Hands

Good Morning!  It's muggy and cloudy in South Central Texas ... the storms covering North Texas escaped us which was good.  I always get concerned about the big old tree in our backyard.  It has a habit of shedding branches and leaves at the slightest breeze!!


I have been working outside at the little casa trying to create a nesting area where I can read, reflect and do my writing.  The area is quite large compared to the back yard at our home north of Dallas.  I looked at my hands last night and thought, "Oh, goodness, I have the hands of a woman who has dug in the dirt A LOT!"  I decided to take a break, give myself a manicure and soak my hands in lotion.  I laughed, there was a time when this city girl didn't know much about gardening and got a manicure every two weeks ... yes, before arthritis and gardening, I had pretty hands.  Now?  Well, let's just say that my hands have lived life to the fullest!

For some reason, I like looking at people's hands and remember them just like some people remember faces.  We can love with our hands; talk with our hands; work with our hands; read with our hands; cook and feed ourselves and others with our hands; show anger with our hands; pray with our hands; and, in general, express any type of emotion there is.  When, my arthritis attacked my hands, it was difficult for me to type and write and I mourned my dexterity.  Then, I realized that God put me on this earth to love His people and that I can do with my hands in many ways.

Bestemor, my Norwegian grandmother, was a seamstress by trade, a hard worker with a gentle spirit.  She wore a gold ring on her left hand with a bloodstone at the center.  She created a playhouse for me and served me cookies and Kool Aid.  She held me on her lap long after I had become an adult and would caress my hair with her hands and sing Norwegian songs to me.  She would smile and I would hold her hands in mine.  Oh how I loved those hands!

My father's hands were those of a working man.  Although he developed arthritis in his 40's, his hands were soft ... he wore gloves whenever he worked outdoors.  I remember him sitting on a chair by the kitchen drinking coffee, and smoking one cigarette after another.  He would rub his hands together telling me that they were painful.  I would ask what was wrong and he would say, "Arthur got me."  I can close my eyes and see his hands ... his hands provided for his immediate family and, often times, for his mother and sister.  He was a diligent worker always doing what was necessary.  My father's hands carried a rifle in World War II and he protected his country.  Unfortunately, the war affected him emotionally and he carried so much pain inside of him.  There were times I remember him holding his head in his hands.  Too much to remember?  He loved my mother with his hands and cared for her when she became ill with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  He was her partner in life.

My mother had beautiful hands.  She had long slender fingers and I laugh when I remember her sitting in the chair in the front room, filing her nails to a point.  She loved to paint her nails leaving the moon at the base of her nails unpainted.  My mother's hands were that of a business woman.  She took shorthand, typed a mile a minute and took pride in her penmanship.  My mother didn't care much for working outside or gardening ... her hands were soft and always smelled like Jergens lotion.  It was always important for my mother to look "put together" from head to toe.  She was one of those people whose hands could apply red lipstick artfully.  Later in life, her hands were gnarled from arthritis.  I would hold them and wish I could straighten her fingers so that she could once again write beautifully.  It bothered my mother that her once lovely hands were so deformed and that she wrote with such a scribble.  I am glad that she is in Heaven and whole again!!

When my children were born, I unwrapped them and held them close to my heart whispering prayers that they would be strong in who God created them to be.  It was a wonderful time of bonding.  As they grew older not only did my hands offer them love and encouragement but also provided financially for them.  No matter how old my children get, my hands will be open to them doing what I can to make their way on this earth a little easier.  When my grandchildren began arriving, there were new little lives to hold ... Brittany, Baleigh, Madison, Katrina, Zachary, Nicholas, Chloe, Camden...  What an honor to be a grandmother.  I am now using my hands to tell them who I am and what I am about so that they will truly know me just as I wish to know them.

 
For Christians this is Holy Week.  Raised in the Lutheran tradition, I looked so forward to the special services ... getting ashes wiped on my head on Ash Wednesday, the somberness of Good Friday, and, the festiveness of Easter Sunday.  It makes me sad that out of political correctness, Easter has become so skewed.  I heard recently that the Easter Egg Hunt in a local community was being called the Spring Orb Hunt.  Ridiculous!!!!!  My Savior, Jesus, used his hands to comfort and to teach ... it was his hands that were pierced with nails that he wouldn't fall off the cross.  Oh, what a treasure it will be to someday touch his hands and say, "Thank you!"

