A Week Without A Rest Makes One Weak

Sundays are days of respite for us. We have learned the hard way that our bodies were built to work six days a week and rest one. Keeping a high pitched fervor for seven days in a row is bound to land one in trouble physically, if not emotionally and spiritually as well. Our routine on Sunday is to gather with our church family to worship the God of the universe. Then we come home and veg out for awhile. We usually have some activity such as we have today. Eleven years ago, the 27th of March was the birth of a grandaughter. Within two weeks, we added two grandsons to that joy as well. That was quite the year. Sydney's family and ours are going to be away on the 27th so we will gather this afternoon at our daughter Lauri's home and celebrate Syd's birthday. Sydney is the kind of kid that requires little maintanence. She takes things as they come and doesn't really kick up any kind of trouble (unless she is fighting with a sibling). She is deliberate about the things she does by taking her time, but doing it well. I enjoy watching her in a crowd. I also love to watch her face when you know what she's thinking but not saying. It is a happy kind of day for a birthday celebration. The day is cheerful with brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the mid seventies. Not bad for the 25th day of March. The weather website says the next week will be mild, with a few showers now and then. Sounds good to me for a vacation week. We will just remember to take our umbrellas.

Musing on a Saturday

I opened my eye to look at the clock and it said, 8:45. I nearly jumped out of bed until I realized I had already changed that alarm clock to east coast time. Even 7:45 is very late for this early bird. When we went to bed last night, my husband said, "alarm or no alarm?" I said no alarm so I got what I wanted. We did get awakened about 2:30 A.M. with a phone call. It was a wrong number. Wouldn't one think that one would be very careful when dailing a number in the middle of the night? Ever sense last spring when we got a phone call very early in the morning while we were still asleep that our step grandaughter had been killed, I shiver when the phone rings in the night. One knows without a doubt that a phone call in the middle of the night is rarely good news. Perhaps the birth of a grandchild, but we have none in the wings right now. Most of our older children are finished with their families and our younger ones haven't gotten started yet. I am about ready for a new baby once again. There is something so full of hope when a new baby joins the family. I think God blesses us with renewed vigor each time he blesses us with a new child. One of our sons and his wife is waiting on an adoption from China. We obviously know it will be a little girl and is expected to be less than a year old. We look forward to that joy as well. They live in Florida so unfortunately we won't be able to see her grow day to day. The idea we had when we were young and and told our kids that the world was bigger than right here in this small town has come to bite us in the back. We have only two out of eight children who live here. I have come to realize that family closeness is not blessed by having children living far away. Some of our friends have all their children within close driving distance. It truly helps the relationships to be able to attend the grandkid's soccer or basketball or baseball games, their school plays, etc. Sometimes I grieve over the distance between us and many of our grandchildren. Someone once said, "be grateful we have the kind of transportation that can take us to them in a few hours by air". I am.

Today dawned as dull as yesterday did bright and beautiful. What is the old adage? Rain, rain go away, come again some other day, Johnny wants to play. Springbreak begins when the bell dismisses us from school today. The excitement is high. Some high schoolers decided to begin a day early so the attendance is down today. A week's vacation is balm to anyone's life style. It would be nice if the sun were shining. The rain is turning the grass green, however, and that is a beautiful sight even in the rain. Puddles are everywhere in the parking lot. One can't walk to and from the car without getting wet feet. Earth worms are meeting their demise as they float on the top of the puddles. It truly is a spring scene out there. As much as it was torture to stay indoors and look out yesterday, it is comfortable and contentful to sit indoors and look out this day. My husband, grandson and I are leaving for Washington DC on Monday. The extended weather forcast shows showers on many of those days with the temps in the sixties. I guess we will carry umbrellas and pretend the sun is shining. The awesome sights of our nation's capitol will be delightful whatever the weather. I haven't been there since my highschool class trip, but I remember the awe I felt as we walked the halls of the capitol building. I hope it is just as profound an experience this time as it was the first time.

