What Do Retired People Do?        

                                                    (At least one such person)

Last Sunday when I was greeting people in church, one man ask me how I was doing and then, what do you do, knowing that I was retired for some time. I responded,”That is a good question. When you don't have to go to work anymore, what do you do?” He recognized the issue and problem, and agreed that one needs to find new things to do with an abundance of time available when one no longer needs to “go to work”.

We then talked of some things I do, like spend a lot of time on the computer with the myriad of things one can find there to do. He seemed to understand and did not show scorn over that. How nice! And then when I mentioned that we have a large back yard to occupy time, and also that we have several rentals to maintain, he seemed to be even more understanding.

This conversation led me to think of what all I actually find myself doing. To think through this, I don't know whether it is better to list thing by importance to me that I do, or by how much time I spend doing them. So let me just list some things I do beside the above mentioned, and what it may even mean that I do the above things.

While it is most impressive  to working people that I maintain property and manage several rentals, that actually takes very few hours per month unless there is a change of renters and a house has to be updated.  And working outdoors also is mostly a summer job, and then I get tired physically after only a half hour or an hour of hard work- even if it is mostly walking. Besides it makes no money!

I get credited a lot if I say I work with Hospice, sitting with old people in their final days. Yet this has usually occupied no more than several hours a week and sometime none for a month. Most valued by most friends of mine but little time spent per month on an average. Sometime persons I sit with never even know I was there, or would not remember it 30 minutes later. But there also are most rewarding contacts with patients and families who appreciate our support...

Something that takes more mental and Spiritual energy than physical is keeping up with about 6 families in Belize that were close to us when we were living there. They call once or more per month explaining their needs and concerns and I have to decide the best way of helping them, which often includes sending money for the basics of life, including food and medical. And how much counseling can you do over long distance telephone or texting?

Few understand what all I can do on the computer that is interesting, amusing, and some even outgoing for others. Games are a challenging past time, and also entertaining and even helping to keep my mind sharp. Reading news headlines, I always do, and follow up with items of interest. Sometimes I feel I travel around the world even before our family devotions in the morning. (More on praying later.) Of course there is email, keeping me informed some about the church, friends and much irrelevant stuff I just erase. Equally informing or more so is Facebook, where I have to scroll down a lot to find anything of interest, but I also get news from family and friends that I would never get otherwise. It is my best source of info from some nieces and nephews. Some time I share my “wisdom” in responding to comments and news items.

Then also the computer is the writing tool for current thought which may help me clarify my thinking and keeping me informed of what I believe! Then there are my blogs which number over a hundred entries by now, where I share matters that may challenge many, which I also value. It is a ministry as I check in on the many “page views” responses of people from around the world who check in on each writing. Sometimes I have to pray for people in Korea, Russia, and anywhere else in the world who may be mulling over my writings. So the computer offers many opportunities to socialize, and exercise my mind and reach out to challenge many. Certainly time can be wasted on the computer but it offers such a variety of opportunities for the good in entertaining, mental exercise, and outreach. Presently I am also writing my biography, including much writings about our 25 years in Belize.

I mentioned prayer in connection with blogging, and news around the world gives much basis for praying intercessory every morning. It often feels we travel around the world in praying, dipping down in Belize, Bangladesh, Puerto Rico and many other places. Nearby are also neighbors, renters, the church and many more. Abroad are missionaries who need our support in prayer, including some of our family anticipating mission service. We pray for the work of the Spirit around the world moving people to seek the true God.  It gives me ambivalent feelings to sit there in the living room in the peace of the morning with relatively no worries of my own, no crises I am facing compared to that which I know millions of people are struggling with. I wonder how I can worship God and be thankful in a world where I am exempt from the hardship millions of hopeless refugees and famished are struggling for survival. And even Christians many places live in greater peril of their lives than ever.

