Monday, April 11, 2016

Outside my window... Winter was spring.  Spring is now summer.  :-P

I am thinking... About long-time friendships.  Last week, I learned that a friend on Facebook had lost a lifelong friend of their's.  The DAY I expressed my shock and condolences, I received a response to a message I had sent 3 years ago.  He asked me if someone had ever gotten around to telling me what had happened to her, but did not at this time say what it was.  I wrote him back that I had not heard, but as of yet he hasn't responded.   

In 2009, in the midst of family drama, I receive the news that the woman who had been my maid of honor had passed away.  We were both 42 years old.  We met in preschool.  I remember playing with some very large blocks on one of my first days in the school.  She came over and tried to take some of the blocks that I had.  I bit her.  I will never forget how she wailed.  The teacher told me to apologize.  I did and we were friends ever since.  Because I was otherwise occupied by the family drama, my grieving for her came later.  About a year or two after her death, I was up late looking up her name on Google and I ran across a travel blog written by a cousin of hers.  He had posted her picture and mentioned briefly that he was saddened by her passing.  I tracked down the email address connected to the blog.  I wrote a very detailed note asking about the circumstances of her death, explaining who I was with details that only someone close to the family would know.   I never got a response.   

About 3 years ago, I must have been doing the same thing.  This time, I traced her cousin's blog back to a Facebook profile.  This is the note I wrote to him at that time:  

Hi.  You and I have never met, but a couple of years ago I came across your blog when I was surfing the net after I heard about the passing of _____.

_____ was my first friend ever in life.  We met at Mount Calvary Lutheran Daycare Center in _____.  We stayed friends all through school, even after I moved to _____.

I spent the night at her house often.  [Her mother] would make us Frito pie and have us grade her students' papers.  {Her father] used to do my parents taxes.  I always coveted her pink and white polka-dotted canopy bed.  As little girls, we played with Barbies in the basement.  As teenagers we watched An Officer and a Gentleman.   

She was the maid of honor at my wedding, but after my husband and I were stationed overseas and our family began to grow, we lost touch.  I don't know if she ever went back to _____ University to finish her degree.  I don't know why she never, as beautiful as she was, never married. 

I still grieve for her and I just wondered if you would mind telling me what happened to her.  All I know is that she died about a year after [her mother].  At the time, my mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and I had all that on my mind.  Anything you care to share would be appreciated.  The photo below is _____ and me getting ready for my wedding.  

That was last week.  I have yet to hear from him.  I hope it doesn't take him another 3 years to get back with me!   

I am wearing...  I went back over to Cato and put some denim shorts (long), a navy tank top, and a teal colored crocheted top to go over it.  It is so cool to layer like this!  I have worn my tank and crochet poncho that I bought last week several times both capris and also with a skirt.  I love it.  It makes me feel so girly.  

I am creating...  I talked to my great aunt.  I told her I am still trying to finish it.  She has sold her land and moved into a smaller house closer into to town, Praise Yah!  

I am going... To be getting a sleep study this week.  I am hoping that I will be able to sleep.  I have had chronic insomnia that is anxiety related since I was in college.  My biggest fear is that I will get over there and can't sleep.  I'm afraid that 6:00 in the morning will arrive and me and the technician will have had a stare down.  I'm afraid that I'm going to be looking at him looking at me looking at him.  I have to check in at 10:00.  I'm going to start getting ready at 8.  I'm going to take a foaming bubble bath with Dr. Teal's Foaming Bath, Comfort & Calm with Chamomile.  Then I'm going to drink some of my Sleepytime Tea.  Then I'm going to take a melatonin and head on over there.  Fortunately, it is less than a 5 minute drive away.  Friend Hubby also bought me some new pajamas because of my concern for modesty.  *sigh*

I am reading...  I finished Palace Council.  I don't like the language in it, but I love the story.  I recently found an interview that Stephen L. Carter had done where he listed what his favorite books are.  There are a lot of books listed from the Harlem Renaissance.  I picked a book from that list to read next, Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes were Watching God."  

I am listening to....This song has been stuck in my head lately.  It calls to my First Nation roots.  :-)

I am looking forward to... Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  I am asking Yah how to make it special.  When we celebrated the pagan-originated holidays, we got all excited about them.  We need to have the same excitement about His days.  

I am learning...  

The Hebrew word "chazaq" is translated in Psalm 27:14 as "be of good courage."  The lexicon definition is "To possess or take by force; grab hold tightly; to refrain or support by grabbing hold."  

The word "amats" is translated He will strengthen.  This word in Hebrew means "To be mentally astute, firm, obstinate or courageous.  Having or marked by great physical, moral, or intellectual power."  

These two definitions remind me that while I am waiting on Yah to move on my behalf, that I need to get ahold of myself (sometimes I lose control, you know what I mean?).  If I will be faithful to do that, then He will be faithful to strengthen me physically, morally (or spiritual), and intellectually.   

One of my favorite things...  A sister recently told me about having her own Amazon book store.  It is stuck in my head.  I'm thinking about all the people who have asked me to come up with supplemental reading lists to go along with Sonlight that feature a more culturally diverse view of history.  That may be one way to do it.  

A few plans for the rest of the week:  I did got one of my Bible studies done.  I still need to sit down and write to my nephew.  I have been so frustrated with still lingering computer issues.  Friend Hubby did something to it tonight.  Hopefully tomorrow it will be better.  It had gotten to the point where I was having to restart it every 5 minutes.  It took me 2 hours to type a 5 minute operative report.  I need to become more faithful with my physical therapy exercises.  I am now having some back pain as well.  I am trying to get this middle aged body to cooperate with my mind!   On Shabbat I talked about what it is that we are supposed to be doing while we are waiting on Yah.  We are supposed to be preparing for the things that we have asked Him for.  We should be strengthening our physical bodies, our spirit, and our intellect.  We used to say in our Bible studies in Germany, "Learn and apply."  Without proper application of the things we learn, we become those who are ever learning but never coming into the knowledge of the truth.  I have been spending more time in fasting and prayer lately so that my mind and body can get themselves prepared for the things that Yah has in store for us.      

From the learning rooms... 

Senior:  I think Sanban is down to 4 weeks of high school left!  :-O

Sophomore:  There are some things that I want to try to target over Princess Butterfly's last couple of years of high school.  I would like to get back to doing the weekly quizzes from CNN Student News.  As well, I want to help build her critical reading by reading Student News Daily.  We need to continue reading out loud.  I am very satisfied with the reading selections that she has made this past school year.  I want to continue to build up good books in her repertoire.  I found out from a friend that there may be 4 business math classes that she may have to take in order to be considered for the business schools of some of the universities in our state.  Those are questions that we need to ask the adviser.  

  

Pondering these words...  There were quite a number of good memes on Facebook this week.  It was hard to pick a favorite.  i'm not fond of sarcasm, but I am fond of truth.  Because of my personality, I go out of my way to be friends with people, even to the point of constantly looking overlooking veiled insults.  Sometimes I need a reminder so I choose this one.   

    

From the kitchen...  I am storing up recipes for meal planning for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  Look for them on Sunday on my Donalacasa Facebook page.  

Around the house... I am beginning my pantry cleaning.  It is wonderfully refreshing to work on it.  I am convinced that Yah moves as we work with our hands.  

Honor where honor is due:  http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/ *

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