I took the plunge Saturday and christened Tom’s sailboat - Item 7 – with my lovely presence.  I also officially christened it another way, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

He’s only had the boat three years, after all.  I had to make sure he could handle it well and that it was safe to venture out, you know.  A girl can’t be too careful these days.  I figured that by now with all of the stuff I’ve had to get him for the boat (that he just had to have to safely and comfortably sail, you know) it should be fit for a Queen to sail.

You’d think so, anyway.  I mean, he’s awfully proud of it and has been sailing a lot this fall, after a very late start this year.  He went sailing a couple of days last week, the weather has been so gorgeous.  But, he wanted me to go out with him so he could show off his “other” love (besides me).

We were going to go Friday, but it was too windy.  Saturday it was perfect weather, and I do mean, perfect for sailing.  Good breezes, but not blowing hard.  Mid-70s, bright and sunny and very few clouds.

I made us roast beef sandwiches and got out the potato chips while he got an ice chest of drinks for us to take.  We took jackets with us, but didn’t need those at all, and we headed out.  The 40 minute drive over to the coast was lovely; about half way there we hit the beach.  It was the kind of day you want to last forever when you’re starting out, ya know?  Have you ever had one of those?  The kind that makes you want to exclaim, “This is the BEST day of my life!”

(That’s actually an inside joke for our friend, Ron, who took Tom & me sailing one fall day several years ago while his wife, Debra, was having to work.  It was much cooler that day and the wind was stronger, but it was fantastic.  I took over sailing the boat as Tom & Ron took a break.  We were really heeled over and I was laughing out loud at the thrill of it all.  Ron called Debra and told her what I just said above.  When the conversation was finished, Ron turned to us sheepishly and said, “Don’t ever tell your wife you’re having the best day of your life when she’s not with you!”  We still laugh about that all the time all of these years later.  Just a hint for you guys out there.)

We hauled everything out to the boat in the slip and Tom started packing things aboard.  Then we came to the first “tricky” part.  Tom’s little “finger” pier that runs out along side the boat in the harbor for getting on and off the boat (that was there when he got the slip) is narrow and rickety.  It’s probably 15′ long, without a center brace pole beneath it, so it wobbles.  That fact, plus the facts that I’m (1) scared of heights – I was probably 6′ above the water, (2) have a fear of water, strange as that may be for a sailor – which I used to be(!), (3) you have to step across on to the moving boat – small ones are move around more than bigger ones, and (4) I hadn’t been out on a boat at all  in 5 1/2 years, all made me scared – to – death – momentarily.

Tom went ahead of me, while I gripped his hand and arm ferociously until I was safely down on the finger pier, out to the end of it, and then safely across and down on the boat.  Whew!  That was a feat for someone who used to be so cool about sailing.  I mean, I was the one who bought a Hobie 18′ with wings 22 years ago when I was living over there on the coast!  Here’s a photo of one like mine (sails and all), except mine had bright turquoise hulls and trampoline :

I used to do THAT!!  What the guy in the photo is doing.  You wear what they call a “butt bucket,” which is a diaper-like sling you get into, and then you get on the high side of the boat as it’s traveling rapidly through the water.  What fun!!

Tom & I went sailing all the time (as you may remember from some of my posts several years ago, when we still had the Hobie).  We kept the catamaran for 15 years and had always had a blast with it.  We’re way past those days, but not past good sailing days, as I so hesitantly found out Saturday.

I’ve lots more to share with you, but don’t want to take up your entire day, so will stop here.  The first photo above shows Tom next to the tiller sailing the boat.  The photo wasn’t taken Saturday, as we forgot to take our camera and Tom, much to his dismay, but my delight, forgot to take his phone that takes pictures.  But, he had that exact same shirt on and shorts and was barefoot most of the afternoon.

Next time, I’ll delve into (1) the language and culture of sailing and (2) how I came to christened the boat, other than by my presence on it.  I’ll also try to give you a descriptive “tour” of the boat.

Till then . . . Cheers!  And many blessings to each of you today! Dee

He has lots of stories to tell of those fun days when he was a fireman in the Guard putting out “fake” fires in drills.  On more than one occasion, they were sent to march in parades as a “civilian” military unit, and you can figure how well that went.  I mean, Tom loves music more than anyone else I know, but cannot carry a tune in a bucket, bless his heart.  Nor, can he keep rhythm.  Think, can’t march in cadence.  And, you can figure a bunch of big burly Cowboys backs and defensive ends trying to do so.

