MY KIND OF FRIENDSHIPS

I am so thankful for the people Elohim puts across my Life’s Path.

I am especially thankful for my messy weirdo friends, who are stumbling through life, too – not sure where they fit in; or if they even want to fit in with a society that tells them they are not enough (not involved in global issues to the satisfaction of the masses, not pretty or handsome enough to suit the shallow society, not bringing home a paycheck to buy a $400-500,000 home or a jaguar car, not wearing the latest fashion trends, ect.) Or too much (too loud, too opinionated, too frazzled, too ‘showy’, too hefty, ect.)

I don’t care about any of that. I care about HEART STATUS: do you understand love, do you love, can you love, are you open to loving?

Love isn’t owned by a political party. Love isn’t just an inanimate 4-letter word, thrown around aimlessly and carelessly. Lust is not love. Love is what sets humans apart from everything else on this planet. Love is an equalizer. Love enables us to rise above ourselves and make space for others.

I care about heart status.

I recently read this piece that perfectly explains me … and those who share my space: we aren’t perfect, but we are a perfect {fit} in the Friendship that works for us 😊

***************

I want to be a come-as-you-are-friend.

I want my friends to come as they are when we're together. Rough day? Haven't showered in a week? Going through something hard? Not feeling yourself? Perfect. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know they don't ever have to censor themselves around me. You don't ever have to say, "I hope this doesn't sound bad, but..." Sound bad. It's okay to sound bad around me. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know that I'm a safe place for them to erupt like a volcano, laugh like a lunatic, and cry their ugliest without ever feeling judged. I love you in all the ways and I don't ever want you to quiet yourself around me. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know I'm here for all their controversial opinions. It doesn't matter if I agree or I don't, I'm here for your thoughts. Can't post it on Facebook without a cat fight breaking out with an entire side of your family and also some strangers? PERFECT, I'm here for your unedited thoughts. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know I'm there for the middle place. Don't have it figured out? Still in the woods? Stuck in a struggle and you're not sure you're way out yet? I'll plop myself down in that uncomfortable place with you and pour you a glass of wine. Your mess doesn't scare me. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know I'm there for their celebrations. Don't tone down your successes around me. I want to shriek and clap in the front row of all your accomplishments. I want to get a text with the video of your son taking his first steps and I want a screenshot of the email that says you got the job. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know they can be "too much" around me. Be loud, be funny, be obnoxious, be crazy. I love you for all your too muchness. Don't turn down the volume or edit the you out of yourself when you're with me. Come as you are.

I want my friends to know they can be "not enough" around me. Be tired, be empty, be quiet. When you run out of gas and when you need a good long nap I'm still here. Come as you are.

I want my friends to feel completely free to be THEMSELVES around me. Be you. In all your tiredness, in all your loudness, in all your opinions (uncensored), in all your big feelings. Come as you are.

Be you in your stained T-shirt and your dry shampooed hair or be you in your cute Instagram worthy outfit and recently whitened teeth. Be you. I want you to be you because that's what friendship is all about: you being you and me being me and loving each other through it all.

Come as you are.

Original Post Written by Wonderoak by Jess Johnston

SPRING PROJECTIONS

I had plans, for downtown this morning – meeting a friend for lunch. The plan had been made a week ago; when the weather held a hint of Spring on the breeze.

This week … snow has been making an appearance as Jack Frost has been reluctant to move on.

I looked out the windows as I passed through the house on my way to the kitchen, and noticed that the snow that fell while I slept, had clearly stuck around.

My budding plants had had their Spring projections interrupted by a serious decline in the warming weather temperatures they had been experiencing ☹

I like snow around Christmas time, and for my birthday the end of December … but I don’t like late-season snowfall that hogs Spring projections. I am at the place with Jack Frost that I am with the obamanite biden administration; GO AWAY ALREADY!

A light dusting of snow touched down overnight.

The tiny daffodil bulbs I planted in the Fall were starting to blossom.

