See me, feel me, touch me, heal me

A little more than a week since the last post. Sorry all. LOL! If there are any of you left out there!

I am updating one website and building another, I think, soon. I have had the fun of setting up two new computers for work, too. It hits one of my buttons. WHY can't a company, with 600 program writers, write a program correctly and then leave it alone! Every thing from XP to the accounting program had to download updates, with XP being the worst and the computer company itself being massively second place. Don't even mention the AV program!

I spent long, lovely hours at a local cafe. I ran into friends and grabbed hugs while I downed coffee and waited for 52 meg program updates. The winner was, I believe, 89 meg. That's not a patch - that's a rewrite, for crying out loud! Can't you just include a disk with the machine or program that has the latest updates on it?

There, I feel better now! But it is nice that we are both able to work so much more quickly with our stuff. The boss upgraded from a system with 32 meg of ram to a gig. No, I am not exagerating, yes I know what meg and gig are. He was that out of date. Really!

My pal up north hurt his back again. That ended him up in the hospital. They got the pain to stop and then tested him until they got it to start again. He is hoping to get home today. The last time I saw him he was getting impatient with healing so slowly. He was a little fiesty. On the phone he sounded kinda whipped last night but I think he is missing home. I don't know. I couldn't see what he said. I had to guess from his voice.

My friend in Town had his surgury for his back last Friday. It's been a rough week for him but there is starting to be some improvement and lessening of the pain. He and the wife are both looking more cheerful. She looks a little tired. Then I dumped a load of frustration on her, too. She kept smiling for me, bless her heart!

Jeanette hasn't been around much but I talked to her on the phone the other day. She has been sick again and missed work three days. Her boy that hurt his back is going to be able to get the operation he needs, he got the paperwork done. There is still a law suit going to happen to get the place to pay for it. The situation is one that is unsafe, still, for others and it needs to be corrected.

Jam on Saturday was great. My friends were glad to see me and I was tickled with the offered hugs of greeting. My friend from when I was small showed up again. I was glad to help him out by showing the lovely coins he hand cuts to my other friends there. I shared bday cake with the upright bass player and his family. There was lots of joking and fun. The music lifts my heart.

Later, one of the men there told me some things he had heard about my friend and his wife. He was trying to warn me that there were problems in their way of living that might affect others. I could see by his eyes he meant that he didn't want to see me get hurt. He couldn't know I already knew all he told me, I just chose to help anyway.

We talked apart for a moment and when he apologized for sort of sticking his nose in, I told him, with a smile in my eyes, that I would never be offended by one who was trying to protect me because they cared. He saw the truth of my words and we parted with no harm done to our friendship. I knew he cared. He knew I understood what he was saying. We saw it iwth more than our eyes.

I spent some time visiting in Town and met a new friend at my old friend's place. It's always a little funny when you met a younger person that just hits it off with you like an old friend. It's always fun, though, and I was glad to have it happen again in my life. We went for coffee to talk and get better accquainted.

This young man is the age of my youngest daughter but has a yen to play guitar and sing. He writes his own music and he is a talented artist in drawings. We might have been raised in the same family, we got that friendly that fast. I'm looking forward to teaching him some stuff on the guitiars. I think we might even sing well together, if I can get him on a mic.

The nephew, B1son, is back in town from leaving with the carnival over a year and a half ago. We didn't get much time to talk but he looks good and seems to be pointed in the right direction again. That was a comfort to me. His joy in greeting me was real. He said of all the things of home he missed that he missed me the most. He learned his daddy's and his uncle's ways with words. I enjoy them as he offered them. His eyes translated for him. He really meant he loves me. His hug told me more than his words.

My friend that was so gloomy is doing better now. I think I have some things to give him to fix up his new apartment. I am hoping he can use them, then I don't have to dust them! His attitude is much better now. There is still sadness, but it is normal, not the heavy dark stuff. I was glad to see him joking and smiling over coffee at the pub.

I cooked last week for bible study. We had a nice spread and a great time. It seems like we mostly do have fun. It's kind of like digging in the dirt for shiny rocks. It seems all dusty and musty but when you get a little water on it and rub off the confusion, there are gems for everyone there. We like finding them.

Sis is doing ok. Mom was a little tired. Shy Girl is starting to out grow her name, she laughs and jokes with us now. The Man was tired and said so but told us he looks forward to Tuesday nights and dragged himself out anyway to enjoy the home cooked food and fun that goes with our learning. We were all so glad that he is doing better. He knew that, he saw it in our smiles.

It's funny how the verses we study seem to be fitting to each life they touch, even though there are lots of us. We all get something different from them and then compare what we see. It can get a little dizzy to keep it all straight, the different ways to see the meanings behind the words.

One of the books I read recently stressed, from a teacher to a student, "the symbol is not the thing." The thing can be hidden by the symbol.

Letters and even spoken words are just symbols for the essence of the thoughts and feelings I try to share. The symbol is not the thing. If my body is a symbol for "alive and self aware", the self that knows it lives is what I want you to know and understand when we meet.

All my friends that I have written of were people I spent time with this week. I got to know the self of each of them better for the direct connection with them. We see with more than our eyes and we speak with more than words. It's not the same with the phone or email. It's just better in person.

They got to know more of me. We connected. We interacted. We laughed, we cried, we whined, we griped, we smiled, we touched hands or hugged and knew just what we meant by what we said. No misunderstandings between us, we knew what we meant or asked to have it clarified until we got it.

Go out and visit a friend today. Tell them Deby sent you. There is no more important thing you can do than love and encourage each other, in person.

All the talk in the world doesn't say as much as a smiled shared between two people looking each other in the eyes.