Cairo

We had such a pleasant, interesting trip on our Nile River boat. It was a comfortable floating hotel. One evening we enjoyed a fun Egyptian costume party. (Doesn't Dennis make a grand-looking Egyptian?) After a week though it was time to leave and fly back to Cairo for our final two days in Egypt.


Cairo is a big, crowded, noisy city. Twenty million people call it home. There are huge modern office buildings, small old-fashioned shops and open-air markets. The traffic is unbelievably terrible. Cars and trucks crowd five lanes of traffic onto a two lane road and honk constantly. Mixed among the millions of cars are donkey carts and bicyclists balancing baskets on their heads piled high with bread. The skyline is dominated by the great pyramids which are at the edge of the city. Mixed among all this loud confusion are some very interesting, historical sites.

Cairo, like all of Egypt, is a predominately Muslim community. There are large populations here, though, of Christian and Jewish communities. In an older part of the city we saw the oldest known Christian church building in the world, the oldest synagogue in Egypt, and the oldest Mosque in Egypt. It was interesting to see these ancient places of worship in such close proximity. As our guide explained these faiths have much in common. They all worship the same Almighty God. They all trace their roots back to Abraham. We are all known as people of The Book. Wouldn't this world be a more peaceful place if would celebrate our common heritage and respect our religious differences?

The most beautiful mosque we visited is know as the Alabaster Mosque. It was built by Mohamed Ali (not the boxer) in about 1800. It is a magnificent, awe-inspiring building.


The oldest Christian church building was built in the third century. It is know as the Hanging Church. We visited while a service was in progress. This is a Coptic (Eastern Orthodox) Church and the service was conducted entirely in the Coptic language which is only spoken by the priesthood. It is an ancient language understood by very people today.


The courtyard of the church was filled with beautiful mosaics depicting scenes from the life of Jesus.


Just down the street from the Hanging Church is the oldest synagogue in Egypt. It is said that the site of this building is where the holy family hid from King Herod and the slaughter of the babies.


Our last afternoon was spent in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It is filled with an amazing treasure of antiquities. The most spectacular were the wonderful treasures found in King Tut's tomb. No cameras were allowed inside the museum so I cannot share pictures of those wonders.

Then it was time to pack and get ready for the long journey home. We were filled up with wonderful memories of our journey through Egypt, but our hearts were turning toward home.

We celebrated our last meal in Egypt at this world-famous international restaurant.


It is good to be home.

Temples

Each of the ancient sites we visited was unique, fascinating and interesting, but after two weeks they did begin to meld together in my brain. Egypt is so full of well preserved temples that it just boggles my brain. These ancient people were great builders and artists who left us such a treasure of beauty to ponder. I'll try to show you just a few of the many sites we saw.

One of the most fascinating places was the Valley of the Kings, the burial ground for many pharaohs. These tombs were hidden in the dry rock and sand of the desert for thousands of years. They were hidden because the ancients had discovered that great pyramids invited tomb robbers. These tombs were also discovered and robbed, but the carvings and paintings remain. The art work is stunning. It was here that the famous tomb of King Tut and all it's treasure was discovered. Alas, the Egyptian government forbids any cameras in the valley so I cannot show you it's beauty.

Luxor has two great temples. Karnac was amazing with it's hundreds of huge columns and obelisks. The man in the center of the picture is our guide, Hatem. He was a wonderful, knowledgeable Egyptologist who helped us understand what we were seeing.


The sacred lake of Karnac is here. This small body of water was thought to be the site of the beginning of all life, sort of like the Garden of Eden.


The great Karnac temple is connected to Luxor temple by a great causeway several miles long lined on both sides by sphinxes.


Luxor temple was also filled with beautiful columns and hieroglyphics. Ramses is present almost everywhere.


One of the more common pictures seen on temple walls was that of the god Set, the fertility god of ancient Egypt. The story goes that the ancient gods all went off to war and left Set behind to protect all the goddesses. When the gods returned from battle they found that all of the goddesses were pregnant. Set's great prowess was greatly honored. The black area on the wall is from the hands of women tourists who feel compelled to touch Set's greatness.


The temple at Dendera was new by ancient standards. It was built by the Greeks who ruled as the Ptolemies, the last pharaohs of ancient Egypt On one wall there is a carving of Cleopatra and her son by Julius Caesar, Caesarean.


Hatsheput was a female pharaoh. Her temple was built just outside the Valley of the Kings. From a distance it looked more like a modern office building than an ancient temple. There is still a lot of restoration that still needs to be done here. It was 105 degrees the day we toured here which made climbing all those steps very difficult.


A crocodile-headed god was worshiped a the temple of Kom Ombo. The walls here contained a hieroglyphic calender which depicted the three seasons of ancient Egypt, flood, planting and harvest.


The temple well at Kom Ombo was not an ordinary well. It was used as a nursery for baby crocodiles. When they were big enough they were used in temple worship. Mummified crocodiles were buried all through the temple.


