Frustration

Frustration is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as being blocked or thwarted from doing  what you want. This applies to so many aspects of every day life, as well as to major goals. Sometimes we can easily see why we are prevented from having or doing "things", but other times the reason is evasive. The later is where frustration has us pulling our hair out.

This winter has not brought the extreme cold and snow we had last year. Heating bills have reflected this milder season. So you would think the monetary difference would help ease our over all budget, but NO. The money saved on heat has already gone to extra medical expenses and now I need to have some work done on my car. Hopefully, nothing too major, but still it is frustrating.

We are advised to save for the metaphoric "rainy day" that comes to all people. It is raining here in Oregon. I can think of no family member that is not frustrated in at least some aspect of their lives. But where there is frustration, there is also cause for rejoicing. We serve a loving God. He is our ultimate provider and His resources are without end. All we need do is look back on our own history to see how He has taken one frustrating situation after another and carried us through to the other side.

This process sometimes increases our faith. Sometimes it keeps us from veering off on a path of destruction. Sometimes it provides a lesson we will need to navigate life's rapids yet to come. One of the most important lessons being Let Go and Let God. This is not an easy lesson and we often need to learn it over and over again. Don't kick yourself. Just get on your knees and hand both the frustration and the solution over to the only One that can do anything about it, our heavenly father.

 I pray that your frustrations will yield positive provisions from above. Please pray for us, as well.

Happy 2015

Good by to 2014 and good riddance. There are so many wonderful memories of that by gone year, but way too many bad ones, as well. As I choose to  look forward, I will not fall into listing any of them.

Winter is here and spring will soon follow. My garden will need a lot of attention. But for now, I am working on my office. A son-in-law and his son-in-law came by on New Years Eve and moved some heavy file cabinets and furniture for me. This will make access much easier. I am grateful for that act of kindness. I have already began to sort, organize, and put away. Next will be our taxes.

No trips are planned for 2015. We will most likely stick pretty close to home. Our daughter Amy anticipates coming for a short stay in the spring and I imagine others will find their way to our door, as well. It is always good to have company for short periods. Family and friends are very special to us. So many are, like us, aging quickly. We never know when we say good by, if it will be for the last time.

May 2015 be looked back on as being a year of peace, love, and friendship. May the Lord bring health and happiness to you and yours, no matter what stage of life this year finds you in today. Happy New Year to all.

Who knew

Life can throw you some really unexpected curve balls. Who knew I would be invited to share a family vacation with my daughter? Who knew that one of my son-in-laws would suffer a massive stroke? Who knew that the summer would shape up to be so very busy? Certainly not me.

In May, our kids decided that I needed a break. How would I like to go to Italy for a couple weeks down time, all expenses paid?  OK, if someone would stay with Richard. So Dianna agreed to do so. Then just before I was due to leave, her husband Paul suffered a stroke, his third and worst. It landed him in the hospital and then in a recovery center. But since Dianna was not needed to care for him at home, she still wanted to stay with her dad. Then Paul had a brain bleed, which meant that he could no longer take the medication (blood thinner) that helped prevent additional strokes. He was readmitted to the hospital.

At this point I went ahead and found someone else to stay with Richard, a student that attends our church. She was thrilled at the opportunity to earn a little bit of money to go see her own dad. So I was off to our daughter Amy's house in Germany. I drove up to our son Rick's and left my car at his place. He drove me to the airport and Amy picked me up in Frankfurt. From her home, we drove down though Switzerland to Levane, Italy, about an hour south of Florence.

They had rented an apartment in an old villa from where we took many day trips and long scenic drives. We went to Rome, Piza, Florence, Luca, a large lake in Palusia Province, a formal garden, and one of the ancient hill cities. But while I was away, our son-in-law died.

Dianna had Paul's remains cremated and will have a memorial service for him on July 4, it would have been their 9th anniversary. Because of financial loss, Dianna will need to move, as well. So I, and others, have been helping her sort, get rid of, and pack. It is all a process, one we will get through. But it is hard.

We are expecting a lot of company too. It is always great to have company, but I was not expecting so many, in such a short time. I will deal with it and enjoy each one as they come. But I reserve the right to get tired. I do that a lot these days. It just kind of goes with the territory of getting older.  

Wild Spring

It has been a wild spring. Tradition goes that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This year has clung to that saying in many ways, not all related to the weather. Yes it has been stormy and sunny. Today is just gorgeous. But March also brought a long string of visitors, family for the most part.

Having company is both wonderful and stressful. On one hand, you cherish the time together. On the other hand, it is exhausting. Our granddaughter from Germany arrived on March 17. We had not seen her for two years. She had not been to Oregon since she was a child. She is all grown up and doing her own thing these days. So it was great to have her here. Of course none of the local relatives had seen her in almost ten years, so that meant they came over several times, as well. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing all of them, but it was wave after wave in a short span of time.

One full day was spent driving a seven hour loop through the Cascades. There were areas that had only just opened from having been covered with snow and unfortunately, some of the sights were not yet accessible. Too bad, because they are beautiful.

During the second week of our granddaughter's visit one of our ex-son-in-laws died and so his children (both grown) flew out from Florida. They came down and spent the night, along with their mother. The house was full. It is always nice to see these two, it doesn't happen often. The circumstances could have been better, but they had not seen their cousin from Germany since she was three years old.

