The Silver Lining

Sept. 3-7, 2018 BEACH!!! Usually by September, I have been to the beach  several times.   This being  “the Summer that Wasn’t”  – I have only been once, early on, and at the time I  felt so awful I barely remember the trip. We decided to go the week after Labor Day.   For one thing, the crowds will be thinned out considerably since school has started.   My immune system is compromised at the moment, so the less people I am around, the better.   I just wanted to park myself underneath an umbrella with a good book and read.   And that’s pretty much exactly what I did.   My "light" beach read:  "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow -- only 731 pages.  (Hey I made it halfway through!) I felt fairly good the whole time, though I was really jittery and at times quite weak.   The Vitamin D of the sunshine, and the “Vitamin SEA” both did me a lot of good.   I almost got a tan, haha! ...

I've been going through some of my old journals and found this story that I wrote about 3 years ago. Hope you enjoy it! "Dashboard Message" -- written Nov. 19, 2007 Today when I started my car, I got a new dashboard message. Very plainly, the letters spelled out to me "YOU ARE LOVED." You might find that difficult to believe -- so allow me to share the whole story with you! I drive an older model Buick Park Avenue. My children always referred to it as a land yacht. Granted, it is a large car. But one thing I really like about it are all the little "bells & whistles" -- the extra features that make it a neat car. For example, it has heated seats, which are oh-so-nice on a frosty morning! Another feature is the dashboard message center. This small display of bright green letters lets me see my car's mileage. Or it may display a warning, such as "DOOR AJAR." Once in a while, it reads "CHECK GAUGES" when I'm running...

This will be a short entry, unrelated to Ghana. I'll finish the Ghana series next week. But something occurred to me today that I feel I must write and share. My husband is a handsome guy, fun-loving, athletic, and FULL of energy. He used to say he had "all the energy of a 2-year-old" then a year or so ago he decided he had "matured" a bit so now he says he has "all the energy of a 4-year-old." That actually is a fairly accurate statement! He enjoys golfing, dancing, swimming, boating, scuba-diving, sky-diving, the list goes on and on...and he is really good at anything he tries. If you know me, you know I was the kid in school the team captains fought about who had to take me on their team. In recent years, I've had to take steroid medications to help me with breathing -- which has added several pounds to my already chunky frame. So today, we went out for a boat ride. It was a lovely day, and we swam a bit, played with Scarlett (who LOVES to...

I didn’t know Kelly very well. But she made a significant impression on me the first time we ever met. I was visiting at David’s church, for the first time. I knew NOBODY, other than David, and felt more than a little bit self-conscious since I was the “stranger in their midst.” But after the service was over, there stood Kelly. She had reddish hair, and glasses, and a huge smile on her face. “Hey there, my name’s Kelly, and we’re SO glad you are here today!” Then, with a big hug, she added, “Love ya!” And then she bounced down the sidewalk, in search of her husband Kirk. As David and I continued to see each other, I’d attend services at the Winnsboro Church of the Nazarene about every other Sunday. And every Sunday, without fail, Kelly would speak to me, hug me, and before we parted she’d say, “Love ya!” She truly made me feel good. I began to look for her smiling face at church on Sunday mornings. Aside from small chit-chats at church, I only got to really talk with Kelly ...