Personality

How to Practice Yours

OK, ok, I know many of my readers looked askance at this blog’s title. You think I don’t know you, but I do. Just let me assuage your eyebrows-raised, lips pursed questioning.

In the first place, some of you might raise the question, “How does she talk about something she doesn’t even have?” Or perhaps some of you doubt the entire premise, as you say to yourself, “What’s next? Practicing breathing?” (Notice, I refrained from saying, “Mumbling into your morning coffee with eyebrows raised.”)

A personality is a personality is a personality. I know many of us have remarked, usually, about our grandchildren, “Doesn’t she have the most sparkling personality?” Contrarily, we might mumble, “That kid’s dumb as a brick and doesn’t even try to be personable.” Of course, that is not said about our own precious grandchildren!

I was visiting with my sister earlier and we were talking about “giving yourself permission” to do or to be this, that, or another. The subject of multi-tasking came up, and we both booed and hissed under our breaths at the thought of multi-tasking. For those of you who are younger, you might not realize that persons of (ahem) “a certain age” have a lot of learning to do in the sunset of our lives. I mean, everybody thinks the “Golden Agers” just lie about in their recliners waiting for a child or grandchild to entertain them.

Well, get ready to swallow your words, because we have a lot to do.

One of those things is to restructure our lives to eliminate the “jump and grab, try to do as much as possible as quickly as possible - also known as the “git-er-done” mindset. Changing a lifetime of go-go-go and do-do-do is nearly impossible. But hand it to the “older generation” to take on such a herculean task. Don’t forget the “Greatest Generation” saved the world from Hitler—even while not knowing how long one had to accomplish it!

When you are young, you think 40 is old, when you’re 40, you’re eyeing 60 as a possible slowdown bullseye to aim for. That’s why some younger folks mistakenly think of their elders as “old crabs” or “unchanging grouches.” They just don’t understand.

We stand on the precipice, judging how we might totally annihilate 60 years of struggle and practice and determination in order to live whatever years are ahead. (Yes, Myrtle, I always washed my dishes as soon as they were dirty too. Back when I knew I had to do that in order to “live the good, right, just, venerable” life." “Oh, sure, Doris Jean, no one would ever have come into my home to find my bed unmade, or the floors not shining.”). It was our duty and responsibility to do the impossible.

•      to raise perfect children

•      to always have the car washed and vacuumed on Thursdays to be ready for church on the weekend

•      to have the family clothes, not only washed, but washed and ready to “break starch” as those little feet tried to get into full-starched, “Sunday clothes”

•      to do the grocery shopping and food prepping so that if company should come home with your family for Sunday dinner, everything would be delightful

Our lives were full. And really, really busy. Well-planned. Effortless. Exemplary. (Applause, please.)

Image from Unsplash

Now? Not so much.

If anyone shows up, you can always warm up the cold coffee from breakfast and put out a saucer of store-bought cookies.

A very dear friend of mine once said she rose early to help in the church nursery, careful not to waken her husband. She hadn’t even turned on the closet light. At church, she ran around in the nursery, greeted visitors, and was “practically perfect in every way” (as Mary Poppins brain-washed us to be, and so, we sat the kids in front of the TV to watch and learn from her wisdom).

After settling the nursery, her husband joined her for church. You can imagine her horror as she glanced down at her tired feet and gasped audibly. Here she sat in church with two completely different shoes on her feet.

I encouraged her not to feel too badly. After all, shoes all look pretty much alike, anyway.

With great sorrow, she said, “No, you don’t understand. One of them is navy and one of them is black.”

I did my best to console her with, “Well, those are pretty much alike.”

She looked at me with sad eyes. “No, you really don’t get it, do you? One of them is a flat, and the other one has a two-inch heel!”

Image from Unsplash

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And now you’re scratching your head and wondering what this blog is all about. OK. I guess you’re ready for the punch line. (No, that shoe thing wasn’t the punch line.)

