An Evening with Rose

I must start by saying Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. I hope you are having a peaceful, easy day!

My hubby is working on this Father's Day....not all day though. He was at church with us this morning but had to leave immediately after. I bought him Krispy Kreme donuts and a Diet Coke along with a balloon for Father's Day. Food always works with him.

Hubby has had a hard few days lately. I can tell by the way he's been acting. Edgy. Quiet. Easily irritated. Overall just a grump. Bless his heart, he tries so hard, but just a simple trip to Wal-Mart can be overwhelming for him. The only comment he made yesterday after the Wal-Mart trip was how he is so sick of how women/girls dress during the summer months. He said he was "this close" to walking up to one of them and telling them just what they are doing.

Later in the day, our neighbor behind us was having trouble with some of her yard work, and I told hubby it would be nice if he went and helped her out. But he wouldn't. He couldn't. Too much of a temptation. Yes, she is very pretty, just his type in fact. And she dresses very skimpily to do her yard work. On one hand, I am very proud of him for realizing his limit and saying no. On the other hand, I want to scream and say, "Get over this already!" Geez, I mean, will there ever be a time he can see our neighbor and not want to jump her bones? (or whatever it is he wants to do to her)? I have improved in my reactions to situations such as these however. I accept it and move on. He did what he needed to do for his recovery, and I let it go at that. Do I wish he could have walked over, been a good neighbor, and helped her out? Yes. Do I wish he could walk up to any beautiful woman and not be overwhelmed by lustful thoughts? Yes, of course. But I guess until he can do this, he will just have to stay away from those beautiful women.

I wanted to tell you of a good experience we had as a family yesterday evening. Have you ever thought about someone, maybe someone you don't even know too well, and God just puts them on your heart to call? That happened to me yesterday and for once I obeyed the voice of God. I called Ms. Rose. Ms. Rose is around 80 years old and goes to our church. We don't know Ms. Rose that well, but she is always sweet and kind and I had heard she knew alot about plants and flowers. So I called Ms. Rose and asked if we could come "tour" her backyard. She said yes, and we all loaded up and went.

We arrived there and she began telling us story after story of each and every plant. The lilies she brought from her old house when she moved, the amaryllis she got from her mother almost 60 years ago, etc. Each plant had a story, and she was eager to tell it. It was a beautiful garden, and hubby and I got lots of good tips, and we even left with three different sorts of bulbs to plant. Thanks to Ms. Rose, we'll have something to look forward to in the spring!

I never knew Ms. Rose's husband, and I have never met her two children. Here's what I want to share with you. Standing in Ms. Rose's kitchen, I had a sobering thought. Standing there listening to her talk about her dog, her plants, her church, and her God, I got weak in the knees. Who will I be when it is just me? Fifty years from now, when my dear husband has passed and my children are gone, who will I be?

It is hard for me to fathom the thought of one day in the future someone knowing me without knowing my husband and children. I can't imagine what I will be like when I have no hubby or kids to take care of. Will I continue to be faithful to my God? I believe so. Will I continue to be active in my church? I hope so. Will I be eager and willing to share with younger women the story of my marriage? I pray I will.

The evening with Ms. Rose took us away to a serene place. A place where there are no visually-tempting neighbors and no internet-tempting computers. There was just peace. I felt it and hubby felt it. It did him such good. I don't know who benefited the most, us or Ms. Rose. She surely loved telling us her story, and isn't that what we all want? Someone just to listen to our story?

I thanked Ms. Rose for letting us come into her home. She invited us back anytime. When we saw her at church this morning, she grinned a little brighter at my children, and they went and gave her a hug. After attending church with her for six years, we finally know Ms. Rose. And we are all better for it.