Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘GIFTS’

IMAGES

I have been told many times that I have talents that I don’t use. No hints have been given as to what those talents are. I just keep muddling through — trying to do the best that I can. I have shared that I try to meditate, but only on a very rare occasion do I get an image or connection. Exactly what is supposed to occur when you meditate? I don’t know. Sometimes I will get an image, sometimes I will see light — blue, yellow, clear. Most of the time I have a blank screen where nothing happens. But sometimes I get a surprise.

I was at Botanical Garden — enjoying the sunshine, the breeze, the day. It was cool — jacket needed, I was glad my hat could be fastened. The daffodils were still in bloom, crab apple trees waiting for warmer weather. The waterfall was running. I stopped to catch my breathe and listen to the running water. Before I sat down, I read a note about the cherry trees that the Japanese government had given to Washington DC and also The Botanic Garden.

Sitting on a bench to rest, I closed my eyes and watched as a gray image dressed in ceremonial garb came towards me. The image stopped within touching distance — too close if it would have been an actual person. I was surprised by the image, and although I tried to discern more about it — the image disappeared before I could tell if it was male or female, and what the garments actually were. I just had the impression they weren’t normal American clothing.

From the waterfall, I wandered to the Japanese Garden. I usually try to stop and watch with closed eyes (meditate?) at one of the secluded areas but the Garden was too busy to try. As is my practice, I wandered over to the island, crossing the bridge through the wooded area, visiting my favorite places, talking to others and taking pictures.

At the end of the wooded area, in the sunshine, protected from the wind, I stopped again on a bench — closing my eyes. I was amazed to watch many gray figures wander past. I don’t remember most of them, but one was a farmer in overalls with a woman walking with him. They were proceeding down the path, heading for the entrance. I watched for a minute, then decided that maybe it was time to leave.

I stopped for a bite to eat at the cafe. Since it was a beautiful day, I wanted to sit outside. An oriental couple were leaving as I looked for an empty table. “Thank You” my response to my world. I saw a young woman looking for a place to sit. Everything was taken, so she sat on the bench by the fence. Since I was alone, I asked her to join me. SURPRISE (not really)– the woman was Japanese, a teacher who taught the Japanese language to her students in a high school.

Warm Fuzzies

I’m writing this thought ramble on Saint Patrick’s day, the leprechauns were running around this morning. Actually, I think it was my mother saying “hello.” I stopped in the bathroom this morning with my bible in my hand. I planned to use the time well. My bible flew out of my hand, landing upside down, dislodging a little booklet of “Little Francis Love Notes.” I was born on St. Francis’s feast day and the booklet had completely disappeared from my memory. My immediate response was “Hi Mom”, since she has Irish ancestry.

I took Robin for her morning walk. On the way, we met a black Lab puppy. Both the puppy and Robin enjoyed the run. I will admit that I took Robin off the leash so both adults had a chance. The puppy is still too young to be trusted with her freedom.

A little later, I opened Queen Of Angels to “Angels As Confidants And Playmates”. My finger landed on my father’s memorial card. “Hi Dad!” After all, even though my father is Swedish, it is a FAMILY affair.

I don’t often know who is out and about. This morning it was pretty evident. Sadly I didn’t really get a chance to know my mother. I was only four when she passed. I also don’t know if I had any experiences after the fire that would be the cause of some of my talents or abilities. When I was young, it was dangerous for anyone to acknowledge special talents. I have listened to many authors who have explained their challenges in their early years. Thankfully times have changed and special gifts are no longer judged unfairly.

I have been told that I have more gifts that I don’t use. If I do, hopefully I will recognize them eventually. Until then, I’ll just enjoy the special things that occur and share them so that you will know that more things can happen besides pennies and dimes, butterflies and birds. While the world is our oyster, it is also theirs – they have more talents available to them.

Little Francis’s Love Notes ends with a drawing and these words: “I can’t fill God’s shoes, but I can follow His steps. I can handle one step at a time.” I can only add, “I’m trying!”

VISIT

I’ve already shared that I start the day with a reading from the bible, followed by a reading from Queen Of Angels. Tuesday I opened the bible to Jeremiah 46 — “The message which the Lord gave to the prophet Jeremiah.” I opened Queen of Angels to — “Do I recognize this time of my visitation?” Did I pay special attention to these readings? Good question — answer “NO”.