The one temple that was like no other was Abu Simbel. This great temple honoring Ramses the Great was built in the far south of Egypt, at the Nubian border. It was built there as a reminder to the Nubians that they had been conquered by Ramses. This massive temple was carved out of a mountain, from one huge rock, so it could never be torn down. Amazing to think about it. The other amazing feat was that it was moved. The entire mountain that contained it was moved to protect it from rising water when the high dam was built at Aswan. It is a stunning sight.


There was so much more that we saw. We were overwhelmed by the wonder of it all.

Along the Nile

We left crowded Cairo and flew 500 miles south to Luxor where we boarded our boat, the Miriam. For the next week this would be our floating home as we cruised up the Nile. I loved sitting on the deck and watching as scenes of modern Egypt slipped by. It looked liked pictures from somewhere long ago and far away.
We saw many small farms where the people worked the fields with hoes and spades. Farm machinery was a rarity.


We watched fishermen in small boats throw out nets along the bulrush covered shoreline.

The sand and rock of the Sahara was never far away from the fertile Nile valley.


The villages looked like peaceful places where life appeared more simple and more peaceful.


I don't think these mud-brick homes were all that poor. If you look you can see satellite dishes on most of the roof tops.


In this Muslim country there were minarets visible everywhere. All day on Friday, which is their sabbath, we could hear prayers being sung from these tall towers. I found it to be a peaceful, holy sound.


The sunsets were beautiful.


There was one very obvious sign of something less than peaceful along these shores. There are many highly visible well-armed guards everywhere. The Antiquities & Tourism police guarded the docks and all the tourist sites with a heavy presence. At night a machine gun was placed on the top deck to protect us. We never left the boat without a well-armed escort. I never saw any sing of trouble and I couldn't decide if this armed guard made me feel more or less safe.

Pyramids

All my life I have wanted to see the pyramids. I just couldn't believe that I was really standing here in front of the great pyramid of Egypt, the real deal built by old Pharaoh Cheops almost 5000 years ago. It is huge! Until just a hundred or so years ago it was the biggest structure in the world. It was built with over two million stones that weighed more than two tons each. Next to it are two slightly smaller pyramids built by his son and grandson and several queens' pyramids.. The precision workmanship is just astounding. I feel overwhelmed at it all. The great sphinx sits just below the pyramids, standing guard over these ancient tombs.


After seeing the pyramids we visited Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. All that remains there are a few broken statues. The ancient Egyptians worked very hard to build places to spend eternity, but very little remains of the houses and places where they actually lived. Life was temporary. Eternity was forever, so they spent their life preparing a place for a happy afterlife. Here is a fallen statue of Ramses II, Egypt's longest ruling pharaoh, were it fell in Memphis.

We then crossed back over to the west bank of the Nile to see some even older pyramids. In ancient Egypt all the tombs were built on the west bank, toward the setting sun. The cities were all on the east bank. We saw the red pyramid, the step pyramid and the bent pyramid. These are several hundred years older than the ones at Giza. They were built while they were still figuring out the best way to make a pyramid.

We entered two ancient tombs near the step pyramid that had been prepared for ancient noblemen. The low entry required us to bend over as we walked through a tunnel about a hundred feet long. Inside the walls were covered in hieroglyphics and colorful paintings. I wondered what all that writing said. The paintings were beautiful depictions of everyday life - fishing, feeding ducks, writing, chasing butterflies. Just amazing!

Of course no trip to Egypt would be complete without a camel ride. This was really a lot of fun.

Egypt

Today I woke up at 4AM, wide awake and ready to go. It will take a while to adjust to the eight hour time change between home and Egypt. We had such an amazing and wonderful trip. My mind is swirling with memories I want to share. I will try to sort them out so you can make sense of the awe and wonder I felt seeing this ancient, far away land.

Our first touring day was Tuesday, October 27. We walked out of our hotel to board a bus to Alexandria. I looked across the street and there, right in front of me was the great pyramid. I felt completely awed by the sight, but we would have to wait a day to see it more closely. We headed north for a two hour drive through the desert. This part of the desert has been reached with some irrigation, so there were plants growing along the way. It reminded me of the California desert, with palm trees, oleander bushes and eucalyptus trees. We passed grape vineyards and a banana groves.

I loved Alexandria. It is a big, modern, vibrant city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The streets are narrow and crowded with cars and donkey carts and beautiful people sharing the roads. We saw crowds of Muslim school girls, men in sidewalk cafes smoking their water pipes, and old women in black head coverings shopping in the many small open markets. There flocks of sheep in the middle of downtown. Bright laundry hung from the windows of most apartments looking like colorful banners decorating the city.








Mixed int the middle of this modern city are the ruins of the ancient civilization that made this place famous. The great library of Alexandria has been replaced with a modern building that only reminds us of the ancient library Alexander built.



Alexander the Great built a lighthouse here that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was destroyed long ago by an earthquake. A citadel stands there now that was built by a great sultan in the ninth century.

This causeway was built by Alexander the Great to connect the city to the great lighthouse.


