Advent word...

I got this passage in one of my advent readings this week. It actually wasn't a new passage to me, but it seemed as if, at the right time, God pulled it out of the recesses of my addled mind, dusted it off, and said- Now OWN it!

It turned out to be a Word for a small group at my house as well, as the message was in line with this- and so I was able to pass it on. If nothing in it touches you, I hope you can be encouraged by the fact that there is nothing you go through that God doesn't have a Word of life in it for you. He has a specific word for your specific situation.

That's why He came. That's why He died. And that's why He rose.

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF JESUS!

Isaiah 61:4-10

" Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed.

Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;

For you will forget the shame of your youth;

And will not remember the reproach of

your widowhood anymore;

For your Maker is your Husband,

The Lord of hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called the God of the whole earth.

For the Lord has called you

Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,

Like a youthful wife when you were refused,"

Says your God.

"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid My face from you

for a moment;

But with everlasting kindness I will

have mercy on you."

Says the Lord, your Redeemer.

"For this is like the waters of Noah to Me;

For as I have sworn

That the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth,

So have I sworn

That I will not be angry with you, nor rebuke you.

For the mountains shall depart

And the hills be removed,

But My kindness shall not depart

From you,

Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed."

Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

Little brothers

Jack and Miles were having a great time playing boy with kitty in tow one day. Jack was the boy and Miles the kitty. Jack calling kitty and holding the back of Miles' shirt while Mi-Mi crawled through the house by Jack's side. They were all up and down the hall and in and out of the room for a good 1/2 hour or so, which, anyone knows, is a very long time for a 2 and 4 year old to stay at one thing. Jack had a name for him, which I forgot, so I will say it's Timothy.

After a while, they were both sitting in the living room, Jack on the couch and Mi-Mi playing with bristle blocks. Jack called, "Timothy," as he'd been doing.

To which Miles yelled abruptly and angrily , "NO! Me NO Tim-thy! Me Miows.! ( 2 yr. old for Miles)

A quiet pause, then Jack in matter-of-fact tone stated, "So. You're not playing kitty anymore, then."

Jack and Miles!

What child is this?

"...And a little child will lead them.." Isaiah 11:6

Luke 10:21 And Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit in that hour and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

Is. 12:3 " For Yah, the Lord is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.

Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

I WILL GREATLY rejoice in the Lord;

My soul SHALL be joyful in my God.

For as the earth brings forth it's bud,

As the garden causes things that are in it to spring forth,

So the Lord will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations."

Spring forth, Lord. Stir up the innocent child within us. That part made in the image and likeness of God..

Let us rest on your chest as the lamb on the Shepherd's. And then lead me, show me, humble me to be like a child that I might enter in to the joy of Your kingdom, that kingdom which is upon us as we birth Your Son in us.

As Mary did on that first Christmas, may we say today, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me as You have said."

For in the birthing of Jesus is the birthing of true Joy!

Advent in Cell 92- Jay Cormier

This morning's devotional had in it the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran preacher who was arrested and executed by the Nazis in 1945 for opposing their atrocities.

37 years old and engaged, he wrote to his beloved Maria,

"I used to be very fond of thinking up and buying presents, but now that we have nothing to give, the gift God gave us in the birth of Christ will seem all the more glorious; the emptier our hands, the better we understand what Luther meant by his dying words, ' We're all beggars, it's true."

The poorer our quarters, the more clearly we perceive that our hearts should be Christ's home on earth."

Jay Cormier, the author, adds this: " From a prison cell, a young pastor proclaims the uncompromising hope and unconditional love of Advent. ....

these days of Advent also invite us to embrace the poverty of the Christ Child who comes to illuminate the poor stables of our own lives with the light of God's hope and grace.

Come, Lord Jesus, and release us from our prisons of fear and disappointment; fill our empty spirits with your compassion and grace."

Advent & New Life

My younger daughter, Rosie, is having a baby. She's ripe with life, a precious baby growing inside of her. She's an awesome nurturer, giving love and patience to her 4 and 2 year olds while trudging along with baby in belly.

I'm using this blog to process this morning. I read on FB about how much more important it is to focus on the 2nd coming of Christ. And I ask myself , "How important is Christmas, really?"

Got an Advent booklet in the mail. I'm thinking of the old man, Simeon, who waited all his life to see the Savior. When he saw the baby Jesus, he was filled with joy, prophesied over him, and was at peace.

Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming")

The subtitle of my booklet says, "Waiting in Joyful Hope."

Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come..."

When 2 or 3 gather in His name, He is there. He comes. He is in us, but a special "visitation" of His Spirit comes."

In the birth of a child, His coming to us with that gift fills us with Joy.

Isaiah 11:6 says, "... and a little child shall lead them."

Jesus said, "Unless you become like a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom of God."

Our denomination- the Vineyard talks about the now and the not yet..."

As in His kingdom is upon us, but the fullness of that Kingdom, where ALL disease, suffering, etc. is abolished, is not yet here.

