December 13, 2021 a thought for today, The world is a pot, man but a spoon in it. American Proverb

We had what turned out to be a beautiful and unexpected visit last evening. While I was in church yesterday morning, I had a text that we were invited to a dinner with my granddaughter in law, my daughter in law and son. So I got to spend some time with two of my great grand sons. This was the most time I have had with my newest great grandson. I got to hold and snuggle now and then with him for a long time. While his brother got more familiar with my name of “grandma”. 

The photo challenge for yesterday was “decoration”. We had a beautiful sanctuary at church. At Christmas time it is decorated to the wonder of many. This is only one of the areas that pulls the eye. 

This has been a multi themed day.....First, of course, there were the virtual checks to start the day off with news and communications through email. After that I found the template for this weeks bulletin (that’s about as far as I got on this subject for today though). Then, I had gotten an email with some of the names for the poinsettia dedications for Christmas Eve so I got those entered while they are fresh in my mind. I also had a note about a zip code change on one of my newsletter mailing list so I made that change. After all that, Sue and I got on our go to shopping clothes. We started out by getting small kind of “stocking stuffer” gifts for the coming week. Next was a stop at the fabric store for some yarn that I need to finish a project I am working on. Sue needed a quick stop at another store in the strip mall. We had a quick stop for an early lunch and one more stop at the post office so Sue could drop off some mail. 

I had a good texting session with one of my “grand daughters in law”. It offered some deep thinking and some sad feelings about a major incident in our family harmony. But apparently a higher power offered it as a cleansing and learning life lesson. This “lesson” brought other people into my thinking and I don’t want to second guess the others so I am not mentioning names. It’s just enough to share that there are these times in life for all of us. 

I am slowly getting ready for Christmas. There have been some minor set backs with my ink supply for the calendars which puts a further delay in getting them done. And then another minor switch in a crochet pattern I have been working on. I also had to make a change in some obligations for this week. I had to cancel one meeting for another, its sort of like a triage sort of decision, which is more important at the moment. 

The word for today is late. It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Eliot.  Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day. Franz Liszt. Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. Benjamin Franklin. Better three hours too soon than a minute too late. William Shakespeare. It is never too late to give up our prejudices. Henry David Thoreau. Glory paid to our ashes comes too late. Marcus Valerius Martial. Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul. Epicurus. Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences. Robert Louis Stevenson.  Whilst we deliberate how to begin a thing, it grows too late to begin it. Quintilian. Let none think to fly the danger for soon or late love is his own avenger. Lord Byron.  Ah, Nothing is too late, till the tired heart shall cease to palpitate, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  I have come too late into a world too old, Alfred de Musset.

This days photo theme is titled “us”. I reached back in my archives to find something suitable. This is
most of the family at a joyful summer party many years ago. I set the camera on a tripod and set the timer then rushed back to take my place. 

Here is yet another story of an animal helping a human while bringing a brighter future. It is about a high school student who is saving for a personal goal of getting her special dog who is trained to let her know when an epileptic seizure is about to occur. She began to experience seizures in 2020. A year later she suffered something called a tonic clonic seizure. This type of seizure causes both tonic (stiffening) and clonic (jerking) effects. These episodes causes her to become unconscious and fall. Later that year she was diagnosed with epilepsy and further developed a “tic disorder”. She said she had been aware of therapy dogs but hadn’t imagined that she would one day need one. Dogs trained for this type of illness learn how to alert and then respond to the seizure by finding help if and when it is needed. They cost 15 to 20 thousand dollars. So while her friends were saving for a car she was saving her own special dog. The article explained that now she is “paired” with a German shepherd mix who is in the training program at Obetz. He will be placed with her soon and then continue training. His name is Milo and will undergo three more months before he can go home with her. After that she will be trained along side him. She will be able to add things to the training that will be specific to her wants and needs. How to behave in crowds, mobility, counterbalance, interruptions to mention some of the things he will learn. To help earn money to purchase Milo she is working on her skills as a jewelry artisan. She is selling some of her designs to Harris Lane & Co. located in Canal Winchester. She has earned half of what she needs. She hopes to set up a web site to sell her earrings, necklaces, key chains and more online. Her mother explained when she was interviewed that she and her husband taught their children that the need to work for things in life. She is hoping that Milo will give her daughter the independence she needs. 

Dinner will be a sort of surf and turf.....tuna casserole (left over) and hamburgers. 

Joy  

plastic and gravel....texture and shape.....both ready for recycle