Looking Back

I love the early morning after a good night's sleep. Some of my best memories are of the years we lived in Amarillo before air conditioning.

My bed was beside a window, which was always open at night during the summer. With the open window on the adjacent wall, I had a wonderful cross breeze. If you know Amarillo in the 40s and 50s, the wind always blew and the evenings cooled down. I'd awaken in the morning to the aroma of honeysuckle coming through those windows; the rustle of elm leaves in the trees and the robin's song.

Now I awaken to practically no sounds, but mornings are still sweet.

Tomorrow I have two tests. Today is clear liquids only. Yesterday was 8 glasses of water. I know the ulcer isn't gone and won't be until I can deal with life better. Or until some things in life change.

We can't go back, but I must say I long for those days when life was simple. No concerns that some criminal would come in through my open window. My parents had everything under control. The morning breeze cooled my room; the birds sang their songs and I had years and years ahead of me. Thoughts like this let me know I'm getting closer to the end of my life. Don't old people look back? Is it only the young who give no thought to yesterday but reach toward the tomorrows? If we only knew what tomorrow would bring. . .

Mornings do this to me.

Tagged

I'm not sure what this Tagging is all about, but someone tagged me and it looks like that means I have to share seven random things about myself. When I'm finished, I will tag some people so look at the end and see if you're one of those.



1. When I was about 12 years old, my friends and I decided to climb to the roof of our one story (high-ceilinged) school house and jump off. I was the first to try it. I hung on to the edge of the roof and dropped. Fortunately the ground was wet but it hurt, and no one else would follow.



2. I was Spanish queen in the ninth grade. (Chosen by the students from two Spanish classes.)



3. A favorite playground for a friend and myself was a cemetery about a mile from our neighborhood. We'd make a lunch, walk the mile across a field and spend the day. We didn't play around the graves. This cemetery has a mill and a bridge to a small island that is surrounded by water. We pass it on I-40 when we go through Amarillo. Back then it was near Highway 66.



4. In first grade I would fill pages of my tablet with what looked like longhand and tell my classmates that I knew how to write. Since they couldn't read longhand, they believed me.



5. I always believed in God and knew He was watching me, but I thought He was watching to catch me doing something bad. I had to pray before I went to sleep just to clear the record every day. I don't know when I finally realized Jesus had already cleared that record for me.



6. Since everyone popular in ninth grade was in a choir, I tried out. I had to audition singing "America." Awful! But everyone got into choir even if they couldn't sing, which I couldn't. I was in 2nd period--the worst singers. We were only allowed to sing in a program once. I was an alto and still can't read music. I can't imagine what they poor teacher went through every day at 2nd period.



7. I've para sailed and don't have to do that again. For about a year five years ago I wanted to hang-glide off the Sandias. Thank God, I got over that!



These are the people I'm tagging and hope you'll join in:
Jim
DeAnn
Monica
Michelle

Two Good Movies

We've been to the cinema the last two days.

Yesterday we saw "Australia," which is billed as the new "Gone With the Wind." GWTW it isn't but it is a good film. Although it's long, I don't know what they could cut out. Everything was needed. Kidman was excellent, as was Jackman, but the person who stole the show was the little mixed-race boy. And I don't even know his name. He's one of those kids you want to take home with you.

Today we went downtown and saw "The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas." I just finished reading the book and found it well written and so moving. If I hadn't read it, I think I would have enjoyed the movie more. The problem I had was the way I had seen the story in my mind, and the film didn't fit it exactly. Still, it's a story that needs to be told, and I recommend it.

Lots of good films coming this December. Now to find the time to go see some of them.

Starting Today

I like to plan ahead, to know what's going to happen so I can order my schedule and be prepared. I don't think that will ever completely change, but something happened today that is telling me to live a slightly different way.

Many years ago I attended a Bible study in Oklahoma. At the end of the year the teacher suggested we ask God to give us a word for the new year--something especially from Him to us. I did and was surprised when I got something. At the end of that year I looked back and could see what that word meant.

I had another new year's activity that lasted about seven years. A friend and I got together around the beginning of every year and wrote out our goals for the year. Then we went to a movie. After the first year of doing this, we would read last year's goals and determine if we'd met them or not. One year, before going to the movie, we released several balloons with positive sayings attached to them. We hoped these sayings would reach someone in need as well as their being positive thoughts for our own futures. She lives in Georgia now and we talk on the phone but we've given up the goal setting.

I've still done the Word from God for about 20 years now and have always been surprised by what those words have meant to my life. Lately I've begun asking again. Nothing seemed to come until today. What I heard really put me at rest, which is what I need the most right now.

"You may be tired of making goals. Take a break from that whole process. Be like the earth--it keeps turning around, and there's no destination point. the moment is all that matters."

That's what I've been missing--living in the moment. I'm starting today.

Wouldn't You Know?

Well, wouldn't you know? As soon as I wrote about making hard choices, I have a hard decision to make. The funny thing about this is that even though I remember the young Muslin girl who chose to follow Jesus, I don't know how to do what I need to do.

Confused? Well, so am I.

I know one thing for sure. If it is God who talked to me about remembering this girl when I have a hard choice to make, then He will show me how to make it. I have a little wooden plaque that reads: The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

That says it all.

Hard Choices

We had a wonderful experience last night.

One of our grandchildren, Mason, was baptized. His dad did the honors. Although that was wonderful, even more exciting was the baptism of a young woman from Afghanistan. She had come to this country with her family when she was very young. Her family is Muslim. Her grandmother prays five times a day. And this young lady, after four hard years (she didn't say what had happened during those years), decided to give her life to Christ. The preacher asked her if she was sure. Her answer, "It's time."

She can't go to Afghanistan again or she will be killed. She is probably cut off from her family.

How easy for us to make our spiritual decisions. How hard for some.

Do we have any hard choices to make?

The next time I think I have a hard one, I'll remember this young lady and her courage.

Thanks for the Memories.....

It's been awhile since I've had time to do anything on the computer. The past few days went by so fast--much too fast when you're surrounded by people you love.

Both my daughters and their families came the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The star of the show was fourteen month old Amiyah, of course. Reid's son, Joe, and his family were in town, too, so we got to see them and their two year old, Jaiden. Love those little girls!

We had dinner for 16 at our house Thursday. Ate and watched football--a typical Thanksgiving for my family. I don't think Reid's family is as sports conscious as mine always was. But I've converted him, and he likes to watch as much as the rest of us.

Everyone was gone by nine-thirty yesterday morning. We dragged around all day cleaning the house, doing laundry and putting the house back the way it was. Quiet. Empty except for the two of us. We sent as much of the food as possible home with everyone, so there's not much of that left either.

I remember the years we spent driving from Amarillo (Lubbock, Plainview and El Paso) to my grandparent's home in Memphis, Texas, on Christmas Eve. Family in every nook and cranny of their house. I never thought about how empty the house must have seemed after we all left after Christmas. Maybe Mamaw was glad to get her house back in order, but maybe it seemed too quiet.

Good memories. Bittersweet--just like these past few days. We'll look at the pictures and remember the precious granddaughter and great granddaughter, and wish we could be with them every day to see them grow and change.

Better go before I start bawling.