Just as when we sit on an airplane, during the instructions from the stewards about safety, we hear, “If you are with a child or someone needing help, fix your own oxygen mask first, then help them with theirs.” It becomes apparent you cannot help someone if you are lacking oxygen. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
It does, unless we’ve grown up in a dysfunctional family, one who practices codependency. It’s not unusual for the adults to bluster, fluster, and scatter about, with high anxiety, and craziness everywhere, re-enacting “Who’s on First?” I’m glad to see almost every bit of self-care writing begins with taking care of you first.
It’s neurotic and just impractical to care to the health, welfare, and happiness of everyone else first. A natural answer to the question, “What can I do to others,” is not do for others so they don’t have to do for themselves. Enabling is just that – doing so they don’t have to for themselves. They will learn nothing if you do it for them, except to learn how to manipulate others into enabling them.
Certitude is the absolute conviction that something is true. Once we make others understand we are all here to take care of ourselves, we will have the confidence to set boundaries and enforce them. We will also be able to walk the walk and talk the talk. Not many of us can do both at once. It’s a difference in our lives we can be proud to model to others.
As we practice self-care and boundaries, we see the value in others doing for themselves. There is no contest for self-sacrifice, especially when it’s destructive to us and others. Having strong convictions about these things is what makes us good examples, citizens, and friends. Try establishing this as a habit for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.
As we get closer to Thanksgiving, it’s easy to feel alone and out of it. We may need to work at remembering how we are blessed instead of what we are lacking. Take extra time to be grateful and you will soon be changing your outlook. It is so very worth it. I remember years when the most I was grateful for was that the car started. Or it was paid for. And no one was ill or arrested or hungry. Look deep, you’ll be surprised what you realize.
Have a good rest of the evening, and we’ll see each other again tomorrow. Be safe out there.
Here we are, at about 8:10 p.m. We have had a whirlwind of a day. The Babe had some Post stuff to handle, so he did, and I had a doc appointment. As I said yesterday, I had a procedure done to alleviate the bad circulation in my lower legs; the valves in my veins were bad, and I had them taken care of. This forces the veins in the middle region of the leg take over, so the circulation is improved, the legs get a better blood flow, and the pain stops! All is good, the veins that are supposed to be closed off are, and the veins that are supposed to be open are working. Awesome! God has modern miracles all over the place. Grateful!
Did a couple more quilt squares today, and am hoping to get more done tomorrow. I’m getting pretty excited about it, and cannot wait to share it with you. I waited my whole life to be a grandma, and although I had step grandkids first, (and I love them to death!), I was purely happy with the Babe’s grandkids as mine, and still am. When my daughter told me she was pregnant, WOW! Now we have two more, and love all five of these kiddos.
When I think of my dad and how much he loved Becky, his only granddaughter, I get teary eyed. I want this quilt to be the best, and have it be from not only me, but also my dad. He would be so thrilled! Mom would be, too, but Dad was so enamored by Rebecca. He always called her his “Dolly.” And he meant it.
At any rate, there are many times I think “What would Dad think about . . . ” and just wish I could talk with him about things. He would love computers (and I’m sure know much more than I do about them, just reading books), and would be fascinated with communicating with them.
As much as Mom hates them, Dad would love them. And I’m sure he would master them. I’d love to see all that. He would love the Babe. He was gone for nearly 10 years when we met, but I know he would love the Babe. They would be fast friends, talking about work stuff, managing a bunch of blue collared workers, a fleet of drivers, and all the other things they both did at their jobs.
Got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow. I will share a story with all of you about an event we’re having at the VFW Post 2503 in Omaha, Nebraska. We are offering free training about PTSD and Suicide Prevention. It’s vital info in today’s world. And we are offering it for free.
I hope you have a good evening, and we’ll visit again tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
Wherever you are in the world today, I wish you a beautiful day of giving thanks for where we are, who is with us, and what we’re able to do today. The Babe and I have been up since 5:15 a.m., getting the turkey in the oven and taming the eight pound bag of potatoes. I’m trying crock pot mashed potatoes this year, it sounds like they’ll be yummy. And it might make less dishes. I don’t care about the dishes, as the Babe is a wonderful partner in the kitchen. He always has been. Thanks to his Mama for raising him up as she did. The duties are light when there are two of us to cleanup. The kids would help if we wanted them to. When you have multiple stops to make on a holiday, it helps to know you can leave when you need to.
