More of my opinion.....

So this weekend a tape surface that showed Donald Trump speaking very lewdly and crassly about women.  What's so surprising about that?  Ever since he entered the presidential campaign, he has been saying horrible things.  Read Matthew 12:34 - that describes Trump.

Christian friends of mine say "well, Bill Clinton did much worse."  That's like when a child is accused of doing something bad and he says "but Billy did much worse" -- it's just trying to deflect that guilt and it's childish.  And moreover, Bill Clinton is not running for president.  Period.

Other Christian friends of mine still will vote for Trump because they hate Clinton so much.  Yes she has done things that she shouldn't have, but she has taken responsibility for them.  But some people would rather have a president who has no class, no experience in government, no moral compass, no human decency, a history of dishonesty in business, a history of sexual mistreatment of women; his entire history is of serving only himself - they would rather have him than have than individual who has experience in government, who thinks before she speaks, who has worked in public service all her adult life, has a great deal of experience with leaders of many other countries  -- because they have believed all the hateful things that have been said about her Trump and other people in the Republican party - comments that were not examined to see if they were truthful.  Her transgressions, if weighed against those of  Donald Trump, would pale in comparison to his. 

Wake up people -- stop defending someone whose life has shown complete disregard for rights of others, for morality, for truth, for service to others, and for just plain honest living!

I have to speak out

I've not posted anything for a long time - but the time has come where I have to publish my opinions about the current presidential race.

I cannot understand why anyone, especially anyone who is at all intelligent, would vote for Donald Trump.  Here are some of the reasons I say this:

He calls Hillary Clinton "crooked Hillary" when his history is full of fraud and dishonesty.  Examples:  During the time the Cuban Embargo was in force and no one was supposed do business with Cuba or spend money in Cuba, Trump did just that.  The invoices for his attempt to join in business with Cuba have been shown on TV, and they are legitimate.

On almost all of his buildings, his subcontractors were not paid the contracted amount, and were pressured to accept cents on the dollar.  This was his regular business practice with "the little guys".

He had six of his businesses declare bankruptcy (he disputes this, but the evidence is there) and he walked away with millions while the people who worked for him got stiffed, receiving pennies on the dollar if anything at all.

He has insulted just about everybody:  veterans (John McCain was not a hero???  Does he not know McCain was given the opportunity to be released from the VietNam prison, but he chose to stay till all his men were released, going through many years of torture. 

He insulted the Latinos; the Muslims; the African American population, women (there are so many examples of all this that I won't list them here).  He says he didn't say the things he's accused of but it's all on video tape - he did say those things on national TV. 

He always lies.  He insists he didn't say something -- but it was recorded and there is proof that he said many things that he denies he said.  And then he has the gall to call Hillary Clinton a liar.

He calls Hillary a fraud (and many other names) but never shows any evidence.

He constantly asks to see Hillary's 33,000 emails -- What on earth does he think is in them?  She was Secretary of State for 4 years, traveling to 102 countries, and anyone in that position would send and receive many emails.  She has apologized for having a home server - what more can she do?  She has said if she could re-do it, she would do it differently.

He has called Hillary horrible names, inciting his followers to says things like "kill her"....that is not presidential behavior.

He has not shown the kind of temperament a President should have.  Example:  Barack Obama has gone through almost 8 years of constant criticism, much of it based on untruth, like the whole 'birther" thing, yet President Obama never called the critics bad names, or criticized them in return, he always maintained dignified, professional, presidential manners.

Trump even suggested that his "Amendment 2" people do something about Hillary -- trying to incite an attack on her.

Trump tells so many lies about Hillary's policies; example:  he has often said "she will take away your guns, she will do away with Amendment 2".  That is a complete lie.  She is in favor of having stricter background checks to keep guns from terrorists or mentally ill people.  She has never said she would do away with Amendment 2 or take everyone's guns away.  Trump is a liar.

He accuses Hillary of not having the stamina to be President.  As Secretary of State she traveled to 102 countries and was able to maintain her stamina and her ability to be an effective Secretary of State.

