At the airport

See how happy Ella was to see her aunt Sarah and her grammy at the airport when they came Christmas Eve? I'm sure that she was glad to be off the airplane and on terra firma once again. She and her parents arrived at the airport in Tampa on Christmas Eve. Whenever I meet anyone at the airport, I always park in the parking garage and take my time window shopping inside the airport. The airport at Tampa is really quite a user-friendly place. You don't have to walk far at all to get anywhere.
When it was time for the family to leave, I drove them back to Tampa. Because I didn't want to just drop them off, I said that we would park in the garage and then go down. When you approach the terminal, there are signs that show you where to go for whatever airline you're traveling on. As we approached, the signs indicated to go in the red area for Southwest, so we did, or so I thought. We went to the ticket counter, got them checked in, and then since Sabrina hadn't eaten, we went to the food court and got some breakfast. After visiting for a little while, they decided it was time to go to their gate and go through security.

I left them there and took the red elevator up to the fourth level where we had parked the car. I walked out of the elevator, turned left to where my car should have been, but it wasn't there. I walked back to the elevator, again turned left. The car still wasn't there. "This can't be," I thought. Someone has taken my car. I walked around for a little, still looking, and a gentleman said to me, "There is another red elevator." I went to that one, but when I turned, it just wasn't right.
I know how I have looked at little old ladies coming out of Wal-Mart, or the parking lot at Publix, looking in dismay, wondering where on earth their cars are, and I used to think, "Poor things." Well, they had nothing on me that day. I called David on my cell phone and asked him if we had indeed parked on the fourth level. "Yes, mom, and when you come out of the elevator, you turn left, and the car is right there." But it wasn't. I can't begin to describe the sick feeling I had. I've never had a panic attack, but I think I was about to have one.

I finally thought to myself, "Maybe we parked by the blue elevators", so I took a walk down that way, and sure enough, there it was, right where I had left it. As I got in and drove through the lane to pay, the gentleman told me that it would be $1.25. I thanked him and told him that if I had found my car, it would have been free. (The first hour is free.) He said to me, "Well, one more minute, and it would have been $2.50."

I was so glad to drive away, cross the Sunshine Skyway and arrive safely at home.

If you want to read an interesting story about picking people up at the Tampa airport, go to Vicki's blog, and read her account with the Keystone Kops who patrol outside of baggage claim. Warning: Strong language, but hilarious. I'm going to meet this lady on Thursday, and I am so excited!!! 

Beauty Is Soul Deep

Steve Goodier has done it again. I look forward so much to his e-mail posts on Wednesdays. Those of you who read this blog, I know, has that "soul deep beauty." But I think that you will enjoy this one.

Abraham Lincoln loved to tell stories on himself. One of his
favorites concerned itself with physical appearance.

In the days when Lincoln used to be on the circuit (traveling on
horseback from one county court to another), he was once approached
by a stranger who said, "Excuse me, sir, but I have an article which
belongs to you."

"How is that?" Lincoln asked in astonishment.

The stranger took a jack-knife from his pocket. "This knife," he said
"was placed in my hand some years ago, with the injunction that I was
to keep it until I found a man homelier-looking than I am myself. I
have carried that knife for many years. Now I pass it on to you."

Lincoln added wryly, "I've carried that knife ever since."

One of Lincoln's greatest assets was his ability to laugh at himself.
And he frequently laughed at his physical appearance. But history
does not remember him as an "ugly" individual -- in fact, often just the
opposite. His outer appearance was clothed in magnificently beautiful
garments: character, honesty, humor and courage. But there are other
clothes he wore equally well -- such as humility and forgiveness.

We say that beauty is skin deep. But it isn't really. It has very
little to do with the skin. True beauty is soul deep. It is a fabric
that is woven in the soul and worn in plain view.

The Bible speaks of something similar. It teaches us to clothe
ourselves with "compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience." Then "over all of these put on love, which binds them in
perfect unity." Regardless of how good looking we may otherwise be,
it is these clothes that will determine our actual beauty.

This was taught to me by a woman who used to think that if she were
granted only one wish, it would be to be beautiful. She saw her
wheel-chair dependent body as unsightly and, therefore, she missed
her more attractive assets. But when she was finally convinced of
some of her beautiful personality traits by her friends, she came to
a different point of view. Today she says, "Now I know I AM
beautiful. Very beautiful."

Beauty is soul deep. Learn that and you may realize that you are far
more attractive than you ever imagined!

Your Cat's New Year's Resolutions

My brain is dead after watching almost thirteen hours of football yesterday. I went to Lakeland to watch the Penn State/Tennessee game with an elderly friend. She lives alone, loves Penn State, and when she found out that I was a fan, has wanted to me come watch as many games as possible with her. This lady was camp director at the camp that I went to as a girl and then later on worked there through high school and college.

Upon arriving home, of course, the first thing that I did was to check my e-mail. Pastor Tim's Clean Laugh had the following offering. I know that there are many of you who will appreciate these. Maybe someday soon I'll have a thought of my own to write about. Until then, enjoy these.

My human will never let me eat their pet hamster, and I am at peace with that.
I will not slurp fish food from the surface of the aquarium

I will not eat large numbers of assorted bugs, then come home and throw them up so the humans can see that I'm getting plenty of roughage.

I will not lean way over to drink out of the tub, fall in, and then pelt right for the box of clumping cat litter. (It took FOREVER to get the stuff out of my fur.)

