A Steady and Perpetual Serenity

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Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity.

Joseph Addison

I have no major updates yet on John’s health as we are waiting for a follow-up appointment with the spine specialist. John had an MRI and a few x-rays done and we will know soon what the new doctor can do to help with John’s back pain. Also, a consult with a neurologist concerning John’s migraines is coming up in June, I believe. In the meantime, we try to stay cheerful and hopeful and not let dark thoughts crowd in and take over. Serenity lies in keeping faith steady and alive trusting that God cares and sees and has help on the way for the pain issues.

Here are the latest stray gifts!

I received a few birthday gifts in the mail, a few Happy Birthday texts, and some cards (even a few handmade ones)! A friend of mine in Georgia sent me a four leaf clover she found during one of her hikes. Another friend bought and decorated a nice cup for me! Both gifts were such a nice surprise.

Jonathan graduated from college this past week with high honors! The commencement was held outside in the football stadium. We were able to see him standing and waving on the end of his row. It was a miracle we were able to see him at all with the hundreds of graduates and families present. It was sunny and 91 degrees in the shade when we arrived, so we took a photo of Jonathan before we became all hot and wilted. As the night went on, that dark cloud came around the mountain bringing with it wind, sand, and rain. The night cooled off quickly and the rain was just a drizzle. The cool air was sure nice for the rest of the evening. At the end of the ceremony, we all enjoyed the fireworks. It was an exciting night!!

Last week, he had an interview with the local Historical Society for a volunteer position as a curator. He has to get experience somewhere, and the people he would be potentially working with are seasoned historians and it would a great place to ‘get his feet wet’ in this type of work. He was able to take a little tour of one of the grand old homes that had been donated which is in the process of being restored. Jonathan said he was in awe. The details! The craftsmanship! The architecture! He was thrilled to have seen a bit of the house and what the owners had left behind. I will have an update on how that’s going soon.

It is still a special time of year in our yard. The honeysuckles are gone for now, but the roses keep blooming. The roses on the left are right in front of our house below the living room window. Sometimes, when I look out, I can see the small finches hanging out on the rose branches when the birds come to the feeder that is close. (I throw a little birdseed near the window, too, hoping they will come up to the house so we can watch them up close.) The rose in the middle and on the end is from the backyard and is the same exact rose, one day apart. The roses look different day to day and it motivates me to get outside to see the fascinating changes.

Until next time, this is my newest Record of Graces and growing list of of “stray gifts”. Keep looking, keep noticing, and keep sending me your very own stray gifts! I love to see them!

Give Me April and May

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You can have all the rest of the year if you will give me April and May.

Spanish Proverb

We’ve had beautiful weather here lately – except for a few very windy days. I would be quite content to have this spring weather all year ’round. Right now, our honeysuckle vines are full of flowers and the roses are blooming. The backyard smells heavenly. We love going outside after dinner to enjoy the space and all the hard work we have put in the last few years. It has been a calming place as we live in a busy city. It’s our own ‘secret garden’.

I have mentioned here and there about John’s health. Not much has changed in pain and mobility level. He did have an appointment with a spine specialist who ordered an MRI to be done. The doctor visit was short as there is not much he can do until he sees the results from the MRI. Physical therapy starts this week and we hope it will help.

Our Jonathan will be graduating college in a few weeks. He has his cap and gown, the tassel, and has ordered a class ring. We are glad the school is having an official ceremony this year. More than being an honor student, I am proud of his grace, kindness, and humility he gifts us with every day.

Here is the latest record of graces in stray gifts:

From left to right: Yellow Lady Bank Roses have made their appearance. These tiny roses are so cute! We have been mulching our rose bush clippings and such from when we pruned in February. The mulch makes a huge difference in the yard as it covers the sand and rocks we have. Honeysuckles have bloomed once again and their sweet scent fills the air.

