Not Finished Yet

I was getting suggestions from one of my subdivision's builders about some artwork that I’m working on for advertising. We were discussing this awesome 55+ Active Adult Community and taglines that would help describe us. Sarcastically, he said, “Whatever you do, Donna, don’t use words like old folks, retired person, baby-boomer, old-timer, senior!” He meant those would be the practical words to use, but they don’t equate to this lively, energetic, young-at-heart community where we may not be working as hard as we once did, but most of us are still living life large. We’re REFIRED – not the typical sitting-in-a-rocking-chair, just watching TV kind of folks.

Here's how we're making the most of this season of our lives: some still work full-time, others part time. We volunteer for charities and churches. We travel (a lot), some play pickleball, tennis and golf, others are taking piano and voice lessons, others are master gardeners, and others attend seminars and classes to upgrade their skills in various areas. AND others are sharing their wisdom to young people and children as teachers and role models. I love that. Just think how we can save the younger generation a lot of time and effort by the wisdom we can share from the lessons we’ve learned.

So, we’re thinking we should have buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and hats made that read “Not Finished Yet” on them.

Regardless of the number of birthdays we've celebrated, we are still here. And as long as we are here, we are not there, and as long as we are not there, it means God still has a purpose for us here.

When Jesus was on the cross, the last thing He said was “It is finished." After He made that statement, He died. So when is God's purpose for us on this earth finished? It is finished when we die. Until then, we are not finished yet!

Don't let the thought of getting older discourage you or even make you fearful of what tomorrow might hold. Consider these words that God spoke to Isaiah in Psalm 92 "But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock!”

Life Lessons Can Be Learned From Pickleball

Day 227 of Photo Inspirations -- Life Lessons Can Be Learned From Pickleball                      
These photos are of some of our residents who play pickleball every Tuesday, Thursday and many other times besides that.  By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about pickleball and have even seen people playing or perhaps you’ve played.  It's one of America's fastest growing sports for all ages because it's fun, easy to learn and gives you a good work-out. It's a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong.  The court is about ⅓ of the size of a tennis court, with a lower net. The official ball used is just like a wiffle ball, only smaller.  The paddles are between the size of a ping-pong paddle and a tennis racquet.  You can play singles and doubles. Scoring is somewhat similar to volleyball or tennis. Only the serving team can score – and you play to 11 – but must win by two points.  And, we love playing here at Hyde Park.

I, not EVER being athletic in any sense of the word – well, except for running, have, at last found my sport.  Initially, it was a bit intimidating because we have several in our community who already played it competitively and there were those who were tennis enthusiasts, and they picked up on it the quickest.  But more than the fun of the sport, I've learned a lot of Life Lessons from the game:

1)  Never give up.  It would have been easy for me to “throw in the towel” on the game because others were so much better than me.  But, by my attitude of “never giving up”, I’ve become more proficient and my confidence in my game has gotten so much better.

2) Never say “SORRY”!  I love that about the game.  We’re all doing our best and if we make an inadvertent mistake, you don’t say “SORRY”.  And, if you do, you'll quickly be corrected.  The definition of SORRY is feeling distress, feeling upset, downcast, in a poor or pitiful state or condition and we are none of those.  I did that a lot in the beginning of learning.  I felt really SORRY for those who had me as a partner, but now I hold my head up high and think "I'll do better next time!"

3) Cheer and congratulate when someone does well.  I love it when I make a really good play (most often, it’s been by accident – I’m still learning), but my friends make me feel like a rock star – rather, a pickleball star when I've conquered a shot.

4)  Those who are the best…..mentor those of us who are still learning.  And they do it with such a sense of TLC.  I’m looking forward to the day when I’m qualified to mentor,  In the meantime, I’m so thankful for their willingness to help us learn.

5)  No name calling or trash talk allowed. I know that’s common in many sports, but I love the genuine sportsmanship and comradery in pickleball.  Even if we call ourselves names or trash talk ourselves because of a dumb error, others are quick to steer us the other direction.

