Speaking of Numbers....

 I'm having another birthday. It's no big deal. Fact is, that birthdays occur once a year, whether we choose to count them or not.  However, this year it's the big Seven Five. Three quarters of a century. Who would believe it!!!

Did you ever stop to consider the list of numbers that we need to know and use every day? One is your Social Security Number (everyone has one...a nine digit number). Until recently, your SSN was also your Medicare number. Now, thanks to the wisdom of our government, all seniors will have another number to remember, as our Medicare numbers will change.
Then, there are telephone numbers. Most everyone, these days, has a phone that will automatically dial a number associated with a name, which was previously entered into the memory of the phone. But, we still have to remember our own phone numbers! Yikes!
How about your house or apartment number, zip code, or employee number from work? If you have certain medical issues you might need to keep a mental record of your blood sugar count or your blood pressure (one number over the other), or the numbers of your good cholesterol and your bad cholesterol (which is which?????), and report them to your doctor. More numbers! Then, when you are still reeling from trying to remember those numbers, the same nurse will ask you what year you had your last tetanus shot or when and if you had a flu shot, in the last 12 months.  More numbers!
License plate numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, tax numbers, number at the DMV counter, etc. I could never list all of the numbers we must know.
After all, they are just numbers.

Dear Lord. You are number one. You always have been. All of the other numbers are just temporary.
Remind us to put You first in our lives.

Pieces and Parts

Today, I threw out an ancient tome of history......a lap-sized 1950's, Junior High Scrapbook.  Now, it could be that you do not know what I am writing about, so I will explain. Pre-teen girls traditionally keep stuff, and the neatest way to archive that stuff, years ago, was to paste those items into a big book. My book had really "groovy" graphics on the front and dozens of construction paper pages, and it was full of my very important keepsakes.

My scrapbook contained a few newspaper articles, now brown and brittle with age. I had pasted dance cards and party napkins from some school dances on several pages. Programs and player rosters, from basketball and football games. were apparently worthy of keeping. I kept birthday cards and a few photos of classmates. Post cards from various friends, as they made family trips, were treasures, too.

Since I have hauled this awkwardly sized scrapbook, from residence to residence for 70 years, it was a bit difficult to pitch. But, I did it. I told myself that I was saving  my kids are from having to do the job, in the future. Seriously, the pages were crumbling and making a big mess. I kept a few of the treasures and I plan to send them to a few old friends. I'll let them throw them away!

Dear Lord. Thank you for our memories. Stuff, mental and physical, is just stuff, and all of us need to let it go. We are blessed.

ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

Have you become your parents? No. Well, if you think it won't happen to you......just wait. 

It was just a short time ago, when I would hop in the car and do the grocery shopping, as fast as I could. I'd grab anything that looked good and hurry home. Now, just like my mother, I make a list, drive ponderously to the super market, check every price, and every ingredients label, then and only then do I make my purchases. 

My husband and I have begun to take short (or long) rides around town and out into the countryside, just for entertainment. I remember my grandparents doing that. OMGolly. So far, thank goodness,  I haven't heard my husband ask, "Where are we going today, MAMA?" (Grampa Tom always called his wife, my grandma, Mama!)

Then, there are the doctor's appointments. Our wall calendar, attached by magnet to the fridge, used to denote notes about future trips, lunch dates and the kid's sports events. Now, our schedule consists of the dates and times of trips to our various doctors. And, some of those future appointments are 6 months to a year off. Only old people have calendars like that. At least we are optimistic enough to assume we will be well enough to make them!

Every morning, I put on comfortable clothes and shoes. And although, I haven't yet succumbed to the temptation to wear to sandals with ankle socks, I can't remember the last time that I wore a dress and heels. 

"The times they are a changin'", and we are happy to go with the flow.

Gracious God, we thank you for our long lives. You have given us countless blessings.

Just A Number

Most of us remember an exercise in elementary school that taught the "value" of large numbers. Sometimes it was collecting a hundred bottle caps or 100 empty soda cans (they were easy to recycle...two lessons in one!) Or in the case of a few of us, writing a sentence like..."I will not (cheat, talk, copy, etc.) in class.", was the punishment for misbehavior. Having to write anything, a few hundred times, was a lesson well remembered.

