An Angel Suddenly Appears

An angel appeared to Mary.  

Now this angel wasn’t the one I write about. My Sarah is fiction, the Angel Gabriel is real.

And Gabriel would scare the daylights out of me if he came out of nowhere. Like most of us would be, Mary was astonished, fearful and anxious.

Now, this nice angel, Gabriel told Mary not to be afraid.  Just because he said it, didn’t mean her fear disappeared, I don’t think mine would. However, I think it helped.

Gabriel continued, “Mary, you have found favor with God.”

Whoa!  The angel knew her name! If I’d been Mary, I would have been overwhelmed with fear.  To Mary, a super-natural being knew her name and appeared out of the blue.

Oh, but there’s more scary stuff. He said to Mary, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”

Wow!  At this moment, this teenager became, pregnant and unmarried.

But the Scripture says she found favor with God.  Favor with God doesn’t always mean favor with man. It’s such an irony. Favor with God brought her shame with man.

She’s now an unwed mother. But she’d found favor with God.

Joseph, her fiancé, had a visit from Gabriel, and that helped. I’m sure glad Gabriel gets around to fix things. He eased a lot of the brewing trouble.  Joseph, like everyone else, assumed Mary had done the sleeping thing with another man.  Gabriel assured Joseph this child is from God. Wow! Joseph believed the message. He didn’t think he was hallucinating, and he knew he wasn’t on drugs.

When Mary was 9 months pregnant, she had to travel 93 miles on the back of a donkey with Joseph to Bethlehem. She was uncomfortable and scared. But she’d found favor with God.

She loved and mothered Jesus. When He began His ministry, she didn’t understand. But she’d found favor with God.

When He was 33 years old, He was strung up on a cross. Mary stood at His feet and gazed up at Him. Indescribable pain filled her heart. Her innocent son was nailed to wooden beams and was dying.

But she’d found favor with God.

All of her life, she carried the stigma of “unwed mother.” She bore the pain of watching her son die.

But she’d found favor with God.

Life can be difficult even though we find favor with God.

Read about my angel.

Amazon

Job Performance for an Author

 

How does life’s challenges affect your job performance?

Some might say, “Not at all.”  If that’s your response, my hat is off to you!  My hubby is one of those people who doesn’t allow emotional trauma to get in the way of what needs to be done.

Me?

Well, that’s another story.

We are all different, right?  Sometimes we must listen to our bodies and rest. On the other hand, if we stop working entirely, what happens?

Poverty.  Without doubt, poverty would be on the horizon. Jobs bring income.

Depression. Oh my, don’t you know? When you can’t discipline yourself to meet obligations, despair enters.

Frustration. Hmmm. Happens to me daily when I achieve so little.

Guilt.  Argh! Here we go again.

The list could go on, couldn’t it?

When I had a boss, I performed when I didn’t feel like it, and in spite of an emotional state, I did a good job. Now that I’m self-employed, it’s like this: Put off to tomorrow what you don’t want to do today.

If one writes for a living, one must produce. I have author friends who support themselves, and regardless of how they feel, they must supply copy.  These friends, like me, don’t earn enough to pay bills with the novels they create, but they earn by supplying magazine articles and other print sources. If you scroll down this blog, you’ll read how two author friends write in spite of hardship.

When I wrote for Texas Hill Country, I had to finish an assignment to meet a deadline. The forth coming check was nice. Contributing to my blog, Facebook page, or building my book is difficult these days. I’m not obligated by someone else to produce an article, but as a small business owner, I need to do it.

I face a lot of grief these days. Our daughter with dementia is a sad situation, and we’ve been dealing with it for years. I come home from an afternoon with her, and I’m completely drained.

Writing is a creative process, and it’s usually fun, but during challenging times, inspiration and desire can be tough.

When you read a book or an article, pause to think about the author.  We appreciate feedback and reviews. You never know when a kind word will motivate and inspire. You might be the reason for the next, great article or book.

Gay N. Lewis on Amazon

 

 

Housebound and Down but Up

 

I knew Julie B. Cosgrove had gone through health issues, and I asked her to share how she manages them.  As most of my readers know, we take care of a declining daughter. This situation brings me emotional pain and recently, I had a knee replacement. The present physical and emotional agony made me reach out to friends. I hope their comments help you too.

