Where did June go? Seems like only yesterday it was March!

It is so strange to look at the calendar and see that this is the last day of June. I have been in “solitary confinement “ for so long, it will be difficult to adjust to life in the outside world.

I don’t mean to compare this situation to prison, but for some people, it is. Those in nursing homes must be very lonely, especially when they have been unable to have visits from family members and friends.

I have more than enough to keep me busy for a very long time. I don’t punch a time clock or have to be at my desk at 8:30 AM. I no longer have deadlines for certain projects to be completed. I am one of the fortunate people who is flexible. My daughter shops for me. She knows the floor plan at ALDI now, so she can get in and out in no time. At first she put my food in my outside refrigerator and left the other things on the the doorstep inside the garage. Now that things have lightened up, she comes inside, but there is no hugging like we normally do.

I am thankful that churches have broadcast services so congratulations can feel connected and that families can FaceTime to see each other and have the experience of talking while looking at one another. There again, not everyone can do those things.

Years ago there was a commercial for a liquid designed for women with iron poor blood to give them strength. I heard it on the radio, so it was really old. It began, “ Do you drag through day after weary day feeling too weak …..” I think the name was Lydia E.Pinkham’s Compound. Days seem to drag until we look at the calendar and see that they have flown by.

Yes, we are living in the strangest times ever for most of us. Nothing is like it once was. Our days at home are of little accomplishment. Let’s keep praying that this pandemic will soon end and our days can be filled with happy, productive accomplishments once more. I am sure we have resolved that we will do things differently in the future and that time will be more precious to us. Until this nightmare is over, we need to remember, “This, too, shall end” Keep the faith!

Already behind…..in fact, I woke up “behind!”

Can you believe there are only TWO days until July? It seems like yesterday when I commented that it was the second day of June! This forced isolation has brought about many changes in our lives.

First, I did oversleep…I have a crazy sleep pattern now, but I did sleep a little longer than “normal.” I turned the television set on in time for my Bible study, which is a wonderful way to begin the day!

There are things that I do “religiously “ every day. First thing is to take a fist full of pills, which I do not really enjoy doing. Medications become necessary as time ticks away and I want to keep my clock ticking!

I did a few things in the kitchen before I prepared breakfast. I wanted something special… because today is “special!” This is the day the Lord hath made and we are to rejoice and be glad in it! My treat was two scrambled eggs, country ham, raisin toast and coffee! I buy country ham from a company in Boone, North Carolina. I love going to Boone for several reasons, but that will be another story on another day.

I sat in my kitchen, among all my red, white and blue decorations, enjoying the aroma of my wonderful meal. I decorated the entire house early because I wanted to enjoy the Fourth of July and what it represents for more than one day! I have a small handmade table that is always set for “two” in my kitchen. The space across from me has been vacant for a very long time. I have been a widow for twenty-one years and for three years before that my husband was an invalid and I fed him through a tube in his stomach.

When you live alone, you have fewer demands on your time, especially if you are retired. I am not lazy and I still make my “what to list” each day, as I did in earlier days. Time should not be wasted. I will just say today has been leisurely!

I keep several calendars, which is not necessary now and next year I will try to have just one. But I noticed there was an appointment for 10:00 today in the calendar I was looking at. I knew that was not correct, so I called the office to make sure I was not due there today. Sure enough, they had not removed the appointment when I canceled it. We got that corrected, so that now my day was totally “free” to do things at home.

I checked Facebook, which has become a ritual, only to find hundreds of posts about the violence that is taking place. I pray that God will intervene soon and that this hatred, the murders and all the other unbelievable events will cease. I pray for an end to the virus, which has spread like wildfire and which has claimed many thousands of lives. I yearn for the peace that passes all understanding to be a way of life for everyone.

Well, it has been a good day so far. It does not matter that I was “behind” by sleeping a little longer than usual, that I did not rush to have a “quickie” breakfast and that I did not jump up and start doing things that were not that important. What is important is to rely on God for all my needs, for guidance in all I do and to follow HIS leading and plans for me. I am sure there will be ample time to do all the chores on my list and that I will not feel guilty for the time I spent with HIM in my cozy kitchen!

