I have no doubt that next Wednesday I’ll be writing another post. After only 4 1/2 hours of sleep, I probably shouldn’t be writing one now. However, I figure since my ponderings, as well as my stuffy nose & watery eyes, kept me from falling back to sleep that I ought to put my thoughts into sentences and hope that they make sense. No promises. I mean, I’m most certainly an 8-hours-of-sleep-or-at-least-seven girl.
About 10 years ago, my friends Bev & Sherry and my sister Sherry had a conversation. My friends told my sister that they thought my family would be throwing me a 40th birthday party. My sister told my friends that she thought they’d plan something. I wasn’t a big fan of turning 40. I looked forward to 30. I’m quite proud of 50, but 40….bluch.
I figured on my birthday, which is July 8, that one of the Sherry’s would invite me over for dinner. I guessed that they’d have some extra people there for cake and ice cream. I would’ve felt appreciated and loved.
That’s not what happened.
My sister called me last week to see if I wanted to come out yesterday to play games and have dinner and to help Connor with his “Hay Day tasks”. [We compete in the Derby. This is big stuff. hehe] Now for some, that may have been a reason to suspect. However, Sherry’s known to call me and invite me out for dinner. Connor’s known to invite me out to play games. I didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary.
Last Sunday, I went back to our SS room to get it ready for CBC Kid’s Worship. As I cleaned up our monthly birthday breakfast, Loretta came up and said, “Next Sunday?” I looked at her with a look of confusion, “What’s next Sunday?” She said, “I must be thinking about something with my church.” I assured her the only thing scheduled for yesterday was voting on a potential worship & discipleship pastor. However, as I went to sleep last Sunday night, I kept wondering if I missed an announcement. I texted her Monday morning, and she assured me that I hadn’t missed anything, and she had just been confused.
On Saturday, Connor (my most favorite nephew in the whole entire world) and his girlfriend Sarah came to my classroom to help me hang posters and do a couple more things prior to me taking a few weeks off [Even thought my parents and some friends are certain I won’t be able to keep out of my room.]. While talking of my oldest sister’s birthday and mine, I mentioned that Cara, a friend & colleague, had printed two 50 t-shirts for me and that they were really cute. I said, “I’m trying not to wear them until the 8th.” Connor said, “If you want to wear one, just wear it to the house on Sunday. No one would see it but us.” Sarah chimed in, “You can get your picture taken with Connor, so he can post it on your birthday.” Yes! An excuse to wear one of my cute t-shirts! I saved my favorite for my actual birthday and wore the other one to their house for games & baked spaghetti.
Yesterday at church, as “the lunch bunch” and I were pondering where to go to eat, I suggested El Nopal. They agreed. Self-control is not a great skill when chips & queso are in the mix. We went. I didn’t order queso because I was perfectly happy with chips and salsa. Then, an order of arroz con pollo made up my lunch. Have you been there? Their order of arroz con pollo is HUGE. Thankfully, I didn’t eat it all, but I did eat more than half which is more than I usually eat. I was hungry. [Sherry’s dogs benefited from the uneaten portion.]
When I arrived home, I changed into some capris and my birthday t-shirt. Sherry texted to come out about 2, so I figured they had some chores to accomplish before I arrived. I told her that I needed to stop at Brandi’s house for a Color Street prize on my way. No problem. Then, I thought…..I’m tired. I’ll just lean back and rest a few minutes before I leave. Then, my furball Rocky jumped up and spread out on my legs. Next, we both closed our eyes.
A cat or the TV woke me, and I realized it was 1:58. Oops. No problem. Games will just start a bit late. I fed the cats, texted that I dozed off but was heading their way. I didn’t want her to think I had car trouble since I’m generally early or on time. LATE is not something I do often.
I stopped at Brandi’s. We chatted a bit about July birthdays because she shares a birthday with my oldest sister.
As I pulled up to Sherry (my sister, not the other Sherry) and Matt’s drive, I noticed quite a few cars. I approached hesitantly. Then, I noticed I recognized most of the cars. As I pulled in the drive slowly, I looked at the small crowd and clued in. This was the surprise. I saw one of my students from last year whose grandmas both work or worked with my sister Sherry. I noticed Bev who several years ago had moved to the Cincinnati area. My parents, oldest sister, Sunday School class, pastor and his wife, and a friend from work who thoroughly enjoys scaring me (Not that it takes much at all to do so) were all gathered in their yard.
