rejoice with me

This is the first meal I have cooked in my new home.

Since radiation for all intents and purposes ruined all things concerning my mouth,

I have relied heavily on soup as my main go-to.

Normally I purchase from Fresh Market's most abundant supply,

but,

since the weather turned off a bit cool again,

 I decided to make a big pot of delicious vegetable soup.

It is simmering now and will be ready to eat at suppertime.

Notice the Sculptured Daisy salt & pepper shakers.

Love all things vintage.

"On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast,

 when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 

took branches of the palm trees, 

and went out to meet Him, 

and began to cry out,  

"Hosanna,

 blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"

John 12: 12 ~ 13

My mind and my heart is tracking along with Jesus on this last week of His earthly life 

before He died on the cross, 

was resurrected from the dead,

 and ascended back to heaven. 

That He died for us, 

paid the debt we owed for our sin and set us free 

is the truth I lay my whole life upon. 

Without this display of Jesus' selfless love,

 I would have nothing. 

He did this for you too!

Believe!

 Rejoice with Me!!!!

 

Hallelujah!

 

porch

My apartment has a little screened-in porch overlooking the pool and some palm trees.

It is just big enough for my patio table and chairs 

and the few geraniums I was able to salvage.

I love to be out here...

maybe reading, 

maybe having a quick bite to eat, 

maybe just sitting for a spell,

 drawing a breath, 

resting.

Life is simpler now for sure.

Not nearly as much to keep up with.

Sometimes I still can't believe the swiftness that all of this happened.

I am unpacking boxes,

getting my kitchen like I like it,

decorating with a real retro look of old, much loved things.

I don't want to get too spread out because I have to move again,

but...

I have to live here for a while so I might as well be comfortable.

The groundbreaking of my new place hasn't happened yet.

Still waiting for the city to give us the building permits which should be soon.

I am excited to watch it go up, brick by brick.

I plan to be at the site most every day.

My collarbone is healing nicely.

The pain is diminishing every day.

I am so thankful for God's healing power and His grace.

The fall could have been so much worse.

Just wanted to give a little catch-up of how things are progressing.

I am continually thankful for all of the prayers.

We'll see what happens with these.

One is seemingly flourishing,

one is barely there.

and one is I think not going to make it.

⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘

 

twinkle

Today I got a new cell phone.

The case is called "Twinkle."

I love it.

They say it has an incredible camera.

Haven't tried it yet but that will be exciting.

For the first time in ages, I have a new phone number.

I have been texting my contacts all afternoon giving that out.

I also have a new, temporary address.

I can't share any of that on here,

but if I missed you, send me a message and I will get back to you with my new info.

Change is hard.

I have had nothing but change for these last twelve or thirteen months.

It literally takes my breath away to think of where I was and where I am now.

Nothing is the same.

Change is good though,

Healthy.

It causes you to grow and expand into places you never ever thought you would go.

Here I am living on my own,

making my own decisions,

trusting God to make His way plain before me.

It gives me great comfort to know that my God never changes.

He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

Every morning when I go to Him,

to pray, 

to read His word,

to meditate on His truth,

I am always so extraordinarily thankful.

My God,

 the maker and sustainer of the universe,

the One who formed me in my mother's womb,

 the One who brought me forth to be alive at this present time,

 is always there, 

always listening,

 always providing,

 always faithful to His promises.

Twinkle!

Everybody needs a little bling in their life!

 

my apartment fireplace

Yesterday the maintenance guy came and got my fireplace working.

These early morning spring days are still chilly

and a fire feels good before the sun comes up.

I am grateful for this amenity!

I really need a fire in my house!

As I said earlier,

I have reverted back to some of my older decor.

This picture of a red barn has always been a favorite.

Harry loves it too and I will bequeath it to him along with all of my lighted houses.

That boy likes what I like and I love it!

I chose for my dinnerware here the dishes that Bubba and I received when we got married.

Those who know me well remember

Sculptured Daisy.

I am unpacking it now and will put it in the cabinets.

If you come here for a visit and a meal,

I will serve you on these beautiful antique plates.

I collected many pieces as Bubba and I traveled around the USA.

We both loved to go antiquing.

I was able to replace broken and chipped pieces and kept our set intact.

Our wedding had a daisy theme which tells you how much I love daisies.

Some would say at this point,

"Cathy, I thought you were chasing new beginnings!"

I am chasing new beginnings but,

I'm holding tightly to the old stuff too...

the stuff of which my memories are made. 

"He Loves Me ~ He Loves Me Not."

