomorrow I go to the Homeless Mission. It should be quite a lesson and I expect to come away from that with a greater appreciation of all I have been blessed with.

Pool aerobics... that alone is amazingly abundant!

Social Whirl

One of the things my therapists worked with me on in California was reestablishing and active social life. Before my last accident, I was busy and involved and led a very interactive life as well as worked 60+ hours a week. I loved it.

Nothing turns one off to social interaction like not knowing what's going on. Short term memory problems and my hearing impairment combine to derail my interpersonal trains. early on. Something like that is embarrassing not only for me but for people around me who cannot underatand that I can be brilliant one minute and not know where I live the next.

God has responded to my prayers and willingness to step out in faith. I was at a meeting last night, a Red hats pool party today and a Bible Study tonight. I was too disinhibited at the meeting (not uncommon with brain injured folks) and spoke too loudly and too often yet never really got said what I wanted to get across... but there will be other chances... or there won't. God is at the helm and will tend to the outcome. My job is to trust Him amd place myself completerly in His hands. How freeing that is!

Feeling more connected with our new church family is also a big thing. I love the children of God, but I need to make a affot to go to functions where I don't know others and often must attent alone due to Richard's work. Before my brain injury that was never a problem. I assimilated quickly and loved every minute of it.

Yhen there is teh problem of fatigue. I usually cannot got yo more than onne public function in a dahy. Today, I did three! I made it through all without "flooding," getting lost in a conversation, or having to leave to take a nap. I feel pretty accom,plished about all that and will push the envelope harder. God is indeed GOOD!

Good Grill

My Father's Day gift to Richard was a grilling cookbook and a grill cleaning tool. Since we don't have a grill, he got the hint that he would pick out one which would complete the gift package. After a tour of Sam's Club and Wal-Mart, we found one that was on sale (but still sort of pricey) and now it sits in the pickup bed awaiting assembly.

Richard does not cook. He uses the George Foreman grill granddaughter Daisy gave us one year to grill frozen "Bubba" hamburger patties, but that's about the extent of his culinary activity... except at the grill. He likes to grill.

He looked at the really cheap ones, but I thought we should go with stainless steel and one with a burner and thermometer, etc. I want to encourage his forays into the manly art of grilling, plus I can see that this grill will keep the kitchen cooler and cleaner.

Oh, you're thinking the grill was as much a gift for me as it was for him? You'd be right! It's something we'll both enjoy a lot and I didn't want to make the same mistake we made last time. We bought a cheap grill and it was rusty and bent in no time. You couldn't "roast" in it because it wouldn't hold any heat.

Actually, I like cooking with wood or charcoal better than propane, but we both hate the added work and mess, so we are happy with what we bought... It was marked down a full one hundred dollars, so we got a very nice deal on a very good grill. Richard is off work tomorrow, so we'll assemble our new toy and try it out then. I have steaks and roasting ears waiting in the frig.

How very blessed we are. On the way to buy the grill we saw some people walking in the rain carrying Wal-Mart bags. It was a little over a mile from the store and they were soaked. I said a prayer for them and a praise to God for our vehicles. I pray the Lord will constantly remind me of His many blessings and that I may never place the temporal ones above the spiritual. I deserve neither... it is all pure grace! Thank you, Jesus!!

Choices, Good and Not So Good

I woke up late and almost didn't make it to church. I missed the 10 o'clock study but made it to the 11 o'clock service. Yeah, I slept really late! Why? Because I was up nearly all night sorting through the 15,000+ pictures on my hard drive. Poor choice. The project needs doing, yes, but it will take many days and I should have gone to bed early enough to give my rested, full attention to the Lord this morning.

The worship service was wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed and was inspired by the sermon... but I was tired and could not focus as well as I should. Because of that, I missed out on the better blessing I'd have received had I been fully there. On the other hand, I made a good choice to get up even though I was very groggy, and rush to get ready for church. I'm glad I went.

One of my granddaughters made a poor choice. She tried to climb from her second story balcony up onto the roof (don't ask why, I have no clue) and she fell. That is a LONG drop and she could have easily been killed or paralyzed. She is in the hospital with broken bones and we are not yet sure if there is a brain injury or any other bad consequence. We are praying she will have no permanent residual problems, and we are praising God she is alive and not a quadraplegic.

