Best Mail Ever

Yesterday in the mail was a letter from the lady that is CEO of Raise The Roof, Inc.   It included a picture that our little Steven from Africa had drawn for us.   It's precious.   I looked at it and thought of him drawing it and coloring everything on there.   The house he drew is mostly yellow.  I wondered why a little boy in Africa would draw a yellow house.   I came to the conclusion he would like a bright, pretty house like many of us live in.  I'm sure there are few yellow houses where he lives.

Then he drew a picture of a bouquet.   It too, is beautiful and very colorful. 

Also in the letter were pictures of some of the girls we had made dresses for with them modeling.     I almost cried.   I got so excited.   My neighbor, Nancy, had also made dresses so I ran up there and showed her.    She's not a member of our church but she wanted to do this.   She almost cried too.  Here are a couple of those pictures.

I look at these little girls and the smiles say all there is to say.   How could something so little mean so much?   

I am so glad to be a part of this ministry.

FINALLY

O.K., O.K., it took me awhile to get here but I FINALLY found my way.

It's been a wonderful week.   Last week-end I was with Kim at the Women's Retreat from her church.   What fun and what a wonderful bunch of women.  We laughed, cried, took a hike, looked at the beautiful view of the lake, and ATE.   Boy, did we eat.

After I finally found my keys on Sunday morning, lunch was eaten, Ron came to save the day, and everyone left,  I went to visit a long time friend.   She moved to Springfield many years ago and we never get to see each other.  She had all her family there for dinner Sunday night and that was great.

Reconnecting with old time friends is wonderful when you are OLD.   I looked at her girls and remembered them growing up.  Jill and Joan were the same age and they kept us young.   :)

Then Monday I went to the Midwest Distribution Center outside of Springfield and worked.   A high school classmate joined me and we had a good visit.   She and I never ran with the same crowd in high school but in recent years have been corresponding and working on class reunions together.  I learned her life was not all sunshine and roses although that's the way it looked to me when we were young.

Ted worked on a project for Kim but that's not my story.   I hope one of them write about it along with pictures.

I have a couple more stories but they have to wait for another day.

If I can remember what I did to get on here these will follow soon.

IN SELF DEFENSE

It used to be if you were arrested for something you could plead "temporary insanity" and usually get off with a lighter sentence. 

The latest trend is "Self Defense".

Now I'm just winging this statement, but if I were attacked I do think I would fight with all I could muster in this old body to protect myself.   I guess in that respect the attacker could say it was "self defense".   But...if they had not already started the attack there would be no reason for me to attack them.

Makes no sense to me.   This morning the headline on my home page was that a serial killer accused of killing some 700 people plead "self defense".  

He should be glad I'm not going to be on that jury.

CLEAN RICE BAG

Since it's Easter and we've been sprucing the place up a bit I thought I'd wash my rice bag.

I carefully put the old rice in a bowl, washed the towel it was in and refilled it.  I took it to the sewing machine to close the open end of it and unbeknownst (this is a word, isn't it?) to me, I had run out of bobbin thread and rice was spilling all over the sewing machine AND the table.

All my yelling for it to stop had little affect on it.   FINALLY I disconnected the bag from the machine and proceeded to gather the rice that was all over everything.    I didn't even use Wild Rice.

So...now all is well, the rice is back where it belongs and I have a clean rice bag to start next winter out with.   SIGH