A test

 This is a test.

1) I am challenging myself to post something weekly.  You see, I am a rather undisciplined person.  I have spurts but consistency in disciplined routines is not one of them.  I am trying to create more small daily and weekly disciplines.  There ARE SO MANY I would love to tackle.  One that I am starting with is a weekly post here even if it is small.  So this is this week's post.  I am going to share a few random recent pictures.  

2) I am not sure if I am receiving the recent post via the Follow It feed.  Thus I am questioning if you are.  So if you get this post, could you send me a brief text, e-mail, or sticky note on my door to let me know you are getting it.  I also realized people have posted comments and I don't see them.  I scavenged the site for a way to get notified of them but don't see it.  So thanks for the comments over the past years.  I am sorry I didn't respond!

Quick update.  Peter received a check for Jun, July, and August SSI.  Yay.  He has switched the timing of his meds to see if it helps with the hunger cravings.  Currently, he is working 3 nights a week at Lowes.  He meets with his psychiatrist (meds) doctor on Tuesday to discuss his medication.  I am praying that the Dr. will be cautious and thoughtful in any medication changes.

Last weekend my friend Tammy was here from Pennsylvania for her annual Georgia tour.  It was fun to have her stay a night in my spare room and make our traditional trip to the Gainesville branch of the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  It was Hot but the flowers are always fun.  We followed it up with food at Hello Hilo, our local Hawaiian restaurant. 

Last weekend we celebrated Mom's neighbor Miss Nelda and her upcoming 90th birthday.  Nelda and Mom share a duplex and I call them two peas in a pod.  They are both widows who are loved by all and love their flowers.  They watch out for each other of which I am very grateful.

Recently, my friend Jade and I went out for Menchie's yogurt (our current favorite outing.) When we returned to her house the sky was putting on a display.  As it got dark the neighbors were trying to put on a fireworks display but it paled in comparison to God's!

During the week our school was closed, Mom and I drove up to Greenville to see Anna and the kids.  We had a fun afternoon hanging out with these Princesses.

Early in June, we went to the wedding of Mom's water fitness instructor.  She has been leading water aerobics classes at our local aquatics center for 15 years.  She is beloved by the many who attend her various classes.  She is 78 and her groom was 80 and it was one of the sweetest and most fun weddings I have ever attended.  95% of the 100-plus people in attendance were members of one of her water exercise classes. And I was one of the youngest people there! 

One of the fun things I get to do at school is decorate.  During the summer weeks, I change out the entryway photo booth every Friday to fit the upcoming theme. Sometimes they are time-consuming and tedious (like the circus tent) and others are as simple as throwing up a backdrop and adding a few props. This summer there has been a lot of collaboration.  Daisy the resident balloon artist put together the party display for the church's VBS.  Vita made the amazing flower blooms for our garden week.  And Emily put together the beach and the dinosaur displays as I was traveling. It is so fun to see the kids interact and pose in front of the displays on their way in and out of the school. Also makes me think that the Visual Merchandising class I took in college was a valuable part of my experience!

SSI not lost

 I am good about sharing requests but don't always follow up.  I am trying to remember to let you know the outcomes.  Peter went with his representative to the Social Security Office last Monday.  He has not lost his SSI disability.  They were told there was a glitch with the Federal treasury. So hopefully he will receive his checks soon.  That was a relief to all of us! Thank you, Jesus.

Peter asked me yesterday about contacting the doctor to change his medicine.  He is convinced that it is the reason he is gaining weight.    Peter shut me down when I proposed that it's not the medicine but his diet of white bread, lunch meat, pancakes, and Diet Coke.   He wanted me to call the doctor and I told him they don't respond to my inquiries (which is true) and sent him all the contact numbers.  My desire is that the nurse will work with him on diet and he will listen.  This medicine has worked the best for him mentally and past medication changes have been less successful.  A change without some thought and consideration does make me a little nervous. Pray that the agency working with him will wisely guide Peter. 

Thank you so much for your prayers on Peter's behalf.

Peter July 2024

I have not written about Peter in a while.  He has been doing really well for which I am grateful.  We have recently attended another Braves game and a Fourth of July event.  He has been fun to be with.  His roommate's situation seems to be okay.  He doesn't talk much about it.  I think they coexist without a lot of interaction. I am delighted to see how Peter keeps the apartment clean.  Peter and mom have lunch about once a week followed by a grocery store run.  Peter also goes to church with Mom on Sundays.  I am grateful for Mom doing this for him.  I know she is a significant person to him. Peter is taking his medicine and lets me know when he needs a refill. These are all good things

There are a couple of concerns that have prompted this post.  Peter appears to have lost his SSI benefits as he has not received any checks in the past two months.  Originally when he started working at Lowes they were giving him too many hours.  The guess is that this is what prompted the loss of benefits however no letters to this effect have come to the house.  He is going to the Social Security Office today with an ACT team member to see what they can find out.  Meanwhile, Lowes cut his hours (as he requested to keep his SSI benefits) and has been cutting them drastically.  Peter requested to work an evening unloading job which is three nights a week but it appears he is only being scheduled once a week.  The loss of SSI income and Lowes' pay has of course been discouraging to him.  His housing cost is dependent on his income so currently there is little concern about being kicked out of his apartment.  However, Peter has become quieter over the past few days which indicates he is concerned.  And his falling into depression is a concern for me.