Today, I’m grateful and appreciate being able to buy what we need for a special meal with family. When I was a single Mom, it was hard to buy special things. No, we had enough to eat, but it was very close many times. I don’t know if my kids ever knew about things like that, I really wanted them to just be concerned about being kids. My wish for all of you is you have enough, and know you are enough. Be proud where you are on your journey. You’ll get there.
I’m trading the Chromebook for a cookbook today, and going to enjoy our daughter Tracy, TJ, Addison, and Gavin, and son Frankie at dinner today. It’ll be nice to be able to gather again. Hope your day is full of love and friendship. Thanks for stopping by today, we’ll see each other again tomorrow.
Wow! That must make me accountable for what I’ve done! Well, I guess we all are. Aren’t we? Yes, even before we knew better and learned what NOT to do. The sooner we accept that, the better outcomes we’ll have. After all, our habits, good or bad, are learned in our environment.
When we’re kids, we’re at our parent’s mercy. Really, we are. They can only do as well as they know how to do. And it goes on and on, until someone realizes the habits aren’t healthy and they need something different in their lives. The one who raises issue with “how it’s always been” is usually criticized unmercifully. But then again, they’re kind of used to it. Put downs sting, but you don’t let on people hurt you. You have a quick wit to answer all sorts of accusations. But inside, you’re dying. And it’s your family who can hurt the most. After all, they have the best ammunition to use. Old habits die hard.
Fifty-one years ago, I got married for the first time. He had a low draft number (bad reason to get married!), and it seemed likely he’d go to Vietnam, like every boy from high school who didn’t go to college. Of course, Mom was against it, but we knew better, as every 18 and 19 year old can tell you. Mom was 19 when she married Dad, and he was 25. If she could have explained why “you just shouldn’t,” I may have listened. Or not. She said if I was getting married, she would plan it or it wouldn’t happen. She planned everything. She is a person who must be in control, so she was in her glory.
In 1982, 11 1/2 years later, I told her I was getting a divorce. Her only comment was, “My grandchildren will starve.” I felt surer they wouldn’t. They didn’t. Her habit is controlling, and she reacts with anger when things don’t fall into place. I had one person, my Aunt Carol, who knew why I had to leave. I was becoming an angry person. I didn’t want to be like Mom was. I love her still, and she honed her habits out of survival in the home and environment she grew up in. She can’t help it, and may not want to at this point. I feel sorry for her inasmuch as she holds her anger like a shield, and is constantly in react mode.
The events of the last month have made an impact on her. She is no longer angry and confrontational about using her walker; she sees it as freeing, she can get around better with less physical danger. Finally! Some progress. Her habits can change. And it will impact her future by enabling her to stay in her beloved home longer. How much longer? I’d be foolish to guess, it’s whenever God decides she needs to go somewhere else.
I’ve had a lot of mindsets/habits to change in my life. Equality for women was a big thing I had to recognize and participate in. Luckily, I continued my education while working and entered the I/T field, where you are paid according to your skills. I personally disliked the old wives tale of analysts not being able to communicate effectively, I was able to show our internal customers I could communicate well and participate in problem solving while speaking to them in English, not tech talk.
I raised my kids with encouragement and support. I wanted them to be independent people, they all learned how to clean, do laundry, and cook. They also knew they would be punished if they did things that were wrong. They knew I would trust them until I couldn’t, and that would be on them. I know we were a good family. Now, we’re in three different states and rarely see one another. Sure, I miss them. I also remember I taught them to take care of themselves, and that’s what they’re doing.
What habits do I need to change? Several. We’ll talk about that another day. What habits do you need to change? Are you willing to do the work? It takes consistency towards a new behavior to change a habit. Working out, eating healthy, losing weight, lowering your blood sugar, all take a big effort. You can get there to do anything you decide you can do. Even change your life! I did. I’m so grateful for these last 40 years of not being married to the father of my kids. I would never have made all these good changes with him. He wanted everything to remain exactly the same as it was in 1970. And that just couldn’t be for me.
I’m grateful to those who are in this part of my journey. The Babe is very supportive of my writing. The kids are, too. I’m grateful for that. Yes, everything is going to be ok. I know in my heart it will. Just go to Plan B. I’m going to thrive at this time in life. You can too. Shall we go together? Let’s!
