Deja Vu ?

My apologies for not posting in so long. We have had house guests and a lot of non-blog activity of late.

Thank you all for various comments etc. Dr. J, thank you for sharing your exciting news. Lord willing we'll be grannies at the same time. One local friend is also anticipating the arrival of a first grandchild so I get to sort of view her daughter as a stand in for what my long distance one might look like at any given moment.

I am heading off to Maryland to see the "Pea and the Pod." I am scheduled to go with her and her hubby for the sonogram which should tell us if said child is a boy or a girl. Will let you know when I know, unless they decide to keep it private for some reason.

For those of you who wonder how my health is, I'm, praise God, keeping on at an even clip...no dramatic "iron loss", asthma in check although have been very stuffy of late. They say that the Sagebrush and something called Chenopods (sp?) are having a fair amount of pollen at the mo. and I don't think I come from a place where I've had Sagebrush exposure before. My allergies have apparently gone west...what's next, tumbleweed allergies? Cacti reactions? Regardless, I suffer way less with allergies than I did in Maryland so I am most grateful to God for the milder climate allergy wise. We do have lots of fires in Idaho and this year got quite nasty with smoky skies, this plays havoc with many asthmatics and those with breathing woes. At it's peak I believe 19 fires were burning.

Sweet Baby and her hubby (I'll try to work with them to come up with an Alias for him to use here...I'm thinking " Absent minded Professor?" not that he's a professor but he is a bookworm with occasional absence of mind) took a cross country trip to see some of God's most lovely creation. They found it ...GINORMOUS! I don't think they had any sense of how long the drive can feel when one is crossing North or South Dakota.

At one point, the expectant mother needed very much to find a "rest stop"...I went online to try and find out which of the upcoming names on the map could pass for a "town" or "village" of a size to support a gas/petrol station or truck stop or some such that would have facilities. I finally found a town with a Walmart. The only one I think in North Dakota, or at least for several hours in any direction. I called the store for an exit no. to help them find their way. A woman with what I assumed was a thick "local" accent told me " Well now, they jist git off a exit XYZ and they'll come to the river, cross the bridge there, go over the rail road tracks and round the Prison, then you'll be on zyx street and there we are." all said in a tone that suggested I or they surely must be aware of the prison, it likely drawing visitors from around the state. ...I figure the two places of note were likely the largest employers in the area.And visiting day at the prison perhaps constitutes the big crowd day at Wallyworld. Not to be elitist...there but for the grace of God go I and mine...though I would hope if any of my kin ends up in the big pen it would be in the middle of somewhere vs nowhere.

Noting here as well, that if sin, original and self generated (what is the proper name for the latter? must be a theological term for such) earned us time in the big house, we'd all be wearing orange and having the leg irons and even THAT would be far milder than hell for eternity. What a thought.

Hope all (10?) readers and friends are doing well and knowing much of the mercy of God.

Pink Eye?

Conjunctivitis despite the "Pink Eye" alias, looks nothing like the illustration to the left. I am 44 years old, too old for such a childhood illness one would think. Apparently not.

"Sweet Baby" and her Hubby (do I have a name for him yet, I can't recall) and the bump-ette are en-route to parts West. They hope to see Yellowstone and Glacier National Park, and not Grizzly Bears. They hope to do this on a shoestring. Pray that the Lord would go before them and bless their time together and with all those they meet.

They had planned to leave tomorrow but ended up able to get a jump on things and leave tonight. A few short hours ago, I wrote a friend who lives in Pittsburgh, to ask if she knew of any cheap hotels in reputable area's or hostels etc and she said "Hey, my Mum is away, they can stay at her place." I am so grateful for God's provisions by way of my friend and her absent Mum. She made this offer knowing they won't be there until after midnight. God bless those who offer hospitality, what a picture of God's mercy and care. I have been blessed many times in my life by those folk who have opened their homes to me and bless God to recount those faithful souls.

The"kids" are willing to "rough it" and to sleep in the car if need be. This isn't something "mother" is fond of thinking about. SB reminds me that folk in Africa having few comforts. Hmm. "Mother" (me?) thinks about Grizzly bears in national parks, SB says "What about Providence?" That said, I've likely raised her to the right side of paranoid and she'll be doing well if she has the nerve to walk 50 feet on a marked Path without a tour guide.

I don't have time to write about it now as my own dear hubby returns to me this night from an unexpected 3 day trip to KY where he officiated at the funeral of a friend. What I would like to note, and ponder more upon, is the gap between how the world offers hospitality and how those who are of the household of faith offer it. Something to think about for a future discussion. Feel free to comment if you have thoughts on the matter.