When Spring Comes . . .

. . . the grass grows by itself.

Right along with the seasons coming in their time and on time every single time since God created all of this. Eager as we are for spring to begin, it will in its own good time. What we need to do in the meantime, is relax. That is a tall order with all the anxiety flying about in the world.

I’ve found the older I become, the less I need to work at relaxing. For that, I’m grateful. I’ve learned we can’t force an outcome simply because we think it is in our best interest. We only know the small part that affects our world. God knows what the big picture is. When I was still married to my first husband, I was a bundle of nerves. It was awful. I had muscle spasms in my stomach, and I was a mess. Didn’t really drink coffee, just tea, and wanted the pain to just stop. It did. After counseling, filing for divorce, and him moving out, the pain stopped. I’ve never had it again.

That was the last bit of information I needed to change my life. My short-sighted plan didn’t seem to be such a sure plan. I didn’t belong in a happily ever after life with that man. But I do with the Babe. We met 27 years ago, and in October, will be married 25 years. So happy. So calm. And this time, I’m sure.

I’ve noticed a great change in the Babe, too. He used to have a hard time just staying at home. We did vacations and then eased off the traveling; so we had about ten years of kids getting married and having babies, and now, just enjoy being home. We’re good to watch the seasons surround our home with lush foliage, flowers, crisp leaves, bare branches, and snow. All in its own good time. Every year, new birds make themselves known. Waiting their visitation and hatching eggs on the patio, above the rafters.

The less rigid we are results in an opening of our hearts, minds, and souls. We can settle in, watch nature unfold in its own time. We slowly learn our perfectionism and rigid rules are not conducive to enjoying successful execution of what we do well. Being perfect doesn’t register anywhere with being satisfied in what we do. Learn to relax. Foremost. And forever.

Have a great Wednesday. See you tomorrow.

Nothing Scheduled Today?

How on earth did that happen?

Truth be told, the laundry multiplied, the dust is in no danger of settling soon, and the Babe vacuumed yesterday. He always surprises me with help around the house. He did a great dinner of chicken, celery, onions, and the Liz Raabe specialty, creamed soups. The Babe talks about family dinners. Many of them are probably not good for a 72-year-old male, with ischemic heart disease (like Spam in Cheddar Cheese Soup), but they’re good for testing his memory.

Today is catch up day. No, I haven’t finished the quilt. Had a cortisone shot in my knee yesterday. Didn’t have the need for 2 1/2 years! The Doc and PA both congratulated me on the low maintenance. The Keto Diet is due the credit on that. All the more reason to start it up again. First, the quilt. Income Taxes for 2022. And unboxing all our books from moving to our home here at Raabe Ranch. Still settling in? It happens.

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? We don’t. We would go to the VFW for Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner, but we not going this year. We’re going to stay home and enjoy some time together. It’s been another very busy week. I look forward to some downtime and some creative time as well. Celebrating? Staying In? You know what’s said: those of us who are Irish every day don’t need to pretend one day a year.

Ever check out the stories on Dateline? There is one on now, and a woman named Mary Turner Thompson wrote two different books about all the scheming. He pretended to be a British CIA operative, lie upon lie upon lie. It got deeper and deeper. He had marriages with many women, all single moms, in several countries. A fraud, and father of many children abroad.

You could not make this up. I may see if a library has the books, just to read them. I need to become more picky about ordering books for fun. At the current rate, I’ll end up out of storage and too many things to read in a lifetime.

Have a great day and evening. Let’s see each other tomorrow. Life is good. Live a good story. Start Today.

Prayers Always Work

What? What do you mean? How can you say that?

Communication with another human is vital. We call it conversation. In business it’s called having a meeting. Socially, it could be a class reunion or a family reunion. People from a lot of different backgrounds and experiences working together for a common goal. Celebrating it.

When we communicate with God, our Higher Power, or Supreme Being, we pray. We may pray only known prayers; novenas, rosaries, litanies, and others are prayers Catholics participate in. I remember the formal days of prayer during Lent, and Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ending with Easter Sunday. All leading up to the finale, which is bigger than Christmas. People don’t readily believe that, but Jesus being born is not as big as Jesus dying for our sins.

Our Grandmothers all prayed for their grandchildren. Mothers have all prayed for their children. Wives have always prayed for their soldiers. While we pray when we’re young, we try to direct God to the outcome we wish for.

“Dear God, please make my little brother go away,” is not exactly in the proper spirit. I know, I tried for years. Didn’t work. Today, he’s one of my best friends. God always answers our prayers. Sometimes, the answer to our childish questions is, “No, my child. Wait and see the big picture.” I always wanted a sister; I didn’t realize I’d always have my own room without a sister! God, grantor of the prayers, while showing us the big picture.

The thing of it is, God answers prayers, yet the answer is sometimes an emphatic “NO!” We can only see our versions of the world. God is a big picture guy. He sees what is best for our loved ones. He knows what’s best for us, too. Sometimes, it’s best for us to not to get what we think we want. It may not be a true end to the story. Something better may be in store for us.

We may feel we aren’t worthy or God’s time. He loves when we come to Him. He’s what we need more than anything. We learn to listen to where he’s guiding us and anticipate going there. The more we admit we’re helpless, the easier we are able to ask God for help through prayer. He’s got your back, better than anyone.

Think about your Higher Power, your God, your Supreme Being. Whoever it is, pray to Him/Her/Them. Your faith will be built in this relationship. After all, we’re all just a part of a bigger world. We’re not the one in control, calling the shots, and we need to understand there are things bigger than we are. Prayer will help.

Have a beautiful Wednesday. Enjoy every moment. You never know what your life holds ahead of you. We will see each other tomorrow. Thank you for reading.

Another Great Day This Week

Here are some positive thoughts for you on this delightful Tuesday. Waking up every day, we receive our first gift. Making the day as good as possible is our gift back to God. How?

As an example, last week, our coffee pot stopped working. It didn’t keep the coffee hot after it brewed. What? Oh wow. I suppose we had our use of the Bunn coffee pot. About five years’ worth. Not much, but we made three pots a day. They don’t make things like they used to. We were grateful we could go buy a new coffee pot without waiting until payday, like when we were young.

That same day? We discovered another appliance wasn’t working, and it tripped the circuit breaker. What? Darned crock pot. Wassup? Oh. Crock pot quit working. To not burn the house down, it tripped the circuit breaker, cutting electricity. Yay! Not a problem. That’s why God invented Air Fryers. No further incidents. Gosh, they spared us really terrible stuff, and we only have inconveniences. God is so good.

So, today and tomorrow, the Babe has cataract surgery. He’s been having an awful time with his vision lately. I’m glad he has a good eye doc/surgeon/ and eyeglass place. We are glad to have who we have to help us out. We’ll highly recommend our people once we know we can.

The Babe and I have some things to get taken care of before his surgery this afternoon. Sorry I abbreviate this morning, we have a lot to handle before this afternoon. Have a beautiful day, and a great tomorrow. See you then.