Anyway, our good friends, Larry & Dorothy, send the following questions, with answers, to Tom yesterday.  Even he had to laugh.  You have to admit, they’re funny.  So, I thought I’d share them with you all since we probably won’t be having any laughs about how well Dallas is playing tomorrow (Sunday).  I have to say, though, they have a terrific stadium!  In fact, the Super Bowl this year will be played there.  Nice venue.   So . . . here goes:

Q. What do you call 47 millionaires around a TV watching the Super Bowl?

A. The Dallas Cowboys

Q. How do you keep a Dallas Cowboy out of your yard?

A. Put up a goal post.

Q. What do you call a Dallas Cowboy with a Super Bowl ring?

A. Old

Q. What’s the difference between the Dallas Cowboys and A dollar bill?

A.  You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. How many Dallas Cowboys does it take to win a Super Bowl?

A. Nobody remembers.

Q. What do the Cowboys and a possums have in common?

A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road!

Some of the quips below have been around before, but some are new to me and today seems like a day to have fun, being Halloween Eve and all.  Enjoy and comment if you can think of some more good ways to start a fight!

Cheers!  Dee

One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a
Christmas gift…
The next year, I didn’t buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
“Well, you still haven’t used the gift I bought you last year!”
And that’s how the fight started…

My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.
She was not happy with what she saw and said to me, “I feel horrible; I
look old, fat and ugly.  I really need you to pay me a compliment.’
I replied, “Your eyesight’s damn near perfect.”
And then the fight started…

She’s not been writing so much lately, with trying to keep up with not only Mark and Zoe, Hannah & Kayci, but also several little ones she babysits.  I’m always amazed at how much she DOES get done, I’m tellin’ ya.

But, today is her dad’s birthday and she had some thoughts that just HAD to come out!  She wrote the blog post below on her blog today and I was so taken with it, I asked her if she would be my guest blogger today.  She agreed, and I am SO glad.

So, here it is.  It is beautifully and eloquently written and delves into the mind of a mature woman, wife, mother, daughter, friend, who is MY friend for loving my son & my granddaughters and for much more.  I love her dearly.

I think you will find below much to think about and ponder.  It is important and wise and uplifting.

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing with us today!!

With all the birthdays that have happened of late, I began thanking about what I like to call, the timeline of a birthday.  It begins when you are a child and can understand what the word ‘birthday’ means to you.  Not so much the gaining of another year, but the celebration of cake, presents and friends.  This continues to build, in story-like style, until it reaches a climax…usually with the gift of something big (like a car or huge blowout party–vacation style).  Let me say that I HAVE had some parties in my time but never to this degree–for which I elaborately mourned over at the time…however, in retrospect, am extremely grateful for what I did have. Perhaps age is a great teacher…or perhaps our perspective changes as we age…or perhaps it’s both.

However, I found that with the passage of a ‘milestone birthday’ my birthday perspective began to radically change.  I found that not only was my list of desires becoming  more practical in nature, my birthday was beginning to mark some physical changes as well.  Changes that I might add were not particularly what I would call desirable in nature.  Of course getting married and having children could factor into some of this; but, I could not deny that birthday’s were an irreversible part of this whole process.  Like a book’s decline into resolution and ending, I had found that I too, had finally reached that climax, and passed it (although just barely;) as to anyone you ask I am still 29 and holding)

It was with the approach of my father’s birthday, which is today Happy Birthday Dad!, that a chord was struck within me as to my current view of the ‘birthday timeline’.  As I observe birthdays of all ages I began to see that within each, a story was being written, like a painting across the Sistine Chapel, our own life is being poured out in vibrant and sometimes violent color and brush strokes. Each day, each hour, woven into a tapestry along with the other lives we touch.  It occurs to me that perhaps it is the process, more than the destination, or in my case the desperate cling to that ‘magic year’. The one which it appeared to me that all was perfect; or, that like in the days of Columbus, any forward movement would sail me right off the end of the world.  When I look at my dad, or anyone who is older than me, I see life poured out for something and in pursuit of something, not a vain or empty effort.  I see lessons learned, experiences made, and relationships formed.  I see a road of possibility and promise.  I see that there is life to those years not just years in that life!  Perhaps that is the greatest gift of all, God’s gift to us, living and experiencing.  Not that our destination is not of utmost importance as well; but, that He wanted all those little experiences for us along the way.

