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I’m glad to see you. Did you find us okay? Come in, come in. Kick your shoes off and have a seat. What? Oh, yes, all the seats recline. When you get (harrumph) of a certain age, (cough, cough) one finds that convenience and ease hold the winning hand.
May I get you something to drink? Perhaps some hot apple cider or some hot tea or coffee?
Yes, we downsized quite a bit with our move six years ago. We have now learned to congratulate ourselves on our decision. Sure, walk around, make yourself at home. What good blessings we have in this home: ground level, handicap accessible, etc. The only thing I question is my refusal of wall-to-wall carpeting (because I was tired of steam cleaning carpets for all those years), and my insistence that we install rock tile flooring throughout the entire house. Back then, I never thought about how hard these floors would be for an older person to fall on….. sigh.
Anyhow, please help yourself to whatever you need. Yes, it’s really quite pleasant here. No through traffic. You can sit looking out the back patio doors and watch some of the most beautiful horses in the world. I talk to them even though they can’t hear me. Or if you look out the front picture window, at least at the right time of year, we find great entertainment in watching the birds. My husband very sweetly keeps the feeders filled since I can’t really heft around those bags of seeds anymore.
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Well, since you asked, we really felt we were preparing for the future with this choice, but we just had no idea the future would so soon be upon us. But we are glad we made the move. And we love our home. We always try to make it as comfortable as possible for folks needing to get away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. We are old hands at moving—I believe this was our 44th move. Being military and then on the mission field and then, just wandering as we have done, moving van hat on your head. And since we moved here, we’ve celebrated our 55th anniversary, so there’s been a lot of water under the old bridge.
As a matter of fact, having 8 grandchildren (beautiful, brilliant children, of course) we are blessed. Except now that they are getting so OLD, we don’t see them as much. (“Tears on my Pillow” playing in the background.) But they are beautiful and brilliant, and we love them just as much as we did when they were playing on the floor. Three in college, all honor students, the best.
Oh, sure, it’s a joy to have company. We’ve always tried to make our home a place of peace and tranquility. Nearly everyone comments on how quiet and peaceful it is here. Having no TV helps.
What? Well, yes, we have opened our home and our arms to a lot of folks, regardless of where the home was: an apartment in Germany, a forty-acre farm outside of St. Charles, MO, the place with the wonderful pool in Phoenix, the log home where we lived the longest—10 years, or the ranch before we came here. God has blessed us with great places, great churches, great neighbors and friends. Why wouldn’t we welcome folks into our “sanctuary” as a pastor from West Africa termed our then home?
Sure, now in the twilight of our years, I think it might have been a good idea to have one of those “comments” books and had everybody sign. Except it would be pitched, as will the photo albums I so fastidiously kept each year: one for Lacy, one for Lucas, and one for us. (The kids had to take theirs when they moved.)
Whose names would have appeared in this book you ask? People, like our dear daughters from Sierra Leone, and a pastor from there. Then there’s our friend and pastor from Uganda. Once a couple whose car broke down in Quincy when we lived on the Great Big Lake visited. Lonny had found and brought them home with him, helped them get their Volkswagen Van to a reputable repair place, and we all enjoyed a great evening of fellowship. They were from Holland, traveling across the states. And lovely guests like Gracia, whose husband was killed in the Philippines. And our dear “stepdaughter”, who moved onto the farm behind us to raise her son in the country instead of her former position—first woman pilot and group commander of an Osprey fighter jet.
I suppose you wonder what the theme of this blog is. Perhaps it’s just an old woman reminiscing. Perhaps I just wanted to share a few moments in time with you. As I look bravely toward my 75th birthday coming soon, I find it easier to simply to gaze out the window and remember. I think they call that Old Age. At any rate, keep tuning in to my blog. Perhaps next month it will be more enriching. Or perhaps I won’t be able to do it anymore. (It’s difficult to type with your left arm back in the ‘ole sling.)
At any rate, may I wish you each a very happy and healthy new year? We are so blessed, aren’t we? I’ll leave you with this thought:
Stay well and know that you are loved. I found a quote several years ago and I hope it gives you the energy and attitude to realize your potential—whatever your age or ability.
“I wondered why somebody didn’t do something about it. But then it dawned on me: I’m somebody.” I still remember one of the first memory verses Lucas learned: “Do that which is right and good.” Deuteronomy 6:18.
I am so glad we were able to spend this time together.
~ Katy