A solemn Saturday…

This morning I woke up as the sun came out. There is no schedule that my “internal clock” observes. As the old saying states, “I just go with the flow!” I got up, went to the kitchen, made coffee, then went out to get the mail and newspaper from yesterday. We no longer have a Saturday paper delivered. I guess the newspaper needed a day of rest. I came back inside and enjoyed my first cup of coffee. There is is just something about the aroma and taste of coffee to begin the day!

I unloaded the dishwasher, put everything away and left the kitchen neat and in order as though no one had been there. I made my way to my bedroom/office and opened my mail. There was a heavy brown “mailer” that is used for books now, as well as a few letters. I opened the “brown” package first. It was a gift from Matt and Laurie Crouch. I have been a supporter of the Trinity Broadcasting Network “forever” it seems. I loved watching Paul and Jan and the wonderful guests they had each day. Paul was a man of vision. He bought a small station and from that one weak signal station in California grew the network that now reaches around the world!

I dearly loved the Crouch family. They were humble and down to earth. They had so many wonderful preachers of the Word, plus numerous singers, I felt I was a part of the family. Both Paul and Jan are in Heaven now, but Paul passed the torch to Matt when his health began to deteriorate. Through the talents and hard work of Matt and Laurie, the programming is even more outstanding and is televised in every language.

My gift from Matt and Laurie was a journal. Written in gold, on the cover are these words, “Experience the Peace of Israel “ I had the privilege of going to Israel years ago. I could walk without tiring and do so much more than I can now. I am thankful that I made the journey. Even now, with all the news and programs from Israel, it seems that I have been back numerous times. At the bottom of the the cover are the words, “ A Journal.” Spaced throughout are beautiful scenes of the Holy Land. This is truly a gift to be treasured. I hope I will be able to keep my handwriting neat, so that it can become a keepsake for my two daughters. Both are very special treasures from God.

When I began this journal entry, I had a totally different subject in mind. It is amazing how one gift, one book or even just a thought can change the course of best laid plans! Today, I had planned to share something that was meaningful to me, but once I sorted my mail and opened the brown package, I felt directed to write about my feelings at the moment I looked at my new journal. I am very aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. When you are younger you have a tendency to fill your mind with a thousand things you must do, but later in life, you realize that most of the things you felt were so important, were not that important at all. I’m so grateful for this quiet time on this “Solemn Saturday” when I am alone in the stillness of my room and can savor God’s love! HE tells us to “Be still…and know that I AM God! I have done that today. God bless you and stay in the palm of HIS hand!

Looking back to last June….

I took a look at what was happening one year ago, just to compare. I have been using the same type Monthly Journal for about twenty years. There is room for so much more information than just a monthly calendar. I have all the names, addresses and telephone numbers that I use frequently and there are pages for notes and so much more. I hope I can always find this kind of book for my “record keeping.” The only thing different about them is the color of the cover.

I keep each completed one and it a good way to review what I was doing every day of the previous year. It stirs up a lot of memories when I thumb through it and is a way for me to check certain things, such as when I bought a large item or went on a trip.

Almost every square in each month of 2019 had an entry. Once COVID 19 set in this year, most of the pages are blank! 2020 has been the most unusual year I have experienced. That would probably be true for every grownup. Life came to a screeching halt and it isn’t over yet.

2019 was full of appointments with doctors, meetings and trips. I had meetings at my home with the two medical students I was a mentor for. I had twelve haircuts! In April, I got a surprise when I had my yearly mammogram. After a retake and examinations, I had surgery. Quite unexpected.

I enjoyed all sessions of the Shepherd’s Center. I had the interior of my house painted a different color, which was a major undertaking. There was a lot of preparation before the painters could begin and just as much work getting everything back in place.

