Being a Pastor.

Being a Pastor.

As each of us religious persons, head to the church of our choice.. be it to see our Pastor, or Priest, Rabbi, or what ever else the head person is called… many of us take them for granted.

Many think that the night before he sat at his dining room table and wrote out notes or even .. word for word what he plans on saying the next morning at the Sunday (or Saturday) service.  Words of wisdom.  And then he goes home at the end of the day with his family or fellow Priest.

Never giving a thought of what the job actually entails.

Maybe if we were to sit around talking and having coffee and the subject would come up .. of what exactly does that person do..  maybe some of the other things would come up. Like running the church, of what he has in mind that is good for those who show up for services each week.  Good for the children. And the teens.. the elderly…

Maybe we would remember that they go to the hospital when one of the people ends up in the hospital.. due to sickness, or the pending death.   Some might even mention that maybe he goes to the jail to talk to jail mates.   They might think of those as some of the job description.. 

But what about the toll it puts on that man .. oh, I guess I should be a disclaimer, as there are some that are women.

But what does it mean to the clergy person?  And most of all.. his family.

Do we call only from 9am to 5pm on week days?  No. there are calls at dinner time.. asking for help, or to tell of a tragedy in our families, and he/she leaves the family and rushes to the place to be of help… be it something physical or prayers.. or words of comfort.   Some call on weekends.  Not even Dr’s have these hours that the clergy person has.  See they are available 24/7… where Dr. (unless they are the  small town only dr.) have back ups.. Other drs. that cover for each of ours at any certain time.  As they also cover for other doctors.  But it is rarely that there is a back up for the clergy. Yes there is jr. clergy at some churches so they can fill in for a service..  but it is the main guy who gets the call in the middle of the night or in the middle of dinner.. and etc. 

Being there really is no time off.. days off… they are available 24/7… what about the days, they head to the hospital in the afternoon, and visit with the family… sits with the person who is ill… hours of it.. and then heads home.. it can be an out of town hospital.. so it is hours of driving home.   Dead tired.. wore out.. and a lot of times.. no thank you giving… thank you for coming with no notice.. yet there he/she is… Trying to comfort us.. when someone should be comforting them.  What about the crisis in his own home.. Kids in trouble..  or illness of his own family.. their parents, or spouse, or even the kids..  who is there to say.. God will watch over you.. it will be ok..

To deal with humans as they have to do daily.. different problems, some times the parishioner will wear them down.  Not all problems are easy to fix.. and hard to comfort.

This is why some clergy burn out.. unless they can take months off..   Just a vacation doesn’t always cut it..

So with this being HONOR YOUR PASTOR MONTH…  maybe a kind word.. some comforting words.. words of appreciation… sometime we just don’t think about them.. we take them for granted.  And that is a horrible thing ..to take another human for granted.  

Maybe a small note to them.. to say thank you for being there.. than you for your guidance. … what do you think?

 

I’ll go first..  THANK YOU PASTOR CHAD.. (Sandpoint Church of Nazarene )  thank you for being there for all of us… thank you for your research to find the right words to guide us thru life.   Thank you for being on the run in those early hours, and sometime finishing up so late that your family has gone to bed..   THANK YOU seems so little to say.. but know the large words are filled to the brim with everything in my heart.   You must be doing something right.. as your oldest son is following in your footsteps..  and all of your children are following yours and Jamie's lead. 

 

And THANK YOU Koby, Carlie and Janine… a great crew we have.

 

 

Ride to the mountain.... October 23, 2022

We went for a ride up on the mountain towards the resort...  and the snow has arrived.. 

 

AND yes they are still building..   even with the snow arriving...  

I AM BEAT….

I AM BEAT…. 

Yesterday, we did a transplant of two plants, that are under our new heater system.. Come next year they would grown up under and around..  So it was time to transplant while the weather allowed. 

Both the King and I had some things to do, so when I returned to the house I saw he started. By putting water into the hole he started.    The Peony he had dug up and to my amazement, there were lots of bulbs as well as the plant itself splitting.   The fact that it split was great.. as it gave me two places to put it..  The King was watching western and catching up on some energy before he tackled the climbing rose.. which had been there over 22 years.

I went out and dug up two holes, and placed the peony’s in the holes with some booster..  It wasn’t easy.. especially when I hit a rock.. which after trying to dig around it.. it loosen up.. So got to pull it out by hand. No easy way…  But after about 20 minutes  of digging, and replacing the dirt.. and give water to help it along..  I was done..