There was no bird chirping this morning; they are conserving warmth and saving energy.

My poor strawberry & sedum plants.

On a hope and a prayer, I washed my hair/dressed warmly/applied makeup – and drove into town. I hadn’t been downtown-downtown since before Christmas: I was missing my weekly “treat yourself day”. I figured if I was the only one that showed up … I’d have lunch anyway. Not a hamburger basket lunch as usual, but a bowl of soup; a warm soup is satisfying on a cold, wintery day. And I’m determinedly sticking to my ‘shrink the kardashian ass’ goal 😉

I had an allergic reaction to yesterday’s potluck buffet, and my cheeks were cherry red: so, I didn’t have to use much blusher today; just the barest hint along the upper cheekbones.

Ready to walk out the door.

I arrived a little early, and received a text from my friend: there had been 1½-inches of snowfall in the Silver Lake area, but I would still have company downtown 😊

The hour was filled with laughter, catch-up chit-cha;, and Spring projections, that included a trip to Packwood – and I may go back again, in the Fall. I like pawing through Flea Market offerings.

Lunch plans at Country Folks Deli, on Commerce.

’Downtown’ song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GdPPhTbg-0)

Packwood Flea Market 2022 scheduled. YAY!

On my way back home, I saw plenty of evidence that The people are angry with what is happening in DC, and they are revolting against local civic leadership with dispays showing thier discontent ... and intent on changing things in the near future. Spring projections are showing that the obamanites will be losing thier placed seats in all elections across the board: across the Nation.

The People are fed up with the obamanite lunacy, and ready for a real Leader to be at America’s helm.

And I stopped at Lowe’s, and bought filters for the heat pump furnace. I bought a lot – enough to last the year. With all the damage the obamanites have done to the economy and fluid moving of merchandise, I didn’t want to risk the chance of not being able to have a filter when needed.

It seems like every time I walk into Lowe’s (or any store, actually), everything has been moved to a different location; so, I asked where the filters were now located. The salesman pointed them out … and also pointed my attention to a new filter on the market ‘designed with a finer mesh to do a better job of filtering out viruses’. I bought three. I will use one on Tuesday when I switch the older one out. If I do not notice a difference, I’ll return the other two, and replace them with my regular type filter.

I bought 8 filters today & had 4 at home; 12-months’ worth of filters; the 1500 appears to be cashing in on the covid craze.

A finer mesh; we'll see how it does - this one will be going into place Tuesday ... it's a very spendy 1-filter package.

Something new. The salesman said he uses it because his wife has COPD, and he thought it might work better for my asthma, too.

This is what I've been using, and it comes in a 2-pack; at an economical cost.

I've noticed that the new 1085 filter, now has concave edges. WTH; I hope the new edges won't trip up the fit needed for my heat pump operation.

I finished the evening by designing and working on another Angel Baby Blanket. This design is a projection of soft Spring pastels 😊

MOD Andalusian Stitch Angel Baby Blanket; Girl. Knit.

LONGVIEW RESTART

I didn’t plan on going to a car show today – I didn’t know there was one happening.

I didn’t plan on leaving the house … for any reason; until I was prodded to do so around 9:30 a.m.; reaching my “prodded” destination by 11 a.m.

Foggy morning on Ocean Beach Highway; song in background – “May You Shine”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxDnbrz98_w)

The morning was thick with heavy fog, down here on the lowlands: the fog lights were utilized. I drove cautiously through the shrouding blanket of fog; I nipped off Ocean Beach Highway (which was full of crazy drivers zipping in and out of traffic at speeds well above the posted limit IN FOG WHERE HEADLIGHTS COULD NOT BE SEEN UNTIL THE CAR WAS A SHORT LENGTH AWAY FROM YOUR CAR) and onto 42^nd Avenue; taking the back way to my destination.