What do your hands say about you?  Am I the only nut on this earth who looks at hands?  This morning, my hands fed my puppies, dressed me, drove me to get Mom to take her to the doctor, dressed Mom and helped the nurse hold her up so the doctor could look at her bedsore, hugged my husband good bye, drove my friend to lunch, fed me, cut my hair, and now, my hands are working on my blog.  Busy creatures, they are!!!  I want to use my hands for good all the days of my life and I think about who I touch and what they tell about me.

I leave you today with prayers and blessings.  May your hands lift you to new heights this day and always...

The Praying Hands

Roots & Soil

What a gorgeous Spring day in North Texas.  I woke early this morning and headed out to my usual perch on the back porch.  I gazed over the gardens awakening from their Winter's rest, and was amazed at how beautiful the plants were.  I never used to like roses but they like me and I have come to truly cherish their beauty.  The soil in my back yard suits them and they grow like weeds!

Speaking of soil ... what soil are you growing in?  I guess that's kind of a crazy question but I think it's pretty important.  My years as a gardener have taught me a lot about plants and about people.  Jesus used parables to teach ... it was a way to help his followers understand.  I especially like the parable about the farmer:

Matthew 13:18-23 (The Promise Study Edition of the Bible)

"Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:  The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it.  Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts.  The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away.  But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long.  As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.  The seeds that fell among the thorn bushes are also people who hear the message.  But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich.  So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.  The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message.  They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted."

My confirmation class ... (I am 3rd from left, bottom row)

I was very fortunate ... as a child my parents took me to church and I grew in love for Jesus as my Savior.  My Christian roots ran very deep and I was surrounded by God's love and fertile soil.  I will forever be grateful to my parents for their part in establishing that growth in me.  For a long while, I wondered if I was born into the wrong family but now I know I was born into the RIGHT family!!  That has been an important step for me.  As I weeded out all the crap in my life, there was room for true forgiveness and grace. 

I've seen so many folks get bit by the Jesus bug only to burn out and forget about their passion.  It's easy to be a Christian in the good times; however, Christ so often takes the blame in bad times.  "I became a Christian and look what happened to me ... nothin' but bad stuff."  Or, the church ... "I attended church but no more ... what hypocrites!"  Well, nobody said that life was going to be easy.  Most of the bad stuff that happens to us in life is a result of our own choices.  Hard words to hear, I know.  The other stuff is "Father filtered" and He gives us strength, courage and wisdom as we deal with those.  For me, I wouldn't be alive without the grace and care of the man who died on the cross.

I have had to amend the soil many times in my life.  Walking on stony ground didn't produce good in me ... trying to plant good in poor soil led me to crop failure time and time again ... I went back to the well of life seeking change only to find I was using the same fertilizer and experiencing burnout!  Today, I seek goodness, positiveness and the deepness of close friendships.  When it was toughest, I listened to the wise ... oh how their words of wisdom hurt when I was missing the mark ... and, oh how wonderful their words were when I needed hope and uplifting!   I learned to be careful of who I listened to ...  It is so easy to pick and choose who we take wisdom from ... as for me, I took the high road and, readers, (and, as Scott Peck says) that has made all the difference in my life!

We are standing on holy ground ... and yes, there are angels all around us ... listen to this beautiful medley of songs ... Today is the day the Lord has made, let me rejoice and be glad in it!!  May God bless you with good soil today ... I declare this plant a flower day!!

 

  

   

For the love of Nicholas!



Zach man - lead hitter!

 Good Morning, Readers!  Yesterday was been an amazing day filled with my grandsons' baseball games.  Nothing could be more wonderful that spending time cheering on the Reds and the Longhorns!!


Michael and I got up with the chickens (I take that back ... I think we got up before the chickens!) to be able to make it to see Nicholas play T-ball at 8am.  Zachary's game wasn't until noon so we had time to kill between games.  What a treat to be able to steal away some time with our precocious 5 year old grandson.  It is to him that I dedicate this blog!!


