What Really Matters-A lesson from Kate Dibos

My job is 45 minutes from where I live so, over the last 12 years at this job, I have made few friends. I don't belong to a department that socializes like the English and Art Departments I belonged to in the past and, as a counselor, I am rather isolated from the rest of the school. So, the few friends I have made mean a lot to this social human being.

I heard today that one of them who just retired last year to do fabulous things, travel to exotic places, and spend quality and quantity time with her seven children and multiple grandchildren, will have her dreams dashed. Kate has cancer and was told this week that there is nothing more to do. I don't know Kate very well-enough to find her amazing, an artistic English teacher who brought goats into the classroom to bring the Odyssey alive-and trust me, I've taught the Odyssey-it would take a goat to give it life. She was a teacher who taught outside the box and the love of her students was as apparent as bees legs covered in pollen. They could not help but be attracted to the joy she exuded, the energy that radiated from her, the thoughtfulness that touched your heart like a lap from an affectionate puppy. I know enough about her to know that she is one of those people whose life cannot help but make an imprint on yours like a thumbprint in soft butter if you are lucky enough to cross her path.

I am learning to breath in life slowly and hold it till my lungs explode. Kate and I are the same age, even the same month-I believe I am a few days older. Hearing this kind of news makes the disappointments I have had recently, trivial. I believe in miracles and am praying one for dear Kate. But in the meantime I plan to keep breathing slowly. I am looking forward to heaven but would like to enjoy my granddaughter a little bit more here on earth. Kate took the time to care about others-I have the note cards and book that she gave to me for encouragement to prove it. Those are the things that are important-not what you gather, but what you scatter-Kate is a messy, she scatters everywhere.

A Manna Sandwich

I almost didn't go to the "How to do a devotional Class" yesterday. my pulled muscle in by upper back is knifepoint painful. However, my friend the teacher, Lisa Story, promised me a heating pad. What a great 3 hours. I have been told for years that a devotional time was important in the morning-and, for years I have faithfully done a devotional of some type in the morning. However, I don't always find that time as fruitful as it should be. 4:30 am is not the best time for a 10pm person.

Lisa taught the ladies gathered in her cozy livingroom, in front of the fire with steaming mugs of caffein in their hands, how to build a manna sandwich. What a great technique-easy to do, understandable-I think my devotional time will come to life. Thank-you Lisa for using your gift of teaching to help your friends walk closer to Jesus.

How to: List who God/Jesus is in the passage, 2nd column list what he does, 3rd column contains what you learned about you or others in passage, then lastly-how it applies. Overall, attitude is the most important. Bon Appetite!

Quilting-heart's desire

My husband says "quilting is done by chubby old ladies, and I don't see you as an old lady". Well, thank-you I think. Although his comment is totally unfounded, he holds to his perspective and, although I have shown him numerous "young" quilters, his mind is made up. I am finished trying to convince him otherwise-I will just continue to enjoy my old, new found passion.

I have always loved to sew. I made many of Greg's shirts in the 70's, every family member an Emily Barnes "Quilt in a Day" log cabin quilt-countless pillows-and a doorway heat blocker. I had just finished taking another quilting class when I started back to school for my degree and a working with paycheck life took over. I had English papers in my lap to replace the quilt frame. I retire in 3 months to the day. My old passion is resurfacing-now to get my Greg to understand my need for a pretty expensive sewing machine-a Bernina 730 is my heart's desire but God will have to make a way. Retail 6,000.00 dollars. My budget is closer to 2,500.00. I have never bought a sewing machine (except for the 10.00 Brother found at a garage sale). I am using the portable Singer my mom bought me in 1962 and it runs fine. However, I hope to be sewing for the next 15 years so I would like a machine to see me through and allow me to do art quilts and embroidery. Here's hoping and praying and thanking Jesus ahead of time.

Tea With Thee

What a fabulous day. It was hectic and definately some things to change for next year, but it was amazing to watch the little germ of an idea come to fruition after nine months of developing. 212 tickets were sold, all 23 of the tea cozies were sold, the quilt was raffled for 430.00 and the place was beautiful. A lot of work but all of it fun. Over 5,000.00 raised for the pregnancy center and 2,300.00 for The Children of Promise shelter in Tijuana. God brought every detail together and blessed every aspect of our efforts. It was wonderful to get to know the ladies from the other 4 churches better-how fun to do a group project. How good it feels to know lives could be changed through a small group's efforts. Time well spent.

Tea Cozies Anyone?

I am up to my eyebrows in tea cozies. When we started planning "Tea With Thee" nine months ago, I thought it would be just wonderful to have a Tee Cozy for silent auction on all 35 tables. One of my bright ideas that I get on a regular basis. I work a full time job and teach a college class and am involved in the prayer quilt ministry and have two other small ministries and have let go our housekeeper and . . .when did I think I would get these cute little blankets for pots done? So far I have 15 done and have downsized my original plan to 25 tables with cozies. Today I am going to blast out 5 I hope. These things are technical. Triple layers with French seams and gussets. I found the original in a tea shop in Seattle-had to buy it for 34.00 to get the pattern (killed frugal me) so now part of me says you need to start a tea cozy ETSY business to make the cost worthwhile and the other part of me silently commits the first part to the looney bin. Being inactive makes you 50% more likely to have a heart attack. I hope my heart holds out until these cozies are done. I sure hope people bid on them, if not-ETSY business here we come:)

Jumping or Flying: a point of view

I retire in three months and three and a half weeks. At times I am almost giddy with the thought of days spreading out like spilled honey in front of me. No deadlines, no forty-five minute commute, no lines of needy students in front of my door like hungry birds waiting for wiggling worms, no office, no administrators with fingers in air feeling for the wind of security. In another breath it feels like jumping off a cliff into obscurity, no calendar, no appointments to keep, no brainstorming, no colleagues, no professional title-although, I guess, grandma is a professional title:)

Who will I be? Feels a little like the sixties when I was trying to "find myself". Now I am in my sixties- finding myself all over again. I am so glad Jesus knows who I am no matter what I am doing or being.

Christmas with Ava

How can one 23 pound little human who can't walk, talk or feed herself knock the stars out of alignment, capture all the hearts around her in her small fist, and cause grown, educated humans with the power of choice to act like ninnies to gain the attention of the little manipulator? Our new grandaughter held a command performance for the four days of our visit in the pacific northwest. She is the most amazing creature. A charmer, a ruler, a commedian and a trickster. I can not stand being this far from her presence.

A New Start for the 63rd time

January 1 is always a new start. We are programmed by our calendar, unfortunately, by Valentine's Day the resolutions are repealed, and the commitments contained in a list somewhere in a new journal-I have many. This year I make only 1 commitment-not to add anything to my life that has not been thoroughly prayed over. I don't care how intriguing it sounds-NOT ONE THING DONE SPONTANEOUSLY! I would also commit to removing a few things but they will fall off naturally as they are completed.

That will naturally allow more time for devotions, prayer, writing, excercise, organization, scrapbooking and quilting. I am not making a list or a resolution to do anything-only to feel badly later when I have "failed" again. I will just Not make my life busier than it already is without making sure the "thing" is from my Daddy.

Amen