I Can’t Believe I am 60 now

 Ever since Jaime was born, I knew that I would be 60 years of age at the time my baby graduates.  I am 60 today.  She graduates on Friday. Wow.

The weather has been perfect.  But my allergies have not been.  I haven’t enjoyed the day as much as I would like.  As of now, I don’t plan on attending church tomorrow.  Perhaps I shouldn’t have done so in the first place.  Perhaps I would be over this.  Perhaps.  I still don’t know for sure.

Richard did make a cake for my birthday.  Perhaps he shouldn't have as he has been really good with his diet until today. Jaime and I watched Soul.  I played a few games on the kindle.  Not much celebrating.  

Last Day

             It is Jaime’s official last day of school – though she does not graduate until June 3.  There is a mandatory graduation practice at noon – and she has a concert performance on the first.  So much for the last day.  I don’t think Jaime is ready to give it up.  As I had mentioned before, she only needed two class credits to graduate from SUHS – though she could have theoretically graduated from ORCA last year.  But she is making the most of her senior year and has been assisting instructors with some of the freshman classes.

            She had just turned 11 when we initially moved to Oregon in 2015.  Now look at her.  She’ll be starting college at SOU in the fall.  Sunrise, Sunset . . .

 

Allergies and Phlegm

 I must have fallen asleep with the fan on last Friday night, for when I woke up on Saturday (this was the week when Richard was out of town) I could feel a sore throat coming on. I needed to go to Church on Sunday. There was a training scheduled for the Relief Society. Perhaps I could just go to that and skip the other two meetings. But Jaime wanted to go to her meetings – even though Young Women’s had been on the agenda and she is not as comfortable with it as she is with Sunday School.

I had planned on asking the missionaries if they would be teaching but learned that the primary had been invited to the instructor’s class and asked the instructor if I could be in the class also. There were only three other students in attendance and so I was welcomed.

I had not enjoyed church. By the third hour (training) my head was throbbing and I had wished I had just remained at home. I did not feel like I had been trained and that the meeting had not been worth the effort on my part to be there. I felt crummy. But I had prayed about my decision to be there.

On Monday and Tuesday I took over-the-counter meds every four hours and slept most of the days. By Wednesday I was feeling better – though still groggy. The wind was blowing. I felt like I was in a trance.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-manage-spring-allergies/

I had learned that Richard had been sick also. I thought it had been allergies and I guess he did too. But perhaps it was really something else. I looked up the symptoms for the latest COVID cases and I had most of the symptoms – but I have had them before. I had not gotten the sinus infection that I felt was coming. That was good.

In 2020 and 2021 public health had set up stations all over the county so that one could be tested for COVID and later on receive a vaccination. I don’t see stations anymore. Appointments have to be made at various places. Walgreens will hand you the test to do yourself. Oh, as though I can purposely hold a stick in my nose for as long or as hard as required. I have learned that just because a test comes back either negative or positive does not make it accurate. My brother and sister-in-law thought that they had allergies but were tested positive for COVID. Could I have COVID? I have not made an appointment.

Yesterday evening I had an attack and sneezed and sneezed and my right eye had watered up. I KNOW that was allergy related. I think all of it is. I don’t know if I have COVID or not. There’s been a lot of stuff going around throughout the nation. Some of it may be COVID related but not all of it is. All three of us have been sick. Jaime stayed home from school only one day. She should not have gone the last two but is insistent and probably getting everybody else sick. It’s her last week. She already missed out on her last stake dance and isn’t willing to miss her last week of school.

Last night I dreamed that Bonnie had a rubber ball stuck in her mouth. Both she and the toy were whining and I had tried removing the ball but was unable to get a grip on it and was afraid that Bonnie would choke. I saw Richard and explained what was happening. He then attempted to assist with retrieving the ball. The noise from the ball and/or Bonnie’s mouth seemed to get louder. It woke me up. I realized the noise was not from Bonnie but from my husband who has been fighting his illness. There was nothing I could do about his wheezing and so I got up.  I was up for an hour before I returned to bed.  My sleeping habits are pathetic!

CBQ#412

 If you could talk with only one person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

I would pick my brother, Steven, though I am certain I would not be his first choice.  Steven is not only knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects, but we share so many of the same memories and feelings and values.  I miss him on so many levels.  I miss talking with him on a daily basis.  I miss his insight that was more instantaneous in person than now.  I miss his ability to understand me when it feels like nobody else does (husband included).  He’s my youngest brother and has been there for me for most of my adult life.  (We did have a falling out for a couple of years – but we’re good now)

https://lattice.com/library/how-to-create-a-culture-that-encourages-communicati

Talking with only one person would be hard however.  I would miss Jaime's voice and singing.  I would miss other friends as well.  I am happy that I don't have to make that decision for real.

CBQ#332

 Did you or someone you know ever talk a police officer out of writing a ticket?

Richard likes to share a memory of a time when his mother was driving.  She had been pulled over and did not know why.  The officer told her that she was being charged for speeding.

“In this old thing?” she asked and was serious.

The officer was laughing so hard that he did not issue her a citation but did give a warning.

CBQ#560

Which is greater, love of one’s parents, one’s children, one’s spouse, or one’s friend?

Love comes in various sizes and definitions.  Unfortunately we do not all define love the same way when it comes to relationships.  My initial response was the parents’ love toward their children but I know for a fact that not all “parents” feel the same way about their children that they would make the ultimate sacrifice for them – even if that means teaching them with “tough love” which is often harder on the parent than the child.

 Some people may have children but have absolutely no parenting skills or feel positive emotions toward their children.  Some people don’t know how as they were never taught themselves.  That goes the same for spouses.  Some will make small sacrifices for the other – such as cleaning the floor or ironing their shirts – it’s a sacrifice when one person does it not because of obligation but out of respect and love for the other. Of course those are just examples of small sacrifices.  Rallying around a person who has changed either mentally or physically due to an injury or aging - one spouse doting on the other.  I have seen several examples of that from both spouses and parents.

So many relationships start based on physical appearance or attraction. That doesn’t mean the relationship won’t turn into a strong love for one another.  I love Ben Wilcox explanations of love and affection found in this video.

 There are obviously different degrees of love.  Your love for your parents or children is not going to be the same as the love you have toward your spouse.  Nor is your love for pizza going to amount to what you may feel toward a person.  Hopefully your spouse is your best friend though you will have so many others that you can call friend.  You may love them all – but still different degrees of love toward each person.  Love is more than affection.  Love takes work on both sides.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/
feb/11/what-is-love-and-is-it-all-in-the-mind

CBQ#559

 What’s the best way to resist peer pressure?

I have never been one to give into peer pressure.  I spent far too much of my life feeling sad or discouraged.  I never had the confidence that I tried so hard to instill in Jaime.  She is good at avoiding negative peer pressure, but does seem to give in to positive peer pressure.  An example of that would be whenever she follows suit when youth in our ward tend to challenge one another to bear their testimonies every fast Sunday. 

Best way to resist?  Live for God and for yourself.  It doesn’t matter what your peers think. Peers should encourage not discourage. 

https://www.verywellfamily.com/negative-and-
positive-peer-pressure-differences-2606643