At Year's End

Where did the year go? That's what everyone always says, isn't it. Someone said that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The nearer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. The year sort of goes like that too.

In a football frame of mind yesterday, I went to the grocery store and ended up buying some chips and salsa. There just are not really healthy chips, are there...but they surely are good. I had planned to watch the Penn State-Texas A&M game with the faithful in Sarasota last night, but fog rolled in about 6, and I decided it would be better for people on the road if I stayed home. And so I did. It's not quite as much fun to watch it alone as it is with a crowd. But Penn State prevailed. It didn't look like they would at the start.

I find it a little sad when Christmas is over. All the pretty decorations come down, and it's back to business as usual. Last year I wrote a post in which I quoted from Lauren Winner's book, Girl Meets God.

She writes: "The calendar tells us that this all culminates on December 25, but really the whole season slouches toward Easter. Jesus became incarnate now, in the manger of Bethlehem, but if His incarnateness is meant to make Him more relatable to us, if we are meant to have better access to God because our God has a body like we have, if we relate to Him better because He knows what it is like to weep and throw up and be tempted and suffer, then the Incarnation that starts on Christmas isn't finished until Good Friday. And the miracles that start in the strange inexplicable Virgin Birth aren't finished until the Resurrection.....Even his birthplace takes us to the Last Supper: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is born in Bethlehem, bet lechem, "house of bread," and at the Last Supper, He will break bread for us, and then on the cross He will break His body. Nothing in Scripture, even the names of birthplace towns, is coincidence."

I didn't have an opportunity to sing in my church's Christmas concert this year because I had been away so much, but I had the privilege to listen. Some of the songs were traditional; some were new. This particular one expresses to me, like Lauren's quote above, what Christmas really is all about. The title is "I Believe" written by Natalie Gr*nt.

In a land far away, timestood still long ago.
There were shepherds in fields,
This is how the story goes, the story goes.

Woman with child and an inn with no room.
Born in a manger, foretelling a tomb,
This is how the story goes.

But it's more than a stable,
and it's more than a fairy tale,
and more than my mind can conceive--
I believe.

The wise men saw the baby boy
the angels called the Son of God.
Heaven's child, the great I AM,
born to take away my sin through nail-pierced hands
Emmanuel has come. I believe.

Two thousand years, still the story lives on.
God's gift to us, sent to earth wrapped in flesh,
His only Son--His only Son.

And the heartbeat of heaven confounded our wisdom,
But it's still the simple truth that set me free.
I believe the wise men saw the baby boy
the angels called the Son of God.
Heaven's child, the great I AM
Born to take away my sin through nail-pierced hands.
Emmanuel has come and I believe.

Precious child, how can it be
That God's great plan for history
would send you to a lonely tree,
That you would come for one like me?
I believe.

O Come, Emmanuel

I called my daughter this morning to tell her where I would be during the day. She commented that I hadn't posted since Monday. I guess she checks up on me that way. I've been reading everyone's posts and commenting, but I haven't posted all week.

I was reading over at Jamie Dawn's about the nostalgia that arises during the Christmas season. Sometimes it's happy memories, sometimes sad, or a mixture of both. One morning this week, as I woke up, my husband was on my mind. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, but that morning he was especially on my mind. As I got into the shower, the tears began to flow mingling with the water from the shower, much as they had done in the weeks following his passing. Even though the love of family and friends is present, the one who is missing always brings a bit of sadness.

The music of Christmas is so wonderful to me. Last night my hand hit my remote in such a way that I came across a channel that I didn't even know was on my TV. Several months ago, I signed up for Ver*zon Fios, and on channel 894 is the Worsh*p channel. It was on our regular cable for a long time and then went off. I felt like I had found an old friend. What joy to listen to the music of Christmas and see the beautiful scenery that accompanies it.

A blessed Christmas to you all. I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas songs.

O Come, O Come Immanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.


O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Winter is here

The temperature dropped 35 degrees overnight here in Florida. Some areas in the central part of the state had freeze warnings. Later in the week temperatures should be back up to 75. I remember when I first lived in Cincinnati after I graduated from college. That was the furthest north I had been, and when I saw the little bit of snow that arrived during that first winter, and as I watched older people out shoveling, I realized why Florida had such an appeal.

