Welcome to day ten of A Day In My Life! Happy Wednesday! We’re a third of the way through our 30-day challenge.
Frankly, I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying this. Not only am I getting to know my friends who are also part of this challenge, I’m loving your comments and responses. Yesterday, I realized some of my own responses could be expanded into another day’s post. Ideas can happen anywhere.
Together, we’re a wealth of experience and knowledge, and our lives are meaningful, even when we go through pain and disappointment. You are infinitely valuable, and I don’t mean that as hyperbole. It’s true. If you believe in God as I do, then you should know that.
I’m involved with a local group of writers who get together twice a month to read a chapter they’ve written so the rest of us can offer critiques and suggestions. Typically, five or six of us submit our chapter a few days before the meeting so everyone can follow along when we read it aloud. Those who have nothing ready to read, participate by listening and critiquing anyway. Lately, I’m one of the listeners, as I have no new chapters to offer. That will change. I am hereby challenging myself to doing nothing else but working on my own book(s) in February. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Here’s my to-do list for today:
I am writing, and you’re reading it now!
Read the chapters my local group submitted and critique them.
Read the blogs of everyone participating in this challenge, and a few others, and comment.
Balance our checkbooks.
Pack ONE bin full of Christmas and put it away, leaving only six more for another day.
Make dinner and watch a movie with Bill before turning in for the night.
Only six items on the list. It should be a breeze.
Welcome to day nine of A Day In My Life! Happy Tuesday!
Yesterday was day eight, not nine. I get the date confused with the day number. So what else is new? Numbers are like a foreign language to me, requiring translation. What year were we married? Uh, well, Bill! Help! And yet, I am the one who gathers all the financial info for our taxes. Thank the Lord for spreadsheets.
How do I use spreadsheets? Let me count the ways.
1. Names: We have eight children and twenty-five grandchildren. Oh, and one great-grand baby on the way. I used every grandchild’s name as a character in my Tetrasphere series. Now you know why there are so many characters! Of course, I changed the names slightly and assigned them to people, giants, aliens, and other creatures bearing absolutely no resemblance to said grandchild. Spreadsheets kept my characters in line and made sure I didn’t forget anyone.
2. Birthdays: I stopped transferring birthdays to new calendars years ago. Firstly, I pay little attention to actual calendars except to admire the photos and poems or Scriptures now and then. Secondly, my writing hand cramped. Thirdly, spreadsheets are easy to duplicate and update annually, and I can update everyone’s ages, too, so I don’t give teenagers cards meant for five-year-olds. I do miss sending those young child cards, though. Can’t wait for more great-grands.
3. Christmas Card lists and addresses: Ditto on the ease of updating. Making labels from a spreadsheet using Word is a skill I need to relearn every year, but it’s simple enough, and printing labels also saves the hand from cramping. I do write a message in each card and pray for everyone on my list. My handwriting confuses even me, so the cards have a better chance of reaching their destination when I print labels.
4. Accounts: Yes, I know the bank keeps records and we have access to monthly reports, but I transfer every transaction to a spreadsheet. It comes in handy when I have to crunch the numbers for taxes.
5. Characteristics of my characters: Who are they? What do they like to do? Where are they from? How do they look? With as many characters as I have, I often refer to this list. Now I have one for dragon names, meanings, and who they’re connected to. Oops. Did I give you a hint about what I’m writing?
6. An Ornament Diary: When did we get the ornament? Did someone give it to us? Where am I storing it? Some ornaments are many years old, and I make a note of it when one breaks or we give it away. It saves me from frantically searching for it next year.
7. Decorations: What, When, and Where did I put it? Same as the ornament diary, but it’s more for noting which bins contain which decorations.
Spreadsheets are like buttresses for my brain, adding external structure to keep everything from falling out. They’re external hard drives where I store data I’d surely forget otherwise. I have more spreadsheets than I listed here, but I’m sure you have your own methods.
Now, why did I got into the subject of spreadsheets? Oh, yeah. The day/date confusion.
How do you keep your writing or activities organized?
Welcome to day nine of A Day In My Life! Happy Tuesday!
Look who came to visit us today! This is a young pair of Sandhill Cranes, possibly siblings, since they seem to be under the tutelage of two larger cranes. Bill discovered them when he opened the lanai doors this morning. The parents instructed them to stay away from the large, wingless aliens and stay close to them. The exchange could easily have been heard all the way to the ocean, a few miles to our east. If I post the video I took, be sure to keep your sound low.
