The Bee

I watched the National Spelling Bee last night. It was great fun to watch the kids and to cheer them on.

This morning I attended the spelling bee for my granddaughter's elementary school. She had won the bee for her fifth grade class and was in the whole
school competition. About thirty-five students were seated on the stage as the competition began. The school cafeteria was filled with her school-mates and parents. The competitors came one-by-one to the microphone. The audience seemed to hold their breath as each student spelled their word. We exhaled with each correctly spelled word and sighed when a word was misspelled. The excitement grew. Lexie came to microphone. Your word is “tetanus,” said the announcer. “Would you please repeat the word,” responded Lexie. She took a breath and spelled “t-e-t-a-n-u-s.” She advanced to the next round. Several competitors were eliminated. Her next word was violently, which she spelled correctly. She advanced two more rounds. There were now only five students left on stage. Her word was “eliminated.” She spelled “e-l-e-m-i-n-a-t-e-d.”

We were all very proud of her. She will never again be eliminated by the word eliminated.

Laughter

I love to laugh. Laughter is one of those things that just makes you feel good all over. When I laugh I laugh loud and long. It used to embarrass my children. Now that they are grown they say they like to hear me laugh. I don't laugh loud and long as often as I would like to. It has been a while since I enjoyed a good belly laugh. Last weekend my eleven-year-old granddaughter picked out a movie for us to watch. I loved it because it made me laugh out loud. My sides hurt from laughing. It was just a silly slapstick movie, but it was wonderful. If you need a good laugh watch "Mr Bean's Holiday."

Memorial Day Parade

Yesterday my town celebrated Memorial Day with our annual parade. It was one of those wonderful events that made me glad to part of this community. The boy scouts, the girl scouts, the high school band and pom squad all marched proudly down the street. There were dancers and baton twirlers, red-hat ladies and local politicians. Vintage cars decorated with red, white and blue joined fire trucks and police cars. I knew many of the marchers. We waved and cheered and had a lovely day. It was a time of patriotism and community that made me feel proud to be an American.

Music

Music is one of God's better gifts. It seems to touch all my moods and makes life better in many ways.

Our congregation celebrated it's annual Music Sunday this week. Music was the focus of our worship to God. We had music that combined the voices of the congregation, the choirs, the handbells, the orchestra and the organ. We filled the sanctuary with with loud, boisterous, joyous music of praise. We had quiet instrumentals that felt like a haunting whisper from the Holy Spirit. The music was beautiful, uplifting and holy. The Psalmist was wise when he said in his last chapter:

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Praise him with tambourine and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and flute,
Praise him with the clash of cymbals,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Last night we celebrated with another evening of music. This time it was the Senior Chorale singing rock and roll. The one-hundred member chorale forgot their creaky joints and aching backs and we rocked the house. The six hundred folks in the audience were clapping and singing along with us to music of the fifties. It was our music. Dressed in poodle skirts and ponytails or blue jeans and letter sweaters, we all felt like we teenagers again. Music that makes a bunch of senior citizens feel young is a wonderful thing!

Master of Education

Graduations are always emotional events. I can't count the number of graduations I've attended, but this morning's event was one of the proudest moments of my life. My son Paul received his Master of Education degree.

Paul is my youngest child. School has always been hard for him. In kindergarten they told us he was immature and he needed to repeat the year. In second grade he was having a great deal of trouble academically and they gave him a series of tests. They told us he had a low IQ and he would never learn to read. In high school they said he would never go to college. In college they said he would never graduate. School was hard for Paul. He worked hard. It took him longer than others, but they were wrong. He did indeed graduate.

He now teaches special education and he never tells kids they won't learn to read.

Older Americans Month

May is National Older Americans month. In Maryland this month was celebrated yesterday by an awards ceremony in Annapolis. I was there with the Bowie Senior Chorale. Our singing group won the performing arts award. Several awards were given. My favorite went to a Ms Angela Witt for her participation in the Maryland Senior Olympics. She has won 80 medals, 54 of them gold. She is 99 years young and is still an avid walker and a very funny charming lady. I want to be like her when I get old.

Who is an older person who has enriched your life and made this a better world? This month is the time to tell that person thank you.

Mother's Day 2009

We enjoyed a near perfect Mother's Day yesterday. The weather was beautiful. My family gathered at my daughter's home, where the moms all enjoyed mimosas and conversation on the front porch.

In the kitchen the guys all worked to set a delicious feast for us. We had steak, scallops and everything else to make a wonderful dinner.


Family, food, friends. Life's greatest blessings.