The King had joined me and we started on the rose.. Which was huge in roots.. and DEEP… It took a crow bar to finally loosen it.  About another 20 minutes of time..  Then it was where to put it as it is a climber and my climbing areas were full.

Finally decided on the memorial garden…  That was another 20 minutes of digging and removing huge … LONG… roots from grass.. 2 and 3 feet long.. plus a root from the tree that is there. The root was dead, as we had cut it off from the tree.. closer to the tree …2 years ago.  But finally got it deep enough and big around enough… to place it in.. So with some booster and lots of prayers.. asking God to please let it live..  we were done.  Washed off all the equipment..  placed the extra peony roots in the she shed.. and then walked to the deck.  The King was already sitting there. .. I stood beside the deck.. and laid back on to the deck.. with my legs hanging off of it…  The cat decided he should lay beside me .. and then  Frosty looked at me in piety.. and decided she would lay across my body… I was BEAT!!  I laid there long enough for everyone to leave..  The King went in the house.. the cat and dog thought maybe he would give them dinner.. and I laid there alone… looking at the sky..  a moment of peace and quiet… that felt good. Finally I found the strength to sit up, stand up and went in and ate dinner and took a shower..   I AM BEAT…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a rerun..

i am cheating...  I was sitting waiting for a friend to finish talking to another friend..  when I heard her friend say something that I had heard my grndson say about 5 years ago..   He said.. well, I can't do that.. because it is my day off..  Another one.. who thinks there is a day off from life...   so I thought I would run this one again..  both of these young people are in their low 30's and 25. 

AUGUST 16, 2021

Taking a day off from life…

Taking a day off from life….

Those of us who jumped in to 

the retirement life, know that 

we are busier than we were 

before when we worked.  And 

some of 

us,has wondered,  how 

did we ever get everything 

done that we needed to get 

done, when we were working 

and still doing things at 

home.   The answer is… you 

did a band aid job of the what 

the home stuff was. 

You did the heavy duty jobs on 

weekends and vacation time. 

That is why a lot of people 

didn’t  do much vacationing in 

the older days.. There were 

quick trips to grandparents 

home, if they did not live in 

the same state.  That was a car 

trip, with food and snacks and 

drinks in a cooler.  And when 

you left grandparents house… 

you had your cooler filled by 

grandma… fried chicken, 

maybe some salad.. fried 

potatoes and cookies freshly 

made… for your trip 

home.  These were usually 

once a year or every other 

year. 

Depending on how far away it 

was…  And if they lived close 

by, then there were project 

days on the weekend, to help 

out grandparents at their 

home.

Once you retire, after you 

catch on, that all projects don’t 

have to be done in 2 days or 

6… you break up the different 

parts of 

the project and you can slow it 

down. Even go to lunch with 

friends.. as the project will still 

be there tomorrow 

morning..  That is the good 

part of retirement. The hard 

part is saying NO, no thank 

you, I really don’t have 

time for that.. when some one 

tried to sign you up for 

volunteering for THEIR 

favorite charity or what ever…

But one of the things that 

makes me laugh at the newer 

generation… is they seem to 

think their two days off are 

THEIR DAYS OFF…  my 

guessing is from life as well as 

the job.. Because they will tell 

you, they don’t have time to fix 

this or that.. or get a project 

done on those two day off.. 

BECAUSE IT IS “MY” DAY 

OFF…  And no way, are they 

doing even an hour or two 

after work… just too tired….

So those of you over the age of 

70…. Did you do little to 

nothing on your weekends or 

after work?  What about 

YOUR parents..  I know my 

dad would work on some of

his projects 

for a couple hours .. some 

times after he ate dinner… He 

figured an hour here or there, 

was less to do on the 

weekend.. 

And if we were really lucky, 

and he had a couple hours free 

on Sunday… we got to go to 

the beach in the summer time.

After my dad retired, he still

was working, because they had 

a horse farm.. So the summers 

were full of haying..  Prepping 

for getting the grass tall 

enough to cut… cutting, 

tossing it and if the weather co-

operated, they got it loaded 

and in the barn in those few 

days… There were fences to 

mend… there was the fields to 

plow up…  And there were 

horse shows on the weekend.. 

Some times one day …some 

times the whole weekend.

In the winter it was not as 

busy.  I saw some wood 

carvings down in the 

basement 

in his work shop… when I was 

visiting from the West coast… 

I told him how cool I thought 

they were.. and asked.. how 

come you never did these 

when we were growing up…. 

