Lists

A new salon is up and running. It's been a big push but we helped our #3 girl get started in her own business. The place looks great, she is talented and loves her work, and God is for her. Sounds pretty good to me!

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My #2 girl has been very sick with strep throat and a new pregnancy to boot. Mom has tried to keep them supplied with chicken soup and goodies. It's such a treat to have them just down the road. She reports that things are looking up. I hope she's back on her feet soon. It's no fun to see her down.

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Last night #1 daughter scooted this way with her handy dandy laptop filled with bookmarked pages of chairs, tables, couches, and cabinets. She is decorating one of the church offices and wanted another set of eyes to imagine the outcome of her design ideas. A bit of debating and looking and soon we settled in on some final choices. She is such a sweetie. And, of course, her little buddy, Jameson, escorted her to Nana's house. It's always fun to see the grandkids!

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My #1 son was not feeling well yesterday. That is unusual. Sadly for him, he was scheduled to share at the college life group meeting; he had to pass on that opportunity. Still, he was finally able to sleep and this morning is off to his college classes. He loves the Lord with a sincere passion. Gotta love it!

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I received an e-mail from Germany where daughter #4 is planning a travel weekend to the British Isles for herself and several other classmates. She needed info from Mennonite Your Way, a hospitality guide for travelers who are content to stay in private homes. It is not only an inexpensive way to travel, but a great deal of fun. You meet all kinds of people and see how their homes function. Over the years I have garnered new recipes, fresh decorating ideas, and management strategies from various hosts. So mom found some names and addresses of families in London and Dublin who house weary travelers for a nominal fee. I sent them off a day or two ago. Wonder what she has planned? Hopefully something will work out for her!

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Today we will need to get cracking on Valentine cookie production. How many dozen should it be? Quite a few if I hope to share some and still have a platterful left for my own crew on Wednesday. We also need to plow through a good bit of history and english. And my bedroom... Have I mentioned that it is a war zone? That's also on my "must do" list, along with returns of "salon rejects" purchases (time is ticking away on that deadline).

Always the lists. The never ending, never completely checked off lists. But I don't function well without them. Listing my "things to do" is highly beneficial. I get into a bit of a panic if all those "things" are left floating around my brain. First of all, by transferring my "to dos" to the realm of black and white I remove the stress of having to remember those nagging items, and at my age remembering is a major challenge - in fact, it may be the major challenge. It also allows me to see in a tangible way that accomplishing the list is feasible; for the most part, the necessary things are actually doable. That is always a big relief. What looms as a mountain in my imagination is really just a small mound that can be moved one shovelful at a time. And I can always hand out a few shovels to my daily companions. Together we can move even more than one mound!

So I will leave you all and head to the mounds. I hear my daily companions energetically emerging.

Wait. I retract that statement. They are, save one, dragging themselves into the reality of morning routine. That one, however, is making enough joyful sound to convince me that they are all involved. And that one is being a bit Tigger-ish. You know, bouncing and all.

But I will leave you to imagine just who that one might be.