Sushi Cat

More like my daddy every day

Today is Brought To You By The Letter "T"

Today we canned tuna, which we do every year but usually in the month of August. August was a rather full month for us this year so we just put the already frozen tuna in the freezer to can later, well..."later" turned out to be today. So now we have all these wonderful jars of freshly canned tuna on our pantry shelves. We love to can and have our pantry shelves stocked well with various food items. It gives us a sense of having provided well for the winter ahead.

There are times, while canning or admiring well stocked shelves, that I wonder about women from generations past, the women who worked from sun up to sun down preparing for her tomorrows. Plant the garden, water it, work it everyday. Watching as the tiny green sprouts grew with the promise of hot stew on a snowy day several months away. A knock on the door could mean travelers who would be hungry and in need of nourishment...a quick trip to the cellar for a smoked ham, potatoes and carrots...remembering to grab a sack of apples for an apple cake as well.

After a day of canning (we started early this morning, it is after 9 p.m. and we are not even close to being done) I do so appreciate all that these ladies of the past accomplished everyday. How they did all they did I will never know. Where did all the energy come from? I love reading the journals of early 19th century women. I am inspired by these women. Could I have done all they did? I am certain I would have done what needed to be done, but I am also certain I would have been a bit grumbly at times about it.

A legacy left, oh to strive to be....

A wife of a noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,

bringing her food from afar.

She gets up while it is still dark;

she provides food for her family

and portions for her servants girls.

She considers a field and buys it;

out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously,

her arms are strong for her tasks.

She sees that her trading is profitable,

her lamp does not go out at night.

In her hand she holds the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

for all of them are clothed in fine linen and purple.

Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,

and supplies the merchants with sashes.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;

she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,

and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed,

her husband also, and he praises her.

Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting,

but a women who fears the Lord is to be praise.

Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her words bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31

The beginning of anxiety
is the end of faith;
and the beginning of true faith
is the end of anxiety.

-- George Müller

Go ahead, I'll ..... Make My Day!

Choices...life offers too many of them!

Choices to make each day: what do I want to wear-slacks or a skirt?, what do I want to read, one cup of coffee or two, do I want to eat-if so, what?, straighten my hair or leave it curly, go to bed early or stay up late.

So often we are consumed by the physical choices in our day to day life...what about the mental and spiritual choices we make each day either consiously or unconsiously...what shall I meditate on today, how will I let this or that situation effect my attitude and actions, smile and wave at this or that person or pretend I don't see them (knowing my choice will effect their day!)

My boss came out of his office a little while ago and said "Is it going to be a good day today?" (referring to the DJIA/NYSE) and my response: "It already is." (not referring to the market) Which I am sure totally through him off since my first cup of coffee is still half full, I still have a stack of papers to sort through and I have not caught up with the things that have happened overnight which will impact my days work.

It is my choice to make today "a good day" or to "let the turkeys get me down". (NOT referring to my boss!~I say this because his wife reads my blog ;-) )

Choices: who will judge if my choices have been good or not so good today? Choices: will I choose to let someone else's attitudes and actions effect what I do and think today? Choices: will the choices I make today offer hope and peace to those around me or will someone walk away from me today sorry they were in my presence? Choices: will I leave someone wondering what is making me tick, or will I tick someone off? Choices: when I lay my head on my pillow tonight will sleep come easily or will I toss and turn wishing I could "un-do" something I did or take back something I said?

I would much rather say that every time

you make a choice

you are turning the central part of you,

the part of you that chooses,

into something a little different

from what it was before.

~CS Lewis in Mere Christianity~

Choices: Make good ones today

Silent witness of love

Each morning, like clockwork, an elderly man and woman walk past our office. They are always holding hands, he is always about a half of a step ahead of her, silently encouraging her along. Sometimes he waves, sometimes they are walking as if on a mission with no time to look up. Rain or shine, you could set your watch by this couple. 8:15 a.m. on the nose, yep...here they come, here they are, and there they went.

I often wonder what their story is. Do they have children, and if so, do those children live nearby? Are they grandparents, they really are old enough that they could actually be great-grandparents...have they experienced that joy of hearing a young child call them "grandma" or "grandpa"? What did this strong, determined man do for a living? Was he always on a schedule that kept him moving and on time? Military? Teacher? Bus driver? What did this petite little woman do in her younger years? Was she a clerk at the grocery store? A nurse? A homemaker? No matter what they "used to be" or "used to do" I know something for sure...

