Our 39 year old son, Jeff, arrived late last night from Portland OR for his yealy visit with us.  We are so thankful that he can come and that his trip was safe.  This year he has chosen to visit us in November - can't remember why but I am sure he had a good reason.  He will keep My Honey and me busy as we play Mom and Dad as well as care-giver.

Jeff was seriously injured ten years ago while working a "planned drug bust".  In a few words he was beaten and left for dead.  One side of his head was crushed; was in ICU for months; rehab took years; he has seven plates in his head; is permanently disabled; has too many issues to list; BUT he is still with us.  At first we were told he would die within hours of the assault; then word came that he would survive but be a vegetable for the remainder of his life; then we were told THIS IS YOUR SON but he is not the son you raised from birth.

Our hearts are broken over his circumstances and that of his children.  He lives alone in Portland in a small apartment; has many who care for him; his team of doctors are fantastic; Letitia the mother of his children makes sure that he is included in all family activities and gives love and support to him.  His trustee, Lori, makes sure that all his financial needs and business needs are met.  Miss Casey drives him around and helps him buy groceries. 

He works parttime at the great Portland Zoo; he gets to go on Saturdays to ride his horse, Ace, (to help his balance issues); he loves the jazz scene in OR and keeps up with Tennessee football and basketball (as well as he can).

So this day I give thanks for Jeff

October is passing me by; in fact tomorrow it will end again.  With November just around my corner of the world I am looking forward to more college football games, a middle school soccer championship game, some family time and preparation for December.  And, yes, Jeff and Craig I have turned on the heat for your dad --- yes, even before November 1st.  I broke my own rule.

In November I find myself pulling out the quilts that bring me such comfort, yearning for rocking chair time with a good book, cooking family favorites for Thanksgiving, the birthday of our only granddaughter, brother, Mike's 50rh birthday, family card playing, more college football, the beginning of college basketball, reading recipes, stirring the wood in the fire pit, the first pot of homemade soup, and a good cup of tea.  James and I will also welcome son, Jeff, on Monday to spend some time with us --- what a great adventure that will be.

This November is also bringing change to our family as our Craig, Ashely and MacKenzie move south to Louisianna.  Craig leaves tomorrow - Ashely and MacKenzie will follow before Christmas.   This day my heart is breaking for I know that they will be more than a two hour drive away but I am excited for them and this job opporutnity for Craig.

November brings early retirement for my precious Honey.  It will be so good to see more of him and have him at home more often.  I guess that is good, teehee!

My November landscape is changing.  But the constant in my life will never change...thanks be to God for His love for me and my family.

With my AARP card came many benefits.  Age does give one a feeling of accomplishment...yeah, we are still breathing.  You can get a discount coffee at Hardees...whooooopeee!  You can say your tired and really mean it, you can pull rank on those younger than you are, etc.  But with the age of AARP comes other things.

I can't run with the kids on the basketball court for more than 30 minutes.

I can't stay up real late at night and still get up at 5 AM.

I can't find clothes that are age-appropriate and still make me feel young.

I can't remember things...today while shopping at the local Cokesbury Bookstore, I lost my car keys.  My car was locked with my purse inside it.  The employees at Cokesbury helped me look; I call Mr. Honey to see if he could go home and get the other set of kesy; I retraced my steps three times.

That is where the problem comes in...I was looking in three sections for a specific item.  I looked on the very top shelf in one section; standing on the lower shelf so that I could reach the book.  After 20 minutes of looking I went back to that shelf for the 3rd time...climbed up on the lower shelf and found my keys way up higher than high.

I have since been offered a 10 foot piece of rope to tie around my neck for my keys.  I have been offered the CAT handicap bus for my shopping convenience.

Growing old is everything it is cracked up to be.

At church we have just completed a month long emphasis on Offer Them Christ using John Wesley's 3 simple rules for living out the faith.  We have looked at who the "thems" are and included ourselves in the list; we have talked about ways to offer ourselves to others; and we have seen in scripture that Christ knew the rules long before Wesley fleshed them out.

Wesley was an innovator; he just did not settle for the status quo; he wanted to be out of the box; and he urges others to follow his example.  The rules in case you don't know them by heart are:  Do no harm, Do good, and Stay in love with God (or attend to the ordinances of God).  As I have read and prepared this past month I have found that the third rule would eliminate the need for the other two.  Because if we stay in love with God we will not harm others and we will do good.  Or is the opposite true?  If we do no harm and do good will that keep us in love with God?

I think that doing good is probably the hardest for most of us because we cannot really define good.  Is good feeding the hungery?  Yes.  Is good supporting causes that bring health and hope to others?  Yes.  Is good just being out of controversial situations?  Is good not speaking up in opposition to a thought or concept?  Is good keeping peace at all costs?  Is good keeping your head in the sand to prevent taking a difficult stance? 

The Bible would tell us that God created and it was good; Godly people rejoice in what is good; that God is good; in Isaiah we are told that we should learn to do good; in Mark we find that salt is good; and we love to know that there is a good Shepherd.  But what is good - it seems to me that God is good and that is that.

So if we seek the heart of God and God is good then we should be getting close.  Thank about it and let me know.

