Random Acts of "Kindness"

Posts tagged ‘inspiration’

WISDOM

A friend of mine keeps remarking that I lead on interesting life. AND I DO. Thankfully when my father passed in 1995, he sent me a sign that he was alright. AND SO, HE IS! After his passing I went to school to learn how to recognize HELP from the other side. Both stories are in print. TO PAP WITH LOVE, is the story of my life with a father whose memory deteriorated because of Alzheimer’s. JOURNEY WITH ME is the story I wrote of my classes. Both books are still available. I HAVE NOT GRADUATED. I AM STILL LEARNING. Now my husband has joined my family topside, and he adds to my education.

Since I’m home, I’m able to attend Mass on television. Yesterday the homily was WISDOM. The priest summed up his talk by suggesting that we remember the things we have learned and pass them on to others. And it made me think. Often, I take things at face value and don’t see the deeper meaning behind the events.

I have to admit that just happened. My youngest daughter’s birthday is this week. She was going to stop by our house before going home. She mentioned that she was thinking of trying to make gluten free bread in her bread machine. I’m aware that I often have help from the other side. I was not surprised that a gluten free bread book was posted at Amazon. Also posted was an anthology – Mrs. Jeffries Sallies Forth. I am a fan of Mrs. Jeffries and will admit that I have read ALL 41 of her books. I have been retreating to OLD ENGLAND to escape our world. Having 3 stories in one book sounded good to me. And I placed my order. I had been thinking of getting the first book in the series for my daughter.

Thursday night I received the bread book, I also received Mrs. Jeffries GHOST, the third book in the series. WHAT? HOW? WHY? That was not what I ordered. I checked the order, somehow it changed from the book I order to GHOST! To say that I wasn’t happy is an understatement. I WAS NOT QUIET about the mistake. Thankfully a phone call the next morning got me the book I wanted. I decided to keep GHOST, read it and give it to my daughter. I’m not a fast reader, I don’t skim but I finished the book by Friday night, all 11 chapters. The last sentence gave me laugh.

I planned to wrap it for my daughter’s birthday. But I had the bread book too. I also had a digital scale so that she could weigh the ingredients. Then the Anthology arrived and the packaging was big enough to hold all three items. Sunday morning, I attended Mass. Sunday afternoon one and one made two. I wrote a note to my daughter telling her that GHOST was a gift from her DAD. He was able to change the book from the one I ordered to GHOST. Her father is very TALENTED.

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ROSES

It started simply. I wandered into a bookstore in Dixon. Although I have camped in the area for many years, I did not know the bookstore was there. Entering I saw Sister Jean’s book “Wake Up With Purpose.” I knew it was mine. I decided that instead of reading Sister Jean from cover to cover, I would save a chapter for dessert. I recognized the name immediately. I had seen her on television many times over the years. I knew I would enjoy her thoughts. I was right. One serving and I knew I would need a place to write her thoughts or my comments.

The very next day I found the perfect journal, “Blessings Among the Roses”. There was plenty of pages waiting for comments enlivened by artwork and quotes. That inspired me to write today. Through the years I have received many roses but a few stand out in my memory.

I have written about many of them. I remember the fragrance of the roses when the blessed Virgin Mary was present at the Queen Of Heaven cemetery in Hillside. Heading out the door for Mass I found roses on the porch. I thought they were real, left by my neighbor. Only to discover that they are silk, identity of presenter unknown. They have a place in my kitchen. I wrote “Roses with the Morning Paper” in Journey with Me.

After my husband passed, we got a landscaper to enhance our front yard. I asked for stones and Hosta’s because our front yard is all shade. They brought 2 rose bushes. I knew my husband was involved. He knows I love roses. I asked the landscapers to move the roses to the sunshine in the back and Hosta’s to the front. Putting in a garden at the camper I asked for two rose bushes. The varieties the nursery chose blooms all summer.

Having both books surface this week is timely. I had been wrestling with questions about my age. Will I be healthy enough to continue to enjoy the camper? Articles about the accomplishments of people of advanced age are often in my sight. I decided to do what Sr. Jean is doing –Start the day with purpose.

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DISCOVERY

We have had smoke in the air from the fires in Canada. I haven’t noticed a problem breathing but I wondered if the smoke wasn’t affecting my body. My knees and fingers are experiencing problems. I wondered if the poor air quality is causing the issues.

Monday, I did not feel well. I made chicken noodle soup on Friday, more noodles spilled into the soup than I planned. I froze three pkgs and put the remainder in the frig. After I finished the soup in the frig, I raided the freezer.

Sitting outside, taking it easy, I watched 5 bunnies run in a line past me. A butterfly hovered around my head. It stayed long enough for me to talk to it. The hummingbirds visited the feeder and the petunias many times. In the evening the bunnies were back, running in a straight line. I watched a group of deer cross the road, headed to the corn field. It was an unusual day. The air quality seemed better.