Our youngest grandson, Nicholas, was born on a snowy December day ... the roads were covered with ice and we weren't able to see him until he was a couple days old.  It was well worth the wait ... he was a bundle of joy ... a Christmas gift from God to his family.  Nicholas was and has been a shy little guy ... well, that is until the past few months.  Nicholas has bloomed and has come into his own.  He's a happy fellow that talks a mile a minute greeting everyone with an impish smile.




Nicholas - Catcher!

Nicholas played a great game getting in some pretty awesome hits and catches.  He also played catcher and was so cute in his get-up.  For such a little guy, he has an amazing arm and can really knock that t-ball out into the field!!  I think Nicholas has found his nitch in sports. 

 

After the game Zachary had practice before his game and we asked if we could steal our youngest grandson away for a few hours while we did errands.  We needed to go to Petco to pick up dog food.  You'd have thought that we went to the best zoo around.  Nicholas checked out the fish (I didn't know there were so many different kinds of Beta fish!), the rats, the mice, the gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, cats, snakes, lizards, turtles ... you name it, we checked it out.  They had little carts just his size and he decided that he would be in charge of the dog food and getting it to the check out counter.  After a quick trip to the "necessary room" we were on to our next store ... Target.

Target was another world of wonder for Nicholas.  He was playing hide and seek in the pots and pans aisle, helping Grandpa pick out a t-shirt to wear to Zachary's baseball game, and, of course, we had to make a trip to the toy section.  I laughed ... Nicholas is quite a haggler.  He asked for 3 toys and I said "1" ... then, he asked for 2 toys and I said "1" ... then, he cocked his head and said, "how about if I get 1 now and maybeeee one later?"  I said, "1 and we'll see about the later."  He was happy and I bought more time!




Hide and seek at Target!


Nicholas had decided his tummy was rumbling and that a Happy Meal would hit the spot ... a cheeseburger, fries, and orange juice...  In no time, he munched down his food and we headed for the ball park to watch big brother Zachary play ball...

Grandpa & Nicholas check out Miss Eva's cabin!

Oops ... Grandpa spied a park that had the first post office building in Little Elm and also Miss Eva's cabin.  We decided to make a pit stop and check them out.  Nicholas was close on Grandpa's heels and as they walked to the cabin, they discovered some bumble bees.  Although they were pretty, we decided it would be best not to disturb them.  We did get some neat photos though.



Zachary ... what a guy!

Luckily, we weren't late for Zachary's game and enjoyed an hour of excitement watching the Longhorns beat their opponents 20-1.  Zachary was 3 for 3 with 3 scores.  Way to go big brother!!


All too soon, it was time to say so long ...  Michael and I were hoping to extend the afternoon of fun but as it turned out, we had to take a rain check.  I left the ballpark happy having had 3 hours of bliss with a little guy filled with spirit and joy!  It was another time of seizing the moment and savoring every second.

Children are truly a gift from the Lord.  They teach us so much about not being selfish and extending ourselves into their lives.  When I spend time with my grandchildren, the time is about entering their world and absorbing all that they have to offer which is so very much.

Yesterday, the love of Nicholas was at the forefront of my day.  I thank God for him and all He created this little guy to be.



Nicholas and I wish you all a great day!


Some years ago now, this song was recorded by many famous recording artists ... I thought of it as I was writing and wanted to share it with you ... Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!  Now, go enjoy your day!



Time Stands Still for No Man!

Phew!  It's been awhile since I've done a blog.  I've been at the little casa and working my (ahem) off.  We started this renovation project just a year ago and, would you believe, we're still at it?  Somehow, I think that we will always be doing something there because that just how old houses are!

The older I have gotten, the faster the days seem to go by.  Seems like yesterday we had a snow storm and here it is, April, and the flowers are blooming and nature is exploding with the newness of life.  I came back home to roses going crazy and my garden looking pretty dapper!!  I started my gardens the spring of 2004 and they are maturing nicely and not needing so much care.  It's a different story at the little casa.  All the grass died in the backyard and basically, other than trees, it is a blank slate.  Because the house is so small, the yard is very big.  Dad S's tools are getting a good workout!!