I had quite a few very nice trips. Travel has been such a big part of my life for many years and it is something that brings me a lot of pleasure. Octoberfest at Helen, Georgia was so nice . I especially liked my trip to Bryson City and the train ride through the mountains. There were trips in the fall to buy apples, pumpkins and vegetables at Justus Orchard and one to McBee to buy peaches and other fruits, plus to do some sightseeing on the backroads.

My friends and I went on a Taste Trip to the Grove Park Inn to see the gingerbread houses and to enjoy the fabulous meal they serve during the Christmas season. I don’t want to forget my trip to Tybee Beach, then the boat trip on another one at Georgetown, plus my annual “Christmas Show” trip to Myrtle Beach. I have barely scratched the surface of all the things that took place last year.

I had many activities, meetings, appointments and trips entered in my book for 2020. Then along came COVID 19 and everything shut down. My visit with my Internist was handled by telephone, we could not go to Sunday school or church, I had a good supply of food on hand, so I did not have to go to the store. Nothing was “normal.” I was “allowed” to go to the Oncologist to get an injection, because that could not be handled by phone. What a difference a virus can make in our lives! I was so thankful when I could wear my mask and go to the beauty shop for a haircut!

I think the pandemic has caused everyone to realize how blessed we have been all our lives and that we will never take things for granted again. It is heart breaking to watch what is taking place in the United States now. The destruction, looting, killing and removing of so many statues and memorials to the past is unbelievable. I don’t mind having empty spaces in my calendar during the crisis with the virus we are experiencing, but I, along with everybody am praying for this to come to an end and that we can have peace in the world once more.

Dish mania

I enjoy my dish collection and although I seldom have guests for meals now, I like to have my table set for my own enjoyment. There were many years that time did not allow this. When I was working and had to rush to get a meal prepared after I got home, the basic table setting was fine!

I have always liked dishes and when I had a family, our table was always set attractively on Sundays. Back in those days I didn’t have nearly as many choices, but I may have had too many even back then.

Years go swiftly by and before you know it your children are married and have their own homes. I had more than enough dishes for my use, so many of them stayed in the china cabinet..

I bought a set of Corelle dinner ware and almost immediately that set became the most used. You cannot beat the quality of Corningware. My husband and I enjoyed traveling and on one of our trips we toured the factory in Corning, New York. Naturally, I took advantage of buying other pieces while I could get them at reduced price.

I found myself down to just me, but that did not change my love for pretty dishes. Once when I went to Greenville, South Carolina to visit my daughter, she took me to a “dish barn“ where there were all sorts of shapes and patterns of dishes at very reasonable prices. I think this place sold factory overruns and some seconds. I found a teapot that I liked and some salad plates and soup bowls that were eight sided. I had round and square shaped dishes, but none shaped this way.

Today, I ate lunch out of one of the salad plates and tonight I had cereal from one of the bowls. I know the shape of dishes has nothing to do with the taste of my food, but I just enjoy the variety of my plates.

Now, this love of dishes has gotten out of hand. When I began shopping at Dollar Tree, my sense of good judgment seemed to disappear. At least six or more times a year they feature new designs and patterns. You can purchase plates, bowls, cups, glasses, plus dish towels, pot holders and many other items in the same design!

I thought, “I don’t waste a lot of money and I give away more than I spend on myself, so I will buy these dishes and enjoy them.” Well, one thing led to another and I have more dishes than the law allows, as the saying goes.

My house has been renamed to “Jean’s playhouse.” I have a great time fixing a meal and eating in different dishes each time. As humans, we are each individuals and have our likes and dislikes. That first trip to Dollar Tree in Atlanta, where I bought some royal blue dinnerware became addictive. I have already decorated for July Fourth, using my red, white and blue accessories. It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy. I just hope I will always live near a Dollar Tree!

Simplicity….that is what I want

Yesterday when I was talking with one of my best friends, we discussed the drastic changes that have taken place in our lives in recent months. Before COVID 19, her work took her to different cities during the month. I am retired, so rather than my “work” taking me out of town, it was my travels that allowed me to get away. Now, each of us is confined to our homes. She is able to carry on her work, by telephone and by computer. She has access to all she needs to continue working, but under different circumstances.

