Earlier this spring I attempted to teach some computer basics to residents of my retirement village. I was expecting some remembering and navigation problems and there were some, but the big surprise to me was how hard it was for them to use the mouse. The 90+-agers especially had unsteady hands. Holding the cursor on an icon long enough to click it was almost impossible for some individuals. As I watched the excitement about email and internet fade from their eyes as they struggled, I wished for a touch-screen computer. The library had no funds for such an expenditure.
If you read AARP magazines/bulletins or other senior-oriented magazines, you may have seen ads for the WOW computer which is touch-screen and has an easy interface and is marketed for seniors. In researching this, I discovered it is similar to a Telikin computer which sells for less. Furthermore, I discovered Telikin Cares, this company’s special program which gives a free Telikin to 2 organizations/individuals each month to nominees demonstrating need and compatibility with the program’s goals.
After asking permission from the people who oversee the retirement library to nominate Grace Village, I submitted an online nomination, giving the relevant details. This evening at supper I was browsing the AARP magazine and saw a WOW ad. I remarked to my husband that we apparently didn’t qualify or interest Telikin. As I checked email after eating, up popped an email from Telikin Cares. Grace Village is going to receive one of their computers. We had been chosen!
God filled our bowl with an ice cream sundae topped with a cherry. Thank you, Heavenly Provider.
Daily lifting life's empty bowl to see what God provides to sustain, nourish, and strengthen His child.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
7 in 7
We learned at the end of last week that one of our condo neighbors had died. He is the seventh one to pass away in the past 7 months. I suppose that death is to be expected in a neighborhood of senior citizens, but we have been told this number of residents passing away in a short period is unusual. It is rather sobering.
We settled into our retirement condo at a relatively young age wanting to get to know people and enjoy the community. I expected long-lasting relationships. I overlooked that many of our neighbors have reached 80 and beyond. They are almost done with their sojourn on earth. While I may have many more years, Lord willing, to enjoy my new home, they may soon go to a heavenly home.
One might expect that the people who will move into the empty condos would be younger, but we are seeing so many who are in their late 70’s and early 80’s. Many have pressing health issues. I would encourage people who have any interest in moving to a retirement community to do it by age 70. You will have the vitality to get involved in the community. You will have the clearness of mind to learn and to remember the names of your neighbors. You might have a decade or more to enjoy your new home and community.
My ‘hood has wonderful people with varied interests. Some still pursue interests from earlier years. One of our newest neighbors is Esther Powers Miller. She does lovely watercolor paintings. You can see her work at her webpage. I just wish most of my neighbors would be around for more than a handful of years. I am going to enjoy them while I can.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
A Sunday Thought
I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is yours
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to you surrendered
All I am is yours
(The Stand from Hillside United)
Lift your bowl high, empty and uncovered, ready to receive. The Lord is good.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Captivated by Leaves
When I started collecting pictures a few years ago to ascertain my design preferences, I discovered that I liked botanical motifs. Since moving to my condo and doing some decorating, I have gravitated to a leaf motif. The primary leaf addition has been the area rug.
I recently added a pitcher with this pattern to display in my kitchen, too. Purchased that at Alley Cats Antiques in Leesburg.
From an earlier post, you know about my lamp with metal leaves and its newly-covered lampshade with leafy fabric.
And several years ago God saw how much I liked the Lenox Poppies on Blue pattern and made it affordable to me in a special way. The china was out of my budget range and I had looked at it longingly for years as I passed the store displays, but the company came out with a barnyard accessories line that used this pattern. Not only that, it went on sale plus I could use the department store’s additional 20 per cent off coupon. While some might think it silly not to buy what I loved when I first saw it, I had determined in my heart not to get caught up in material consumption that might lead to debt accrual. The Lenox brand of china is definitely not in my financial budget. Has God given you the desire of your heart even in superficial objects by providing it in an affordable way?
When my husband requested that we add something to the sheers on the sidelight windows so someone standing at the front door could not peer in, I wasn’t thinking “leaves”. I had seen some velcro strips at Walmart that had adhesive. I could attach that to the window frame above the sheers and sew the accompanying non-adhesive strip to some fabric. That would mean no holes in the frame and honor the retirement village’s request not to make holes in any woodwork. (As it turned out, the frame is not wood but metal thus we ended up using magnetic rods for the sheers, but we didn’t know that at the time I made the overhanging curtain. It looked like painted wood.) Since I don’t have a sewing machine, I decided cutting a table runner in half and ironing a hem on the cut edge using stitch witchery tape, then hand sewing the velcro to the hem would work.
I found no runners in the stores that appealed to me. Headed to ebay and saw several possibilities. The one that grabbed my attention was based on the Pfaltzgraf Yorktowne pattern. I had seen the dishes in the past and liked them. I bought two small fruit bowls in this pattern in an antique mall in Richmond, Indiana the previous year even though I had no other pieces. This pattern is similar to leaves, don’t you think? And it had my favorite color combination of blue and white.
