Dare I say Happy Holidays?

I know, I know. We are to be an example to the world and say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. And I did do that very regularly this season. But I picked this title because I wanted to relate our Christmas but also look ahead to the new year. So please forgive me for deviating from Merry Christmas.

Yes, we had a merry Christmas and I hope you did also. The weather forecast was for 2 days of ice then 20 inches of snow then more ice. So on Wed. we postponed the big family Christmas dinner which I was to host, from Christmas Day to Sunday after. I also changed the menu from ham and turkey and trimmings to soups and snacks and salads and sweets. The storm didn't really materialize as forecast. That was fine with me and I thoroughly enjoyed being "sorta stuck" at home, just the three of us. We got up and opened gifts and ate Land of Nod Rolls for breakfast. Then we played with our new games and then ate lunch. My daughter was really surprised and thrilled with her wii and wii fit plus. She hadn't even asked for one knowing they are expensive. But as a family we had fun bowling and playing tennis on the wii and she has thoroughly enjoyed the wii fit plus, working out for an hour a day every day since then. My big gift from my husband and daughter was a record player that plugs into the computer so you can change your records into MP3 or burn them onto CDs. I will enjoy listening to all my old records once again, when I figure out how to run it. I have my mom's old records of the Chuck Wagon Gang and the Big Brass Marching Band. I have dad's records from his college music appreciation days by all the classical composers. I have the local church groups of my childhood like the Gateway Singers and the New Creations. I have my favorite groups from my college days like The Bee Gees and Bay City Rollers and Cat Stevens. And I may even have some old country like Hank Snow and Hank Thompson. I was excitedly telling my niece about my gift and how excited I was and she tried to burst my bubble by telling me they already sell those old records on CD. Well I doubt they have them all and besides it would cost a lot more to go buy them on CD when I have them already on record and can copy my own. Right? Anyway, we had a good Christmas and I hope you did too.

Today we went to a funeral of a former neighbor of ours. In fact my husband and his brother farm that guy's former land. This guy was 93 and had been in the nursing home for 6 years. As one after another stood up and told stories about this guy and his faith and how he impacted their lives, it became very clear where his priorities had been. And then his son told how he'd been to see his dad on Nov. 28th and they had a nice visit. On the 29th he was called and told his dad was bleeding internally and vomiting. The ER doctors wanted to do surgery but this dear old guy said "nope, I don't want surgery, I just want to go home to Heaven". The son agreed that the family would honor his wishes. So he was put into hospice and when he went to sleep on the 30th, he woke up at 6 AM on Dec. 1st in the presence of his Lord. What more could you ask for? I can't picture anything better than going to sleep and waking up in Heaven. After the funeral another neighbor said to me, "well that is final, there aren't any do-overs" and I said "nope, that's why you have to get it right the first time". So how does this tie into New Years? 2009 is pretty much gone. There are no do-overs. But 2010 is a new year and a new decade and a whole new chance to get it right the first time. I want to live my life in such a way that when I die all the stories told about me will be a testament to my faith and all will know that I woke up in the presence of my Lord.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and I hope you have a very blessed and Happy New Year!

Christmas is Coming!

Well, as an update to my last post, the doctor did call the following week and say that my bloodwork indicated an infection so he needed me back in Rochester the next day for another test. The weather was good so we were able to go up and back in one day. The test wasn't pleasant, but bearable. It was a needle aspiration trying to find fluid in the new knee to test for infection. It would take 5 days to culture and he would call me this week with the results. If it is infected, I will need surgery soon to remove the new joint, pack it with antibiotics and then spend two months in an immobilizer with no joint. After two months back in to replace the joint. If it isn't infected, then I am scheduled for surgery on March 19th. I can again begin bugging them for a cancellation and chance to move up on the schedule. He also released me to go back to work with some major limitations. Limited bending, twisting, turning, stooping, kneeling, walking, no lifting over 10 pounds, and sit behind a desk only; rather hard to do as a nurse. I asked work if they could find me something I could do so I don't run out of sick leave and they said no they can't afford to pay me to do less than my full job. If I run out of sick leave then I will have to take leave without pay and that would save them money. So here I sit at home yet worrying about sick leave and trying not to worry. And here I sit waiting for the phone to ring so the doctor can tell me whether it is infected or not. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and he hasn't called.

We finally got the Christmas tree last weekend and it's somewhat decorated. My daughter hung the lights and tinsel and in fact cut down the tree herself. Our cookie exchange was last week so lots of goodies to eat here. It has been snowing since Sunday and now today we have had sleet and snow and more sleet. We are to have ice today and tomorrow followed by snow and wind Christmas day and the following two days. So today I called all my inlaws and canceled Christmas Day dinner with a tentative rescheduling for Sunday if the roads are passable by then. I also changed the menu from ham and turkey to soup so I can make it at the last minute if the roads are good enough for people to travel and so if we have a lot of leftovers we can freeze them. The freezers and cupboards are full and we are hunkering down here to wait out the storm. I had gotten no shopping done, so last week a neighbor lady went with me to push the cart and help me and I did it all in 2 hours at Walmart. Then we went out to lunch and had a nice time together. It was good to be all done. Sunday our high school Nu Hi Chorale came and sang at our church. It is a yearly tradition that I really enjoy; church tour is when the public school choir goes to all churches in our school district on 2 Sunday mornings and sings 3 songs during the service. It is so good. This year though it moved me to tears. I miss the kids so much. I could look at those kids and knew what so many of them have gone through to get to this day and see them looking so angelic in their choir robes. I don't miss the politics or paperwork of my school job, but I do miss the kids very much. I missed the Sunday School Christmas program Sunday night because the roads were so slick with snow that morning that I was a little afraid to go back out on them after dark. I wonder if we will have Christmas Eve service tomorrow night. It will be a quiet day here on Christmas. Neither of our boys will be home so just the 3 of us to celebrate together. It might be kind of nice actually to be able to sit back and actually enjoy family time together.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and that you will reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. It is Christmas because Jesus came to be the Christ and Saviour of the world. He was born so we could be born again. That is truly a reason to celebrate.

