Galveston Time

From our hotel balcony.

 Hubby and I made a trip to Galveston to see the Glenn Miller Orchestra. 

As a child, I listened to my aunt's recordings of the band's renditions. I played the song, "In the Mood" over and over. It sounded happy to me.

The band we saw in Galveston was excellent. They were not the original group, of course, but they were as good as the first assembly of musicians. 

I bought the tickets in advance. I also made hotel reservations. We are about two hours from Galveston, and we didn't want to return late at night, so we stayed over. Besides, a stay in Galveston is always lovely. I enjoy gazing at the water, even if it is seldom blue. The Gulf of America/Mexico is always grey when I view it.

As we drove, heavy rain pelted us. We had to pull off the highway and wait a few minutes before we could see to drive on to our destination.

When one purchases tickets in advance, how does one know the weather? Right?

From the Internet.

We had planned to Uber from the hotel to the 1884 Grand Opera House in Galveston, but I don't know how to use the Uber app properly, so we drove our car instead.

This theater opened in 1895, but I suppose the founders planned it in 1894, thus the name, 1894 Opera House.

It is old, but it is filled with ambience. The audience must have been smaller than today's patrons. The leg room in the place was kin to that of an airplane.

We sat beside a couple who live in Galveston and hold season tickets. The lady told me they have looked all over the auditorium for the best leg room, but the seating in the place didn't have it.

Americans grow larger these days than they did in 1894.

I needed to trip to Galveston. As you know, if you read my blogs, our daughter lives in heaven now, but I continue to grieve.

If you have a chance to see and hear the Glenn Miller Orchestra, go! You will enjoy it. The movie, "The Glenn Miller Story" is a wonderful movie. It stars James Stewart and June Allyson.

On a different subject. My book, Sarah and the Angelic Magical Makeover is free today!  I wrote it, but when I read it, I still laugh. It's a feel good book.

Sarah and the Angelic Magical Makeover

Rejection Hurts

 

A New Year is here. Yay!  We can put away the decorations and look forward to a fresh beginning. Right?

But wait a second! What about the old feelings?  You know what I mean? Those emotions of anger and sadness because someone hurt our feelings last year. Yeah, those.

We experience domestic times at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those two holidays occurred just two or three months ago. They were nerve-racking, merry-go-round for countless families. Did you suffer disappointments with relatives during those recent festivities?  Does the irritation; anxiety, or pain still linger? Will it last forever?

Family Rejection Hurts!

The holiday ends, but the discord goes on. I work with an architect whose daughter hasn’t spoken to him in four years. He didn’t know she had moved back to Texas until I told him. He misses her and the grandchildren. I have a friend whose son never sees or visits his ill mother. She cries and prays for him to call her. Another friend hasn’t said a word to her mother in ten years! I know a lady who was disowned by her immediate family fifty years ago. She left town, and no one knows where she is to this day.

A famous twin sister duo, Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren, each wrote newspaper columns. They gave advice to the brokenhearted, but they themselves separated from each other. Letters poured in to each of them—asking Dear Abby or Ann Landers how to fix a relationship with an alienated relative. The ladies gave excellent guidance, but they never took this advice themselves. They loved each other, but competition had driven them apart. Abby once commented she had a hole in her heart, but I guess it wasn’t a big enough hole for her to mend the situation. After twenty-five years, the sisters had a partial reconciliation, but they never fully regained a closeness.

Why is it family members are toxic and refuse to see each other? Is it personality conflict? Political opinions? Religious beliefs? Jealousy? Money matters? Rivalry? Control problems?

Whatever the issue, a kinship divided is a painful situation, and families should work at resolution. As we all know, life zooms by at a rapid rate, and our missed opportunities can’t be recovered. A shaky association where people work to connect is usually better than no association at all. Thanksgiving and Christmas will come again. Let’s get the extended family together.

In my book, Family Secrets, Rebecca’s folks wounded her deeply with their deception. Rebecca’s mom and siblings thought the secrets they kept would prevent hurt. When Rebecca heard about her birth, she ran away. (Kind of like my cousin) Anger then kept her from the ones she loved. Rebecca met Marshall, and he, along with neighbor Sam, tried to convince Rebecca to reconcile, but Rebecca was stubborn. Did she listen?

I hope you’ll read Family Secrets. It’s a historical novel, and it may help you reconcile relationships.

 

 http://amzn.to/2hwc6nB

Cease!

 

Peace be Still!

After preaching on a Galileen shore, Jesus grew tired and requested His disciples take Him by boat to a shore across the way. The Sea of Galilee can be unpredictable, and without warning, a storm arose. The gale tossed the boat as if it were a toothpick. Expert fishermen, who should be capable swimmers, feared they would drown. The squall shrieked with violence.

Jesus slept while the waves raged, but the men felt terror.

The guys shouted above the noise of the storm, “Don’t you care if we drown?”

Jesus woke up, looked about Him, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” The winds ceased and calm came once more to the sea.

As I read this passage, I asked the Lord, “Why don’t you just say cease, and the fires in California would go out?”

He gave me no answer.

No matter. He has reasons, but I know one word could change all conditions.

“Cease.”

After Jesus calmed the winds on the Sea of Galilee, He said to the disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 

The disciples had seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle, yet they were amazed when he saved them from the deep blue sea. They spoke among themselves and asked, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!”

We are in that same, “no faith boat.”  We don’t believe He controls all circumstances and can change them in the blink of an eye.

I am hoping that despite my faith, or lack thereof, Jesus will perform miracles. After all, the disciples had none, and they received a blessing.

 Mark 4:39

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