Yesterday was a bright and beautiful day. The spring temperature was a warm 75 degrees. The birds were singing as if they had no care. The warm breeze was gently blowing. The water in the little pond by the front door was flowing freely once more. The John Deere tractors were up and down the road reminding me that the fields were ready to be worked. Life is bursting forth once more. It is spring. The other side of that was what I saw as I drove in my driveway. Sticks everywhere. Tiny pieces of paper caught in little thickets around trees and shrubs. Gardens full of last years yuk. I couldn't wait to change into some garden clothes and go out to change my world. It was amazing how out of shape I felt. I worked about an hour and got two huge barrels of sticks put into the burn pile. I found more garbage than I would have imagined and dumped that in the can for the garbage pick up. Surprisingly, the area on which I worked looked so much better. I decided to quit before I had worn myself out beyond that line of no return. There is a time between warmer weather and beautiful foliage that is pretty ugly. Those faithful perrenials will soon come up and block out any old leaves I've left in the gardens, but until then.....maybe I can get them cleaned out. Retirement is more and more attractive. It's about time I have the time to garden.......

Sign of Defiance or Surrender?

While teasing with my thirteen year old grandaughter recently, she playfully raised her arm and put her hand in a stop position, turned her head from me and said, "Talk to the hand, the face is not listening". It was the first time I had heard that phrase and thought if this phrase were said in seriousness, it would be the height of disrespect. Today I read from Jeremiah 18. In that passage, God says in verses 7 & 8 that when he decides an evil nation is to be destroyed, if that nation humbles itself and repents of its evil, He will not destroy it as He had planned. On the contrary, if a nation is strong and great and then decides to disobey God, He will then "change His mind" and not bless that nation. Sometimes I hear people say and have wondered a time or two myself, "why pray, God has everything planned anyway?" My reading today convinced me that our prayers matter to God. He truly takes our wills into His consideration. In this reading, we are reminded of the importance of repenting of our sins. Have you ever felt so ashamed of something you have thought, said or done, that it was difficult for you to even admit your wrong to the Father? I have. Sometimes it takes courage to say, "I'm sorry". But, take heart, instead of raising your arm in defiance and turning your face from Him, lift your hands in the universal sign of surrender, confess your sins and praise Him for His gracious love toward us and His desire to forgive us our sins.

Power Struggle Surrendered

It's is a beautiful crisp spring morning. I noticed the daffidols are up about five inches and the early hosta varieties are pushing out of the ground. What an inspiring display of power we see each spring. We hear of the power some people wield, but the power we see in creation when it comes alive each spring casts a huge shadow on all other power. I remember an experience we had while visiting in Denmark many years ago. We were visiting a retirement home and when coming out to our car to leave, we noticed a mushroom had pushed its way through a black top driveway. There we were, four grown adults, standing in a circle and staring at what looked almost unimaginable That small spore had accomplished something great. That's the way it is with us when new life in Christ is ours. We come alive with power. Our power is never our own, however. Come to think of it, the power of the mushroom spore was not its own either. Kind of makes one feel rather small, doesn't it? Isn't it amazing how great our God is? This world is His and everything in it. Be encouraged today that you and I are safely in His powerful care and in His power we can accomplish what He has given us to do.

Unexpected Seismic Shifts in Life

Today was spent in meetings; first a women's retreat meeting for February 23, 2008, then church and then a worship planning meeting. Our lives center around our faith. That means our church involvement is paramount.
It was announced this morning that a freshman high school girl from the school in which I work was in a tragic automobile accident yesterday. She was riding with a couple of senior boys; their car hit a big chuck hole in the road and the driver lost control. Jessica was thrown out of the car and has fractured her second vertebrate. It is unclear at the moment how much injury she has sustained. She was transferred in a helicopter to the University of Chicago Hospital. She is in an induced coma at this time. Jessica's grandparents are known to us and used to go to the same church we did many years ago. It is difficult to hear of such trauma. One day, life was fun and carefree for Jessica, now her immediate future seems clouded at best. If you are a praying person, please lift Jessica and her family to the Lord for healing and comfort.(The latest word two days later is that she has two cracked vertebrates #1 and 2. They were putting a halo on her Sunday night. She did some thrashing around when they tried to take her out of the coma so they are encouraged that she is moving. Praise God)

Welcome

Today's world is full of confusion about what is truth and where to find true wisdom. We get many different opinions about the questions each of us asks; what is life all about, for what am I here, what do I do when life throws me a curve, what possible difference can I make? Having lived many years to date and experienced many of the same struggles most people battle, I decided to share the things I have learned. Some things have been learned rather easily, other things have been a life long struggle. If you have questions about life and care to listen to one who has been there, you are invited to dialog. If you need encouragement in your daily walk through life, let's chat.