Stockpiling The Three P's

A week ago our son, Matt, drove up with a large bottle of disinfectant, some rubbing alcohol, wipes, toilet paper and hard to find foods.  What he brought will last a long time as we continue to shelter in place and seldom go a.n.y.w.h.e.r.e.  We definitely cannot be accused of stockpiling..........well not disinfectant at least but maybe toilet paper or Benitos Black Bean chips?  We have always bought in bulk, first when we were raising 8 kids and later when we had Lyme Disease and going to the store was an ordeal.....We continue to buy in bulk now, but when we do, we try to buy less of the most needed/desired items so we are not "hoarding".  We had a good chuckle over the toilet paper Matt brought us as there was a story behind it.

You see, one day a few weeks ago Joel came in and said to me, "I heard via the neighborhood grapevine that our neighbor down the street cannot find toilet paper.   We should give them one of our two 12 packs!"  What came up to the surface in me was not the spirit of giving.  What rose up in me was the spirit of hanging on to what we have....."just in case"........  Joel tabled his suggestion, hearing soon after my bad attitude response, that the neighbor had found a 4 pack somewhere out there.....It was not a shining moment for me and I pondered my response to Joel's suggestion more than once.  I shared the story with our son Matt and of course he surprised us with extra toilet paper when he came up, just in case someone else could not find it.  He knows his dad pretty well, and now Joel can share with others til' his heart's content.  Yeah.....like I said, it was not one of my shining moments.

So this weekend I listened to Harry Smith share some wise words.....his voice alone often brings down my stress level.  Something he said resonated with me, especially after the toilet paper story.  Basically he said we need to stop stockpiling toilet paper and sanitizer and stockpile instead patience and perseverance.  I love that!  No matter what we hear, no matter what we hope for, we are going to need patience and perseverance as we walk through this time in history.  And might I add, prayer!  The Covid-19 virus is not going away overnight.  Some states are jumping the gun in my way of thinking ~ Iowa included.  We never had a full shelter in place order and now with cases rising into the hundreds daily in our small state, the governor is loosening restrictions in most counties.  We continue to choose to shelter in place and are able to do so without worry to our finances, etc. We are trying to stay healthy.  But for most it is a stressful time for people.  The frustration is rising along with the fear.  Time will tell on whether letting people gather in groups now is a good thing. Time........patience and perseverance.  We also need to stockpile prayer along with that patience and perseverance.  Ann Voskamp spoke about living a life of prayer on Facebook.

"So let's believe.

Commit to more than a prayer life.

Make your life a prayer.

Make your work your worship, 

Make your days your doxology.

Make your life your liturgy

AND make Christ your only King."

Yes, along with patience and perseverance it is a good time to stock up on prayer.   The three P's.  Ann Voskamp's words are a good reminder as we live life in this season...........in any season!  Today Harry Smith and AnnVoskamp have filled my soul with what is good to stockpile....and that other stockpile of toilet paper?  If you run out, just give my hubby a call!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of the world where warmer weather is once again giving us the opportunity to open windows and enjoy the breezes and fresh air.  On Wednesday we hit 81 degrees!  Amazing, really, for April. We are more seasonal right now at high 50's and low 60's..  For us I think we can officially say, winter has left for good.,

Joel has been biking and working on a project he has going.  He does not have a designated shop, although half of our two car garage is where he keeps everything.  He usually ends up working mostly in the driveway, thus his desire to have wheels on most of his equipment!  These projects are a great way to focus on something besides the world as it is right now.....Do you have projects to work on?  It is a good thing........

Last week one of our grandson's celebrated his 19th birthday.  It must feel strange for all of our grandkids to be living through this.  College online, school online, visiting with friends online....Of course they did some of that before Covid-19, but it is got to be rough for everyone....actually I expect for all ages!

On Monday night we had dinner with  friends, Mary Lou and Keith, to celebrate Keith's 65th birthday.  We had dinner here at our table and they had dinner at their's in Tucson!  With Zoom as our meeting place we were able to fellowship with good food and friends.  Isn't technology great?!