I will not use the bathtub to store live mice for late-night snacks.

We will not play "Herd of Thundering Wildebeests Stampeding Across the Plains of the Serengeti" over any humans' bed while they're trying to sleep.

I cannot leap through closed windows to catch birds outside. If I forget this and bonk my head on the window and fall behind the couch in my attempt, I will not get up and do the same thing again.

I will not assume the patio door is open when I race outside to chase leaves.

I will not stick my paw into any container to see if there is something in it. If I do, I will not hiss and scratch when my human has to shave me to get the rubber cement out of my fur.

If I bite the cactus, it will bite back.

When it rains, it will be raining on all sides of the house.

It is not necessary to check every door.

I will not play "dead cat on the stairs" while people are trying to bring in groceries or laundry, or else one of these days, it will really come true.

When the humans play darts, I will not leap into the air and attempt to catch them.

I will not swat my human's head repeatedly when they are on the family room floor trying to do sit ups.

When my human is typing at the computer, their forearms are *not* a hammock.

Computer and TV screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail.

I will not puff my entire body to twice its size for no reason after my human has watched a horror movie.

I will not stand on the bathroom counter, stare down the hall, and growl at NOTHING after my human has watched the X-Files.

I will not drag dirty socks onto the bed at night and then yell at the top of my lungs so that my humans can admire my "kill."

I will not perch on my human's chest in the middle of the night and stare until they wake up.

I will not walk on the key board when my human is writing important adagfsg gdjag ;ln.

Home remedies

I received these in an e-mail this morning. I thought you might find them useful in the new year.

1. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

2. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.

3. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

4. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.

5. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

6. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.

Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are.You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

Remember:
* Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
* Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.
* If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You get another chance.

And finally, be really nice to your family and friends; you never know when you might need them to empty your bedpan.

Will someone please give this baby something to eat?

Ella's in that wonderful stage where everything goes in the mouth for inspection.
She loved biting on this water bottle. At almost five months, she has her two bottom teeth coming through.
M-m-m, that looks good. Soon I'll be eating some of that good stuff.
Even Daddy's thumb tastes pretty good. You can see why the doctor said to use lots of hand sanitizer.

My son and his wife left on Friday morning, taking Ella home with them. I know they were glad to going home to their own bed. We had a good arrangement for Ella here, but she ended up in bed with them. Hopefully, she'll be happy in her own crib. Everyone was all smiles whenever they saw her, and she generally reciprocated with a winning smile of her own. 

Hello, Great-grandpa

Christmas Day was the first time that Ella's great-grandpa had seen her. She was so content to sit in his arms, and, of course, that made him very happy. Ed is my husband's father and lives here in Bradenton. Don's dad died in 1995. Ed remarried a couple of years later, and that wife died from cancer about three years ago. He lives alone here, but he keeps himself busy with work and activities at church.
As you can see, the cheeks are still there...just makes you want to get all the sugar you can. Ella is a very happy baby. She's very smiley in the morning and talks and laughs a lot.
Her dad often mimics her expressions, which at times, are quite amusing. Please note that she is wearing her first Penn State t-shirt!

The family is here until Friday morning when they fly back to Virginia. The weather was nasty on Christmas day and a little messy yesterday, but today is beautiful...so sunny, but a bit cool...just the way we Floridians like it. 

Christmas Eve

She's here! She's here! The princess has arrived, and she is cuter than ever. Pictures tomorrow!

Our pastor spoke this morning of the birth of the Savior as expected, but he brought out in his message something that we know as well...that Christ did not come just to be born as a baby, but He was born God in the flesh and later would pay the penalty of our sins.

In my Christmas letter last year and again I excerpted part of the book, Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner. What a wonderful testimony of a young Jewish woman, who goes to Columbia University because she knew there would be a large Jewish population there. In a bookstore she picks up one of the Mitford Series, reads it, becomes interested in Christianity, and comes to know the Lord. Her book is basically a journal of her journey, but she makes some wonderful statements about Advent.

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."

Having been raised in church and being around Christians all my life, I know I've taken a lot for granted. I love Ms. Winner's book becasue she has taken nothing for granted but has studied her Judaism, has studied Christianity, and God has captivated her heart.

A Christmas Prayer

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep,
I too must sing, with joyful tongue,
That sweetest ancient cradle song,
Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given
While angels sing with pious mirth.
A glad new year to all the earth.

- Martin Luther.

Merry Christmas a little early.

Lest I get caught up in the wonder of holding and playing with Ella, my granddaughter when she's here, I want to wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas. I love reading your Christmas posts and know that your day will be one filled with happiness.

