Cranky Granny Disease (Or, Don't Let This Happen to You)

"Older women likewise are to be… teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored” (Titus 2:3-5).

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So there's this Bible verse which says, "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of," (Luke 6:45), but I'd like to tweak it a tad --

"For the fingers type on social media what the heart is full of."

Oy!

Cranky Granny Disease. It displays our lack of patience, is a form of pride--and it's spreading.

What is it, exactly? It's when we over 50 turn sarcastic, rolling-eye-ish and all 'duh, no really?" in our replies about what younger/other folks believe, do and say.

Cranky Grannies forward posts listing ways Today's men and women are--

stupid, 
illogical,
ignorant,
modern, different-thinking,
and unlikely to change.

They criticize (a lot) everything from clean-lined home decor to ecological decisions to hair color, fashion and baby names (and much else under the sun).

They crave a good, have-you-heard-the-latest-foolish-news-article? story. They're blown away when young folks haven't learned what it took them whole decades to know. 

Basically, they've forgotten how it felt to be young. To long to journey away from parents' predictable ruts and discover new lands and music and lifestyles. 

Perhaps Cranky Grannies never considered God planned things this way so we'd not all still be living Dark Ages Style in 2018.

Hmm. Anyway, it's difficult to do sarcasm right online, you know, with just the perfect humor essence so you don't sound like you're snarling. Mike Rowe is awesome at funny online sarcasm. Most of the rest of us are not.

Sarcasm is a symptom of Cranky Granny Disease and boy, it's a simple malady to contract. 

Just spend lots of willy-nilly, clueless time with Grannies who've got it and uh-oh! You'll probably catch it, too.


"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
"It's the little foxes that spoil the vine."
"Evil communications corrupt good manners."


But it's the joy of the Lord which remains our strength and it's love which is the greatest thing of all and is patient with millions of young folks out there still learning--

--- still trying to find their way, just as we did a long, long time ago.

And may they have kind-hearted Joyful Grannies praying for them to find the God of love. At any age we need others' prayers, encouragement and patience.

We have that and so much more in common.

                                   Snapping turtles aren't us.  😉


"Complain and remain. Praise and be raised."  ... Joyce Meyer


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May we start well on our walk with God and finish well, also. May we determine to remain joyfully upon this always-learning journey for the long haul.


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Last weekend a woman's mother was downsizing, for her husband had passed away. After offering my condolences I picked up this seagull ($1) and bought him, for he looked like he belonged upon my mantle--

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Really Bad Coffee, Back In The Closet And Other Stories

(Ha! Since the beginning of Time, no one else, I'm guessing, has ever used that title.)

Anyway, on the 4th of July evening, Tom asked if I wanted us to see a matinee the next day.

My mind spun. Literally. "What?" I asked. "How can we see a matinee when you'll be at work?"

"I took Thursday and Friday off. I told you."

Uh no, he didn't. I mean, vaguely I recall three weeks prior, how we stood in the kitchen with Naomi and Tom said, "Maybe I'll take the day after the 4th off." But never a word after that. 

Men.

Gracious! I felt like a stick-shift car which suddenly got jerked into a whole different gear. My creative plans for back-to-normal days! My schedule! All left back in the road somewhere. Suddenly unplanned vacation mode was mine for the next 4 days.

Gulp. But we survived. That is, until Saturday morning when we visited a neighborhood diner we'd been meaning to try for, oh, nearly 7 years. We do enjoy supporting locally-owned businesses--it just takes us awhile.

But oh dear. Their hot-dishwater-in-a-cup coffee.

Never ever have I tasted coffee so dreadful. And trust me, I've made  poor cups of the stuff, myself, over these decades. Now, my pancake and sausage links tasted great, but the eggs, eh. Tom's meal, well, let's move on.

But we left a nice tip. Hey, when you've had a daughter who waitressed for 20 years, you quickly remind yourself that your server didn't cook your meal. And ours was chatty and sweet so, especially in Today's world, cheerfully serving even mediocre food (and blechy coffee) should be rewarded.

Our next stop? A quick dash into my beloved coffee shop for a coffee to go. I get only 2 or 3 cups a week, each separated by 48 hours--any more, my head will ache for days, so I needed to taste good coffee, lest I remember only the bad. 

(It's like I sometimes tell myself: "Never let one bad example sour your mind from that thing forever. 'One strike, you're out,' is not a patient, godly, loving way to live.")





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Well, ol' Debra's back to sleeping inside her closet again. Seriously. 

See, our little window air-conditioner upstairs is, like, 30 feet away from my guest room pillow and the box fan barely moved the cool air through the doorway I've made up there (long story). 

Man, I barely survived our heat wave, not to mention Daniel the Cat kept insisting upon snuggling against my knees, and the lamppost shines through my white curtains and occasionally cars drive past that window by my head and --

--dreading going to bed was getting mighty old.

