mentoring, reflecting, serving

This last few days I have been gaining a new appreciation for those dear, gentle, older ladies who mentored me as a teen and young adult! How hard it must have been for them to see the next generation's "new" Christianity, "new" language, etc. And I never considered their plight! God surely must have blessed them for loving me in spite of it all. I think I can take some comfort in the knowledge that I think I turned out surpisingly well - and I am now where they were, so afraid for these younger ones who call themselves Christians but act nothing like how I think they should,. and also for the yet-unsaved loved ones who seem so far away (and like impossible cases). So, do I just pray and trust and leave it to God to help them become holy? Or is it not still my place to sound the alarm and try to send nudges toward a deeper walk, a more separated life from the world? It all seems so hard to me.....I know God did the greater work in me, but I know also that their training was one of His tools. This Christian walk never ends and listening for His voice and counsel is important at every age. I don't want to disappoint the One who died for me...

Life is interesting these days

Today Stacy, Lisa, Sandra, and I went out to coffee to discuss the new year of Oasis coming up. These ladies and LauraLea will possibly constitute our staff for the 2009-2010 program year. It is usually exciting to start something new and I feel that way about this project. We all liked our meetings last year and are trying to keep the good parts and improve on the less than satifying parts from 2008-09. Looks like this year we will do more Bible study in our monthly meetings and try to do additional personal outreach on the side. I have been massively "bummed out" since our ladies meetings were changed from missions to only fellowship more than a decade ago. I really miss the missions study, prayer, and fund-raising that used to be our special job. But since that no longer seems to interest the younger ladies, we have changed our emphasis to fellowship, personal growth, and outreach . By the time I adjust to this, I will probably be in Heaven with a new kind of emphasis (constant worship and praise!) . This getting old stuff is not as nice as it is supposed to be. I am always out of step, it seems. What I wanted when I was young, I no longer want. And what I want now that I am older, is hardly ever available to me. Ah, well.....I guess we are all in the same boat. Life is a lot of difficult situations mixed in with a lot of wonderful stuff. But we often miss the significance of it until it is too late. I am glad to be able to find more time for prayer, but the prayer needs seem to be increasingly more serious. It is a good thing that the answers to our needs depend upon the one being prayed to and not on the one doing the praying! My faith never seems big enough to cover the needs, but He is certainly big enough to provide the answers. As your day wears on, be assured that I am bringing your needs to God and that He is hearing and answering. He loves you even more than I do, and that is saying a lot! Pray also for me that I will have wisdom for the jobs He has given me to do, including Oasis.

A Saturday in Custer

Today is Saturday and for some reason Saturdays seem right for posting new blogs. Maybe because I feel like Saturdays are more free and days to do different things. This was never so during our days of active ministry. Saturdays were always planning days for Sunday and so Mondays became our day of freedom. I still consider Monday my favorite day, but "not so much". So, today we plan to go into town and spend some time with the Gold Discovery Days crowd, watch a parade, wander through the exhibits. Should be relaxing if I can figure how to keep to my eating schedule in the midst of it all. Lately, my schedule has been off more than it has been on, and that reflects in my glucose counts. Also, we have to figure out how to clean the church sometime today. My husband is already tired from his week or two of coordinating our Right To Life float for today's parade. We'll just get today over with and he can relax, perhaps. Retirement has not been a life of ease for him, on many different fronts! Perhaps it looks so to some friends/family, but not to us. Well, we just thank God for His provision for us in this time of our lives, and for His great love and care as we try to serve Him in a different way.

Julie went to the emergency room last night with a high temp and we are waiting to see the outcome of that trip, Scott has had many talks with his prospective employer this past week, Zac is walking or running around like a pro, the g'g'kids are getting cuter and smarter as the months progress, Jennifer has finalized plans for a wedding in September and has undergone oral surgery in preparation for dentures, and probably lots of stuff that I have left out but that is how our week has gone and proof that life goes on after retirement!

A Good Birthday

Well, today I turned 67 and it was a good day, though a quiet one. A friend crocheted a doily for my desk or table, Scott called and also sent a card, and I got to see the Gaither Homecoming video on the old hymns that I love and miss so much. Possibly the best part of the day occurred in the evening when Dan made me a wonderful beef pot roast dinner (only about 20 carbs) and a marvelous strawberry shortcake (about 45 carbs!) Fortunately we could not afford whipped cream or it might have been even more sugary. I was asked if it was worth it and I think at the moment it was, but we shall see how the night plays out and you can ask me again in the morning if it was worth it. I would like to live to see another birthday and I would like to do it with both feet intact so let's hope I didn't overdo too much! It really was so very good and it is only once a year.

