This 'Old Dog' Still Can Be Taught Patience!

(Silver Hand-stamped Hammered Bracelet Cuff by Lolasjewels)

      Let's start with the positives. I woke up and I'm still breathing today! YAY! ^_^ ... The weather, while only in the 30s right now, may get up into the 50s today! YAY!...My turkey farm 'virtual 'date night' with hubby went great!

     I know. You're saying 'turkey farm'?!!! What kind of date night are you guys having???!!!! LOL...What can I say, after a few dates of every Friday night for the last 30 years going somewhere 'virtually' different, you learn to improvise ^_^ You'd be surprised at the thing you can learn from a turkey....like don't put everything you see that's shiny in your mouth! LOL And when you're a turkey and people start talking about their grandmother's leftover turkey recipes in your presence....RUN!!!! LOL

       Anyway...moving on! :-) ...Part of hubby and my 'Date Night' last night involved making phone calls and visiting with old friends. Visiting with friends is something we used to make lots of time for before my health started to go bad. I miss it...And while calling on the phone is not the same as visiting in person,..Ooooo Whee Y'all!...a giggle is a giggle is a giggle!!! :-))

      And, through a giggle, an old girl dog can learn a new lesson too!...Well, maybe not a NEW lesson, but a deeper nuance of an old lesson. :-] ... I'll tell you what I mean in a minute. First let me show you three items I'm loving right now!...

       

      I saw this on Etsy while I was scrolling through, and BAM! I was in love! :-) ...

(Fashion Scarf from smilingpoet)

     Isn't it gorgeous?!!...Of course it was the flowers hanging off of it that caught my eye. But here's a bit of irony...It's made by a 'smiling Poet' who is from the country of Turkey!! ^_^ Sometimes you can't make things up...they just happen! :-)

      Another item is this...

     It's a Kindle Fire Case, from DayoftheThread...

      No, I don't have a Kindle...or a Kindle Fire. Frankly, I don't even know what the difference between them is! But I know pretty when I see it! :-) ...

       And this 'bad boy' is pretty!! ^_^ ... Of course with the French writing, images of Paris, and the word that looks like "chocolate"...how could it go wrong?!! ^_^

      And then there's the cutest pair of earrings ever!..

(All Copper Trinity Brass Flower Dome Earrings by CinLynnBoutique)

       I love the flowers....DUH! :-)) If I could figure out how to crochet some just like this in all kinds of colors, I'd really be in business!! :-)

      Okay, back to the deeper lesson I learned...I've been noticing lately that as my health is getting less and less manageable, my patience is also taking a hit. Patience used to be my middle name...so to speak. Now, I want everything done NOW...and my way! Ugh! I'm just about sick of my own self!!

      I've been trying to work on it. In fact, an article in one of our recent magazines, The December "Awake!" magazine, had a very helpful article entitled "How to be more patient". Some of the points almost had me in tears. :-(

     One of the points was: "Instead of losing your patience over circumstances that are beyond your control, try to identify things that you CAN control...The reality of life is that it does little good to worry over things that you cannot control..." ... Sooooo true!...And I already knew that. I just needed a reminder.

     But I got a much deeper lesson in this when I talked to an old friend last night. An old friend that I'd lost touch with for many years. I returned a phone call to her. She called me about a week ago.  I hadn't returned her call before now because I had a rough week, haven't been feeling my best, and didn't think I had the patience or the good humor to 'fake smile' my way through a conversation...I also didn't want to dump all of my 'stuff' on her, because she knew me as someone who was generally always in a good mood, joking and laughing. I used to be her Bible teacher...I wanted her to still think of her TEACHER...not some bad 'mooded'...yeah, I know it's not a real word!... problem dumper!!!

     Well, after talking to her, and  shedding a few tears, I know that my trying to learn to be patient just got a big boost...she, like so many of my friends lately, is battling Cancer. A serious stage 4, with a less than 50% prognosis. And yet, her spirits were up, we're planning a visit, and we giggled together! :-) 

    She is getting on with it!!!...She has good days and bad days...like me. But her view is that she's gonna be in the percentage of people who beat it! And I think she will! :-) ...In the meantime, she'll be living her life!...Me too!...And after a conversation with her and other friends last night who are all battling their own challenges in this life, I'm gonna try to battle mine with a little more patience..."Did you hear that, honey?!!" ^_^ ...Ooooo! I've been giving my husband a headache lately!!!

     It's tough not being able to do what you used to be able to do with ease...It's tough having to explain to everyone that comes in contact with you how to take care of you, and where you need help, and how far...how long...how soft...how hard....UGH!!!!!...But it would be a lot tougher if I had to do all of this knowing I may not be breathing tomorrow. O_O ...Oh yeah, patience....my name is "Patience' from now on!!!...But if I forget, remind me will ya!... because my memory has taken a hit lately, right along with my patience!..I'm gonna have to see if I can find an article about that too!! :-)

       Have a good weekend, Everybody! Employ your patience as your air bag.....Trust me, you're probably gonna need it! :-)

Take A Lesson From The Robin

I can learn a lesson
from the robins in the tree.
I can keep on going,
and let nothing bother me.

Watching from my window
as the mama made her nest,
I could see her hard work;
How she always gave her best.

Flying back and forth,
finding just the right nest twig.
If there was some music
it would be a great dance jig.

When the nest was perfect,
she was off to find a beau.
(Men today should take a clue,
Nest First!...The way to go!)

After Birdie dating,
(and she didn't have to beg!)
There was a lot of sitting
on a beautiful turquoise egg!

There actually were three
that she sat on...come what may!
I can take a lesson
from the patience of her day.

I thought of just how happy
those egg babies must have been.
Having mama always with them;
Sat on by a loving kin.

But then there was disaster!
A bad storm to my backyard.
Watching winds tear down her work...
emotionally hard.

As I heard her making noises
for her babies, all now dead,
I also learned a lesson;
from my heart now to my head.

The lesson is that life
sometimes takes a crooked turn,
and it will be about the way
you cope, and what you learn.

When the storm was over,
and her call no longer came,
She flew off to begin again.
A story all the same.

She'll build another nest,
and put her loss behind.
And I have learned the lesson,
and I'll live my life in kind.

Sometimes the past is daunting,
and sometimes you must move on.
There 'can' be happy future,
even though the past is gone.