We are at Elevation 486, an upscale restaurant “Food and Spirits for the New West.” We had a delicious dinner and have enjoyed beautiful 80 degrees lowering into the 70s as we ate, drank, visited and watched the sunset from our patio seats.
Come enjoy it vicariously with us.
We had a good night’s sleep after that beautiful meal.
Now we’re ready to continue my birthday week of celebrating!!
Good morning, my friends. Have a beautiful day. We’re headed home!
See ya tomorrow.
There’s a time for rest
Clouds gather fiercely outside
Enjoy the sofa!
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How inviting is your sofa on a cloudy day
with rain threatening and thunder clapping?
I’m headed there now.
See ya tomorrow
On this Monday following Easter, I am revisiting some of my old blogs.
The emergence of spring in the air and the “drive” to get some spring cleaning done has me reflecting on life and its purpose.
Some of my newer followers may not have seen this thoughtful post. Please click below and contemplate with me this idea: via Be Led, Not Driven
A New Name
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God gave Peter a new name:
“And on this Rock I will build
My Church, ” Jesus declared.
Peter must have been thrilled.
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My husband calls me Rocki.
It’s not cuz I’m a rock!
It’s cuz like a rocket
I used to disappear before he could talk!
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Affectionately, he changed it
When I slowed down and waited
Until he got his thoughts out
And acknowledged what he’d stated.
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So now when he calls me Rocki,
I know our house is built
Upon the Rock of Christ’s command:
“Know I am God, be stilled!”
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………. I know I am the:
R ichly blessed
O bedient
C hild of the
K ing who
I nhabits & Inspires me!
Do you have a new name
born out of your
changed identity
and behavior?
Happy 90th birthday, Erma!
Don’t let anybody tell you
You have “Lived a Good Life.”
You tell ’em, “I still am Living it!!”
I had a friend tell me yesterday
That her 88-year-old mom
“Has lived a good life.”
She will soon enter a nursing home.
I have several friends who are
In the Manor, our local spot
For Senior Care – a Nursing Home.
But, they don’t need to stop living!
One of the dearest residents there
Was my friend, Gloria.
She was unable to live alone
For health reasons, but she LIVED!
I’ve told you about Gloria before.
She was my “Angel with invisible wings.”
Her heart stretched miles
With warm smiles, loving and wise.
This morning we had a Tea Party
Here in Ennis at a local church.
One of my senior friends who is
“Living the Good Life” was there.
Anita is a Senior Companion
Who shovels walks and works tirelessly to
“Help All Those Old Folks!”
She’s at least ten years older than they are!
I wanna be “Anita” when I grow up…
Helping all those old folks!
She’s in her mid-nineties,
And she is “Living the Good Life!”
A few years ago we celebrated
My friend, Carol’s, 90th birthday.
She is “Living the Good Life”
At the Manor right now. Still charming!!
My friends, Elaine & Bev, celebrated
“The Good Life” at our annual
Christmas Party last December.
Both in their nineties, still vibrant!
This dear lady is unknown to me,
But her adorable picture is available
To help folks like me aspire to
“Keep on Living the Good Life.”
Don’t let someone tell you
“You’ve lived a Good Life!”
You tell ’em loud and clear,
“I’m still living it!”
God bless you.
Keep helping those “Old Folks!”
Stay vibrant!!
It’s easy to get caught up
In the ABBAABBA CDECDE
Rhyme Scheme and Rhythm
Of the Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet
That I have written below.
Petrarchan is fun!
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I chose the Italian Sonnet as an exercise today
Because I do love Italy!
My maiden name is DeAngeles, afterall …
“Of Angels” – always seeking higher ground!
I remember a “step to higher ground”
My husband and I took a few years ago:
To this beautiful city of Venice …
A step out of reality
Into a dream world
Where only the blessed tourists and
The residents struggling to make
A livelihood seemed to venture out.
Here’s my step into the higher ground of poetry,
Trying my hand at a Petrarchan:
What’s Your Next Step?
A text from a friend of more than fifty years:
“What’s your next step?” she wrote to ask.
I’m retired, I thought, find sunshine in which to bask.
But, though she’s my age, I sensed some tears,
And figured she’d missed some steps in her latter years.
I wondered if she had some sort of task,
A favor perhaps, but her question was a mask,
Designed to seek help while hiding her fears.