Hillary has spent her adult life in public service - especially working for the good of children everywhere.  Trump has spent his entire life in trying to make more money and more money in whatever way he can without going to jail.

Trump constantly criticizes the Clinton Foundation which has actually done a lot of good in the world.  Now the truth is out about the Trump Foundation -- the money supposedly donated for charity was used to buy a $12,000 painting of himself, and pay thousands of dollars of his legal expenses.  It also comes out that the Trump Foundation never did the proper registration with the State that is required of all Foundations.  What a fraud he is!!!

I could go on and on......  But basically, he is the most unprepared, undisciplined, dishonest, lying, dangerous person who has ever run for president in our country.  That's why Putin wants him to win.

The day before Easter

It's spring, it's the day before Easter -- but when I look out the window I see new snow on the ground and on the trees.  Yes - it snowed last night.  In February and the first weeks of March, we had many warm days, in fact this past Monday and Tuesday the temps were in the 70's......and then came Wednesday and the worst blizzard we have had in a long time.  It reminded me of the blizzards we experienced in South Dakota in my childhood.  We got almost a foot and a half of snow - hard to tell exactly because of the drifts.  Even the airport had to close, and that is very unusual because it was designed to stay open in all kinds of weather.  Traffic on the highways was at a standstill - some people were stranded on the roads for over eight hours.  Fortunately, we were at home - but the electricity was off.  You never realize how much you depend on electric power till you don't have it.  I had just started doing the laundry when it went off.  No lights, no heat, no TV, no computer (thankfully I do have a tablet that doesn't run on electricity).  We own a generator, but the blizzard was so bad, Paul couldn't go outside to get it out from the garage and hook it up to the house -- till after 4:00 when the wind finally died down.  Our house stayed pretty warm though so we didn't suffer very much.  We have a woodburning fireplace, but because the weather had been so warm, we no longer had firewood in the house, but after the blizzard ended, Paul brought in lots of wood and the fireplace fire soon made us very cozy. The electricity finally came on at abut 7 pm.  Then on Thursday and Friday much of the snow melted because the Colorado sun came out in all its glory.  You wouldn't think living a mile closer to the sun makes much difference, but the sunshine here gets very intense very quickly.

So without electricity, we couldn't listen to the news on TV, till I remembered I had a little radio that ran on batteries.  The good thing was we didn't have to listen to all the political trash.  This campaign  for president has been just awful -- so much mudslinging, so much hatred, so much vulgar talk -- and it all can be traced back to Donald Trump - who is the frontrunner on the Republican side.  What on earth is wrong with Republicans for backing a man like that!!!!  No matter how much he brags about himself, the truth is that he is in no way qualified to be President of the greatest country in the world.  For that matter, none of the candidates really appeal to me but no one is as slimy as Trump.  All my friends - both Republicans and Democrats - say they can't in good conscience vote for any of the candidates.  I do like John Kasich, but I refuse to vote Republican because of the very disrespectful way the Republicans treated President Obama.  It's to be expected that the people in Washington as well as the average citizen will disagree with a president who is of the other party, and that's ok, but that doesn't mean it's ok to treat him with such disrespect, accusing him of things he never did, obstructing everything he's trying to do for our country, always being against him no matter what -- all to the detriment of our country.  In my 80 years, no other president has been treated as badly as this president has been treated; is it because of his race?  For example, Marco Rubio in his campaign speeches often said that Obama wants to take people's guns away, that he wants to eliminate the second amendment -- and that's completely untrue.  Pres. Obama has never said that; he would like to find a way to keep mentally ill people from getting guns and find a way to stop these senseless killings, but he has never tried to do away with the Second Amendment -- and Rubio constantly accused him of that.  And Trump has told even more lies about him.  Of course, Trump lies about everybody other than himself.....And then they all promise to eliminate Obamacare their first day in office, which is ridiculous because this health plan has made it possible for millions to have healthcare who could never have it before.  Furthermore, since this healthcare is a law, a president cannot eliminate it -- a movement to strike that law down would have to start in Congress - and they've already tried, and it's even gone to the Supreme Court and been upheld.  People -- when politicians make promises like that -- think it through!!  Most of their promises cannot be believed!