Snow storms and doctor appointments

For weeks and weeks I've waited on my chance to see a doctor at Mayo in Rochester for a second opinion on my knee. My original surgeon did a scope on July 22nd and then did a total knee replacement on Sept. 9th. However, I can still not walk without a walker and even with it I am in a lot of pain and it often goes out from under me and I almost fall. The physical therapists and I discovered that my kneecap was on the side of my leg not in front where it belongs. When I asked the original surgeon about this, he told me I was fine and that if it wasn't better in a couple of weeks he would go in with the scope again. At that point I called my family doctor and asked for a different surgeon. Finally this Tuesday was my chance. A major snowstorm was forecast and I was to be at the clinic at 7:30AM so my daughter and I went to Rochester on Monday night and stayed in a very old guesthouse near the clinic. It did snow all night and all day Tuesday. I had xrays from about every possible angle and then saw the doctor. I really liked him. He was very personable and very thorough and explained everything. He agreed and the xrays confirmed that indeed my kneecap is on the side of my leg. But then after a thorough exam he felt there was more wrong than that and that perhaps my muscles and ligaments might not be attached to the kneecap to keep it where it belongs and to allow my leg to hold itself straight. He said this cannot be fixed with a scope so that would have been another wasted surgery had I allowed it to be done. He ordered labwork to check for infection and he ordered a very thorough ultrasound of the knee to check the muscles and ligaments. He said we may even have to replace the new joint I got in Sept. He will call me next week to tell me the test results and how extensive the surgery will need to be. However, he has hundreds of patients awaiting surgery and he only does 12 per week. So I am worried how long I will wait and how long recovery will be and if I will miss the whole year of work. If I do what will we live on and what will happen to my medical insurance through work? I know, I know, God is in control, but it is hard not to worry.

Anyway, I got done at Mayo about noon or so on Tuesday. It was still snowing and a blizzard warning went into effect at noon Tues through midnight Thurs. AM. So I called home and my husband checked the radar and it was right upon our home at that time. So since with my walker I'd be helpless if I were to go into a ditch, and I had a 70 mile drive home, he told me to stay put in Rochester. So I checked us into a Super 8 for the next two nights. On the way there we stopped at a store for paper plates and lunch meat and buns and milk and juice and cheese. We had a nice room, 2 beds, a table and 2 chairs and a 27" tv. There was a nice lobby with tables and chairs and a fireplace and there was an indoor pool and whirlpool which we had no clothes for. So Tuesday afternoon and night we sat in our room watching the snow out the window. We had sandwiches for lunch in our room. For supper we had pizza delivered. All day Wednesday we sat at our motel and watch the snow blow by and listened to the wind howling at our window. We did go down to the lobby and play cards for awhile and for lunch and supper both Cassandra hiked through the blowing snow to the Denny's next door and brought us back hot meals. The rest of the time we hung out in our room reading books and doing crafts and watching TV and she did homework and we played on her laptop computer. It was an okay break. We were a little sad that we were stuck in a city with movie theaters and shopping malls and restaurants and we couldn't leave our motel. But we were warm and dry and had all our necessities met. About 11AM today Thursday, Cassandra shoveled out our car and got it warmed up and we loaded our belongings and headed for home finally. There was still snow blowing across the road in places and lots of icy patches on the road, but we were careful and we got home safely. It is good to be home. In Rochester they got 13 inches of snow. I don't know how much they got here at home but it was plenty and those 50mph winds made some horrific drifts. This was only our second snow of the season and the drifts look like it's been snowing for months. I hope this is not an indication of what the whole winter will be like. If so, my walker and I may just hibernate until spring. I hope wherever you are, that you are safe and warm.

New Christmas Lights

On my front deck I have a couple of solar butterflies and a solar lily. It is so cool that all they do is sit in the flower pots and soak up the sunshine and then at night they glow and change colors all by themselves. So the other day I was thinking, somebody should make solar Christmas lights. They keep advertising these LED lights to save energy but just think how much energy could be saved by solar lights. So wouldn't you know, the very next day almost, I found them at Mills Fleet Farm. There they were, solar LED Christmas lights. Now I hate stringing extension cords to the front deck for the lights. I hate going out in the bitter cold each night to plug them in and then to unplug them at bedtime. I've tried putting a timer on the cord so I don't have to go out, but then it gets icy and the timer freezes and won't turn and once again I'm outside in the cold trying to thaw and reset the timer. So this is the perfect solution for me. NO cords. NO timers. The little solar panel sits in the flower pot on the deck with the dead geraniums and soaks up the sunshine all day and as soon as it gets dark my Christmas lights come on automatically. Then after about 6 hours (which is close to bedtime) the lights just go off by themselves. YEAH!!! I love them!

Then I got to thinking about the deeper meaning of all this. Reminds me of the Christian life. Some people have to be plugged into programs at all times to look or act Christian. Some have timers because they only look Christian on Sundays and religious holidays. But I want to be a solar light. I want to soak up all the love and light of the Son all the time so that I will reflect His light to the dark world for all to see.

Random Acts of Kindness

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving the challenge on facebook was to make your status each day something you are thankful for. That was easy. The only hard part was trying to narrow it down to one a day. Now in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, a friend of mine has challenged us to do random acts of kindness each day. His challenge was only for a week, but I can't think of a nicer way to prepare for Christmas, than to carry it on for the month. So I am trying to do a random act each day. For instance, sending a card to a neighbor who is now in the nursing home. So yesterday when I picked my daughter up at the airport, I decided to do a random act of kindness there. As I left the parking lot, the parking fee for me was $2. So I gave the attendant $10 and told him to keep the change and use it to pay the fees for anybody following me out until the $8 was used up. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I explained that I was doing a random act of kindness to celebrate Christmas. He still looked at me like I was a mental case, but as he tucked the $10 bill into his money drawer he reluctantly said, ok, he'd see who else left the lot. Now maybe he blessed another 3 or 4 people or maybe he kept the money as a tip. I don't know and I don't really care. I felt good doing it and I hope I made someone else's day as well even if it was only the parking lot attendant's. So here is my challenge to you. Try doing random acts of kindness from now until Christmas and let me know of any fun experiences you have with it.

Black Friday

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Mine was okay. Wednesday was better actually. My daughter and I made a turkey and mashed potatoes and corn casserole and cranberry salad and pumpkin pies. Actually she did most of the making and I did the dishes. She had a girlfriend from college over for lunch and then we watched an old movie together. It was a nice day. Yesterday was the family dinner with the inlaws at a hall which I'd arranged. But I had forgotten to arrange for heat to be turned up ahead of us arriving and so the complaining began promptly. For at least 4 hours I watched as one after another tried to turn the heat up although I repeatedly explained it had to be done by computer by a trained person. And when the trained person arrived after my calling him and disrupting his dinner, he couldn't get it to work perhaps due to all the tampering others had been doing. So for 4 hours I listened to complaining and whining and even insulting about how this hall rental had been handled. Thanks so much. It cost them nothing. They didn't have to clean it. They just had to show up and eat. Today we found out that a repairman had to be called and there will be expense to fix this thermostat situation. The food was good. But somehow I lost track of Thanksgiving in the midst of all the whining and complaining. How sad is that?