The weather is perfect for keeping the house open, with temps in the mid-seventies, low humidity, and a soft, fragrant breeze. My orchids (some of which are pictured here) are between blooming phases. When they bloom, their flowers last for a month or three, but several months can go by without flowers.
I took the wreaths down and put them away today. Step one of the great Christmas break-down has been completed. That’s the easiest step. Now I’ll print the list of our bins and what goes in them. Some re-organizing will take place, and some unused decorations will go.
The beautiful cards we received will also be sorted. Instead of stickers on our wrapped presents, I use the faces of many of last year’s cards. They look pretty, they usually have a message for the receiver, and it’s a great way to repurpose the good vibes we felt when we opened them the first time.
I will save the tree for last. I have a bit of a stubborn streak.
This afternoon, five ladies met for lunch at a nearly empty Outback Steakhouse. We call ourselves the Misfits. Wonder why? What a wonderful server we had! She engaged in banter with us, and was quick with her comebacks. We laughed together and she treated us like family. Which we are. She asked what we’re celebrating and we told her we’re Princesses, rejoicing that we’re children of the King, the Living God. And so is she. She gave us complimentary ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert. That’s called favor in Christian lingo.
Later this afternoon, I’ll catch up on some critiquing and some writing, although I’d really prefer to catch up on some napping. If you’re tempted to nap while you read this, then here is something to wake you up. Remember, keep the sound on low.
Welcome to day seven of A Day In My Life! Happy Sunday! We had a blessed time in church this morning!
Christmas in Germany was filled with music, the scents of pine and gingerbread, and the voices of many visitors, often gathered for meals or parties. German carols still fill me with joyful nostalgia; children’s choirs with their sweet, high voices, church bells ringing with abandon, mom singing along with her beautiful voice, the tunes interspersed with stern warnings to “stop that, or else!” as we tumbled and shouted through her living room or kitchen. We stayed clear of her rolling pin when she baked cookies, and couldn’t wait to help ice them with sugar frosting.
Until we moved here last year, German Christmas music brought me back to those times. I have several cds I played over and over. The cd player breathed its last just before I packed it to come here, and then I forgot to get another one. So, what I want for Christmas this year is a good cd player.
I never intended to collect Nativity scenes. It started with one, a cheap plastic set of characters, camels, and a donkey in a stable that we picked up sometime after my ex and I moved to New Jersey from Germany back in 1974. When I became a Christian, I wanted our celebration to focus on baby Jesus rather than Santa Claus, so I found another one on sale and bought it. After Bill and I married in 1994, his mother gave us the beautiful set pictured above.
When my mom went into a nursing home, she gave me the Nativity pictured here. She’d brought it over from Spain, where she had lived for more than 30 years.
Every time I saw a Nativity at a thrift shop or garage sale, I bought it. Eventually, it dawned on me that I had a collection. I was a collector of manger scenes.
Our friends and family noticed, and before long, they were sending them as gifts.
One of our daughters gave us Alleluia blocks with the Nativity characters on top. My aunt gave us the figures of Mary, Joseph and the baby with carved candles behind them when she went to her nursing home. A friend in Israel sent us a small carved manger scene. We received a Thomas Kincaid tree complete with manger scene from Bill’s mom. A son and his wife sent one encircled by wood with a star on top. So many wonderful memories are associated with each one.
Even our tree holds many Nativity ornaments. This year, I received a lovely star with a manger scene from my Secret Santa, a member of the RRBC book club I belong to. What a joyful surprise that was! It felt right at home.
These Christmas decorations will soon be carefully packed away for next year.
Although the visible reminders of that long ago Christmas morning will be hiding, the reality of the gift we received that day can’t be packed away. The baby who came to live among us, who grew up as one of us, who gave his life for us, was both the gift and the giver that day. His love, his light, is forever.
The only thing I wanted for Christmas in 2022 was a nine-foot Christmas tree to fill the corner of our living room, next to the sliding door to our lanai (a fancy Floridian term for screened-in porch). Since some members of our family are allergic to real pines, we found one we could use over and over again, hopefully with lights that will continue to work. Ten-foot ceilings are nice, but we still had to bend the top branch to fit our angel on top. Our son had time to put it up before Halloween, so there it sat, bare and forlorn, for about three days before I broke down and covered it with ornaments. A Christmas tree, resplendent and lit every night since before Halloween. I loved it.
Our tree is loaded with memories. Taking it down involves many whispers of endearment to times and loves past, and a few stray tears. It takes days to pack up Christmas for that reason. I’m reluctant to say goodbye again.