I had a young man come visit me on Friday. It was rather cloudy, but he kept saying, "This weather is incredible." He had flown from Wisconsin the day before where there had been a foot of snow on the ground. I took him for a drive over the Sunshine Skyway and then out to the beach. He was amazed. It's interesting how our everyday life becomes so commonplace. I find that when I go to Virginia and enjoy the mountains that I'm experiencing the same awe that he did.

Anyway, today, there is not a cloud in the sky; the air is cool. One might need a sweater or a light sweatshirt. To those of us who live in Florida year-round, we look forward to this all year long.

Are you a fan of the Food Network? I am. Right now the Barefoot Cont*ssa is on working her magic. A favorite of many is Paula De*n. She's a hoot, isn't she. She has a recipe for fudge that I intend to try one of these days. My problem is that I watch these shows, but I rarely cook any more.

For those of you who do like shortcuts, I have a great fudge recipe for you. You can use your imagination with it, and it only takes a few minutes to make.

Directions for making fudge: Melt one bag of chips in microwave or on top of stove. Stir in one can of frosting. Add extras. Enjoy.

Rocky Road - 1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips, 1 can chocolate fudge frosting, 1 1/2 cups of marshmallows, 3/4 cups chopped mixed nuts.

Toffee Butterscotch - 1 bag of butterscotch chips, 1 can caramel pecan frosting, 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, 1/2 cup almond brickle bits.

Peppermint Swirl - 1 1/2 cups white vanilla chips, 1 can vanilla frosting, 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, 4 drops red food coloring, 2 tbsp. peppermint candies, crushed.

Favorite cookies and cream - 1 12 bag vanilla chips, 1 can Oreo frosting, 10 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, cut into quarters, 3 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed.

After you melt the chips and add the frosting, add the quartered cookies, spread in pan, and sprinkle with crushed cookies.

Let me know if you try any of these and how you found them.

Christmas Love - I Corinthians 13

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals
and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime:
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.


If I work at a soup kitchen
carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity;
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir's cantata
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home
that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids
to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there
to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those
who are able to give in return;
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things
endures all things.
Love never fails.


Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust;

But giving the gift of love will endure.

Thanks, Pastor Tim.

Christmas Came Early

Yes, Christmas came early for our little family this year. I flew to Virginia on the second. Sarah drove to Knoxville to be in a girlfriend's wedding, and then she drove up on Sunday. For a few short hours we were together, and so we had Christmas dinner and had tons of fun watching Ella open her presents.

My daughter-in-law had this little tree that she had had for years. She said if it got destroyed, it wouldn't matter. But Ella has learned very well. Her mommy told her to touch with just one finger, and she was very good about it.

We opened our gifts before we ate so that Ella wouldn't be too tired. She really got the hang of opening the gifts. Such fun! Her aunt Sarah brought her some shoes and pretty shirts, and, oh yes, she brought her one of her Eeyores from her vast collection. Pooh can't be by himself in the bedroom.

I found this puzzle online. When you match the animal to its shape, it makes the sound of the animal. Pretty cool, and it's not too loud, which makes everyone happy.

Monday morning Sabrina dropped me off at the airport in Charlottesville. According to schedule I would have a two hour wait in Charlotte. I sort of looked forward to that because there are so many neat shops, namely The Chocolate F*ctory. As it turned out, the plane coming to Charlottesville had been fogged in in Asheville earlier in the morning, so it was an hour late coming. When we did board, the pilot made up some time going to Charlotte.

I don't know if you've ever been there, but it is a long walk from the express flights (little planes) to the other gates. I took advantage of the carts and got to my next plane with plenty of time to spare. Before I left I called the airline to see if they had any first class seats available. They happened to have some on the trip from Charlotte to Tampa, and so I used some of my air miles to upgrade. The only trouble with that is that one gets so spoiled to the nice big seats.

I'm still trying to catch up. Every time I come home it is one doctor appointment after the other. Thank goodness they're only maintenance. And so I'm just now getting to posting again.

It's always good to go away and good to come home again. I think my next trip will be in February after our Sweet Adelines show.

B-r-r-r!

This Florida girl is cold in Virginia. And guess what! It's snowing. Flurries, but it's snow, and there is a little accumulation. I've taken a couple of pictures to remember it by. I know when you live in a place where you have lots of snow that it is not remarkable, but I would think that the first snowfall of the season must be something to see.

I've been by to read all your posts, and I'll take some time to comment today. Ella is at the sitter's so I have lots of time to read and comment. When I arrived on Sunday, she looked at me with a little recognition. Her parents show her my photo often, and she knows Grammy in the picture.

