THE SIMPLICITY OF VINTAGE

 Yesterday at the end of the day, I showed gratitude for a simply nice Sunday.  With all the angst, fears, and uncertainties of the prior week, ending a Sunday in a nice way was a blessing.  As I spent my time last night pondering the day, I found myself learning again some valuable life lessons.  

Church service brought us one of my favorite medleys with those old Baptist songs, some my very favorites.   There's "When the Roll is Called up Yonder", "What A Day That Will Be", and "Until Then".  Granted "Until Then" is much less known by the younger or even middle aged as it is very old but the part in the medley makes me teary eyed every time and speaks to me strong.  In the medley, the songs go from the last line of "What a day, glorious day that will be" (speaking of heaven) and goes directly to "But until then my heart will go on singing.  Until then with joy I'll carry on....until the day mine eyes behold that city...until the day God calls me home."  Teary-eyed.  Every. Single.  Time.  Then The Pastor gave a really good time appropriate message to us to keep looking to Jesus for our help.  

After lunch, The Girl texted and asked if they could come so The Grandbaby could ride her bike on our long cement driveway and of course I consented.  Geez.  Of course.  Her little bike had some issues with the tires so while it was being repaired in our garage, I went to the cellar to get the vintage Big Wheel.  It is 35 years old.  The Girl loved it and I had tried it with The Grandbaby many times but her legs were too short.  Not yesterday.  Her legs were perfect.  Oh my goodness!  She loved it!  A picture is worth a thousand words.

During this time, The Girl found her old scooter in the garage.  This scooter gave her hours of joy when she was younger.  Even though the tires were rotting, it gave her a pretty good time yesterday, too.

After the riding was done, The Grandbaby wanted to play frisbee.  A simple game, but played at our house by an oversized frisbee.  Hours and hours of fun we had with this frisbee in the spring and summer so time again with it was a treat.

We ended the outdoor games with Hide and Seek, another favorite of The Grandbaby.  The best part of that game was her first hiding place.  Take a look.

And yes, The Poppa is wearing sandals.  Brrr....

As I looked over the photographs (and you might tire of them but they help tell my story), I was reminded of the day when I was younger, playing in the yard.  Games like these and Red Rover, Red Rover send Susie right over....and Ain't no boogie men out tonight....statues, tag, the list is endless.  I wonder if the children of this generation will know the joy of these "vintage" simple games.  They can, if we teach them.  

One of my favorite television shows remains The Andy Griffith Show.  The reruns are rerun often and I love them every single time.  One thing I notice especially in this show is the ability of Andy, Aunt Bee, and Opie to calmly sit on the front porch with Andy strumming his guitar, Aunt Bee reading a book and fanning herself (no air conditioning in vintage), and Opie content with whatever he's sitting doing.  Quite a novelty, as I consider my own life.  If I sit and read a book, I'm asleep before the chapter ends.  I think we find ourselves caught up in always "doing something".  Vintage's simplicity teaches quiet relaxing just because.  I would really like to find that again, wouldn't you?  Maybe not on the front porch in the heat of summer with no air conditioning, but you get the idea.  

Take a look at these photos.  Note how much The Grandbaby is growing.  But also see if you see another commonality.  A commonality that, if you saw photos of the adults from my yard yesterday, would be in those photos, too.  A commonality prompted by simplicity....the simplicity of vintage.

Do you see?  Smiles.  Joy.  Contentment.  I'll take that any day of the week!

Consider.....

MONDAY WISDOM

 "Don't let your ice cream melt while you are counting someone else's sprinkles."

2021

 Happy New Year!  After the year of 2020, I'm certain many welcome the hope of a new year.  I've experienced much in my life, but never a year such as 2020.  So many uncertainties, so many fears....It doesn't seem quite right to list hopes for 2021 without acknowledging the pain and fears that lead to growth of me in 2020.

Last year saw a reconnection for me with four of my elementary school girlfriends.  Uh huh.  Actually the reconnection came a few months before the end of 2019 as we all met at the funeral for the husband of one.  We resolved then to go to lunch together.  2020 saw that happen early on in the year....or at least four of us, one was not able to go along.  Sadly, it wasn't many weeks after that wonderful two hour lunch that I got the call that one of the girls had passed on to heaven suddenly.  She was the widow of the husband who had passed just months earlier.  I sat by her during that lunch.  She was the one that was my oldest friend, we lived close, rode the bus together and she never ever forgot my birthday or me hers.  We couldn't remember what we did the day before but we remembered each other's birthday in that odd part of our brain that controls that.  Such sadness for me that day she left....but gratefulness that we had had the time together.  She touched my life.

The Girl turned 39.  How could I have a 39 year old?  Where does the time go?

Then Covid-19 happened and life forever changed.  I began working from home, I stayed at home, did grocery pick-up, wore masks everywhere, had hand soap everywhere, did not go to church--saw it online as the pastor preached to an empty church, experienced a time of fear when my mother was hospitalized with covid and another serious problem, and talked to more doctors and nurses in a few days than I had talked to in a while.  

Good news is my mother recovered.  Sadly, there were several of my friends and acquaintances dear to me that did not.  Everyone in my family had covid antibodies, except me.  

I learned one can have an Easter sunrise service on their porch with just their husband even though for the past 39 years, it was experienced in a church group.  I learned birthdays can be celebrated simply for four year olds.  I learned it takes a lot of quarantine to be able to have a hip steroid shot in a covid pandemic.  I have learned again how it feels to learn "it's not cancer".  Most of all I've learned that one can find strength to carry on amidst a pandemic.  2020 will forever be the year of the pandemic.

Looking forward to 2021, I still see covid up front and center but am hopeful for a vaccine that will make a difference.  Right now, I know three people who have it and one who has just passed from it.  So it's still here and real.  

I'm excited at the thought that I will be the parent of a 40 year old.  :)

I'm also excited at the thought that there's a good chance I could get a new hip this year.  Hip replacement is very real in my future.  It would be great to not be in pain.  I've heard that hip replacements can change lives for the better.  I'm ready.

I would imagine for me and for you, 2021 is still quite uncertain but is that any different from other years past?  Really?  Life is very uncertain but hope remains.  As the wonderful Christmas song, "O Holy Night", says, "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn..."  Hope is thrilling and our world is weary but "mercies are new every morning and the Lord's faithfulness is great" (Lamentations 3:23).  

Do I have a new year's resolution?  Nah.  They are only good if one follows through and often that doesn't happen.   Or again, maybe a resolution to keep on hoping and trusting is the best one to make.  So welcome 2021, we have looked forward to your arrival!

Consider....