August 1, 2023 a thought for today, A lock is better than suspicion. Irish Proverb

The first upload for the last of July was, “handwriting”. I found an old handwritten recipe for this assignment.  

Traveling through one of the “down’s” there is in life as my family is right now, thoughts seem to come in floods toward the process of understanding and accepting. Some of mine in the early hours of this morning were about Bob’s life. It seems what he is experiencing now is a sample of his whole life, mostly struggles of ups to and from downs. Once accepted and coming alive in my waking mind I began to think of another person I had the privilege of knowing recently for a short time whose life seems to have mirrored Bob’s in a lesser degree perhaps. I couldn’t help match his human contacts to many of those I observed for Bob. My heart felt sadness for him too. So my question is what do other people think is their purpose in the lives of the rest of us and the way we respond to that purpose/person?

I got the biggest part of the bulletin done yesterday. I will get the rest of the information I need sometime today. 

The next upload for the last day of July was another “my choice”. These are instruments found in our choir room at church.

We were expecting for Bob to get released from the hospital yesterday....all day long we, Lowell and I,  waited for the papers to be signed....toward evening there was yet another set back. So not last night and probably not today. I “visited” him several times through Facetime and phone calls. As I waited for (and “with”) him and after some light house work I focused on trying to learn the ins and outs of my “new” computer. Believe it or not that gives me energy and calms me probably by forcing me to concentrate and think when I take this step or that in the process of the set up. I did manage to get two of the three software I need onto the computer hard drive and screen. Now I need the third software and then arranging all the other nuances that make me a “happy computer camper”. 

Another of my stress relievers for now is dealing with my “new” interest in the house plants....hydroponics. I searched for and ordered a couple of “tools” toward their success and care. Then checked to see if the roots are responding so that there will be new growth. It’s neat to watch not only the tops of the plants grow but with this system it is interesting to see how the roots respond to “life”. I am seeing another side and use of the age old mason jars as I can watch the roots instead of jelly.

The first upload for August 2023 is “reflection in a mirror or puddle”. This was taken after a rain and after the sun was coming out. 

The word for today is anything.  Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting. Ralph Waldo Emerson. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau. The omnipotence of evil has never resulted in anything but fruitless efforts. Our thoughts always escape from whoever tries to smother them. Victor Hugo.  Never take anything for granted, Benjamin Disraeli.  Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Saint Francis de Sales.  He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. Benjamin Franklin.  I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen. Martin Luther.  Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, 'This is a misfortune' but 'To bear this worthily is good fortune.' Marcus Aurelius. A   wise man never loses anything, if he has himself. Michel de Montaigne. Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come. Michelangelo.  Mediocre minds usually dismiss anything which reaches beyond their own understanding. Francois de La Rochefoucauld . All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education. Walter Scott.

The next upload for the first day of August is another “my choice”. I may have used this image before so I added a painterly filter to this one. 

It interests me on how animals help humans actually how they help each other, I think I have mentioned that before. This article is about a farm family in Johnstown  “ready for transition into autistic job training”. The article started with telling of how awkward the beginning was for both students and alpacas. The kids stayed on one side of the barn and the alpacas on the other. Slowly the two came together. Harnesses were put on the animals, petting and walking them began. The farm began its journey “nearly three years ago and is now ready to provide job training for teens and young adults on the autism spectrum in Licking County”. The article went on to share that the alpaca therapy program is “one of the few in the world specially tailored for autism”. It was explained that alpacas are very calm and have “low environmental impact”. It helps the kids become the “leaders” of the alpacas. There is an Ohio State University student who is called the ‘alpaca whisperer’ at the farm. She explained how observing the kids’ personalities with the animals has brought her to tears. The students at the farm can also tend to gardens and beehives during the summer camp time. Other things going on at the farm are spinning fiber into yarn. The camp at the farm has grown into allowing the children to experience other interesting things to do along with the alpacas. Such things as organic gardens and their pollinators. All so which can at some point help them in job skills. The farm has been named Learning 4 Life. There are barn, shops, pastures, gardens and greenhouses as spaces for learning. Individuals and businesses have helped with financial and other areas of support. Some of the kids helped in building some of the walls and painting. The farm is hoping to help in the effort to find employment through their experiences at the farm for the 85 percent of adults with autism who are unemployed. 

It looks like it will be another night when we, the three of us, won’t be together so will rummage around for dinner.

Joy