You Choose

Julie B Cosgrove

 

In the Bible, Job was a man who lost everything in a very short time. Everyone thought he must have done something horrible to deserve such a fate. Yet, Job kept his faith. Eventually, God came through and restored his life with blessings to offset the tragedy. In the meantime, Job’s faith, though challenged, grew enormously. In fact, he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10). Many people, like me, have had a “Job year.”

I have been housebound in a one-bedroom apartment for almost a year due to a failed surgery. I could barely walk across the room with a rollator, much less navigate the stairs to the parking lot or drive. Getting to doctor visits, trying to find one who would take on the challenge of repairing the failed hardware in my body wiped me out for two days! After five doctors and five small in-office or day surgery procedures, I finally found a doctor in a larger city’s medical school an hour away who agreed to try. Now I just had to wait ten weeks for an opening in his schedule. Progress.

During this time, I have also undergone two unrelated, unexpected surgeries which debilitated me even more and challenged my ability to live alone. But with the help of my son, who lives forty-five minutes way, and some close friends, I have muddled through. And of course, by the grace and mercy of my Lord!

All along, I have had a choice, just like Job, and perhaps just like you. I could get depressed, sulk, and moan…or I could thank the Lord for being right there with me through this and watch Him working it out for the good. Notice the little serendipities that come my way or concentrate on the plight and pain. Cast my eyes down onto my problems or raise them up in prayer.

Ten years ago, I started my own blog, "Where Did You Find God Today." I have written hundreds of blogs about the little ways I have seen God moving in my life in the hopes of encouraging others to do the same. Now, I wallowed in a trial which challenged me to “walk like I had talked.”

Being unemployed, I admit that after a few months, I began to feel anxious. For reasons I won’t get into, I fell through the cracks in my state’s rules and did not qualify for unemployment compensation. I had no income. But God took care of that! Two people from my old job decided to branch out on their own and hired me virtually to be their administrative assistant. Now that commute I could handle! In thanksgiving, and repentance for not trusting Him more, I bought myself a mug to remind me to CHOOSE JOY!

Like Job, my faith has stretched and grown. Growing pains are painful, but worth the effort. I have greatly diminished my pride―something I have struggled with for a long time and I knew I needed God’s help. There was little I could do to repay my friends for their kindness. Or my son for his diligence and patience. He spent his only day off every week running errands for me, helping me with housework, and playing chauffer to doctors. I learned to concentrate more on the important things in life and to be patient with myself. I often imitated the Little Engine that Could. I think I can, I think, I can … put on my socks, dust the shelves, fix my own meals.

You also have a choice. Don’t let the devil steal your joy anymore! And when people ask how you maintain a great attitude, wink and point upward, saying, “by the mercy and grace of God.” May all you come in contact with during this trial see you as a testimony.

Freelance writer Julie B Cosgrove writes  for several Christian websites and publications and was an editor/writer for The Life Project, the digital ministry of CRU Canada’s Power to Change for ten years. She now edits for Roaring Lambs publications services as well as selectively on her own. Awarded one of the 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading in 2015 and 2016 by the Internationally syndicated radio program, The Authors’ Show, she has had three Bible studies, a devotional collection, two inspirational guides, three novellas, and fifteen faith-based novels published, with five more contracted through 2025. Several of her novels have won statewide and national awards. Julie lives in Fort Worth, TX. 

Julie B Cosgrove

http://Where Did You Find God Today

How Do We Get through the Bad Times?

 

We all go through bad times during our journey on earth. These grave times might be divorce, financial ruin, or health issues.

My current era is filled with trials. I’ve been the number one caregiver for eight years to our daughter who has dementia, and I recently had major surgery - a total knee replacement. Movement is hampered, and I’ve managed the bare necessities, but fighting fatigue and depression is a major ordeal. Some days, I don't succeed. I haven't written many blogs or much on a book I started long ago. 

How do we proceed with life when we are faced with challenging times? 

I decided to inquire from some of my writer friends how they coped with trying situations.

I asked my writing author friend, Gail Pallotta how she coped with her sickness.

She suddenly became ill, and she continued to write.  It isn't easy to carry on with life and a job, but God shows each of us how to do just that.

