Thursday, May 22, 2014

Letting Go and Going with the Flow



Hello on this overcast day here in Missouri. The meteorologists are predicting rain for the next seven days and from the leaden sky, I think they may be on target today.

There’s no new post-convent story today. The past few weeks have left me bone weary, and so after a busy weekend, I decided to make my weekdays obligation-free.

On Monday, however, I had to leave the house to pick up my new glasses at Costco. When a fellow customer saw me put them on, she said that I was “with it.” 

Shaking my head at the wonder of it all, I told her I’d always wanted to be “with it,” although mostly I was only being polite because I’ve never felt—except when I was an acne-faced, shy teenager—the need to be with it. I suspect that mostly I've "marched to the tune of a different drummer." And that's been both challenging and lonely.

Also on Monday I had to mail a birthday box to a young friend who’s turning six in a few days.

Tuesday I entertained a flu bug and stayed in bed. I’m lucky because flu seems to always be of the 24-hour variety with me. And sure enough by Wednesday I felt better. Still tired but not bleary.

Between Monday and today, I read a fine book: Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrook. Today I hope to get well into Reinventing American Health Care by Ezekiel J. Emanuel. The subtitle of this 2014 book is as follows:

How the Affordable Care Act Will Improve Our Terribly Complex, Blatantly Unjust, Outrageously Expensive, Grossly Inefficient, Error Prone System.

That seems to pretty well, at least for me, epitomize what’s wrong with health care here in the United States right now. I’m a big fan of the Affordable Care Act, but I now live in a state where the majority of the population isn’t.

According to the book’s table of content, I’m going to learn how we got in this mess, what the new health care bill is trying to do to get us out of it, and what the future prospects are for health care here in the United States. I do so hope that this aging mind can grasp all of that. I say that because health care seems to be such a complicated issue here. But maybe we've just made it that way.



Wednesday, at 7:00 AM, I took Hannah, the Geo Prism LSi that’s been a driving friend to me for seventeen years, to the shop because the air conditioning wasn’t working. After some checking, the mechanic concluded she needs a new compressor and Freon: $550.

I am one of the lucky ones because I have that money saved and won’t have to go into debt or use a credit card to get Hannah out of hock from the mechanics.

Today, Thursday, once again at 7:00, I took Hannah back in for the compressor installation. One of the helpers there drove me home and will return to take me back to the shop when the work is done. So right now I’m just sitting here writing this stream-of-consciousness summary of the last few days.

I’m going to rest again today and read and simply “Be.” My body seems to be telling me that I need to cherish it this week and just be gracious to myself, not demanding much, if anything, of it. And so that’s what I’ve been doing.

If all goes well, Hannah and I will stay home tomorrow—Friday. I won’t ask anything of her, not even a test of her new AC compressor. She’ll ask nothing of me. A perfect relationship. At least for me, right now. The three cats with whom I live will, of course, demand their food.

On Saturday I’ll go to Weight Watchers and then out to an early lunch with my great-niece who is getting married in June. I think we’ll probably discuss wedding plans and simply enjoy one another’s company. She’s an interesting human being, and I enjoy listening to her opinions because they often differ so from mine.

I hope all of you have the leisure I have to enjoy your lives and to be gracious to yourself when you need time out.
        
I’m ending with a song sung by a favorite singer of mine. The lyrics show just how I feel about all of you who follow this blog so faithfully and who graciously leave comments that enrich my days. Peace.


54 comments:

  1. I have the leisure at my sea if you don't count the money part lmao. Well there you go, you are so with it, great job haha yuck to the flu

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    1. Dear Pat, I wonder if you ever have any just "being" time. You blog daily and rhyming your thoughts must take time and effort. And you respond to the comments readers leave and then you visit the blogs of your readers. And . . . you write your wonderful books. You are one busy human being! Peace.

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  2. With it? I’ve never been that either. Or hold on, yes, I must have been as a teenager in my tight jeans and stripey jumpers.

    Good for you, resting when needed is something ladies of our years should go in for more often. I am good at it. I love the kind of week where I literally only do what I enjoy and nobody makes demands on me.

