Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where the weather has turned cold, but the white stuff has still not arrived and we are okay with that. We have spent a few winters without snow over the years ..........when we lived in the Philippine Islands, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Salt Lake City Utah. One year in the Philippines we had a big star pinata and were in shorts and tank tops as we gathered together with military friends.  Of course the snow makes for a prettier Christmas season, but it is still possible to celebrate without it!!! 

It will be a quiet Christmas this year as we stay home and as we grieve the death of Gr. Jo. She did love the Holidays and was able to be with family in the Twin Cities every year. I imagine they will especially feel her absence as they gather.  I can't help but ponder what it would be like to celebrate in Heaven! Oh, the music and joy to be heard!

Christmas 2020

Speaking of music, I am playing Christmas music as I write this. Our old favorite CD's are taken out of the drawer along with a small CD player at this time of year so we can reminisce with the Christmas sounds of Kenny G, Alabama, Vince Gill, Pentatonix, Sax by the Fire, and a few others.  We are enjoying having the house decorated and getting a little baking done.  Unfortunately, although the baking and eating tasks are enjoyable, my body easily gains weight with only one or two indulgences!

Speaking of indulgences(?), the past couple of weeks Joel has spent a lot of time in the garage shop working on small woodworking projects.  It will soon be too cold for those, but being we have a furnace in the garage I have a feeling nothing will stop him!  He loves having projects to do, he is not one to just sit around until after supper when the recliner then calls his name.  It's what keeps him strong and healthy!  He managed one more bike ride when it was a mere 38 degrees before putting away his recumbent for the winter.  We have gotten out for a few walks outside but mostly I walk here in the house.  A few deer have come through the yard, including 3 who snuggled up for two days in a row to rest in our yard. Joel loves when this happens ~ he just pulls up a chair and "meditates" on nature.  It always nourishes his soul.

I have not posted a Saturday's Scribbles since before Thanksgiving, but ours was a nice one, considering our kids did not come home as planned. Plans changed with CoVid.   We decided to have a traditional meal with turkey, dressing, rice, gravy, sweet potatoes, fruit salad and cranberries.  Plus some homemade pumpkin (for Joel) and sweet potato pie (for me).  I had to chuckle because when Joel went shopping I asked him to buy a large container of heavy whipping cream......in my mind it was a pint, but Joel came home with a quart of it!  Who knew it was a thing?  I need to get out more!

We started the day with a long fun visit with our oldest son and ended the day with a Zoom gathering with 4 of 5 of our kids.  We were able to visit with some of the grands too.  So fun!  Congrats to our oldest grandson who just graduated from college (early) with a degree in environmental engineering.  So proud of his hard work and just who he is.  All our grands do us proud!  

We made a trip to the Twin Cities to pick up a few things from Gr. Jo's apartment a week ago.  Joel had made her a coffee table many years ago so that is now in our family room.  We were able to visit with my sister Janelle ( masked of course) in the process. Gr. Jo loved her little apartment so much and cherished all her "treasures".  She would be happy to have them now in the hands of her family.  That trip was the first time I had traveled 2 hours (one way) in 16 months! Yeah, I'm a real world traveler!

About ten days ago we had our Internet switched to our cable company...bunding the TV, home phone, and Internet together.  They came out and set things up for us, which was so nice.  So, two days later Joel goes upstairs to take the pictures off his phone and put them on his laptop.  I was downstairs watching TV and all of a sudden Joel's pictures are coming across the TV!  What??  I told Joel and he tried to stop it and when he did, our TV went blank.  No TV, no Netflix, no Prime Video.....oh boy.  After trying to figure things out ourselves we called our cable company and got someone in a third world country to help us out........she was a sweetie and more importantly we could understand her.......so she spent a half hour getting us to get our TV back and running.  At the end, when I said to her, "Oh, it is BACK!!  Thank you!  You just saved our weekend!", I heard several people in the background, cheer and clap!   

Speaking of cheering and clapping, with the FDA giving emergency clearance for the CoVid vaccine I expect there are quite a few people cheering and clapping. My prayer is that it helped stop this horrible pandemic. We are beginning to know people who have died from this plague and it becomes very real then. Our prayers are with all those who are grieving or fighting hard to live.  Lord have mercy.