Christmas open house

Welcome to my home. I didn't take as many pictures as I thought I would, but this will give you a little glimpse of the open house that I had earlier in the month. As you can see, we folks in Florida who never see snow do enjoy snowmen. A friend that I worked with for many years made the reindeer and the snowmen, and I've enjoyed having them on my front porch over the years.
My table doesn't look too lavish from this viewpoint, but it was enjoyed by all...just plain old food, nothing fancy. Sarah had encouraged our having the open house, and when I asked her what she wanted to have to eat, she said "the same thing that we always had." Earlier when I mentioned about the open house in the blog, a missionary friend who had been at one many years ago, wrote and said how much she and her husband had enjoyed being in our home for the fellowship and the good food.
Peg is a friend of mine since grade school. We hadn't been together much since she had moved away from Bradenton. When her mother died, she inherited the house, and she and her husband moved back to Bradenton to live. We reconnected after Don died and enjoy doing things together. Her husband was so ill a couple of years ago with cancer and heart problems, but he seems to be doing well now. It amazes me to think what the body can endure and still survive.
Sarah (in the middle) enjoyed having some of her friends from high school come. Suzanne, the young woman on the left, graduated with Sarah, and they live next door to each other. Suzanne has a young son, Joshua, and Joshua has the same kindergarten teacher that Sarah had at Bradenton Christian. He finds that very hard to believe, but it's true. Grace, on the right, also graduated with Sarah, and she lives in Tampa where she teaches strings in the elementary school. She has a degree in vocal performance and does a lot of acting in the local theaters. Her favorite role was Maria in West Side Story.

I think we had around twenty guests in that evening. Plenty of food was left over, so I had some of my Sweet Adeline friends over the next evening to eat some of it up after we had gone to the movie.

It was a good weekend for visiting and enjoying time with friends...some whom I see regularly and some whom I hadn't had a chance to talk with for quite some time. I wish you could have been here. 

Comfort at Christmas

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear the his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac.Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing, and ringing. It was in this setting he wrote:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair Ibowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.

At this Christmas time whether you are in sorrow or in joy you can know that God is not dead, not doth he sleep. He knows your every need and longs to comfort you and be that special friend you need. Seek Him this year instead of the outward manifestations of the season. He will give life real meaning and your heart real peace, the peace that passes all understanding.

The above is from Pastor Tim's website

No words needed

 

Isn't it time for another picture?

Just a few more days before I see this baby again. I can hardly wait. Ella keeps telling her mommy and daddy that she wants to hurry to Florida and see Grammy and Aunt Sarah too. This is not a new picture, rather one that was taken in October. But I was looking through my files and thought I'd bring this one out. The blue dress brings out the blue in her eyes. 

Another act of kindness

Do you recognize this golfer? One evening I was at my son's high school basketball game. When I went up into the bleachers to sit down, I happened to sit next to this really good looking man. I didn't know him, but when many of the boys came over to him with golf balls to be autographed, I realized i was sitting next to Paul Azinger. I came home after the game and told my husband that I had been sitting by this really good looking guy, and then I told him who it was. Don said to me, "Well, his wife is a good looker too." He had done electrical work at their house several times and knew them both.

If you follow golf at all, you know that Paul Azinger is a cancer survivor. There is a family whose boys go to Bradenton Christian School, the high school where my children went to school. One of the boys, Anthony has been diagnosed with Fanconi anemia, a rare blood disorder. He is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Many fundraisers have been held for him. A donor is also being sought. His brother was tested; he is a perfect match, but in testing him, it was discovered that he also has this disorder.

Anthony has been receiving transfusions to help him stay healthy, but the transplant is what he needs. Paul Azinger, the golfer, headed up a clinic recently at a golf tournament held for Anthony. He said this about Anthony:

You'll never see a kid with a better attitude than he has, Just the little bit I've talked to him. . . . He should be an inspiration to everyone here. He's an inspiration to me, I'll tell you that.

The following is from an article in the Bradenton Herald about Anthony and his family: "The Negrin family - parents Sergio and Roxanne; brother Sergio Jr., 21, and twins Jonathan and Jordan, 15 - and countless friends throughout the community are optimistic their off-course story will have an even better ending.

Fanconi anemia - which is diagnosed in only 10 to 20 children in the United States each year - prevents the bone marrow from making red blood cells, which carry oxygen through the body. The disease can be fatal without a bone marrow transplant.

Jonathan's bone marrow is a perfect match. But during testing at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, he was found to also have Fanconi anemia, ruling out a transplant.

Doctors have told the family there is a 92 percent chance Jonathan will have bone marrow failure. The Negrins have teamed with Children's Organ Transplant Association to form a trust fund to defray a major portion of the costs not covered by insurance.

Anthony has received 13 blood transfusions during the search for a bone marrow donor. Yet his spirit never fails to lift those around him.

"He tells me, 'Don't worry, Dad. God knows the outcome. He has a purpose for me, that is why he is putting us through this,' " Sergio Negrin said. "He not only brings us to our knees, he shows a strength and inner faith we can all learn from."

Anthony has faith a bone marrow match will be found and counts his blessings every day. To Azinger, who made an inspirational comeback of his own after being diagnosed with lymphoma in his left shoulder, that attitude is worth everything."

Posted December 7, 2006 in the Bradenton Herald sports section.

You can read more about Anthony at caringbridge.com. Visit Anthony Negrin.

More Poetry for Cats

I will post some pictures of our Sweet Adelines shows and my open house in a day or two, but tonight I have a poem for AC. She has a post about her cat who jumped up on the table and knocked off a snowglobe and broke it. This one's for you, AC.

To A Vase (or, in this case, a snowglobe)
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cat

How do I break thee? Let me count the ways.
I break thee if thou art at any height
My paw can reach, when, smarting from some slight,
I sulk, or have one of my crazy days
I break thee with an accidental graze
Or twitch of tail, if I should take a fright.
I break thee out of pure and simple spite
The way I broke the jar of mayonnaise.
I break thee if a bug upon thee sits
I break thee if I'm in a playful mood.
And then I wrestle with the shiny bits
I break thee if I do not like my food.
And if someone the shards together fits,
I'll break thee once again when thou art glued.

from Poetry for Cats by Henry Beard

An act of kindness

While I was still teaching, I worked with several young women who were wonderful teachers and wonderful people. When one of those ladies had her first babies, she became a stay at home mom, although she was still working. She had earned her doctorate in education and became a supervisor of student teachers here in the county.

