Justinisms

One of my more faithful readers commented (thanks, Darla!) about how she finds Justin and me amusing. Really, Darla, you would be amazed at just how funny this kid is, without even trying. Or so sweet. Make no mistake, he gave us wwaayy too much grief regarding doing homework and chores, oh my goodness, he was much/is less than inspired. We often wondered where he got this work ethic and attitude because his father and I were all about work and our business, but Justin was not. But he would use his being very bright to figure out ways and plans to avoid work, or to streamline it, anything he could do to get out of it!

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As far as coming out with funny things, my mom often recalls her favorite episode, one of his "Justinisms", as they came to be known. The three were of us were driving down one of our incredibly busy streets heading toward home one afternoon when Justin was about 4 or 5 years old, I think. At this time, the area of this road had few businesses or dining establishments on 'the way home'. Justin announced that he had to go potty, to which I said there was no place for me to stop right now, he would have to wait until we got home. I was not lying, there was nothing on the southbound side of Blanding, not even a gas station, for a long stretch. From the backseat he heaved a great sigh and said, "Okay, then. I'll just hold my knees together and pray....". After a beat, Mom and I just lost it, laughing, and I decided I had better find a place to turn around and go back the other way, crossing three lanes of traffic, to find him a bathroom!! We needed one now, too!!! Holding our knees together and praying, we went potty at the Hardee's.

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Mom sewed clothes for the kids in our family, and for Justin, camp shirt and short/slacks sets were wonderful. One day he opened a 'care package' that we had picked up at the post office, mailed by his grandma to him. She would draw pictures of "ephaloes" (elephants) for Justin, his favorite animal since he was little, and one of those was in the care package, too. He pulled out a couple new outfits, perhaps even a pair of pj's, and hugged them. I said, "The Lord has really blessed Grandma's hands so she could make these for you...." to which he agreed. We drove a bit down the road before he announced, "The Lord has blessed the hands of the banner makers, too...", referring to the cross-stitched banners hanging in our church. Yes, the Lord does bless the hands of Twila and also June, who used to help with the banners. It just blew me away that he would even think of that. Every now and again when I look at the banners which remain hanging in the church, I think of his remark, which I have shared more than once with Twila, whom he considers his 'other' Grandma!

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Justin used to tell us his dreams, just like I do! He would sit at the breakfast table and relate the entire dream, pausing as he tried to remember, or so we thought, the highlights of his dream. At one point I realized he was embellishing this particular dream, making a story out of it (likely not eating breakfast and time was of the essence, of course). I said, "Now I think you're making stuff up..." to which he replied, "I'm just adding details for interest...." Again, Mom and I were dissolved in laughter. "I'm just adding details for interest..." Love it! I wish we would have harnessed those dreams/stories back then!!!

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There were countless examples of Justinisms, but I think the one I remember now was not that long ago. It was spoken when our friends, the Prange's, were visiting us from Morton Grove. In fact, that visit was about 5 years ago next month, as today is my great-nephew, Manny's, birthday! We showed the Prange's photos taken at Manny's baptism and one of the pictures showed Gabe, who is only 16 months older than his new brother. Gabe was born with a moustache and sideburns, very attractive on an infant. Justin piped up, when showing the photos, "You'd think Gabe would shave for his brother's baptism!" Of course, we chuckled here at my house, and I was told by Pete that their entire visit in Florida, that line was the highpoint! He said they'd be driving down the road and one or the other would say, "You'd think he'd shave for his brother's baptism..." and just lose it. They probably had to hold their knees together and pray,too!

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Okay, family and friends, can you remember any other Justinisms from little boy on up? You would think his mom would never forget them, but somehow, I have. We should have written them down, right? Now is my chance if you can jog my memory....

Busy, busy, busy

There is a man on the radio right now, a guest on one of the programs, whom I would love to kiss 'n hug if I had a chance. What he has to say is so profound to me, talking about the Founders and so on, what some of the earlier mindsets were back in earlier days of our nation. The guest referenced a speaker from those days who preached about how folks were 'worshiping the golden calf', caring more about their stuff than they did about their religious roots, saying the people worshiped their prosperity rather than the Lord who provided it for them. Is that not the truth?!?

