“Mamma Mia! I’ve always loved what Daughter #1 called ‘Singing and Dancing Movies’.”

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

We were at the mall the other day and I saw that Mamma Mia 2 was showing. I asked Mr. FixIt if he had ever seen the original and he said he hadn’t. Well, we couldn’t go see the second till he saw the first, so I downloaded it on i-Tunes. We watched it Monday night and he really enjoyed it.

Yesterday was mowing day at the Ponderosa and when we were finished, Mr. FixIt asked if I wanted to go see the new movie. Now, this would only be the second time he and I have gone to a movie together. We don’t even watch them at home. Because…I don’t watch TV. I can’t even tell you what the name of the movie was we saw last year. I don’t remember what it was about. All I know is it was LONG and I sat through it thinking of about a million other things I could be doing with that time.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.” ‭‭Amos‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We went to the class picnic on Saturday and took a whole bowlful of vine-ripened yellow tomatoes...still warm from the summer sun. I gathered them carefully in a bucket, rinsed them to get off the garden dirt and bugs, and sliced them thick. As I held these golden orbs of sweet juicy perfection, I lifted them to my nose to breathe in the smell of summer. I took out the cutting board shaped like an aspen leaf that was a gift from Brooke Allen and staff...my last real job before I took off in my camper for two years or so.

I placed the warm tomato on the cutting board and reached for the presentation box where I still keep the cutlery set Mr. Virgo was given by the Ritz Carlton as a reward for his hard work and dedication. I held the handle of the chef’s knife in my right hand, feeling the heft and the balance. I admired the beautiful colors of the inlayed handle…reds, browns, yellows. I remembered his sense of awe and pride when he showed them to me. The blade is sharp and made quick work of the task at hand. I carefully rinsed the knife, dried it, and put it back in its presentation case and placed it in the middle utensil drawer.

“My beautiful Rose of Sharon and gigantic Hydrangea”

“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matthew 11::6NIV

Wow, what a weekend! A group of my high school friends gathered for a class picnic on Saturday. We had such a good time. There was lots of great food, as you can well imagine. One of our friends lost his wife two months ago, so there were several of us around the table who have known that kind of loss and could offer him the support of one who’s been there. Even though everyone’s grief is different, there are so many threads that creat the same cloth.

Sunday was wonderful at church. We had a visiting pastor from Mason, WV who did a terrific job. His sermon was entitled, “I Still Believe”. His message was about John the Baptist. Here was someone who had been the one to pave the way for Jesus. He was the one telling people he wasn’t worthy to unlace the sandals of the Messiah. He is the one who baptized Jesus. Then…he was thrown in prison. He sent a message to Jesus through one of his disciples. He asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Now, John KNEW Jesus was the Messiah. He had seen the sky open and a dove come down and hear God’s own voice when he had baptized Jesus. Why would he be asking if He was really the one? Pastor Jason proposed that what John was really asking was, “Will you come to me? Will you help me?” When Jesus said no…he wasn’t coming, he wanted the disciple to remind him of all the works he had seen. He wanted John to know, “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” In other words…still believe. Even though I am not coming to rescue you…still believe. And that’s exactly what John did. He still believed.

“Messages from others have more to do with THEM than it does with YOU.”

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬ [bible.com/111/pro.3...](http://bible.com/111/pro.3.3.niv)

We have discussed this topic before, but there are so many new widows here now, I felt it deserved a reprise. It may be timely for some.

A week before the first “angelversary” of my husband’s death, I receive a text from someone close in his family. 

“Cool Smoke: The Art of Great Barbecue by Tuffy Stone”

“She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.” Proverbs 31:14-15 NIV

Well, y’all...I’ve decided to start smoking. No...not THAT kind of smoking. The BARBECUE kind of smoking. I keep seeing my cousin Mike’s pictures on Facebook of the wonderful things he makes in his smoker and I just had to try it. Mr. FixIt and I have been pricing smokers since it’s nearing the end of summer. I’ve had my eye on one particular model and I’ve been watching the prices, but just wasn’t ready to bite.

My other cousin Tom smokes a lot of meats, fish, poultry…you name it. He uses a pellet smoker and they are really pricey so I nixed that idea. He recommended an electric smoker over propane because you can regulate the temperature easier. Although, there are some models out now that are propane with a thermostat so maybe they’re ok. I just figured, the only place I’ll be using it is at home so I can just plug it in and not worry about it running out of gas mid-smoke.

“Gigantic Hydrangea in the backyard at the farm. One of my favorites!”

