In my old age I have been more of a house mouse than in my younger years. I like to be at home. I love to read, watch TV, knit, make hand-made cards, do jigsaw puzzles... I could go on but you get the idea. But mandated to stay home, seeing my regular haunts: restaurants, theatres, library, parks, etc. closed-that is entirely different.
All of a sudden I don't want to stay home at all. My daughter, whose job is an online job which keeps her at the computer from 8AM till 6 or 7PM said the same thing. It was fine when her work kept her "housebound" but now all she thinks about is NOT being able to go somewhere. For us, to be very honest, it's really not being able to go out to eat.
Still, I think it is important for the sake of all of us to be able to be on our best behavior. A smile and kind consideration for our loved ones stuck inside with us and for everyone else when we do go to the store for groceries. A smile can really help those who are feeling "under" these circumstances and a confident hope that the ending will come can encourage those who can't see that.
As a Christian I think everything that happens on this earth is easier to face. We don't understand most of it any better than the next person, but we do, or we should, have a better acceptance and courage to live each day in it.
Certainly looking to the day when we will have all come through it together, looking back, is the best way to overcome any fear or depression it may want to cause in addition to the micro-organism that is wreaking all the havoc.
I know words are not going to make it easy or even help people to feel victorious, but sharing positive thoughts and giving away some of our strength of resolve to endure can't hurt. So I pray you all lift your head high, hug your family in your homes and look for that day believing and totally hopeful the end is coming.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Monday, March 2, 2020
LIVING LIFE
To live life is hard enough in old age, but when it is life itself that distracts us from that, it is even more difficult. More months have passed than I was aware since my last blog. I realize that I made a New Year "resolution" to begin them again and here we are already in March.
Hopefully I am back on track and will do a blog each week from now on or whenever a notion to share comes to mind. I am thinking about all the circumstances that have led to this hiatus.
I guess the biggest one is the move. I have had to move five times in ten years and that is a super and challenging feat in your 70's. I will blame that on my putting all writing aside and won't even mention the super duper WRITER'S BLOCK.
To be financially stressed and definitely strapped as I am with a low social security as my only income and living with my devoted and wonderfully indulgent daughter, who too lives on a minimal salary for a very hard and demanding job, makes us both vulnerable and formidable.
The move caused us to have to make two major decisions: move where we could afford to live; second decision to buy instead of renting. We had no choice about the first one. My daughter could only afford $1000 or less a month. Forsyth county where we lived in Cumming, GA had nothing with 2-bedrooms for less than $1200 and up. In searching for under a $1000 it took us at least two hours or more away from that county.
The second decision to buy caused us to look in every direction to find a place. After much exhaustion and many many places both to rent or buy we set out for buying. My daughter, who would be owner, wanted it to be a newly built home. This decision led us to the delightful town of Rome, GA where they were building new homes "from $100's" rather than the "$300's" everywhere else.
Then began the depressing thoughts of leaving behind the life we had enjoyed for ten years. It was not that hard for my daughter. Her job was all consuming and only required her to stay in the state of GA. It was sad for me, because my life revolved around my church family and ministry at a very spirit filled and loving church.
Packing was easy, because many of my dear sisters in Christ helped us pack all our things. The going to a new place was also okay, because both my daughter and I love a new beginning. A chance to start out on a new venture is a very enjoyable challenge for us both.
So here we are enjoying Rome and all its southern history, cultural experiences and a quiet college town atmosphere. After Cumming where they break ground, bulldozing to build new multi-home (sizes of small hotels) residential sites seemingly every week, to a place where you "turn right on red" no matter the intersection because there is hardly ever any cars coming is a most refreshing change.
We have also found another spirit filled and loving church and I am praying the Lord will set my ministry of service there in His own timing, way and will. But getting older still continues to be difficult. We are vulnerable to be in God's will no matter what He may ask and formidable to do it and look back on the move and see no matter how hard it seemed, here we are safe and sound in our cozy, little brand new home.
Hopefully I am back on track and will do a blog each week from now on or whenever a notion to share comes to mind. I am thinking about all the circumstances that have led to this hiatus.
I guess the biggest one is the move. I have had to move five times in ten years and that is a super and challenging feat in your 70's. I will blame that on my putting all writing aside and won't even mention the super duper WRITER'S BLOCK.
To be financially stressed and definitely strapped as I am with a low social security as my only income and living with my devoted and wonderfully indulgent daughter, who too lives on a minimal salary for a very hard and demanding job, makes us both vulnerable and formidable.
The move caused us to have to make two major decisions: move where we could afford to live; second decision to buy instead of renting. We had no choice about the first one. My daughter could only afford $1000 or less a month. Forsyth county where we lived in Cumming, GA had nothing with 2-bedrooms for less than $1200 and up. In searching for under a $1000 it took us at least two hours or more away from that county.
The second decision to buy caused us to look in every direction to find a place. After much exhaustion and many many places both to rent or buy we set out for buying. My daughter, who would be owner, wanted it to be a newly built home. This decision led us to the delightful town of Rome, GA where they were building new homes "from $100's" rather than the "$300's" everywhere else.
Then began the depressing thoughts of leaving behind the life we had enjoyed for ten years. It was not that hard for my daughter. Her job was all consuming and only required her to stay in the state of GA. It was sad for me, because my life revolved around my church family and ministry at a very spirit filled and loving church.
Packing was easy, because many of my dear sisters in Christ helped us pack all our things. The going to a new place was also okay, because both my daughter and I love a new beginning. A chance to start out on a new venture is a very enjoyable challenge for us both.
So here we are enjoying Rome and all its southern history, cultural experiences and a quiet college town atmosphere. After Cumming where they break ground, bulldozing to build new multi-home (sizes of small hotels) residential sites seemingly every week, to a place where you "turn right on red" no matter the intersection because there is hardly ever any cars coming is a most refreshing change.
We have also found another spirit filled and loving church and I am praying the Lord will set my ministry of service there in His own timing, way and will. But getting older still continues to be difficult. We are vulnerable to be in God's will no matter what He may ask and formidable to do it and look back on the move and see no matter how hard it seemed, here we are safe and sound in our cozy, little brand new home.
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