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So I waited awhile to send her a reply,
Didn’t want to be flippant or seem like a jerk.
“What step do you have in mind?” I inquired.
She picked up the phone, and I heard her cry,
“I just lost my job. I can’t live without work.”
What help could I be to a friend who’d been fired?
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It was fun to try and create a “Petrarchan.”
You should try it!
This was a fiction account,
With a shred of truth;
For indeed I am blessed
With health and security
And a choice of next “steps,”
While I know friends who
Indeed are not and cannot!
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Who will you reach out to today?
And will you try a Petrarchan?
Fish the Madison
It’s perfect in God’s Country
Come to Montana
We love living here
Where deer and antelope roam
It’s Heaven on Earth
How do you feel about the place where you live?
Live Well
Love Much
Laugh Often
What have you done recently that demonstrates
your desire to LIVE WELL intentionally?
Who have you loved recently that demonstrates
your desire to LOVE intentionally?
When have you laughed last in a way that demonstrates
your desire to LAUGH, living in JOY, intentionally?
Ponder these questions – and make this
Happy Thursday a day you can answer
these questions – easily and intentionally!
Riding the BART
That is our son there
Leaning endearingly on
His wife, Monika.
.
Not a simple ride –
It is a happy BART train
Headed for ‘Frisco
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Doesn’t it look like
A day in San Francisco
Would be quite a blast?
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Wait for me, dear ones.
I just want to come along –
Oh, for this one day.
Christmas shopping in
That beautiful place
Sounds like Paradise.
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But maybe I should
Spend my money locally.
That’s what merchants say.
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Is your shopping done?
I have barely just begun.
What gift do you want?
Are you afraid of death?
“Nope!” my friend answered with assurance.
Then yesterday, I had an ultrasound. The radiologist not only took a million pictures, but then she called in her senior partner and asked for her assistance.
Oh my! What were they seeing? How many angles did the image need?
By the way, it was my kidneys and bladder areas, not something less complicated – like my hand.
Later in the afternoon I received a call from the medical center. It didn’t surprise me when they asked me to schedule an appointment ASAP for an MRI. They needed a more definitive picture of whatever is in there. Something that’s not supposed to be, of course.
Would your mind do what my mind did under the circumstances?
Would the big “C” word enter your mind? And would you contemplate your own mortality?
I did – and I am!
When I go to the medical center tomorrow and they receive the MRI results, and they say, “Your days are numbered. You are full of cancer,” would I panic?
No!
Why not? Well, all our days are numbered, aren’t they? Nobody’s going to get out of here alive.
Heavenly Sky
But, would I like to live a healthy 100 years
and then die peacefully and unexpectedly
in my sleep one night?
Sleeping couple
You bet!!
But, what are the chances? Pretty slim!
However, in today’s world, a person who has enjoyed good health and is living a healthy life style should expect to live at least into his/her 80’s. Don’t you agree?
Old Lady
After all, my parents lived into their late 80s, and so did both my in-laws. Genetically and socially, I expect to do the same. Wait, though… I’m not quite 80 yet.
How would I feel about an eminent death sentence?
How would YOU feel? Have you faced such a challenge and overcome it?
My husband, Bob, was diagnosed with prostate cancer about a dozen years ago.
First step: We called my older cousin who is a Prostate Cancer Survivor “Poster Child.” We received tips from him. He recommended we get on line and learn everything we could about the disease and the treatment options. Go to renowned specialists (he named two). Get a second opinion. Keep a positive outlook. Pray. Share. Ask friends and family to pray with you. Seek professional advice. Research your options. Be your own best advocate. Remain positive.”
Second step: We did all those things, and Bob chose cryotherapy – he had his prostate frozen – and he is “in remission.” Cancer free – and living the “Golden Years” with me!
If I should learn that my days are short, I would miss my loved ones here on earth, of course. But would I be afraid of dying? As my friend said when I asked him that question, I can emphatically say, “Nope!”
I know where I’m going. I know my Redeemer lives and has a place reserved for me in Heaven. And, I pray you BELIEVE, too. Then, we can be assured we will see each other in Paradise and we will enjoy eternal joy together.
Beautiful sky
Flying High
See you there someday …
Hopefully not too soon!
Hugs to You !!
Inspire to Love
Let the SonShine!
You inspire me to respond
Learning to Live; Living to Learn; Learning to Love; Living in Love
Written
on April 22, 2019