Blessings!

Today was a lovely birthday. This morning, we took our grandkids, Caleb (9) and Charlotte (7) to Central Park in Maple Grove. This wonderful park has lots of climbing structures. Caleb and Charlotte love climbing! After an hour at the park, we met Megan (my daughter) and Jeremy (her partner and the kids’ dad) for lunch in Hanover.

Then it was home to discover our pantry cabinet had arrived, so we spent the afternoon putting it together. (Okay, Joe put it together, I helped by calling out parts and giving him the hardware that went with each piece). Tomorrow a used refrigerator arrives. We should then be finished with setting up our flat except for a few plants I want to add.

When we lived in Egypt, our apartment was called a flat. I have decided to stop saying we are living in a basement and start using the word flat. I have had so many questions and comments about living in a basement. It is not dreary, dank, or damp. We have a window in the bedroom and a window in the area we have set up as a ‘living room.’ And there is plenty of lighting! I am grateful for the accommodation until we can work out buying our own home. Lots of pieces must come together before we buy our forever home, and we can be patient with waiting.

The last time I was in a basement home was in Maadi, Egypt. Our Boab (building janitor) asked me to come to visit his wife, Miriam, in their flat in our building. She had just given birth to their second baby, and she wanted me to meet the baby. This was my first time formally meeting Miriam. I would often see her playing with her son of about 4 years old outside our building. Their flat was in the basement. Unlike my flat with marble floors and kitchen counters, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and beautiful furniture, their flat consisted of two rooms with concrete floors – no rugs. Furniture consisted of a bed on the floor, a refrigerator, a wooden table with three chairs. I assume there was a bathroom nearby.

The Boab made me tea, I had the honor of holding their baby girl, and the Boab translated pleasantries between Miriam and me. It was one of the most profound moments of my life. For the prior 11 months we had been living in luxury above their heads (sixth floor). A great sadness washed over me in the days following the visit as I dealt with the realities of poverty in the world.

That visit is one of the reasons I support two charitable organizations in Woodland, California every year. Both deal with lifting people up. The Woodland Volunteer Food Closet provides food – up to nine meals per family member twice a month. They also provide toiletries. I encourage you to donate either time or money to a food bank or food closet in your area. The second organization is Soroptimist International of Woodland (SI Woodland). This organization is made up of incredible women working to make lives better for women and children.

I am feeling incredibly blessed on my 67^th birthday! I have an amazing husband, a beautiful place to rest my head, a caring family, awesome friends, good health, and the opportunity every day to write.

Gotta go! Megan is making pancakes for dinner which sounds like a great birthday dinner.