MEMORIES OF THE PAST ... HOPE FOR TOMORROW ... AND BEYOND

Yesterday was my birthday! Once you pass 65, it's more fun to have them. It's like the game Pick-Up-Stix; you see how many you can accumulate before everything else upsets your progress. Ha! Ha! 

Throughout the day I found my mind wandering back to memories of birthdays past with fondness and smiles. Of course, remembering things and events factually is not always easy. We attach so many perceptions and opinions to Life's happenings, they are often altered from reality. However, I do remember that, as a kid growing up, our family didn't do a lot to celebrate birthdays. The trend now is to have a party with friends -- at home or out -- so each child is made to feel special. That was too "way out there" for my parents. 

We were individually honored in different ways at home by those who loved us best. Mom would always fix our "favorite" food for dinner; I always asked for macaroni and cheese. This, of course, was long before Kraft came up with a way to box it. Mom made it best and it tasted gourmet to me! This was a simple dish of pasta but the made-from-scratch creamy cheese sauce dressed it up for a feast on my birthday. It is definitely one of my comfort foods! Our gifts were not extravagant since there wasn't money for that and were often something we needed. However, I do not remember ever disliking my birthday. There are some that might think these activities are too ordinary to be called a celebration; but then birthdays are really just an ordinary part of life. 


My most memorable year's birthday was when I turned 16. I was part of a very active church youth group at Bethel Temple in Red Bluff, California--a small church in a small town...but we were anything but small in heart! There were about 30-35 kids in the group and our status with each other was more like a VERY LARGE family of brothers and sisters. We relied on each other for socializing, advice-giving, accountability and instigating Life changes. We even fought with each other!


In this sub-congregation of the larger church there were several girls who were born the same year and four with birthdays in August and September. This particular summer of 1965 was a "summer to remember"! We, in our adolescent way, attempted to celebrate each always hoping to catch the birthday girl by surprise. Unfortunately, after the first time, the formula was set and surprise was just a wish. Each girl was "kidnapped" by the others, blindfolded and driven around for a while. Then we would end up at the same family's house (the only one that had a pool in our sphere of friends) out in the country between Red Bluff and Corning. We had a party then! It was always fun--even if it was predictable--and still feels very special!

Since then, I have had other extraordinary friends to celebrate with over the years. Each one remains very special to me even if not mentioned here. 

While I was in Liberty, Missouri, there was a group of five, who, over a span of several years, would go to lunch/dinner together or embark on a shopping safari to an antique shop or flea market just to celebrate each other. It was always a pleasurable time filled with hilarious laughter, stressful tears or both, but always accompanied by much conversation. Just to be with friends who accepted each other "as is" and enjoyed being together filled our hearts. The memories are poignant, remembering the adventures of traveling through life together with those women. But, I also know they are lifetime friends and wherever I am or whatever I need, they will give me assistance. This picture was our last escapade together in 2006 and, as Life still moves on, we do also. 

Since that time, I've moved three times and the Lord has always provided new friends. The new do not displace the former friends but add to the number of ladies I love. These women bring perspective and encouragement, they sharpen my Christian walk and give me joy where I am and need it most.

My remembrances have also given me a new realization: that birthdays are more purposeful in one's life than we perceive on the surface. Birthdays are not to be confused with the vanity of attempting to hold on to passing youth; they are occasions of joy to soak in that you have experienced Life and can "chalk up" another year in your favor. They designate a time to other people in your life they have been granted permission to express sentiments that may not always be accepted at other times. A birthday is a milestone in your life that places other events and situations on an emotional PAUSE to allow the spotlight to focus on you. It's not a selfish thing to have and enjoy your birthday. It's an ordinary part of Life which, by the way, is never easy. Every person needs to be celebrated in a manner that will uplift and encourage him/her even in the most difficult of times.

If you think about it, because of the joy experienced during former times of birthday celebration, you anticipate next year's revelries with hope. It's not obvious but the expectancy just lies there dormant waiting for you to revive it with the smallest spark of interest. Our lives, believe it or not, are built on hope. 

• We hope our children see many birthdays and grown up.
• We hope our health remains good and we celebrate another year.
• We hope to see friends again in the next year.
• We hope the crops come in again at harvest or we receive a pay increase at review time.
• We hope next year will be better than the past one.
• We hope our country gets more stable with the next election.
• You will be secure, because there is hope... Job 11:18
•  ..my body also will rest in hope, Acts 2:26
• Therefore, since we have ... faith, we have peace with God through ... Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access ... into ... grace ...  And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

So don't let the self-centered culture voices instill the lie that we have to remain young forever. Who wants life to be stunted in the selfishness of the immature anyway? Celebrate birthdays!-- with gusto whatever they look like! Celebrate YOU!-- as an experienced Life Participant! Celebrate others' birthdays!--so they can know joy and hope of the future! Celebrate your dreams and hopes and the future! 