It's amazing the growth one sees in a month in a toddler. Her attention span is much longer when she listens to stories, and she has added many more words to her vocabulary. I'm getting to know Winnie the Pooh all over again. When I was here in October, I bought her the DVD, and David said after I left, that she had fallen in love with Pooh.

When Sarah was a baby, I recall that the first cartoon that she reacted to was Winnie the Pooh. It was on TV on Friday nights, and I remember her sitting in her daddy's lap, grinning from ear to ear at the shenanigans of those animals. It's fun to see that happening again.

I've taken a couple of pictures of Ella, but I haven't uploaded them yet, but they'll be there.

As Tigger says, "TTFN." Ta-ta for now.

Guess where I'm going

Tomorrow I'm on my way to Virginia. I'll bet you couldn't guess. I'll be there for just a week this time. Sarah's driving to Knoxville on Thursday to be in a friend's wedding on Saturday, and then she's driving on up to David's. We'll have a day there together, when we will do our Christmas early.

I'll be posting from Virginia, hopefully with some photos of you know who.

God's Faithfulness

I've written a little about the fact that I lived and worked in Haiti many years ago before I was married. I learned many lessons while there. I lived among people who had very little of this world's goods, and I think I learned not to hold onto anything too tightly.

A custom on New Year's Day was to take everything out of the house and wash it out completely so that one could start the New Year all clean. That was not a hard thing for them to do. I try to get rid of stuff and there seems to be more all the time, rather than less.

Recently tropical storm Noel passed through the Dominican Republic and Haiti, dumping much rain and leaving death and destruction in its path. I recently read an e-mail from a lady who works there and her experience of attending church on the Sunday after the waters had receded.

I leave her note with you for your consideration.

Singing to the Lord After the Flood

Sunday morning there was a break in the rain. The welcome sun shone through and our church family in Torbeck gathered. In the days before, the flood waters in Torbeck had filled the church up to the height of the bench seats.

Many church members had suffered loss as heavy rains fell day after day. One lady of the church, Monique, had her house washed away. Others put their children up on the rafters as they watched the water run through their houses, two or three feet deep. Others lost important papers, household supplies and livestock. No one had lost family members.

The waters had run off now, the church was swept out, and the people came to God’s house to praise and thank Him for His protection during the flood. Their voices filled the damp church building (in the Creole language):

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning
new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand has provided,
Great is Thy
faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Through the flood they had experienced God’s hand of protection, and they sang His praise with all their hearts. Can you imagine their songs of thanks? We all thank you for your prayers. Join them in thanks for God’s faithfulness and provisions in their time of need. Pray with us that the testimonies of their lives will point hungry hearts to Jesus. Join us in praying too that their needs will continue to be met, through international aid or personal gifts.

From Sarah

Who would have known that on May 3, 2001 a black furball of a kitten would
come into this world and then two days later steal my heart. Sheila, a lady
I worked with in NC, came in a said a momma cat had adpoted her family and
had kittens. I couldn't wait to see them, there was one black one and two
tiger striped. At some point in going over to see the kittens day after
day, I was holidng the black one and he fell asleep. I made the comment
that he was "tuckered out". Thus the name Tucker came into being for this
blue eyed black fuzzy furball. I was adamant that I would have him, so I
wrote a letter to my land-lady asking if I could have this kitten. She
didn't want pets in the house I was renting, but I told her that I would be
sure to have the carpets cleaned and everything when I left. She said YES!

So, after 6 or 8 weeks, Tucker came to live with me. Not too long after, I
moved back to FL (Sept 2001). So we took our first road trip together...
and like me... he doesn't fare well in moving vehicles when he is a
passenger. Go figure! He got to be cooped up in my room at my mom's house
for what seemed like forever to him I'm sure... except for the few times he
got out only to go torment Color. She was not very pleased to have this
youngster in her house. Thankfully, we didn't stay too long and moved into
the house I am in now.

He has enjoyed the windows, the doors being open, listening to the birds and
watching the lizards. We've had our good times and our bad times. The bad
times being losing my dad and then earlier this year the discovery of a mass
on Tucker's side and finding out it was cancer. In May we had it removed,
only for it to return at the beginning of August and grow ferociously since
then. The surgeon would not remove the tumor again and
chemotherapy/radiation would not have helped at all. We tried a holistic
vet and she recommended some herbs that might help slow the growth of the
tumor. We tried the herbs but then Tucker got tired of my making his wet
food taste gross so we stopped using them.