The yard is coming along this spring. I always look forward to roses coming back around every year. We still have a lot of mulching to do in the backyard. Once Jonathan is done with classes, we will finish working on cleaning up after winter. I have mint growing this year and Jonathan and I like to put it in water, lemonade, or tea. Very refreshing! The last photo is of more Lady Banks Roses. I first saw this kind of bush at our city’s Rose Garden a few years ago and just had to have a few in our yard. I love how they climb!

(Left) I had heard about a nursery on the other side of town that we hadn’t checked out yet. John and I were in this area one day while waiting for Jonathan who had class on campus. This nursery is not one you just happen to find as it is tucked away on an average street. When we arrived, we were surprised at how full it was of all sorts of life. It had two greenhouses on site filled with plants. There were huge, old trees on the property covered in ivy and Virginia Creepers. We liked it so much, we brought Jonathan back another day because we knew he would enjoy it. (Top Right) I was able to make it to the El Paso Municipal Rose Garden last week. Every rose bush was full of roses! Red, orange, pink, purple, white, yellow…and more colors of roses were just breathtaking. Several people were out wandering around the roses, some were sitting on benches reading or studying, and some were taking photos. I could smell the roses even through the mask I had to wear. (Bottom Right) John and I met Jonathan for lunch one day in between his classes. The sandwich shop we chose did not have indoor seating available, so we took our lunch to a nearby park. It was a beautiful day to be outside as we sat under a big elm tree.

I hope you are finding stray gifts in your area. I sure do appreciate friends and family who text me photos of interesting things they find. One friend in Pennsylvania has gorgeous peacocks from a neighboring farm roaming around on their property. A friend in the Dallas, Texas area likes to visit the arboretum often and she will text me colorful photos of her day. A friend in Georgia enjoys long hikes in the woods and takes pictures of twigs, branches, and leaves that have landed on the ground forming a cross. Other objects she discovers along the way as well which make a cross remind her of Christ’s sacrifice for us all. God has a way of drawing us to Him, don’t you think? Another friend sends me photos of the beautiful quilts she makes for veterans or of days out of the house doing something special. Recently, she and her husband visited the zoo and she shared a photo of an adorable penguin they saw. “It was a fabulous day”, she said. I love it! Jonathan and John always text me memes found on Facebook they find funny or inspirational. Stray gifts are all around! Thank you, Lord, for Your kindness and mercy.

Pleasure is spread through the earth in stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. -William Wordsworth, 1806

Even the Valleys Are Higher Ground

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Trials are brutal. Faith is tested. Life grinds hard some days and I live as if I have been amputated from grace. The labor is strenuous when I fail to trust in what God allows in my life – illness, heartache, loss. It is the “ugly-beautiful” where suffering births transfiguration. When I let go of pride and self-reliance, I become humbled and dependent.

When I was on Facebook awhile back, I had posted something similar about valleys and my Aunt Carol had responded, “Even the valleys are higher ground”. That has stuck with me ever since.

The song I share with you today is one that has been on my mind. We used to sing it as a family while on deputation and it was one of our favorites. I hope it will be an encouragement to you as well.

Without A Valley – Gospel Song by Rodney Griffin

“I’ve been walking through a valley
It was dark, and it was drear.
Yet in the middle of my sorrow
I heard Jesus say, “Child, I’m still here”.

But without a valley
How would I ever know
That His strong and gentle hand
Would never let me go?
How would I know for sure
That I’m secure and safe where’er I go?
Without a valley
How would I know?

So I thank you, Lord, for each trial-
How You’re teaching me Your perfect love.
For You have shown that I can still have joy inside
Even though the road seems long and rough.

But without a valley
How would I ever know
That His strong and gentle hand
Would never let me go?
How would I know for sure
That I’m secure and safe where’er I go?
Without a valley
How would I know?”

Listen to the song sung by Florida Boys:


The Oil of Hope

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The oil of hope makes life’s machinery run smoothly.

