Donalacasa's Daybook: Monday, June 4, 2018

Geraint Smith Photography

Outside my window...

We have already hit the 100s, but last night around midnight, we had
a deluge!  It rained so hard against my bedroom windows, I thought
they might break. I am thankful that we had already arrived home
safely from our weekend trip before the storm arrived.    

I am thinking…

The 29-year-old son of one of Friend Hubby's best friends “Roman”
passed away so he and I went to New Orleans for the funeral.  
Roman and Friend Hubby were roommates in their first apartment
off base as young airmen. They lost contact with one another for
many years.  He was just at the house last week, driving through on
his way home.

Unfortunately, at the funeral there was drama going on.  Roman and his family and friends were relegated to the back of the funeral chapel by the mother and stepfather's family.  The “bishop” who was speaking didn't seem as if he had ever opened a Bible and acknowledged that he knew neither the family nor the deceased.   The whole thing was painful, including the singing. We didn't stay until the end. Roman called us outside and said he needed to get his mother out of there.  The stress was too much for her. He said we were going to the country.

In three or four cars we traveled about an hour up into the Louisiana countryside to a large mobile home centered between two abandoned houses.  There were a few tents set up with some humongous fans and plenty of chairs. There was a refrigerator set up outside and coolers full of cold drinks. An uncle was in the kitchen frying up chicken and fish.  There was macaroni and cheese, collards, butter beans, and yams. Much of the food was not kosher, so we just ate the macaroni and the fried chicken that would put all other chicken restaurants out of business.  

More importantly, the country was a place of love.  The extended family had also funeralized another young family member earlier that morning.  They gathered together to love on one another. There were at least 50 people, most related to one another in some manner or another.  Roman introduced us as his military family and just like that, we became family too.

There were great-grandmothers all the way down to a 2-month-old sweet baby girl.  None of the children were on any electronics. They played musical chairs and pushed each other around in wagons.  There was another couple who had lived in the same apartment complex as Friend Hubby and Roman 35 years ago. The family's love wrapped around and enveloped us as if we had been born among them.  Even as une femme d’un certain âge, when an older mother calls me “baby" my heart overflows. The wife of this other couple was a high school history teacher so we ended up talking for hours. As a matter of fact, we're going to spend the night at their house on our next road trip.  I even got called a civilian by Roman’s former marine uncle. Rude! The Grand Duchess calls Princess Butterfly a civilian as an insult.

By the time we left, there were hugs all around.  It was like leaving a family reunion, you didn't even know you were a part of.  There was an old mother there who looked like my grandmother and I remembered that her father came from that area. I need to send that DNA test in this week.  

I am thankful...
The Grand Duchess was on big sister duty while we were in NOLA!  She took her siblings out to a nice dinner, made sure Princess Butterfly made it to one of my Girl Scout’s graduation and to work, and got Crown Prince Sanban to the airport on time to fly to field training.  We're going to have to give her a big squeeze.

I am wearing…

I am writing as we're traveling home in the car.  I'm wearing denim shorts and a red and white polka dot sleeveless blouse.  

I am listening to....

WNAP out of Philadelphia on Radio.net while traveling.  Good music, terrible preaching (except 59th Street Baptist Church isn't too bad).

I am reading...
I have read about 50% of Parable of the Sower (Earthseed) by Octavia E. Butler. I have said before that this is not my genre of literature (apocalyptic, science fiction), but I feel it is important to be well read, so I will likely finish it, but I don't recommend it to my fellow historical fiction readers.

I am looking forward to…

Princess Butterfly's and another of my former Girl Scouts’ Gold Award ceremony, scholarship award for another Girl Scout, and graduation for 5 of my Girl Scouts.  



One of my favorite things…

I got to visit a place that my French professor spoke about, Cafe’ du Monde.  The coffee is GOOD, much better than Starbucks. The beignets were good too, but there was 3 inches of powdered sugar in the bottom of the bag!  I bought a mug too.

A few plans for the rest of the week…

I am going to try to get back on FlyLady’s plan.  I am going to mail a printed copy of this week’s Daybook to Crown Prince Sanban at field training so he won’t feel left out.  My children always say, “Where’s the Daybook, Mom?”

From the learning rooms...

I found an online free teacher's textbook for a world history class in a pdf that I have been reading while on the treadmill at the gym. I am going to incorporate some of it into my lesson plans for the class I am teaching in the fall.

Pondering these words...    

This is what happens when you try to give the Good News:

“If יהוה has delighted in us, then He shall bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which is flowing with milk and honey.’ “Only, do not rebel against יהוה, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their defence has turned away from them, and יהוה is with us. Do not fear them.” 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

--> But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. [WHAT??? 😮😮😮] Then the esteem of יהוה appeared in the Tent of Appointment before all the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 14:8‭-‬10 TS2009

My self-care…

I am pretty happy with my workout routine, 2 days of cardio, 2 days of flexibility, and if I can make it, 1 day of strength.  The Pilates makes me do some ab work, which is good because I have learned that I cannot voluntarily make myself do abdominal work.  I can just exercise self-control over my sleeping habits, that would be helpful. I got a new pair of workout shoes. Hopefully, one of these days I can try Zumba.

Shalom and blessings!