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Two new posts on TouchPad. Click on December...

Thanksgiving at the Deweys'

What A Great Afternoon and Dinner

This year for Thanksgiving we were invited to share dinner with Rich and Carolyn Dewey. What a treat that was. For years I was the main cook and bottle washer for every holiday because we were too far away to travel to relatives for a holiday weekend, and Lee had to work most Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easters. (Not to mention Mother's Day, everybody's birthdays, and sometimes on school program or concert day. Poor guy!) (In later years, when Lee had more seniority he was able to be off, and then the railroad powers-that-be got smart and realized letting the guys be at home for the holidays made for better worker attitudes). But, I digress.

Yesterday at the Dewey's we were treated to a fantastic dinner with turkey and all the trimmings. Carolyn is one of the best hostesses I know, so she really made it special for Lee and me and Mom. We also got to meet and get to know, a little, Brett and Esther Dewey and their four little girls. That was a lot of fun. It was nice to be around children again. And these girls are all very well behaved and very pretty and polite. I loved watching the by-play between Carolyn and the granddaughters. I could see a very special relationship there. Reminded me a little of Mom's relationship with Erin, and her other granddaughter, Jennie.

[Wonder if I will ever get to experience that kind of relationship with a granddaughter. Doubt it. It's getting pretty late in life for certain people].

After dinner we were also treated to a mini "concert" by Rich. He is such a fantastic pianist. Mom started requesting hymns for him to play. He found an old hymnal and just started playing through. We kind of sang along, when we could remember the words, and Lee kind of tried to fall asleep on the couch periodically. It was after all his nap time.

Then we went back into the kitchen and had two kinds of pie for dessert - Pumpkin and Apple Crumb pies. (Smallish pieces). Yum. With real whipped cream! Carolyn really knows how to do it up right!!

Thank you Rich and Carolyn for a wonderful afternoon. It was truly lovely to be your guests!

"Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth;

Sing forth the honor and glory of His name;

make his praise glorious!

Say to God, How awesome

and fearfully glorious

are Your works!" Psalms 66:1-3a

Then in the evening, Lee went to Harvey County Jail to minister to the prisoners there. He pitch hits for the regulars, and goes to jail on holidays, a lot. (Good thing I have been trained by the railroad to have him gone for part of the day on a holiday)! Anyway - He came home totally blessed for having been there, just like he always does. He LOVES ministering there and feels a real affinity with those guys. He gets them to laugh, and to look realisitically at their lives and their predictaments and that God has a better way if they will yield to Him. It is great to hear him tell what he learned there and how he was blessed. I encourage him to go because of that! God is so faithful!!

Born Again American!

This is good - Give a listen, if this link works. I wish I knew what I am doing! http://www.bornagainamerican.org/indes.html

Redirection:

Check out Momma H Musing on Typepad. That is where I blogged this time. It won't let me copy and paste. Harumph. Would be much simpler if they would let you do that.

Il Divo Video

I wonder how you get those videos embedded into a blog. I got this one from my Aunt Dory. I had heard Il Divo before, and think they are fantastic. Or maybe it's because they are at the Roman Colliseum and the acostics there are really good. Whatever, they sound really good, and this is the link to share them singing "Amazing Grace." It's worth a listen, good hymn and great voices. Enjoy. http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052

Go to the other one...

Check out the other blog that I do, please. I can only get around to one blogsite once a month or so. By then there's nothing left in my muser! The address is below -in the former post.

Hi. I have been blogging sporadically (more frequently, lately) on typepad.com. The address is http://www.mommah.typepad.com.mommah-musing/. I hope. Let me know if it doesn't get you there.

Answers and Continuations

Thank God - Rich's surgery was a success. Maybe he won't have to have dialysis. We pray not. Don't know how Kathleen's surgery went. It was back surgery. We are still very concerned about Lisa with her lymphoma. So many things to pray about... Judgement House coming up in October. A wonderful outreach, but physically and spiritually draining for those of us involved. But - "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!" THANK GOD!!