So I lugged the foam mattress back to my closet and made the bed which wasn't easy because--this time--I'm leaving the closet pole and a few clothes hanging upon it which, ok, probably sounds mighty weird but oh! Who cares? 

My closet world is dark, quiet and like a safe cocoon far from 2018. The air-conditioner and box fan blow upon me and going to bed feels sweet again.

And that's what matters.

Sometimes you gotta love growing older, right? It's not like when you were in your 20's and felt that pull of blending-in so you'd not be whispered about and shunned.

But go reaching 50 and beyond? You realize there are worse things than being abandoned. There's never discovering who God created you to be--then dying only partially formed, still spinning on the conformity wheel. Unfree. 

So today I'd say to anyone who feels anything but free--fling yourself off the wheel. Float around awhile in the silence of breadth and space until oh! You discover the God out there who makes Himself real to those who brave non-conformity and silence.

Do that and adventures will begin again. Journeys recognized as such only by fellow travelers who've risked potential loneliness for freedom, instead, with a Creator who's wanted these adventures for us all along.

                   I've tweaked things a bit in my closet since this photo, but you get the idea. Oh, and the main difference with my closet this time? I'm using it only as a sleeping and dressing room. My 'hanging-out', 'she shed' type of room is still the large guest room. This, I'm finding, is a perfect solution for everything. Finally.




“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   ... John 16:33

Each day is an exciting adventure with God. You never know how God is going to show up, move or orchestrate things for your good!  ---unknown

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Okay. Is this one of the cutest family photos you've ever seen, or what?

I've known Laura since she was a little girl and a friend of Naomi's. Our families used to spend time together in California and Nevada.

Love, love this photo, and again, I appreciate Facebook for letting us peek into the lives of old friends with whom we'd otherwise have lost touch.


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Oh! And yesterday Naomi flew to Denver for a wedding band gig with her band and will be traveling back tonight (Tuesday, 7/10). Any prayers for another safe trip would be appreciated--thanks so much!

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y Naomi flew to Denver for a wedding band gig with her band and will be traveling back tonight. Any prayer for another safe trip would be appreciated--thanks!

To My Fellow Do-Nothings On This 4th of July

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."... Matthew 5:14

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."   ... Matthew 6:3,4


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So yeah, I'm of the 'conservative persuasion'. You probably guessed that. Perhaps it's my lack of certain phrases or tones which gives me away.

And you know? That 'lack' word has me thinking. See, some fellow conservatives online spouted phrases like, 'sleeping conservatives', 'the do-nothings' or 'watchers'. As in, maybe guilt will activate us like wind-up toys.

But hey, if you're gonna make comparisons, well, of course we'll look like do-nothings. The majority of us are not-- 


-- screaming in the streets. We're not calling our President and his family horrible names.
We're not taking flash bombs and chains to prayer rallies (Portland, anyone?).
We're not escorting political leaders out of restaurants nor filming ourselves lecturing them there.
We're not using Facebook or Twitter to start fights and end friendships.
We're not making violent threats, sarcastic parodies nor are we inciting violence (didn't that used to be illegal?).


No wonder we look lazy. Other folks sure do stay busy lately, right?

Yet here's the thing: I cannot do anything greater than what God asks me, personally, to do.

I could march and write letters and make calls and run for office--but, uhm, I'd be in personal error. All that would zap the time, energy and finances God gave me for very specific callings He slipped inside when forming me. (And of course, this isn't to say He never asks me to be politically minded. He does. Sometimes.)

But we all have specific callings, yes, even you. And some of you are called to be active political soldiers, creating huge changes in our Country. Please, please do that if God's saying,"Come on, already!".

But most of us? 

Most of us are meant to keep foundations from crumbling. We're to hold up the arms of leaders, to wear our spiritual armor and pray like crazy. To care for our families, teach them respect for human beings and wisely prepare for all emergencies. To aid our neighbors, give money via our convictions and freely give of what's been freely given to us.

We're to be steady lights in what's become an extremely dark planet.

But the 'problem'? Most of those tasks, God asks us to do in secret-- without calling fanfare unto ourselves, lest the glory be snatched away from the One who leads us step by often-quiet step.

I'm thinking it's wiser these days to peer way, way below the surface before we assign the do-nothings label. Or even better? May we just stay busy shining our light, obeying God, helping Him with foundation upkeep, too active to criticize callings not ours with graces not ours to see them through.

Even though, yes, our own simple tasks probably don't get talked about or noticed much. Oh, but someday, they will. Indeed.

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."   ... 2 Corinthians 10:12


"When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset."   ... Exodus 17:12


"But remember--things are not always what they seem."   ...copied



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(Thanks, Anne, for sharing this at Facebook. It fits well here today.)

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After ten whole days, I was able to, yesterday, visit my coffee shop again!

(While they were on vacation, I'd attempted to play coffee shop on my front porch--and although pleasant--it just wasn't the same.)

Oh, and I'd meant for some time to thank you for praying for them. Business has seemed so much brisker this past month!

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