TOO MANY JOKES ABOUT MY NAME

I don't mind being my ward's back-up chorister.
The regular chorister is often late - she has a toddler AND a new-born - so I step in for at least the opening hymn... and sometimes the sacrament hymn... without much hesitation.



And today was one such a day.


But at least I didn't have to lead the closing hymn.


Which was "Hope of Israel."

WOULD WE EVER AGREE?

As humans, we still to always come to different conclusions.




Mainly because we don't all get the same information.




Some information gets warped by the media/reporting/political angle.




But i think the real problem is how we don't always recognize how much it is changed/modified by our OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES.




If we've been hurt, we're much less likely to trust.




If we've been lied to, we aren't as quick to believe.





If we got hit, we're not likely to get under things again.




And if we've been raised, taught, and HAVE CAUSE TO BELIEVE someone who has any of these issues, it affects us too.




My bit of wisdom for the last day of 2015.

A CAT SANDWICH

The dog is snuggled up against my side onto of the bed.






She settles down with just the lower half of her body against me.






Then the cat slips in underneath the covers between the two of us.







And happily goes to sleep for as long as she can.

MARYLAND IN NOVEMBER

I took a month off.


REALLY took it off.



Went to Maryland and hung around with my oldest daughter and grandkids.



I slept... a LOT. I had the perfect excuse - "Hey, I'm still on Arizona time!"




I ate... a LOT. Calories don't count when you're on vacation, right?




I read... a LOT. My daughter had a bunch of books for me, and I had one from my book club that I needed to finish.




It was nice.

BEING A SUBSTITUTE PARENT

I don't mind stepping into a parental role sometimes.



My kids are grown, and sometimes you need a mom around.




When you are shopping with a crying baby and a toddler throwing a tantrum.




When you need to change a diaper and there's no place to do it.



When you are working extra hours and your kid needs to be somewhere.




I was what the Army calls a "geographical single parent" for WAY too many years to not appreciate all the many, MANY people who stepped in and helped me.




So I am happy when I can return the favor.

AIN'T EASY ANYMORE

Once of the reasons I got hooked on amazon.com was that they seemed to have EVERYthing imaginable.

Well, that, and it didn't cost anything more to have something shipped to me in the middle of nowhere right on the Mexican border.

But they seem to carry EVERYthing that you can think of.

Except when you are looking for a extra-large size V-neck tee shirt.

I use them as nightshirts - and over the years, I have simply worn them out - so I needed a couple of new ones.

HA.

Amazon.com has extra-large tee shirts - but no V-necks.

They have V-necks - but not in extra-large.

There are very sexy lingerie - low-slung men's pj bottoms - but nothing I want.

Hmm... where else can I look?!?

OKAY, NOW LET'S GET BACK UP ON THE HORSE...

I offered the challenge in my Sunday School class today that we can set new resolutions, or attempts to improve old or bad habits, anytime, not just at a New Years.

And so I issued a November Resolution (to try to get more of them involved in our class discussions).

But I realized that I have been ignoring a little alarm that I have on my iPhone that prompts me each and every evening TO WRITE IN HERE.

So here is MY new resolution.

To write. 

I do have things on my mind - I do have thoughts that need more exploration - and I would like to become better at this.

Let the Challenge BEGIN!