I needed Gail

I am not sure what Aaron/Amy were doing here but they will have smiles like that again soon as they wait for that baby to come.  She is due (she means the baby!) January 27 so lets see what the date will be.  For Amy's sake I hope it comes early but my prediction is February 1 at 5:45 AM.
I finished watching "The Greatest Game ever played" on TV.  It was a wonderful movie.  But it is a bit late now which means it is Monday.
I needed Gail yesterday.  I decided to get the ice out of the down spout on the south side of the house and to do that I needed to get up on the top rung of the ladder.  Now that is a bit dangerous on the ice etc so I needed Gail to hold the ladder but, no dice so I did it solo.  No fall so all is fine.  After the meeting I got the remainder of the ice out and then after the game I actually put the cord in so all done with that.  I kind of like challenges like that.  I tied a window weight to the cord, climbed the ladder and lowered it down with the weight first.  Kind of neat and fun but of course it would have been much smarter to have done all that last fall in the daylight but then it would not have been so fun or exciting!! 
Looks like winter weather will return shortly so January will be back after taking a few days off.  BUT remember 1 week from today we will be into February.  To me winter is on the down hill when we get into February.  Now that does not mean no more cold weather and snow but in my mind it is coasting to spring after January is in the rear view mirror.  On February 1st our average high is 4 degrees warmer than the lowest of the year, the average low is 3 degrees warmer and we have 57 more minutes of daylight than our shortest day.  I love my Kare 11 weather calendar. The daylight is almost more important than the temp.
The Vikings could not get past mistakes.  It would have been nice to see them go to the super bowl but for me it was not a big deal.
Another short God story.  In the summer of 1971 I drove ready mix cement truck and it was that summer that we bought our house.  I started working at the school about the 3rd week in August and my first pay check would come October 1.  With that long stretch, a new house and many other things by mid September we had NO money.  We were about to ask our parents for a very small short term loan for 3 weeks.  We did pray Lord please somehow carry us over to October as we did not want to ask our parents for help.  I asked Gail if she would help me with making some things for my classroom.  She went to get some letters from our file.  Our important papers file was near the file with cut out letters and Gail picked up the wrong folder.  As she opened it there was a pay stub from my summer work with the check still attached!!!!!  That $100 check carried us over to October 1!  Of course in 1971 they did not have direct deposit.  Now a person can say that was just carelessness on our part but no I would say the Lord some how had us put that check in the file knowing we would need money in the fall.
I am wondering if I need to start setting some weekly goals.  I do get some things done so maybe I do not need to start that yet.  My week is pretty free.  I have a short meeting with Dick A to see if I should sign up for the state fair.  I plan on doing it if he will give me some of the jobs Gail and I had in the past.  I will not work 12 hour days standing in the hot sunny parking lot parking cars with the guy they have in charge of that so I will see what Dick says.  Gail and I wanted to do things we had never done before and we wanted to do them together so of course I can still do the "different things" but no together of course.  Gail's last job at the fair grounds was she and I working the lot for the Eco-fair.  We did the lot on the north side of the grandstand.  It was a wonderful weekend weather wise and a fun time.  That was the first weekend in May and Gail looked and felt great at that time.   It is fun to remember times together with Gail and sad that it will not happen again.  I talked with a lady (she is maybe 10 years older than I) at the meeting today who lost her husband in August of 07.  She said life does become enjoyable again but for her it took at least a year.  I know that I will have sad times, perhaps forever, but for sure in the many months ahead.   I do believe that God will give me a glimpse or a reprieve from sadness so that I may enjoy the moment or the hour or the day or maybe even the week!!  I may as well think positive and big, right??
I have asked the kids for input on what we should put on Gail's grave site.  Travis sent me 3 scriptures that mother had written down for him and said they were 3 of her favorites.  Here is one:
Romans 8:28   And know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him: who have been called according to his purpose.  I guess I will have to wait before I find out what God's purpose was for Gail to join him last September.  I am betting that EVERYONE loves her as much as we all loved her here.