I found no runners in the stores that appealed to me. Headed to ebay and saw several possibilities. The one that grabbed my attention was based on the Pfaltzgraf Yorktowne pattern. I had seen the dishes in the past and liked them. I bought two small fruit bowls in this pattern in an antique mall in Richmond, Indiana the previous year even though I had no other pieces. This pattern is similar to leaves, don’t you think? And it had my favorite color combination of blue and white.
I recently added a pitcher with this pattern to display in my kitchen, too. Purchased that at Alley Cats Antiques in Leesburg.
From an earlier post, you know about my lamp with metal leaves and its newly-covered lampshade with leafy fabric.
I have been captivated by leaves. Even the copper teapot I bought this spring at a garage sale fits in.
And several years ago God saw how much I liked the Lenox Poppies on Blue pattern and made it affordable to me in a special way. The china was out of my budget range and I had looked at it longingly for years as I passed the store displays, but the company came out with a barnyard accessories line that used this pattern. Not only that, it went on sale plus I could use the department store’s additional 20 per cent off coupon. While some might think it silly not to buy what I loved when I first saw it, I had determined in my heart not to get caught up in material consumption that might lead to debt accrual. The Lenox brand of china is definitely not in my financial budget. Has God given you the desire of your heart even in superficial objects by providing it in an affordable way?
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Happy Day
Yesterday afternoon was the annual May Ladies Tea at my retirement community. The theme was purses, and we were asked to bring interesting purses to share. If you were aware of fashion in the 80’s, you will recognize the Bermuda bag pictured here. I at one time had 4 interchangeable covers, but when I unpacked after our move from Dallas, TX I found some holes in the brown wool cover. Moths (possible) or crickets (highly likely) had munched on the wool. I took the bag to the tea and held it up to the group to explain how it works.
The table centerpieces were purses purchased at garage sales with a small pot of New Guinea impatiens sitting inside the purse. One lady had made the table favors (over 100), small fabric tissue holders to put in one’s purse or pocket. Kudos Carol.
Sorry the photo isn’t sharper. Isn’t it cute with the polka-dotted red trim? There were a variety of fabrics used, but I love mine.
Last night I did a lot of updating of the fiction lists for our retirement library and prepared some things to put up a new library bulletin board tomorrow.
After a somewhat wearying evening, shortly before bedtime I discovered the Painted Garden blog. If you love flowers and gardens and teapots and teacups, this site is a feast for the eyes. What beautiful photos. I went to bed with a smile on my face. Put a smile on yours by going there.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The Response
As the beggar’s bowl fills up, he accepts what is proffered. Beyond acceptance, comes thanksgiving. Not always easy to do when the gifts are hard to swallow. What does God want from us?
Brother Lawrence reminds us: “He [God] does not ask much of us—an occasional remembrance, a small act of worship, now to beg his grace, at times to offer him our distresses, at another time to render thanks for the favors He has given, and which he gives in the midst of your labors, to find consolation with Him as often as you can. …The smallest remembrance will always please Him.”
In other words, He wants a love relationship and an acknowledgement of our need for Him. But we so often get caught up in the tasks of living, that we fail to pause to remember who has granted us life and is sustaining us. It takes a conscious effort to focus on the presence of God in our lives. This beggar needs to put the distractions aside more often and remind herself that God is always in the midst of His child thru His Spirit. There needs to be more remembering.
Brother Lawrence reminds us: “He [God] does not ask much of us—an occasional remembrance, a small act of worship, now to beg his grace, at times to offer him our distresses, at another time to render thanks for the favors He has given, and which he gives in the midst of your labors, to find consolation with Him as often as you can. …The smallest remembrance will always please Him.”
In other words, He wants a love relationship and an acknowledgement of our need for Him. But we so often get caught up in the tasks of living, that we fail to pause to remember who has granted us life and is sustaining us. It takes a conscious effort to focus on the presence of God in our lives. This beggar needs to put the distractions aside more often and remind herself that God is always in the midst of His child thru His Spirit. There needs to be more remembering.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Spring Cleaning
Spring is a time of new beginnings. Traditionally, people have swept out the cobwebs and dust of winter. Why not go a step beyond that and seriously declutter. Here are some good reasons for getting rid of the things that have piled up in our homes over the months and years.
1. Clutter creates stress. The more items we accumulate, the more things we have to organize, clean, fix, move, store, protect, rearrange, find, and worry about.
2. Clutter makes you feel bad about yourself. You may feel inadequate or that you have lost control. If you have depression, it will make it worse.
3. Clutter interferes with personal relationships. You may be embarrassed to have visitors to your messy house. Grandkids may not visit much because their parents think your home is “unsafe”.
