Category: Diary entries

A couple of weeks ago, after connecting with each other other on Facebook, I got together with four other of my classmates from the class of \’72 (North Davidson High School). We spent a fun couple of hours catching up with each other and had a really great time.

This event worked right in conjunction with one of my great desires these days–to reconnect with PEOPLE. I had made a list of things I\’d like to accomplish before I get too old to do anything–write, visit Costa Rica, travel with my husband, etc. But most important to me, on a human level, is to renew or maintain my friendships.

So, what better place to start catching up than folks with whom I spent the majority of my youth? I\’m hoping we can make a tradition of the gatherings and that the numbers will grow as we continue to meet.

Why do we have to get older to really recognize what\’s most important to us? I\’m glad I\’m finally at a place in my life where I can not only recognize it, but can also do something about it.

My best friend is Vicky. We\’ve known each other since the age of eight. We always pick up our conversation right where we left off.

I\’m glad Mother\’s Day is past. It\’s not that my children don\’t love me or anything, but I think expectations can be so high about what might happen, and then what doesn\’t happen… I don\’t know–the hype is just too much. It was a weird day for me. I\’m glad it\’s over. That\’s all.

Recently on a fun little questionnaire on Facebook, the question was asked, \”Who do you miss?\” I thought about that, and honestly, after thinking about it, realized I don\’t really miss people and that\’s the response I wrote to the question. Now, let me explain, coz I\’ve already gotten myself in trouble because of that answer. I have extended family that I see maybe twice a year, sometimes three. I love these family members and I\’m always glad to see them. While I don\’t sit around missing them the rest of the times I don\’t see them, I realize when I do see them that I have indeed missed them. And it\’s good to see them and we usually have a good visit.

Some of my family members took exception to the fact that I made that comment. I hope they know that I mean no disrespect to them.

Some of my answer has to do with the fact that my husband and I have lived away from our hometown for most of our married lives. He was in the military when we were first married. Later, he entered the ministry and we moved around a lot. We\’ve only been back in our hometown the last eight years. During that time, we\’ve had the addition of three grandsons into our lives and lots of responsibility with that. We have spent a great deal of time and expended a good bit of energy helping with the needs of these little guys. Add to that the \”sandwich\” lives we lead with aging parents requiring a good bit of our time and attention, and well, I just don\’t miss people.

Besides, if I get to missing someone, I pick up the phone and call them, or I email them, or text them. Modern technology makes it easy to keep up with people, you know?

I fully understand the importance of family. I love my family. I just don\’t miss people. I\’m sorry if that offends.

Someday, i will be a really old woman (if the Lord so wills), and i will be dependent upon people. Because i have a fiercely independent nature, i don\’t think this will be an easy journey for me.

As a matter of fact, I recently got a small taste of having to depend upon other folks. We sold my car to our daughter, leaving us with only one car. So hubby would drop me off and work and come back and get me at the end of the day. I had to get someone to take me to church, the grocery store…. everywhere I wanted to go.

I did not like this.

I\’m used to being able to get in my car and go where I want to go when I want to go. Dave finally did rent a car for me to drive until we got a second vehicle, and I was greatly appreciative. I don\’t really go that many places, but it was just the principle of the thing, you know?

So now we have our two cars again, and I\’m able to get around without having to ask for a ride.

Ahhhhhh.

I needed my husband this evening. It\’s been a stressful day, finding out that my work hours had been cut, which will mean a good bit of belt-tightening for a while. I\’m up for that; we can make it, but I so wish my husband had been here to be with me when I got home. Instead, he was at the hospital sitting with a family whose loved one was in surgery. It\’s what pastors do, and I don\’t begrudge him that one bit, nor do I begrudge the family wanting him there.

It\’s just that every now and then, I miss him. I have to share him with so many people, and sometimes he\’s so drained when he gets home that he doesn\’t really want to talk or interact. He just wants to sit. He\’s a good pastor. He\’s a better husband. He\’s many things to many people.

And sometimes, I just miss him.

Dave\’s mom moved into a new home. She\’s almost 80 and this hasn\’t been easy for her. One thing she did in this move is downsize, and she gave several pieces of furniture to Dave and me. This is a good thing for us, because 8 years of little boys in our home have pretty much finished off what furniture we did have. So I spent a good portion of today arranging furniture. That was fun, but it was also tiring and aggravated my arthritis.

A nice shower and some downtime on the computer, AND a couple of Tylenol…now, I\’m ready.

May your Sunday be blessed and inspiring.

Phil is the middle grandson. He is a little sweetie, most of the time. When I picked the boys up for church this week, Phil said he wanted to come and live at my house. It seems that one of his favorite toys had gotten broken and he was mad at the person who broke it, and felt that if he came and lived with us, his stuff wouldn\’t get broken.

I laughingly told him he couldn\’t come live with us. Jenni\’s boyfriend, D, popped his head into the room and suggested that Phil just go ahead and pack his suitcase and move in with us. Next thing I know, Phil is upstairs packing up a suitcase. He looked SO cute coming down the steps with his little suitcase–it says, \”goin\’ to grandma\’s.\”

Of course, he went back home after church. It was so sweet, though, and I have to admit that if I were a little younger, I\’d spend a whole lot more time with those boys.

The weekend is here. Dave and I have decided to try and spend one-on-one time with the grandsons, rather than have them all here at once. We are at the age that all of them at once is a bit overwhelming–the noise level and the activity level are off the charts! So tonight Nate is spending the night with us. Tomorrow night Phil will be here and then Sunday afternoon we will have AJ until about supper time.

We love these boys. They are precious, and we are blessed.

God is good.

Another quiet day at the Wood household. Dave and I slept until around 9 this morning, which is VERY late for me. We picked up number 1 grandson, Nate, and took him to his favorite place to eat (K&W–can you believe that?). While there, I noticed a little twinge in my \”gut\”. Having had three sick grandsons and one sick daughter since Friday last week, I got a bit worried, especially when all of a sudden the blood drained from my head and into my stomach and began a mighty big churning. We decided we should get out of the restaurant with all due haste. After I stood up and walked a bit, the feeling went away, and I came home and lay down.

I\’ve been taking meds for an ear infection and wondered if maybe that wasn\’t some of the problem. It may be. But for now, I\’m just sitting as quietly as possible, hoping not to be sick.

Isn\’t it funny how we do that? We know we are going to be sick, we know we\’ll feel better after we are sick, but we fight it. I have in the past–and I may again tonight–sat in a chair all night refusing to move and willing myself not to be sick.

I have to go to work tomorrow. It\’s the first of the month, and we will have MEGA orders for product to be delivered. So I really need to feel better by morning.

Happy new year, everyone. May this be the year…..