Home or just a beautiful house

 Is it just a house or a home?  It’s hard to know when a house becomes a home.  We all want to live in a home.  And that magic line between the two is often very faint or a brick wall.  A home doesn’t have a certain size or decor or monetary value.  A real home is where one feels the safest, the most comfortable, and where one keeps their most prized possessions.  But it takes all those to make a home.  Right now I live in a house with my prized possessions and it feels safe, but something is missing.  Not sure what it is. It feels comfortable but could be more comfortable.  There is another component in that equation.  Eventually this will feel like home used to in Colorado.  Leaving wasn’t what I wanted so it’s hard to be at home here.  To be fair the weather here takes away some of the comfortable I felt in Colorado.  Humid air has never been something I tolerated very well.  I love the dry low humidity of a more arid climate.  I sleep better in that environment.  Sleep is important.  Haven’t learned to sleep well here, yet.  That can put a damper on a house or area feeling like home.  More on this later.

It’s been a long journey

 It’s been a long journey.  One at times seemed too hard to take.  I like most are sick of anything to do with coronavirus or whatever the heck it’s called.  It has changed life forever.  Nothing will ever be the same.  Still have to wear a mask most places.  Enough about this.

Moving is a hard thing to do.  Moving to another state, harder.  Moving away from loved ones, even harder.  Moving away from a state I love, harder.  Add all that up and you have a difficult move.  It’s almost “complete”.  The furniture doesn’t fit the new house.  And the last house was built to a much higher standard than the one we moved in to.  The question, to stay or move, again!?  Each new day presents different challenges.  At this point neither house is home.  And yet I am so blessed.  So there is a struggle with the feeling that no where feels like home even though our “stuff” is in a very nice house.  I guess time will tell if we are able to make this one feel like home.  

No one reads my blog but I want a place to document my journey.  That is here.  Basically for me.

It has been 4 years

It’s been 4 years since we buried my dear mother.  Her funeral was just the way she would have liked it.  It was very precious.  She was such a wonderful soul, a vision of God Himself shining through all that she was.  She allowed God to transform her and in the end she was rewarded as we all would expect, I’m sure.  This song was my song that kept me going while I missed her spirit here in this earth.  I’ve shed a bucket of tears listening to this song.  Enjoy it with me, again.

Precious Lord

We had a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King at our church last night.  This song!  It was sung at his funeral by Mahalia Jackson.  It’s the only thing I remember about his death.  But I do remember hearing her sing this at the funeral that was televised or later somehow.  Love it.

Almost 4 years

Doesn’t seem possible that my dear mother has been gone almost 4 years.  I still miss her so much.  Although she had lived a wonderful 93 years and  she was ready to go home.  But she will be missed until I join her.  The one thing I can hear in my head of her is her singing.  She sang praises to God all the time, even when she couldn’t hear herself sing.  She told me she too heard her mother sing all the time.  They both probably sang this hymn.  Jetta would quote this song to me along with others.

He is there for me just as He was for my mother and her mother.  He never said this life was easy and actually said it wouldn’t be easy but that He would never leave us or forsake us.  I’m writing this for me today.  This is for me to soak up.  If it spills over on someone else, good.

Music from Marvin Gaye

It’s almost NYE and we need a good tune to carry with us across the line into the new year, one that we can learn from or prompt us to think about where we are.  This one will certainly do that.  Listen, more than once and read the words.

Mother, mother

There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, eheh

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, oh oh oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on

In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on brother
Right on babe

Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply 'cause our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh oh oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
C'mon talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on, ooh ooo ooo ooo
Right on baby
Right on baby

Music from the 70s

Now, I love music.  It feeds my soul just as food feeds my body.  I have a couple genres that work best for me.  Some days I want all vegetables and other days I need a bit of protein.  Some days it’s classic jazz all day, then others I need a shot of soul from my youth.

Just a couple from this evenings round of music.   These are not necessarily my favorite because with a generation of soulful sounds it’s hard to pick a favorite.  I’m sure I have my more favorite tunes but for this post these are the freshest on my mind.

Right around the corner is the new year.  I committed to reading the Bible through last New Years and guess what???  I will have it read on the 31st.  I would recommend this challenge to everyone.  There were times it was tough!  I got behind and that’s never easy to come back from but I am glad I have almost done this. It was good to get the whole picture and I love the Word even more!  I will reread in 2019 on a 24 month schedule so I can slow it down and read to understand more.

Another challenge I’ll do is Florals Your Way on Instagram.  It’s a drawing challenge each month, every other day.  I’ve been able to keep up this month and last.  It keeps me on my toes.  I’ll post the better ones on my blog.

What challenges are you doing?