Part 5: DELIGHTS

By:  LPJ

Seeking ways to prepare for Easter 

I was struck by what my grandson Eliott shared about his youth meeting at the First Presbyterian Church on Cal Berkeley campus last week.  What stood out for him was the discussion on dropping bad habits and learning good ones. So appropriate especially during this season of Lent, a time for self-examination in regards to our relationship with God,

Lent is a powerful reminder of the Father’s unconditional love that led to His son Jesus’ sacrifice and death on the cross, for humanity’s redemption and the promise of eternal kingdom with God.

So, I asked my grandson (not intending to poke or be nosy – or maybe, just a little bit), what habit did he want to break.  He couldn’t think of one that moment.  So I asked, what habit did he want to assume – immediately, he responded, reading more the bible.  Interesting, I said – that’s exactly my thought and hope for myself, too.

Have you thought about habits you want to break or learn?  In contemplation, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit,  we seek ways on how we can prepare our hearts for Easter, the glorious celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.  Maybe, we can start with habits.

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Family bonding, the best perk of a vacation

But for a weekend trip to Monterey, CA with my son, daughter-in-law and grandson some months ago, I haven’t really gone far from my home since the start of the pandemic.  Thus, I look forward to our trip to Los Angeles next week, traveling with my son and his family to visit my daughter and son-in-law at Hermosa Beach.  Did I mention beach?  Can hardly wait – but that’s just background to a mini family reunion of some sort, a real treat for me.

Sunset at Hermosa Beach (Photo by Joy Jacob Rosenburg)

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Words, words, words — elusive sometimes

BY:  LPJ

My grandson Eliott recently introduced me to a word game online called Wordle.  Choose random words and see if the letters jive with those of the mystery word.  Initially, it seemed impossible to find the letters to place in  perfect order in the blocks — clues that lead to the right guess.  It was confusing.  It was frustrating. My interest, however, piqued and I got hooked after I guessed the mystery word, with several attempts, of course.  That one correct answer made me want to play some more.

Eliott and I played this during his 2-minute breaks during his piano lessons. All these, at facetime.  Now, every time I facetime with my grandson to watch and listen to his piano practice, I not only look forward to his music performance, but also to the short breaks that might be sufficient time for us to play wordle again and again.

This brings to mind another word game that my husband and I spent numerous hours on, that it felt almost like an addiction many, many years ago – Scrabble.

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