Dennis was fascinated by all the wells in Egypt. Here he is posing by the well at the Citadel.


My friend Sharon and I standing in front of the Citadel



We visited the Alexandria Museum and saw many old artifacts, including a mummy in a sarcophagus.



Recently the ruins of an amphitheater were unearthed that had been built during the time of Roman rule. I could imagine Roman soldiers and maybe even Cleopatra and Antony enjoying a performance there.



Our last stop was at Pompey's Pillar flanked by two sphinx that were placed there by Cleopatra to honor her two great loves, Julius Caesar and Antony. It made me realize that these were real people, not just characters in a movie.


Egypt kept on reminding me that all these famous ruins were built by real people, not that much different than us.

Home

We're home.The trip was wonderful beyond our wildest expectations. We've been traveling for the past 25 hours. Very tired and happy. Pictures soon.

Egypt!

We are packed and ready to go. Tomorrow night we will sleep in Egypt.

Brundibar

This morning I went to see my twelve year old granddaughter perform in the operetta, Brundibar. I went to see her dance and sing. I went to applaud for this talented young girl that I love. I was not prepared to watch a show that tore my heart out. Brundibar is the powerful story about children of the Holocaust. It is a story of horror and fear. It is also the story of hope , survival and triumph. This morning's show was divided into two parts. During the first half the children read poems written by children who had lived in Terezin, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia. The set was the dark walls of the camp. The young performers looked gaunt and hungry. Poem after heart-wrenching poem was recited. At the conclusion of the first half the audience set in stunned silence. Applause seemed inappropriate after what we had just heard.

Fear

Today the ghetto knows a different fear,
Close in its grip, Death wields an icy scythe.
An evil sickness spreads a terror in its wake,
The victims of its shadow weep and writhe.
Today a father's heartbeat tells his fright
And mothers bend their heads into their hands.
Now children choke and die with typhus here,
A bitter tax is taken from their bands.
My heart still beats inside my breast
While friends depart for other worlds.
Perhaps it's better – who can say? –
Than watching this, to die today?
No, no, my God, we want to live!
Not watch our numbers melt away.
We want to have a better world,
We want to work – we must not die!

Eva Picková, 12 years old

The second half of the performance was the operetta Brundibar. It is the story of children who overcome the evil organ-grinder, Brundibar. They win a victory over this evil man who is obviously Hitler. The show was performed fifty-five time in Terezin. At the conclusion of today's performance the girl who had played the role of the cat went into the audience and returned with an older lady who joined in the concluding victory song. This woman with sparkling eyes and a great smile sang the song in Czech. As a young girl she had been in all fifty-five performances of Brundibar. Of the 15,000 children under the age of thirteen to go to Terezin, she is one the 100 who survived. When this woman happily joined today's young performers I cried. This woman has survived horror with a vivacious spirit of hope.

After the show I purchased a book she had written about her life. She signed it for me. Her inscription reads, “Remember me and my friends”
Remembering is important.

I am glad I could meet and hear Ela Weissberger.

A Rant

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Christian. I am overwhelmed at God's amazing love and grace. I see God in the life of Jesus and try to live my life by the example of how Jesus lived. When I see people behave in hateful, selfish, and judgmental ways in the name of Christ I become sad and angry. Some folks who call themselves Christian seem to have missed the meaning of “God is Love.” Jesus says to be merciful and to seek peace. He commands us to love both our neighbors and our enemies. He tells us not to judge others while ignoring the sins in our own lives. When a woman caught in adultery is brought to him, Jesus treats her with gentleness and rebukes the self-righteous trouble-makers who brought her to him. Jesus befriended sinners and told them about God's love and mercy. Jesus became angry with church leaders who were so interested in making people obey a list of rules that they forgot love, mercy and gentleness. They forgot that God's name is Love.

Recently I have seen people yell ugly epitaphs at others. In the name of Christ they yell through bull horns and make hate filled signs. They throw rocks and even kill other people because they do not agree with them . These folks have judged people by their own narrow, closed-mined interpretation of scripture and found others guilty. They seem to think that ,“Judge not,” does not apply to them. I suppose I too am being judgmental here of those who have a list of “bad” sins that they deem to be worse than their own. It just makes me so sad. When I say I am a Christian I want to explain that these hate filled folks do not represent me. They do not represent the God of love that I see in Jesus.

The way I understand it, Christianity is not so much about keeping a set of rules as it is relying on the amazing grace of God. Christianity is loving God with all my heart and soul, and loving my neighbor as myself.

Mouse Story

This morning several friends were laughing about our escapades with mice. This is my mouse story.