And he looked at me and 

smiles..  “when did I have 

time?” 

Between work and 

keeping our place together… 

there was never time..

Guess he didn’t believe in Days off from Life…

 

Living with Frosty…

Living with Frosty…

I am late today with my post as I went to the vets with Frosty. She was sooooooooooooo good.  She did not fight the kennel… she just laid down…  so must be use to it..

At the vets..  have you seen that picture of Norman Rockwell, of waiting in the waiting room..  I think it might be a little boy..  Anyway, that is the way I felt today as we waited for the vet. 

 

Sitting in  chair with a round back…with my legs crossed, and Frosty sitting on my lap….

Just waiting.  (found this on line)  yep that was us.

Patiently  waiting..  and she was so good.  Even when other dogs came and went. 

We got to see Misty’s vet.. so that was super great.  Frosty passed with flying colors..  Vet said she is in good shape and doing just wonderful after having her pups.    She got all of her shots that she need.. and made arrangements for the 27^th to get spayed and while she is out, she will get her teeth cleaned.

AND  WE FOUND OUT THAT OCTOBER 12^TH IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!  4 years old…  how cool is that.. 

 

Hey Ava, you have a birthday pal…

 

What food do you eat different than others do?

What food do you eat different than others do?

As a kid, mom made peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.   (that is marshmallow crème to others) also she made peanut butter and relish sandwiches. Have not come across anyone else who has eaten them, except a guy who was raised in Mass.

Also I was not big on veggies as a kid.  Oh, I ate them.. in our household, you ate what ever is on the plate. Already told you about the days of eating liver and I still don’t to this day.  But sure ate it then.. and if I didn’t finish it for dinner, there it was on the plate for breakfast and lunch and dinner again.. until it was gone.. There is no way to make liver edible   Not ketchup nor mustard helped.

But one of my favorites, thanks to my dad… is BEETS.. with -- hand on to your hats….  With mayonnaise on it. Because that is the way Dad ate it.. and my Dad was my hero.. so what every he did .. was top drawer…   Well, kind of.. because he loved liver…  but I forgave him that transgression.

So even today, I love beets with mayonnaise.  But I also like pickled beets.

Funny how when you are a kid you don’t like certain things and then love them later in life.. like black olives..   loved the green ones, but really didn’t like the black ones. Now I love them.. by themselves, in Mexican food and of course pizza.

 

But still never have changed my mind about LIVER.. UGH!!!

Getting to know you… getting to know all about you…

Getting to know you… getting to know all about you…

Living with Frosty.. and the scary Wed.

We got Frosty on Saturday..  and the potty outside isn’t going well..   We have been walking around and around the yard.. to no avail..   Reminding me of the book called Everynight, Josephine.. about her battle of getting her dog to potty outside.. and how after a half hour to an hour of walking the streets of New York with her poodle.. the dog would pee on the floor 5 minutes later..  That is Frosty.

So I mention to her previous owner about having trouble of getting her to settle down and not potty in the house.  She said the little devil..  just tell her to go potty….  She will do it.. OH, you do use pads inside the house.. RIGHT?   Well, no.. no one said anything about that.. lol  who knew..  With Misty we just took her potty every two hours and after a couple of months we would let us know.. but we did offer anyway, every 2 hours..  She could hold it up to 6 hours..  but we didn’t like to let her go.. so our visiting time with others were kept at 4 hours.   ..  So I get the pads the next day.. Yes she does pee on the pad and poop.. BUT NOT OUTSIDE.. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THAT..  The neighbors must think we are a nut case, as we trail behind this dog, say a mantra of … go potty… go potty Frosty..   go pee .. go pee..  but if they have potty trained their dog, they will understand..    so if you see a grey hair woman in the dark walking her back yard..  saying over and over.. go poop,   go potty… go potty..  that would be me.

Then on Wed.  she scared the crap out of us..   We had gone all around the fence and gates to look for escape areas.. and thought we had it covered.. NOT..