Mothers Day

I recently found this picture of my mother and me. I love her expression. I see the protecting, comforting fierce love that made me know everything was safe and good.

My earliest memories are sitting in her warm, cozy lap. She would rock me and sing, “Jesus Loves Me” to me. Her lap was the most wonderful place in the world. There are many times I long for that wonderful, warm, safe place.

One of the last times I saw my mom she was sitting in a big recliner chair in the nursing home. For over a year she had been lost in a world of dementia and blindness. She no longer spoke. This day I sat close to her and put my arms around her and began singing to her. “Jesus loves me this I know.” Suddenly her weak voice joined mine. “Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me.” She sang the entire song with me. Afterward she turned to me and smiled. She whispered, “That's right, honey, he still does.” Those were the last words I ever heard her speak.

I look forward to heaven. It will be wonderful to be able to sing together again.

Exhale

I talked with my brother Bill this evening. He got the biopsy report today. NO CANCER! When I heard the report I felt like I could finally exhale. It felt like I had been holding my breath ever since we learned he had a mass in his lung. What a wonderful relief.

The doctor does not know for sure what the mass is, but it is not cancer. It may be an infection that has somehow encapsulated or a cyst of some sort. More tests will have to be done, but the mass is not cancer. That is good enough news for us all today.

Worry

One of my favorite biblical phrases is found several places in Psalms. It is “fret not thyself.” It means the same thing as as Jesus' command, “Do not worry,” which he repeats several times in the Sermon on the Mount. I'm getting better about following this command, but sometimes it is hard to just rest in the Lord and not worry about life and all it's concerns.

Today one of the big things I am trying not to worry about is my big brother Bill. He went to the hospital last week coughing up blood. A mass was discovered in his lung. He is having a biopsy today. He has a history of colon cancer. Is this a primary or a secondary lesion? His wife remains in fragile health in a nursing home since her head injury last summer. Life just seems very hard for them now.

Of course I am trying not to worry about the various other health, financial, social and spiritual concerns that are present in the lives of my friends and family. God has helped us to survive this far and I am trying to trust Him now with all my worries.

Resting in God and trusting is not always an easy command to follow.

A Puzzelment

Amid all the talk in politics about whether or not torture of suspected terrorists is ever permissible, I find this survey from Pew Research Forum a puzzlement. According to the survey the more often a person attends church services, the more likely that person is to approve of torture. The people who attend church the least often are most likely to disapprove of torture. It seems to me that church folks who are taught about grace, mercy, forgiveness and love should be against torture more often than those who not. I find this strange.

Can someone explain to me why the survey found this result?

14

Fourteen years ago today was one of the scariest days of my life. My daughter was in labor with her second child. I had been with her two years earlier when she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. That had been one of the most awesome moments of my life. There are no words to describe watching your child give birth. I felt honored to again be part of this wonder of birth. When I arrived she had already been in labor for several hours and things appeared to be going as well as such things can go. Since I was there her husband said he was going to go out to the waiting room for a few minutes to visit with his parents who had just arrived from out of state. The moment he left things became scary. The fetal heart rate began to drop rapidly. Something was very wrong. Suddenly the doctor was there shouting orders. “We've got to get that baby out now!” Nurses began running. The doctor grabbed the bed where my little girl lay and started pushing her down the hall. I could only watch and pray as she disappeared into the operating room. Just then her husband strolled back through the doors to find me crying and pointing in the direction of the operating room. He ran. I called home to tell everyone to pray and went to sit with the other grandparents and to wait and to pray. It seemed a very long wait, but in fact was not long at all, when I saw my smiling son-in-law walk into the room. “Everyone is fine. We have a healthy baby boy.” Tears of relief are very sweet.

That baby boy celebrates his fourteenth birthday today. He a a tall, handsome, lacrosse-plying young man with a sweet smile and a gentle spirit who brings us great joy.

Happy birthday grandson. We love you

Happiness is

A new washer and dryer.


It is good to have a husband who can become an electrician and plumber when needed

Christianity

I am reading a good book called “Abide with Me” by Elizabeth Strout. It is the story of a New England minister as he struggles with life after his wife's death.

I like this man's definition of Christianity. He says that being a Christian is not a hobby. Being a Christian is serious stuff. Being a Christian means asking yourself every step of the way, “How can love best be served?”

Do you think that this is a good definition?