Since I did not go out to an office, my activities have been put on hold until the danger of becoming infected with the virus are over. My life consisted of some volunteering, attending classes in a nearby town several times during the year, having lunch with friends, attending a weekly gathering with a group of single seniors and attending church. There were office visits with doctors and shopping for food. also. My life seemed very unexciting, but I kept busy with daily obligations.

Because everyone has been warned of the dangers of being in crowds, most people are confined to their homes, unless they are considered to be “essential” due their occupations. Life has changed for everyone! We, here in the United States, have never been faced with such changes, which took place overnight.

All this did happen almost without warning. Because of being “forced” into a slower lifestyle, the change has been difficult for the majority of people. So far as my routine, I have been allowed to do some of the things that needed to be done, but that had been pushed back to be completed at a later time. Procrastination might be a better way to describe it.

I really like the simple life now. I decided to check the dictionary to find out how “simplicity” was defined. Some definitions were; freedom from intricacy or complexity, absence of elegance, embellishment or luxury and lack of foolishness.

I do not want to give up the luxury of my washer and dryer, my stove and microwave, warm showers, heat, when needed and other basics, but I love the simplicity of doing things in a leisurely manner, keeping my pajamas on all day, if I want to take a nap or just to read a good book instead of being in traffic someplace. One good thing about being confined, is the lesson I have learned about the simplicity of life and how wonderful it is! I want my remaining days to those of simplicity!

Father’s Day….when did it begin?

By nature, I am curious about many things I am not familiar with and want to know more about. Maybe that explains why I enjoy a program that comes on the Science channel called, “How it is Made.” Since nothing that I wanted to see came on television on Saturday mornings, I channel surfed and discovered this show that caught my attention. I have watched it ever since. I could not possibly remember every detail of the steps that take place in assembling a car or a refrigerator, but I get enough information to satisfy my curiosity. It is an excellent show.

On Saturday, I thought about all the fathers in my family who would be celebrating on Sunday. I had never thought about how and when the holiday originated. Mother’s and Father’s Days had always been celebrated in my lifetime. I Googled the subject and this is what I found out.

In May 1909, Sonora Smart Smith listened to a sermon at her church honoring Mothers. She wanted her father to be honored with a special day. Her mother died in childbirth and her father raised her and his five other children singlehandedly. She felt that he and all fathers should be honored.

The following year she wanted to celebrate on June 5th, her father’s birthday, but the Mayor needed a little more time to make arrangements, so the first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910.

Congress had designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in 1914, after it was celebrated on May 10, 1908. It took much longer for Father’s Day to be legally recognized. In 1924 it became a recognized holiday. President Lyndon Johnson issued the first proclamation honoring fathers in 1966, but it was in 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the law that made it a permanent holiday.

So, now I know how and when Father’s Day became a legal holiday. I am grateful for all the information that is instantly available to research anything you want to know. I still remember relying on the World Book Encyclopedias to do research. The information was out of date in some instances, but that is what we had available at that time. We have come a long way!

My favorites newspapers….

When I moved to Atlanta I subscribed to the daily newspaper so I could learn about what was going on and could get familiar with this new city I hoped would become my permanent home. The name at that time was Atlanta Journal. It may be the Atlanta Journal-Constitution now. Regardless of the present name, it was a wonderful newspaper then and as long as I lived in Georgia. Times have changed so drastically so far as newspapers everywhere are concerned. During all the years I lived there, I was very pleased with my paper.

Being a newcomer to a big city there was a lot to learn. I enjoyed the Sunday editions with so many features and liked the ads for grocery specials and the sales at stores like Davison’s and especially Rich’s. A friend had told me prior to my moving there that every adult in Atlanta had a Rich’s charge card! It was a very popular store. One of the largest Rich’s stores was near the building I worked in downtown and from time to time some friends and I went to the Magnolia Room for lunch. The chicken salad plate, with cheese straws and frozen strawberry dessert was my favorite. We even had a fashion show while we were eating. What fond memories!

