Sighhhhh. A sigh of pure relief and a bit proud of myself (a good proud). I had gotten everything into only two suitcases - hence the (proud) sigh of relief. I had it all packed ready to leave for our trip to IRL. This was on Wed. of last week, the 17th, and plans were to leave in just a few hrs. A few last minute errands to take care of - take the dog to Wendyns, stop at the bank, should I or shouldn't I stop at the Dollar General for a few extra gifts, just in case........ naaahhh, don't think I will. Home again. Phone rings just minutes after walking in the door. "Sit down," says the caller. Abigail. Me: "Why, what's up?" Ab: "Ivan just cut his finger off." Oh. my. word. !!!  What to do. What to do?   Phone calls to make, let the children know. What about our trip? Have to let the other couple, who was going w/ us, know what happened. Oh no, they may already be on their way to the a.port and they don't have a cell phone. Try 'em quick at home. sigh!!! Still at home. Told 'em to go on, we'll (hopefully) meet them at the ATL a.port as planned. (duh! very likely we won't be heading for ATL anymore that day and probably not at all. One just cannot think rationally at a time like that. (at least this "one" can't. maybe I'm the only "one".)) Call IRL to let them know what happened and that there's a possibility we won't be coming. Call the children - do that on the way. Oh no!!!!!! my cell has no charge!!!! Had it on the charger all night, it should be fully charged - what's the deal??? ugghhhh! Ab was here by that time. She suggested I better take our tickets info along in case we have to cancel or whatever before we get home again. The men had found the severed finger, so we assumed they'd be doing surgery to reattach it. Online - looking, looking for a phone #. nothing - only website info. I took what I had and decided to deal w/ that later.   We headed to the hosp., using Ab's phone to quickly make those calls to the children b4 they get the info another way .... like maybe a pic text.  Sure enough - rrrriiinnnggg (text message ring). Wen sending a pic of Ivan's hand. uggghhhhh!!!!! NOT a pretty pic! Oh no! he's probably sent it to all his sibs already. Ringgggg - call coming in from Loren just as I was dialing his number. "OK, what happened?" he asked, w/ no preliminaries. Sure enough, he'd gotten the pic text b4 I got him called.                     Finally got to the hosp. Back to the ER.  The dr. said reattaching the finger is not a good option as it'll always remain stiff and unusable w/ little, if any, feeli'g in it. After another hr or two, and appallingly, a nurse who didn't know how to bandage these fingers (literally! I couldn't blieve what I was seeing!, another nurse finally came in and showed her what to do, but ended up doing it herself), surgery was scheduled for the next morning to do all the whatevers, so home we went.              The other couple did go on to IRL. That's a whole 'nother story. (Suffice it to say, cell phones are not a luxury (you knew that, didn't you? ). They work very, very nicely for communication.)  They said they have a calling card and will call us once they get to the ATL a.port. We were then 'sposed to let IRL know whether they are coming on, or canceling too. (The IRL folks had to leave for the a.port by 6:30 am and really didn't want to make that trip if it wasn't necessary).  Well, by 11:00pm, we still hadn't heard back from them, and no one else (daus. at home) knew anything dif either. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:00pm, and we knew they should be well on the way if they decided to go on, so we assumed they went on. We found out through an e-mail from IRL the next morn. that they decided to continue the trip.                   .... and that's the way it was. ......... we can make our plans, but suddenly we realize the plans we've got in place are not God's plans. Plans can change so quickly. So we did just that - changed our plans to fit into God's plans.  I had to many times in the past wk think of the phrase "Disappointments; His appointments". So we accept that, and work through those disappointments as His appointments.                          Ivan had the surgery, and came home w/ a fat bandaged up hand. He has had very little pain, and has been going to work and doing stuff that he probably shouldn't be doing. But, he feels good and said he is not going to sit around if he is able to do stuff. We are going in this morning for a chkup, and probably a bandage change.                            The airlines said they will hold our tickets and we can use them later (hopefully at no extra cost - the guy said it shouldn't be, so we will see). We don't have any plans at this point but may go later in the summer, or early Fall. My biggest regrets were missing out on Jaybees yummy ice cream cones. (well, not really - had to insert that for the benefit of the IRL folks who may read this. haha)       Until later .......  and have a blessed ......................