So there are many things for an older person to do. In fact there are so many, including distractions that one can daily wonder if one is using the time wisely. I often think how I may feel in a decade or two when many things possible now may be more difficult, and there is no going back to the good old, old days of my present life.                                                                                     October 22, 2017

                                  Eighty Things for Which Life Is Too Short

Life is too short to

(Excuse numbering)

71. Spend half your earning life paying off the house you live in.

72. Spend more years of pursuing education than you will find useful in your life.
73. 
    
74. To wait to really know your children until they are grown up.

72. To spend long weeks just to make a better living.

72. To wait until you are secure financially to find out what was really God's plan for your life.

76. To neglect learning to enjoy nature as God's wonderful home meant for you and everyone.

77. To give second place to God when you expect to spend eternity with him.

78. To fail to show personal love to your spouse every day. (if you marry)

     79. To not observe how your parents went before you into their aging years; you will be there before you realize what happened.

80. To realize how short life really is until it is almost gone.

                              

                                Eighty Things I Still Wonder About (Just curious)

71. When I read of the amazing discoveries of astronomy on the vastness of the universe and the great age of stars, I wonder how anybody can imagine it all just happening by itself without an even greater mind and powerful Being behind all of it, still far Greater than we can imagine.

72. I still wonder if heaven is anything like people have thought of in history- whether it is more like here on earth perfected, or almost totally different in many dimensions. Will there be animals in Heaven?

73. I still wonder if there are any perfect marriages. If any think theirs is, are they bored, or supremely happy.

74. I always thought of myself as being of perhaps slightly above average in intelligence but some tests have suggested perhaps a higher IQ than I ever thought of myself. I wonder. Well, so what?

74. Is hell actually what many have thought as like an eternal, burning fire? When I stood before a blazing brush fire, I wondered if any God could have the will to cast any person in there. I wonder if it may be any longer than just until the person has died. To realize there is no turning to God might be hell.

76. Will we be spirit beings in Heaven, or more like the present? Will we see God physically or Spiritually?

77. I wonder if God has been pleased with my life, or if he just forgives and loves me anyway.

79. Will all people be judged alike by God, or does he have a much more complicated way of looking at people than the way we do.
80. 
    
81. I wonder if God will grant my prayer to take me to him easily as I pray, or if it will be like a long examination before I can go. And when?

80. I wonder if I should just relax and trust God and quit wondering so much.

                              Eighty Things I Want to Do In My Remaining Days

71. Take care of myself, my wife, and my home as well as I can.

72. Follow through with my great grandchildren and be as close to them as I can, hoping that as many as can will have memories of me as they mature and grow up.

73. Be active and reaching out to people close to us outside of our family, like neighbors, tenants, and our close Belizean friends to encourage them in every way I can and encourage them in the Christian way of life.

74. To pray every day for many- missionaries, especially those in our families, for new believers, persecuted ones, young church leaders, for our own congregation, for our government leaders, and for God to foil the ways and plans of evil doers who cause much harm to people, as well as for God's comfort to impoverish persons, refugees, and others who suffer.

75. To seek to be good stewards of our wealth and use it for the good of others as well as for ourselves.

76. To encourage a mission interest and focus tor our grandchildren and be supportive to those sensing a call to serve in mission and church ministries.

77. Continue in a writing outreach through blogging and other writing beyond what I have done and make use of other social media as I find ways of doing a broader writing out reach.

78. Enjoy the outdoors as a praise to God, sharing with him the joy of his creation and wonder of beauty, growth, and the cycles of life.

79. Keep my wife as happy as I can.

80. Keep growing in faith and knowledge of the wonders of life in a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

   

            Eighty Things That Might Interest My Grandchildren (and Great Grandchildren)

71. What life was like when I grew up without electricity (let alone electronics and telephone) running water and without an indoor bathroom in the winter, or cars to get around.

72. How much I enjoyed living in Belize for 25 years, in the tropics with so many friends, a relaxed culture, a thousand fruit trees and so much more- like living on the Caribbean shores most of the years.