As I prepared to share my thoughts with you, I ran into a quote I’d saved many years ago. “Oh, I love this quote!” It was from Anne Morrow Lindbergh, from “A Gift from the Sea.” She wrote:

“If one sets aside time for a business appointment, or a shopping expedition, that time is accepted as inviolable. But if one says, “I cannot come because that is my hour to be alone”, one is considered rude, egotistical, or strange. What a commentary on our civilization.”

— Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“If one sets aside time for a business appointment, or a shopping expedition, that time is accepted as inviolable. But if one says, ‘I cannot come because that is my hour to be alone,’ one is considered rude, egotistical, or strange. What a commentary on our civilization."

Enjoy what’s left of March and just relax and “cool your jets”.

Happy Spring!

Image from Pexels

Beating the Winter Blahs

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Well, it’s winter. Not a lot of news there, but then not a surprise either. When the winter comes, it’s got its own plans, and there’s not a lot we can do about it. I’ve been reading a lot this winter, since the weather is not conducive to outdoor activities. At least, that’s my opinion. So each morning my dear husband says, “Whatever you do, don’t go outside. It’s treacherous out there!” That’s my invitation to curl up with a good book.

Matthew Kelly - The Rocking Chair Prophet

As I’ve mentioned several times, my new favorite author is Matthew Kelly.

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By the way, if anyone wants one of my OLD favorite author’s books, I have nearly everything that Tony Hillerman has written. Again, our good friend, Uncle Jim, introduced us to Mr. Hillerman’s writing many decades ago. If you are interested in life on the Navajo Reservation and the men who protect it, you might enjoy them. Come on by and get them. “Free to a good home”, so to speak.

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Watchman Nee

Another of my ex-favorites is the writing of Watchman Nee. His understanding and teaching of the Bible is not to be bested. I especially loved his Sit, Walk, Stand. An exegesis of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In it, he lines up what God has wrought for us through Christ in chapters 1-3. His discussion of the practical presents the demand in terms of Christian conduct upon us in light of that redemption.

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I’m not really much into fiction these days. After a while, it becomes so prosaic. You can almost look at the titles and tell the stories yourself.  Not that I am denigrating any of my writer friends who write some amazing fiction. It’s just not my cup of tea at this time in my life.

Ah, there’s the rub! This time in my life. Isn’t that always the way? One gets to the ripe old age of 75 and suddenly you are looking at life with different lenses. Perhaps I don’t read much fiction because I have begun to see the smallness of the rest of my time here on earth. I recently sent a text to my oldest college granddaughter, which she found amusing. It was, “Why do old people spend so much time reading the Bible?” “They’re cramming for finals.”    

Perhaps this would be a different perspective if I were writing about making Valentine’s boxes and life in the old days. (See blogs past on my website.) Or perhaps I could pontificate on the past ages when we really celebrated Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays and not just some ethereal president’s day.

At any rate, I wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day and a chance to look forward to the coming spring. I’m not really all that morose as this blog might lead you to expect. That’s because this time next week I will visit my dear friends, Paul and Judy, in the desert near Tucson. I will finally be warm. Ahhhh, life is good, don’t you think?

Till next month…

Love,

Katy

Well, hello there! Come on in...

Photo by Pexels

I’m glad to see you. Did you find us okay? Come in, come in. Kick your shoes off and have a seat. What? Oh, yes, all the seats recline. When you get (harrumph) of a certain age, (cough, cough) one finds that convenience and ease hold the winning hand.

May I get you something to drink? Perhaps some hot apple cider or some hot tea or coffee?

Yes, we downsized quite a bit with our move six years ago. We have now learned to congratulate ourselves on our decision. Sure, walk around, make yourself at home. What good blessings we have in this home: ground level, handicap accessible, etc. The only thing I question is my refusal of wall-to-wall carpeting (because I was tired of steam cleaning carpets for all those years), and my insistence that we install rock tile flooring throughout the entire house. Back then, I never thought about how hard these floors would be for an older person to fall on….. sigh.