6)  Making friends -- Pickleball is a great social sport and it gives us a chance to make new friends or bond more closely with old ones.  It doesn’t take too much motivation for us to want to play, but just in case we were
in a little lazy mode, our friends motivate us to “get our game on”.  And that we do.

6)  And, here is the best part – pickleball has great health benefits:
-- It helps lower our blood pressure -- moving our legs and swinging at the ball raises our heart rate which creates a great cardiovascular workout that strengthens our heart.
-- It burns body fat -- we burn 250 calories for every 30 minutes we play (we usually play for two hours at a time).
-- It improves balance -- Navigating the pickleball court to intercept shots and deliver winning volleys takes all kinds of movements.  In pickleball, we move forward, backward, sideways and we shift our weight in so many directions which trains our bodies to have better balance.

As I’ve said many times before, I don’t plan on giving up until I’m taken up…..and if that day comes while I’m playing pickleball, I just hope and pray my shot was the winning shot that shot me to heaven.  I’ll arrive shouting…
WHAT A GAME!!  WHAT A RIDE!!

Staying Alive Ah Ha Ha Ha Staying Alive!

Day 198 of Photo Inspirations -- Staying Alive ah ha ha ha Staying Alive!
Remember that Bee Gees Disco song from the 70s?  It's funny that song came to me when I sat down at my computer to type my post for today.  I can't think of a better way to say "I'm stayin' alive while I'm alive!"   I'm saying that because I'm embracing this season of my life so much.  I've always loved children.  I started baby sitting for 50 cents an hour when I was 12 years old.  My husband and I deliberately started our family when I was 18 and he was 19.  We added 80+ kids to our world when we started a day care center a few years later.  We thoroughly enjoyed our own children and grandchildren, and in this sweet season of my life, God has ordered up lots more of those little darlings into my world.  I am constantly reminded how much He wants us to be like little children in our joy and faith.

I fell in love with my friend's new grandson a couple of weeks ago.  I held and cuddled him and it helped satisfy my longing arms for holding a baby again. There is nothing so therapeutic.  My little great niece is two now and I love to go see her weekly. How quickly they transform into little people in such a short period of time. Hanging around her makes me silly.  I do all  kinds of wild shenanigans with her.  At almost 93 now, I've seen how my mother-in-law has gotten so much "younger" in heart and spirit as she enjoys this precious little great granddaughter.

Another set of kids in my world are my godson and his siblings.  Last Saturday we played pickleball, hide n' go seek, putt putt golfing, swam and other silly fun things.

I love going to Texas to hang with my grandson and granddaughter there -- they've recently been in musical theater performances as well as speech and debate competitions.

And, now, for the next two weeks I'm hanging with my Washington family -- lots of boys in the house -- and, oh my, how I love the high spirited and high energy of boys.  I loved catching up on the hugs with them last night -- telling the "Super Brennan, Super Bryson" stories.

There is nothing that can compare to spending time with children.  We see such innocent, care-free, joy-filled, energy and excitement in them.  They exude hope and expectancy:  first words out of my youngest grandson when I arrived...."Nana, did you bring us something?"  Of course I did.  I love that.  His expectors were up.  Living in faith isn't a big deal for them.

If life has become monotonous, dull, boring, and you've just quit living out loud, then consider hanging out with children.  Capture some of that light-heartedness that they possess and they have more than enough to share with us.  It's not foolish and immature to spend time with them.  In fact, it's probably one of the most close-to-the-heart-of-God thing we can do.  I promise you, you'll learn something from their life of freedom and care-less attitude.  "And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 18:2-4.  Yes, I'm staying alive and enjoying every minute of the LIVING!

Savor Life and the Blessings

It's quiet in my home tonight.  The "gang" have all left for their homes in Texas and Seattle.  I'm savoring the sweet times we were able to cram into such a short span of time. I'm archiving so many things that I'll remember for a lifetime.

