Woman Within

   John worked with my husband, Tom, for years.  After he retired, they kept in touch from time to time.  In fact, the last time my husband called him was shortly before he died in March.  We didn't know.     Today, my husband received a notice of his memorial service, but it was too late. Sadly, we had actually been in the very town for another memorial service the same day.  We could have easily made both, if we had been aware.    I called his wife to let her know that we were sorry we hadn't made it and to arrange a visit, soon.  That's when she told me that my husband's call, shortly before his death, had meant so much.  She said her husband really missed seeing the guys from work.  A simple call, and yet, a powerful act of friendship.   This evening, while on facebook, a private message popped up.  Years ago, our church had "adopted" a missionary kid.  We remembered her birthday and Christmas, among other things.  At one time, I assumed the task of kee

   Have your white boards seen their better days?  Perhaps, like me, you've tried various cleaning products and/or writing over hard to remove traces of marker with another marker. Well, today, I have a wonderful tip for you.  Use rubbing alcohol. It works!  You're welcome.

   Being the big kid that he is, my husband likes to listen to some radio programs on a Saturday morning that are designed for, well, kids!  He has a radio that he keeps in the garage, but he brings it in for the Saturday morning programs.  Problem is, most of the time, he doesn't take the radio back out to the garage.     We go through a similar thing with a light our daughter bought him for Christmas.  He likes it, too much!  So, he often brings it inside and then leaves it either in the kitchen or in our bedroom.  Neither spot is a good one because it isn't being put away.      I just got new kitchen cabinets.  They are, oh, so spacious.  So, I'm going to be generous and come up with a spot for both his radio and his light. Accommodating of me, right?  Well, actually,  he is, by far, the more accommodating one of the two of us.   So, I guess I can be, just this once.

   Want to make life rich and productive?  Volunteer.  Sound too simple?  It's not. There are so many ways one can do so, too.  Volunteering comes in so many packages and can involve so many things.  I think, for example, of the time I volunteered my girls and I to reshelf books for our local library.  That was a minimum time, minimum investment (just the cost of gas) event.  I'm not sure you could actually call it volunteering for the girls,as they had no choice in the matter.  Yes, parents, it is not only ok, but good, to volunteer your kids from time to time.     Since, as a homeschool family, we spent a decent amount of time at the library, this wasn't exactly foreign to us. As I recall, there was nothing new to learn, which is ok, but it is nice if it becomes a learning activity, as well.      I also helped at a government run agency during tax season, one year.  For this, I needed to learn some basic things, and take a quiz to show what I had learned.  The job, itse

  Who/what do you think is funny?  My dad used to watch The Three Stooges.  I never understood why.  What I do like, is Christian comedy.  To be specific, my two favorites are John Crist and Tim Hawkins. John pokes fun at the church and Tim pokes fun at homeschoolers.    John is the son of a preacher, so he's seen the church from inside and out, and pulls the mask off for all to see. Tim, a homeschooling father is tuned into, not so much who homeschoolers really are, but who outsiders think they are.     It may not be easy to laugh in times of stress, but that may, in fact, be the best time to laugh because it promotes relaxation, according to activebeat. It also releases endorphins, which are natural pain killers.Norman Cousins, who wrote the book Anatomy of an Illness, claims that through a diet of comedies, he could find relief from a painful spine condition called ankylosing spondylitis.     I guess it is a no brainer to say that it improves your mood.  And that can, in fact

   7,305 days.  That's approximately how many days I have left, if I live to the age my parents did. Of course, that is a big if. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.    Writing my mother's obituary, it seemed peculiar that almost 80 years could be summed up so easily.  I'm sure mine will be no different. The Bible says our life is but a vapor,here today and gone tomorrow.     I am 60.  I remember 40 like it was yesterday.  So, I know how quickly it is going to fly by.  I work for my neighbor and she pays me by the month.  It seems like she is always writing me a check.  The older I get, the quicker it goes.    But, boil it down to days, like the Bible recommends, and it really seems short. What to do?  1) Recognize the brevity. 2)Number your days, based on national averages or the lifespan of your parents, if they have passed on. 3)Apply your heart to wisdom.  When I taught my oldest, kindergarten (homeschool), there was a little ditty, wwwwwisdom is God's wwwwwway. How c