Might the looking back on the "Joy to the World" brought by the birth of Jesus, be just as important for what we need now- that Peace on earth in our hearts, that stirring of Good will to all men, and that Joy of a little child over this special Birthday Celebration- as the next coming of our lord?

"THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.'

May He strengthen you with His joy, that you might enter into a true celebration of Christmas!

Seeing as the title of my blog is Give Thanks Always, I feel remiss in having skipped so many Thanksgivings in my postings. Normally, I'd do a stint with guilt at this point, but that would DEFINITELY not be true to my title.

Instead, I want to give thanks that my life is so full, my family so big, that I've had the blessing of being surrounded by many of them and kept busy with them through most of my holidays!

For this I give thanks to the Lord!!

My kids are here, healthy, and grandkids are so ridiculously cute, that I again, give thanks to the Lord.

And though my daughter, Rosie, Justin, and my sweet blue-eyed grandkids aren't here, and I do miss them, I give thanks that I got to talk with Rosie, share my gravy-making ideas and hear her voice!

I am also thankful for all of you people who care about me and my life so much that you'd bother to read this. I really am! God's blessing to you all!

Lastly, I am so thankful that my family all pulled together to prepare a feast, and set the tables so well, trying to fill the void that GG has left, and for a dear sister-in-law, like a sister, and sisters with whom I could cry as we missed Mom. Thankful for the memories and spirit of love, respect, and forgiveness that she left us. Thankful for such a high mark to try to reach in terms of being a wonderful human being.

And thankful for her legacy of loving Jesus and living for Him. I love you, Mom!

Happy Thanksgiving, All!

Health Quote

Our staff development meeting included a video on health.

Quote from the speaker, "Never touch anything that comes out of someone else's body."

I love it!

Reminded me of the kid's song, "poop goes in the potty, poop goes in the potty, ..."

Oh, and then, "And never let anyone touch anything that comes out of your body."

I think this might beat out " An apple a day keeps the Doctor away."

Of Minor Issues...?

"Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

I believe it was Mark Twain.

To Mark I say, "I hear you barking, Big Dog!"

Don't know why, but I've resurrected the latter phrase from the recesses of my addled memory.

Why do I say this? Everyone is making a big deal out of the fact that my blood pressure is high, that I got vertigo, threw up the school, and had to go to the emergency.

YEA, because there was no doctor on call on a Monday morning at 9, nor would there be any until 11:00!!! And there is no Urgent Care available on my insurance until after 6 P.M.

So poor Holy Cross is not only taking everyone, with or without insurance, but also being used as an Urgent Care for much of the Valley. I could go on about how other hospitals here have closed their emergency rooms and the unfair politics, and why you should support your local Catholic, other Hospitals, but I will spare those of you who haven't already hung up.

It's my blog and I'll vent if I want to. vent if I want to, vent if I want to, you would vent to if it happened to you!" (any of you who didn't get it- the tune is from song in 60's- "It's my party..")

Anyway I got to know a couple of very nice people in "emergency" and even saw the dad and brother of an old childhood friend.

I remind me of my Mom now, when I'd worry about her wheezing and shortness of breath.

She's sluff it off, saying, "It's only breathing."

IT'S ONLY MY HEART!!!

WHOA, better calm down, don't want the old ticker to get whacked out.

For those of you who are Everybody Loves Raymond fans, I'm switching Doctors, just so you know.

I'm Okay!

When I called Marlene this morning to tell her I wasn't killed in the night, she laughed. Funny how news of one's survival can really cheer people up!

Then she told me that she figured that, because if I was gonna die I would've called to let her know.

Sisters really know us well, eh?

(If confused, see previous post)

Weird call....

Just got a weird call that I think was gonna lead into obscene before I was able to knock it off it's tracks. What bothers me is that, thinking it was someone I knew, I'd already answered his question as to my being home alone. I'd had vertigo and was relating to his being sick. I'd thought that he was worried about me being home alone with dizziness. " Nice, thoughtful friend," I think. He then proceeds to start telling me about a dream he had with me in it. I'm starting to get very suspicious.

"Are you sure you're my friend, Juan, who is planning to be a priest?" I ask.

"Oh yes," answered wolf in Juan's clothing, or rather, bad voice. But after all, he did say he was getting over a cold and sore throat.....

When he got to the part about a short sundress, and asked how short I liked them, I then cut in with, "maybe you shouldn't tell me this dream, Juan. Maybe you should talk to some guys about it." Which is when his train track derailed- he hung up, with the phone making a couple weird noises. Which is when I suddenly realized that that wasn't Juan's voice at all, and became very spooked out!

Oh the depths of my naïveté! (Yes, I wanted to write that word, and so looked it up and it actually had the accent marks! But that's besides the point!)

I cannot for the life of me figure out how I, with 5 brothers who love to make up stories just to see if you'd fall for it, can be so darned gullible!!!!!!

In the end, I called Marlene and Tony, told them, and had Marlene pray for me. I locked up the house, turned on outside lights, and checked to see that I hadn't sent out my cell number with the invite to my house I'd sent via email to some 30 people.

