It’s been a quiet day at Shady Acres. We came home and ate a quick lunch, and then Middle Daughter and Eldest Granddaughter cleaned up the kitchen while I sat on my chair and talked to my sister, Alma. I’m feeling like I’m short on family contact these days except for the people who go in and out of our house, and it was a comfort to me. My out of state offspringin’s and grandchildren are strangely silent, and there has been a lot of clamor from some of the noises that sit heavy on my heart, causing me to feel more than a little GRUMPY.
I’m not allowed to be grumpy. It’s not that someone has told me that I’m not allowed, but rather that I’ve learned that when this restless, vague irritation puts a foot down in my life, I’m going to do and say things that I’ll regret. I’m going to confuse people I love, who scramble to try to make me happy again but don’t really understand what in the world has happened. And, I also know that it’s time to do some heart work, and to be specific about realigning this heart with gratefulness.
There has been much to be happy for. For one thing, unlike most of the rest of the population, I happen to like rainy days. I don’t like when storms hurt or displace people, and I’ve been very intentional about praying for the children and the elderly and the handicapped who may be suffering in the weather and who are at the mercy of other people. But rain on my roof, and dripping off the trees, seeing the pouring rain like a grey skirt sweeping over the lawn, and hearing thunder — well, that’s my kind of day! So these past weeks, when I’ve prayed for all who have been adversely affected, it’s been nice to also thank God for these days that I truly do enjoy. I mean, if we are going to have them anyway, I might as well be thankful for them.
Another thing that I’m very grateful for is God’s protection over people I love. On a dark and rainy Sunday morning, when Hospice nurse, Middle Daughter, was on her way to a death in Selbyville, a large, black dog was suddenly directly in her path. She lost control upon hitting it, hit a mailbox, and there was considerable damage to her trusty Toyota Matrix. There was also a very dead black dog, with no collar or identification of any kind. The police were kind, her father came quickly and brought her and the car home, the insurance adjuster was delightful, and the car should be done tomorrow in time for her to go to work. This is all a major blessing. Between hydroplaning and downpours and other dangerous scenarios, our Hospice Nurse Daughter has been kept from bodily harm through the many miles that she has traveled.
There have been happy times of celebrating birthdays this week. Certain Man’s sister, Lena has been here for about six weeks, and his sister in law, Ruby came to Delaware for Grandparents’ Day at GMS. Ruby’s son, Daniel’s nephew, Weston, and his sweet wife, Stephanie, combined three birthdays into one grand celebration, and we were fed royally and enjoyed a great time together with good friends and family. Then this morning, my Aunt Dottie was honored at a “Glorified Coffee Bar” for her ninetieth birthday. 90 years! Wow! She is still a classy, beautiful lady, with life experiences behind her that have made her what she is today, and it is easy to love her. She is well worth celebrating, and it was a grand time together.
Anyhow, I should do this a whole lot longer, but I am truly feeling a whole lot happier. I have a lot of things that could have happened that I’m mighty happy didn’t. There are some (well, okay, a LOT of) things that I wish had happened, and didn’t. I’m still praying for some big things that should happen, at least in my humble opinion, but even if these things that seem so imperative to my happiness don’t come to pass, I will not only praise Him, but I purpose to trust Him.
Delaware Grammy 