On March 27 our daughter and a grandson from Germany joined the group. She rented a vacation house at the beach as a birthday venue for me. So we all drove to the coast for three days stay. Unfortunately the house was not wheelchair friendly, but it was in a great spot, right on the beach. Our son and his family spent the entire time with us and all the local family joined us on my birthday. In all, there were fifteen of us. A friend also came down for one evening, bringing three children she cares for. We had a fireplace, lots of food, flowers brought direct from Amsterdam, all sorts of activities, live music, and a great view. We also stopped at several view points along the coast to take pictures. It was a birthday to remember.

Back home, the grandkids and their mom planted my garden, pruned the two largest apple trees, and mowed the lawn. That was a big help. We made a trip to see another granddaughter's new home and did a bit of shopping. During this time we also met a man who shares our last name and whose family originates from the same area of Sonora as ours. He runs a local restaurant. So we had a couple long visits with him, including a meal at his establishment. All our German family left on April 6.

By this time we were exhausted. The next two days found us going to bed early and sleeping in. The days were spent doing as little as possible. But life goes on, dishes and laundry need to be done. Medical appointments need to be kept. Friends come by to visit. Others visitors come as well.

This morning I found a doe and her fawn grazing in the back yard. These creatures have become way too at home around here. They are beautiful, but grass is not the only thing they eat. My peas and other tender plants are at risk. So, I may have to put up some sort of fencing to keep the deer out. So it goes.

Time Flies

2014 - Two months already gone. I know where they went, snow storms, hospitals, long recovery (still in it), and so on. I expect this year will vanish right before my eyes. But I need to focus on something else; good "things" that are happening or anticipated.

1. Spring is coming - I got sugar pod peas in the ground and put in an additional three rassberry plants.
2. We are expecting company - the kids and some of the grandkids will soon be converging to celebrate my birthday.
3. Richard is getting stronger - he made it to Sunday School yesterday.
4. There are no current crisis in the family - Thank you Jesus. 

The Old is Nearly Gone, Hail To 2014

We all need new beginnings. It is another opportunity to "start anew". Happy New Year everyone. It is my sincere wish that each and every one of you has something, no matter how insignificant, to look forward to.

We here in Corvallis have had a stressful 2013. Loved ones have gone on to be with the Lord, great for them but hard for us. But there are signs that life continues with new jobs, new homes, & visits from far away family to look forward to.

One grandson has completed specialized training and is starting to find work in his field of choice. One granddaughter and her young family are moving into a new home. Several other grandchildren are hard at work at universities around the globe and a couple of others have landed their dream jobs.

While we no longer travel, we can look forward to visits in 2014 from loved ones who live both across the county and across the globe. The Lord is good. He provides for ALL our needs. As we close out the current year, let us not forget that we are but a grain of sand upon the beach. It is only God's grace and love that holds us together. He makes us each important, don't forget to give Him praise for we are nothing without Him.

Happy New Year.

Cristmas 2013

Christmas 2013

Another year has come and nearly gone. Seems that as you get older, the years pass with increasing speed.

This year has brought joy in that everyone in the house has been relatively well. There have been no trips to the ER. No hospital stays. No debilitating illnesses. But there has been sadness, as well. This year several friends and members of our extended family have passed away. The latest was Richard's brother Benny. His wife Christine died in late September, a first cousin and a dear friend both died about the same time. There have been others as well. Our generation is rapidly coming to a close. We need to prepare to meet our Lord Jesus. He alone provides hope of life, life without fear, pain, or strife. Hope of being united with our loved ones who are in Him.

Richard and I have stuck pretty close to home this year. Just leaving the house has become a challenge for Richard. His power wheel chair allows him to get around the neighborhood and to a local pond where he enjoys feeding the wildlife. But if he needs to go anywhere else, he must use his manual wheelchair. It is very heavy to lift in and out of the car trunk. I was able to travel to Washington to celebrate our oldest grandson's graduation from training as a deep sea diver. But other than that, we have not left Corvallis more than a couple times all year. However, we have not been isolated.

In the summer, we hosted the family of a dear friend from Taiwan and our daughter Amy, along with one of her sons came for a visit over Thanksgiving. Then too, there have been many visits by other friends and family spread throughout the year. They brighten the day and give a sense of connectivity.

Last summer also brought a flurry of activity as we had both a plumber and carpenter busily working on a remodel for our back addition. Both bathrooms had their floors replaced. The plumbing was relocated for the toilet in the master bath and the sink in the main addition. The entry stairs for what we call “Harry's Room” needed to be torn down and a new set of stairs and porch built. It all turned out great. Then there was the garden. We had a fairly good vegetable garden this year. It provided many a great salad, summer squash, and other seasonal produce. The flower beds got a nice layer of compost and were weeded by kids from our church. That was a chore I am glad I didn't have to do. Rick gave me an electric mower so I no longer have to struggle with the heavy gas powered version. It really helps a lot.

Today we are sitting in a deep freeze. It has not been above freezing for several days. The news says that it is breaking records and was actually down to as low as -10 a couple nights ago. It looks like Christmas out there. I measured an accumulation of 8 ½ inches of snow on the table outside our living room and it isn't melting. Not to worry, we have plenty of food, heat (gas fireplace) and so far the electricity is on. I am taking precautions to prevent water pipes from freezing and so far so good. It is supposed to get up to 33 on Wednesday, followed by another storm. Hopefully it will not be another Arctic blast. Cloud cover actually acts like a warm blanket and holds in the heat.  

We are grateful this year for all of our family and dear friends. We are blessed for our being in our own home. We thank the Lord for our relatively good health and we look forward to 2014 with all the promises that it holds.

Our best to you and yours,

Richard & Nancy Moreno