You become accustomed to reading certain articles in a paper and often look for them first. That is how I became a devoted follower of Lewis Grizzard. I thought he was the funniest journalist in any paper. He was so down to earth and had the most unusual expressions. He was the guest speaker at several conventions I attended, so I did get to meet him and tell him how much I enjoyed his humor. Then I began to buy his books, which I still have. I would cut his articles out of the paper and mail them to my Mother in Columbia each week. She always looked forward to the large envelope with Lewis’s columns in it. She told me she got her supply of weekly laughter by reading what Lewis wrote.

. One reason I decided to write about newspapers today was because in my decluttering, I came across an article by a person I dearly loved to read, Erma Bombeck. When she found she was dying of cancer, she wrote, “If I Had My Life to Live Over.” It touched my heart because she told of all the things she would not do if she had a second chance at life. I love the color pink and also collect candles. One thing she wrote was, “I would have burned the pink candle, sculpted as a rose, before it melted in storage.” She had a long list of things she would have done differently. I have been guilty of so many of the same things she would have done differently. The last few lines of that article goes like this , “But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it…live it and never give it back.” “Stop sweating the small stuff!” There will never be another Erma!

A long time popular writer was Celestine Sibley, a columnist for the Atlanta Constitution for over twenty plus years. So maybe the name of the paper was the Atlanta Journal Constitution when I originally subscribed to it. She lived in a log cabin that was built in 1842. She wrote about her love for Sweet Apple and all the things that happened during her lifetime there. You don’t have to know people personally to feel that they are friends. I don’t know of anyone who did not love Celestine. Later I did meet her granddaughter, who had written a book about Celestine and I had her speak to a group of my friends at church. That was a treat.

Then of course, I loved reading the section with the recipes by Nathalie Dupree. She was a favorite of mine from her cooking show sponsored by Rich’s and her column in the paper. The cartoonist in the Atlanta paper was fantastic. You can tell I was most appreciative of everything about the paper at that time.

When life changed for me and I became a widow, I moved to Columbia to take care of my Mother. I subscribed to the State Newspaper. It was one of the largest in South Carolina since this is the Capitol. I also began to read the Columbia Star, a free newspaper that is full of photographs of local happenings, as well as excellent columns. The Star became my favorite after I became involved with the Shepherd’s Center in Columbia and learned to know the Editor. His wife wrote a column about the “History and Pleasures of Tea” and I was in her classes for as long as she taught them.

I do not live in the town of Lexington, but I have met some of the folks who live there through attending the Lexington Shepherd’s Center and who submit stories to the Lexington Chronicle. It is a wonderful paper, brimming with all sorts of news and the kind of stories I like to read, I will probably subscribe to the paper for that reason.

Just as everything changes, now newspapers encourage customers to subscribe and read on line instead of having a newspaper delivered to your box at your home. I still like to clip articles to save and just to hold the paper in my hands, so I have not gone along with that method. The world is totally different now than when newspapers were a way of keeping up with local, state and world news. My favorites will always be the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Columbia Star and now the Lexington Chronicle. I hope they will always be printed so I can hold them in my hands and cut the stories out to make a scrapbook, if I want to. So many of my friends no longer subscribe, but I don’t think I will ever do that.

It can’t be Friday….but it is

The saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun” is true. But it flies if you are quarantined due to COVID 19, as well. It seems like yesterday was Monday. Looking back many years, I remember, as a child, I enjoyed doing embroidery and once I bought a set of dish towels with the days of the week on them along with the chore that you were to do each day.

Monday was wash day. It had a pretty girl bending over a tub using a scrub board to get her laundry clean. Tuesday had the girl standing in front of an ironing board. Wednesday was cleaning day. Each day had a specific chore to be done. As a child I really enjoyed doing handwork. I was not old enough to do chores. Thank goodness!

