The View from Here

Gold Star

I was thrilled to watch our nation’s celebration of democracy on Wednesday. Such a blessing to see decency and dignity proudly on display! I believe we not only passed our test, but deserve a gold star. However, I need to save the rest of my thoughts for another day. At the moment, my brain is simply too tired.

I’m finishing up a week filled with appointments and tests. I even had to go to one on Wednesday.  I’ve spent hours in waiting rooms and doctor’s offices and have one more to check off the list tomorrow at 8am. Then I hope to breathe a sigh of relief and get to work on my list of writing projects.

I pray that we all join together now and create a better world for our children and grandchildren.

Final test...

Today feels somewhat akin to the beginning of finals week in college.

Our ability to demonstrate democracy will be tested.

Our faith in our government, and in each other, will be tested.

Our plans for peace and prosperity will be tested.

Our commitment to change will be tested.

Our strategies for survival will be tested.

Our belief in God will be tested.

The difference between a college final and this one is that it really might be the last test we take. The grade our country earns this week won’t be a letter on a piece of paper. The outcome of this test will be the life or death of our country. I don’t think there is much we can do to revive our democracy if it doesn’t survive this week.

With that in mind, I’d like for you to join with me in doing three things:

1. Pray each day for ALL of our leaders to make wise decisions.
2. Pray each day for ALL of us to choose peaceful actions.
3. Ask yourself, “How will what I choose to do this week affect the future of my family?”

Philippians 2

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

The Good Old Days

I know this will not be a popular post, but I think that in order to maintain a healthy perspective about the future, we need to give up some of this nonsense about the good old days of the past. I’ve read much of the history of this county, going back to 1848 and I would love for someone to tell me when the “good old days” occurred. Human behavior has not changed since creation. There has never been a decade or a year or even a month when life was idyllic. If we are honest about it, those blissful days we recall so fondly were probably those of our childhood- when we were unaware of the woes of the world or the challenges faced by our parents. We didn’t have a lot of responsibilities and we were the center of our own universe. My childhood took place in the fifties and I was a teenager in the sixties. Google those timelines and see if times were ideal.

And please don’t tell me about small towns and unlocked doors and walking to town at night. You lived to talk about the risky things you did. There are plenty of headstones in our cemetery that tell a different story.

I don’t mean this to be completely negative…just realistic. Let’s move forward by letting our experiences of the past, both good and bad, guide us to make each day we have NOW as safe and healthy and peaceful as possible.

With Bated Breath

As the world watches and waits to see how Americans will deal with the crisis of the past week and the challenges of the next two, I find myself unexpectedly calm and confident that the righteous among us will prevail. I’m not naïve. I know that evil exists and that there are too many people in America who awaken each day with no other purpose than to lie, cheat, steal, and harm. But I also know, personally, many more people who woke up this morning with plans to love, assist, support, encourage, and protect their family, friends and neighbors. Some of them will even spend time and effort and money helping strangers. I put my faith and hope in God and in those who follow His guidance, rather than the rantings of the devil’s followers.

 Yes, I’m concerned with what is happening and I watch at least an hour of the news that unfolds each day. I pray that in the coming weeks and months we will manage to rebuild order from chaos and peace from rebellion so that our children and their children may live in a world that is less troubling than it is today. I also pray for the wisdom to make good decisions each day so that I stay healthy and faithful and spend my time being useful to others. Excessive worry serves no purpose.

Philippians 4

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

² I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³ And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Quiet Time

As many of you know, my usual habit is to awaken at 4am and spend half an hour praying, reading my Bible, acknowledging my blessings, and reviewing the events of the day before. Then I think about my plans for the current day and ask for God’s guidance in completing them. I pray for family and friends. My final request is to be useful to others. This quiet time allows me start my day with a calm and confident attitude. I’ve come to look forward to it, depend on it, need it.

Of course, even a well-established routine isn’t perfect. I don’t rely on an alarm, so this morning I woke up at 3:45. One day last week I awakened at 5:00. I rarely sleep any later than that. Most mornings I’m alert and happy and eager to start the day. Once in a while I’m a bit groggy and in pain and less motivated than normal. However, enjoying my quiet time always improves my feelings.

This morning my thoughts focused on how few members of the younger generation have or make time for quiet contemplation and planning. Their days often begin with the immediate need to take responsibility for a child, spouse, or parent. Their routine requires them to feed family members, coordinate schedules, pack lunches, and get ready for a day of work. They don’t have the luxury of extra time that I now cherish. I remember those days. They were rewarding, but also challenging and exhausting. Retirement changed my life and gave me this gift of personal time.