She had done it. Sherry, who had been my roommate for the first 2/5 of my life and is now my best friend, pulled off a surprise party. My last birthday party was my Sweet Sixteen party when my church youth group were the attendees. My oldest sister who plans events had brought balloons and flowers in the lovely shades of purple, orange, & lime green. My family & Sherry had put together a huge spread of food. I told the lunch bunch they should’ve told me we couldn’t go to El Nopal and picked a place I didn’t enjoy. My sister Sherry made my favorite cookies. Dianna brought fresh fruit. Mom had made a cake. Dad had made sausage balls. Lots of other things filled the table and counter, but my chips, rice, and chicken from lunch vetoed me enjoying most of it until later.
As I looked at the tables, I saw pictures of me ranging from birth to just a couple years ago. Each of the pictures reminded me of good friends or 
sweet memories. Well, not each picture. I few were from so long ago that I had no recollection of when they were taken. My ongoing joke about my baby photo is that I was always a deep thinker…even at birth.
Generally, at parties or celebrations for the family, Sherry & I work together to plan it. As I saw the spread of food, my first thought was, “I hope she didn’t do all this!” My second thought was “I bet her knee is killing her.”
So, as I woke up at 3:30 for my I’m-of-the-age-I-need-a-middle-of-the-night-restroom-break, I realized that I couldn’t breathe very well. When I climbed back in bed, I realized my eyes were watery. As I flipped and flopped trying to fall back to sleep, I connected my stuffy nose & watery eyes to spending hours sitting outside with family and friends laughing and chatting.
Yes, these are signs I have allergies. But, they’re also a sign that I am loved. Stewarts, Domeks, Pflaumers, & Sherry, thanks for planning the party. Friends and family thanks for spending a few hours of your Sunday making me feel special. My cup runneth over.
Now, the cats are curled up on my legs, and I’m going to see if I can fall back to sleep.
I’m an adult. It’s Friday. It’s summer. What should I do?
Now, I’m not crazy. I’m not even a fan of laundry. In fact, as a single lady with a closet and dresser full of clothes, I often go a couple weeks without doing a single load. So, why was I excited? Because….the last time I did a complete load of laundry (meaning washing, drying, folding/hanging) in my house was on May 18th!
the outlet had burnt a prong on the cord causing it to “kick off”. Then, I waited. And waited. In fact on three separate afternoons, I waited for an expected electrician to stop and replace the outlet. Fourth time is a charm, and on Tuesday the outlet was replaced. On Wednesday, the repairman returned to replace the dryer cord. So….on Friday, I was looking forward to washing a couple loads of laundry at my house.
on hangars in various rooms to dry? Well, guess what I found out during that experience. It turns out that there was a partial blockage somewhere in the pipes, so the drained washer water went into the shower as well as a bit on the floor. GULP!
Alas, I told myself, “You have almost a half-century of wisdom. Man up and take care of this on your own!.” So….some generic drain cleaner was split into Tuesday & Thursday treatment, and today…TWO loads washed and NO…I repeat NO water in the shower or on the floor. I told the feline roomies the good news, but they didn’t seem excited.
parts of your day. Be grateful even for those chores you dread. I mean, I loathe cleaning the toilet, but I would most certainly miss having a toilet to clean. Grading papers is not one of the highlights of my life as a teacher, but without grading papers I wouldn’t be able to know what my kiddos know and don’t know. I hate the stench of gas on my hands when I fill my car’s tank, but not having a car would be a challenge. Not having a job to buy gas for the car would be stressful.
Actually, there always is a lot going on, but media coverage puts the protests so consistently in our view and thoughts. I’ve seen many posts on FB and thought, “You should write something. But what?”
The pandemic saddens me because it claims lives and as of today there’s no vaccine. The protests break my heart. Not because they’re taking place, but because they’re needed. There’s no vaccine that can “fix” the issue. This problem or disease must be fixed by policy change, government change, and…to be honest….a heart change in all of us.
Some judge a person by their weight. However, when compared to what black people experience, it’s nothing. People may not like me because of my faith or my weight, but they don’t fear me. They don’t treat me like I’m unequal. So, I obviously have no idea what a black person, especially a black adult male faces in our current situation. I’ve never had someone lock their door or hold their purse tightly to their body just because I walked by. How does that feel? I cannot fathom.