So this week, as cold weather gave us reason to dig out the soup pot, there is much to be grateful for.  Grateful for my sister Jo, her life and her legacy of love.  Grateful for Christmas decorations that bring us joy, for the smell of cookies, for a hubby who does projects for his family, for a vaccine that brings hope, for candles, old CD's, a new better Internet, for Advent, for Amazon deliveries, for deer that visit our yard,  memories of snowless Christmases and homemade chicken soup simmering on the stove.  So grateful................

Enjoy your weekend!

She Will Be Greatly Missed

 

Joey and Me

On December first my sister Joanne (Joey to me) went home to be with Jesus.  On that day we lost an amazing woman to complications from heart disease.  She fought a hard battle to stay here with all those she loved, but at age 87 her body just gave out. Oh, how we will miss this fun, strong, opinionated, loving woman who was passionate about her faith, her family, and her politics!

My sisters Jan, Joey, and Me

Joey, Grandma Jo to my children,  was 15 years older than me while my sister Jan is 11 years older. Joey held a unique place in my life.  When I was in 4th grade I moved in with her and her family the first time and spent several months there while my mom was battling alcoholism.  I lived with my mom in 5th grade but it was not going well, so when I was 12 I moved back into Joey's family, living there until I went off to Bible College, and in 1968 married Joel.  Her kids were close to me in age with the oldest only three years younger than me, so I became the oldest of the five of us and they became my siblings.  I am forever grateful to God for adding them into my life.  Those years not only brought me sisters and brothers whom I cherish, but a firm foundation of faith and the security of a family that I needed.  

Renee, Kay, Dick, Janelle, and Todd

The five of us with Joey

She loved her kids, grandkids, great grandkids and great-great grands very much and liked to call each of them on their birthdays to sing her special song.  She kept in touch as much as she could with the family through cards, phone calls, and texting.  She was always interested in where they were going and what they were doing.  She prayed for them and spent a good deal of time bragging about them!

Love this taken so many years ago of Gr Jo

surrounded by grandkids

In this time of Covid, there will be no funeral.  The plan is for a celebration of life next Spring ~ hopefully around her birthday, since that was a time she liked to gather her family over the years.  So today we grieve the death of Gr. Jo with hope.  We grieve with hope because we know that we will see her again, because we know that she is with Jesus.  And we grieve her death with gratitude for having her in our lives.  If this past year has not taught us anything, I pray it has taught us how important relationships are, how precious life is, and how much love brings us together.  

We called her Joey, sister, mom, friend, Gr. Jo, GiGi

You are loved and will be missed

Saturday's Scribbles

 

Good Saturday to all of you from our corner of the upper Midwest where Fall is hanging on and we are enjoying it.  On Monday a buck came through our yard and onTuesday we went for a drive and saw 4 eagles in a field! We watched them lift off and land a few times.  So beautiful, and since God has brought eagles to my attention lately, this was extra amazing to see.  Thursday we had a deer, less than a year old, staying in our backyard for a couple of hours.  We were able to watch from the living room window as he resting, grazed, and wandered around without a care in the world.  

I think the deer is about the only one wandering around without a care in the world right now.  What is happening in our country politically, and with this pandemic that is real, people, is more than a little disturbing.  In our county we have 4 floors in our hospital packed with Covid patients.  Cases are going up between 60-100 daily and deaths have risen.   When I told the OT that I was taking a long break right now, she said she completely understood.  She did everything to keep me safe, and her other clients, too, but it is what it is.  No need to put myself at risk if I don't need to.

We have been having trouble with our Internet server for years and finally this week when Joel was knocked off a Zoom meeting 6 times in an hour, we had had enough and set up Internet with the only other company in our town.  What I did not realize was that my email address was connected to the account for the phone and Internet, so after 20 years with the same email address I am now scampering to change endless accounts and sign ins that use my old email address.  I have until Monday if they keep it going as promised.  I was more than a little frustrated when we called to cancel because the young man we talked to was very, and I mean very difficult to understand way over there in a third world country.  He said to me, canceling with us is "breaking my heart", and I replied, "Well, THIS company has broken our hearts as we have worked with them for years to get descent service.  It has never happened!  He was quiet then.....realizing he had two frustrated people on the phone.  I guess I could blame my short fuse on Covid Fatigue, but I'm thinking it is years of unstable broken Internet service.........