Washer & Dryer

While folding the laundry after our trip to Sedona I was amazed at the strength of that red dirt. It seemed like none of it had washed out in the laundry. Nothing seemed to be any cleaner than before I had done the laundry. When I tried to rewash it I discovered that it wasn't that the dirt was so powerful. The problem was that my washing machine was broken. The clothes got wet, but the agitator had quit working and so my clothes weren't getting clean. It is my new washing machine too. I remember buying it right after my daughter's wedding twenty-five years ago. They just don't make things that last any more. After a bit of discussion and research we decided to buy a new washer and dryer. We wanted a new front-loading, high efficiency machine that uses less energy and less water and gets the clothes cleaner than the top loading variety. So for our Friday night night we went appliance shopping. Did you know that it costs a lot more money to get colored appliances? I like white best at that cost difference. We found just what we wanted and I was excited. I love getting new things. The price included delivery, haul away and installation of our new machines. When the delivery truck pulled up yesterday I was ready. I had purchased new, special detergent for front-loading washers. I had cleared out the laundry room. I had a big pile of dirty clothes. The young deliveryman looked at my old dryer and said he couldn't take it out. There is not an electrical outlet to unplug. Instead the dryer is hard-wired into the wall. I would have to get an electrician to come and disconnect it and put in an outlet. Then he looked at my washer and said he couldn't install the new one. I would have to hire a plumber because I had the wrong kind of drain pipe. I couldn't believe it. We have replaced them in the past without needing an electrician or plumber. The young man was very sorry but said he just couldn't do the installation. I sent my wonderful new front-loading, high efficiency washer and dryer back to the store. I am disappointed. We are in the process of figuring out what we need to do now.

Today I had to go to my daughter's house and do a pile of laundry.

Old Age

A good friend just sent me this email. Do you think she is trying to tell me something?

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked,
'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied.
'Two years older than me'
'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented.
She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?
__________________
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman:
'And what do you think is the best thing
About being 104?' the reporter asked.
She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'
_____________________

The nice thing about being senile is
You can hide your own Easter eggs.
_______________________

I've sure gotten old!
I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement,
New knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes
I'm half blind,
Can't hear anything quieter than a jet engine,
Take 40 different medications that
Make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.
Have bouts with dementia
Have poor circulation;
Hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.
Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92.
Have lost all my friends. But, thank God,
I still have my driver's license.
__________________________________

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape,
So I got my doctor's permission to
Join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But,
By the time I got my leotard on,
The class was over.
_________________________
 
My memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
__________________________

Know how to prevent sagging?
Just eat till the wrinkles fill out..
_______________________________
It's scary when you start making the same noises
As your coffee maker.
__________________________

These days about half the stuff
In my shopping cart says,
'For fast relief..'
___________________

THE SENILITY PRAYER :
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do, and
The eyesight to tell the difference..

Colorful Sedona

I just have to do one more Sedona post. It is such a colorful, beautiful and peaceful place. I must share a few more pictures.

Cathedral rock


The Arizona sky was an amazing clear blue


Allyson and I taking a break along a red rock rail


This red cactus flower was one of the many flowers in bloom in the desert


We spent a lot of time here, a bird friendly garden along Oak Creek by the resort


Looking at submarine rock from uptown


Samantha in her blue Snoopy shirt posing in front of the Snoopy rock


It rained one day. This is Bell Rock from my favorite spot, the Church of the Holy Cross, built right into a cliff red rocks

Painted Desert

The Painted Desert is a national park about 100 miles from Sedona. What an interesting, beautiful place it is! The sand is red and blue and green and violet. It looks like an artist washed the sand with color. Indians once lived here. You can see the writings they have left behind on the rocks. As I looked at these ancient writings I wondered what they said and if one day in the distant future someone would see my writings and wonder what I had written. Part of this area is a petrified forest. An ancient forest of great trees lies on the sand where it has fossilized into great rocks that look just like the trees they once were. These tree-rocks are beautiful. We stopped at an old car placed on the roadbed of Route 66. I traveled that road many times with my parents. It is now long gone, replaced by a modern interstate. Only a few of the old curio stores and Indian gift shops remain from that old road. Many memories of long ago travels returned as we rode along I-40.

This big country of ours has many beautiful and interesting places to enjoy. I love being able to see some of them.



Aren't we cute


Petroglyphs


Petrified Wood




Gramma and Samantha at Route 66

Slide Rock

Oak Creek runs from the high mountains down into Sedona. It carves a beautiful green canyon as it flows downward. One day we went to play in Oak Creek at Slide Rock State Park, just north of town. What a delightful time we had! The water was painfully cold. I waded in and then quickly returned to a nice sunny rock to watch as others played in the water. David said that after a few minutes you became numb and then you could enjoy the water. The rocks are smooth here and provide natural slides in the water. Swimming and sliding all afternoon left everyone very tired, but very happy.