When I graduated from college, Joe sent me roses. NFL players can do things like that. It touched my heart, but my heart was saddened by the reaction of some when they saw the card. Why? It simply said, “Congratulations! Love, Joe”. You see, I saw my friend congratulating me on finishing my degree and letting me know that even though time and distance separated us that we were still friends. Yet, others read it and simply saw his skin color. I said nothing, but my heart cried.
I decided that next fall….I wanted a “fresh” look in my classroom. So, I’m ditching my Peanuts decor (giving them to a colleague who’s also a Peanuts fan) for something new. I’m going through ALL my stuff (I’m not a fan of that word, but it works in this case). Think of it as “spring cleaning” my classroom…
announce that I’ve been blessed by God for 50 years. During school, I told my kiddos “I turn a half a century old this summer”, and they had to figure out what that meant. One said, “500?” Nope….not going to happen.
schools, and in so many classes. I was reaffirmed to NOT be called to kindergarten (God bless those teachers!). As my subbing continued (for four LONG years), I realized that 3rd & 4th grades were the two I enjoyed the most. Finally, in August of 1996, five wonderful 3rd grade teachers and the others on the interview committee chose me to be the sixth third grade classroom. I’ve been in 3rd grade ever since.
to asking to move, but I talked myself out of it. Then, due to a couple teacher-moves by the administration, there was another opening in 4th grade. Again, the thoughts filled my brain, and then they once again started invading my dreams.
I shared my interest & willingness to change teaching assignments and waited…..and waited….and waited.
I’ve also seen the tears of the child that was “caught” doing something they weren’t supposed to do. I’ve seen the tears as well of the child who riddled with guilt comes to confess his wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. Regardless of the reason, their tears dried.
year. One of them had her older son in my classroom previously. While older brother was my third grader, he suddenly “clicked” into a desire to read. Younger brother never did develop that desire. Mom was saddened and worried. [FYI my nephew who is very bright and a mechanical engineering student at WKU has also never developed that connection to reading….for some….it’s just not their thing…at least not yet.] The other mother and I are friends outside of the school building, and I’ve had the joy of seeing her son develop, finish his degree, and find his post-college job. In both situations, their tears dried….and smiles of gladness were found.
my parents and sisters, I remember countless times when we would tease our mom for crying during movies. Alas, those decisions come back and bite me. Why? Well, in this time of “stay home-stay healthy”, I’ve watched more movies than usual. At least five of them SO FAR have triggered my eye ducts to leak. Each time the waterfall starts, I think back to those times we chuckled at Mom. Sorry Mom….I guess it’s part of our wiring.
What about vegetable soup? Have you ever cried over soup? Me neither….until Wednesday….when Steve & Robin brought me soup & biscuits from Bob Evan’s just to show appreciation and care. There they went….dripping down my cheeks.
I MISS being with others during worship. I’m so thankful that we have the ability to worship together while they’re at church leading praises and preaching the Word. Yet, I thoroughly miss being in the physical presence of my church family.
school. We literally talked for 30 minutes. She was her same happy chatty self. As I hung up, I cried realizing how much I miss seeing my kiddos in person. Then, a few days later when I commented on a purple mask her mom had posted on Facebook, I said, “I love the purple one, but I already have 2.” She quickly replied that her daughter said that I would like that mask when she saw it. Then, she told me how her daughter’s disposition changed back to “normal” after our 30-minute talk. You see, her daughter loves school, and she’s really having a hard time with not being there with me and her friends. Tears fell….again.
tears or sad tears. Whether they’re confused tears or thankful tears. Tears….are part of life.
As I drove up to my church to get materials to teach a SS lesson online, I realized that I spent more time pondering the longevity of my toilet paper supply than I ever have. Generally, when I start my final roll, I simply stop at Dollar General on my way home & pick up a new package. Based on FB, finding it isn’t that easy anymore. I decided when I have three left, then I’d start looking for a package to purchase. When that time arrives, I suppose I’ll make that “Who has TP for sale?” post on Facebook.
friends had shared some of my parodies. Yesterday, I sang one as “Axel Ramone”. Why? To make people laugh. To make a heavy news day seem a little lighter. Anyway, one of my friends had a comment on her post from one of her friends. He wrote, “Not much of a vocal talent.” Apparently, he thought I was trying to impress people with my singing rather than make them laugh a bit.