I didn’t know what the upper roads looked like … but I thought they’d probably be a lot safer than Ocean Beach Highway. I was glad I took the high road 😉 I was immediately out of the fog, and driving on dry roads, free of crazy drivers, snow, and ice. The rest of the prodded route was stress free.

Leaving that prodded point of interest around 1 p.m., I decided to stop for lunch at Sizzler – and ran into friends there 😊

It is good to know, since I am sinking roots in Longview, that I have friends at every turn: no matter where I am, in Longview. Some friends live in Longview – some are far flung … but come to Longview at various times, for various reasons; and we run into each other all over town 😉

Aside from reconnecting with old friends, and making new friends – I am also starting to get involved in community things: tracking down a local Fellowship (or 2, or 3; all for different reasons); helping in a local Food Bank (I like doing that, and have missed helping); joining a crafting club (I enjoy handcrafts, and the companionship of crafters). These are a few ways to get involved in community, make connections, and stay abreast of what is going on in my small corner of the world.

Community involvement isn’t anything new to me – actively doing it in Longview, is.

Longview was always Bob’s “thing”: I was just along for the ride, so to speak. And since Bob’s spirit moved on to a higher level of living, I’ve been on drift – now, it’s time to sink roots/explore what Longview has to offer/start aggressively building a New Life, in old digs.

I’m no stranger to rebuilding a new life, either – I’ve had to do that practically all of my life of date: my life has had so many restarts, I can truthfully tell people that ask how I am doing, “I am at a new place in my life”. My 44 years with Bob was the only time my life was on a relatively steady level.

Bob was my anchor.

Bob’s love was my {home}.

But Bob is no longer here.

It's time to “get on with it”.

It’s time for another restart.

For the past 3 years, I’ve burned up the roads – east/west and north/south. I’ve had the house up for sale, and had to pull it again because Elohim always pulled the emergency break; to force me to put down roots, here, in a place I’d rather not be: but, I never argue with Elohim; He will allow me an occasional foot-stomp and pout … but when He says, “Enough, Val”, I straighten up and fall in line with His Plan. I don’t have to like the way He is bringing His Plan about – but I am wise enough to know (from past experiences) that His Plan is always the Best Plan for my life.

So, as I start another restart, I am starting with a lot of help from Yeshua, a little help from my friends … and no idea at all as to where it will lead; I’m just going with the flow.

Rollin’ With The Flow Song: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbesKFHcRXs)

Leaving Sizzler, and driving towards home, I happened to see the lower end of Safeway’s parking lot filled with cars – obviously on display. So, I flicked my turn signal on, checked traffic on all sides of the Highlander … and then zipped across 3 lanes and into Safeway’s parking lot.

The Car Show was a small one: probably about 24 vehicles on display – but I was curious. Even though I was wearing a skirt and fancy girl boots, there is still enough tomboy in me, to stop and take a stroll among the ‘man toys’ 😉

These are the cars that caught my eye 😊

I like style. I like color. I like individuality.

There were newer models displayed, but I skirted past those: they didn’t appeal to me.

There was another muscle car that I liked, but I walked past it, too, without taking a peek at it: it was sporting the stars and bars flag – and I don’t waste my time on that nonsense.

The stars and bars flag mean National Division to me, and frankly MPO is that anyone who displays that flag hates what America stands for: unity, brotherhood, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, liberty, and freedom.

Some think the stars and bars stands for slavery, but that line of reasoning flies right out the window when taken into account what is happening in America, today, with obamanites forcing reverse racism on Americans, and doing their damndest to place American Patriots under barak hussain obama-backed-blm islamic rule; and The House demonrat communist slavery.

As far as I am concerned, the blm movement – as well as DC politicians are ALL under the stars and bars banner in their heart of hearts: despite what they say with their lying lips.

It was bright and sunny from West Side Highway to downtown Longview … but as I turned into Heron Pointe though, I was back under a fog cloud.

Given the current management of Heron Pointe Park, I think there could be an underlying message in that 😉

The only place in Longview with a lingering fog presence.