Tuesday, I had energy. I was determined to do something. I pulled out the step stool and investigated a corner cabinet. I’m shrinking and so are my arms. The top shelf had something hidden in the back. I couldn’t reach it. Thankfully a fly swatter was on the sink. I used it to retrieve a large 2 qtr. plastic pitcher with a smaller one inside. I was going to leave it on the shelf where I could reach it. But then I realized I wouldn’t be able to get it down without a stool.

Since I had the stool, I cleaned off the top of the refrigerator. It had not been touched since my husband passed. It was LOADED with MICE droppings. Also loaded with cardboard tubes used to keep the frig doors open during the winter. I found a bunch of notes written many years ago. I DID NOT LOOK AT THEM. Bunching the mess up, I dropped it into the sink to be dealt with later. I was able to reach disinfectant kept in the sink cabinet. After putting stuff back, I continued with the small shelf in the corner cabinet. I found plastic storage bins with no tops. I planned to recycle them but plans hanged when with the help of the fly swatter I FOUND THE TOPS. Since I like to cook, they would be helpful in storing leftovers. I seldom make a one serving meal.

I decided I had done enough work for the day. Gathering up the trash, I threw it into a bag. I didn’t tie the bag because I had more stuff outside that I wanted to add to it. Tossing the bag down the stairs, a piece of paper escaped. It was a lovely note from Tom telling me he had gone fishing. Before dropping off the garbage bag, I searched for more notes. Most of them detailed life, shopping, church, etc. I found one in which Tom was taking our Lab, Mabel, to the lake.

I THINK TOM WANTED THE NOTES FOUND. THAT IS WHY ONE ESCAPED.

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GARDEN

Monday morning, I waited for rush hour to end before leaving for the camper. I planned to stay for a month. Thankfully I remembered lessons learned when I stayed longer than I planned, I brought all my vitamins and prescriptions with me. I included 2 bottles of Terrys Naturally Healthy Feet and Nerve pills. I didn’t want to run out again. Aldis had a fabric picnic basket on sale. It held all my morning and evening pills plus extras.

I had six bags packed by 8:00 AM so my son could load the car before he started working. He managed to get all the bags plus 3 boxes of fencing and the 3 plants I brought home into the car. He buckled a box into the front seat to hold one of the plants.

The outbound traffic was lovely. When I arrived at the camper the gardeners were already busy. They had parked their truck with trailer across the street blocking the drive I used to back up my car for easy unloading. They not only unloaded my car, they brought everything into the camper for me. I’M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL.

Tuesday morning, an alarm woke me at 6:00. I DID NOT HAVE AN ALARM SET. I was dressed when I opened the door at 7:00 and saw their truck. They not only brought beautiful plants, they replanted my daffodils. We had pavers left over from an early stone patio. They made a safe path to walk on. I didn’t have enough fencing to surround the whole garden. I need five more boxes. I was surprised when I saw a heart made from river rocks. Robin jumped the fence into the garden.

I was concerned about the soaker hose. I DID NOT NEED TO WORRY. They attached it to the hydrant that is close to the camper on level ground. They put the hose under the stairs so I wouldn’t drive over it. If you are getting the impression that I’m very happy with their work. You are CORRECT.

Thursday, I traveled south to look for garden ornaments. First stop I found a St, Francis of Assisi statue. I was born on his feast day and have searched for a garden statue for years. I also found a solar hummingbird and bee on closeout. I bought 8 solar disk lights for the path.

When I finally arrived back at the camper, I left the garden stuff in the car. Friday night I sat myself down and had a heart-to-heart talk with myself. I reminded myself that I should not wait for others to do everything. Saturday morning, I placed St. Francis by the heart and put in both solar decorations. I decided that the solar disks should be left for those that can bend without falling over. I noticed the mama robin had hatchlings born that morning. Hummingbirds were feeding on the petunia plant. A monarch butterfly found the butterfly bush. The garden is coming to life.

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NUDGED AGAIN

My father passed in 1995. His spirit continues to HELP me. (My introduction to his HELP is in my book JOURNEY WITH ME.)

I remembered his birthday this year and posted his picture on Facebook. In October I closed our camper for the year and signed up to have it winterized. I have used that company for YEARS. His father set up our new trailer in 1984. His son winterized my trailer the same day I closed. He tried to turn off the gas but the knob just turned. Although I just had the gas tank filled, I called the gas company with the problem.

