Glimpses of 2008

Two thousand eight was quite a year--some tall peaks and some really low valleys. I am thankful that I was able to fly to North Dakota to see my mother before she left to be with the Lord in the spring. Her chronic leukemia turned into acute leukemia, and we knew she was in really serious condition when I had a stretch of four days off. She seemed to be rallying a few times after my visit, but she lost the battle (as many would view it) on April fourteenth. She had made it past her eighty-eighth birthday the end of March. My Dad really misses her; they celebrated their golden anniversary a long time ago.

Treatment that I underwent for depression the end of 2007 and into 2008 seems to have been a general waste. I have been having some greater freedom from it for a while after working with a counselor/therapist since last spring or summer.

Miskey left me for Vermont. I do not know if I knew, when she departed, that she had no plan to return to live with me again. A friend of hers from way back had told her about a program that was supposed to tackle all the problems that she has (physical, mental, emotional, vocational) with a broad team of professionals. There was supposed to be coordination among all these helpers, and they would seek to get her as healthy as possible in all respects and fit for whatever occupational pursuit she might sustain. The reality has been a far cry from the dream. There still seems to be prospect of her getting help, and she may have opportunity to get some training in horticulture, which is a definite area of interest for her.

Happily, the Lord has worked on both of us to the point where we believe that we will get together again. Not sure when that will be, but we are handling previous stressors better in our interactions. It has been a real relief to me that God answered our prayers of many months to get me into an inside position with Verizon. The work was not to be permanent, but I am enjoying working from a cubicle and praying that the Lord would rescue me from having to return to the outside work as a phone technician. The heat of Florida and the chaos of dealing with physical things that have been under Verizany's care for many years challenged my contentedness severely.

A really bright spot in the year was the wedding of our daughter, Sarah, in mid-November. We are thankful that she and Adam Rosenauer took this step of commitment to one another. Sarah and her friend, Elizabeth, did all the planning and preparation, and a good bit of actual work, too (like the creation of numerous centerpieces out of beer bottles, twine, and cut flowers.) I am sure, if you browse the photos that are on the web, that you will agree they did a fabulous job. (You can see their pictures at http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?user_id=19783&tmpl=28&event=247068&album_id=247068 If you are asked for a password, it is "Rosenauer123".

Getting Started

I have for some time wished that I could communicate more with folks with whom I am involved in one sphere or another. While reading an e-mail from a sister in Christ (Pam Moore, see her blog at http://jesusmybridge.blogspot.com/ )I investigated her blog and came to realize that a blog would enable me to communicate with as many of my friends/relatives/co-workers/etc. as wished to "hear" what I had to say. The concern of sending "spam" is overcome. My readers do not have to worry about cleaning a bunch of messages out of their inboxes.

I had heard of blogs a number of times; I just had not thought about it as a vehicle for myself. It is also great as it will allow me to share things that are "in progress" but not where I want them to be ultimately. The chronological nature of a blog is also interesting because it gives one an opportunity to watch the development of ideas and opinions (and character, insight, application, ...) over time.

SO,.... welcome to my new blog--and thanks, Pam, for being the stimulus for me to give it a go.