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Presently, besides my laptop playing the radio show for me (is it still radio if it is a podcast???), there is substantial hammering, pounding, and prying going on below me. It seems my neighbors might be replacing their ceiling or something. I saw planks lined up against the rail on the 2nd floor, dark stained strips which could become a ceiling...Won't I be surprised if if it is actually the floor being done? If so, then why did it sound like they were hitting the bottoms of my feet? Guess I could go down there and check it out, I suppose. On the first floor, one of the Owners is having a wood deck being built over his tiled patio, for some reason. It is possible the wood brings the height/level up to match the doorway to accommodate his motorized chair. Saws and hammering is taking place below my window and below my bed!

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Yesterday, Justin was here to clean and check items off the 'honey-do' list. Instead of coming on Thursday as originally planned, he came Wednesday since he could not do the job he had been assigned. His father is moving into the small home we own in Brookstone and work is going on to freshen the interior as it shows its age plus wear and tear from the various renters. Justin's job was to pressure wash but there was no water service as it was disconnected by the tenants and not restarted until today. His father is in the southernmost part of the state right now so Justin has to open the house and lock it back up at the end of the day. Including this a.m. before Bible study, which was highly inconvenient as Justin had to run way over there and back again before 10:00 a.m., something he was not prepared for until the phone call came to let people in!

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Justin is optimistic that the market is turning around, at least the one he is directly involved with, but after talking with Joanne this a.m. and hearing her stories, I have my doubts. The Realtors must work and work and work in order to put a deal together, having to negotiate with lenders on a property, sometimes more than one if the Seller has a second mortgage as well....yikes! It might take as long as 4 months before a package can be put together, since many of the sales are in foreclosure or being sold short. Miss Chardonnay has had a few recent contracts and for that we all rejoice, since some of them are nearby and affect the 'comps' on our properties. If any of us here decide to list our condo for sale, the Realtors will refer to the MLS to see what the sale price was for area properties, and determine the selling price for ours. At this point, it matters not what we actually paid for the property, it is about how much it will sell for now. If there were no sales around here, that is not a good thing! Poor Joanne, no wonder she is sick....Still on IV antibiotics which she can stop and start on her own since she was also a nurse. She was going to the doctor this a.m. and said it just wears her out to get up and dressed and out the door. Barely up and already planning her nap...I get that!

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The river, and the skies above it, are busy with boats going up and down the river, many of them working vessels, with helicopters and planes in the air. Choppers are flying just above the surface, at least it appears that way from here, and moving along quickly. Between the motor boats and the saws and the pounding and dogs barking, it sounds really quite alive around here. I am sure Justin has plenty of noise too with his pressure washer going. He has called me a couple times since we parted company at Victory with various fun facts or something important to tell me. The last call he made was trying to get me to download some additional podcasts but I was unable to do so. He said he will come next week to set it up for me, speeches from the recent CPAC gatherings. I would LOVE to have them but could not get them to load.

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When he was here to clean yesterday, he kept venturing into my room to talk to me, which really tickles my funny bone. It is like he bubbles over with stuff. At one point he stood in the river room door way and just gazed at my book shelves, saying, "You have a lot of books..." as he reached for one of my favorites, "Eats Shoots and Leaves", which used to have a place of honor on my dresser. One day he had walked in, picked it up and after looking at it, said, "You are such an English person!" since this book is about punctuation and grammar. He pulled that one from the shelf yesterday and again told me how because of me, he had won a trivia contest in one of their hangouts. He knew what the subject matter was in that particular book, and no one else did! You're welcome, Justin!

