Snow Days and Neighbors

Tulsa got slammed with a blizzard yesterday so I have been home for two days with nowhere to go and loving every minute of it. I could get used to retirement quite easily, I think!

Ever since my girls were little, on snow days, I would make bread. Yesterday I made cinnamon raisin bread and turned some of it into cinnamon rolls and then began visiting my neighbors with warm rolls in hand. Mr. Bill (who is nearly 82) invited me in and we had a nice time. I asked about a charted map he had on the wall and got a great lesson in geology and fuel efficiency for the future. He has some great thoughts on the matter and I enjoyed my lecture - he should be a teacher!

Then I went to see Darlene, my 89 year old neighbor, and she talked about how she has been praying for her son and his girlfriend for years and now is beginning to see God work in their lives. This brings great joy to her heart and I rejoiced with her. This afternoon she called me and said, "Lunch is ready!" She had made some of her famous veggie beef soup and had it in a canning jar which she put in her walker basket and brought to me. I never refuse any of Darlene's soup!

Today the maintenance men began to clean up the snow on the walkways and brought portable heaters to the older ones who were still cold (below zero in Oklahoma does not bode well with the old folks!). I made them some "from scratch" frosted brownies and when I heard them in the hall, I took them out to them. I asked Ron, who lives upstairs from me, if he wanted some brownies and he shyly said no. Ben, just a young "kid" (to me, anyone under 40 is now a kid) was more than willing to take them all! I asked Ron if he wanted me to take some uptairs to his wife Lee and his eyes lit up, so I told him I would.

I did not know Lee because they had moved in very recently. She is retired due to arthritis and does not work. She was delighted to see me and practically pulled me into the apartment. She said Ron was very shy, but that he loved sweets, so I promised that when I baked in the future for Mr. Bill and Darlene, I would bring some up for her and Ron (she doesn' t like to bake, but enjoys cooking). She is from Korea and said she will make some of her egg rolls for me sometime (I am not going to refuse an offer like that!). As we chatted and spent some time getting acquainted, I found out her 33 year old son had a bad accident about 8 months ago when his little daughter was only a week old. He has been in a coma ever since. Last week he squeezed her hand very tightly, so they are very encouraged even though the doctors will not give them much hope. Lee is a christian even though the rest of her family in Korea are Buddists and she is believing God to give her back her son.

Sometime tomorrow, I will have to try to get out of the parking lot and head off to work again, but these past two days have been rich for me as I have had uninterrupted time with my precious neighbors. Darlene is concerned about Mr. Bill because he is not saved and is not open to any God talk, so I will join with her in prayer for him. And I told Lee I will pray for her son.

This snow will not be going anywhere any time soon as we have below zero and single digit temperatures for the rest of the week and more snow promised for the weekend. Maybe I will get snowed in again and I can invite Lee and Darlene in for tea and, hmmmm, maybe some scones or muffins.