Here’s Gail's response.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (NIV). Matthew 17: 20.

When I got a mysterious illness eighteen years ago, I already had had several slipped disks and a dislocated sacroiliac joint. Not only did my back hurt, but I couldn’t sit without a cushion to tilt me to a 90-degree angle and had to lie in the backseat on trips. We were traveling when the strange malady struck with chills and fever.

Since I’d started the vacation with a virus, I used common remedies. Unfortunately, I grew much worse with many weird symptoms, such as getting horrible indigestion and shaking all over whenever a bite of food hit my stomach. When we returned home, I visited the doctor, who told me after a month of tests he couldn’t treat me because he couldn’t diagnose my problem. A strong believer in prayer, I went to the house so numb I couldn’t pray, but God intervened. A name, Dr. David Lee, kept popping in my head, even though I had no idea who he was. I finally recalled him as a chiropractor who had treated a friend of mine ten years earlier, and I thought, I’m on death’s door. What do I want with a chiropractor? But the name kept flashing in my mind. I finally got his number and called him. Now an alternative doctor as well as a chiropractor, he treated me immediately for Chronic Lyme disease. Quite ill, I couldn’t deal with anything else going wrong with my back on top of my current condition, so I told him, “Take care of the Chronic Lyme disease, but don’t touch my back. Every time someone tries to help, it gets worse.”

Terribly sick, I did well to get to Dr. Lee’s, let alone pay attention to the therapies I received, until I noticed my back pain had disappeared. I asked Dr. Lee, “Are you treating my back?”

He said, “Yes.”

“Will I still need to sit at a 90-degree angle?”

“No, you can lounge around like the rest of us,” he said.

I still struggled with Chronic Lyme disease, but remembering words from a sermon I’d heard helped me put it in perspective. “If you ask ‘Why me?’ you also have to ask ‘Why not me?’” Of course, I lived in an imperfect, fallen world. I had two choices: Go on with life with Chronic Lyme disease or waste away with the disease. I prayed for God to help me go on at the same time others prayed for me. My daughter’s friend sent a mustard seed in a clear bottle for me to keep where I could see the symbol of God’s faithfulness and greatness. By God’s grace I’ve kept up with day-to-day chores, swum and continued to write. He’s much more powerful than Chronic Lyme disease.

I was working on Stopped Cold, a teen novel during the time I struggled with the back pain and early symptoms of Chronic Lyme disease.

Blurb to Gail's novel, 

Stopped Cold 

Things aren what they seem in peaceful Mistville, North Carolina.

Margaret McWhorter enjoys a laid-back Freshman year in high school swimming and hanging out with friends—until the day her brother, Sean, suffers a stroke from taking steroids. Now he's lying unconscious in a hospital.

Anger sets a fire for retribution inside her, and Margaret vows to make the criminals pay. Even the cop on the case can't stop her from investigating. Looking for justice, she convinces two friends, Jimmy and Emily to join her in a quest that takes them through a twisted, drug-filled sub-culture they discover deep in the woods behind the school. Time and again they walk a treacherous path, and come face-to-face with danger.

All the while Margaret really wants to cure Sean, heal the hate inside, and open her heart.

Can she do it?

On Amazon

Life: One Thing and then Another

 

Three weeks ago,  I had a total knee replacement, and I couldn't go see my little daughter, Shelley. When I finally got there, she remembered me, and we had a good day. I was so happy she remembered!

I'm glad the surgery is over and I'm on the road to recovery, but my-oh-my, that is a painful ordeal.  We take our knees for granted.

The doctor says I'm doing well, so does the physical therapist. I'll take their word for it, but goodness gracsious!  It hurts.

Hubby has done a good job of taking care of me. He's even provided meals!

It's almost Halloween, and my neightbor put up his skeleton. This thing stares at us from across the street and has better knees than me. He has good bones.

Birthdays

 Birthdays come around faster than a Cheeta can run these days. Wasn't it just last week when I had one? What's that? It's been a year? No way.

Our daughter, Christy, took us to the Astro game.  It was great fun. I ate a hotdog. And of course, cake.

The doctor told my mom she'd have a firecracker before Sunday School.  And so she did. Yep, I'm a July 4 baby.