    Relax and have a good time; don’t let anyone tell you to ‘put your skates on.’ That goes for blogging too.

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    1. Dear Friko, the truth is that I'm learning how to fall asleep in seconds when I nap each day. I'm almost ready for the napping Olympics! I'd expect at least a bronze medal but as the months pass, I'll be in training for the gold! Peace.

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  3. I love listening to other people. Everyone I meet knows something I don't.

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    1. Dear Joanne, yes, every person I know and meet has a story to tells that's unique and opinions to share that help me understand life better. Peace.

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  4. So glad you are feeling better and taking it easy. I love your philosophy that you are the lucky one... not unlucky that your AC broke, but lucky that you had the money to fix it. That's the way to go. Doesn't help to complain... just do what has to be done and get on with it. And great song!!

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    1. Dear Rian, I try to steer clear of complaining because I've discovered in myself that when I complain I go down, down, down into "the dumps" as we used say. And I don't like being "down in the dumps." Not one little bit! Peace.

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    2. Dear Rian, I checked and saw that you have three blogs. I try to limit my blogging time each week so that I can get my writing and researching done for the novel I'm writing. So I read only one blog per person. Which of the three would you like me to follow? Peace.

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  5. How I love that song. You are unforgettable, Dee. You're so with it that you don't even know it. I'm so grateful for the Affordable Care Act and so tired of hearing it put down. I have health insurance now because of the act, and I had a physical recently. I'm going to have blood work soon, followed by a mammogram and colonoscopy. Thank you, President Obama, for giving me the health care everyone should receive.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Dear Janie, you are so good for my ego! Like you, I'm grateful for the Affordable Care Act because it allows my great nieces a way to have health insurance. I'm glad to learn that you are using the Act and its benefits to get your checkups and tests. This is going to mean that the citizens of the United States are going to be healthier in the long run. Peace.

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  6. Oh, I feel your pain with the flu. Glad it only hung around for a day.
    I too am a fan of ACA. I can't understand all the opposition.
    So glad Hannah is recuperating and will once again keep you cool. Summer is coming. . And here I thought Dixie was old at 10.

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    1. Dear Arkansas Patti, like you, I'm unable to understand all the opposition to the ACA. I'm wondering if it's that people don't understand it or that those against it don't have the empathy to understand what going with health care is like and the stress it causes, which leads to bad health. Peace.

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  7. I have health care as of Feb of this year. Since I had lost my job due to down sizing back in 2009 I was without any health insurance. I took care of myself and if I had had gotten an illness that needed hospitalization - - - - well our home would be on line. Thank God I managed.

    I hope that you are doing all you can to rest and get stronger God is great. With his help and good food and rest, we will be able to see nice posts like this from you. Thank you.

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    1. Dear Munir, it's been wonderful for me to see how many readers who left comments support the ACA. And I'm so happy for you that you now have health care. I'm truly blessed because I'm retired and have Medicare. Also I'm able to afford a supplement to Medicare. So many people can't. Peace.

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  8. I love that you are being kind and gracious to yourself. You are very dear to me - and to many other people too. Hugs.

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    1. Dear EC, thank you for your kind words. I took the whole week off from commitments and now--on Sunday afternoon--I'm feeling equal to reading blogs tomorrow and to walking and working on my novel. Life is good. Peace.

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  9. Being true to yourself instead of following the "with it" crowd is a much better a way to live. Now, though, that you have those cool,trendy glasses, will the inner celebrity come out in you?

    You take care of yourself, Dee, and relax as you enjoy going with the flow

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    1. Dear Arleen, I laughed out loud when I read your comment. I've never realized that I had an "inner celebrity" but when I thought about it I realized that I must because I do so long to get my name out there in the world as a writer of books. So I suppose I'm seeking FAME--the inner celebrity that's part of me. When a story comes, I so want to share it with others and that's why I've been disheartened at not finding an agent to represent my writing. But . . . if my words are for the good of the Universe, something will bring them to others. Peace.

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  10. Check what EC said: I am glad too that you are going with the flow and not demanding so much from yourself for a change. Sending you lots of love and virtual hugs and flowers. Can you stand a bit of virtual chocolate? I sent that too! :-)

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    1. Dear DJan, oh, that virtual chocolate is yummy in the tummy! And that tummy is getting rounder and rounder because when I'm tired, I eat. So it's back to Weight Watchers for me. Peace.