My not-so-big home handled all eleven of us.  My big concerns about how we'd make it, were for naught.  We were together -- and that's what mattered. Laughter, sweet stories of the past, playing pickleball, and getting our family photos taken at such a fun place and fun is what we had.  The sweetest memory I'll carry with me is Alexia and her little buddy-cousin, Bryson, with their blow-up mattresses in my closet, turned out to be their favorite adventure.

Alexia built a box movie theater that held her iPad for their movie. When I went in to check on them, they shused me out -- they didn't want to be disturbed. LOL!

Then today, the doorbell rang, and there was a big box sitting on my porch.  It was a beautiful new HD TV.  My 14-year old Payton (the entrepreneur and technological whiz-kid) went to Best Buy and negotiated the best deal he could for his Nana.  My family has been patient with me in my reluctance to get rid of the "dinosaur" TVs in my home.  Why would I want to get rid of something that works just fine for me?  But I think the big football games they didn't see in high definition (HD), gave Payton the desire to bless his Nana.  And that he did today.

I was overwhelmed by his precious love for me. He spent so much time investigating to get just the right one -- speaking to the Team Manager, then the Master Team Manager, then the Store Manager.  He got the best deal.

Just before the Wallace's headed out for home, they had to have a final pickleball match, while my sweet Alexia sang on the clubhouse speaker system.  And the finale of the day, was hide-n-go-seek in the clubhouse.  We all laughed and ran around trying to keep from being caught.  Precious times!

Now, Christmas music is playing in the background as I'm putting up Christmas decorations.  It's quiet and peaceful here, but I'm already missing the sweet sound of laughter, the sibling tiffs, the life that my precious family brings.

And here's what I want to leave with you on this Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend.  I refuse to call this day "Black Friday" and to get caught up in the buying frenzy of this day.  Every Friday, is Good Friday, and here is what I wish for you as we approach the most beautiful time of the year:  That you STOP to FEEL and SMELL and SAVOR  and ACKNOWLEDGE  the precious gifts that God provides for you every single day.  That  you fully appreciate the blessings in your life and not miss a moment.  That you take them in and savor them in your senses as if you might lose them tomorrow.

Savor your life and blessings. And thank our God for the gift of it all.  And, to know that my life taught you something about your own, would truly be your gift to me.  I hope you embrace the moments, the season, the joys and the hopes that this beautiful season of Christmas brings.

Live in the Moments, Make Memories, Live With No Regrets

1 - My precious Shawntel, Barrett (Bear), Brennan, Bryson arrive in Tulsa!!!!
2 - Go directly to Chick-fil-A Tulsa Hills (a must when coming to Tulsa)!

3 - Stop by LifeChurch.tv Jenks Campus for pictures with Frozen Sven, Olaf, and Abominable Snowman -- Elsa and Anna weren't there today

4 - Go to Nana's -- though his birthday is past, can't miss the "must do" Treasure Hunt for Brennan
5 - Play pickleball (oops -- didn't take a picture)

6 - Go back to Nana's to fish -- Bryson catches first fish -- Nana says to Shawntel when we must take the fish off the hook "Where is Papa and your Daddy when we need them?" Whew -- big Bear, our MAN, comes to the rescue!
7 - Supper (yes, it's supper, not dinner at Nana's) - ham, mac & cheese, corn on the cob, baked beans, watermelon
7 - Go swimming (oops -- didn't take picture)

8 - Play nightime golf

9 - Play shuffleboard
10 - Boys ask to play Papa & Nana's old Nintendo 64 (yes, even with all of their latest models of X-Box, nothing like pulling out Mario Kart and Donkey Kong)
11 - 1 am go to bed (well, it's only 11 am in Seattle)

I gave you the pack-filled, packed-fun, half day at Nana's! I continue to send out the message: "Live in the moments, make memories, and live with no regrets." Yesterday morning I posted: "Thank God for another day -- don't waste it!" So how's THAT for proving it CAN be done! I'm smiling from ear to ear"! I'm a "Happy Nana Banana"!