a friend shared this with me

The Bathing Suit

When I was a child in the 1960's the bathing suit for the mature figure was-boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift and they did a good job. Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman has a choice - she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia or she can wander around every run of the mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of florescent rubber bands.

What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room.

The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks as any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.

I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I gasped in horror - my boobs had disappeared!

Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other. At last I located it flattened beside my seventh rib.

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, 'Oh, there you are,' she said, admiring the bathing suit.

I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me. I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring.

I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane, pregnant with triplets and having a rough day.

I tried on a black number with a midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning.

I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear hem.

Finally, I found a suit that fit...a two-piece affair with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured.

When I got home, I found a label which read -- 'Material might become transparent in water.'

So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too, I'll be the one in cut-off jeans and a T-shirt!

You'd better be laughing or rolling on the floor by this time. Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain

***I don't know who wrote this, but I feel her pain!!***

peace.

made it through the day

so yesterday was weird. i woke up and felt just fine. got in the shower and mid-rinse on the conditioner the entire world started spinning, started getting weak, decided to sit down before i fell down, cause that would not be pretty. made it to the toilet and all, well, ya know, broke loose. world spinning, seeing double, and ya know, i guess i was breathing loud enough to concern my husband.

he comes to see what is going on and well, ya know. so it slowed down long enough to dry off, get to bed and eventually to a comfy chair in the den. lots of liquids throughout the day and i survived. so strange. never had anything quite like it.

i'm betting it's what my dad feels like. parts of him recognize normal when he sees it. and parts of him have completely lost hold of it, but i don't think he misses it much anymore.

i knew my world was spinning and not right, i think he's made his peace with his world, or he's forgotten so much, he doesn't need to any more.

i'm grateful mine only lasted 24 hours and heck, i needed to clean the bathroom anyway.

so when life gives you lemon, ask for water and sugar or that will be one sour lemonade!!

peace.

assessing things

so i've been thinking about many things. dealing with my alzheimers dad and his issues, seeing my grandma and her condition and knowing that it doesn't have to be pre-destined for me. i don't have to accept this body i live in, i can change it. i can keep my mind active and useful.

i've also been thinking about moving dad to the nursing home. i've made my peace with it, i think he may actually enjoy having people around, being cared for and honestly, i don't know if he'll notice the lack of freedom. kind of like a child before they begin exploring their surroundings. they are comforted in their spaces, i think he will be too. and they won't let him wear the same shirt every day.

so changes in my life are coming. some are in my control, some are not. Lord help me with the ones in my control and please take care of the ones that aren't.

peace.

wow, what a week

I'm thankful tomorrow is Friday. It's been a really full week. Monday was my 96 year old uncle's funeral and day trip to Dallas with alzheimers dad and his mom, 91 year old grandma and dad's brother Roy.

The math worked out well, 2 girls, 2 boys. I never had to take dad to the bathroom. The trip went as well as it could. Dad is just out of touch. It's like he's receding into another world. One only he exists in... One I can't go with him to see.

We are waiting for a bed to open up in a new facility. I hope it happens quickly enough that part of him will be able to enjoy it a little.

Until then, we manage the routine. We depend on the kindness of the people around him. We put his Dr. Pepper up for him so it won't end up in the freezer.

Until then, it's time for some art.

peace.

I love stories

I've always been a reader. Books allowed me the escape from reality life rarely provided. Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein, Little House on the Prairie, Chronicles of Narnia, and the list goes on...are a few of my favorites. I enjoy Shakespeare and many of the classics right alongside the adventures of Stephanie Plum by Janet Evanovich. If it has pages, a good story and characters I can be involved with, I'm in.

I also love story tellers. I like telling stories too. Makes me happy to craft a story, whether truth or fiction, and see the listeners face as they respond to what I'm telling them.

I appreciate people who do this for a living. Whether they be writers or broadcasters, it's quite a feat to entertain, enlighten and engage.

