Ready Freddy.

Woo...I'm ready for some fun.  One more sleep.  Food is ready...house is ready...gifts are ready...bank money is ready...I'm ready.  Tomorrow is Xmas. Well, that's not quite right.  Tomorrow the Michigan kids arrive and then Thurs at some point we open gifts and hang out together.  Woo, woo.  Today I went to church to clean up last Sunday and get ready for next Sun.  The poinsettia needed to GO.  Advent candles went.  The Christ Candle is ready and I can forget about that place for a few days.  It all will take care of itself.  Then next week...Humm...All the Advent/Christmas stuff must go back in the box.  That means over 100 nativity sets that have lined the window sills.  Wreaths come down...new banners need to appear and we're on to another church season of the year.  Volunteers are needed and I think I have some promised already.  Woo, woo.  It takes a village for sure.  I'm planning two work days for packing up.  So...always something to keep my feet going.

Merry Christmas Morning.

This past week has been slow and easy for most of the time.  Lovin' being slow.  Thursday was Soup kitchen and eating with friends from the community.  Just a great bunch of people.  But for some reason there was more food on the floor then I have ever seen.  So keeping the floor absent of food was part of the morning's work among other things..  Friday was a grocery shopping day.  I always enjoy being with people that are going by their grocery lists and in a horrible hurry.  It's just an interesting time to be in the store.  I got some last minute gifts...Filled all 9 bags with ??????  And ready for next week.  Chili is made and in the freezer along with some chicken veg. soup.  Sat. did some cleaning and hung some pictures..Took down the tent that was in the living room.  And...left for church at 5:30.  Missed first service which I probably should have attended.  The grandsons and son Eric sang at the family service.  That service continues to grow and the place was full.  Second service was communion and then Third service was lessons and carols with the choir singing.  It was just a restful unhurried evening.  Today there is one service at 11:00.  And later this afternoon we are going to Eric and Kat's for supper.  And...football will be added whenever we find time to sit a bit.
So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good day.

second quiet day.

Well, it started with knowing that the temp was -4 .  I know that because we were on the road taking the Mamlin's to the airport leaving home at 7 am.  Filled the van and a car with 7 trunks filled with things needed in Kenya.  Woo...lots of weight for sure.  Dropped off the car at church for Becky to retrieve.  Then home...to what I thought would be a morning of sewing BUT...not to happen.  Off to the Honda shop to drop off the van and pick up another one.  The lease was up...or will be soon.  Same color same car.  Not many changes.  We can watch video's now but sort of hard to do from the front seat.  This afternoon I did get some sewing done but more to do...not in a hurry at this point.  I finished half of a knitting project for a surprise gift to a great lady at church.  Split Pea soup...yum, yum.  one of my favorites for supper.  And tonight knitting and it's Football night in America!...So...that's my second quiet day.  The next three days will find an hr. or two or three at church.

Quiet Day

So...ice storm last night.  Big mess with the roads so today was a quiet day.  It started with making coffee and needing the paper from the mailbox at 5:30....It didn't happen...the paper that is.  I took a very irrational trip to the ground one step from the garage...needed to crawl back to the garage  because there was no way to stand up with all the ice.  So...that told me...NO paper today.  And it never arrived.   Tonight there is still a bump where my head hit...I don't think I ever had such a quick trip to the ground.
Watch TV...Purdue beat S. Bend and right now...Butler is all over IU.  Of course I'm rooting for my school Butler.  I put together two bibs.  Such fun and I have had the best fabric and thread given to me over the years...It's perfect for bibs.  Went for groceries and saw for sale Barley/Mushroom soup. Well, I came home and made my own.  It's sooo good.  This afternoon I started knitting again.  So..quiet day.  This evening we will make our trip to Panera's for pastries for church.  With any luck the streets won't refreeze.  Tomorrow is church.

Another post.

I think writing here is beginning to be therapy.  At least it feels like it.  Today...off to Sarah Ellen's basement for a wonderful morning of visiting but yet getting something done that proves the morning was worth while for many reasons.  We packed 3 trunks with beany babies...need to fill three more to have enough for Xmas '17.  I think we have some time.  A dear lady at church...unable to do a whole lot because of almost being blind loves to shop with a friend at Goodwill stories.  We packed over 300 B B this morning.  That's about half of what we need for the children hospitalized at Moe Un. Teaching Hosp. and surrounding orphanages. Hope to get them on their way this summer.  Woo...There will be a total of 6 trunks to send.