This man loves his lady

You can see it in his eyes when he turns to look at her, you can see it when he stops to adjust her sweater for her. I knew how deep his love for her was when I saw how tenderly he holds her hand, guiding her along, they have NEVER walked by the office without their hands lovingly entwined.

The power of touch. Therapist Virginia Satir advised: "We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth." I am not sure how that translates into hand-holding and touching but I know it works together (hand in hand...sorry, had to say it!). I know this little old lady gets enough touching to survive, enough for maintenance and certainly enough for growth.

As Ed and I grow old together I pray that others will see the love we have for each other, without us saying one word, and I pray other relationships will be blessed by watching our love for each other.

And yes! we do hold hands..and he has always opened the door for me.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous,

it is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered,

it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

So faith, hope, love remain,

these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

~Select verses from 1 Corinthians 13~

Finding the Treasures in Networking

Years ago my mother gave me my grandmother's wedding ring. It isn't actually a wedding ring, although that is how my grandmother wore it, it is really an engagement ring, she did not have a wedding band to go with it. My grandmother was a smaller woman than I, thus she wore a smaller ring size. Over the years, as my weight did the yo-yo thing, there have been times when I could wear it, other times when it sadly sat in my jewelry box.

The back of my own wedding set wore thin many years ago causing the band to break. I have been wearing my husbands great-great-grandmothers beautiful rose gold wedding band since 1980. I really like old jewelry, especially family heirloom jewelry.

For several years I have wanted to have this beautiful ring of my grandmothers re-sized so that I can wear it as my wedding ring all the time. Earlier this year I hinted that I would like to have it sized and "possibly" purchase a wedding band to go with it. Since this ring is very old finding a band to match it was going to be more than difficult, it would be pretty much impossible, but we figured we would just look to find something as close as we could.

Since the major retailers, including jewelry stores, have great jewelry sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas we decided to start looking for a suitable band and when it went on sale we would purchase it and have grandma's ring sized.

The plan was made and we were excited about seeing this through.

Enter my friend Kari. Kari had not been wearing her wedding ring for quite some time. Seems the prongs on her diamond needed to be replaced. She had taken her ring to various jewelry stores for quotes and like us had found that jewelry repairs can be quite expensive. Kari was given the name of a retired man who has become a jeweler and now works out of his home. She took her ring in and Erv examined her ring, told her that it did not need the amount of work that she had been told and quoted her a price much lower than the jewelry stores, MUCH LOWER.

I asked Kari for the name of the man who worked on her ring and called him up, explained what I would like to have done and made an appointment to have him look at my ring. What a nice gentleman! He looked at my ring, added to the re-sizing he noticed that it needed to have ALL the prongs re-tipped on the main diamond. I could just see the dollar signs. We were determined to leave it no matter what the cost might be, realizing that if it was too expensive then I would have to give up my dream of getting a matching band to go with it, which really was only second to wearing my grandmother's ring everyday.

Well, the price was very reasonable and I was thrilled with the thought of wearing my grandmothers ring everyday.

Wearing or NOT wearing a wedding ring is no big deal at our house, at least not to my husband. We have been married almost 29 years, he had 3 wedding bands during the first 15-18 years. He will tell you that he has no idea what has happened to any of them, he will tell you he has looked "everywhere" for each one of them. He has not worn a wedding ring for years, more years than I have kept track of.

While Erv and I were discussing the needed repairs on my ring, Ed was doing a bit of shopping of his own. Erv not only repairs jewelry but has some estate pieces for sale and does some design work as well. Ed found a very nice estate wedding band for himself. The price was right so now Ed is working on his 4th (and last?) wedding band.

Erv called the very next afternoon to let us know we could pick them up (Ed's needed to be sized and Erv wanted to clean and polish it as well) but apologized for not being able to find a wedding band to match in any of the many catalogs he can order from. He need not have apologized, when we arrived Erv offered to make a ring to match! We were and are flabbergasted!

We had a price range that we were willing to pay if and when we found a band. I was afraid to ask Erv what this might cost, after all he would have to make a mold of my ring, then re-design the middle area taking out the middle diamond and replacing it with the 5 smaller diamonds. When Erv quoted us the price Ed said..."Yes, I would like you to make a band for my wife, this is something she has wanted for a long time." I was speechless.

