For every Season.....

There is a reason, and for this season of my life I have found it a time of rediscovery, reconnecting and a time for redirecting myself and my life. It has been nearly a year since my 22 year career ended with the closing of my local branch office where I had been since day one and with that particular season ending another season came into full bloom.

I've talked about my rediscovering in previous posts along with the redirecting of my life, but what I haven't talked about is the reconnecting and the aspect of staying connected.

One of the great things about the season's of our life are the friends that comes with each change, your childhood years, teenage years, young adulthood, becoming a full adult and then the stage I'm in now the mature adult! Being unemployed outside the home has given me the time to reconnect with some of those friends, neighbors and distant family. It has given me the time to learn about social networking on the Internet and finding old neighbors, schoolmates, and friends that I haven't seen or talked with in a very long time. The time to stop whatever I'm doing and drive 40 miles to enjoy a special occasion during lunch, which I could not have done while working, the time to have a several hour conversation on the phone with a friend whom was one of my best buddies in school that I haven't seen in 29 years, time to have a friend who has come from half way across the US, stay with me and not have to worry about taking time off work just to enjoy a few hours, but the ability to spend the whole time visiting, laughing and acting like a bunch of giggly girls.



This past month has brought several such occasions and I enjoyed every minute of our time together, whether it was a phone conversation, a lunch, a dinner or a very lovely pajama party, what fun I have had. As I prepare myself for the next season of my life, a new job when the time is right and my Creator decides that it's time for me to move on, I'm looking forward to the new friendships that are bound to come my way and continuing to hook up and reconnect with the old one's and appreciate each one of my friends old and new and for what they have brought to me and my life.



Thank you all dear friends and for what you have given me....a friendship of a lifetime!!!

Homecoming

The Webster dictionary defines Homecoming as... 1. A return to one's home.

This past week the rural community of Rich Hill which I now call home, has had a very emotional week, the loss of 3 dear members of our community and our church family. A joyous union of 2 of our members as they became husband and wife, and then the grand finale of our annual Homecoming at church today!!! In between there's been a lot of other event's here in Hare Hollow, and with each it brought tears, smiles and some very good food!!!

As I reflect upon this past week on the smiles, tears and all in between I count my blessings. One of the smile events, was a wonderful evening of some dear friends we don't get to see very often "coming to our home" for some good ole Brunswick Stew, a bit of pickin n grinin and just enjoying each others company!! What fun!!



Another real big smile was having our little pumpkin come to Mima and Papa's home for a grand ole evening of being spoiled, kissed, and great big hugs and then some more all over again, not to mention all the Noggin she wanted to watch...Go Wonder Pets!!!!



A glorious wedding fit for Cinderella and her Prince Charming brought lots of smiles and of course the tears of happiness that goes along with any wedding. A very loving couple whom will be "coming home" after their honeymoon to a new life together!



Although the loss of our 3 dear sweet members brought tears for us who will experience the emptiness they left us with and the longing to see them, what a grand "Homecoming" they had this week...seeing our Creator eye to eye and meeting all their loved one's whom have already gone home, what a joyous week they have had, and I can just imagine all the smiles going on there!!!

Then the finale!!!! A wonderful Homecoming at church today with a great message, lots and lots of smiles and tables of wonderful food, which I'm sure came from many harvests from this past summer all prepared from loving hand's!!!! Sorry no picture of this event, I was too busy eating!!

I'm looking forward to the coming week!!! I've got some more "homecoming's" this week and I'm excited!!

If you don't see it....it's not there....

I'm referring to dust bunnies, and stuff that hides under the furniture and other places that we, (at least myself) don't think about or try to ignore during our house cleaning routine.

This past summer and my unemployment of a public sector has kept me quite busy...gardening, canning, freezing, and hanging my laundry in the sunshine to dry has kept me a very busy woman!!! How in the world did I do all this and work outside the home? I know, I adopted the idea that do what you can to keep the health department out and run a fairly smooth household and don't worry about what you can't see!!!