73. How little I missed American living in all those years- except for family, and why I did not miss anything else.

74. How we traveled through Mexico 7 times and sometimes had amazing experiences where it seemed we had angels watching over us in strange situations that could have been extremely difficult or worse.

75. To read my biography if I ever get it down to size and on e-book- if I ever do.

76. How I follow a regular morning routine that various little throughout the week: make coffee, use the bathroom, check the computer until coffee is ready; and then while drinking it, sit on the couch while Loretta reads a devotional, and then we, I especially, may talk until Loretta is a bit tired and we pray, especially interceding for family, missionaries, our grandchildren abroad. Also for our renters and Belize friends, the government, and wisdom for the day- all these, and nearing each weekend, we pray for our church and churches around the world. Also that God would act in many situations- like with oppressors and the persecuted, and a few more things personally, not always in the same order. Then we bring in the newspaper and it’s time for breakfast, for me at least. All these every morning with the order varying a bit.



77. Our daily life is mixed with a lot of freedom to do what we want to, with Loretta often in the back yard weeding while I am on the computer with email, Facebook, news, interesting articles, games and sometimes music on YouTube while reading. The demand to work at rentals sometimes disrupts a lot of retirement freedom. O yes, it also gives us opportunity to share our livelihood (financial) and conversation with about 5 single parents in Belize about once or twice a month.

78.Can you imagine what it feels like to have 29 direct descendants by the year you turn 80. Names I can remember, birthdays, not so good.

79.  How interesting it would be if you would all note the most important things that happen to you each decade- how interesting your story would be by the time you reach 80!



80. How it feels to be 80 years old when everyone thinks you're much older than you feel.

                                                       It Will Not Come Near You

Each morning as we sit on the couch for our morning devotions we contemplate situations in the world that we are aware of from the news, or things we just know are that way. This morning it was news that fires in California are threatening the homes of hundreds in addition to those who have already been driven away, some 20,000 people, and already 1,500 building have been destroyed. Recently, of course, Houston, Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, and African countries caught in drought, many famishing, have also been heavy in the news. In rehearsing these many kinds of dire needs, many producing great anxiety, dismay, or hopelessness in the hearts of people, we feel burdened and wondered how we should interceded for all these things.

But our praying always starts with thanksgiving for the many blessings of our lives where it seems that God has favored us with so much good and so little to be anxious about. We have no continuous crises of food, shelter, finances or health. And we have some confidence our country will survive. How then how do we bring together all this abounding blessing for us in the face of innumerable calamities and hardships in the world? It almost makes me feel guilty or at least embarrassed that we have been exempt from the world's curses and instead have had security rained upon us all our decades. We have only had occasional reverses which we always pulled through with God's help and have few anxieties today.

Is all this somewhat similar to the experience of David where he wrote:

      A thousand may fall at your side,

      And ten thousand at your right hand;

             But it will not come near you. Psalm 91:7

Yet I have been haunted sometimes by difficulties we have had in the past: a house fire that destroyed our home years ago; struggling finances for many of our first 25 years of marriage; and marital adjustments that never seemed to be fully resolved. And we know that sometimes Christians have fatal traffic accidents. Can I believe David's words as a guarantee for the Christian for all times? Or did he write this at a time of peace within and recognition that God is always near him and is watching over him?

As we are entering “old age” for sure by now, it is encouraging that we can rest assured with David that He will always be with us, even as the Shepherd Psalm, the 23^rd, assured him. We can be confident that even if we are living in a world in turmoil, we are secure in God's care for us. It makes me humble that it seems we are singled out for God's special love- but that's just how He is. So with a grateful hearty we can intercede for the dire needs of the world and pray for God to act by his Spirit and through his people throughout the world, to bring hope and knowledge of his love for all and to all. We pray that all needy persons will have hunger for a “real” God and will find truth and hope in him and have his blessing for life as we do. In His own ways also he can release people of their misery and supply relief for many or all.  