So, I guess all these birthdays around me have taught me something.  Don’t get me wrong, as I am still 29 and holding.  But perhaps I won’t hold as tightly as I don’t want to miss a minute of this beautiful, wonderful gift given to each one of us….LIFE and living it every day!

Happy Birthday Dad, thanks for sharing your life with me. I love you!

Thank you, Lynn, for sharing this with us and we hope your dad has a terrific birthday, today.  Happy Birthday, Roy!

Many blessings to each of you today!  Dee

However . . . do not be dismayed.  The judges expect to have the winners’ post up and ready for your oohs and aahs by next week – not promising which day yet – but next week.  So, keep checking.

In the meantime, practice patience and remember why it is we all gather around each others blogs.  We do so to find and make connections; to learn how to live, laugh and love better; to see life in a new and better way; to come to greater understandings of each other.

In my Friday blog, I talked about my “big garden of friends” that I have gathered through blogging and the internet.  It’s been inspirational to me!  You all have lifted me up many times when I was really, really down!  And, you’ve shared the fun times and even joyous times with me.

Before this blog gets to maudlin, let me leave you with some fun thoughts on grandparents.  Some of you are grandparents, some of you aren’t, but you’ve had grandparents and hopefully one day will be one yourself.  Regardless, these are sweet and funny.  Till next time!  Dee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.
He asked me how old I was, and I told him, “62.” He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, “Did you start at 1?”

********************************************************************
After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old
slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she
heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin.
At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings.
As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, “Who was THAT?”

*******************************************************************
A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond.I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.
The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”

*********************************************************************

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, “Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?”
I mentally polished my halo while I asked, No, how are we alike?”
You’re both old,” he replied.

*********************************************************************

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s word processor. She told him she was writing a story.
“What’s it about?” he asked.
I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t read.”

*********************************************************************
I didn’t know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something
and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued.
At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!”

********************************************************************

When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from
attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, “It’s no use, Grandpa.
The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.”

*********************************************************************

When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, “I’m not sure, “Look in your underwear, Grandma,” he advised.
“Mine says I’m four to six.”

************************************************************

Children’s Logic: “Give me a sentence about a public servant,” said a teacher.
The small boy wrote: “The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.”
The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. “Don’t you know what pregnant means?” she asked.
Sure,” said the young boy confidently. “It means carrying a child.”

*********************************************************************

A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past.
Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties.
They use him to keep crowds back,” said one youngster.
“No, said another, “he’s just for good luck.”
A third child brought the argument to a close. “They use the dogs”, she said firmly, “to find the fire hydrant.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
_________________________________________________________________

She was 19 years old and married to a small thin man in his late 30s or early 40s who looked to be twice his age and was crippled up in his left arm from a working accident some years before.  Thus, he was disabled and unable to work any more, at all, although the work he’d done before was just as a laborer.

She had four little girls of her own, although she was just a girl herself.

They were destitute.  They lived in a small shack consisting of three room, with no bathroom, far off the nearest paved road among the tall, matchstick pines.  Being summer, it was swelteringly hot and humid, but they had no air conditioning, of course.  Nor did they have much furniture.  In fact, other than in the kitchen, I recall none.  The three little girls and baby all slept on bare mattresses reeking with the strong odor of urine.  They may have had diapers for the youngest, but the nearest place to do laundry was in town, and that cost money they didn’t have.  Neither did we see any clothes, anywhere.

Their only transportation was an old dilapidated pickup, and it was not there when we arrived.  The doors were wide open, so we went up the flimsy back steps to the kitchen and went in to look around.  We saw a small table with bowls on them, a couple of chairs and some cheap bent spoons.  The small refrigerator’s door did not shut well and it was full of big ants, but very little else.  Ants crawled all across the tiny kitchen, including on the counter, where we found the remains of their pitiful lunch.  Water gravy and water Koolaid, with a bit of sugar in it.  There were no signs of anything else to eat.

We had wanted to see them to visit, but instead we just left the big boxes of food, produce, milk and staples, for them to have when they got home.  We left some small clean clothes, too, for the girls, and took note of what else they needed.  It was a long list, because they needed everything, beginning with a habitable place to live.