Sharing these books as the ones I want to devour in the next month or so. Women authors, a couple friends, a couple Facebook friends. Supporting each other. I finished Tammy Marshall’s “Ticker Tape,” yesterday. It was great. I’ll go into more detail another day. And I love Rebecca Cooper’s FB shares. So raw. So real. And Carol Gino! She makes me think about things. I love her stories about angels all around us. Joy Johnson Brown’s The BOOB Girls Books! I do believe she may have been my older sister in another life. Go figure! We just need to be aware. Be aware today. Let’s talk about that another day. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Have a beautiful day, see you tomorrow!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you have a nice day. Mom used to work at a Hallmark shop. She’d watch people come in at the last minute to buy cards. Men came in after a long day. They would get a card for their wife, their mom, or Grandma. Sometimes all three. A little child came along sometimes to get a card for Mommy. Mom loved watching them. The kids loved to pick out the pretty cards.
I love thinking of that and how it is a good example of how to treat someone special. They plant the seed to do some things out of love. Yes, Valentine’s Day is a money-maker. What isn’t? People over-celebrate everything. Does the sentiment get lost? I believe it does a lot. The cards, flowers, dinners, and dancing are nice. So why don’t we treat each other that well other days? I’d prefer excellent treatment every day over a splash once in a while. And it also works both ways. A day doesn’t tell me to be grateful for what a wonderful husband I have. I already should be grateful! And I am.
Starting out as the martyrdom of a Catholic priest named Valentine, and to become the international day of professing love and affection for your lover, friends, and people you admire. That’s a lot of marketing. It’s quite a rebranding effort. A very successful one. The thing I remember most is when the class exchanged Valentines. I don’t recall they forced everyone to give every person one. I was always afraid no one would give me one. I rarely had too many. It relieved me when it was over.
It’s also how I felt when I was single. Men by the hundreds sent flowers to co-workers. I was glad when it was over. I hoped: “maybe next year.” Kind of like a Cubs fan pre-2016. And now? Every day is Valentine’s Day. And Christmas. And Fourth of July. It can be. You can make it that way. Be Kind. Every day. Be Caring. Every Day. Be Courteous. Every Day. Your entire world will be better for it.
Thank you so much for reading. Have a beautiful day and thank you for reading. We’ll see each other tomorrow. Take Care!
Happy Thanksgiving! Have you had your fill of dinner yet? We are still waiting for the turkey to finish up. The Babe didn’t want to eat too early. No leftover turkey sandwiches in our future this evening. I even made some Keto bread in anticipation of having them. Tomorrow will come soon enough, and they will taste just as good. It appears I forgot to grind up the frozen cranberries. I can do that tomorrow. No big deal.
It’s been a quiet day for us, and that’s ok. I took a brief nap; it felt great. I wasn’t the least bit tired when I sat down, but then it happened. I sunk into the recliner, and it was over. I heard from my kids, and they’re also having nice days. No one has to work for a change. How nice for them. We are well aware of people who work on holidays; First Responders, Nurses, ER personnel, Police Officers, and all the people deployed or on duty today. Thank you all.
While I was making the real whipping cream for our Keto Pumpkin Bars, I had a weird flashback. When I was a kid, Mom let me make the Whipping Cream. We chilled the bowl. We didn’t use the electric mixer when I first started, and I don’t recall her having a whisk. Whatever she had is what I used. She rarely used her hand-held mixer or the stand mixer. She philosophised we needed to save it for special occasions. I’m not sure why Thanksgiving wasn’t special enough, but those were her rules.
Today, when I took the empty bowl and beaters from the refrigerator, I recalled opening the container of whipping cream and adding vanilla and sugar to the cream. I even remembered which bowl I used. No one came to dinner at our house, except for a grandmother once in a while. Mom cooked the whole thing, and I always had to dry dishes, mostly because I was a girl. No sisters. Three brothers. No matter how many people come to eat, you still have the same number of pots and pans.
I loved cooking with my kids while they were still home. We didn’t go to my mom’s any more after my dad died. It just wasn’t the same, and we really enjoyed our own celebration. The boys would put lights in the yard and on the house when they were older teenagers. We would eat dinner, then go outside at 6 p.m. for our own lighting ceremony. I miss those days so much. Enjoy your kids while they’re home. And be happy for them when it’s their time to celebrate with their own families. People can’t always gather.
It’s time to prepare the Loaded Cauliflower and Green Beans for our sides. We’re just having a bit of food, the important ones. I’m looking forward to the Pumpkin Bars and real whipping cream. Thank you for reading tonight, have a beautiful evening. See you tomorrow.