                                               50+ Dead, 400 Injured in Las Vegas

How do we respond to this breaking news this morning? Most of us are horrified as this information comes across the media. On second thought, I realized that it happens every day in our country, and even more around the world. Only it is in scattered events, or far from where we live, usually. We knew that there are deranged people in this world, or people with hurts and prejudices that motive  various persons. to atrocities. What was specific here was that so much happened in one place, for reasons that are totally unknown as I write this.

We can have any of a variety of responses if we are moved by publicity. We may also be reminded as I am, that this is only one place where such violence has happened. The wider question is, how do we respond to the wider problem of violence around the world, which we may be oblivious to, because it is not "news"?

We listened to the news a while sitting where we  have our morning devotions. Perhaps the news just strengthened our usual prayers, that God would be searched for  his comforting love, to be found by a new reason to seek him. The needs of people anywhere, like also Puerto Rica and Houston came to our minds also as  places people have extra reasons to turn to God for comfort. Bangladesh often  comes to mind with weather tragedy much worse than in our own country. I often think of  tragedy and desperation, even as famine which God tolerates as perhaps pains of travail of God, before persons are born to a new life in him. So we pray that God's Spirit would come and suggest to people that there is a God they can turn to for help and comfort.

Tragedy doesn't really make sense to us, yet we persist in seeking meaning. The Christian cannot in the Spirit of Christ be indifferent. Can we do more than pray? If and where we can find a way, certainly we want to. I am just responding off the cuff to all this as I am inclined to do. We cannot pass off the suffering in the world as just natural events beyond our feelings.  

                                                      SAYING YES AND NO

It is essential to be able to say yes and no at the right time and in the right way if one lives in Belize and hopes to keep his sanity, Christianity, and some of his wealth. There are just many times when you are put on the spot where it is either say the word or you will be taken for a ride. There are several dimensions to this phenomenon. It may best be seen by concrete examples.

Kids will pile into your house until you say enough, or you are destined to be driven out of your own house. If you are nice enough to let them in, or naive enough not to keep your door locked at all times, they will stream in. It would only seem hospitable to welcome little people into your house. After all, some certainly are hungry, or looking for a place to hang out or sponge off your love or stuff in your house which theirs doesn’t have. So if you don’t say no at some point, you will feel run over, or eventually out of your mind. It really shouldn’t be that hard to say no. Like, “It really is not a good time to come in.” Or, “We already have enough (or too many) in the house.” Or when you are tired and need rest, “It is time to go soon now or by so and so time”. Most of the time we have kept the respect of kids and youth when we treated them with mature firmness, confidence, and respect.

With too many adults one can also say no in a proper way. After one has listened to them, giving them attention or what they need, they may take a hint or they may not for a while. One can claim busyness or work to be done, or tiredness, especially when one is over sixty. Or you can suggest what you may know is true: Did you say you have to go cook for your children? A key is to give them good attention first and then you can excuse them to leave. If you have any business in town, you can use that for an excuse, even perhaps taking them along part way. They like that usually. If there may be a whole group of women there, you can use the town excuse, or simply say, “Some of you just came not long, some have been here a while. I get tired and need some rest. Let me give you yet what ever you need so you can go and I can get some rest” There are few who would not respond in the right way with that.

When it come to persons asking for money, it is most imperative to give yes and no answers properly, as receiving what they need and know you have is a sure measure for many of the Christian charity you have- or even if whether you are a Christian. That’s not too far from Jesus parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 24.

It can be tricky to say yes and no in an acceptable way when people ask you for money. It’s important to be honest. You can’t say we don’t have much when you have a credit line, or to claim you have debts, when you have several houses in the States as collateral. Even if you own a car, they are sure you have money you could give them. To claim poverty is to lose credibility and respect as it is untruthful.