So now today is Black Friday. I have relatives who planned to be at the stores by 5AM. The newsman said there were 50,000 people in the mall between midnight and 2AM. There were people camping in tents in the parking lot at Best Buy last night in November in Iowa where the temps were in the 20s. Why? What does all the grabbing, fighting, commercialism have to do with the coming of Christmas? The coming of Christ? The radio today was playing a lot of Christmas carols, while people are out fighting to save a buck or two. On TV a lady said she plans to spend $1500 on Christmas this year so she had to go fight the crowds to make such a little amount spread far enough. "Little amount?" The next story on the nightly news was about the face of hunger in America. It showed a lady who tries to feed a family of 2 adults and 4 kids on $150 a month for groceries from her unemployment. The kids only get to eat breakfast a couple days a week. She cried because she couldn't afford to buy a box of cereal for them. She eats her lunch at a soup kitchen many days of the week. And then the bright spot was the story about the 8-yr-old girl who asked Santa for a kidney and a friend of the family gave her one of hers. I know it is called black Friday because that is when the retailers hope to get into the black for the year. But I find it blackly depressing as it points out the skewed priorities of some people and the vast disparities in people's circumstances. So, did I go shopping? Kinda, not really. My husband needed to pick up something at Best Buy for our business so we went closer to noon. I let him out and I went to Barnes and Noble to use the restroom and then bought a couple books I've been wanting to read and did get a gift for my sister-in-law to give to her granddaughter. Then we ate lunch and came home. It was very good to get home away from the crowds. I hope we can put the "thanks" back in Thanksgiving and keep "Christ" in Christmas.

A Note of Thanksgiving

I have been feeling very guilty about being so slack in updating my blog. I have no good excuse at all. I have just ignored you, my dear friends, for 3 months plus. On Saturday I went to see the movie Julie and Julia with my daughter. We were both disappointed in the movie itself, but in the movie Julie faithfully updates her blog every single day even if she is ill or fighting with her husband or having a bad day or whatever. Every single day!! So that really laid the guilt trip on me. So here I am. First of all, I will give you a brief update on my condition. As you may remember, on July 22nd I went to the hospital for a total knee replacement. When I woke up, I was told I still needed it but the surgeon had only scoped it and would do the total knee later. So on Sept. 9th I went back to the same hospital and that time I did receive a new knee joint. As it turned out, when the anesthesiologist put the femoral block in to numb the leg, he actually paralyzed the quad muscle in the leg. 11 weeks later I still have to lift that leg by pulling on my pant leg or putting a towel sling under my foot. Anyway, after many sessions of physical therapy, it became obvious to the therapists and myself that the joint is also not hooked up correctly. It seems the knee cap is on the outside of my leg, not center, and the joint grinds and pops and slides around in there and hurts and is unstable. So when I went back and pointed this out to the surgeon, he said well maybe he'd have to go in again with the scope and see if he could push it into place. Well, my thinking is, he had two chances so why should I give him a third one? So I am waiting to get into Mayo for a second opinion on Dec. 8th. I am so hoping and praying that the doctor there can somehow put it together without another surgery. In the meantime, I am still walking with a walker, still not sleeping well, still unable to do a lot of things for myself and for my home. And I have now been off work 11 weeks, so the sick leave is flying by. But since I am basically house bound, I have no excuse for not updating my blog on a daily basis. Please forgive me and please keep me in your prayers.

NOW, ON TO MY NOTE OF THANKSGIVING!I have so very much to be thankful for!
1,2. I have several friends who have been struggling with cancer all summer. I am thankful they are still here and I am thankful my knee isn't something life-threatening.
3. I am thankful that my daughter is living at home and going to community college so she is here to help me with the cooking and house and grocery shopping and all the stuff I can't do.
4. I am thankful our crops are finally all out of the field.
5,6,7. I am thankful that even though our well and furnace both had major problems this fall, we were able to afford to get them fixed/replaced and I am thankful for water and heat.
8. I am thankful for sick leave so I still get a paycheck.
9. I am thankful God sent a substitute nurse who ran out of severance pay from her hospital job the same week I had my surgery and she can sub for me as long as I need her to.
10. I am thankful for the new king sized bed my husband finally bought us.
11. I am thankful for having the cupboards and freezers full of food.
12. I am thankful for a nice house (it's not big, it's not fancy, but it's nice enough for me).
13,14. I am thankful for health insurance and for health care workers.
15. I am thankful that almost everything I need is all on one level of my house since I can't do stairs now.
16. I am thankful for my new rolling walker with a seat and basket so I can go to the store some now too.
17. I am thankful for good friends who care about me and call and send cards and bring food and most of all pray for me.
18. I am thankful for southern gospel music.
19. I am thankful for women's Bible study and the camaraderie of sisters in Christ who share in our joys and tribulations and share hugs.
20. I am thankful for my church family.
21. I am thankful for older Christians who are mentors and encouragers and who pray for me.
22,23. I am thankful for good books to read and jigsaw puzzles to put together.
24,25,26. I'm thankful for sunshine and sunrises and sunsets.
27. I'm thankful we haven't had any snowstorms yet.
28. I'm thankful for a car that runs.
29. I'm thankful for clothes to wear.
30. I'm thankful for animals who love us unconditionally.
31. I'm thankful for all five of my senses and that they work so I can so fully enjoy the world around me.
32,33,34. I am thankful for my kids and my husband and my siblings.
35. I am very thankful that my nephew at Ft. Hood only heard the gunfire and wasn't injured.
36. I am thankful for missionaries who put their very lives on the line on a daily basis to help where they are needed.
37. I am thankful for our military who does the same.
38,39,40. I am thankful for indoor plumbing and modern appliances and technology.
41. I am thankful for pain relievers.
42,43,44,45. I am thankful for forgiveness and salvation and eternal life and God's grace.
46. I am thankful for democracy.
47. I am thankful for the 152 religious leaders who weren't afraid to draft and sign the Manhattan Declaration and stand up for Christian values.
48. I am thankful we still have enough religious freedom that they can do that without being shot for their beliefs.
49,50,51. I am thankful for mountains and oceans and miles of corn fields and wheat fields.

Oh, I could go on and on. You thought I already did, didn't you? But there are so many many things to be thankful for. God has blessed me abundantly and continues to bless me so far above what I deserve. I am thankful we have a holiday dedicated to giving thanks so we actually stop and take time to be thankful. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you also take the time to make a list of your blessings. God bless you!