When I was bedridden for those long six weeks, many moods appeared. I was on a lot of pain medication. There was no surgery pain, although my back had about a seven inch wound from the surgery. It was very frightening to know my spinal cord had no protection from anything. It had no cage of vertebrae around the muscles, covering it up and held it like the upper spine did. I worried about everything hurting it. I wore a plastic shell whenever I left the bed to go to the bathroom or to eat. I’d go walk up and down the stairs just to move around a little. At first, I immediately tired and returned to bed. Sitting hurt like the devil from the bone and disk infection. That pain lasted for months. Eventually, the disk disintegrated.
The neurosurgeon took pictures during surgery. I heard he wrote a paper about my challenge. There was no data on someone recovering from this. I’m it. To this day, I’m eternally grateful to God for what health I’ve had since that year. I can still walk, it’s increasingly painful, so exercise is difficult.
Once the IV antibiotic therapy concluded, I could try to drive myself. The doctor wanted me to go back to work even for a couple hours a day because my depression was taking over, despite being on medication. The medication not only helped the depression, it helps with pain. Your perception of pain becomes different. I take meds to this day for both.
The Doctor had a specific Physical Therapist for me to see. She is a niece of my ex-husband. We hadn’t seen each other in nearly fifteen years, but it was incredible to meet her as an adult woman, a professional and a wife and mother. We have developed a wonderful friendship that is still strong to this day. It’s been a gift to become acquainted with all those nieces from so long ago. They are all strong, loving women with families. I missed them so much! Terri taught me how to live with this disability. I’ve lost a little more every five years. Some is because of aging, the whole surgery, and some laziness I’ll admit to. It’s hard to keep your drive at 100% for years and years. Sometimes, you just need a break. The Babe and I are embarking on a healthy living journey. It should help both of us. I still go to Terri whenever I need PT. She makes it something to look forward to. I’m so lucky to have her. Thanks, Terri, for helping me live my life these past twenty-five years.
As I was gradually getting back to trying to live a new normal for me, I had a blind date with the Babe. We hit it off and have been together ever since. He has cared for me and about me through healing from this event, other surgeries and cancer. For five years I still worked, but the pain caused from sitting at my computer daily was too much. It never occurred to me to go on disability. The Babe told me to go for it. I hesitated. I felt like a bum, but no, I wasn’t.
As the time passed, I developed a terrible curve in my spine. It’s had no support to this day, and I can definitely tell if I try to sew an outfit. One side of my body is lower, at least a couple inches. Hip, shoulder, waist, it’s such a challenge to sew for me. To this day, my ribs hurt and I may have costochondritis, which is an inflammation in the cartilage on the ribs.
It still causes me pain, twenty-five years later. Last year, because of nerve pain, I had a laminectomy on the problem area. I still have pain, it just won’t affect the nerve anymore. Are there still challenges? Absolutely. Life is still worth fighting for, even after all of this. Like Fox, I’m thinking about my mortality. We all need to face it someday. I’m so grateful for these twenty-five years. It’s taught me so much. Like as soon as you quit thinking of being single, you meet someone. And you’re never too old to pursue a dream, it’s never too late.
I wish the best to Michael J Fox. I will continue to follow him, not as a celebrity but more of a common friend. A friend that has inspired me through a lot of our thick and thin. There are thousands of people like me, and like you, who deal with these same issues. It’s hard to go on disability when you’re 48, and Medicare when you’re 50. Your ego takes a lot of hits. You feel worthless, but then, you learn to cope. You have no other choice. You can learn. Begin. Today.
Lucky Us!
Find things that make you smile. Find things that make you happy inside. Read about them, take photos of them. Find like-minded people. Do good for those around you. By volunteering to help others, I think it’s helped me think less of myself and the chronic pain I have. I pay for it the next day, but I expect it. It hurts less knowing I’ve helped someone else.
Thank you for reading today, and for each time you visit. I appreciate it sincerely. Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Courteous. Be Positive. Be Courageous. Be Grateful. See you tomorrow!
Today’s theme in my daily meditations book is about more gratitude, less coveting. Yes, I said coveting. If that doesn’t highlight my twelve years of Catholic education, nothing does. The word means wanting something belonging to someone else. The nuns would really delve into this sin with detailed explanations. Envy is the cause of coveting. Coveting is wanting what your neighbor has. Not something like it, what he has. It could be material things, a job that seems perfect, or even a wife that you think should be yours. It always got tricky for the good sisters to try and explain adultery, we just weren’t supposed to do it, whatever it was. (The other thing they never explained was the meaning of virgin, but I digress).
