All is Well. Day is Done.

This weekend, here in the USA, we celebrate Labor Day. Curious, I googled "Labor Day" and learned that it was "created by the labor movement and is dedicated to the social & economic achievements of Americans." By 1894 Congress made the celebration official. Wow...did not realize we workers had been celebrating this holiday for over a century!

Originally, the holiday was to be celebrated with parades, speeches and festivals. While the parades have certainly dwindled, the speeches go on, bolstered this year by the upcoming Presidential elections. And...the festival part has expanded tremendously! Here in Tulsa, OK. the powers that be are reviving a raft race on the Arkansas River. Never mind that the river is bereft of water. A celebration will be had!

Of course, many will head to the numerous lakes and parks for one last hoorah. Others will celebrate with friends & family by grilling steaks & burgers at home on their back patio. My personal favorite way to celebrate this year will be watching the Nascar race from Darlington. Woo hoo...go fast...turn left.

Thanks to ALL our hard workers. You help make this country great. You are producing the food that we eat, the cars we drive, the homes we live in. You take care of us when we are sick. You protect us from harm, you save our homes from fire and destruction. You transport goods from one part of this nation to another just so we can buy food & clothing. You entertain us on late night TV with laughter & giggles. Some of you entertain us with your athletic ability. You teach us our ABC's so we can have a job and continue the cycle of work. There are more...many more workers, many more jobs I have not remembered. You know who you are.

Thank you. May you all have a safe and happy rest this Labor Day weekend. All is well. Day is done.

For Such a Time As This

     When I was a little girl, barely old enough to read and write, my Air Force Dad was transferred to Greenland, the land of perpetual snow. To say I was excited is an understatement! But Mom & I were never able to join him there. Our housing allotment was given an officer with a higher rank. What a blow. Mom & I had been especially anticipating living in the wonderland of snow and dark. And, we would have been with Dad. Until now, this very moment, I have never given a thought to what Dad might have felt. Was he disappointed by the very country he had sworn to protect & defend? I'll never know. Eventually, he returned from Greenland. He was posted next to Washington, D. C., then St Louis, then England and lastly, retirement. He had been born to serve his country.

     Dad served with dignity & honor. Mom & I finally made it overseas. We lived with him in England when he was stationed there. He retired and lived in South Florida until his death from cancer at the much too young age of 62. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Mom joined him in 2010. She had never remarried.

     I said all the above, to say this. I just bet there are many men & women like Dad in today's military. They serve our country and suffer disappointment "like a soldier." They help their buddies, help their families, help their communities and, regardless of where they are sent or how they are sent, they keep on protecting and keep on defending the USA. In today's perilous world it is a BIG deal to serve our country. Give them a hug, give them a salute for... they were born for such a time as this.

   

Here I am Again

It has been 4 years since I last posted. My perfectionism inserted itself. I thought I must write this blog "perfectly"...whatever that is. I don't know. So, here I am again.

Bear with me. This will be a thought collecting place...perhaps even a sounding board. Today, I do know, "this" is something I WANT to continue.

My life is good. Hope yours is too.

Over Hill, Over Dale

All you Army folks out there will remember this one..."over hill,over dale, we will hit the dusty trail..." How come the trail has to be dusty? What gives? Is this akin to "anything worth doing is worth doing well?" And how come I am always thinking in riddles or rhymes? Is there an issue here?

Well... back to the dusty trail... For me, it was dusty & hot & tiring...at first. However, the longer I have walked this trail that God has placed me on, it has become easier, fun & actually pleasant. How did I find this trail you ask. Well it wasn't easy. Before I even arrived at the dusty trail, there was the dark & gloomy & stinky trail. In the vernacular...that one sucked. Everyday on that trail was difficult. Nothing happened according to MY plans. Of course, for me, my method of handling disappointment was to fuss (translate scream) louder...but the trail stayed the same...dark, dank & like a dungeon. I walked that way (for a long time) until I gave up, sat down on the trail & said, "God I can't do this any longer." It was almost as if He was waiting for me to surrender! Another trail opened up. Not very glamorous looking but better than the one I was currently on. I decided to change trails.

Was it worth the risk? Yes. Was the new trail hard? Yes. Am I glad I hit that dusty trail? Yes. I did not know in the beginning that my life would blossom, but the dusty trail was better than the dark & gloomy trail where I had been. Today I have peace, joy & love in my life and a lush, beautiful trail to follow.

Are you facing change? Perhaps it is a good thing. Sometimes a trail that is dusty at the beginning will lead you to peace & contentment. I hope so.

Jack and Jill...

Okay, okay...I know...this obsession with rhymes surely has to end somewhere! If I tell you that I MUST write about these phrases that "pop" into my head, what does that say for my state of mind?  Oh well...here goes:

"Jack & Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down & broke his crown & Jill came tumbling after" (I am supposed to at this point give credit to the original author but I don't know who that is. It's not me. Can we leave it at that?)

Poor Jack & Jill, there they are in a heap at the bottom of that hill. What the heck happened? It makes me think of a married couple...trudging along in their lives, working together towards a common goal when life deals them a wicked blow. One or both struggle with a severe problem & lose the way. They both fall. It's a mess. Divorce, sick children, death of parents/sibling/friend, long term illness, accident, loss of job, cut in pay, or, even (believe it or not), great success, prosperity, fame... the list is endless. Whatever the cause, their common purpose & togetherness is lost.

I don't know what "the rest of the story" was for Jack & Jill. I do know there is help & hope for the rest of us. That hope arrives in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no mess too big or problem too small that He does not care about. Do you need help today? Just ask Him. What...you don't know Him? Just ask about that too.

There Was a Little Girl...

A favorite nursery rhyme goes, "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. And when she was good, she was very, very good and when she was bad, she was HORRID!"

Makes one think, doesn't it? Or..maybe not. Well, it was a silly notion anyway...that we have a choice.  A choice of how we want to be in life. Much of my life I allowed circumstances to control me. Was someone angry with me, I'd be angry with them. When afraid... I became a screaming, crazy woman. Probably akin to the HORRID girl with the curl. Ask my hubby & kids.

But with Jesus & the help of a 12 step program, my life changed. I was given choices. Seeing as how what I had been doing had given me terrible results, the choice of learning how to behave differently was easy. The decision was easy but, the work to learn new ways has been (still is) hard. Was it worth it? YES.

Just In The Nick of Time

The rain that fell yesterday & today was most welcomed here in hot, dry Oklahoma. You might say it came "just in the nick of time." The prairie lands to the west had started to burn. People lost their homes & possessions. The outlook was not good. Day before yesterday I received via email a heartfelt prayer chain...praying for rain...for relief. Did it "work?" Who's to say. Rain came. Just in the nick of time. Our parched land & parched people received a respite from the searing heat & drought.Thanks God.