More Thoughts on Life

We have been having beautiful weather here in Phoenix. May was gorgeous and it stayed beautiful for the first half of June. I had a wonderful birthday day. My husband, Jeff, was home for the weekend and stayed over for my actual birthday (on a Monday). My whole family was here, which is rare, usually my boys are going in four different directions. My daddy called to wish me a happy birthday. It’s a long story but I haven’t spoken to my parents for many years so it was a HUGE present to get to talk to him. We talked for an hour and what a joy to hear that they are doing well. My parents are in their mid 80s so it has been a constant concern of mine. Then I received over 60 birthday wishes on facebook. What another joy! Finally, we went out to dinner at “The Melting Pot” which is a fondue restaurant. It is almost dinner AND entertainment. Three hours of talking, dipping, cooking, laughing, it was sooo much fun!


Because of the weather I have been hiking a lot for my exercise. Sunday, June 13th, I was hiking with my prayer partner. It was beautiful blue sky, a lovely breeze and we were able to pray together and praise God on the top of a mountain. On the way home, my cousin, Kay, called me. My Uncle’s wife Donna had passed away. What? I couldn’t have heard her right. Donna was this energetic, active, healthy lady. When we stayed with them last summer she hiked my tail off. How? As I broke the news to the rest of my family, each replied with, “What?” It was mind boggling. I went a little numb. All the joy and hope I had been feeling just sort of drained from me. My poor uncle, to have found love again after my aunt passed, then for her to be so suddenly taken from him. Thank God for our faith. Donna was a Godly woman so we know that she and Jesus are rejoicing at her homecoming. All I could think of was the line in a song, “… life is precious, life is sweet…” The joy I was feeling that week was replaced with melancholy. Life goes by like a blink of an eye. Lord, help me to make the most of every single moment!!!

I'm living on the eighth day, right now!

Lessons from Julia Child

It’s been a weird month. We started summer. Jared went to church camp for the first time. When did he get old enough to go off on his own? Jacob started cardiac testing (more on that later). Add a little more worry to a mom. For the most part I have been keeping up on my habits checklist. I had my 47th birthday and my oldest son had his 24th birthday. Where did the time go?
I have been giving life a lot of thought. Actually, I have felt a little bi-polar. On one hand I was feeling like I’ve missed out, that this is all there is. All my grand dreams were never going to come true. Then I watched “Julie and Julia” which I highly recommend! I barely remember Julia Child as anything more than a cooking legend. My mom used to watch her show when it came on after “Captain Kangaroo”. I didn’t realize that she took up cooking because her husband got transferred to Paris and she was basically a bored housewife. I also didn’t realize how late in life she took up cooking. She was:

• 36 when she went to Paris
• 39 when she started teaching French cooking
• 49 when her 1st book came out “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”
• 52 when her 1st TV show aired “The French Chef”
• 88 when her last TV show “Julia Child’s Kitchen Wisdom” aired

That was 36 years of TV cooking! Her husband, Paul and she were at the end of their career as OSS agents, traveling the world as government employees, and she launched into a whole new career. A new career in which she became a legend! She created a whole new form of literature with her cook books and she basically invented the live cooking show. Plus she brought fine cooking to everyday households. What an impact she made on the world! What an inspiration! She hadn’t really done anything except learn how to cook, until she was 49. It really gave me hope that there are still big things out there for me.

I'm living on the eighth day, right now!