Be careful what you laugh at!!! At my current age, I am still learning new lessons. That should be a lesson for my younger kids.

I've never claimed to be a fashion enthusiast. I like to look neat - clean - and balanced. Is that too much to ask? I never thought so in the past, but now my eyes are being opened to a new standard that I must consider that doesn't even fall into these categories.

This all goes back to a hip replacement that I had done in 2002. It was a great success and I had no serious after effects. Well, I did have one minor problem. It involved shoes. I had a hard time finding any that were comfortable and made walking fun. But... lo' and behold - in time Dr. Scholl came to my aid. He made a great slip-on shoe that was just the right height to accomodate my new hip.

I wore nothing but these shoes ( I think I have owned about 12 pairs in the past nine years). The nice thing about them was that I could wear them with dresses, skirts or pants. Perfect! I remember even thanking God for them publicly in my Sunday School Class - and getting a round of applause from my peers who understood what a tremendous victory this was.

I had one true fear when it came to shoes. I had often seen those little old ladies who wore Nikes, Reeboks, etc. with their completely unattractive anklets - socks - knee high stockings that didn't quite reach their hems etc. "Thank God I don't have to do that!" "Look at how unbalanced that looks!" "Have they no idea about style?"

Oh, God, forgive me - for I know now what I've done.

That's right! I've been having some yucky foot problems lately and after a visit to my very lovely and vivacious Podiatrist, I have discovered that because of those nine years of wearing those stylish shoes - I have seriously injured my feet! Shucks!

Those critical comments will now be directed at me!!! That's right! I'm sentenced to a lifetime of 'sensible' ugly - unbalanced shoes, along with the accompanying cloth foot gear.

Oh well, if that's the worst I have to deal with for my remaining days - I guess I can handle it.

But - here's the lesson! Remember, my little ones. What goes around does truly come around - so be careful what you laugh at! It may one day be you.....

MONSOONS.......

I decided today that I love monsoons! For years I have not been too fond of them because they inevitably reek havoc with my fibromyalgia. But - that was in the past. Now, I have made the conscious decision to love them, and here's why!

1) Monsoons bring beautiful clouds to our glorious Arizona sky. Fluffy, puffy, huffy, lovely clouds. When I am riding along with my dear husband on a monsoon day or night - I make pictures out of them. Remember how you used to lie on the ground and look up at the sky and see teddy bears, horses, puppy dogs etc. in the clouds? Well that's a good reason to love monsoons, right?

2) Monsoons also bring a break in the hot weather. We have dropped out of the triple digits for awhile, and wake up in the morning to cooler lovely breezes. Granted, sometimes they are a little damper than I would wish for - but remember - Arizona is the dry heat state, so we just have to ignore temporary humidity!

3) Monsoons bring a complete change to my needing to schedule my life activities. When it's monsooning - I never know from day to day what I'll be doing! Mr. Monsoon determines just how active and involved I will be. As a result - I don't make dates in the worst part of this season. I just pop into someone's life as Mr. Monsoon dictates.

4) Monsoon season gives me a chance to wear several different outifts during the course of one day. That's because, wanting to comply with Monsoon's makeup - I find myself swelling up with moisture and then eventually soaking whatever I have on. As a result - I have had on some dresses that I've not worn for awhile - (and I even buy some more so I'll have enough ready and on hand). Now that's a great reason to love Monsoons isn't it?

5) Monsoon season is a great time to catch up on old movies - dvds - and books! I'm a great believer in the fact that the best medication God ever created for any discomfort is
DISTRACTION!!! No kidding. No matter how I feel, if I can distract myself - I can soon escape from the yucky's. Now that's a great reason to love monsoons.

So there it is! My new found love and appreciation for Monsoons! Hope this helps you to enjoy this season as well. Remember - God made them!

BIBLES, BIBLES EVERYWHERE!

I have one really great fear when it comes to my dying. Now don't get morbid - it's just the way it is. I have been a part of settling many estates with my dear CPA husband - and as part of it, we have had to go to the homes of the deceased and sort out, catalog, pack and mail, and generally dispose of this dear person's 'treasures'. In the process we have found that there are some things that people really hoard. Now, I'm sure they didn't think of it that way - but the abundance of certain 'treasures' give one a good insight into what was important to them.

In one case, we found at least fifteen boxes of tea bags. I ask myself as I'm putting them in a pile, "Why tea bags? Why fifteen boxes?" And after thinking it through - I realize that this was a woman who went through the big depression in the '30s. There were such shortages then that one tended to grab up any 'deals' that one could find. Local sales were a goldmine!

Even one of our family members had a thing about bedsheets! One whole closet was filled with unused, still packed in celophane, bedsheets. We joked about it - because she had a Sterns Department Store near where she worked, and everytime they had a sale - she stocked up on bedsheets. She also stocked up on material. This was amazing to me because I could never figure out how she knew how much material to buy. Did she have a project in mind when she bought it - or was there some magic number that you assigned to dresses, skirts, spreads, curtains, etc? I never found out.