Getting older brings challenges and rewards.  I've enjoyed many birthdays and hope to have many more.

I hope you do too.

Gay's Days These Days

Hi Friends,

I thought you might like an update.

When I began this blog post, I'd been awake since 12:47 AM. Yuck. It's misery not to be able to sleep. I have nights like that.  Too many to talk about.

Paul and Gay at Lake Louise and the Victoria Glacier

We spent last week in the Canadian Rockies. We've been there before, but hubby wanted a trip down Memory Lane.  I did a travel video there years ago, and I'd love to sell the footage. It's great stuff, but it needs to be digitized and updated. I have no desire to do that. I contacted one of the hotels about buying it. I wish you could see it. If you have a workable VHS, I'll sell you a copy!

 My knee was fine while we were away. Thank the Lord! We walked 2/3 miles each day. Some of it was on uneven ground and a bit difficult. We came home and I did laundry. On day two back at home, I couldn't walk. My right knee decided it had experienced enough. So, it quit.  I made an appointment for an MRI at the end of this month. It's the first thing that is required for a knee replacement.

 I've been icing and elevating since then, but I'm up and about now. However, my knees are one of the reasons I didn't sleep.

 My house is a mess. I'm not kidding. I hope to get to it soon. 

I finally saw Shelley yesterday. It had been about two weeks since I saw her. She remembered me! Yay! The knees, plus, seven people at her memory care facility have Covid, and visitors aren't allowed.  I know she needed supplies, and I needed to see her.

 Paul is getting shots in his eye for a leaky blood vessel. Doesn't that sound awful?  I have a friend that is getting shots in her eardrum. That sounds horrific too.  The things we go through, but it's worth it if it helps.

 

                                        The Lodge at Jasper 

We enjoyed the scenery in Canada. However, two of the luxury hotels aren't air conditioned, and Canada was having a heat wave. So much for escaping Texas heat. Right? The picture with cabins above are similar to the ones where we were. The mornings were cool, and we needed jackets, but the nights felt like  August in Texas with no A/C or ceiling fans.

Traveling is wonderful and it is a luxury. I regret that many can't see these stunning views. I plan to share more of them and tell you more details as we go along. I just thought you might like to hear from me. 

Gay on Amazon

Love Those Marines!

 Nancy and I loved watching the Marines perform maneuvers. In the above video, we observed the plane landing and taking off. 

This is a small airfield in Hearne, TX, and the military contracts with the powers-that-be to use it for training purposes.

Our hotel was filled with these young service people, and many of them were long-timers in the military.

Since they were on training drills, I assumed they were all recruits. Nope. Many had been in for years.

Nancy, Terrell, and Gay

Terrell has been a Marine for nineteen years and loves the Corps. 

Nancy, Rick, and Gay

Rick and Terrell were checking out and planned to explore a bit of Texas before heading back to Okinawa, Japan, their base. We were fortunate to have their presence for two days, and they were interesting and informative. 

We received permission to watch the group parachute from the plane. We were keyed up for this adventure.

Even though we arrived at the airfield at 8:00 pm, it was still a hot, windy time. The guys had told us they would take off at 8:15. We drove as far down the gravel road as we could and then waited.

There were no delays with this plane! It taxied by us at 8:15 and was airborne a few minutes later. I waved like crazy when it ambled by us. A few of the Marines returned my gesture.

We were thrilled  about thirty minutes later when we saw the parachutes descending. 

They look close, but I know they aren't. I asked if they felt like they were falling. One told me the velocity of the wind prevented the feeling. I don't plan to ever find out what he meant!

My friend, Nancy, captured my joy at seeing the men parachute from the plane. I'm a proud citizen of the United States of America. So is Nancy.

We waited after dark to see if they returned, but if they parachuted again in the blackness, it was too dark for us to see. When we heard a horse and rider approaching from a field, we decided to leave. After all, we were out in the middle of nowhere, and the Marines were up in the sky someplace, not close by to protect us from the unexpected.

Gazing at our Marines and their bravery is an experience to remember.

A girlfriend trip is a good thing to do too. I'm fortunate to have Nancy in my life. We've been freinds since we were kids. She married first, and I was her Maid of Honor, then a few months later, she was my Matron of Honor. No need to tell you how long ago that was!

