A Blast From the Past

Holidays are a good time to hear from people who are reconnecting from the past.  There are some I follow on Facebook, but rarely correspond with regularly. There are some who occasionally send a short email.  There are some who will call. And there are some who will send an update by USPS.  I really like the updates from people I do not hear from regularly, and appreciate the time and effort they make to correspond.

I, on the other hand, rarely send a note to update.  I do not call very many people regularly.  And I do not post much, especially personal, on Facebook.  Some folks read the Lisenby Lines, so that is my way of keeping in touch.  Those of you who do, you know who you are, and I thank you for doing so!

New Traditions

Some friends of mine are in transition and decided to start a new tradition for Christmas Eve.  Their grown children may or may not be around; the extended family they usually spend Christmas Eve with have changed.  They had a small party for friends and neighbors, and I was invited.  In years past, I might have declined. I do not do well in social situations.  My house is not well kept these days, so I cannot reciprocate.  But I went anyway.  I had planned to stay an hour. I stayed 3. The hosts are people I enjoy.  There were people I knew, and people I had met before.  It was a nice outing.

Thank you for this blessing.

A Pleasant Surprise

I had it planned.  The Lady Raiders http://www.texastech.com/sports/w-baskbl/text-w-baskbl-body.html played Nicholls State http://nicholls.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp Friday starting at 5:30 PM at the United Supermarkets Arena.  My 40 hours ended at 4 PM, so I was in hopes of leaving work, going home to feed the cats, and getting to the United Supermarkets Arena for the game.

Well, several things happened at work that delayed my departure from work until almost 6 PM.  I suppose I could have deferred some of these things, but my work ethic dictated I take care of these things in a timely manner, rather than defer them.

So, by the time I got home and fed the cats, the Lady Raiders game was well into the second half. I listened to it on the radio on my way home from work, and at home. The men's basketball game was on TV, so I decided I did not need to go to the game.

While I was doing some work on the computer, I answered a phone call from my best friend who lives in Rochester, NY.  She wondered if I was at the basketball game. It turned out that the men's basketball game was on a national feed, and they were watching the game.  That was really cool, especially because the men's team won!

And, we had a nice visit.  That was special of my friend to call.  Thank you.

 

My Best Friend

I just spent a couple of hours talking to my best friend on the phone on Saturday. I met her when we were freshman in college, in 1970. 

While our communications have waxed and waned over the years, our friendship has not, and if there is a break in communications, we seem to pick up where we left off.  I am so thankful and grateful she is my friend.

She reads my blog, so I know she will see this.  I am glad.  I hope I am not ever remiss in telling her how much I appreciate and love her.

Apples to Apples

I went to a "get together" tonight (really last night, November 6, 2014).  We played a game called "Apples to Apples" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apples_to_Apples.  This was fun!  We were amongst co-workers who do not always socialize together, but treat each other as friends.  What a pleasant experience.

It Must Have Been the Prayers

The regular reader will have read my blog of August 4, 2014, in which I explained that I took Sake to the vet 2 weeks after her steroid and antibiotic injection that was supposed to last 4 weeks. It helped some, but by Friday, August 8, 2014, she was almost not eating again. It was the morning before I went to work. I was at my wits end and I did something horrible:  I took some of my grape flavored Anbesol http://www.anbesol.com/ and rubbed it on her gums.  She was very angry with me for doing this.  But she ate.  I do not know what the correlation was. But she ate.  A very little.

I was so sure, when I went to work on Friday, that she would not eat over the weekend, that I did everything I could to get my work done and ahead for the next week, in case I needed to put Sake down. (I knew I would need some time off, if I had to put her down.) One of my coworkers, bless her heart, asked about emergent care for Sake over the weekend, should it be necessary.  I told her it was in place. Several of my other coworkers offered prayers.

Well, Friday night, Sake did not eat well.  I ran errands, and let her rest.

Saturday morning, Sake ate. Not well, but better. And she continued to eat over the weekend. She eschewed the chicken, but liked milk, and beef liver.  On a whim, I purchased Fancy Feast Liver and Chicken Classic (paté).  She has not liked paté in the past, but she ate it over the weekend.  I offered it to her on Sunday, and it was a hit.  I offered her more on Monday morning, and she ate well. Monday night, she ate real chicken and asked for a second serving, which she got! Later, she ate some of the beef liver that I had mashed and put out for her.

