Time for an emptying of this too-full bucket of thoughts I call my brain.
- God helped me see that although I complain of running out of time in the morning before work to have a good prayer time, I have time to check facebook. Ouch. Point well taken.
- Our church voted unanimously to accept recommendations from our state ministry to do whatever it takes to become the outwardly focused, passionate church God wants us to be. That positive vote showed their hearts and encouraged me.
- I wish I could talk about everything that’s on my mind but some of it just has to stay in there for the time being.
- Got to see my oldest at college today! We had diet cokes, sat on a stone bench in filtered sunlight and shade on campus, and caught up. Happy heart moment.
- My youngest tagged along. This is especially good because she tends to open up and talk as we drive and she’s been trying to stay “closed up” around me lately….we’re going through some weird phases as mom and daughter at this time in her life. ANYWAY, we had a really good day and lots of fun time together and I’m thankful.
- John went to my parents’ house for a few days to study, get away, and evidently be spoiled by my mother and fed too much. Hey, that’s the treatment I usually get! I miss him already.
- I enjoyed sitting in a friend’s backyard this evening eating some yummy italian beef and BBQ pulled pork while listening to some of the folks there play guitars and banjos while others visited and kids played. The hostess had visited with the cashier at the grocery earlier that day and told him about the “acoustic jam” they were having. Then she said, “You can come if you want!” He smiled and said, “Well you know, I play banjo, I just might” and he did! God reminded me that it is so easy to reach out and include people in our lives and befriend them. People are probably much more open to making friends than I think they are.
- I need to pay the bills but once again am procrastinating. ‘Tis truly the bane of my existence.
- “Self” is a fierce enemy. I need God’s strength daily to defeat it.
- Bees kept pestering me at the jam this evening. I tried to ignore them but they just got a little too close, like actually walking on my beef. They even followed me into the house for pete’s sake! I kept going outside to sit in the lovely evening and then running back inside to eat in peace. This happened a number of times. I guess maybe I worked off one of my sandwiches, though.
- We are STILL fighting the bedbugs. I can hardly believe it as I type those words. We have evidently not gotten them where they are beginning/breeding. There aren’t that many but the fact that there are any means we haven’t gotten rid of them completely. When will it end???? Did Hitchcock ever do a film about bedbugs?
- Okay, I better get to the bills so I can sleep peacefully tonight.
If you read all those random thoughts, you are a good friend.
Over the two years we worked together he became a really good friend. He and his wife Darlene, kind of adopted John and I with our three little girls. One night they had us over for dinner. We enjoyed a delicious meal and then while John and Gil chatted in the front room, Darlene took the girls and I into the den where snuggled down into comfy chairs and on the floor to watch figure skating and eat popcorn. It was such a lovely night. I’ll never forget the last day I went to see him as his secretary. 
He drove by the McDonald’s. What? Jodi, Jon and I looked at each other again and asked him, “Dad, where are you going?”
The day finally arrived for Kimmi and she is now moved in at AU and ready for her first year of college! She had her car loaded up and ready to go and after running some last-minute errands in the morning we headed to Anderson in the early afternoon. Driving over, I kept glancing in the side rear-view mirror to see her following behind. The words in the mirror were a strange comfort: “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.” John wondered aloud if Kimmi had butterflies. “I do,” I replied as he chuckled.
We arrived at Rice Hall, where I lived my sophomore year and John lived for four years. A friendly student started to lead us upstairs to her room and as we rounded the 2nd floor set of stairs we were greeted by a bunch of smiling, colorful, upper-class art students (the dreadlocks kind of gave it away). They guessed Kimmi’s name until they got it right, then told her they were ready to help her move in! The moment they began their enthusiastic welcome to a much-delighted Kimmi, I could almost feel John and I becoming invisible and fading farther back in the stairwell. This is what’s supposed to happen, though. 
Along the Narrow Path 