SAVING

In reading some other blogs, I see where people are talking about saving for the recession, saving for emergencies, saving for job losses, stockpiling for disasters, etc. Now I admit I saved ahead for the Y2K non-disaster. I didn't go overboard, but I did stockpile some necessities just like I normally do during the winter months. I did however, add a few more oil lamps and bottles of lamp oil than I normally would. I am a "saver"; can I blame that on my parents surviving the depression? I have an extra kitchen in my basement that has cupboards of home-canned goods in them. I have cupboards of paper plates and plastic utensils. I even have a spare stove that is electric while my main one upstairs is gas. The original intention was that would be my canning kitchen and not heat up the upstairs. However, since it is also my sewing room and has become the family dumping ground for anything they don't know what to do with, canning there was a major undertaking and moved back upstairs. But it is a good place to use as my survival "pantry". Now, I've been on the Homeland Security website and others and have seen the 3 page lists of "essentials" to stockpile in case of disaster. There are even separate lists based on which disaster we are planning on; a flu survival kit for the pandemic, a live out of your basement survival kit in case of nuclear disaster, and lists of things that will be endangered first in case of a bartering system being instated. There are lists of supplies needed to live off the land, and lists of supplies to never set foot outside on the land again. I sometimes laugh that I could feed a 3rd world country out of the stockpiles of groceries already in my house. Am I paranoid? Or am I prepared? Am I frugal? Or am I over-spending? The Bible says not to be anxious about what we will eat or wear because God will take care of us just like he does the birds and flowers. But shouldn't we also be responsible and prepare for the days ahead so we aren't a burden on others? Where do we draw the line so to speak? What is taking care of our families and what is wasting our family's money? Those of you who know me well, know that I am a "planner". When we go on vacation I take along blankets in case the hotel room is cold and I take along a fan in case it is hot and doesn't have air conditioning. I take along food and extra clothes and extra medications and etc. My husband is a "fly by the seat of your pants" guy. He figures why pack so much when there is a WalMart every 100 miles or less and he can buy whatever he forgot to take along. My motto is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best and usually reality is somewhere in between the two. Recently in Bible study, we were watching a video series When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box, and the speaker said we are accumulating stuff we don't need even knowing that we can't take it with us when we die. He talked about how much money is spent each year by people renting storage units to store the stuff they accumulate. And how we work long hours and ignore the things truly important to us, so we can buy more stuff to store, stuff that someone else will have to get rid of when we are gone. So I guess my question is, how do we know when we have enough stuff? How much do we need to save? I am interested in any of your thoughts on this subject.

And here we go again?

I went to the surgeon for my checkup appointment today since it has been six days since the surgery. I thought the stitches were to come out today, but he said nope not time yet. So now I have to miss some work next Tuesday to go back to get the stitches out. That's okay I guess. But then they tried to schedule me for August 19th to do the other knee. Now I'm concerned, very concerned. Last week I went in for a total knee replacement and got a scope repair. This time I am going in for a scope repair and afraid it will turn into a total knee. So I don't know what to do now. I want to do it before I hurt the first one again, but I don't want to do it till the first one heals some more. I also don't want to wait and run into ice and snow and slipping and sliding with my walker if he does the total knee. So what do I do? Come on, God, you know you are control on this one. You know you will change my plans as needed. So please, God, just help me make the right plans to start with. Thanks. Will you all pray for me too?

And still more changed plans!

Well, sometimes I have no idea why things happen the way they do. I know I was surrounded by prayer, so I must accept that God's will was done. Right? But why and how and now what? As you read yesterday I was to have a scope and probable total knee replacement. Up at 4AM, drove through horrible fog to get to the hospital 45 miles away by 5:30 AM. Stuck and dug 3 times by lab to get more blood samples, started an IV, etc. Into surgery at 7AM. Woke up in the recovery room and was told nope you didn't have a total knee. I went back to sleep, woke up again and asked, did I really not get a new knee? Nope, you didn't get a new knee. I was home by 1PM. I never saw the surgeon before or after, but he told my family that yes I have arthritis and yes I need a new knee, but he decided to wait and do it another time when it is worse and try just fixing the cartilage and meniscus this time instead. I wasn't given an ice pack or crutches, just a can of Sprite, a piece of toast and a pain pill and sent home and told to see him in a week. I'm not to get my incisions wet for a week and to keep it elevated as much as possible and do my exercises and take pain pills. That is all. I am so confused. If it needs replaced, then why didn't he do it? Why am I in worse pain now than I was before I had the surgery? When will he do the other one? What will he do to it? Why did I go through 3 weeks of pre-op preparation and all the hassles; 2 trips to the medical doctor, 1 to the dentist, 1 to the eye doctor, 1 to the orthopedics doc, 3 hours prep at the hospital and have to come up with a living will and power of attorney and all the blood tests and ekg and xrays and so on for nothing and so I can just hurt worse than before? I am so discouraged and depressed and frustrated. But yet I am not the one in control. I know that and I accept that. I have to accept that.

Right now in Bible study we are doing a study by John Ortberg from his book, "When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box". Our chapter this past week was that we are not the Master of the Board. He is. He is in control. I know He is. But it is so very hard to not try to be in control. I want answers. I want to know the plans ahead of time. I want to see the game rules. I like to take care of others. I don't like to be the one needing taken care of. I don't like feeling helpless. It hurts to get in and out of bed. It hurts to go to the bathroom. Please pray for me to quit hurting so much. Please pray for healing. Please pray that I will give up and give in and let Him be the master of the board, even if I don't understand. Thanks.

Changed Plans

Somebody told me the other day that we make plans and God laughs. I don't know if that is true, but I know His plans for us are not necessarily our plans for us. His plans are the right ones though I am sure. I had planned to get a lot of stuff accomplished this summer while I am off work from school. This particular week I was going to take my daughter and go to Colorado to see my stepson and my aunt and my daughter's college friend and some of my cousins. We had our itinerary planned. We were going to spend some time in the Denver and Ft. Collins and then Colorado Springs areas. But my knee which has bothered me for years got a lot worse this spring and even worse this summer. When I was using a cane and not sleeping at night, I went to the family doctor who sent me to an orthopedics doctor who scheduled me for knee surgery this week. There went my trip to Colorado. But the funny thing is my stepson is in California, my aunt doesn't feel up to having company, the college friend is also not in Colorado, and my daughter who was going with me, got a job and started to work yesterday. So much for my plans. Once again God has proven that He is in control. I am to be at the hospital at 5:30AM tomorrow and to have surgery at 7. The doctor is going in with a scope first and if it looks as bad on scope as it did on xray he will go ahead and do a total knee replacement while I am still under. If he fixes it with the scope, I will be home tomorrow night. If I have a total knee replacement, which he told me to plan on, I will be in the hospital 3-5 days, probably until Sunday or Monday. I will then walk with a walker for 4 weeks and do daily therapy and not drive for weeks. I don't know what will happen when it is time for me to go back to work at school. I will cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I am just looking forward to having it over and hopefully less pain. I will also have to have the other knee replaced at some point and don't know how soon. The surgeon said the right one looks worse on xray but since the left one hurts worse, we will do it first. So if the operating crew gets mixed up and do the wrong knee, so be it, they both need it. Please keep me in your prayers and I will update you when I am home again. Thanks, Linda

How long is an hour?