James L. Basford

In my last blog entry, I shared a bit about John’s health and the need to move from Waco, Texas back to El Paso. We have been in El Paso for a month now and it is great to be with Jonathan and my dad again. We thought that within a few weeks, John would be feeling better due to the drier climate. The migraines are finally calming some. Since we have moved back, John’s new VA doctor took him off the pain medication that has been helping with his arthritic joints and wants to try something new. John has been on this medicine off and on for about ten years and this has been the best medicine that has been used for the joint pain. Without this medicine, his fibromyalgia pain is also out of control, although he is on a different medicine to assist with that. Pain medication helps one issue, but affects other areas of the body in negative ways. The overall pain with little beneficial medicine in his system to help landed John in the ER. He wasn’t sure if it was a pinched nerve from lower back problems, a fibromyalgia outbreak, or the back/hips out of ‘whack’. Not much was done other than to prescribe him some other medication. John’s rheumatologist (outside the VA) is not happy about the VA doctor’s decision and there is some communication between them as to how to proceed with John’s healthcare. He is waiting now for an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon who replaced both his hips. John has been in a lot of pain and is using crutches to help walk. We are hopeful the three doctors (the primary care doctor at the VA, the rheumatologist, and the surgeon) can help and that he eventually can go back to work. Maybe physical therapy will help. Maybe a pain management doctor is the answer. Or maybe different types of treatment will be beneficial. In the meantime, we do look for and try natural remedies and ways to heal that do not include more medication.

From John: Since about 2003, I have been suffering from many things that also resemble other veterans who served in the Persian Gulf. I did not serve during war time, but I served two tours in the Gulf in ’95 and ’97. Some of those are things like GI pain (in 2004 I was checked for a hernia and no cause was found) and chronic headaches (which I had already been diagnosed with migraines while in service). Other symptoms have occurred since then such as chronic fatigue, joint pain all over the body, even/including fibromyalgia. I also had my thyroid removed a few years back and many Persian Gulf veterans have had thyroid problems too. At one time, it was called Gulf War Syndrome. One did not have to serve during war time -the service member just had be in the Gulf in a time period since Aug 2, 1990 with symptoms being expressed before Dec 31, 2021. Pray for me and for my doctors in this situation as I desire to work again in the future.

In other news, Jonathan is getting closer to college graduation. As part of his Museum Studies course, he is an intern for one of the local museums. His job is to look through collections of old photos that were donated years ago which have been sitting in storage. These photos have little documentation and Jonathan works to organize them and to transcribe the locations where they were taken. He is finding this task very interesting and loves learning more about the history of El Paso. He will be graduating with honors and we are so proud of him! So far, it seems the college plans to have a traditional graduation ceremony. Due to COVID outbreak precautions, only two people are allowed to attend per graduate, though, so far.

I am glad to be back working in the yard again. Jonathan and I have been working to clean up the yard. John helps as he can on ‘good days’. Rose bushes have leaves and tiny little blooms, the honeysuckles are thriving yet again, and we have been preparing the ground to do some planting.

Here are the latest stray gifts!

On the Left (Top) I highly recommend watching Back to Eden Gardening Documentary! John and I have watched it a few times. We loved the gardening concepts so much, we bought a wood chipper to make our own mulch out of our branches and such from pruning. We had always thrown the clippings in the trash, not realizing all the nutrients we could have used to nourish the yard. (Middle) It has been nice enough most days for a walk and Jonathan and I are spotting new blooms in the neighborhood. (Bottom) Yellow blooms are showing up on one of our Lady Banks rose bush.

In the Middle: (Top) The Texas blue sky mixed with the colors of sunset…and a layer of dust. It was an interesting view. (Bottom) Moody blue skies, the scent of spring in the air, and blooming trees. Others must have felt the change in the air too because neighbors were waving ‘hello’ as we walked by with our dog one day. Everyone seemed extra friendly!