View from above the creek at Slide Rock


I'm not going back in that cold water


David enjoying the frigid water


Samantha going down the slide

Sedona Sunrise

Arizona is three timezones to the west. That meant we woke up early every day to begin our adventures. Our first morning we were all up before daylight and were off to watch the sunrise from airport mesa. I am told this area is one of Sedona's strongest energy vortexes, a place were the energy of the earth leaks out to the surface and re- energizes people. It was a beautiful place in the early morning, but this out-of-shape old lady felt more tired than energized after climbing to the top of the rocks. It was beautiful watching the sun come up. Sedona is one of those places where people go just to watch the sunrise and later to watch it set.


Coffeepot Rock at sunrise


David gazing toward the sunrise


My son and I nearing the top of the rocks

Here I am feeling the energy of the vortex before climbing the rocks.

Home

We're home.

Our trip was wonderful. Sedona is truly a beautiful place. I will soon have pictures to post of some God's beautiful creation.

Visiting with family was wonderful. We enjoyed long, easy conversations, soaked in the scenery together, went shopping, played games and just had a lovely time being together.

I am a blessed woman.

Sedona

Early tomorrow morning we are flying to Sedona, Arizona. We will be spending a week there with our son's family. To say we are excited about this trip would be a great understatement. We will have a week to enjoy one of the prettiest places in the world. We will enjoy it all with people we love. We will do some hiking, find some of those vortexes of energy, watch the sunrise, and then watch it set again.

I'll be back in a week with pictures and stories to share.

Hot, Flat and Crowded

I have just finished reading an interesting, informative and disturbing book, “Hot, Flat and Crowded,” by Thomas Friedman. He says that global warming, the stunning rise of the middle class all over the world, and rapid population growth have converged in such a way that is making our planet dangerously unstable. We need to do something now if we want to save planet Earth for our children and grandchildren.

The problem is far greater than I had ever imagined. My noble efforts at recycling, while the right thing to do, just won't make any difference. There needs to be a global effort by the governments around the world to cause the kind of change the earth needs to become a clean, safe place to live.

We have polluted our planet with the wastes of fossil fuels, spewing CO2 into the atmosphere at alarming rates. We need to stop now. Alternate sources of energy must be found, developed and used now. There are no easy answers. It will take hard work, sacrifice and a lot of money to make it happen. Friedman does have a vision of a brighter future and many suggestions on how to make this happen. His suggestion are controversial and will be hard to accomplish. It is difficult to make people see past the immediate concern and plan for the future. I don't know if our nation has the political will to make it happen.

One of his proposals is to phase in a gasoline tax of $5 to $10 per gallon. Some of that money would be used to help consumers to trade in their gas guzzlers for smaller, fuel efficient models. He says the best monument to 9/11 we could erect would be mountain of crushed gas guzzlers. Raising taxes is always unpopular , controversial and hard. Friedman claims this is the best solution to helping us accomplish what is need. The tax would help to reduce consumption, shift people to more fuel-efficient models, shrink the amount of money we send to petrodictators, improve the air quality, strengthen the dollar and balance payments, help mitigate global warming, and give citizens a feeling they are contributing something to the war on terrorism.

Would you be willing to pay a large tax on gasoline to help save our home?

Senior Chorale

One of my favorite things is rehearsing with my singing group, the Bowie Senior Chorale. We are a group of older folks who love to sing. We are getting ready for our spring concert now. We are rocking around the clock with an old hound dog. We really are just a bunch of great pretenders who know that rock and roll is here to stay. We have a delightful young director who makes our practice time fun while teaching us how to sing.

Our group has been nominated to win an award from the governor for making life better for Maryland's senior citizens. Here is the video that was submitted for the award competition. It is composite of the songs from last spring's Motown forever show.

Eaglecam

Those of you who know me well know that we are a birding family. It won't surprise you then that I find this such an interesting website. It is the eaglecam from Blackwater wildlife sanctuary on Maryland's eastern shore. There are two eaglets in the nest being tended by their parents. The pictures change every 30 seconds.

Feeling Old

It has been a busy week. I am tired and feeling old. I don't think life made me this tired a few years ago.
The week started out with a wonderful celebration Sunday night. My baby boy turned forty on Saint Patrick's Day. The family celebrated the occasion by taking him to an Irish pub and then to see Riverdance. It was an awesome show, but I kept thinking that my youngest is forty. How did I get this old?

