It's Monday...

Well, as Mondays go, this was pretty typical. We had a freezer not working quite right so I was shuffling things from one place to another and, after repairs, moving them back again. After a very busy weekend, which is not a bad thing, the cupboards here were basically empty so everything and then some had to be done. Given the problems in the world, these were really just minor inconveniences. They just always seems worse at 8 am on Monday morning. Tomorrow will be another day.

On a good note, Dan and I did make it to the Museum of Art in Ft. Wayne on Saturday. I suppose I have seen small art exhibits at different places from time to time, but this was my first trip to an actual art museum. I really enjoyed it. At first, I would look at different pieces and wonder what the artist was trying to say when they created it. I finally decided there was really no possible way I could determine that, nor did it probably matter. So I then began to just look at things and tried to appreciate the uniqueness of each thing, the colors, and just how they made me feel at the moment. I would definitely go back when a new exhibit begins. I thought it was money well spent. If I ever make it back to New York, I will go to a museum there.

We had an interesting Sunday School class this week. The topic was fairly political and we had more people than usual, so that made for some interesting conversation. Church went well even though the crowd was small. The music sounded good and Dan gave an excellent sermon, as usual.

This will be a busy week. Wednesday we are heading down to Anderson to see Isaac play again. Thursday we will be heading to Illinois and returning on Saturday. I am trying to do a little painting around the house. Of course, the more I look around, the more I notice that needs done. I'm trying to just take one thing at a time and not freak myself out.

Well, I guess that is all for now. Hope all is well with you...

JAH

Thursday...

Today is pretty much an ordinary day. It is Thursday, September 20. I realized this morning that it is my dad's birthday today - he would have been 82 years old. Hard to believe that he left this earth over 26 years ago. But, when I think of how much of life has changed since then, I suppose 26 years have definitely happened. Basically, memories of my dad are all good. He was just one of those guys that everyone seemed to like. He was quiet. His life pretty much revolved around his wife, kids, church and farming. He really liked animals. He really, really liked the grandchildren that he got to see. He didn't like to travel. It sucks that I only knew him for 17 years, but I realize, especially now that I've been around for awhile, 17 good years are a lot more than some people ever have. So, there is that.

I had a really nice dinner out the other day with my friend, Joan. She is getting ready to head to Washington D.C. and will take on the task of helping people stand up for those who have a hard time standing up for themselves. That is, without a doubt, an oversimplification of the task at hand, but for these purposes... Anyway, we weren't friends who spent large amounts of time together, but the conversations that we did have were good and I will miss knowing that she is there as a support for Dan and I. Her younger son and our son have been the best of friends since 7th grade, so we will hopefully always know about each others' families no matter where we all end up.

Dan and I have both seemed to be really tired lately. We have actually went to bed at 9:30 pm, which is a rare occasion for us. Neither one of us seem to be getting a real restful sleep. Not sure why. This Saturday we are going to try and go take in some nearby sights that we have never taken the time to see. I am looking forward to that.

It is time to go back to work - for what, I don't know. I have to say, I really dislike working here more and more...

Here's hoping for hope -
JAH

Okay...so it's been awhile

Seems like it's been forever since I did this. Actually it has almost been a couple of months. Not sure why it has taken so long, but guess that's just the way it is.

Guess I've had some random thoughts lately and maybe writing some of them down will make them all make perfect sense - to someone anyway.

Families are a strange thing. I'm sure for most people, this concept is not anything new and I'm sure to some people "strange" would be an understatement. In this context, I'm talking about my siblings. There are five of us - I have four older brothers. True, I was kind of the spoiled one, being the youngest by nine years and the only girl. Now, as we are all adults, that doesn't seem to play near as big of a role in all of our lives as it did growing up. However, I think I am beginning to realize that my world and their world may not be the same world. Now that both of our parents are gone and we are still going through the process of figuring out what to do with a house full of my their possessions, things are somehow beginning to take on a different light. Don't get me wrong, none of us are fighting over the silver, but everyone certainly does have a different attitude about the whole process. I think the hardest part for me is still coming to grips with the fact that the nest time I pull into the driveway, mom isn't going to be standing there at the door giving me the signature wave that she had. I don't know if it is simply because, having lived away for a period of time, I can go about life as usual and figure that life as usual is still going on there. There are still times when I think that I need to include something in the weekly letter or maybe that something actually warrants a phone call only to realize that...well... you get the picture. Maybe that is why I have dragged my feet so long. I guess once that house is empty, there is no putting stuff back. There is no going back in a seeing things "as usual". Okay, enough of that thought...

We got a letter from my niece the other day. Her and her husband are getting ready to head off to the mission field next year and they are beginning the process of raising support. They are planning on going to Pakistan. Wow. This is not exactly a walk in the park from my understanding of current events. To top it off, they just had their first child in March. This is something, in my understanding, that they have planned on doing for several years. He is actually a lawyer and I believe she majored in Spanish or something along those lines. I hope things fall into place for them and I hope my brother and his wife aren't totally freaking out as I know I may be if it were Carrie or Isaac. I'm just glad they are following what they believe is the way to go. But still...wow.

Okay, there is probably a bunch of other stuff I could write her for clarity of thought, but I think it is time to get some food. Hope all is well in your world.

Staying hopeful -
JAH