OK, enough of that tangent.  Glad I got that out of my system for today. 
My cleaning ladies are coming this morning -- they are such a blessing, it makes my life so much easier.  They have been cleaning my daughter's house for more than 10 years, and now she is paying them to clean my house.  Thank you thank you thank you!

My least favorite presidential candidate

Unfortunately, my least favorite presidential candidate also happens to be the front runner on the Republican side.  How can so many people be so foolish as to be swayed by his stupid arguments!
These days there are lots of protesters at his rallies, and he calls them "thugs" and "hoodlums" and encourages his audience to be violent towards him.  The protesters that I've seen are women who were not acting in a threatening manner, and men who also were demonstrating peacefully.  And now this candidate says his right to free speech is violated!  What about the protesters?  Don't they have a right to free speech?  If this man becomes president, we are in for a terrible four or eight years, because he is doing exactly what Hitler did when he came into power in Germany in the early 1930's - if you don't believe me, just read some history. 

None of the other candidates have protesters at their rallies because they make sense when they speak!  They are speaking about their policies and their beliefs instead of insulting Mexicans, Veterans, African-Americans, Muslims, women and anyone else who might possibly disagree with this man.  He continually lies and twists the truth - and his followers believe him - just as the Germans believed Hitler.  He claims to be a successful businessman, but his past is full of failed businesses where he came out on top but thousands of others had to bear the brunt of his bankruptcies and failures and scams.  Don't believe me?  Read about "Trump University" for one thing.  And anytime someone doesn't do as he says, he threatens to sue - and of course he supports a huge block of lawyers that are lacking the same morals and ethics that this candidate is lacking.

Most of all, I can't imagine why any Christian would vote for him.  He claimed he was a church-going Christian -- but his record does not support that.  His life does not show the values of a Christian man who is trying to live a righteous life. 

I've heard so many of his followers say they like him because he is not "politically correct".  There is a huge difference between "not being politically correct" and being rude and mean and nasty and a liar.  Folks - just because Donald Trump says something, don't -- I repeat DO NOT assume it is the truth because most of the time, it isn't.

Watching a movie

An immoral, egomaniac who will stop at nothing to get his way gets to be president --- that's the kind of movie I'm watching, it's Season 3 of "House of Cards" from Netflix.  It's a very good movie but it is really scary because it's exactly what will happen if the current frontrunner on the Republican side becomes president.  I cannot understand why the people who like him so much don't see through all his lies and blustering and name calling and grandstanding.  He has not come out with any workable policies.  So he'll build a wall at the US/Mexican border and make Mexico pay for it???  Really?  When Mexican leaders have already said they would never pay for it - and this bozo candidate just says "oh yes they will".....  What's he going to do, declare war on Mexico???  His slogan "Make American Great Again" -- is such a joke.  America has never stopped being great!  If it wasn't great, how could someone like him become so rich and successful!  We all have more freedoms, personal wealth and a better quality of life than the majority of the people in the world.  We are so blessed!  And this candidate is trying to get us to hate our country and what it stands for.  Please people -- wake up and pay attention to the truth about this man!

At the game

Both of my grandchildren are very athletic, and we love going to watch their games.  In summer it's soccer for both of them, and in winter it's basketball.  My grandson plays in the league that includes his school and several other private schools andthe teams are 3rd and 4th graders.  He's in the 4th grade, but he's the shortest kid on the team, but that doesn't stop him.  He's very fast and very sly and does well.  At this age, they have a limit of 6 baskets per player and then they have to sit out the rest of the game.  He has scored out several times.  Last night was the final tournament game and we had fun watching him.

The other team came with 10 players so they were always able to put in 5 rested players; my grandson's team just came with 7 players, and they all got plenty of playing time.  Unfortunately, the other team won -- 12 to 10. 

Last week we watched my granddaughter's game; she's in the 5th grade, and is in a YMCA league, all 5th and 6th graders.  Her team lost last week, probably because the other team had 4 very tall 6th grade girls who were always able to steal the ball and make baskets.  But they still have fun.

