Focusing on the Good

Hello, Friday.  It is Friday, isn't it?  Or is it Thursday?  I don't think it's Tuesday.  Well, I'm just going with Friday cuz it feels like Friday.  And I feel like doing my Fave Fives.  I know I didn't do much all week online as we are still processing our situation.  See below for an explanation of my last comments last week.  But I am back and choosing to Focus on the Good.  HERE is the link to Friday Fave Fives.

1.  Food pick up and share.  Our local food share is working differently right now.  My sister-in-law usually volunteers there, but even she can't go in to help.  So we all stood outside and handed our bags to workers and they returned them filled with food (from Trader Joe's!).  We reserved a few apples and other fruit for us and dropped the rest off at the home of a young couple with two children.  A bag of apples got left at our pastor's door.  Few things make me happier than sharing things like food with other people.

2.  More masks.  Every time I decide I can set aside the mask making for a few days, I get a notice that someone needs a mask.  One day, The Professor and I drove around and delivered  nine masks for medical staff, three masks for a family who is imminently expecting a new baby, and several other masks to various friends.  This morning, I heard that an older man in our church needed a mask.  The Professor had already cut one; I quickly sewed it up, another friend picked it up, and it has already been delivered.  That's team work!

3.  Nature.  One of the advantages of having a closed golf course on the edge of our neighborhood is that the wild animals have decided to take back their territory.  I watched two hawks soaring above the course; they were screaming at each other, obviously both hunting for the same rabbit.  Deer and bunnies are showing up to eat the green grass.  Even the coyotes are becoming braver and walking the course in daylight.

4.  Garden.  The weather is finally dry and sunny, so I have been able to be out in my garden.  For me, a garden is a source of beauty, solitude, serenity, and self sufficiency.

5.  Coffee!  A few weeks ago, our coffee maker died.  The Professor researched and ordered a new one, but we didn't expect it to arrive until the end of April.  (Fortunately, we have a french press.)  But it was delivered this week and we have been enjoying some excellent coffee made with our new coffee maker.  (And THANK YOU to the Amazon delivery guy who dropped it on our front porch.) Coffee makes my day begin with happiness.

Thank you for all your kind comments and your prayers for us.  I can share with you now what happened.  Our 'adopted' son from Uganda passed away very suddenly at age 29.  Everyone who knew him was shocked.  Daniel was living and working in Doha, Qatar.  We had sponsored him through a program called Ugandan Lambs.  He was an orphan, and we had the privilege of sponsoring him since 2004  through middle school, secondary school and technical school, helping him prepare for his career.  He was an unusually charismatic, encouraging and responsible person who spread joy, kindness and God's love to everyone he met.  His smile would just light up any room and include everyone.  The Professor had been in a zoom Bible Study group with him less than two days before he died.  We were in the process of helping him get a student visa and attend college in the US. Now we are awaiting news of his funeral and burial in Uganda.  How can one express the sorrow of missing 'a son we never met'?  I can hear him saying, "O! Wuw! Mummy!  Heaven is amazing!"  Daniel, I look forward to sharing our experiences of Heaven with you some day.

"How precious in the sight of God is the death of His saints." 

Psalm 116:15.

Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!”

Shakespeare, Hamlet