💚💛

 

a morning with walter

Walter came over for a short visit this morning.

We read three books, had a snack, and played Hiss,

a game where you build a snake by matching colors on cards.

I'm pretty sure we weren't playing by the exact rules

because he won every game.

I always came up one card short.

I never read the rules of the game, just listened to his explanation.

The first person to put the tail on is the winner.

Walter was able to put that tail on first every time.

I have reverted back to my old furniture.

The sofa is over forty years old.

The table and the TV cabinet are from our Fayetteville years.

I haven't finished unpacking essentials yet,

much less decor items.

My body is starting to relax though.

I can tell because I'm sleeping a little later than 4 AM.

The word revive is used a lot in the book of Psalms.

It means "bring back to life."

Revive me, O my God.

Wake me up to life again.

Help me to cherish the little things,

the small, tiny, beautiful pleasures that you provide every single day.

@coming out of darkness into the light.

 

do you ever find it hard to breathe?

Some days I find it hard to breathe.

On days when I take my eyes off of the truth of God's word,

my breaths are shallow, labored.

They don't go down deep enough into my lungs to bring comfort.

The last few days and months and year have been so hard.

I never expected to be on my own at age 72.

To have to learn everything over again, some things for the very first time.

Sometimes I find it hard to breathe even a calming breath.

The waves of despair have washed over me.

The dark night of grief and loneliness have at times overwhelmed me.

Apart from God's Word and His grace

 I sink down in the waters of gloom where indeed it is hard to breathe.

I heard this song for the first time a few days ago.

It was like solace for my soul.

"You're amazing,

 Faithful, 

Love's open door.

When I'm empty You fill me with hunger for more.

Of Your Mercy,

Your goodness...

Lord, You are the air that I breathe.

That's who You are to me."

I can't breathe apart from You, O Lord.

Help me to keep my mind and my heart focused.

In Christ I can breathe deeply of His grace and mercy.

The breath of life comes from God.

"Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground,

 and breathed into His nostrils the breath of life, 

and man became a living being."

Genesis 2:7

I have a little metal cut-out sign that says simply, breathe.

If I could find it after the move I would share a picture.

It always sits before me, reminding me to breathe.

Someone once laughed at this sign.

How silly that you need to be reminded to breathe.

What I need is to be reminded that God is the very air that I breathe.

He gives me my next breath.

Life is from Him.

I never want to lose sight of that truth.

 

don't worry ~ be happy

I keep Panera Bread in business.

Every morning with my coffee I have one half of a cinnamon crunch bagel.

I buy a baker's dozen at a time.

(freezer)

They make my morning delicious.

I was greeted by this happy guy this morning.

I think he was reminding me to smile often and be very thankful today.

😊

I went to the doctor on Tuesday.

They took another x-ray of my shoulder.

I was very thankful to hear these words...

"No change, getting better, see you in three weeks."

The pain is smaller but still stops me in my tracks at times.

I continue to unpack and work on setting up my new home.

This will continue for a while.

Nothing feels normal.

I'm trying to exist in a foreign land.

I cannot open my mailbox,

it is down the road a bit.

They are making new keys for me.

I figured out where the trash dump is but I haven't gotten there yet.

The trash is building up in the foyer.

My van keys with entry card were lost but have been found...

Amanda took them home with her to Florida.

They are presently in the mail.

I don't know how to turn the overhead fan in the living room off...

the mornings are still kind of chilly.

I have been forbidden by Amanda to climb on a ladder right now,

so I must just leave it blowing all of the time.

In spite of all, I have hope that things are improving,

pain is abating,

brain is functioning and will learn new patterns,

I will settle in and be happy here.

I have everything I need.

the hard part (moving) is done.

God is faithful.

He knows my needs

He meets them daily.

I am richly blessed in the spiritual realms.

I praise Him for all!!!

 

Hey Bubba,

Today is closing day at the lawyer's office.

I just took one final look around our home.

I closed the door for the last time with tears in my eyes.

I have gotten rid of most all of your things.

After a year I am pretty sure you don't need them anymore.

It's just me now in a tiny apartment stacked high with boxes.

I am starting to make my way through the mess that is here.

I even broke my collarbone in the process of the move.

But you know what, my love?

I'm gonna be okay.

I am a survivor!

Jesus is holding my hand and keeping me in His will.

You know that though, don't you?

As I come to grips with this huge lifestyle change, I just want to say...

Thank you for everything.

We had an exceptionally blessed life together.

I am who I am because of the time I spent with you.

