He's a comin' and we're a goin'

Life looks a whole lot different when you are on the tail-end of it.  Better or worse?  Oh, better! ...can't imagine how people face tomorrow who do not know where they are goin' when they leave here. I still grieve at times for my absent loved ones, but there has been a shift. Now I am looking forward to seeing them. ...along with all the other men and women I read about in scripture. I am so ready to say "Howdy!" to people whose names I can't even pronounce. I wonder if they'll wear name tags with their old name/new name printed on them? ...and the LIGHT? Oh, the LIGHT that will no longer be dimmed by sin. I think I see Him coming toward me....way out there ... but not as far away as He used to be.

 I just came home from our community swimming pool where for an hour and fifteen minutes, fifty or more women and men jumped around together, stretching every muscle to its max as Marti led us in senior aerobics. I don't let myself even glance at the skinny lifeguards, lest they be smirking. There is no better marketing place in Bear Valley than that pool....makes me think of the watering holes of old, when women went early in the morning with empty jars on their heads,  ready to be filled at the community well. ....then that thought morphs into John 4 and the infamous Woman at the Well who did not show up  until the other women were long gone. ...smart woman....but after Jesus told her about the Living Water, she ran into town to tell the men. Of course! The women would have spit in her face.  Jesus always knew exactly what He was doing. This woman was His chosen one who would  open the door for the Gospel in Samaria. Here's an old joke from 'way back:: "What are our sure-fire ways of  getting the news spread around?"  Telegraph, telephone and tell-a-woman! It's still true about women, even though today we are up to our eyeballs in all kinds of ways to communicate. I suspect that too much information is propelling us at the speed of sound toward the wrap-up.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes, at the swimming pool. Marti gives time for introductions and announcements. This morning one woman needed a baby crib for a visiting grand kid, another needed a wheelchair which I have from Ted's many surgeries,  then others needed this and that, and then there was an announcement about a drumming class on the side of the mountain (!)...and I thought about our days in Africa where drums are a means of communication and the major instrument behind the most beautiful singing I have ever heard in my life...  the men humming a bone-chilling bass note as the women and children harmonize in parts.  I have goose bumps just thinking about it. Now, where was I? OK. ...back at the pool: Several somebodies announced musical concerts coming up here and there around our community. I don't play a "concert" when I entertain ourside on the second and fourth Friday night at the Golf Shop.  Singalong books with the words to hundreds of songs invite everyone to participate.  Boy howdy, did both the political candidates have everybody but the family dog "participate" in their run for the White House.  Well, back for a minute to the pool: One of the things I enjoy about hopping around in the water with other older people is that they let it all "hang out"...literally. One woman confessed this morning that she is 92, ...and I thought I was the oldest! Water aerobics are easing the pain that zings through my agng body.  Message: If you have access to a pool or a lake somewhere around you,  go jump in it!

 I just took a break to listen to Rabbi Daniel Lapin and his wife Susan on TCT with their daily program: "Ancient Jewish Wisdom".  Excellent! ...today,  about Rebekah's engagement to Isaac. Why did she so readily accept the ring and agree to marry a man she had never met?  ...because of shared spiritual values, buried deep in their souls. Ted and I were not madly in love when we married. We shared eternal values, and that was enough. Our love grew as we grew in Christ. Not "romantic", you say? Oh, yes. ..,.the best kind of "romantic". "Love" is more than an emotion. Emotions are fickle... like the weather. ...and by the way, I owe you an apology.  I bragged in my last blog about our weather, and then ZAP, a heat wave hit us, and I have spent days holed up in my only air-conditioned room in the house. It's been great, though.  I have listened for hours to excellent messages on my handy dandy cell phone, then switched to scripture and listened some more. That phone goes with me everywhere, and so does God's Word! It's easier to find my cell phone than my glasses.  I call it on my land phone when I lose it and it makes funny noises. ...now where was I?  O.K., moving on:  It's time to hibernate and flip on the TV and look for somebody with scars on them to listen to.  I bypass the young ones.  ...a Ted'ism: "Until a man fails at something, he isn't worth anything. Watch how he handles losing, and you will assess the character of the man."

That's it. ...no deep, philosophical lessons this time.  Well, maybe. ...depends on what you call "deep"...or "philosophical".

A couple of years ago a second cousin (Elin)  that I didn't even know I had found me on the web. She is a beautiful Christian, actually has been a pastor in Western Kansas for many years. ...now retired. Here is her requested song,  sung by Mahalia Jackson and others on the tube.  ... but Mahalia's the best!

I asked the Lord  to comfort me when things weren't going my way.
He said to me, "I will comfort you. Now, dry your tears away." 
I asked the Lord to walk with me when darkness was all that I knew
He said to me, "Never be afraid for I will see you through."
I did not ask for riches; he gave me wealth untold. 
The sun, the moon, the stars that shine and He gave me eyes to behold.
I thank the Lord for everything and I count my blessings each day.
He'll come to you if you ask him to; He 's only a prayer away.

Send me your hymn request, dear ones.

Love,  Jo