Then we finished packing another 7 trunks that will be on their way Monday.  One is filled with craft things...two with toys.  The others with other things.  It was a great morning.  This afternoon did some Xmas shopping for the grandsons...Went to the bank...Then home and did some more sewing bibs.  Babies at church will get these and of course it was back to the Doris sewing machine for pretty embellishments.  She is never far away in my mind.

Tomorrow is Bread and Bowl soup kitchen.  And it is to be horribly cold so the coffee will be flowing.  I love the guys who come to eat.  They are so gracious in so many ways. That is if they haven't been drinking, come to think of it.  Doesn't happen very often.  Then tomorrow night choir practice with the best friends in the world.  That's it for the day.

Monday. Celebration

Yes...Celebration day.  But it has been almost a week of times of laughter and times to remember and time to cry the loss of Doris.  Sometimes I think tears come because it's just a bit difficult to make the transfer to the rest of life without the physical presence of a friend.  So moving on needs to be conquered.  I will conquer.

Doris died Tues evening as you heard.  What a mentor to me for over 40 years.  I remember taking Jared and Eric to church to do seasonal decorating with Doris .  That means even before they went to kindergarten is how long the friendship has lasted.  And even though Doris is not here I will call her my friend until is see her again.  This morning was her funeral...I would say her memorial service.  A service to remember her even though the preacher called it her funeral.  This week...lots of conversations with friends who knew her equally well.  That has helped a bit.  I spent the past few days sewing on her sewing machine, reorganizing the sewing/computer room bringing into that room a huge rack built by her dear Bill,  holding over 100 spools of thread and remembering so much of how she shaped my live. Those gifts in memory just keep on coming.  I so love that relationship.

Now to the rest of the week.  Wed.  I'm meeting my second best friend who will now move to my best friend, Sarah Ellen Mamlin.  It will be trunk packing day for their return to Kenya.  That's always a huge day of packing, making lists, taping trunks together and just having great conversations while working.  16 bibs are going to Lydia.  It's a new record number although Lydia has received  at least 100 of my bibs over the years.  North Church donated nearly 800 HOT Wheels cars to be giving to sick children during treatment time.  That's a new record also.  So...lots of craft items used on the children's wards, books, puzzles and other toys will be in the trunks.  It should feel like Christmas giving time.  Looking forward to that.    That will be a great mind filler.  I need it.

So...Looking forward to a more peacefully, prayerfully  filled mind replacing the stress of the past few days.   That's my challenge and I will meet that challenge.  God will be my helper.

Wed. morning.

Let me tell you about yesterday.  It was a day that has produced many memories filled with many emotions.  It began with time with Eric, then to the Y for a time and then home to think about the day.  There is a Xmas study at North called Finding Mary lead by Jane Sweet.  This is the second year for the study.  I made a decision around 9:30 to attend which lead me to North Church and into a small group of ladies sitting in the parlor thinking about the message that came to Mary and how people in her life said yes to the message.  Where do we say yes to messages that come to us?  When the study was over for the day three of us went to see our dear friend Doris.  Our visit told us that Doris' body beginning the last of her journey here on earth.  We stayed for about 20 minutes...talked and prayed with her and her message to us that she "wanted to go".  We heard that over and over.  Her body was in great pain.  New medication was given and we left around 12.  I went back in the afternoon to see what was happening.  She was resting and I didn't stay.  A few hours after that daughter Nancy called and I returned to the Forum and was wonderfully blessed to be with the family and Doris at her passing into a new life.  Death occurred around 6:50.  A wonderful life well lived and given for others.  Memories will be with me and with our church through over 100 fabric arts pieces that Doris created for every season of the church year.  Her ministry will be with us for a very, very long time.
Blessings on you Doris.

Monday evening.

Colts play tonight.  Fingers crossed...Probably won't work but it might.  Delivered a ton of stuff to Sarah Ellen this morning.  That includes 650 matchbox cars, 15 bibs for Lydia among other things.  Then home to do more sprucing up.  I decorated two HIGH FLYER sleds that the boys used YEARS ago.  They are in front of the house.  Greens...Ribbons and more.  Fun stuff.  Also filled a big pot with greens I cut from our trees and red berries.  So...something on the outside of the house.  Visited Doris and met four other friends visiting during the afternoon.  I think Doris really enjoyed the visit because it gave her someone to listen to.
Later this afternoon I started working with the sewing machine that Doris gave me.  It's a beauty and I think I counted about 200 different stitches that it can sew.  Fun days are ahead.  So...now to knitting and the game.

