Lonely and Only

I want to express appreciation to all my family.  This has been a week of family change.

Rebecca and family packed up and on Tuesday they drove out the driveway.  It was hard not to cry.  Of course they drive off every year, but this time it may be a long time before we see them again.  We so enjoy having them visit.

Dear Abby had a letter about a father estranged from his adult son.  Abby wrote, don’t feel left out, that might bring you together with others.  She sat at a table with several women and the common thread was that they all had estranged children.

It made me realize how blessed we are.  As siblings we love one another.  From generation to generation we love one another. What a priceless gift to have family that respects and cares about each other.  Thank you, Mom and Dad for teaching us this great lesson.  And thanks to everyone else for learning it and passing it on.

The rest of the week seemed like a quiet week.  We changed sheets and did some house cleaning. On Wednesday Tom and I worked out at the house.  He got all the old brick from the stove hearth broken out.  I painted the porch supports and railings a soft green.

I also got all the changes needed on the book I’ve been writing and sent it to the client for a last look. It is about 2 weeks overdue and I don’t know that it can be designed and printed before the client’s deadline.  I don’t know how to push without being pushy.  I assume she knows… but I hate missing deadlines.

Thursday my neighbor, Barbara had a procedure at the medical center in Little Rock.  We left at 8am and I drove her down.   There were some delays before the procedure and recovery time after.  I brought the laptop and there was internet connection, so I got some things done.  I even napped for about an hour in a very uncomfortable chair.

She got out about 5:30 with good news and feeling okay. I dashed through the Commissary – left her sitting in air conditioning. Then we grabbed some fast food and drove north.  We got home about 10:30. By then, both of us were tuckered out.

Friday I dinked around the house.  I was tired from the drive the day before.  I  worked some on the upcoming Stake Women’s Retreat. That night Tom and I watched “The Truman Show.” It was a cute movie.

Early Saturday morning I had a terrible dream.  I was supposed to be in charge of a Stake meal and everything was so unprepared.  And I was supposed to give a talk and while I’d worked and worked on it, it wasn’t at all ready.  And then I was a half our late to the meeting to give it.  I woke up in a panic.  I decided the message was that I was far too unprepared for this Stake Woman’s Retreat. 

So I spent a good part of Saturday morning making lists and calling people, asking them to help out in some way or getting information.  People really are generous with their time and talents.  I am blessed.

Tom hired some of the young women of the church to come over and clean the cabinets in the kitchen.  Years of use, dust, and grime had left their mark.  They worked for 3 hours and my kitchen looks fantastic!

After they left, Tom and I went out.  First we went to Hobby Lobby to check on paper for the program for the Retreat.  Then we went to the house and put in two of the new windows.  They look great.  Tom is so talented that he can take off the siding, get the window in, and put the siding back on again. 

As I was looking at the windows yet to go in, I realized I’d made a mistake and ordered a window with the measurements 90 degrees off.  Hmm.  Can a slider window become a sash window?

We got rained on a little while working, but couldn’t complain.  We really needed that rain.  After we finished work, Tom took me out to dinner.  It was a nice day.

Today is quiet.  When I went into the chapel, I realized I didn’t need to look for Rebecca and family to sit with.  They weren’t there.  I was all by myself.  I felt sad again.  Then in closing, we sang “God Be with You Til We Meet Again.”  I tried to be happy for them in their new place and wish the Lord’s blessings on them and all my chicks.

Oh!  Speaking of chicks.  The black hen’s chicks have grown into gangly teens. They can barely squeeze out of the fence.  And now I have another brown hen nesting.  She’s on 6 eggs.  I’ll need to move her from the “high-rise” nesting boxes down to one on the ground so the chicks can get out once they’re born.