I'm Truly Blessed!

Sometimes you know how much God loves you by the people he brings into your life. It may be for only a brief moment, a season or two, or a lifetime.

I've been truly blessed. I whine and moan from the aches & pains from my pal Arthur. You probably know him, Arthur Itis. He has a few other buds he hangs with and they're usually all together seeing what kind of trouble they can stir up. Then there are the visits from Igor the anxiety ogre. He doesn't come around as often as he used to but when he's here, he's every bit as unpleasant as ever. Regardless, I feel truly blessed with the people I've been surrounded by.

A dozen or so years ago I met my friend Liz. We "just happened" to start at the same new church on the same day and one day discovered we were joined at the soul as well as the hip. She was my best and dearest friend. We did stuff together, we did nothing together. We just enjoyed sharing time together. We took a family cruise for my 60th birthday and Liz came with us and was formally (or maybe informally) adopted into the family. You can give up friends, family is forever. She's the one I called to come to the hospital at 3:am to sit with me while I waited for the kids after dad died. She's the one who held me 3 months later when I finally lost it and cried until there was nothing left. She's the one who came to the hospital and told them we were sisters so she could sign papers and they could put my hip back in place so she could take me home (2:am this time) and two months later when it slipped out again, she had to follow the ambulance down the mountain, in the dark, in my car which she had never driven before. Ohhh, we did have some times. She's still "my sister," but the season(s) passed. Someday we'll revisit the trips to the wine country or Las Vegas, but that's for another time. I relocated to the foothills, maybe an hour away, and she showed me, she relocated across the country, to Tennessee. Now we visit by phone, email, cards and promise to get together for a real face to face, with hugs, visit "soon".

I've kept up with many of the friends I left when I moved up here. I learned who were friends and who were FRIENDS! Since I moved up here, I've made both very good friends and VERY GOOD FRIENDS. This is now my HOME! If it's only a season, I hope it's a l-o-n-g season.

Some who were friends when I lived down below have become FRIENDS since. The kids who were up here a couple of months ago to help keep my yard from doing me in, have taken me into their hearts. They visit regularly and keep in touch by phone and f/b. I know they're there if I need them and it works the other way as well. I've become a courtesy grandma to the boys (and a couple of the older boy's friends). They had to be up here today to drop off Wesley, the younger boy, at church camp and they came by to take me to dinner with them. As long as they were here Mike and the boys hung my mirrors for me. They'll be back Saturday to pick Wesley up from camp and will check in, visit a bit and they'll mow and edge for me if I haven't already gotten it done. They've taken it on themselves to make it possible for me to keep up with this place I've chosen for my home and that I love so much and even through all this they still manage to make me feel worthwhile. They let me know they care. I pray this season lasts indefinitely.

Mike and Jennifer, I can never thank you enough for coming into my life and taking me into yours. God Bless You!!!