This same young lady has also made many good choices. She is a college student and has a bright future to look forward to. We love her and are so proud of her, but not really thrilled about this latest activity! Please keep Rio in your prayers for a speedy recovery and a lesson well learned.

Dad's Day

Here's a link to my Father's Day pages (Be sure to see the one about 4 dads). Sure hope you have a blessed Dad's Day.
http://ionanet.com/press/cards/dad.htm

As soon as Richard gets home and changed. we are off to Athena's for grilled steaks and great company. We're celebrating Father's Day this evening because Richard works a long shift tomorrow at Disney helping make things great for other dads and their families as they enjoy their time together at the parks.

While I tend to be more intense and full of passion about all things in life, Richard is more low key and laid back. I had nine children when he married me and he had no fathering experience. Incredible, yet he did a fine job as a father. He says he learned to be a dad from his own stepdad Charlie, who was also a sanguine sort of guy.

Recently, our son-in-law Ethan sent Richard an email and dedicated Brad Paisley's video to him, saying how much Crystal loves him. The song is about a stepdad and is called "He Didn't Have to Be." I had dedicated that song to Richard last year and this year sent it to my new son-in-law Steve who impresses me as he parents three of our grandchildren.

Great dads are hard to find. Great stepdads are even more rare. I am so thankful I married one.

Back to Giveback

I am excited. I'm going to Giveback again tonight after a long absence. I've been out of town during meeting times, once to Oakland for a family celebrations and once to Dothan for a friend's funeral. Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things there for a few months before I begin traveling again in the fall... 2, maybe 3 weddings, family reunion and another genealogy expedition.

I need to reclaim my discipline with Error Analysis and using other strategies, especially my planner. I am still not consistent! On the positive side, however, I have made some great strides with using the Garmin and now use no matter where I go or with whom.

I got almost nothing done today except find places for all the neat stuff I bought in Dothan (with Linda's help). These are all decor items but the house is not ready for them and we have no place to store one other thing, so these treasures have to sit somewhere in plain sight even though they don't "go" there. I tried to make it at least tolerable and took all day at it.

I SO wish HGTV or my friend Linda,who has a great design sense, would come redo this place! But since that is not going to happen, I'll take a stab at it... could get brutal!

Well, I'm off to my meeting, praising God for a beautiful day and a fixed air conditioner!

Back on Track

I am home from Alabama and will share my trip and all its blessings and sorrows tomorrow. Today, I have not the residual energy to do so.

God heard my prayers and my brain operated fairly well while I was gone (with a few exceptions) but I must have used the last of my reserves because....

Sorry, fell asleep typing. It seems to take me about as many days to recover from a trip as I was away. The same holds true for company, or any other 'public" activity.

My dear friends in Dothan made me feel warmly welcome. One opened her stunning home to me, another held an open house luncheon, another had me over to dinner... and so many made me feel special and loved. Of course you guessed it, these are members of my church family in Dothan, they are children of God.

When we were in Denver a while back, my future son-in-law showed me how his Garmin worked, so I got a Garmin GPS before I left on my Dothan trip and was only lost once. My friends live in a new development which is not yet mapped so when I set the GPS for their address, it couldn't lead me there.

6/12/07
Our air conditioner quit yesterday and we've been pretty warm. The repair man came today and we expected to hear we needed a new unit (this one was installed in 1988) but he just replaced a part and we were all cool for under $200! Praise God!

We just booked our flight and room for Tami's September wedding in Denver. We'll be leaving the 15th and returning the 18th. Granddaughter Daisy is getting married later that same month in Vernal, Utah. Her reception is the 29th. We haven't made arrangements yet but need to do so soon. There is a possibility that another granddaughter may wed in October. I hope she chooses an early date. Our travel budget is getting maxed out!

I was thrilled to get calls from Kim and Tami yesterday and today. Good news all around! Kim's ultrasound shows the baby is well and perfect, plus Kim just finished all requirements for her Masters degree. Tami is in SC doing some military things. I am so proud ouf all our kids... and am pleased so many chose to serve in the military. Although fiercely patriotic, I doubt I would have been able to make it in the armed forces.

Anyway, pray for our service men and women!