I worked as a nurse in my doctor's office on Tuesday. I did that job for twenty years and know all the patients and staff. It is always fun to see everyone. Did I always feel that tired after work? I was exhausted for the next two days, and it wasn't even a very busy day.

Many of my friends no longer drive and I have been volunteering to help take them to doctor's appointments and necessary errands. I have been to a doctor's office, nursing home or hospital every day this week. I am glad I can help, but I am becoming very aware of the fact that life is brief. I want to seize the day and enjoy every minute of this gift of life. It would be easier if I weren't so tired so often.

My daughter is out of town for a few days. I spent one night with her kids and helped with the carpooling for a day. These grandchildren of mine are wonderful, well behaved, delightful people. I cherish every minute with them. I am used to living with one quiet man. My daughter's household is full of people and wonderful chaos. I was tired after a day with them. How did I raise all my children? Did I get this tired then?

I went to bed early last night and slept late this morning. I pan to do nothing today. Life is good and I know that I am blessed.

Faith

Recently I spent a wonderful weekend at a retreat with the women from my church. We shared stories and laughter. The weather was warm. The food was good. More importantly we shared our faith and encouraged one another. We spent time discovering some of the different spiritual gifts that God gives to each of us. One of my gifts is faith, which is defined as an unshakable trust and deep conviction that God faithfully and reliably keeps promises.

I was a little surprised to discover this. The fact is I have often questioned God. I sometimes wonder if the Almighty really does hear my prayers. Doubt is a constant part of my faith. Then I look around me and see God's wonders, count my blessings, and I feel the presence of the Divine in my life. Like the apostle Paul I seem to live and move and have my being in God. (Acts 17:28). This does not take away the frequent doubt I feel. Faith is something that cannot be proven. Doubt is an inherent property of faith. The writer of Hebrews alluded to this this when he wrote, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

I have never moved a mountain. I have prayed fervently for something that seemed so right and so good and not received the answer I sought. In my pain and anger I have yelled at God and questioned why bad things had happened. And like Job I have found that I can only trust that God is smarter than me and that God's plans are for my good.

“I do believe; help thou my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

Inflation

When I was in high school we often stopped at the soda fountain at Woolworth's. This menu may explain why I am constantly amazed at today's prices.

Babies

My shirt smells of baby formula. My arms and back are tired from holding babies. I feel happy and useful.

This morning my daughter and I went to help care for tiny quintuplets. These beautiful babies weigh between 6 and 8 pounds. They are healthy and have grown strong since their premature birth in December. Their mother was visiting from Sudan to have her mother-in-law bless the pregnancy, a Sudanese custom, when she began to have complications and had to be hospitalized. She eventually delivered four little girls and one boy. After a few weeks in the hospital these tiny babies came home where they are being cared for by their mother and grandmother. Their father is in the Sudanese army and cannot come. An army of church ladies is helping to feed and care for these little ones. The apartment is clean, calm and orderly. The mother is a beautiful young woman who deals with a nonstop parade of volunteers with grace and dignity. The babies are fed and cared for by multiple, loving hands. I expect they will grow up knowing that everyone loves them and never be afraid of strangers. The doctors want the babies to stay here until they are older so they will be strong and healthy before returning to Sudan.

I asked the mother today if she was homesick. She said yes. She misses her husband and her relatives and friends. She is anxious to go home. For now she is is grateful for the medical care she and her babies have received and for the army of volunteers who help to care for her babies.

Prayer

I just read this poem over on Joy Hays blog. I found it spoke to me. Perhaps you will like it too.
—–
I am not made to pray. I close my eyes
and float among the spots behind my lids.
I chew the name God, God, like habitual
gum, think about dusting the shelves, then sleep.
-
It is hard to speak to the capital LORD
who deals in mountains and seas, not in a woman
rewashing her mildewed laundry while scolding
her toddler through gritted teeth. I should
-
escape to the closet and kneel to the holy
singularity who blasted my cells from a star.
I should imagine the blood soaking
into the cross’s grain, plead forgiveness
-
for splintering my child’s soul. But the words
never find their way out of the dark.
Choirs and candles shine in his bones
while I doze at the door of his body.

Tania Runyan

Reading

Today is the birthday of Theodore Geisel. He is 105 today. We know him better as Dr Seuss. His books have helped millions of children learn to read.
What is one of your favorite Dr Seuss quotes?