I was large with child, about a week before the birth of my second daughter. Shortly before bedtime I went into the kitchen to ice a cake I had baked earlier in the day. My husband was in the bedroom getting ready for bed when he heard me scream. He came running into the kitchen, wearing only his white briefs to see what had caused my shriek. I was pointing to the corner of the cabinet yelling, “Mouse! There's a mouse behind my cookbooks.” Being my brave knight, minus the shining armor, he quickly put a table leaf across the doorway into the living room to confine the scary creature and told me to wait in the living room. He then grabbed the fly swatter, crept to corner, flung the books out of the way and swatted at the mouse. The quick-footed mouse ran, leapt over the carefully placed barrier and ran straight toward me. I climbed into a chair and the mouse ran down the hall and into the linen closet. Standing up in our rocking chair I pointed toward the closet as my brave husband chased after the mouse. He carefully opened the closet, but could not see the critter. There was blanket lying on the floor which the mouse was obviously cowering under. With fly swatter at ready he quickly reached in, flung the blanket out of the closet and swatted with a mighty swing at the empty closet floor. The mouse had crawled into the folds of the blanket. Mouse and blanket were now flying straight at me and I was screaming. The stunned mouse hit the floor and seemed to hesitate. The hesitation was just long enough for my mighty hunter to hit him with the fly swatter. The mouse went to its great reward and my husband went to bed. When I went again to try to ice the cake I noticed a corner was missing and little foot prints trailed across the cake. I threw out the cake knowing my little mouse had gone to heaven with a tummy full of yummy chocolate cake.

Do you have a mouse story?

5 Words

My fellow blogger Paul sent out a challenge to write about five random words selected by him. I decided it would be an interesting exercise and accepted his challenge.

The five words he assigned are holiday, satisfaction, mark, encourage, and proof. I tried to use them in a sentence, but they just don't seem to go together very well. I came up with things like, “It is a mark of the holiday that it it encourages satisfaction and gives proof to its meaning.” Or maybe, “The holiday marks a proof that encourages us to satisfaction.” These sentences did not satisfy me, so I was encouraged to write about each word individually to mark their meaning with more proof. The effort does not feel like a holiday.

Holiday

A holiday is a special day set aside to remember and honor someone or something. There are religious holidays. Those of us who are Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter to honor Christ and celebrate the good news that Christ has given us. There are national holidays like Fourth of July and Veterans Day that let us celebrate the pride we feel because we are Americans and to honor those who have helped to defend our country. My favorite holiday combines both our faith and our patriotism. Thanksgiving is an American holiday that gives citizens of all faiths the opportunity to stop and give thanks to the Almighty for the blessings we have in this nation. For the past several years we have attended in inter-faith service on the eve of Thanksgiving. We celebrate together the blessings of being Americans. The rabbi, the imam, and the minister and many congregants from various faith traditions share our patriotism and thanksgiving together. It is a moving, meaningful time. Of course my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the love, laughter, and lavish banquet that our family and friends share around our big table.

What is your favorite holiday?

Satisfaction

I think of satisfaction as that sense of fulfillment and pleasure that comes after finishing a task. Sometimes it is just a small pleasure like the one that comes when you put the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle. It is so satisfying to see the completed picture. Sometimes it is a bigger sense of gratitude and joy. I think of the Christmas night long ago when I was lying with my little boy as he fell asleep. He kept repeating the list of good things that had happened that day. He'd say,”Big firetruck,” and just smile. Then he would say, “New books”, and smile some more. Finally he said, “Mommy, I'm happy.” I lay there by him overwhelmed with a deep satisfaction knowing that the day had been perfect for this child of mine. When I was working I would face a huge pile of charts that had to be dealt with each day. Sometimes the pile was nearly as tall as me. There was a very tired sense of satisfaction that came at the end of the day as I filed away the last chart and I knew I had completed the day's tasks.

What is something that brings you satisfaction?

Mark

There are multiple meanings for this word, but for me I think of Mark as a name.There is Mark, the writer of the second book in the New Testament. He was the first person to write about the life of Jesus. Matthew, Luke and John looked to Mark when they wrote their books. I have a good friend named Mark. Our families grew up together. We have shared a lot of life. My daughter's sweetheart is named Mark. He is an important part of her life which makes him an important part of my life. He is a good man.

All of the Marks in my life have left a mark on me.
Is there a Mark in your life?

Encourage

To encourage is to fill someone with the courage they need to continue on. It is a bit like being someone's personal cheerleader.

I observed an excellent example of how to encourage in the locker room at the pool recently. A swim class for young children had just dismissed, and mothers were bringing their little ones into the locker room to get them into dry clothes. I cringed at the dialogue between one mom and her child. The little boy was crying as his mother berated him. She said, “I paid good money for this class and you wouldn't even try. You're just a worthless scaredy-cat. You embarrassed me with all your crying.” Another mom came in with her child and I heard her say something entirely different. “You were so brave out there! You almost put your face in the water. I bet next week you will be even braver than you were this week.” The child stood tall and smiled at his mom's praise and encouragement.

Which child do you think will learn to swim first?

Who has been an encourager in your life?

Proof

This word is not proving itself easy for me to write about. Proof is like evidence in a legal proceeding to convince the jury that something is or is not true. It is a good thing to have a lot of proof before convicting a person of some awful deed. I do like to find proof to back up what I believe, but I think I live mostly on emotion and instinct and don't need too much evidence if it all feels right. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing, but it is just the way I am.