At any rate, here we are, trying not to covet a neighbor kid’s bike, dolls, hula hoop, parents, or anything about his or her life. I’m unsure if it was envy that struck me while I was a single mom, and I saw how some women I worked with treated their husbands. Not so much Envy as empathy for the husband, being talked about behind his back, being damned for not putting lettuce on the sandwich he made her for lunch, and all the while demeaning him. I often said, “Gee, I’d be glad if someone would make a sandwich for me.” I didn’t understand why some really nice guys could be treated so badly. Of course, there may have been a perfectly good reason for the wife to be as she was. But maybe there wasn’t. I suppose it’s the same reason some really nice women are mistreated by their husbands. They don’t know they deserve better. And that’s a topic for another day.
After years of going to the office Christmas Party alone, I learned you could tell the couples who were arguing in the car on the way to the Party. It was a formal affair, I loved wearing a gown I created with my trusty sewing machine. Everyone was dressed beautifully. And there were so many who didn’t have a good time. I was grateful to be alone when witnessing that. It can always be worse, and I already left the worse. I would never settle again. Not permanently. Many times, my choices weren’t ever after, and it was ended before it went further. My theory is it takes three years to see exactly how someone is before you can begin to think about if they could be someone you could spend your life with them. I’d never live together before knowing someone three years.
The Babe sold his house after we were engaged, and he moved in about four months before we got married. That worked well. I did think long and hard if I was ready to “give up” some aspects of life alone. Yes, I was. What I’ve gained in the past 22 years is immeasurable. It’s what I was waiting for, warts and all. They happen. He still says he would never think of standing in the way of what I wanted to do, especially with my writing. He says it’s important to him because it’s important to me. He may not understand it, but he supports it. That’s what love looks like, folks. That’s what unconditional love looks like. I’m lucky, so is he. For all this, I’m grateful.
Sounds Easier Than It Is.
The more I write, the more I think about all of the things I’ve had to reject to find the me that was buried for a long time. Some people never get there, some may not want to, some don’t know they need to. I started noticing little things in the 1970s to question. Not big things, just things that were always done a certain way, and nothing changed it all. Something as simple as household products. At that time, my mom always used Tide. She still uses Tide to this day. She has never wavered from Crest toothpaste, either. She was never tempted by a new and improved product. Ever that I remember.
By comparison, my ex-mother-in-law was always trying new products. Shampoo, detergent, soap, you name it, she tried it. I always considered that adventuresome. You never know when you might find something worthwhile. It can be different and still be fine.
The same goes with people. I did not have to be a copy or a clone of my mother. Neither did my daughter need to be me. We each need to find our own person inside, whoever they are. Growing up, the more I questioned, the more resistance I met. When a person becomes who they need to be, it’s met with resistance from those surrounding them. It’s only natural. Besides, if they happen to look at themselves, they may see they’re unhappy in who they are, too.
As I straighten my notes and prepare to write more of my book, which describes the stages a young woman struggles through to become herself, I need to remind myself how fortunate I was to be able to figure out the same things for myself as my character Katie does. The rest of the day will be work, cooking something for a change, and relaxing with the Babe and dogs by the fireplace. I covet nothing. I covet no one. It’s a great place to be.
Thanks for reading, I’ll be back tomorrow. I appreciate your time and hope something wonderful happens for you today. Make it your choice to get the most our of your day, week, and life. It truly is up to you. Be Kind. Be Safe. Be Courteous.
I had a great opportunity yesterday. The VFW Post 2503 had a donation of items for use at the Victory Apartments. They are newly refurbished empty spaces from the former Grace University Bible College campus. Victory Apartments house formerly homeless veterans in our area. It is a beautiful use of old buildings and houses a beautiful start currently for fifteen veterans. Some are moving in next week, so we furnished four kitchens with some necessary items which included: 4 piece place settings silverware, four plates, cups, small plates, glasses, general use knives, 4 dishcloths, and 4 dish towels. It’s enough for a start. Many, many items are needed to complete the furnishing of the fifteen places open, and the addition of at least fifteen more later.
A high school friend, Margie Smith, and I reconnected through the wonders of Facebook. Also through the wonders of Facebook, I discovered her assistance with the Victory Apartments, and was eager to help out. Margie’s a great gal, and she has a lot of love to share about in the community with projects like this. It’s awesome we have people like her, making a difference, and leaving an impression. It’s great to reconnect with friends. We talked about more need for other items, and I do see the Post collecting them in the future.