Marlene did invite me to sleep there, but I opted for her keeping phone close so that, if, in the middle of the night I got attacked, I could call them.

So how's that for a change from Kinder stories?

Sleep safely, all! If you hear from me again, then I'm okay.........

A no-brain-er

We have a time in our class when the children are asked to think, then share with a partner their thoughts on a subject. Today's was," what are some ways you can help at home or in your community?" Having already read the story which gave several examples, I knew most of them would steal from it. I'd also already talked about ways we help when we clean up, pick up toys, etc.

A no-brain-er, right?

One little angel surprised me with her sweetness when she says she helps her grandpa by packing a lunch and giving it to him before he goes to work. Too sweet, eh? Accompanied by a huge, dimple-bearing grin, you could feel the love she has for him.

But Andrew and his partner were silent.

When asked to share with his partner, Andrew quickly and in a very matter of fact tone, said, "I have no brain."

I know just how he feels!

Lucy and Me

Okay, so she definitely has a different mouth, and other stuff, but don'cha think she looks a little like me. I found that I only call 2 of my grand kids "Little" at times. I didn't even know what I meant by it. The other one is Selah Paix.

Rosie said maybe it was a feeling that they are "Little" versions of me. I'm not sure, but I didn't even realize it 'til I said it when both girls were in the room and they both answered.

(Selah isn't pictured on this post in deference to parent's privacy concerns.)

I think I identify with aspects of both of their personalities, and they are my little sweetie-pies.

I know, this should really be on my other blog-site. When I find the password, okay?)

But really, doesn't Lucy look a bit like me?

I'm just sayin.....

Rainy Days and 5 year old arguments

So I got 6 new kids today in my Kinder class. 2 more criers. It was so bad that it overloaded the skies and burst the clouds. Which made several of them extremely happy, especially when we had to walk across campus through the rain.
On the way to lunch the line- because of it's excessive length, the fact that a couple of kids were "sneaking" into their lunches as we walked, and the stomper-into-the-puddlers, was moving at an extra slow crawl.
When I turned the corner around the 5th grade classroom, I caught Mr. Rhymer smiling as he overheard me shouting to the end of the line, "Walk normally, children." Which is when the irony of my comment hit me. What is a normal walk to a 5 year old?
I then noticed that one of my main puddle-stompers, Giovanni, was causing a traffic jam because his shoe was coming off. So I grabbed his little foot, feeling a bit like the blacksmiths of old must have felt when fixing a horse's shoe.
"This won't happen if you stop jumping in the puddles," I counseled.
"But I like puddles!" he innocently responds. I actually relate.
"I understand, but you can't do that in school. You can jump in them at your home." (I know some parents wouldn't appreciate that advice, and they're probably right, it just seemed like a good response at the time.)
Giovanni thinks, then counters with, "There aren't any puddles at my casa!"
Outwitted at my own game! No wonder they demoted me!

1st Week of Kindergarten

Day one- only 3 criers, 2 had to be pried from Mother's legs and held onto. Fortunately, the "Stockholm Syndrome" is still intact, and the same frightened little lambs were then clinging to me in the room.( In psychology, Stockholm syndrome is a term used to describe a real paradoxical psychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness)
Except Giovanna, who cried pretty much through the day.
Day 2 - 6 criers today. Starting with Giovanna, and after prying Kayla off Mom ma's leg, just before she tripped Momma with baby, when 2 boys saw 2 other kids from another class having a meltdown, which triggered theirs.
Again, once safely in room, with doors closed to prevent escape, Stockholm ruled until recess. Recess, new kid got lost- we never found out where, but showed up at our door 20 minutes later. (Help to find him showed up 30 minutes later....) once safely inside, the tears started rolling.
Then came a 2-for-one deal, as the twins came out of the Auditorium, after lunch and a movie (as it was 100 plus outside,) sobbing.
One twin had other by the hand, dragging him past all the lines, saying something in Spanish, like" You no gusta es escuela, yo quiero va mi casa!" between sobs. ( He wanted to go home.) Turns out, they were afraid of the dark. At least one of them was. The other wouldn't speak...
Day 3, back down to 2 criers again, with Giovanni encouraging herself through the minutes and encouraging herself and us when she made it an hour without tears. "Look, I'm not crying, "she announces happily, yet still shakily..
I had to lower the rules boom and get very stern with Maite, who wouldn't stop interrupting. "Wait your turn to talk, raise your hand..... Blah, blah," my lecture went. Finally Maite gets it. Her hand went up and there was no yelling . I gotta reinforce this behavior I think. "
"yes Maite?" I query.
"My dog used to poop in my room." she announces, somewhat proudly??!!
"Your dog pooped in your room?" I mistakenly respond.
:Yes and I stepped in it!"
I KNOW, I'm supposed to feel more sorry for THEM! But the truth is, they will never remember this week after a year from now. Just the impression of a good or bad kindergarten, (a good or bad prison guard who didn't torture us tooo much.
They all will find out that Mommy really does come back every day and gets them.
But me, well, let me just quote the Red Queen and her husband in Alice in Wonderland, "The horror of that moment, I shall never forget," says the Queen.
"You will, my dear, if you don't make a memorandum of it!!"