Tomorrow a friend is celebrating her 100th birthday; there will be a special luncheon for her after the church service.  Her mind is still very alert, but her eyes are no longer very good.  I can hardly imagine all the changes she has seen in her 100 years. 

I'm planning to live another 20 years which would bring me up to 100, but of course -- I'm not the one that's in control!

This makes 7

Six of my friends have passed away since the middle of November, and this past Sunday we got word that my first husband died suddenly of a heart attack Saturday night.  He is #7, and I always heard that deaths just come in 3's. 

People who have never been divorced do not understand that a divorce decree does not cut off the emotions one or both of those married people had for each other.  In the case of my first marriage, I assumed we would be married for life, that we would be soul mates forever, but it was not to be.  But in spite of everything that happened, I still cared for him -- after all, he was the father of my child.  The last time I saw him was in April of 2003 when he came to Denver for our daughter's wedding; there really wasn't much time to talk, but we could very easily have had a very nice conversation, even though I really wanted to remind him of how much he hurt my daughter and myself.  All this time I had still been praying for him that he would return to faith in God, but I don't know that it ever happened.  Part of me was also hoping that at some time he would apologize for all he had done -- because he never once said he was sorry.  My daughter had the same feelings.  All her life she's been hoping that he would be the father she wanted -- and it never happened.  When she first heard that he died, she grieved, but soon that feeling was replaced by a feeling of freedom.  Now she no longer has to hope that he will be what she needs and be disappointed.  I also have that feeling of being free -- I no longer have to hope to hear him admit to his wrongdoings and say he's sorry..... 

"Vengeance is mine, says the Lord...."

Freedom of Speech

I'm very thankful that I live in a country where I can enjoy Freedom of Speech -- because today I'm going to give my opinions about something that is going on in our country.  That "something" is the presidential campaign.  The big story on the news last night was that Sara Palin has endorsed Donald Trump....Big Whoopee!!!!  I can't think of a less deserving person to endorse a less deserving candidate for president.  Don't people realize that a presidential campaign is a series of job interviews for the most important job in the world?  Why on earth would Republicans think that a muli-billionaire who has repeatedly declared bankruptcy (he says not, but it's indisputable - there is proof - just read the Jan. 17 issue of the New York Times), has no tact, is campaigning by calling everybody else terrible names, telling lies in such a way that his supporters believe them and in general being a total crude candidate, could be the leader of the free world.  It's a job that requires tact (he has none) and statesmanship (none of that either).  And now Sara Palin, who John McCain unleased on us in 2008 is joining the fight, no doubt hoping he'll choose her for his V.P.  Ms. Palin's ego is only matched by Mr. Trump's ego.....  She is the one that went to 5 colleges in 5 years to get a Bachelor's degree in journalism -- she is also the one who quit being governor of Alaska after less then 2 years on the job.  She is very good with the 'one-liners' and would probably be a good comedian, but other than that -- I'd rather not hear another word out of her mouth.  In 2008 someone actually told me she was more qualified to be president that Barack Obama.  To remind you - Mr. Obama was a professor of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, was voted into the Senate, knew how to think before he spoke and certainly had the bearing of a statesman.  Ms. Palin was a housewife let out of her cage onto an unsuspecting world; evidently not too bright if it took her 5 years to get a degree in journalism, of all things, which does not equip someone to be elected to high office.

These are my opinions and I'm entitled to them......  I am not a Democrat, but am registered as Unaffiliated, but this year all the options are very discouraging.  So far I haven't found any candidate that I could vote for.  All I am doing at this point if praying that somehow, God will bring something good out of this mess.

New Year's Eve

It's cold this morning, right now it's 11 degrees.  I just made several trips outside to the storage shed to bring in the boxes for the Christmas things, because today is clean-up day.  I almost didn't put up a Christmas tree because it is a lot of work for these 80-year-olds, but I'm glad I did because we really enjoyed it, and we had people over several times to help celebrate the season.  But now -- time to clean up!

