We had the nicest visit with dh's brother and his wife on Saturday! Earlier in the day we shopped for things we need for our trip coming up soon, spent more than an hour in Sports Authority....why have I never been there before? So much stuff I could have spent a fortune on! Wow! Maybe that's why I've never been there before. :)

We checked out an eliptical trainer to replace my manual treadmill and archaic stationary bike, and pretty much settled on the one I want. ..... Until much later when I realized we have no place to accomodate it.....the ceilings in the family room are much too short for dh to get on it, and even, probably, for me. Of course, we could cut a hole up into the office floor or our bedroom, maybe make a little box up there for our heads to fit into. .... Nah, probably wouldn't work. So now dh is considering membership to a gym.....

So....we went to b-i-l's house. We always have such a nice time with them, don't know why we don't do it more often.

We shopped at outlets, did a lot of laughing, and had a lovely meal at a restaurant we are sure to visit again.

Dan and Leen....you are the best....we really enjoyed the day with you, and they always seem to go so quickly. We look forward to the next visit. Thanks for your hospitality!

Hola

Well, we've had our proper planning time for our upcoming trip to Mexico!
We are going with good friends who have been there many times - Cozumel. We can hardly wait! Our friends have an underwater camera, and after our recent delicious dinner together, they showed us some underwater movies from one of their trips. It hardly seems real. It's the kind of thing you watch on tv and certainly never expect to experience!
So now to the packing. It is unlike most any trip we've taken, and there are things to take into consideration that I didn't expect.
But we get more excited with every day that goes by, and honestly, I can't think of anyone we'd rather be with - our friends are familiar with the area and are sincerely anxious to share it with us. I will be taking pictures to share here.....
Hola!

Morning Sun

The morning sun on the face of a rose...gives you an immediate sense of a new day, a new beginning, a new chance at life.

But it is, in a sense, a false feeling. No day is truly "new" and nothing really begins again. Yesterday's pain is still present, yesterday's harms done, they are still done. Their scars linger. That morning sun just means that you can get up and try again. You can try to be there for others, you can try to get it right. Today I attended the funeral of the nicest lady. She died well before her time, if those of us who cared about her had our way. She was just 58. She had not enjoyed good health for a very long time. She was on oxygen 24/7 and in her weakened state she could catch everything that went around. For that reason, I often stayed out of her cubicle whenever I felt a cold or virus lingering. We were careful of her. When you spoke with her on the phone, you'd hear the gentle "puff puff" of the oxygen. But you'd never hear her complain. "how ya doing Willie?" "eh, I'm ok." That was her standard answer.

I hope we all showed her enough how much we cared about her. I hope she knew.

Here's to Willie - who had such grace in such trial. Godspeed

Contentment

We had the baby stay over night last night. He is 16 months old now, and knows enough to be angry when he isn't where he wants to be, nor with someone he chooses. We felt badly when he became so upset for a while, but then he settled in, ate a hearty dinner and cuddled.

And then I knew contentment! It is too infrequent anymore that I have that feeling of absolute fulfillment. When a little one fits so perfectly in my arms, when his little head rests on my chest, one little arm weaves around behind me, the other is flung randomly across my shoulder, and gentle sighs are breathed and the sweet smell of a baby's head is the perfect scent, made only in the finest labs of heaven.

We cuddled like that until he was soundly asleep and it finally made sense to take him up to his pack and play. But I put it off as long as I could, knowing it will be too long until I have this joy again. And when he was, at last, tucked in, gently sleeping, accompanied by his "glow worm" for company, and under a handmade quilt, made for his daddy by my sister-in-law many years ago, I could barely tear myself from the room.

In the morning I leapt from our bed at the first awakening sounds, and if I wasn't the exact person he was hoping to see, he was absolutely the precious one I was seeking. I swooped him up and even the soaking pjs did not delay my hug that I hope he will remember....full of my love, that I hope he will remember too.

How much I love our grandchildren! They are such special gifts from our Father, and I pray to Him to bless them, and I thank Him every day for them.

Jessica. Larry 4. Julia. Ian. You are so special. God bless you!

Where Are They When You Need Them?

For the majority of my life, my friends were my elders. Growing up, I talked to my mom. I pretty much told her everything, and in the process, I knew that I would need to live my life in such a manner that I COULD tell her what I'd done. I had my paternal grandmother, Mary and her sisters Anna, Lizzie and Mag right there in my home town. Their love was something I could totally and absolutely take for granted. And, being a kid, I did! A couple of times I moved out of our house and in with one or the other of them. Those were times I cherish. They were the coolest ladies! And they had no men in their lives, so it was just us females and they filled any need I had, really, for other friends.

And then I had my grandma Roushey - Gwennie, and her daughters Martha and Edna and I counted on their love too. And I went to live with them from time to time...spent one incredible summer on Aunt Edna and Uncle Fred's farm....spent most summers with Aunt Martha and one full school year. I had these phenominal women in my life, they filled my life, and I never questioned their love.

And when I met my husband, the package included his grandmom Anna Wallace. Her love was profound, she understood me, and confided in me, and I in her. She was an awsome lady.

But now, with all of them gone, I am often left with an emptiness....they were my friends. They were my foundation. They were my backup....Aunt Mar and I shared such similarities in our health and very being. I could call her about anything and she'd have personal knowledge about it. And she read and traveled, and we could discuss that. And she sewed and quilted. Grandma Davis and her sisters gave me my faith in God. And they knew me to the core.

They've all enriched my life, they all left me with treasures....

But I wish sometimes they were still here, when I need them, when I wish to share something with them.

Which is any given day and time.

Look And Ye Shall See........

I am convinced that if one slows down, takes a breath, and really opens ones eyes and mind, one will see the many signs of blessings. I mean, I just know this. I have seen and felt it. And one cannot dispair in light of those signs.

Last night at my daughter in law's birthday get together, the conversation turned to the feelings various family members have had that their loved one has not gone, but has merely moved to another level perhaps of consciousness. And the expressions on their faces denied real grief in the face of the continutation of love, the signs of blessings.

Simple things can be so profound.