This year I expect to continue my morning routine. Perhaps if you haven’t already done so, you will establish your own quiet time. I promise you won’t be sorry.

No Words...

 

I’m finding it difficult these days to adequately express my feelings. My life is such a mixture of joy and sadness, blessings and problems, hope and heartache. I’m sure you sometimes find yourself in the same situation.  

Yesterday I sat in stunned silence as I witnessed the assault on our nation’s most cherished beliefs. There are no words that can adequately explain how or why that happened. I’ll listen in the coming days to the commentators, analysts and experts, and I’m sure I still won’t understand.

Violence is never the answer to our problems. Hatred doesn’t change hearts and minds. I believe each of us, not just our leaders, must search for words that inspire hope and cooperation, not ones that incite rebellion and violence. We’re already battling for our lives against an enemy we can’t see. Let’s not complicate our struggles by battling against each other.

First Sunday...

What better way to begin the New Year than 60 degrees and sunshine?! Of course that prompted me to spend some time in the yard with the birds. 

New Year...New Me

 

                I’m ending this year sixty pounds lighter. I’m not going to post photos or recommend a “diet”. I’m not going to give you advice about how you, too, can lose weight. I’m just going to tell you that my success is the result of my sincere desire to be healthier.

            In the past I’ve dieted because I wanted to look better. The problem with that motive is that I really don’t care that much about how I look. Since I turned fifty or so, I’ve been less concerned about clothes and makeup and jewelry. My concerns have been more about what I can do, see, and experience. I suppose that attitude evolved because of a decrease in my mobility and an increase in my health problems. 

            This past summer, a trip to our local ER and some disturbing lab tests prompted my doctor to tell me, “You’re too smart to stay fat.” I can’t tell you exactly what that triggered in my brain, but I agreed with him and was determined to prove it.

            Since that day in his office, I have eliminated some foods, changed the way I prepare others, and drastically reduced the portions I eat. It’s not rocket science. We all know in our hearts what is really good for us…and what is not. I like to say that the adult in my body eats like she should. The child in my body needs control and some reprimanding now and then!

             My goal going forward is to lose more. How much? I don’t know. I guess I’ll just wait and see…

Patience

Growing flowers in the house, in the winter, is an exercise in patience, but worth the watering and waiting. 

What is a Picture Worth?

 

We’ve all heard the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The saying was first used in advertising in the twenties, but even now the wisdom of it is a powerful reminder that art and photography often evoke much more emotion and tell more of a story than anything we can write or say.

I experienced that truth this week when I pulled this photo out of a box of photos recently given to me by my brother. You may recall that I lived a very transient life as a child. My father changed jobs a lot. We moved to work in the fields. We moved to find cheaper housing. We moved for better opportunities. We moved…

It isn’t surprising that my brain has no memory of some houses, and I can only conjure up brief glimpses of others. However, I learned from seeing this photo that sometimes our memory just needs the right key to unlock its secrets.

When I was ten years old my father and uncle worked on a dam project in Georgetown, Texas. We lived in a four-plex and my brothers played “Army” in a lot behind us. Dad took us out to the job site a few times, usually to see large dens of rattlesnakes they had uncovered and destroyed. My aunt and uncle lived in a house nearby.

One of our neighbors was a child my age, but smarter than I ever thought about being. He was already in high school. My brain isn’t sure, but I believe he may have lived with his grandfather. I don’t recall there being a woman in the home. I do remember that green roses grew by their steps, most of one room inside was devoted to a collection of National Geographics, and I was allowed to visit, so my mom must have considered the man to be a good person. The boy, whose name I can’t recall, tried in vain to teach me to play chess. We did have some long discussions about some of the places featured in the magazine. We longed to visit Australia and Africa.

The neighbors directly next to us consisted of a husband and wife and baby boy about nine months old. I remember that she cooked some foods I’d never heard about. (They were from some European country.) She made huge batches of apple strudel that she rolled out on their metal kitchen table. I can almost taste those delicious treats even now! She needed to go shopping one afternoon and asked my mom if she thought I was old enough for the responsibility of staying with her son. Mom assured her that I’d had lots of practice with my brothers and that she would also be available if I needed help. I remember feeling a little nervous, but everything went well.

I don’t remember who lived in the third apartment. Perhaps some single person without children or someone not interested in the neighbors.

Other memories and events of that time come to mind as I look at this photo. It tells the story of year in my life. That makes it priceless!