No. Never. When I was able to drive I always made sure that I had a full tank of gas.
Which are better: black or green olives?
Neither one. Olives are too salty and I cannot eat them. High Blood Pressure. Pass the grapes or blueberries instead.
If you were a great explorer, what would you explore?
Africa. For me it would be like going home since that is where my ancestors are from. Not so much explore as it would be a Pilgrimage. Return to the Motherland. Fortunately I’ve made many friends from Africa via Blogging so I will go to Africa some day.
Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?
Habakkuk 2:2
King James Version (KJV)
2 And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it.
Proverbs 4:7
King James Version (KJV)
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
And anything my parents used to say. Here are three from my Dad Edward G. Palmer:
I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.
It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
Get something in your head not just on your head.
And from my Mom Mable Palmer:
If you mess up. You clean up.
God don’t like Ugly.
What goes around comes around.
Optional Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Grateful that today is my Birthday and God has allowed me to see another year of life. Happy to be 58!! Looking forward to my upcoming vacation starting Friday. Planning to spend time with my brother Stephen and relax.
Remember how I was moaning and groaning over the extremely high Con Edison bill and thought I was not going to be able to go away end of Feb/March 2017. Well I was wrong! I received this great email message a few days ago.
Hello, Deborah.
Thanks so much for your note and glad to hear of your interest and plans.
MetroNorth from Grand Central or 125th Street is the way to come — and it ends in New Haven at Union Station here. Beinecke Library is downtown in the heart of the Yale campus, an easy taxi/Uber from the station (and a nice enough walk if the weather is decent).
The Yale University Art Gallery, among other venues on campus, are also worth checking out on a visit. Yale’s art museums, like Beinecke’s exhibitions, are free and open to the public. The Yale Calendar of Events — http://calendar.yale.edu/cal/opa — and Yale Arts Calendar — http://artscalendar.yale.edu/ — are great resources.
P.S. ~~ All that overtime I do helped me pay my half of the bill. My room-mate and I split the electric bill. Hard work does pay off and working on Holidays is a good thing! Mo’ Money! Mo’ Money! Mo’ Money!
So Yes I will be going to see the Yale Harlem Renaissance special exhibit for my birthday!! Hooray!! Maybe not right on Feb. 27th which will be my BornDay Celebration but I plan to take that week off on vacation anyway. My only consideration will be the weather as Snowstorms put an end to train travel. But with God’s Blessings and Divine Favor it will NOT Snow and the temps will rise to the 40s at least for my vacation week!
On the subject of Vacation Big Ups to both my Supervisors who are excellent young Ladies! They are a Blessing to work with. We work well together. They have a sense of humor and are Flexible! I know I’ve said this before but I cannot repeat it enough, I’m so Glad and Happy I moved to the Evening/Night Shift!! The rest of my co-workers on both the evening and night shifts are Super Nice. We have each others back and support each other. My work environment is the best its been in 8 years. This is my 9th year at the museum and I’m so Blessed to be with a community of people who are fun to be with.
As for Saratoga, well I did go there with my Dad many years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. My Dad Edward G. Palmer was a true Blessing for me and my brother Stephen as he took us many places and exposed us to locations outside New York City.
When I was in the military Daddy had more Father/Son bonding time. Daddy and Stephen went on an Alaskan cruise! I’m sure they had fun. Stephen was very close to Daddy and even though he can’t really tell me what they did I’m sure Stephen has fond memories of the Cruise.
The moral of the Story is that and always is God answers prayer. Maybe not in the way we want or on our time line but the Lord always comes through. For that I am Grateful.
As the Mothers of the Church used to say, God will make a way out of no way! Say Amen Somebody!!
1 Chronicles 4:10
New King James Version (NKJV)
10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
Jeremiah 29:11 New King James Version (NKJV)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Today’s meeting with the Director of Stephen Residence went well. Better than expected. New Year 2017. Blank Slate. Fresh Start.
So glad I had the opportunity to speak directly one on one with the Director of QCP. I’ve known him a long time and I do trust him. I feel he values my opinion and will address my concerns regarding the clothing issues.
Gradually I’m starting to throw away my cynicism, doubts, becoming jaded and distrustful of other human beings. At one point I nearly lost faith in all humanity. We are all connected and in many ways that we don’t even realize or think about we are all connected. Not everyone is trying to throw you under the bus.
Of course like everyone I’ve had bad experiences and some horrible interactions with others and that includes my own family members but the actions of a few does not mean everyone you meet in your life will do the same thing to you. We are never really totally self-reliant. Most of us do not grow our own food or make our own clothes. So-called self-reliant Freedoms we take for granted during the peak of our youth and strength will be taken from you as old age, infirmities and disabilities settle in and become the new normal.