We have been busy this week shampooing our living area carpet/rugs, washing floors, dusting ceiling fans, and doing Spring cleaning.  First of all, I use the word "we" loosely as Joel did most of this manual labor, and second of all, I am aware that Spring is long gone.  We were rearranging furniture in the living room to make room for the Christmas Tree that is waiting in the basement to be brought into the light, and I mentioned making sure we had room to move around before it dawned on me............it does not matter how it is arranged or how it looks when we are the only people who will be in the room.  The only people in our house.  Two other people have been inside our home in the last 11 months. Seriously.  That is it.  Covid Fatigue is settling in, especially since this year our family was going to be coming home for Thanksgiving. That happens only every other year.... So the house is sparkling, just for us! Still, it always feels good to have a good Spring cleaning any time of the year!

We are hoping for a Zoom meeting with the family that day with our new Internet services!  It is such a blessing to have such things as Zoom.  I remember when we were living in The Philippines and we were able to call home one time in two years.  We had to say a sentence or paragraph and then say, "roger" and then it would go across the ocean to family.  We talked for 5 minutes on Christmas Eve and it cost us $40 which was quite a bit in the 70's.  So hooking up on our laptop or phone so easily?  A true gift.

Speaking of gifts, we are very grateful for our warm home, clean rugs and floors, Zoom, new Internet soon, a deer to distract us and eagles to amaze us.  a surprise package in the mail, the power of prayer, phone calls, texts, and the love of family and friends.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from the Midwest where Fall is hanging on here in Iowa while just two hours north of us snow blankets the ground.  We did have a dusting a couple of days ago.  I had to chuckle as I watched Joel out mulching the leaves from our one Maple tree that just won't let go until this time of year.  Joel was mowing and mulching as large snowflakes fell to the ground!  He managed to get it done pretty quickly and the snow melted soon after it's arrival.  Hoping to hold off on the white stuff!

We have pumpkins sitting on our porch and Christmas lights strung across the front!  So far there is no tree gracing our living room although since it is 2020, anything goes, right?  In fact, our neighbor already has their Christmas tree decorated and shining brightly out their living room window. I confess it is kind of nice to see....... Maybe we will see more healing in us all, body, soul, and spirit as we focus on Jesus this Christmas season.  I only wish the chaos would end with 2020, at least that is our prayer for 2021.  Restoration, revelation, renewal, and removal of this virus.  Let it be, Lord.  Let it be.

Speaking of the virus, we have started to know people who have the virus.....a couple of family members infected but doing okay, family of family..........all infected in different areas and in different ways.  Iowa is ranking pretty much at the top regarding hospitalizations and infections.  Nothing is really being done about it by the powers that be here.  As from the beginning, we are following what the scientists say, not the governors or government alone. Scientists have a pretty good track record!  If it wasn't for them we would still be dealing with smallpox, polio, etc.  I remember getting the first polio vaccines with I was a kid.  In a sugar cube we put under our tongues.  Anyone else remember that?

Speaking of tongues, I recently wrote a post about the impact of our words and am still feeling pretty convicted by it.  God keeps speaking to me, using His words I guess, to help me along the way.  Speaking of words, Joel's book will hopefully be ready soon.  After we both reread the book and he revised and made corrections in the way it was laid out by Amazon or Joel. For Joel it has been a challenging process, this self-publishing!  My conclusion and opinion is that self-publishing with Amazon is a nightmare!  