This cold weather reminds me of growing up in South Dakota, walking to our country school in very cold weather, doing chores no matter what the weather was.  And then I lived in Winnipeg, Canada for 3 years and it was very, very cold there.  I didn't have a car, so I would take a bus to work -- first wait for the bus at the stop about a block from my house, then transfer buses on the corner of Portage and Main -- a 15 minute wait on the coldest corner in the city!  In a way winter in Winnipeg was like winter here -- the sun was usually shining in a cloudless sky so it would look beautiful outside, but it was really cold.  From there I moved to Madison, Wisconsin where we got lots of snow and cold weather.  And next I moved to Cleveland, Ohio where it was always gray and cloudy in winter.  I did not like Cleveland - either in winter or summer. 

But the thing is, when you live in these climates you adjust, you dress accordingly and you don't stop your life just because it's cold.  In Winnipeg little children would be playing outside every day, no matter how cold.  They would be totally bundled up so you'd just see their eyes and little nose, but they were having fun.  The older kids would be playing hockey in the streets, and even adults would be out with the curling brooms having on the ice and snow.  Tobogganing was popular.  It was a healthy way to live.

This weekend we will be getting warm temperatures again, the snow will melt and we'll be outside without coats.  That's how Colorado is.

2015 has been a good year for me.  I started January 1 with a resolution to lose weight, and to date I have lost 38 lbs and it wasn't even hard.  I still want to lose more because it feels so good to not carry excess weight around.  So my resolution for 2016 will be to continue with the weight loss, and also see about being able to walk better.  My arthritis has made it hard to do much walking, so I may have to see about consulting with a physical therapist or someone who knows what I should do.  Of course he'll just tell me to do exercises........

The day after the storm

About 8 inches of snow yesterday -- that's the verdict for where we live.  The sun is out this morning, but it will have to get busy to melt all of this white stuff this time!  I grew up in South Dakota where this would have been a typical winter day; I also lived in Winnipeg, Canada for three years where the winters were very cold......however, I much prefer Colorado winters where the cold and snow never last for very long.  So today it's a good day to stay inside!

It's snowing sideways

That's what they say here in Colorado when it snows and there's a strong wind.  Where I come from we called it a blizzard or a snowstorm.  It's been "snowing sideways" since about midnight, and most schools are closed today which I'm sure makes many children very happy. 

My friends and I had planned to drive to Longmont and Loveland today for some shopping in some new stores, but it's been postponed till next week some time.  I am perfectly content to stay inside all day.

This is what it looks like outside our house:

 

But the nice thing about Colorado is that tomorrow the sun will shine all day and most of this snow will melt away.  Solar power is great!

 

But my husband isn't at home -- he had an appointment to have his truck worked on today, so when I looked outside, I saw the tracks heading out the driveway.  With 4-wheel drive, it's not a problem.

 

Tonight is the next Republican debate......it's like watching a train wreck - I can't take my eyes off it!

A certain candidate is already boasting that he will be the winner - not only of this debate but also of the presidential election.  I think he is the definition of an egomaniac...he is a master of nastiness.  All I can say is "Lord have mercy!"

Two weeks till Christmas

I've been too busy to post anything the last few days, but it's been a very good busy-ness.  I am so very grateful that at the age of 80 I'm still able to be active and enjoy my family, friends and many activities.  Yesterday I went to church in the morning for the Bible study group, we are doing the Beth Moore study on I and II Thessalonions, and it is very good.  Then at noon, all the seniors started arriving for our Senior Faith and Fun Club Christmas party.  We first had a delicious catered meal, after which there were some presentations.  I was given a gift of a beautiful scarf because I've been publishing the newsletter for the club for seven years now.  After a short devotional, it was time for the white elephant gift exchange - this was done with a lot of laughter, especially when one of the ladies unwrapped her gift and it was a roll of toilet paper!  She was a really good sport about it and had fun with it -- and a few minutes later found out that there was a $20 bill wrapped up in it!  Then we all wished we had chosen that gift, but none of us wanted to steal it from her -- I guess we were all just too nice!