On Tuesday we were able to visit with our oldest son Matt, who along with his wife Michele had come up with the idea of giving us some of their disinfectant wipes and sanitizer and Matt also shopped for hard to find items AND picked up our list for Trader Joe's.  We shop there in quantity every two to three months, since we don't have one in our little city.  It is great to be stocked up again, and to have disinfectant wipes, sanitizer, and more toilet paper!  It was even more fun to talk with Matt even if it was through our glass storm door.  He sat on the porch and we sat right inside the door and we were able to chat, briefly.  We missed his hugs, but it was nice to see his face again!  A new reality for now. 

Wednesday was Earth Day and we watched two specials on the National Geographic Channel...."Born Wild" which was about baby wild animals across the world and also a two hour special on Jane Goodall that was very interesting!  We have also found another show we like on Animal Planet,  It is on Sunday nights here and called "Saved By The Barn".  It is about a barn sanctuary in Michigan.  We love animals so it is a great show to escape in.....that and the weird show, "Life Below Zero:  Port Protection".  What can I say.............

Joel has met with a colleague group monthly for 24 years, so they have now gone to a Zoom meeting to visit and share with each other.  It has been a time of sharing, venting, laughing, praying and eating together.  They can't eat out right now but they can all connect via Zoom.  Like I said before,  technology is great!!!  On Easter night we did a Zoom visit with several of our children and that was great!  Hope to do it again in the future.  I have seen funerals done online this way.....It is not what we all had planned for our lives, but it is the reality of what we are experiencing for now.

Friday we went for a ride to first check out fields and see what was planted ( you can to boy out of the farm but not the farm out of the boy).  It was so strange....we both felt like the car was going really fast and Joel was going only 45 miles an hour!  We decided we have spent so little time in the car that we are not used to it anymore!  What??!?!  Crazy!

I looked back at our week and thought....."Wow, we were busy"!  What?  Ha.....It seems that way now....with social distancing.  Where there is a will there is a way though.  I noticed Joel visited individually with 3 of our neighbors this week......all stayed at least 15 - 30 feet apart while chatting.
Most everyone on our block are in their sixty to seventies......a quiet neighborhood  cul-de-sac with few houses......with wide streets and green yards.  Perfect for social distancing!  We are so grateful to have our space and to be out and about without leaving our property!

So, I hope your week has gone well, that you have managed to connect with people through social distancing, our phones, and the Internet.  How did you fill your days?  I hope the sun is shining in your corner of the world, and I pray the Son has His wrap around shield around you, protecting you and blessing you as only He can.   Have a good weekend!

Leave Nothing Unsaid

Monday I read a story about a woman who wrote about the death of her father from Covid-19.  He had gone into the hospital for a problem that had come up, as easy fix, especially since her dad was a healthy 76 year old.  Just two days later he was diagnosed with Covid-19.  She believed he would make it through the virus, he was strong and healthy for his age....for any age.  But very quickly he ended up alone in the hospital, dying as the virus destroyed his lungs.  Even though she lived just a few minutes away, her only communication with him was when the nurse laid his phone on the pillow by his ear and she talked to him....even though he could not talk to her.  She talked for hours, and listened to him breathe for hours.  She set up a conference call with her siblings and they all spent hours talking to him about their good memories with the father they loved.  Eventually his breathing labored, but he hung on.   They finally took a break from their phone conference, and soon after he died.  In a hospital, alone while his family grieved their great loss.  Less than 10 people at the funeral as allowed, they buried the father they loved.

THIS is Covid-19 at it's worse and it is happening over and over again every day somewhere in America.  I could not help but shed tears reading her detailed story that began as emails to friends and family and eventually was posted on Facebook.  Tragic, painful, and so real and raw, just as death is.