Well here it comes - my indulgences! I love Bibles. I think I have more Bibles than I have sense. This started when we owned a Christian Bookstore. My excuse at the time was that as the Manager of the Bookstore - I had to know the pros and cons of every Bible I sold. So of course, I needed to OWN one. Then I could use it for several months - get used to it - mark it - and decide what was missing that I needed, and what was superflouous.

But, truth told - I stopped being a Christian Bookstore manager about twenty years ago. And ... the habit remains. But that's not the worst part. I am hypnotized by the look of a brand new Bible; the smell ( especially if it has leather or make-believe leather ) and the open invitation to 'come and see my pages....feel the delight of the way I slither in yours hands...check out these amazing maps and if a Study Bible - become acquainted with my fantastic notes that open doors to understanding that I would have to spend years to discover.'

Oh yes - it's even worse than this. I even have multiple copies of the same Bible. Why? Well, I think it goes back to my marking system in my Bibles. I am always trying to improve it. My dear friend and wife of my pastor always referred to my Bible as the "Rainbow Edition" before there ever was one. I love to categorize with colored pencils. I underline - or I shade - or when I run out of ways to use the pencils - I resort to code initials. Eventually, my Bible looks like it needs a new start.

Since I have done a bit of mentoring in my lifetime as a Christian, many of these bibles have been passed on to others to help them to get started. If they only went through all of my notes and underlinings and shadings - they will have read a good portion of the Bible in their first sitting.

I have been so troubled by this fear that I have packed up numerous copies at times and passed them on to youth pastors who have new Christians that want to get into studying and can't afford the cost of a new Bible. I've gotten some funny calls from some who want to know why I marked something with a wrong color. Silly goose - it's because I made a mistake and didn't want my Bible to look sleazy. Or what I tell them, "I wondered if you'd find that! Good Boy! You are really catching on."

So dear ones, whoever ends up sorting out my 'treasures' please understand that I didn't deliberately buy these Bibles just so that you'd have to pile them up and sort them out and say, "Boy, Gramma was really a hoarder regardless of how much she taught contentment with little". So I'm a sinner. My joy comes in knowing that Jesus loves sinners - even the chubby hoarders.

Now lets not talk about British mystery DVD's. Oh-Oh!

SUFFERING IS A TOOL IN GOD'S HANDS

As I write this, my dearest friend (Neysa) is in the hospital with a problem that could be serious. As of this moment, I don't know.

We have been friends since 1971 when our Pastor asked me to take her under my wing - and in effect, disciple her. We met at a small restaurant with a Rooster on the sign that said "The Copper Kettle" Never could figure out why the Rooster was there - unless he was what was going into the Copper Kettle!

We bonded instantly and have been committed friends ever since.

God is so amazingly good! Just after this call from our son, I spoke to Neysa's daughter and am waiting for another call that will allow me to run up to the hospital to see her. Meanwhile, I am listening to tapes from the "Together for the Gospel" Seminar. Wouldn't you know that the Lord would lead me to one by Matt Chandler, a pastor of the Village Church who spoke on suffering.

He is well qualified to speak on the subject as he is just recovering (we sincerely Pray) from an Angioplastic Cancer Tumor in the brain. He has no idea whether he will recover or whether he will join the Lord soon. But he has determined to use whatever time he has left to glorify the Lord by urging people to prepare for suffering.

He is followed by Pastor T. J. Mahaney, the founder of Sovereign God Ministries, who gives several ideas on ways and books to help those who are ministering to those who are suffering. It's interesting because this has been the subject of many of Neysa and my conversations lately. One point that he makes quite clearly is that this is a message for the whole church! Not just those people who are chronically or terminally ill. I recommend that you take some time out to listen to many of these tapes. You can get to them through M4G.com.

I loved them all! And have the highest regard for all the speakers. These are Godly men who have great wisdom and different backrounds. They are not all primarilly Reformed so don't be afraid of listening to them. Wisdom comes from many sources.

I love you all, and hopefully this will be a blessing in your lives.

AG(E)ING!!!

Oh no Gramma - not another tome on aging! Well, the way I look at it, it's the subject that I know the most about right now! And, Lord willing, you'll all experience it one day. Just trying to give you a heads-up for when the time comes.

First of all, it's not all bad - neither is it all good. It's normal! One day follows another and one phase follows another and before you know it - you're where you never thought you'd be.

I remember thinking as a child that I'd never make 21 because we were in the midst of WWII and we saw so many gold stars hanging in windows that indicated that another serviceman had died in that family. So you begin to think that there's really no reason why you shouldn't be a gold star in your parents window because the war could reach your shores anytime now.

But, here I am - and still not a gold star! Thank you God. I'm also sure that you may have had your 'dead'lines in mind at some time - but, you too, are still here. So, what do you have to look forward to in your last decades of life?

First of all, Family. Some people have little respect for families in todays world, but that is sad. Families aren't perfect - but they can be as good as you are willing to particiate in making them good. At our time of life, we like to spend time with our progeny.

My goodness! There has been a four month pause in my writing in which we celebrated not only a wonderful Christmas - but an outstanding Easter Sunday. And these two celebrations truly exemplify my gratitude for God's whole plan for marriage and family.

