Saturday, November 24, 2012

THANKS

It's what life is all about, isn't it.
THANKS!
We can look at the daily 'stuff' and choose to be grateful or choose to whine.
It's not easy.
This home near us was so damaged that it was torn down.
I can note plenty of people who truly have the right to whine.

It turned bitter cold today.
I cannot imagine being in a damaged home without heat or living in a hotel room with five other people.
Yet, I read in the news that these people give THANKS . . . that their family is together, that there is so much generosity, that life continues to move forward with every tic of the clock.

Life happens.
Sometimes it is not so good.
Sometimes it is fabulous.
THANKS!

This month had its ups and downs for many of us.
THE storm, Sandy.
THE election
Go to nma.gov and
enjoy incredible
works of art.
A national holiday called THANKS=GIVING.
It's a day to say THANKS.
We were blessed, my hubby and I, to enjoy a quiet time together after a delightful trip to D.C.
We enjoyed balmy weather and digested incredible works of art.
We gawked and swooned as we walked wide paths.
We ate authentic foods made by cooks from other nations.
We joined the masses on the subway as we traveled into the busy city.
And then we drove home before the holiday crowds filled the vast highway lanes.
We arrived just in time to enjoy a special meal on a day set aside for the nation to give THANKS.

This day set aside for THANKS melts into thoughts of GIVING.
THANKS and GIVING do blend together, don't they.
Yet, THANKS is so daily.
One Thousand Gifts . . .  of THANKS.
Go to Ann's blog to learn more
That's why I joined hundreds of others around the world as we share in daily THANKS with the writer of One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp: A Holy Experience

This month I reached 1000 THANKS!  ASTONISHING! . . .  just by writing three THANKS each day!  I invite you to look at my other blog to see what I've done: Daily Graces from God

I continue my daily THANKS as a wonderful discipline to remain positive in a life that seems to spin in so many directions.
As I give THANKS, I set my eyes on the season of GIVING!
THANKS  + GIVING = A long season of wonders.
May THANKS and GIVING become a daily part of our lives.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

NOW WHAT?

It has been a turbulent week.
My schedule suddenly became very full.
My teaching is accented by volunteer work at the food bank.

Then I was asked to substitute for someone who is unable to lead our meeting tonight.
It so happens that I am also in charge of the AUCTION fund raiser after the meeting.
I also volunteered to work at the voting polls yesterday.
So far, it is all do-able if I remain focused.

Dad is still over 6 ft. tall
Then my dad experienced a 'bump in the road' so to speak.
He arrived in his winter digs on Sunday.
He was admitted to the hospital Monday.
Family BUZZ via email and phone was constant Monday and Tuesday.

Dad was surrounded by those who could help.
But, as he is determined to remain independent at almost 98, he was a little wobbly.
Even the one who was with him knew he could not pick dad up if he fell.
Dad's legs were not working right.
It took more than one to get dad to the hospital.

Phone calls.
Emails.
What to do.
I am far away but I know the 'ropes' as I use to live down there.
I call a friend who gives excellent advice.
In the mean time, doctors take lots of tests.

Loved ones are waiting and wondering what our next steps will entail.
Dad's family is ready to help but most are some distance away.
The load falls on a few.
I am too far away to carry much of the load.
So, NOW WHAT?

I wait for information.
I wait for further instructions.
We all wait for doctors to tell us the next steps.

Dad was suppose to enjoy six months in the sun, in his beloved little condo.
He was only there one day before he landed in the hospital.
Now he wants to return to the comforts of his wonderful assisted living facility up North.
Dad sits on the bench he donated to the little park
near his condo.  He can no longer walk to it.
It is a reasonable request.
It is a do-able request as soon as the doctors give him the go-ahead.
There are plenty of 'helpers' willing to escort dad back to the place in a cold climate filled with loving  caretakers and family members close by.

In the mean time, I am asking myself NOW WHAT?
What is going to happen in our lives?
How are we going to endure the next several years where too many people want and not enough are willing to give?
Too many are saying, "What's in it for me?  Give me what you others have worked so hard to earn."


Yet, I am sure dad is saying, "NOW WHAT?"
"What is my life going to  be like?"
For my dad, life as he has known it has come to an end . . . at least it looks like that for now.

He needs help.
That's an understatement.
Hopefully the doctors will rectify dad's inability to walk.
But, independence is no longer an option for him.
His long life is changing.
He is healthy but he is now more limited than ever before.

As I feel overwhelmed by too much on my plate . . .
As I feel overwhelmed by 'circumstances' for our country . . .
As I wallow in a bit of a self pity . . .
I begin to pray.

"Show me, Lord, what you want me to see.
Show me the "NOW WHAT" you have set before me.
Remind me, God, that . . .
My life is FULL!
My life is ACTIVE!
My life will continue to have WONDERFUL SURPRISES each day.
My life is GOOD!
My hubby and I are HEALTHY!
We are SAFE!
We are being used and WILL BE USED even more as times get really tough."