It was a shopping day — my husband needed prescription refills. While at the store I decided that I would down load the pictures from my camera, get ready for Christmas. The machine DID NOT recognize the film. Neither did the other two machines that I tried. Going back to the first machine that had been successful in the past, I put the film in, which promptly fell to the floor. The film is a micro, very tiny. Immediately I was concerned — was the film damaged? Had I lost all my pictures? Evidently the fall woke the film up, the photos loaded onto the machine — over two hundred. After I chose the hard copy photos, ordered the DVD, I learned that the photo machines were down. Copies would take longer to process. When I shared my experience to a friend at the store, she remarked, “You know what was going on don’t you?” I will admit that I wasn’t surprised when I was told the printers were acting up. I didn’t necessarily put one and one together.

The rest of the shopping trip followed suit. My husband and I stopped at Fed X to make copies of the Christmas Letter. Then we stopped at a grocery store. It isn’t my normal shopping place — I only needed coffee and flour. Four shopping bags later — not only did I have coffee and flour, I had Dreamfield elbow macaroni, which is very hard to find and other supplies which were also on sale. After all, Christmas is coming and I have cookies to bake. I’m going to have to visit this store more often.

We stopped for lunch at a fast food place — wraps were the special of the day. One of the choices was Greek. When I inquired, I learned it was a gyro in a wrap. It was delicious, it was huge, half of it went home with me.

We returned to Costco to see if the pictures were ready. They were! Walking to our car, I found a couple of evergreen branches on the pavement. I LOVE the smell of evergreens, they came home with me. We have an artificial tree.

We stopped at the pet supply store — they had a new flavor in a brand that I buy for Robin — Merrick Great Plains Red Recipe — Robin LOVED IT — out of the bag, no cheese added.

We stopped at Trader Joes. I mentioned to the person running the samples that I looked for Fried Mushrooms with out success. As I was standing in line, he came out with two bags of frozen mushrooms, that had just come in. One was my fried mushrooms — it came home with me.

Arriving home, I was greeted by a huge poinsettia plant on the table, a gift from our neighbors.

Did I have a visitation that day? I know so!

STILL COUNTING

It dawned on me after I posted COUNTING that I left out a part that was of “help” to me this holiday season. I LOVE to cook — not gourmet — just plain, family style fare. After cooking almost daily for more years than I wish to count, I’m running out of ideas. Of course, the food would also have to be stuff my family would eat. Not as easy as it sounds.

I have more friends in high places this year who also liked to cook. Are they helping to enlighten me? Good question — no answer. Recently I received three recipes that are a hit. One is for chicken in a crockpot. That recipe was on Facebook. A cookie recipe was on the afternoon news. A third for apple pie bites was on a cooking show. All three — from various sources that I don’t always frequent — were a hit with my family. I didn’t plan to get together with a friend before Christmas but suddenly I had a free day and she did too. We stopped in a grocery store where I learned that ham with a $25 purchase for other food was only 79 cents a pound. Ham is a favorite of our family. The sell date was February. I couldn’t pass up the savings. Maybe I should mention that this wasn’t the first time that I have chanced on a deal for ham. Let me say “thank you” just in case I forgot.

Very quiet Christmas morning, walking to Mass behind a family of four. The father whistled a Christmas song as he walked. By now, if you have read many of my rambles, you know I enjoy music. I enjoyed tagging behind the family. Music was abundant at church as well. I attend an early morning Mass. The music director and the cantor where accompanied not only by an organ or piano but also TWO horns, and a violin. This was their first Mass of the day with three more to follow. There were three Masses on the Eve. I didn’t expect the extra accompaniment. The church with the manger and trees with lights was beautiful. On the way home a flock of large birds landed in a neighboring tree. As I wondered who they were, I heard a crow caw. Question answered.

