Happy Birthday Little One

    On Saturday we were privileged to join in celebrating Abigail's first birthday. It was a beautiful evening for a lawn party. The theme was bears and the color was pink. Of course! This was a party for a little girl who is sugar and spice and everything nice.

   The years of waiting for her are fading into a memory as we enjoyed watching her grow and develop in the past year. (Go back to my March 6, 2020, post on how she was brought to life.) She isn't walking without support yet but it won't be long. She has discovered the piano makes sounds and she can climb to the top of the stairs. 

    We are looking forward to watching her continue to grow and develop in the next year. I'm waiting to hear her say "grandma." Grandchildren are the greatest reward for old age!

Seasons

     I hear people saying, "Where did the summer go?" and wonder the same thing. With most of our usual summer activities held on schedule this year, the summer zipped by. We have only five more days until fall officially begins. But already the markets are filled with mums, pumpkins, and other things that silently shout fall is about to pounce on us.

  It's human nature to resist change. Though we might enjoy each season and appreciate a change once it's taken place, there's an undercurrent of anxiety that comes with the build up to the actual change. And though we've let go of the summer in a lot of ways by now, we can't help but hesitate to embrace the new season because we know what fall is leading up to.

   As the equinox creeps closer, the changes are barely noticeable and easy to ignore. It is easier to embrace the beginnings of fall while it is still summer, because we can safely enjoy fall without having to say goodbye to summer.  And then one day we look up and see fall is no longer approaching, it is here. We will flip the calendar to October and resign ourselves to the fact that the summer is over and gone. The change has come and we settle back to enjoy it.

 

The Many Different Seasons

There are many different seasons

In life that we go through,

Times of God's blessing and peace

And times of hardship too.

No matter what the season, 

We find that we are in, 

God is there to lead us on

And give us hope within.

And when the seasons of hardships

Have come into our lives,

We can be encouraged by God

For our hope is placed in Christ.

For we know it's only temporary

And will change as seasons do,

Though it feels like an eternity

And we wonder if we'll get through.

But God's rivers of mercy

Flow down from heaven above

To bring to us refreshment

And to touch us with His love.

So thank the Lord for the seasons,

As different as they are,

And for the growth that comes from it,

Bringing change within our hearts.

By M. S. Lowndes

To Vax or Not to Vax

   Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, so I was one of the first to qualify for a third shot of Moderna vaccine. I got it this morning. As we walked back to our car, Leroy had a brief conversation with the man parked next to us. He had a Trump/Pence sticker on his truck and was quick to let his opinions be known. He said if we would elect the right people next time we wouldn't have all this nonsense. I fail to see how electing the right person would cure a disease.

   The heated debates we were forced to endure all last year did not end after the election but continue on with the issues of wearing masks and getting vaccines. Each side is convinced they are right. I got so tired of things some people persisted in posting on Facebook that I unfollowed them. 

    I chose to get the vaccine and don't object to wearing a mask. That is my choice. Those who choose differently can do so. Posting things objecting to vaccines and masks only tells me what their opinion is and does not change mine. Some of the conspiracy theories are downright ridiculous. A friend of mine said Biden wants to kill off all the old people with the shots. I think she forgot Biden is one of the old people himself. One lady told me she doesn't think Covid is worse than any other disease. If someone in her family died from it I think she might reconsider.

    The more conservative people, and especially those with Amish background, are skeptical of modern medicine and favor natural remedies. That is their prerogative. But with an autoimmune disease like RA, natural remedies will not relieve the symptoms. When every joint is swollen and it hurts to move, the extreme pain can quickly convince a person to be willing to swallow pills that relieve the symptoms. 

    To Vax or not to Vax is a personal choice. Make your choice and let everyone else make theirs.  A wise man said, "In necessary things unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity."