Monthly Archives: December 2011

Repost: Christmas Grief

Posted on by

This is the sixth anniversary of my Mom’s death, so, though I think of her and sorely miss her often, this day (as well as her birthday and Mother’s Day) are particularly poignant days for me. Grief seems to start out like a flood but then slowly recedes to a stream that occasionally overflows its banks. There are many fond and pleasant memories, but I don’t suppose some moments of intense missing her will ever go away until I see her again. This is what I wrote on this day last year:

_________________________________________

December could be a rather gloomy month for my family. My mother passed away Dec. 10 five years ago, my father Dec. 12 a few years earlier, and my grandmother Christmas Eve a few years prior to that, leading my brother to exclaim once that he just wanted to cancel the whole month.

The death of a loved any any time of year can shadow the whole Christmas season as we miss our normal interactions with that loved one, and several years later, though maybe the pangs aren’t quite as sharp, they’re still there, and it’s not abnormal to be caught off guard by a memory or a longing leading to a good crying jag.

When someone is grieving over the holidays, they may not want to participate in some of the “normal” happy pastimes. It’s not that they don’t ever laugh or enjoy gatherings. But as Sherry said yesterday, “I am enjoying the traditional holiday celebrations, and at the same time they move me to tears, sad tears for things that have been lost this year. I am singing the music, and yet I’m tired of the froth of jingling bells and pa-rumpumpum.” I remember almost wishing that we still observed periods of mourning with wearing black or some sign of “Grief in progress” — not to rain on anyone else’s good time, but just to let people know there was woundedness under the surface, and just as physical wounds need tenderness while healing, so do emotional ones. Normally I love baby and bridal showers and make it a point to attend, but for several months after my mom’s death I did not want to go to them. I rejoiced with those who rejoiced…but just did not want to rejoice in quite that way. I first heard the news of my mom’s death during our adult Sunday School Christmas party, and the next year I just did not want to attend. Even this year, when our ladies’ Christmas party was on the anniversary of my mom’s death, I was concerned that at some point during the evening I would have to find the restroom and lock myself in to release some tears (though thankfully that did not happen).

Other events can cast a pall over Christmas: illness, job loss, a family estrangement, etc. One Christmas we were all sick as dogs, and my father-in-law had just had a major health crisis and wanted us to come up from SC to ID to visit. There was just no way we could drag ourselves onto a plane until antibiotics had kicked in a few days later, but we did go, and if I remember correctly, that was the last time any of us except my husband saw him alive, so in retrospect we were glad we went, though it wasn’t the merriest of Christmases. A good friend grieved over “ruining” her family’s Christmas by being in the hospital with a severe kidney infection. Lizzie wrote about visiting her husband in prison for Christmas. Quilly commented yesterday about being homeless one Christmas. Yet both Lizzie and Quilly mentioned reasons for rejoicing in the midst of those circumstances.

If you’re grieving this Christmas, don’t feel guilty if you’re not quite into the “froth” this year.  One quote I shared on a Week In Words post earlier had to do with giving yourself time to heal. On the other hand, there may be times to go through with the holiday festivities for family’s sake — and, truly, those times can help keep you from the doldrums. Sherry shared how making a list of reasons to celebrate Christmas helped. Look for the good things to rejoice in. E-mom left a valuable comment yesterday that we can treasure up the memories of good Christmases to tide us over the not so good ones, and then look forward to better things ahead. And as I said yesterday, remember that the first Christmas was not all about the froth, either, but was messy, lonely, and painful, yet out of it was born the Savior of the world and the hope of mankind. Rejoice in that hope and promise. Draw near to Him who has borne our griefs and carries our sorrows until grief and sorrow are done away forever.

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on by

Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, in which we can share five of our favorite things from the last week,  wonderful exercise in looking for and appreciating the good things God blesses us with. Click on the button to learn more, then go to Susanne’s to read others’ faves and link up your own.

Here are a few highlights from the past week:

1. The children’s Christmas program at church. Even though we don’t have little ones any more and I don’t know half of these little ones in our new church, it’s still so sweet to see all the miniature angels, shepherds, and wise men. They have the very littlest ones in animal costumes — so cute! I hope and pray the message they proclaim takes root in their hearts as well as the listeners.