Have you ever had a week that seemed like it was about a month long? I remember once the boys asked for the millionth time how long until we got somewhere and Dale said an hour. Then they asked how long is an hour. Dale replied it depends; riding in a car hour and watching cartoons hour are not the same length of time. He had a point. Some hours and some days and some weeks are simply much longer than others no matter what the clock or the calendar says. This was one of those LONG weeks.

A week ago today we got up on a rainy stormy day and took our own sweet time getting ready and then headed south. We stopped to shop a bit and grabbed a bite to eat and headed on down to my hometown. We went to two cemeteries and left our flowers and recalled memories and then we went on our way. But then on the spur of the moment, I called my mom's brother and sister-in-law and asked if they wanted to ride with me to my parents' and siblings' graves. They did, so I swung by and picked them up. I'd never seen their house before and it is a beautiful home. Then we went on across town to the cemetery and met my sister there and decorated my parents' and brother's and sister's graves. Then we went to two other cemeteries and my aunt and uncle showed me where my great-grandparents and an uncle and great aunt and great uncle are buried. While driving and standing in cemeteries we had the nicest visit and shared more memories. It was a fun afternoon. Then I took them home and headed on to my niece's graduation party. Don't tell my niece, but the cemetery visits were more fun than her party for me because I really didn't know anybody to visit with at the party. My sister and I and my daughter and a friend from my childhood and her two kids sat at a table together and visited and that was nice, but most of the guests were my sister-in-law's relatives or friends of their family that I didn't know. Of course my relatives were too busy hosting the get-together to visit with us, and that was to be expected. The food was good as usual. Then we headed home to northern Iowa and got home about 11:30pm. Sunday was church and etc. Monday my daughter and I went to the Mennonite produce auction to get some plants. The place was PACKED and lots of Minnesota vehicles there. You couldn't even get close enough to see what they were selling so we gave up and went to Riceville for lunch and then to a Mennonite grocery store for a few things and then to a Mennonite greenhouse where I spent my gift certificate on lots of pretty flowers. Then we came home and planted all of them.

Tuesday was my husband's cardiology appointment. Now he's been having trouble breathing for a month or so and has been to the doctor 3 times. The first two times they just ordered him another inhaler and another pill. So a week ago Thursday I went with him to a different doctor and insisted they look at the bigger picture. Found out his heart was once again out of rhythm like it was 6 years ago and way too fast again. So put him on Lasix and told us to see the cardiologist on Tuesday. So I went with him on Tuesday. The cardiologist said he needed to be admitted to Rochester that afternoon and I should drive him there. My husband, bless his stubborn soul, said he couldn't go right then because he has corn to haul to town and beans to plant and couldn't we try another med and wait a week or two. So the cardiologist said they'd do an echocardiogram and he'd talk to our medical doctor and go from there. I went on back to work. About 2:45, the cardiologist called me and said based on the echo, my husband needed to go to Rochester immediately and not by car, but by ambulance. So I went back to the local hospital and stayed with him until the ambulance carted him away at 4:00. Then I came home and packed his things and some for myself and my daughter and I drove to Rochester. His heart rate was about 190 beats per minute and just fluttering not moving blood like it should. So they put him on IV meds to slow it down and strengthen it and to drain off fluids. We sat there until after 10pm then my daughter and I went and got a motel room just 1/2 block from the hospital. We were told to be back at the hospital between 7:30 and 8am to talk to the doctors. So we were there by 8, without even a morning coffee, and we sat and waited until 10:30 for the doctors to come through. Then we sat and waited until 1:00 for them to come and take him away to shock his heart back into rhythm (cardioversion). Then we sat and waited until 3:30 for them to bring him back and tell us if it had worked. They said it did, and that he could go home after he had eaten and walked and seen the doctors. So we sat and waited until almost 8pm for the doctors to come and discharge him. Why does sitting and waiting make you more tired than actual physical labor? On the way home we stopped for supper and we discussed who was most capable of driving home. My daughter was so tired she was nearly in tears. I was so tired I was stumbling over my own feet, and Dale couldn't drive because he was still coming out of the general anesthetic. So I drove. My principal had arranged a sub for me for Thursday as well as Wed. so she told me to stay home and rest up. But I went in about 11:30 and my daughter came and helped me and we did paperwork while the sub did nursing work. Friday I was back to a normal work day.

Now we are back to a regular Saturday again. I've done laundry and planted another flower. I slept late this morning and then took my shower. But looking back at this past week, it seems like a month ago that we went to Ottumwa for the day. For only working 1 full day and two partial days, it seems like it was a very long week. Today we have a couple more graduation parties to go to. Dale's still not breathing really well and he sees the cardiologist and has more tests this coming Tuesday. I hope he continues to get better. Monday and Tuesday are my last days with kids at school, then I have Wed. and Thurs. for meetings and paperwork and we are off for the summer! YEAH!!! I have a house to clean and books to read and gardening to do and emails to catch up and so on. But I hope the weeks of summer break last as long as this past week did.

How long was your week?

51st birthday and Kansas City trip

Ok, I know, I should apologize again for getting behind on my blogging. But I won’t. It has been and still is a very very busy time of year at school and I will get back to it soon. At least I will try to get back to it more often. I won’t promise anything. Only 8 more days of school with kids there and 2 days of cleaning up and finishing up and then it is summer break! I am so looking forward to that. It seems sometimes the staff are more excited than the kids are. Unfortunately some of the kids don’t have good home lives to go home to and the thought of being stuck at home for over 2 months without their friends or any way to get away from it, makes them depressed. But then there are others who have been counting down the days almost since Christmas break was over. I do have mixed feelings because I have so much work to get done yet at school, and yet I want to catch up on my sleep and my reading and my housework too.

