Friends & Family

In today's reading of the one year bible, Proverbs 27:9 - The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

Boy, have I been experiencing that first hand! I can't say thank you enough to my friends who have not been bored with me talking and healing through the divorce.  It is so hard to have to see Gary every Saturday at soccer for Dylan and to see him every other Sunday when he drops Dylan off.  It isn't like I can just put this all behind me.  I have to figure out how to be cordial to Gary and work with him as "Dylan's mom and dad".  I don't intentionally leave out Andrew is this phrase, but he is an adult.  With Gary's admissions of fault and error, mixed with the past ridicule / judgment that he dished out on Andrew during his teen years for the same thing, that relationship is damaged very deeply.  Gary attempts to move on and forget the past.  However, the rest of us are just now being told about it and now have to deal with it.

Andrew is returning to North Carolina this week from his deployment to 29 Palms.  He'll be staying here for a couple of nights for his trip back.  On Thanksgiving Day at noon, he gets time off for 21 days.  We are looking at him coming back to visit here (fly) during that time.  He is also going to try and get Christmas to New Year's off.  If so, we'll all go back to Nebraska to celebrate with my extended family.  If that happens, I definitely want to get a picture done at Walmart or Target or something.  We rarely are together.

My aunt Nancy in Detroit is not doing well.  She has cancer throughout the spine.  They don't do radiation on a patient if it is that saturated.  There are spots on her liver.  She had a liver biopsy on Wednesday.  We are still waiting for the results.  She is on so much pain medication that she doesn't always talk coherently.  She needs assistance to sit-up in the hospital bed, let alone to get up to relieve herself.  She is only 10 years older than me.  My mom is the oldest of 4, with Nancy being the youngest.  I am the oldest grandchild.

I should hear back from the bank on Tuesday about being approved for the loan to buy my condo/villa.  It isn't a done deal, so I am trying to keep my hopes in check, but I think this will really happen.  Thank you Jesus!  I don't want the stress of not knowing if a lease will be renewed or not.  Let alone, the cost of said rent/lease.  I work for the state, thus no raises.  So, cost of living expense just hits the bottom line.  There isn't anything else coming in to off-set the increase of cost of living.

I slept for 10 hours last night.  That is very unusual!  It felt good.  I just missed the sunrise this morning, but am enjoying my patio and patio heater.  It is so quiet, a beautiful view of the White Tank Mountains, and the sounds of other people going through their life.  My two pugs enjoy time at my feet and are happy there.  They like the patio heater too.  Smile!  Ah, the sprinklers for the grass just kicked in.  This is the closest thing to rain here, as it is very dry.

If the bank approves the purchase of the condo/villa, I hope to get approval to expand the patio (like others have already done in the community) and to bring my spa over.  The people who have purchased our old appliances, BBQ, firepit, spa, and other stuff, are much slower on paying the bill than what they agreed.  I think I can talk them out of the spa, if I get approval to put it over here. One thing at a time, eh?!  Smile!

Well, I'm going to read my Sunday paper, catch up on reading Acts (1 chapter a day - challenge set down by our pastor for the month of November), start some laundry, and investigate Allegiant Air to see if I can get cheaper seats for Andrew, Dylan and I to fly this winter.  They are out of Mesa and are commuter planes.  I've heard that they are very reasonable, even with the limited flight days/times.  I am flexible!

I pray for the team that is in Florida today and hoping to get to Haiti tomorrow to continue hands-on mission work for the week.  Lord, keep them safe and put the opportunities in front of them that You want them to accomplish.  Bring them all home safely and energized for you.