Thoughts from My Weekend

Friday I took my eighty-five year old friend Jane to see her ninety year old husband Frank. Jane doesn't walk very well, so I pushed her in a wheelchair down the long hallways of the nursing home to her husband's room. I pushed her chair as close to the bedside as possible so the two of them could visit. The first thing she did was to struggle up out of the chair, lean over and tell Frank that she loved him. He smiled, his eyes sparkled, and he struggled up into a sitting position and hugged and kissed his sweetheart. They have been married sixty-four years and they still bring a light to each other's eyes. Long time love is a beautiful thing.

Saturday I went to watch the high school play. My talented fifteen year old granddaughter sings and dances in the ensemble of “All Shook Up.” My eleven year old granddaughter sat next to me. She leaned up against me and I gently rubbed my fingers along her arm as we watched the play. It was a moment of sweetness with this little girl. I got a little teary eyed as I realized how very quickly she is growing up. We must grab each moment of joy with our little ones. The time passes so quickly.

Our youth group at church participated in a 30 Hour Famine this weekend. The kids went 30 hours with out food to bring awareness to the problem of hunger in the world. They did all sorts of service projects and fun activities over the course of the 30 hours, but they did not eat. They were hungry at church this morning. During communion one of the kids tolled a bell every three seconds to remind us that a child dies every three seconds in this world of ours from hunger related illnesses. It was very moving. I came home grateful for my well fed children and grandchildren. Nothing could be harder than to watch your children starve.

It is snowing tonight. The weatherman says we might have six inches of snow by morning. Here it is March and we are getting the biggest storm of the winter. The weather is not very predictable. Life is full of surprises.

Hope you all have a lovely week.

Love

It was forty-nine years ago today that I decided that I would marry my husband. I didn't tell him but I knew.

I was nineteen and my astronomer and I had been dating for six months. He had invited me to join him at the Blacker House snow party. Blacker House was the name of the dorm he lived in at Cal Tech, but it was more like a fraternity. Anyway, much to my mother's concern, I accepted and went off to spend a week-end in the snow with a bunch of college kids. During the week-end one of the chaperons found me and told me that my mother had called and I needed to call home. This was a long time before cell phones and the only phone in the lodge was in the chaperon's room. When I called my mom she gave me wonderful news. I was an aunt. My brother and his wife were the parents of a baby girl. To say that I was excited would be a great understatement. I went off to tell everyone about my wonderful news. One after another of the party-goers looked at me with little interest and went back to what they were doing before I had announced my wonderful, amazing news. I was disappointed that no one seemed to want to hear all the details about my brand new niece. Then I found my handsome young astronomer and shared my news. He hugged me and said that was wonderful and exciting. He wanted to hear all the details. He shared my excitement. He let me babble on an about my joy at becoming an aunt. It was then I knew that this man was wonderful and I would marry him one day.

Happy birthday, Julie. Your birthday brings me wonderful memories.

Lost

Sixteen years ago today my good friend Julie gave birth to a beautiful baby girl . My friend Dot and I drove to the hospital in Baltimore to meet this new baby. Julie gave us careful directions and we arrived at the hospital with no problem. The baby was beautiful and we sat and rocked the her and visited for as long as we could before starting our drive home. We had a small problem. The streets we came on were one way going the wrong way and we quickly got lost trying to find our way through the strange neighborhood. Eventually we found the Baltimore Beltway and thought we would easily find our way home, but I was not familiar with the Baltimore exits and the signs were not familiar. I couldn't decide which exit to take. An hour later we crossed the Key Bridge for the second time. I thought twice around the Beltway was enough and I had better get off somewhere soon. I was grateful to have a very good friend along to laugh and cry with me for our very lost adventure. We did eventually get home. It took about thirty minutes to get to the hospital and about three hours to find our way home.

Where were you when you got really lost?

All Aboard

Last night the evening news had a short story about the porters who worked on the trains in a bygone era. The story made me think of all the train trips I made as a young child.

During the late forties and early fifties I joined my mom to visit her family in Texas every summer. We rode the Sunset Limited from Los Angels, California to San Antonio, Texas where my grandparents lived. I loved riding the train. It was always a grand and glorious adventure. People dressed up to travel in those days. I wore one of my nice dresses. Mom's outfit always included a hat and gloves when we boarded or got off the train. On the train we set on a couch-like seat which faced an identical seat. It seemed to me that our travel companions were always friendly and interesting, although my mom was a bit more reserved than I ever was. She did not like me to sit on the facing bench with my new friends. I got in trouble if I allowed them to buy me candy from one of the porters. The big highlight of the day was going to the dining car. It was like a fancy restaurant. There were white tablecloths and pretty dishes. The waiters always called me Miss and put my napkin in my lap for me. I felt like a princess. Strangers always joined us at the table. It was great fun. While we were at dinner porters went through the train and converted our seats into beds. Mom and I slept together on the lower bunk. Our seat mate always slept in the top bunk. Curtains hung down to give each bed privacy. After dinner I crawled into our cozy private bed and changed into my pajamas then went to the bathroom at the end of the car to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. It was just so exciting to do all this getting ready in a bathroom full of other travelers. Our bed had a reading light and I wold lie there reading and listening to the train until I fell asleep. In the morning we would get up, dress and go to the dining car for breakfast. At breakfast there were no tablecloths, but we still got to share our table with other travelers. By the time we returned to our seats the porters had made our beds back into a sitting area. The trip took two days on the train. I loved every minute of the journey.