This Thanksgiving weekend, I noticed he was not eating very much, if at all,
and he was sleeping ALOT. The tumor is finally taking all his energy. He
hesitates to jump up on things because this mass is so big it gets in the
way and hurts him. I realized in all of this, it is coming time to say good
bye to my baby, my Tucker. He has been my best friend and constant
companion for 6 1/2 years. I would do anything for this boy, I love him so
much. Some people say, "he is just a cat". Oh they are sorely mistaken. He
is my family. We know each other better than we know ourselves. I will
miss him sitting here on the computer desk, or climbing up on me to take a
nap in my lap or on my chest... messing with the blinds because he wants to
look outside... and getting that look in his eye when I would say the word
"treat"... the other T word he knows besides his name.

So, I said good bye to my baby today, November 27th.... He will be with my
dad and be able to run around after mice and lizards and watch the birds in
that special place in heaven I believe God has for our beloved pets.

With sadness,
Sarah

My daughter

Please keep my daughter in your thoughts. She is having to deal with putting her cat down. Several months ago he had surgery for a tumor which had grown in his side. He appeared to be doing well, but the tumor came back. The surgeon told her that it would not do to do surgery again.

He had been doing pretty well, but the mass is quite large, and now today, he doesn't have much energy, and he is not eating well. We have shed many tears today. Tucker came into her life as a brand new kitty when she was living in North Carolina, and he has brought much joy into her life.

She just e-mailed me and said that she was going to call the vet tomorrow and talk to him.

She reads this blog, and she also visits many of yours. I know she will appreciate any thoughts that you pass along to her.

Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's early afternoon, but I didn't want to let the day go by without wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving Day. I started to make a list of all the things I'm thankful for, but the list is very long, so I'll forego it right now. Needless to say, I'm thankful for this little girl and for the measure of health that she has had during this first year of her life.

So many Scriptures speak of being thankful. Psalm 100 is a familiar one to most people. I post it here as it is in The Message.

On your feet now --applaud GOD.
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves
into His presence.

Know that GOD is GOD, and GOD, GOD
He made us, we
didn't make Him.
We're his people, his well-tended sheep.

Enter with
the password: "Thank you."
Make yourselves at home, talking
praise.
Thank Him. Worship Him.

For God is sheer beauty
all
generous in love;
loyal forever and ever.

The Van Gogh Family - Gathered for Thanksgiving

I received this in an e-mail. Perhaps you've already seen it.

The dizzy aunt -- Verti Gogh
The brother who ate prunes -- Gotta Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store -- Stop N. Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia -- U Gogh
The cousin from Illinois -- Chica Gogh
His magician uncle -- Where Diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin -- A. Mee Gogh
The Mexican cousin's American half-brother -- Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach -- Wells Far Gogh
The constipated uncle -- Cant Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt -- Tang Gogh
The bird lover aunt -- Flamin Gogh
His nephew psychoanalyst -- E Gogh
The fruit loving cousin -- Man Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking -- Way To Gogh
The little bouncy nephew -- Poe Gogh
A sister who loved disco -- Go Gogh
And his niece who travels the country in a van -- Winnie Bay Gogh
And there ya Gogh!

For this week of Thanksgiving

Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation,

The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.

With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled:

To God all praise and glory.

What God’s almighty power hath made His gracious mercy keepeth,

By morning glow or evening shade His watchful eye ne’er sleepeth;

Within the kingdom of His might,

Lo! all is just and all is right:To God all praise and glory.

The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing,

An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing.

As with a mother’s tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band:

To God all praise and glory.

Thus, all my toilsome way along, I sing aloud Thy praises,

That earth may hear the grateful song my voice unwearied raises.

Be joyful in the Lord, my heart, both soul and body bear your part:

To God all praise and glory.

Let all who name Christ’s holy Name give God all praise and glory;

Let all who own His power proclaim aloud the wondrous story!

Cast each false idol from its throne, for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:

To God all praise and glory.

Humor for High IQ People

A friend sent this to me in an e-mail. It says it's for high IQ people. Some say tht puns are the lowest form of humor, but I love them.