Ladying for September 15, 2016:  Our hope can only be built on something which is not reliant on humanity. It must start with the Creator and His immense love for us. Then our foundation can only be built on Jesus' death and resurrection as there is nothing else solid.  "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 

A STORM IS COMING!

When you live on the Gulf Coast, the warning of a coming storm is fairly frequent...but it is just as often impotent. Being this close to the origin of landfall, things can change pretty quickly. However, the change can be for the bad as well as the good: the storm may miss you when you think it's coming right at you OR it can hit you when you thought it wouldn't and you're unprepared. Today, Hermine missed us. Thank you, Lord! It was a hot sunny day on the Emerald Coast.

For that I am thankful because my plate is still full otherwise. Two days ago I received my second regimen of chemotherapy and I'm now halfway through. The infusion session itself is rather boring in & of itself. The 4-hour period of sitting in a BIG recliner/rocker hooked up to an IV is broken only by several necessary trips to the bathroom and any activities I bring to amuse. I had thought ahead of time to include my lunch and a couple of drinks to refresh myself and my computer and I-phone to entertain me. The time passed fairly quickly and it seemed I was not any worse for the time I spent having poison poured into me.

And yet, my physical storm still rages around me. I am, however, comforted by the lyrics of the contemporary Christian song popular now:

"In the eye of the storm,

You remain in control.

In the middle of the war,

You guard my soul.

You alone are the anchor

When my sails are torn.

Your love surrounds me

In the eye of the storm."

The 'eye of the storm' is just a break or lull from the fury of the wind and rain that is still swirling just out of reach of me. Although there is peace in the 'eye', it is understood that the time is a short span and that it should be spent gathering supplies or finding a better place of refuge; a time to be proactive concerning safety.

My 'eye of the storm' is spent gathering energy by eating healthily and exercising when I can. There are unstressful activities I like to participate in: a lace knitting class I want to finish so my next infusion session can be spent knitting a gift; time praying for those God brings to mind or the ones who are praying for me; new books on Christian life; and I've started reading the Sue Grafton alphabet mystery books all over again. All the while my body is fighting! Fighting the cancer, fighting against bacteria in the air around me, fighting the poison itself that claims it will heal my body. But fighting takes energy so I must gather it where I can.

My husband, Dave, has learned to cook again. It has helped that we are eating simply now. There are no sauces or multiple ingredients to make an entree on our diet. We have grilled chicken breast, or chicken sausage or hamburgers cooked on the griddle. Sometimes we have oven-roasted sweet potato bites with coconut oil but more often microwave baked sweet potatoes accompanied by microwaved frozen veggies or a lettuce salad with veggies. Simple yet satisfying fare!

The doctor checked me over before this last infusion session and declared that I was much more fit than some 40 year old women who he had seen. I am thankful for the few months of healthy eating that has helped me get to this place!

We don't eat sweet desserts because sugar is cancer food! So, I stay as far from it as possible. I did, however, find a banana cream pie to try out this week (see link below for the recipe). This pie is sweetened with maple syrup (or honey) and is simply what the name says: bananas and cream.  It was wonderful! And, although my husband was begging for seconds, I was well satiated with a slim slice that gave me the sweetness I think is necessary after a savory meal. I find it's good to have some completeness in one's life!

Banana Cream Pie 

Our grandsons remain a constant source of joy and entertainment in my life. They are now old enough not to require as much care and attention as they needed in the past. This makes it easier to help relieve Kristi and Matt for their ministry as we came prepared to do here. We were able to get a couple of our old computers working with Windows 10 and the boys come into our living room to play games on them. It is quite a hoot to watch them! Life is always an adventure with the "Tribe of Ruckel".

And so, I gather energy from the lives and love around me, from the friends and family far and near
who support me through prayers and words of care, from my Lord who never leaves me. If you are reading this blog, you are part of my support system and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! While I gather myself in and hunker down with the Lord beside me, you help form the barrier around me that will give additional protection for me to go from the 'eye of the storm' through to the other side to become a survivor.

Be blessed because you are loved!

LADYING FOR SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

You may never know whether or not you impact someone's life--but don't let that keep you from trying.