So what news can I catch you up on? April 30^th I left on a charter bus for Kansas City, MO with the high school band and vocal groups. We headed out at 5:30 AM on Thursday and got back at 5:30 PM on Sunday. I was asked to go as the nurse/chaperone, but I was also asked to pay my own way. I didn’t think that sounded quite fair since the other school employees going were going for free. So after six weeks of dickering, the superintendent agreed to pay for my trip. ½ hour later the vocal teacher told him I didn’t need the school’s money that another chaperone had cancelled and her trip was paid so I could use hers. Then 10 minutes later the band teacher asked if my daughter could go as a replacement chaperone and use the free trip. Communication? Hello? So the way it shook out, I went for free and I had to pay $200 for my daughter to go along as a chaperone. Everybody told me I was dumb to do that, but oh well, it is over and done with now. However, I don’t intend to do this again. I am getting too old I guess. The two new music teachers are younger than my sons and have a different philosophy than I have regarding behavior and respect and discipline.

Anyway, we did do some fun things in Kansas City. We visited the Truman Presidential Museum and Library. President Truman and his wife and daughter and grandson are all buried there in the garden. I learned a lot about his presidency and the different decisions he made that changed history. Did you know he was the president that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan? Did you know that he was the president who accepted Israel as a nation? It was very much a learning experience. If you’re ever in Independence, MO, I’d recommend a visit there. Then we went to a very elite upscale shopping region and my cousin Matthew and his wife Amber met my daughter and I at 810 Zone for supper. It was a sports bar and the food was awesome! We had Bleu Balls, an appetizer of little cordon bleu nuggets. Then we had BBQ for supper. Cassandra had pulled pork and I had beef brisket and they were both wonderful. Then she and I had hall duty until 3AM. That was my 51^st birthday.

The next day, Friday, May 1^st, we went to the Jazz Museum and the NLB Baseball Museum. They were both fascinating. In the jazz museum we saw a saxophone played by Charlie “The Bird” Parker, and one played by President Clinton. We also saw Louie Armstrong’s trumpet. That was a thrill as I LOVE jazz! The museum is on the corner of 18^th and Vine in downtown KC where jazz was born. We spent our afternoon at band and vocal clinics at the University of Missouri-KC. Then we went to Arthur Bryant’s original BBQ place for supper of chicken, ribs and ham with French fries and coleslaw and baked beans. Then we went back to 18^th and Vine and heard real jazz music performed in the Blue Room.

On Saturday, May 2^nd, we spent the day at Worlds of Fun. I rode the train and the carousel. Aren’t I brave? Then we had a picnic lunch and headed back to the hotel to get ready for going out to the dinner theater. We had a wonderful gourmet meal and then laughed through Jamie Farr’s production Don’t Dress for Dinner.

That night we had hall duty until 2AM. Sunday morning, May 3^rd, we got up and checked out of our motel and the buses headed back to Iowa. We stopped at Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines and then headed on home. It was mostly a pretty fun trip. I saw a lot of things I’d never find if I were to go there on my own probably. I’ll have to see if I can download some photos of our trip. My daughter downloaded them to facebook, but it is so windy our internet isn’t working right now anyway. So maybe I can add them later. Of course I can’t post this to my blog until the internet is back up either. Well, that’s my KC trip and my birthday.

As you can see, the internet is up and the photos are now included. Linda

Springtime!

This is an old picture of Cassandra and her bottle lamb Tiny.

Gotta use green for SPRINGTIME! It's spring! Now, we don't have the gorgeous flowers that my cousin Vanessa has in Arkansas. In fact, the trees are just budding out and we had snow just a couple weeks ago. But hey, it was 70 degrees today! The robins are taking over the world! Well, in my yard anyway. We have 3 new baby kitties in the calf hut outside, and a lot of really fat waddling mama cats to go. The other night nobody had brought in the mail, so about 8pm, after the rain had stopped, I walked out to the road to get it. The smell of fresh rain and nightcrawlers was definitely a Spring smell. Yesterday my husband started planting corn. He was one tired "pup" when he came in last night. He got rather out of shape over the winter and it is wearing him out carrying and emptying all those heavy bags of seed corn into the planter. They are talking more rain this weekend, so the rush is on to get the seed into the ground first.

Several years ago, I wrote a poem and called it Springtime In The Country. I'll share it with you.

Springtime In The Country by Linda Tiemessen

The sun is brightly shining,
The sky is blue and clear.
The birds are sweetly singing,
Butterflies flutter near.
A kite is soaring brightly
Dancing in the breeze.
Newborn lambs come skipping
To rub against my knees.
Mother duck quacks sharply
As her parade she guides.
Both the cow and mama cat
Have babies at their sides.
The new colt in the pasture
Kicks up its heels in joy.
The neighbors down the road
Have a brand new baby boy.
It's Springtime in the country;
The fields are newly sown.
I'm surrounded by more treasures
Than most have ever known.

Happy Easter!

Here are my Aunt Letha, Uncle Clarence, and Uncle Bob Schaffner on 4-12-09.


This year's Easter weekend was different than any I can remember in recent history. Usually, we get up, see what the Easter bunny left, get ready and go to our church and then go to my inlaws for dinner. But this year, my aunt and uncle had their 50th wedding anniversary on Easter Sunday afternoon clear at the other end of the state from where I live. My daughter and I bowed out of singing in the choir at church, and left my husband home so he could play for the church service and we headed south on Saturday afternoon. At my old home town we had reserved a room at the Super 8, and we met up with my brother and his family and my sister and we went out for supper and ice cream at old family "haunts". Then we went to my brother's and visited until late. On Sunday morning we got up and met my brother and his family and my sister at my brother's church. There, I was so blessed to see a couple of my childhood friends and have a reunion of sorts with them. After church we all went on to the next town where we had reservations for dinner. Then on to the reunion which was very close to the Missouri border. There we got to see all three of my dad's remaining siblings. Every time I see them, I am so blessed by it, but can't help but wonder how many more years I will have them. I love them so much. In my dad's family there were 5 males and 2 females and dad was the oldest of the seven. Our family was a close Christian family and it is always bittersweet to get together and remember the ones who are waiting for us in Heaven. After the anniversary, my daughter and I drove to where I went to church camp for 10 years of my childhood and where I went to church rally for more years than that. It is so weird, how things change. It looked nothing like I remembered, and I am glad there were signs to follow as the road didn't even seem familiar to me. Then we spent the night in a motel in the heart of an Amish settlement and the next morning even though it was raining we got up and went to some Amish shops before heading home. I had a wonderful time with my family and spending time alone with my daughter and reminiscing. But I missed my husband and I missed my home church and our familiar traditions.

