Being Home

It seems to be typical that as people age, they become more attached to their "things",  or more specifically,  their home environments.  It is not really about the material possessions.  Rather it is more about a sense of being rooted, belonging, being part of the earth in this spot.

The young still want to see the world and conquer it. The older, having already done that to the extent they probably ever will, prefer to exert influence and care in the little corner of the world where they reside.

I do not feel defined by the things around me, but I do feel comforted, nurtured.  As the world becomes increasingly strange and unfamiliar, the familiar takes on a greater place of prominence in one's life. I still have not mastered my smart phone, but I know all the nooks and crannies of my kitchen!

When we bought this house eight years ago, we thought everything was perfect.  Still, we have made constant changes and upgrades since day one.  That is the way one makes it "home", by imprinting it with one's own style and energy and sweat.  When one buys a house in their retirement, one never knows how long you may get to live in it.  At the time, I said that I hope we get ten years!   And I do believe we will indeed get that!  And hopefully many more!

Last year we removed and replaced many of the shrubbery out front.  You get to the point when you do not want to stand on a ten foot ladder in order to trim a bush which has grown too large.  We greatly prefer the smaller shrubs and the openness.

The red maple trees have grown so much larger.  It is hard to remember how small they were in the beginning.   Like with your children!

2008 Early Spring

Late Summer 2015

My House to Yours

Today I am having my monthly lunch with daughter 'Eve'.  I always drive to the town where she lives, and we eat at a restaurant there.   I try to have lunch with all my daughters monthly,  but that doesn't work with all of them.  'Kay' for instance, has a relatively new job, which is incredibly demanding and busy, and she does not feel like she can go out to lunch. That has been very surprising to me, until I recently read an article that confirmed that today's workers usually bring their lunch and eat at their desks, or over a meeting.  The "hour off for lunch" no longer exists!

I do believe that I manage to see "Joy" about once a month, although she lives near NYC.  Either she makes the trip up here, or we make the trip down there.  "Lee" lives the closest, and we always have our monthly lunch in Ithaca, usually at the same place.

Today,  I am taking some of the produce that I have from my garden to share with "Eve".  I have a bumper crop of zucchini, for sure.  Earlier in the season, I would not have believed those plants would have survived, much less have such a hearty yield!

The basket that I am taking to "Eve" contains zucchini, cucumbers, beets, kale, homemade pickles and zucchini chocolate cupcakes, all from my garden or kitchen.

I am proud of myself, and do hope she is pleased!

I am sure she will be!

Arranging Sermons

I do have hard copies of my sermons for the last ten years.  However, they have been put into notebooks by chronological, calendar years.  When it comes to locating a sermon to use as a possible resource,  that is not very helpful.  One encounters biblical text by liturgical year, not calendar year.   Those are Years A, B and C.

For the record, given the opportunity to preach I do always write a new sermon, because writing sermons is my most favorite thing.  But I would definitely use and old one as a resource, a starting place.  There might be helpful resources there.

So as a winter project, last year, I decided that I would try to arrange my sermons in Liturgical order, rather than in order by years.   It was really quite an undertaking and took weeks and weeks.   I spread it all out on the dining room table, which is a good place for a project, because it is not often in use.

This is what it looked like:   (though this is when it was all still in the basement, where books are stored)

Last night I got an email from a clergy colleague whose daughter is having a baby.  She wanted to know about my availability to be her Plan B, even though she does not know the exact date.  That means that I am likely to be notified on short notice that I am needed to fill in for her.

 I can look at the church calendar for the weeks around that time, see what the scripture selection is, and go to my B file box, and find a sermon on that exact text.  Of course, they are not all there.   I limited the sermons I put in the A, B, C boxes to Gospel selections.  I did most often use those, but not always.

So I just checked my system for the dates in question, and Eureka!  There are resource sermons for the exact three weeks in question.

It is so nice when the efforts of a winter project come to fruition!   It is probably 7 or 8 months later, but still......I am so proud of myself for creating a system that works just like it is supposed to!

Now I am ready, even if that baby comes on very short notice!

Big Words

I have a friend with whom I often communicate regarding several mutual areas of interest.   She frequently uses "big words."

 Sometimes, I do not know the meaning of the words she uses.   Often, I might have seen the word in print, but have never actually heard it spoken out loud.

For example, she once asked:  "Why do you eschew the dinners?"   I had never heard anyone use the word in a sentence before!

We are more likely to be communicating by email and often working on various projects together.

In an email last night, she used a word to describe me and I did not know its meaning.  I have heard the word before, but was not sure exactly what it meant.

So I looked up the meaning of the word.

Alacrity--- brisk and cheerful readiness, eagerness.

She said:  "You really do take on projects with such alacrity."

I rather like that word and think that it is an accurate description of me.  I tend to be very very task oriented, willing to take on some big ones, and totally dedicated to carrying them out.

But in the case of this particular friend, our projects together tend to take me into the creative realm where I am always more than willing and eager to venture!

So, yes, I think that is a great word.   I am always eager and cheerful and ready to jump into a creative challenge.   (not true of every challenge)   But a creative challenge just takes me over until I get it finished, usually in a very short turnaround time.

Now that I know exactly what the word means,  I might just try using it myself some time!