2. Jesse’s school Christmas program. The seniors do a “reader’s theater” type play and various other classes and groups sing. Jesse was the “mission preacher,” also known as “the man in the suit,” who was able to tell little “Jimmy” how to be saved. The guy who played Jimmy is one of his closest friends at school. The whole evening went very well, and he was so glad to get it over with — though he had a pretty small part, he was nervous about it. There were a few pangs for Mama in realizing this was the last Christmas program I would have a child in…

3. Pink poinsettias. I don’t usually buy poinsettias, but when I saw this pink one in the grocery store I had to get it.

4. Sunshine. The first part of this week was dreary, overcast, rainy, with several areas flooding (thankfully not affecting roads, but we have several spontaneous lakes and ponds in the area when there is a lot of rain). But the sun shone bright yesterday and today, and it was so welcome. Still cold, but the sunshine makes a lot of difference.

5. My garage. I’m pretty sure I have mentioned it before. But after spending twelve winters scraping frost off windshields and bringing groceries in through the rain, it is so nice to bring the car into a dry and relatively warm space! And I am thankful my husband and son are gallant and chivalrous enough to let me have that space even though they leave the house earlier and have to deal with the frost more on their cars.

I don’t know about you all, but for us most of the Christmas “events” have been sandwiched into this week. Besides the pageant and program already mentioned, our ladies’ Christmas party is tonight, Sunday School potluck is this Sunday, open house at my mother-in-law’s assisted living place Sat. night, and the adult Christmas program Sunday night (thankfully I am just an observer for that!) I’ve bought Christmas cards but haven’t addressed them or done hardly any shopping. It’s a busy but enjoyable time! Hope you have a great weekend.

Book Clubs and Bookish Questions

Posted on by

Reading to Know - Book ClubCarrie at Reading to Know is hosting a book club for the next year. You can read more about it here. There’s quite an eclectic list of titles to be covered.

I was honored to be asked to lead one of the discussions, so I’ll be reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin in October. Why Uncle Tom’s Cabin? Mainly because I have been wanting to reread it, and this seemed like  good time to do so. Discussing it with others who have read it is icing on the cake!

When I was growing up, I had heard of Uncle Tom, but had no interest in reading the book. I knew that slavery was wrong but didn’t want to read firsthand how awful it really was. I had heard how awful, in school, on various TV programs, etc., but a novel about it seemed like it would be morbid.

But one day when I was in my twenties or early thirties, my pastor mention in passing that Uncle Tom was the kind of Christian you’ve always wanted to be. Well, that piqued my interest, so I did read it some time thereafter and discovered he was right. I was saddened later to hear the name “Uncle Tom” used as an insult on one of the black comedies of the 80s, and I have heard it used that way since. In these day of standing up for one’s rights, meekness is not highly valued. Tom was meek, but he wasn’t weak and kowtowing.

So I’ll be looking forward to revisiting that story and seeing what my impressions are now a couple of decades later. I hope you’ll make plans to join me! And some of the other bloggers involved in the Book Club as well.

I’ve had a couple of questions or comments lately wondering how I find time to read and how I choose what to read. I answered those individuals, but thought I might answer those questions here as well.

How do I find time to read?

A few weeks ago I had this quoted from a comment on 5 Ways to Make More Time to Read on a The Week in Words post: Reading allows me to thrive.  If I don’t, then I feel stagnant. ~ Michael D. Perkins

I feel exactly the same way. If I don’t have some time to read every day, I feel mentally and intellectually dry and dull. I read more some days than others, but I do try to read (from books, not just the computer) every day. Here’s where I usually fit in in:

1. I hope this isn’t crass or TMI, but honestly, a great deal of my reading is done in the bathroom. 🙂 I used to have a link to a cute article on that, but apparently it has been taken down. In searching for it I did find Chamber Plots and Why Do Some People Read in the Bathroom amusing. It’s mainly a profitable way to spend the necessary time in there. More than one person referred to it as their Fortress of Solitude. 🙂

2. Any waiting time. If I am going to a doctor or dentist, a book is a must. Not only does it help pass the time in an edifying way, but it helps me combat nervousness by occupying my mind. Also, before the boys started driving on their own, I usually took a book with me when I picked them up from a youth activity or ball practice. That way if their event ran overtime, instead of stewing in impatience I looked on it as a few stolen moments to read.