We were not only saddened, but sickened at what we saw.  The wretchedness of the place; the poverty.  But, for the moment we had done all we knew to do.

We found out later that the reason they were not “home” was because all of them had driven to nearby Lufkin to the welfare department to try to receive a bit more financial help then what he was getting.  The girl told us that what we saw in their shack was the very last of the food that they had.  The water gravy and Koolaid.  They had nothing else.

When they returned home, completely dejected and hungry, they were overjoyed to find the food we brought.

My friend, a young Christian mother of four, herself, in her 30s, and I – just a married college student, myself, with a little one, David, who was two years old, had driven back into town by then.  I pondered what I had seen and experiences.  I deeply identified with this young girl, as I was expecting a baby soon, and would have two little ones at 21.

We lived in student housing in a small two bedroom apartment that was $67 a month, which we could not afford, either, but we managed the the four married couples’ buildings around our square and that paid our rent.  My husband went to school full time and worked all kinds of odd jobs at night to help with bills, too.  One job, sitting in a chicken house where the incubators were all night long to keep the eggs from burning, paid 33 cents an hour.  It was a miserable job, but we needed the money.

Yet, when I compared my life to hers, and she was a brand new Christian, I felt deeply blessed.

We did not leave them as we found them.  Charlotte, my friend, went back repeatedly to help them and even got the girl a decent paying job in town soon after.  Charlotte made sure she was able to come worship with us and bring her little daughters.  The girl dressed them up as best she could with the hand-me-downs and they looked shiny and sweet.

They are able to move into town and the church helped them greatly.  Their lives improved very much due to the love and care and benevolence of the compassionate Christian community there in Nacogoches.  It was inspiring to me to see true Christianity in action – Jesus love – and the impressions of that girl’s life have stayed with me until now.

This did not happen during the deep Depression of the 1930s.  This happened in 1966, and happens still today in many places all around us here in America, if only we will take the time to really open our eyes and see as Jesus would have us see.

My daughter, who lives in an a far suburb of Dallas told me a few years ago that she did not know any poor people.  (Although she lives out in the country and has trailer homes on both sides of their property.)  I was stunned.  I told her she would find them all around her, even there, if she would just look.  She took my advice, and did.  Since then, she has been involved in ministry with her congregation of Christians and on several mission trips outside this country, even.  We financially supported her in doing those things and have supported her morally and in every way we could to encourage her in her work.

Tom and I live in a very poor area of the south here in Mississippi where people such as the girl in the woods live, as well.  May I ever seek out those I can help in some way – as God’s child – a Christian – and not forget they are all around me too.  To get to our house in the woods, we drive by dozens and dozens of run down trailers and trailer parks that look like junk yards.  They are here.

I hope you will be encouraged today to look more closely around where you live to find someone you can help – in Christ’s name – to show them the love of God and Christ even in their lives!

Many blessings to each of you today.  Dee

Friday afternoon about 4 p.m., Tom & I both got to meet Patrick, whom I have long considered one of my dearest blog buddies (see “Patrick Mead” & “Tentpegs“), ranked right up there with you, Greg (see “why, soitenly“).  I just wish (1) you could have been there, too, Greg, (2) y’all’s wives could have come, (3) that the four of you were coming to our house, and (4) last, but not least, we could have all sat out by the fire pit on our deck Friday night listening to you both play your guitars.  Now, that my friends, would be heaven!

Tom & I first met up at the Gulfport airport, just down the road about 40 minutes away, with our “neighbor” Les Ferguson, Jr..  Les is a fellow blogger, too, author of “A Wayfarer’s Trek.”  He is the minister of the Orange Grove Church of Christ in Gulfport.  I was really happy to meet Les, too, as we’ve been “following” each other ever since our early blogging days, for me, some five+ years now.  We found we had a lot in common.  For one thing, Les had written a weekly religion newspaper column for several years for the Vicksburg, Mississippi daily paper, even after moving over to Laurel, Mississippi.  So, he and Tom hit it off and knew newspaper people in common.

Les was there to pick up Patrick to take him over to the Gulf Coast Bible Camp near Lucedale, Mississippi, a small town about the size of Picayune, but the other direction from Gulfport – northeast instead of northwest.  Patrick was going to be speaking to a group of teens at a weekend retreat the camp was hosting.  Tom & I didn’t figure we could pass for teens so didn’t try to break up the party.