Wherever you were and whomever you were with, I hope you were able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. He has truly made all things new! He is risen indeed!

Change Your Life

Saturday, my daughter and I were blessed to be able to attend a women's conference called Change Your Life. The guest speaker was Becky Tirabassi. Have any of you ever seen this woman? She's no bigger than a minute and flits all over the stage like a hummingbird. I figured out quickly that's how that woman stays so tiny too. Wow! And she has so much enthusiasm and energy and motivation to share! It was truly a blessing to spend a morning being inspired by her.

The conference was entitled Change Your Life and I wasn't really sure what all to expect. Was she going to tell us how to lose weight? Was she going to finally give me the key to getting organized? Was she going to impart the secrets of finding more time and energy? Her bio said she is an author, life coach, and speaker who lives and teaches a balanced approach to the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental aspects of life. If there is anything I need, it is a balanced life. You'd think as much time as I spend running in my hamster wheel, I'd be a whole lot thinner than I am.

So what did she teach us? She taught us about prayer. For the last 25 years, Becky has spent an hour a day, every day, praying and reading her Bible. She said an aerobics class lasted an hour so she thought well, why not spend an hour a day with the Lord too. Here are some notes I took from her 3 sessions of talks.

*Written prayer is pen and paper on a focal point and involves more of the senses.
*I will does not equal I will try.
*Make an appointment with the King and keep it!
*The devil's greatest tool is to keep the believer from praying.
*Prayer is a habit that has to be formed.
*Plan your appointment one day ahead. It does not necessarily have to be the same time every day. Write down your start time. If you're interrupted, put down the time, so you can finish your hour later in the day.
*God talks to us through His living Word the Bible.
*When you open the Word of God, you don't talk back.
*All Scripture is not about me, but all Scripture is for me.
*Read the Bible regularly to know God's viewpoint.
*You will hear from God through His Son Jesus.
*God talks through His Holy Spirit; counselor, teacher, and truth-teller.
*You're as full of the Holy Spirit as you want to be.
*Prayerlessness is a recipe for disaster.
*Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.
*He waits to be wanted.
*Prayer is a conversation between two people who love each other.
*Tell God, "I can't. You can. I'll let you.".
*It takes 90 days to build a habit.
*Prayer brings emotion to the surface.

Becky had four parts to prayer that spelled out PART.
P=Praise A=Admit R=Request T=Thanksgiving
Her time in reading Scripture included:
L=Listening M=Message N=New Testament O=Old Testament P=Proverbs
Every day she reads a chapter of the New Testament and one of the Old Testament and one of Proverbs, so that she reads through the whole Bible in one year. She listens to what it has to say and looks for the message for her in that passage. She journals her prayers and the things God tells her to do. She has pages of prayer requests so that she doesn't forget anyone she promised to pray for, and also she can record the answers to those prayers as they come. She journals her sins as she admits them to God and looks for patterns in repeat sins.

Out of the 450 women at this conference, I am estimating at least half of them stood and made a commitment to pray an hour a day for the rest of their lives. I am thinking if a woman prays an hour a day every day for the rest of her life, it will not only change her life in every way, but will change her family and her church and her community. I wish you all could have come to this conference too. I hope my notes give you something to think about. If you get a chance to go hear Becky Tirabassi at a Women of Faith Conference or anywhere else, do it. Check out her website www.changeyourlifedaily.com . But most important of all, spend some daily time talking to God and listening to His answers. Let the romance begin!

What is Marriage?

Yesterday was a sad day for Iowa, at least in my opinion. You see, at about 9AM yesterday, the Iowa Supreme Court handed down a decision that marriage in Iowa cannot be limited to one man and one woman. Therefore, without a popular vote, or a new law enacted by an elected legislature, but simply by a unanimous vote of the appointed justices, Iowa became only the third state of the 50 United States to be a gay marriage state. Yes, our little conservative state in the heart of the heartland ranks right down there, even lower than New York and California who have not legalized gay marriage yet. There are other states who have approved "domestic partnerships" or "civil unions" but only 3 states have redefined marriage. To say I have a problem with that is putting it mildly. Am I homophobic? No, I'm not, in fact I have good friends who are homosexual. Do I think that people in homosexual relationships are unequal to heterosexuals or are worse sinners than I am? No, I don't. I personally don't think homosexuals are going to go to Hell any faster than people who steal or lie or commit adultery are. I think homosexuals in committed relationships deserve equal time off work for the death of a loved one as I would. However, I do not believe that redefining marriage to include same sex relationships is appropriate or wise or morally or ethically or legally right. I believe in a democratic society, laws should not be changed by a select small group of appointed justices, but only by the elected law-making branch of the government. I believe redefining a word does not really change it at all. Gay used to mean happy. Calling a homosexual gay does not necessarily make them happier than they were before. So why redefine it? Just because our marriage licenses will now be reprinted so they no longer say bride and groom, that doesn't mean I'm no longer a bride and my husband is no longer my groom. I had bridesmaids and he had groomsmen and they can't change that. But what will it be now? When my daughter marries, will I not be the mother of the bride? Some men are bent toward having sex with multiple partners. Does that mean we can redefine marriage so that they can have multiple wives legally and expect their employers to cover all 15 wives and 75 children on the group health insurance?

Last week our preacher said that less than 1/2 of evangelical Christians believe there is an absolute truth, an absolute of right and wrong. That most believe that truth and right changes based on the circumstances. Well, get your stones ready to stone me, but guess what? I believe there is a right and there is a wrong. I believe God is truth and Satan is the father of lies. I believe that the truth is always true and right is always right even if you redefine it or rule against it. I believe even if you legalize homosexual unions and adultery and even if everyone cheats on their income tax and every lawyer lies, that it is still sin and still wrong and God will still judge. In the Bible, God uses marriage as a picture of His love for His church. We are the "bride of Christ". So no matter how you redefine it, God created marriage and He chose the only definition that truly matters.

oh no!

Oh no! Once again I've been shirking my duties to blog on here. You see, I've become a facebook addict. My email is so boring in its continual forwards from others. What happened to sending an email to say hi? Oh, sometimes I get a particularly funny or thought-provoking forward that I am thankful for, but mostly it seems to be the same repetitious political themes, or the same scary warnings that Snopes has already denied for two years. I want to know what you've been doing or who has found a particularly good new recipe that I could make for supper. I want to know how I can specifically pray for you and the struggles in your life. I want to know the answers to prayers in your life so I can rejoice with you. I want to know what you think about things, not what 15 people or 1500 people before you thought was worth sending on down the tubes. I'm sorry, I need to climb down off my soapbox here.

