New Year's Eve

     I have never been one to make a big deal of resolutions, be they for clubs, organizations or New Year's.

      I think a better idea is to make goals and see if you meet them, how they are met and if you want to continue trying for them.

      This requires you to note them down and look occasionally to see how you are doing. I haven't done that well in my life, but mostly because I have found that I am happier flying by the seat of my pants and planning one day at  a time.

       I got into this habit when, years ago, we lost my husband's sister and kids in an accident. One of the things one of the other siblings said was, " But I all ready have their Christmas presents."  The accident happened in September, and the person was heartbroken and baffled as to what to do now that the recipient of her gifts would no longer be there to enjoy it.

      Things happen and you need to be able to go with the punches and see that there are other outcomes to have.

      It isn't that I don't plan, I do. I buy presents months in advance, and if I use them for that occasion, fine. If not, no big deal.

      I must say that the use of the gifts, as gifts depends entirely on if I can find them on the appointed day.

       I have been writing for several years, now, and know that there should be planning in this. I tend to be one who writes spur of the moment.

      At least that is how I started. Who needs outlines, plans, endings. Let the typewriter fly and the words fall where they may.

      Okay, that is a little immature. However, I do not us outlines, they drive me crazy. I don't do a,b,c very well. Now, if a story pops up in my mind, I try to get it down as quickly as possible.  It may not be a whole story, but a scene or a sentence, but down it goes and I look it over and see if it is usable as is, or if it just get to set and ferment a bit.

       Those of you who write stories for enjoyment, or knowledge, know what I mean. You do plan on how to put it together and what to do with it once it is written, but there are several ways to do that. I won't go into that here, but just know that planning is not a bad thing.

       So, here's to planning and enjoying the New Year. Don't be upset when your plans go awry,  enjoy planning what to do next.

Sewing Update

     A few weeks ago I posted about my sewing problems, which of course, were due mostly, to my inexperience at sewing,

     I hadn't done some a few years, other than mending, so had to get back into the routine.

     I checked my thread tension and got it worked out, but not really, so, I did what everyone else does when what you have doesn't work the way you think it should: I got a different one.

      I now have a different machine, newer, but not new. It will zig-zag and forward and back stitch and that really is all I need. I know it will do more, but basics are fine.

       The Christmas story book is now finished and will be delivered on Christmas day. The recipient is different, since my opportunity to present it to the other person never presented itself.  It will stay in the family and my granddaughter will enjoy it.

        It always amazes me when I do crafty stuff and it comes out well. Not sure why I that is, except, that I believe that when I see someone else's work, I think they just sat down and whipped it up in a matter of minutes. Then, I am invited to watch them work and realize that they do sit down and whip it up effortlessly. After hours of planning, which is the best way to lay out the pattern, what needs to be sewn first, and then pinning. Really not my favorite thing, but it is part of the process. Then, and only then, do they put the material on the machine to finish. Sewing is the last part of the job. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

          It is always the last part, the finishing and the finished product that attracts us. The pretty still life, the flouncy squaredance dress, the lovely cookies. We want it all to start and finish with accuracy, beauty and good taste. And, we want it NOW.

          We are also like this in our spiritual journey. I hesitate to use that "spiritual" word, because it has come to mean something other than religous, but it fits here. We want to have the joy and beauty of Heaven, NOW. We want to see Jesus NOW. We want to see those we love and have lost, NOW.

         We can have some of that NOW, but not all. We can have the peace Jesus said we could have and then the eternal life after. We need to relax and enjoy the life we have. Warts and all. Sickness and all. Loneliness and all. Christ is there beside us, with us through it all and joy will come in the morning.

          In this Christmas season when we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us all pause and enjoy all the hard work we have done to make it a wonderful, joy-filled season. And remember, through Christ all things are possible.

       Blessed Christmas.

Reading

          Reading is one of my favorite things to do.

          I am reading an old book right now. Well, it was published in the 80s, but that makes it close to thirty years old. It is a book by Marjorie Holmes. She has written Christian fiction, and specifically Christian fiction based on the life of Christ.

          This book is "The Messiah". It starts with Jesus coming home to Mary after his 40 days in the wilderness and then going to the wedding in Cana.

           It just amazes me that she can make the people so real.

          Now, I ask you, how many of you have thought that the wedding in Cana was one of Mary's nieces? It doesn't say specifically so in the Bible, but what a great premise. It really makes Jesus human to me. It puts him with a human family, who watched him grow up and tag along behind Joseph, learning to be a carpentar, and flinging stones at the water with his cousins.

