DEATH

I knew very early in the life of this year that it was going to be one of those years that would not be good to life and whether that became a self fulfilling prophesy or just was a correct premonition I don't know, but it has turned out to be true.

To date I have mailed out seven sympathy cards and I know that there have been a feew I should have sent, but for what ever reason did not. Now after yesterdays e-mails and phone calls I have 3 more to send! maybe it is my age and this is a new phase of life I'm entering into. Many of the cards have been in response to deaths of friends parents. But a few have been to people my age offering them my sympathy on the death of a spouse (who was also my age!). If it is the phase of life I am in now I DON'T particularly like it and I'm afraid things won't get much better with time.

I have a friend who firmly believes this is all a result of Satin trying to cause us to fall into a state of depression and belief that God has abandoned us, thus causing us to give up on God, his love for us and our faith in him. I'm not sure that I buy into this line of thought, but it is at times tempting to blame God for all this pain and suffering I see around me.

However, rather, than blaming God I guess I see this as just a fact of life. Part of living is knowing that some time we will die. This is one of the few certain guarantees life offers us. Be it from old age, disease or accident death is a guaranteed part of life. No one can avoid or evade it. We all hope and wish dealing with death; be it of a parent, a spouse, a child or even ourselves, will be part of our live later rather than sooner but sometimes that just is not our reality.

So I will continue to make and mail sympathy cards. And I will do my best to remember all those dealing with the emotions and tears brought on by a death in their family in my prayers. God is responsible for all creation and so yes this does mean he is responsible for all death, but not in a mean uncaring way. He is all loving and I believe he cries with each and every one of us as we mourn the lose of a loved one.

INSOMNIA

So what does one do when one can't get back to sleep and it's 5AM and you've already been lying in bed awake for an hour? See below......Of course you get out of bed and BLOG about insomnia!

Did you know there is a band called Insomnia and of course there are many definitions of insomnia out on the web.

"Insomnia — Sleep problems characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent wakings during the night, or waking up earlier than desired. Insomnia can result in getting up in the morning feeling unrested and experiencing drowsiness during the day."

"Insomnia \In*som"ni*a\, n. [L., fr. insomnis sleepless; pref.
 in- not + somnus sleep.]
 Want of sleep; inability to sleep; wakefulness;
 sleeplessness."

"Chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time."

"Clinically, acute insomnia occurs acutely in either a transient or short term form. Transient insomnia is defined as a few nights sleep disturbance possibly due to unrelieved pain, fever, or an acute event that is not necessarily related to illness.
Short term insomnia is defined as lasting one or two weeks and is usually associated with a precipitant condition which lasts a bit longer than an acute stressor such as job loss.
Chronic insomnia is defined as occurring an average of 3 or more nights per week for more than one month."

WOW! Its Been Two and a Half Months!

They say "time flies when you're having fun". Well if that is true I must be having a whole lot of FUN! I can hardly believe that is has been 2-1/2 months since we were on vacation. Actually I have been having lots of fun since July 2. Since then I've finished up with our family vacation. I've been to Denver for the Stampin' Up! convention. Jerry and I visited my mom and sister in Chapel Hill, NC and on the same trip toured some Civil War battle sites around Petersburg, VA. I've been to a quilt show in Harrisburg, PA and to the Women of Faith Conference in Philadelphia. And those were just the trips I've been on. There's also been a week of Vacation Bible School at church, the county fair, a big church picnic and the church women's second annual tea party. Of course mixed in with all that was working at church and at home!

So, in retrospect I guess it is not at all surprising that time has just flown by this past summer. IT was fun. There are lots of memories. But I am thinking that I hope October will be a clam quite kind of month. September is too far gone to be quite and before November and all the holiday season activities start I think I just might need a rest!