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Even though I was listening to the radio on-line as he worked, he kept coming in to ask me to look up different songs on the computer, ones he had heard on American Idol (yes, he is a fan....) so I can listen to them. Or, he would relate an entire episode of a TV show to tell me the punch line. Again, I love it! We had a misunderstanding though, regarding an item on my list. I had twice now requested that he vacuum the face of my dresser and the bathroom vanity. When he left my room without doing that, packing up the vacuum cleaner and such, I reminded him about doing it. He claimed he had, even though I was right here and saw he did not. Upon further discussion, he did not know what the face of the dresser or vanity were----he was going around the base where they met the floor, thinking that was the face. Instead of vacuuming, then, he took the Pledge and physically dusted the dresser fronts and the bathroom vanity, a more thorough job than the dusting brush would have provided. In the building business, that would fall under 'scope of work', making sure the contractor knew what was expected of them! I was not angry and neither was he, just was sort of a learning thing for us both. Huh....

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He had to be my teacher, too, today, besides the failed download attempt. He was playing trivia at Applebee's last night and said he was the only one in his group who knew about the universes of the superheroes. Um, what? That was a 20 minute explanation in the church parking lot as he described which heroes were Marvel Comics while others were DC Comics, and they will never battle each other as they are in separate universes. Good for you, Justin, for knowing that trivia! But, he could not explain why Superman does not have a good sense of humor! (Seinfeld trivia, bring it on!!!!)

A couple observations...

Yesterday while waiting for my prescriptions, I sat on the bench near the pharmacy for a couple minutes as I had found the items I needed to buy and wanted not another thing. A mom came through with two young girls, perhaps 11 or 12, old enough to walk around without their mom. There was a Dr. Scholl's display near where I sat, with handrails on it. Apparently one stands on this thing and it determines something about your arches or feet, recommending a certain product Dr. Scholl's offers. The one little girl said to her mom, "I wanna stand on this thing..." to which the shopping mom said, "No, stay here with me" where upon the little girl slipped her shoes off and climbed onto the gizmo. Why did she even ask her mom if she was going to do it anyway? Why did the mom tell her no when she had no intent of stopping her or even a good reason she should not? Mom was standing right there searching the vitamin shelves so it was not that the child wandered away, but the mom had said, "No", and that should have been that. There was no follow through, and likely none expected since the girl had no hesitation at all about doing it anyway. Huh...

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Last night Martie and I met for drinks and dinner when she got done working. Usually we meet at the Mexican restaurant just up the road from where she works and have a margarita, and eat. She wanted something different so she suggested the Olive Garden. We found ourselves going in tandem to the restaurant, as she came around the corner off of Kingsley as I came from home. My drink of choice was the berry sangria and Martie had a standard margarita, not the Italian one. Martie had a late lunch so we shared a house salad, more than enough for two people, and I ordered the appetizer of flat bread with tomatoes and mozzarella. It was okay, but do not think I would order it again. Should have stuck with my usual of chicken scampi! My tummy was mad about the salad (thank you VERY much, Joanne!!!!) as it evidently did not sit well. I fell asleep early but soon woke up feeling awful, realizing the storm had ended and the moon was out in full force. That was quick!

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When at Wal*Mart yesterday I found a display with discounted picture frames. I needed a new frame for the bulletin insert from Timmy's funeral service and found a lovely one for $3.00. The existing one hung on the wall in the preschool and the hook let loose, causing the frame to break. It has taken me this long to remember to get a new frame! When I got home, I tried it on for size and found that the insert had faded substantially so I will replace it with a fresh one from one of the service folders. So, I have two things to get hung up in the classroom building one of these days. I remember taking my tack hammer and little cup of nails/hooks with me to the fellowship hall when I hung up a picture donated by Jean N. but could not locate the little shelf that went with it. I left the tools on the sink but now cannot recall the last time I saw them...Perhaps under the sink or in a cabinet or in the hall closet. If I cannot find the hammer, I will have to take a different one from home. Maybe Mike C. will help me hang the larger framed piece I picked up yesterday from Great Hang Ups.