Now, here comes the hard part....in order to make the mold Erv would need to have the ring back. I just couldn't part with it so soon! So, now I have my ring on, it is beautiful and in 2 weeks I will give it up, but only because Erv promised me...."Oh, it will only take 3-4 days...is that too long?"

I am sorry this picture does not do my grandmothers wedding ring justice, I will post another picture as soon as Erv works his magic and creates the wedding band to match.

Hand me a tissue please...

The World Series just started...we are ready with fresh homemade pizza in the oven and our Diet Pepsi in the frig. If you wanna talk to us, don't call our house tonight, just come over...we probably will not answer the phone, but we will let you in the door. =-)

We didn't have a clue who would be playing tonight- - I had hoped the Padres and Cards would be playing each other - - and we don't have a clue who will win the series...but we did know how the series would start...with me looking for a tissue...I just can't hear our anthem without tearing up.

I won the lottery!

Just a few of my winnings, in no particular order:

A husband who loves me

5 beautiful and healthy grandchildren

My sister and brother whom I love dearly

A mind that can reason

(even if I daily feel I am losing it!)

My hearing and vision

Children in whom I am proud

Beautiful color as the seasons change

Time alone

People in my life who care for me

A good job and terrific boss

A roof over my head

Health insurance

Plenty of household income to cover our needs,

as well as to help others from time to time

The ultimate measure of a man

is not where he stands

in moments of comfort and convienience,

but where he stands

at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life is Hard

Over the past several months Ed and I have been struggling with a few really tough issues, like more than just "what are we gonna have for dinner tonight" type issues, which is usually as tough as it gets for us.

This past Sunday morning we sat down and had the best conversation, hard but good...we talked about all kinds of tough issues. We made a few decisions about a couple of things that have been heavy on our hearts. We discussed a few other things that we know we have no control over but are heartbreaking to us none-the-less.

No matter what, when you trust people to be in your life you open yourself up to all kinds of things: mistrust, heartbreak, deceit...the list goes on and on.

Life is hard...but God is faithful. That is what our motto is right now.

Happy Birthday to My Bud Diana

Diana, My Dear Friend, My Pal, My Bud!

Diana and I, May 2004

Yes, October is a busy Birthday month for us, our sons, my nephew, friends and other family members. Today Diana is celebrating her Birthday.

Diana and I have been friends for years, in fact for so long I can't recall just when we became friends...I know it was long ago, in the mid to late 70's.

Diana is my partner in crime, well ok, maybe not crime, but we know enough secrets about each other that if any of it crossed our lips there would have to be a crime committed to cover it all up! She encourages me to be the best I can be, to loose the "It's all about me" attitude I wallow in from time to time.

I love my pal Diana. She is totally in love with Jesus, her head is on straight, she cares deeply for people, has the wisdom of one of God's scholars. She is a mentor and role model for me.

We have been through thick and thin together. Good times and bad, happy and sad. She has stood beside me through some of the most difficult seasons of my life. God has allowed me to do the same for her. God has put us in situations where Diana was 100% totally dependent on me to save her life, literally her life was in my hands. He has also put her in my life when I had to be scrapped off the ceiling, she has held my hand when I had lost all hope.

Diana and I share a burden for orphans and so over 6 years ago she and started sewing for WTIL and between the two of us we have made dozens and dozens of quilts (OK, I confess...Diana has made more than I).

Today I praise our Father for blessing me with a friend like Diana, I wish everyone had a pal like her, it would make life so much more fulfilling for everyone!

Precious Memories

My mom and I were going through some pictures today, this is one she wanted me to put in her scrapbook. I know I took this pic (see me in the mirror, I DID take this pic!) but I think this is the first time I have really LOOKED at it. See my dad's smile? His tender hug? This is the way he loved on all of his grandbabies and great-grandbabies. I hope you are as blessed as I when you see this picture of my granddaughter Madelyn with her "Great-paw" as she called him.

Madelyn Rachel and Great-Paw, October 2003

Same Song, Second Verse Happy Birthday to Ryan!

Ryan Thomas Gwillim

Ryan is 24 today! Yes, our boys were born 2 years and 1 day apart.

I am so proud of Ryan, he has over come many obsticles in his young life. Ryan has a son of the furry 4 legged variety.

