Note to readers:  For some reason my computer changes the date of each day’s entry when I post it.  The entry below was written and posted on Sunday May 3, 2015 yet it show it as posted on May 4.  I am sorry for the confusion.  I don’t know if having it in another time zone caused the mix up.  I now have the time zone corrected.  Let’s see if the blog I write tonight will be correctly posted.  Kathleen

A new Sunday. A new church to attend. And it was interesting.  My cousin Lynette attends First Presbyterian Church in  Livermore. I was planning to spend the day with her so decided to drive up early to meet her at church.  I am trying to attend as many different worship services as possible.  I am enjoying the diversity immensely.  I learn something at each place I go.  One sentence today that impressed itself on my memory is: “Be more ready to listen than to correct and speak”.  That is so hard for me to learn.  I always  have something to say.  Perhaps that is the reason that when I asked my son what I should name my blog he so quickly responded “The opinion you didn’t ask for”.  Well, as I said before, I couldn’t get that one but I did reserve the domain name “The opinion you DID NOT ask for”.  But that will only happen after I arrive home.  Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait.

This cousin (I only have about 150 or so if you count first cousins and their children) is the daughter of my mother’s brother.  Her name is Lynette, and her husband is John.  I really do  not know John well as we’ve never really been together except at family reunions over the years.  It was a delight to get to know John and renew my connection with Lynette.  John and Lynette treated me to a wonderful Mexican restaurant for lunch.  Afterwards my cousin and I strolled the downtown in the town of Pleasanton where she lives.  Very well laid out and planned city.  Lots of trees and businesses to entice the shopper.  And…they even had a resale shot named something like “Classy Seconds”. Can’t remember for certain and I don’t want to have to go dig out my receipt to see the name.  YES…that means I purchased something.  I always know that God has plans for me and they are good.  And I think my purchase was the reason I was supposed to stroll down that street.  That, and the Dairy that served soft serve vanilla ice cream.  Oh my, it was so good!

We finally ended up at Lynette and John’s lovely home.  Impeccable.  I wonder if anyone will ever be able to say that about my home?  It was so refreshing to be in the quiet and peaceful setting of her home after the busy busy street strolling.  In case I have mentioned it, there are a lot of cars here in California and if there are a lot of cars that means there are a lot of people!  I enjoy the crowds but I enjoy the quiet even more.  We talked and talked and it was good.  Found out a lot about each others lives when younger.  It is so interesting to see how we each remember the same events differently.  As kids our parallax is limited and often impaired because of lack of experience.  Very rarely do we ever see the same situation with the same perspective.  It was interesting for me to listen to Lynette’s perspective of how she remembered so many things.  We shared poetry.  She read me some of her Father’s poetry and I read them some of my poems.  That was a lot of fun.  My uncle was a very gifted poet.  She gave me a copy of the poems she had typed up for him.  Can’t wait to find time to read them.

We all posed for our tripod timed “family shoot” (that means I was in the picture with them).  Not too long afterward I packed up for home as I wanted to arrive at Jeanette’s before dark.  I made it.

My day was uneventful as far as excitement is concerned but it was a lovely, slow, and intentional day with a sweet cousin in the confines of her comfortable cozy home.  I will even post the bedroom I would have slept in had I stayed the night.  She must awaken early and leave for work. Since she is only about 5 miles from where I am already staying I decided that I would just go up for the day instead of sleeping at her place.  Smart move on my part because I didn’t need to haul my belongings around with me.  Lynette sent home two exquisite roses from her yard. I think she said that one of them was “Lavender Lace”.  The other is a tiny small yellow rose.  I think it an old fashioned rose. Thank  you cousin Lynette.  I just want everyone to know I REALLY DO LOVE ALL MY COUSINS!

Came home, ate,  and wrote this blog.  Going to bed ASAP as I almost fell asleep here at home front while typing.  Oh how I enjoy days like today.  So quiet and peaceful!

One last thing I would like to leave with you is the wisdom that John and Lynette gave me.

Lynette: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

John: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

Wishing all of you a great night and blessed tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Kathleen