Ch Ch Ch Changes.

I never thought I would:

• Count the number of rolls of toilet paper, in our bathroom closet, and try to calculate how long they will last.
• Find empty shelves in an American supermarket, when a snowstorm was not in the immediate weather forecast.
• Not be able to see and play with our grand-girls, weekly.
• Buy flour, cake mixes, milk, bread, baking soda and frozen food at any grocery store.
• Go sit down inside any restaurant. restaurant or public library.
• Watch a 10 year old sports event, on television, like it was happening today!
• Buy gas at prices we haven't seen in a couple of decades.

I miss all of the things I took for granted. God, please help me to remember how blessed my life has been. And, how blessed I continue to be. Remind me to count those blessings.

Mikey Approved.

In my (not so humble) opinion there isn't much of anything worth watching on television, these days.  Because of the Coronovirus Lockdown, there are no live sporting events to see. Good Lord, I flipped by an Ali fight, the other day! How many decades old was that show? There are no new series episodes to watch and all of the live shows are being made from broadcaster's living rooms. I'm stuck in my own living room. I don't want to see anymore sofas. In fact, I think the only shows worth watching are the tremendously popular Hallmark movies.
At this point, I have seen most of the Christmas movies (and there are dozens), at least twice, but there are some of the Mysteries that are new to me. If you are not yet familiar with Hallmark productions, let me assure you "if you try them, you'll like them." Watch a few and you will soon learn why they are so popular.
Familiarity breeds contentment.
The plots are all Hallmark Productions are similar. Couples meet. Get to know each other. Fall in love. A misunderstanding happens. They split up. They get back together. They kiss. The End. In the Christmas themed movies there is always a lot of snow, Christmas trees, ornaments (Hallmark is the sponsor, after all.) and hot chocolate.
In the mysteries, there is no blood or gore, just a dead body or two per episode. The mystery always gets solved, the heroine never gets killed and the bad folks are generally captured alive! Most of the time, there is, yet again, a closing kiss.
The acting is good, maybe not Oscar or Emmy Award winning, but okay.
They are entertaining. I'm a fan.

Dear Lord. We are impatient.
We need to have Faith. You are our Constant, our Hope in time of trouble.

The Early Years

After nearly seven years, at the same Harry Potter desk (it's located under a staircase), I have enough material to write a really long, and very detailed book about working in a retirement community.
One of the first chapters, will be recounting the particularly quirky mishaps, that occurred when we opened this remarkably beautiful building.
First of all, no one in our area had seen such a stunning building, built for the specific use of our older population. Everyone who entered kept remarking how gorgeous and classy everything looked. We were very proud.
However, there were a few glitches. We had opened the building without a finished kitchen.And in order to meet the dietary needs of our residents, our chef prepared breakfast and lunch for them every day. In the evening, food was carried in, from area restaurants. The restaurant of choice was the Corner Cafe, a local comfort-food place. I became a regular, with my pick-up orders. The cafe staff began to call me by name, and I became the "chuck-wagon" lady, to our residents.
At the same time, several parts of the building were still getting their finishing touches. While sitting at the main floor reception desk, one morning, I heard a burst of profanity and a loud bang, from the floor above. I looked upward, just in time, to see the light fixture above my head start to fill with water. Thinking that the possibility of electrocution was imminent, I hesitated only a moment, jumped up and away from the floating puddle and switched off the light. Immediately, the plastic fixture came loose from the ceiling and what seemed like a bathtub amount of water, dumped on my formerly occupied chair.
I escaped harm. A workman had accidentally broken the water pipe, that fed the Jacuzzi tub, in the 2nd floor, work-out room. He was fine, we mopped up a lot of water and we all had a great story to tell.
It was proving to be a job of a lifetime!

God is good. We are blessed.

"Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you.".......