Some great news...

Today started at 5 am when I check my e-mail...A wonderful message saying that our choir friend Julie Berry was in the process of receiving a new heart.  Over joyed.  Ron Berry is our bass soloist for at least 15 years.  Julie has done various things at church.  She taught at Orchard for many years.  So...it was such good news.  Wonderful news.  The surgery started at 3 am and finished around 12 pm.  No complications and now it's recover, recover and live a life worth living.  She has lived on a battery pack for over a year.  Two weeks ago she was put on the transplant list...Woo...Prayers for the family of the heart giver and prayers for Julie and her family.

Doug and I spent some time with Ron in St. Vincent's waiting room visiting with Julie's two sisters and helping to pass the time.  After that I went to see Doris again.  Her condition continues to worsen.
Her son-in-law was also there.  She has so much pain and the plan is to medicate her pain as needed to control it.  This seems to be the new normal.  We were there about 2 hrs...reading a lot of Jesus Calling when her pain was tolerable.     Then home...library..grocery store for whole cloves that were pressed into holes put in oranges.  Tomorrow at church the orange will go in the oven and make the church smell like Christmas.

I continues to do some sprucing up for Xmas...cleaned off some shelves.  Added to the trash container and am trying to live in the future and not hold on to the past.  Stuff just isn't important at this point of living.

Off to Panera's soon to get pastries for hospitality time at church.  Then to bed.

Prayers for Doris and her family and prayers for Jessica...another choir member who's husband has suffered a second stroke.  Life is tough at times.

The grandsons came today.  So much fun with a potion box from Dee.  They loved it and had the best of times with it.  Andrew loves to watch TV...Noah could care less.  He's always near me working with me.  Today we did some decorating in the living room.  The little guy was by my side most of the time sweeping the floor and more.  And from uncle Rick...Green blinking Star bracelets.  It was a great grandson day.

After they left I went to see Doris who seems to be the worst I have seen her.  It's so painful to see her body failing her.  I pray that this phase doesn't last to long.  When the body cannot heal it's time to move on to our permanent home.  Such a sad visit although she talked and knew me but was just so weak.  Such difficulty with swallowing which resulted with choking.  Her mouth is so dry.

Ate supper while listening to Christmas music.  It helps.  More sprucing up to do and that will keep my mind busy.  Tomorrow I want to go to soup kitchen to meet Virginia...a wonderful Mexican Catholic lady who is just the right size to have Doris' two wonderful coats.  She will cherish them.

That was the day.

Soup Kitchen and Choir and Doris.

Soup kitchen today.  Great help and lots of time for conversation.  Some with community folks some with our two guys who come from John Marshal school.  Loved every minute of it.  We were not to busy.  Food was a little under par from Sec. helpings.  But tummy's were full.  Then collected more matchbox cars from church folks, brought them home and tomorrow we'll unpack them and add them to the bags of cars going to Kenya in two weeks.  We have over 500 cars at this point.  Boy...have we been blessed.  Doctor Joe and Nurse Sarah Ellen will see that sick children will have a great diversion to help them through long hospital stays...usually involving burns at Moe University and Teaching hospital in Eldoret, Kenya and in clinics across western Kenya.  And for many of the children it will be the only toy they will receive in their lifetime.  North Church will make a difference for many children.  Stopped to see Doris this afternoon.  Knitted and listened to some great Christmas music.  She was a little more animated today.  Just a little. I want to decorate her room for Xmas.  I think it would help her thinking just a bit. Not much space but a little will make a difference.  Tonight is choir.  We'll be singing lots and lots of stuff.  Woo, woo.  Such good friends in the choir and just a fabulous experience to be with church friends on Thurs and well as Sunday.  Some of us can finish each others sentences.  Doug has been in the choir close to 60 years and I've been there for 50.

JB...I took a picture of the picture on facebook of the yarn on the wall...on my new phone and showed it to Doris.  She was excited.

Tomorrow Andrew and Noah will be here.  Later this time because Noah is off to the endocrinologist. I hope the word is encouraging.  That's a huge HOPE!