In the 1953, there was a movie entitled, "How to Marry a Millionaire". Well, it wasn't an award winner. It was just a bit of badly acted fluff, but "a Millionaire". Wow. That seemed like a lot of money, in the 1950's. 

Fast forward to 2021. Now, were are seeing and hearing the words BILLIONS and TRILLIONS. To tell you the truth, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around those numbers. I can't even imagine a number like that! It's only a matter of time before we hear quadrillions, or more.

So, here's my idea for those folks who want to borrow, mint or raise taxes, to cover those exorbitant spending numbers. How about asking them to handwrite the word DEBT, 3 or 4 trillion times? They should be made to visualize and actually experience how much that number really is! That would be a wake-up call, to our legislators, and I think we would see more responsible governing, in the future. 

Dear Lord. I pray for our nation. We must all take responsibility. Give us strength and discernment. You are our Guiding Light.

A few years ago......

I want to write a few words about marriages. In the past few years, I have learned a lot about "the long haul" kind of union.  I know that I am not alone, when I sometimes struggle with caring for a spouse with mobility issues. And, because I know that there are many, many good men and women in the same place as me, I forge on, and in the process, I have learned to appreciate those folks who signed on for marriage, when they and their spouses were young and healthy. 

So, here we all are. Fifty, sixty and yes, seventy years later. We're definitely not young and every one of us has some health issues. But, all those years ago we vowed "for better or for worse", and we meant it. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth the struggle. We are keeping on, keeping on. Because. to quote those ancient philosophers, Lennon and McCartney...."All you need is love."

Happy Anniversary and many more to Karen and Mike, Judy and Richard, Sue and Jim, Larry and Julie.

Dear Lord. We are thankful. We are blessed.

   

Drop It

I just watched a fairly horrendous event of TV, which was also witnessed, in person, by several hundred by-standers. However, I don't think anyone really saw what was happening. To a person, they were all recording the activity, on their phones and other electronic devices. Stuff like this happens all of the time. Pictures and videos are great, but who, these days, can actually say, "I saw that. I was there. I remember when...." We are all so busy waving our phones around, trying to get the best angle, that we truly can't experience anything. Let alone be of any help!

"Dad, did you see my homerun?" "No, son, but I got a video of it." "Honey, look at the baby. She's taking her first step." "Hold it. I'll get my phone."

Riots happen. People get mugged and killed. Who intervenes? Nobody. Home runs are hit and races are won. Who sees these events? Nobody. We are all to busy trying to get a picture or video on our phones. 

What ever happened to the "live" experience, in today's world? Can you actually tell anyone your thoughts, feelings or concerns, when that "recorded" event occurred? Trust me. Life is passing us by, folks. Memories, not videos, are precious. Our memories of sights, sounds and even smells, will be in our thoughts, long after the photos are erased or lost.

Dear Lord. We are thankful for technology. It is a wonderous thing. But, it doesn't compare to Your Love and the Grace, that we have been freely given. We praise Your Holy Name.

 

Merry Christmas

 The Hallmark Channel, on our cable TV, is celebrating "Christmas in July", by airing, almost every day in July, at least one of their many Christmas Movies. Good on them. Being a fan of "feel good movies, that always end with a kiss", I've been joyfully watching these movies.....including two, I saw last night.

Yes, all Hallmark movies are predictable. I've written about them before. But, Christmas in July? Well, think about it. Talk about great marketing! People watching Christmas Movies in July, will start thinking about ordering holiday cards AND all of those movies are also great advertisements for Hallmark's artificial Christmas Trees and Wreaths. Every one of those movies feature gorgeously decorated trees........all made by Hallmark. Hundreds of folks are ordering Balsam Hill greenery, as I write this blog. Then, there are the ornaments. Dozens of new ones every year, and because many of them are dated, they are collectible and expensive.

Your local Hallmark store is awaiting your visit. Get your credit cards ready. Donald Hall would be proud. Kansas City is appreciative of your business.

Dear God. Thank you for our many blessings. We love to celebrate Your Birth. I sincerely hope our preparations make You smile. We praise Your Holy Name.