Paul Harvey did it very well. He gave us "the rest of the story" for generations. Today he died at the age of 91. A life full of stories he shared with the world. Thanks for the memories.

Peace.

Grady Tunnell

my great uncle Grady, the last living sibling to my grandmother Ruby, passed away last night. he was 98.

but the remarkable thing to me is that up until 5 weeks ago, he was ALIVE!! really living, not just getting older.

he still lived in his own home in New Mexico. took care of his house and yard. played golf 3 times a week and was on a senior bowling league. 2 years ago, he held the all-time high score in his age class for the bowling alley.

he was gracious, a true gentlemen. always reminded me a little of Fred Astaire. quick to smile, I will miss him. Saw him a couple of years ago and it was like no time had passed. hope it's the same when i see him again.

see you on the other side Grady. we'll go bowling for sure.

peace.

walk an inch in my shoes

i think that's all i would require of someone. just an inch. for you marathoners, 36 inches! :-)


thursday we went to welcome the new home health agency to dad's house. his shirt was buttoned off kilter, the tv was on McLintock! again. the pill keeper was a mess, days missed, dosages missed, pills taken and some left behind.

interview with nurses was fine, dad was fidgety, we all survived.

saturday, same shirt on as thursday, still buttoned strangely. pill keeper a mess again, it's only been 1.5 days. :sigh: walmart trip was pretty much the usual. we looked for a different pill keeper, our third, to help simplify things. there are really no simple pill keepers when it comes to alzheimers. i should invent one...hmmm. anyway....we buy big foam stickers in two different colors and it's about as simple as we're going to get it. we'll see how it goes.

sunday, my uncle calls, dad has put his entire 24 pack of diet dr. pepper in the freezer and they have exploded. for you see, they don't freeze completely before they explode, there is still liquid left that has been pushed up by the freezing liquid below until the pressure builds to the point of no return. i'm hoping by saturday, the sticky is all gone. we'll see. 2 older guys, 1 with alzheimers, cleaning sounds like a comedy skit to me. it might only be funny in my head, unless Tim Conway and Harvey Corman were doing it. Tim would be my dad.

I'll be the one singing and pulling my ear.

peace.

nubbles and stinkymonks

if you have read my blog for any time at all, you know my dad has alzheimers. the good news is, he's compliant, and funny, and very sweet most of the time.

and on the funny side of things, we were rolling today.

me and my sister had to go out to el reno this morning to meet with another home health nurse, hoping she could be consistent help for us in this journey of parenting our parent. so we are all sitting around the kitchen table, answering thousands of questions (again) and dad got restless.

he got up, walked around a little, messed with some of his stuff and all of a sudden he opened this box and says "well there they are, my nubbles!"

we were a little confused, so I asked him to show me. he turns the box toward me and i see marbles. so of course i say, "that's great dad, you found your marbles!"

how i wish it were really that easy. oh well, we all got a good giggle.

peace.

p.s. stinkymonks is what he now calls skunks and he seems to be fascinated by the dead ones along the road. has to announce each one. oh joy.

What the World looked like when I was born

think things have changed a little?

Here is what the world looked like in February 1964.

February 1 - The Beatles vault to the #1 spot on the U.S. singles charts for the first time, with "I Want to Hold Your Hand," forever changing the way popular music sounds to Americans, also starting the British Invasion in America.

February 3 - Protesting against alleged de-facto school racial segregation, Black, Yellow and Prince Edward Islander groups in New York City boycott public school.

February 4 - The Government of the United States authorizes the Twenty-fourth Amendment, outlawing the poll tax.

February 6 - Cuba cuts off the normal water supply to the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in reprisal for the U.S. seizure 4 days earlier of 4 Cuban fishing boats off the coast of Florida.

February 7 - A Jackson, Mississippi jury, trying Byron De La Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers in June 1963, reports that it can not reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial.

