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.

Sisters

All my life I wanted to have a sister. When I was little I begged my mom to bring me a sister. She refused and said that I would have to happy with brothers. I always knew I was missing something wonderful. I have had many girlfriends across the years, but really only one who has shared so much of my life that she is like the sister I always wanted. Her name is Dot.

We met at church almost forty years ago. Across the years we have helped to raise each others children. We have shared the good times and the bad times and all the in between times. We have laughed till it hurt and cried till the tears were gone. We have held each other when there no words to be said. We now go long periods of time without seeing one another, but we always know that we are there for each other. I am blessed to have her in my life.

Her husband, Mark, did indeed have a stroke on Tuesday night. The CT scan done that night in the emergency room missed it, but when an MRI was done the next morning the large bleed into the left cerebellum was obvious. He has been transferred to a rehabilitation hospital where he will have to teach the right side of his brain to do the things that were formally done by the left side. He should recover. I will again share this hard part of the journey with my friend.

This video describes how we share life with our sister friends.

Two AM

It was a wonderful day in history. I was overwhelmed at the enormous crowd who braved the cold and the crowd to bear witness to this moment in history. It was a day of great emotion and joy. The crowd was happy, patient and well mannered. They had all waited so long for this moment that a few hours of cold and crowd seemed to be a minor inconvenience. President Obama gave a short eloquent speed. Aretha sang that beautiful song wearing that wonderful hat I loved the closing benediction by Dr Lowery who ended the benediction by saying, “let those who love justice and mercy say ‘amen.’”
Amen, Dr Lowery, Amen and amen.

The phone rang in the early evening. My best friend's husband had collapsed and she couldn't get him up off the floor. She called 911. He was taken to the ER by the paramedics who thought it might have been a stroke. After several hours of tests and waiting Mark was admitting to the hospital for more test. The CT scan said there was no acute problem, but something unknown is going on. Sitting on a straight chair at a friend's bedside was not how I had planned to spend the evening. He was looking a bit better when they finally took him upstairs to a regular bed and his wife and I came home to get a little sleep. We neither one had been invited to one of the inaugural balls so we didn't have other plans for the evening anyway.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

Dreams

I was awakened last night to my husband's screams. My husband does not scream so I was startled and afraid. He was dreaming that some “bad guys” were removing the window over our couch and were breaking into our house. He was screaming in fear. We do not have a window over our couch. We've never had a window over our couch. No one has ever broken into our house. So can anyone interpret that scary dream for him?

This morning he said had had a second dream last night. In this one he was going out to lunch with some of his coworkers from NASA. While they were waiting for a table his brother who is alive and well and some of his long dead uncles and grandmother came into the restaurant to eat. They had just been on a tour of NASA. He went over to visit with his relatives while they waited. He woke up before they had talked very long. Can you explain that dream?

Just thought I would give you something to ponder besides the inauguration of our new president. I am planning to watch TV all day tomorrow and enjoy this moment in history.

Swim Meet

Yesterday I watched my son in a swim meet. The last time I watched him compete in a meet he was a senior in high school. Now he is now the father of a high school senior. He swam in two events, the 500 yard freestyle and the 100 yard butterfly. He was really tired after the 500 free. That's a long race. He said he could tell that he was no longer seventeen. The 100 fly was better for him. Even though his time was ten seconds slower than his high school time he made the cut off time and qualified for nationals this summer. I was very proud. I think he looks pretty good for an old guy.

Inauguration

For those of us who live and work near Washington DC, the inauguration is local news. We hear new details daily about how this very big, historic, and exciting event is going to affect our lives. I am thrilled that Barack Obama is about to become president, but there is no way I would go anywhere near Washington on Tuesday. Here is a list of my reasons to stay home to celebrate.

1.It is cold. There have been multiple articles about how to dress to endure hours of standing in subfreezing cold. I hate being cold. I don't own enough clothes to survive that long outside.

2.It will be crowded. Millions of people packed in shoulder to shoulder for as far as the eye can see sounds scary to me. It makes me claustrophobic to think about the crowd.

3.I might need to use the toilet. Every port-a-potty east of the Mississippi will be lining the Mall and the parade route and there will be long lines for all of them. They will not be heated and the seats will be too cold to sit on.

4.It will be nearly impossible to drive into town. All of the bridges across the Potomac will be closed so driving will be only possible from the Maryland side. The traffic will be unbelievable. If you do manage to drive downtown there will be no parking anywhere near anything.

5.Metro will start running trains at 4AM. Metro hopes to be able to transport about 100,00 people per hour. The waits will be very long to move the millions of people expected. Parking at all metro stations will be gone by 5AM.

6.Security will be on high alert. If you do manage to get to the Mall you will have to endure long lines to get through security. Carrying enough food and water to survive the day and still make it through security will be a challenge.

I plan to enjoy the day at home with a few friends, but millions of people are planning to endure all the hassles of the day just to be there for this moment of history. There is great excitement. The sense of celebration and history is drawing million of people.

If Washington DC were your hometown would you endure the cold and the crowds and the problems to be there for the celebration?

Nixon

We went to see the movie Frost/ Nixon last night. It was very well done and was a very entertaining movie. The character of both men was well portrayed. I highly recommend it.