Long story shortened, a problem was discovered in my gas stove making it unusable. I called a local company and ordered a new one over the phone. Josh was at my camper when the new one was installed. After the stove was hooked up, he checked that the gas was shut off. He noticed the guage read ZERO. I had paid over $300 for a gas fill up. Many phone calls to the company to discuss the problem. Thankfully the problem was resolved on my father’s birthday. My account was credited and plans for a fill was set up.

During the summer my hands lost feeling, becoming numb. During October I got cortisone shots in both wrists for carpal tunnel. The morning of my father’s birthday, my right hand started losing feeling, became hot. I wear braces on my hands at night while sleeping. I was concerned.

The evening of my father’s birthday, I received a phone call from a promoter who wanted to republish Journey With Me.

The night before the promoter’s second phone call — my right hand became hot again. I wondered if it was a warning from my father to be careful.

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TIMING

The last time I posted was August 26, 2020 — Titled IN THE TIMING. I won’t bore you with the long story of why I stopped or why I’ve decided to write again.

Again, the title is TIMING. On the anniversary of my mother’s and brother’s passing, Jan. 19, 2023, I got a severe cold. Then a tooth that needed repair hurt, making eating on that side impossible. My cold improved and the tooth was removed, and my gum became infected. Three weeks of medication before the gum finally healed– on the anniversary of my father’s passing, Feb 19. I spent over a month sitting on the couch resting, praying.

I’m normally a busy person. I’m active, enjoy shopping, seldom watch television. I did NOT have energy to do anything but sit. My son went shopping more often in one month than he had in years. I cooked — BARELY. I watched our dog’s fur cover the house without the energy to do anything about it. DEPRESSED? I don’t know!

Before the infection healed, I reached the conclusion that I still had work to do and better regain my health. The dentists worried that because of my age I would have trouble breathing. Thankfully that did not happen.

The last time I wrote, I posted EVERY WEEK. This time I will try for once a month. More often if I’m inspired. I have a team on the other side who HELP me with my life. Interesting things have happened since my husband has joined the team. I have MORE STORIES to share.

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JOB

I am EXTREMELY LUCKY. I am retired, live in my own house and thankfully have enough money to pay our bills. My health is reasonably good. Thankfully my children are also doing well. We have food to eat. We have a roof over our heads. In this time of a raging pandemic, as long as we are careful, stay home, wear masks and gloves when going out and wash hands and surfaces — with God’s help — we will be all right.

Sadly the places I like to wander to are closed. Both zoos in our city, the museums and the Botanic Garden are not open to visitors. Many of the stores are not open either. The sheriff in the county our campground is located in prefers we stay home. I attend Mass on television.

If our state opened up today I don’t know how ready I would be to wander. This disease is running rampant. The county our campground is located in — had NO DISEASE until last week. Then 7 cases arose from a meat packing plant. This disease is claiming the lives of many people. At first, they announced that the elderly were most at risk but it seems as time is going on that all ages are fair game.

My husband was 80 years young when he passed. He had emphysema and diabetes. He WOULD NOT have handled this virus well. Although I wasn’t at the hospital when he passed, my children where. Many people are passing from this virus without their loved ones being at their side.

And I guess that is the reason that I’m supposed to continue writing these thought rambles. I AM EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT FIRST, I KNOW THERE IS LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND SECOND, THAT THEY ARE WELL. I don’t have any idea of what they do or what they look like but I know that I often receive “help” when I need it.

I self-published JOURNEY WITH ME in 2007. The date is printed in the book. I don’t know if it is still available on line. TO PAP, WITH LOVE IS. I had a reason to look recently.

I don’t know when I first started writing these thought rambles and published on Word Press. I think it is more than eight years ago. This month is my anniversary and evidently I’m supposed to continue.

EVERYONE NEEDS A JOB — EVIDENTLY THIS IS MINE.

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INDIA

When my father passed over, he had not learned how to use a computer. But he was very comfortable with a typewriter. It did not take him long to learn how to mess with my writing. My father was a very intelligent man. He was an inventor and a printer. It did not take him long to STOP computers from working or to stop the printer from printing. It did not take him long to figure out how to erase some of the words that I was writing. Soon after my father passed, I began a new learning. Some things I understood quickly, others took a MUCH LONGER TIME.

When my husband passed, he had the advantage of knowing how computers worked. Also cell phones. He has made his presence known in a way that is uniquely his. He stops the TV from working. He prevents my changing the channels. He is having a GRAND TIME MESSING with my text messages on the cell phone. Since my father did not include those things in his “help” I’m reasonably certain that it is my husband.

Then India started appearing on my cell phone when I was checking the weather. I was CONFUSED. It took a bit of time before I figured out where the 102 temperature was coming from. I knew it wasn’t in my back yard. Finally I learned it was in Rajasthan, India. Exactly where that city is India I have no idea. Why is it important? Another good question. The first time it occurred I thought since I was going shopping, it might be a message to wear a mask. I DID.