Another blog

I have started posting on www.mommah.typepad.com/mommah-musing/ Just to try it out. Meg D. has a blog there and I like what she does with it. Of course, she is WAY more web savy than I am. I can't get those cool backgrounds, even though I get the 'code' and all - still can't figure out how to get them to do neat things in my blog. Anyway - Rather than repeat blogging, why don't you check out that blog. It is a bit different from this one, and I don't muse the same things on the other blog, so I'm putting my musings all over the web. (Do two places make an "all over the web?" So that's all ya get here tonight. I am exhausted. Lee and I tried sleeping on our old kingsize bed in the guest room, and neither one of us got any sleep. Lee's back was hurting and he kept feeling like he was being bitten, and every time he wiggled I woke up. I finally went to bed in Mom's room and got about 5 hours of sleep there. Lee was up and down too, so he didn't sleep much more than I did. I was also up painting in our room all day today, without a catch up nap, so I am pooped. I made up the bed in there after I got that one wall painted so we can sleep in our good bed tonight. That'll help a LOT. So that's it for tonight. Ya'all take care.

Long time

Boy - I have let this go for a long time. I think the blogs I follow of the young gals in church - all have children at home yet and have MUCH more excitement and interest than this old retired woman. Lee and I worked really hard last Monday & Tuesday to get the family room freed up from all the boxes of stuff that were left there before vacation. (We were under the gun because I had an uncle coming to stay here on Wed night)! That meant cleaning out a place in the basement for them. Lee did all that work. I went through the boxes again and ended up getting rid of a bunch of stuff that we just didnot need! Mom doesn't use half of the stuff she has now, so between Lee and I, we either gave stuff away to the ETC shop, or to the garbage men. The Etc shop has almost half of the stuff we got rid of last month. I also went through my closet and have a 50# bag of clothes for Lee to take down to ETC Shop again. I need to go right back up there to my "dressing room" and clean out some more things from that closet and from that room. I have accumulated WAY too much stuff - and keeping skinny clothes for me is fruitless, it seems. I figure by the time I lose into some of those clothes, they will be totally inappropriate for a woman of my age and out of fashion! So many of your blogs are about the people in your lives, but when you get to my stage in life, not much exciting happens. I really like the peacefulness and quiet of our retirement home (which we have been in for 32 years)! Oh well - it is what it is. Don't know if we can really stay here forever like Lee would like to do, because my left knee is feeling weaker everytime I go up or down the stairs. That happens many times a day, because there is no rest room on the level I am on here in the dining room. I keep trying to fall asleep, and my train of thought derails, so I think that's all you get for today. Sorry my blogs are so very subjective. There's not that much other for me to talk about, than me and myself. Don't much care for that, but that's where it goes all the time these days. So maybe this thing is just a therapy tool to get the stuff out of my head. Don't know whether that is working or not. I'll keep trying.

Down-sizing

I always seem to start writing my blog really late. We'll see what comes of this one. Mom is doing well at the Manor, I think, but she still gets lonely for family. The last few days I haven't stayed to visit for very long because I have spent 5-6 hours at her apartment packing the left over stuff. I don't know whether she realizes it or not, but down-sizing means the stuff will be GONE. I have found stuff she moved over from the house 9-10 yrs ago that I'll bet she hasn't looked at since she moved, but it's still there! The worst thing is that the organ has to be gone. I hate that, but even though I have tried to give it to the Manor so it'll be where she can keep her eye on it, they don't have room, so I have to give it to the organ man in town. Rats. I wish I could play it, but alas, I was more interested in chasing boys than learning the piano, let alone the organ. I have put in about 40-50 hours over at the apartment getting Mom moved. Guess that doesn't sound like all that much, unless we remember that I was off my feet two summers in a row, and I have learned sitting is easier than being up working. And my feet get really sore, walking around on that cement floor covered with very thin carpeting. And - when I come home, I still have to do the housework around here. Granted, I don't work real hard at that, especially since I cleaned well before Uncle Kenny and Aunt Dixie came on the 27th, and then cleaned again for community life group here on Sunday (the 31st). So it shouldn't get too dirty after that, especially since Lee and I are at Mom's most of the time these days. Me more than Lee, but he has been helping quite a bit. This seems like such an inconsequential blog - Who really wants to read about my take on my mom and my boring life? Seems like we don't do anything exciting anymore. It was fun having relatives here, even though it was very, very short. The end of next week Lee and I will be going to MN and he will be talking on the life of a railroader. That'll be good. Wonder what kind of a group will assemble from Mtn Lake to hear what he has to say. That should be interesting. I hope he will tell some of his fun stories about the railroad characters he worked with over the years. They are funny stories, especially the way he tells them. I'll let you know how that goes. That's the story of my life the last two weeks. Now I am going to bed. Good night, y'all. (All one of you)