Do you need a lot of proof about something to decide if it is true or not true.

This exercise was harder for me than I anticipated, but it was fun. If you need a subject to blog about, just check with Paul. I'm sure he will be happy to provide you with five random words.

Ten Happy Things

This morning I received the third of three shots in my knee that are meant to relieve the pain. The doctor said it would take about three weeks to be completely effective. In three weeks I will be in Cairo, Egypt. Hearing that my knee won't hurt made me happy.

Walking into the pool this morning I could smell the newly mowed grass. It smelled clean and fresh. That made me happy.

I worked up a sweat in the pool during my water exercise class. It felt good to be able to work out. That made me happy.

I came home to find that the cleaners from my son-in-law's company had been here. My house was neat and tidy. I admired the pattern left in the carpet by the vacuum cleaner. That made me happy.

I love peanut butter & banana sandwiches. I had a peanut butter & banana sandwich for lunch. That made me happy.

This afternoon I wrote the checks and paid all the bills. We had enough money to pay everyone. That made me happy.

I finished re-reading a book I first read when I was fourteen years old. It is a novel about King David that made me always love the Bible story of King David. It was still a good story. That made me happy.

Our son stopped by for dinner. He is working very hard to lose weight. He has lost more that twenty pounds. That made me happy.

Tonight I enjoyed good conversation and laughter with friends. That made me happy.

I will sleep tonight beside the man I have loved for almost fifty years. That makes me happy.

What makes you happy today?

Egypt

We leave on our long planned trip to Egypt in twenty-five days. To say we are excited would be a great understatement. I have always been fascinated by stories of ancient Egypt. It is hard to believe how very old it is. The Great Pyramid was ancient when Moses lived there. I love thinking about those people who lived so very long ago. Were their lives really that much different than mine? They have left us much to make us wonder about the lives they lived.

I am anxious to see the great temple at Abu Simbel. It is the one in the picture with the colossal statues. One of them lost it's head in an ancient earthquake and inspired Shelley to write a poem about the folly of fame. This Temple was carved out of a solid cliff in the thirteenth century B.C. It was built to honor Rames II, who was probably the pharaoh we read about in the Moses story.

There is more to see than the two weeks we will be there will allow us to see.What would you want to see if you were traveling to Egypt? What shall I bring you as a souvenir?

Ozymandias

In just one month we will cross another item off our bucket list when we travel to an ancient land and see the statue that inspired this poem. We are very excited.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” -- Proverbs 16:18

Ozymandias
by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Computer

I am sitting here in my husband's much too big office chair. He loves this chair. I often see him sitting here, leaning back with eyes closed as he meditates on life. This chair is way too big for me. My legs aren't long enough to reach the floor and I can't sit back and relax because I'm too short to reach the back of the seat. I feel like a little kid in a grown-up's chair and I don't like it.

So why I am I sitting in this uncomfortable big chair?

My computer died. I mourned for it all day, but it could not be resuscitated. Inside my dead computer there is much information that I need. It holds our financial records, pictures of my life, addresses of friends and relatives, and of course the record my exciting and interesting blog. It is gone and I sit here in my husband's big chair so I can use his computer and share my loss with you.

I will recover from my mourning quickly because I have the good fortune to be married to my very own in-house IT guy. He came home last night with a brand spanking new computer for me. This week-end he will do his magic and somehow retrieve all that wonderful information from the hard drive of my dead computer and transfer it to my new machine. I don't know how he will do that. I really do believe there is a bit of magic involved. I am grateful to have married someone with skills. I love a man with skills.

School Teacher

Today is my mom's birthday. She would have been 104. The photo of the two of us was taken in1945. I miss my mom.

Mom was a school teacher. She often entertained us with stories about her early days of teaching. She was a great story teller.

She began her teaching career in Texas in 1924. Her first contract to teach in a public school there contained clauses that not many would sign today. It stipulated that she would never use tobacco, drink spirits, play cards, nor “keep company”on school nights. It also required that she attend church services every Sunday. One final requirement was that she would quit immediately should she ever marry. She signed without hesitation, happy to have a job, and thinking there was nothing unusual in the contract.

My favorite of her many teaching stories concerned a light bulb. She had grown up in a home without electricity. Electric lights were a wonder to her. She considered light bulbs to be very valuable things. One day there was a fire drill at her school and the building had to be evacuated. She hurriedly sent her students down the outdoor fire escape. She then looked around the room to see if there was anything valuable that she should save from the fire. She saw that wonderful electric light bulb hanging above her desk and knew that it should be saved. Quickly she climbed onto her desk, reached up and unscrewed the bulb. Before climbing out of the window and descending the ladder she thew that bulb to safety on the ground below where it shattered into a million piece

Peace

I am in a warm place where all feels safe and peaceful. I am a giant oak tree planted firmly in the ground standing straight and tall, ready for all storms. One foot lifts up and presses firmly against my other leg as my arms lift high. I am an aspen tree quaking in the wind looking graceful and beautiful as I sway in the wind. One foot is planted firmly on the floor as I lean forward, hands reaching out, with my other leg stretched out behind and curving upward. I am beautiful young dancer ready to leap into the sky. I am floating on the warmth, slowly breathing in gratitude and breathing out peace. All is well with my soul.