I grew up in Whittier, California, Nixon's home town. When I was in the sixth grade Nixon became Vice-President. My teacher that year had been Nixon's teacher when he was a sixth grade student. She was extremely proud. Our school did not own a television set, but the inauguration that year was a must see experience for us. She arranged for a school bus to take all of us to the home of one the rich kid's in class. His parents owned a big TV (24inch screen) and we all sat in their living room to watch that historic moment. I was very proud of our hometown hero. Earlier that year my dad and I had stood in line for several hours to meet him. I actually shook Nixon's hand and refused to wash it for several days. After his famous “Checkers” speech I went with my dad to the Western Union office to wire a message of support for Nixon. Nixon was our man. There was a large sign as you entered Whittier proclaiming our fair town to be the home town of Richard Nixon. Later I voted for Nixon both times he ran for president. The whole Watergate affair broke my heart. It seemed impossible that this man I had so admired had behaved in such a dishonest way. The polls all showed that he was far ahead in the polls. He did in fact win by a landslide. Watergate was so stupid and so unnecessary. It was a sad and painful time for our country.

Old Age

When I started this blog I named it “The Best is Yet To Be” because I wanted to see if old age really would prove to be the best part of my life. So far the adage is holding true for me. In spite of aches and pains that make me grumble, my beloved and I are both healthy and able to do the things we love. Life is good.

I have spent time with several friends this week who are a little older than me. Their life is not good right now because the problems of old age have caught up with them. As the body wears out life can become very difficult. One dear friend has recently had to give up driving. Her body has become frail with chronic health issues and life is hard. I did a little grocery shopping and a few household chores she is no longer able to do. She needs help that she cannot afford and resents needing. Another of her dear relatives died this week. She grieves alone because she has outlived so many family members. This is not the best part of her life.

I took lunch to an older couple I know. They are sweet people with a bright outlook on life, but they have become frail. They need to move to a place where they can have more help and not be alone. They don't want to move. They don't want to give up driving. They want to be able to do what they have always done, but it is no longer safe. Their children worry about them, but they refuse to move just yet. This is not the best part of their life.

Another dear soul fell this week. When they took this ninety year old man to the hospital it was discovered that he has pneumonia and is quite sick. He has some dementia and is confused and afraid. His wife of many years sits with him all day to keep him calm, but she is also ninety and is completely worn out. This is not the best part of their life.

The list goes on, but you get the idea. Old age can really be awful. It is lonely,undignified and depressing. My beloved and I will be old like these dear friends one day not too far away. We have made plans and prepared for that time, but it is not a time I look forward to.

The top picture is of my sweet grandparents shortly before they became really old. They had lived a long and happy life. Don't they look happy?
Shortly after that picture granddaddy became blind. The picture below is of him and my grandmother in their backyard, “walking the line.” My uncles stretched a clothesline across the yard so he could have a guide to walk safely around the yard. He was able to stay home until my grandmother's death. He spent his last years in a nursing home. It was not the best part of his life.

The last picture shows me with my mom and dad and brothers the day before we moved dad to the nursing home. He spent four years there before he died. Those were very hard years. It was not the best part of our life.

Have you made plans for the days when you become really old?

Joe

My brother Joe was born on New Year's eve, 1937. I can't remember him ever having a birthday party. Every Christmas we got a big package full of presents from our Texas relatives and there would be one wrapped in birthday paper that Joe had to wait and open on his birthday. On New Year's eve we had an end of the year party with noisemakers and confetti, but I don't remember anything about it ever being a party for Joe. Maybe he had a party and being the little sister I just don't remember.

When we were little Joe teased me and made me cry. It seemed to me that he took pleasure in making my life miserable. He shared a room with our older brother, Bill, who was always reading a book and ignored our squabbles. One time I remember that Joe would not allow me on his side of their bedroom, but Bill would allow me on his side. To get to Bill's side of the room I had to run across Joe's side. Naturally I only wanted to play with Bill when Joe was there so I could taunt him from the safety of Bill's protection.

Something strange happened when Joe was in high school. He started being nice to me. When I got in trouble he would sit and talk to me and tell me things would be OK. On a few occasions he asked me to join him and his girlfriend for a day of hiking. He became my friend.

The picture is Mom with baby Joe

Updates

I glanced through my posts from the past year and thought I would give a few updates on things I have talked about in 2008.

Thank you for all your comments and prayers for DQ. I just talked to him and he is doing OK. His acetone levels are near normal. His sugar is still high, but the doctors want to bring it down slowly as they adjust his insulin level. He sees the doctor again tomorrow. DQ says diabetes is annoying.

I talked with my brother Bill today. He is not doing well. His beloved Jean remains in the rehab facility with injuries from her head injury last summer. She is completely paralyzed on the left side with no hope of improvement. After being in a coma for two months she awoke to a world of pain and dependence for all her daily needs. They are both suffering from overwhelming depression and unable to find much joy in their life. It is difficult.

Our number one granddaughter is searching for a job. Due to the poor economy Disney had to cancel their professional intern program. She had planned to continue her internship through June, but her job, like many others, was eliminated. She is hoping to remain in Orlando and is looking for work there. With tax season approaching she is expecting to find an accounting job soon. We are praying that she will find something quickly.

The company my daughter and son-in-law opened last spring is growing. 2008 was not the best year to start a new business so the growth is slower than they had hoped, but it looks like it will soon be a successful, money-making company. They are working hard and are hopeful for the future.

We are making a few plans for adventure in 2009. It will be hard to top last year's trip to the Galapagos Islands, but we are looking forward to wherever the future takes us.