As The Calendar Turns

January 3, 2008 - The old year ends and the new one begins. It seems like such a trite concept yet somehow I find myself falling into the familiar pattern so many of us embrace with the changing of the kitchen calendar.

As I reflect on all the things I planned to accomplish last year, I find on some accounts I fell woefully short. I didn't lose weight like I had hoped. In fact, I packed on a bit more. Not through holiday eating - I actually started losing weight around Thanksgiving. No, medical issues dictated I take medication that caused weight gain.

I also haven't been as conscientious about my professional self-studies as I would have liked to have been. Every time I began to make progress, the tyranny of the urgent called my name.

I lost a friend to cancer this year. His friendship made a profound impact in my life. I will miss his wit and wisdom that he sowed in the years I knew him. I can’t pass a Backyard Burger restaurant without thinking of Russ. But he is home with our Lord now. I hope he’s made friends with my father. I think they would make each other laugh.

There were many triumphs as I made my way through this past year, giving me reasons to rejoice. In a down market amid the subprime scandals of 2007, my mother's house closed. I am relieved and grateful at God's timing in the sale of her home. My mother continues to flourish in her new home that is close to ours.

My own health continues to improve and I am now able to walk without pain.

Early in the year we took a week's cruise in the Caribbean with family and friends from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. My husband and I also celebrated two years of marital bliss and my birthday with a short weekend cruise back to the Caribbean. We also celebrated at our 20-year college reunion with a trip to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. It was a wonderful time of connecting and reconnecting with friends and their spouses.

We were blessed to host friends and relatives during the summer as well as over Thanksgiving and Christmas. I even developed a couple more domestic goddess talents with new recipes and old favorites.

We have a warm home in these cold Chicago days and even colder nights. We love and we are loved by others.

But most importantly, we know we are loved by God and are following the path He sets before us. He has promised to provide for our needs. He has provided in the past. We have no reason to doubt He will continue to do so while we stay in His plans for us.

While on some fronts I find myself wishing for a few of the days of last year back for a "do-over," I head into this new year hopeful for the possibilities of what lies ahead. I still have the goals of losing weight and advancing my professional self-studies.

My hope for myself is the same hope I have for each of you reading this. May there be positive and exciting changes in the year ahead and may you find a way to see God's guidance through the challenges that He allows to come into your life.

Copyright © 2008 by The One Write Angle™
All rights reserved.

Over the River and Through the Woods

Okay, so maybe in this case the song should be, "Out the door and around the corner..."

In any case, we celebrated a family Thanksgiving this year with Dave's parents arriving yesterday. We had turkey and all the trimmings with my mother in her home. Of course, we all ate the requisite "too much."

Tomorrow we'll have to try to walk it off with "Black Friday" sales. Dave and his dad are planning to go out later tonight for midnight sale items. I love to shop and all, but I think even I'm going to pass on that!

I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I am working, part-time and my pulled hamstring is healing. I was able to "graduate" physical therapy last week.

My mother is doing well, her health seems to be improving as does her state of mind. Though she worries about the house still on the market in Louisville, it isn't on her mind constantly.

We're praying it sells soon.

Our First Anniversary...

... was spent at TU Homecoming October 13-15, 2006.

Those of you who know Dave can truly appreciate how meaningful it was to him to spend his first anniversay married to a Taylor woman at Taylor Homecoming!

We left home only 30 minutes or so later than planned. But what should have been approximately a four-hour drive was squeezed into SEVEN! We spent over half of that time getting out of Chicagoland because of construction.

To illustrate my frustration about this, I share the following:

My friend Diane once told me a story about her first visit to Chicago. The story goes that she was while listening to traffic reports on the radio in Chicago, she kept hearing the announcers refer to the "d*mn Ryan Expressway." At the time she told me this story, she said she thought to herself, "Boy, they must REALLY hate that highway!"

Of course, the highway is actually called the DAN Ryan Expressway. But given all the construction as of late, one can understand why it might be called otherwise.

But alas, I digress.

It is always a blessing to be able to reconnect with friends, most especially ones you haven't seen in a long time. I was so happy to see my good friend from college, Brenda, again. And Bren, we know, you're still "cold, tired and hungry!"

The only down side of the weekend was that while trying to be "artistic" for an anniversary picture by Taylor Lake, I pulled a hamstring running to get in the picture before the camera timer expired.

I hope to never feel pain like that again. I had no painkiller with me and a four hour drive home. Thankfully it didn't take us seven hours to get back to Chicago!

But since I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot earlier this year, I now have only one decision to make -

Which leg do I limp on? :)

Here Comes the Sun?

Not hardly. This picture taken from our window facing toward the Loop shows round two of a two-day "sucker-punch" the Chicago area received late this afternoon. Yesterday the area was hit hard with storms and wind, particularly the northern suburbs.

Click here for more details.

Today In History

Today, my favorite Chicago department store, Marshall Field's, became Macy's. I'm saddened because I can shop Macy's in just about any decent-sized mall across the country. It is "ho-hum" to me. In my opinion, the quality of the merchandise isn't nearly as good as Marshall Field's.

But the worst part of this is that part of Chicago history now ceases to exist. Over 150 years of a Chicago tradition and name is gone. Poof!

I know that decisions like these are made for the benefit of making money. But I can't help but think that there will be lots of tourist shopping dollars lost now that Marshall Field's is gone. Why make the special effort to go to State Street to shop Macy's when you can do that in your own hometown mall? Chicago has many other things to offer. Shopping at Macy's (Marshall Field's) on State will be replace with something else.

I am joining many others in boycotting Macy's and its sister store, Bloomingdales. I'll shop Nordstrom and other department stores now, thank you.

Click here or copy this link into your browser's address line for history regarding Marshall Field's:

http://www.darrid.com/

Click here or copy this link into your browser's address line to spread the word and help bring Marshall Field's back to Chicago:

http://fieldsfanschicago.org/

Think Pink

This "el" train reminded me of one of my best friends in Louisville. Obviously, I HAD to record the moment for posterity.

Sandy, you must come to visit. Your train awaits!

Louisville "Women of Faith" in Chicago

Joyce, Judy, Beth, Kathy, Twinette, Ronye, Karen, Pam and Barb at Joe's BeBop Cafe at Navy Pier.

Twinette, have you recovered yet from receiving "an earful?" ;)