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My boy has been somewhat a stranger, because I have not seen him since Thursday at Bible study. It seems he is done with his spring classes and has been keeping busy working and playing. He plays beach volleyball on Saturday mornings and am not sure what they do the rest of the day (his friends and he) and likely do not need to know. I sent him a wake-up text message on Sunday because the week before, when he was staying at his friend's house in Mandarin, he did not leave enough time for the travel to church so he missed it. He said they got busy downloading stuff on their phones or something and I did not want that to happen again. On this past Sunday, Justin told me he had just gotten out of the shower so was on track to make it to church on time. His friend's parents are in Hawaii celebrating their 25th anniversary so the two guys are staying at his house, watching the dog and the grandma. That is the sweet grandma who wrote me the lovely Thank You card after sharing our feast at Easter, etc. Justin sent me a long message yesterday reporting that he is busy at Ron's getting ready for his birthday party this weekend, a Redneck Party. Last week he told me they were trying to 'guilt' Ron's folks into coming back for their son's birthday. Wouldn't these kids be surprised to have the parents show up??? At least Grammy will be there!

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Justin said they bought clothesline to hang 'granny panties' and other wretched items from, and I told him that his auntie Lynn would be so proud of him! They also picked up two kiddie pools (a.k.a. above ground pools!) for keeping the beverages in, and other fun ideas. Unfortunately they could not find any discarded toilets to decorate the yard and Justin, in his typical fashion, even asked Ron if they did not need to replace a toilet in the house.......NO!!!!! They already have a trash barrel they are using for roasting hot dogs and such, since Jesse's sister operates a hot dog cart, has a great connection for jumbo dogs. I can taste them already...mmmmmmm! I do hope the kids clean everything up perfectly and don't kill the grass with the kiddie pools or the slip 'n slide they are fabricating out of sheets of plastic. I can already hear his moans and groans about hurting himself...

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Justin will be coming here on Thursday after Bible study to do the cleaning and whatever else I want him to help me with, giving me until 5:00 pm. I can pack all sorts of jobs into that time frame, believe me! This means I will have to get busy with the dusting again. It seems the worst of the pollen problem may be behind us with a couple rain showers and brisk winds perhaps moving it along. We had rain on Sunday, I think, and again last night, briefly but the breezes have been delightful, making the wind chimes sing in the river room. Another of the ice cycles from my glass sun catcher fell the other day, leaving only two or three hanging in there. I told Justin a new sun catcher would make a lovely Mother's Day present....like I am hard to buy for!

I am too tired to write tonight

It is thundering and lightning and raining, which makes me want to just go to sleep. Especially since I did not get a rest today with my busy afternoon. First to the doctor where I got to listen to the staff enjoying their lunch break in the front office when I was in the waiting area. They sounded like a fun bunch to me! I met my new doctor, named Betsy, who was more like a kid than a doctor. But, boy, she knew her stuff and checked me over from head to toe. Very thorough but also very fun. But what is in store for me down the road? Yes, Jill, I am following your good example (and Mom and Lynn's) of getting the *gulp* dreaded colonoscopy done. My Little Marine, Judy J., will be so proud of me and might even insist on taking me and picking me up again. Instead, though, I think I will ask Justin to be my caretaker for this, in case I need to lean on someone "durable".

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One of the fun things from the doctor visit was presenting my sheet of paper from Life Line Screening which detailed the results of all the tests they ran, which were highlighted colorfully on the page, in columns. Right down the line the readings indicated "normal, normal, normal,..." as Betsy followed them down. When she got to the one that read, "Desirable", I told her, "Yes, I tested positive for desirable..." and how the three of us laughed. Her MA was in the room, too, getting a kick out of us. I also told the doctor how I am the new "normal" and she got a kick out of that, too.