Mr. Honey and I have just returned from our vacation.  This was the most unusual week we have even spent and called it vacation.  There were not travel plans made; no reservations sought; no on-line checking out restaurants and tours; no deadlines; no schedules, etc.  In the past I have researched places and things making sure that we did everything on our list - including very little quiet time.  But this year is different.

Our vacation began by going to Johnson City to see my mother (our only parent still with us).  My mother and sister live in adjoining condos and so we also got to spend lots of time with my sister, Sue.  Now when our family gets together I can promise you two things:  lots of food and lots of card playing.  So "dealing them" was expected and needed.  We played and played until our "rears were numb".  On Saturday night Mother fixed the most delicious meanl I had had in months.  She pulled out all the stops with pork loin and gravy, fresh corn on the cob, homemade rolls and all the trimmings.  Sue fried a skillet of fresh picked okra --- we ate and then Mother offered dessert; pineapple upside down cake baked in an iron skillet.

I was still full to the brin when we got ready for church on Sunday.  Mr. Honey and I went to HOMECOMING at East Pine Grove Park UMC.  Mr. Honey attended there during part of his high school years because the good looking girls were there.  Anyway, we got to hear Dr. Randy Frye (the Johnson City District Superintendent) preach about how to be the great church that God has called us to be.  Good sermon Randy!

Monday was a lazy day. In the late afternoon we went the the Science Hill High School 9th grade volleyball game.  Our niece, Amie, plays on the team.  So aunts and uncles get to spen 11/2 hours in a gym that is not air conditioned; but we did our duty and had great fun.  Then we met our best friends of 35 years for dinner.  We celebrate each other's birthdays and anniversaries with a big dinner once a year.  What fun we had trading pictures of grandkids and catching up.

Still no sight-seeing or schedules...can't believe it.

Tuesday we traveled the old 11W highway from JC to New Tazewell at Norris Lake where we spent the rest of the week --- no telephones, just a couple of TV channels --- we read, slept, ate for four days.  We did not talk to anyone other than the neighbor dogs.  THIS IS VACATION.  We regrouped, we refocused, we revisited with each other and rested.

Back at work today - two worship services, catching up on 122 emails, 4 phone messages, things to do list, CINEMAS, UMYF,etc...I am already counting the days until we can VACATION again.

MISSED OUT LAST WEEK!

• I was so proud of myself for learning about blogging that I got caught in "stuff" last week and failed to communicate with the outside world.  Not only would my thoughts and words been muddled but my time on task would have been more than my brain could handle.
• Sunday was the beginning of a new week.   A week that allows me no extra time or waste of energy.  My "do to" list would choke a heavyweight Olympic boxer.  But with God's help and an organized desk I will get through it all - who am I fooling?
• At church Sunday we had two great worship services as we celebrated children's minsitres.  We have a new brand name, logo for our children's ministries:  FARRAGUT 657.  We are using those strong words from Deuteronomy 6:5-7 that teaches us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and might.  But we are to do even morewe are to teach our children.  So many adults are afraid to teach their children about the ways of the Lord.  They are actually afraid that they will do it wrong.  The WRONG is that we fail because we don't try.
• We have rain in Farragut today.  What a blessing after 29 days of no rain.  It is a day to stay inside with a good book and warm blanket.  But for those who have to be out and about - take a short walk in the gentle rain - let it refresh your soul as it refreshes the earth.

2008-08-14

I am being challenged to become more hi-tech in my life and in my ministry.  The world is passing me by --- and now I am taking giant steps to catch up.  I am honored to work with some great people in ministry who are many years younger than I and can do things in the "techo" world that I cannot even begin to understand - but I will not let them pass me by.

So I have met with one of our web-site "smarties"  and he has helped me set up a blog.  I don't know how to define or desribe a blog but I have one.   If you are reading this you have seen my picture and know that I have been around for over 1/2 of a century; but I still want to be able to communicate with those who use technology as a way to get their message out into the world.

My first challenge is overcoming the fear that comes with not knowing the hows and whys.  I don't want to know the details but would like a working understanding of what IPODs and MYSPACE is all about.  I have no desire to walk around Farragut with a piece of soft plastic in my ear or to have my personal information sent around the world in 22.3 seconds.  But I do want to provide a safe place of communication and dialogue.

So as I expand my horizans I hope you will join my on my journey into the world of "techees".   

Shalom! 

Thursday AM Todd and I met before breakfast....he had joined me in my small, small office at First Farragut UMC to help me begin to learn how to blog.  Todd is much younger than me so not only did he tell me how but he wrote it out for me.  Thank you, Todd.

What would we do this day and time without the shared knowledge of others.  Think how strange the world would be if each of us had one piece of knowledge that we kept to ourselves --- we would never build a house, work a puzzle, bake a cake, etc.; because we would only have one piece of the knowledge needed to do so.  But when we share knowledge things happen.

It works that way at church.  Through the knowledge of things past, dialogue about things present, and hope for things in the future we form opinions and begin to move.  It is when the past overtakes the present or when we cannot hope for the future because the present is so consuming that we stay in neutral.  At FFUMC we are learning to balance the past, present, and future as we work to become a healthy family of God.

Maybe, this blog will help us do that (maybe, it won't).  Want to join me as we learn to live together?  Want to join me by adding some of your knowledge base?  Let me hear from you.

So be it, truly!