Journey Out of Pink

  TV is cheap entertainment, especially when you're retired. Though we don't pay for any cable subscriptions, we do stream and often find good things to watch for free. We like free!    Yesterday was a dreary day, one of those early winter days when your body doesn't get much sunlight and it messes with your brain. That's one of the things I dislike most about winter - my body needs sunshine to produce a good level of melatonin. Melatonin helps your body know when to sleep and when to wake. These gray-brown days make me want to hibernate, but instead of doing that I just try to take it easy resting or catch up on reading. But sometimes, I don't feel like reading so I turn on the tube. We have a lot of shows we enjoy but occasionally, I like to watch something that doesn't require brain power. On those occasions, I usually choose to watch something entertaining but creative, so I began looking for something in that category and came upon one of our old favs - Pro...

This morning, over coffee, I was perusing the internet and made a point of checking my various email accounts. In one of them, I found an interesting notice - our local Big Lots is going out of business. Mentioning it to hubby, we decided to take a jaunt over and see if there were any good sales. We got to the store and were shocked to find the shelves almost bare! Good heavens, word travels fast, but I guess these days, everyone's trying to stretch their dollars and a good deal is hard to find. Up and down the aisles I went, looking for everyday items like cleaning supplies...I know, most people would be buying Christmas stuff for the upcoming year and while they did have a good selection of those things, I wasn't interested. I grabbed some fabric softener and Swiffer pads for my power mop then headed for the stationary section. I only had one goal in mind really, and that was to buy a new wall calendar. I always get mine prepared with all the important family dates and medica...

Baking cookies  It's almost Christmas, can you believe it? I can't! I don't know how this year has passed so quickly. It seems the older I get the faster the days, months, and years go by. Do you feel it, too? Why is that? Maybe it's because the older we get the more we realize there are fewer days ahead of us than behind us.  My decorations are up, the presents are wrapped, and I have nothing left to do other than prepare the meal for our family on Christmas day. Thankfully, this year, the kids will help by bringing side dishes. It's tough when it all falls on me and I'm finally realizing it's smart to delegate and accept help when you need it. I've always struggled with that.  Today I was thinking about all the people who aren't with us this year and who won't be with us on Christmas. It's so sad my parents, my brother, and my in laws are no longer with us. Christmas won't be the same without them. And I won't get to have all my chi...

Christmas memories are often either some of the very best or the very worst memories a person can have. I'm thankful I can say that most of my Christmas memories have been extremely pleasant and most of them have revolved around selfless love given to me by others. I'd like to share one of my childhood memories with you today in hopes that it might encourage or bless you during this emotionally charged time of year.  I don't remember exactly how old I was the year I received my most prized possession but I must have been between the ages of 8 and 10. That Christmas, like most others in my childhood, centered around just being together instead of focusing on what was underneath the tree.  I distinctly remember turning in a Christmas list to my mother earlier in the month. I'd talked with my next door neighbor (who was a little older than I) to find out what the most popular gifts were at the time. I'd asked her what she was going to ask "Santa" ...

  This was the first Thanksgiving we didn't have any of the kids or grandkids with us. Since we were going to be alone, we planned on having a quiet day here but just as were about to finalize those plans, we got an unexpected invitation from my husband's cousin. After mulling it over for a few minutes, we decided to accept. Why spend time alone when we could be with others?  We drove out the country and as we pulled down the long gravel driveway, were instantly met by 4 large, black Pit Bulls. They ran in front of our car and were trying to bite the tires. As we tried to inch forward, they'd run and dart in front of us. We were afraid we'd hit one so we began honking the car horn, hoping the owners would come out and call them off, but they never did, so we proceeded praying we wouldn't kill one of the beasts.  We kept driving down the long road and finally reached his cousin's house. When we pulled into their garage, one of her sons came out to greet us. He as...

Today, my husband and I went to see the movie, Bonhoeffer. It was the first time we'd ever gone to a theater in the middle of the day on a weekday. We arrived early and took our seats. Over the next fifteen minutes, we watched as one older couple after another came in. By the time the movie started, there were only 6 couples in the theater all between the ages of 65 and 75. That's when it hit me, we're old and I guess, since retired, older people have the freedom to do what they want when they want, they can go to the movies at unpopular times.  I wanted to see the movie because it was supposed to be based on Christian martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I'd studied about him in seminary years ago. I was a little disappointed in the movie because of the way it jumped from past to present and there were a lot of gaps that needed to be filled to complete the story line, but all in all, it was well done.  I loved the scenes with him in the all black nightclub and the all black ch...

  Wow. I haven't written much this year and I don't really know why other than the fact that I've been busy. It's a sad excuse and one I'm ashamed to admit, particularly since I love writing.  It's hard to believe how fast the year has flown. My grandmother always used to say, "The older you get, the faster time flies." Boy, was she right. At almost 67, it seems I blink and the year is over.  Thanksgiving will be in 9 days! It's a time of year I've always enjoyed but this year, it will be very different. Instead of getting to spend the day with my family, I'll be spending it with some of my husband's relatives.  I'd posted on Facebook about our plans to spend the holiday alone this year since the kids were doing their own thing, and was pleasantly surprised when my husband's cousin reached out. Her invitation to have us join their family was unexpected but very welcomed. Since most of my husband's relatives are already decea...

This weekend, I was able to meet my first great grandchild for the first time. It was an awesome experience, but humbling as well. It was difficult to grasp the fact that I'm a great grandmother. Who ever thought I'd become one at such a "young" age?  Looking at my cute little great grandson, I could easily see my grandson in him - those eyes, wow...it reminded me of when my grandson was that little and got to love on him.  It also reminded me that life is going by in a huge hurry and I'd better grab every second of every day before they slip away.  As I watched my great grandson tug on my husband's beard, I felt a huge tug on my heart strings. More than likely, we won't be around to see this little guy grow up, but hopefully we'll still get to be a part of his life through photos - at least for a little while.  When I had my children, I never gave much thought to one day becoming a grandmother much less a great grandmother! I was so tuned in to making...