Yesterday a sweet friend, Linny Saunders from Place Called Simplicity wrote on Facebook about the death of her mom from Covid-19. She was very open about it, and I am sharing only what she shared online.   Her heart is broken, like so many others as they are separated from those they love.  Linny was able to be on Face Time with her mom for two hours, saying everything she wanted to say to her....she left nothing unsaid.  Her mom could not respond, but did make enough sounds twice for Linny to know she was being heard.  From thousands of miles away Linny poured out her heart, telling her mom that she wanted her to stay on earth and come live with them, but if she wanted to go home to Jesus and the loved ones who have gone before her.....that was okay.  There is deep comfort in knowing where her mom is and Who welcomed her home, but the pain and sadness are real and we mourn with her the loss of her mom.

As a pastor, my husband has been by the bedside of many people as they took their last breath.  He has stood vigil with families, prayed with families, grieved with families.  We both stood with others by the bedside of my mom when she took her last breath.  Many of you have stood by the bedsides of those you love as they left this world and God welcomed them home.   With this monster Covid, I am not sure who it is more difficult for right now, the patient or the family.   This dying alone separated by a virus that has no boundaries and no mercy.  The isolation so palpable.   I believe both the victims and families can hold on to the hope that Jesus is with them in the hospital.  They are not alone as they appear.  Sometimes it is the nurses that are physically with them, but we also know that Jesus and His ministering angels are right there in the room.  It may not feel like it is enough for those who grieve, but it is something.  Something and Someone to hold on to as loss overwhelms.

Recently one governor told people to be sure to let your loved ones know how much you care about them....."leaving nothing unsaid."  During this unsettling time, I find that Joel and I discuss dying more.  What we would do if one of us gets Covid, and if God forbid we do and one of us ends up in the hospital, then what decisions will we make.  We hug each other more. We intentionally laugh more together.   We are more grateful for each day together..........even more so than when I battled cancer this past couple of years.  As a pastor and pastor's wife, as a 4 time survivor of cancer, as elderly who have lost loved ones in death, we understand it as much as we can I guess, and are grateful for each day we wake up to.  At least that is our intention.  We are trying to leave nothing unsaid............

And maybe that is one thing we can all do. One thing we can learn from this virus pandemic.   Put aside differences, grudges, fears, and what more?  Just leave nothing unsaid with those you love and care about.  Make things right with God, and then make things right with family and friends.  Because life is unsettling and unpredictable right now.  We hope for the future, we believe there will be a future, but we also live and breathe in the reality that we have just today.  Today we can reach out and leave nothing good unsaid.  It is a good way to live even when there is no destructive virus eating away at our country.  Let us leave nothing unsaid.

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where Spring continues to play "hide-and-seek" with us!  Snow came this past week, and today warm temperatures once again.  Maybe the weather is expressing the chaos of our world.  Getting on board the roller coaster as we ride things out.

Speaking of that roller coaster ride, are any of the rest of you mourning what has been lost in this pandemic?  Grief rises.  It makes us sad to see so many suffering and dying.  It makes us sad to see what is happening to small businesses, it also makes us sad to see the greed that rises in those taking advantage of this to scam others, to add to their own pocketbooks in any way they can.  It saddens me to see this made political.  Sometimes that sadness turns to anger.  We grieve what our country has lost ~ the ability to unite in a crisis.  The ability to care more about your neighbor that your politics.  We grieve how politics are dividing families, it separates and silences relationships.  We grieve that.

On the other side of that we see what doctors and nurses, first responders and the rest are sacrificing to serve the sick and dying.  We give thanks for them and for the medical experts who are doing their best to figure this out.  We give thanks for the way so many many people are coming together to help in their own ways.........making masks.........giving online concerts to raise money..........encouraging others in their own ways, big and small.  My older sister went through a year of very difficult challenges involving her heart and then a brain bleed.  After surgery at Mayo to patch the bleed, she has slowly gotten stronger and stronger.  Still fragile but moving forward.  This week she called her Mayo Dr. office and thanked them for what they had done for her, sharing how she is getting stronger.....she told them she would be praying for them.  She was doing her part to spread the love, encourage others, and sharing our first line of defense ~ prayer~.  I am sure we each have something we can do to help in this time of deep turmoil.

Now to add a little humor to this Covid-19 craziness.....The police in a small town in Maryland posted this on their Facebook page:

"Please remember to put pants on
before leaving the house

 to check your mailbox. 
You know who you are. 