When you know their need, you can give money comfortably. If there is something they could be doing to earn, they need to be reminded appropriately. If they have a man, draw attention that fact that they should be asking him to support his children. Women need to know we believe men have the responsibility to care for their children. The truth can be spoken thus as I did recently; “We are spending and giving more than we are receiving in the states, so we feel we need to cut back as much as we can. If we go like we did the last months, we won’t be able to help anyone in several years.” I said this morning as I often do, “You are young, I am older; you should be able to at least support yourself.” On the street I have said to younger men, “Why should older men like me support strong young men like you?” It is good with single mothers to listen carefully, then tell them which of their needs you feel you can, or should meet. I have refuse paying for gas saying they needed to look elsewhere for that bigger expense. When no little children are involved, you can push mothers to get jobs, any job. All person should gradually learn that receiving help from us is temporary, and they should be on their own normally and as soon as possible.

There is a wrong way to say yes to people requesting money. Giving out of duty, or too lazy to explain why not, or why less should be better, are some wrong ways to just give. Or to give after scolding them, or with stingy heart, or in a way that makes them feel guilty or degraded. Or to give when you believe it is fostering dependence, or a non necessary habit out of convenience, just so you don’t have to not confront them with reality. That does not breed respect for you or in themselves. Saying yes may be the easy, cowardly way of responding to needs.

But you can also say no in the wrong way: In disregard to their real needs; out of selfishness, or with sassing them off for asking. are never good ways to say no. Being angry with them for asking- what if they really need it and you are cold hearted to them?

It is important for Christian with means living with poor neighbors to be sensitive in their needs in love, saying both yes and no appropriately. It needs to be done with the same love and consideration for the beggars’ real needs and self respect. We don’t decide to give on whether we feel generous, but on the basis of what we believe is good for them.

Saying yes and no in the Spirit of Christ is a part of our ministry of serving people. We dare not hesitate long in speaking right out, or at least telling persons we are really trying to find out what we should do. There are limits to our sanity and wallets, but we rarely find out what they really are. We need to test the Spirit to know when enough is enough. Then boldly we must say yes or no in the Spirit of Christ. Usually people will accept yes or no when they know and sense your real love for them.

                                                  THREE VIEWS OF CULTURE

For the many years I had the opportunity of observing and seeking to understand the Garifuna culture in Belize from the vantage point of my own European Amish American culture. I have seen many similarities and differences. Today I can list many strong and weak points of each culture, that is, how well the respective cultures meet the needs, goals, and aspirations of the people represented? However, here I would only like to compare and contrast the ways people view their own cultures. Then I want to suggest a third way we can view culture. This is not a technical study, but a rather casual study of what I have seen and experienced from a layman’s viewpoint and where I have come to as a Christian.

To begin with, I want to note that Garifuna and Amish have much in common as to their history and environment today. Both have been transported from one continent to another. Both are in population of under a million, and minorities where they live. Both are not quite considered main stream, but separate and distinct from the larger cultures around them. One migrated because of outward forces, the other by inner compulsion to find a place where they can live more peacefully. So both have been exposed to another culture from the original and have always been in tension with the surrounding culture. Both have maintained much of the cultures they came from several hundred years ago, and been selective of what they accepted from their cultures in which they now find themselves.

Cultures are always changing. Is that acceptable to us?  Are parts of culture negotiable?  Can we leave it or any part of it, or do we want to maintain it as a whole? The Garifuna in general idealize maintaining their culture as it stand- language food, dress, rituals, holidays, marriage within the group, ways of making a living, living in villages or units in towns or cities. The voices for the Garifuna culture are strong to defend, celebrate, and maintain the culture. The culture is esteemed for themselves to maintain a distinct identity. Garifuna culture is not negotiable, although there is a lot of unwitting absorption of surrounding cultures which constantly challenges the strictness of the original culture- whatever that is considered to be.

