Time passes…

Each morning I wake up. The sun has illuminated the sky from behind the horizon. It will rise soon, an hour earlier (according to timekeeping devices only) starting tomorrow (yuck!) . I lay in bed and thank Yahuah/Yahweh/the LORD/the Creator, that I am alive and have another day to bring joy to him, to hopefully make a difference in the lives I come into contact with throughout the day. I pet the cats, get dressed, fill water bottles for the day, read the newspaper comics section while I eat, then start my day.

Pandemic or no, life has continued with minor changes. I wake up, I do what I do, I go to bed, and start the process the next day after (hopefully) a good night of sleep. My hair continues to get grayer… and thinner… and straighter. I continue to have days when I am happy with my hair, and days when I think it looks old, I should do something different. I just don’t have the mental energy to find a new look, or figure out how to get my old look with new hair. Or, maybe it’s not lack of energy, but a lack of motivation? After all, working in our dusty garage organizing, or out in the garden, my long hair is usually pulled up and out of my face and off my neck for comfort. It’s rare that I have an occasion to look nice. But then, I feel bad that my husband has to see the grungy or freshly showered with wet hair me when he gets home every night. Last night I used a lot of hairspray and curled my tresses for him.

Our grandchildren continued to grow and mature during these unprecedented times too. Yikes! Our oldest is almost my full 5’8” height at 13 years old! What a strange feeling. I don’t remember feeling that weird when our son passed my height. Didn’t have to with our daughter, she is a couple inches shorter than I am. Will they all pass me up in height? Maybe just my sons two oldest? Genetics fascinate me.

Plants continued to grow this year too. Voles continued to create dirt mounds in the lawn area. They even decided to eat the roots of one of my young apple trees this winter. Sad, but true. I found it laying on the ground after some wind. I know it wasn’t the wind, because it wasn’t uprooted, and there were the tell tale mounds of dirt at the base of the tree. Yah willing, they won’t get find the other three tree’s roots as tasty. Maybe I should plant insects in the ground for them so they leave the plants alone. Sigh.

Babies were born last year and are now crawling or walking, eating mush and gooing and cooing to imitate talk. Just like in the past. Cars racked up miles as they were driven. Just like in the past. Businesses stayed open, some closed, some new ones opened. Just like in the past. Trees produced flowers, then pollen (gesundheit!), then leaves, provided shade, the leaves turned colors then fell to the earth. Just like in the past.

Time has passed, and continues to pass. At my age, 55, it sometimes seems to be an alarming rate. I almost feel like 2020 didn’t really happen, but all the signs show it did. Yes, many things changed, masks were worn, telecommuting become common for way more people, less people traveled, etc. But, time continued, each day happened, the changes were just a little more dramatic than we are used to.

I want to be sure not to let the things that did change be my focus. The details of life are always in flux, changing from day to day. Governments change, ways of life change, people change. But, time continues to pass, life continues. As humans, we need hope, something to look forward to. I can be sad because I can’t travel to where part of my family is, or I can be thankful for video calls with said family. I can be angry with governmental changes I don’t agree with, or I can be thankful I don’t live in a war torn nation in Africa. I can be bummed that food prices seem to have doubled overnight, or be thankful I have food and pray for those who don’t. It’s all about perspective.

I wish for this world, an attitude of gratitude. That people could learn to be content with life, with the sun rising and setting each day. To be able to look past the struggle and find something, no matter how small, to be thankful for. Maybe if we all practiced this, this world would be a better place. Maybe.

Contented…

There is frost on the ground outside and thin, gray clouds in the sky. The sun still hangs low in the southeast, and peeks out from behind the clouds periodically. For those brief moments, the living room is bathed is golden light, and seems to warm up, although, I know that is more psychological than anything given the briefness of its appearance.

The cats are playing WrestleMania across the great room, leaping into each other from the tops of the couches, running into the kitchen, ambushing from a kitchen chair. Every now and then, one will escape the other with a leap to a window sill for a brief respite, only to leap into action again with no notice.

My father is sitting with his green tea at his oak roll top desk. When he saw it for sale, he said he’d always wanted a roll top. Not my favorite look, but he bought it. He is probably scrolling through FB for new pictures of his great grandchildren and checking his emails. Every now and then he lets out a cough. He has COPD and post nasal drip, so that cough has become a regular sound in our home.

After walking to the mailbox in the briskness of the morning, enjoying a few minutes with my Creator, I enjoyed a soy free, sugar free, dairy free, chocolate protein shake very early for breakfast, and will top it off with some oatmeal with freeze dried blueberries and pecans. Then, I will head upstairs to read the Scriptures and pray, and probably nap. Later, when my honey wakes up, we may discuss some of what we have been reading, or maybe I will read a book while he reads the newspaper. We plan to drive into town to walk around a new park along the river, then maybe rewatch some episodes of The Chosen.

It’s a beautiful day, and my heart is overflowing with joy. I hope you can find things to make today a joyous one.

Yesterday…

Yesterday… I was in a hurry getting my clothes hung out to dry that I didn’t see the Praying Mantis that has been hanging around our back porch. He was on the ground in front of my drying rack, and I stepped on him. I feel awful. For some reason this incident has had a profound effect on me. The other day, I showed him to the grands, they asked why he was hanging on the screen. We looked up what they ate and read about them. When we looked again, he was eating something. I developed a respect and appreciation for the majestic, yet carnivorous insect. And now, I may have ended his life…

Yesterday… My honey wanted to check out progress on the shop work. I showed him that we created a mechanical closet and decided on decorative beam sizes and locations. as we went outside so I could show him the pillars and how they were getting wrapped, I was surprised and thrilled to see that the long wall was completely sheathed, and half the battens were on too!! I didn’t realize they had gotten that much done before they left for the weekend.

Yesterday… After dropping my honey’s car off for an oil change and several maintainance items recommended for 120K miles, I came home and found three large bowls of produce on our kitchen counter! Beautiful green peppers, corn, cucumbers, zucchini and an entire bowl of blackberries! What a blessing. Seems some friends of ours wanted to bless us with the abundance of their garden. I immediately sent them a text thanking them.

Yesterday… When I went out to the garage for something, I saw the neighbor’s black cat heading our way for some food and petting. While dinner cooked in the Instant Pot, I sat on the front porch with her. After a few minutes of pets, she lied down on a stair and we both sat quietly, listening to a blackbird in a tree close by, with the periodic buzz of a fly near my head. It was warm in the shade, but pleasant. It was one of those perfect moments, and I was sure to thank Yahuah our Creator for that moment.

Yesterday… Since I like to get my Sabbath meals prepped the day before, I made time for cooking a few things. I had enough time to strip a precooked chicken down and prepare a casserole for my daughter in law for after she has a baby sometime in the next few weeks, make gluten free shortcakes and strawberries for this morning’s Sabbath breakfast, and start the crockpot with the chicken bones and skin to make some fresh chicken stock.

Yesterday… my honey and I walked after dinner, and were awed by seeing the sun setting behind our house. It looked huge, and was deep red colored due to smoke in the air. We could look right at it. It was spectacular.

I hope today, will become a beautiful yesterday for each of you also.