Aunt Cookie

Everyone should have one. My sister-in-law, real name of Carol, is a gracious and friendly lady who seems to really get a kick out of the little ones. And they eat it up. Here's a few shots of her and Miles visiting. Lucy snuggled up to her also, but the older boys were busy chasing down bugs outside. She made fast friends with them, however, when they found her "pet" baby lizard that lives under one of her planted pots in the yard!
It was a lovely visit. I wish we could see more of our Paulson relatives.

Poppy's

One side trip we made this summer was to the girl's Grandpa Paulson and Aunt Cookie in Santa Marie.
A dear man we love and don't see enough of.
Last year, Jack was so enthralled with his "Poppy,' that he kept smiling at him and jumping in his lap. This year, instead of stopping on the way up, we went on our way back. It had been a week and a morning driving, and Jacky was missing his daddy. So when Sarah told him we'd stop to see Poppy first, his response was, "I want to see my normal daddy."
This time, it was the 2 year old who spent time entertaining Poppy.
We had a nice visit with him and my sister-in-law, Carol, aka, Aunt Cookie. ( Pictures to follow on her.)
As Bowden once said about him and his siblings, "We love our 'chuthers."

Kim Walker - How He loves usDedicated to Lulu

I've been drawn to this song ever since the week I posted this. It makes me fall in love with Jesus again..
When I was up visiting Rosie, we went to her church and they were playing this in worship. I again was feeling His love and loving Him, when Rosie whispered to me- "Diana was singing this to GiGi over the phone in the hospital." It was the hours of her last breaths.
Knowing how much my mom loved Lulu, and how much she loved Jesus and worship songs, I began to cry. What an exquisite gift! My niece, in her sincere, beautiful and sweet voice- a voice gentle enough for my mom to love, ushering her into the very presence of God on the Wings of Worship.
We both cried, but really these for me were tears of gratitude. For my mom, now in glory doing what she's always loved to do, and being enveloped in God's tremendous love. And for my radical, in-love-with-Jesus niece, letting her gifts draw others to that love, and giving back to a grandma who loved her so.

Finally got Pictures

Sorry, all you millions of fans, for dropping the post ball once again.

I''ve spent this summer in and out of town, teacher trainings and vacationing with the grandkids.

Got close to 400 pics. Watch out world, Nanny-mania is here.

Fortunately for you, I cannot download very many at a time, this here machine's too slow for me. And Rosie's babies will be on my Nanny's blessing site, which, if you e-mail me, I'll add your address to that site so you can see them.

I'm starting with the travel. With 4 little ones up the spine of California. Bowden thought the hotel was "awesome" because of it's soap, shampoo, and conditioner dispenser-IN THE BATHTUB.! He said this was the best hotel room he'd ever been in-no offense to Gorman. (which was really pathetic) The kids cuddled up in bed after a chilly 1/2 hour swim in the pool on a very cold morning. But it didn't matter 'cause they got to swim in the pool!!!!!




Long trips are so much fun. (sarcasm) We navigated to find McDonalds with play areas to let the Tater tots work off some energy.
Lucy, my little princess, is a sweetheart!

Jack, on the Hiking trail

"See that wood on the side? That holds up the trail. It holds us up. 'Cuz if it didn't, we would roll down the hill like a baseball."

Bill Cosby

The first album I ever bought was Bill Cosby's.

First favorite quote, "Noah.... ( After Noah got mad and went into a complaint to God,)

" How long can you tread water?"

Tonight I saw a tribute to this great comedian. Heard another good one by Bill Cosby.

"Don't play the moment, find the honesty in the moment; that's where the humor is."

For example, when George Washington said, "Father, I cannot tell a lie, I cut down the cherry tree." Bill says, "They never give that Father credit, he let that boy live! "

And then, "Of course you cannot tell a lie, the tree's cut down, and you're the only kid!"

Honesty in the moment!

I think my brother Lem does this well. So does my cousin, John Butler.

I also think this can be a work of grace- the ability to lighten things up.

We need these people, just so we can keep treading water.

Got my grandkid fix!

Spent about a week with Selah and Isai, Rosie and Justin, and then the next with Bowden, Lucy, Jack, Miles and parents. It was wonderful to see them all, been too long. Even though the little Paulson-Wentzel kids were sick, they still functioned pretty well in the daytime and were a real joy. Poor Mommy and Daddy. Remember those sleep deprived years? All I can say to you kids is that when you come out the other side, they're worth it!

I've got a million great shots, but need to download them from my camera, which means finding the connector. Technology can be such a pain in the rear. Or is it my bad memory??? I don't know, can't remember.

Stats on Skydiving

Sorry to all my faithful readers. I was busy discussing skydiving with a friend who was asking about the death incidents and looked up this article. I then copied and pasted it here, omitting the reference and fact that it's an article. Plagiarism was not my intent, and I'm sorry to say I don't have the author's name. It was one of the first references on google search, though. And I presume you could look up the United States Parachuting Association to verify the info.