To a new phase in life

That is a new phase in the life of my mom. Thursday I took Mom over to spend her first night in her new digs at Presbyterian Manor in assisted living. It went better than I thought it would. The nurse came for another assessment, then Mom and I sat and talked, I unpacked some more, and showed her a couple of times where I had put everything. She keeps stewing about no pictures on the wall and she thinks she needs drapes or something. I told her we had to wait til the maintenance men come to help put the pics on the wall. She and I will arrange them and stack them on the floor of the wall where she wants them. I also have tried to talk her into just putting up a valance so she won't lose her tremendous view out her windows. Nobody can really see in, and she is able to look out on the pre-school playground and the courtyard. It is really a lovely view. I felt kind of like an executioner when I walked out of the home Thursday evening. I was so afraid Mom would be terribly unhappy and all. Well, when I took some more things over to her on Friday afternoon, she was doing fine. She seem s to be adjusting remarkably well and is doing wonderfully. I sat with her Friday til supper-time, and when it was 5:30, she announced that it was time to go to supper, she got up, got her walker, got the room key off the door knob and tottled out the door. I walked her down to the diningroom - about 5 or 6 doors down from her room, she parked her walker, gave me a kiss and went to the buffet. I was dismissed. And she is fine. Thank God! I think the anticipation has been much worse than the actual doing for her. I think she realizes now that she will benefit from being there where someone will look out for her and she will have help whenever she needs or wants it. She is using her walker like they want her to. She knows several of the women in there already and sits with a few of the ones she knows at dinner, so she can converse with someone, although I have observed that everyone there was so glad to meet her and glad that she has finally moved in. It's a good move. After 4 3/4 months of taking care of Mom 24/7, except when I had to go to a meeting, and two evenings in that time that both Lee and I went out to dinner with friends or for church, the first night I rested very well. Last night was good for four hours, then I rolled over and was awake. So I am tired. But I got more accomplished today than I have for a while. May have company come stay Tuesday & Wednesday so I need to get cleaning big time. Had to move all the stuff out of Erin's room so that they can have that bed. There is still an awful lot of stuff in there, but the bed is cleared of all my clothes, since that room was my dressing room while Mom was in my other dressing room. We'll see what transpires. Our guests may opt for the motel. And that will be alright, I just felt like I needed to offer our house since we have so much space. So life is marching on, and we are rolling with it. Thank God He goes before us and prepares the way before we ever get there. Our God is so good.

Happy Mother's Day!

My Mother

Yesterday was my mom's 95th birthday! We have spent the whole weekend celebrating, it seems. Friday evening the Red Hatters came to supper and we had birthday cake and ice cream. Treva and John helped with the decorations, and it looked so nice! Mom had a real good time, I think. We enjoy that bunch of gals, even if about 3 of them were missing, and we missed them. Here is a picture of the birthday girl. It sure was fun, and we had some good food to go with.

Mom is really remarkable. Her sense of humor is great, her health is fair, except for advancing Parkinsons Disease. She is still pretty sharp, but does get a little confused by events some of the time. Mom is a lot of fun, and has been as great influence on my life. One time when I was really feeling down when I was pre-pubescent (Know what I mean? Raging hormones, etc.), Mom came to my room and gave me the scripture: Isaiah 42:3: "A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench;..."

That scripture soothed my teenage angst and aimed me toward the Lord, I don't know where I might have ended up. Several other times her wisdom has saved me from stupid mistakes and I always knew she would be there to listen to me if I needed it.

And she is still here! Now it's more me helping her physically, and sometimes in remembering, but knowing she is in the world gives great comfort to me and my sister! Our mom is a treasure that we thank God for everyday. We are SO blessed!

What to blog about....?

I have gotten into reading the blogs of several of the young mothers in church, and I feel like now I know them so much better. Blogging is really a young persons thing, and for a retired aged person to be doing this is kind of a stretch. For one thing, I don't have any funny little people stories, because I have no little people in my life. When you have children like these young marrieds, then you have more to blog about. Even without children, young people have a joy in living that kind of loses it's rosiness in middle aged people.