The photos tell the story:
The apartments have nice kitchens, a sitting room of sorts, a bedroom, and full bath. I was touched beyond words after seeing the generosity of people giving our veterans assistance, which they work to deserve and to keep. There is a VA office right next door, mental health counseling in the same space, and resources of all types are available to the veterans. It is not only Vietnam Veterans served, there are several Desert Storm and Desert Shield vets, and others from Afghanistan, etc. Regardless of the era, they need our help and are very appreciative of it.
Certain criteria must be met to qualify, and continue a residency here. Their website is here. I am enthused about offering assistance right here, in my hometown, not half a nation away. We can see the help, it’s concrete, not abstract. I can see our Post offering more goods to furnish these homes for their brothers and sisters. More on all of that later.
Keeping in the gratitude theme, I received these photos last night as the grandkids and their parents were on the way home from picking up Josie.
Tracy, Gavin, Addison, and TJ. No one looks too happy about this little Josie girl, do they?
I had three little voice messages from Gavin on his GIZMO watch. He is about jumping out of his skin, and I know he’ll retain this excitement. It might be sketchy when he’s pooh farming in the backyard, but the responsibility is good for kids. It was for mine, too. As soon as their dad left, we adopted a puppy within six months. It was a great tool to teach responsibility.
As for me, I’m going to quilt a little bit until we go meet Josie. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend. It may be spent inside, it’s pretty toasty outdoors. Just be grateful for where you are now. But by the grace of God, we could all be in different situations. Be Safe. Be Courteous. Be thankful. I will see you all again tomorrow. Thank you for reading today. Try and think of a way to reach out and help. Donate items to the Open Door Mission, the Sienna Francis House, the Victory Apartments. Get involved while socially distancing. It can and it must be done. Wear your mask. Wash up.
I had a great opportunity yesterday. The VFW Post 2503 had a donation of items for use at the Victory Apartments. They are newly refurbished empty spaces from the former Grace University Bible College campus. Victory Apartments house formerly homeless veterans in our area. It is a beautiful use of old buildings and houses a beautiful start currently for fifteen veterans. Some are moving in next week, so we furnished four kitchens with some necessary items which included: 4 piece place settings silverware, four plates, cups, small plates, glasses, general use knives, 4 dishcloths, and 4 dish towels. It’s enough for a start. Many, many items are needed to complete the furnishing of the fifteen places open, and the addition of at least fifteen more later.
A high school friend, Margie Smith, and I reconnected through the wonders of Facebook. Also through the wonders of Facebook, I discovered her assistance with the Victory Apartments, and was eager to help out. Margie’s a great gal, and she has a lot of love to share about in the community with projects like this. It’s awesome we have people like her, making a difference, and leaving an impression. It’s great to reconnect with friends. We talked about more need for other items, and I do see the Post collecting them in the future.
The photos tell the story:
The apartments have nice kitchens, a sitting room of sorts, a bedroom, and full bath. I was touched beyond words after seeing the generosity of people giving our veterans assistance, which they work to deserve and to keep. There is a VA office right next door, mental health counseling in the same space, and resources of all types are available to the veterans. It is not only Vietnam Veterans served, there are several Desert Storm and Desert Shield vets, and others from Afghanistan, etc. Regardless of the era, they need our help and are very appreciative of it.
Certain criteria must be met to qualify, and continue a residency here. Their website is here. I am enthused about offering assistance right here, in my hometown, not half a nation away. We can see the help, it’s concrete, not abstract. I can see our Post offering more goods to furnish these homes for their brothers and sisters. More on all of that later.
Keeping in the gratitude theme, I received these photos last night as the grandkids and their parents were on the way home from picking up Josie.
Tracy, Gavin, Addison, and TJ. No one looks too happy about this little Josie girl, do they?
I had three little voice messages from Gavin on his GIZMO watch. He is about jumping out of his skin, and I know he’ll retain this excitement. It might be sketchy when he’s pooh farming in the backyard, but the responsibility is good for kids. It was for mine, too. As soon as their dad left, we adopted a puppy within six months. It was a great tool to teach responsibility.
As for me, I’m going to quilt a little bit until we go meet Josie. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend. It may be spent inside, it’s pretty toasty outdoors. Just be grateful for where you are now. But by the grace of God, we could all be in different situations. Be Safe. Be Courteous. Be thankful. I will see you all again tomorrow. Thank you for reading today. Try and think of a way to reach out and help. Donate items to the Open Door Mission, the Sienna Francis House, the Victory Apartments. Get involved while socially distancing. It can and it must be done. Wear your mask. Wash up.
Kathy Raabe 