3. Driving. Well, not while I’m driving. But if we’re going somewhere more than 20-30 minutes away, I bring something to read. I’m thankful I can do that: I know it makes some people carsick to read in the car.

4. Sunday nights. We’re not legalistic about it, but we try to make Sundays different and more restful than other days by not doing any work other than what it takes to get to and from church and meals on the table and then cleaned up. Sometimes we don’t really get to rest until after the evening services, but it’s nice to come home then and relax, knowing that I don’t have to toss some laundry in or whatever. Sometimes these days we’re Skyping with Jeremy or doing something with the kids or doing stuff on the computer on Sunday evenings, but otherwise, if there is time, I like to stretch out on the couch with a good book. Occasionally in the summertime I might do that in the evenings as well, if we’re up and there’s nothing on TV and everyone is otherwise occupied. But I rarely just sit down during the day with a book unless I’m in a part where I just can’t put it down or unless I am not feeling well.

5. Meals. Usually if I am home by myself, I am at the computer for breakfast and lunch. But sometimes when I have had enough of the computer, I’ll read a bit while eating.

6. In conjunction with devotions. If I am reading a Christian non-fiction book that is not a biography, this is when I’ll usually work it in. Just occasionally I will take a break from reading the Bible through and read a book like this in place of devotions, or I might read it after devotions. But it takes a different mindset for me to read non-fiction: I can’t just pick it up here and there and get as much out of it. I like to read it in chapters or at least in sections at a time.

And that’s about it, I think. I do manage to get through a number of books that way.

How do I choose what books to read?

Since starting to read blogs, I’ve kept a TBR (to be read) list on file so I can jot down recommendations from bloggers I’ve come to know and trust. Many of the blogs I read discuss books to some degree and provide more fodder for my list.

But even before using the Internet so much, my friends’ recommendations gave me lots to read. It just occurred to me while writing this that my friends in “real life” (not that you all aren’t real, of course 🙂 ) don’t really discuss books that much any more. I wonder if it is because we’re spending more time on the Internet or what?

Of course, once I find an author I like, I’m alert for when they have a new book out, and I might try to backtrack and read their older books.

I don’t do this as much any more since my TBR list has gotten so long, but sometimes I’d peruse the shelves of book stores or libraries and pick up something that looked good. (I miss bookstores in malls!) The Christian book store here keeps a regular clearance table year round (whereas my former one in SC just had a huge after-Christmas clearance sale once a year), so if I am in there and have time, I’ll scout out the clearance sales.

Sometimes if I see something interesting in a store, I might wait and check the reviews on Amazon.com or Christianbook.com before buying.

Sometimes I am inspired to read a book when I’ve seen a film based on it.

Every once in a great while. I’ll go to Christianbook.com and click on Fiction and see what’s new.

Usually I read Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, biographies, and classics, in more or less that order. Occasionally I’ll delve into something modern and not Christian, but it’s getting harder to do so without running into objectionable content. I saw some good reasons for reading non-Christian books, and I agree with them, but it’s hard to find the right balance.

And that, I think, is probably much more than you wanted to know about my reading habits.

No Condemnation

Posted on by

This is going to be more of a thinking out loud or a processing-my-thoughts post rather than a wrapped-up conclusion, and therefore it won’t be very polished (not that my other posts are, either. 🙂 )

I joined Do Not Depart in memorizing Romans 8 after seeing Lisa mention it. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t memorized anything in ages and I am discovering just how rusty the ol’ brain cells have gotten. I’m a little behind since Thanksgiving week, but it’s coming along.

Of course, the first verse of Romans 8 is one of the most blessed to believers:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What an amazing blessing to know that God loved us enough to be willing to take our condemnation for us, paying the debt in full. When we believe on Jesus as our Savior, we know our sins are forgiven and we can look forward to seeing Him without dread.

