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!