Ryan works for AMOR, a mission organization out of San Diego. He is an I.T. and works hard at his job, when he plays he plays hard...rock climbing, mountain biking, disc golf and anything else that is physical.

Happy Birthday Ryan...we are so proud of you!

Happy Birthday to Roy!

Roy Davies Gwillim

Today our son turns 26, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN???

I am so proud of my son, Roy is a terrific husband and a wonderful father to 2 of the most beautiful grandchildren in the world, Maddie and JJ.

Roy is a fisherman who lives on the Bering Sea for months and then is home for months, this goes on year round. He loves his job and loves his time at home.

We are so proud of you Roy, Happy Birthday son!

Just a statistic

We've all read the stats about how much of our time we spend waiting in lines, waiting for a phone call, and etc. well, so far today I am a statistic.

• Got up at 4 a.m., my back was killing me so I took a dose of pain meds and waited for them to kick in.
• Turned on the laptop...waited for it to process and fire up.
• Connect to the internet...waited for my mailbox to open.
• Still waiting for the pain meds to kick in.
• Turn on the coffee pot...waiting for it to beep beep beep, signaling me that I can pour myself a cuppa.
• I'm hungry, but can't eat anything until I eat this special stuff that has to be taken with yet another med...waiting for Ed to get up so I can be in the kitchen without waking him up.
• It is dark out side, I am waiting for the sun to rise...I bet it will be beautiful after yesterdays storm.
• I could jump in the shower, but will wait until Ed gets up.
• Still waiting for the pain meds to kick in.
• My phone is sitting right here, I'm waiting for it to ring and since it is Saturday it should be ringing very shortly...my sister and I yak almost every Saturday morning. Maybe she is waiting for her phone to ring??? Is it my turn to call her? I'll wait a bit longer to see if she is waiting for me.
• I haven't let the cat in yet, I am waiting for him to "knock" on the door to let me know he is ready for breakfast.

And so, here I am a statistic...waiting for my day to begin although I have been up for over 2 hrs. While waiting I have managed to:

• make a final decision about something that has been heavy on my heart
• sort through a pile of books that needed to be tossed, read, or given away
• caught up on my blog reading
• paid a few bills
• read my email box
• sorted and filed a bunch of notes and letters, some of which had been there since February!
• done some research for a purchase I need to make
• made a to-do list for the wknd

OK, so I guess waiting can be a good thing.

Have a good day and don't sit around waiting, do something!

Pics part 3

Happy 5th Anniversary Roy & Naomi!!! Jason and Madelyn, too cute for words!
Spiderman and Spiderwoman
KT teaching the babies to sign

OSU...go Beav's!

Friday Night Sunset...amazing!

Blogger woes

Blogger will not let me upload anymore pics, I guess you will have to wait to see a picture of Spiderman and Spiderwoman, a picture of Maddie and JJ going to the other side, Maddie and JJ being as cute as cute can be, and a few other pictures. I will try again tomorrow and see if Blogger is being more user-friendly than it is now.

Pictures from our wknd

KT and Maddie sharing a quiet moment

Cinnamon Roll Boy

Banantler Man and friends

Wknd pics part 2

Uncle Ryan and JJ climbing rocks....hang on to that baby! Naomi, JJ, Roy, KT, Maddie,Ryan, Me, Ed
JJ takes a picture of Daddy, Maddie and Mommie


Ryan skimboarding

JJ and the bug grandpa found for him, this bug kept JJ happy all wknd

Momma Always Said...

..."He's more like his father everyday."

That is what my momma would say about my father when she was frustrated by something that daddy had done or said. I would think to myself "I like my grandpa!" and having my daddy like my grandfather was just A-OK with me.

Fast forward many years....MANY years. My dear sweet father-in-law was just as round as he was tall (and he was NOT tall) but in every other way my husband could be his father reincarnate.

This is my tribute to my father-in-law, on today...what would have been his 95th birthday.