  Be forewarned, this is a very long, personal devotional and definitely falls into the category of oversharing, but I need to do this for myself and hopefully, to encourage and bless someone else. (Also, if you're squeamish, you might not want to look at the pictures.) Most of the people who know me know I'm a firstborn child. As a result of that, I learned quickly to become a people pleaser. I wanted to always do good and be good so I'd get the attention and affection of both my parents and others in my life. To do that, I learned I needed to be in control. I worked hard to keep things in check, things both big and small. But if you've ever studied about it, people pleasing isn't a good thing. In fact, it's a nasty flesh pattern and one that isn't a becoming trait. It's not something that makes God pleased.    Through the years, I've struggled to learn to let go of my people pleasing tendencies and to squelch my need for control. I'm ashamed to...

It's almost the end of September, can you believe it? I can't. I'm already bracing for impact. This is the time of year I hate most, not the end of September per se, but the beginning of October. Why do I hate October, well, it's because this will be my 10th Pinktober.  Pinktober is a phrase that was coined when the Susan G. Komen Foundation made pink ribbons their world famous logo. The ribbon was chosen to represent the founder's beloved sister who passed away from breast cancer. I'll have to admit, Pinktober is a cute name for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but I don't like pink.  When I was a little girl, my Mom wanted to dress me up in frilly pink dresses, but I hated them. I wasn't a girly girl. I was a bonafide tomboy. Pink reminded me of Pepto Bismal and that over the counter medication always made me think of illness. Whenever I had a stomach ache, that was the go to remedy. To this day, I hate the color of Pepto Bismal.  I don't know why I ...

I wish I'd understood how age affects one's health. Even though I saw it first hand, I didn't grasp the concept as my in laws and my parents began to decline. I knew their stamina would wane, that's just part of life, but to fully understand the challenges of aging, I think one must have first hand experience.  By today's standards, I'm not really old. Yes, I'm closer to 70 than 60, but to me, that's still pretty young. I don't necessarily feel my age. Perhaps that's because I push myself day in and day out. Since my cancer diagnosis back in 2014, I've pushed even harder than ever before. I've often asked myself why, but when I think about it, I believe the feeling I need to use up every minute of every day is rooted in the fear of wasting time that I am not guaranteed to have. Funny how a disease can impress that on you.  This year has been extremely challenging. I've been hospitalized more times than I can count. Some of those hospi...

How can something so little hurt so much? I've asked myself that question a thousand times and always in regard to some tiny, evil, red devils properly named FIRE ANTS! If you've ever encountered any of these wretched insects, you know what I'm talking about! Their potent venom can inflict so much pain.  On a hike, about a week ago, my husband and I stopped to have lunch. There was a concrete picnic table in the state park and we decided to have lunch there. As always, I looked under the table before sitting down. (I've learned in the past, creepy crawlers like to hide and nest there.) When I looked, I didn't see anything but decomposing leaves, so flinging one leg then the other over the concrete bench, sat down to enjoy a sandwich. After lunch, we drove home thinking about the perfectly beautiful day we'd had.  But... About an hour into our ride home, I began to itch. That's when I realized I'd been attacked.  As soon as we got home, I pulled off my pa...

  I don't know who coined the term "The Silent Killer," but I've learned a lot about it lately. The term relates to blood pressure.  Many people have no idea what their blood pressure reading is unless they monitor it. Most people don't keep a check on their blood pressure because you can't really feel what it's doing until it's either too high, (hypertension), which can be noticed by severe headache, pounding heartbeat, or other symptoms. Or if it's too low, (hypotension), which may be indicated by feelings of dizziness, fainting, or fatigue.  Hypertension can be hereditary, as is my case. Many of my family members have or have had hypertension. I don't know when my blood pressure first became a problem, but it seems I've had it all most of my life. That being the case, I've tried to monitor it at least once or twice a day for years.  About a week ago, my husband and I were sitting in the living room watching a movie on TV. All of a su...

Have you ever had a movie line pop into your head at the most random time? I have. It happens often, especially since 2 of my kiddos love to watch movies and memorize lines.  The day before yesterday, after a very uncomfortable situation, I had a line from the hilarious comedy, "Major Payne," pop into my head -  "Who's the dummy now?" And that line was absolutely appropriate for what happened.  It was hot and when I say hot, think inferno, then add some major humidity top of it. My husband and I had been out working in the yard and had both come in red faced and drenched with sweat. I had the bright idea to cool down using a frozen gel pack. They don't really freeze all the way because of something they put in them (I'm not sure if it's alcohol or what, but it allows them to remain pliable.) I unbuttoned my shirt and placed the ice pack on my upper chest, just above my stomach. Right after doing it, I wondered why I couldn't feel the coolness fro...

We love sitting out on our back patio in the summertime. We especially love the fact that we have a ceiling fan out there which helps to keep it nice and cool when there's no breeze. We also enjoy being around nature. As we sit looking over our wooded lot, we see all sorts of birds flitting to and fro. We love them! We've even put up several bird feeders and a bird bath to welcome them which they enjoy often. But one thing we don't like is the fact that when we're not outside sitting on our patio they like to rest on the back of our lawn furniture. And the longer they sit the more presents they leave.  So I tried to come up with a good solution. After doing some internet research, I found that birds don't like snakes so I ordered some rubber ones from Amazon. Draping them over the back of the chairs, I had to laugh. I wonder what the neighbors would think if they saw snakes on the back of our furniture? Especially the neighbor on the right who is a member of the Ass...