Proceeding to Father's Day

 

junk vehicles in New Mexico
(source: FaceBook)

This past week has been a reminder of how un-common common sense is and how forethought is becoming rare. I won't give explanations except to say things seemed as far-fetched as the above snapshot. 🙄 But the past few days have had some highlights. 

Our new furniture was delivered early on Wednesday morning, coming from a warehouse in St. Petersburg. Although heavy rains were dominating the TV news reports from Florida that day, by the time the truck reached our county, all was dry dry dry. We need the rain badly, but it has escaped us almost entirely. So with that said, transporting the couches from the truck to our living room was no problem, for which we were glad.

We now have two love seats made up of a total of four recliners -- VERY comfortable. (i.e. they nap well! 😴) We opted to get the kind that has manual operation (nothing electric) and immediately discovered the store's [well-used] floor model was a lot easier to push down the foot rests than these brand-new pieces. 

shopping in Kane's Furniture

I didn't expect my recliner would be an instrument of body-building, but then, that's not a bad thing, is it?!

Other random purchases were made, including this pretty tray from our community's on-line Marketplace. We have hot beverages nearly every afternoon at 3pm (de-caf green tea for me, and de-caf coffee for Gary). I have been serving the mugs on a plain black tray while casually keeping an eye out for something more attractive. $3. Money well-spent.

I also declared for myself a solitary holiday one afternoon by spending an hour or so in Barnes and Noble. Among other things, my shopping bag held the following:

Here's a thought-provoking quote from page 48: 

"God often allows shaking up to occur 

in our lives for the purpose of 

getting rid of some things that 

keep us from being fully His." 

And there was this on page 46: [regarding how God speaks to us] 

"His pattern is to say things 

more than once, 

in more than one way..."

I've been ruminating over that. In my experience, this has been true.

And this. I enjoy self-help books although I am careful to avoid anything that smacks of new-age or contrary to biblical teachings. When life gets kinda crazy, sometimes I need to be reminded of basic actions (even common sense) I can take to unwind. 

One other  purchase made recently, although not from the bookstore, was a battery-powered neck fan:

I ordered two, one for Gary for Father's Day and one for me. Amazon for about $30. It has 3 speeds, but for the oppressively humid heat we've had recently (sans rain!), the high speed was my choice. It's re-chargeable with the [included] USB cord. I used it on one of our walks in the neighborhood, easily carrying on conversation with Gary (the fan was not too loud), and it was comfortable on my collar bone.

On the eve of Father's Day, this is my segue into the celebration. I was collecting my thoughts to compose this post when Gary came to the doorway to ask if I had ordered something for him. No, but there he was with a large, shoe-box-sized package he had found on our front porch.

It was a bouquet of beef jerky flowers!! Here is a close-up:

Isn't this clever?!!! This is the perfect flower bouquet for a guy! (a "Manly Man").  I've never seen anything like it before but this particular couple has a reputation for great thoughtfulness and the ability to find truly unique gifts. Manly Man Company (click for link to the website) The jerky is delicious! A glass with their logo was included.

The gift came from Tony and Mary on Gary's side of the family. We don't get to see them often enough (which is true of all our family) but when we do, it's always a treat.

While I'm on the subject of Gary's family, this snapshot was taken a couple of months ago when Michael flew down to see for himself that his dad had survived the big surgery. This picture taken after a hearty steak dinner at Long Horn Steak House shows both father and son in great health. Michael calls his dad almost every week, keeping in close touch in spite of the miles between our homes. All of Gary's family are attentive to him and have welcomed me warmly to the family. 

Of course I want to share something about my late husband and the father of my children. He's been gone now for over 3 1/2 years, a fact that still quiets me with a measure of disbelief. Not only is this good man now physically separated from me but I have been transported in other ways different from what I had known for 50 years.

my family

The death of a mate in a healthy marriage alters a person whether they want to be changed or not. In some ways I am not the same person. In other ways I am more of who I am than I ever was before. 

Daddy ~ 1984 or 1985?

I wish that my father could have met Gary. Daddy passed away from cancer at the age of 58 in 1986. He was a good man, a strong Christian, devoted to his family, and an accomplished pilot first with the air lines and then in corporate aviation. I loved and admired him very much. God used him to shape my life for good in many ways.

The Lord has blessed me beyond my imagination with Gary. While we will never have growing children out of our union in our shared home, early in our relationship I admired his loyalty to family and his devotion to me. Even in retirement, he is hard-working and enjoys having projects to keep him challenged. I can tell from the descriptions of his own father that the man was a powerful influence in Gary's work ethic, morals, and family values.

"... a true man is vigilant against danger,

faithful to the truth,

brave in the face of opposition,

persistent through trials, and

above all, loving."

With all of this said, I wish my readers a Happy Father's Day. If your loved ones are still here, enjoy them. If they are not, thank God for how their lives helped shape you into who you are today.

Until next time, grace and peace.