But I’ve seen people use this concept lately in a different way, such as when they’re feeling guilty about mistakes in parenting or besetting sins. While it’s good to rejoice and comfort ourselves that God covers our everyday mistakes and sins with Jesus’ blood, and we can be forgiven on that basis, “no condemnation” doesn’t mean a number of things (please forgive the awkward grammar):

1. “No condemnation” doesn’t mean God will never deal with my sin any more.

Hebrews 12:5-13 tells us about God’s chastening of believers. Believers. Those who have already been forgiven and delivered. Chastening is a different thing from condemnation for sin, yet I have seen people confuse the two.

“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,” verse 6.

“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”, verse 7.

“But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons,” verse 8.

“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby,” verse 11.

I’ve been a little concerned with what I’ve been reading about grace-based parenting– I need to read one of the books going around to see what exactly is being taught. But the way I have seen some people apply it is to ditch everything Proverbs says about disciplining children in favor of grace, in the sense that as adults, when we sin, we confess it to God and whomever else is involved, and that’s it. That’s it as far as forgiveness goes, but sometimes God chastens us to help us learn how serious sin is, to help discipline us not to do it again. I think it goes back to the idea of progressive sanctification: our position in Christ is secure when we’re saved, but our everyday lives should be looking more and more like Him as we grow in Him. In fact, sometimes the more we grow, the more we’re saddened to learn just how pervasive our sin is and how much we need for Him to work on us.

There is an interesting passage in Leviticus 26:40- 42: “If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;  And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:  Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.”

2. “No condemnation” doesn’t mean no one else can ever speak to me about sin in my life.

I’ve seen sometimes when one believer tries to speak to another about a glaring problem in his or her life, he or she will react by saying something like, “Why are you condemning me? The Bible says believers face no condemnation.” (Of course, there is a right way, attitude, demeanor, and time and place to confront someone and wrong ways, and sometimes that reaction is sparked by the way someone confronted rather than the confrontation itself.) But God uses believers to help deal with issues in each others lives, and that is not the same thing as condemnation for sin.

Proverbs 25:12 says, “As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.”

Galatians 6:1 says, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Even Matthew 7:1-5, which warns us to take the beam out of our own eye before trying to remove a speck from our brother’s, isn’t saying no one should ever try to take anything out of anyone else’s eye, so to speak: it’s just warning us not to be hypocritical by dealing with other people’s issues when we have our own. Verse 5 says, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Balance is always required: these passages don’t mean we’re to become nitpicky fault-finders. There’s plenty in the Bible warning against that. But when we are aware of a definite glaring sin in another’s life, we are supposed to meekly, gently, kindly, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, confront her about it. That’s not condemning the person: that is trying to help her fully be all God wants her to be.

3. “No condemnation” doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences to our actions.

Consequences are sometimes a part of chastening, sometimes a natural outgrowth of sin. If we harm our bodies with smoking, drinking, drugs, or overeating, there will be natural consequences. If people get into a fight and destroy property or maim someone, grace doesn’t erase those consequences. It provides for forgiveness before God, but we still have to deal with the consequences.

4. “No condemnation” doesn’t mean that I won’t or shouldn’t experience guilt.

I think of guilt similarly to pain: they both indicate that something is wrong and needs attention. Guilt can be a good tool of conscience to prick us about a sin we’ve been excusing or ignoring.

If we still feel guilt after we have confessed and forsaken the sin, then going back to verses like I John 1:9 helps. We might still feel regret, even though a sin has been forgiven: I don’t think it is wrong to wish that a sin had never happened, even as we rejoice that we have been forgiven.

Of course, there is such a thing as false guilt, guilt over things that aren’t wrong in themselves that other people say are wrong, guilt over standards that the Bible doesn’t express. Conscience is a tool in God’s hand, but conscience itself isn’t infallible. A former pastor used to put it jokingly, “If I had been captured by cannibals and they were about to toss me in their cooking pot to stew, I wouldn’t say, ‘Let your conscience be your guide,'” because obviously they have no conscience about eating people. Conscience has to be trained according to the Word of God.

5. “No condemnation” doesn’t mean I can take sin lightly.

