Miscellany

Among my New Year's resolutions this year was getting fit. I haven't usually been a fan of exercise, at least if it feels like exercise, but I'd started walking and found myself enjoying it a lot. So when we got back from Utah, I stepped up my walk to 8 mi./day. I LOVED it. My family, not so much -- they disliked the amount of time it took me away from home. I'd planned on starting interval training (i.e. Couch to 5K), and, having found a podcast that went with it, decided to start.

Day 1: Super Easy (seriously, after 8 mi. walks how could 2 mi. intervals not be easy?!)

Because of this, I didn't take the next day off and so,

Day 2: Super Easy ---- Until I injured my knee.

Thinking this was not a good thing and that perhaps taking a day or two off would be wise, I did just that -- I took 2 days off. Since my knee was feeling better, though not totally healed, I decided I would do Day 3, but power walking instead of jogging. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea. Two weeks later I'm in the doctor's office having him tell me my knee is deranged (yes, he really did say that!), that I need to see a specialist because he suspects an injury that may require surgery to fix, and on crutches for the foreseeable future. Did I mention that Day 3 was a bad idea? Of course, I'm sure 2 weeks of pretending that it wasn't really injured didn't help either, but we're just going to ignore that. *Sigh* You may feel free to join with me in hoping that staying off of it and taking anti-inflammatory drugs will make it magically go away on its own. :)

In other news, we decided to upgrade the operating system for our computer. Turns out we also had to upgrade the memory. ($cha-ching$) Thanks to that little adventure, I now know that there are 2 types of RAM on my computer, and how to replace them. This was not something I'd had a burning desire to learn, but I find myself pleased by it anyway. Then I installed the new OS. Unfortunately, my hard drive is full with stuff that I know nothing about, the new and old OSs have programs on them that are not compatible, I can't get the entire new OS to load, and now many programs are just not working. Isn't it simply fabulous how much easier technology has made our lives?? And so, there will be no new photos until I can figure out how to make everything work because, one of those programs that's not working is my photo program. (Note to self: Add "become computer guru in less than 1 week" to to-do list.)

I've been knitting and spinning like a fiend, but don't have much in the way of finished objects to show for it. Mostly because they are all big projects, and I have apparently contracted knitting ADD (having a total of I-don't-even-know-how-many projects currently in process). I'm sure that the fact that I've read a total of 16 books this month, with another 4 that I'm currently enjoying has nothing to do with it. Ah, well. Maybe I'll add "Give up sleeping" to my list of New Year's resolutions. Then again, maybe not.

Eulogy

The funeral for my mom was on Saturday, January 3, 2009. I believe that she would have enjoyed the services, and that they did, if fact, honor her memory.

At the request of some from the services, I am posting the eulogy that I gave.

How do you sum up a life?

When my dad asked me to share a little about my mom, a passage of scripture, as it often did when thinking of her, kept coming to mind. It's found in Proverbs Chapter 31 verses 25-31 and reads as follows:

"Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates."

If ever there was a woman who exemplified this passage, my mom was it. From as early as I can remember, my mom was always there, giving of herself, generously, with no expectations. She never had an unkind word for anyone, but was always looking for the best in people. She made you think that if you could just be half the person she seemed to think you were then anything was possible. No matter how busy she was, if you needed her help, advice, a listening ear, or some encouragement, she was there for you. Her days were long and filled with hard work, with seldom any rest to be found, and she struggled with poor health for most of her life, but she never complained. She had an inner strength that, no matter the challenge, caused her to never give up. When I was little I used to marvel at her patience thinking that if ever there lived a saint, she was it. As I got older I became sure of it. Always humble, she never made much of her self -- she was always too busy making much of others. Warm and friendly, loyal and trustworthy, always with a ready smile, she was the kind of person you wanted to spend time with and were proud to call "friend". People, her family and friends, were her treasure. When I moved to Arizona, I was no longer able to see her often, but we would talk nearly every week, and she'd always tell me how blessed and rich she was because of all of us -- her husband, children and grandchildren, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

To quote a little of the poem "Mother Mine":

O Mother mine, if I can be
To little ones who look to me,
A mother half as sweet and wise
And tender; if they but surmise
That in your likeness I have tried
To grow, I shall be satisfied,
Mother dearie, Mother cheery, Mother mine.

I love you, Mom.