Beautiful People

I have had the rare opportunity to meet some beautiful people lately. They are not beautiful by the world's standards. Some would say they're raggedy, tattered, old. But this one person in particular is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. We call him Amber's Angel. He came to her in Subway when she was going through a very difficult time. She felt betrayed, lonely, scared, overwhelmed, anxious, insecure. But he was there. With his deep-set, vibrant blue eyes, his tattered cowboy hat, his wrinkled, weathered skin and his less-than-perfect toothy grin. He brought a smile and a word of encouragement just when she needed it....more than once, and always at just the right time. She told me about him and I knew he must have been sent from God. It was awhile later before I got to meet him. After meeting him, I KNEW he was sent by God. He loves the Lord with all his heart and is in tune to the people around him. He knows when someone is hurting or in need without them even saying a word. I don't think he has much as far as material possessions go but he has something far greater. When you look into his eyes, you see a deepness and a wisdom and a love for people. There's a peace in his life even when he has reason to not be peaceful. A few weeks ago he lost his wife to cancer. He's left alone to raise their down-syndrome son. He's not anxious or flustered. He's calm and at peace because he knows his rest comes from the Lord. He IS a beautiful person.

The other beautiful people I've had the privilege to meet is a sweet, precious couple in their 90's. She recently had a stroke and was in an assisted care facility for awhile but then returned home. The husband has been taking care of her by himself. She's paralyzed on her left side and needs help for things we take for granted....walking, getting dressed, etc. They needed someone to live-in with them to help out. Mostly to help the hubby. He's a farmer, hunter, fisherman and it's very hard for him to be in the house all day long. For someone in his 90's, he's still very active...still drives. He needed to be free to roam about his farm and piddle with his tractors as men do. But he lovingly looked at his wife and said he couldn't put her in a nursing home. She looked back at him and said they didn't want to be apart. They have been married for 71 years! Can you imagine!!! Seventy-one years! I thought twenty-two years was a long time. Wow!

I was telling Frank about them and their seventy-one year marriage and he said we'd get there one day. I didn't take the time to figure out how old we'd be to celebrate our 71st wedding anniversary but simply because he wants that for us puts him right at the top of my Most Beautiful People list. Can't wait to see what he looks like in forty-nine years.

Free Day Update

Well, my free day didn't turn out like I planned at all. Before I even finished the blog my mom called and asked if I wanted to go visit my great aunt. I had actually been thinking about that earlier in the morning, so I jumped at the idea. The desk re-do could wait. (It's still waiting)

I got to spend a few hours with my mom at my great-aunt's house. I always enjoy going there. We swap recipes, look through old photos and if I'm lucky, Aunt Polly with tell stories from another time. I love hearing stories from when my mom was a kid and the things she got into. Polly has some stories to tell and I hope to hear more of them.

That evening, I got to have dinner with my mom's baby sister and my mom's older sister. One lives in Ohio and one lives in Maryland. But both were in WV for the weekend. It was a rare opportunity to get to spend time with them both, so I took advantage of it. One of my cousins and her two boys were there too. Andrew came along. It was a mini family reunion at Ryan's.

After living away from family for twenty years, it's a treat to be able to be a part of things like this. The desk re-do could wait. And it's still waiting. But it's at the top of the list for when I get another "free day".

A Free Day???

There's no such thing as a free day. At first I thought today might be one. Frank is out of town. The kids are home for the weekend but they have their own agenda. Andrew had game night at church last night and will be sleeping most of today to make up for it. Christal will be leaving for work shortly. So, that leaves me to ponder what I'm going to do today. The house is clean...mostly. The laundry is caught up.....mostly. So there's nothing that I HAVE to do today.

However, I have a very long list of things I want to get done. The list includes things like yard work...getting my flower beds ready for winter and cleaning out my garden shed. There's knitting projects....a baby sweater that must be finished before the baby outgrows it and a scarf for the Scarves of Hope contest and a prayer shawl I promised a friend.

My desk area needs re-organized since I got a new computer. The same desk doesn't work as well. The space is awkward with a laptop. And I have papers that need sorted and filed.

There's new recipes I've been wanting to try. And charity projects to sew. Oh, and there's always the photos waiting to be put in scrapbooks. What shall I do????

I think the project that will give me the most satisfaction at the moment is my desk area. It's a space I'm in every day. A space that frustrates me when I can't find the papers I'm looking for. My desk area is My Command Central. It's where financial decisions are made (banking and bill paying). Where social obligations are met (notes, birthday cards, etc). It's where research happens (what's the best laptop on the market). It's where I connect with the world (facebook, email). So, yes! Today, I will re-do my Command Center. I will make it a place of functionality and beauty. Can't wait to get started! Maybe I'll even have some time later to do some of the other projects too. Will let you know how my "free day" turns out.