We managed to clean the whole house this week.  Our home is just too big with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a large family room we hardly ever use, besides the dining, living and laundry.  It is really time for a smaller house, but we sure would hate to leave our neighborhood.  I was thinking about all the places we have lived over the 52 years we have been married.  Apartments, a small airstream trailer, a townhouse, many parsonages small and big, and the houses we have bought.  It is interesting that one of our favorite is the "internage" we lived in when Joel did his internship in Malta, Montana.  It was an old house brought in and placed right next to the church.  It was small for a family of six, with a short hallway from the dining room to the kitchen that slanted downwards because the kitchen had been added on with a basement built underneath it.  The small living room had a smaller room next to it and a long closed in porch up front. The bathroom upstairs had a large lime green clawfoot tub.  Two bedrooms upstairs and one large hallway where our oldest had her bed and space.  The house had a very warm atmosphere about it.  We were the 19th Intern to be at this parish.  We had a wonderful year there with many new experiences and certainly the house held it's own memories for us. 

My sister Jo is home being cared for my Janelle and a nurse, aid, and OT and PT that come in off and on throughout the week.  Hopefully her strength will continue to return and she will be more independent.  Thank you for praying.  So thankful for them all!

This week I am grateful for Gr. Jo getting home, for the house being clean, for walking 30 minutes a day, for the yard work getting done, for memories of homes we have lived and raised our family in, for lime green clawfoot tubs, porches with pumpkins, Christmas lights to brighten the nights, my hubby's determination to get the book published c.o.r.r.e.c.t.l.y, for hope for a better 2021, for laughter, tears, the power of prayer, and every day we are blessed to be here!

Have a great weekend.............

The Impact Of Our Words

 Yesterday morning a Bible verse posted by a group on Facebook jumped out at me.  What some would call a Rhema word, highlighted by God.  Verse one of Psalm 144 stood out for me.  In fact it did feel like it leaped off the page going right into that place in my heart for aha moments.  

David was speaking about the battle ahead with Goliath, but for me these words gave way to recognition that what Joel and I write with our hands and our fingers fights against the enemy and gives God praise and glory.  Sharing our stories, our thoughts, is a way to fight those battles that come. God has trained us and is still teaching us to write about what He has done, what He has planned.  I believe we are all are "trained" and prepared. We all have power in what we say and what we write.....just look at the affects of social media.   Yes, the power of our words, written and spoken greatly impact others.

Lately I have felt a deeper conviction than ever about the importance of our words.  You can't turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper or book, scroll down Facebook, or read what people have posted on Twitter without being affected or impacted by the words of others. Good and bad.  There are several scriptures that either warn us or teach us about the power of the tongue...speaking "life or death".  So. very. true. 

When I feel convicted I try to pay attention and I believe God is speaking to me here.  Speaking about my words and the power they hold, whether spoken or written.  And what about the running conversations we have with ourselves in our heads?

On Sunday morning Alex Trebek, long time host of Jeopardy! died after battling stage 4 cancer.  We watched a special he had on ABC that same night that had been prepared knowing of his eventual death.  He seems to have died the way he lived, with hope, kindness, thankfulness.  He lived twice as long as predicted and one doctor at John Hopkins said (if I remember correctly) fighting terminal cancer is much about how you view and live your life now as treatments.  Trebek's words echoed how he was living each day seeking the good.  He worked up until 10 days before he died because he said going to work helped him to feel joy, gave him energy and inspired him to keep going. At the end of the special on his life, in his own words he says to viewers, "Thank you for a great life".  Powerful.  

For me his words connected to what God has been telling me about what we speak, think, and write. As people of God it all matters.  You may question the idea that we are often fighting a war........fighting battles.  Yet the Bible often speaks about it and tells us we are not fighting against people so much as the spirit realm.  Obviously it can't be our only focus....on what comes against us......on the negative.............on Satan who is very real, people.  No, it can't be our continual focus, but we cannot brush it aside either.  We need to take God's word seriously and He makes it clear that our words, whether written or spoken, are very important and have power to change our lives, and impact others.  

I am certainly mulling over this topic. A while ago I had a vision where I was riding on a white stallion with a large warring angel.  It is one of two visions God has shown me lately that have me paying attention. 