Time passed, and she gave birth to her second child, a little girl, just about the same time that my husband was taken in an accident. In fact, her baby was just a few days old when she came to the visitation before Don's memorial service.

A few days later I was at Target, sitting at the snack bar, reading a magazine and drinking a coke. Her mother came up to me and told me that it had been determined that her little granddaughter had Down's syndrome.

The little girl is four years old now; she'll be five in April, and she is her parent's delight. Today I opened our local newspaper to the editorial page, and there was a letter there from M's mom. They had been eating at the Cracker Barrel. We have one in town, away from the interstate, and it has become a restaurant where folks get to know one another. While walking through the gift shop (don't you just love the gift shop?), M. had been fascinated by a carousel that was on display. Each time they went, she was drawn to the carousel. And so M's mom went to the lady in charge and asked her that if the carousel was marked down, would they please put it aside for M.

Thanksgiving morning M's mom got a call from Cracker Barrel. The staff there had decided that they would donate the carousel to M. And so M's mom wrote a letter to the editor, thanking Cracker Barrel for the kindness shown and letting the community know about it as well. Well, my tears started to flow, and I cried off and on all day.

I was sitting, working on some papers this afternoon when my phone rang. I looked at the caller i.d., and it was M's mom. I probably had not talked to her or seen her in two years or more, and so we had a wonderful time of catching up.

Can't stay away

CELEBRITY QUIP

I was going to have cosmetic surgery until I noticed that the
doctor's office was full of portraits by Picasso. -- Rita Rudner

Too much to do

I have several deadlines this week, so I'm going to take a little break from blogging. I'll be back soon. Believe me, I'd rather be blogging.

Living from your heart

Once again I offer to you a piece from www.lifesupportsystem.com.

Confucius said, "To practice five things under all circumstances
constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of
soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness." Sincerity and
earnestness are vital components of character. Part of it is to
simply say what you mean and mean what you say!

"I adore you," the young man said to his girl. "I need you; I
can't live without you; I love you."

She pushed him aside saying, "John ... I don't want to get
serious."

John replied, "Who's serious?"

Like Tennessee Williams might say, he had all the sincerity of a
bird hunter's whistle. Saying what you mean and meaning what you
say is vital, but there is another important part to living a
genuine and whole life: that is to LIVE what you say. Make
your actions and your words the same. Living what you say is at
the heart of sincerity.

Louis (Satchmo) Armstrong was a superb jazz musician who also knew
how to entertain. Satchmo used to say that what he played was life.
He believed that his whole life, soul and spirit was to blow that
horn. When he made music, it came from his heart. And it spoke to our
hearts. Any life can be great when it is lived fully and sincerely
from the heart.

Let your whole life, your whole soul and your whole spirit sing
in harmony. It is a matter of saying what you live and living what
you say. For when your words harmonize with your actions, you are
living from the best part you -- from your heart. And the sincerity
of your life will forever touch the hearts of others.

Poetry for Cats

I was straightening up a book shelf tonight and found this book which had gotten behind some others. The title of the book is Poetry for Cats. It is described as "The Distinguished Anthology of Destinguished Feline Verse." My daughter took this to her English teacher in high school, and she used some of the poems on a test to see if the students could identify the author by the style of the poem.

The photo of my cat doesn't quite suit this poem, but it will do. Besides, I love this photo of her.

Sitting By the Fire on a Snowy
Evening

by Robert Frost's cat

Whose chair this is by now I know.
He's somewhere in the forest though.
He will not see me sitting here
A place I'm not supposed to go.

He really is a little queer
To leave his fire's cozy cheer
And ride out by the frozen lake
The coldest evening of the year.

To love the snow it takes a flake:
The chill that makes your footpads ache,
The drifts too high to lurk or creep,
The icicles that drip and break.

His chair is comfy, soft and deep
But I have got an urge to leap.
And mice to catch before I sleep.
And mice to catch before I sleep.

by Henry Beard

Some other titles include "The Cat's Tale" by Chaucer's cat, "To a Vase" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cat, and "She Walks in Booties" by Lord Byron's cat. I was just looking at Barnes and Noble to see if this book was there. I didn't find it, but he has some interesting looking titles about cats. I might have to buy some.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Sarah and I went out with friends of mine from church. The Holiday Inn Riverfront has a buffet every year, and this year it was pretty decent. Way too much food, though. On Friday morning, Sarah and I went up to north Florida to visit my cousins. When I blogged about my cousin's cabin, Sarah was intrigued by it so we decided to make the trip.

Better than seeing the cabin was visiting with my cousins. Sarah hadn't seen them since she was very young, so it was a good time of connecting and renewing acquaintances. Their lives are busy, but they live in a country setting, quiet and peaceful, which is so different from the everyday busyness that goes on around here.

Going into the holiday season brings a little sadness. I remember the first year after my husband's death, we sort of went through the motions of the holidays, feeling rather dazed. The next year I thought it would be better, but it was worse, I think. The numbness had worn off, and the realization of his absence from us was felt even more. Even now, there is a wistfulness as we move into the holiday season.