I do love my aqua yoga class.

Bugs

I am grateful that our laundry room is not equipped with a surveillance camera. It might have recorded an ugly sight last night.

It was late when I was getting ready for bed. From the sound of snoring I knew my beloved was already sleeping. I had taken off all my clothes but when I reached for my jammies I realized that they were not on their usual hook. Oh yes, I had washed them and they were still in the laundry room waiting to be folded and put away. The house was dark as I ran to retrieve them wearing nothing but my birthday suit. When I flicked on the light to grab my jammies I was greeted by a herd of enormous crickets. I hate bugs. I especially hate bugs that might jump on me when we are sharing a small confined space. I hate them even more when I am naked and feeling very vulnerable. My scream did not awaken my beloved so I was left to deal with the monsters on my own. This morning the laundry room floor is littered with several books which were used as weapons to still the jumping, woman-eating bugs. Under each book is a dead bug. I got my jammies and left hurriedly after the great battle. Today I have not yet worked up enough nerve to clean up the field of battle.

My Handsome Husband

9/11

Click here for some of my thoughts and memories about this date

Playlist

The playlist in my head is always set on random and plays almost continuously. Whenever I am working around the house or doing some mindless chore the playlist becomes more audible and I start singing along with whatever song currently playing in my head. More often than not I catch myself singing an old hymn from my childhood, but it could be a song that I heard on the radio or a song we have learned in the senior chorale. I just start singing without realizing it.

One day this summer I was singing as I cleaned up the kitchen while we were on vacation with our grandsons. My sixteen year old boy told me that he loved to listen to me sing. I always sounded happy and that made him feel good. I thought it was a great compliment.

I have not always had such nice things said about my unconscious singing. One day long ago I was singing as I made a patient's bed in the hospital. The patient was a frail little old lady whom I had just bathed and dressed. I had brushed her hair and put a pretty ribbon in it. She looked pretty as she sat in in a chair while I changed her sheets. She listened to me sing for a few minutes then said, “Honey, when you were young I bet you could sing.”

What is the appropriate response to a statement like that? I quit singing.

Happy Explosion

My seldom used guest bathroom appears to have had a major explosion. Various colors of hair ribbons are draped over the towel bar. The cord of a curling iron hangs off the counter and snakes across the floor. The counter is covered with make-up, hair pins, and a wild assortment of toiletries. The pile spills onto the floor and across the hall into the guest bedroom. The bedroom is filled with books and papers, a colorful assortment of clothes, and pom poms of burgundy and blue. The house seems to be filled with a happy energy that perks up the quiet of our everyday life. My granddaughter,the high school pom, is spending the week-end with us.

The rest of her family is out of town for the long weekend, but she could not go. She is a member of the high school pom squad and today is the first football game of the season. She will be performing at half time and there was no way she could miss her first performance. She is so excited and happy. We are delighted to share this moment with her. We are blessed.

School Days

It is September and all my school-aged grandchildren are back in class. I hear there is a lot of homework in college. Pom poms are hard work. High-school is not as bad as expected, and the best thing about middle school is having your own locker. I spoke with my West Virginia granddaughter who has just moved to Louisiana and asked how she like school in her new home. She said that school was good except for two problems. They called her a Yankee (there was an adjective used before Yankee that I won't use.) She explained that she was not a Yankee but that her gramma was one. She also said that the school is full of red-necks and racists, but she could deal with them, so all in all, school and Louisiana were good.

So I guess life is going well for the next generation in my family.

Week End thoughts

We have enjoyed a lovely week end.

Friday night we joined with family and friends to introduce some Texas friends to the fine art of eating crabs. If you have never seen a crab up close figuring out how to get inside can be a bit daunting. The friends caught on quickly and were using their crab mallets like experts by the end of the evening. The first person to eat a crab must have been very brave and very hungry to try to break inside that ugly shell for dinner.

We slept late and Saturday and moved slowly for a few hours. I finished re-reading “Pillars of the Earth.” Wow, that is a great a story. I had read it several years ago, but had forgotten a lot. I think I enjoyed it more this time. What books have read over again and enjoyed more the second time?

We went to see “Julie and Julia” in the late afternoon. Great movie! There is one scene in which the young blogger gets into a big fight with her husband. He is feeling angry and resentful because she has been spending so much time with her blog. Have you ever let your blog interfere with your life?

We came out of the movie hungry for good food. Not knowing where to find a French restaurant we found a lovely Italian place and enjoyed a well prepared, delicious dinner.

