Tomorrow is July 1st.

Hi everyone,

Can you believe that tomorrow is July 1st, already?  Time goes by so fast to me.  I don't know if you all think it does or not, but I surely do.  Maybe it's because I'm old now.  It seems like we just celebrated January 1st., and now six months are over already. 

What have you been up to lately?  Have you been doing anything creative?  I certainly hope so.  Creativity exists in all of us, but in many different ways.  A few days ago was my birthday and I received a message on FB from one of my Grandsons (he's 22) which made the tears flow.  That night as I was trying to fall asleep, I thought again about his message and I realized that he has the gift of words.  Then I remembered that he writes rap music, which he also sings.

It makes me so happy to realize that my six boys have grown up into fine young men now, but what really makes me smile, is that they understand how important values, principles, morals, ethics, traditions, etc. are to me and their parents. 

I know when our children are little, we often wonder (pretty much every day) if they even hear what we try to teach them in regards to the above things.  Then, if we've lucky, one day way in the future, we hear them say something that we said many, many years ago, and we stop and smile because they really did listen to us!  Who would have known?

As I'm sure you already know, I have three beautiful daughters, whom I love and admire very much.  They are strong, independent women, they've been terrific Moms and I am so proud of them.  I hope, in some way, that I was a good influence upon them and the way they turned out.  Maybe that was, in some way, creative parenting.

I'm still working daily on my embroidery work and I'm also crocheting afghans for Christmas gifts.  I am, also, working on another novel.  My manuscript is going well, although I just don't seem to have as much time to work on it, as I'd like to.  I don't know what's up with that.  I just seem to get tired much faster these days.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Fourth of  July weekend.  I know many of you will be celebrating with family and friends, so please be safe in your travels.  More importantly, please don't drink and drive.  If you're going to have alcohol, please have a designated driver assigned before hand. 

Happy July 4th to each of you and be safe.
Susan

Thursday's shocker!

Hi friends,

I grocery shopped this morning and after I got home and put everything away, I was tired so I sat down and decided I'd read the newspaper while I rested. 

As usual, I always look over the obituaries, mainly to see how old the people were who passed away.  Very seldom do I ever see that someone I knew had died.  Today was different.  As I was reading names, I came across a lady who's name sounded familiar.  It turned out that we went to high school together at York Catholic High.  We weren't real close friends, but I do remember that she was always friendly with me and we got along pretty good.  I was sorry to see that she'd died.  She was almost 68 years old.

After I finished reading her obit. I glanced to the left to check out the age of the next woman and as I noticed her name, I did a double take.  Then I saw the photograph and I was in total shock.  This woman has been a friend for so many years and now I read that she died. 

We used to live on Filbert Street in York and so did she and her son.  They lived in the same block and on the same side as us.  She was living with her son and raising him pretty much alone.  She was divorced.  After my husband left me and my daughters, she and I became very close friends.  About six years later, I got remarried but we remained friends, even after I moved to another home in York.  As the years passed, we'd talk on the phone a couple of times a year and visited from time to time. 

Ten years ago, after my health declined, she'd call me to see how I was.  I can't remember her ever having any serious illnesses.  I always thought she was pretty healthy.  It was probably six or eight years ago that she remarried and moved into East York.  We still kept in tough about twice a year. 

I can't tell you how seeing her obit. in the newspaper this morning, shocked me.  I guess I've always thought that because she was fairly healthy, that she'd outlive me by many years.  Things don't always go the way we figure they will though.

I truly don't know why I'm still alive and she's dead, when I'm the one with the serious heart problems.  I guess I never will know why she died and I'm still living, but apparently it's God's will.  I've known for a long time now, that God wasn't finished with me, although I'm not sure exactly what He wants me to do.  I know one of the things is to visit weekly with my friend who's in a nearby nursing home.  She's appears to be in a very serious depression and she's very sleepy when I visit with her.  I suppose it's the combination of depression and medicine, but I wonder if she even remembers that I was there, later that day.  It's been at least six weeks since I've seen her smile. 
I know this is God's will that I visit her, but I just hope my visits do her some good, but I have my doubts.  I will continue visiting her as long as I am able. 