 This is your final warning."   

This was done out of humor, and went viral.  Sooooooooooo funny and probably true somewhere in America!

So, how has your week been going?  Same ol' same ol' ?    yeah....Joel ventured out grocery shopping last Monday ~ our bi-monthly run....found most things, and even toilet paper, but no disinfectant in either store he went into.  He masked up and wore gloves, wiping down everything he purchased with rubbing alcohol.  Soon that will be gone so the search for disinfectants and wipes continues.  Joel did not get much biking in with the weather, but I was able to walk indoors each day.  We cleaned out his clothes closet and he spent all day Friday in the garage re-organizing everything from his wood to his tools.   I asked him if he was trying to maintain some control over his domain since he has none over what is going on "out there"?  (grin)  His answer?  Yes!!!  It took me back to when I was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time.  We were moving to Arizona, even had our house on the market.  We took our house off the market and changed our plans......he put wheels on almost everything in his shop that season.  It kept his mind and heart busy!   Soon he will have the most organized shop area in our neighborhood.  Our oldest son made a comment...."First he is organizing the wood by size, and then by color, right"?   (grin)

Has anyone else been distracted?  The other day I was talking to our youngest on the phone and while talking to her I was searching the sofa and coffee table for............my phone.  Cuz I did not remember it was in my hand while I talked!  Oh boy!  Concentration goes down as stress rises up!  Deep breath, quiet moments of reflection, and reaching out to others to talk about something besides Covid-19.  It all helps!

Today it has been windy but warm.....70 degrees!  We have opened windows and doors and are breathing in the fresh air.  Tomorrow it gets colder again, so we are enjoying it while we can.  Meanwhile I hope your weekend is good and the weather is treating you well!

Where Is That Cabin In Alaska!

It has come to this............binge watching Life Below Zero and repeats of Death In Paradise and Magnum P.I.  Well, not really binging as we keep to our routine most days, while throwing in a game or two of cribbage or Scrabble.  But there are times when we (mostly me) escape through TV.  It has taken me back to a time when we were younger and had a house full of young kids "things" would sometimes feel overwhelming.  After seeing the movie, "Adventures Of The Wilderness Family" in 1979, whenever I felt like I needed a day away from it all, I would say, "It is time to move to that cabin in Alaska."  Of course I was not thinking about all the extra work involved in living off the grid, I just wanted to escape life in the moment!

Today I woke up and thought, "Nothing has changed since our world completely changed".  We are still in the nightmare to beat all nightmares.  We are still isolating at home.  We are still hearing from medical providers, including Mayo to cancel, reschedule, postpone, or set up video or phone appointments.  We are still searching for disinfectant in any way shape or form.  Still searching for cloth masks or figuring out how to make one that does not use rubber bands to hold it in place.  We are still watching the economy break, watching people we know struggle financially and in their jobs.   We are still unable to go anywhere but out for groceries.  We are still..............we are still...........

Yep, I woke up crabby and decided not to infect Joel with my poor attitude today. It is okay to be down and out, as someone very dear to me said, "We need to cut ourselves some slack....we are dealing with loss, with grief.  So very true.   Be kind to ourselves.....I was determined today to shift the atmosphere from darkness to light so I decided to take "action" this morning.  I cleaned a bathroom, did some mending, walked in the house 20 minutes,   Music played and my mind focused on what is "still the same" but now in a comforting way.  We still celebrated Easter.  In fact we watched 4 different Easter services on Sunday and Monday!  We still have a full freezer and fridge....plent of food, maybe too much?!!  We can still connect with our kids ~ on Easter it was by Zoom.  So fun to see there faces!  We still have everything we need and more in this season of our lives.  All I need to do is look around me....you too?  Yes.  And even though we are in the vulnerable category for this virus, we also are retired and have no job worries.  We are still able to reach out to God and He. Is. Here. For. Us. Never changing, always faithful.

