I was awake most of the night worrying that maybe I’m pushing John too hard to go to Florida. I know I am anxious to get to our southern home and I feared that he’s agreed to our departure date because he is tired of arguing about it. John deserves to enjoy every minute of his life and I felt guilty thinking that maybe I’m stealing good memories from him.

But today he said to a stranger, “I’m realizing I’m better off in Florida and probably can’t handle the cold weather here.”

And I am realizing that we need to have our wonderful group of close friends which we’re lacking here. In our circle, I can think of lots of folks who would willingly help us, if we needed help. There are guy friends like Mike B., Bob B., John B., Ron, Dave, Bob W., Bill, Richard, Stephen and more. If we need help, they’ll be there for us.

John is aware of my concerns and I am sure that we’ve in agreement that Florida will allow us to enjoy the next seven months.

He’s even realizing that this house is too much work for us. Maybe, by next year, we can consider selling it. It’ll take some remodeling first but we have to start somewhere.

I FIRST STARTED READING THIS & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. IT IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK.
READ SLOWLY!

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know … time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is… the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise…How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is…my friends are retired and getting grey…they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me…but, I see the great change….Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant…but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will… I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so…now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the back nine, and I’m not sure how long it will last…this I know, that when it’s over on this earth…it’s over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done…things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you’re not on the back nine yet…let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the back nine or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life….so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember…and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY ! HAVE A GREAT DAY Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS:
~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
~You forget names…. But it’s OK because some people forgot they even knew you!!!
~You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything like golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you aren’t as interested in anymore, but you really don’t care that you aren’t as interested.
~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV ‘ON’ than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..
~You tend to use more 4 letter words … “what?”…”when?”… ???
~You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet…. 2 of which you will never wear.

~~~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, “OLD FRIEND!” Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It’s Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU’VE EVER BEEN; YET THE YOUNGEST YOU’LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS

” Do Not Regret Growing Older.
It is a Privilege Denied to Many. ”

Note: This message was sent to me by Bob Hubbach, wonderful musician and artist.

Understandably I worry about John’s health. I am always concerned about keeping him well, and it doesn’t help that I depend on his good health when we’re away from home. Last month, when he woke up and was so ill, I wondered what I’d have done if that had happened when we were on the road to Florida. What if we were 700 miles from family and friends?

Ok, so I’m a worrier.

It doesn’t hurt that I’ve heard of problems friends have had. As an example, Pat Hesselgrave’s husband died in the U.P. after pulling their RV up there. She (like me) couldn’t drive it back, so they had to depend on someone to go up there and get it.

In a month we plan to head to Florida. With John’s health it could become too much for him and we’d get stuck in Georgia, or Tennessee. Since I’m scared to death of driving the truck, what would we do? Or what if something had happened to him in Evart. How would I have gotten the trailer back?

A solution arrived the other day from the Moose club. We could pay $129 annually and have insurance so if something happened, we’d have a way to get us and our vehicle back home. The insurance would fly us back and send a driver to get our vehicle, or we could have someone go get it and the plan would pay them up to $1,000 a day. I immediately subscribed us before we went to the U.P. Thankfully we didn’t need it, but we are now prepared. Here’s the plan: Moose Assistance+.

In a similar attempt to avoid worry, a few years ago I signed up for “Simplisafe,” which is a reasonably priced monitored security service. When we’re in Florida, I sleep much better knowing that is someone broke into our Michigan home, we and the police would be notified.

Peace of Mind is important. The above two examples provide us with that comfort. Thank heavens we can afford these protections.

I’m no expert, but I am dealing with John’s illness the best I can. People forget that as a spouse, his health affects me too. He’s not in it alone. We are a team. He’s fighting a valiant fight, but I’m trying to be supportive in every way.

And the same (but in a lesser way) goes for friends supporting friends. I’ve been receiving the Facebook posts from a close (music) friend who went through surgery this week for bladder problems. Sadly this morning he said to his Facebook friends, “Got the biopsy results back this morning. They are not good. Have to wait until Thursday to find out next steps. Not looking forward to the future at this point.” And then later in the discussion he added, “I’m scared as hell,” and “I hope I can stay composed when Jean (his wife) gets up. She was up late last night and and is under stress already.”

My heart goes out to him. He’s a sweet, caring guy who is always there for all of us. Now he needs our prayers and support.

His wife, Jean leans on him, and right now they need each other.

Being either spouse is rough. I hope he realizes that it’s not weakness to show his fear. I am sure his spirit and faith will take him through this problem but it’s going to be a tough fight.

When he apologized for burdening all of us, many of us spoke up. It’s not a burden. He impacts our lives too. We need to help with our prayers and our words of support. Isolation from others would negatively affect him.

We returned to the Lower Peninsula yesterday, but not before we stopped at U.P. Realty and started the “listing” procedure to sell our place on Lake Michigan.

The broker wasn’t very encouraging and said that places like ours aren’t moving, so we probably are stuck with it for a while, but you never know.

We realize the place is just too much work for us. John gave in and we hired a guy to finish up the tree which had come down on the roof. We also paid him to cut down about a dozen more; most because we feared they could come down on the trailer.

Arrived here Thursday (today’s Saturday) and for John it’s just been work, work, work.

He had to get the water working which took all of the time after we arrived Thursday.

Toilet is leaking. Mouse poop all over the kitchen. Place smells awfully musty. Dirty. All the window screens in the living room area have developed holes. (Apparently even metal window screens have a life-span and it must be about 50 years because that’s how old this trailer is.) And there’s a huge tree on the roof of the trailer.

Thursday I did a lot of the “unloading” (while he worked on getting us water) and Friday I continued to clean and get stuff settled in while he concentrated on the tree problem. Unfortunately my foot didn’t appreciate it. Today I’ve been ordered (by John) to get off my feet. My foot is really swollen and even more discolored than it was Thursday when I took this picture.

So I’m stuck on the couch. I have learned that sitting with my foot on the floor makes it worse, so it’s up here on the couch with me.

Yesterday John was successful cutting through the trunk end of the tree, about half way up. He says the more he does, the better he feels. Unfortunately his lung problem is really severe. Even using constant oxygen, he can only work for short bouts before he has to take a break. He uses the chainsaw and cuts off a few branches, then rests. It’s slow, but he is making progress. He’s hoping that once he gets the extra branches off, the upper half will “slide off” the metal roof. Once it’s on the ground, he’s probably going to hire the guy to cut it up and stack it before we come back next year.

He’s finally acknowledging that we need to sell the place. It’s just too much work.

Yesterday I walked down to the water and it’s much better than it’s been in years! Another winter of snow, and we may have a nice beach back.