I used to have big parties and have lots of friends in during the holidays, but I hadn't done much of that in recent years. So Sarah said, "Mom, let's have an open house this year." So, we're going to. I look forward to having the laughter of friends in the home.

We made a list the other day of whom we would invite and then a list of what we would have. Sarah said, "Mom, just make the stuff that we used to have." So, there won't be an updated menu, but I don't think anyone will mind.

I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I went to W**-Mart. I had decided when the new Publix opened, I would shop there, even if things were more expensive. I would go in, get what I needed, and not be tempted to look at all the stuff. I miss the W**-Mart of old when we would go and see friends there that we hadn't seen for a while and talk and talk.

I must say that I stayed with my list, and I wasn't tempted by all the stuff that used to draw me. Maybe I've grown up, or I'm just too tired.

The bell ringer was out front from Salvation Army. That's a good thing I can say for the store. Inside the store Christmas music was playing. I guess they've decided to say Merry Christmas again. I was a bit bothered by the music though. They were playing the beautiful Christmas hymn, "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming." I thought that it was rather out of place. Such a beautiful hymn, but it seemed so out of place. Perhaps someone heard the words and it made a little impression.

So it's off to begin preparing for the open house. I wish you could come.

Shout joyfully to the Lord!

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

A few years ago, on Thanksgiving Day, there was a column in our local newspaper by Joan Beck, a columnist for a Chicago newspaper. I always looked for her columns becasue they were so refreshing. She dealt with issues of the day, but not in the way of some of our columnists today. This particular column was titled, "For All Things Great and Small, we give Thanks on this Thanksgiving Day.

I'm going to put excerpts of it here. If you would like to read the whole text, e-mail me, and I'll send it to you. I love the way she uses alliteration in her essay.

Our fathers’ God to thee, author of liberty, we say thanks this day for homes and homecomings and homilies and Holmes, for holidays and holograms and hollyhocks, for taxol when it saves lives and tax reform when it’s real, for thesauruses and tyrannosauruses and all the wonders your hands have made....

For amber and ambulances, and amniocentesis and amicus curiae, we are truly grateful, O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come. So, too, for daylight savings time until it ends, and a new year when it begins, for waffles and wiffleballs and warehouse clubs, for loons and lofts and lollipops for licorice and libraries and lilacs and liberty, for joggers, and jigsaws, and jonquils and jazz...

God, who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, we are grateful for comets and comedies and comic strips and the Pacific Rim community, for hope and soap and kaleidoscopes, for mother and foster mothers and grandmothers and motherlodes and mothers of invention. Our thanks, too, for answered prayers and amazing grace, for herbs and heroes and Hemingway and the Heimlich maneuver...

For diapers and diamonds and dialysis, we give thanks, o God the omnipotent, for unicorns and universities and UNICEF, for cells and celery and cellular phones, for trips and ships and scholarships, for friends in need and angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God

Joan Beck, columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

In everything give thanks?

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I've been giving a lot of thought these last few days to things that I'm thankful for. On Sunday our pastor had a wonderful service. His message dealt with praising God.

After each section, we sang a capella a fitting song. We are to praise God for His great works. We are His great work, aren't we, fearfully and wonderfully made. "To God be the Glory" was the song that we sang--"To God be the glory, great things He hath done. So loved He the world that He gave us His Son."

Then we are to praise Him for His faithfulness to His flock. "Great is thy faithfulness, Oh God, my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. As thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Next we are to praise Him for His unique Majesty. There is none other like Him. "Majesty, worship His majesty. Unto Jesus, be all glory, honor and praise...So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus as king. He is great, all sufficient, all powerful, holy.

The verse "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." But God, am I supposed to be thankful that my husband was taken so suddenly and senselessly? Am I supposed to be thankful that my little granddaughter was born with cystic fibrosis? But the verse says, "In everything." So thank you, God, even though I may not understand, You have a master plan, and You are sovereign over our lives.

I'm reminded of Corrie ten Boom, who wrote that while she and Betsy were in the concentration camp, they thanked God for lice...lice! Because of the lice, the guards would not come near them to do them harm.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day with your family and friends.

Did you see this?

I saw this comic strip the other day and thought of many of you.

Am I cute, or what?

I can hardly wait to get my hands on this baby again. Whenever I call David and ask him how Ella is, the classic answer is "fine." So I realize that I have to get my most descriptive narrative from her mother. And she is doing fine. She certainly looks like she's gaining weight well, doesn't she.

They're off to Ella's other grandparents for Thanksgiving, where she'll get to visit with her little cousin who is about nineteen months old. Then at Christmas they'll be travelling here to spend Christmas in Florida. I'm really tempted to look for a quick flight to Waynesboro before then, however.

Thanks for all your comments upon my return. I felt so out of the loop when I was gone and then didn't have my computer. I value each of you, even though I've never met any one of you. It is amazing how the internet has been used to create bonds we never would have known.

It seems so long

It seems like it's been so long since I posted. As I said in the last post, I went to Orlando to attend Women of Faith last weekend. It was great, as usual...16,000 women in the arena, laughing, crying, singing, worshipping together, and at times, it seemed like we all tried to go to the bathroom at the same time. Women of Faith has been going on for eleven years. I missed the first one, but when I heard about it on the radio, I determined that if they came near where I was, I wouldn't miss the next one, and I haven't. A group of 20 went from our church this year.