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She is all about skin health and breast health, too, and wants me to come back again so she can remove a mess of my skin tags and beauty marks. She also soon figured out that I spend time poolside as she could see the residual affects of my tan line. She asked me if I had anyone at home who could help apply sunscreen and I sadly told her I did not....She said I should ask my neighbors to do that for me. Okay, I have that handsome Navy pilot just down the corridor from me I could ask....or the baby doctor up on the 5th floor i could ask...I am so glad that she can do that in her office rather than have to go see another doctor for that. Too bad she cannot do the 'other' test in her office, too, but instead she is sending me to a female gastroenterologist just down the street from here.

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After I left the doctor's office with all my paperwork in my hand, I headed over to see the ladies at Great Hang Ups, after getting a soda and some yogurt parfait from McDonald's. My framed piece turned out wonderfully, as expected, and I will take it over to the classroom building tomorrow. I might not hang it up tomorrow but must get it out of my car before I wreck it. We got caught up on the past weekend's events which included two art shows, the Sunday one being the show I had to miss due to the fashion duties at Bealls. Rats! Mike was fortunate to have about one half of his inventory sell on Saturday at the Town Hall event. Julia and I compared notes about how filthy our feet were after being on those grounds. She fears her sneakers may be ruined but is going to try Oxyclean on them before giving up. Dee received a gift certificate to eat at Koko's which she intends to share with me, and Julia, of course!

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I went to Wal*Mart to get my scrips filled, wishing the doctor's office had called them in for me so I would not go shopping. I did well, though, because I did actually need a few items including a padded envelope for mailing a DVD called "Road to Emmaus" given to me for Linda J. by Bonnie at Victory. Also picked up a box of silver remover to fix the peeking through problem in my hair. I must say that the ladies that work in the pharmacy at Wal*Mart are so very nice, always recognize me even though I sometimes do not have to come in for several months. Somehow, though, they never remember my birthdate---they ask me every single time, starting when I drop off the prescription paperwork to when I pay for it later!

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Funny thing about this spell checker---it does not recognize 'colonoscopy'! It offers the word kaleidoscope as an alternative..........very interesting!!

Thank goodness for the FeedJit Counter....

...........and that is all I will say about that!

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Oh, I have to make my bed tonight. I just looked over my shoulder and saw my bed is yet undressed. Tonight, hopefully, I will sleep on fresh sheets, still warm from the dryer. Even though they were not hung on the wash lines, they will still be fresh and clean from the dryer. It is just a 'difficult' task to make the bed, running around from side to side, tugging and pulling, throwing the heavy comforter across, etc. Falling into the bed will feel good once it's made up.

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I am feeling a bit lightheaded at this moment since I had my haircut this afternoon. What a relief! I was looking quite wild and thankfully now I am back on schedule with my haircuts being on the full moon. What I really wanted was a nap but I sat in the booty shop a long while as Barb was backed up with clients lined up out the door--well, not quite THAT dramatic, but backed up nonetheless. Guess I had better get a box of silver remover for my hair as Barb remarked at how pretty it looked with the silver peeking through....oops!

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It was a glorious day today all around, and weather-wise, with the temps in the mid-80's and a light breeze. Fortunately I took my 'dinner jacket' in to Bible study with me as the A/C was on. Our discussion continues about the millenialists and their beliefs regarding the end of days. We, as a whole, are really getting lots from the study, much to chew on, and such a picture painted for us in the Word regarding our heavenly reward. Why hang around on earth when that bliss awaits us???? We enjoyed our lunch at Longhorn, all but one of the class around the table. You know that makes me so happy! We celebrated, in a low-key fashion, Gretchen's birthday, complete with hands clapping and a song by the staff and nice dish of ice cream with chocolate syrup on top! Gretchen was not totally horrified at the attention and enjoyed her special treat.

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An osprey just drifted passed my window carrying a nice fish for its dinner. I wonder if they are like cats who like to bring their catch to the door or at their owner's feet as a gift. The birds like to bring it to my windows to show me what they caught. Not very appetizing but I am not a fish eater, except for lake perch. I would carry it around if I had some perch 'on hand'!!! The river is busy with boat traffic, or at least it was earlier this evening. Now that is getting dark, it has quieted. One considerably large barge (hey, that rhymes!) went through and the sun reflected off of its windows. Very nice!