Then you can come diving with me!!!! ( bold print just showed up- no really!)

Risk of Skydiving Accidents

Skydiving is a remarkably popular sport. The United States Parachuting Association has 34,000 members. It estimates that about 350,000 people complete more than 3 million jumps in a typical year.

The big question is always, "How dangerous is skydiving?" Each year, about 30 people die in parachuting accidents in the United States, or roughly one person per 100,000 jumps. Look at the US Skydiving Incident Reports to get an idea of the types of problems that lead to fatalities. If you make one jump in a year, your chance of dying is 1 in 100,000.

How does the fatality rate in skydiving compare to other common activities? Since most adults in America drive cars, let's compare skydiving to driving. Roughly 40,000 people die each year in traffic accidents in the United States [ref]. That's 1.7 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles. Therefore, if you drive 10,000 miles per year, your chance of dying in a car wreck in any given year is something like 1 in 6,000. In other words, we accept a higher level of risk by getting into our cars every day than people do by occasionally skydiving. You would have to jump 17 times per year for your risk of dying in a skydiving accident to equal your risk of dying in a car accident if you drive 10,000 miles per year.

A logical question to ask here is this: Given these statistics, why do we think of skydiving as dangerous and driving a car as safe?

• The first reason has to do with frequency. At 30 per year, fatal skydiving accidents are infrequent. That tends to make each one newsworthy, so you are likely to hear about them. On the other hand, there are about 110 fatal car accidents every day in the United States. In a city of one million people, 160 people die every year in car accidents. If you heard about every car accident, you would go insane, so you only hear about a few of them. That leaves you with the impression that car accidents are infrequent even though they happen constantly.

• The second reason has to do with familiarity. Most people drive every day and nothing bad happens. So our personal experience leads us to believe that driving is safe. It is only when you look at the aggregated statistics that you realize how dangerous driving really is.

For more information on skydiving and related topics, check out the links on the next page.

Skydiving, my first time...

Okay, so I didn't have a date. The guy posing with me was one of 2 British gents that sky dove with us in our plane. He was pleasant and friendly, and I asked him to pose with me as a memorial of having done it with the Brits. (NO,. not like that!) His name was, wait, I'm looking it up... Andrew.

To get pictures of me with the 2 friends I went with, you'll have to go on Facebook. They took them with their cameras, and I've yet to get them to my computer.

The guy flying through the air with me-Or, if you prefer, plummeting to the ground with me, was my "expert." His name is Josh and he was supportive and comfortable. Good thing, eh? It's called tandem and made for no worries for me. I didn't even have to open the shoot, although I did get to make it turn a couple of times, which was really fun! (My favorite word, girls- it had to get in here somewhere, eh?)
I cannot describe in words the absolute, hilarious thrill it was! I think I was screaming, and then yelling and laughing. I remember at one point, after the shoot had opened and we could actually hear each other, telling Josh, " Now I know why the birds do it!" When I landed I felt drunk with the euphoria of the experience.

I was initially chagrined at myself afterwards for not having worshipped on the way down. I just kept emoting and laughing. I wanted to take it all in. Like a child with their face pasted to the airplane window, only there was no window!

The interesting thing to me, when viewing the video, was that, when I landed, what I said was, "It was HEAVENLY!"

I wonder if I ever said, "Oh the Glory!" as I emoted? What do ya think, Josh?

UPdate

Baby steps- I planted seeds, and found great deals at COSTCO for the avocado tree I've been wanting forever, and for an orange tree.

Figured with all the orange loving family members, and living in So. Cal, what the hey?

Just got back from my oldest brothers for a Fusano Gold Dig, or Odee weekend, whichever you chose to call it.

Crue and Betty, with help from my other brothers and others, did an awesome job in setting everything up, cooking, roasting a great pig. etc.

And the food was off the charts great, thanks to all the great Italian, and other cooks bringing, sending stuff. I'm afraid to list them, because I don't know the Italian spellings.

I was grateful to have Rosie, and to see Selah and Isai! Missed some others.

Hope somebody got pictures to post, as I didn't.

Thank God for family, for the comfort and understanding that only comes from a childhood shared, and Aunts, Uncles, Moms and Dads, Grandparents loved together.

Pray for Aunt Angie. And "Godda Bless!"

New life

We're almost into the longest days of the year, and everything around me that's given a chance is growing.

I keep looking at the weed-infested pots that used to have herbs, plants or flowers in my back yard. I finally threw out a long, dead, ugly weed that I'd uprooted a couple of weeks ago and left.

Got the soil, the seeds, and even the flower food already. Do I have time to plant today?

Why am I sitting and looking at the old, dead stuff? Spring is here now, the season has changed.