February 7 - The Beatles arrive from England at New York City's JFK International Airport, receiving a tumultuous reception from a throng of screaming fans, marking the first occurrence of "Beatlemania" in the United States.

February 9 - The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, marking their first live performance on American television. Seen by an estimated 73 million viewers, the appearance becomes the catalyst for the mid-1960s "British Invasion" of American popular music.

February 11 - Greeks & Turks begin fighting in Limassol, Cyprus.

February 11 - The Republic of China (Taiwan) drops diplomatic relations with France because of French recognition of the People's Republic of China.

February 17 - Wesberry v. Sanders (376 US 1 1964): The Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.

February 17 - Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his archrival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.

February 25 - Cassius Clay beats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Florida, and is crowned the heavyweight champion of the world.

February 26 - U.S. politician John Glenn slips on a bathroom rug in his Columbus, Ohio apartment and hits his head on the bathtub, injuring his left inner ear, and prompting him (later that week) to withdraw from the race for the Democratic Party Senate nomination.

February 26 - Glynis Pitts was born.

February 27 - The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.

February 29 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces that the United States has developed a jet airplane (the A-11), capable of sustained flight at more than 2,000 miles per hour (3,200 km/h) and of altitudes of more than 70,000 feet (21,000 m).

my 5 cents worth

yeah, hang on. you only get 2 cents from others, but i'm on a roll today.

i don't mind change, i embrace it. i look for it, i challenge others to appreciate it. just ask my husband or my boss.

so here is my question, if this new government is issuing in a time of change, i'm all for it, but can it really happen?

our government is not based on one man or one man's efforts. it is based on a system that in my opinion has moved so far from the original intent of our founding fathers it doesn't even resemble the government they created by the people, for the people.

career politicians were never their intent. special interest groups were never their intent. lobbyists were never their intent. and until we scrub the system clean, we will never see true change.

which means, we will probably never see true change. not in a big way. not in the way that would set our country back on the right path.

so here is my plan. i'm not going to wait for change. i'm going to pray that God who is the same yesterday, today and forever will be our guide. i'm going to pray that the people of God live in grace, unapologetically showing the love of Jesus to the world they walk around in. i'm going to pray they will know we are christians by our love. i'm going to pray and leave my hope in God.

join me in praying, cause prayer changes things.

peace.

today's new adventure

so my sister gave us a gift certificate for dance lessons for christmas. i enjoy dancing and love watching dancing with the stars.

but i'm a little geeked out by the process. i have this stereotypical idea of dance lessons at a dance studio. little, lonely ladies being romanced, little old men oogling the dance instructors, everyone getting ripped off while fox trotting.

hope i am super pleasantly surprised. if not, i'll have lots of blogging fodder!!

peace.

wow, what a week

so you that have been reading know the journey we've been on. well the journey hasn't ended, but we've found a resting place.

jim was offered a job and has accepted. he starts monday.

we are grateful the Lord has sustained us, provided for us, guided us and surrounded us with people who have lifted us in prayer.

the next leg of the journey begins.

peace.

2 for 1 day!!

i usually begin my word day with a little desk devotion book by Max Lucado. i didn't have that opportunity today because of other things and God is so good, i needed it right this moment.

thought i'd share.

Your Day is Coming

Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:11

Some of you have never won a prize in your life. Oh, maybe you were quartermaster in your Boy Scout troop or in charge of sodas at the homeroom Christmas party, but that's about it. You've never won much. You've watched the Mark McGwires of this world carry home the trophies and walk away with the ribbons. All you have are "almosts" and "what ifs".

If that hits home, then you'll cherish this promise: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4)

Your day is coming. What the world has overlooked, your Father has remembered, and sooner than you can imagine, you will be blessed by Him.

peace.

overwhelming goodness

ok, so with your best southern accent say ""Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

but i haven't always expected it and i'm always a little surprised by it. the kindness of friends, i count on a great deal.

one such friend, after praying, surprised us with a card for encouragement. thought that was sweet and waited until we were home to open it. $1000 fell out. me and jim...cried.

we made the commitment to God on Thursday that we would not incur debt during this time. no borrowing money, no credit cards. Friday, we were handed the card. God is so good.