Anyhow, please help yourself to whatever you need. Yes, it’s really quite pleasant here. No through traffic. You can sit looking out the back patio doors and watch some of the most beautiful horses in the world. I talk to them even though they can’t hear me. Or if you look out the front picture window, at least at the right time of year, we find great entertainment in watching the birds. My husband very sweetly keeps the feeders filled since I can’t really heft around those bags of seeds anymore.

Photo by Pexels

Well, since you asked, we really felt we were preparing for the future with this choice, but we just had no idea the future would so soon be upon us. But we are glad we made the move. And we love our home. We always try to make it as comfortable as possible for folks needing to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. We are old hands at moving—I believe this was our 44th move. Being military and then on the mission field and then, just wandering as we have done, moving van hat on your head. And since we moved here, we’ve celebrated our 55th anniversary, so there’s been a lot of water under the old bridge.

As a matter of fact, having 8 grandchildren (beautiful, brilliant children, of course) we are blessed. Except now that they are getting so OLD, we don’t see them as much. (“Tears on my Pillow” playing in the background.) But they are beautiful and brilliant, and we love them just as much as we did when they were playing on the floor. Three in college, all honor students, the best.

Oh, sure, it’s a joy to have company. We’ve always tried to make our home a place of peace and tranquility. Nearly everyone comments on how quiet and peaceful it is here. Having no TV helps.

What? Well, yes, we have opened our home and our arms to a lot of folks, regardless of where the home was: an apartment in Germany, a forty-acre farm outside of St. Charles, MO, the place with the wonderful pool in Phoenix, the log home where we lived the longest—10 years, or the ranch before we came here. God has blessed us with great places, great churches, great neighbors and friends. Why wouldn’t we welcome folks into our “sanctuary” as a pastor from West Africa termed our then home?

Sure, now in the twilight of our years, I think it might have been a good idea to have one of those “comments” books and had everybody sign. Except it would be pitched, as will the photo albums I so fastidiously kept each year: one for Lacy, one for Lucas, and one for us. (The kids had to take theirs when they moved.)

Whose names would have appeared in this book you ask? People, like our dear daughters from Sierra Leone, and a pastor from there. Then there’s our friend and pastor from Uganda. Once a couple whose car broke down in Quincy when we lived on the Great Big Lake visited. Lonny had found and brought them home with him, helped them get their Volkswagen Van to a reputable repair place, and we all enjoyed a great evening of fellowship. They were from Holland, traveling across the states. And lovely guests like Gracia, whose husband was killed in the Philippines. And our dear “stepdaughter”, who moved onto the farm behind us to raise her son in the country instead of her former position—first woman pilot and group commander of an Osprey fighter jet.

I suppose you wonder what the theme of this blog is. Perhaps it’s just an old woman reminiscing. Perhaps I just wanted to share a few moments in time with you. As I look bravely toward my 75th birthday coming soon, I find it easier to simply to gaze out the window and remember. I think they call that Old Age. At any rate, keep tuning in to my blog. Perhaps next month it will be more enriching. Or perhaps I won’t be able to do it anymore. (It’s difficult to type with your left arm back in the ‘ole sling.)

At any rate, may I wish you each a very happy and healthy new year? We are so blessed, aren’t we? I’ll leave you with this thought:

Stay well and know that you are loved. I found a quote several years ago and I hope it gives you the energy and attitude to realize your potential—whatever your age or ability.

“I wondered why somebody didn’t do something about it. But then it dawned on me: I’m somebody.” I still remember one of the first memory verses Lucas learned: “Do that which is right and good.” Deuteronomy 6:18.

I am so glad we were able to spend this time together.

~ Katy

A Merry Christmas!