Then I went to my computer to write something for this blog site and found an e-card from my husband. And that message from him has to take first place for the events of this day! I never really feel worthy of the great love he has shown me all these years. He could have given up on me many years ago, but he did not and actually still loves and treasures me! Go figure! So, today I thank God for my Saviour, my husband, my kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids, my friends, and beef pot roast with strawberry shortcake - in that order!

July 4th

July 4th, 2009 - Happy Birthday, America! and happy birthday to my precious Jennifer, my first grandchild - how we love and miss you! Have a happy day and know that you are special and loved beyond measure! And this July 4th will be the first one that my second grandchild will spend as a married woman - so now our Julys will be even more blessed. Growing up, my Julys were the best because in my family we had 4 birthdays so there was lots of cake and ice cream! This year, in 12 more days, I will celebrate (?) my 67th birthday with not much cake and ice cream. That's okay if I can at least have some strawberry shortcake made with biscuits, hint, hint.

You know, not everything gets better with age. But 2 things I must mention: the love and mercy of my savior, Jesus Christ, and the love and faithfulness of my husband (44 years next month). Both of these things are supreme gifts to me and I try not to take either of them lightly. On this July 4, I want to wish the same for my 2 granddaughters - a personal savior to love and guide them, and a long life with the husband that God gives to them! These days many of us are concerned about our country and what is in store for us as a nation. We have had a long and marvelous history and only by turning back to God will we see it continue. God has been good to us and how I pray that it will continue - for the sake of my grandchildren and the generations to follow. God bless America and God bless all the Benedict connections!

Redeeming the time....

This morning I settled in for coffee at the new Wrangler Family Restaurant, by myself, while my husband went off to do some quick work for someone else. We figured 30 to 45 minutes would do it. Well, almost 2 hours and many cups of coffee later, he finally arrived to pick me up! I figured we would at least eat some lunch together there, but that was not to be. So we took off to get a few things at the store, meet Lisa at the church for an errand, and then finally back home so that I could get lunch in a timely manner. I was just an hour or so late, but I think things will be okay. But, while I spent all that time drinking coffee I was listing my blessings, since that seemed like a good way to make the time productive. Following is my list. See what you think:

1. We are not homeless, like so many on the news, lately. Nor do we have a mortgage we cannot pay and wind up in foreclosure
2. So far, Social Security still pays and so we have all our needs met, though very few wants
3. We are in fairly good health
4. We have the occasional coffee money to keep my spirits up - and have had a few sunny days this past week.
5. The "new normal" that they speak of for the rest of the country in these troubling times, is our "old normal" and we are used to it and not as affected by it as others may be
6. The Inspiration Channel has begun airing Gaither Gospel Hour daily and so far I have seen all the programs, but eventually there will be some I have not seen
7. The new Wrangler is totally smoke-free, praise the Lord!
8. Sandra and C.J. are getting married
9. Jennifer had a good day at least once this past week
10. One less Blood Pressure medicine seems to have helped me stay warmer lately
11. I have not lost any more weight this past month
12. God does not grant all my prayer requests (some have later proven to not be in my best interests)
13. We have lived long enough that the early hard times now look like the good old days to us
14. In 2 months we will have been married 44 years, God willing, and are praying that we live at least long enough for our 50th
15. Though we do have lots of prayer requests we can sense that God is listening and that is all we ask

So that is my short list for today. By tonight I will have thought of just as many more. I am also willing to revise my list or add to it if my followers want to suggest some I may have forgotten.

Have a good day!

Making things right

Today I am staying at home so that I can re-align my system and my glucose activity. The weekends are always rough when it comes to eating right and keeping to a schedule, especially Sunday mornings when I eat breakfast so early and don't get to lunch until at least 6 hours later! That is not a good thing. I have to remember to bring a snack for about 9 a.m. (just as Sunday School starts), and this weekend I forgot that. Then Monday turned into a long day and I was not able to eat at the proper times. I tried to remedy that on Monday evening but I wasn't entirely successful, I guess. Overnight, my sugar got weird and I spent many sleepless hours. The familiar symptoms were all there and I should have turned on the light and tested but since I had no plan in place for immediate action, I just waited it out. Today my idea is to research possible solutions to low and high sugar scenarios and set up a plan to be ready for such things again. I have spent many hours studying this disease I have and memorizing things I need to know. Thus, life has been easier this past couple of months. Unfortunately, I failed to learn about how to control middle -of -the -night episodes. That is my goal for today.

The move for Wildcat is mostly accomplished. Just some housekeeping issues left and a few things to find a place for. We like our new location and our new design. The guys did a really good job, as did Lisa and Stacy. We are trying to make sure that the city knows where we are. Everyone is busy doing their job - my job is to continue praying and presenting these needs to God and trusting His provision. My list is quite long this week, but we have a faithful and worthy God and He has told us to bring our needs to Him. And so, that is what I will do.