I am so very grateful for my days ... when you get to be a "senior citizen" the certainty of death is never far away.  I go to the nursing home to see Mom S and am surrounded by people living their last days.  Mom's roommate is younger than I am; however, Paula has MS and I'm afraid it's taking her down rather quickly.  Today, it was difficult for her to talk and move her hands so I helped her with some lip softener.  She had a tear in her eye as she whispered, "thank you."  Mom had her shower today, her hair fixed and was ready for therapy to strengthen her arms and legs.  She was feeling down and achy and wasn't keen on my trip home for a few days.  I think she thinks of me as a bit of a security blanket.  As I jumped into Lily to begin the drive home, I felt sad ... being a caretaker is a constant reminder of my own road ahead of me.  I fight it, but I know it will come...

The trip back home was long and gave me time to think and reflect.  I wanted to run ... I wanted to make the most of my day ... I called my daughter and left a message for her ... I talked with Michael to catch up on what needed to be done when I got home ... I looked at the Bluebonnets and pulled over to photograph them ... I wanted to cram as much as possible into my day!  Time won't stand still ... it just keeps marching on.  For some reason today, I wanted the clock to stop so I could catch up on life.  There have been so many times I've taken my life for granted and slept when I should have been doing.  There will be time enough when life will slow down to a slow rumble and I, too, may be one of those living in a tiny room wondering "why didn't I do __________".

Life itself is such a gift ... a gift to be cherished and NEVER taken for granted.  Each season of life has it's purpose and is to be savored.  As a young mom, there were days when I was tending a colicky baby that I wished that child would be "out of that stage".  Even then, there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do all I wanted to do.  Then, I realized "first things first."  I've always been a good manager of time and, like most women, able to multi-task so I've managed to accomplish much in my life.  The one thing I think I did miss was the "savoring of the moment."  I bit off big chunks time and time again and swallowed without tasting ... Today, I can enjoy the beauty of a well-prepared meal accompanied by laughter and fellowship and stay in the moment.  Ah, yes ... I want to cram as much as possible into my days, spontaneously making the most of each opportunity to love and be loved!!

Having Fibromyalgia has taught me to grab my good days with both hands and to be patient with myself on the days my body aches and I can't do what my mind wants to do.  Michael says I do more with Fibro than most people do that are without it.  I don't know ... I think I recognize it more when I have to say "no" and take care of myself.  I've always been on call for my family ... now, I do what I can when I can.  I don't know why I feel guilty about that but I do.

I have a new friend at the little casa.  We have so many different things in common and have lots of fun touring the little Texas cities around us.  How does that old ditty go?  "Make new friends but keep the old ... one is silver and the other gold."  I have been fortunate to have been blessed with wonderful friendships over the years and cherish the many memory making moments shared.  My friend is like me in that she too fills her days with moments of laughter and fun.   I like that! There is one thing that separates us and that is a love of the Lord, Jesus.  It is my prayer that she will see Him in me and come to know Him as her savior.  She seems to have a phobia against organized religion stemming from a very strict religious upbringing.  I won't mention the church but I have heard her story all too often from those raised in this religion.  Sad...

Yes, time stands still for no man ... time marches on never skipping a beat ... always moving forward ... At the end of my day I look back and take stock ... did I miss anything?  Do I need to make amends for any hurts causes?  I'm not afraid of doing that now for I am an empathetic person and I am able to put myself in someone else's shoes.  I rest in knowing that I did all my Lord asked of me...

"...not since it began, nor till it ends - time unrelentingly rolls on.  Each moment, either wasted or spent wisely, becoming no more than a memory as it slips into the unchangeable past ... But though each moments becomes little more than a memory, yet the effects of what is said, thought, and done, in that moment live on."~~Scott Armstrong

May the sweet scent of the rose fill your senses with love and life!!  Always remember, you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

   

 

 

Traveling light!

Back yard at little casa ... April

It's a beautiful morning in Central Texas.  The wild flowers are starting to peek out of the ground.  We drove to Waco yesterday and I was amazed at the Blue Bonnets that were coming up.  Won't be long and we will have waves of blue sweeping the countryside.  I definitely will post photos ... the wild flowers peak around mid April!!