So often we go through life, especially when we're younger, and we chose not to think about the possibility of our death.  Then, like what hit me in the face this morning, death knocks on a door very close to you and the realization hits you:  that could have been me!  It truly makes a person stop and think about mortality and just what God does have planned for them. 

I hope all of you will take a minute to thank God for the gift of life that He's given to you and to each member of your family.  Our lives are a blessing from God Almighty!  Be safe and have a good day.
Susan

How was your day?

Hi everyone,

How was your Monday.  I know it was the first day of the work week for most of you out there.  It was a normal Monday for me pretty much, even though today is my Birthday.  My wonderful husband did buy me flowers and gave me a birthday gift, but I wouldn't have minded if he hadn't.  His card was beautiful and there's little I need anymore. 

What I liked most about today, was that it's been another year that I've had on this earth.  Most people don't think about that on their birthday, but for me, it means everything.  You see, ten years ago I was pretty close to dying.  I believe that God had other plans for me and for that I'm thankful. 

What He gave me was ten more years of being with my family; of watching my six Grandsons grow from kids into strong young adults; of being with my husband who is the love of my life; of sharing time with my friends and extended family; of simply living.  What more could I ask for?  Well, perhaps at least another year? 

My life now, is so content and happy.  There is really nothing I need or want.  I pray for Jesus' blessings for my entire family, friends, all those suffering from any illness and my husband and myself every day.  They are the only really important things in my life and I am so thankful to God for giving me this contentment in my life.

So, if you have a birthday coming up soon, perhaps you should give thanks for being allowed to live as many years as you are old.  Remember:  We never know when God will decide to end our lives.  Not everyone gets to live to see old age. 

Have a great day tomorrow and count all your many blessings, for truly our blessings out number our complaints!
Susan

How's your Thursday going?

Good evening everyone,

I have to admit that my thoughts are still reeling from the tragedy which occurred last Sunday in Orlando. There's been so much about it on the television news and in the newspapers, which is perhaps a good thing.  It's certainly the kind of thing that we should not just say, "Oh well," and then forget all about it.  Put yourself in the place of the parents of the 49 who died.  I'm sure they are grieving still and will be for a long time to come, maybe for ever.  Remember, it was a senseless killing of young folks, just like those in our own families.  How do you ever get over something like that?  I'm sure I don't know!

I made a decision this week about a short story which I started a few weeks ago, that I was going to enter into a contest for a publishing company in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I had already entered one story and I was working on another one, but I didn't think I could end the story within the 3500 word count that they needed.  So, I hadn't done anymore with it until yesterday. 

It was then, that I made the decision to keep writing and turn it into a novel.  There was just too much story to tell and stay within the word count they need.  I worked on it a bit yesterday, but didn't have the time today to get back on it. 

Thursday mornings is my grocery shopping time and that, in itself, exhausts me for the rest of the day.  After I get home and put everything away, I am tired.  Although I have to admit that for quite some time now, I have felt more tired than I used to be.  I suppose it's a combination of the progression of my illness and my age.  Whatever it is, it's taking it's toll on me and now I have less energy than in the past.  Also, when I am tired, my lower back just aches me so much.  I have to keep a pillow there where ever I'm sitting.  It's been this way for some time now, but now it's worse than before. 

Okay, enough of my complaining.  Well, I truly not complaining, because I try to just accept whatever happens to me, health wise.  I am truly thankful that I am still alive and can see my six Grandsons growing into wonderful young adult men.  I am so proud of them and I love all six of them so very much. 

You see, my husband and my family are my greatest joys and I thank God for them every single day.  My life would be extremely sad without them in it.  I have been blessed so many times during my almost 68 years on this earth.  My parents taught me so many good values, morals, ethics, traditions, and many other things. 

