Halloween 08

Happy Halloween

Here is my crew right after school today. First in the picture is neighbor kid dressed as a throw back from the 70's. Next is OT dressed as "The Biggest Loser" a.k.a. a Detroit Lion Football Player. 3rd is YT dressed as a baseball player, and finally OGS disguised as a nerd. These were the school costumes.



Next came their Trick or Treat costumes









It was so much more fun when they dressed like this:

Finally, this week was the big band concert. Here is OGS using all his wind to belt out a tune.

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom

This is my favorite picture of my mom. She had it taken as a surprise for my dad while he was off serving his country in WW2. I found it in a drawer one day and asked if I could have it.

She thought it was a silly picture and it looked strange because of the light shining in the background. "Who ever goes around with a light shining on them."

Today would have been her 94th birthday.

My mother loved to play cards. She had a group of women who played pinochle or poker together almost every week. She was a diehard when it came to cards. She was all business when she played. The grandkids laugh whenever they get together because if they were talking and fooling around instead of paying attention to whose turn it was she would walk away from the table and say "Let me know when you are ready to play."

One afternoon the card ladies were at mom's house and our chimney caught on fire. When the fire department got to the house, the ladies put down their cards and went outside. When the firemen told them the fire was out, they went in and resumed the hand. Our pastor loved that story and told it at mom's funeral.

Mom was a great cook, a terrible house keeper (even though she did that for a living before she had kids). Our home was cluttered not dirty. She loved to iron. One of my fondest memories as a small child, was putting up my little ironing board next to hers. She always gave me my dads handkerchieves to iron. I would put my toy iron up to her and say "More Hot Please" and we would touch our irons together and then I would press the handkerchief and fold it. The memory is vivid. Once I got in high school her ironing load doubled because of me . I would try something on and instead of hanging it up, it went on the bed and eventually into the dirty clothes pile. Finally my mother caught on and she began making me iron my own clothes. When I didn't get it done, she would bag up the clothes and put them in the freezer. When I wanted a blouse I would go out and get it. For you young uns, this was before the days of perma press and I'm pretty sure before the days of the steam iron. We had to sprinkle our clothes to get the wrinkles out. We had this little contraption that looked like a the thing with holes on a watering can. We would put the contraption on a bottle of water and sprinkle away. Wow does that age me!

When mom couldn't get around to go to the beauty shop anymore, I became her Saturday beautician. Some times I resented having to take the time out of my busy schedule. I'd give anything to be spending my Saturdays curling her hair now.

I miss you Mom. Happy Birthday.

On the Road Ramblings

This is the conversation I had with oldest grandson while driving him to the football game. Its so much easier to have meaningful conversations when they are captive in a moving vehicle.

Me: How was school today?

OGS: Good. We had a quiz in language arts. And in social studies, Mr. R said he was glad I come to school every day.

Me: Why did he say that?

OGS: Because I was the only one answering the questions. Actually he said "Duke I'm so glad you come to school and pay attention and understand the material, but let's see if some of these other yokels can raise their hand and answer something!

Me: Hmmm (silently wondering if that was a compliment or a put down for raising his hand too much).

OGS: Tomorrow we are going to start studying Egypt. It sounds like it will be a little bit interesting.

Me: Pay attention so maybe you can come home and teach me everything I didn't learn cuz I was too busy talking.

OGS: Grandma, what color do you think Jesus was?

Me: I guess brown. Why?

OGS: That's what Mr. R says too. He says that people in that region have that kind of skin. Not dark and not white but more brown.

Me: Hmmm Really? (I was thinking to myself- talking about Jesus in a public school-Oh my)

OGS: Yeah. He said one year when he asked that question to his class, one kid stood up and argued with him that Jesus was white. They argued back and forth and finally the kid said "Okay I believe you, but the next day he came back to school with a picture and said "My mom says you're wrong. Jesus is so white.Here look."

Me: Well Duke, I guess technically they may both be right. I don't know that we have any snapshots of Jesus to prove who is right. Its not just that he was a Jew and thats what Jews in that region looked like , but he also had Gods qualities in him, and we all envision God in our own way. Perhaps when people looked at him they saw different things.
But the important thing to think about isn't what he looked like but how he lived his life and how he changed and still is changing so many lives.

OGS: (looking a little board with my analogy) Okay Grandma, but I think Mr. R is right. I think Jesus was brown.

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It really made me stop to wonder whether or not I want the public schools talking about God. What if they have a view of God that is different from my own. Impressionable minds are sometimes easier swayed by people other than their parents. Makes me question whether or not we have grounded them enough in the Truth to withstand the battering their little minds may go up against.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." I'm just wondering how much training it takes?

She Fought the Fight and Finished the Race

A few months ago I posted about a benefit dinner I was blessed to be a part of. The benefit was for Deb, a woman in our bible study group who had been battling cancer for over 6 years.

I learned this morning that Deb's battle has finally ended and she is at peace in the arms of God. She fought the good fight, she finished the race, and she kept the faith. Now it's time for her to recieve her crown of righteousness.

What a wonderful woman she was. Deb never married, and she had no children of her own to pass on her legacy, but she will live in the hearts of a many for a long time. Deb has given unselfishly for over 30 years to help the youth of our community.