We are at the 'full quiver' stage of our lives. We're really not 'full' yet - because we are expecting our fifteenth great grandchild in July. (Katie and Joey's little girl, Ellie). And who knows what next year will bring? How blessed we are. Especially since most of our family lives fairly near and we have the pleasure of seeing them grow up.

And growing up never stops! Nearing the end of my 7th decade of life I can still feel the harness of sin that keeps me from experiencing any true sense of maturity as a Godly woman. If you think that it just happens with age - forget it. To grow into Godliness takes a determination to truly focus on Jesus as Hebrews 12 teaches. Many a day I have committed myself to the 'lettuce' (let us) verses here and looked back a month later to see that I'm far from my goal.

But then, I am reminded of Jesus! He did live a fully Godly life and He willingly laid down that life on my behalf. His death AND resurrection are the means by which I can truly be absolved of all my foolish attempts and failures to live that perfect life. He has taken my place - and my feeble attempts at 'Godliness' can be accepted for what they are - 'filthy rags' (Isaiah 64:6)
Does this stop my from trying? No! That's my act of gratitude. But the joy that lays before me, (us) is already assured by our Triune God. Hallelujah!

"THE HOLIDAYS"

What's your favorite holiday? As a child - there was no contest! Christmas! And not for any spiritual reasons at all. No - Christmas was the big day for presents! In my first home we went from rags to riches. In the beginning - little gifts for little girls was the rule. As we grew - the biggest present I ever got was a doll carriage and doll. It just happened to be 1941 and Hitler had marched into Poland and before we knew it - we were at war with Germany. I remember asking my mom if Hitler would be coming to New YOrk on Christmas eve. And she said "Of course he will! He might be here before morning!" That was my mother's idea of humor. Little did she know that she sent her baby to bed in tears - for fear that he'd really like to have my carriage and doll!

As I grew older, I became very interested in Jesus Christ. Who is He? Who tells the best stories about Him? Who really knows what the Bible is all about? At sixteen, I started my own pilgrimage to find Him. I took a spiral bound notebook to many different churches and wrote my impressions of each one. How I wish I had that notebook now!

I think I responded to altar calls in every church I attended because I was so sure that I was such a terrible sinner. But along the way, I did begin to really understand that Christmas was a Holy Day rather than a Holiday. So the presents, although nice, didn't dominate my thoughts anymore.

Throughout the marriage years - children years - celebration times, we tried to emphasize the importance of Christmas as a day of celebration for the birth of our Savior. You'll have to check with the kids to see if that message got through.

But now, in our twilight years, we earnestly try to help our offspring understand that presents, as thoughtful as they were, are no longer the delight that they once were. We have everything that we need - and more. We would much more enjoy their spending their limited resources on each other and their little ones. Economic times are tough! (Tip: Walmart is selling all their toys at a very large discount to help young families - and they're not all made in China.) So, once again, I plead with you that you save your cash for the kids and your friends. We delight in being with our loved ones - the hugs and the smooches do it for us.

But I repeat my question. What's your favorite holiday? I honestly don't know how to answer that myself. There are blessings in all of our excuses to see each other. I'm not a big cheerer for some of the political days of note, but I'm sure they mean a lot to some.

Anyway - this year I intend to make each day a holiday of sorts, because we have so much celebration in our lives. We're looking forward to welcoming our 14th great grandchild in March, being grateful for JT's new job, enjoying vicariously Wes and Kim's new cabin in the woods, Matthew's full recovery from his cancer, Susie's return to the Iowa Cafe as floor manager, Barb's finally getting a job that she loves in the hospital, and all of our grandkids milestones, and the great grandkids first steps, first words of recognition (Lily called me GG for the first time this week! What a thrill!) and all the delights that they bring.

So! For me every day is a holiday - and they're all very special to my dear husband and me.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! And a very blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration.

DOWN WITH CANCER!!!!!

Yes! Today I am starting my own campaign against this dreaded disease. I know, I know, many of you have been actively involved in fighting in the "cause" and even I have done some walks - contributions - etc. But now the beast is just getting too ornery.

It seems like every week we hear of another victim. And true - cancer is not a death sentence as it was in my early years. Many times, there are effective cures or at least ways to control its vicious invasions. And for that I am truly grateful. But there needs to be an all- out drive against this horrible malady.

In my own personal family it has stricken my oldest sister, Ellamae; Bob's sister, Val; his cousin, Jan; my neice, Cheryl, her Mom, Helen,; my daughters- in - law, Barbara and Susie and their Mother, Dee; our nephew, Rickie; and now our son, Matt. (If I've left any out - please forgive me.)

It would take hours to list all of our friends who have died from this disease - or who are currently battling it.

We hate to hear the announcements in our Sunday church service because it almost always includes someone with the big "C". God have mercy!!

But how do we truly, effectively fight it? Well, one thing I am starting today is to make it a target in daily prayer. Perhaps I can recruit you who are reading this to join me. And then if you remember - you might also ask your family and friends to join us. And perhaps we can start a really effective prayer chain that will reach around the world to bring an end to this plague for once and for all. Others have done it for diseases like polio, and tuberculosis. What would happen if we really truly prayed daily against this disease? Wanna try it?