Well, we are coming up on mid-September already and soon Summer will be done and Autumn will begin. Let's pause on this beautiful, sunny day and share FIVE of our FAVE blessings from the past week. I enjoy linking up at our host's site (Susanne) and look forward to reading everyone's gratitude list each week.
Milestone birthday |
Wine and Beer Garden Troy, NY |
- BLESSING DIANE! Our dear friend Diane F and her husband Scot with whom we have been friends with since 2005 when we joined Grace Fellowship Church and whose 2 sons were in Youth Group with our 2 daughters, had a birthday celebration for Diane last Sunday evening. They invited their closest church friends and family and we had a blast! Food, wine, cocktails, desserts. Special toasts to our dear friend. Some of us gave little speeches sharing with her what she has meant to us over the years. She is my gifted in Intercessory Prayer friend and has been a part of 2 of my small groups in the past. She is also in my Fri AM Walking group and my hiking group and she and Scot have double- dated with Dave and I several times over the last 19 years. The party was held at a new-to-us spot across the Hudson River from where we live and we all had so much fun. It was also an absolutely gorgeous evening. I"m so thankful for Diane and her friendship.
image courtesy of stockphotos |
- HELP! In December I am turning 65. Monday was the first day I could file for Medicare Part A (my husband is younger than me and I'm covered under his employee health insurance as long as he works). I decided to do it online. Big mistake. It's so cumbersome because they want exact dates of employment and won't let you continue the application until you fill that in. I found it super frustrating to wait for an agent on the phone (I waited 25 min on speaker phone to get a human and finally gave up and texted Deb who has been through this.). While I was waiting for Deb's response I had googled where our local SS office is (the one in Albany is supposedly temporarily closed). Well just as I was finding hte address for the one in Troy, NY, Deb had texted me with the info as well as the 1-800 number for SS. I decided to go in person as soon as they opened up Tuesday at 9. I only had to wait for 3 people ahead of me and after checking in, sitting to read a devotional on my app, my number was called after only 3 minutes or so! The woman asked for my passport and had me answer 3 questions and said No, you don't need the exact date of husband's employment. She said the website for SS is horrible and almost everyone has issues with it. I was done with the whole process in less than 5 minutes and she said to expect my card any time in the next 3-4 weeks or so. I'm thankful for Deb and her encouragement and tips and for the easy process it ended up being.
12 September Moreau Lake State Park |
- SUNSHINE! I'm thankful for the sunshine in late summer. For the blue skies. For the various lakes I live near. For the mountains. For solitude on the beach. For being retired and just being able to be flexible. Thank You, Lord!
image courtesy of Grace Fellowship Church |
- WOMEN'S CLASS: This year I signed up to take 2 classes at my church. On Mondays from 8:30 AM-9:30 AM or from 4:30-5:30 PM (I can switch it up), I'm taking a Fitness Class (Strength training and toning with some cardio run by a former Cross Fit Trainer..this is a class for women of any age). On Wednesday mornings from 9:15-11:30, I'm taking a devotional studies class. This semester the class is centered around Jennie Allen's study guide "Nothing to Prove". It's an easy class and the main focus is the book of John. I sit at a table with 6 other women (3 of whom are good friends of mine from church; 1 woman actually attends a Presbyterian church but comes to GF for this class, and one woman just moved to Albany from Pakistan where her parents have had a huge Christian ministry (prayer, preaching and healing ministry). She was raised Christian in a mostly Muslim and Hindu nation! She is still learning English and is a delight to get to know! I'm so thankful for this class and the chance to meet new women.
image courtesy of google |
- DEBATE: I already know for whom I'm voting (this year I'm voting for character, integrity, intelligence and the person who can bring order from chaos...the one who attends a Baptist church..the female) . I didn't vote for her running mate the first time and I'm certainly not voting for him this year. She came across as one intelligent, articulate, sensitive, and emotionally stable speaker. The other one? not so much! yikes.I found him disturbing, disgusting and denigrating. I cringed when he spoke such openly racist comments and falsehoods about the Haitian refugees. Made my heart break to think this person used to try to be a leader in our nation. (it also made me thankful my REAL citizenship is in heaven...Maranatha, Jesus!!) A psychiatrist had something to say about him. I'm thankful I watched the entire debate. It really shows who is more up to the task of running our nation. I pray daily for her.
That wraps up my faves for the week..the things that made me smile and say "Thank You, God".
I'm also thankful that my husband recognized I was having a rough day emotionally about something on Wednesday and offered to go buy Chinese food for dinner if I steamed some fresh broccoli while he was picking up our orders. We then relaxed together on the couch and I'm so thankful for this husband of mine.
What are you thankful for this week??
7 comments:
My thoughts and prayers go with you as you navigate Medicare! I went in person as well when I applied. It was just so much easier.
Happy belated Birthday to your friend. On my 60th birrthday, my daughter flew in from Oklahoma, where she was living at the time, as we spent three nights at Walt Disney World. It was so much fun holds very special memories for me.
That's so wonderful that your hubby recognizes when you need that special consideration.
Have a great weekend!
Hi Faith, I enjoyed my visit here today! Glad you got your Medicare worked out. I get the rest of my plan covered through my husbands plan. I had a MRI yesterday and I didn't pay anything. I start PT next week and pay $10.00 a visit instead of $50.00. I watched the debate too. I pray for our country. I trust in God. I remember that God wanted a man who loved him but the people chose Saul based on his physical appearance and God chose a man based on his heart towards God. God does looks at character. I will Trust in Him as I pray for our nation.
You did the right thing to go into the SS office personally. We did that and also helped my sil through the process.
That birthday celebration sounds like it was a great success!
I am doing two Bible studies, too, both of them on Revelation (not planned; it just happened that way).
Have a good weekend!
So glad you were able to get good advise about where to get help. I hate doing gov't stuff online and waiting for a human on the phone is insanely long. Glad you are getting some nice sunny days. I know we'll have some more to enjoy. How fun to get to be involved in so many classes and getting to know some new people. I'm sure that young lady from Pakistan will have some stories to tell! How thoughtful of your hubby to go get dinner when you were having a tough day.
Hi Faith. So glad you got signed up for Medicare. I am happy that i could be of help by sharing what I knew from my experience with signing up. I'm with you on the election, as we have discussed, but I still worry about it. Hope you hike today went well and that you have a great weekend!
If you haven't yet, you'll soon start receiving lots of junk mail from places that want to help you navigate Medicare and sell you supplemental plans. I couldn't believe how much junk I received.
We had an in-person appointment, but then they set us up for a phone appointment. I'm not sure why--would have been easier to do it all at once, I would think. But since the phone apportionment was set for a particular day and tie and they called us, we didn't have a long wait on hold. It was wrapped up pretty quickly.
Glad your friend had a nice birthday celebration. Our Bible study is on 1 Corinthians this session, and Sunday School is covering selected psalms. Both have been a blessing so far.
Happy belated birthday to your friend. It sounds like everyone had a blast!
I'm also loving the late summer sunshine. Sunny days and blue skies make me happy and motivated! The sun is shining here today and I'm very thankful.
As far as the debate goes... it was the worst presidential debate in the history of presidential debates. It was so biased. We can agree to disagree though. I respect other people's views even if I disagree with them.
Yay for husbands who pick up takeout on days we just don't feel like making dinner! We had takeout a few nights ago and it was great. Have a wonderful weekend!
Post a Comment