August 29

Today is my 41st wedding anniversary.  It always amazes me how many years have gone by since I said, "I do"!  I have been going through old photos, partly due to the recent deaths of my two wonderful aunties in Florida.  I am sort of in a purge mode as I would hate for my kids to have to come into our house and wonder what do we do with all this stuff.  So I have begun a process of sorting and purging.  The bigger the house, the more stuff is saved.  Looking again at my wedding album and wondering who those fresh faced, wrinkle free young people are, I am amazed at all the time that has gone by.   So as I reflect on 41 years, yesterday's message at church was especially timely.  It was titled, "God shall supply all your need" from Philippiians 4:14-20.  "Need" here is the key word as it is clear that "wants" are a whole other issue.   But my life has certainly reflected God's timely provisions when at times I felt I was at the end of the road ready to go over the cliff and He intervenes.  In that process, a whole lot of faith and trust is established for the next life chapter.   So here are a few points to ponder from this week's bulletin.

"When you're alone, your heart is torn; He is all you need.  When you're confused, your soul is bruised; He is all you need.  Through all the years, the joy, the tears; He is all you need.  Steve Camp.

"Of all the needs a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaken need for an unshakable God."  Maya Angelou

"Our neccessities never equal our wants."  Benjamin Franklin

Crazy For Carrots

What else would an 8 year old dog want on his birthday for a special treat but raw carrots??!!!  Yesterday our faithful friend celebrated another birthday and he is crazy for carrots.  Every night BJ and I eat a bunch before dinner and as soon as I start peeling them he comes and sits by the counter and drools.   So, forget the ice cream and cake, just give me those orange veggies!

Darn, only 3 left!



The Silence Is Deafening

We had Katri and the grandkids here for a week and it's amazing how sedate and quiet our lifestyle is the other 51 weeks!!  It's always an adjustment to get used to the calm after the little busy bees have left.   Everyone made the most of each day, even little Nikolai who had his first tractor experience and loved every minute.  He is the happiest of babies with a smile for everyone, even strangers.  I am guilty of being that awful slobbery grandma all grandkids complain of but thankfully, Nikolai, is still too young to be turned off.  

 Eliah was captivated by the goldfish in our pond and both he and Ava enjoyed feeding them and then seeing how tame they were to even swim near their hands.  

We spent some fun time at the beaches looking for shells and climbing rocks. 

Up at Twin Lakes we had a couple fun afternoons at the little beach and a chance to dig in the sand.

Quotes

Guideposts magazine is one I love.  I'm trying to catch up on back issues and today a couple quotes really hit me.  One was submitted by a reader in New Jersey, who said, "I try to end each day saying, 'I am glad I did,' rather than, 'I wish I had."   Oh, boy...so often I am the "I wish I had" kind of person and I end up reliving what might have been if I had just followed my heart and did what I should have.    The other quote was submitted by a reader from Oklahoma which said, "Worry is pulling tomorrow's clouds over today' sunshine".   Bingo!!!!  How often on our Alaska trip did I have to tell myself, just enjoy the sunshine today, Barb, and don't worry about that channel crossing you have to do tomorrow.   But then I would start imagining those "potential" big seas and forget all about the sunshine.  To top it all off today's message was about worrying and here are some points to ponder from today's church bulletin:

"I've developed a new philosophy...I only dread one day at a time."  Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)

"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden."  Corrie ten Boom

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."  Mark Twain...(I think Mark Twain and I would have gotten along well!)

"Worry is the darkroom in which negatives are developed."  Unknown

Transitions

Two days ago our family lost another member. My aunt, Ruth, 91 years young died on July 31, three months after her 97 year old sister.  These two were the last of my father's siblings.   Now to the average person, 91 conjures up this image of senility,  a frail, humped over body, living in the past.  No, that was not my aunt Ruth.  You rarely heard "Ruthie" talking about the past.  She had a zest for life and all things new.    It's a legacy I will try to remember as I age.  While on our Alaska trip I talked to her several times during her battle with cancer.  She repeatedly said how much she would like to see pictures so as soon as we got home I chose 16 of my favorite photos and shipped them off to her.   She was a wonderful artist with an awesome eye for color and I was told that the day they arrived she was able to look at each photo and I can only hope that they gave her some joy to see a part of the world that perhaps she always wanted to visit.   She was an independent soul who had hoped for a year or two after her sister died to do some things other than caregiving but God obviously had other plans.   I had always hoped that she might get out to visit us one day and see the beautiful place that is Orcas but I can only imagine that her heavenly reunion presents a palette of colors beyond her wildest imagination.   Thank you, Ruthie, for all the memories you leave with us.