we’re still sharing time together ‘In The Garden’, only now we are three…..These last days I have spent hours with my friend and God. We have talked and walked together for years and many times discussed death, however, he and I have never been face to face.
Our lives are relived when crisis knocks…It is never ‘our turn’ when we awaken each day. The sun comes up, the sun goes down, 8 to 5 at work, then to the gym, then home for supper, a little house upkeep. TV, and on to bed. Kids are well, bills are paid, car is running, and our parents are fine…..until one day when there is a sequence of events that changes everything. No problem, we are Christians, we know where we are and where we are going. Right…..just wait til your sequence of events becomes even more….perhaps an accident, a disease, divorce, or job loss.
God, where did you go? What’s happened here? I’m unstable and seem to be losing my way! I knew things like this happened, but to me!
It’s time to remember our walk in the garden….the moments spent in preparation for the wonders and disasters of living. Stop, wait, breathe deeply, and go to your garden. God is waiting, patiently, always thru the good and bad, just waiting for you to come home. The door is always open to share the peaks and valleys with the one who loves us regardless….
Fly’in by the seat of my pants on this one…..My friend is close to dying, in a hospital far away.
Sometimes he wants to go and sometimes he says out loud “I want to live, I don’t want to die!” and then he struggles to breathe. I’ve been thinking of him, about what I’d do, if it were me, etc….all day.
He has been sick for about 4 years. He is a Christian. He teaches it, he believes it, and is joyous to be a disciple. His cancer has come and gone, again and again. He musters himself to the cancer center for chemo, tests, talks, suggestions, and promise. Then he returns home to face his demons with strength from his God, his family, his church, his friends.
His walk with God is friendly, as a long married couple, who seems to know what the other is thinking. And yet, like all of us, he loves his life. He enjoys what God has provided all …finches announcing the rising sun on a summer’s day; the smell of orange blossoms, the hugs he receives at church, the ability to help in healing services and offer communion; the joy of a son, the burst of beauty as fall comes to New England, the Gulf of Mexico cooling his feet during an evening walk, and just knowing, in spite of it all, God is with him,in him, around him, thru him, as He is with everyone.
As a friend, I want him in peace and without pain. As a friend, I don’t want to lose him. As a Christian, I know it is all ok.
This is not my first friend to come close to death, or to die. My first was a good friend in my church who died when we were in our early 40’s. I hurt for her then because her death was an a health accident. She was so brave. I had another friend who died of ovarian cancer. She had it for years and no doctor ever caught it. We were in our 50’s then.
Now I am 70 and it is hard to even type the number. Losing those friends of 10, 20, 50 years will become more common…and I will, once again, see and feel great bravery, just as I see right now.
So on this June day, I to feel lost in time…not knowing whether is peace will come with death, or with a rejuvenation to live on, ready to continue the fight….so the songs of finches can awaken him tomorrow morning.
Peace be with you all, in whatever chapter your life is in.
And if you have an old hymnal around, read the words of ‘In the Garden”….it serves me well in times like these.
I guess this one will be short…….Because the NRA wants those who want guns, to be able to carry guns, I feel it is a good time to pass on the responsibility that goes with this ‘want’. There are varying ways of purchasing guns in each state, as well as rules.
I feel this responsibility should lie with those who push for the right to carry. The NRA should become the overseer for this right. Anyone who purchases a gun should be denied ownership unless they belong to the NRA and adhere strictly to the rules of the NRA. This, of course, should include all those who now own one, too.
It is quite evident that our policing cannot keep up with illegal activities and having the NRA backup would certainly make their jobs easier. Our local and state governments have tried many ways to help curtail the sale of guns to people who should not own them. I am sure the NRA will have a positive effect in local and state government, gun stores and gun shows, and also selling person to person. I know this organization is highly efficient in working with their membership and assume an this growth would be to their advantage.
My dearest friend…Pookie, age 20 1/2, an American short hair (feline) we adopted almost 19 years ago, is having ‘old people’ problems. It was especially yucky this morning when he decided to barf on my rug beside our bed (at least he gets down from his (my pillow) first)….I flew out of bed and moved him 2 feet so when it happened, it happened on the wood floor. Hubby and I were up (we know the sound and can detect it in the deepest sleep) getting paper towel, windex, all the time watching were we stepped. Minutes later we were snoring and he was purring…..
This is not an everyday occurrence, however, it does happen at least once or twice a week. God made some cats with queasy stomachs and we’ve got one! Yes he’s on medication and all is pretty well, most of the time.