““As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”” Genesis 8:22 NIV

After meeting a group of friends for lunch yesterday, I was leaving the restaurant when a gentleman seated with his wife in a nearby booth stopped me. He said he couldn’t help but overhear me talking about the storm I heard during the night. He wanted to tell me they had been driving home to Ravenswood and got caught in the storm. He claimed it was the worst storm he had ever driven in but in ten miles, it was gone. Storms here are either small, isolated pockets...or weeks-long, grey deluges, it seems. There is no in between. Anyway, I told him my dad was from Ravenswood. His wife kept saying “You look SO familiar to me!” I sat down with them and we connected the dots until, indeed...we found the common denominator. They thought my dad’s name was familiar but couldn’t quite place him until I showed them his photo on my phone. Then they remembered him quite well. This guy’s grandfather’s property bordered that of my Aunt Marge. My cousin Donna was his nurse when he had surgery a couple of years ago. It is a teeny, tiny little world here and you have to be darned careful what you say about folks. We’re all related!

After lunch, Mr. FixIt and I went to the farm to mow. We are in the last bit of the Dog Days of Summer…a period of 40 days from July 3rd to August 11th. This period coincides with the rising of the Dog Star…Sirius…at dawn. The Dog Star doesn’t determine our weather, but the Ancient Egyptians used this celestial event to predict the annual flooding of the Nile River. It does coincide with some of the hottest, most sultry weather of the summer. 

“Daughter #2 with her Great Grandmother that she doesn’t remember.”

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I was visiting Daughter #2 a few weeks ago, she mentioned she was heading to Texas soon with her fiancé for a family reunion. She was in awe that this family was renting a beach house for a week. A large group were gathering from all around the country to play games, comb the beach, and renew the close relationship they enjoy. These reunions were started by a grandmother who wanted her family to really know each other. The younger generation decided to keep the reunions going after grandma’s death for the same reason...to remain connected by more than DNA.

I reminded #2 that I took her to West Virginia as often as I could. We had family reunions, too. But, unfortunately, they all but stopped after the older generation passed away. She didn’t really know my family. That made me sad.

“Thank goodness today there are modern conveniences!”

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Back in the day, when I was married to Hubby #2 (the doctor), it seemed like every single bug that came along, I got sick. I had a chronic sinus infection that stretched out over two years. Using broad spectrum antibiotics caused my intestinal flora to get out of equilibrium and I developed C. Difficile. That is a bug normally found in the gut, but it’s not one of the good ones. However, it’s really hard to kill. So, the antibiotics killed off the good bacteria and allowed C.Diff to overgrow and that is not a good thing. C.Diff can kill your colon. That’s one of the reasons its important not to take antibiotics when you don’t need them. And that’s why I’ve been left with a wonky gut that gives me fits much of the time and forces me to limit certain foods.

Arriving at 65 finally has allowed me to catch up with a lot of deferred maintenance and tomorrow I’m spending a lovely morning with my gastroenterologist. Let’s just say it’s been a busy day and leave it at that. I know this is TMI, but it’s important to have routine healthcare screenings, one of which is a colon cancer screen. I had a precancerous polyp removed in my 30’s. The doctor came in to talk to me and said it was a good thing I had come in when I did or I likely would have had colon cancer by the time I was the recommended age.

“Ahhh…the joy of youth!”

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you could go back to a fork in the road of your life, what would you do differently? Was there that one moment that you made a split second decision only to immediately regret it? Or, did you labor over some long term plan that just didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to go? We all have those critical junctures, don’t we?

Sometimes life does offer you opportunities for do-overs, but not very often. I’ve had a couple, and the privilege was not lost on me. When I hit the bottoms of my barrel and my second marriage ended, I had an immense opportunity to rebuild my life from the ground up. It was a tremendous amount of work, but it was also tremendously fulfilling.

“Your wedding day is your ‘Best Day Ever’. But what about attending weddings when you’re grieving?”

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Weddings are joyous occasions for family and friends to gather and witness two people joining in a lifelong commitment. Just like baptism is the outward sign of an inward commitment, so is a wedding. Mr. FixIt and I went to his granddaughter’s wedding on Saturday and it was so touching to hear her voice thicken with emotion as they said their vows. Toasts were given, tears of joy were shed, as well as tears of sorrow as the bride’s step-father passed away unexpectedly last summer. My heart went out to her mom...his widow...my sweetheart’s only daughter.

There have been times when a wedding cut me off at the knees. After a painful divorce many years ago, a wedding was a slap in the face…a reminder that my marriage had failed. My second to do so, actually. Then, after losing Mr. Virgo, it was a stab in my heart…a huge neon sign that read “You are a WIDOW!” Which, translated meant…”You are not married anymore!” That’s not really true…yet it is. It’s a heck of a place to be in your head.