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
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Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a
rest.
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Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
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The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
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The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
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When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate.
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The short fortune teller who esca ped from prison was a small medium at
large.
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A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
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A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened
criminal.
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Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking.
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We'll never run out of math teachers because they always multiply.
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When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U. C. L. A.
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The math professor went crazy with the blackboard. He did a number on it.
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The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground.
----------------- -------- ---------------------------------
The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
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If you take a laptop computer for a run you could jog your memory.
-----------------------------------------------------------
A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
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A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
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A will, is a dead giveaway.
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Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
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A backward poet writes inverse.
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In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
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If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
-------------------------------------------------------------
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
---------------------------------------------------------------
When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
----------------------------------------------------------------
A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France , resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
----------------------------------------------------------------
You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
------------------------ ------- ----------------------------------
Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
------------------------------------------------------------------
A calendar's days are numbered.
------------------------------------------------------------------
A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
------------------------------------------------------------------
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
------------------------------------------------------------------
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
A plateau, is a high form of flattery.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
----------------------------------------- ------ --------------------
When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine
--------------------------------------------------------------------
When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.

Finding Sadie

When I was with Ella in November, we read lots and lots of books. This particular book interested her because of the textures that were on each page, as well as the puppies on each page. Simply Coll adopted Sadie, a springer spaniel last year some time, and she often blogs about her. Her photos are so appealing.

As we came to this page I said, "Well, there's Sadie in her younger days."

Namaste!

Has this ever happened to you?

The day after we moved to a small town in Colorado my wife Bev did
grocery shopping. We moved few food items with us so she filled four
grocery carts full. She asked if she could pay with an out of state
check. "We just moved here," she explained, "and don't have local
checks yet."

They said, "Yes, no problem." But when she began looking for her
checkbook, she discovered that she had left it at home.

All of the groceries had been checked and sacked. "I'm so sorry," she
said, "I thought I had it with me. If I could just leave the groceries
here for a few minutes, I'll run home and get the checkbook."

"Don't worry about it," the cashier told her. "Take the groceries
home. The next time you're in the store you can pay for them."

We had just moved from a large city and she couldn't believe what she
was hearing! This clerk had never seen her before. But she treated her
as if she were a VIP. She was somebody!

Don't you love it when you are treated like you are somebody? Because
the truth is, we are all somebody. We are all important. And maybe
most businesses cannot (and should not) let everybody pay with credit,
but even strangers can be treated with honor and respect.

"Namaste" is a polite Indian gesture of greeting or farewell. From
Hindi, the word literally means "bowing to you." Namaste has also
been used to mean "I honor the sacred that is within you." What a
remarkable thing it would be to actually honor the sacred that is
within each person we meet! Even strangers. Nobody would go unnoticed
and everybody would count.

Here is an exercise that may dramatically change your life: for one
month treat everybody you meet as if she or he is the most important
person in the world. The man sweeping the sidewalk, your spouse and
children, a teenager in the neighborhood, the elderly woman seated
across the aisle from you -- honor that which is sacred in all of
them.

Give your undivided attention. By your words and actions, communicate
to them all how important they are to you. Show them great respect and
kindness. You may be amazed at what happens to your relationships!

You may not single-handedly solve the problem of world peace -- but in
one small way at least, you will make a great difference.

Namaste.

-- Steve Goodier

I saw this in action today. I was scheduled for a stress test this morning. In the other part of the room, a lady, who had already been on the treadmill, was having her nuclear photos being taken. While she was lying there, the technician kept talking to her, asking about where she lived, where she was going to go for lunch, and all such stuff. Later, when I was having my photos done, I inquired about the lady. He told me that it must have been the first time she had done this because her heart rate was so high. He said that as he talked soothingly to her, her heart rate came back down to where it should be.

On my way out of the office, there was a lady standing at the window. I didn't see her face, but I could tell that she was crying. "He was such a good man," she said. I'm assuming she was speaking of her husband who had perhaps recently died. The physician was standing there, listening to her. The office girls were listening, giving her the time that she needed.

Such kindness. I walked away, feeling blessed to be connected to an office where they really seem to care. One doesn't always see that these days.

Namaste.

And a good time was had by all

This past weekend, I, along with 29 other ladies from my church attended the Women of Faith conference in Tampa. I became acquainted with this group by way of radio about twelve years ago. I listened to a report of these meetings popping up around the country, and I decided that if there was ever one near me, I would be there. The next year I attended one in Lakeland. After that it moved to Orlando, and now this year, for a larger venue, it was held in Tampa.

It is a great weekend of laughing, crying, being encouraged by women who have met with success, many of them facing uphill battles and yet triumphing through God's love and grace and mercy.