Did you ever travel by train? Do you have any memories of your time on a train?

The World in Our Hands

For his birthday my husband was given the whole world. It came in a box and we spent the week-end putting it together. It was hard to assemble the world in it's proper order. There was a lot of trial and error as we tried one blue piece after another trying to find its proper place. Since the world is spherical it was harder to match the pieces. There were several times when we were trying to get a piece into place that the world fell apart. If you pushed to hard things just collapsed. We felt quite accomplished when we were done and could put the world on a shelf to admire.

I am sure there are some great lessons to be learned from assembling this puzzle. Mostly it was for us a pleasant way to spend the week-end.

To My Valentine

Many couples have beautiful, romantic songs that they think of as their song. My husband and have always loved this funny little song. We sing it in the car. We used to sing it to our children. It always makes us happy. I know he will smile when he hears it.

200

Tomorrow will be the 200th birthday of one of the world's most influential people. Of course we all know that tomorrow is the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who was also one of the world's most influential people, but the man I am thinking about is Charles Darwin.

On our journey to the Galapagos Islands last summer I became very interested in Darwin and his explanation of how the world came to be full of so many varieties life. In the Galapagos evolution is evident everywhere you look. The islands are home to species that have evolved to meet needs that are uniquely different on each island.

The cormorants there do not fly. Their wings have become small and perfect for swimming and diving.



There are swimming iguanas there. It is the only place in the world where these land animals have learned to swim because their food is found in the ocean.



The finches and mockingbirds have adapted to the conditions on each island and have become unique species.

Darwin figured out that living things evolve over time to fit their environment. He said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change.”

Adapting to change is fundamental to survival. Seems like a very important lesson for people as we go through life.

I recently read the book, “The Language of God,” by Francis Collins, the brilliant scientist who headed the Human Genome project and mapped our DNA. Collins discusses the reasons that the theory of evolution has so little public acceptance. He says that from a biologist's perspective the evidence in favor of evolution is overwhelming and utterly compelling. Darwin's theory of natural selection provides a fundamental framework for understanding the relationships of all living things. The problem of acceptance seems to be from a lack of knowledge of what Darwin really says and a lack of knowledge about what the Bible really says in Genesis. Darwin never denies God's involvement in creation. He does not speculate on the origin of life. Genesis is a powerful and poetic narrative of the story of God's creative actions. Genesis never claims to a scientific text.

Personally I have never quite understood the conflict. It seems to me that scripture and science are very compatible in explaining the origin of life. I believe that in the beginning God did create the world and everything in it. I believe that evolution was one of the tools God used to create the great diversity of life. To quote Collins one more time, “I do not believe that God who created the universe, and who communes with His people through prayer and spiritual insight, would expect us to deny the obvious truths of the natural world that science has revealed to us, in order to prove our love for Him.”

Do you believe that science and faith in the Almighty God are compatible?

Happy birthday, Charles Darwin. Thank you for making so many people think.

18

“Mom, we have a little girl. She's beautiful. I'm a daddy.” It was eighteen years ago yesterday that my son called to share this wonderful news. It was hard to believe that my little boy was a father. Now that little baby is a beautiful young lady, a legal adult. Her main focus of attention right now is her upcoming senior prom and deciding where to go to college. I know that very soon she will be grown and enter the grown up world. For now we are happy to be watching her enjoy the last bits of childhood.

Happy birthday beautiful girl.

25 things

I have been tagged multiple times by my Facebook friends to write 25 random things about myself. In reply to their persistent curiosity, here is my list.

