About Me

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Ten years into widowhood, after one year of incredible happiness and nearly 14 years of single blessedness. Retired, and mostly enjoying it. Still knitting. [Zen]tangling.again after a brief hiatus.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

No Crying over Spilt Milk!

No photographing of it for the blog, either. I took my charger and spare batteries to juice up at work, but I left the camera on my computer desk here at home. Pity. Cleopatra could have bathed in the puddle that I created when I dropped my bottle of milk while re-entering the office at lunch yesterday. Thankfully, it was a plastic bottle and not glass, and maintenance sent somebody up immediately, so no real harm done except that I was thirsty all afternoon.

Nevertheless, I had a good day, in spite of several other petty irritations on that order. I had more bits of bad luck yesterday than I normally do in a month, and each time by the grace of Heaven I was able to regroup and get on with the day.

I left the house at 6:30 to go buy my train ticket. The kiosks at the station were all malfunctioning. [But it was a lovely morning, and I had a nice, non-strenuous walk from the park and ride.] I decided to try Union Station in Dallas. I missed the entrance and had to take a two or three mile detour. [But I had time to go back and try again.] There was no free parking so I could just pop in, get my ticket, and be on my way. [But the DART cop was pleasant when I asked.]

I sent an email to one of the attorneys, who lives in a northern suburb of Dallas. He had offered, when he heard that I was going to start riding the train but had missed the cutoff for the office’s monthly ticket order, to pick one up at the station. Sometimes he works in the office, and sometimes hearings and other lawyerly duties keep him in court or working remotely. He didn’t get my email before he came into the office. [But he walked over on his lunch hour (!!!) with my cash and picked up my ticket for me. I’ll turn in my receipt today and be reimbursed sometime next week.]

On Monday I got an email from the office manager, informing me that I had a “webinar” [virtual seminar] after lunch yesterday, with the other members of the committee I’m now serving on. I was the only one who showed up for it. So I had to take notes for the others. [But I also took my knitting, and I got two rounds in on the second Anastasia, in between scribbles.]

While heading toward the Tollway after work, I was nearly creamed by a guy in a big truck. [But the side mirror settings that I learned while teaching LittleBit to drive, enabled me to see him and stay out of harm’s way.]

In the good-news-only department, my Amazon order arrived yesterday, as did my clogs from eBay. And because it was my last day to drive into work, I was able to get everything home last night, plus a nice big nest of empty boxes and the day’s newspaper for packing up breakables.

You are sitting there wondering if suddenly I am the sister of that guy from Lil Abner who walks around with his own black cloud overhead. No, not really. But I went to the temple last night after work, to serve in the House of the Lord, and somebody whose name we won’t mention, but he is popularly depicted in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork, did not want me to go, or to feel the Spirit if I did.

I went anyway. And because I knew what was going on, all day, I was able to drink a fourth of the milk that I paid for, and allow my co-worker to serve me, and frog back Anastasia to the dropped stitch, and make three trips to the car to get everything properly stowed, and realize that the only thing that really mattered was my attitude.

And this morning, our home is filled with that same peaceful, thoughtful spirit that comes from Heaven. There is a stillness in my bosom that has been missing far too long. [John 14:27 ~ “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”]

After I completed my service in the temple last night, I drove to La Madeleine and had quiche Florentine, a cup of their tomato-basil soup, and a mini-parfait for dinner. I ate slowly and deliberately, grateful for hunger and the means to satisfy it.

In discussing my medications with my doctor on Tuesday, she agrees that I no longer need the anti-inflammatory, which must be taken with food. And I have been able to cut way back on the diuretic as well. Which means that I might once again be able to participate in the monthly fast at church. I have really missed the privilege of fasting to bless the poor.

Once a month, those of us who are physically able, abstain from food and drink for two meals and donate what we would have spent on those meals, for the benefit of the poor in our congregations. That money pays rent, utilities, doctor bills, etc., for Latter-Day Saints in need of assistance. [When that molar broke, twelve or so years ago, other people’s generous fast offerings paid my dentist to have the shards extracted.]

I have my new Barbara Walker books entered on Ravelry. I guess it’s time to take them out of the box and put them on the shelf. And then to open the box from eBay and see if the shoes fit as well as I think they will. And then to locate the train station that my daughter sometimes uses, which is far less busy than the one on the county line.

I think it’s going to be a blessedly amazing day.

3 comments:

Jenni said...

You found the train station, yay! Think of all the knitting and thinking you are going to get done this morning.
Speaking of spilt milk. I left work early yesterday to pick up Ash from school. She wasn't feeling well. They cleaned the fridge after I left and threw out my thermos half full of milk. Not only do I have cereal for breakfast this morning and no milk, I am down a container to bring milk to work in from home. Sigh*

Bonnie said...

Way to make lemonade out of lemons! It sounds like you were able to stay amazingly positive in spite of a large amount of annoyances that came your way. I'll try to take a page out of your book today.

Tan said...

I'm glad you can fast. I am afraid to fast because of that one time when I nearly passed out from low blood sugar. As long as church gets over at 4:00 and I have to be able to make it to the organ and hit the right keys/pedals I will be afraid to fast.

But you never know if I lose weight I might get more stable on the blood sugar thing