 As we were sitting with our eyes closed, I first saw a white feather that was placed in my hand.  It then transformed into a wing, an angel's wing that transformed into an angel on a white stallion.  An angel with white wings and bare legs that were bronze in color.  The feathers and wings I saw then transformed into armor.  At this point I asked Holy Spirit if this was all from Him and He responded in my mind, "Trust what you are seeing".  Then the angel pulled me up in front of him and then he raised a sword.  He handed me a sword too.  Looking ahead I saw many many creatures that looked like druids, with no faces just long hooded garments.  The sword I was holding suddenly seemed to come out of my mouth and as I spoke words from this mouth sword the druids began to melt down and disappear.  Then as I continued to speak from the sword it would actually come down and touch the ground, causing it to shake violently.  Each time that happened I saw the horse I was on take a step forward.  Another word came out, the sword would touch the ground and the horse would take another firm step forward.  This is where what I was seeing ended.

In Ephesians 6 we are told that one of our weapons of warfare is the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.   I believe that as I, as we all speak the word and declare the truths of God's promises, it affects us and the world. Look around us, it is quite evident how words impact us and others.  During this time, this season in our country where there are continual battles being waged with words (and actions) in our government, our states, our cities, our neighborhoods, and even in some homes, we need to be intentional about what we say and what we write. Be intentional about what we listen to and Whom.  Let God be the final Who.  Let Him always be our guide.  Don't get caught up in it all, don't let others tell us what to believe, trust God and let us prayerfully be an instrument of peace one word at a time. 

Often I ask God for peace to come into my corner of the world.  More than ever I need to be active in releasing that peace, through what I write, through what I speak, through what I believe.  Let my words reflect His Word.  Always.

Saturday's Scribbles On Sunday

Good Saturday to you on Sunday afternoon as I watch the high winds moving the trees, scattering leaves, and whipping flags.  It is warm for November, so Joel has been busy getting the Christmas lights on the house and also mulching leaves, fixing house trim, and washing windows.  Mostly I got to watch, although I did wash quite a few of our windows inside.  Our flowers are getting close to being done except for the large mum plant out front.  Tomorrow rain is on the way so Joel is in a race to get leaves bagged for the 4th time.

Joel was able to hold the first copy of his book in his hands this week.  We are going through it to seek out any corrections needed before we "put it out there" for friends and family.  I am so proud of him and the hard work he has put into this book.  He also has ridden 1300 miles so far this year!  Yay for him!!!!  I keep walking, 30 minutes most days, and cooking, baking, cleaning, and keeping in touch with family.  Covid is so high in our small county that I will not be going back to OT for a while.  Too risky.  Our hospital is full.  One nursing home just 30 miles from us is completely overwhelmed with Covid.  E.v.e.r.y resident has it and most of the staff.  Speaking of residents, it looks like Gr. Jo will be going home early this week.  She has a long way to go, but Janelle will stay with her and she will receive some care at home to keep getting stronger.  So thankful!

Well, election day, days, week? is over and it is not yet really over, is it.  We have been in this position before, lest we forget.  We are not patient people anymore with our instant coffee, fast food service, and drive through Covid testing!  Ha......We are not good at waiting for answers.  Like in this election.  No matter how you or I voted, no matter how we lean, I feel like Americans are being watched around the world with how the election process goes and whether we will continue to spew hate, fear, and division, or whether we come together like we did once in a distant far away place.  I have my own thoughts on it all, but keep them mostly close to home as I mull over what I have seen and heard.  I really hurt for our grandchildren as they observe a world so topsy turvy right now.  May it make them stronger.

Today we drove around out little micro-opolis and came home thankful for where we live.  It is quiet here and we have good neighbors.  The walking paths are nice and nature keeps us entertained.  We came back home, sat down and worshiped from home connecting to a church in a big city two hours away from us.  We then sat at our table eating left over waffles with fresh strawberries and blueberries.  We played a game of Scrabble, laid down for a nap and when we woke up we could just push a button and watch a variety of shows.  I share all this because we live in America and all this is possible here.  

I am grateful to have been born in America.  Grateful for being able to vote in a democracy.  Grateful that our country gives all people a voice, (hopeful).  Grateful for warm November days, a clean house, walks, biking, continued healing from shingles, Gr Jo going back home, Joel holding a copy of his book in his hands, laughter and tears, worship on line, full stomachs, rest for our bodies, and freedom !

Hope you had a good weekend.