I wish I could just sit and talk with my Mom and Dad, just one more time.  I don't think I ever told them what great parents they were and how very much I appreciate everything they taught me throughout my life.  It's because of them, that  I am the honest, caring and loving woman I am today.  I know I can't speak with them anytime soon, (well, at least I hope not) but perhaps they already know how much they meant to me.  I hope so!

Here's a photograph of my beautiful daughters which was taken at Christmas.

I hope you all have a good weekend and be safe.
Susan

My heart is full of sorrow...

Good afternoon everyone,

I have a heavy heart today because of all the senseless murders which occurred in Florida, in the early morning hours of Sunday.  I realize this was probably an attach upon GLBT community, but the fact remains that this was a horrendous killing of other human beings.  I don't care if it would have been against the GLBT community, any religious community, blacks, whites, Spanish, etc., the fact is the same:  it was wrong!  No-one has the right to take another person's life, I don't care what the reason is, period! 

The anger and hate that encompasses our world today worries me so very much.  All you have to do is to glance at a person wrong, and they feel they have the right to pull out a gun or a knife and kill you.  THEY DON'T!  No one does....

Why can't people just accept other people for who they are.  They're not hurting anyone.  They're just trying to live their own lives the best way they can.  I think it's terrible that you have to be afraid to try to help another person, who appears to be having some problem, for fear they will rob and kill you.    What has happened to the people living in our world today?  I fear that Satan has taken possession of their souls.  Do they even care that they will spend eternity in hell?  I suppose the answer to that question is, no, they don't. 

I can remember back when I was a child.  That was when a parent loved their children enough to punish them for bad behavior.  When a child was very young, the parent smacked them across their bottom either with their open hand, or some kind of a paddle.  If I had spoken back to either of my parents, I would have gotten their hand across my mouth.  Oh, the paddling or the smack to the mouth wasn't enough to send me across the room, but it certainly taught me not to do that anymore.  I remember when I was a teenager, I wanted my Mom and Dad to be proud of the young woman I was becoming.  I never wanted to see disappointment upon their faces because of something I did wrong. 

I suppose many young adults today, didn't grow up under those circumstances.  What a shame.  I see my six Grandsons and their significant others, and I see respectable young adults.  I suppose that's because I raised my three daughters the same way my folks raised me and my siblings. 

I believe "family values" have dropped drastically in many families today.  I think many times the parents are afraid of their own children.  What a shame that things have come to this.  Hey, my daughters, as teens,  sometimes didn't back down, but I stood strong and they knew better than to argue with me.  I can guarantee you that they wouldn't like the punishments that resulted if they had spoken back to me or smart mouthed me in any way.  Oh, I'm sure they were thinking things as they stomped up to their bedrooms, but they knew better than to say it aloud.

Why can't we go back to those times.  I truly believe that this world we live in would be a much happier, calmer and safer place for all of us to live.  These are just my thoughts, but I hope that many of you will agree with me.

Be safe and may God bless us all, because we need Him so very much.
Susan

Can you believe it?

Good evening, all:

Can you believe it is already June 7?  It seems to me like we just celebrated Christmas and New Years.  I declare that time goes by so much faster now than when I was a young Mom with three daughters to chase after.  I wonder where each day goes to, and what exactly I did during that day, because it doesn't seem like I do very much in a days time.  How about you?  Does time seem to go by quickly for you, also?

I suppose by now, that most all the schools are out for this year.  I am sure all the kiddos love that it's now summer time, but I'm sure it's a bit hard on some parents, especially if they work and have to provide babysitters for their children.  I guess I was lucky, as I didn't go to work until my youngest was in school and then I worked in the evenings, so we did not need a babysitter during the day.  When I started working full time at an office, my girls were old enough to stay home alone during the summer months.  There is four years difference between my oldest and my youngest, so that was a good thing.  They were each two years apart.

That seems like it was so very long ago.  I suppose because it was!  All three of them are now in their forties and their boys are all young adult men now.  My six Grandsons range in age from 19 to 25.  I'm so proud of my boys, as well as, my daughters and sons-in-law. 