My mother passed over when I was four. I’m confident she has been behind the scenes for all of my years. She was smart and kept her involvement hidden — or I was purposely blocked until my father passed over and let the cat out of the bag. The house we are living in, although in the city, is perfect for us. It was only a mile away from my husband’s job. He didn’t have a long commute every day. It was in an affordable German neighborhood. The neighborhood is no longer affordable — I never dreamed I would be living in a neighborhood that had million dollar houses. It is close to shopping, the lake and I can get downtown via public transportation. It is big enough to shelter my growing family when they come to town. Over a hundred years old, it would not compete with the more expensive houses. Was my mother involved in our search for a house? Many good questions. No answers. And do I really need the question answered?

Still counting my gifts, my family tops the list. I could keep counting my gifts but this ramble is long enough already. It would probably help if I kept a daily list of the many gifts that come my way. That way I might remember but if history repeats itself, I’ll get busy, think I will remember, and forget.

COUNTING

I have trouble coming up with titles. Two I thought of for this ramble were already used. I suppose I could just start numbering them, and stop naming them but what fun is that?

Once upon a time it was easy to buy presents for me. But that was once upon a time. Now when asked what I would like — I have no answer. I would like to have health — but that is not something that can be purchased. I would like energy — but caffeine doesn’t provide it, except it keeps me awake if I drink coffee too late, sometimes sugar has the same effect. I would like my body parts to work better, with less pain — but I really don’t want an operation. Of course, losing weight would help. What am I waiting for? I surely am not getting younger.

When I wrote our Christmas letter, I noted the amount of snow we had. I also noted the amount of rainy days in the summer. As I write this, it is still 2014. This ramble will publish after the new year. I don’t know what presents will come my way this year. Christmas hasn’t arrived yet. But I have already received quite a few presents.

Last Sunday I overslept. I normally go to the Mass at 7:30 when we are in town. It is hard to do when I wake after 7:00. Rather than rushing, I decided I would go to 9:00. During Mass, our pastor apologized for the coolness of the church. Evidently there were problems with the furnace but the heat was starting to come up. The early Mass was even colder. Many people were coughing in the church. I’m doing my best to try to stay healthy. I was glad that I overslept. Thank You!

One of my favorite hymns is Ave Maria. When I was young, I was in the church choir and we sang for weddings. That hymn was one we always sang. At the end of Mass, we were treated to a lovely rendition of Ave Maria, the cantor had a lovely voice. Thank you!

It has been many days since we have had sunshine in the city. We have been wrapped in a cloud cover that was so comfortable — it didn’t move. The weather reports showed photos from other places where the sun was shining. The number of sunless days were counted and announced but I guess I didn’t like the numbers — I didn’t write them down. Yesterday morning, I noticed a tiny bit of brightness when I took Robin for an early morning walk. I wished I had a camera so I could capture my own picture of the sky. By the time we reached home, the cloud cover had closed in. BUT at 9:00 A.M. I noticed blue skies. Our older daughter called to tell me the sun had returned. The noon weather report announced 203 minutes of sunshine. To celebrate, we took Robin to the dog beach. Wrapping the present, we had temperatures in the 50’s. Thank you!

Sometimes I don’t notice the gifts that come my way. I’m too busy and take things for granted. Shopping recently, I searched for plastic cookie tins without success. I asked a person working in the department and he knew exactly where the LAST set was located. Often when I ask for help, it is provided by employees of the store or a fellow shopper walking by. I seem to be shrinking and not able to reach the top shelves in the stores.

As the new year progresses, I wish you health. May you be aware of the many gifts that come your way that can not be purchased.

CELEBRATING A LIFE

In my writing, I try to protect the privacy of the persons who are included in my rambles — except for today. A very good friend of mine has passed to the other side. We met more than 25 years ago. Our company had merged with another, instead of traveling 10 minutes from home — I now had to drive over twenty miles, one way each day. I did the billing at our company — a job I retained when we moved. Dorothy was customer service. The welfare of her customers was first and foremost in her mind. We clashed — my ways and her ways DID NOT MESH! Dorothy was stubborn — so was I. From the clashes evolved a great friendship. When our company closed in 1991, we remained friends. We continued to talk on the phone, and go out to eat on a regular basis. She liked Chinese food — her daughter didn’t. I like Chinese food — my husband doesn’t. I drove our car to her house, but I HAD TO DRIVE her car wherever we were going. She was determined and for a change I gave in. We often picked up another working companion and then met a fourth. The four of us continued to get together for many years.