Much of the above analysis of Garifuna culture could also be said of Amish culture. The German language is almost sacred. European dress has been baptized by scriptures and made sacred. The Amish live in groups, and stand in tension with the surrounding cultures. Marriage may only be within the group. They maintain rituals, holidays in the traditional European way to large extent. They esteem the culture for themselves but withhold judgment largely from Christians who differ. There is some slow absorption of surrounding culture, but change is strictly regulated, more than Garifunas can do, because the Amish also have strong religious sanctions and boundaries, rules and regulations for membership.

Let me now take one step from my historical culture and take a stance that I have accepted for myself as a citizen of the kingdom of God which transcends my Amish background and culture. When I became a Mennonite, I progressed in a view of culture different from the Amish. In fact, I never fully accepted the Amish view of faith and culture even when I joined that group as a teen  In Kingdom of God culture which I idealize now, many aspects of culture are negotiable, Language, dress, except for modesty; and ethnic marriages are not idealized as in the two mentioned groups above. I can and do adopt various aspects of Belizean, Creole, Garifuna or American culture, with only the principles of the Christian faith to guide or limit me. All else is negotiable. I place no premium on my European heritage, never celebrate it, or parade it even among my own family. I only celebrate the values of the Kingdom of God, and raise them up before others as most ideal, not only for me but for all others as well. We did not try to keep our family language German, nor lament when our children married outside of our specific Amish and European culture. I only rejoiced that they married Kingdom citizens. Had they married Africans, I would be just as happy as I am today. Only Kingdom culture matters.

Social culture is just accidental and incidental, and a matter of choice. It is a product of the flow of our family history. My children live in 3 states and we [lived] in a different country from any of them. So what? Kingdom citizenship transcends place of living, social culture, and ethnic backgrounds. Language is irrelevant as a value in our extended family as well. We probably speak 10 languages, including Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, and who knows what else? Most of the next generation after mine does not speak German. In Kingdom Culture nothing is lost by this diversity of social culture. A profound unity prevails when our extended family gathers periodically and worship and renew our lives with each other because we share Kingdom cultural values. We generally hold that social culture is negotiable, although we do still have strong remnants of Amishism in parts of our extended family. But our highest values are Kingdom culture, and that is the basis of a profound identity and unity.

With the above dominance of Kingdom culture in my values and experience, I have to be humble and respectful when the Garifuna celebrate their culture- their total culture in their holidays and rituals. This is not totally easy when I feel liberated from any specific human culture that I have been a part of. I suppose this is an essay of celebration of Kingdom culture. Perhaps I am proud of it. May I be humbly so. And like the Amish and the Garifuna, I also feel surrounded by other cultures, ever feeling the tension of those cultures which try to invade the only culture to which I am committed- the Kingdom of God. This Culture is where I find my true identity.

Some Aspects of Kingdom Culture That May Differ From Other Cultures:

         Local language with some additional vocabulary;

         Values of honesty, generosity, sensible self-esteem, self-control, responsibility;

         Active love to those of Kingdom culture and those opposed to it, friends and enemies both;  Loyalty to King Jesus, imitating Him in daily life;

         A Service mentality, missional, other centered, community centered;

         Holiday first day of every week, a celebration of our King, for community building;

         Dress not selected by design, style or color, but by practicality, and decency;

          Marriage within those of Kingdom culture, to avoid definite conflict.

                                                                                                 Written in Belize,

                                   Seventy Blessings of God in My Life Updated

71. A sense of call to serve in Belize until it gradually came to us that it would be totally fine between us and God to move back to the States.

72. A comfortable adjustment to life back in the States when we moved back.

73. A strong affirmation of Tri Lakes Church as we merged back into the church permanently, with a celebration day of our 25 years in Belize.

74. Good health throughout the years of the 70s.

75. Regular fellowship with my siblings practically every month, eating in each other's homes and sharing our life experiences.

75. Three of our children living within a few miles and connections with them at our interest and need.

77. Yearly trips out of States with our two children living “abroad” and always welcoming us to stay a few days or even longer.