I could, of course, tell stories about the old man in my life, but he doesn't do a whole lot exciting stuff either. Unless you count losing his coffee cup at least three times a week. He is always carrying that thing around with him, then sees something that needs to be done and sets it down. Then goes on to the next thing and sees something else that needs to be done, and by the time he comes back into the kitchen, he has been in 500 different places around this house -inside and out - and he has no idea where he left his coffee cup.

This evening was one of those times when he was busy inside and outside and even to the store, and then he couldn't find his cup. He went all over looking for it. No findie. So, when I got supper in the oven, I went up stairs to look for it. Nope. Then I went out the front door and checked out the front porch, and the wall he built in front. I walked to the east end of the porch and sure enough, there it was sitting on the wall over on the easterly corner of the wall in front. It looked like he moved one of his other pots, and had to set the cup down in order to move it, then no doubt decided that another pot needed to be moved, then something else, and so forth and the cup is totally forgotten.

I am so glad that I can find the stuff he loses. Sometimes I really have to pray to the Lord who knows where everything is, and then wait fo him to tell me where, or show me in my mind's eye. It is fantastic the way He does that for us. One time Lee lost his keys and neither one of us could find them. I went upstairs to rest for a few minutes, and prayed there, and I saw the keys on the mantle. I came down and there they were - on the mantle. One time it was his beeper that we couldn't find, and I was shown that it was lost in the yucca plant that we used to have in front. It's just amazing.

One time I asked God what was wrong with my nearly new sewing machine that wouldn't run. I had no idea what could be the matter, but after I prayed I got the idea to oil the machine, and voila - it ran perfectly after that.

Our God is a wonderful God Who truly does care about the very hairs on our heads! Any minute detail is important to Him. He is the Lord of the universe and the Lord of my tiny little life. How He could care that much for the little things that concern me, when He has the whole universe to run is truly amazing, but He proves it over and over. I can't wait to get to heaven so I can fall on my face in His presence and just stay there til He tells me to go do something for Him! He is WORTHY of all praise - ALL our praise!!!

Walk Helen, Walk

After supper this evening Lee talked me into walking down to the corner. So, I made it down there and back, and he said tomorrow I need to walk to the bridge and back. Then it'll be to the next corner and back. And so on. Which I really need to do - and I hope I can do it and not poop out on it again. Course, with two years, two surgeries and two now pretty well fixed feet, I should now be able to walk when we want to - I hope! The only problem is I have considerably more poundage to haul around than I have ever had.

Consequently my feet did start to hurt after we got back here and walked around the house looking at the fauna and flora that he has planted, or is coming up again from former years. And we talked about the deck, room addition and courtyard that Lee wants to put in the back yard. It is a pretty ambitious project, but if we do it in stages, it should not be TOO overwhelming. I guess we'll find out if/when we ever get around to actually doing it.

Thoughts on God's Glory

Lee was sharing his devotions today and contemplating the term "glory." He asked me what I thought that meant. I think God's glory is mainly the light of His being. The shekinah glory that is intense, yet not glaring. Super bright, but not hurtful bright. It is the essence of His being - He is everywhere at all times and it is His glory that can manifest to us humans. I saw that shekinah glory the night my dad died and I had he head in my lap in the snow. My Jesus came and touched my shoulder and said it was alright, because Dad was with Him. And I could sense, but not really SEE the shekinah glory of His presence. After all they were on a different plane of existence from me here in the physical. It was glorious, and when I think of it, I again feel the peace of His presence. Our God said to Moses that He is "Yahweh. I am." That is the essence of His glory. He is and His Glory is. When we get to that plane of existence, we will be able to experience that Glory all the time, and the physical won't dilute it anymore. Wow. That will be a real trip! Even so, Lord Jesus, Come. Maranatha!

Easter

Today is my very favorite holiday. Because of what it represents. That the God of the universe loves ME. And He loved me enough to want to save me even though I didn't think I was worthy of saving - and not important enough for Him to bother with saving. But HE valued me and my fellowship more than I knew, and sent His wonderful Son to take my penalty for missing so utterly His standard of behavior. Jesus Loves Me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. And when the Lord saves, He saves to the uttermost and innermost corners of my psyche and soul.

I am totally clean now in Jesus Christ. My sins are washed away - amazing - and I am the righteousness of God in Christ, because Jesus took my sins and died for them. HE paid the price and I am so utterly completely grateful. What can I give Him in return besides all of me, whatever that is worth. And if we look at the what it cost Him, that is worth alot. More than I can think or imagine. OUR GOD IS SO GOOD! OUR JESUS IS SO LOVELY! Holy Spirit is so wonderfully everything we need to continue on for our Lord. I am overwhelmed with the scope of His love for me. He is truly amazing! Thank you, Jesus.