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  11. Dear Dee! What does 'with it' mean anyway?! You are so many things and surely 'with it' can not be excluded! I so agree with you about the Affordable Care Act. I find it extraordinary that people cannot and will not understand how important it is for people not to have the anxiety of no where to go when their health fails. It is disheartening to see so many state and local governments more concerned with political dogma that the well-being of their constituents. 'Going with the flow' is more and more important to me the older I get. That's the kind of day I had yesterday. Today I definitely have more 'get up and go' and soon I'll be 'outta here'!

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    1. Dear Broad, yes, it is disheartening "to see so many state and local governments more concerned with political dogma than the well-being of their constituents." I read a fine book last year by a former representative in Congress--who lives in one of the southwestern states (I can't remember which one). He made so much sense as he talked about our politicians today who are more interested in "party" than in "people." I think those two words were in the title of his book. Peace.

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  12. I am glad that you are feeling better and that Hannah, too is on the mend. Your line about simply Being and being gracious to oneself are spot on. People can't truly be good to others unless they are first good to themselves. Enjoy this week of healing~

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    1. Dear Shelly, I have so enjoyed this week, and I'm feeling ready to begin blogging tomorrow and to do a minimal amount each day for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to do my Morning Pages (from the Artist's Way). I'm in the sixth week now. And I"m going to walk and blog and research the Bronze Age in Greece. So four things each day and that's all I'm asking of myself. Feels good. Peace.

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  13. I love that you can listen to your body and honor her requests. Sounds like a peaceful week that is well-deserved. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the health care book. We have made so many things complicated in this country and it's disheartening to realize that half the reason (or more) we choose not to fix them is because it's too hard. Thank goodness for the ACA - this step in the right direction. Here's hoping it impacts people's lives in a significant way that will convince us to continue tackling difficult problems.

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    1. Dear Kari, per usual I find that you make such good sense about what's happening in our culture and government. The book is well written and easy to read. The author "uncomplicated" the tangled mess of the past and gives hope for the future. Peace.

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  14. When people realize that ACA is working for others they will eventually get on board. There is so much misinformation and disinformation out there. But when people who couldn't get insurance at all due to pre-existing conditions, and people who previously couldn't afford it find that now they can...well, the word gets out. I had my own insurance but switched under ACA it was no big deal to do so. Hope you have a lovely restful weekend.

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    1. Dear Melissa, I so hope you are right--that when the ACA is shown to work, others will climb aboard. What gives me hope is that the reaction to Social Security back in the '30s and Medicare in the '60s was the same and now most people take these two acts for granted and feel that they are truly a right. Peace.

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  15. Dear Dee,
    Here I am sitting in the kitchen, waiting for the biscuits to finish baking, and idly looking at blogs (as is my want) and now I have found yours! I like it and am enjoying reading it. May I say that I am finding it inspirational? Anyway I thought I would post a comment. And now, back to the cooking as I have another batch to put in the oven!
    Bye for now
    Kirk

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    1. Dear Kirk, thanks so much for stopping by to visit this blog and to leave a comment. I so appreciate that. I hope the biscuits came out golden brown and were delicious. Do you put butter and jam on them to eat? Or maybe cheese since I see from your blog that you live in France. I hope to read your latest posting sometime this week and to leave a comment. Good baking and "bon appetit." I think there's a diacritical mark over that "e" but I don't know how to make that happen when blogging! Peace.

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    2. Dear Dee,
      I should have written 'cookies' and not 'biscuits'. Its that whole British/American 'we say this and you say that but we mean the same thing' thing! They did come out looking beautiful and most of them have been eaten!! I do love cooking.
      At present we live in Germany but we do go to France a lot. Soon we will move to Australia, where we have a house.
      I hope you do pop over to my bijou blog and have a look around - you are most welcome! By for now, Kirk

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    3. Dear KIrk, biscuits or cookies, I bet that both are delicious when you bake them! I did stop by your blog today and read about your visit to Ham House. So interesting. One of the bloggers I follow lives in Australia and I've learned a lot of that country from her postings. So when you move there I look forward to learning even more. Peace.