Back in April, I posted about Ben, a young man who was very ill with testicular cancer. Ben and his wife live in Columbia, South Carolina. His cancer doctor conferred with Lance Armstrong's doctor in Indianapolis, and Ben has since been since by this doctor. He recently had more surgery and is recovering from that. Here is what Liza wrote:
November 13
Dr. Einhorn has recommended one more surgery. It is not as risky, dramatic or extensive as the last 2 have been, so that's good. There is still teratoma left in the lymph nodes in his abdomen, so they need to be surgically removed. But, we are pleased because Dr. Einhorn called this the final step. That's the first time we've heard those words, so we are thrilled about that.

The surgery will be scheduled for sometime in January, once he's recovered fully from the last one. It will be done here in Indiana and they said about 3 days in the hospital as opposed to 6 for the last one.

We are still waiting for the results from the blood test, to tell us his latest HCG level.

We have a lot to be thankful for with the holidays coming up. The end is in sight--praise God!

Nov. 15 HCG is 2.6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what we've been waiting for since March! Halleluiah! Well, we're getting closer, but we're not there yet.

Continue to uphold Ben, Liza, and their families.

My computer is still not 100%, but it is better. I've been reading your posts, even if I haven't commented in the last few days.

Away for a couple of days

Hello all,
I'm going to Orlando tomorrow for a couple of days. While I'm gone, my computer is going to a friend's house for some repair. I went to install a piece of hardware the other day. There was a CD that had information that needed to be loaded, and my dvd drive wouldn't work. Oh, dear. Dan says he thinks he has one that will work in it.
Dan's a great guy. He works for V***n, and he works on computers at night after dinner. He's self-taught and reasonable. He used to not charge anything, but since computers have become so much more complex, it takes longer to do things on it and to it. He's still very reasonable.
I'll see you early next week. Have a good weekend

Just like Jesus

Some of you recall my blog about my friend, Eunice, whom I visited on my way to Virginia. Eunice is the dear friend who has befriended Sam and Butternut, the two neighborhood dogs.

Eunice had been very stubborn for a very long time about having a computer or even webtv so that she could have e-mail. She finally relented this past year. She has MSNTV...like webtv, but she can access the internet and read everything on her TV monitor. It is really quite the ticket. While I was there, I bookmarked some blogs for her to read, especially those who post photos of cats.

When she came back home to Bradenton, she had some problems connecting to her DSL. My friend, Peg, who was down from Chicago for a week, went over on Sunday afternoon to help her get it connected and working. They had to call V*** and talk to a technician.

When Eunice was finished talking with him, she said, "Thank you, Jesus." Peg thought she was offering up a brief prayer. Eunice said, "No, the tech person's name is Jesus, and he said that he's available 24 hours a day to help."

Isn't that just like Jesus!!!

"Lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the earth." Unlike Jesus, who was on the other end of the phone line with Eunice, He knows what we need even before we ask. I find that a most comforting thought.

More of Ella

Ella was three months old on Saturday. My, how she has grown from that little baby that came home with her mom and dad from the hospital back in August. Someone had asked me what the chest therapy was like. Every morning and evening David and Sabrina do "thumping" on Ella's chest and back. When the two of them are doing it, it takes about ten minutes. If only one does it, obviously it takes a bit longer. When I went with Sabrina to the CF clinic in Charlottesville, the physician explained that she does not have a buildup of mucous in her lungs yet, but they are having them do the therapy so that she will be used to it, and they will as well. When she gets a little older, there is a vest that they can use to do the therapies.

Sometimes she screams while they do it; sometimes she's placid as you see her here.
See, she does smile. One day while sitting on the couch with her, her mom picked up my camera and began snapping away. I miss that little girl. I can hardly wait until they come visit at Christmas and then again when I can go back and be Grammy again in the flesh. 

A Change of Pace

Once again, I'm posting here an article from lifesupportsystem.com Several of you have commented on other articles that I've posted here from the same website. This one is worth reading as well.


According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the
great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little
boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted
his time in such frivolous activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and
placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian,
"Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung
bow implies."

The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what
point Aesop was trying to make. The moralist explained, "If you
keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let
it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it."

So it is with us. Our minds and bodies are like the bow. When
constantly under pressures of everyday life, we can eventually
break. We need to loosen up; we need time to take the pressure
off and relax.

Former baseball pitcher Dutch Leonard might have put it a little
differently. He once said that the secret of great pitching is
not speed or the ability to throw curves. It's the "change of
pace." The average batter will soon learn to hit a pitcher who
continually throws the same kind of pitch. But it's hard to hit
against a pitcher who changes the pace of delivery. That change
of pace gives a pitcher the edge over the best of batters.

A change of pace likewise gives us an edge in life. Taking time
to watch the clouds, enjoy a breeze, take a walk, read or just
slow down is necessary if we are to be our best later. And a
regular day of rest is as important as regular sleep. It's a way
of taking the pressure off.

To be your best, make sure you change your pace. It may just be
the change you need.

Steve Goodier

Happy Halloween from Ella

 

Hi, from Ella,
I'm so glad so many of you like the picture of my aunt Sarah's cat Tucker. He is a furry nice cat. You can be sure that my aunt Sarah makes sure that he is safe on Halloween night. He's always safe inside her house along with Samson. 

My grammy found a couple of jokes about black cats.

Q: What do people in England call little black cats?
A: Kittens!