Discourse on pride/rest

I'm sitting here listening to classical music on itunes, and I think they are playing the Intro to Pomp and Circumstance. Whatever is playing is very familiar in places. We used to play part of the Intro in high school band at good old American Falls High. I played the oboe - and most of the time I was the only one, except my senior year when I had a little freshman nipping at my heels. She was a pretty good oboist - probably better than I was, but I was first chair by virtue of seniority only. One concert we were doing the fanfare from Cosi fan Tutti where the first whole page or something was an oboe solo. I was so dadblamed scared I couldn't even play. It was AWFUL. Then dear little Susan tried to help me, and I got more nervous, because I knew she could probably breeze through this thing while I couldn't hardly get a "blat" out! It was so humiliating! I don't know why I hadn't practiced more and really learned that part so I could play it at least. But I let my "Senior pride" get in the way and totally blew it. The memory is still humiliating and I don't think I have ever shared humbling experience with anyone ever in my life. So why am I now? Don't know. Except I have learned that pride doth go before a fall. Our stupid pride can really cause us pain - mainly because that pride won't let us admit that, 1. We may need a little help, and 2. Needing help is not a handicap! We ALL need help sometimes, and we should admit it and accept it. But then there is the danger of becoming overly dependent on others and perhaps becoming lazy about helping ourselves. Does the Lord only help those who help themselves? I don't think that is scriptural by any stretch of the imagination - I think the Lord would help if we would let him. Ps. 119:173 says "May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts." And in Matthew 11:28, Jesus bids us, "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls." Oh what comfort. What rest! Dump the pretense of being perfect, or even better than a brother or sister, and just become meek and lowly of heart and mind - become more like Jesus! Wow. I learned something today in this blog, blah blah. I knew it earlier, but I just learned it again, with the added dimension of coming to Him and learning of Him creates that same spirit and mind in us as is in our Lord and Saviour! Just rest in Him and let Him take the lead! Thank you Lord that you can speak even through a musing of an old woman. Bless your holy name! Amen P.S. It wasn't Pomp and Circumstance they were playing, but that melody I was hearing surely brought back some worthwhile rememberances, no matter how painful they were! (And now I just heard an oboe solo of some length on itunes. Amazing).

Taxing Tax Time

Tax time - Lee is working on taxes. Always my favorite time of year. ;-{ 'Bout drives me nuts. But I really try not to complain because he is doing them and I don't have to - since I am a total no mind when it comes to all that governmental/legal mumbo-jumbo. Makes no sense to me whatsoever! The creepy crud finally caught up with me and settled in my bronchials. Coughing and have a funny voice. No fevers though. Just hope Mom doesn't get it since she is still here with us. Her suite should be ready in a couple weeks. We probably need to get over to the apartment and decide what to send to the suite and what needs to be sold. Hopefully we won't put it all in storage -"just in case." But I have a feeling that may be what happens. So we will have to move it at least 2 more times!! I have been told that the piano and organ will be moving with her. Don't know where she will put it,. She hasn't played them for a long time. Just hope every piece of furniture in that 2 bedroom apartment will try to move to the suite rooms with her. The suite's about a third or a quarter space of what was in the apartment. No way will all that stuff fit. She WILL need room to move around, a little. Although she sure doesn't move around much! That's about it for this April Fools Day. I don't care for practical jokes so I try to lay low on this day. Have to go out and get beautified this afternoon with Mom. Hair and nails. Such lavishness!

The walk and the boss...

We finally got our walkway to the front door put in and it really finishes the work Lee did on building the wall out there. Adds to our curb appeal too, I guess. It will be so much more convenient! Lee will get some lights out there to assist visitors further to get them into the house - now, if only people would come visit once in awhile! We'll have to have our Community Life Group over again soon.

This is the supervisor of the cement work. He's in this one too, can you see him?

I'm up at 5:45 a.m. again today. I'm starting to get sleepy again now, so may go back to bed shortly.

I was thinking some profound thoughts yesterday to blog about, but wouldn't you know it, the brain is empty again this morning. I think I'll go back to bed now. Maybe I'll be profound after a little more sleep.