So, what do I mean by that? Have you ever had a day when you felt just a bit blusey? Yeah. I know you have (if you're human anyway. ) Well, that's how I feel this morning. And it's not because of the weather - the weather is just right. Absolutely just right! And, it's not because Janae and her family were here over the weekend. We had a wonderful time. The children were not ready to leave, and this gramma was not ready to let them go. But, they went anyway.  Of course, that's helping to add to the blusey feeling. Could it be because of what I read in my devotions this morning, and how it hit me squarely on target? Probably. Partly, anyway. Sometimes I get so provoked at my Adamic nature. And this morning was one of those times. Had to do some major soul cleansing. (how often does a person gots to do that till she (me) has learned what she needs to learn???) But, that is not what's making me feel blusey. Soul-cleansing is good and refreshing (if we make/take good from it). Could it be b/c so many xanga folks are no longer posting, and I miss it? hmmmm. maybe. Yep, I do miss y'all. I think FB stole too many of us away. On FB you don't have to say a whole lot - just things like "I'm gonna take a nap", I'm fixing supper", stuff like that. Not very personal at all. But, I do enjoy all the connecting, etc. of "oldies" and "newies" that you come across. Nah, that's not making me blusey.      Maybe I need a caffeine boost - nope, already had that. Dark chocolate? That's it! "They" say a woman should have her chocolate, and dark is best for you. And I do l-o-v-e dark chocolate. Thanks to "they"! We gotta listen to "they", don't we? So, yes, that's what I need. ................. later - well, those chocolate chips were mighty good, but I can't say that I was just really "lifted". Probably what I really need is some dark chocolate Dove bars. ummmmm     Can't really say it's any of these mentioned things. They may add to it, but ....           Well, if it's not any of the above, what is it? I have my suspicions, and I am just not ready to face it. I've been ignoring "it", for some wks now, but it looks like it's catching up w/ me mighty fast. Not a good feeling! Looks like I may have to face another back surgery. Oh dear, I do believe that's what it is.   I had good success  from the surgery I had back in Sept as far as relieving the severe pain in my left leg. The lower back pain was far less intense too. But, it didn't cover everything else I was hoping it would cover. For about the last month or so I've felt it (the lower back pain, and pain down my right leg) getting worse little by little.  I thought if I ignore it, it'll surely go away. It hasn't.  I was told at the time of the surgery that I have 3 bad discs. They repair only one at a time, and I don't remember all those reasons for that, but they were legit reasons. They don't do fusions, so I don't know if that has anything to do w/ doing the repairs only one disc at a time, or what. They repaired the worst one and told me I'll probably have trouble with the other ones getting worse on down the road sometime. Well, I sure was hoping that down-the-road would take some years yet (many years!), but it looks like it's already here. This morning I can hardly move - feels like a nerve in my lower back is pinched between two rocks. So, I moveth carefully. Very carefully! I've been trying a different kind of treatment, hoping it would bring relief before I have to consider another surgery. The Dr. keeps telling me that I should be feeling better in a few wks, but that hasn't happened yet, so I waiteth............ I am so not good at waiting. I want it to happen yest., or sooner. Well, the good stuff, that is.               So now that I vented, maybe I can get on w/ the day.   Maybe I'm not even as blue as I thought I am.   Soooo, is this the lady who writes about "picking up and going again", and all that stufffffff???

Well, blessings to you on your day wherever you are, whatever you are doing..............

I decided to give my site a "new look" in honor of Valentine's Day being just around the corner.

"Love one another" - one of the first Bible verses I was taught. (Sure wonder why Mom thought I needed to learn that one. My sis just younger than I (notice, no name mentioned), was the one who should have learned it first! I bet her fingers are already racing across her keyboard giving me the "what for". heeheeha)

Anyway, I was thinking on that simple verse, and thinking how love is shown. Words are nice to hear, but words don't mean a whole lot if action doesn't follow somewhere along the line. Action with warmth to it. Sometimes action follows because it comes naturally for the other individual. Sometimes action follows (only) if you've done something nice for the other. Sometimes you can do and do for another and neither words nor action come through, and you wonder, how can I get this friendship to be - just be? Sometimes an individual is nice, but there's little warmth there, just a tolerating kind of "nice". How I hate that. I like to feel warmth, real warmth, from the other individual. Not just a superficial "oops,-someone-might-be-looking" 'nice', but with the warmth that exudes from some people no matter what. But then that's life, isn't it? We have all kinds and somehow, that makes the world go 'round. Huh? does it? or do we work with what we've got to work with and make the bestest of the situation. We should. We really should. That was Jesus' way. Well, whatever our situation is, or isn't, no matter how we are being treated, or not treated, it is still our responsibility to show love as we'd like to have shown to us. Not always an easy task, but do it anyway. "Love one another, for love is of God. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is pefected in us. He/She who dwells in love, dwells in God, and He in him/her."  Now, will I remember this???

 Love is an action word. No matter what. 

Have a blessed .............