And the years passed and we aged. Dorothy and I got together in May of this year — visiting at her home instead of going out to eat. And I knew it would be the last time I would see her. Soon after, she had trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital. Event followed event. When she was first hospitalized, she was in intensive care and I was unable to visit. Summer arrived which was very busy in our household, Dorothy was transferred to a nursing home but I was unable to visit. Her daughter provided me with updates about her condition. I bought a sympathy card in case I was unable to attend the services. It traveled with me all summer. Then fall arrived and the phone call I had been expecting arrived.

I knew I would only know Dorothy’s daughter and sons but I also knew I was going to the service and would stay for the prayers. I saw Dorothy’s daughter before I even entered the building. Dorothy’s illness has been hard on her, she has shrunk in size. When I entered the building, I saw a friend of Dorothy’s that she knew since childhood. She had joined us for several meals in various places. I thought she was a cousin but learned that the friend’s mother welcomed Dorothy who didn’t have any brothers or sisters into her own brood of six. Many of Dorothy’s friends dated back to childhood, or school, or early married life. When Dorothy made a friend, she developed and kept the friendship. Her oldest son shared a story of Dorothy’s trip to Greece. She had a heart attack and was hospitalized. Her son’s flew over to bring her home. Dorothy retained the friend ship she made in Greece until she passed.

I didn’t plan to stop to eat. But when I said goodbye to daughter and son’s, I was told that Dorothy would have wanted me to stop to eat. And I knew what they said was true. So I gave in.

I wore a pin to the service of four females representing the four who worked together. One is in Texas, one is in a senior assisted living home, Dorothy has passed over and I continue doing the best I can. The pin stayed somewhere along my route yesterday.

Dorothy often accompanied her daughter to Las Vegas or attended the various casinos in our area. She won a thousand dollars at an opening recently. This morning, I found my husband’s poker game floating in our toilet. I left him a note that the game was depressed, so it went for a swim. I fished it out and now it is surrounded by rice — hopefully it will work once it dries out. ?? What more can I say. Dorothy crossed over at the young age of 88 — WELCOME HOME. Have you joined my team in high places? Thankfully I KNOW you are there!

DATES

In the Catholic church, Sunday was the feast of All Souls day. Members of family and friends are remembered in a special way. The first song listed was Come Ye Thankful People Come — not one of my favorites. Then Mass started and the cantor announced the first song — Amazing Grace. Since we have been in the country, I hadn’t been to our church in a month and although surprised at the change, I hadn’t looked at the date of the sheet. I thought I had an old sheet and that the parish had decided to stop providing the sheets for Mass in a conservation attempt. Then the cantor said that the next song was printed on the order sheet. ?? I didn’t have the right order sheet. I like that song, don’t know the words and was not too happy that I had the wrong information. I decided to hum along with the melody. Then I looked at the order sheet that I picked up — then I laughed. HI DAD, HELLO EVERBODY! The date on the order sheet was October 5 — the weekend of my birthday.

As a parting gift, our cantor sang Lloyd Webber’s Requiem. Beautiful!

My life continues to be interesting — today the computer is having fits. It is taking a very long time to load any information. I mentioned the problem to our son — same computer — he didn’t have a problem at all. I could have walked out to the garbage and back in the time it took some things to load — his inquiry’s were immediate. Although I get a warm feeling when I know “my friends in higher places” are around, when they mess with something I’m trying to accomplish it can be frustrating.

This morning I opened the bible to Isaiah 61: The Mission To the Afflicted. “To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit.” Evidently my job, if you want to call it that — is to share the good news. Those that have passed over are alive and well on the other side. I’ll admit that I miss the physical but since they are so active in my life — I don’t grieve.

Why did I have trouble with the computer? The answer might be: “Why are you playing instead of writing? We gave you a new story to share.” Although the brain is not clicking along, struggling through molasses as a matter of fact — I haven’t had any problems with the writing. Evidently the words are agreeable.

MOUNTAINS

I know that I’m not alone. Almost everyone that I speak to is in the same boat — too much snow — too much below zero temperatures — too much gray skies — too much — too much.

