Thoughts a Swirling Around in my Boggled Brain

 

   Go ahead, laugh at the title of this post...I did! 😉 This brain of mine is very rarely NOT boggled.  And yes, I do question if it is a result of my Fibromyalgia or if it is a result of dealing with PTSD.   Either way, it is what it is, and I am blessed to have a husband that understands and supports me, as well as grown children, who also understand.  My grandkids have never known me any other way, so to them, this is Grammie's "normal".  So what if they think I am a bit crazy...they know I love them with all my heart and that is all that really matters right?

   I have the oldest two grandboys, Bradley and Isaiah, coming to spend the night this weekend.  We are going to do homemade pizzas and I made sure to get the toppings that they love best to put on their own pizzas.  Bradley is my pepperoni fiend, while Isaiah is all about the Canadian Bacon and pineapple.  We may head up over the hill and go to the apple orchard while they are here to pick some more apples, both for here and for them to take home.  It is something we have been doing since they were babies and had become a tradition.

   I am really missing my Steven and need to make a sleep over date with him here soon also.  Maybe we will work it into the first of November when he is coming to spend the day with me since his school has a day off then.  He was such a big part of my weekly life this past Summer and I miss my time with him so very much!

   Our little Tate is growing so quickly and is still trying to master my name.  We have made progress, and I am now called "Dammie".  Hey, I'll take it and we can work on changing the d sound to a gr sound when we go down to see him and his brand- new baby sister Peyton at the end of November.

  Our Lauren is still thinking that baby Peyton will come before her due date.  Knowing our Lauren, she is most likely spot on with what she is thinking.  It is finally really hitting me that yes, we are having a granddaughter!  I was looking through my jewelry the other day and picking out special pieces for her that were my grandmother's, my mother's and some of mine.  She will get them when she is older on special occasions like graduations, her wedding and, as for my wedding ring, upon my going to heaven.  Other pieces will go to my girls, Heather, Lauren and Rachel, with a request that they be passed down to their granddaughters and or great granddaughters.  If I am blessed to still be around when my grandboys get married, some will go to their spouses also.  It just occurred to me that I have some sterling silver hair barrettes that were my great-grandmother's.  I always had super thin hair, so they did not work for me, but if Peyton has her mother's hair, they will work for her.  Yippee!

   All this leads me into the thoughts that have been plaguing my brain...what world are my grandbabies growing up in and will they remain safe and have happy lives?  

   The world as we know it today is a scary place, economically, politically, spiritually and physically.  Although our kids are doing their very best to give their children the best childhoods possible, I worry that with the world being what it is, and getting worse, that my grandkids are going to face hardships in the future beyond anything that we, or our grown children, have ever had to go through.  I keep praying that saner heads will prevail with the whole Russia, China and North Korea mess and the threats of nuclear war.  I pray that people will find ways to stay warm this winter and that there will be enough food to go around worldwide.  I pray that evil people will stop messing around with biological weapons.  I pray that economically people will start to realize that government handouts/bailouts ALWAYS come at a high price that eventually has to be paid.  I pray for people to come to realize that there are dark forces at work trying to pit us against one another and if we play into their game, we all lose. 

    Yes, I pray a lot!  For now, all I can do is try to be as prepared as I can to take care of my beautiful family and to make my grandkids childhoods the best they can possibly be.  I pray for my two kids, Josh and Lauren, who are either active or reserve military, and for my son Chris, who is a police officer.  They are all in jobs that can or do put them in danger's way.  We have made contingency plans in case we have family that needs to move in with us since our home is totally paid for, where some of our kids' homes are not.  We've been reaching out more to our neighbors and trying to bless them with produce from our garden because we know that everyone is facing some scary times and we want to bring a smile to their faces and for them to know that we do care and appreciate them.  

   Uncle Bob made a very keen observation the other day when I was visiting him and said that we are pretty safe here in our small town, but go 40 miles in any direction and you might run into more trouble.  Uncle Bob is one of the last of the "older generation" of people that welcomed us when we moved here 30 years ago and I trust him with my life, and that of my family.  That man is full of wisdom and lots of "spit and vinegar".  LOL!  Sometimes I do have to try to rein him in a bit because he will say what he thinks before realizing that it may cause him some issues in the future. 😉 I scolded him the other day (in love and he knows it) for something he said to someone (that could have led to a fight or worse) and told him that it would look bad if Chris had to come bail him out of jail.  He gave me that sly smile of his because I know that he would not want to put Chris in that position since Chris is a police officer and he loves Chris dearly.  Anyway, there is a lot we can learn from the "Uncle Bobs" of the world and we need to.  They survived the Great Depression, multiple wars, and have so much wisdom to share if we only take the time to sit down, have a cup of coffee with them, and listen.  I learned to can and garden from the "grandmas" and "grandpas" that took me into their hearts and homes when we moved here.  They lavished their love, wisdom and shared their skills, knowledge, plants from their gardens, stories and even taught me how to hand tie quilts.  Yes, we still had quilting bees when I moved here and I now have one of those quilts.  I am forever grateful to them and am looking forward to seeing them again in heaven one day!  

   I guess the point of this post, which I know rambled a bit, is that we need to learn the skills to make it through what is coming.  We need to do everything we can to honor those that came before us and who are filled with knowledge that we all MUST learn in order to survive and thrive.  We need to do everything we can to give our children and grandchild a great childhood to the best of our abilities while still preparing them for what is to come.  We need to reach out to others and form a strong community and watch out for one another.  Most of all though, we need to pray and try to lovingly lead people to Christ who do not already know him. 

   Be blessed my sweet friends and know that you are in my heart and prayers!