HOWEVER…….Called my sis as she was on her way to work this AM…She is 3 hours behind in Nevada….’I’m sorry’, she said….’I can best you today’. (And she did)
She has two beagles…Oscar, the easy-going ‘grandfatherly’ type decided to enter the sacred bathroom where her 18-year-old cat lives. He has ‘old people problems’ to, but they are different. Anyhow, Oscar crept in to find the buffet of a lifetime. No dog is allowed in there and so my sis carefully puts poop/litter and uneaten food in a bag in the trash. When she retired last evening things were glorious….This morning, disaster.
She walked into the bathroom at 6AM to find Oscar covered with kitty litter and in all four paws. All the other ingredients of the bag were probably in him. He had litter on his face, in his mouth, even in between his teeth.
This is a time when no words must be spoken and all fire arms must be at least 10 miles away. Luckily she had neither….words or firearms.
After a shower in the shower,and a pick for teeth and gums, Oscar is clean and I assume still alive…on his (her pillow, as above) all is forgiven.
She will never assume the bathroom door is completely closed, again and probably sleep with one eye open. Hubby and I will continue to administer ‘chicken flavored reglan’ daily, and sleep with one ear open.
You were made for Fargo BB…it took a while for me to see how the characters were going to interact, but it is a great series. How you wind yourself thru these ordinary lives is something else. Well, almost ordinary….on the outside
I guess it is true, if you love Justified, you’ll be happy to be in your seat for Fargo…..FX 10PM on Tues. Be there or be square…..nothing like a snowy night, a few bodies, some idiots, and a little gore….to keep me going. Thanks FX
They’re gone! I repeat….’they are gone’! The snowbirds are retreating to the north….the harsh winter has ended, and the daffodils are pushing through the wintery mess. It is as though the smell of Spring began drifting into the state of Florida. Having to cut fresh green grass doesn’t seem like a chore in April, now! If you live in the Midwest you understand why winter must come and spring must follow. It offers rest and rebirth to every living creature and every seed of winter wheat. Redbud peek through the woods on the Interstate, tulips thrust out of the soil overnight and seem to grow an inch a day. And then there are the lilac ……there are no words to explain the experience of being near lilac…and better yet, having a bunch in your favorite vase on the dining room table.
Farmers hope for just the right amount of rain, even a little snow, and then warmer days so they can get out into the fields to plant. Soil is turned and turned again. Little streams still run full as snow melts further north, winding their way through new housing developments, and into ‘creeks’ where good fishing will come in just a few months. Flowers show up in the back seats of cars each weekend, carefully chosen by their new owner, to bring color to drab neighborhoods.
Sleds and snow blowers go into hibernation for another 3 seasons. In their place, the new swing sets are assembled, and tricycles rest beside cars.
It is a sight!
Little League fathers come out of their dens…..riding lawnmowers and gardening equipment caravan to local baseball fields. Soon….’play ball’ will be heard across small towns everywhere. And all because of the faint and yet endearing ‘feeling’ that spring is in the air, as life moves from indoors to the patios and parks of these wonderful states.
My friend and I do a bible study each Tuesday. We don’t make any claims. We glean information from articles, different bibles, and our own walk with Christ, using the bumpy ones especially.
We finished the New Testament over a month ago and decided on some new material….books that were chosen for the Catholic Bible only. (Before we go any longer, one of the topics has to do with when the bible is capitalized and when it isn’t. No one, including the books and articles seem to follow the all or nothing way of writing ‘bible.) So I’ll just go along and whatever comes thru my fingers, well I hope you understand I mean no harm.
Tobit was our first choice…the main feature in the hour each Tuesday. The ‘short’ was a discussion on how the bible came to be the bible…especially the one we know today. There were some pieces of info that I thought were terrible interesting, however, when noticed half the class had or was nodding off, I spoke quickly and closed early…hoping the main feature would be better received.
Tobit is a nice is a nice story…a kind of novel, as it was described in commentaries. There are lots of good characters and everyone tries their very best to be good. Tobit walks the good walk and sees that his family is informed about being a follower.
He makes pretty good money and treats his employees well, and banks away whatever he can. I am not going to give you a blow by blow description of how the story begins or ends, cause it’s worth reading. One of my favorite parts is when Tobit takes a nap and the birds poop in his eyes, on accident. He loses his eyesight and begins a new life, unable to see anyone or anything. You’ve got to read the book to find out what happened….and how he regains his eyesight! C’mon, it’s only 18 chapters, I think (give or take)
Another character is St. Raphael….and he is in disguise throughout most of the book….St. Raphael is a nice guy/angel and is remembered by many Catholic and Episcopal parishioners.
None one fell asleep during Tobit…..of course we did serve cookies…….later
No need to make two blogs out of this……liked Johns..loved Justified. Now there is to be a quiet moment for both…. John probably will not be back in my life any time soon, but Justified…well that’s another bloody story. I’ll give Fargo a shot, caused I loved the movie and its characters. If it catches my fancy, thank goodness for Direct…and my ability to record.
