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!