The four of us only got visit for a few minutes there in the airport, but it was fun.  Tom was SO sweet to take off work Friday afternoon to take me over.  It was a gorgeous day.  About 74 degrees, bright and sunny, with a good wind for sailing, if Tom had had his boat in the water.  (It’s here next to the house on its trailer.)  We went on down by the water in Long Beach to visit with friends, then gathered more friends to all ate dinner together at a great little Italian place.  Quite a lovely afternoon and evening.

Oh yeah . . . we remembered our camera, so here’s PROOF POSITIVE of our Patrick Mead/Les Ferguson sighting in coastal Mississippi on a bright, nearly spring, day:

Patrick, me & Les.

Patrick & me.

And, last, but not least, Patrick, me and Tom.

Y’all come on down/over/up – whichever way – to see us, too, okay?!  Would love to have each and every one of you over for a visit.  There’s lots of fun stuff to do around here and you cannot beat the company you’ll be keeping. 

Cheers!  And many blessings to each of you today! Dee

P. S. Next time I’ll get back to the conclusion of our Arkansas Memories Tour of Nov. 2009, so don’t miss it, ya hear?!

Tell you what – if I don’t have, can’t find an answer for you, I’ll do some research to try to do so or pass your question along to someone who does have an answer for you, how about that?

In exchange (to be fair here, you understand), I’ll ask y’all a question.  Just one.  Okay, more than one.  Y’all know I can’t stop at one  question, after all.  There’s too much of a journalist left in me.  I always want to know the who, what, where, when and how (and/or why).

So, enlighten me a bit.  I could use some enlightening this morning, I’m telling ya.

Where are you coming by here from, i.e., what state, town, country, place?  I’m just curious about how you’ve ended up here at Finding Direction, how long you’ve been dropping by and for what reasons.  In other words, tell me a bit about yourself, even if you wish to remain anonymous.

That’s it!

So, let the commenting begin.  If you’ve never commented before, all you have to do is fill in the first box with your name, or pseudonym, or “Anonymous,” and the second box with your email address (which will not show on here, but only verifies to me alone that you’re a “real” person.   The third box, which says URL, is only for those of you who have a website address you wish to post.  If you don’t have a website or don’t wish to reveal it, to comment just leave your/a name and your email address, which comes only to me.  That’s it!  It’s simple.

Can’t wait to hear from you with your questions and revelations about yourselves.

Cheers!  And many blessings to you today!  Dee

May God’s richest blessings be with you today and may we all raise our voices in thanksgiving to Him, our creator, our loving Father, who blesses us with all things.

I am joyfully thankful for all of you – my dear friends.

Dee

One of the biggest blessings came yesterday about noon when Rebecca called me to tell me she’d had a CT scan early yesterday morning, that the abscess in her right kidney was completely gone and the radiologist took the drain tube out of her kidney that came out on her back, with a tube down her side that had been draining pus for a week and a half.

We all rejoice in this good news for her.

Yet, she has a long way to go, being still on antibiotic and having to take iron tablets three times a day because she is very anemic and they have not yet determined the cause.  She tires very easily and must rest a lot.

Also, there are a couple of major rifts in our family right now that are beyond my comprehension or understanding.  Tom struggles to understand, as well, as he holds me close as I grieve and cry out to God for wisdom to know how best to be His servant to everyone around me, beginning with my children.

Yet, I am strengthened and uplifted  – rested now – by your ongoing prayers for us.  God is the source of my peace as I have spent the past two days here at home alone in silence in a beautiful place of meditation on this earth.

I sat here at my desk yesterday afternoon looking out my long window, open to the cool breezes coming from our front porch and the woods across the road (to the east).  A small nearly black bird with dark gray breast – a kind I have never seen before – came and perched on the edge of the porch just outside my window and sat for the longest time.

He chirped loudly and clearly and I watched him until he flew away, thanking God for sending him to me to consider.  God’s small winged bird that He watches over just as He watches over me.  I felt an overwhelming sense of wonder that God loves me so.

So, I leave you with another song today – and video.  It is Chris Tomlin singing “Amazing Grace,” but with beautiful lyrics and music of his own added that make it even more inspiring.

May God richly bless you each with His peace today in all things, even in times of greatest hardship, as He has me.

Dee

Click here to view the embedded video.