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Did you ever get started reading a specific type of book, or a certain author’s books, and wish you could put them all in your blog for the whole world to see? Of course, if I got to do that, then I’d probably get sued for plagiarism. But being down and out for the count isn’t all “doom and gloom and agony on me.” (See earlier blogs to get caught up with my falls and surgeries, etc.) Because when you’re laid up, you can always read! Yay!!!

When I was fresh out of the hospital last winter, my dear friends, Jim and Jill, sent me Holy Moments, by Matthew Kelly. And I loved it. Then Jim’s sister, Judy and Paul, sent me another book by him, and I loved it too! Then I discovered I could go on his website and, lo-and-behold! You will not believe this, but he’s a veritable writing machine! Then my friend Mary brought me an entire stack of his books. Someday, I hope she gets them back. I can’t vouch for my remembering which books are hers because of my concussion. She’ll have to come look through my office and bookshelves and dig them out. (I lose more friends that way. Bet you never thought petty thievery was in my genes!)

So, what does all this have to do with Merry Christmas? Well, I’m about to let you know that when you give Christmas presents this year, a fantastic idea for a present is, ta-da! A book! (Who’d a thunk it?) And when you look for books by Matthew Kelly, that’s always a winner. He’s a writer for adults, but you can also find wonderful books for teenagers and children as well. And I sometimes catch his teaching programs on my phone!

For instance, my friend (Editor? Mentor? Encourager?), Kathy, who, by the way, prepares my blogs for publication, has some wonderful books. I have read her latest, for teens and young adults, Finding Strength. It’s a continuation of her book, A Journey. Her books are very well researched and written. I don’t have to return that one—she gave it to me. And of course there’s her series of children’s books. Look at her website to see her treasure trove (kathyjperry.com) as well as her interviews.

Winter has arrived, and it’s never too late to stock up on good reading material for those icy nights in front of a warm fire. And yet, you ask:

1) Why are you hawking another author’s books?

2) Why are you talking about the Kelly books, and dozens of others you have read this year?

Good question!!! I will tell you, as I told my ladies when they came to America from Sierra Leone, “Read. Read. Read. If you can read, you can do anything, you can become anyone. If you can read, you can continue to educate yourself. You will have knowledge that will stand you in good stead, whatever your hopes and aspirations.”

Oh, one more thing, Mariatu is working to become an author in her own rights. My friend, sister?, encourager?, Kathy and I are meeting with her to begin that long and winding road of becoming an author as well. So now you have to keep reading my blogs to keep up with her.

By the way, we’re also working to get the final two books in my Down Home on the Farm series to print and available. Check with us in the spring to wind up the children’s series with Dotty Down Home and Anna’s Sugar Plum. (Age preschool to 4th grade.)

So, now that I’ve uplifted and encouraged you with a blog entitled, “A Merry Christmas”, I can send this on to Kathy, knowing she will make it shine. Oh, and do have a very lovely, happy, merry Christmas.

Love, Katy

What Seek Ye?

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

What Seek Ye?

A rip-roaring good morning {or whatever time you might check your email.} As I sit here at my machine, I can look out over a lawn devoid of hummingbirds, and see only the “regular” (sigh) bird feeders. Yes, my dear friends, it’s that time of year once again, and aren’t we excited! Of course, we are! Who doesn’t love to see the wind blowing the trees around and the sky filled with scudding grey clouds? But then I admit to loving staying inside my house and just looking out the windows. 

Recently I was reading some books and found this question: “What seek ye?” If the Lord were to ask us this question today, how would we respond? I’ve had to question myself on this as the sands of time have sifted through my own motives, desires, and thoughts. 

What seek I? This morning was yet another of those mornings when I could be happy that I wasn’t testing for a college entrance exam. Fortunately, I didn’t land on the left side of my head like in February. At the age I have arrived, college exams may seem a little preposterous. But life has a way of changing over the years.

I will not go over the fall I had last February and bring all that to the surface again. But as time goes by, you realize that even though you don’t want to re-live times of injury, get used to the idea that these things can, and do, happen. Like this morning.