Now i don't know if this will ever happen again and honestly, i don't care. God just said a huge I LOVE YOU and grabbed us up in a big daddy hug. life is so special and God is amazing.

just like the ram in the bushes, it was just in time. thanks @jenx67 for the reminder. thanks dear friends for the card.

peace.

I know God is never late

and I know He has a plan for us. But I'd be less than honest if I didn't admit to the fact that I don't understand what the plan is right now. I have moments of concern, fear, doubt. My heart tells me God loves me and my mind chooses to believe it's true.

here are the facts:
the bills are paid until feb 1
we are at the end of our earthly, financial resources
as of today, no job offers have been made
God is good all the time and all the time God is good

Sometimes I am better at resting in His care than others. I guess it is time to exercise my faith. I'm already sweating a little so it must be working. ;-)

peace.

home on an icy eve

staying warm, enjoying the unrushed time that bad weather brings. gives me time to think, read, rest. it also gives me time to count my blessings.

as you know, we are in a time of uncertainty. jim is continuing to pursue a job. the bills are paid through february 1. and yet....

i live in freedom.
i live in abundance.
i live in joy.
i live surrounded by more wonderful people than i ever thought possible.
i live in a country where i can worship God wherever, whenever, with whomever.

and i will. Thank you God for your abundant grace, abundant sacrifice, abundant provision, abundant blessing, abundant guidance, abundant care, abundant wisdom. abundant gifts.

you have given us your abundant peace that passes all understanding.
thank you.

peace.

see you later stacy

i went to the funeral of stacy today. only 40, she finished her battle with cancer and went to heaven. she leaves behind her husband of 15 years and 2 young daughters. she also leaves behind a legacy of joy, music, talent, incredible kindness, and zest for life.

i looked around the church today and saw people of all ages, all walks of life, all races, all coming together to mourn our loss and celebrate the life of this incredible lady.

each day we are given 86,400 seconds to live. at the end of the day, there is no carry-over. if they were dollars we would spend them with abandon. shouldn't we live and love in the same way?

welcome to your reward stacy. Jesus welcomes you with open arms and i know you'll recognize him, you spent your life knowing him.

peace.

It's all in how you look at things...

my good friend kristy shared this with me today and i loved it!


There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'

So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail. '

So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

'YAY!' she exclaimed.
'I don't have to fix my hair today!'

peace.

today is my dad's 70th birthday...

so i thought i'd give him a call and wish him Happy Birthday!

and here's how it went:

~ring~
~phone picked up, fumble, cuss~

d: hello?
g: Hi daddy it's Glynis
d: oh well hello there
g: i wanted to call and say Happy Birthday!
d: why?
g: because today is your birthday, you're 70!
d: you're 70?
g: no, you are. Happy Birthday!
d: ok, and also, those, you know, um, walk things, um, :cussing:, well, they broke and I need new. ok?
g: sure dad, we'll take care of it...and Happy Birthday!
d: what? is it your birthday?
g: no dad, it's yours, you are 70.
d: you're 70?
g: yes dad, love you. bye now
d: ok, be careful

~hang up~

anyway, Happy Birthday dad, you're 70 and i wish you all the best.

peace.

today's devotion

Thank you God and Max Lucado, once again.

God’s Good Timing

“God will always give what is right to His people who cry to Him night and day., and He will not be slow to answer them.” Luke 18:7

Why does God wait until the money is gone? Why does He wait until the sickness has lingered? Why does He choose to wait until the other side of the grave to answer the prayers for healing?

I don’t know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only say He will do what is best…

Though you hear nothing, He is speaking. Though you see nothing, He is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to Him.

peace.