NOW WHAT?
For dad . . .
His life just changed on a dime.
One day he was fine.
Dad's view from his little porch.
He rode in an airplane from North to South . . .  from cold to warm.
He walked just fine . . .
    and then he could not move his legs.
He wants to return to what he is use to even if it is cold.
He wants to embrace the familiar.
He wants the comfortable feeling that comes from being surrounded by loving caregivers or others who are his age or a bit younger.
I imagine he cares nothing about an election or who is running the country.
He is totally focused on surviving and perhaps thriving, even if it is in a different mode.

 I should be saying, "WHAT NOW can I do for him?"
How can I help?
How can I serve and comfort him from afar?

Life will go on for me until the moment it stops.
It does not matter what is going on in the country.
It does not matter if I do not get my own way.
It does not matter what I think.

Life is precious.
Dad's life is precious.
What Now?
I must make every moment count for him.
He may live several more years . . .  or not.
But, he is now living in MOMENTS.
I need to look beyond my own selfish desires and ask my dad,
NOW WHAT can I do for you?
NOW WHAT can I say to encourage you?

He is taking each moment as it comes.
Age has taught him to be flexible.
He has much to teach me.
So, I ask God, NOW WHAT am I called to do . . .  for my dad . . .  for my family . . . for others?

Sunday, November 4, 2012

THE STORM

Last week I began to write about the affect of storm Sandy in our little town.
None of it made sense.

Our community flag was shredded.
Within a week a new one was flying high.
As you see, Sandy did little damage in our area.
After a hurricane in Florida we experienced no power for two weeks but the weather was warm.
We could not flush our toilets because the main sewer pump was compromised.
But we had help from friends across town who had showers and toilets.
They took our thawed food and we had wonderful meals together.

We then moved to a little town up North. . . and away from hurricanes?
An earthquake south of D.C., over two hours south of us, dismantled some foundations in our little town last Fall.

When hurricane Irene flooded our town last year, people lost homes, clothing and so much more.
Yet, neighbors helped with food and clothing and appliances and rebuilding.
It took a year.
And then Sandy visited us.
Our new little lake that dried up in about two days.
We were more prepared.

The wind was the worst part.
Twenty-four hours of howling.
Thud, thrash, whoosh, plop.
Bushes and trees uprooted or split in two or simply squashed.

And then the rain.
Sheets and sheets of rain . . .  with the wind . . . and hail from the drop in temperature.
Soggy soil uplifted roots.
Trees and bushes turned on their sides.
The dry little valley below us became a lake . . .  where ducks came by the dozen.
The ducks held on . . . heads to the wind . . .  blown to the south side of this new pond.

Yet, within 24 hours it was all over.
Gentle wind, softer rain, fluffy clouds . . .
      and a huge drop in temperature from the storm from Canada that hit us at the same time.
We still had electricity.
We had plenty of food.
The little bit of damage was easy to fix.
Our TV worked  . . .
     So we saw how much real damage this 1000 mile wide storm created.
       
New Jersey and parts of New York are a mess.
The 80+ homes in Queens were burned to the ground.
Within hours the Red Cross and World Vision and so many other volunteer organizations were there to help.

BUT . . . BUT . . . due to extreme danger from power lines in water, they were not allowed to enter the states.
This is reasonable.
As fast as the power companies and firemen and policemen could work, it could not be fast enough for millions of people.
A catastrophe of this sort left hundreds of people stranded for days before help could arrive.
We hear of dumpster diving.
We hear of no water and no food.
Help was there . . . but helpers could not pass through dangerous areas.
Should more people die so that others can have food and water?

I cannot imagine the cold, dark nights.
I cannot imagine losing everything . . .  EVERYTHING . . . in a storm.
Of all the storms and floods and hurricanes and earthquakes I have been through, we were never beyond inconvenience.

My heart sinks each time I see, on the news, the long lines waiting for gas.
I cannot imagine waiting three hours and then being told 'we're out of gas.'
I cannot imagine losing everything . . .  and then freezing . . . then being hungry and helpless.

All we can do is DONATE.
The Red Cross is one place we can count on.
World Vision, which has supplies for the needy in a warehouse in the Bronx, lost 1/3 of its inventory.
They help all over the world, including New York and New Jersey.
I trust the Red Cross and I trust World Vision (less than 14% admin. costs).

We are praying for each person affected by the storm.
We are donating now . . .
AND we will donate our CHRISTMAS PRESENT MONEY.
It's going to take BILLIONS to clean up those two states and fix so much that was damaged.
The government cannot . . . and should not . . . pay for as much as they need.

I pray we can all help a bit.
So we give . . . and give some more . . . and then keep on giving . . .

and thanking God we all are able to give a bit . . . even if seems like little.

And it is money, $$$$$$$$, they need.
Not old clothes or used items.
It takes $$$$$$$ to rebuild.
It takes $$$$$$$ to provide what individuals truly need.
There are plenty of people to help.
We survivors . . . we who are merely inconvenienced . . . can help in our own little way.