I remember driving her for a chemo treatment last fall. After it was over and she struggled to lift her leg, terribly swollen with lymphedema, into the van, I asked if she would like me to stop for anything on the way home. She said she would like to go right home. I could understand why she was anxious to get home and rest.

But instead she told me she was anxious to get home to attend a board meeting for the youth group she was involved with.

Debs heart was always feeling for the needs of someone else. Her prayer requests were never for herself, but always for family members, especially her nephew and his young daughter. It was her most fervent prayer that they would both give their hearts to Jesus.

One night at bible study, as she again asked prayer for someone else, we asked if there was anything she needed. That's when she shared with us that her cancer had spread to her brain, and she would be happy for the prayers, if we wouldn't mind praying for her.

So dear blogging family, today I'm celebrating the life of my friend Deb and in her memory and in her style I will take on her prayer request. I'm asking you to help me pray for Debs family, that they may feel Christs loving presence as they grieve. And if you wouldn't mind, please help me pray that her nephew and her grand niece will draw near to Christ, and they will turn their hearts to Him.

Love You Deb, Rest In Peace.

Who's In Charge of Your Day Planner

This Lay Ministry class is more than I expected it to be. The reading material seems like its written for the intellectually elite, which will tell you why I can't seem to keep my head above water. I hope I survive.



In the midst of being up to my neck in paper work to learn to serve, I got a call from the pastoral associate of our church. Our priest had been called away and wouldn't be saying Mass on Wednesday. When that happens the pastoral associate will do a scripture service with a reflection, in place of the Mass. But she was scheduled for an MRI so she was calling to ask me to take over.



My mind immediately began thinking "God don't you know that tonight is my bible study night, and tomorrow night is my night to do the widow ministry, and don't you remember that Wednesday I have a dentist appointment. And that after that the grandsons are coming over for dinner for the twins birthday and I promised them my special mac and cheese. Don't you remember I promised to bake a birthday cake for it, and remember God, I haven't even had time to buy their birthday present yet. I'm just not sure how I'm going to get that all done and have time to write and practice a scripture reflection.


"Let me be in charge of your day planner," God replied.



So I did.



It seemed like it was all planned. I'd get up early, shower, pick up key for the hall, go grocery shopping, make dish to pass for widows group, go to group, come home and write the reflection before and after I watched debate.



So I got up early and showered and drove up to the hall where we hold our 1st Tea @ Five widows meeting, and picked up the key, but when I got in my car I couldn't get it started. Darn, why had I put off servicing the car when I began having trouble earlier.



I called the towing service and waited and waited. I called them back a half hour later. and they told me I could leave my keys over the visor instead of waiting for them.



I walked back home in 40 degree weather in my sandals and a sweatshirt. My cell phone rang on the walk home. It was the dentist calling to remind me of my appointment and thankfully they took the cancellation well and scheduled me for Monday.



Next I spent a half hour calling around to get a rental car and then waited some more for them to come and pick me up. Any other time I could walk to the grocery store or to church but I needed a vehicle transport things for the meeting and to buy mega groceries for all these parties. Plus the weather forecast for Wednesday was definitely rain. It's a little tough to ride a bike in the rain and then get up and preach.



Needless to say by the time Enterprise came to pick me up with a rental car and I drove them back to their office, it was too late to make a dish to pass for group. I figured no one would be able to tell that there was one less dish than there were people.

I was right.


The meeting ended up being one of our best; we learned how to line dance. Some were quick studies and some (who shall be nameless) seem to have developed two left feet as she aged. Everyone was having so much fun that they stayed longer. I was pooped by the time I walked in the door just in time to see the beginning question of the debate



WoW -Todd Smith from the music group "Selah" was sitting right there in the front row, and I watched intently just in case he got to ask his question.



I sure wasn't getting much done on my reflection for 9 am the following morning.



By the time I turned off the TV so I could concentrate on what I needed to say in the morning, I knew I wasn't able to think clear. Unless God breathed a teaching into my mind in my sleep, it was looking like I was going to have to wing it.

Instead of feeling worried it was like "Ho Hum I guess God has a plan".

About 5 minutes before the alarm was set to go off, I woke up feeling refreshed and after spending some quiet time with God I turned on my lap top and the words started flowing.



I don't like feeling unprepared. I don't want to wait til the last minute every time I need to do something for God, but it wasn't as though I didn't try to be prepared earlier.



No, it was more like God was keeping me from preparing.



When my car first broke down I was tempted to believe Satan was throwing a monkey wrench into the situation because I was going to be doing something for God, but again, it felt more like a God thing than a satanic attack.



The Gospel I was reflecting on was Luke 11 where Jesus teaches his apostles to pray. One of the things Jesus tells the apostles about praying is that they should ask God for their daily portion.



Just before going out the door to church, I realized that God had given me my daily portion.



I didn't need the words the day before because that wasn't what God wanted me to concentrate on. He wanted me to focus on caring about his widows that day. Had my car not broken I would have spent a great deal of time shopping and cooking for the evening.



But instead of feeling tired I had energy to put more of myself in to loving my friends.



He wanted me to learn to rely on him for the things he thinks are important, and not what I think. There wasn't a thing on my list that didn't get accomplished, they just got done in a different way. I saved both time and money doing it God's way. (Thank goodness I saved some money - car starters and a tire thats ready to blow are costly!)



And the birthday party...it was fantastic.