"Time flies when you are having fun or not." ~Mary Engelbreit

It's hard to believe so many weeks have passed since my last blog post. But "Life happens," and sometimes "Life gets in the way." Each week I'd hoped to write something. Ideas came, but clearly that's as far as I got. I wish I could say I've been on hiatus doing fun things, but not so. My time has involved Physical Therapy appointments, my own PT at home, Doctor appointments, and just moving slow adjusting through the healing process with my new knee. I've come a long way, but I have a way to go. I can't count how many times I've heard "It takes time," and "Everybody's different." My Orthopedic surgeon tells me I'm doing great, and reminds me that it may take a year. I tell myself he points that out so I won't get discouraged, and anything less than a year will be a bonus for me! I realize I may be rationalizing.

But things are looking up! Last Monday, after missing several months, I met with one of my writing critique groups with a new children's devotional manuscript in hand. Since then I've worked on revising, planning to submit it by the end of June. That very same day, I had an invitation to revise and resubmit a two part devotional I submitted at the end of February. Of course, I accepted.

During the time I've been blog incommunicado, I have brainstormed a list of potential devotional topics for future projects. So, there has been some progress, even though it's been relatively slow. I keep thinking about the saying on a t-shirt my daughter brought my husband from a North Carolina island vacation many years ago. It says, "I'm on turtle time!" That's kind of been my mantra over these last many months. I'm doing what I can, slow and steady.

It's good to be back!
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"One day at a time, one step at a time." ~Lynda Boucher

Three weeks ago today, I got a new right knee. I've had three weeks of healing, recovery, and therapy. My Orthopedic surgeon, along with my sister and several friends who've been down this road, told me the first few weeks would not be a lot of fun, but it does get better. I've kept my sights on their promises.

A few hours after surgery and recovery, I was up and walking in a hospital gown. Using a walker, flanked by two Physical Therapy staff people, and my husband right behind protecting my modesty, it was one step at a time. The PT staff impressed that getting up and moving is key to recovery. So I took another hallway stroll before bed when a nurse was available to walk with me.

The next day, I was awakened dark and early at 5:30. I dressed myself and prepared for the day. My surgeon arrived by 7:15. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'd be discharged later. More vitals, more blood draws, and then finally breakfast. Physical Therapy was scheduled for 9:00am. After my husband/coach arrived by 8:15, a Physical Therapist had me grab the walker for another stroll. We went to the PT room to learn how to do stairs and get into a car. Then back to my room until the other patients' coaches arrived for our group therapy session.

Nurses, a Nurse Navigator, a Home Health Care representative, lunch, instructions, etc., and we were finally able to leave. The wheelchair ride to the car was uneventful. The transition to the car was more challenging than the simulation in the PT room. The ride to our pharmacy and the drive home was uncomfortable to say the least. I learned later that's normal.

I've had in-home Physical Therapy, along with visits from Home Health Care RNs. This week I begin out-patient Physical Therapy. I was cleared to do stairs alone last week. Such a feeling of liberation!

Everyone was right. It does get better. And I'm anticipating a lot better!

"We remember their LOVE when they can no longer remember." ~Unknown

An internet search for "Alzheimer Quotes" showed 17,600,000 results in less than one second. Wow!

An Alzheimer diagnosis casts a wide net from the patient, no matter what the situation. It also presents a myriad of decisions that increase as the disease progresses. Having been down this road with my mom, I know what it's like to watch someone you love on that insidious journey.

The other day, one of my dearest friends, who is like a sister, said she made the hardest decision of her life. She's been caring for her precious husband at home watching him decline bit by bit. Even with Hospice home care, he reached the point where he needed more care than one person can do 24/7. The angels of hospice along with her own RN granddaughter's knowledge, experience, and wisdom helped her realize the reality. He moved on Saturday to where he could get the care he needs. My dear friend said it was the "worst day of my life." She knows he will be well cared for as he's where their granddaughter works. But there is still such a sense of loss.

Beyond my friend and her sweet husband, their net casts to their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the multitude of friends and folks whose lives they've touched in some way. I know my heart hurts, and my eyes get damp often.

At the end of February, their second grade twin great-granddaughters' school had a "Super Hero Day." On their own the girls asked to wear their Alzheimer's shirts. (They've participated in Alzheimer's Walks.) One said her "super hero is Papa because he is fighting the disease." The other said her "super hero is Grandma for taking care of him." Out of the mouths of babes!

In the many great quotes I read I'm sending this one by Leeza Gibbons to my dear friend, LRA:
"Alzheimer's caregivers are heroes."

"This room will be jumping in an hour." ~Dean Kappas, Night to Shine volunteer

Friday, February 8, 2019 was Night to Shine. It's the second time our church hosted the prom. Clearly, it's not our last. Our pastor said in a newspaper interview, "It's the most encouraging ministry we do all year. I think the helpers get more out of it than the guests." He explained, "'Night to Shine' is a celebration for people with special needs ages 14 and older that is held simultaneously at churches all over the world. This event is in its fifth year."