           My husband and I were talking last night about the fact that Christians have not always given over to the idea of Jesus being human. Now, as a Lutheran, I confess every Sunday in one of the creeds that he was true God and true man. I know in my mind that that means he got hungry, sleepy, tired and annoyed. I know that as God he could take care of all that stuff, but didn't. He handled it as we would: he ate; he slept; he rested; and he took care of the annoyance. Probably not the same way I would, but with dignity, grace and love, but it would taken care of.

          He was tempted as we are. He resisted temptation. Which we don't always do, and we ask for forgiveness.

          A small digression: have you ever wondered why it is pronounced "forgive-ness" rather than "forgiven-ess" ? It strikes me every time I hear it. I know it means to be forgiven, but we don't say it that way.  Ah, well, the English language is wonderful.

          I have not finished my book, but I know how it ends, but the journey is really worth it to me.

          If you have the opportunity, get a copy of the book and read it. Let me know what you think of it.

          Have a blessed day and don't wear yourself out getting ready for Christmas.

I Don't Know How To Do This

     I know that we have all heard this phrase many times. Probably we have even muttered it ourselves.

     Maybe when we first tried roller skating, writing, singing, you name it.

     I heard it applied to something the other day that I never thought of applying it to.

    Carrying on our life after a loved one has died. It was said by a young woman who had just lost her husband and was left with small children to raise by herself. She looked at the woman giving her condolences, and said, " I don't know how to do this."

     In this situation, none of knows how to do it, until we have to do it.

    I have been using this phrase in my head a lot this year. I don't know how to be a cancer victim. As a matter fact, I am not sure I am a victim. To me that is someone who has been damaged and broken. I am neither of those things. Neither do I consider myself a cancer survivor, and apparently, my doctor agrees with me. He wants to see me for check-ups a lot, at least for five years, which is the usual bench
mark for being declared cured.

     When this all started my main focus was on the surgery. I am a surgery survivor. No one really seems too interested in that, but it means a great deal to me. I had never survived surgery before, so it was kind of cool to be one. I also never considered the cancer part of the diagnosis, because the doctors and nurses we saw kept saying that if you must have cancer, this is the one to have, because it is contained and remove the container and you are done. NO ONE said, radiation, follow-up checks, or good ol' pelvic exams necessary, until after the surgery, I have done well, thanks to God and good doctors. If you do not believe good doctors are a gift of God, you have never been sick.

     That is also one my "not done this befores". I have not been sick. I don't consider myself sick, now, but I do have a lot of doctors to see. I am learning to do this. Because I have not been sick, I find myself really reluctant to share my concerns with doctors and nurses. Do I tell them every time my elimination is different? Why? Most of my life it varied with what I ate, did and how rested I was. Why should I tell them? I don't unless it is really different for me. And there is the answer. Know your self.

     While I am still on the " don't know how to do this", may I just say I don't know how to be old either.
I know that to a lot of people being in your sixties is not old. Let me tell you, it is compared to 40. I do not want to be old. I can be older, which are two very different items.

     I probably won't be considered mature by a lot of standards, either. I have so much fun being immature that maturing isn't on my list.

     I have had a good time learning to do things in my life: being a wife, a mom a grandmother. I think that when we think we cannot do something that is hard, God is there saying," I can." We need to let him and enjoy the ride.

     Here's to enjoying the ride and the learning.

Social Networks

     Since the advent of the personal computer in all its forms, we have become a people of social networks on the world wide web, not face to face people.

     I find this a little disconcerting, since, being older than dirt, we always networked in person. That is a little misleading. I mean that you talked to a person, be it face to face, telephone or written word. It was personal, civilized and easy to read the other person.

     Now, it is cold, non-personal and on the web for the entire world to see.

     There really is nothing wrong in that as long as you can still make it personal and only to those you want it to go to. Okay, just showed how naive I can be, since a lot of people can see what you post on these social networks.

      I also appreciate the opportunity I have to keep up with people who are not a part of my everyday society.

      It does annoy me to have people use this network to announce things that should be told to family and close friends privately and seperately before the world knows.

      I know people who have learned of marriages, pregnancies, deaths and divorces through these networks, before being told by the person, either in person on phone, email or face to face. To me this usually means that the announcement is going to cause upheaval and they are wanting to avoid that. Well, upheaval makes us stronger.

      I have no problem with these announcements if they are just reiteration for family and friends and now the rest of the world gets to know.

     Please be kind to each other and don't pop these kinds of things on the world wide web, before telling your mother.

     Have a great day and love each other to the best of your ability.