We have a four foot mountain of snow in our backyard. I climbed to the top the other day when I noticed that the cold temperatures had frozen it. Robin — all 25 pounds– enjoyed climbing to the top. I weigh more than 25 pounds, but the frozen temperatures made it possible for me too.

The Body, Mind, Spirit Exp. was this past weekend. Normally I really enjoy arriving early and staying late. Sadly, not this year. Snow — changed my plans — forecast starting Saturday afternoon. Not just a dusting but a formidable amount. AGAIN! I went to the Exp. on Saturday, visited with a couple of vendors, attended two workshops and headed home before the snow started. I did not want to be on the tollway and expressway in icy conditions. NOT THE DAY I HAD PLANNED. I suppose I could have ventured forth on Sunday, but after dealing with five inches of snow I really wasn’t up to it.

I stayed home and made bread pudding instead. I haven’t made bread pudding in years. COMFORT FOOD from my childhood. My husband has never eaten it, and not about to start now. More for me! I also found a coffee grinder and ground coffee beans that my daughter brought home from Costa Rica many years ago.

I know my friends in high places are around. Helping out when they can. A woman at the Exp. on Saturday shared how she is able to walk in the ice and snow. “MARCH”, she told me. “I have Parkinson’s and marching plants my feet firmly on the ground.”

Recently I opened the bible to Jeremiah 10:23. “You know O Lord, that man is not master of his ways; Man’s course is not within his choice nor is it for him to direct his step.”

That day I wandered to Costco. We actually had warmer temperatures, sunshine and blue skies. While I was talking to a friend, a worker in the delicatessen showed me cheese that was on sale. Cheese is not on my food plan right now, but it is Lent — no meat on Fridays. Cheese with nuts and cranberries came home with me. I found a book “Jesus Calling” which now includes a journal. After many trips to the store, the smaller book is now in my possession. I decided I could use my own notebook if I wanted to comment on the day’s writing, not buy the new one.

After all it is LENT, and I’m searching. I would have gone to church on Ash Wednesday, but we had more snow. I was going to walk — then I realized that ice is hiding under the snow. And I wonder why I’m depressed — feel blocked.

When I was at Costco I also found a new book by Dr. Wayne Dyer: “I Can See Clearly Now.” I have a habit of opening a book to a page at random to see if it speaks to me — it did. I don’t know if I will gain new knowledge. It might be another nudge — write — write –share! Even if you are grumbling about the weather.

Over the years, I often write down things that impress me on any piece of paper at hand. I recently found this, I don’t know the source — “A whisper — A Pebble — A knock on the head — When God wants your attention. ” Should I admit that I bumped my head hard enough this morning to almost knock myself out?

I watched Dr. Wayne Dyer’s new program this morning, he commented during a pledge break that his writing has helped many people, even saved a man’s life. I don’t think that I will ever write 40 books or be as successful as Dr. Dyer, but if my writing helps others to know that they are not alone — these rambles have served a purpose.

Just a Note: I released “Drips” to publish on 3/30. It was written on my father’s birthday — we had visited the Swedish Museum. Unplanned — Drips posted on my paternal grandmother’s birthday –she was born in Sweden.

BURIED TREASURE

I have a hard time thinking of a title for my thought rambles. Robin, our dog, gave me this title when she was digging in the snow for buried stuff. With her ability to smell under the snow, she was able to unbury many things, toss them in the air and play with them. Sometimes eat them which I found disgusting. Needless to say, I’m trying to be more careful to clean up the yard after she does her business.

If I had written about buried treasure when I first thought of the idea, I would have written about the many times we excavate our memories, sometimes finding pleasant happenings but most often the remembrance unearths pain. I will delay that thought for another time.

Yesterday I was reminded of other buried treasure when my neighbor of more than 40 years passed over. She was 91 years young and her death was not unexpected. She had been in good health until the Fall of 2013 when her independence was taken away from her and her health began to decline. Death is always hard even when it is expected. I was grateful that they phoned and I was able to stop by before the funeral parlor removed her for cremation.

