Dear Reader:

I had to smile to myself yesterday afternoon leaving John and Mandy’s house with this creative neighborhood exit sign…the sign I always look forward to reading on my way out…for its quick wit.

And it is true…It has been really chilly for the past few days in the low country…none of them frigid or below freezing during the day (like many unfortunate locations around our country)…but many of the recent days have been in the  “damp chilly” category..the kind of chilly that seems to settle right down in the marrow of our bones.

The northerly winds have made the temps feel cooler… even with some sun peeking out…but then every time it starts to get back in the low sixties (about average for this season here) it starts to rain again…so we can either choose blustery, chilly, slightly sunny days or  warmer, more seasonal temperatures with rain and more rain.

As we grow older…we come to realize that all of life really is a trade-off (not just the weather)…and the better we get at making the right choices at the right times…the more balanced our lives become. Trade-offs follow us through life at every stage of it.

We hear the quite familiar adage…”Youth is wasted on the young”  since wisdom relies on experiences and experiences take time…actually a lifetime. A trade-off  between near-sighted youth or far-sighted elderly.

Most of us work hard all our lives to enjoy retirement…travel, live a life of spontaneity, perhaps a new home, car, or move…something we have saved up for …only for trade-off limitations to kick in based on health issues that banish or at least curb-tail our lifelong dreams.

Don’t we agonize, sometimes, even over job promotions...more money but less time and we are at the point in our lives where time has become  important…Yet the extra money would certainly help pay for future goals and dreams?  What to do? A trade-off.

Trade-off decisions can be about a move…with the family torn in half over whether they want to go or stay…Colleges… a young person has received more scholarship opportunities from one but it is the other college that his/her heart truly longs to attend?

Do we risk taking out a loan now to start the business of our dreams or continue waiting, keep working and saving…is the time right now or later? A trade-off.

Life really feels like walking through a “no man’s land” of hidden land mines doesn’t it sometimes?…Are we extra cautious… spending more time looking for clues…or trust in the leader in front of us…charging ahead? A trade-off.

Today so many of us are facing difficult decisions even trying to get Covid vaccinations…do we wait on the late spring date we finally got on-line or wait in a long lines to see if we can get a vaccination from a community medical center or pray supplies will start meeting the demands of the people faster…in the upcoming weeks…while scary Covid numbers continue rising?

Like one of millions of other Americans ….waiting on the vaccination…I feel torn and stressed over the continuous changes and mixed information popping up daily…What to do …wait or jump back in all the crazy Covid-Vaccination Cyberspace hoops and loops?

I, personally, have to rely on turning this decision back to my Creator…because it is just a lot to decipher…God…just show me the way, particularly which path…and I will follow.

So until tomorrow…

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Amen.

Saturday evening I spent some time at John and Mandy’s house…watching the children while John and Mandy took a break from cabin fever with Winnie…getting up with baby puppy Winnie…at all hours of the night and morning. Like a friend told Mandy….puppies are worse than babies because they don’t have diapers and must be taken out at the most inopportune times….

Still…look at that little face!

The Tooth-Fairy is going broke with Jake! 🙂

***Some sad news…

Wanda, Susan Cadwell’s sister, who has been fighting Covid complications for several weeks…passed away Saturday evening. It caught us off-guard  because her hospital attendants had just told the family they were making plans for getting her re-settled in a rehab facility with living accommodations close by.

This virus seems to make its own  personalized plan of attack for each individual…Wanda’s progress was up one day and down the next…very elusive in establishing long-term stability…especially in oxygen levels.

We are devastated…all her family and friends…but want to take time to thank all of you blog post readers for your continued prayers throughout her stay at the hospital…I know her family will continue to need prayers now as they tell their mother, sibling, aunt…good-bye for the last time. Thank you.

*Wanda… Our hope is that you are filled with happiness being reunited with your loved ones now departed. You will be missed and remembered through countless loving memories.