NOT MY BLOG

The following is copied from a commencement address; wish they were my words!

Get a life.   A real life, not a manic  pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger  house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if  you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of  salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red tailed hawk circles over the water or  the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a  Cheerio with her thumb and first finger.

Get a life in which you  are not alone.   Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work.  Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter.

Get a life in which you are generous.   And realize that life is the best thing ever,   and that you have no business taking it for granted.   Care so deeply  about its goodness that you want to spread it around.   Take money you would have spent on beers and give it to charity.   Work in a  soup kitchen.   Be a big brother or sister.   All of us want to  do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.  It is so easy to exist instead of to  live.

I learned to live many years ago.   Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that,  if I had my druthers, it would never have been changed at all. And  what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give  some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly.    And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had  learned.  By telling them this:

Consider the lilies of  the field.  Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear.  Read in the backyard with the sun on your face.   Learn to be happy.   And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.

PSALMS 116:15

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalms 116:15  

Have you ever experienced the final dying process of a friend or relative?  It can be a special experience, and it is humbling.   Certainly, a natural, progressive death is better to be a part of than a traumatic one.  You get to "say your good-byes" and anything else you might need to express.  You may get a chance to make some arrangements.   

 We have a good friend who is in the final process of dying. He has been ill for more than a year.  Most likely he will be gone in a day or two.  The illness (ALS/Lou Gehrigs Disease) is fatal - no treatment is available.  We have watched the progression of the disease in his body;  Everyone knew this time was certain.   While it is hard, it is also unique to observe the process.     Our daughter in law, Lindsay is expecting our third grand-baby in May. They've know the fact for just about six months.  The events leading up to a birth are falling into place with each trip to the doctor.  Finally, there will be a struggle, some pain, and a new little person will begin  life on planet earth, loved and nurtured by a waiting family.
Our dying friend, Melvin Rainey, is actually in a birth process because he is a Christian.  He is also in the process of entering a new world, Heaven.  He will be eternally with God the Father and Jesus the Son.  He is experiencing pain and struggle. People around are anxious, constantly checking, wanting to help.  Just as we see progress and change in Lindsay's body, we also see change in Melvin's body.  Both are miraculous, mysterious events to be cherished. 
Just as we have experienced birth we will also experience death;  when and how is the only unanswered question.   Whether it's a new baby boy or a death, preparation is essential!Wishing you blessed assurance, Dorothy

 

TRYING TO FLY

My personality trait is sanguine/mixed with something else.

SANGUINE: Light hearted, fun, a people person, a peace maker, enjoys children, spontaneous, scatter brained, impulsive, doesn't finish what they start, may avoid facing problems, takes on more than they have time for. (I'm thankful for the something else, which I've forgotten!)

That said, I will bare a few more questionable traits. Several years ago I signed up on the FLYLADY web page. (If you don't know about that, go there and check it out.) The main goal is to motivate folks to keep their homes clutter free and form good habits. I need that discipline 24/7. In keeping with my sanguine-ness, I am no longer active on the web page, but the theory is still very much on my mind. Mind you, I didn't say the theory is in my feet and hands....

Today I have been working in the back/room/cave because I am getting rid of the ugly desk and replacing it with a double lateral file. I came across this article from FLYLADY and am excerpting from it. Probably it fits with more than just Moi.

Dear Friends: Clutter has a way of creeping into our homes when we least expect it. We are notorious for holding on to things that we might need one day. As a result of this hoarding our homes become garages for holding on to these mundane things.

One time we (FLYLADY) got a testimonial from one of our members who had been living in an 800 sf home. She felt suffocated. When she got rid of her clutter, the family found room to live even in a small home. They didn't have to move into a large place just so they would have a place for all their stuff!

What do we do with all of our clutter? It takes over our home and when that gets full we start filling up the garage, basement, attic and then the outside storage building(s). Not only is our clutter stealing our precious living space, it is taking our hard earned money because we rent storage buildings!

We shop, we go to estate/garage sales and bring home other people's clutter, satisfying the clutter's insatiable appetite. Homes were not build for this!

Don't allow your clutter to steal your life and your home. . .(end) .

One of FLYLADY'S mantras is to spend 15 minutes at a time working on one thing (You can do anything for 15 minutes)! If I had been consistent with decluttering back in 20??, I would have less stuff and probably not be tempted to get more stuff/junk!

I am committed more than ever to get started again on this process!

Dorothy (gave up on normal) Welch

HOLY MOLY - I'm About To BLOG!!

I've been curious about blogging, mostly because my son and DIL do it well. I read links on their blogs and am impressed by the creativity of their growing-up-friends. So not to let those "kids", many of whom I once questioned the brains and character of, get the most of me, HERE I GO, WHEN I SHOULD BE RUNNING THE VACUUM AND THROWING OUT CLUTTER. (talk about questionable brains...).

Amarillo has finally had a good weather day so I have been out and about a good part of it. The best part was going to my chiropractor. Maybe the next best part will be when my brother (Leslie Newsom) gets here and we'll probably go out to eat.

John starts chemotherapy tomorrow (1/12/10) for recurrent Non-Hodgkins-Lymphoma. He will have 2 days this week, then break for 3 weeks, then repeat for a total of three times, then have a CTscan to see what has been accomplished. So, life is kind of on hold till then. Not really, we (I?) just think we want a glimpse into the next twelve months. God holds the only TRUE CRYSTAL BALL and He asks me to be faithful to keep his word and trust Him:

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

I have never doubted God's love for me or His power to work as He chooses. I trust Him totally. My testing will come; I believe He will give me grace for that day.

There's no guessing how often I'll come back to this page; hopefully I will have significant enough wisdom to not waste your time or mine!
Dorothy (I've found my keys, now where's my car?) Welch