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  16. I LOVED this stream-of-consciousness post, Dee!!
    Enjoy and just "be" for a while. :)

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    1. Dear Rita, I'm so glad you enjoyed the rambling. If all goes well, I'll visit your blog tomorrow--Monday--so I can see what you've posted about "the Plan." Peace.

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  17. I'm glad you're listening to your body and taking the time to just "be." We should all learn to do that more often.

    I'm also a big fan of the ACA, which puts me in the minority here in Utah. It's discouraging to watch politicians delay implementing the Medicaid expansion option here simply because of their rigid political views.

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    1. Dear Keicha, thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. It looks like both you and I are in the minority--you in Utah, me in Missouri. Here, too, the politicians won't implement the Medicaid expansion. In my mind, that's almost criminal.

      Do you have a blog? I clicked on your name and it took me to a G+ site. I"m not sure where to go from there. Peace.

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  18. It is so good to read about your decision to not push yourself so hard. And to learn about your week was a treat too. Health care is so important, the ACA is not perfect, but it is the law, so why not work to improve it, to make it better? This will never be a great country unless everyone has access to affordable health care. I live in a progressive state, but in a deep red country, where everyone seems to delight in sniping at Obama care. Some after complaining about having to pay $800 a month for their own care. I used to get upset, now I just smile and think, "just wait until you get seriously ill, you fool."

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    1. Dear Inger, I wish everyone could read the book I'm reading on health care--the one I wrote about in the blog. Then perhaps everyone would understand why we need ACA. I so agree with you that we can make the ACA better, but to get rid of it is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Peace.

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  19. Hello There, We just got home from a great week--which was a terrific 'healing' experience for me --as I recover from gallbladder surgery followed by that wicked infection... You'll have to check out my blog post today (if you haven't done so yet).

    Well---I'm one of those TOTALLY against Obamacare---at least the way it is set up now... I do think our healthcare system needed fixing --but what they have done (botched so badly) is NOT the answer. To me it's all about the poor way our Govt. runs ANYTHING. They just can't do it. Our country is truly in a mess ---and I just have to stay away from worrying about it since it would eat me alive... SO--- I'll just stay in my own world and live life the best I can... (That's probably not the answer either.)

    Happy Memorial Day to you and yours... Let's never forget those men and women (past and present) who were/are in the Armed Forces and have done so much to give us the FREEDOM we have today. God Bless ALL of them and God Bless the USA.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. Dear Betsy, I think you and are must agree to disagree on ACA. I think it will need tweaking. But we need something to work with and this is, in my mind, a good beginning. Just as Social Security and Medicare--two federal government programs--have proved to be essential to have a good retirement.

      As time passes, I suspect that there'll be more and more evidence of how the ACA is truly helping people. Peace.

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  20. I'm more likely than not "without it", Dee! Isn't it fun to be paid a compliment now and again, though.

    I'm quite late to the comments here as I've been filled with sprintime business and can't seem to catch up. I will, eventually, but, until then, the flowers are blooming, the earth is reborn, and life is pretty good.

    Without going into all the gory details of what the cost of health care has been like for Tom and I for 41 years with is long-term Type I diabetes, let me just say that health insurance has pretty much wiped us out financially (and we actually saved for a rainy day that never seemed to end). I was in favor of the ACA act, even though I felt we would not benefit from it. We are able to gratefully say that, in spite of the poorly executed initial roll out, we were able to get into the system, enroll in less that 3 hours. This is nothing compared to the weeks I have spent in the past filling out forms for coverage. We now have insurance premiums that are saving us what comes close to a year's salary for some folks. Once we were able to get the coverage, which is basically what we already had, I made it a point to contact those I knew in similar circumstances
    and just last weekend, a young father I know came up to me to tell me he and his family now have coverage and even though he didn't think the act was right, he has come to reconsider his opinion.

    Oh, dear, I've really gone on, Dee, Good for you for listening to your body - and thank you, as well, for another great post.