Peter also needs the work otherwise he sits at home on his phone.  Peter has been gaining weight.  This is I am sure partly due to the medication and how it makes him hungry.  With fewer days of walking the two miles to and from work, he is getting less exercise.  I also have watched him shop and his food choices are easy-to-heat meals that are high in carbs and sugar and low in fruit and vegetables.  There is the concern of health risks with weight gain but even more the fear that this will trigger his going off his medication.

Just wanted to share the update as many have kindly asked.  I want to share that there is so much that I am grateful for.  He has come a LONG way since a year ago when he was living on the streets in Athens.  Yet I appreciate continued prayers for increased stability of work and income, positive relationships and a receptiveness to the healing work of Jesus.

I'll fly away, again.

In a rare turn of events I am wrapping up my second trip for the summer, and June isn't even over. Rarely do I take summer trips but this year two special opportunities came my way. As you know earlier this month I traveled with friends on a bucket list trip, a cruise through Eastern Canada and New England. Now I am sitting in perhaps my favorite airport preparing to return home.  I am in the little Yakima WA Airport which boast 2 commercial flights a day. Yakima is the home of my dear friend Sue.

I shared here in November of my trip to Yakima to see Sue who suffered an aneurysm a year ago.  At the time she resided in a care facility.  Sue had just buried her husband of 52 years and was fighting to regain her ability to walk and talk. Shortly after my visit, with a team of friends and family rallying around her she moved home. She has been working really hard the past 6 months. And this past week I have stood in amazement as I got to stay with her. Various family and friends have been staying with Sue. There was a gap and I was asked if I wanted to come. I jumped at the chance! God provided a ticket and last Friday night I flew out. One of Sue's local friends/PT's/ encourages, Ruth picked me up from my midnight arrival.  Ruth and I crossed paths 30 years ago and it was fun to briefly catch up. It was a sweet reunion when Sue and I met at the breakfast table the next day. Sue walks amazingly well with and without walking device. She has regained much of her independence. However it was nice to be able to help her with things. Much of the time we sat in the living room talking or just smiling at each other. Yes I did a lot of the talking but then it's always been that way. A lot of time was spent eating or talking about what we would eat. There were two Costco runs, one just to have another hot dog lunch. We attended services at her church, which I always love attending. I did some putzing in Sue's yard pulling some weeds and deadheading some bushes.

Sue's brother Tony turned 78 and we joined his daughter and a bunch of grandkids at DQ for a lively and sweet celebration.  Tony is a great cook and huge member of Sue's support team. He was over several times with food, yard assistance and to join in the nightly Wheel of Fortune  and Jeopardy viewing. The last day we picked up from the airport Mary Beth whom I met when I came in November.  She will be here the next couple of weeks. It was fun to catch up with her.

It has been such a sweet visit. I am so grateful for the time with my dear friend. It was a privilege to give to her in a small way. Yet as always I received much more in return simply being with her.

Home

This is the post I wrote on my way home from the cruise. Evidently I got distracted and never finished it. I will wrap it up and send it along today, Almost two weeks later.

The cruise was fun but now it's done. It is Saturday evening and Im in the Dulles Washington airport waiting to fly to Atlanta. The ship docked in Boston's harbor early this morning(Saturday June 8th) where I took a bus to the airport. I was able to get my flight changed to an earlier one so I will make it home to sleep in my bed. ( And I did!)

Picking up where I left off, Thursday found us in Halifax Nova Scotia . I had considered not getting off the ship because I was tired and had no specific attraction awaiting. But with a beautiful day appearing on a picturesque seaport town, I ventured in. A highlight was a public garden in bloom.  Friday's highly anticipated Bar Harbor visit was deflated by wet, cold, rain and fog. We did take Oli's Trolley through Acadia National Park. The guide was fun and informative but the view was dampened. We chose not to linger long and returned to free food and warmth on the ship. Did I mention instead of the usual gangplank we were ferried to shore by tender (lifeboats!) 

We finished our cruise with a meal in the dining room that featured the kitchen staff's farewell walk and some "rock and rolling." This is where I say thank God for Bonine anti-nausia meds and patches. We felt the boat swaying only the last couple of days since the early part of the trip was not in open water. 

I am grateful for this opportunity. I enjoy my travel companions and we saw and experienced some great things. It was nice to step back from the normal pace and responsibilities. I enjoyed being waited on and the bounty of food to experience. 

I did realize that although one can remove herself from routine and responsiblity, she can't remove herself from herself. It was an introspective week and i'm grateful for things that I discovered about myself. It is my desire to be more confident in who I am, my wants and desires, and to stand up and use my voice based on those things. Incidents during the trip made me realize my tendency to be a follower and as the week progressed I worked on taking the initiative to do things that I really wanted to. I thoroughly enjoyed my traveling companions and hope that perhaps in the future, we can do something like it again.

I have over three hundred pictures but I will try to just share a few here. Some day there may be a photo album with a choice eighty favorites should you ever want to see more.