Well, since the outside work is calming down and I'm turning to the inside while I continue to do my job search I've had a few brain storms, which has ended up causing me a lot of work!!! One of those was since the ceiling fans are not running all the time, and we are having delightful weather we haven't really needed to run them all day. I looked up....bad mistake...there it was...couldn't see it while they were running, dust...oh my gosh lots of it, so there you go chore #1, turn them back on. Next brainstorm, the beautiful old oak chest we inherited when my dear in laws went on to their mansion in heaven (with no chores or housework). At the time I put it in our grand daughters room with clothes in it for her. Well I decided, that old chest brings with it lots of memories...Papa Hare was always opening the top drawer when we came to visit to pull out a treasure for the grandsons or some other mysterious gadget or who knows what he had stashed in there!!! During one visit I was having lots of pain in my knee's and he had the perfect cure!!! So while I sat next to him on the couch he pulled out this "root" and began rubbing it over my knee telling me my pain would be gone, while everyone else snickered, I believed dear Papa. Finally, I asked well, what is it??? His answer....Coon Root!!!! What is that, and my dear husband stated, a coon root!!! Ewwww I've been tricked!!! He was such a dear, family loving man and the last time I saw the "coon root" it was hanging on my husbands guitar, I guess in case any of his "pickin" buddies get joint pain!!!



While moving this piece of furniture from the bedroom to our dining room, a place where we could admire it everyday and recall our sweet, sweet memories...oh my gosh....well, you know what lurks under the furniture, other than lots and lots of dust, there lay a petrified marshmallow, I guess our grand daughter was saving it for a later day... oh my gosh!!!! Chore # 2!!!

Then, since our youngest has graduated from college and moved to Alabama, we decided to make use of the extra room, and I decided to move a ceramic table that I've been saving for one of the boy's, but as of yet no one has claimed it!!! It is perfect for cutting out fabric, no worry about scratching ceramic up, and for sewing. This bugger is so heavy, there is no way I could pick it up, so another brainstorm...get it in the door then slide it on an old quilt, brilliant, but I had to move furniture, rugs, and a huge cabinet in the hall that weighs a ton!!!! In the process, oh my gosh chore # 3,4,5!!!!!

I've heard it said, and have read, that God cannot exist, you can't see him, you can't talk with him and he doesn't answer back!!!! But I'm here to tell you, I see him every single day, when I awake and see the day that lies ahead of me, the sunshine, the rain, the trees,the flowers and all else that is so gratefully given to us!! I talk with him every single day, and he answers, with a soft breeze on my face, a sweet song of a bird, or the croaking of a frog!!!! Oh yeah I see our Creator every day, but as far as the chore's go....I prefer the method of if I can't see it, it's not there!!!

October.....

Brings with it a number of events in my neck of the woods!! So far the month is just getting started and already every weekend is full!!! We have friends that we haven't seen in a long time coming in for a fun evening of picking, grinning, singing and homemade stew, wedding, Fall Festivals, homecoming at church and of course Halloween!!!

To start the month off was a beautiful full moon.



Such a beautiful sight coming over the pines!!

Next, our town's Street Market, which has local vendors and all their wonderful crafted good's was this past weekend. I bought my sweet little grand daughter an adorable Halloween pocketbook, just her size, then strolled the downtown merchants with all the treasures they have to offer, such a fun Fall afternoon.

My highlight of this past Saturday afternoon was supporting our community volunteer fire department during their annual Fall Barbecue Fundraiser!!! Such a warm feeling to pull up and see the neighborhood girls selling their goods of, pumpkins, cabbages and collards grown by themselves, the local children in all their excitement climbing on the firetrucks and having the time of their lives pretending they where the next firefighters of the community, and the horse and buggy rides!!! After purchasing my delicious barbecue and on my way home I came upon this ride in front of me, and no I did not mind what so ever that I was going 2 miles an hour, I was thrilled at the sight and was thankful these folks were enjoying a blast from the past!!



October also brought to us a stray momma cat and her two kittens!!! Now I was not in the market for more kitties and neither was Tux our faithful cat we adopted from the pound. He's trying very hard to be patient and deal with the situation until we find good homes, or take to vet to be fixed so we won't have any more surprise kittens!!! Oh well, that's what happens when you live in the country. You just don't turn your back on God's creatures, great and small, after all they are just babies and Momma is trying to make her way and feed them, like human momma's who have fallen on bad times.



Welcome October, I'm enjoying our outdoor fire, the warm feelings of your colors, the comfort foods that's cooking in the kitchen and looking forward to the rest of the month and all the blessings it has to bring!!!!!



Thank you Lord for bringing October in with such blessings, I'm looking forward to many more to come!!