This year 655 churches in 20 countries hosted Night to Shine with 200,000 volunteers for about 100,000 guests. Tim Tebow started this ministry in 2015. Then 44 churches and 15,000 volunteers hosted 7,000 guests. That's impressive growth.

Our church welcomed about 80 guests for an evening of pampering and a limo ride to the red carpet before dinner and dancing. About half attended last year. Guests get paired with a volunteer "buddy" for the evening's events. A few buddies requested to be matched with who they had last year. As guests began arriving, I witnessed one of those re-matches, and it was quite a reunion. The two gals were so excited to see each other again. It's actually hard to know who was more excited. They carried on like a couple of lifelong friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. I smiled and felt their contagious joy! And word is they want to reunite at Night to Shine 2020.

Night to Shine impacts everyone involved - Guests, Caregivers, and Volunteers. After the 2016 prom, Tim Tebow received a letter from a mom whose daughter attended Night to Shine. She said her heart's desire is that her girl won't be forgotten. She wrote, "At Night to Shine, God whispered to me, 'I will never ever forget her. She is famous to me like an A-lister walking the red carpet...She is precious and she is mine.' How extravagant is the love of God for us."

And there you have it...just a few of the multitudes of blessings from Night to Shine proms.

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." ~Richard Bach

What is a writer? Writers write! There - that's simple enough! So, I have been a writer for as long as I can recall. It's something I've always enjoyed, but for a long time I would have never thought to identify myself as a "writer." That word was reserved for the famous writers, the authors.

Somewhere along the way at one of the first children's writers' conferences I attended, a presenter encouraged us to say, "I am a writer." I could say it to myself, but couldn't say it to other people outside that venue. I did write it on a piece of paper and propped it up on my writing table. First step in my process.

I wrote. I studied about writing. I read. I wrote. I took writing classes. I wrote. I studied the markets. I read. I joined critique groups. I wrote. I submitted manuscripts. I wrote. I accumulated rejections. I got discouraged. I wrote. I read. I got excited. I wrote...and the process continues like a never ending cycle.

In June, 2017, I started submitting children's devotional pieces to Keys for Kids. I set a goal to submit one each month. Early in January, 2018, they requested revisions on two. I was thrilled! A couple weeks later another email came saying they wanted to accept and purchase another devotional I'd submitted. I will admit I was so excited that my eyes leaked! Now, in my mind, I could say out loud, "I am a writer." Published and paid! That first acceptance appeared in August, 2018, a little more than a year after I submitted it. What a thrill to see my work in print...published!

Today on Keys for Kids (www.keysforkids.org) you can read and/or listen to my devotional piece "Questions, Questions, Questions." I hope you enjoy it. So far, seven have been accepted. This is the third to appear in print and on their website. And I have more ideas for future pieces.

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one." ~Brad Paisley

Approaching the end of 2018, I was amused the other day reading about yet another day to commemorate. Friday, December 28, 2018 was "Good Riddance Day." I don't really recollect hearing of that one before, but according to what I read on www.shred-it.com, it was the 12th Annual Good Riddance Day. The purpose is to help folks destroy "any unpleasant, embarrassing, and downright unwanted memories from the past year." In Times Square in NYC, Shred-It provided a large shredder where people wrote down what they wanted to forget about or get rid of, and it was shredded and permanently destroyed. People not in NYC could submit via Twitter and Instagram, and these would be shredded for them. Interesting concept.

Actually, the whole idea has roots in Latin American tradition. On New Year's Eve, revelers put artifacts and bad memories into dolls that are set on fire in the streets. It's called "Burning the Muneco." Many burning dolls created hazards on the streets and in the air from all the smoke and fire. For environmental and health concerns, the practice is now discouraged or prohibited.

I think New Year's Resolutions help people bid good-bye and look forward to improvements in the year ahead. Written or mental, the bottom line is hope for the future. Of course, none of us really has any insight to what the future will actually hold. We can make our plans, but there are many things we just don't know or have any control. But we always have hope! And we can do our best with what comes our way.

So as midnight approaches, and we leave 2018 behind, my hope for you is a happy and healthy 2019!

"Black Friday is not another bad hair day in Wall Street. It's the term used by American retailers to describe the day after the Thanksgiving Holiday, seen as the semi-official start of Christmas shopping season." ~Evan Davis, English economist and journalist

Early last December I shared some personal thoughts about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (12/4/17 - Post-Thanksgiving Ponderings) You may remember I do not do Black Friday! But I have become increasingly conscious of all the terms that seem to have grown around the Christmas shopping season.

Yesterday I noticed many emails announcing "Green Monday" deals from several retailers. Green Monday? What's that? So I did a search. In 2007, eBay coined it. I never noticed it before. It's described as the best sales day in December, usually the second Monday of December.

