Saying Goodbye

How odd to wake up every morning and start each day, forgetting that our normal life is far from normal for most people in the world. Babies are born, weddings performed, divorces granted, crimes being committed, people fall in love and we clock in and clock out until one of those events falls on our calendars. Today, I went to work at 7:30 but left 2 hours later to attend the funeral of an extended family. A difficult funeral, she was only 53 but spent the past 16 months in the hospital and we never really found out what was really wrong with her. But the awful part is that there was hope that her return to home would be in the very near future, yes she was improving greatly until......she just stopped breathing.

I cannot get over how easily we take life for granted, how quickly we moan and groan over every inconvenience. Gosh - what on earth IS an inconvenience, anyway? Did her husband complain that he had to drive 30 minutes into the city everyday for 16 months to see his wife, after a long day at work? Maybe, maybe not. But I can assure you that he'd do it again over and over for the next 50 years if he could.

She had a hard life, she was the daughter of a farmer and worked long tiring hours in the fields and sheds, planting, sorting, packing and then selling at the road stands while her friends were playing and swimming and vacationing all summer, every year. As an adult, she continued to work the farms and them canned cases and cases of fruits and vegetables for not only her own pantry but for friends and for church and fire house bazaars. She never stopped because when all the canning was done, she pulled out her knitting and began on more projects. Her family has those beautiful afghans to help keep her memory alive and 'warm'.

Lord, help me to always see my life as a gift and blessing and to be thankful for every moment you give me. Thank you for the special memories you allow us to have of loved ones, for friendships that fill our lives and hearts, for the beauty that is before our eyes, even when they are closed. Thank you for "Linda" and the special touches she brought to people's lives. Goodbye Linda - you are missed!!

Bare Feet

You may see me in a formal dress or in a fancy restaurant, often in church and of course at a desk, but chances are, at some point in time, on any of those occasions, my feet will be bare. Yes, shoes are OFF!! I am free.

As far back as I can remember, I ran around with no shoes on. Even as a little girl with buckled straps, I'd flip them to the back so I could slip them on and off quickly and easily. It is so interesting to realize that I can vividly remember the feel of walking through the fresh toiled garden, and that cool morning dirt between my toes. And OH how hot the blacktop of the street and the burning sand at the beach...the memory almost makes me feel like I should check the bottoms of my feet right now to be sure they aren't burnt. No, they are not burnt but I can assure you that there a calluses on them. Tonight I put on heels to go to the theater. It was nice to dress up, they were comfortable, BUT, they were off in the car and my feet were up on the dashboard.

Do you enjoy the freedom of barefeet? Is your little toe crooked because you've smashed it into furniture more times in your life than you care to remember? Do you have to work on your callused heels for a week before you can even think of having a pedicure? If so, you know what I'm talking about, what I'm feeling. You probably sleep with your feet out from under the covers too. It is like air-conditioning!! Stick them out to keep cool, pull them under to get warm. Very simple concept.

So anyway - I love pedicures, I love polished toenails, I love to wear dresses and to dress formally but thank goodness for sandals and slip-ons cause my feel will screem to be set free. As they say....

"You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl."