Wednesday, July 31, 2024

WISE WORDS

 I listened to The Son-In-Law's Sunday School lesson he taught last Sunday online today.  It was an exceptionally good lesson.  There was one quote I felt like was a great one to share on this blog.  It goes like this:


"God's delays are not God's denials."


Ponder that one for a bit of time.

Sunday, July 7, 2024

PROCESS ACCEPTANCE

A longtime faithful neighbor of mine was sent home from a hospital visit last week on hospice.  She has been very sick since the Covid era.  I spoke to one of her daughters after she was released to come back home and what the future held for her and their family.    Knowing we all have the same promise of tomorrow, it would appear that her move to heaven would be closer than some others.  The daughter, who was a mere child who always smelled the cookies baking at my house when The Husband and I married and moved here, told me that the doctors told her mom it was time to "process acceptance". 

That really hit me when put that way.  Process acceptance.  Yes, I can see the necessity of that at The Neighbor's season of life now.  As I thought about it, I see that necessity for all of us in various areas.  As an adult child of aging, discontented parents,  I think my greatest challenge and painful thing is the fact that neither of them accept where they are at this season of their lives.  They want to be like they were thirty years ago.  Well most of us probably would want that as well, however, when I considered where I was thirty years ago, it was not so pretty.....a wife and mother in her late thirties struggling to live with a newly diagnosed connective tissue disease.  I recalled having to have help just getting out of bed and getting dressed in the morning.  Yes, I still have that disease but am grateful for remission as well as a desire to learn to live with it and not let that dictate my life.  I had to process acceptance of that disease.

We actually have to process acceptance of things on a daily basis totally not related to health.  There's all the inflation, finances, crime, bad decisions....the list goes on and on.  I will even go as far to say as we have to process acceptance of forgiveness to ourselves and to others. 

One of the most memorable prayers of peace I have of my lifetime is this one by St. Francis of Assisi:

"Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, wisdom to change the things I can, and courage to know the difference." 

To that, I will say, "Amen and Amen".

Consider....

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

DISTRACTIONS AND DELIGHTS

On Monday of this week, The Poppa and I did our babysitting gig.  I might rephrase that, I did my babysitting gig.  The Grandbaby arrived for her breakfast of champions--muffin, yogurt, and Oreo O's cereal.  I had no idea what this kind of cereal was but after tasting it, it tastes like Oreo cookies in milk.   I don't know what a champion winning addition to the breakfast of champions that is, but by golly, The Grandbaby cleaned her breakfast plate. 

I received an email which merited that I change my credit card number on an online site so I took care of that.

The Poppa went along with his work while The Grandbaby and I decided we needed a trip to Walmart.  The Grandbaby made a list for us on the way so we were well equipped to begin shopping and not linger too long.  The list worked well, we got all of the goods (and there were many) and piled them into the small cart that The Grandbaby drove around the store for me.  Such a delight is The Grandbaby and as she is growing, such a helper.  


We got to the checkout and after all that shopping, decided to use the regular checker-outer-person instead of self-checkout.  We worked together to unload the mega goods.  The transaction was finished, I reached into my purse to get my case with my credit card, and there was NO case with credit card.  Remember paragraph 2 in this post?  I knew exactly where it was and it was not in my purse in the store.  I told the cashier that I had left my credit card at home but I had a checkbook, I could write a check.    But, alas, my ID was in my case with my credit card and I never write a check so I am NOT in the system.  I looked down at The Grandbaby and she was taking all this in big time.  She said very wisely, "NEEMA, even my mama doesn't leave her credit card at home!  And you sure are sweating, Neema!"   Gee, thanks!  As the cashier put a bag in my cart, she said, "I've done this more than once.  Don't feel bad."  At that point, I called The Poppa who was able to bring us the card tho not without his male snide remarks, then we had to go to self check to check out the whole bunch of mega goods again as the cashier couldn't suspend my transaction, but had to abhort it.  The Grandbaby and I worked together in that self checkout.  She is growing so well and is so helpful, did I say that already?  

One of the items "we" bought at the store was a pair of canvas sneakers.  The Grandbaby had asked to decorate a pair and we had not found any that were suitable.  Well, it was a delightful day to find a pair so we bought them.  The Grandbaby again wisely said, "I'm glad I could help you remember, Neema.  I think my rememberer is better than yours."  Duh.  The Grandbaby decorated those shoes after lunch and was absolutely thrilled.  You would think I had given her the moon.


Lest you think the delights of the day were over, think again.  I had learned how to make balloon columns and liked the process so much that I had ordered an electrical balloon inflator.  After the shoes were done, I taught her how to make the columns.  She has been so thrilled that we may make balloon columns often, just like Pollyanna with the prisms in her movie.  We may have balloons everywhere!



So it was a day that began with distractions but became a delightful day.  That is until I realized all the delights caused me to be too distracted to remember to put the ribs for supper into the oven so supper was late.  Ah well, it's the price one much pay when one is so very artsy and creative, don't you think?  Maybe my rememberer is in trouble......