I do not know how long this revival will last, but I will take it for as long as it does. It must have been the prayers! Thank you, to all who have prayed for Sake. And me.

Valentine's Day

So, I am well advanced in age, and have spent many of my years single, not in a relationship.  So Valentine's Day has variable meanings for me, but mostly it means that there are people in my life about whom I care, but not necessarily romantically.

Someone I know posted on Facebook about Valentine's Day that people who are single should not feel like they are failures.  Well, thank you, but until I read this post, I would never have thought that being a single was a failure. And frankly, I do not believe that being a single is a failure. I believe the person who posted this was well meaning, but she had no idea what an insult she was perpetrating by implying singles are failures.

Valentine's Day is a nice commercial artifice. But it is not a commentary on the worth of individuals.

I Am So Blessed

I think about my life and how things are for me, and I am so blessed.  I have good friends. I have concerned coworkers. I have an extended family who are there if I need them.  I have fun pets. I have a career that I enjoy, and that I feel allows me to contribute back to society.  I can participate in my professional organization and have good colleagues with whom I can interact, receive support, and with whom I can work in harmony.  I am able to give back to my community by volunteering on a board of directors of a non-profit agency that is well respected and does good works in the community. I have access to health care if I need it. I have a home. I am able to express my feelings, negative or positive, to my elected officials about the state of the government.  I am able to participate in activities which I enjoy.

I am so blessed.  I am sure I have missed some of my blessings. Count your blessings. They are probably many, more that we might initially think about.

Starting Out Early

My morning was filled with goal directed activities, but by mid-afternoon, things had stalled. I still needed to do some house work, which I accomplished.  There were no plans or activities slated for tonight in particular. I read, played on the computer and visited on the phone.  I think I have written before about having anticipatory activities to keep me interested and motivated. Although the book I am reading is interesting, I needed a little more tonight. Thank you to my friend who visited with me by phone tonight. It made a difference!

I Am Blessed

I had conversations with two very good friends tonight. I am thankful that I have these friends and that we can have these conversations.

What more is there to add.

Rediscovering Long Hand

I usually wait until I get on the computer before I engage in any writing. That includes personal correspondence and blogging, although I keep a paper journal for portability, and because, sometimes, things are just too personal to put in a blog.  And, as the reader may realize, I put a lot of personal stuff in my blog.

I short while ago, I started using my journal more regularly.  This is typical for me.  I have journaled since high school, and it is an on-again off-again activity.  I have a large box full of journals!  They are not for anyone to read but me.  But I am glad I have them. 

Just the last couple of days, I was thinking about how much I miss writing letters by long hand.  But, there was no one to write to, or so I thought.  Today, I received a note and yearly update in the mail from a colleague and ex-co-worker. I could not recall if I had responded to her note from last spring or not, so I decided to sit down today, while I had time, and write to her.  I have some really nice, smooth writing pens, mostly gifts, which I really appreciate.  I chose one and found myself closing a 10 page letter, shortening the last few items, quite some time later!  I really did enjoy writing long hand.  I need to remember to do that more often.

Reconnecting

A few years ago, I went to the 25th anniversary of Catholic Family Service, Inc., Diocese of Lubbock. I was invited, by a board member, to apply for board membership.  I did,  and a couple of years later, was elected to the board of directors.  I am now serving my second year.  During that time, I have reconnected with many people from my days at CFS.  What a wonderful treat!

Just this week, I reconnected with someone else that I have not had contact with in probably over 20 years.  What a treasure that is!  I am so grateful for the series of events that has lead me to connecting with this person!

Dear, treasured people from our past are a blessing in our lives. It is true people come into our lives for a reason, leave for a reason, and reconnect for a reason.  Thank you to the powers that be for this blessing.

Thank you my friend.

I went with a co-worker to a lecture.  After the lecture, she wanted to go up to the speakers, and thank them.  I have done that before, in the informal setting of the Osher Lifelong Learning classes. But never at a public lecture.  So, we did it. And we did the same at the next lecture.

Today, when I was at the War Memorial, the father of deceased astronaut Willie McCool was there. Taking a hint from my co-worker, I just went up to him and shook his hand, thanking him for his sacrifice. That was an honor for me.

Thank you my friend.