It's hard for me to remember that at one time, I was told that I'd never be able to have any children of my own.  I can tell you that I was devastated about that.  I give thanks to God for allowing that not to be true.  When I was young, all I ever wanted to do was to be a wife and a good mom, like my Mom.

Of course, I had to go to work to help support my family.  I worked in finances all my adult life, although I never really liked mathematics.  But, that was always my best subject all through school so having a job in finance, wasn't a big surprise to me.  I worked up until my health took a turn for the worse and then I ended up on Federal Disability. 

Life isn't always the way we want it, or the way we planned it.  We do have some control over parts of our lives, but other parts just occur.  I never thought I'd be disabled and have to live the life style that I do, but I've accepted it as my normal life style now.  There is absolutely no use in complaining, because it does no good and certainly doesn't change anything. 

I know God has a plan for me and I try very hard to meet each challenge He presents before me.  Tomorrow I will go to visit my friend who is in a nursing home.   I know she's terribly lonesome and the thought of having to stay in there for the rest of her life, upsets her.  I can't even imagine what that would be like and I hope and pray I never have to find out. 

Well, tomorrow is "hump day" and that means that by the end of the day, you'll be on the down swing of the week.  Thank God for each day that you and your loved ones have on this earth, because we never know when our lives, or those of our loved ones, will be over.  God bless each of you.
Susan

It's the start of another weekend...

Hi friends,
This evening is the start of another weekend.  What will you be doing?  I'm sure that many of you already have plans for parts of the weekend, but I do hope that you will take an hour or so, to think about some questions I have for you.

1.  Do you give thanks to God for all the blessings you do have? 
       I'm sure there will be some who think, what blessings do I have?   And to you I say, "Shame on you because we all have many blessings.  You are still alive, you apparently have some money to live otherwise you wouldn't have money to purchase an electronic gadget to be reading this post, in the first place.  I count my blessings daily:  I have a roof over my head, sufficient food to eat, clothes to wear, enough cash to pay the bills and a loving family.

2.  Do you constantly want more?
       Do you find yourself always being jealous of what others have, whether it's money or things?  If so, you will never find true happiness.  True happiness comes from inside yourself, not from exterior things.  Perhaps you need to examine your wants and needs to get them into perspective.

3.  Do you take time out of every day to be quiet and listen to God's words?
        He does speak to us:  sometimes in slight whispers and at times He will just give you the answer to a problem, by allowing it to pop into your head, when you least expect it.  I hear some folks saying, "I ask God, over and over, to help me but He never lets me know what to do."  Well, if you aren't quiet after praying, how would you ever hear His whispers?

4.  Do you really want the USA to build walls around our borders?
        If so, are you going to stand there and watch hundreds of adults and children suffer and die?  Or perhaps you only care about yourself and no-one else.  How would you feel if that were one of your children or grandchildren?  What is the answer to that problem?  I truly don't know, but letting people suffer and die is not the answer.  We build the US up as the land of the free and a prosperous place to live and raise our families, etc.  I've never heard that we allow people to suffer and die rather than give them refuge.

As I'm sure you can tell, I am thankful for every blessing that God has bestowed upon me.  I am so thankful for every thing in my life, including my illnesses and my sedentary lifestyle.  Why?  Because I am just thankful that I'm still alive to see each day as it comes.  I will tell you that God is a very important part of every day in my life.  He is the beginning and end of each day I live. 

Ten years ago, I was very close to death, and I asked God to let me live long enough to see all six of my Grandsons graduate from high school.  Well, this evening the youngest one, who's 19, will be graduating.  I am so proud of my Grandsons and my entire family.  So, I thank God for allowing me the gift of life these past ten years.  If it is His wish to take me now, then I will accept His wishes.  If not, I will continue giving thanks to Him and doing my best to "give back" for all my many, many blessings.  How about you?

Just a few things to think about when you have a few minutes to yourself.  None of us know when we will breath our last breath.  I'm ready, are you?

Have a wonderful weekend and may God continue blessing you, always.
Susan