You ask, “What happened this morning?” Well, after getting out of bed, I always stand a few seconds to get my balance. This morning,  I fell between the bed and the recliner beside it. Of course, your first thought is, “Oh, no, not again.” But the next thought was, “When we remodeled this house six years ago, why did I insist on rock tile floors throughout the entire house?” Yes, it’s easier to clean (“I’m so tired of steam cleaning carpets, and it’ll be so much easier to keep tile clean.”) That was only six years ago, and now the top consideration is, “How many bones could one break on a floor of rock, regardless of how much easier it is to clean?” (And that, my dears, explains perspective.) No, fear not. Though I fell on my left side (for which I am still having physical therapy following surgery in August), I only hit my head against the solid rock floor.

I believe my intention was to tell my beloved readers that questions change over the years. From “How can I get the cool car I want?” to “Will that good-looking cowboy ask me out?” to “Can we afford that house?” to “How could a baby be any prettier?” to popping antidepressants as I cry because they are leaving for college... Well, you get the idea. Different times of our lives make a difference in our vital life questions.

I think that’s why my November blog is not about how much turkey to fix, or is it cheating to serve canned cranberry sauce, especially with Grammy Hart’s recipe in my file? But I think I’m getting a little perspective as I realize how our questions change through the years.

Not prying, but have you sat down and thought about your changing perspectives? If so, what seek ye? God promises, “And you shall seek ME, and find ME, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

I hope this is a tremendous month of joy and thanksgiving for you and your loved ones. As you pull out all the stops for a beautiful and meaningful Thanksgiving, may you realize that when we seek Him, He will be found.

(Center image from Pinterest)

~Katy

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Pre-Order Now… My Newest Book Will Be Here Soon

Friendship

Who among us doesn’t want to be accepted and to feel that he belongs? Home is more than just a four-letter word, as a brash wayfaring donkey learns.

When she abruptly appears in the farmyard, she doesn’t have any compunction about butting in and using the others before she goes on her way.

Tom T. kindly invites her for a walk and a talk, and the result is a kinder, gentler Dotty who finds a home, acceptance, and belonging.

(Coming Winter 2024 - click to pre-order)

Pattering, Chattering, and Scattering

What a beautiful time of year we are entering! The sun is shining brightly, squirrels are rustling through the fallen leaves, and even as they hide their little treasures, they are preparing for a coming harvest- Waste not, want not!. You want to say, “God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world!”

But somewhere in the back of your mind, you begin to feel the agitation and the dread, just knowing that while autumn is beautiful, you still have that other season following in its footsteps. You know the one. Yup! WINTER!!! I always dread the advancing winter weather and its accompanying frozen blast.

I often wish I could do sound effects with my writing! When my sister, Rae Jean, was with us here, I often read “Murder, She Wrote” mysteries to her of an evening. When we got to a climactic pause, I’d lean toward her and sing, “Dun, dun, dun,---DUHN!!!” And then she would do it too. It’s hard to make that understood with my trusty (?) computer.

Let’s just face it: Whether fair weather or foul, there is nothing quite as comforting as sitting down before a crackling fire and enjoying a good book. So perhaps winter is not all bad! 

One writer I have been enjoying is Matthew Kelly, whose book, Holy Moments, Rae Jean and I read through several times. According to Mr. Kelly, a Holy Moment is “a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.” Anyone can devote a moment. And as you increase these special times of losing yourself and participating with God, holy moments become easier and easier. And your life becomes more relaxed and meaningful.

When we look out the window to see the leaves shaking and falling tremblingly off the trees, or we lie abed listening to the roar of those cold winds, we can blend plans and dreams, thoughts and prayers, wishes and ambitions, our yesterdays and our tomorrows, knowing that they are all in God’s very capable hands. 

I enjoy this quote from the Rev. Mr. Ralph Sockman’s book, A Lift for Living: May it bring you joy and hope for your pursuit of Life’s Holy Moments.