Q: When is it unlucky to have a black cat cross your path?
A: When you're a mouse!

I hope you all have a safe Halloween, and don't eat too much of your kid's candy.

Love,
Ella

Boo Y'all

  

Behold Tucker, Sarah's cat. Her friend, Sandra, whose work I've posted here before, sent this to Sarah a few days ago. When she e-mailed it to me, I told her that surely Tucker would be on my blog on Halloween.

I leave you with some great literature to ponder on Halloween.

Oh, Lovely, Lovely, Lovely

The witch flew out on Hallowe'en,
Her hair was blue, her nose was green,
Her teeth the longest ever seen,
Oh, she was lovely, lovely, lovely!

Her cat was black and fit and fat,
He lashed his tail and humped his back,
He scritched and scratched and hissed and spat,
Oh, he was lovely, lovely, lovely!

They rode a cleaner, not a broom.
"Go left!" screeched Puss and spoke their doom.
She turned right-they hit the moon.
Oh, it was lovely, lovely, lovely.

Anonymous

Back in Florida

I left Waynesboro Saturday morning and drove as far as Savannah, Georgia Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning I got up and drove until I arrived safely at home around 2 in the afternoon. I listened to the Bucs getting beat on the radio and finished watching some of it. They're pathetic this year.

Back in Florida the sun is shining, and it isn't nearly as hot as it was when I left at the end of September. It's good to be home, but I surely left my heart in Virginia with Ella and her parents. Hopefully, I'll get back up there soon. I have lots of things on my plate at the beginning of November. And then the holidays come. Our church choir is doing a cantata this year. We haven't for a couple of years. Sweet Adelines is doing a couple of Christmas shows, so I have to get busy on that music.

The first thing on my calendar tomorrow is to get my hair cut. When you wear it short, five or six weeks between cuts is a l-o-ong time. And the color begins to fade...

Until tomorrow.

Are You Renewing Your Dream?

This article rang a bell with me this morning when I read it, and I think that it follows well on "The Land of Sandra Dee." I think until about the age of 50 I kept thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up. After a while, the feeling passed, thinking it was probably too late to start on something else. These days I spend time keeping my heart beating, and my eyes seeing. I do keep a rather busy schedule, but sometimes I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. My month of taking care of my granddaughter has nearly come to an end. My, how I have loved being with this little baby and thinking of all the future holds for her. I sit back and admire my son and his wife how they have taken hold of the situation with her health and are doing everything in their power to see that she is as healthy as she can be and realizing that the rest is up to God.

Enjoy this post received once again from www.lifesupportsystem.com.

"Grandpa," a young girl asked, "were you in the ark with Noah?"

"Certainly not, my dear," Grandpa replied in astonishment.

"Then," the puzzled child continued, "why weren't you drowned?"

Maybe he seemed older than Noah to her, but seniors may be finally
getting respect they rightfully deserve. Hugh Downs reported that
when senior adults are properly motivated, their intelligence does
not wane. In fact, the ability to organize thinking may increase as
folks age. Many people in their 50's, 60's and even 70's can go
through college with greater efficiency than at 18.

Adults over 70 years of age have contributed richly and in varied
ways.

- Emmanuel Kant wrote his finest philosophical works at age 74.
- Verdi at 80 produced "Falstaff" and at 85, "Ave Maria."
- Goethe was 80 when he completed "Faust."
- Tennyson was 80 when he wrote "Crossing the Bar."
- Michelangelo completed his greatest work at 87.
- At 90, Justice Holmes was still writing brilliant American
Supreme Court opinions.

And then there's George Dawson. George learned to read at age 98. (He
was forced to quit school when he was a small child in order to help
support his family.) "I got tired of writing my name with an 'X,'" he
said. Four years later, at age 102, he wrote his autobiography, LIFE
IS SO GOOD (2001, Penguin Group).

Dreams are renewable. They need not expire like an over-due library
book. No matter our age, we can breathe new life into old dreams.
I believe that the best age is the age you are, but something even
better awaits just ahead for those with the courage to dream and to
act.

Are you renewing your dreams?

The Land of Sandra Dee

I received this from a couple of different people in e-mails recently. Not all of you can identify with all of this, but I surely can.

Long ago and far away,
In a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan
Or the dawn of Camelot.

There lived a race of innocents,
And they were you and me,
Long ago and far away
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

Oh, there was truth and goodness
In that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges,
And Peyton Place was porn.

For Ike was in the White House,
And Hoss was on TV,
And God was in his heaven
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We learned to gut a muffler,
We washed our hair at dawn,
We spread our crinolines to dry
In circles on the lawn.

And they could hear us coming
All the way to Tennessee,
All starched and sprayed and rumbling
in the Land of Sandra Dee.

We longed for love and romance,
And waited for the prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz,
And no one's seen him since.

We danced to "Little Darlin'",
And Sang to "Stagger Lee"
And cried for Buddy Holly
In the Land of Sandra Lee.

Only girls wore earrings then,
And three was one to many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts,
Except for Jean McKinney.

And only in our wildest dreams
Did we expect to see
A boy named George with Lipstick
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We fell for Frankie Avalon,
Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie,
They never made it twice.

We didn't have a Star Trek Five,
Or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rocky-Rambo Twenty
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

Miss Kitty had a heart of gold,
And Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat
Whose co-star was a chimp.

We had a Mr. Wizard,
But not a Mr. T,
And Oprah couldn't talk yet
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We had our share of heroes,
We never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin, Or Marilyn Monroe.