The temperature has popped up a few more times. I wasn’t planning on going out. I wasn’t planning on going shopping. After a few days, and help from the news paper, I realized that Ramadan was beginning. That is a month long religious celebration in which the people fast from sunrise to sundown. They don’t even drink water or smoke. They will have a harder time during this pandemic. Since I realized that — India only pops up when I’m going shopping.

As I was writing this thought ramble, the thought popped up that it might be interesting to see if there is really a message on the cell phone. It will be interesting to test out the theory.

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CELEBRATING ANOTHER YEAR

I wish I remembered the year I started writing these thought rambles. I think it was in May that I was enticed to write. My youngest daughter told me about Word Press and that it was free. The name I picked for the blog was open. The name was accepted and ready or not I began. Now if you have read many of my thought rambles, you can understand that I really don’t think it was my decision. I was led to share the happenings of my life with others. My life becomes more interesting than I want it to when I haven’t written.

I realize that I’m extremely fortunate to have “help” from the other side. We all have a purpose in our life and evidently mine is to share that there is existence after death. I can’t comment on it further because I have no personal knowledge of the other side. I’m very happy to know of its existence and have the “help” of my team.

I don’t know the makeup of my team. Just guessing I would say that it is made up of my mother and brother who have probably been involved in my life since their passing. Joined 25 years ago by my father and recently by my husband. My mother and brother kept their involvement quiet. I didn’t really know that I was receiving “help” from the other side until my father got Alzheimer’s disease. Looking back at that time I was able to detect “help.” Thankfully my father let me know when he passed that he was fine. My father has helped me with many aspects of my life including writing. My husband has improved on this. He “helps” me with my phone and the television. Since my father didn’t mess with those things I know when my husband is around. And I am EXTREMEMLY happy with his involvement EXCEPT when I’m prevented from doing something I want to do.

I was also given the gift of seeing a deceased dog run through our house the night she was put down. I don’t know if she is on my team but I know that there are a few paws that are. After one of our dogs passed, many dogs that I didn’t know that I was their best friend. I have to credit Cuyler for that.

I’m also sure that friends and relatives of mine “help” out from time to time. I might actually be asking for their “help” when I have a project that isn’t going well.

My sharing my experiences before was possibly helpful. I’m hoping that because of the deaths caused by Covid 19, my thought rambles might help more who were unable to be by their loved ones side when they passed.

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REBELLING AGAIN

REBELLING AGAIN

I don’t like not being able to go shopping. I DON’T like not being able to drive the car. I DON’T LIKE not being able to go outside. The first two months of this year has restricted my freedom. We have had snow storms that weren’t bad. BUT the snow melted, iced formed. I have had to stay in the house, the stairs were too slippery to go off the porch. I have been unable to drive — the alley was too icy to take the car out of the garage.

I look forward every year to the MIND, BODY, SPIRIT EXPO. I received the information announcing the March Expo. I found a couple of workshops I wanted to attend. Dressed, I assembled the stuff I wanted to take with me. I prepared to transfer my driver’s license into the wallet I was going to take. I COULDN’T FIND IT. I looked everywhere — every purse I might have used, every coat I might have warn. I looked in my car in case it fell out when I was taking out a credit card. My son helped me look with no success. I finally decided NOT to go to the Expo. I don’t know how I lost my drivers license. I don’t know how long I had driven without one. I just decided I wasn’t going to take a chance. My son offered to drive me but I knew he wouldn’t want to stay and turned down his offer.

Normally I return to the Expo for the second day on Sunday. I made an executive decision to stay home. I’m sure I would have found a few talks that would have interested me. Sunday was a bright, WARM, sunny day. I decided to spend time outside instead.

A friend told me it was easy to get a new license BUT NOT TO GO ON A MONDAY. She suggested that I take the documentation needed to get an ID. I had an official copy of my birth certificate. I had proof of my address. I needed proof of my social security card. I took a copy of the form I received for income tax from my husband’s company. It was a good thing I did. I NEEDED A SECOND PROOF OF ADDRESS. I also needed something with my signature on it.

I left home early in the morning on a Tuesday. I entered a door that I thought would lead me to the drivers area. I was wrong. I needed to exit and walk down a distance and climb more stairs. STAIRS ARE NOT MY FRIENDS. I asked if I could wander down the area and get were I needed to go. I had been in the building many times over the years. Maybe it was my age but I was told to go ahead. As I made my way to the driver’s license room a guide appeared to help me. When I told her the purpose of my errand she escorted me to the proper place. I DID NOT NEED TO WAIT IN LINE. The process was quick. I was out of the building before an hour had passed. I have a much better picture on this license than my last one. YEAH!

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