78. Seeing several of our grandchildren graduating from a Bible college and several serving abroad in missions.

79. Grandchildren getting married, 8 couples in my seventies, married to Christian partners and becoming established in vocations or jobs.

79. The beginning of a new generation- great grandchildren- 6 by my 80^th birthday and another on the way.

                                      Seventy  Burdens of My Life Updated

71. Leaving the beautiful tropic of climate, friendly people, and calm culture, so comfortable and familiar.

72.  Settling into a culture of unfamiliar people, uncomfortable weather most of the year, and a loss of meaningful goals in life.in the States

73. Retirement- the ambiguity of identity without vocation.

74. Repeatedly praised in church  services in ways we felt so unworthy.

75. Difficulty of working physically without soon getting tired and unmotivated.

76. Differing so much with less energy than my wife.

77.  Finding my identity as an old man between my feelings and the perception of others about my age
                 
78. Frustrations of wanting to downsize my life while Loretta is moving forward full speed.
          
79. Finding balance of preoccupation with end of life issues and living fully now.

80.  Seeking balance in my life for the strength I still have, using the talents I have.







                                         Seventy Highlights of My Life Updated

71. On vacation from Belize in 2009, we planted 10 dwarf fruit trees where we expected our retirement home to be.

72. We lived for months in a house in Belize that was unfinished, had no interior doors or cupboards and the upstairs had an accessible door that kids would break through when we were not attentive.

73. We moved from Belize in 2011, shipping a van from Florida with stuff for Belizeans and brought it back with our final personal possessions from living in Belize for 25 years.

74. The same year we move back from Belize, our first two grandchildren to get married, Joshua to Natalie and Andrea to Kyle.

75. In 2012, we went to Ohio for Shiloh's harp performance and to Albuquerque for Charity’s wedding to Darnell.  Nate also was married that year to Alicia in Malaysia, too far for us to travel.
     
76. Three grandchildren were married in 2013, Katalyn to Andrew, Zachary to Marlise, and Leann to Luis. Also the first great grandchild, Abigail to Josh and Natalie.

77. In 2014, the eighth grandchild to get married, Tanner to Kelsey in Michigan; also our first great grandson, Noah to Andrea and Kyle.

78. The twins were born in 2015, Emmitt and Eliza Ann to Josh and Natalie, and the day following Lydia Grace to Tanner and Kelsey.

79. Micah came into this world in 2016, the 6^th great grandchild also to Andrea and Kyle, and a seventh expected in 2017, unnamed, to Kaytalyn and Andrew.

 80. Celebrated my official entry into the old age of 80 with a party at Rachel and Bruce's house.







                                         Seventy Things I Forgot Updated

71. Where I placed my check book when I came home from the store- that was weeks ago.

72. The names of people I knew very well in the past, until I accidentally happen to recall them.

73.How to get on certain games on the computer that I used to play.

74. The name of a stove part as we were conversing among siblings- something I would know very well, to my embarrassment.

75. To turn the motor off when I was went into a grocery store and discovered it only when I was looking for the keys when I came out of the store.

76. Combing my hair right before leaving the house for church services, I wondered why the comb stuck in my hair. When I saw the foam on the comb I realized that I had forgotten to rinse the shampoo out of my hair when I showered.

77. I was looking for an item of food at Aldi's. When a clerk asked if she could help me find what I wanted I was stumped for the name of what I was looking for and had top forgo her help.

78. Fortunately I am not the only one to lose my keys. When I could not find them one time, I asked Loretta and she went out to the burn pile and found them in the ashes, where she had dropped them when she carried twigs back from the front yard as we had come home.

79. At Julie’s overnight I wondered why my glasses were not on the night stand in the morning but a pair I did not recognize was there instead. Actually, I had just forgotten how they looked, having bought them not too many weeks of months before.

80. If I forgot anything else in my life so far that is noteworthy, I forgot what it was.