For youth was still eternal,
And life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever,
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We'd never seen the rock band
That was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson,
And Zeppelins weren't Led.

And Beatles lived in gardens then,
And Monkees in a tree,
Madonna was a virgin
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We'd never heard of Microwaves,
Or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed,
But they weren't grown in jars.

And pumping iron got wrinkles out,
And "gay" meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never coed
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We hadn't seen enough of jets
To talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at
The bottom of the bag.

And Hardware was a box of nails,
And bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

Buicks came with portholes,
And side show came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough
To cover both your cheeks.

And Coke came just in bottles,
And skirts came to the knee,
And Castro came to power
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

We ! had no Crest with Fluoride,
We had no Hill Street Blues,
We all wore superstructure bras
Designed by Howard Hughes.

We had no patterned pantyhose
Or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for condoms
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

There were no golden arches,
No Perriers to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda,
And cats were not called Bill.

And middle-aged was thirty-five
And old was forty-three,
And ancient were our parents
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

But all things have a season,
Or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline
We swear by Retin-A.

And they send us invitations
To join AARP,
We've come a long way, baby,
From the Land of Sandra Dee.

So now we face a brave new world
In slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using
Smaller print in magazines.


And we tell our children's children
of the way it used to be,
Long ago and far away
In the Land of Sandra Dee.

What a kitty!

The smallest feline is a masterpiece. - Leonardo da Vinci

Saturday afternoon Sabrina and I drove out into the country to a baby shower. We were a little late getting there, and when we entered the home, there were about a dozen ladies gathered oohing and aahing over all the neat baby things.

As I sat there, I noticed a lady holding this kitten. I couldn't believe that a kitten was actually being calm among a group of women and girls.
After the gifts were opened, we were invited to go into the kitchen area for refreshments. I lingered behind to visit with the kitten. She was sleeping on the back of the sofa as you see here. When I picked her up, she made no effort to get out of my arms.

One of the ladies said that the lady of the house had found her out in the barn with the other cats, full of fleas and needing attention. She brought her in, worked on ridding her of fleas and bottlefed her until she was better.

I cannot imagine that there is nothing wrong with her. She is just so calm. I've never seen a cat quite like that. One of the ladies there said that she looks like a Himalayan kitten. I would have loved to have put her in my pocket and brought her home with me.

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort. - James Herriott

More fall photos

I love the sun shining through the colored leaves. This photo was taken as Sabrina and I were going to a baby shower Saturday afternoon.
While driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped at a welcome center. A pioneer village has been recreated here.
Authentic cabins have been relocated here. They reminded me of my cousin's cabin in north Florida, although these are just as they were...no electricity, no running water, no plumbing.
For a better view, click on the photos. 

Fall Foliage

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
- Elizabeth Lawrence

Come for a ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We left a little after noon for a ride to see the fall colors. We first of all started to the Skyline Drive, but the line was long waiting to pay to go into the park, so we decided to turn around and go south along the Blue Ridge ParkwayWaynesboro is at the juncture of the parkway and the Skyline Drive. The Appalachian Trail also runs parallel to the drive for a while. I don't know exactly how long...David could tell you all about that.
When tourists come to Florida, they're always in awe of the beaches and beauty of the state. I'm in awe of fall. I lived in Ohio for five years when I was out of college, but that was SO LONG AGO that I had forgotten how beautiful fall is. Last year, when I came to visit David and Sabrina, the leaves had not even begun to change, even though it was late in October. The day was cool; the air, crisp...a perfect day for being out and enjoying the wonder of God's creation.

The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on.
- Emily Dickinson, Nature 27 - Autumn

Two Eyes, Two Hands

I received this in an e-mail from Steve Goodier. Perhaps you need this today or know someone who does.

An older couple lay in bed one morning, having just awakened from a
good night's sleep. He tenderly took her hand, but she pulled back
responding, "Don't touch me."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I'm dead."

Her confused husband said, "What are you talking about? We're both
lying here in bed together and talking to one another."

"No," she said, "I'm definitely dead."

He insisted, "You're not dead. What in the world makes you think
you're dead?"

"Because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts."

It is good to be able to laugh when we can, and especially about
daily aches and pains or normal problems. But sometimes our
difficulties and losses are so staggering we wonder how long we can
cope. Lingering and chronic illness, loss of someone we love and
overwhelming worry can devastate us. All of us have known almost
unbearable pain and hardships. Heart-breaking times. We might
think we will never again wake up feeling good.

A wise obstetrician at a university teaching hospital once made a
comment about suffering. Someone asked the doctor what advice he
offered to his students, future doctors and nurses, when caring for
mothers who gave birth to stillborn infants.

The doctor paused for a moment in thought. Then he said this: "I tell
them that they need two eyes. One eye is not enough; they need two
eyes. With one eye they have to check the I.V.; and with the other
eye they have to weep. That's what I tell them," he said. "I tell
them that they need two eyes."

He knows the secret of hard times: we need two eyes. One for seeing,
the other for weeping. And we need two hands. One for holding on, the
other for reaching out.

I don't know all there is to know about suffering. But I do know the
way to survive it. Two eyes; two hands. That's how we get through
this life best.

I don't have a cat, but...

I received this photo in an e-mail today. Since it's still Tuesday, I believe that it qualifies well for Tummy Tuesday.