Coffee with Jesus January 27, 2014

Hi Everybody! Don’t know why I feel so chipper today, but I do. It’s below zero and so very cold. Even my Eden Pure isn’t enough to keep my sun porch toasty in this weather. No school so the great grands were off and came to see old grandma. I made cookies to eat while they are still warm. I cheat because I buy those cookies at Costco, all mixed, shaped, and ready to place on the cookie sheet and pop in the oven. I don’t lie, I just don’t tell all. They’re yummy even so and my great grand kids are the cutest kids I ever saw.
This is about the fourth day of very cold weather. The wind chill has been way below zero and school has been cancelled. They call off school because some of the kids have to walk in these temps. That means the teens sleep in and then go walk around the shops and the younger ones go out and slide downhill. What ever happened to the oldsters who talked about slogging to school in the 18 inch drifts with nothing but long snow pants and leather shoes? I need to get my stories ready for you all.

IT is bitter cold. I can’t sit out in my favorite spot. I couldn’t get to church yesterday because I’ve become a wussy in my old age. I made the mistake of having a lift put on the back of my car for my chair, instead of getting a van that I could run the chair into. To go out in this weather I have to stand in the snow up to my gazakus, unfasten the chair from the lift, and then drive through the said snow into the church and if I want fellowship later, I have to get out and tool around the building, down the hill, and into the back door to get a cup of coffee and a donut. (The latter is because I chose a 150 year old church to attend and really has nothing to do with snow or weather.) I can’t get to the grocery, need to go to the bank, I can’t get out to DO STUFF!! Does it sound like I’m whining?
Actually, I am living a dream of forty years ago. I would dream of sitting in my chair and having time to read, having time to choose a craft to work on uninterrupted, time to leaf through a magazine looking at pictures and thinking of house décor, time to gaze into the fire and just veg out, time to concoct something sinful to eat and just sit here, forgetting calories and gorging on chocolate and creamy cheese. I can pick out my own junk on TV and watch with no one to criticize or want another channel. I never had time even on snow days to do that. I am warm and cozy with no place to be and no one to ask me for food or to clean up after. I am as alone as I could ever hope to be. That used to be my dream. Now it is a reality. Am I happy with my dream time?

Now I feel blessed when the Greats find time to visit and to crumb up my house. I welcome any interruption to break up the long time I have been reading. There are no kids or husband to care for. There are no students to worry over and take up my time. There is really no place I have to be or anyone looking for me except doctors and nurses who seem to be on every week’s schedule. I haven’t got chores to do as there are people who take care of my house cleaning, laundry, car, shopping, snow in the drive, etc. I am one fortunate person, am I not? My dream has come true in spades.

My point is, we never seem to be satisfied with what we have at the moment. We seem to always want to change the circumstances a bit or a lot. I don’t want to be a whiner. I don’t think God likes whiners. He is everything good, so pessimism is not part of the heavenly scene. He says, ”No more tears, no more sorrow.”

Being negative is not a good choice and it is a choice. I will choose to find the good. I will choose to love where I am right now. I will cuddle up with my warm heated throw, I will look out the window at the six inch hats of snow all the fence posts are wearing and pronounce them beautiful. I will pick up my book and read awhile and then go into the kitchen for cinnamon toast with butter and sugar. I will exchange my coffee for hot chocolate. Outside I will hear the snow plow go by and be glad we have such a thing. I will think how fortunate I am to have a car that has heated seats to keep my duffy toasty, if I should have to travel.

I won’t be a whiner because I don’t think that is pleasing to God or to anyone else and it can be habit forming. God probably meant to make “Thou shalt not whine” the eleventh commandment and just didn’t have room on the stone to put it there. Maybe He chose too big a font to begin with. Or, more likely, He just said,” They can’t handle ten, adding one more will just be a time waster.” I will ask Jesus to join me as I look around me, see all the things He has blessed me with, and give thanks for all of them. I will look around and see all the answers to prayer. I am so thankful for His love and that I have time to contemplate all of this and to have time for COFFEE WITH JESUS. Keep warm and upbeat. Love to all of you.

Irma Jane