Dear Diary,
Another sign I’m becoming a grumpy old man, I don’t like change. I am used to diary days being a reflective look at a day in my life. Now a change up. As I thought about it, it in part goes back to the first born tendency to want to do things right, and this is new, will I do it right? Glad the instructions give a lot of flexibility. James Joyce, Ulysses, comes to mind about disjointed observations. Here goes:
Home Life:
Home life and family are tightly connected. Blessed to have my wife since June 14 of 1986. We have five kids and 7 grandchildren. For many years home life was a blur, get up with kids, take them to school, sports events, activities. A busy and great time of home life. That phase ended as they all moved out and four are married. We also moved to a new city which lacks the family memories and connections. This caused a new home life which is mainly back to my wife and I are things we enjoy doing. A major exception being grandkids. Very happy that we live no further than 3 hours away from any of them. Close enough to see often, sadly far enough away that things like school events are hard to attend.
Making a home to me is daily events which give rhythm to life. This events grow into traditions which make our home unique.
My wife and I moved to the home we now have about 10 years ago when we moved to Muncie. It is I think 1,500 square feet. It is the first home we have had with no basement. So the junk is now in the attic, in the garage, or in our nice sized outdoor shed. Maybe not having a basement has helped us declutter, somewhat.
When we were looking for a home in Muncie this one stood out, especially to my wife. She loved the nice sized back yard with a wooden fence. The fence makes it easier on pet life and to keep small grandkids corralled. We have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The two guest bedrooms are used mainly by grandkids, occasionally by a child. One thing I would have preferred was for the master bath to have a door between it and the bedroom. It doesn’t so I don’t use the master bath in the morning. If I would it would wake my wife. Between the two of us I am the early bird. So the second bathroom has become mine.
Another things we like is an attached garage. The first one my wife has had in any house in which she has lived. No more unloading groceries in the rain, or scraping frost off the car windshield in the morning. Both of which are major plusses.
My wife unwinds watching TV. That is her favorite room. I spend more time on my computer or reading in another room. This room has large windows facing the backyard. I enjoy looking out at the back yard, especially after it has been newly mowed. Seeing birds and squirrels in the arm months is wonderful. We have a dining room which we seldom use. Too often we eat watching TV or in our separate rooms. We talk when we take walks or drives instead of over meals like we did when the kids were living with us.
We both enjoy the house but it was built in the 70’s and starting to need TLC. We recently put on a new roof and repainted the exterior walls, and most of the interior walls. The furnace/air conditioner is at least 10 years old. We feel some stress at the cost of keeping the home in proper repair. Glad we took out a 15 year mortgage. When it is paid off the cash flow will kick up and be able to be used for things like home repair without straining the budget.
The home is just shared with the two of us. It is plenty big for both of us to do our thing without getting in each others way. Except the kitchen. If we are both in the kitchen we have to dance around each other, but that doesn’t happen to often.
Religious and spiritual practice
My relationship with God is central to my life. I am a boring old believer. I think God loves me, knows more than me, and has revealed Himself and His will for me in the Bible. I have tried to have daily quiet times where I read and pray my entire adult life.
Technology has impacted my devotional practice. There are apps where you can do Bible studies with other people. I am in several now and recently adopted the practice of doing two of the studies in the evenings. If not, it took more time in the morning and I was rushing to get it done, like checking off a box, rather then enjoy the time with God.
I find as I read the Bible it speaks to me. There is a verse which says the Bible is living and active. I think that is true. The longer I read it the more things I understand and the greater its impact upon me.
My understanding of the Bible is the basis for how I try to live my life and interact with people. The Bible says to love your enemies. I had a hard time with someone, my normal reaction is to get even or get back at the person. But Christ says to pray for them. As I try to submit and obey I am slowly getting less angry with the person.
What challenges my beliefs? Life. When I encounter people who do not believe as I do, I am forced to think how my beliefs apply to our relationship. Its hard in our culture to only run with people who think as you. And that is not bad. I have to give more than surface thought when I meet people with different beliefs. Why do I think I am right in my belief system vs their belief system?
Perhaps a tangent but a pet peeve is the current perception that faith and science are at odds. Many scientists have religious faith, all scientists believe in something. For example, if I believe in the Big Bang, I believe that something came out of nothing. That is not science, it is a belief. So from my perspective, which faith system makes the most sense?
On that cliff hanging question Dear Diary I am signing off.