Sleep - or lack thereof

Well, I was up at 5:30 again this morning. Wish I would stop that - that little sleep really cuts into my functioning the rest of the day. I wake up and I am UP. Can't go back to sleep! - until 8 or 10 a.m. - right when I need to be either going somewhere or doing something constructive around the house! I'm getting tired of it!

Besides that, not much is going on. We have Mom with us until the early part of April, when they finish her two room suite in the Manor. She seems to be looking forward to living there. She hasn't asked to go to her apartment at all since she has been home. We haven't done a bit of packing, or organizing what we want moved to the new place. Mom does want her organ and piano moved with her. I don't know why she would want that, but I will do it for her because she asked. There is some opposition to it here, but that's what she wants and they are her possessions, so I can't refuse to have them moved! Don't know if she will have room for anything else with the piano and organ there, but like I said, they belong to her. For some reason they seem to bring her comfort, even though she hasn't played either one of them for nearly a year.

Mom hasn't been home to her apartment for 10 months! It seems a bit strange to me that she hasn't wanted to go there since she has been back in KS for a month or two, but there's no pushing her. Course, I resisted when she first came back because I wasn't sure that she could handle being there by herself. She is just kind of unsteady on her feet after having fallen getting on the plane in Minneapolis. She's much better now, except she still stumbles a bit.

Parkinsons Disease - that curse that is making Mom stumbly and causing her to move unvoluntarily - is really a curse! It causes slurred speech, lots of mouth movements without her thinking about it, slowing of reflexes, and a posture that is leaning forward at the waist, which in turn makes the back ache. This is all so new to any and all of us, that we didn't know for sure what it does to a body until we looked it up on line. Then I knew too much and was disquieted a bit by what I had read. Mom may even be getting to end stage PD. Or she may just gradually fail in her health, like she has been doing. She is such a frail little old lady now. But, I guess when you have been on this earth for 94 and 5/6 years, you might be wearing out a little bit. She has always been in better shape than I am, especially since my arthritis has flaired up.

All this aside - My mother is still a joy to have around and we are enjoying her being with us alot. When she moves out to the Manor it will seem extremely empty without her here, but knowing she is just a mile and a half away doesn't let it get toooo lonely. I can't imagine what life will be like when she is no longer on this earth somewhere! I praise God for letting us have Mom all our lives and into our older ages. Never would have thought that I would be taking care of a 94 yr old mother at 62! What a trip - and what a terrific blessing to have her with us. If I can bless her back by just a little bit, it will all be worth it.

A Look at Next Week (since this week is done)

Well, we are still cluttered, just not quite as much. I got one corner of the office decluttered a little bit, then put more clutter there when I moved stuff around from the bedroom that the Ratzlaffs will be staying in. At least the guest room is a little less a mess. Still have a long long way to go. Must keep plugging. The week is at an end, but by no means over for me. Tomorrow is the Women's Conference at church with Dee Brestin. Am looking forward to that, except that I am not sure I will do the all day thing well. I am retired and my body is used to being in a retiring mode, i.e. I may need a nap or two in the middle of the conference! Wonder if I can pull that off. Then after losing a whole hour of sleep tomorrow night, Sunday is here again - with Community Life Group, thankfully NOT at my house. But with Deanna and Eldean coming in on Sunday afternoon, that may cause a little consternation. Haven't asked the man what we are doing about that Sunday. Well - Monday may be a day of rest...maybe not. Depends on if the Ratzlaffs are staying for a few days or not. Its always fun when they are here - good visiting. Maybe we can do something interesting while they are here - unless we have used up all the interesting places with having already done the Salt Mine in Hutch and the Eisenhower Museum and Brookville in Abilene. Is there anything left that is interesting around here? Maybe the Cosmosphere. And Exploration Place. Haven't done that with them yet. On Tuesday I have an appointment in Hesston in the morning, one in the afternoon with my foot doctor in Wichita, and in the evening I have Womens Ministry Council. Ugh. Marathon day again. Come Wednesday I get to have a cataract removed out of my right eye. A 5 to 7 minute surgery and then it's done, and then do a follow up appointment on Thursday afternoon. We are also having a shower for Amber with the Bible Study girls on Thursday noon. That will be a lot of fun, so I hope I can go to it too. Besides, Marjean is making lunch for all of us, and that will be really good, I bet. She is a phenomenal cook! So that's what's happening in the future of Helen. If the Lord tarries....