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    1. Dear Penny, I'm so glad that you got the coverage you needed and so quickly and that it is saving you money. It's absolutely essential for all of us to have health coverage just because of becoming ill with something life-threatening and chronic. And many women will now have health care while they are pregnant and that will mean that their children will be born healthier. In the end, the ACA is going to save our country billions of dollars. Or so I believe. Thanks so much for sharing yours and Tom's experience with it. Peace.

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  21. Oh my dear Dee. You have such a delightful way of making the ordinary day sound like it has purpose, and I think that's true. Everything you do is with intention, and that's a wonderful way for all of us to proceed. I'm so glad I had the opportunity tonight to see what it is I've been missing. I've had a series of "ordinary" days that have been unusually full. But it's a delight to read this tonight, my friend. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Dear Debra, I'm sort of amazed at what you've said here.The reality is that I just amble through most of my days and they often feel purposeless. I've tried to establish a routine that will enable me to accomplish exercise and prayer, writing and blogging, reading and researching, as well as getting out of the house for lunch with others and doing errands, but my body and my mind and spirit also just refuse to move from one activity to another without taking a rest or simply staring into space. When I think back just 10 years when I was putting in 15 hour days on work, I'm amazed at what I accomplished. Now life is much more leisurely. If only, I could accept that I can't do all I used to go. But I continue to champ at the bit and feel discouraged and rueful that I don't get more done. My close friends say that I'm hard on myself and I'm beginning to think that's true. I need to really embrace the living in the moment. Peace.

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  22. You've had a busy week. Love your moody sky shots.

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    1. Dear LadyFi, I so wish I could take photographs as you do. I depend on Wikipedia, but your blog posting just bound off the screen with energy and beauty. Peace.

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  23. Dee, I've really enjoyed reading this gentle diary of your week and I'm sure you look great in your new glasses. As you can imagine from someone who has been fortunate enough to live all her life under the care of the National Health Service here in Britain, I simply cannot begin to understand the opposition to the Affordable Care Act. I find it even more amazing that so much of the opposition comes from those who call themselves Christians. When a preference for personal freedom trumps any sense of responsibility for the less fortunate, there isn't much sigh of 'love thy neighbour' being lived out. Sigh...

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    1. Dear Perpetua, I think you've put your finger on one of the main reasons for the dislike of the ACA--personal freedom trumping a sense of responsibility. During the '30s, '40s, and '50s, when I was growing up, one of the places those of us in Catholic schools heard about was Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. It was a place run by a priest--Father Flanagan--who took in homeless children and orphans. The logo showed a young boy with a child on his back, his legs wound about the older boy's chest. And the older child is saying, "He ain't heavy, Father. He's my brother." And that attitude--that we are one another's brother and sister and mother and father and friend, that we are all in life together and are One at heart--was part of our culture then. But we seem--or at least there seems to be pockets of the population--that have lost sight of that. It's so disheartening and disturbing. Peace.

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  24. I went shopping for glasses at Sam's a few years ago and picked out some I really liked. The woman working there said they made me look old! Not sure what that means. When I picked out the ones I have now, I picked them out without any help from anyone--but I hardly ever wear them. It isn't that I don't like them--I just prefer to wear my contact lenses, so glasses are for around the house.

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    1. Dear Stephanie, I'm not sure what looking old is either. I'm 78 and when I tell people that they say, "You don't look your age." I'm not at all sure what 78 looks like! I used to wear contact lenses--when I was in my 30s. I don't know why I stopped. Can't remember, but I do get so tired of always wearing smudged glasses. And I do seem to get them smudged because I have a bad habit of adjusting them on my face.

      Thanks for stopping by. I'll visit your blog today or Friday. Peace.

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  25. Thanks, Dee, for this warm post. I am going to be off and on with checking other blogs, but yours is always on my list for when I can. I so appreciate Nat King Cole. After watching this clip I went to the one where Natalie Cole sings to and tributes her father with this song. Beautiful.

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    1. Dear Deanna, I was so pleased recently to discover that you were blogging again. Your postings always make me stop and consider my own life. Peace.

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  26. My favourite part is that you enjoy your grandniece. I'm happy for you because you are blessed with family who accepts you :)

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