Gay on Amazon

The Marines: An Unexpected Vacation Find!

 My forever friend from childhood and I met in Hearne, TX to spend a few days. Nancy lives in Irving, and I'm in Weston Lakes. Hearne is about halfway for each of us.

When we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, we discovered the hotel was filled with Marines who were in Texas from Okinawa, Japan. They had arrived in our little central Texas town for training.

I called hubby and told him not to worry about us. We were safe. The Marines had landed.

Here Nancy and I are at breakfast. She loved the cinnamon rolls and I scarfed down the biscuits with gravy. The Marine waiting in line behind me didn't soak his biscuit with the creamy stuff like I did, and I suggested he had a bit more to his plate. Since he serves in Japan, I thought he might not know about Texas biscuits and gravy. It turns out he was a native Texan. Maybe he watches his cholesterol more than I do.   

 The dining room at breakfast was filled with Marines, but I didn't take their picture. I found out later that it would have been okay for me to do so, but that was  a day or two later.  

Nancy and I were in awe of these men who serve our country. We wanted to adopt them and be a grandmother to them.

I'll tell you more about them later. Stay tuned.

After breakfast, we toured Camp Hearne. It is a WWII historic site and exhibit. Over 4800 German prisoners were held in this POW camp. At the time, the population of Hearne, TX was less than 3500.

Our military chose Hearne, Tx out of kindness for these German prisoners of war. Central Texas would remind them of their home country. The prisoners from Hitler's Army were taken captive while serving in foreign lands and brought here to America, but Hearne was not the only POW camp.

They were treated well here in America. At Hearne, they had a double portion of rations and a normal workload. The site has remnants of prisoner-built amenities. There are over  thirteen hiking trails. Nancy and I didn't explore any of them. It was too hot! I think the temp registered 105 F that day, but on a cooler day, it would have been fun.

This POW camp had a stadium-seating theater with an orchestra pit. The prisoners dressed up in homemade costumes and performed plays from memory.  After their exposure to America, several brought their families here after the war and became citizens. 

After Camp Hearne, Nancy and I toured the historic, Hearne Depot. We found out that Hearne is known as the Crossroads of Texas.

Bob Batson, Curator

Bob Batson, Curator, could write a history book with his knowledge. 

Two railways crossed Hearne in 1869. The Houston & Texas Central (it is now the Southern Pacific) and the International (now the Missouri Pacific).

The Depot museuem contains a wonder of interesting exhibits. It has two waiting rooms for travelers back in the day. They are a mirror of each other and are identical. One was for the black travelers, and one was for white.

By the way, the Depot has a display dedicated to Aunt Jemima. 

Rosie Lee Moore, wife of Travis Hall, was "Aunt Jemima" for the Quaker Oats Company for 25 years.  She's a native of Hearne.

I've driven through Hearne many times as I traveled to the DFW area and never knew Hearne had these  historic sites. 

Hubby wants dinner, so come back for more stories about the wonderful Marines. I'll add them with pictures later.

After that hot day of exploring, Nancy and I retreated to the hotel. I had forewarned her that I turn the temp down to 65 F in the room. She brought extra blankets. 

I can't wait to tell you about the Marines!

Gay's Amazon Page

Adventures While on Vacation

 

I love vacations. Here we are a few years ago in Yosemite. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed staring up at the giant trees.

But hold to your hats!  This picture was taken before the fire.

Our tour group was trapped in the park until after midnight. A roaring blaze broke out, and we had to wait our turn to evacuate.  We stayed on the bus while the evening melted away in red smoke. We coughed a bit, too. The night we were trapped, it was so smokey, we covered our noses. Ashes fell on us, too.

We finally checked into our hotel room, but there was no power, so we couldn't see. We used the flashflight on our cell phones. There was no electricity when we woke up either. 

I always regretted that. The hotel where we were staying sat on top of a creek, or it might have been a river, it was too dark to tell. We could hear the water rushing, but we couldn't glimpse it till morning. It was a beautiful, rugged spot. 

It seems fires are common in this beautiful park.  In fact, there's one burning 600 acres as i write this post. I'm glad I'm not trapped there today, but I'd love to go back and stay in that hotel, and I wish I knew the name of the thing. Not that I'll go back, but I'd like to.

