Don't worry...I'm OK....

I figured I'd better say that before I started on my "two consecutive blog days"!  Crazy, eh?

Well, I survived leading the worship service this morning with only half a voice.  That was something to be very thankful for. 

Went to walk-in clinic to get bandages changed.  Boy, do those moles ever bleed lots when they're shaved off!  I have approximately  sixty-two kazillion more to go but will save them for another day:)  One on my face got the freeze dried trick and should fall off within the next two weeks.  Yay!  The lovely skin inheritance from my mother!

I even had a sleep this afternoon.  Good to get rested up for another week of retirement fun!

This evening was a Skype with Matthew which, of course, is always interesting, stimulating  and wonderful.  He'll be home on December 16th!  Brittney on the 18th!  Life is good.

Tomorrow husband and I will enjoy a coffee together in the morning at A&W.  It's become the norm.  We see folks we know, some we're getting to know and some we haven't met yet...perhaps tomorrow!  It's a friendly, noisy place there most mornings.  We get to know the staff too, which is a great way to be a spark in the world!  (I wonder how Tejal is doing over in India???  She is one of the A&W servers who has gone back home for six weeks to visit her siblings and parents...she'll be back just after Christmas and we will get caught up on her news from back home when she returns!)

Folks have been generous in supporting Matthew in his 40 hour Meditation Marathon also.  He is very grateful not only for the monetary support but for those supporting him in the ways he is connecting to God.  Not a new way but perhaps new to many people these days.

The coming week looks somewhat calm.  That is good. The important things must be remembered...Ken's pre-surgery assessment tomorrow morning for his cataract surgery in December.  Then on Wednesday the heart fit assessment for an exercise regimen that both of us will attend.

We just read in the P.A. Herald that a dear, old family friend, Iris Meissner, passed away recently.  She was a beautiful person, in every possible way, having gone through many major life issues and still was able to offer love and grace to everyone.  She will be missed greatly.  Peace to her memory...and her family.

Some pictures of peace, as I think of Iris....

Sleep well...all of you....let's be grateful for...life.....

This past week...

I need to get things going for Christmas...decorating the place up a bit.  Don't think I'll do much more baking though.  We certainly don't need it and our kids don't want it.  Giving it away is always fun, though!

Tomorrow is my turn to lead the church worship service....plus lead the singing.....now that should be quite interesting.  I'm still coughing and still bombarded with tons of mucus which makes it difficult to speak...let alone sing!  Perhaps you would like to join me???

The past week was busy with stuff...meetings, doctor appointments, organizing, retirement supper and various other time consuming events. 

Daughter had us over for supper tonight...not just a normal meat and potato supper either.  It never is.  She tries anything and it always turns out fantastic.  Whenever I go there, I feel like I've stepped into an expensive fine-dining establishment...not so much in the furniture...but the food!  She had baked turkey chili which included yams, spinach, cheese, tortilla chips, black and kidney beans and a bunch of other stuff.  Oh my....with fresh baked cheese and bacon-filled homemade buns.  Totally wonderful!!!  Dessert was something else!  Individual banana cream brule tarts with fresh whipped cream and rum drizzle with a crust of ginger snaps/toasted coconut/crushed pecans.  I tell you, that girl can cook!!!!  Strange how both Matt and Shannon are such great cooks and I dislike cooking totally.  Guess they took after Ken in that department!

Then a few hours ago, I received an email from Matt asking if I would let people know about his Meditation Marathon on December 8 and 9....for 40 HOURS!!!!  It's a fundraiser for the non-profit institution he's working at near Boston.  So, if you know Matt, and would like to contribute to his cause, I could help you make that happen...or you could go to his fundraising page here:
http://enlightennext.akaraisin.com/meditationmarathon/matthewkent

Looks like he, along with many others, are out to change the world for the better!



And that is an actual picture of where he was during Hurricane Sandy...well, he was in a building, but still, some serious tree damage where he was during the storm.  He's very serious about everything he's doing!

Enjoy your evening and keep warm.  I think winter is upon us and so I need to get some decorating done soon!

That was mind boggling...

Good thing I read a bit about that movie before I went to see it!

"Cloud Atlas"...

Incredible.

Daughter and I figured we were in for a little nap as we sat waiting for the 3 hour movie to begin.  We went an hour early...so that was 4 hours in the theatre.  The first 45 minutes it was just we two.  Then 8 more people showed up in the Cineplex large theatre.  So the ten of us awaited the movie with the usual popcorn of varying sizes and drinks.

Most of our popcorn was eaten before the movie began.

Good thing, too!  Once that movie started rolling there was no time to even pick your nose let alone eat and drink!

Six stories.  Six really interesting stories...all linked in one way or another.  It kept you listening very carefully and watching for details as to what each particular story was about and later on...how each story was linked to the one before it.  It was about reincarnation.  It was about decisions we make that affect the course of individuals down through history in good or evil ways.  It was about love and fear and innocence and courage.

Many, many times throughout the movie I wanted to shout to the fellow in the booth who was managing the on-screen viewing..."HOLD IT UP THERE...STOP THE MOVIE.....COULD YOU PLEASE BACK THAT UP A BIT SO I CAN GET WHAT THEY'RE SAYING!!!"  After all, there were only ten of us in the theatre and a few minutes of replay really wouldn't hurt anything...it was only playing once that night.  Anyway, most likely people were thinking what I was thinking too.

Anyway, I liked how they did transformational makeup on many of the characters as they played various parts throughout many of the stories.  Yep, pretty incredible alright.

You'll have to go and see it for yourself in order to get your very own spin on the story.

As for me, I've been thinking about it all for the past two days...slowly threading various parts of the stories together as I have time to think about them.

I have a friend, a former co-worker, who believes strongly in reincarnation.  We have discussed it at some length over the past few years.  Some things about it make sense...I'm just not convinced of it.  Not that it makes any difference but I began to realize that others feel just as strongly about their thoughts as I do about mine...and that perhaps there could be some middle ground to be found.  I think there could be.....

It's about time...

I received an email today from a former co-worker letting me know she's down in California for a time and thought perhaps I'd been ill or some such thing as nothing much has been shown on my blog site for quite a long time now.  She checks it nightly!  It was a bit of a chastisement as I know there are a couple of folks who actually do read this space nearly every night...well, they check it at least.  So I figured I must get about the business of writing something....anything...here again.

Quite frankly, I feel like I've been shot out of a canon into space since I retired.  That's the best analogy I can come up with.  There is a feeling of weightlessness, like I'm going round and round, taking my sweet time about it too, and not really landing anywhere.  I just keep on going in a very lackadaisical manner, no clear destination, no huge cares, just going.  The view is terrific, mind you!  I see so many things as I go but being in this orbit thingy, I can't seem to stop to really look at the details.  When it's dark, it's easier because I can't see that I'm moving much.  I can think about things a little easier when I close my eyes...it feels comfortable to me to do that.

So that's what I've been up to.  Flying around in orbit, not able to stop.

One day I shall come back down to earth with all of it's schedules and important things to do.  For now, I shall orbit a bit.

I'm also doing quite a bit of thinking about life, about my relationship with God, about spirit things, about individuals, and what direction my life may be taking at the moment...kind of like shifting into another orbit, seeing the same things but from a different vantage point.  I know.  It all sounds so ethereal but it all makes sense to me.

Right now I'm off to another meeting.

Enjoy your night....and sorry I haven't posted for so long.  Know you are all loved!

Do you hear the call of the loon...................so peaceful.