“Where, oh, where did the little old lady go? Oh, where, oh, where, can she be?” Is she sick? Is she vacationing? Or is she just busy with life? Yes, that’s it! Busy with life.
Hello from “just over the hilltop” where yours truly has been extremely occupied and haven’t even kept my Tuesday date for a month now. But today I am home. Today I have finally put away Thanksgiving and fall décor and today I’ve started to make the house look a little like Christmas. And today I am keeping my Tuesday appointment with myself.
To say a lot has transpired in a months time is an understatement and I won’t begin to catch up on everything. We have been busy with work, church, family, and even tucked in our 35th wedding anniversary. We stayed two nights in the Iris room at the Rose of Sharon Bed and Breakfast (www.roseofsharonbnb.com), went to antique and flea market shops, had dinner at the Asian Buffet in Canton, and bought a $1 box of chocolates to have with a glass of wine. It was a mini vacation of sorts and just being together is a blessing beyond measure.
a mini vacation of sorts and just being together is a blessing beyond measure
We hosted and attended the writers’ workshop on “Memoirs” at the bookstore, hosted the writers’ Christmas party with great readings and playing of Yankee Swap, took Chinese and “Kids Praise 5” movie to our pastor’s for an evening of fellowship, spent time with the grandchildren so Eric and Andrea could have a date and do some Christmas shopping, and have been filling in extra spots at church during this end of year push.
Dick has had a couple of jobs: one painting ceilings and walls in a remodeled house. He just hung the wreaths on our wrap-around porch and the barn, and is making a sign for the east end of the bookstore as we have discovered that there is no visual identification when topping the hill on County Route 34 from Potsdam. We want people to be able to find us!
Activities and meetings
The West Potsdam Retired Ladies have met twice for their monthly luncheons since I wrote last, one of them being our Christmas luncheon with a cookie exchange. I find that sitting down with these wonderful ladies once a month is like a balm and calm to my many activities. It is about the only place I can sit, relax, and not realize that three hours have passed.
God has been holding both of us up and strengthening us for each day as we joyfully finish this year hopefully leaving a sweet-smelling savor behind. We are stretched but not stressed, concerned but not in despair, and sometimes cast down but hope prevails. Our God reigns and we are excited to see what He will do with and through us in 2019.
Our God reigns and we are excited to see what He will do with and through us in 2019
Most of our family were able to come for Thanksgiving weekend and are coming again New Year’s weekend. What a blessing to be with them for an extended period of time and watch the cousins become better and better friends as well as family. Some had a sleepover at Eric’s with the cousins and giggled, played dress-up, built legos, and the older children had some sort of skateboard that isn’t called a skateboard but they spent hours in the garage riding it. Great times and fond memories.
We are looking forward to the next overnight. I want to wish you a glorious Christmas Season with family, friends, and neighbors. Aren’t neighbors wonderful? Proverbs says, “better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off.” One neighbor let us bake our homemade pizza in her oven when mine decided to quit, and the other jumped my van when I forgot to unplug the heater fans. (It’s a long story of a Jerry-rigged fan to get heat) and I forgot to unhook the wires. We love our neighbors and thank God for placing us in this village.
If all goes well, I’ll be back next Tuesday. In the meantime, enjoy your life and this season of hope and joy. Love, Sharon