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It has been a busy afternoon, after my rest, with e-mails going out to various folks as I try to get things rolling along on the 10th anniversary celebration. A week has gone by since I sent the first e-mail out with only Jen P. replying so I sent out a follow-up 'request' for input. I also made a proposal to the powers that be to present the movie "Road to Emmaus" in a larger venue than my living room. Jim B., our President, suggested we use a side-room at the place formerly known as Buzzy's, where I used to hang out quite a lot. We can use the room and have dinner with fellowship besides. I will make the calls to see if that will work and then come up with a date. EVERYTHING takes time....so much time!

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My sleep was interrupted or rather, cut short, when the Comcast signal dropped off just before 6:00 a.m. and I was immediately awake. See? I need the TV on in order to sleep! Basically I got 'only' about six hours of sleep when I wanted so much more!! Blast that signal cutting in and out! My neighbor said the other night that he thinks that bugs are still being worked out of the digital system which is why the stations come and go. But, it is so hard on my sleeping to have it quit in the midst of my dreams. Makes me feel owlie!

Two funerals today

When I got to church today, Pastor had already begun the opening for Sunday school. Their lesson was the story of Ruth and Boaz, a love story. I will always remember the time Pete was reading from this book in our Bible study and got choked up while reading the final chapter. Such love, and Ruth would be an ancestor of the Savior!

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This morning our Bible study course is one we have covered in the past on various occasions, the most recent time being a year ago at Monday morning's class. We never finished because when the offices were moved, the Bible study got misplaced. Fortunately Pastor borrowed "Come Worship Christ" from the other church, this time using the version marked "Catechism" which means my previous worksheets will not match. Rats! Right off the bat we had the privilege of hearing our former pastor's voice ring out as the video was played. Very nice to hear that again!

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After the class I went to get the bulletin board set up on the easel in the breezeway. I noticed the greeters were not in place so I went to stand in until they got there. Had a great chat with Linda H. whom I have not seen in some time as they normally attend at Christ Lutheran. I got to greet Paul's mom and step-dad who are visiting from Saginaw, it had been awhile since I saw Sue. She was going with us ladies to try on clothes at Bealls after worship.

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I took attendance and then sat down behind Twila and Jean. But before that, the congregation sang the first hymn for Good Shepherd Sunday, which was "I Am Jesus' Little Lamb".....oh, oh, a funeral hymn!! My timing was just right for checking attendance in the nursery so I did not hear them sing the part "....and when my short life is ended.....He shall fold me to His breast, there within His arms to rest." Oh, my goodness, what a memory-filled weekend this became! We are following readings from Revelation with today's being the ones telling about the saints wearing the white robes and circling around the throne, singing God's praises. We are told that we will never hunger or thirst again and 'He will wipe every tear from our eye...", which is repeated in the liturgy used in the Order of Funeral Service. It gets me every time and today was no exception. Pastor's sermon was based on this reading and several times he referenced tragedies and even mentioned the sudden, tragic loss of child, which made me move in my seat. After church Cliff came up to me and said he was sorry that this happened, that he felt for me. I thanked him for that, but really, the comfort and hope expressed in these verses are what help me, us, to go on. Not only when an old person dies, but young people and little children, too. All of us can look forward to being in that choir around the throne wearing the white robes.

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The sermon hymn was introduced by The Maestro, Robbie, singing the first three stanzas before the congregation joined in, "The King of Love My Shepherd Is" , which he did masterfully. More like, powerfully. Our closing hymn was "For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest", but only the first three stanzas. I wanted to keep going but I guess will settle for the three. I turned around to look at my friend, Carol, but she was busily dabbing at her eyes. A couple weeks ago Robbie had played both "In Christ Alone" and "Jerusalem the Golden" for our post-service music and I thanked him for that. I told him those were two of the 19 hymns I had chosen for my funeral and asked him to play for my service if he outlived me. He agreed and asked me to send him the list of hymns so he can practice! Well, today he found out that our closing hymn is in my Top Ten of the funeral hymns, so he can start rehearsing now! So, those of us in Bible study heard Pete singing, we revisited a portion of Timmy's funeral, got a picture of heaven, and then sang one of my funeral hymns. It was a good day!