Day thirteen of Nancy working at home, and in spite of the what I initially thought (I was horrified at the idea of not physically being parked behind my desk, from 8-4:30, every work day), I am reaping some real positives from the experience.
For instance: Since I have been asked to call each resident every day, Saturdays and Sundays, included, I'm honestly getting to know each and every one of them.Yesterday, I learned that one of our newest residents was from the same home town area as my father's family. I can't wait to find out if we have some similar experiences. I have discovered that some of our folks need a little encouragement, and quite a few residents need specific information every day. I'm happy to share what I know, with them. They are telling me what is making them happy and what is making them sad.  I am finding that I really enjoying my one-on-one conversations, with everyone of our residents. When I am talking to them, these days, on the phone, we are not being interrupted by other residents or by the constant incoming calls, from my desk phone.
Now, that is not to say that I am hoping that this particular distancing program continues for a long time. I hope it ends ASAP. But, until them.......Good morning! This is Nancy......

Great God. You are in change. We know that. Give us patience. Help us recognize that our sacrifices are nothing compared to that of many others. We honor your Holy Name.

What are you thinking?

Frankly, I just do not know where to start with this Corona Virus Pandemic. So far, I have determined that folks can be divided into possibly three categories, in their efforts to deal with the ongoing and seemingly worsening problem.

1. Those who joke about the issue. Example: What goes good with Corona Virus?.... Lyme Disease.
    (Certainly,  not a very realistic way to approach the serious of this issue.)

2.  Those who are visibly angry at everyone and everything, which means that their "best laid plans" are being altered !(Oh My Golly, the world is coming to an end. BINGO is cancelled, and the President...or Nancy, is to blame..)

3. Those who are immobilized by fear and worry. (as in, "The sky is falling or, we are all going to die, tomorrow!)

It seems to me that we should find some middle ground here. 
Yes, I believe we should be taking some precautions. Cleanliness, just like mom said, is truly next to Godliness. We have known, for decades, that germs and viruses are spread by human contact! So wash your hands and don't cough and sneeze on folks!
We are not all going to die from this virus. Most people, who actually get it, are recovering. It is not the end of the world. Relax, and don't go out and buy up every package of toilet paper you see!
Worrying, and this is a loose Biblical quote, "won't help you one little bit or give you one extra minute of time, here on Earth. Look outside your little selfish sphere, because maybe there is something you could be doing to help one of your neighbors!
This too shall pass.
God is Good.
Praise the Lord.

Miss Goody Goody

I really have tried to be a law abiding citizen, all my life. But, frankly, I am now questioning why I should have bothered.
Every time I look in the paper, or on line, I find that law breakers, convicted criminals and general scofflaws are being pardoned, forgiven and lauded for their crimes.
Case in point. Our brand new, millennial mayor, has just pardoned all non-violent marijuana criminals, in the city. If I am not mistaken, smoking and selling weed is still against several laws.
And, my husband and I had student loans. We paid them back, with interest. That's what a "loan" is. It is not a grant or gift! We now have folks, several of whom want to be president, that want to forgive ALL student loans.
Once upon a time, vagrancy was a crime. Now anyone can just pitch a tent on the streets, of many major cities in the U.S., and use the street for a potty..........and get away with it. It's even encouraged in some places.
Although I do think about it, I'm just too old to become a bad girl! It isn't likely that I will change my morals at this stage of the game. I will keep returning my library books on time, driving under the speed limit and obeying traffic signals. I won't be smoking pot, anytime soon. And, I'm going to keep paying my bills.

Dear God. As your children, we know right from wrong. Help us to be good examples to others, who may be a bit confused.

I Quit.........

I heard a new phrase, the other day, that was used in relation to a young couple and their large extended family. It was quoted widely in all forms of news media. It seems that the pair was "going to step away from their family duties and responsibilities".
Of course, there have been times when I have wanted to "step away", from my family, so I can understand their problem. However, I have found that it's not so easy. Someone needs to kindly explain, to the couple, that the issues they don't want to deal with, will continue, no matter what they say or do.
To paraphrase the famous philosopher, Popeye, "We are who we are and that's all that we are." We are a product of generations of family! Now, I do understand that some families are toxic, but "stepping away" is not an option, at least for most of us.
I wish the young couple good luck. I heard that they are going to "step away" by going across the Atlantic, to Canada. However, the last I heard, Canada was still a Commonwealth Nation, and definitely not isolated from the rest of the world. Someone is bound to recognize them!

Dear God, You know who we are. You know that we are not in control of our life journey. We know that You are our refuge, our strength and our salvation. Through You, and only through You, are we able to live life to the fullest.