 If you click on the link, you'll see the smoke from the recent fire.  

Fire in Park

Have you been to Yosemite? If not, you should go, but be warned. You might have the adventure of a life time if you get caught in one ot their forest fires!

Gay N. Lewis on Amazon

Life is Holy

 

 

The Holiness of Life

Around January 22 of every year, I teach a Sanctity of Life lesson in my Bible Study class.  You'll find the link at the bottom.

Christians around the world set this day aside back in 1973 when the Supreme Court decided abortion was legal. Since that decision, 63 million babies have lost their lives.  Who knows? Perhaps one or more of these humans would have discovered the cure for cancer, dementia, or other terrible diseases.

After forty-nine years of people praying for it to happen, the present court has overturned the heinous decision made by the previous 1973 Court. I have no idea why it took God so long to answer the prayers of Christians.  Scripture says a thousand years is like a day to God. Our Great Creator was putting events and people into place, and for Him, it wasn’t a long time.

2 Peter 3:8–9

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

So, what happens to women who want birth control by aborting an unborn baby? 

They can continue to do this.

Abortion issues now return to the states.  Each state will adopt legislation regarding when and if a legal abortion can occur.  Some states currently permit legal abortion up to full term pregnancy—even to the instant of delivery. Other states allow abortion up to the first trimester.

If a female wants an abortion, she can have one, but she might need to travel to another state. If she can’t afford it, that’s no problem. New York is considering offering to pay travel and expenses for a woman to travel to their state to abort their baby. https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2021/attorney-general-james-calls-state-funding-provide-abortion-access-women

Some companies are also providing travel expense for employees to have an abortion. https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-lobbying/3535965-these-companies-will-cover-abortion-travel-costs-for-employees/

Since this is the case, women can have abortion on demand within the United States, what is the big deal? No one took that ability away.  The Supreme Court merely said abortion is not in the US Constitution. The Court sent it back to the states for the people to decided. The populous can vote in each state the limits of abortion. Abortion is not in a document, but in the hands people.

Here's the link to my Bible Study. I hope you'll watch.

Second Baptist Rosenberg

 

 

 

 

 

Bling, Bling, and More Bling

 

I love bling!

I probably wear too much of it. Understated is better, but I love bling.

The first time I ever heard the word, bling, I wondered what it meant, so I did what people do. I Googled it.  According to the Oxford Dictionary, it means, "expensive, ostentatious clothing and jewelry or the wearing of them."

I wear bling, and although I have one or two nice pieces, for the most part, my bling is costume jewelry, and inexpensive jewelry works as ostentatious, too.

Bling is accessories for the overall appearance. Trappings complete a look.

I once heard a fashion expert say years ago, "Before you walk out the door, make sure you have on fourteen things."

Now she made this statement back in the day when ladies wore more clothing.  The fourteen items might go like this.

1. Bra

2. Panties

3. Petticoat

4. Pantyhose

5. dress

6. Shoes

7. Watch

8. Necklace

9. Bracelet

10. Rings

11. More rings (or wedding rings if married)

12. Belt

13. Hair clamp, or hat

14. Earrings

Times have changed since she offered this advice. Pantyhose are antiquated for most ladies, and there are a few who burned their bra and no longer wear one.

So today, perhaps ten items might accomplish the completed look.  Eliminate the first four items on the above list if you prefer less undergarments.

I've also eliminated belts.

For dressy occasions, I usually wear 12 to 14 items. I wear accessories in three's. Three bracelets on one arm, a watch and two bracelets of the other. I love big, blingy earrings, and I've been known to wear three necklaces in various lengths.

Pantyhose are definitely not for me.

In my first book, Sarah: A Mission of Love, the precocious child, Hope, tells her mom's date all about bling. Here's an excerpt.

Hope answered his knock on the door and Tom greeted the little girl with a smile. “Hello, young lady. You look dazzling in your purple outfit.”

“Thank you. It’s new. We went to Deal-Mart.” The youngster pirouetted to show off her matching pants and sweater. “Purple is my favorite color, and I like the beads on the top.” Hope pointed to her neckline and the sweater pocket. “I’ve got bling.”

