Finally last Saturday I could go back home. I hadn’t been back for Sewing Day since April, or was it March? And I was ready for some family time. Family time comes in different forms, depending on which part of the family is getting together.
By now you may know that Mr. Pat and I have been married for 32 years. Our home is in Denton, NE, shared with our two four-legged babies, Arapahoe and Xian (pronounced She-ANN). We call Arapahoe our rescue dog because she and her sister Cheyenne rescued us from loneliness while on a mission trip to the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. We can only imagine their heritage, being born on the rez. Cheyenne is now waiting for us at Rainbow Bridge. About the time Cheyenne died, Xian was being born. She is half red heeler and half Chinese pug, hence her Chinese name. And interestingly, she looks and acts very much like Cheyenne. Same short reddish hair, same playful spirit and amazingly fast. It’s good to be living in Denton again … more family hikes down to the creek! Mr. Pat’s daughter Leslie and her husband Glenn live outside of Clatonia, NE. Their pup Jessie and our two are due for a play date again. Every once in a while, we see Mr. Pat’s son Troy and his wife Jaime and our two grandchildren, Avery and Camden, who live in Chandler, AZ. Thank goodness for technology so we can keep in contact in between! Sewing Day started a couple of years ago so my sister and I had a good reason to get together. Now we are joined by my niece, our mom, two aunts, and sometimes a cousin or two … to sew and share stories before the rest of the family comes at noon for potluck dinner. And more stories and laughter. Loving God, thank you for our families. And the good times we have together. Amen. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat
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There has been a shift in the goings-on at the Norris household this week. We are taking a break from purging closets and cupboards and unpacking boxes to get settled indoors. We have moved outside!
It started Monday. I offered to trim around the trees and such while Mr. Pat mowed. While trimming, I realized that I hadn’t done much outside here at home for the past two months. And there was groundcover in three areas that were needing attention. (Tending to the groundcover has traditionally been my realm.) So I trimmed until I had used up three batteries. Then I shifted to weeding. Ohmygoodness, I’m not used to weeding … and my back let me know it! Tuesday morning I used a different approach. This time I started on my hands and knees and finished in an upright position. My body thanked me for making the change. At some point I looked to see where Arapahoe and Xian were. They are typically somewhere close to their people. Taking a bushel basket of weeds to “the pile,” I found them. With their papa. Helping him dig potatoes. Well, Xian was helping dig. She would dig to China if you let her. She LOVES to dig. I think she remembers helping Mom reclaim rocks in the dry creek bed when she was just a baby. (That’s another story for another day.) Arapahoe had found a cool place to rest … the upturned soil from the first row of potatoes. By this time, she was content to let Papa uncover the treasures in the second row by himself. But she kept one eye on her papa, as she always does, to make sure everything is right in her world. It was good to get outside, spruce up the surroundings, dig in the dirt, reap the harvest of Yukon Golds, and enjoy their unique flavor at lunchtime. And it was good to be on my knees again … for an extended time of prayer. All-Knowing, Creator God, thank you for encouraging the shifts that provide us refreshment. Amen. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat Something to Ponder
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