What to say to the family? Other than I’m so sorry for your loss. Thanks to my father, I have a different perspective on passing over. He died in 1995, 4 days before his 85th birthday. When he passed over, within three days he let me know he was fine. Maybe it was his birthday present to me. Since that time I have become gradually aware of the “help” I receive from the other side. When the son of a friend asked me to teach him how to become “aware” I knew I couldn’t. But I could tell my stories, and I did in “Journey With Me”. Yesterday I took two copies over to my neighbors family — one for her daughter, the other for her grandson. Will it help? Will they read it? Will my neighbor help them with their life? Will they recognize her? Those questions are not for me to answer.

The interesting part of my day didn’t end there. I needed to walk to the Post Office and took Robin with me. The sidewalks, still snow covered, were safe for me to travel. The sun was out but the temperature was still in the single digits. I walked further than I planned. Returning home, I spotted a green coat in a snow bank. From the distance I thought it was a child playing. A man got out of his car and helped the figure up, then watched as the person slowly walked down the street. A woman across the street was watching. As I approached the corner, I saw the person had fallen again. Luckily the woman crossed the street and helped the man up. He said he didn’t know what was wrong. I recognized him as a person who lived across the street from our house. My children had attended school with the family. The other woman assisted him to walk home. Because of Robin, I was handicapped. We tried to get help from his family. No one answered the door. The other woman didn’t have a cell phone – mine was at home. The man said he knew his phone number. When I crossed the street with Robin, my husband met me at the front door. I got my cell phone and returned. No one answered the phone when we called. We were uncomfortable leaving him alone. I walked to the rear of the house and when no one answered the pounding on the door, I called for an ambulance and stayed with them until help arrived.

When I thanked the woman for her assistance, I mentioned that she was younger than I. She didn’t think so. I had to laugh when she told me her age. She was younger than I by 10 years. I said, “I don’t know your religious belief but we had just been used by God to help another.”

I wanted to leave a message for the family, when I remembered that one of our neighbors was good friends with the family. Luckily they answered the door when I rang the bell.

Evidently my work is not done, and neither have all my stories been written.

ROBIN

I read that the members of our family are specially chosen for us by God. That is something I believe. I also think that is not limited to the members of our family. I think it includes our friends and pets.

In November our son took a day off from work. My husband invited him to go to Paws and look for a dog to adopt. I was invited too but I was already involved in something and didn’t want to stop. They found two dogs but couldn’t bring them home because I wasn’t there to agree.

I woke in the early morning, trying to accept the idea of not one but two new dogs. I looked at all the changes that they would bring to my life. Would I be able to exercise? Would we be able to travel? The questions kept me awake for hours. When my husband got up, he had changed his mind. Spending all that time and not coming home with a dog, he was done. I pressed the issue. I wanted to meet the dogs that had kept me a wake half the night.

We had talked about getting an older dog. Robin was only a year old. Although we have had Shepherds, an Irish Setter and a Labrador, I wanted a smaller dog, one I could pick up if necessary. Robin was only 25 lbs., slight of built with a border collie body. I hoped for a dog that didn’t need to use its voice a lot.

Even though she was young, she seemed ideal. She immediately made herself at home. And we quickly learned the excitement and challenges we were in for. She runs like the wind, turns on a dime and has energy to spare. Her second trip into the back yard, I saw her trying to squeeze through the fence into our neighbors yard. That would never do! Luckily we had a plastic fence we could attach to the wrought iron fence to stop her plans.

She must have springs in her legs because she jumps from the floor onto the top of our dining room table with no hesitation. She also jumps into our laps to give hugs or wants to snuggle. We are using fences again to block off the stairs or pantry. Toys are all over the house again. I try not to leave anything edible within her reach when we leave the house. She shares her energy with all of us. My husband might be her favorite, but whenever she comes in from a walk, she has to check that we are all present and accounted for.

Her curiosity is unlimited. I would compare her to a nosy neighbor, who has to know everything that is going on. What am I cooking? What is in the bag? Where are we going?

Last night I left my dinner unattended and she finished it for me. This morning I opened the curtains so she could watch my son leave for work. When I came back downstairs I saw her sitting on top of the radiator, watching the world go by. That will never do! The radiator is covered, but I’m afraid with her speed she will break the window and get hurt. The three things I have tried have not succeeded but I’m not giving up.

The learning and challenges continue. She has only been with us less than three months. She starts obedience training tonight with my husband and son. I would love to go but have not recovered from the flu.

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