Now that the garage is cleaned out at the little casa, I am starting to envision a plan for the backyard.  It is so shady back there that it is tough to get grass to grow.  Will probably need to think about doing some ground covers and paths.  I tried to dig a hole to see how far the dirt went down and I didn't get very far.  The ground is rock hard!!  I did find some paving stones and got part of a path going and decided on what I wanted to do in my first garden.  Perfect spot for a Japanese Maple and some hollies that enjoy the shade sprinkled with sunlight.  I get so excited about plotting and digging and making something beautiful where there was just drabness and mud!

FINALLY!!  Yesterday we managed to finalize a deal on a refrigerator (to replace the one damaged in the flood at the little casa) and a stacked washer/dryer combination.  Yea!  A week from this next Thursday I will be able to buy groceries and do laundry here.  The store manager at Lowe's has been wonderfully generous to give us extra discounts on our purchases.  I know that problems always can occur when doing a complete redo of a kitchen ... I always say that you can tell how good a store is by how they handle problems.  So far, so good!  Lowe's is still my favorite store!

I travel light these days.  For such a long while, I was a collector of just about everything.  We moved because we filled up space and needed more room!  I was living to take care of stuff ... I was worrying about stuff ... I was surrounded by stuff ... I cleaned stuff and organized stuff to make room for more stuff.  I am sort of a neat freak so you can only imagine how long it took me to organize, clean and care for the stuff around me...  Then, one day, I woke up with the diagnosis of having degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia and degenerative osteoarthritis.  I had the choice of spending all my time taking care of stuff and sleeping or paring down and enjoying more of life.  I chose not to spend all my time with a dust rag and mop in my hands!

Another area where I had to pare down was stress.  Stress causes a lot of problems not only emotionally but physically as well.  You can't control all stressors; however, I found that I could control my reaction to other people and events.  I love the Serenity Prayer!  ... God help me to change the things I can...

Speaking of travel ... On our trip to Waco yesterday, we stopped in Abbott, Texas to see the town and church were Willie Nelson grew up and played.  Willie purchased the church in 2006 so that it could keep going. One of my favorite recording artists has always been Willie so it was nice to take in a bit of his history.    There is so much history all around us and day trips are not only inexpensive but fun as well.  Sing it Willie!!!!

Toby on top of storm cellar

My hubby is off to get some coffee and breakfast burritos.  What a welcome treat!  I like to go out and sit on the storm shelter and munch on my food.  My mind is always going 100 miles an hour creating something and it's a good place to think through my ideas.  Being retired and having a shortage of funds means getting very creative not only in my financing but in my doing.  There is an empty lot across the street where I have gotten ground cover and Iris.  Just took a little energy and ohwala, I had a little garden planted for zero cost!  My neighbor tells me that there are places were I can dig up antique roses as well so that's on my agenda for next time I am here!!

My prayer and hope for you this Sunday is that God will bless your socks off ... that your baggage in life isn't too heavy ... that you are able to travel light and enjoy everything and everyone around you!!  I love the poem Travel Light by Britney Pieta which was inspired by the book, TRAVEL LIGHT, by Max Lucado.

We start our journey with nothing but ourselves,
With no attachments, no burdens, just the clothes on our backs,
As children we have baggage of stuffed animals and blankets.

Growing up, life seems to hand us more and more things to carry,
We carry a backpack for school and take on the task of learning,
Given grades that seem to tell us of our worth.

We carry the task of finding who we are in adolescence,
Awards, trophies, and photo albums that stare at us,
Our schedule of things we need to do in our lives is as long as Santa’s list.

Not only physical burdens make us lose our strength,
Parents trust us with more and more information about the world,
Things that make us feel the world is not a safe place.

We learn about all the hard things in the world,
Carrying emotional heartaches from breakups,
Boxes of stuff that remind us of that person that we drag from relationship to relationship.

We start to feel as though we want to solve the world’s problems,
Having all sorts of files overflowing our suitcase of responsibilities to people,
Trying to become those people that we look up to while we are switching from job to job.

Physical and mental burdens weighing us down like a ton of rocks,
Who can wonder why we can barely move another step?
God didn’t make us to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Release your burdens out the window,
 Let life’s burdens and fears be carried with you no more—travel light.

I declare this Take A Day Trip Day ... It's a perfect day to get outside and enjoy the fresh air!  Don't forget how much you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!

West, TX - famous for Czech restaurants and bakeries!