No Easy Answers

We have written about the newspaper the homeless sell called "The Contributor" before.   Yesterday Ted and I were in Frankilin and had an opportunity to buy another one. 

Sometimes I don't read much of them but did pick this one up this morning and read a lengthly article about a lady and her daughter that appeared to be homeless.   The daughter was 20 years old but looked much younger as she had Downs Syndrome.   They sometimes lived in a car, sometimes with friends, sometimes with the ladies older son, and sometimes someone would offer to get them a motel room.

The person writing the article was the Outreach Chairperson of a local church and had spent a lot of time with this lady and her daughter.   She learned they came here from New York and while living in New York had been friends of the Mennonites and so dressed as they did.     They ate as much fresh food as they could and although things were not GREAT for them, they seemed to be doing pretty well and seemed content.

HOWEVER...one person that saw them became very concerned that the "child" was being used to get people to buy the papers and was therefore being mistreated.    This person somehow got a court order to have the mother and daughter appear in court.    Since the mother did not know what was coming, she willingly went.  

It turned out that the lady was appointed guardian of this "child" and they took her from her mother.  

It's a terribly sad story, heart wrenching for a mother to read and have a little idea of how that mother felt, to say nothing of how the child felt.

All this was done with presumably good intentions and the author of the article reminds us what gets paved with good intentions.   We've all paved a bit of that highway, I expect.

There is no easy answer and it bothers me a lot that this kind of thing can happen.   BUT...since this paper is sold by homeless people there was another note in this article about homeless in Nashville.    Apparently as much as anyone can tell there are 20,000 homeless children on the streets of Nashville. 

I am as guilty as anyone but all I can think of is that our churches are failing when this happens.   Our church helps with Room At The Inn program and from November 1 to April 1 every year we take 12 homeless men in and house them every Thursday night.     Monday I learned last Thursday night they had a family show up. 
We feed them a good hot dinner, they can get a shower, do some laundry, and sleep in a warm place.   The next morning they are given a hot breakfast and given a sack lunch and taken back to the streets.   This is bad enough for adults, but when  you are talking about children, well, I get a little weak thinking of what these kids do after school and on Saturday's and Sunday's. 

Yes, there are NO easy answers.

Doctors, Health, and Hell, Who GIves Dam

Last week I went to the Dr. and learned my Thyroid was out of whack.   My cholesterol was way too high and I had gained a bunch of wt.   I knew I had gained weight and couldn't figure it out, never thought about my Thyroid.

TOday I went to the Women's Pavilion for a Pap Smear and learned, Hell, I'm too old, don't need one anymore.   AND...I'd gained more weight even though I've been taking the medication as prescribed.

So...I went to see my Intern and they said, "Oh, it's way too soon to do anything, this sometimes takes months to get regulated".     I guess I'm just supposed to keep gaining wt, growing old, and not worry that in a month when I go back I could weigh more than I've ever weighed in my life and

WHO GIVES A DAM

WHY I LIKE SPRING

When the phlox are in full bloom this side of the rock is mostly purple.

 Below is one of the new flower beds Ted created last week.   I bought a few things but Jim gave us several Hostas too.

Today he is planting onion sets.

AND...this is WHY I LOVE SPRING.   Everything comes alive after a long winter of sleeping and the beauty abounds.    From now till our first frost this fall we will have something in bloom in our yard.

CLEANING OUT

Last Friday afternoon we got a call that someone wanted to see the house.   A first showing.   So...we left and went to a neighbors house where we could see the driveway.  

They stayed and stayed and stayed and we wondered if they were taking a nap or what.   FINALLY they left and we came home.  Later getting a call that they were VERY interested in our house AND one other one.   Our realtor said he'd let us know.  

I felt this might be a sale so I began to get things put together for a quick garage sale.   I'd been planning one in my head for awhile so knew about what I wanted to get priced.   I woke up early Saturday morning and really tore into things.

BUT...we have not heard from our realtor or theirs.   I guess they bought the other house.   IT sure would be nice for someone to let us know.

Now that I am in a cleaning mood though I want to keep doing some deep discarding.   I decided early this morning to go through my sewing table.   In there I found a tray of all kinds of goodies.   I kept thinking - Sierra might like this or I might use this sometime or I could use this at UMCOR Sager Brown.   I really did get rid of some things and put a small bag of buttons, snaps, etc back where I had had a LARGE bag before.

Then I decided to get rid of some patterns.   WHOA, I MIGHT use this one, wonder if Kim would like a skirt like this.   I don't want to get rid of any of the KWIK SEW patterns because they are great and hard to replace.  

Well, I'm a pack rat.   I know that and easily admit it.   I wonder what Ted has cleaned out of the garage?

An Irish Wish

For all who ARE and all who WISH they were

May you always have                                                            May you have all the happiness
A sunbeam to warm you,                                                       And luck that life can hold-
Good luck to charm you,                                                       And at the end of your rainbows,
And a sheltering angel                                                            May you find a pot of gold.
So nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you,                                                           May you have love that never ends
Faithful friends near you,                                                        Lots of money, and lots of friends.
And whenever you pray,                                                       Health be yours, whatever you do,
Heaven to hear you.                                                              And may God send many rainbows to you!

May your joys                                                                      May love and laughter light your days
Be deep and many,                                                               And warm your heart and home,
May your heart                                                                     May good and faithful friends be yours
be light and glad.                                                                  Wherever you may roam.
May you have the best                                                          May peace and joy bless your world
St Patrick's Day                                                                    And may all life's passing seasons,
That you have ever had.                                                        bring the best to you and yours.

EXCITING LIFE

My heart isn't in this blog today but here goes.

I heard our clock strike 2 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., and at 4:30 was going to get up but the bed was so nice and warm I thought I'd just lay there awhile.   The next time I looked it was 6:15.  

I have a Doctors appointment today and I just know he's going to tell me I have to slow down and not DO SO MUCH.   Ha Ha Ha

The most I've done in the last few days is read a wonderful book - Eventide.  It's a sequel to Plainsong and I read this last one in about 3 days.   I know, some of you read books like that all the time but it usually takes me a couple of weeks.

The reason my heart isn't in this blog is all the people in Japan and all they are going through and how terrible it all is. 

SPRING HAS SPRUNG HERE

Tried to get pictures of the flowers we planted yesterday, our daffodills, and the Pear trees in full bloom but my camera isn't cooperating today.

SO...I'll just tell you.   Yesterday it was 72 and we worked in flower beds.  

Today it's only 66 but Ted got the garden tilled this morning and we planted raddises, lettuce, and some wild flowers.  

I heard some bees in the trees, not the birds and the bees, just bees and that's a sure sign of spring.   YEA!!!!