Monday was another good day.  I teach a Bible study group the first Monday of each month; I started this group in June of 2001 and we've been meeting together ever since and have really bonded as sisters in Christ.  This Monday we had a Christmas brunch and also a gift exchange and a time of singing carols and sharing memories.  It was a really good time together.

And then Wednesday was my Christian Women's Connection luncheon -- again we had great food and a wonderful speaker.  We used to have these luncheons every month, but the last few years we have had to change to every other month, simply because so many women went back to work or left for other reasons.  In October we had our annual "Country Fair" as a fundraiser for missions; we raised over $2,500! 

Oh yes, I must not forget about this past Sunday.  Our church has quite a large Deaf ministry; on Saturday they had their annual Christmas party but I wasn't able to attend because I had two other parties to go to, so I went to their Sunday School and their worship service on Sunday.  They have interpreters who speak the words out loud for those of us who are not deaf.  The speaker was a visiting Deaf evangelist who was born in Nigeria and raised as a Muslim.  He was very interesting.  He became a Christian after someone kept on telling him about Jesus and what really impressed him was that Jesus had risen from the dead, while the prophets of other religions stayed dead.  This group also presented me with a gift because I have been helping them for seven years.  I don't know American Sign Language, but I wish I did so I could communicate better with them.  We do have conversation with paper and pen.  If I thought I could do two things at the same time, I'd try to learn sign language, but I don't think that's possible....

Today I was at home all day doing laundry and making Christmas cards.  We are scheduled to get some snow tonight which is ok, because the last few days have all been very warm.  I was able to go to all my activities without a coat in the middle of December.  I would very much like to have some snow for Christmas, as long as the roads aren't too slippery so I can't do the things I want to do.

Now it's time to relax in my recliner; one of my favorite TV shows is on today, "Shark Tank".  There isn't much I watch on TV, but I always enjoy this one. 

A trip into outer space

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, has volunteered to send Donald Trump into outer space......I'll volunteer to light the fuses on the rockets......

Christmas Joy?

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy.....
That's what's written on all the Christmas cards...
Everyone tells you "Merry Christmas" (except now many are afraid to say the word 'Christmas')..
There are supposed to be many happy times of families happily getting together....

And this year, I am really feeling Christmas Joy.

But I remember many other years when there wasn't much joy in my heart.

I was raised by good, Christian parents, but my Dad could never wait till Christmas Day to give me my present (notice - singular -- one present) so about two weeks before Christmas, he would ask "do you want your present now?"  Of course I'd say yes, and he'd happily give me my one wrapped gift -- but on Christmas Day there would be nothing.  It would feel just like another day.

There was another Christmas, this one in 1968, when my then-husband, daughter and I flew home to be with both sets of parents, and when returning, I noticed a pair of women's boots in my husband's suitcase.....but...they weren't for me, they were for his girlfriend.  It was not a happy time.

The following year in December, I filed for divorce; my daughter and I flew from our home in Cleveland to start our new life in Omaha.  All just a few days before Christmas.  As my husband drove us to the airport, the song that was popular at the time "Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again" came on the car radio, and I started crying.  My husband chided me for crying, saying "there's nothing to cry about"....  Nothing?  The marriage that was supposed to be for life was ending, I was having to start a new life in a new city with no job and no money -- and there was nothing to cry about????  It was not a happy time.

But in 1971we had a pretty good Christmas.  My brother and his family, my daughter and I all were able to go home to the home of my parents in South Dakota for Christmas, and we had a really good time together.  Two weeks later my mother unexpectedly and suddenly died.  She was only 64 years old.  It was not a happy time.