See the King got tired of walking the yard with a lease in hand…  so he let her loose but stayed with her.. So he informed me when I got up.. she goes in and out of the doggy door really well, so you can just let her go on her own..  SHE WILL BE FINE.. he says..   yea right..  She went in and out of the door 3 times.. so thought well maybe…  I went to get the wash out of the hamper, to put in the washer..  and looked around…         WHERE IS THE DOG!?..  all thru the house.. NO DOG.. all thru the yard.. front and back.. NO DOG… so walked up and down the road.. NO DOG… he drove up and down the roads.. NO DOG..   So how do we tell the previous owner… we lost the DOG!!... look some more before I tell her..    Then gave up and put up a missing note on our local Facebook  forum.. and   BINGO!! There she is.. in all her glory..  she has been photographed and taken to the local animal shelter.. We raced over.   But forgot to bring a picture of her..  Told them I have a photo of her with me. (thank you daughter for taking a picture of us on Monday) …  So back to the house to get the picture.. message the previous owner, that the shelter will probably be calling her..   Go back with picture..  Ok, that proves that I KNEW THE DOG.. but is it MINE DOG?  THE CHIP SAYS NO.  The first owner ,  gives info.. that the dog went to another person and that person’s name.    So while I gave all the info I had.. I did not have the previous owners phone number.  So went back home.. got a message from the previous owner.. and I gave her the phone number to call and the gals name..  Then the call came..  come get YOUR dog. ..  Whew..  so back there..   The gals was really super nice..  when we talked she said she thought the dog was mine. (picture) but legally she couldn’t release her until she got word..   So we went back over and got FROSTY.. who was no worse for the wear…  We found out that she went east, not west of our house..   she was in the flaming HIGHWAY…      and some wonderful women, got out of their cars, and blocked the highway, and rounded her up…  OH THANK GOD!!!...   We got home.. and once again we are  circling the yard..  check and double checked. There were two ify paces.. so the King blocked them..  But I am in no hurry to let her loose again..  it is back to the leash.. and walking the yard.. and her going in circles.. and the cat joining us and trying to trip me, while Frosty tries to trip me with the lease.. and back to …  GO POTTY..  GO POTTY..  bit again.. 

Got to say we are saving on our rug, as she is using the pads really well… 

The gal at the shelter said there is a 3 and 3 rule.. 3 weeks for her to feel like it is her home.. and 3 months to feel we are her family…   Misty was soooooooooooooo much easier.. but Misty was a tiny puppy..  and Frosty is 4.  So we shall make it..  keep telling myself that.. 

OH… ONE MORE THING… 

When we got Frosty… the King said.. we are not going to share our bed with her… like we did with Misty… I agreed.. So what happen on Thursday night?... you got it right.. he bends down and picks her up and puts her under the covers..  I said.. what happen to we were NOT going to have her sleep with us..   He said quietly.. well she was crying.. and she put her paws up on the bed near my head and cried some more..  what could I do?    Oh, boy.. I think I have two to train.. but yep, she is going to be sleeping on our bed.   GEESH!!...  good thing she is so dainty and cute.. 

TO CALL OR NOT TO CALL…

TO CALL OR NOT TO CALL…

That is the question of the day….

When you go to visit a friend… do you call first?

My mother would get upset if someone just drove up the driveway, with out prior notice..  It was the way she was raised as her parents did the same.. It was common courtesy, was her way of thinking.   If Dad talked to a friend and that friend came over.. and she was not told, she was some what upset.. to her it was a matter of manners.   Even if the person never came in the house but went to the barn with my dad..  That buffer it some what..  I look at it this way.. if someone calls ….. I can…

 

1.   say .. Yes, come on in, I will put on the coffee…

2.   say, sorry, but this isn’t a good day for a visit..(which can be, I am arguing with my spouse,  I have company, I have a sales person here… and or even afternoon sex)

3.    say we were just getting ready to leave, how about tomorrow..

4.   Sorry I am not feeling well..

 

All of these embarrassing moments can be avoided if you CALL.. So that is why I feel a cringe if the King just wants to stop by…   You see, he is fine with just dropping by.. and deal with what ever..   Guess his parents were like that…

So I guess it is how were raised.

If someone just drops by here, I am a little edgy.. as maybe my house isn’t as clean as I would have liked.. maybe giving me a chance to pick up a few things. Or maybe I am in the middle of baking.. and have to keep an eye on the oven?  Or maybe I am watching a show that I can’t tape… and it is important to me…  So many reasons.. if I just was given a heads up..  Doesn’t have to be a day before.. just a few minutes is good.. and if there is a reason .. it isn’t a good day for me.. then I can say so.

Only one I let break this rule.. is my kids..

I don’t think men get it..  after all what the heck.. they don’t care if people judge their actions or home.. I guess..  If it is them going to his garage.. that is cool with me. 

How about you?  are you a call ahead… or just drop in.