On the Right: (Top) Our other Lady Banks rose bush is now changing day by day with more green leaves and white roses on the way. (Bottom) I tried a new way of cooking cabbage by slicing it and roasting the pieces in the oven with a bit of olive oil and seasoning. The guys loved it.

Feature image from top of blog post: The photo of the tulips was taken by my friend Jonna. I love when friends send me their stray gifts photos!!

Easy in Imagination

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What had seemed easy in imagination was rather hard in reality.

Lucy M. Montgomery

We had imagined our move to Waco would have been an easy one. It was easy in the beginning when John started working for the VA here. But as the weather changed in the fall and winter, John’s migraines increased. For years, John has struggled with migraines due to changes in barometric pressure. Medication never completely helped. Once his doctor put him on Vitamin B2 a few years ago, the frequency and intensity decreased. It was a huge relief! In El Paso, the air pressure stays mostly the same year ’round and his migraine ‘situation’ seemed better. After moving here, though, where air pressure changes due to more rain, some snow, and cooler weather in the fall and winter, it became a different story.

Another issue with our move here is that his job, while a great one, involves being on the phone and computer all day sitting down. After his two hip replacement surgeries almost two years ago, he really needs to be up and moving around. The positive side of this is that he is getting his ‘foot in the door’ in the work field again. We were in the ministry full time for fifteen years, he went back to college and graduated during that time, and now we are moving forward in a different direction.

So what’s the plan? We know that a drier climate is a must for John to feel less head pressure, so we are moving back to El Paso where Jonathan is in his last semester of college before he graduates in May. My dad, too, is still there. John has applied for several jobs within the VA and has had one interview so far. Our lease at the apartment here in Waco ends the last day of February. Sometime between today and then, we will be packing and moving back. We enjoyed being here for the most part with all the grass, trees, the lakes and rivers, but it is, in reality, not a place where John feels is best for him. We are at peace and know that God has something in mind. We just need to trust and take one step at a time.

Here is the continued stray gifts list from December and the beginning of January (description below photo collage).

Top Row: Stray gifts in a well working iron skillet. I’ve had trouble treating it correctly, even though I’ve followed directions. I guess with frequent uses and oiling consistently after each use has helped because I was able to cook scrambled eggs in it with minimal cleanup afterwards. I’ve never been able to do that before. Usually the pan is a mess with eggs stuck to it making the cleaning difficult.

While the Christmas tree was up, I had a great view of a glass ornament a friend sent me last year. It was such a surprise to receive the gift in the mail. The poinsettia ornament means a lot to me.

John surprised me with flowers when he came to visit me while I was in El Paso.

Middle Row: A long time friend of ours makes quilts and quillows. A quillow is a quilt that has a pocket to tuck your feet in. Also, you can fold the blanket up a certain way and tuck it in the pocket so it is in the shape of a pillow. Carolyn made Jonathan one when he was two years old and he wore it out through the years. John and I each received one years later and John wore his out. She made Jonathan and John new ones in the last year since both blankets were in shreds. Mine is still in good condition! We love them and use them often in the cold months!

On the way back from El Paso to Waco after Christmas, we saw snow! After living in the desert for fifteen years, I thought it might be nice to live in a place where I could experience all four seasons. After feeling the bone chilling freezing temperatures closer to Waco and the snow, I’ve changed my mind. El Paso gets cold, but it never sticks around for very long. We saw many deer out in the snow which was a pretty site.

Speaking of snow, I have a friend in Pennsylvania who sees snow every winter. She often sends me snow photos and I like that I can look at it, but not feel the below freezing temps!!

Bottom Row: While I was in El Paso helping my dad and Jonathan reorganize after the September flooding in the house, my dad made me a pegboard for my craft room. I love it and it will help keep stuff off the work space for when I make my greeting cards.

My banana succulent was reaching for the winter sun. It’s always nice to see a bit of green in the winter.