Many of you have seen the video of the crazy lady doing the William T*ll Overture, recounting her day's activities with her children. She was there as she has been for the last two or three years. Seeing that was almost worth the price of admission.

Nicole C. M*llen was there. What a dynamo! With her she had a group of young people whom she mentors and takes with her on these weekends to dance and sing praise to God. With her was her nephew, the little boy, who at 4, won the Oscar Ma*er Wiener singing contest. You may have seen him on O*rah some time ago when she had him on.

The speakers were great, but to me the highlight of the time was hearing Sandi Pat*y sing. As one said, she probably has the greatest singing voice of our day. She doesn't just sing. She really gets the message across with her interpretation and the orchestration that accompanies her singing.

I leave you with the song that most struck a chord with me. In these days of uncertainty, we have a mighty God, a mighty fortress. You can read some of the history of this hymn here

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Isn't she lovely!

One day when I was spending time with Ella, I turned on the TV and O*rah was on. I don't watch her as a rule, but that particular day she had on outstanding couples in show business, and I left it on for a while. The second couple was Stevie W*nder and his wife. He was not on the show that day, but his wife was. She is a fashion designer and at the end of her conversation with O*rah, several models came out wearing some of her creations.

The last model was Stevie's daughter. What a beauty. His wife said that this was the young woman for whom he had written the song "Isn't She Lov*ly!" back in 1973 when she was born. Although he could not see her with his eyes, he caressed her and wrote the song which so beautifully expressed his love for this new creation in his life.

My daughter-in-law works with a woman, who after Ella was born, made a copy of that song for her. She said that upon seeing Ella, the song came to her mind. While I was in Virginia, I went to my daughter-in-law's work one day, and her co-worker and I went out to lunch together. We've just really connected. She was talking about her mother and doing things with her and for her, and I happened to ask her how old her mother was. Sixty-six was her reply. My next question was what her birthday was. And guess what! It is the same as mine. How often would that happen?

After our lunch, one afternoon when I came into the house, Sabrina was playing a CD. Guess what it was. "Isn't She L*vely". It was then that she shared with me how she got a copy of the song.

Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderfull
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old

I never thought through love we'd be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely
made from love.

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angels' best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed

I can't believe what God has done
Through us He's given life to one
But isn't she lovely
made from love.

When you have nothing else to do

I found this game on someone's blog last night and enjoyed playing it. Have fun.

Halloween Night

The last thing that I got to do with Ella before I left Virginia was to watch her as she went trick or treating on her street. Last year when she was three months old, she and her parents sat on their front step while the children came around. This year, all decked out as a flower, we accompanied her as she got to know some of her neighbors.

One of my daughter-in-law's co-workers has a couple of daughters a little older than Ella, and they have passed on many lovely outfits for Ella to wear. At the beginning of the month, they gave her a couple of costumes that had been lovingly crafted by a relative. One was a lamb costume; the other, this flower. When my DIL came home with them, I pulled out the lamb hat and put it on Ella, and did she ever look cute!


I went upstairs for a few moments before going out, and while I was up, Sabrina brought Ella upstairs to see me, and there she was, the lovely flower that you see here. Have you ever seen anything so cute?! I don't think so. What a lovely evening for meeting some of the neighbors. How gracious they all were, and of course, everyone oohed and aahed over the ever lovely Ella.

It was so much fun to watch her. The town limits the age of trick or treaters to twelve, and so there were not a lot of big kids in scary costumes. We were so pleased to see that she was not at all frightened of the kids in costumes, and it didn't take her long at all to figure out what was going on. On doorsteps where there was a basket of candy, she carefully picked up one and put it in her basket.

I left on Thursday morning after being in Virginia for a month. I so appreciate the graciousness of my son and his wife in allowing me to live in their house for a whole month. I was able to care for Ella four days a week. Wednesday was my "day off" so that I could run and do whatever I wanted. I even did a little cooking for them while I was there. I stopped on the way home to visit Judy. We met last year when I was on my way to Virginia at a restaurant and had breakfast together. This year I stopped by her house, and she served a lovely lunch. I also got to meet Mr. Kenju, who is recovering from a stroke.

I came on home on Friday. Today I watched Penn State beat Purdue. Yeah! And now, Florida State is playing Boston College in the background as I'm writing this.

My week coming up is filled to overflowing with appointments and responsibilities. I hope to get back to more regular posting and visiting soon.