Samson

Samson in 1990

Samson died yesterday at 5:40. He has been my kitty for almost 19 years. It was heart-breaking to watch him these last few days. I'm thankful that I was there with him at the end. He would mew and mew, and I would pet him and he would calm down. I'm not sure how conscious he was throughout, but he knew that I was there. I know it's only a cat--a dime a dozen--and I don't mean to compare his life to a human being's, but these things do make you think about life and death. The boys were moved some, but more interested than emotional. I can tell now that when I die, they probably won't cry! As we went on with our evening activities, I kept thinking about death--how the sting of death is gone for believers because Jesus defeated it by rising from the dead. And also how death doesn't have the victory for us anymore because we know that life continues perfectly in Heaven forever. I also had time to ruminate on the cycle of life. Yes, I was sad that Samson died, but I wouldn't wish him back. He had lived a long, relatively good life for a cat. Death is part of life here on this planet. It makes me long for home, though, where death doesn't have a place---ever.

Brunch

I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas which I'm sure I'll explore as December moves along. One of the reasons I love it is that we have an excuse to get together. Our ladies Bible study group had brunch yesterday at my house. It was wonderful to be with these women and relax and enjoy great food. They mean so much to me. It has been a blessing to get to know them and to study God's Word together. There is a bonding that happens over God's Word that is unlike others. We had so much fun talking and laughing together, and I got to use my pink dishes again. Someone made a fruit pizza, and I made cranberry bars, a new recipe that was delicious.

December

I have to admit, I'm sorry to be finished with the thankful posts. It was good to have to think about what I was thankful for each day and then post. I know I missed a few, but it was a great exercise in thankfulness. There were days when I struggled to think of something that I was thankful for that didn't include the standard. It really is an exercise in discipline for which I'm thankful that I worked at in November. (Yikes, that grammar is BAD! Sorry) As we move into December I hope that I can continue to be thankful.
Yesterday, I was very thankful. My cat Samson is almost 19 years old. We got him when we were first married. He was too little to be taken from his momma, and my friend found him in a bush, abandoned. I was looking for something to take care of instead of children. So he became mine. He had some health problems, so we have way over-spent on his care. At about 5 or 6 the vet told us that he had the feline AIDS virus and that his life would be short. Without this expensive medicine, he assured me that he wouldn't live more than a year. We were too poor for cat medicine, so we just moved on. Now, 12 years later, he still lives. Unfortunately, he has gone blind over the last 2 months. Chris allowed me to bring him in (they were all banished several years ago after using Ben's bed as a litter box for a week while we were on vacation). So I'm watching him try to find his way around. He has done pretty well, but I think with the Christmas boxes out it has been confusing. He started not going in the litter box! I had to confine him to the kitchen and laundry room. The board that I used to block the door was a little high, so going over it many times a day was starting to hurt. I replaced it with a 2 x 6, knowing that if he ran into it, he wouldn't try to go over it. As I was cleaning the kitchen yesterday, I marched through that door while carrying some things totally forgetting about the board. WHAM! That was my poor body bouncing off the floor. So I am very thankful that I am not as sore as I could have been, that nothing is broken (I hope), and that I could resume my activities yesterday. I'm thankful that our bodies are made to heal themselves, and I'm thankful that Chris was here to pick me up. Today, there is a high board AND a low board in front of the door so I don't miss it again.

Class Reunion

We had such a good time at my class reunion (at least I did!). It was so fun to see so many people that I went to school with. Two of my best girl friends (above) came from Tennessee and Albuquerque to be there. I met Sherry for appetizers before and got to catch up on her children and her life. People are sometimes hesitant to go to class reunions, but once we were all there, there was no getting us to be quiet and listen for instructions. It was so funny watching people trying to take charge for games, dinner, pictures. We just laughed and talked all evening. One of my classmates took pictures all evening and was going to burn discs of the pictures to give us. She realized later that she couldn't get them all done before the evening was over, so I'm waiting anxiously for that disc. I stopped taking pictures thinking I'd have them all on disc later. Oh well, at least I have the memories. I'm sure Jen will get all of the discs burned and mailed. I went to a small school, only about 145 in my class, and most of us had been there all of our lives. We grew up together. We were in each other's business all of the time. We went to church together, we played together, we worked together. It's amazing to me that the people with whom we spend just 12 short years of our lives can have such a lasting impact on us. I have been married for 19 years, longer than I knew most of those people, but I still want to see them, to know them. I guess those formative years always stay with you. I'm very thankful that I went to my 20 year class reunion. I hope there's another one soon!

I'm also thankful that my parents survived staying here with the boys.

Ohio

Today I am thankful for the great driving weather we had yesterday. It was a beautiful day. The boys could play outside, and the roads were clear as we headed north.
I'm also thankful for prayer. I am far away from those most dear, but I can pray for them. God is with them as well and knows what they need. I'm so thankful that I have the privilege of taking everything to the Father because of Jesus. We have no idea what a privilege this is. In the old testament, God dwelled in the Temple. A regular woman like me would have no possible access to that sacred place. I could only stay in the court of the women and hope that somehow God would hear me even though I was so far away (not that He couldn't, of course, but the Israelites didn't understand this). To be able to approach the throne of God freely because Jesus opened the way with his death on the cross is a feat that is beyond comprehension to me, but I'm so very thankful.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving today instead of tomorrow so that I don't have to worry about getting everything ready and cleaning it all up and leaving. It was actually a nice thing to do. Everything has been put away already, and tomorrow I can wake up late and watch the parades and not worry about getting everything ready. Plus we get to have leftovers! I'm thankful for the abundance of great food, the amazing aromas that combine to make the house smell delicious. I'm thankful that everything turned out. I'm also thankful for my pink dishes. They were my gram's. Every holiday I would go over early to set the table with the pink dishes and the good silver ware and the crystal water glasses and the salt dips. It was a tradition that I miss. My boys don't appreciate the pink dishes like I do, but it's not too bad since there are castles on them. I'm thankful for family traditions and for being together to celebrate and EAT. Enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow! We'll be eating leftovers. Yum!

My parents

I'm thankful for my mom and dad. I'm usually thankful for them, but today I'm especially thankful. They are on their way here to spend Thanksgiving with us and then watch the boys so that Chris and I can go to my class reunion. I'm thankful that this morning the boys were asking when Grandma and Grandpa would be here and making plans for them. I'm thankful that I don't have to have everything done before they get here.

I'm also thankful for grocery stores. I've spent too much time in them lately, but oh how thankful I am that food is just 15 minutes away.