God doesn’t take sin lightly. Some of the ways He dealt with sin in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament in places like Acts seem rather harsh to us. But we need to remember that’s how He really feels about it. That’s how awful it is, that’s how much of an affront it is to Him. And if we multiply that offense by all the sin anyone has ever committed in all of history and realize the full weight of it was all borne by Christ on the cross…it’s incomprehensible and overwhelming to consider.

So when we realize that we are not condemned for our sins, our attitude shouldn’t be, “Whew! I got away with it.” We shouldn’t have a light regard for what seems like the easy grace of I John 1:9. It wasn’t easy at all. Salvation and grace are free to us because Someone else paid the price that we could not.

Our response to the truth that in Christ we face no condemnation should rather cause us to magnify, worship, thank, and love Him even more. It should have a sanctifying effect in our lives, helping us to have a hatred for sin and a desire for holiness.

The Week In Words

Posted on by

”"

Welcome to The Week In Words, where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week  inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us, attributing it to its source, which can be a book, newspaper, blog, Facebook — anything that you read. More information is here.

Here are a couple of thought-provoking quotes I came across this week:

Seem at Chris Anderson‘s:

“He who loves God will endeavour to make Him appear glorious in the eyes of others. Such as are in love will be commending and setting forth the amiableness of those persons whom they love. If we love God, we shall spread abroad His excellences, that so we may raise His fame and esteem, and may induce others to fall in love with Him. Love cannot be silent; we shall be as so many trumpets, sounding forth the freeness of God’s grace, the transcendency of His love, and the glory of His kingdom. Love is like fire: where it burns in the heart, it will break forth at the lips. It will be elegant in setting forth God’s praise: love must have vent.” ~ Puritan Thomas Watson, All Things for Good, p. 86.

“Love must have vent.” Love that.

Via Diane:

“How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing . . . it is irresistible.” –C.S. Lewis

So very true.

You can share your family-friendly quotes in the comments below or write a post on your blog and then put the link to that post (not your general blog link) in Mr. Linky below.

I hope you’ll visit the other participants as well and glean some great thoughts to ponder. And don’t forget to leave a comment here, even if you don’t have any quotes to share.

Because of Christmas Day

Posted on by

Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the Holy Bible say
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing
A new King born today
And man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day.
Trumpets sound and angels sing
Listen what they say,
That Man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day.

While shepherds watched their flock by night
Them see a bright new shining star
Them heard a choir sing
The music seemed to come from afar.

Now, Joseph and his wife, Mary
Come to Bethlehem that night.
Them find no place to born she child
Not a single room was in sight.

Hark, now hear the angels sing
A new King born today,
And man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day.
Trumpets sound and angels sing
Listen what they say,
That Man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day.

By and by, they find a little nook
In a stable all forlorn
And in a manger cold and dark
Mary’s little Boy was born.

Long time ago in Bethlehem
So the Holy Bible say
Mary’s boy child, Jesus Christ
Was born on Christmas day.
Hark, now hear the angels sing
A new King born today,
And man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day.
Trumpets sound and angels sing
Listen what they say
That Man will live for evermore
Because of Christmas day

Words and music: Jester Hairston

Laudable Linkage

Posted on by

Here are some interesting things seen round the Web this week:

Six Helps for Sufferers from Elisabeth Elliot, HT to Challies.

How to Serve “The Singles” in Your Church.

Read On! by Patsy Clairmont, HT to Robin Lee Hatcher.

Affect Versus Effect. Great tip to remember when to use which. I tend to have to look it up, even when I think I am doing it right, just to be sure. Loved this cartoon at the bottom:

I do believe in using correct grammar, and I believe it can affect one’s readability, credibility, and testimony. But on the other hand, people tend to have no grace at all when they see grammar mistakes in others’ writings. When grading a paper or editing, that’s one thing, but in everyday reading I think we can overlook people’s grammar mistakes just as we would anything else.

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Roll-Ups via e-Mom‘s Pinterest. haven’t tried these, but they look so good.

Free printable Christmas tags from Karla Dornacher.

Crafty stuff:

Stamp Storage System. Seems a little involved, but if you have a lot this might help you keep track of what you have and be able to find it.