4. Clutter takes a financial toll. Late fees for overdue bills lost in a pile of papers. Purchasing multiples of items because though you are sure you own it, you can’t find it when you need it.
5. Clutter is a time robber. Time you spend hunting for items could be spent chatting over tea with a friend or playing games with the grandkids.
6. Clutter shuts you off from new opportunities or hobbies because you have no room to accommodate them. You are stuck in the past.
7. When we let our stuff define us, we give control to the stuff. The Biblical command was for man (or woman) to have dominion over the things of the earth, not the other way around.
8. Clutter may keep you from seeing how God can meet a need in your life if you are stockpiling everything “in case you need it”. Will you let Him supply it instead?
9. Clutter may cause resentment when people have to clean out garages, attics, closets, etc. that you should have cleaned out before you died or were forced to downsize because of health issues.
1. Clutter creates stress. The more items we accumulate, the more things we have to organize, clean, fix, move, store, protect, rearrange, find, and worry about.
2. Clutter makes you feel bad about yourself. You may feel inadequate or that you have lost control. If you have depression, it will make it worse.
3. Clutter interferes with personal relationships. You may be embarrassed to have visitors to your messy house. Grandkids may not visit much because their parents think your home is “unsafe”.
4. Clutter takes a financial toll. Late fees for overdue bills lost in a pile of papers. Purchasing multiples of items because though you are sure you own it, you can’t find it when you need it.
5. Clutter is a time robber. Time you spend hunting for items could be spent chatting over tea with a friend or playing games with the grandkids.
6. Clutter shuts you off from new opportunities or hobbies because you have no room to accommodate them. You are stuck in the past.
7. When we let our stuff define us, we give control to the stuff. The Biblical command was for man (or woman) to have dominion over the things of the earth, not the other way around.
8. Clutter may keep you from seeing how God can meet a need in your life if you are stockpiling everything “in case you need it”. Will you let Him supply it instead?
9. Clutter may cause resentment when people have to clean out garages, attics, closets, etc. that you should have cleaned out before you died or were forced to downsize because of health issues.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Alone*
Birth means leaving the warmth and shelter of our mother’s womb to be thrust into a world of unknowns. We acclimate and learn, but most of us remain uncomfortable with change. Children like routine and set schedules. It creates a sense of security. Alas, the real world is full of change and loss. One of the things we lose is the feeling of being an extension of our mother. We recognize that we are “other”.
At first, there is a heady independence; but slowly it dawns on us that we are alone. We may have relationships, but imperfect flawed human beings quickly run into barriers to intimate connection. In our affluent society where we are not scrabbling to survive, we have time to reflect on our aloneness. We even become lonely, wishing for that perfect marriage, soul mate friend, appreciation of who we are as a unique individual. Too often that does not happen. Our infinite soul and its longings can only be filled by an infinite God.
Allowing God to fill the voids can be painful. Like the trauma of physical birth, the second birth takes us from the known and comfortable into unknowns. It requires introspection and honesty about our sinful condition. It requires ceding control to a Sovereign God. It requires acknowledging that we are pilgrims passing thru and that all of the things in this world that we think will fill up the void are not enough. Until we reach our final home and are in God’s presence, we will continue to be lonely. We live in a fallen world. It has seen a glimmer of redemption thru the work of Christ, but completion is not yet.
But without the second birth, we will experience shallowness and superficiality as we try to fill the aloneness void with accumulated objects, socializing and parties, acclaim. With the second birth, we become part of a community, the Body of Christ, which though imperfect is the closest we will come to shedding our aloneness on this earth.
*Thoughts from reading Ronald Rolheiser’s The Restless Heart
At first, there is a heady independence; but slowly it dawns on us that we are alone. We may have relationships, but imperfect flawed human beings quickly run into barriers to intimate connection. In our affluent society where we are not scrabbling to survive, we have time to reflect on our aloneness. We even become lonely, wishing for that perfect marriage, soul mate friend, appreciation of who we are as a unique individual. Too often that does not happen. Our infinite soul and its longings can only be filled by an infinite God.
Allowing God to fill the voids can be painful. Like the trauma of physical birth, the second birth takes us from the known and comfortable into unknowns. It requires introspection and honesty about our sinful condition. It requires ceding control to a Sovereign God. It requires acknowledging that we are pilgrims passing thru and that all of the things in this world that we think will fill up the void are not enough. Until we reach our final home and are in God’s presence, we will continue to be lonely. We live in a fallen world. It has seen a glimmer of redemption thru the work of Christ, but completion is not yet.
But without the second birth, we will experience shallowness and superficiality as we try to fill the aloneness void with accumulated objects, socializing and parties, acclaim. With the second birth, we become part of a community, the Body of Christ, which though imperfect is the closest we will come to shedding our aloneness on this earth.