I’m not trying to impress you with my vocal skills. I’m trying to help us laugh in the midst of scary news. I’m trying to help us smile when it’s really easy to let tears fall.
I absolutely loved the time I spent in East Tennessee while I was attending college. Big fan of the area! When I returned to the Ohio River Valley, something strange occurred. Allergies were discovered.
Finally, my doctor said, “Jodi, we can keep treating your symptoms, or you can get tested to identify your allergies.” Allergy testing occurred. I remember when they were letting the pin pricks on my arm fester, a few red spots showed up, and I fought the urge to scratch (as directed). Then, they did the multiple rows on my back and again directed me not to scratch. OH. MY. GOODNESS! I was wiggling and attempting to stretch and twist my back to alleviate the itch. The allergist walked in and stated, “Yes, you have quite a few allergies.”
until it subsides. But….perspective changes everything.
grocery run for my parents to keep them at home. I wrote a parody of a song to fit our self-distancing mindset right now. I’ve chatted with my pastor about ideas of how our church can minister to children through technology while we can’t minister to them face-to-face. I’ve recorded four songs as one of my many personalities. I read several chapters of a book so that kids can hear oral reading while they’re stuck at home. I even washed some dishes.
I’m thankful for my zany voices invented years ago and how I can use them to lighten dark times. I’m thankful…..for a throbbing headache, watery eyes, feline-scaring sneezes, and a nasty-productive-cough. Perspective.
day my thoughts change. Today, I had my first episode of senseless tears. Seriously. I’ll explain later. So, let’s just say this past week has been a roller coaster. I try to keep on my rose-colored glasses, but according to the Enneagram survey….I’m a six. Okay, even my introductory paragraph is all over the place, so let’s try to regroup and refocus. I’m trying not to view this as a glass half full or half empty. At this point, I’m learning to be thankful I have a glass!
Around 3:20 pm on Friday, March 13, I learned that we would be out for three weeks, and that teaching staff would report to school for contract hours on April 1st and 2nd. Well, if that’s not the making of a Friday the 13th, I don’t know what is! I’m not sure how those contract days will go now that we’re not supposed to be in groups larger than 10….I’m sure they’ll figure something out.
“Don’t touch them, please.”
LOTS of those left from the party. Ha!] As I drove home, I guessed that it was our last time assembling together for worship for several weeks. Thankfully, the church is not a building but a body of believers. I look forward to our “new” method of worship this Sunday.
disgustingly-productive-allergy-cough.
One of my favorite quotes from Mr. Rogers is the one about looking for the helpers. I can’t do much to help fight Covid-19. I can’t test to see if you have the virus. I can’t create a vaccine to stop it or a medication to cure it. I can’t make it safe for my friend to visit her dad in the hospital or another friend to see her mom in the nursing 
home. I can’t make sure that my parents don’t get the virus from their trips to the grocery store (even though I try to get them not to go). I can’t put a bubble around my sister as she works in IT at the local hospital. I can’t make sure that no one brings the virus into my nephew’s apartment at school. There’s a lot I can’t do. So, when I couldn’t even give this local restaurant $10 for a dinner, I cried.
I prayed to the One who created me to give wisdom to those working to create vaccines and medications. I prayed to the One who pushed back the waters of the Red Sea to push back the waves of this pandemic. I prayed to the Prince of Peace to give me and other believers a peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of the chaotic, so we can minister to those who don’t know Him. I prayed for Him to allow me to be able to bring a bit of joy and humor into the sorrow and dreariness of this current path. I prayed to be a helper.
or praying….I can help.
to promote my books to hotel managers, waitresses, and cashiers….especially my mom. However, this past week, I started realizing that my students may be shooting to take the title. Why? I’m glad you asked.
As I taught my class, I shared the “big news” with my students. One of my students replied, “Miss Pflaumer, you’re like world famous.” Aww, aren’t they the sweetest!
figure out the mechanics of recording and uploading. Then? I’ll see where my student’s idea takes me…and my voices.
The One who created me in His image. The One who knitted me together in my mother’s womb. The One who sent His Son to pay a debt I c
Jodi Lea Pflaumer, Author 