Allow me to share a few of those memories with you. In the photo above, The tiny wooden ornaments on top came from Germany, back in the nineteen hundreds. The clothespin doll dressed in white leather with black yarn hair was a gift from Dyana, from a mother-daughter trip we took to Cherokee, NC, to see how accurate my descriptions were in Terra’s Call. Research after the fact. The dove with the rainbow and Nativity scene came from Arizona, a trip Bill and I earned with our company years ago.
Our moms grace the tree, and even though we know they’re having a blast in Heaven, we like to think they have a good view of the family from their perches. My mom is on the left, Bill’s mom in the middle, and my mom’s sister, Melitta, on the right. Photo ornaments our kids made in pre-school and grade school remind us of those sweet bygone years, and their children get a kick out of seeing them at that age. When we travel, we buy ornaments, and I spot some from Costa Maya, Mt. Vernon (Washington’s home in Virginia), and the Flagler museum in Palm Beach.
I took pictures of every angle today. I’ll share one more set, and then let you off the hook, so to speak.
Travels, Nativity scenes, tennis, writing, the Gators…it’s all there, in our tree. Who we are, who we love, what we love to do, where we’ve been, and Who we believe in are all represented. Our lives lit up, on display at random, pretty much the way we live.
I’m taking it down, carefully wrapping each piece and organizing it in a bin for next year as I savor each memory. Only not today.
Today, we’re going to a delayed New Year’s Eve party with some friends who have a ginormous RV and spend months on the road. This should be fun! Tomorrow, I’ll share a little about our Christmases in Germany, and what I want for Christmas this year. And more photos.
Welcome to day five of A Day In My Life! Happy Epiphany, or Three Kings Day!
I love living in Florida in January. Today, January 6, is the Epiphany, a Christian festival commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi (from dictionary.com). It’s also known as Three Kings Day, or the day before I take my inside Christmas decorations down. The photo is our young magnolia tree, which blooms whenever it feels like it, even in January.
As I looked up the official definition of Epiphany, I came across the word of the day, which is germinant. It means beginning to grow or develop, like the single bloom on the young tree. Or the beginning of a new year, where resolutions are being made, annual words are chosen, and writers take up a new challenge to write every day. Aren’t we all germinant in some respects?
Bill and I spent all afternoon today with a couple from church we absolutely love. Heidi and Antoine fill the atmosphere around them with joy. They’ve been married nearly nine years, and their laughter together is both contagious and delightful to hear! I feel energized every time I’m around them.
Antoine has a wonderful singing voice and sings on our praise team. Heidi joins me and a few other ladies for a rousing lunch once a month, where we discuss anything and everything and lift each other up. We are Princesses, daughters of the KING. We know who we are and Whose we are, and when we get together, everyone around us knows it, too. Rowdy only begins to describe our lunches together. Speaking of which, we have a lunch date next week!
I posted another book review today. The book moved me, and I loved the glimpses into a remarkable woman’s life. Even better, I’m enjoying getting to know the author through these daily blogs.
How time works, how it bends and stretches, contracts and sometimes seems to stop, is a mystery to me. Even more mysterious is how I manage to get anything done in the span of a single day. We’re closing in on the end of it and there are still chores to do, so hasta mañana, my friends! Have a good night!
I woke up making lists in my head of all the things I must get done this month. Some of the items made it into my notebook to be accomplished today, and the rest drifted off to wait for my next vulnerable half-dream state. High on my priority list is my need to finish editing my friend’s book and to write the next chapter in mine. Instead…
… I spent an hour or two doing my morning routine. Did you know that the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament is from the point of view of a spoiled King who had EVERYTHING? King Solomon was the richest man on earth. He had more wisdom than anyone ever had, he had hundreds of wives and a few hundred more children than I have, and he was BORED.
At the beginning of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon focused on how great he was, how he’d done everything a man can possibly do, and that nothing was new under the sun. He’d seen it all, done it all, knew it all, and there was nothing left for him to discover. How sad. Poor Solomon had yet to learn the lesson the Lord pointed me to today. We can choose to rely on ourselves, or we can choose to rely on the One who makes everything new, every morning. As it turned out, the king dying of ennui actually had an awakening, but you’ll have to read the book to find out how.
… I started the laundry. At the time of this writing, I’d also finished it, folded, and put it away.
… My iMac called my name after I put in the first load, and I jumped on to start editing. Instead, I caught up on emails and discovered everyone’s comments on all the blog posts from yesterday. I also found today’s entries that had already been posted and left my comments. I love reading your blogs! Nonnie, this was a great idea! Even though it takes up so much time.
I wrote a book review I’ll be posting today, and at lunch I read a short book I enjoyed very much. Every day needs some balance, right?