“We cannot hoard life as we can money.

When a person tries to be a miser of his health,

He usually makes himself miserable.

Mental talents, if buried and not used, tend to deteriorate.

Whoever would save his memory by not using it will lose it.

Love and sympathy are dissipated not by use, but by disuse.

Thus, in trying to save ourselves from being spent, we lose ourselves.”

— Ralph W. Sockman

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Have a beautiful, spicy autumn!

Grand Adventures

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

Sometimes we enter our adventures from human error or lack of knowledge, thus it began of our own volition. Other times we enter on our adventures from an outside source, as when we get lost because someone gives us the wrong directions. But grand adventures just happen. We don’t need to carry guilt or blame to please others.

When you begin a grand adventure, you rarely know the exact route you’ll take or even your destination. All you know is you’ve begun—and you’re never alone.

As you may know, in February I plastered my face on a gym floor, giving myself a traumatic brain injury, a couple of brain bleeds, two broken ribs, a broken sternum, and a muscle completely torn in two in my back. I hope my granddaughter suffers no long-term effects of having her volleyball tournament shut down because of my accident.

FINALLY, this coming Tuesday, I will be at Advent Hospital to repair all those little indiscretions. I feel very good about next week, but I would also love to know you are praying for me. Maybe we could all be praying that this won’t be too much of an adventure for the medical staff.

We are all on a journey.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”

— Proverbs 3: 5-6

Happy August!

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Open Mouth, Insert Foot?

Banner Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Sometimes I open my mouth and words somehow just come spilling out. It’s really kind of scary, in a way, because suddenly, you have put into other people’s ears your own thoughts. And sometimes you might not even know you really thought that! (Like when someone is thinking and suddenly has to ask himself, “Did I say that out loud?” If that’s not scary, then let me know, but I think it is.)

I’ve done that recently. Some of us were discussing prayer. I stated that, in our society, words had become cheap. People can say things using the same words or phrases and yet mean totally opposite things. My leading is that there are two basic levels of thought.

• Thought being invisible, inaudible and,

• The spoken word—audible, but also often leading to action.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Have you thought that for things to become actualities in this plane of being, whatever action is happening (reality) has first happened on another level—that of the spiritual, invisible, and inaudible to humanity? To me, that is why it is so hard for us in this day and age to understand what the Bible means when a word or phrase is a concrete, unmovable thing. We constantly manipulate words to be whatever we want them to be. And in that activity, familiarity breeds contempt.

To carry that a step further, we simply do not seem to act as though we truly understand that whatever is happening in this world has already happened in the spiritual realm. Spiritual battles have been fought. Spiritual forces have been in combat. Whatever is happening in this world, has already happened in the spiritual realm. Prayer is probably the very most important thing we can be involved in because, before anything happens on earth, it is being fought through in spiritual realms.

When we intercede for others, we are not just speaking empty words. Instead, we are activating spiritual forces, which are the true source of power, as all battles are fought in spiritual realms long before they materialize in our lives and the lives of those around us. When we are asked to pray for others, are we using those requests to truly help others? We have it in our power to mold outcomes in people’s lives because, before anything happens on earth, it is worked through spiritually.

“When we reach heaven, we will be struck with astonishment at all the power which was in store for us, and how very little we used.”

— Someone once said...

Did you ever wonder why the disciples’ prayer has the phrase “on earth, as it is in heaven?”

Is there something that you need to pray about today?

Have you plugged into your power source?

~ Katy

Adventuring Close at Hand

Adventuring Close at Hand

Sometimes the most innocent of trips develops into an adventure. I remember when we first brought our girls, Mariatu and Sia, here from Sierra Leone, West Africa, we discovered there were a couple of African stores in downtown Kansas City. That, of course, necessitated a trip or two there. So, we’d pile into my car and head for the big city. (We lived in Raymore, MO, at that time.) Prior to these jaunts, my trips to the big city usually meant to Bannister or Oak Park Malls.