Personalized “Happily Ever After” Plaque. Neat idea. Of course, you could put any phrase on it.

More phrases on canvas.

Love Button Wall-Hanging seen on Pinterest.

A simple tree tee — the design was made with scraps of trim.

Saw and repinned a number of neat things on Pinterest, too many to list here, but you can see them there if you like.

And finally, what would Saturday be without a couple of funnies:

For this to make sense you have to be familiar with the LOTR flms as well as the Jared jewelry commercials. It made me chuckle.

Hope you have a great weekend. I’m off to clean and cook for company coming tonight.

Friday’s Fave Five

Posted on by

Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, in which we can share five of our favorite things from the last week,  wonderful exercise in looking for and appreciating the good things God blesses us with. Click on the button to learn more, then go to Susanne’s to read others’ faves and link up your own.

Here are a few highlights from the past week:

1. Christmas decorations. Jim doesn’t like to have them up right after Thanksgiving, but we thought we’d go ahead while Jeremy was here so he could participate and so we could get our family picture in front of the Christmas tree for Christmas cards. I kind of like having them up now. 🙂

We did a couple of new things outside. We have one of those big ugly utilities boxes in our yard, and the previous owners planted some little trees around it. I wanted to decorate the trees and Jim wanted to decorate the box itself.

As we were putting the lights up, we saw that the front of the box said not to plant anything around it. Ooops! It’s evidently been like that for a while and they haven’t said anything, so I guess it is ok. I asked Jim what to do  if some utility guy knocked on the door and says he needs to get to the box — he said he guessed we’d just have to unwrap it then. 🙂 😳

2. Christmas light show. Christmas Wonderland in Sevierville, TN has a place you can drive through and watch the Christmas lights blink and shimmer in time to a radio station they have you turn to. Pretty neat!

Most of the music is pretty good, some of it a little raucous for my tastes. But it was fun to see.

3. Christmas music! I like to wait til after Thanksgiving at least so as not to overshadow it. The Christian radio station I listen to started playing all Christmas music Dec. 1. I just got this new CD yesterday and have listened to it multiple times already.

4. Turkey Bone Soup. One of the best things in the days following Thanksgiving.

5. Harvest Loaf Cake— the first of the season! But not the last, as I am planning on making it again for a couple of upcoming Christmas events.

Have a great weekend!

“You never know what a day will bring forth”

Posted on by

This is what my mother-in-law said, paraphrasing Proverbs 27:1, in her emergency room bed this morning.

She’s fine, but her oxygen level was low and the nurse at her place thought her color was off, so they called her doctor and he told them to call an ambulance. She was pretty scared about the ambulance, but an excellent EMT seemed to really make a connection with her and had her laughing and joking, so by the time we got to the ER she was in a pretty good mood.

They did a variety of lab work and diagnosed that she had bronchitis and a urinary tract infection and sent her home with an antibiotic. What was sad was that, after getting her home and settled, Jim mentioned the antibiotic, and she asked why she needed one.  When he mentioned the ER and ambulance, she didn’t remember it at all. Maybe that’s for the best, but it is disturbing that her memory is deteriorating that much. Or it may be just that she was so shaken up by the events of the morning that her memory wasn’t working well. When anything unroutine happens it tends to have an effect on her both mentally and physically.

My poor dear husband got the call about the ER just as he was getting off an overnight flight from LA. While he was at LAX last night, the power for the airport suddenly went out. That would be unsettling! They did have emergency lighting and were able to use the PA system, but of course couldn’t process flights. Thankfully everything was back up to speed by the time his flight left, so he wasn’t delayed. It’s funny the things you don’t think about the power affecting — he had been in the restroom when the lights went out, and the little automatic flushers and faucets didn’t work without electricity. We leaned later the power outage was due to Santa Ana winds.

So he’s had a very long 20 hours or so. But thankfully he was able to sleep on the plane, so he’s doing ok. But I am sure he’ll be glad to be in his own bed tonight.

The couple of different posts I was contemplating for today will have to keep til next week. Looking forward tonight to Turkey Bone Soup, one of the best things about the days after Thanksgiving!