Earth Day and Growing Old

I feel old when I'm tired out and weak. I mean really really old. I'd imagine myself to be a 90 year old lady and tried to feel less frustrated at my weakness. Then also I could empathise with old people and offer up my feelings to God for them and for my old Grandma at home. Grandma is close to 90 now. Thank God she's still able to walk, though a little unsteadily.

Today the thought of getting older had not crossed my mind. Today I turned forty one and felt good, young and energetic. Yet eminently today I stumbled upon passages and verses that set me to think and remind me not to think that age is a bothering factor. Ha ha ha! First the Our Daily Bread reading for today "Too Old?" stared me in my face. The Bible passage reading come from Genesis 17:15-22. God was telling Abraham to expect a son by Sarah, his lawful wife. Abraham was then a hundred years old and Sarah was 90. Yet God proved that nothing was too hard for Him. God fulfils every promise He made in His time. When all seem without hope, there is always hope in God and faith in Him will carry us through.

Dee surprised me with a bouquet delivery and a message that goes:

Lizzie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND!!!!!

and remember.............."age does not make us childish, as some say; it finds us true children."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

All my love, Dee OOOXXX

I'm not that old, am I!!???

Thank you God for friends that worry and fret lest I think I'm getting too old.

Privileged

Dehong visited me last evening with a bag full of gifts. I only opened it this morning. I got an emoticon freshly baked bun - a stress reliever......am I so stressed? O.K. I admit, yes, easily so too, an Illusion Science kit......interesting, and a box of bird's nest..... I am touched. This is one brother who thinks I need bird's nest and goes ahead to pamper me with it. I feel old and privileged.
Privileges were given to us when we signed up for NLB Project Deliver Me - a programme whereby NLB volunteers would deliver library materials to those who have difficulty visiting the library themselves. I was one of those privileged under MDAS to take part in its pilot. Project Deliver Me kicked off this year. NLB volunteers delivered our library books this morning and took away the dued items. I didn't managed to finish reading the book, "Winter World" by Bernd Heinrich. I put it down in the list of books to borrow the next round.
Gan's rather surprise visit gave me another reason to feel privileged and keep smiling. He popped in at 2 plus with a tank containing Leopard Lacewing caterpillars. Leopard Lacewing is a bright colourful butterfly that is becoming more common in Singapore. The larva feeds on the passionfruit plant. Gan gave me one of the three caterpillars in the box. He put some of its foodplant into my box too. We had two passionfruit plants growing on the fence behind the boys' rooms. However when I take Gan to the plants, I realised the plants were no longer there. They had been uprooted by the contractors recently to make way for the new fencing. The old Community Club next door had been brought over by the Anglicans and is now undergoing construction to turn it into a family service centre. While I worry and fret over the caterpillar's food, Gan, in his experience, assured me that there is nothing much to worry about. The caterpillar was near pupaton.

Story of the Ramps

Last night, for the first time, we actually enter their house. James and Elaine were delighted. I am glad the wooden ramps finally found its use.
Mary and I spent money constructing the ramps several years ago. The constructor made it with good heavy wood. It was too heavy and impracticle to cart around and was a white elephant from day one. Until now.
James was overjoyed to adopt the two planes of wood for their house. For a long time, James and Elaine had wanted to invite us into their house. Peng Mun and I have surprised them a couple of times by appearing in front of their gate. But we had never been in their house because there's two steps leading up to their front porch from inside the gate.
James and Elaine resolved to get us into the house in the coming CNY. James collected some material and began work hammering away last week, much to the curiosty of his neighbours. "What is James up to?" they asked Elaine.
"I don't know, you go and ask him" was Elaine's reply. She and her son, Justine were...erm... rather horrified. They were greatly relieved when the acquiring of our wooden ramps spelled an end for James's construction. I had no idea why so. "It's crude," said Elaine. But still I hadn't the slightest idea of what James was constructing. Last night, we see for ourselves.
James was putting up a rather complex structure of wooden blocks and planks that require nothing short of a manual to put it together. He was so very funny, trying to remember how the pieces of wood fit together, I couldn't help laughing. But here's truly a friend I can appreciate. He put in all his effort. God bless him. But no, no, I wouldn't even dare try out his construction.
However, James was pleased, proud and comforted when we did made use of three pieces of board from his trove to lessen the gradient of the ramps. And for the first time, we could go inside and admire their dwelling place. The ramps have found the right home.