Richard Davies Gwillim

Everybody ready? I remember times when we would be visiting with the in-laws while our boys were just toddlers and grandpa would announce we were going for a drive, out to dinner, etc. So, we'd spend the next 15 minutes gathering the diaper bag, putting on the coats and finding a lost sock to cover toes and heading out the door...where was grandpa? In the garden, where else would he be?...we would get the boys buckled into their carseats and sit and wait, and wait and honk the horn and wait. Finally he would come and off we would go. He was always totally oblivious to the fact that we had been waiting and waiting and trying to keep two little boys happy while we waited. After a few times like this we would take our own car, with my mother-in-law and let the father-in-law arrive when he was ready. I used to get so upset when we had to wait and wait for that man to shift into a gear ANY GEAR other than "turtle". I don't ever remember him walking out the door without walking through the garden, even on his way to church!! He loved to tinker in his garden, loved to watch his veggies grow, loved to surprise his wife with the fruits of his labor....and how could he do that if he were not keeping an eye on the garden?

Never met a stranger. The first time my in-laws came to visit us after we had moved to the coast he ran into a former student of his. Fine, great, wonderful. But they then proceeded to bring up the good ole times and yak about everyone who they knew mutually. EVERYONE. Hubby and I and mom in-law went to the car, boy did I wanna leave that man at the store for him to figure out how to get back to our apartment. Finally he came out of the store and without a care in the world as he filled US in on all he had just gleened from this former student. WE DIDN'T CARE...but he did, he was the friendliest man I have ever known. If he did not know you, he knew someone you knew and it surely did not take him long to figure out who the two of you knew.

Laughter lines...oh you might call them crows feet, but if you knew my father-in-law, (which I am sure if you did not know him, he knew someone who knew you...he would make the connection!!) then you know they were not crows feet but laughter lines around his eyes. Twinkle...oh my goodness, his eyes just twinkled when he laughed, which he did everyday!! He loved to tease me and I loved to watch his deep laughter lines!

This man loved my boys so much, he treasured every moment he had with them. Our boys were 5&3 years old when their grandpa died. Ryan was a bit young to understand what that meant, Roy was at such a tender age....he took it really hard. Roy's grandfathers death just broke his little heart. Roy and his grandpa had a unique relationship. From the time Roy was just under a year old he and his grandpa would go down to the coffee shop and have coffee together. I was really not thrilled with this...just not thrilled at all. What if he forgot Roy? What if Roy threw a temper tantrum? What if he couldn't get Roy buckled back in the car seat? This man was 42 when my husband was born, my husband was 28 when Roy was born that means my father-in-law was over 70 at the time...how can a 70 year old man handle a rowdy one year old toddler? None-the-less off they would go...off to have coffee (cocoa for Roy) and a donut with the guys at the coffee shop. Oh the stories grandpa would tell when they FINALLY returned. This man loved his grandsons. When Ryan was approximately 6 months old grandpa rocked that little guy for the first time. I remember watching as tears rolled down his face, into his Santa Claus beard when he was finally able to hold this frail infant, who we prayed over day and night to keep him alive. Grandpa loved this little man, loved him so much. My father-in-law confessed to me that he worried he would never be able to hold this grandchild, and it broke his heart until baby was strong enough to be held. I shed tears remembering this giant of a man holding each my sons so gently.

Not having been brought up in a Christ fearing home, my father-in-law was the first older man I ever saw read a Bible who was not a minister. My father-in-law loved the Lord and was faithful in spending time with his Father, all the way until his last day on earth. I have no doubt he was standing at that Gate waiting for his beloved wife this past Mother's Day when she left this earth. I thank my father-in-law for setting the example...nothing warms my heart more than to see my husband or one of my sons reading their Bible, or seeing their Bible open where they left off reading.

My father-in-law was a funny man...round, chubby, jolly, peaceful...oh this man was a wonderful person to know. I am so blessed to have had him in my life for short time that I did. I remember how he loved to introduce me as "my daughter". Never "Ed's wife" Never "My daughter-in-law", always "my daughter" What a guy!!

I am sorry that my boys did not get a chance to know their grandpa as they grew older, but I have no doubt that they knew him well by the jolly laughter they heard each time Grandpa Gwillim was near, by the way he would read them a story, by the way he would stroke their little heads.

I do so miss my father-in-law, it has been 21 years since his passing, but I still miss his practical jokes, his teaching me to can, his funny way of shuffling his feet as he walked or scratching his back against a door frame, those times when he would be shy and would bring me a bouquet of flowers from his yard. I miss my kids standing on their tippy toes to see out the window when "grawpa" pulled in the driveway. What a wonderful man of God, what wonderful memories I will continue to treasure.