1991 --- By now my daughter was married and living in Abilene, Texas, and I was living in the Denver, Colorado area.  I had no relatives in this city, and since moving here in September of 1988 because of a job transfer, had made some friends, but not really that many.  I knew my daughter couldn't come to see me for the holiday, and I couldn't go to see her or to see my Dad.  It promised to be a lonely day, so I checked around with the friends I knew to see if anyone else had nowhere to go.  I finally found four people and invited them to my place for Christmas.  We all tried to have a good time, but it wasn't like being with family.  But I comforted myself with the fact that at least I didn't spend the day by myself.  Two days later - December 27, my father suddenly died, and I drove to my home town in South Dakota for his funeral.  My brother, his wife, and three of his children as well as my daughter and her husband all also came for the funeral.  The night before the funeral, we all sat in the family room at the mortuary - and had a good time as a family.  This may seem strange - but we all knew that if my father, whose body was in the other room, would know we all were there and we were enjoying being together - he would be happy about it.  So it was a sad time -- and yet it was also a precious time. 

There have been many other Christmases when for one reason or another, I had to work at feeling joy on that day.  My daughter was only 3 1/2 when my first marriage ended, and for her sake I always tried to make Christmas a very special, happy time, but it didn't come easily.  There was another year when we drew names at work for a gift exchange, and there was a fairly small amount that was to be spent on that gift.  However, I had very little money then, and I hated the thought of having to buy a gift for someone in the office when I could barely afford any gifts for my little girl.  That was hard.  But I was mastering the art of pasting a smile on my face, no matter what I felt on the inside.  It's a skill that I have used many times in my life.

My next post will be a much happier post -- I'll share more of the joy that is in my heart this year.

I am thankful

Thanksgiving Day 2015 - so much to be thankful for!

There were many Thanksgiving Days in my life when it was very hard to find something for which to give thanks.  Life was hard and life was lonely.  But these days my life is full of gratitude to God for all He has done for me.  Most of all - the fact that Jesus died for me and lives for me now, and guides me, comforts me. and loves me no matter what! 

There is so much unrest in the world and I am thankful that I live in this country.  We are comfortable, well fed (perhaps too well fed), are free to do the things we want to do -- especially free to worship as we please.  We do not live in fear.  We are not in daily danger because we believe in Jesus. 

I am thankful for good health.  I do have arthritis which does cause some limitations, but other than that, I am quite healthy.  Last year was a difficult year health-wise because I had three major surgeries in two weeks due to a staph infection after the first surgery.  This has been a good year.

I am thankful for family.  I love them and I am loved -- what more could I want?

Compared to most of the world's population, I am wealthy.  I'm not wealthy if I compare myself to one of the presidential candidates who boasts about how rich he is - but he is not deserving of any comparison.  I am comfortable with what I have.

Thank you Jesus for being so good to me, for rescuing me from a difficult past and for promising me a glorious future.

A beautiful day in November

Here in Colorado we are so blessed with over 300 days of sunshine a year, and today was one of those days - a gloriously beautiful day.  The mountains are now covered with snow which adds to the beauty of this place.  I am so grateful God brought me to this location 27 years ago - a move that I have never regretted.  My life has been very blest here.

Sadness has been in my heart lately because in the last three weeks, four of my friends have passed away.  Two were former high school classmates of mine - and with only 21 people in my class, we were all very good friends.  Last night one of my lady friends died, and this morning another one died.  All had been ill, but still - I am saddened.  Evidently at my age this happens more and more, and I better get used to it!  The great thing is that all four knew Jesus and are now in heaven. 

I've had a busy day doing grocery shopping as well as some other running around, and now the dinner dishes are done and it's time to sit down with a good book and relax.  I have been reading a very good book - "When God Doesn't Fix It" - by Laura Story.  I had never heard of Ms. Story, but evidently she is a Christian recording artist, so of course I got one of her CD's and played it while driving around today.  One of the songs is especially good - "Blessings" - it talks  about "what if blessings come in rain" - and her book is her story of the pain she and her husband have endured and the blessings that they received through those difficult times.  I can relate because I have had many years of great difficulties, but it was through those hard times that I really came to know God and experience blessings from Him. 

Saturday's thoughts

I recently celebrated my 80th birthday, here is a "selfie" I took that day:

 

 

I won't tell how many tries it took to get a good picture!  Yes, I am still a natural blonde......when I was very young, my hair was almost white - especially in summer when I played outside all the time.  I expected to be gray-haired by now, but I'm not complaining! 

