My Slow Takes (vol. 23)

1.  Surprise some one or yourself. Do something that you normally wouldn’t do. It will surprise you how neat it makes you feel.

     Change is the only thing that is constant. Get use to it and use it to your advantage.

     Don’t try to keep up with anyone because you will spend your life never getting there. It is okay to improve and grow, just don’t over do it at the expense of yourself and others.

     Don’t belittle anyone because you have more.

     Don’t brag about what you have.

     Things that happen affect other things that happen. Even if we don’t understand why or think it is unfair it allows us to reflect on other things. Someone’s death will help us appreciate life more; someone’s illness will help us appreciate our health more. Life isn’t always fair, but it also isn’t always bleak.

2. Sunday morning we awoke to what my wife Dee calls "new time." It usually takes her a few days, maybe a week to adjust. This year she has done exceptionally well.

One nice thing about the end of Daylight Saving Time is that we "fall back" one hour. Our internal clocks adjust to this much better than when we "spring forward." So, Sunday morning everyone woke up together. Saturday night was a "sleep over at Grandma Dee's." Two of our grand daughters, Eryn and Hailey took part in the evening adventure. Grandpa made pancakes and then we all went to church. While Dee was getting ready I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and my Bible. Soon I was joined by Hailey, age 4, and then Eryn, age 6. Both of them had retrieved their Bibles that we have for them. Neither one can read, but it enabled us to get into a discussion of the Bible and what Grandpa was doing.

Thank you Lord.

3. I took Tuesday off to work in the yard. One of our sons, Stephen, came over and we pulled old bushes, planted replacements, trimmed other bushes and washed second floor windows. 

It was a full day and we accomplished in one day what would have taken me three days to complete myself. Life is good Lord, thank you for loving children.

4. First Greece and now Italy. Our global economy is unstable and the stock market is down. The crazy thing about all of this is by the time anyone reads the stock market may be going back up. I don't really understand all of this, just trying to plan my retirement. 

5. Talked to my friend Guthrie this week. He was telling me about one of the managers in another department who was placed in charge of some things. Apparently the manager thinks he is in charge of most things and comments on everything. Although he really doesn’t know anything.

Sounds like a “Dilbert Principle” to me.

6. This morning as I headed out to share breakfast with my friend David I was greeted by a beautiful full moon. The morning was a crisp 38 degrees and the silver fingers of the moon were lighting up the trees caressing each leaf providing luminescent lights for my morning drive. God does wondrous things.

7. Veteran's Day is a time for remembering all of those who enlisted in the service of our country to fight for our freedoms. Some sacrificed their lives for us and some returned. Their stories are always full of sadness and happiness as they talk of those who shared their experiences.

My veteran heroes are my grandfather Ed Trimble who returned from world War l, my dad Paul Forgette and my father-in-law Frank Siracusa. Paul was in the Pacific and Frank was in Europe during World War ll. Both returned and raised, Kim, Tom, Dee, Pat and myself. They have all joined our Father and are remembered in my prayers.