Finish Every Day

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Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As some of you know, when I was in El Paso last September, a part broke behind the refrigerator and water gushed out of the pipe flooding almost half of the bottom floor. Water had poured from the kitchen to the living room and under the walls to the other side of the house where my craft room and laundry room floors were soaked. The baseboards were sopping wet and it was a huge mess! Workers came to help clean up and to dry the walls out. A contractor came out to assess the damage, but nothing could be done about the cleanup because El Paso had another surge of the virus. Stuff from the pantry, laundry room, and craft room floors were packed into the guest room for the time being. Since there was nothing else I could do, I returned to Waco to be with John. The house stayed a mess until December when the crew could come to fix the walls and the carpet. I went back to El Paso in December to visit my dad, Jonathan, and my niece, Breanna, (who was going to spend Christmas with us). All that stuff in the guest room needed to be moved out to make room for Breanna. John stayed in Waco working and came for Christmas. There was so much cleaning up to do and putting things back where they belonged. I had a running to-do list every day of things that I wanted to accomplish while there. Jonathan and Breanna were a HUGE help in getting the house back to normal. At the end of every day, I had to be satisfied with what we could do and know that the tasks would be finished in due-time. It felt good to leave the house all put together this time before I left for Waco again. Even through all the crazy busy days of cleaning and organizing, I still was able to spot a few stray gifts! Here are a few I noticed while in El Paso (to be continued in the next blog post). A photo collage is at the bottom of the page.

Left photos- top and bottom: This is the guest room. And it did NOT look like this right before Breanna showed up. The bed was covered with boxes, kitchen items, and craft supplies due to the flooding. I was so glad some of the damage had been repaired right before she arrived so I could make the room ready for her.

While Breanna was with us, she made her family’s recipe for salted caramel popcorn. The hole in the middle of the pan is where we couldn’t keep our hands out of this delicious snack when it came out of the oven. It was so good!

Middle photos- top to bottom: During the post-flood cleanup, I dusted all the blinds, and while were at it, we cleaned the downstairs windows. One day, Breanna and I just stood at the clear living room window and watched the birds for quite some time. We were fascinated to watch them eat, play, fight, and rest. If you feed the birds, they will come.

There were a few really nice days outside, so Jonathan, Breanna, and I took our dog for a walk around the neighborhood. I sure do love the blue skies of Texas.

The photo of the pinecones was taken on another walk. Pinecones always make me think of my friend Carolyn who loves them.

Right photos- top to bottom: You don’t have to go searching for gold to find treasure. Sometimes riches are there in your own backyard. I saw this view out the back window that had been newly cleaned as well. The windows were like picture frames that day. The gold leaves on the tree were stunning as the sun shone right through them.

Ahhh….flowers from Jonathan. We had always prayed that our son would be, above all, humble and kind. His heart is big and his generosity is a blessing. These are flowers he bought me when I was visiting in December.

You wouldn’t know that this living room was a mess a few weeks ago. The carpet had been torn out and this area was not organized at all after the flooding. When the new carpet was being installed, we all agreed the room felt light and airy. We liked not having so many things in there to clutter up the space. We used to have a nice coffee table in the middle of the room, but we all saw the area looked better without it. You can see a bit of my dad in the photo relaxing and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. As the sun sets, we like to finish the day with the bright lights off, lamps turned on, and candles lit.

(P.S. I see the upside down horse shoe on the wall in the living room. Yes, I know right-side-up is the proper way to display it. I will put it on my to-do list. 🙂 )

If Nobody Smiled

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If nobody smiled, and nobody cared,
And nobody helped us along;
If every fellow looked out for himself,
And the good things all went to the strong;

If nobody cared just a little for you,
And nobody thought about me,
And we stood all alone in the battle of life,
What a dreary old world this would be!

Life is sweet because of the friends we love,
And the things that in common we share;
And we want to live on, not because of ourselves,
But because of the people who care.

It’s giving and doing for somebody else–
On that all of life’s splendor depends;
And the joy in this world, when you’ve summed it all up,
Is found in the love of our friends.

