A Walk Down Memory Lane

The days are so beautiful right now. They remind me of Southern California. When I was a child, we would visit my grandmother in Glendora. We spent our time skating on the sidewalk or playing in her lovely backyard. There was this vibrant peacefulness and a unique scent in the air. 

Glendora still has that mystique. Recently we were in Glendora for my Mum's graveside service. Afterwards, the reception was held at the church where my mother (as a child) and grandmother attended two blocks from my grandma's bungalow. 

We breathed the air and walked the circle from the church to her house and back, me with my two adult sons. We walked down the alley out back. The citrus trees and avocado tree, with the best avocados ever, in the backyard are thriving. How I miss our visits. I often dream of being back in that house for a visit.

My oldest two sons remembered their younger years and visits to Great Grandma's and the neighbors just down the street. Visits to Grandma's house were always a delight, for me and for them. 

Those are special memories that will not to be replicated. Wonderful. Today is like being back there, with the sounds of the city and the lazy, crisp beauty of another day. 

I feel soft inside with a tenderness that joy so richly imbues in the remarkable moments that give goodness to our days. Life is good. How precious is each moment.

The picture is from a visit to my Grandma Weigold's in Glendora around 1994. We're standing in front of her sweet little home on a Sunday morning, ready to walk to church. The boys are wearing shirts my mother made them. What a blessed memory.

Night Sky in All Its Beauty

Life is so interesting. Sometimes I get stuck and feel like I'm running in place. Other times it is absolutely delightful.

The other night I was at my dad's place out in the country. The night sky was deep indigo and I could see the Big Dipper and a multitude of brightly shining stars. The air was crisp-cool and a light breeze was tingling my arms.

So lovely, exquisitely beautiful.

Beauty after loss is a wonderful tonic for the tender heart.

Photo: Unsplash

Seniors: On Picking the Best Utensil

What spoon will I choose?

I looked at the spoons in the tray as I hunted for the kind I wanted. Not wanting just any spoon to scoop my granola with, I was looking for the best to my liking (Oneida flatware). I spotted one of them, and set it to the side. I prefer a quality spoon with just the right curve and weight.

Satisfied, I pour my milk in the bowl and proceed to eat my breakfast. I am aware of this every time I am going to eat with a spoon. When I'm stirring sugar in my coffee or in my iced tea, I don't care which spoon to use. I am less picky because the spoon's function is different.

I think back to my Grandpa long ago when I was a youth. Grandpa liked just the right spoon, too. He preferred a thin-edged, well-worn silver spoon (silverware) with a deep scoop to it, over other types of spoons. He liked using a silver spoon when eating soup, oatmeal, pudding, or ice cream. I remember him saying that he didn't like metal spoons as well.

Does that sound silly? I remember thinking it was sort of silly. A spoon is a spoon, right? Nope. Now that I am older and more decided in my preferences, I am more like my grandfather and more particular in what it takes to satisfy me. I prefer the best tool rather than the adequate or better tool. I am less content with status quo or just okay. I like what I like and choose what I prefer when life affords it.

What does this say about life? about me? about choices I make? I have grown to appreciate certain things more than others. Most of us seniors are that way. We have grown with life. We have become more aware of what works and what doesn't work for us. We gravitate to what serves our purposes and in the best possible way. Our likes have become preferences that now are more pronounced than they used to be. You have learned what works best and you consistently apply certain tools to accomplish defined tasks.

You use what works best for you but you also notice what others are using. It pays to pay attention to what is available. A parent demonstrates to their child the way to proceed and accomplish an undertaking. A sloppy or poorly completed endeavor is an indicator of using the wrong materials, rushing through, or not fully focusing. We don't have time for wasting time. Really.

Make good choices as best as you can. Selecting the spoon I want demonstrates a nonverbal desire to be pleased and satisfied. In life, that is a good thing . . . unless someone else wants the same spoon at the same time -- but that's another story. Choose what works the best for you. I've been indecisive for most of my life, I'm done with that way of living.

I want my next twenty to thirty years to count. I don't want to waste time on what won't deliver the goods, this includes relationships and endeavors. I won't settle for less. Don't you settle for less.

Life is Not Hopeless

Whatever is in your life is not hopeless. 

God is working behind the scenes. 

God cares about you. He heals your sorrows. He lifts you up. 

This is his new day to you. Rejoice in it. Believe in the God of the impossible.

 Believe God will make a way through the desert. Believe in God always. 

Trust in him. Thank God for holding your hand and not letting go.

Thank God for holding your hand and not letting go.

He is your silent partner.

9-11 -- Fall-out, Fealty, and Future

September 11 is the anniversary of the day that changed America.

She has never been the same.

Fear has become her companion as we as a country have had to put safeguards in place to prevent another such tragedy. These were necessary given the threats to our nation's safety.

However, something was lost and something was compromised. America lost her sense of security, and narrowed her sense of purpose.

May she not despair.

America is the land of the free and the brave. May she rise again and live with honor. May her wounds be bound and then healed. May she speak for the marginalized and downtrodden. May those who defend her freedoms know they are supported in their efforts and through acts of bravery. 

May freedom ring both for love of country and in the hearts of her country's men and women. May her people rise together and honor God with their actions and hearts. 

Today, tomorrow, here and on foreign lands, may God bless America, her citizenry and patriots, her innocent and weary-worn, her children and her elderly. 

May God bless America, my home sweet home.