Sunday morning is one of my favorite times of the week. I love going to church. The singing is always good. The sermon was interesting. The people love each other. It is just a good place to be. Then this afternoon the church had their annual crab feast. More crabs and more friends. Maybe one day I will actually learn to like eating crabs. I eat a piece of chicken and enjoy watching the others picking crabs. It is just one of those events that is part of living in Maryland. Do you love eating crabs?

This evening we went to the pool for an hour. We both have been plagued with arthritis pain lately, but in the pool we can move without pain. It is so much fun to glide through the water and just enjoy the movement and not think about hurting. It was a lovely way to wind up a lovely week end.

What did you do this week end?

Sunrise, Sunset

We had an end of summer family gathering last Sunday. The excuse we used for the party was to wish our third grandchild bon voyage as she heads off for college this week, but mostly we just wanted a chance to be together. We talked, we ate, we laughed, we played, and of course we took pictures. When I looked at my grandbabies I realized that they are not babies at all. The are young adults and teen agers. How did they manage to grow so quickly? My eldest granddaughter, our Disney princess, has just started a new job in a downtown law firm. Her brother has just signed all the papers to join the Air Force. He will be leaving in a few months for a new life. Grandchild number three is heading to Pennsylvania to begin college. The next three are all in high school and the little one began junior high school this week. How did this happen?

Could it be that I am getting older too?

Vacation Memories

It was lovely to wake up to an empty, quiet house today. Our Disney vacation with the boys was wonderful, but it is nice to be home to my quiet routine.


There were lots of wonderful moments on our vacation. One of my favorite memories was the Rockin' Roller Coaster. The boys really wanted to ride, but the line was ninety minutes long. As we stopped to talk about whether the ride would be worth the wait a young Disney cast member came over to us and asked if we wanted to ride. We said yes but the wait was too long. She replied that she had just been told to pick a family for a VIP tour of the ride and she picked us. We bypassed the long line and she took us onto the ride telling us all how she loved working on this ride. At the close of every day they enjoy an all-cast ride and everyone who works the ride goes on it together. She loved it. Grampa and I decided to skip the ride itself, but did enjoy the pre-ride show. The boys loved it and agreed that it was the best ride of the week. You can see their joy in this picture as they sped out of the starting gate.



Another favorite moment was from the day we decided to sleep late and skip the Disney crowds. We went to Gatorland for a couple of hours of alligator viewing. We fed the gators and watched an alligator show. It really was great fun with no crowds.

Vacations with grandchildren make wonderful memories!

Disney World

Last Christmas my sixteen-year-old grandson was diagnosed with diabetes. He was pretty sick and spent a week in the hospital. Life has been difficult for DQ. He has had severe behavior problems that led to major problems at home and at school. He now lives in a group home with six other boys. Last Christmas I made a deal with DQ. If he would follow the diet and get his sugar under control, get his school work on track and make the honor role, and keep his behavior in line, then I would take him to Disney World this summer. I really did not think he could pull all three of those off, but he surprised me. He is off insulin and controls his disease with a pill and diet. He is on the honor roll at school. Life is good and he is getting along with all the people in his life. I am very proud of him.

We leave for Orlando tomorrow for a week in the happiest place on earth. His fourteen-year-old cousin is joining us for our Disney adventure. Both boys are very excited.

Politics

I really do not like politics because nobody ever seems to listen to anybody. It is just people shouting and saying bad things about people with whom they think they disagree.

If I have figured it out right there are liberals and there are conservatives. The liberals think government should have a larger role in how things are done. The conservatives think government should do less and let the free market and individuals have more say in how things are done. That is an honest difference of opinion about what is the best way for the country to operate. One idea is not evil and the other good, but they are different opinions. People might want more government control in some areas of life and less in others, so there is some liberal and some conservative in all of us. I just don't understand all the screaming and shouting. It makes my ears hurt and does not help to solve anything.

Obama is a liberal. The conservatives say he is evil. If he could fix the economic mess we are in tomorrow the conservatives would find fault because they are convinced he can do nothing that is good. It seems impossible for them to listen to him. My conservative friends quote conservative authors and pundits to back up their point of view. Gingrich, Limbaugh and Palin are conservatives. The liberals seem to hate them and mock everything they say as hate filled fear mongering. The liberals quote other liberals to back up their point of view. It seems that nobody is really listening and there is great fear among us. It makes me sad and angry.

I tend to lean to the liberal side of things. I think the government needs to intervene to make things better. I have family and friends who disagree with that idea. I respect that we are honest, patriotic people who disagree. We do not need to shout. We need to listen and respect one another.

Is it possible for people to be more respectful of one another?

Hymn

They sang my favorite hymn during church yesterday. We don't sing it very often, but every time it is sung my heart seems to swell up inside me and tears begin to fall. There is just something about it that has always touched the deep places in my soul.

I grew up in the Church of Christ. Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening were always times to meet for worship. I loved going to church. One of my favorite things was when occasionally on Sunday or Wednesday evening the congregation got to choose the songs we sang. As soon as the song-leader would ask if there was a request my hand would shoot up and I would yell out, “Number 299!” “OK, we'll sing your favorite song, Sue.” I would then smile and sing with all the feeling my heart felt.