Read these 2 quotes today:

"In this season, I can hear Jesus gentle rebuke for my all too human need for identification with sin and suffering. He wants me to partake of the fruit of His suffering, the joy of new life. Perhaps that is why St. Paul consistently reminds us that 'we too have been raised with Christ,' and as a result can and must 'set our hearts on the things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with God in Christ' (Col. 3: 1-3)

I pray for new eyes with which to see the fruit of His suffering. May we walk onto the new ground that Resurrection has won for us. "
Andrew Cominsky

'New life means that forces for life can now be seen within you, that something of God and Heaven, something holy can grow in you. It is no longer the sinful desires that have power, but Christ's resurrection, and His life, which leads you to wholeness. He has laid the foundation for a completely new life, a new order. In Him we can become completely different men and women in the very depths of our beings.' Christoph Blumhardt

It's Sunday

Words to Easter Song:
"Here the bells ringing; they're singing that we can be born again;

Hear the bells ringing, they're singing Christ has risen from the dead;

The angels up on the tombstone said Jesus Christ is no longer dead;

Quickly now, go tell his disciples that He has risen just as He said,

Joy to the world, He has risen, Hallelujah, He's risen, Hallelujah;

He's risen, Hallelujah."

Got a new sympathy card last night.

On it was this:

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23 :6

Even now as I write what so comforted me this morning, the singing that made me feel the joy of my mom's resurrection, I watch the Passion.

Death and resurrection, mourning and joy, loss and gain.

The scripture God gave us for mom, before her passing, "To live is Christ, but to die is gain."

His blood given for me, for you, for all, that sins may be forgiven. The salt that would sting the wounds fills the tears we shed. I shed.

But if ever those words were true, they are surely true of my mom. Goodness and mercy did follow her, do follow her, all the days of her life!

And she now dwells in the house of the Lord forever.

And Jesus cries,"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing."

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come."

Come to the cross, that you might know the resurrection.

Mom would want us to pray and not fight

When my husband died, I prayed I would become a better, kinder person. And it seemed all hell broke loose.

It seems that certain people you lose rip your hearts out. It feels like Mom was our heart.

But Mom's heart, her desire for us to love, really does beat inside of us. Her upbringing formed us, and I can "hear" what she would say about things.

We've been reeling as a family. It seems as if all hell is breaking loose. so now we can see where we need to work. The gunk is brought up to clean it out.

The family priest and a dear friend of ours, asked me what my mom would want us to know about her. After much thought, I wrote this:

What Mom would want us to know about her. A very hard question, as she was so unassuming. It would be easier to list what mom wouldn't want made a big deal out of, but was: like the fact that she always smiled with such a loving look that everyone, from babies to old people, knew that she loved them. Or that she was always so busy looking out for other people's needs and trying to keep peace that she'd forget about herself. That she was a great card shark with an amazing memory, knowing how many of which kind of card was already played, and who drew or put down the last one.Or that she was a gracious loser but a terrible winner, as she'd laugh with glee over it.

That she was one of the most giving, forgiving, and life loving ladies I've ever known. That she was an excellent hostess and could make great spaghetti sauce as well as much more.

That she had a powerful childlike faith in a God who is Love, and out of that flowed a love and respect for others. I once asked Dad and her if they thought that God respected them. Someone had told me that, and I'd found it very hard to believe. Dad had the same look on his face that I had. But Mom spoke right out, “Of course He does!” Mom knew God in that way!

In terms of what I felt she'd want us to know, not about her, but it is what she lived, came to me the other morning as I was reading from 1 John,3:16 “In this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” She would want us to know that.

And v. 18, that we don't just love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. She would want us to know that her love for us wasn't just words, but actions and what she said was truth.

She would want us to know that she would help others willingly, cheerfully where she could, and that she lived a good life, and knew how to enjoy it. (Although she did fight with guilt over all kinds of things, usually stemming from her feeling like she could do more...)

She had a French saying she used quite often, “Se la vie.”

She enjoyed laughing, loving and eating. No wonder she did so well in an Italian family!

And when she got fed up, which she did, especially when her husband, John got into a teasing mode, she was know to throw an entire glass of water in his face. To which he would laugh, but also quit the teasing!

She would want us all to honor God, telling young newlywed women at showers, to pray, and to forgive.

She would want us to know that she always tried to not offend, and if she thought she did, or was told that she did, she did what she could to make it right.

She would want us to stop fighting, but remember, to keep in mind when others are crabby the pain that they're in and not take it to heart.

She used to remind me, when dealing with a person, or problem, of this slogan, “What's the problem, whose problem is it, and what can I do about it?”

Also, “Let go and Let God.” and for years, she would say, when dealing with a difficult situation, “PTLA.” which stood for "Praise the Lord, Anyway".

1 John 3:23 "And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His son, Jesus Christ and love one another as He gave us command."

Mom would want us to know that she loved us and that she wants us to love each other.

In Honor of My Mom

Today was the day we had to let her go. What a very long day it's been. I think I imagine if I write long enough, or good enough, I can somehow rest.

Transitions, passings, seasons. The end of winter for her, and beginning of an eternal spring.

Being with her as she struggled for her last breaths, sad, but knowing she is out of her misery, and she will finally get the rest she so badly needed.

We love you, Mom. It was such an honor to have a Mother like you. One of the most loving, giving, and forgiving ladies I have ever known.