1.My mother always called me Susan. Everyone else calls me Sue.
2.I owned two dogs when I was a kid. We had a terrier named Spotty and a pekingese named Boots.
3.I love my water aerobics class.
4.I am a Stephen Minister. It is a good ministry.
5.I used to have 20/20 vision. Now I don't.
6.I pray for each of my children and grandchildren every day.
7.I do not like snow. It is too cold.
8.I randomly break into singing. Usually I sing old hymns that are just part of my bones.
9.We plan to go to Egypt in October.
10. We are going to Sedona, Arizona in April with our son's family.
11. When I was in my twenties my hair was very long. I still have a long braid of my hair in a drawer. The braided hair is brown. The hair on my head is gray.
12. I am a R.N. In my case that stands for retired nurse.
13. Sometimes I laugh so loud that I embarrass myself, but I laugh a lot anyway.
14. I have had surgery on my right knee four times.
15. My favorite TV show is The Mentalist.
16. I wish I could loose thirty pounds, but dieting is hard.
17. I met my husband on a blind date. We will celebrate 48 years together this year.
18. I have crossed the international date line, the equator and the arctic circle.
19. I enjoy making big pots of soup. It makes me feel like a domestic goddess.
20. My oldest grandchild lives in Florida. She wants to stay there. It is far away.
21. I moved from California to Maryland over forty years ago. It is far away from my family.
22. I miss my mother every day.
23. I love playing in the hand bell choir.
24. At my funeral I hope they play”When the Saints Go Marching In” with a brass band.
25.I wonder what heaven will really be like.

California

We left the cold and snow of Maryland Thursday morning and flew to California. As soon as we stepped out of the airport I remembered why so many people live in Southern California. The sunshine surrounded us with welcome warmth. We stopped on our drive down the coast and walked out on the pier at Redondo Beach. I just sat there soaking up the sunshine and enjoying the 80 degree temperatures. As we drove through the residential areas I saw roses, camellias, hibiscus and many other colorful flowers. The lemon tree in my brother's yard was heavy with ripening fruit. We felt far from the snow and ice of home.

The next morning we drove to the hospital to see my brother Bill and his wife Jean. Jean was seriously injured in a fall last summer. We did not expect her to survive, but after being in a coma for six weeks, she has begun to recover. She is completely paralyzed on the left side, but she is able to talk and laugh again. Her recovery is limited and very slow, but we are grateful that she is alive. It feels like a miracle.



Saturday we joined the celebration for my brother Joe and his wife Judy as they celebrated fifty years of marriage. Their kids and grandkids had cooked enough food for an army of party goers. The house was full of friends and relatives as we honored this good marriage. My brother and sister-in-law glowed all day with joy and pride. Tomorrow they leave for a two week cruise to Hawaii. Check the picture in my previous post to see if they have changed any since their wedding day.



Last night we arrived back home. It is cold and snowy, but it is home. This is where we belong and we are glad to be home again.

50 years

We woke up this morning to world covered with snow and ice. It is beautiful, but also very cold and slippery. I am happy to stay inside and grateful for the enterprising neighbor boy who is shoveling my driveway. This cold and ice makes me grateful for the trip we are taking tomorrow to warm, sunny southern California.

Fifty years ago this week my brother Joe married his beautiful Judy. It was a beautiful wedding. Her father was a very artistic man who wanted his little girl to be married in a beautiful place. He searched for the perfect place and picked a lovely chapel in Rose Hills. Rose Hills is one of the biggest cemeteries in southern California. We have had many laughs over the years about their wedding in the graveyard. I remember Judy's mom wanting to wear her much loved mink stole and being told she could not wear it. She pouted about that. I was a bride's maid that day. I remembering being very excited about the wedding and finding it hard to believe that my brother was really getting married. My biggest memory is of my hurting feet. I was only seventeen and had never worn high heels before. I took them off during the reception. The reception was in the home of a friend with a big, beautiful house. My tea-totaling family was a little horrified that wine was served, but my mom said this was the bride's decision and we should not complain. Mostly I remember the day as great fun. It is a happy memory.

Do you have any funny wedding memories?

We are flying to California to join their children, grandchildren, and Judy's mother, who may be allowed to wear her mink for this celebration.


Joe and Judy
January 30, 1959

Chuck Norris

I don't understand why, but according to my teenage grandsons, Chuck Norris is the hero of today's teens. It seems that this old martial arts star and movie actor is the subject of much humor and idol worship. I don't get it. The man is older than me and doesn't look so healthy anymore. Can anyone explain this phenomena to me?
Here are some facts I learned about chuck Norris this weekend.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.
Outer space exists because it is afraid to be of the same planet with Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity – twice.
When Chuck Norris does a push up, he isn't lifting himself up, he is pushing the earth down.
Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
There is no 'ctrl' button on chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because chuck Norris only recognizes the element of surprise.

The list of things Chuck Norris does seems to go on forever. It is very strange to me.