GRATEFUL FOR OLD FRIENDS

I am so thankful for old friends that stick through the thin or thick of life.

I knew of Cheryl and Pam in school in Cathlamet … they are both several years older than I am, so I only saw them in passing.

When I married my husband in 1974, I got to know Cheryl and Pam: Cheryl was Bob’s SIL and Pam is her cousin, and was at Cheryl and Ralph’s house a lot. All of our kids are roughly the same age – Cheryl’s girls – Denise, is 3 years older than our daughter, and Brenda was born 2 weeks before our daughter was born; Pam’s son, Spencer, is 6 months older than our daughter. They all went to school together until life paths’ took unplanned turns and we all drifted apart. Periodically we would all converge again at various points in our busy lives and at various locations around Longview we all happened to be at times.

But each time our busy lives converged and we ran into each other, it was like time had stood still and we picked up where we had left off.

After Bob left this planet, Cheryl and Pam refused to leave me alone with my thoughts and upturned life – they faithfully came to visit me, and Cheryl called every day – even though I has specifically told everyone that I wanted time alone for a while. They were not intrusive … just loving. And I was not even aware that I needed what they were giving. But they were aware: they were not strangers to the kind of grieving that only death can bring. I, on the other hand had always avoided death; but I could not avoid my husband’s physical death. And they would not allow me to live in my head. They gently and lovingly prodded me back to life. When my birthday arrived 15 days after Bob’s graduation to a higher level of life, and 4 days following the bleakest Christmas ever, Cheryl and Mike stopped by briefly to bring me a box of home-baked goodies that tasted heavenly and soothed my broken heart – Pam sent her love with them to ferry to me.

Yesterday they pulled me back into a social life for 4-1/2 hours … quietly and small scale, but so necessary, and so welcome. Again, I didn’t know I needed it. But they knew. And I am grateful.

I am grateful for friends that never give up when the going gets rough.

I am grateful for friends that give love so unselfishly and so abundantly.

I am grateful for old friends that share my memories and are not afraid to speak my husband’s name openly and freely for fear they might make me cry – I may always cry when memories prick my thoughts, but I want people to say Bob’s name out loud.

I am grateful for friends who remind me that life goes on – especially an interrupted life.

I am grateful for friends that understand feeling alone when I am surrounded by friends is okay: they “get it”. And it doesn’t make them uncomfortable or twitchy.

I am grateful that Elohim brought us together so many decades ago, and keeps us together through all the twists and turns of our lives to date.

Good friends are hard to come by – steadfast friends are a rarity and a true blessing.

I pray I am worthy and can, in turn, be a blessing to them.

PINK/PURPLE GRANNY LAPGHAN SQUARES

I have been working on these colorful squares for a few days, and today I am going to piece them together in rows.

I don’t know if I will get the entire lapghan pieced together before Sunday, but I am going to give it a good try ;-)

And at Monday’s Craft Meet, I will finish it up with a cheery yellow edging. All together, and finished, this lapghan should be pretty bright and cheerful.

The perfect donation item for a dreary hospital setting :-D I will post a pic of the finished item later on.

I am using the same squares’ design as the previous lapghan I recently finished, but again – I am putting them together in my own design so the square count in MOD PINK/PURPLE GRANNY LAPGHAN will not be the same as the square count/placement in this original pattern; I am using only the square stitches in my lapghan squares because it is light and airy – perfect for Spring: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/03/mod-jade-flower-granny-square-lapghan.html

THE BOOK OF ROMANS ~Chapter 12

Brethren, I urge you, therefore, because of Elohim’s compassion, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy an acceptable to Elohei. That would be a reasonable service. Do not live according to the fashions of the times, but be transformed from within by the renewing of your minds. Try to prove in practice what is the will of Elohei, and what is good, acceptable and perfect.

Through the grace that has been given me, I want to tell each of you not to think too highly of himself, but rather to be sober minded and to judge himself by the amount of Faith that Elohim has given him.  In a body there are many parts, and all those parts do not have the same work to do. So also in the Church, though we are many, we form 1 body in Mashiach, each one of us being a part of the whole and mutually dependent on the other parts. Each one of us, then, is different and has special talents according to the grace that was given to us. If, for example, our gift is prophecy, let us use it according to the measure of our faith. Or if the gift is some ministry, then faithfulness in that ministry is required; if it is teaching, then this talent must be used. IN the same way, the speaker must exhort, the giver must give without display, the office-holder must be faithful, and the charity-worker must do his work with cheerfulness.

Let your love be sincere. You must abhor what is wicked and hold fast to what is good. Be affectionate towards one another in brotherly love, each one eager to show honor to another. Don’t let your zeal slow down; be afire with The Ruach; serve Adonai Yeshua. Rejoice in your hope; be steadfast in time of trouble; keep on praying. Help the saints in their need; always practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you. Do not curse them, but bless them. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony together. Avoid being haughty; mingle with the lowly; don’t be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil; do what is right in the sight of all men.

Friends, do not seek revenge, but let Elohei handle it, for it is written, “Vengeance belongs to Me, and I will repay, says Adonai.” But rather do this – feed your enemy if he is hungry; give him something to drink if he is thirsty. For in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not let evil conquer you, but you must conquer evil with good.

**ROMANS 11: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-book-of-romans-chapter-11.html