SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO CRY

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;    (from Ecclesiastes 3)

For me, today has been a time to weep…well, actually I’ve been weeping a lot this week.  Two lives that were precious to me have been lost in the last few days.  One was a high school friend (I won’t name) who through the years had a lot of troubles and sadness in his life; the other was the sweetest 91 year old lady named Ruth but everyone lovingly called her Ruthie Baby…she loved that!  Ruth and my 47 year old son had this wonderful friendship that began quite a few years back.  He would often drop by to visit her.  They would sit on her front porch…her with her glass of wine and he with a beer…and just enjoy the heck out of each other.  Ruthie just the other day told her son that she had had a dream that she was in heaven and my son was singing to her.  My son teared up when he told me that….a time for him to weep too.

Life can be so good, but life can also bring heartaches.  I know it’s often been said we need the “bad” to help us more appreciate the “good”, but I’m selfish…I don’t want the bad to hurt so badly!  These days my feelings seem to be so raw…this isolation, social distancing, not knowing who or what to believe…some days it just becomes almost too difficult to bare.  But I know God is walking through all of this with us and so I remind myself:

“there is a time to heal”

“there is a time to laugh”

“there is a time to dance”

“a time to embrace”  (can’t wait for those hugs!)

“a time to mend”

“a time for peace”.

I just pray it all comes soon. 

PS:  If you pray, please send up a prayer for my friend’s 17 year old grandson who was seriously injured in an automobile accident.  If you don’t pray, please just send out some well wishes and good thoughts for him.  His name is Dillon.

Funny You Should "MASK"

Ladies, (sorry any gentlemen out there) do I have the latest thing for you!!!!! 

HERE  YOU  GO!!!

found on FB...don't know who to give credit to!

Just had to share this.  And being a Southern Girl I love the caption!!!  I don’t know about other areas, but in days gone by Southern women loved adored their Sunday hats.  Guess now it will be SUNDAY MASKS!    (BTW, check out  my post  on HATS!  I do love hats, but sadly look terrible in them!)

Soooo….which MASK is for you?  I think I will choose the BLACK one because black makes me look slimmer and this isolation body needs all the help it can get!!!   

I love the blue one but all those feathers would tickle my nose and I’d be sneezing at the preacher! 

Hope you and yours are well and safe.

ONCE UPON A QUARANTINE

Do you think that’s what some author will use to begin her next fairy tale???  And then write a story about all the things that go on during a quarantine???  Sadly, if I wrote such a tale, it would be VERY BORING!!! 

I have tried to stay busy during this time because for me….bored is not an option…bored is the enemy…bored drives me C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!

So…what have I been doing to keep the guys with the straight jackets at bay?  

Catching Up on GENEALOGY Files

I figure if I can find a skeleton or two in the closet, I could always blackmail some unsuspecting family member…or at least have a little fun with them.  I can be MEAN funny that way😊

EATING…AND EATING…AND EATING

You’ve heard of the Freshman 15, right?  Well, I think I’m into the Quarantine 5 (10? 15?)  That’s what happens when you mindlessly eat because you can't think of anything else to do at the moment and your husband-who-wants- to-always-have-sweets-around-and-never-seems-to-gain-a-pound insists on going to the grocery store (with mask in place) and buying chocolate and ice cream!!!  When ice cream enters the door, will power goes out the window!

That's EXACTLY what I'm telling you!

(I may be the next patient on his show!)

DAILY WALKS

So I walk and hope those pounds brought on by the ice cream and other goodies that just seem to find their way into my mouth miraculously drop off as I go (a girl can dream!)

Working 1000-Piece JIGSAW PUZZLES

And getting absolutely nothing else done because I can’t just leave all those little pieces laying there just daring you to find out where they go!!!!  At least my granddaughter helped😊

Yardwork

That’s one positive from all this mess…our yard has never looked better.  But if this isolation keeps going much longer my husband who is a yard work junkie isn’t going to have any limbs or shrubs left to cut!