I was an adult before I learned the story behind the hymn. It was written in 1873 by a man named Horatio Spafford. He was a successful businessman in Chicago. He and his wife Anna were blessed with five children. In 1871 their youngest child and only son died, and the Spaffords lost all their possessions in the great Chicago fire. Their faith sustained them as they recovered from their great loss. Then in 1873 the family decided to take a family vacation and travel to England. At the last minute a problem with his business demanded Horatio's attention and he sent his family on ahead, promising to follow on the next ship. The ship on which his wife and daughters were sailing was caught in a great storm and sank. Two-hundred twenty-six people, including the four Spafford girls, were drowned. His wife was rescued. As soon as she was able she sent a cable to Horatio which said, “Saved alone. What shall I do.” He sailed for England immediately to be with his wife. As his ship passed over the site of the sunken ship, it paused and Horatio looked out on the great sea that had swallowed up his precious daughters. When he returned to cabin he wrote, “It is Well With My Soul.”

Inspiriation

This week a total stranger inspired me to continue living life to the fullest.

My husband and I frequently go to the pool on Sunday evenings. We don't swim, but we walk in the water, talk and enjoy some peaceful time together. It is a pleasant way to finish the week end.

Last Sunday evening a little old lady inspired me. As we were walking in the water I noticed the door to the girl's locker room opening very slowly. A little old lady with a walker was pushing the heavy door open as she crept onto the pool deck. She plopped heavily into the nearest chair, appearing exhausted. She was hunched over with the weight of age and her wrinkled body made her appear crinkly. A man who I assume was her middle aged son came over and spoke with her. A moment later she pulled on her old white rubber bathing cap. Her son assisted her and they slowly began their way around the pool. There is a lovely, warm therapy pool with a wheelchair accessible entrance at the far end of the regular pool. I assumed they were heading there where this lady could stretch her old muscles. I was admiring her for knowing that the warm water would be beneficial when she stopped at the steps of the regular pool. Her son assisted her as she struggled down the steps and into the water. I thought they must not have noticed the lovely, warm therapy pool with its easy entrance. She made her way to the deeper water and began to swim. For the next thirty minutes this woman who appeared to be about a hundred years old swam laps. I was amazed. We assume when a person is old they can no longer do the things they once enjoyed. I just assumed she was too old. This lady could no longer stand up straight, she could barely walk, but she certainly could swim. She was smiling as she left the pool.

When was the last time a total stranger inspired you?

Make Up

Through the wonder of Facebook I found my friend Judy today. She moved away and we have not seen each other in many years. Our kids were good friends when they were teenagers and we shared a lot of the joys and trials of having adolescent children. We bonded.

Judy was, and probably still is, a Mary Kay lady. She almost got me to wear make up.

I have never worn make up. I always felt silly when I tried to wear it. I just figured it was not worth the effort for me. Judy thought I would like wearing make up and persuaded me to come to her house for a make up party. She assured me that it would be fun. I went and it was fun, but I was out of my comfort zone. We all received a sample of foundation cream and were told to apply it in the usual manner. I stared at it for a while and watched the other women. I just wasn't sure how to proceed. Finally I confessed I had never applied foundation cream and didn't know how. With a smile Judy instructed me on the fine art of applying make up. At the end of the evening all the women there said I looked beautiful. My cheeks were rosy. My eyelids were shadowed. My eyelashes looked long and lovely. My lips were rich and full. I looked almost stunning. I felt glamorous. Then I went home. I walked in the door feeling oh so pretty. My son looked up from his video game and stared at me. I prepared myself for his compliment. He said, “What's that stuff on your eyes. It makes you look weird.” I smiled knowing he was just an adolescent who did not appreciate beauty. I walked down the hall to show my beloved husband my beautiful new face. He stared at me and finally said, “What do you have all over face?” I sighed and asked if he didn't think I looked beautiful. He smiled and told me that I always looked beautiful. I washed off the make up and felt a bit relieved to just be me again.

Women of Faith

I have spent the past two days at a Women of Faith conference. It was wonderful. Great music. Inspiring speakers. Good friends. We laughed, we cried and we worshiped God together. We have already reserved our seats for the conference next year.

I can't really share all the good stuff that happened, so I'll just share a corny Women of Faith joke.

Once upon a time there was a gynecologist who had grown tired of his profession. He was a good doctor, but he no longer found gynecology fulfilled his dreams. He decided he wanted to become a mechanic. He apprenticed himself to a master mechanic and worked hard to become a skilled in his new profession. After much work and study the time came for his final examination. He thought he had done well, but waited anxiously for the final test results to come in the mail. The letter came at last and he discovered that he had scored 150% on the exam. Although he was happy with this score he did not understand how he could have scored 150%. He decided to call his teacher who explained the score to him. He was told that he had scored 50% for taking an engine apart perfectly. He earned another 50% for putting the engine back together perfectly. The third 50% was earned for doing it all through the muffler.