You are always on my mind, 

in my thoughts, 

making me smile and sometimes, like now, cry.

The intense emotion of the first few months after you left is starting to abate.

Bubba, I cherish my memories of you.

I know you are near.

I feel your presence.

I hear your gentle admonitions to be careful, 

to think things through,

to rest,

and mostly to seek God in His word with all of my heart. ❤️

Those children we made together, 

their spouses, 

and our grandchildren are everything to me.

They have seen me through the hardest year of my life.

What we invested in our family is pure gold. 

You would be so proud of them.

We miss you so much and wish you could be here,

but we wouldn't call you back from heaven if we could.

You have gone before us, 

paved the way,

proven that our hope in Christ is real. 

We will all see you soon.

I ❤️ you with all my heart,

Cathy

I have morning light and the internet

I just spent the first night in my new home.

I woke up this morning to an abundance of light.

I had a comfortable night.

Amanda and Erika and Lucy spent the day yesterday here fitting this place out for habitation.

The boys were running shuttles of boxes from the vans up to my new apartment.

It was like a house reveal on HGTV when I entered last night.

It was warm and beautiful,

Many of my familiar things had been placed,

every detail attended to.

David and Mark and Glen got the big stuff hauled up the stairs with no injuries.

All of it a huge answer to prayer.

My world has been turned upside down.

Bubba's death and leaving my home (safe place),

 and all of the pain from my injuries have been hard,

 but I have safely landed where I will be for a while.

Change is good, right?

 There will be time to rest and recuperate in the days ahead.

Life is a journey.

We're all headed for eternity.

This is another stop along the way.

Trust Him and He will make His way plain before you.

God is good all the time.

I praise Him and worship Him this morning.

Morning light is His light flooding my soul with peace and joy.

 

out with a bang

I have to hurry because my faithful movers, (David and Mark), are coming to take my computer to my new abode.

The move is going well.

 Everything is in what I call "organized chaos" mode.

Tonight is my last night at #6.

The pain from my broken collarbone is getting a tiny bit better.

Just thought I would check-in.

Will be talking at you again when I finally land at my new but temporary home.

It's been a great run here,

but I'm chasing after new beginnings.

God is so good all of the time.

Your prayers,

what can I say!!!!

Thank you so much.

They surround me at every turn. 

His Spirit is utmost in everything that is happening.

Praise Him from whom every blessing flows!!!!

🙏

 

a quick update and i love this picture

I broke down and went to see an orthopedist this afternoon because the pain wasn't letting up.

They took an x-ray and guess what?

My collarbone is broken at the very end where it attaches to my shoulder.

I was given a sling,

sent home, 

and grounded.

I will sit out the rest of this move 

watching my precious family 

and the guys at the church do all of the work.

I am very sad.

God has spoken!

I rest!

Prayers for us?

Thanks!

😢

 

my winter tree

I get up super early every morning.

One of the reasons this happens is because I go to bed super early at night.

The main benefit of my sleep schedule... 

I am able to spend a lot of time in the wee hours of the new day, before the fire, reading God's word.

We have had a cold winter here in the deep South.

My fireplace has gotten a lot of use.

I took this picture a few weeks ago.

The sunrise is pertinent to my post today.

Jesus told a large group of people that He was teaching this truth...

He said, "I am the light of the world." 🌄

One commentator I was reading on John chapter 8 speculated that the sun was coming up on the horizon when he uttered these words.

The sun does for the earth what His word does for our soul.

It fills us with light and warmth and growth.

I always love to see the sunrise!

Just this afternoon I am starting to feel better after my fall.

What a sore few days I have spent, 

trying to keep working,

not being able to do much, 

feeling sadness and untrue thoughts start to creep their way into my mind.

So thankful for the truth of God's word to nurture my soul today.

I read this verse earlier...

"Heal me, O Lord,

 for my bones are dismayed and my soul is greatly dismayed."

Psalm 6:2&3

Jesus always has some choice words for me.

He didn't want me or my bones to be dismayed.

He wanted me to rejoice today that my body is healing and good things are happening.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

I was protected from serious harm.

God is good all the time!

 

out of the race

Cockspur Lighthouse ~ Tybee Island, Georgia

I just love this photo!

Everything was going so well with the move.

With a little over a week to wrap things up,

we had the finish line in sight,

 and while I was not running at a sprint, 

I was getting it done.

 I could see the light at the end of the tunnel...

 until yesterday morning at a little after nine.

I had just finished making a box in which to store my treasured shell collection.

That is such a Bubba thing.

He was always making somebody a box for this or that reason.

