I am an idiot

 Church was great! The head of the Torrington Soup Kitchen was our speaker. Michael and I tried to find a gospel hymn having to do with 'eating' and the best we came up with was "Let us break bread together on our knees", which was fine.

Everybody--including our guest--received communion. That doesn't happen often--there are always a few who don't come forward.

But that has nothing to do with why I'm an idiot.

I went to the grocery store to get small crossants (excuse my spelling--I'm a spelling idiot too). I got them at Stop and Shop, where they are available--not at Big Y where I go always. Bern and I go to different stores!

When I came out I left my cane on my shopping cart and didn't realize it until I was home and reached for it. I don't need it much, which is why I forgot it!

So, I raced back and lo and behold, the cart and cane were where I left them.

I was as over-joyed as an idiot like me can be....

My tooth

So, I have this tooth in a plastic thing that fits over 6 or 7 teeth and holds the tooth in the space where I will--some day....--get an implant.

I dropped it in the kitchen sink one day and couldn't get it out of the garbage disposal.

Bern got it out.

Then today I dropped it in our downstairs bathroom, which is tiny, but it went behind the toilet and I couldn't get it.

Bern got it for me.

I have a tooth I wouldn't have twice over if it wasn't for Bern.

Could she be the tooth fairy???

 

Appreciating Life

 Today I was walking downstairs from my office and I told myself, "really look at what you're seeing".

All over our house, where we have lived for over three decades, there are things that give me joy.

*pictures Bern created for me

*photos of grandchildren

*pictures of both our children't marriages (which I preformed!)

*nick-nacks that go back years

*furniture that has held me for decades

*Books I read and grew from years ago

*plates from places in West Virginia where we both grew up

*plants I don't know the names of but which Bern lovingly cultivates

*rugs from the past

*a bench from my childhood

I could go on and on and then go outside and tell you about the wonders of nature on our property, but I'll stop there.

Here's what to do: decide to take a stroll around your home or your neighborhood and actively appreciate what life gives you.

It's well worth a try....

Bible Study

 After a long time off, we started Bible Study again today at Trinity.

We're going to be reading the Gnostic Gospels so I should probably write "Bible" Study, since those writings aren't in the New Testament.

But some of them were written at the same time as the rest of the New Testament but were either over-looked or rejected by the early church.

They were found in 1945 buried in Egypt in a place called (help my spelling, Lord!) Nag Hammadi.

They have lots in common with the 4 gospels, but lots that is different.

Some of them bear the names of women! Possibly why those were outlawed.

Luckily someone saved them and hid them so we can read them.

I look forward to it in many ways....

Talking to Owls

 When I go out on our back deck (if Bern isn't there to talk to) I talk to Owls.

They aren't real owls. They are plastic and supposed to scare away something--squirrels? chipmunks? who knows?.

One has been on our deck for years. The other used to be down at the end of the back yard with wings and on a pole. The wings fell off and she fell off the pole so now she is in a huge pot with him on our deck.

I assigned them gender. The wingless one is a girl named Olivia and the sitting one is a male named Oliver.

Clever names, huh?

I don't talk about serious things with them--the weather, the time of day and time of year. Stuff like that.

I don't talk to real owls, though I saw one in one of the trees on our side yard and few weeks ago and tried to strike up a conversation.

None of the owls--plastic or real--talk back.

I could be talking to nothing, just to hear my voice.

But I prefer talking to owls.

Try it out. You'll see what I mean.

A good night's sleep

 I haven't been sleeping well for a few weeks.

Saturday I probably slept 4 1/2 hours and then went to church.

But Sunday, I had a good night's sleep!

I went to sleep before Bern and only work up once--4:20 a.m.--but dozed right back off.

Sleep really matters.

It changes the whole next day.

Funny thing, it's only 3 p.m. and I'm a tad sleepy.

Just longing for last night.

Sleep well, my friends, sleep well....

Healing

 The Healing Service after church today went well.

Almost everyone came up for anointing and prayers for healing.

Some shared a particular issue and others just wanted general healing..

It went so well we may do it a Sunday a month.

Healing is something we all need.

Usually we know it, but sometimes not.

Long for healing and have faith it will come.