*Thoughts from reading Ronald Rolheiser’s The Restless Heart
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Dollops of Beauty
Our local hospital sponsors a program called Healthy Woman with seminars throughout the year. This evening Heidi Floyd, breast cancer survivor and Ambassador for the Vera Bradley Foundation was to speak, but a substitution was made with Jill Nichols, VP in charge of philanthropy for the foundation. Jill was an excellent speaker, but I really wanted to hear Heidi's story. But as compensation for Heidi’s absence, each lady in attendance received a coin purse. How cool is that?
Besides that surprise, my husband went shopping and brought home a small chest freezer to put in the garage. We had talked about it some, but he did all of the research and legwork and now I can stock up on frozen goods for when my family comes for a visit in June.
A bowl of beauty and love today.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Treasure Hunt
As I set out towards North Webster after lunch, I noticed the sky’s split personality. Towering puffy white clouds against a pale blue for the most part, but low-hanging glowering gray clouds to the northeast where I was headed. A few splotches of rain on the windshield were all I experienced. The farm fields are still brown, but the pastures where the horses graze sport bright green. 55 mph increased the mpg of the Prius and I didn’t even use up one pip on the fuel gauge. I enjoyed the drive thru the countryside, but have mixed feelings about the results.
The new shop where I stopped that advertised fabric for pillows, etc. was a bust. Heart of the Lakes Antique Mall where I never expected to find a fabric remnant had a suitable option for the lampshade I want to cover. I bought it, but now that I am home I can’t decide if I like the fabric enough to invest the work of covering the shade. The print is a little busy maybe. What do you think?
I’ve never tried covering a shade. The internet has instructions, though.
I looked last week at several places in Fort Wayne. Didn’t really see anything I loved. Don’t really love this, but better than what I have seen so far.
I guess I should go to Lowery’s Sewing Store here in Warsaw before doing anything. This remnant is 2 1/2 yards (I only need 1 yard) and I could use it as a table cloth on my small table if I don’t use it to cover the shade. I had looked at a few fabric-by-the-yard offerings on Etsy, but so hard to judge by a photo the true colors and texture. The one I liked best would be shipped from Hong Kong and the shipping cost is almost what I paid for the remnant today. I only paid $10 for the lamp so I don’t want to spend a lot for the shade redo. Decisions, decisions.
The new shop where I stopped that advertised fabric for pillows, etc. was a bust. Heart of the Lakes Antique Mall where I never expected to find a fabric remnant had a suitable option for the lampshade I want to cover. I bought it, but now that I am home I can’t decide if I like the fabric enough to invest the work of covering the shade. The print is a little busy maybe. What do you think?
| The lamp to be covered. Shade is in good shape but yellowed. |
I’ve never tried covering a shade. The internet has instructions, though.
I looked last week at several places in Fort Wayne. Didn’t really see anything I loved. Don’t really love this, but better than what I have seen so far.
I guess I should go to Lowery’s Sewing Store here in Warsaw before doing anything. This remnant is 2 1/2 yards (I only need 1 yard) and I could use it as a table cloth on my small table if I don’t use it to cover the shade. I had looked at a few fabric-by-the-yard offerings on Etsy, but so hard to judge by a photo the true colors and texture. The one I liked best would be shipped from Hong Kong and the shipping cost is almost what I paid for the remnant today. I only paid $10 for the lamp so I don’t want to spend a lot for the shade redo. Decisions, decisions.
Friday, May 4, 2012
An Introvert
I read an interesting blog recently. It is titled The Introverted Church and the author Adam McHugh has also authored a book on the subject.
I’ve known from the time I was old enough to understand the concept that I am an introvert. I never stopped to consider that today’s evangelical churches practice a form of social extroversion. Potluck suppers, stand and verbally share to the larger group, shake hands and greet during the service. As McHugh points out, not involving one’s self in the expected way is equated with being “less spiritual”.
But sometimes we do have to step outside our comfort zones to participate in the community life of the church. He suggests spiraling in and out, having private quiet time to renew the energy that is drained out from such encounters for an introvert. Introverts are not energized by people-to-people contact in groups.
It’s an intriguing theory and way of looking at church culture. I must add his book to my to-read list.
I’ve known from the time I was old enough to understand the concept that I am an introvert. I never stopped to consider that today’s evangelical churches practice a form of social extroversion. Potluck suppers, stand and verbally share to the larger group, shake hands and greet during the service. As McHugh points out, not involving one’s self in the expected way is equated with being “less spiritual”.
But sometimes we do have to step outside our comfort zones to participate in the community life of the church. He suggests spiraling in and out, having private quiet time to renew the energy that is drained out from such encounters for an introvert. Introverts are not energized by people-to-people contact in groups.
It’s an intriguing theory and way of looking at church culture. I must add his book to my to-read list.
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