Whispering Hope

  As a very young tot, my mother and father told me I would say, “I do it myself”, “I can do it all by myself”. So often I have thought I could and   should   do things on my own. Asking for help is difficult for me.     I learned a lesson in ASKING and RECEIVING!  READ ON….   At my house I have an outside wood boiler. This is the source of heat for my home. I burn the wood in the boiler outside and pipes carry the hot water underground to the furnace inside the house and voila heat abounds. Sounds easy right? It is when you have wood that is already cut and ready to feed the boiler.    Last week I had 3 trees cut down. The tree cutters asked if I wanted the wood or if they needed to haul it away. I said I would like to have it because I need it to supply wood for heat. As they cut the trees, they had a machine to carry the huge cut pieces of wood to the area where the wood boiler is located. When I say huge- I mean huge-     N...

Taken December 2010   How has it been 11 years! October 20, 2013 at 9:03 pm, Paul,  the love of my life on earth went to meet his Savior, first of all and then others...  This year has by far been the most difficult for me in my grief. Not many would know it because I am still the same Lois- I like to look on the outside like everything is great and good yet the loss I feel is so prominent. I have wondered if it has been more challenging because after retiring, I now have more time – time to reminisce, time to work on a house that has lots of projects (which we loved doing together), and NOW there is time to grieve.     I always have thought of my grief as an ocean- probably because I love being close to water (oceans, rivers , lakes, streams, and brooks) all hold a special place in my life. You ask..."Why is grief like an ocean?"   Oceans have tides- low and high; there are waves that often swallow you if you are surfing (or kayaking); storms come on land ...