On The Mend

This was the first really good afternoon after the surgery...the morning stunk, but I am doing better. Cleaned some places around the house and my granddaughters and I did pumpkin pies since tomorrow will finally be our Thanksgiving.

I needed a snack this evening so I cut up and apple and warmed it in the microwave. Tomorrow will be busy, but I'm on the mend so that's okay.

A Season for Peace

Life after surgery for me is stiff, extremely stiff. I stayed in one position for over 48 hours before and after the event and my rib cage feels so out of practice for sitting.

I went shopping for groceries with my husband tonight...shopping for bargains in these tough times can be fun. We mostly did the "big box" stores so I rode around in one of those carts with a basket. I must admit I was quite a hazard since they aren't always easy to control but I didn't run over anyone.

It was really good to get out of the house and see people, even if I didn't know them. I scooted around with my poor husband trailing behind me. I had asked him if he wanted to stay in the car, but he said he didn't wanted to so I just kept going and got all we needed in three stores for less than I thought I would.

I still have to get to the dog's market, but that's for a small item thank goodness.

Christmas as a season has begun. This is always my favorite time of year, and not because of presents! I love the cold, and early snowfall, Handel's Messiah, classical and early Christmas music and of course the way our church looks all decked out in evergreens.

This can be the beginnings for a season of peace. We all need that.

Peace

This is a strange event for me...I spent three - no, four days in the hospital with my gallbladder. It's out now, but I'm totally out of it. Peace to everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving.

A Simple Quote

Life is not about convincing others to our way of thinking…instead life is about sharing who we are to better understand each other so we can grow to know the pain that others deal with and pray for their release, or that they can be given strength to deal with that pain.

In other words, life is sharing our love with others – no strings attached.

Birds of a Feather

Winter is here! Now, being a Michigan native I realize that we will probably lose the snow and go back to the varying browns of fall but the first real snow fall and freeze kills all the plants that were the symbol of what we all know as fall.

It's funny how many people see see the fall season as dull and colorless. On the other hand I see the various warm shades of browns and maroons tempered by what is left of the small batches of green that the grass seems to have most of the winter if we have any snow melting occurs.

What I enjoy the most about the fall is the abundance of birds that gather daily at my feeders. I'm a birder, but I don't have binoculars and I don't go traipsing all over looking for the unusual feathered friends. Instead I spend hours watching the feeders and trees where the birds hide or sit in my yard throughout the day. They are the real jewels that color the world after fall and before the snow covers everything.

A Simple Query...

A new age has begun, and it's one that should have come a long time ago. People in Northern Europe have lived for years a simpler less "thing" cluttered life, we Americans on the other hand, have become obsessed with the acquisition of almost everything. The idea that people can become addicted to shopping has got to say something about our attitude toward the concept of buying simply for the fun of it.

I believe the Europeans have it right. Less can definitely be more in our daily lives. Having time to read, to talk or simply think without the interruptions that haunt us in our daily lives would really be a luxury.

How about instead of a happy life, simply a contentment with who we are in our every day lives. The economy is making us lose a lot - can it also help us gain even more?

Who are We Really?

I am really praying for a quiet weekend, but I am pretty sure it will turn out to be more of the same that I've had this past few months - one of being scheduled to the hilt! I want two days to lay abed, to read and doze and maybe contemplate my navel!! We are way too busy and way too tired these days. I'm strugglin even to calm the days and weeks just a bit I unwind, so I'm taking the evenings (And even later sometimes.) by turning off the tube and reading or writing, or simply taking a little time in my comfy bed.

I think we as a nation are over tired, over stressed and empty in the contentment column. (Note that I did not say the happiness column - though it is used in the Declaration of Independence it isn't a reachable goal but I believe a calm, content life is something to strive for in this day of no money as we live with the reality of our economical constraints as well as the fears. It is not easy these days for those of us in the "average American" part of this country. Fulfillment must now come from something other than the gathering or acquisition of things.

Today mine comes from grandkids, and days spent in the company of those special little people; in the quiet of a very small, comfortable home that affords peaceful places to read, think and write; in the kitchen where I can mix, knead and bake bread to my heart's content; and finally in my garden where my creativity is tied up with the plants and flowers that grace that small diamond shaped piece of ground.

My personal peace is also found in the friendships that are not bound up in constant dinners out or parties, but rather in good conversations and even moments of silent companionship. We as a country really need to find our true selves outside of the jobs or the money, and find out who we are down deep inside, that way we can learn to rely on that honesty to set the tone for the rest of our years.