-Arthur James Hayden

I am thankful for a record of graces through the love of friends and family this season. Merry Christmas to you all!

Peace Bread

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Peace Bread

Ingredients:

2 c. unbleached thoughtfulness

2 c. patience

1 tsp. empathy

2 Tbs. melted love

3 Tbs. sweetness of honey

1 c. warm milk of kindness

2 tsp. forgiveness

Instructions:

Combine kindness, sweetness, and forgiveness in a small bowl until frothy. Mix with the remaining ingredients and gently knead. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size. Remove dough and knead again. If dough feels stiff, add up to a quarter cup of compassion. Form into desired shape for second rising. Bake in oven until golden. Serve warm.

Illustration from the book: Almost Amish – One woman’s quest for a slower, simpler, more sustainable life, by Nancy Sleeth

Make Christmas a Verb

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Poem by Mark F. Stone

For many, the gifts are the be-all and end-all:
the big screen, the tablet, the Barbie and Ken doll.
For me, gifts I get are like ice in the sun.
I cannot recall them. No, not even one.

How did I find a true way to remember
the import of each twenty-fifth of December?
The quest to acquire is an urge one can curb.
The lesson I learned was: make Christmas a verb.

Knock on the door of your neighbors who deal
with aging and loneliness. Bring them a meal.
If you have means and you live in fine fettle,
drop off some greens in that little red kettle.

Visit our vets who are hurt and express
your thanks for their service as they convalesce.
Deliver to others a luminous glow.
The gifts you will cherish are those you bestow.

Silent Gratitude

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Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone who has done a lot for you. 

G. B. Stern, Robert Louis Stevenson: The Man Who Wrote ‘Treasure Island,’ 1954

Two years ago, I starting looking for what I call “stray gifts” in a day. Stray gifts can be anything- a surprise note in the mail from a friend or family member, a beautiful day in which I just feel really good and alive, or quiet moments to rest, read, and relax. Every day, there is something new to discover that causes me to feel grateful and to say, “Thank you, Lord.” I hope these entries reach someone else who will engage more in life and who will choose to participate in God’s treasure hunt for all the good things He gives. Here is the most recent record of graces. (Photo collage below)

Gifts Written: Three cards for me in the mail in the last few weeks and a cross-stitched bookmark made by a friend with my favorite Bible verse.

Gifts in a Whistle: We used to buy electric kettles to heat water for hot chocolate, tea, or instant coffee. We’ve had to replace a few over the years because they just quit working. This time, I decided to buy an ‘old fashioned’ kettle with the whistle to heat water. It should last a long time! With the electric kettle shutting off automatically when ready, I would walk away from it and do other things. Usually, I forget about the water because I get busy. With this one, I need to be more mindful of what I do since the water is heated on the stove. I stay around the kitchen and do some tidying while waiting.

Gifts of Time: We spent one day last week with some friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. We enjoyed a good meal out together and a leisurely walk around the town square, poking around some of the shops there. I stopped to take a photo of the courthouse clock because I wanted to pay attention to the time – the time we are never guaranteed. Back at their house, we enjoyed coffee and talked for more hours, then stood outside to quietly watch the sun set. On the way home, the moon was bright and our hearts full and grateful for the day.

Gifts of Life: It has been very sobering to realize especially this year that life is fragile. With many lives lost to the virus, we are more aware of the gift of today. In the photo below, I am with our church ladies in Mexico. Two of these women have lost their husbands this year – one to COVID and the other to years of illness. Our lives are better for having known these women and their husbands who were part our church family for years.

Gifts of Encouragement: One of the best things I hear almost every day is John encouraging an elderly veteran who struggles with the online VA health websites, “That’s ok, sir. You know a thousand different things that the younger generation will never know.” (John works from home helping other veterans navigate the VA health website.)

Gifts Welcoming: I love a pretty wreath on the front door. I found this Boxwood Wreath for 50% off at Hobby Lobby and I had a 40% coupon for the ribbon!