Senior Citizen Adventures

We celebrated Leap Day today with a group of friends at a local dinner theater where we saw a wonderful production of The King and I. We had such fun and came out of the theater singing, “Shall We Dance.”

This Wednesday matinee showing had an audience of senior citizens. There were buses from several assisted living homes and various groups of senior citizen clubs. Many people were in wheelchairs and walkers lined the wall. It is hard to realize that these old folks are my contemporaries. I looked around and saw a group of folks who move a little slower, but who are still moving. The conversation was lively. The laughter was abundant.

I had a great time. Getting old is not so bad. Life is still full of wonderful moments. Perhaps the best really is yet to be.

My Life in Five Pictures

1941

My mom's name was Byrtle. She has always been my hero. I love this picture of her holding me. I can see the love shining in her eyes. She and Dad gave my brothers and me a childhood filled with love, faith and family. I love knowing that I am Byrtle's girl.

1961

This picture was taken the day of my graduation from nursing school and the day before my wedding. I was ready to embark on my new nursing career with the man I loved beside me. I don't think the picture shows how very happy I was that day.

1969

Here we are on Easter morning. My four children were 5 years, 4 years, 18 months, and 2 weeks old. They were all healthy. I was very busy, very happy, and very tired.

1996

This picture was taken right after the birth of our sixth grandchild. It was a moment of great joy. Two months after this picture the sweet boy in my husband's lap was taken from us. I didn't know it was possible to hurt so much. My faith was shaken. More grandchildren came and brought us great happiness, but there will always be a painful void in our life where Jared belongs.

2011

We have grown old. We are both retired. Our children are grown. Our grandchildren are quickly becoming adults. We are moving a little slower, but we are still together and looking forward to whatever life may send us, trusting that the God we love will walk the journey with us.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Instead of giving up chocolate or some other food, I have decided to very consciously try to find a way to demonstrate God's love to the people in my world. Maybe I will be able to continue this for more than 40 days.

These verses from I John chapter 4 are my inspiration. These verses are the basis of my theology.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

We love because he first loved us.

Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

Ordinary Days

It has been a couple of weeks since last I wrote something for this blog. Some days it is hard to think of something worth writing down. My days are happy and full, but they seem so ordinary. I know that each day, each moment, is a special gift that is even better when I notice the beauty of the moment and stop to savor it. Here are a couple of the moments I savored over the past few days.

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm sunny day. It did not feel like the middle of February. I worked in the back yard for a few hours. I trimmed back my butterfly bushes and felt the sun warm my back and enjoyed the memory of seeing these bushes covered in flowers and butterflies last summer, and felt the promise of the flowers that will bloom again and attract a whole new generation of butterflies. God did make us a very beautiful world.

My sixteen-year-old grandson stopped by for a few minutes Friday with a grin a mile wide across his face. He had just passed his driving test and is now an officially licensed driver. There is nothing grander than being sixteen and having your first driver's license. What a joy to share his joy.

Each morning I wake up in a warm house next to the man who has shared my life for more than fifty years. I thank God daily that this good man loves me, and God has given us another day together.

Were there any moments that you stopped to savor recently?

Boats & Birds

Yesterday we had a delightful day with friends. It was the last day of January, the middle of winter, and the temperature rose into the 60s. It was a day to savor the beautiful weather.

Our friends have scheduled a trip next year on the still to be completed Mississippi Queen. It is being built in the Chesapeake Shipbuilding yard in Salisbury, MD. Yesterday we joined them on an excursion to the Eastern Shore to see this boat under construction. If you have never toured a shipbuilding yard you have missed a fascinating experience. We donned our hard hats and followed Tony, the construction foreman, for a tour of the boat.

We learned about insulation and wires and potable water. The number of details that go into building a large passenger boat are overwhelming, and far more interesting than I expected.

There was dust, noise, wires, and timber everywhere. Construction workers were busy on every level. From the back deck we could see The Glory, the boat we are scheduled to cruise on in 2013.

It really was a fascinating, tour.

After lunch we went to the Ward Wildfowl Art Museum. This place is dedicated to wood carvings of birds, mostly duck decoys. I was totally blown away by the beautiful sculptures we saw. They were breathtaking. These hand-carved wooden sculptures looked so lifelike, just like birds in flight. If you have opportunity you really should stop and see this place. I loved it!

I love enjoying unusual special days with friends.