 Watching ‘TOO MUCH’ MURDER AND MAYHEM on TV

This is thanks to the man I live with!!!  We have watched DATELINE, SNAPPED, FORENSIC FILES, KILLER COUPLES…I never realized how much killing was going on in this world!!!  I’m beginning to wonder if my “better half” is taking notes on how to get rid of me and not get caught!!!!   (Hmmm….should I worry???)

READING  ORGANIZING  CLEANING  DECLUTTERING  ETC., ETC., ETC.

What  would  I  prefer  doing?

SHOPPING               GOING OUT TO EAT

VISITING FRIENDS   ATTENDING CHURCH

WATCHING A MOVIE (in the theater)

GETTING A MANI/PEDI

(I did get haircut and color this past week…I caved!!!  

It was that or shave my head!)

GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE 

W-I-T-H-O-U-T  LOOKING LIKE A MASKED BANDIT

AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT I WANT TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!

Our state of GA is slowly opening back up but with many restrictions.  My church won’t begin again until at least June and then I’m told it will be very different…I guess different is better than not attending at all.  I’ve come to the point I don’t know who or what to believe, but I’m still for the most part sheltering in place. I do worry about what I will do when I can’t think of anything else to do!!!!!!  I mean you can only battle with so many dust bunnies and you can only arrange your closet (by item, by color, maybe even with different colored hangers…don’t judge me!) just so many times.  My sister is a nurse in a large hospital psych ward.  I think I may need to tell her to expect me sooner than later!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO KEEP THE BOREDOM AT BAY?

PS:  Happy Mother’s Day to all those mothers out there, including those of you who have fur babies. 

I NEED A HUG!!!

Yep!  I do!  I need food; I need shelter; I need fresh air; and I NEED A HUG!!!!  Us Southern folk quite often greet each other with a big ole’ hug.  In fact, if you aren’t the touchy-feely kind, you probably don’t need to live down south. 

And one of the worst parts of this Corona Virus quarantine/isolation/social distancing is….WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HUG ANYBODY!!!  Of course, I guess it isn’t a problem if you aren’t even seeing anybody!

Anywho!!!  I got to thinking about HUGS and decided to do some research.  (I often do that…research strange random subjects!!!)  I found some quite interesting information and thought I’d share with you…just in case you are a HUGGER (like me)!

To quote a physiotherapist:  The word ‘hug’ is believed to come from the word ‘hugga’, meaning ‘to comfort’ in the Old Norse language, first appearing approximately 450 years ago in Scandinavia.

http://kulraj.org/2014/09/09/science-of-hugs/

The act of hugging relates to the fundamental need for touch.  Just like we need food, water, and shelter, we need human touch to thrive.  "In recent years, a wave of studies has documented some incredible emotional and physical health benefits that come from touch. This research is suggesting that touch is truly fundamental to human communication, bonding, and health." https://www.khca.org/files/2015/10/8-Reasons-Why-We-Need-Human-Touch-More-Than-Ever.pdf

I guess that’s why HUGGING  is such a big part of our culture including:

*Greeting friends and family

*As a ‘goodbye’

*Congratulating someone

*To console someone or show support

*Before sports and performance teams begin their game/competition

Research has shown that HUGS/touches are very beneficial for children & adolescents:

*Students that have received a supportive touch from teachers are twice as likely to raise their hands in class

*A sympathetic touch by a doctor gives patients an impression that their appointment lasted twice as long as it did

*Teams that are more ‘touchy’ perform better, even at world-class levels, than those who do not make physical contact as often... (so that's what's up with all the butt slapping!)

*Physical touch found to correlate with reduced pain and symptoms of depression

And for adults touching can:

*lower blood pressure

*boost immune system

*reduce stress

I could use all the above...especially these days!!!

So….HUGGING allows people to feel happy, connected, and healthy.  And what’s more….HUGS ARE FREE!!!  

Yep!  I need a hug.  A BIG 'OLE BEAR HUG!!!  And you’d better believe when all this virus/no-hugging stuff is over, I’m probably going to be hugging everybody I see.  So if you see me coming and you don’t want me to grab you, you’d better run the other way.

How about you?  Do you need a HUG???