Today may have had me thinking about that cabin in Alaska as I did so many years ago, but time and experience tells me that there is no need to be overwhelmed when we put our trust in God.  Joel and I read Psalm 91 this morning in several translations.  It is all about being safe and secure as we are tucked in the Secret Place under His wings.  He is bigger than any "pestilence" (virus).  Seeking shelter with God is truly better than any cabin I would want to escape to in the wilderness of Alaska!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of Iowa where Spring is playing hide and seek with the Upper Midwest. Rain, snow, wind, and more wind arrived Thursday.  Today it is supposed to rain with serious accumulating snow forecast for tomorrow!  It is mid April and we are in a winter storm watch......What?

Thursday Joel decided to ride, even with very blustery winds.  As he bundled up and got his bike ready, we suddenly had snow.  Swirling blizzard like snow!  It was brief enough he could wait and try again just a few minutes later.  The sun would be shining one minute and the next it would be snowing!  Strange.  He did manage 10 miles in 36 degree weather with winds steady at 22 mph and gusting to who knows what.  Cabin fever had him ignoring the elements and heading out into the weather!

This has been another shelter in place week.  We did venture out for my eye injection and I wrote about that on Wednesday.  I had to use a bandanna and rubber bands for a mask!  Otherwise, we stay within the four (or more) walls of our house or 4 corners of our yard except for walks and bike rides in our association.   We have started cleaning and purging one room at a time.  The office was first ~~ one down and 8 rooms to go!  Joel is thrilled about it.......(grin)   It is nice to have clean curtains and ceiling fans, etc.  We are trying not to gain the "15 quarantine" pounds I have read about on Facebook,  I wonder how many people are eating more........or drinking more?  We don't drink alcohol, but we do eat!

This past Monday Joel was drilling something in the garage and was distracted, forgetting to clamp down the object he was drilling.  The object moved and the drill slipped and ripped into his thumb.  He lost a chunk  of the meaty part of his thumb!  It bled a good 18 hours and then began to heal.  No stitches needed since a wide patch of thumb is just plain gone.  And no way he was going to an ER or Urgent Care at this time!  That was enough drama for the two of us!

Speaking of drama, our world continues to be so unsettled as the Covid-19 virus continues to ravage our country.  I often find myself whispering, "Lord have mercy"......There is a bit of hope rising from the ashes and we hang on to that knowing what happens on the east and west coasts eventually comes to the center of the country.  The good and the bad.  We continue to shelter in place with social distancing the name of the game.  And here we are in the midst of it all, attempting to focus on Holy Week.  Holy Week and Easter are a wonderful time to reflect and renew.  We have continued to watch church livestream but last night chose TBN's Chris Tomlin worship with pastor Max Lucado.  It was a blessing for us both.

Of course I have been thinking back on when our home was filled with kids.  Easter weekend was always a very busy time.  On Saturday everyone's clothes had to be ready for Sunday and with raising up to 8 kids, that took time.  Then there were the eggs to get boiled and decorate.  With so many of us, we boiled several dozen to dip and dye, using wax color crayons to write and draw on them the names of those we loved and cared about. We also baked and decorated an Easter Bunny cake and prepared for our traditional Cure 81 Ham dinner ( I am from the hometown of Hormel!) which always meant a spiced cherry sauce topping and a few other special dishes.   Of course once the kids went to bed the Easter Bunny would always ask for our help to fill and hide the baskets for our household. They would be filled with candy, gum, eggs, and books.  In the middle of this Joel was busy getting through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services.  Sometimes for three churches, a couple of times for two  and a few for just one.  It just depended on where he was serving. Yes, Easter was a very busy time.......of course that has changed over the years.  The kids grew up, left home, created families and traditions of their own.  We are used to being alone for most holidays now, but this year is unusual to say the least.  We try to remember, it is not forever, but just for now We are blessed to be able to worship from home!  Celebrating together through technology that Christ has risen! 

On this unusual Easter weekend, we look back on so many places we have worshiped with family, friends, parishners in Illinois, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, The Philippines, several places in Minnesota, and now Iowa.  Tomorrow Easter churches may be empty, but Easter celebrations continue.  We pray your Easter is filled with the joy of knowing Jesus!  Oh worship the King!!!