Sunday

Today is Sunday. I love Sundays. I love going to church and hearing the Word preached, and attending Sunday School where we learn a bit more about the Word and God. More hands on than the church service. Then coming home after church. Having a quick lunch, or a good dinner, depending on my mood. The afternoon is the most laid back day of the week. We sometimes listen to Prairie Home Companion. I like to spend the afternoon reading, or messing on the computer. Sometimes take a little nap. Read the funnies and maybe the Parade. We have a light supper then more kicking back. I watch some t.v., except I spend most of the time on the computer so even though the t.v. is on, I don't pay much attention to it. Usually spend time on Facebook, if Erin is on and we can chat. Like we are doing now. Kind of fun. I am pretty involved in getting to know FlyLady.net. It has been good for me in that it encourages homemakers to attack clutter 15 minutes at a time. Great! You can do anything for 15 minutes! You can even eat an elephant one bite at a time. (Lee says he doesn't like elephant!)I may get the house decluttered in a while (months, maybe) by using this method. We'll see. I want to get the office decluttered before Deanna and Eldean come around the 8th or 9th of March. Man, we haven't seen the floor in the corner for about 5 or 10 years! Ridiculous. That's about all I can think of to ramble about tonight. May be back this week, may not...

One Hard Day

This has been a hard day for the young people of Grace Community Church due to the death of Cora, the 11 month old daughter of one of their couples numbers. It's been hard for almost all of us of GCC. We are hurting with our brothers and sisters in this their great loss! Death is so hard to reconcile when you are young and just starting your families and lives. Things are not supposed to happen this way. My brother wasn't supposed to die at 35 when he had a wife and three small boys - one less than a year old! Cora wasn't supposed to have cancer and die at 11 months old. It's just not supposed to be. Well, like I learned when I took volunteer training for Hospice, Everybody dies. Each of us reading this blog will die. Everyone who is born will die - UNLESS the Lord comes back for us first. Dying is part of living. It's a very hard part of living, pain is a hard part of living, loss is a hard part of living, but -"we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptations, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning."Heb 4:15 SO - He - our Savior - knows how this feels, and has felt it and got through it, and He will help each and every one of us through these hard, hard times, as we yield to Him and His love and comfort. Indeed - He is "Who comforts us in every trouble , so that we may also be able to comfort those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort which we ourselves are comforted by God." II Cor 1:4 Our God KNOWS that this is hard for us, but it is something we all have to go through to some degree or another, just because this is part of life. It doesn't make it easier to bear while we are going through it, but we definitely can feel His Love and His loving arms holding us and loving us through it. When it gets so hard and hurts so much that you think it may do you in, run to Father and rest in His loving arms. You don't have to be strong all the time - you can't be. Thank God that He is good and that He is love. Thank God that we can trust in His love all the time even when life is hard!

Picasa Web Albums - Helen - Drop Box

Picasa Web Albums - Helen - Drop Box

Life Changes

We are facing changes with my mom - her lifestyle may change in a few weeks when she becomes the newest resident at Presbyterian Manor Assisted Living. She is sometimes mad at me for having told her she was going in, and then almost sounding like she's looking forward to it. She confuses me some with her confusion, but we just keep on loving her and taking care of her. She is a lot of fun most of the time - wonderful sense of humor and easy to get along with. She seems so frail and we just want to protect her and love her ... and she says she wants to be independent. Of course she is dependent on her daughters now when we are there, and she does better when she is staying with one of us. She eats a LOT better then, and gets her pills mostly on time, but when she is alone in her apartment, she doesn't take good care of herself. Doesn't feed herself right, and doesn't bathe regularly, or change her clothes. I think she just forgets what and when she did that last. Who knows she may end up living here with me the rest of her life. That wouldn't be so bad if we had some respite care going on, so Lee and I could go out on a date sometime. Well, we will see. Maybe the assisted living will become the best thing that has happened to her! One would hope. Sh has a great room with a great view of the courtyard and playground for the nursery school. She'll be right down the hall from the lunch room and a bit further to the chapel. It sounds like an ideal place to me, especially when you have Parkinsons like she has. (Although the other night she said NO one had ever told her she has Parkinsons). That's about all for now. May write again sometime, but don't hold your breath!