This was prior to everyone carrying a cell phone, or cars equipped with GPS. I just looked it up in the phone book and off we went!  As we drove (and drove, and drove), one of the ladies would sweetly ask, “Mom, are we lost?” To which I would respond with a smile pasted on my face, “NO! WE’RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!!!”

Now let me digress, momentarily, to state a few facts.

1) We were originally from down in the Ozark mountains.

2) The town we lived nearest had a population of 386.

3) Despite the fact that our military travels led us to Colorado Springs, Phoenix, St. Louis, etc., I never spent a lot of time “in the city”.  

4) When girls were ready to shop for African food, I wasn’t supposed to waste time adventuring.

Back to present time.

Life is vastly different now. Everybody has a cell phone. Cars come with GPS. And I’m 20+ years older and feebler.  Now Maria has four brilliant, talented, and beautiful children (1 graduating this year), and she gets around like nobody’s business and, if she doesn’t feel like it, her husband, Jeff, can. Sia has a lively, bright, opinionated 7-year-old daughter and not much gets past either of them.  They are such free spirits that they just get up and go wherever they set their minds to go. 

I had a fun ride with Sia recently. She and Malika had come up to visit for a couple of days.  As they were preparing to leave, I rode down to the closest filling station to top off their tank and enjoyed laughing and talking with them.

All at once, history repeated itself. From the back seat, Malika asked, “Mom? Are we lost?” Sia plastered the biggest smile on her face and answered, “Are we lost? No, my dear, we’re going on an adventure!” Like mother like daughter?

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Hope all your adventures are happy ones, and that you enjoy spoiling your favorite Mother in the world!

Happy Spring! And Happy Mother’s Day!

Spring Cleaning - Dontchaloveit!!!

Spring Cleaning – Dontchaloveit!!!

Actually, this title is probably more than a little deceiving. Now everyone thinks my house is getting super clean. Actually, I am cleaning out my desk and credenza drawers: a job and a half.

I did not have a blog for the month of March, as I took a bit of a fall resulting in a bruise on the left side of my had, a brain bleed, three broken ribs, and a broken sternum. The critical care team did their best and I'm recovering. 

My recent MRI showed I have torn muscles in my back left shoulder: the same one I had surgery on for a torn rotator cuff a couple of years ago. Was this a waste of time? No. All the time spent in KUMC and LMH allowed me to think.

 I’d never had a fall like this before. Not even last spring when I tripped over the garden hose. It had been one of those slow motion things which, praise God, did not allow me to land on my knees, which is a no-no for those with artificial knees. 

I now get my 10 – 12 hours of sleep at night, plus a nap in the afternoon, I am finally able to do some deep thinking. For more fun, I decided to deep clean instead. Tackling the mess on my desk and credenza didn't cause my shoulder, chest, or ribs to hurt.

Have you found when you begin throwing old stuff away, you find pictures you can’t part with: quotes, jokes, or heavy thoughts which you might want to write on someday? So everything didn't get thrown out and the whole afternoon was wasted. Sigh. I missed my afternoon nap but the time wasn't wasted. Here's a photo showing the results.

The desk of L. K. Houk - found!

Another thing is I have a love/hate relationship with my brain now. Being from a family of people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, I realize how serious a knock on the head is. Weeks later, I still forget names of dear, dear friends, who are right in front of me, and words that used to be mine, and dates, or days of the week. While I don’t find these serious ailments at all funny, I have to laugh at myself, because if I don’t, I might cry.

People are so nice about it though. One of my elderly (cough, cough) friends reassured me, “Just remember when you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed.” Or my Aunt Thelma, dearly loved and missed, would say, “Well, old age isn’t for sissies!”

As we look toward a beautiful Easter season, I hope you are well and able to stay up on two feet. Life somehow works better right side up.

Happy Spring!