It is now nearly 5pm, and I haven’t started doing the two items that made my list. This does not bode well for the rest of January. Tomorrow is another day. I’m off to make dinner, watch another Christmas Hallmark movie (we recorded them all), and hopefully get to bed at a sensible hour. After all, at my age, what else is there to do?
One of my favorite scents in our Florida winter is the aroma of freshly mown grass. During my morning routine, when summer humidity gives way to winter’s dry air, I open all the windows in the house. Today, this smell brought me back to the carefree summer days of my childhood. Scents are powerful memory triggers. In my day, summertime meant leaving the house and spending all day roaming outside with my friends. A quick check-in at lunchtime was all our parents required until the street lights came on in the evening, and then we’d better be home in a hurry. Days long past. Winters, our new summers.
The Lord reminded me today that He is constantly teaching us. During good times, it’s easy to trust in God, but when those hard times come, I try to figure out ways to fix things. Mostly, I can’t. I’ve learned to say, “I trust you, Lord,” no matter what’s going on. It turns my focus away from the problem and toward the one who loves me and knows where I am along the path He’s made for me.
I spent an hour or so this morning crunching numbers. We keep track of our mileage for our businesses, particularly Bill’s mileage. He was a pro at a tennis club his brother owned until Bob passed away and the club was sold. The new owners lacked integrity, so Bill launched out on his own. Many of his students also left the club and found new places where their favorite pro could teach them. They train at different tennis courts around our area, and Bill is much happier.
I can only do numbers for so long until my eyes cross and I feel my temper rise, so I went over to our RRBC chat room to say hello. To my surprise, Justin Timberlake was singing Can’t Stop the Feeling! I got up and danced through it twice! Thanks for the exercise. What a way to start the day.
The best part of today was a visit from another of my adopted daughters! Beth, her husband Joe, and two of their children, Olivia and Chase, stopped by on their way back to Pennsylvania from their vacation in South Florida. We had lunch together at one of our favorite local restaurants (not the one in the photos) and laughed and reminisced, and Bill and I got to know the kids.
Beth was one of Dyana’s best friends growing up. Fiercely loyal to one another, they lived many adventures together, some of which I still don’t know about and probably wouldn’t want to. They wouldn’t be the wonderful women they are today without that bond they still share. When her mom was going through a painful divorce, just about the time I went through mine, she and Beth moved in with us for a time. We newly-single moms encouraged one another and loaned each other strength until we could stand on our own. Our daughters’ bond grew unbreakable through that experience. Beth is another daughter who calls me Mom. I am rich in the children God has given me!
After their visit, I finished reading the November/December issue of the Pipeline Magazine and enjoyed every article. I watched the replay of Shirley Harris Slaughter hosting Raters Not Haters. What a great book they discussed! I won’t spoil it for anyone else, but I do encourage you to watch it if you haven’t already done so. You’ve done a great job with the show, Shirley!
I spent the rest of the day visiting the other writers who’ve taken up this 30-day blogging challenge. Writing? This is it for today. Tomorrow I plan to work on that book I’m editing and hope to get a chapter finished in the trilogy I’m writing. It’s tempting to spend all day reading, but it is time to exercise some willpower.
This scripture came up in my morning devotions. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 Do you know how hard it is to be still? How does one still the mind that is busy planning the day ahead, trying to figure out how everything will fit in? Or still the body that’s ready to jump up to tackle the next chore, and the next. It can be done. Here’s how I experienced living in the moment today.
First, an introduction. My adopted daughter Natalia is a little younger than our daughter Dyana. As a child in Pennsylvania, Natalia spent a lot of time with us, including some weeks when staying at home was not an option. Her home atmosphere was sometimes intolerable, and we were her sanctuary. Over the years, we went separate ways. She lived a colorful, exciting life, but always under the shadow of childhood trauma. A number of years ago, we discovered that we lived minutes from each other in Florida. She’s family and always will be, and she feels the same about us. She calls me “Mom,” and I love her like one of our own.
Today, Natalia and I went to see Avatar, The Way of Water, in 3D at an iMax theater in downtown West Palm Beach. Watching a movie like that is living in the moment. It was my third time seeing it, but I never once thought ahead from one scene to the next because I was totally immersed in every scene as it happened. Life beyond the movie ceased to exist. My entire being was on Pandora with the Sully family, exploring the beauty of that world. The characters captured my emotions and my heart thrilled with a sense of awe at the life in Pandora’s oceans. Exciting conflict, surprising nuances in the antagonist, strong emotions, and growth among family members kept my full attention for more than three hours.