I was exquisitely proud of what I had done.

One more finished storage project.

I decided then to go upstairs to get some wrapping paper to wrap Eli's birthday present.

He's turning 14 tomorrow.

David was already here transporting "ready boxes" to our vans.

Erika was coming and we would make a trip to the storage house to unload and then treat ourselves to lunch at Cancun, a favorite Mexican haunt of ours.

I had gone upstairs to bring down the birthday wrapping paper.

I made it to the next to the last step and then bam!!!

I heard a loud crash.

Me and the tub of paper had crashed to the floor and slid about four feet into the wall.

David was outside.

He came in chatting and found me laying on the floor.

He thought I was doing something to get ready for the move.

To make this rather long story short,

I had knocked myself cuckoo,

hurt my shoulder and my hip,

and knocked a good size hole in the wall.

For me, all work has stopped.

When we decided that nothing was broken (I hope),

they laid me out on the bed, 

brought ice packs and pain meds,

and made me promise to do no more work.

So,

I am sidelined.

My shoulder hurts the worse but it is not broken (I hope),

My hip hurts but it is not broken either. (I know for sure).

I feel like I have been hit by a train,🚅

and I am so, so sad to be out of the race for even a day or two or three.

Reinforcements are coming Monday.

So thankful!

Remembering Bubba's funeral.

March 6, 2020

Wish you were here to help me. 

There was nobody better than you for me.

 

11 days

Today is infusion day which gives me the perfect excuse to rest.

I have PID ~ Primary Immune Deficiency.

I was diagnosed about ten years ago after battling infection after infection which I could never shake. Antibiotics didn't help.

I pretty much stayed sick all of the time.

Some blood work done at the ER in the midst of another endless and unproductive round of antibiotics alerted my allergist to the root cause of my ills.

PID is hard to detect ~ mercifully, after so many years ~ I had hope.

When the infusions started, Bubba would administer them to me.

We did them on Sunday afternoons.

They took three hours.

I would lay in my bed and let the liquid "gold" substance flow into my body.

It invovled four needles stuck in my tummy.

We did this once a week.

He had to watch me closely and keep an EPI pen handy in case of anaphylactic shock.

He was my perfect caregiver during that time.

For about the last five years, I have had a nurse come to my house.

The procedure became more technical and involved a very sophisticated pump.

It still takes three hours,

 but I only have two needles stuck in me now instead of four,

and, thankfully, this infusion is only done once a month.

My time with my nurse is a treasure.

She is a Christian and we are very like-minded.

Here is the most amazing part of this story...

I almost never get sick anymore.

I never take antibiotics.

I have tons of energy.

I am so thankful!

David told me to rest this week from so much packing!

I am resting today.

I have to!

The infusion itself takes me down for a little while.

It wipes me out.

I'll be back to work tomorrow though.

Eleven days till I have to be out of my dream home.

God is God all the time!

"How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!"

Psalm 144:15

 

He was amazing in helping me.

 

100 Years Lyrics (Five for Fighting)

A song about moving on...

Rainy and cold outside.

Immersed in packing.

Listening to some old CDs.

Found this song that I used to love. ❤️

100 years pass quickly.

I'm "making my way to where he is!"

fourteen days

Once I said yes to the house,

things started moving very rapidly.

All of the excitement came with a dilemma.

My new house doesn't exist in real-time yet and I close on this house in 14 days.

Really?

You know what that means...

I have to move twice.

(more on that later)

I have spent every waking moment for the last month packing up everything in this house.

I pack, and David and Erika and the boys haul it out to guess where?

A storage house!

Bubba was so thrilled when we finally got completely out of the seven storage houses that we had when we moved back to Savannah. I can't even imagine what he is thinking about all of this.

Anyway,

all of that is a work in progress.

By 6:30 every evening I am so tired I have to stop,

go sit down,

and will myself to stay awake until bedtime.

It is exhausting work.

So, my new house is being built from the ground up.

While that is being done,

I will pass my time living in a two-bedroom apartment.

I signed an 8-month lease

I am excited to get moved in so that I can slow the pace of my life down a bit.

I also want to enjoy every moment of watching my new house being built.

I picked out every single pretty thing,

and will be eagerly watching it all come together.

The next two weeks are critical.

In my mind getting all of this done seems impossible,

but I have help,

 and Amanda and her family are coming next week for the final move out.

Until then my nose will be to the grindstone.

What a fun, exciting time in my life!

I am so glad to feel happy again!

I think Bubba would be so proud of how I've come through this last year.

👍