(The Reno, NV train station. One of my very favorite photos.)
"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." --- Deuteronomy 28:6
****
Still here!
Mainly I've simply been celebrating feeling soo much better. You know, having little gratitude parties on the red couch while watching Youtube videos and, lately, reading old Mary Jane's Farm magazines. Oh, and gardening. Lots of morning sit-down-gardening for just minutes, but hey, it adds up.
And also? I'm again counting my blessings for, years ago, not procrastinating what the Holy Spirit nudged me to do. Why? Because these past 7 months I pretty much desired to do nothing but lay around and heal.
And although during those months the house was, er, a mess, at least I could lay on the red couch (or on a hospital table-like bed) and rejoice that I'd done tasks (or traveled) over the past years because Honey, no way could I do any of it now.
Plus, I had those memories to pleasantly mull over while I could only lounge around.
Examples?
Tom and I bought that tiny farm and lived our farming dreams right on the cusp before we could no longer handle it. Often, I recalled my favorite farm memories while recuperating from internal radiation surgeries when I could only lay on my back in recovery.
There were our camping trips, motel stays and later? The train travel across the country--4 times. Could we do all that now? Most likely, uh, no. Our train season, as the farm one, is over.
Yet how good to finally accept that seasons in our lives are a thing. They come and go and aren't meant to cling to in sadness when the gate of lovely seasons slams shut. Instead, they're to be treasured with hope that new seasons, though very different, will be just as lovely.
Years ago, I put together a quasi capsule wardrobe. During these months I could barely dress myself, but at least my clothes looked decent. ツ I barely thought about what I wore, but it came together because I'd planned it all out during my normal years.
The garden beds I put in and all the perennials I planted. The decorating of my home over the past 14 years. The decluttering of 10 things weekly which I began in 2019. My book collection (tho' oddly, I didn't feel like reading). The arranging of having groceries delivered from Aldi each week.
On and on it goes. All those things the Holy Spirit said, "Do it now," probably adding, "while you still can." But that last part is hard to listen to, right? We want to believe we'll be strong and healthy forever.
Anyway, just some notes for you today, things I've considered many hours. And really, color me so grateful that God alerted me ahead of time, even though I didn't have a clue how it would all piece together during these difficult months of my life.
He is so good.
*****
And as I wrote at Facebook:
So yesterday was the first time this year that I walked down to the Salv. Army drop-off. I made it back home ok, but just barely. heh.
Anyway, one hour later, Tom and I were sitting here and we heard (and felt) a big boom! We ran to the windows and saw that Neighbor Sue's elm tree had lost a HUGE branch, probably with a 30-inch circumference at the tree's connection. It had tons of smaller branches shooting off of it.
Fortunately it didn't hit her house, but it fell across the sidewalk and street, and even brought down a couple wires from the pole, (one connected to our house, an old phone line).
Wow, only an hour before I'd walked that sidewalk and would've been killed had the tree fallen on me. Color both Tom and myself thankful for God's protection and listening to the Holy Spirit rather than procrastinating my walk just one more hour.
*****
Some of my perennials:
Mint
Snow in summer
Peonies
Oregano
Clematis
Sun drops
Forget me nots (tho' not a true perennial, it acts like one)
Chives
A climbing rose
Daylilies, 2 kinds
Strawberries
Sweet woodruff and another ground cover whose name I can't recall.
And white sweet alyssum
Oh, and a very special thanks to each of you who commented after my last post. As usual, it's taking me forever to get over there and thank you! All the time, I read all your comments and appreciate each one.
*****
More movies we've enjoyed lately.
Savannah (can't believe we just now saw this Jim Caviezel film. It is a sad one, ok, but then it's a true story so what are ya gonna do?) ツ
Mrs. Lowry and Son (another true story, some difficult moments, but still inspiring)
The Rendevous (we were surprised this had basically no 'language'!)
Did anyone watch any of the movies I recommended last time?
*****
God's timing? Perfect. Always.