We were on the far side of town going to an auction…..oh boy, oh boy, it was close to Long John Silvers, the only one for miles around. There was even a coupon wadded up in my purse…it was meant to be.
Sad to say it was not…..I have been lucky enough to dine in exquisite restaurants, and drive-ins….I like them both. I realize there is usually supposed to be a difference between the two. More often than not, a $35.00 meal tastes like a 8.99 meal, but that’s another story.
I’ve been a fan of Long Johns since I was in my early twenties, and that’s a long time. I remember, way back when, I used to buy the fish dinner with a side order of all the ‘crispies’ that came out of the cooker and broke off the fish. I was not alone when it came to ordering that extra and if Long John’s would have seen the light, they could have been charging all of us for it…..and we would have paid!!! Those were the days when you ordered the fish, chips, hush puppies, and a sweet calorie filled coke….you ate it all…..and never gained an ounce, not one. Those days have vanished, but that’s another story.
Well back to this one…..Hubby ordered the new platter with the lobster pieces, etc. and I ordered the 2 piece fish with fries and a drink. There was great anticipation…knowing it was going to be good and always a little greasy. I even accepted the fact I would probably put on a pound before I got home…but who cares, it was Long John Silvers!
Fries were a little mushy, didn’t finish them, hush puppies were not greasy, they were GREASY, I left one, not one crispie lay on my little white food holder (Okay, I didn’t ask for any)…Hubby’s lobster was the size of the tip of his little finger and was at least 1 to 1 1/2″ in size…no lobster to speak of but lots of breading. He ate one 1/2 piece of fish and left the other, not all his fries, and we said the hush puppy batter had to have changed, cause there was hardly any taste.
So sad, too bad…..checked with my bro and sis/law who are also Long John followers….they said they did partake of Long Johns while in Las Vegas and agreed with us, that the good ole days of Long John Silvers are just that…
Wish that pound would have tasted better……and you do know what I mean……later
Well, it’s been awhile…..holidays and all, but the ideas and the questions still remain. Certain writers of the Bible wore different hats….some were followers, leaders, disciples, and pastors. As one can realize, most of us are exactly the same…..as in we wear, or have worn, different Bible Hats! We were, in our youth, blind followers…whatever Mom and Dad did, so did we. As we grew, whatever church had the most kids in the youth group….was the church of choice. We were not at the point of arguments over beliefs, attitudes, and church law, at age 15 or even 20. But somewhere, in our twenties, although we weren’t really ‘in’ to church, we began to see there was a difference…..
Our church was ‘a lot like’ all the others one may say. Maybe they had communion once a week, once a month, or on special occasions, but it ‘sounded’ pretty much the same. And really, ‘who cared’? We entered into deep conversations in high school and college, and the words liberal and conservative came into play. If one lived in a small town in the Ohio Valley (like me), not a lot of discussion erupted about ‘flower children’, San Francisco and pot, runaways, etc….unless it had to do with music. The 50’s/60’s kids worried about beer, cigarettes, and getting pregnant…that was the gossip that stirred up neighborhoods, and broke up families. In other words, unless there was a family catastrophe, we all pretty much went with the flow…
Well, here comes adulthood…..here comes marriage, kids, near family, far family, and other opinionated people……And that, my friends is how all this mess about ‘who do we serve’ began. Same God, same Bible, same teachings, same churches, same neighborhood, even same problems. However, now WE knew how to deal.
We were the leaders, we made the decisions in our family, neighborhood, town, and church, according to how much we wanted to participate. And we kind of put God on the backburner. He was there, we remembered all the verses, etc. but what about the laws, the rules, the ‘being disciples’? “I’m doing my job”, you’d say…”I serve on the board, I teach a class, I pick up the ones that need a ride, I sing in the choir, I’m a leader…..” But as the pastors, the leaders, the new disciples of the first century would ask…..how ya do’in?
You see, that’s what they were asking the churches they had just founded….Everything looked good in the beginning…..the idea was good, (Christianity), no one really cared (other beliefs), and the pastors were dynamic in their preaching. But when the excitement wore off and the daily grind became the norm….those who had made promises to carry on the teaching, kind of ….. well, let things slide. It was just a lot of extra trouble….being right with the church all the time. The other beliefs seemed to just be easier…they were ‘used to the other ways’…. and who wanted trouble in the ‘hood’.
Things haven’t changed much…..sometimes being a Christian is ‘just a lot of trouble’……Well, guess who is still around…waiting….waiting, year after year, century after century, waiting for the opportunity only you can give….God. He didn’t walk when you did, He’s still waiting patiently. He said he would, and his promise hasn’t changed….even when he was a youngster, a teenager, and an adult. Who are you serving today…..is the door still open?
seriouslyscorpio 