One whose faith is a shining testimony to us all.

One who prayed for us all, and believed that God's will is the best, and that He will bring all of her family to know Him.

Her beautiful smile and twinkle at silly jokes was a delight.

God bless you, Mom

May you sleep in Heavenly peace.

A Quote on the Real Battle

The most terrible, persistent conflicts remain confined to our minds-the unseen warfare within. That is where our confrontation lies, where true liberation and true peace must come."

Jonathan Hunter, Pgs. 11,12 "Breaking Free Of the Spirit of Death."

And not enough time for some things....

I just looked at my last post. For our fast-food society it is wayyyy to long, I'm afraid.

Sorry guys. It's a good thing I didn't read it at my talk at the weekend. Prayer words.

Unfortunately, you Bloggers got it. "Because this is my Blog"! I selfishly assert.

Anyway, as I delete 98% of all forwards I get, and don't have the patience for comments 1/2 as long at that last post, I feel like a hypocrite.

So, just know I agree with all who think I reallllly got carried away this time.

Lost sleep over playing with it, too.

So G-night, all- or none!

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING... in my words

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Scripture is in bold, my thoughts aren't.

To everything, there is a season,

And a time for every purpose under heaven;

A time to be born: to come to life, to live, abundantly, fully. To be born again.

and a time to die: A time to let the seed fall into the ground and die;

And a time to receive of the fruit of that seed's sacrifice.)

A time to plant: “Those who sow in tears...”

and a time to pluck up what is planted: “...shall reap in joy...”Psalms 126:5

A time to kill: to be crucified with Christ and to put on the altar stuff we need to offer up.

and a time to heal: to receive His beauty for our ashes, His Spirit of Praise for our heaviness

A time to break down: to pull down strongholds of lies , guilt, shame;

And a time to build up: to start over, to make of what we've got something new,

to build ourselves up in our faith.

A time to weep: to grieve, to look at the losses and be real with how we feel;

And a time to laugh: to get away and do something fun; to bask in His JOY:

to tell jokes and play;

A time to mourn: to let yourself feel what's beating on the door of your heart, to look at what comes up and cry out to Him with all of our negative emotions;

And a time to dance: to be happy again, to sing, to rejoice and party in His love.

A time to cast away stones: to cast your burdens on the Lord and let Him just carry you; to let go, and to let God.

And a time to gather stones,: A time to take inventory, to look at the hard stuff, and hold onto the good memories, what is helpful, peaceable,-to what really matters.

A time to embrace: to give and to receive the comfort of others; to embrace the pain and let the H.S. bring His Comfort and Love.

and a time refrain from embracing: to get to work, function and put the stuff on hold.

(Or as Ray Barone would say, “We all have feelings.. But there's a time to express them, and a time to keep all that crap inside.” )

A time to gain: to get gifts, to get stuff, relationships, families, identities, or careers;

And a time to lose: to lose it all only to find your life Hidden in Christ.

A time to keep: to keep things, to keep watch, to keep trying and praying and standing

And a time to throw away: To get rid of burdens that are not ours to bear, to throw off false responsibilities and the “garbage” in our lives.

A time to tear: to purge, to get rid of stuff ; to tear it up and throw it away;

To tear off the old garments: old mindsets that which will not be able to hold the New.

And a time to sew: to fix what can be fixed.

A time to keep silence: To stay out of it, to mind your own business, or to just sit with someone and listen without giving advice.

And a time to speak: to encourage, exhort, let the truth be known, stand up for righteousness, defend the poor, speak out the Words of life.

A time to love: to sit and love God and receive His love; to love our neighbor, the unlovely, and our enemies. To love ourselves.

And a time to hate: To hate the devastation Hell and it's forces have brought on those we love; to hate evil, to hate that which is evil in our own flesh enough to give it up.

A time of war: to do battle in prayer against that which is trying to steal, kill and destroy us and those we stand for. To take action against wrong and defend right.

And a time of peace: To seek rather to be loving than right in our relationships. To turn the other cheek, to bless and to understand, and to rest.

To receive the Peace that He gives to us, and to be at peace with our losses, with our God, and with ourselves.

5. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

( What's the point, what meaning is there in all of this? What do I really gain from all my hard work and all life's struggles?)

5. 10 I have seen the God given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied:

(Let me see, Lord, what you want me to do, and what really matters)

5. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time......

(He's not going to waste a thing. He is in the business of redemption and can bring life out of death. He WILL work everything together for good.)

D-Day. (Italian for THE- day)

It's March 11. 2011. 7 years and i still miss him. I still regret so much. I don't know about completion.Complete a phase, a leg, pass a baton?

But we won't be complete until we're with Him.

Dave is complete, then?

I hope so. This I know. He is comforted. He knows he is loved now.

I know this because of the comfort and love I have gotten from the Lord in these past 7 years.

I know this. Because as I kissed the cross; as offered up my pain, confusion, rantings, etc. to Him and chose to say that "this sucks, but You are Good. I don't get it, but I say, You are good, and I will praise you!" that elusive Peace that passes all understanding would come, and I would feel His heart of love for me, for David and for my kids.

