Almost Year's End

5/365

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written".  Jn 21:25

I was just looking back on the posts from this year, a paltry 4 before this one.  I can hardly believe that's all I posted.  Where has the year gone?  And how bad of me that I didn't post more!  And just 4 posts in spite of my determination to post at least once a week.  Ooops.

So much has happened this year both good and sad.  I stayed in NY last winter for the first time in 10 years.  It was nasty cold with a lot of snow, but my hiking buddies and I managed to get out to snowshoe or use spikes almost once a week, which made the winter a little more tolerable. 

This Fall we continued finding trails and the one below is one of the last hikes we did before the weather turned snowy.

Last April my youngest daughter and her husband were blessed with their firstborn child.  James made his arrival three weeks early but completely healthy and happy.  The parents are over the moon.

8 months in this picture

In May my oldest grandson graduated from college.

         This past summer one of our hiking buddies passed away after a 2-year long struggle with bone cancer.  I was out of state at the time.  We think about her every time we hike.  She is missed.

In early October I attended my 50th College Reunion in Jamestown, ND.  I hadn't been back or seen anyone from my class in all those years.    Everyone reconnected so easily and we had such a great time.  It was a bittersweet weekend.

           In late November my second oldest grandson began his BB season so I spend a lot of time attending his games.  After this year's season there are only two more seasons to go.  That is, until the little guy starts sports.

 

 That's a quick review of the past year.  In between the big events were all the mundane activities that make up a life.  Sometimes those mundane things seem bothersome or annoying or pointless.  When I feel that way I try to remember how much I'm blessed 

*with good health

*with family

*with adequate finances

*with friends

*with a nice home

*and on it goes

Basically I try to keep things in perspective.  

Some Small Miracles

This is not my photo post for today. I woke up this morning way too early, and in the process of not being able to fall back to sleep began thinking about what happened to me the other day. So now I share it with you. This might be long, but if you need a little reminder of how good God is, read on.

I went to the zoo the other day (see the post for April 2 if you're interested). It took me three months to finally get motivated to go. The guidebooks I have don't give the Honolulu Zoo a very good review, and neither did any of the people I spoke with who have been there. So I was torn as to whether I should bother or not. But the lure of possible photo ops overcame my hesitancy, and I made the trip. The zoo is in Waikiki, right across the street from the beach. Another two-for-one opportunity.

As I drove into the parking lot, I remembered that I needed quarters to feed the parking meters with. Sure enough, I forgot to get some before leaving home. I thought I might be able to find a meter with some time left on it so I could go to the store, get change and feed the meter before going into the zoo. Well, eureka, I found a meter with 1 hour and 15 minutes left! And as I put my keys into my pocket I found a quarter which then extended my time to 2 hrs 15 min. (miracle #1). Each quarter is good for 1 hour. That certainly wouldn't happen in NY. It was 3 pm and the zoo closed at 5 pm. Perfect timing.

So off to the zoo entrance, where I discovered that the kama 'aina fee was 1/2 the regular fee. (miracle #2) (kama 'aina is local resident and I have a local checking account) I also discovered that the zoo was open till 5:30 so I had some extra time.

The weather was great-anyone who knows me knows how I basically fall apart if it's too hot or muggy. That day was cool, brightly overcast, with a nice breeze. Wonderful! (miracle #3)

The animals were moving around. (miracle #4)

It wasn't crowded. (miracle #5)

My camera worked! In light of all the camera mishaps I've had this trip, it was refreshing to get through the entire zoo without a problem. (miracle #6)

On my way out of the zoo, I remembered to get some quarters because I wanted to spend some time at the beach before heading off to my friend's house. When I arrived at my car, with only minutes to spare (since I stayed inside the zoo longer than I originally intended to), I was ready to feed another quarter into the meter. However, I noticed that the meter in front of the empty space next to me had an hour and 15 minutes still left. (miracle #7) So being basically cheap (gotta save those quarters, dontcha know), I moved the car over and headed off to the beach.

When I finally looked at my watch, I disappointedly realized I needed to head back to the car and wished I had put that silly quarter in the meter. I arrived at the car with only 1 (one) minute left. (miracle #8)

I started driving to my friend's house and between my GPS and her directions I arrived there without getting lost! (BIG miracle #9)

Well, in light of all the tragedy and sorrow in our world, i.e. our new president, the economy, the mass shootings, the jobless rate, the high cost of everything, cancer, pollution, rude people, bail outs, wars, death, etc., you're probably wondering why I'm writing about parking meters and not getting lost in Honolulu, etc., as miracles.

It's just that I'm constantly reminded by my loving God that He is still in control--not just of the big things, but also of the little things. He reminds me that He can bless me big-time or in the myriad of the quiet, unseen, almost unnoticed details that make up my life. I hope I never lose my appreciation of these Small Miracles.

We will soon be celebrating the greatest miracle of all--Easter. Jesus died to atone for our sins and was resurrected. Praise God.

Just Look At This Face!!

1965. A new freshman class arrived at college. Young, eager, nervous, ready to take on the challenges of new experiences...

Michelle was one of those people who are perky, pretty, vivacious, outgoing, talented, smart, well-dressed, and, darn-it-all, sweet and likable at the same time. It was impossible not to like Michelle.

I was a sophomore. I knew my way around the small campus, I knew practically all the upperclassmen (very small college), and within weeks knew practically all the freshmen (if not personally, at least by their first names).

She had a twin brother attending too. His name was Michael. Yep, Michelle and Michael Morrison. Oh dear. So Michelle became Mickie. She got involved in campus life very quickly, and we remained, if not close friends, at least good acquaintances until I graduated three years later.

We never saw each other again. I never heard anything about her until the other day! A roommate of mine, who was in the same singing group as Mickie (The Windy Hill Singers) sent out an email that Mickie is suffering with stage IV cancer, and that the prognosis is not good. I understand from Kathe that Mickie's college boyfriend from the singing group and her husband both died years ago from the same cancer. Is it contagious?

It took my breath away. The day I received the email, Kathe said that it was Mickie's 62nd birthday!!! Oh. My. Gosh!!! How did that happen? How can she be that old? Ooops, that means I'm that old too. Is that age old? Not according to my head.

I feel like this is an echo of Jayme's recent blog about the death of her dear friend and I don't mean to steal the thunder from her sad experience. I just needed to vent about this. It's been on my mind since I received Kathe's note. I'm sad about this. Sad for Mickie's family, for the life that's ebbing from her beautiful body and being, sad for our long gone youth (and, contrary to what most people say, I would love to have the chance to do it all over again), and sad that I will begin hearing stories like this about my friends and family more and more frequently.

I know that God is in control. I know that He numbers our days. I know that all our deeds were ordained for us before the world was created. I know that He loves me more than I can comprehend. And I know that my eternity with Him in heaven is going to be more than I "can think or imagine".

May Mickie know that security too. May she look forward to her new eternity in Heaven with the Author and Finisher of our lives. May she be comforted in this dark time of her life by the everlasting love of the Father, and the care and concern of her family and friends.

(this is not my photo post for today--check back later for that one)