Feeling funky this morning

Here is a photo of Timmy Day, taken when he was probably three years old or so, outside the ChildTime Day Care next to our offices in Eagle Harbor. We were waiting for Justin's bus when I took this picture. You can see his scar near the eyebrow where he had stitches after a fall at church. Love that hair! It looks like mine does now, only his is lighter! If you click on the photo, it will get larger....

This morning I woke up from one of my extremely real dreams, which we talked about last night at craft night. I told the ladies how much I liked them because sometimes I got to spend time with Timmy again and in other dreams, remember the good times, etc. But this very early morning's dream left me feeling rather, undone, because it was not neat and orderly at all.

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The scene opens in a foreign place, like perhaps a hotel or a shared home. None of our clothing was put away properly, sort of like dressing out of a box or suitcase, but not quite. I was telling the boys to get ready for school but it was hard without knowing where things were, although they seemed already established in their school and routine. Maybe I was the stranger there....

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Connie, who is our maintenance person here at The Palace, was around, perhaps got Timmy his breakfast in a common room. She asked me if a necklace, bracelet and earrings set was mine. It was not, although it should have been, since it was quite funky, so she took it to a desk and said, "No, it's not hers..." as though they knew me well. I had Timmy on my lap as he ate his breakfast which Connie had cut up for him. We had troubles finding outfits and when we did, his shirt had spots on it. I sent him into a bathroom to get ready and interrupted his going potty by calling his name, so I sent him back into the stall to finish. Then, at the sink to brush teeth using a brush and toothpaste I did not recognize. It was when I pulled the shirt over his head that I realized I do not even know his teacher and his shirt had spots.....

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Last night at Victory, we had a brief devotion about friends and how some last longer than others do, etc. We were encouraged to share stories of how particular friends were there for us and how some were not (seasonal). Of course, I jumped right on that, especially since Martie was sitting right there with me. And somehow or another, go figure this one, Linda's name came up! Many there had met Linda, most of them at the Pampered Chef Intervention at Rachel's last fall. While my stories were more of the uplifting nature, one lady shared that she has really one friend, a co-worker, besides the church friends. Another lady bemoaned the fact that when she moved to Florida, the lady she considered her best friend did not send her a Christmas card which basically marked the end of their 'acquaintance", rather than friendship. It was interesting to be discussing this in the evening, because just prior to going over there, I had a nice conversation with my genuine friend, Jimmie. He used to work with me, was one of Timmy's pall bearers, and has remained my friend through thick and thin. Rarely thin, ha ha! Last weekend I spent time with Brenda, another friend made through the building business, a friend for a lifetime, and not just a season.

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Kelly T. and Martie rode over to Victory with me and we gathered at one table off to the side as the other ladies had pretty much spread their stuff over the two tables. So when we had the devotion, I had a friend on each side of me, with Martie being the long-timer one. Later we were talking about how I have a room in my house reserved for Martie but now she cannot do sleep-overs any longer because of her equipment used for sleeping. With some sleep apnea problems, she wears a CPAP mask plus a mouth guard so she does not grind her teeth. She claims she looks quite sexy when ready for bed. I am spared that vision....One of the ladies asked me how many bedrooms I had because so many people have been offered a room!

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So, this morning I am headed back to that side of town, three days in a row, for another Intervention at Anne's house, as she booked a Pampered Chef party off of Rachel's. I will be thinking of Linda, of course, Queen of the Kitchen Tools! There is an art fair at OP Town Hall where my friend, Julia, and her hubby will have a booth selling their ceramics. Hopefully the weather holds, supposed to be absolutely lovely today, so perhaps I might get some time poolside later. Not yet warm enough for swimming, though, at least, not for Floridians!