Every good and perfect gift is from above. Children are a gift of God.

Today I reserve the right to ramble.

David was a gift of God. In the part of him that was made in the image and likeness of God, in the true self, he was wonderful!

And this year I realized something. He would want us to play Uno again!

"May the God of all peace fill you with all Hope and joy in believing so that you may abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

I can't, He can, Let Him. Draw near to God in your pain, and He WILL draw near to you.

Overheard in a Kindergarten line

"EEE, voo, EEE, voo, Rock you!" ( to the tune of, "We will, we will, rock you!" for those who don't speak Kinder-ese.)

One boy chanting to child in front of him repeatedly.

He taught it to me. It's "EEEE, VOO, EEEE, VOO."

All these years I had it wrong.

A time for War and a Time for Peace.

For example. after church at Idyllwild Bible church, a hearty, multi-aged snowball fight erupted.

7 year olds against adults who had teens making snowballs for them.

And in between, a 19 month old would toddle up to one of our legs and let his little handful of snow rip. He would teeter off smiling after watching it spray!

And then there was Jack and his 3 year old counterpart, a sweet little blonde girl. They would clumsily bend down, scrunch up some snow into a, well, a snowball-ish thing, and then get up to 6 inches from each other and toss. Sometimes it would actually splatter against the target.

Very cute.

But the next thing I know, both were standing together, sucking on pieces of snow.

"What are you doing now, Jack," I ask.

"We're having a snow eating contest," was his reply and they contentedly sucked away.

A winner was never announced.

A Word Fitly Spoken

In the beautiful journal Rosie gave me are little pearls of wisdom, hand picked and handwritten.

And always seeming to be just what I need.

Example:

I'd just written down this prayer:

" Pray and declare I will enter into the new God has. Pray that we would value life God is leading us into v.s. the life we are leaving behind."

And on the next page of my journal is a quote from EM Forster:

" We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

I'm keeping it short for ya, Sarah!

With Love to my kids.

My New Look

Before, when I first moved in, this was how I found my backyard. SAD.

The "after" shots. A beautiful, quiet place complete with a singing aviary next door, friendly sparrows, hummingbirds, and the crowing of a rooster and clucking of hens from an adjacent coop. Soon to come, pics of my fountain.

My thanks, again, to my daughter, Sarah for helping me to give my blog a new look.

The picture is my backyard garden, which I love and need to spend more time in.

Here are some before and after pictures of when I moved in, and the backyard my gardener, kids, sister and I planned and put in. It was a great adventure! A wonderful transformation.

It's my oasis from life.

Almost March.

Time is Marching on. I don't have much to say, but really wanted to get that sort of gross spinning picture off the top slot, even though it did convey the seriousness that I see displayed on some of said spinners.

It's almost March. 2011. 7 years. 7 is supposed to be a perfect number, a number of completion.

May it be so in our lives. New season, completed cycle, bring 8- the number of new beginnings on.

I'm supposed to speak on Ecclesiastes 3 at the upcoming women's retreat. On March 11th.

If anybody out there still visits here, please pray for me.

What are they thinking, asking me? Eccl. 3. The "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." passage.

Seeing as I don't really have any words to put to this,

I'll just quote it. And maybe you'll see something yourself.

"A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

A time to weep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace."

" He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

Spinning, not just an ordinary sport!

I'm finally venturing into the torturous, but great workout- wise, aerobic spinning class again .

You know, the one where you spin around on a stationary bike like a mad hamster, going nowhere rapidly.

What I didn't know is that most spinners take this exercise VERY seriously!

I traipsed in 5 minutes late, adjusted my bike to the proper micro-size and got to "spinning." I even have trouble taking the name seriously. I either picture a bunch of grannys getting ready to knit or baby Miles and Isai when they spin around and around in circles until they lose their balance and fall with silly grins on their faces.

Back to spinning. Since I thought I would fall off the bike from sheer exhaustion last time after 30 minutes, I chose the empty front row, down on the bottom. Better to make an early escape, if needed.

The new "spinning" room is set up like a movie theater, with each row a step up and farther back so that we can all watch the video of a road flowing in front of us. Today's went beside a lake. In this way, you have the illusion that you actually ARE going somewhere. I think this is supposed to motivate you to go faster, thinking you're going farther. Or it's a distraction from the sheer boredom. At any rate, with the help of very upbeat music and motivational challenges from the instructor, I found that I made it the rest of the entire hour.

The video off, we all dismount and impulsively, I turned to 8 or 10 people behind me with the comment, "Don't feel bad that I won, I did have a head start."

The response was overwhelming in it's silence and the various looks I got. They ranged from disgust to confusion, with disdain, contempt, and disregard somewhere in the mix. I stifled my desire to announce that it was only a joke, and took a quick exit.

"That's a serious spinning class, " I told the guy at check out. He emphatically agreed, adding, "Yes, they are, and the early morning ones are the same way!"

So, FYI, don't mess with spinners, if ya know what's good for you!