The Silver Lining

I spent sometime this week telling an old friend farewell. She’s moving to Florida, and I will surely miss her – though I plan to see her again when I can visit there. She’s been with me for years – through some really tough times and then, thankfully, through some much easier ones. She’s never let me down, always been ready to go at the jingle of a set of keys. She’s always provided a “safe place” for me to vent pain, or sing praises, or just bounce around different ideas. This “friend” is not a human, by the way. She’s a big, blue Buick Park Avenue. She became mine September 19, 2001, and the day I drove her home for the first time, her odometer read 20,500. Now it reads almost 170,000 miles – she’s been a workhorse for me, that’s for sure! She’s also been somewhat of a stabilizer, and at times a comfort – that sounds odd, doesn’t it? I mean, for a car to be a comforter? In 2001, I was a wife and mother with a career (I refuse to use the term “wo...

One day last week as I was getting dressed to face the day, I rummaged through my necklaces to find one that would go with the shirt I intended to wear. I selected a silver one -- but it had been so long since I'd worn it, I grabbed the silver polish and an old brush, and went to work, scrubbing the chain and pendant until they both gleamed. After giving the necklace a final rinse and patting it dry, I slipped it over my head and went to town. I've been attending orientation sessions for my new job. We are all "newly hired" staff, and we've been getting to know each other bit by bit as we attended our classes. I sat next to Beverly; we'd chatted some throughout the week but were still pretty much strangers. She greeted me with a smile and we exchanged pleasantries. Then she paused a moment. She pointed to my necklace and said, "That is such a lovely necklace. Does the cross mean anything to you?" I guess I was a bit shocked at the que...

It’s a small, simple thing, really. Soft, pink footies, gentle to the touch, soothing to the feet after a long day. We were in a store a few days ago, and David saw the aloe-infused socks. Taking a pair off the hook, he looked over at me. I’ve been working on some “self-improvement projects” lately and I think he wanted to either encourage me or maybe reward me. But after he felt how soft the socks were, he asked me which color I wanted. I selected the pink ones; he placed them in his shopping cart. Like most folks, the economy has squeezed us tightly in the past couple of years. When we shop, we tend to focus on NEEDS rather than indulging in our WANTS. I didn't need the little pink socks, even though I knew they'd feel heavenly on my feet. But David NEEDED to give them to me -- a tangible way to "appreciate and reciprocate" in our relationship. This has always been our marriage motto -- to let each other know in many ways how much we value each oth...

Some days are just better than others, you know? Not that today has been "bad" -- it has just sort of been....blah. I've let several things sort of get under my skin the past few days. Not really big things, but just an accumulation of junk that keeps dragging me down. For example, not having a job yet. That has been a "mixed blessing." I've enjoyed the break; 30 years of getting up before 5 am and being dressed, ready to go, and out the door by 7 was not a lot of fun. Add to that the pressures of the jobs that I have had, plus the pressures of being a working mom (yes I know ALL moms work!!!) -- I sometimes look back and wonder how I managed it for so long. So it has been nice to get up whenever I wanted to, read the papers, work the crossword puzzle, then do whatever I wanted to with the rest of the time. Yet...some days I need more of a sense of purpose. I gazed out the kitchen window this morning, and through the woods I could see some of the bu...

We had dinner guests this evening. Sasikumar and Liu Lei -- both USC graduate students -- visited us and shared dinner. I met Sasi earlier this year in response to a craigslist posting. I was actually trolling the list to try to find job opportunities. Sasi posted that he was a foreign-born graduate student who needed someone to proofread his papers for English grammar. His post stated that he couldnt offer any monetary gain, but would be very grateful for any help. You know me. I answered the ad. **laughing** He's an anthropology major, working on his doctorate. Home, for him, is Sri Lanka -- the other side of the world. I've found his work to be fascinating, and have learned a great deal just by reading his papers. (His English, by the way, is really quite good -- so it's an easy "job" for me to proofread!) Along the way, we've become friends. He's a young guy, in his 20's -- far away from home. We've shared a few lunches, he's joined...

It's been a not-so-good week, but we're still standing, so it's all good. God sends us signs to remind us that HE is in charge, and I'm really glad that He is. If i was in charge, I'm sure I'd goof things up. :D This past Sunday, we went to church twice. During the morning, we went to a local church that we attend fairly regularly. Our pastor moved away last week, so we were greeted by an interim pastor this morning. The choir sang a beautiful song, we joined in with hymns. Then the pastor delivered an eloquent message telling us of God's love. I left feeling uplifted. That evening, we accompanied our neighbor to her church to listen to some Christmas music. The choir processed in, carrying lighted candles. I loved the singing and the scriptures -- all about the Advent Season. A couple of solos filled my heart with such joy -- and the pastor's message about the Gift of God's Son caused my skin to tingle. In the morning service, everyone w...

I've enjoyed swimming since I was a child. I guess one reason is because it came so easy to me. For whatever reason, I am exceptionally bouyant. I can stretch out on my back atop of the water and take a nap. It is difficult for me to get below the water, and for me to dive down to the bottom of a 10' pool is almost impossible. A couple of years ago, I attempted to scuba dive. The instructor (who was very impatient to start with), gave me a couple of weight belts to strap on. I still was unable to get more than a foot below the water, and the guy gave up on me, ordering me back up to the boat. My husband was able to go on, and he really enjoyed the lovely views of the world beneath the waves. A day or so later, we went swimming. David was going to "help" me get below the water, and wrapped his arms and legs around me in an attempt to show me how "easy" it was to submerge. Instead -- we both bobbed like a cork, on top of the water. My bouyancy kept u...