After my stroke at age 49 my life changed dramatically. I went through what I believe are the 7 stages of grief. For the longest I was alternately depressed and angry because I could not longer do the things I used to do like drive. My eyesight was affected by the stroke and I lost a good deal of vision in my left eye. So I cannot drive. I have difficulty reading books, signs, documents, etc…
Eventually over the last 8 years I’ve had to throw away my pride and accept help. Due to arthritis my back, legs, ankles, knees and joints no longer work the way they once did. God in his mercy has sent many rescuers to my aid but I had to drop my bad attitude, have faith and accept help. As the banks and financial institutions say, Past performance is not indicative of future results. I cannot allow my past including the abuse I suffered from men, racism, discrimination, bigotry and even some of my paternal cousins shunning me and Stephen affect my current or future interactions with people.
Back in 2012 I had several traumatic experiences. I split up with a guy whom I really cared for and had fallen in Love with but because his parents had died he had to return to the Eastern European country of his birth. It hurt. During this time period I also had a falling out with certain paternal cousins who I had cared for and supported when they fell on hard times. Yes they turned their backs on me. That really hurt because we were all raised up together. I cried. I felt abandoned. After all your family is supposed to Love you but we all know in reality that is not always the truth.
Finally I had a very strange experience while posted in a special Civil War photo exhibit. As many of you may have read in my previous blogs I had an ancestor William Henry Halstead who served as a Union Soldier. Well don’t ask me how but my Great, Great Grandfather made contact with me and I found myself in the midst of one of the battles he was in. I heard cannon fire, felt bullets whizzing by me. I heard the cries of the wounded. Their screams. I felt my Great, Great Grandfather William Henry Halstead fear and anxiety. The whole vision was unsettling.
I needed answers so I prayed to Jesus to send someone who would help me. Jesus sent me a Japanese Buddhist Lady who today has become one of my strongest friends. Guess Jesus has both a sense of humor and the knowledge/wisdom to send the right person despite that person being a different race/religion.
I can be a very difficult person yet she put up with me. Listen to my troubles. We went together to her Temple Shinnyo-en New York which I later joined. Now I’ve had my ups and downs but on Jan. 15th my Japanese girlfriend and I are going to the Main Temple located in White Plains. We will be together as Sisters. American and Japan. Buddhist and Christian.
As my mother Mable Palmer used to tell me, “Deborah you never know who you may have to call on.”
Just want to point out that when Stephen cannot do something and I ask him if he needs help he says Yes right away. I need to be more like my brother in some ways.
We all come to a Crossing/Crossroads in Life where we face the realization of what Life is as opposed to what we would like or want our Lives to be.
Just when you think Okay I’m in a position to improve or when things are about to get better that’s when the Cosmos laughs and you experience a reversal of fortune. Previously I had blogged about my vacation goals for 2017. Well when I came home from work there was the wonderful monthly Con Edison (New York’s electric company) bill waiting for me.
Last month was lucky and the bill was None!! Hooray!! But alas celebrated too soon. When I opened the most recent bill the amount was over $400.00!!! OMG!! How in the world can the bill be that much when my room-mate and I are out working most of the time?!! I know Sylvester is not turning on lights unless my cat develops opposable thumbs when I leave the house!
Then there is the ongoing matter of trying to get Pro Bono Legal services so I can get Guardianship over my brother Stephen. A few weeks ago I saw a Legal referral phone number in the newspaper and called it yesterday trying to find a Guardianship lawyer. So I called the number which resulted in calling other phone numbers with the only result in being told that I must go to Surrogates Court in Queens (cause Queens is the borough Stephen lives) and hire a lawyer. As you all know lawyers cost big bucks so you know that in order to afford a lawyer and pay the electric bill I must put in extra hours of overtime.
Someone had said to me about feeding the soul and feeding the body. Feeding the Soul for me would be taking a vacation up to Saratoga Springs. I could use the change of scenery, rest and relaxation but as you all well know rest and sleep does not pay the rent, utility bills or pay lawyers.
As for vacation I can now easily get the time off since the Evening/Night Shifts are much more flexible. My new bosses are very nice and as long as you have time accrued you get take it. So now I can get days off work but I can’t afford to go anywhere!! Hmmm… What’s wrong with this picture? The money I was gonna put to my trip will now go to Con Edison and the lawyer once I locate one. In fact I will be spending my vacation in Surrogates Court as opposed to being in the nice, peaceful, relaxing atmosphere of upstate New York.
I will allow myself Feb. 27th which is my Birthday to relax and rest for that day then it’s back to the grind. Pisces ~~ The two fishes swimming in opposite directions. Maybe that means I’m caught in an endless revolving circle. Moving but going nowhere. I suppose once again as always I will accept and adjust.
I think that whenever you make plans the Universe plays a Cosmic joke on you. So much for 2017 Vacation Plans! Up in Smoke! Well that’s Life!
Ever ran out of gas in your vehicle?
Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit 