Monday, January 24, 2011 ` a Day to Reconnect

Several days back I found the online obituary of the father of an old friend of mine from years ago. I did a little searching and soon found her telephone number listed at her place of business. It didn't take much thought before I found myself dialing her number and leaving an after-hours message.

When I did not get a return telephone call right away I felt badly, thinking she had decided not to reconnect with me. We had both shared some unpleasant experiences together and I wondered if they were just too painful for her to reach out over the miles and years to reach out to me. Today the telephone rang and when I saw her name appear on the digital readout of my telephone I was so elated.

I don't recall how long we talked but every audible word just seemed to hang in the air as I listened to her voice. We had been separated for over thirty years but the conversation flowed as easily as it had when we were neighbors, friends and sisters-in-law back in our twenties. We would sit over cup after cup of hot tea and talk for hours. She dearly loved my son and I remember feeling that if anything ever happened to me Becky would be the one who would take him in and love him as much as I did. I knew she would one day make a terrific mother and wife; she just needed the right man! Unfortunately the right man was an elusive dream for both of us during that time in our lives.

Becky this is how I look now; the above photo being taken in the last few weeks. I stopped coloring my hair last year and let it grow out to show my natural color.

Two Thousand Eleven ` a Fresh Start

One ship sails east and another west with the self-same winds that blow,
'Tis the set of the sail and not the gale which determines the way they go.
The winds of the sea are the ways of fate as we voyage along through life,
'Tis the act of the soul that determines the goal, and not the calm or the strife.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The above quote is one I have enjoyed reading for many years. In my time on earth I have discovered that none of us are alone when it comes to encountering difficulties in life; we all seem to have a tale to tell of personal tragedy, misfortune, suffering or illness. None of us skates through life untouched. I also believe that our personal suffering leads us to the realization of a higher being, our Creator, God the Father Almighty. We all end up calling out to Him at some point.

The above quote illustrates that although we all have free will and can certainly make our own decisions and choices, the way it all turns out depends on whether those decisions and choices are centered around earthly wants and needs or those of our Creator. There is a tremendous difference in the outcome of our lives when we choose to follow a Godly path!

The above photo is one that was taken when I was about 28 years of age, at around the time I was sporting the quote on my living room wall. Little did I realize the significance of the quote and how it would prove to be true in my own life!