A brief encounter

 

 

Waiting for our family to arrive for lunch at a favorite spot, the couple beside us engaged in conversation.

That comes easy for my hubby

Well, it came easy for Beth, too.   They come there almost every Sunday after church.  
That opened up a very interesting visit.

Hubby and John,  Me and Beth

Here is what impressed me:
She listened.  Yes, she knew about our "faith" and the differences that are connected.
And the new chapter in life that Covid created 
 But, she did not interrupt. 
 When hubby interjected a little nugget of his life, the conversation halted.

But, once it was just the two of us, she said, "keep going, I am very interested "
So I did. 

Who does that?   Who is willing to just listen, and not give advice or correction.  

While we head to a different address on Sundays, we love the same Jesus. 
We hold the same truths from
the true Word of God. 

We are going to spend eternity together
But while we wait
 I hope we meet at lunch on Sunday again 

And I would like to be a better listener 

I live an exciting life

thinking

 

when you hear something that is very shocking and something that is not right and you can't do anything about it

write about it

Share it
 

 My friend was celebrating her grandson's 14th birthday. I had not met him before, and was impressed with his polite behavior.  He is tall, nice looking, does well in school, and plays great football, 
 but next year he will change to public school.

He has been attending a Christian school and has been bullied.  Called names.  

He is black.   The only black student.

This should not happen in any school
This should not ever happen in a Christian school

This is not right. 
This is very disturbing
This hurts

The best I can do is pray
For this young man, especially
But for all of us to do what is right 

I live an exciting life 

A brief encounter

That is what we usually call it when it snows in Bellevue            

  I took a picture of hubby out clearing the driveway

Pretty soon the morning walkers came by with their dogs...snow did not keep them inside

Hubby sees them often,

maybe the dogs are his friends too

One more friend and neighbor was out walking  ( she does 5 miles a day) and she took a great picture

   You can see the mountain he has built and pretty
    soon there will be "more"  

And I was content to view the wonder of snow from inside, warm and cozy by the fire. So I sent a couple pictures to our friends in Florida.    I told them I would only go outside if Eleanor, next door, would come over.   Haha.   

 She did !!!

I hurried to find my snowsuit that I had not worn for many years. Actually, I needed help to get it all zipped up over my sweats and wool sweater.

Ready !  

Her greatest pleasure was rolling over and over in the snow...

And watching her daddy make the best snowman 

We had so much fun together... I am pretty sure she was not as tired as I was... but I hope she took a nap...it was her Mama's birthday and I think her daddy had big plans.

But it wasn't long before another friend came to the door...

Did you know it is the Chinese New Year ?   Well now we both know

No picture, but this lady has come to our door with many treats. Ever since hubby directed the school traffic, she has been thanking him.  She is a good neighbor, a very good neighbor.   

We are blessed

I live an exciting life

.

a life well lived

 

Yes, Tom lived a long and full life.  If you knew him, you will have your own story to tell.  Our first memory was about 30 years ago when he taught our son Damon to fly fish, also how to make your own flies.  

He was  very music minded.  We have several copies of the first edition of favorite hymns

While we often saw him at various conferences, he spent most of life sharing his love for the Lord in small towns.  And he could be found rock hunting, prospecting and helping in his community, in Baker City.  He was a real outdoorsman.  

The gathering in Richland for his memorial was well attended and lots of stories were told.

And there is much more to his story, all additions and comments are welcome

to view the Memorial go to:   Richland Baptist Church
                                                     Watch Online
                                               Scroll to: Tom Clement  

Thankful to call him our friend,

I live an  exciting life

A brief encounter

 Almost too brief

Starting from the beginning... just a few days ago,

our neighbor was checking for a place for her mother's best friend to come and stay for a week.

We have 5 bedrooms.. no visitors this week. so

I said, yes, we have a bedroom available ( I did mention that I did not feel comfortable cooking for
our guest, but the sheets are clean and it is very private )

Bingo !

So, Elizabeth arrived and settled in and very quickly headed to her friends...just about 5 houses away.

'She had a cup of coffee each morning, but then she was off... walking, visiting her friend, shopping,
and then, back to her room

We smiled and chatted briefly, but her main purpose was to spend time with her friend who is on hospice care.  

All I knew for sure was her education in psychology,  helped to raise 3 children, and spent many hours and days and years with her friend.

The time was flying by and I had hoped to get to know her better.

It is Tuesday morning.. She leaves today about 6:00.  She remembered that I had wanted to have a visit with her, so she stuck around and we had a great visit with another cup of coffee.

Our conversation  was very rewarding... she had insight into a situation that had been haunting me. She was not hurried.  She was very honest.   I was very blessed by her observation.    No need to write about it now, but it is in my heart and mind. 

You can tell by her smile, that she is a genuine, and trusted lady.

While her insight and wisdom was the greatest gift, she also left behind another gift 

She had been listening to me...knew how much we enjoy Anthony's Homeport and gave us a lovely note and this very  generous gift card

And our brief encounter was the beginning of  a friendship, a very valuable gift.  

I live an exciting life 

,

More than a good neighbor

 We are thankful to be in a neighborhood that is safe, not really social, but you know that if you need a helping hand,  just ask.

In the month of November a severe wind and rain storm hit the Northwest... right here in Bellevue, also Issaquah, and south to Enumclaw, there was major damage.  One death.  Thousands were without power and many could not leave their homes due to blocked driveways and streets.

Here in Cherry Crest, we were in a little tiny bubble of  Power !  

Hubby loves to cut wood and help the neighbors.  For many days he was out the whole daylight hours doing just that..cutting wood.

Of the four driveways that were blocked, one family stands out.  Yes, all are good neighbors, 

But... Lui and his family... they did something very special

Lui helped Darrell load the wood as he cut the huge tree on Lui's driveway.  He also gave Darrell a little bag of treats and water.

Then, he asked to come and meet the family.

They arrived with a huge gift bag

First, an amazing and loving card

Then, inside the gift bag....

They picked a wool blanket from Finland, with pine needles, to remind us of the pine trees that had been removed. 

Lui, the photographer, captured this "scene" in their back yard, framed and signed the masterpiece.

They also stayed and visited us for about a half hour.  
That was a gift 

Enjoying our new friend

While this area was hit very hard, to the south our kids had no power

    So we had their company for three days

And to the north, they were also out of power, but had a generator.

   We still had some fun times ...when you can't go to work or school, you can just relax and eat and play games

Yes, we cozied up in our new blanket, and will repeat and repeat !  

BTW--- did the news travel?    My cousin called from Denver... she had no idea, she just wanted a recipe.   

And the family who bought  this home four months ago,  are now renting the house across the street from us.  

All  5 family member were in the home when the tree came down,   miracle  NO injuries !

I live an exciting life  

.

A brief encounter

 

that turned into a fun ongoing adventure...

so to speak

The winds that hit the Northwest were wild. Many homes and cars were smashed, power out for thousands and two lives were taken. 

News travels... I got a phone call from our cousin in Colorado.  But she  had no idea, she  just wanted a recipe

The worst "damage" to our place was leaves and more leaves
The grand boys take care of that 
and then
walk across the street to move even more leaves 

With power and smiles we were able to host some friends and family for three days.  It is fun to make a special breakfast for company.  

Second morning....

 ( even though it looked silly, it still tasted like a Dutch babies should )

We played some games....well,
practiced a new one... they each won one, I did not 

After three days, all our family had power, headed home, and we miss them.... but we are all so thankful for electricity.   

May we always be thankful for those everyday "good things, necessities, expectations"

I live an exciting life