I remember watching my mother and grandmother working so hard to do all those things. I didn’t understand how difficult life was because I had little more to do than eat, sleep and play. As I reflect on those early days, I am so thankful that by the time I became a wife and mother so many inventions had taken place to make those chores easier.

Now there are no specific days to do anything. Quite often I do laundry on Monday, but just as often, I do it at night on any day of the week. After I sort the things that are to be washed together and put the detergent in, all I do is turn a knob.

Ironing used to take so much time, especially if you starched shirts or other items. I even remember ironing sheets and pillow cases. We used to say, “ You’ve come a long way, baby.” Well, with the fabrics of today, we no longer have to iron. It has been years since my husband was still living, but it was so much easier to send his dress shirts to the laundry than for me to do them, so that is what I did.

Life styles have changed so much, that we dress casually all the time, it seems. When I look at present day fashions, I sometimes shake my head in disbelief! Children’s clothes are so cute now. They are very much like grown up styles, only in smaller sizes. l am not opposed to change and especially when the changes make life so much easier.

I remember when stores closed at night. Now some stores are open around the clock! We live in a different world! Some changes are wonderful, others are hard to become accustomed to. I am thinking of customer service for certain businesses. When you call to question something about a bill and are told you have a wait time of thirty eight minutes to speak to a representative OR you can handle the problem yourself by going on line to a certain site. The recording speaks so rapidly, you cannot remember a long series of numbers you are told to call.

I am not an old fuddy duddy, but I am not a teenager, either! Just a few days ago, I read that Walmart is eliminating cashiers and it will soon have self checkout! It seems that quite a few jobs are being eliminated in this rapidly changing world. As I look back to my younger days when Monday was washday, Tuesday was when you did the ironing and when you actually got service at the grocery store, those days weren’t bad at all! I knew what day it was then!

Parting is such sweet sorrow….

I am not writing about Romeo, Juliet and this quote that is familiar to almost everyone. I am writing about how I feel about parting with some of the things I have kept for a very long time, but that I have no room for now.

When I lived in Atlanta, I did not collect things like I do presently. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have some things I cherished. Before I moved to Columbia, I donated all the tapes of Dr. Stanley’s sermons,I had collected each week for years, to be given to missionaries who still used tapes in their ministries. I discarded all the travel brochures I had collected over the years when my husband and I traveled full time. He wore quality clothes, so all those were donated to the Missionary Store that First Baptist manages so they can provide nice things to the missionaries they support.

I gave some furniture to people who had helped me with painting and renovation of some rental property, plus some to a college student who needed a bed and chest. When I arrived in Columbia with much less, I was overjoyed to have more space in my new home.

I have much less storage here than I had before. That makes a difference. I was stricken with a terrible condition. I developed a “love affair“ with Dollar Tree and all the cute things they sell for just a buck!

I enjoy decorating, flower arranging, collecting dishes of all colors and shapes to make my food taste better. Plus pretty journals to keep a record of my “exciting “ life take up space on a bookshelf. I won’t elaborate on all my present weaknesses. I am sure you have learned already, I have followed in my Mother’s footsteps and I am a pack rat.

I have kept many things that belonged to Mother. She had a little blonde curl of my baby hair, tied with a pink ribbon and lots of her costume jewelry, which is nice, plus pictures of her parents and all of Grandmother McInnis’s depression glass. I, being the only daughter, inherited everything she had kept.

Because I belonged to so many groups and committees, I have stacks of reports and backup material that is no longer needed. The time has come that half of what once was “important” is now useless. I have to look through files before I shred them or just dispose of them, to make sure I don’t throw something important away.

Back to the title of this journal entry, parting with some things is sweet sorrow. I am making progress, but it is slow. First, I should never have let things reach this point. They would not have if some illnesses had not occurred. I look forward to the day when all the junk has been disposed of and I have been set free of this albatross that is hanging over my head. My daughters should not have to do this task. I pray for the strength to get this job completed as soon as possible. When I can look at all the room I have, it will feel like the biggest burden has been lifted and life will truly be SWEET because I parted with things that weighted me down!