 

I was a little unsure how I'd feel about this birthday, because everyone else who is 80 is "old"...... and I don't like to think of myself that way, mainly because it means I probably have no more than twenty years of life left.  I know I'm going to heaven some day and that will be wonderful -- no more arthritis!!!  But I don't want to leave my dear ones....

 

But the birthday was great - there were several celebrations and I felt lots of love from family and friends.  God has been very good to me in these so-called golden years.

 

My two special grandchildren whom I'm going to call Frick and Frack from now on for privacy's sake were recently baptized.  It was a private service, just for family, and it was done in a more meaningful way than many other baptisms that I have witnessed.  The pastor talked about how God had this special plan for both of them to bring them from far away and place them in our family, and also has a plan for the rest of their lives, and they need to ask for God's guidance as they go on in life.

It brought tears to my eyes....

 

This picture was taken in front of the church after the service.  No, we're not all the same height - we're all just standing on different steps.  I love these two so very much!

 

 

 

Once again we are in a presidential campaign and mud is slinging all around.  I have a really hard time with some of the candidates who claim to be such strong Christians, and yet they are taking a strong stand against letting the Syrian refugees enter our country, as well as sounding off against all Muslims.  Do they ask themselves "What would Jesus do?"  I don't think so.  Many of these refugees are women whose husbands have been killed, women who have not had opportunities to have an education and learn a skill, and now they are alone with their children fleeing their homes with nothing but what they can carry.  I realize the risk of a terrorist being able to infiltrate the refugees, but there are ways to only admit the ones who are genuinely in need of help.  What would Jesus do?  What if I was one of those refugees, fleeing with my young child, or my young grandchildren -- where would I find food and shelter?  Who would help me?

 

There is one presidential candidate (I won't mention his name) who is not only completely unqualified, but he's also a bully and totally without tact or polish.  And because he says things that are so politically incorrect - people are crazy about him.  Do these people not think for themselves?  The things he promises to do are not possible for a president to do.  I don't think he understands at all how government works.  When I was a teacher, I taught Civics and about the three branches of government and the powers of each branch and the reasons for those powers.  This candidate thinks he would be king - or dictator.  I don't think our country would survive if he would win the election.  He reminds me very much of Hitler....and that is scary. 

 

So - enough for today.  Thanks for listening.



I am back -- I think

I stopped blogging more than a year ago because there was a problem with the host site -- but it may be fixed now -- if it is -- I'm back in the blogging world!

The world didn't stop

So the Broncos lost the Super Bowl game yesterday -
but the world kept on turning.....
I had hoped they would win; I don't know what happened except that the Seahawks had a very strong defense AND a very strong offense.
And the Broncos made far too many mistakes.
Denver will be in mourning for quite a while.
All the bars in Denver reported that patrons started going home at about halftime - so far less alcohol was consumed, and consequently -- there were far fewer disturbances downtown and no riots.
Go figure.  There's a silver lining for everything!

But I enjoyed the commercials.  My favorite was the puppy and horse love.  Very cute.
Some of the others I liked were the Hero's welcome for the returning soldier, and the Radio Shack - "The 80's want their store back" - very clever.

Plus we had a good time visiting with family during the game.  The grandchildren were cheering for the Broncos, and were very cute with the routines they had come up with.  And of course we had really good snack foods.

And there's always next year....

Life in Bronco Land

Everything in Denver is orange and blue - people who are otherwise fairly normal (I think) are becoming Broncomaniacs!  The AFC championship game is in Denver this afternoon between the Broncos and the New England Patriots.  The Pats have beat the Broncos the last four times they played.  But all the odds are that Denver will win today and then -- two weeks later -- the  Super Bowl!

I will watch the game, probably while reading a book at the same time, but my philosophy about it is "somebody has to win, somebody has to lose".....and that's exactly what will happen.

It's a beautiful Colorado winter day today - the forecast for game time is over 60 degrees with just a little breeze.  Perfect weather for a football game -- or anything else.