“And what is bling?”

Hope put her hands on her hips and glared. “Mr. Tom, don’t you know anything? Bling means my sparkly diamonds on my clothes!”

"Are they real?"

Hope blew out a big breath and looked at Tom as if he'd grown horns. "No, Mr. Tom. Mom says I'm too young to wear real ones."

Sarah is a dyslexic angel who want to help Tom, Marcy, and Hope, but boy!  Does she make a mess.  This book is light, entertaining, and heartwarming. I hope you'll read it.

Amazon

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Aging Backwards

 

Babies are beautiful, aren't they? All parents and extended family members feel the rush of love when a newborn comes into the household.

Babies depend upon us for food, clothing, and shelter. They are helpless and innocent and totally incapable of providing for themselves. As they grow, among the first of things they learn is eating. We hand them a cracker or place Cheerios on their tray. They are happy when their little dexterous fingers can pick up such food items. These small bites go into their mouths, and soon, even non-foods go there too.

They learn to sit up, crawl, and then toddle as they walk.  With each new achievement, they grow a bit more independent.

Folks with Dementia or Alzheimer's age backwards. They lose independence a little at a time. When we compare them on a day-to-day basis, not much can be seen as a change, but when we looks back over six months, we sees a major transformation.

These adults reach a stage where they are infants again. They can't sit up, walk, or use the toilet. Like a newborn, they wear diapers and sleep a lot. They can't feed themselves, They become like babies.

Like an infant, our daughter must be fed now.

Her walk has become a slow shuffle. She stumbled last Saturday, May 14, 2022, and fell face down. We went to see her, and I took a picture. I always document everything. She was in good spirits, and the nurse thought she was okay. The nurse said she'd get in touch with the doctor for an X-ray.

When I went on Monday to visit her, I asked what the X-ray showed.  Uh-oh!  It hadn't been done, but they would get to it right away.

The facility called late Monday night. The EMS had been called, and our little one was being rushed to the ER. The X-ray wasn't done until late Monday, and it showed a small nose fracture. The doctor wanted a CT scan.

Facilities aren't always on top of things.  Even when I stay on them, they mess up. If the X-ray had been done earlier, there would have been no need to rush to a trauma unit.

We were in the hospital for three days. The medical teams, with my help, discovered she couldn't answer their questions. She doesn't know her birthdate, and she didn't know where she was. Most of the time, when asked her name, she responded with only her first name. The PT team had difficulty getting her up, and walking was not possible. I'm hoping the disorientation caused by a hospital visit will fade, and she can return to walking, even in a slow shuffle.  Hospital stays are hard on dementia patients. 

Several medics commented on her skin and how young she looks. She had a few wrinkles once, but like some of her abilities, they seemed to have disappeared.

She's aging backwards.

By-the-way, the beautiful baby pictured at the top of this blog is her new grandbaby. She doesn't know the new tiny goodness. 

They are both sweet babies.

Storms

 We face storms, don't we? 

They come from the heavens with thunder and lightening, but hurricanes and tornadoes also bombard us in life. We call them by different names: financial ruin, divorce, cancer. loss of loved ones, loneliness.

Some of these tempests from the sky are real.  Many cause destruction. A few are short-lived and gone, while personal storms can last a lifetime.

We flew to Tulsa this past week. The plane was delayed for five hours due to bad weather. Oklahoma is famous for tornadoes, and these scary things lurked in and about the area.

Once we took off, the pilot told us we would fly above the clouds.

As I gazed out the window, the  clouds didn't look so terrifying.  Turbulence came to us a few times, but a glimpse of sun and blue sky appeared also. And then it would disappear, but a break was a welcome sight.

The seatbelt sign stayed on. We bounced around, and it seemed we were on a roller coaster. Most of us passengers were frequent flyers, and the the turbulence was old hat to us. Nevertheless, I prayed for a safe journey.

We arrived in time for the funeral.

Saying goodbye and celebrating a life well lived is a storm. Although the brutal force of the cloud is short-lived, grief and sadness lasts longer.

God allows storms in nature, and to us in our personal lives. These storms come and go. When you are faced with one of nature or personally, ask the Lord to calm it. He's experienced. He's done it before.

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" (Matthew 8:23-27)

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