When we left the theater, the sun had just set and music and light poured from the surrounding restaurants. This tree, in full Pandora colors, caught my eye. I took it as another kiss from God.
Living in the moment is like reading a good book. Total immersion. Focusing on the now. Life doesn’t need to be full of drama and colors, plot and compelling characters, to be enjoyed in the moment. Being still can simply mean being peaceful, not filled with anxiety, not thinking ahead to what comes next, or what to say next.
So that was my today. I got no writing done, other than this blog, but I got some quality living done.
Hi, and Happy New Year! I’m PTL Perrin, author, but you can call me Patty. I’ve accepted a challenge to share a day in my life with you. Not only today, but every day for the rest of January, 2023! Let’s start with TODAY, and see how this goes.
Any day is a great day with my sweetheart Bill in it! I kid you not. This month will mark twenty-nine years of marriage to a man whose smile brightens any room, any space, anywhere. I’m getting ahead of myself. You’ll hear more about that on our actual anniversary. Just understand that any revelations about my day are likely to include mentions of my Bill.
A typical day starts with a morning routine, which can take anywhere from two hours to four, depending on how much trouble I have with my eyebrows. I get up, shower, get a fruit and Reliv smoothie, spend some much-needed time with Lord reading the Bible and several devotionals, and draw on my eyebrows. On some days, like this morning, they go on easily, matching in expression and are more-or-less even on my face. I wish every day started as smoothly.
Thank the Lord I don’t have to be anywhere specific most mornings. It’s one of the perks of having traveled around the sun as many times as I have. Bill, on the other hand, has traveled longer and still has early lessons some days. He teaches tennis, which he loves, to people he loves, so the hardship is worth it to him. I’m enjoying my 74th trip around the sun. Remaining positive while aging is not for the faint of heart. I have much to be grateful for, including my strong heart.
“Set priorities in your life according to My will,” from Sarah Young’s Jesus Today, struck me as a directive from the Lord this morning. I debated accepting this challenge because my January schedule is normally chock full of accounting stuff, and numbers are NOT my favorite things to play with. We have two corporations for our family businesses, and I serve as the involuntary Ad-Hoc Treasurer for two more. So I prayed, and the Lord reminded me I want to write more.
“Yes,” I argued. “I want to write more in my BOOK. You know, the one I’ve been wanting to finish. The second book in the trilogy.”
I am convinced the Lord speaks to me, although not usually in words. I felt a smidge of excitement about this project. I will be writing every day. Writing begets writing. My fingers will get the exercise. My mind will open to new ideas. I’ll get to read about my author friends who also accepted the challenge.
“But, Lord, I can read theirs without writing my own. I’m sure theirs will be so much more interesting. Who wants to read about keeping accounts?”
Then I thought about mindfulness. What DO I do all day? If I keep track, I might carve out more time for writing. To make a long conversation short, here I am. And here’s the rest of my day.
I wrote a review and posted it. As I read other people’s reviews, mine seem simplistic. At least they’re honest, and I won’t post a review with less than four stars because my hope is to encourage people to read the books I read and like. The problem is, as soon as I finish reading a book, I move on to other things that must be done. Then another book grabs my attention, and the review has been forgotten. Forgive me, my friends! One resolution this year is to go back, re-read, and post more reviews.
I had lunch at 3pm, because I usually eat when I’m hungry. I fixed a banana, peanut butter, Reliv smoothie, and chowed down on some crackers. Too much information? Can’t wait to start reading the other blogs in this challenge!
I spent two hours on editing a friend’s memoir. She’s transparent and brave and I marvel at how God has moved in her life. I’m humbled that she trusts me with this task, and I’m determined to pour my best effort into it.
Bill and I took a walk around our beautiful neighborhood this evening. Many homes were still decorated for Christmas.
Our son Mike took down our outside lights yesterday, and then we went to his family’s house for New Year’s dinner. His wife Jenn is a great cook, and their children are wonderful. His dad and step-mom were also there. Funny story. Jenn’s mom is Patty. Mike’s mom is Patty. Mike’s step-mom is Pattie. So when anyone, at any family gathering calls for either Mom or Patty, we ALL answer!
I’m wrapping this up here. In the evenings, Bill and I watch a movie together — usually Hallmark. I like action movies and he’s a sucker for chick flicks.
I’m going to see Avatar, The Way of Water for the third time tomorrow with one of our “adopted” daughters. We’ll see it in iMax 3D, and I can hardly wait! I’ll tell you more about the movie, and about her, tomorrow! Hasta Mañana!
PTL Perrin Writes... 