So I made a list of all the hype terms I knew, or recently discovered:
                  Black Friday - which seems to start on Thanksgiving Day for some retailers
                  Black Friday weekend
                  Black Friday week
                  Small Business Saturday (I do patronize small businesses)
                  Cyber Monday
                  Cyber Monday week
                  Giving Tuesday
                  Black Friday extended
                  Cyber Monday extended
                 Super Saturday/Panic Saturday - the Saturday before Christmas

I even discovered "Buy Nothing Day," organized in 1992 as an international day of protest against consumerism. It happens after the United States' Thanksgiving, sometime between Black Friday and the last Saturday in November. Something I never heard about. Go figure!

We are just two weeks away from Christmas Day. May your days be merry and bright, and may your focus be on the reason for the season.

"Don't just declutter, de-own." ~ Joshua Becker

A couple weeks ago I ran into two friends at my 6th grade granddaughter's school for "Lunch with a Loved One." (They were there for her grandson/his nephew, also in 6th grade.) This is not the first time we've met at these semi-annual school events.

As we chatted, I asked about his daughter who is a recent college graduate and first year teacher. He reported she's teaching second grade and working to build her curriculum resources. "I might have a few things I'd be glad to send her way," I offered. I'd given much away when I retired, but a few things remained for whatever reason.

At home I headed to the little alcove in my office where many books and other "stuff" are shelved. I knew where the "good stuff" was that would be helpful, but one thing led to another. Paper boxes make great storage containers, can be easily shoved aside, and still look relatively neat behind closed doors. And easily forgotten. As I started going through boxes and binders, I thought more than once, "Why do I still have this?" My guess is "out of sight, out of mind." So, I designated a box for Bethany, a box for recycling, and a trash basket. Bethany's box is pretty heavy now, and I've started going through books to add to her classroom library. But the recycle box overflows with outdated workshop/seminar materials.

I'd initially hoped to have the whole process completed in a few days. But I went into purge mode of everything in that alcove. So I'm still working at it. I am getting closer. Cold, rainy or snowy days help this decluttering/de-owning process! I'm staying focused on all the available space in my future.

"Everyone was laughing and having a great time." ~a Night to Shine volunteer

Back in February I wrote about our church's first Night to Shine Prom. (Night to Shine - 2/12/18) The first Night to Shine's prom was in 2015, and it's one part of the Tim Tebow Foundation. That first year there were 44 churches in 26 states and 3 countries participating, with 15,000 volunteers coming together to honor 7,000 guests. In 2018, there were 537 churches in 49 states and 16 countries, with 175,000 volunteers honoring 90,000 guests, centered on God's love. For 2019, the Night to Shine website shows there are currently 600 Host churches...and counting!

Our church is gearing up for its second prom on February 8, 2019. The first volunteer meeting was in September. But folks were already putting things in motion before that. It takes much planning and organizing to make this happen, and a lot of behind the scenes work. This Saturday (11/3/18) we're having our main fundraiser - a Spaghetti Dinner, silent auction, as well as a dessert live auction - to raise money to bless our guests at Night to Shine, 2019.

People have already called the church saying they want to come again. That speaks volumes of how memorable the prom was to them. But that was evident by all the smiles and laughter flooding the entire facility on Prom Night, 2018.

We're volunteering again. If you're interested in being a part of this awesome event, check out the Night to Shine website (www.timtebowfoundation.org/ministries/night-to-shine). You will find prom locations near you, as well as other details. It's a fabulous night for guests and volunteers. And I'm confident you won't regret it. And you won't forget it!

"Hurricane season brings a humbling reminder that, despite our technologies, most of nature remains unpredictable." ~Diane Ackerman, American poet

Several years ago, while sick and down for the count I got hooked on The History Channel, when I could stay awake. One program that particularly interested me was about the 1900 Hurricane in Galveston, Texas. Currently I'm reading Al Roker's The Storm of the Century, about that event. Weather and meteorology fascinate me.

Today, I'd venture to say many of us turn to The Weather Channel for the latest updates when severe and catastrophic weather approaches us locally, regionally, or nationally. As Florence neared the Carolinas, a family friend in Wilmington remarked, "Jim Cantore is here so that's not good!" As Hurricane Michael neared the Florida panhandle just the other day, our nephew in Tallahassee reported, "Jim Cantore arrived." It seems wherever Jim shows up we can expect the worst conditions close by.

After Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle, I thought about how different these two 2018 hurricanes were with wind, water, etc. Clearly, both were devastating, which can also be said for Maria, Harvey, Sandy, Katrina, and Andrew - to name just a few.

Historically, Hurricanes seem to fall in various groups. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is based on wind velocity, which designates hurricanes from Category 1 - Category 5. Meteorologists also consider the low barometric pressure, rainfall, and storm surge. Other factors are the number of fatalities, and total cost of damage.

When Florence hit south of Wilmington Beach as a Category 1, it seemed the rain would not let up. An observer with the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) near Elizabethtown, NC reported 35.93" of rain. Floods and storm surge inundated vast areas along the coast and inland. When Michael arrived as a Category 4, the 155-mph wind was the major force of nature that devastated, especially Mexico Beach. I heard on TWC that within an hour or so the sun was shining there, as Michael tracked up into Georgia and beyond.

No two hurricanes are alike, but they all definitely cause chaos where they strike.