So why do I love facebook? Facebook is current and quick and honest. I can turn on facebook and know within a couple of minutes how my friends' days went. I knew within 3 hours when a friend passed away from cancer. Her husband shared his grief and also his relief that she was no longer suffering and in Heaven. I know what my boys are up to even though they live many miles away; one is even on the other side of the world. I can see photos the same day of my friend's first grandchild. I can talk to my nieces and my sister-in-law and my son all at the same time even though they are all in different states. I can reconnect with friends I went to summer camp with 35 years ago, and people I went to school with and I can visit with relatives who would never call or write a letter. I've even had people who were my heroes when I was a kid, ask to be my friend, right out of the blue! Wow! And the best part of all? There are no forwards on Facebook. Anybody want to be my friend?

Saving Lives

There is a reason I am a school nurse. It isn't because I truly love puke or paperwork. It definitely isn't because I make a lot of money. I barely make more today than I did as a hospital nurse 25 years ago. It isn't because I like dealing with parents who refuse to be parents or responsible for their children. But today I was reminded why I do what I do when I received the following letter from a second grade boy. It said:

Dear Nurse,
Thank you for fixing my coat
you savd my life.
Other wis I wud be in big do do
I glad that did not hapin
Thank you!!!!!
vary!!much!!!!!!!!!

Now frankly I laughed and then I shed a tear or two. But it truly reminded me why I do my job. I do it for the kids. I do it for the little lives I save. See a few days ago he was sitting on a post when it was time to go in from recess. He jumped down, the post went up under the back of his coat and as he hit the ground running, the coat tore from the hem almost to the armpit through both the outside layer and the lining. When he brought it to me the stuffing was hanging out. He asked if I had some big safety pins or another coat he could borrow. I told him to come back when it was time for the next recess. When he returned, I had hand-stitched both layers of his coat back together. He was delighted, and I promptly forgot about it. Then today, after several weeks of intensely busy days with many very ill kids, he brought me this letter. He handed it to me and said, "this is for you for fixing my coat", and off he rushed back to class. He not only made my day, he made my week and many weeks to come since I intend to save that letter and reread it often. I need reminding that the little things I do can make a big difference and I can "save a life" and keep others out of "big do do". WOW!

Where do you go for hope?

It's been an interesting few days? weeks? months? Everywhere you turn people are talking about the poor state of the economy. You hear people comparing it to the Great Depression and wondering if they should plant a garden this summer. It seems as if we are constantly hearing about suicides or even worse murder/suicides. And you wonder what could make someone so hopeless that they want to end it all and maybe even take others with them. Often it seems it is because they lost their job or were in financial difficulties. I'm not always an optimistic person, although I try to be. But I often have thought and said, "If I ever messed up my life so badly that I wanted to kill myself, I'd probably mess that up too and end up in worse shape." That sounds really pessimistic doesn't it? I don't mean it to be. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter how bad things have gotten, they could always be worse. I don't mean that in a pessimistic way at all. Really I don't. Maybe I should say it a different way. No matter how bad things look, they are better than they might be. Does that sound more optimistic even though essentially saying the same thing? No matter what happens to me and my family, I know my hope is in the Lord and He is still in control. I literally stake my life and soul on the promises in the Bible. My hope for the future isn't wrapped up in my house or farm or bank account or my job and income. I don't care about being "successful" in worldly terms. In Bible study yesterday we talked about the definition of financially blessed. We decided we are blessed if we have food and clothes, our needs met, our bills paid, and are able to give to others.

A year or so ago, my employer gave me the difference between my allotted insurance allowance and the premiums of the plan I chose, but it had to be put in a tax-sheltered annuity or something like that. I called a man I know and trust who works in that investment stuff and said for him to set me up what I needed and send me the paperwork. He wanted me to meet with him and he'd show me my options. I said no, that I trusted him to make wise decisions for me and I really didn't need to understand it all. This year when it was time to do this again, I told him the same thing and he was shocked that I trusted him to do this. Well, first of all, I know him to be a reputable person. Secondly, this wasn't my life savings that I was investing in a troubled economy. I wouldn't go hungry if I lost it all, it was just leftovers that I had never even seen. And thirdly, but most importantly, I trust God to take care of me and my needs no matter what the stock market does. My hope isn't in a tax-sheltered annuity or retirement plan. My hope is in God and in the best retirement plan ever, Heaven.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:38,39 says, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

I Timothy 6:6-8 says,"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

I Timothy 6:17-19, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."

Where is your hope? I am finding more and more of my friends who are looking for a source of real hope. They want to learn more about the Lord. They are hungry for the assurance only He can give.

To old friends and shamrock shakes

I am so very ready for spring to arrive! Every now and then we get up to almost 50 and we start to believe in Spring. Then we get more ice and sleet and snow and subzero wind chills and we realize we are still in an Iowa winter. This morning the roads and drive and yard were all solid ice with a dusting of snow on top. Wed. we started school 2 hours late and it was barely icy. Thursday we got out of school 4 hours early because it was supposed to get icy. Today it was ICY and so cold you literally got a "brain freeze" walking into the wind! And we were right on time and put in a full day. Go figure! But each day surely means we are one day closer to Spring, doesn't it? This week I stopped at McDonald's and they now have their wonderful GREEN shamrock shakes in for St. Patrick's Day. Now I LOVE St. Patrick's Day and the chance to show my Irish side. And I LOVE shamrock shakes with their mintyness. But I really love seeing GREEN and knowing someday we will see green grass and green leaves and green stems popping up and the days will get warmer and longer and YEAH FOR SPRING!

Okay, you've all heard of "old dogs and watermelon wine" right? My daughter hasn't. She's giving me weird looks. But see, I don't do watermelon wine and yeah we have an old dog who has seen much better days. But I wanted to tell you about old friends. I am still learning the ins and outs of Facebook with the help of my kids. But the funny thing is almost all of my "friends" on Facebook were actually classmates of my three kids and a few relatives. The problem is I either can't remember the last names of friends my age to look for them, or there are too many with that name to narrow it down to which one I knew. But this week I discovered groups. A friend of mine from childhood started a group for those of us who went to a certain summer church camp. So I joined that and then I started finding others who joined and they had friends I knew too and so my friend list is growing and my daughter is proud of me for having friends my age now even though she laughs about how old the friends my age are. Hmmmm... Today I was contacted by a lady who I was flower girl for in her wedding 45 years ago. The only thing I wonder is why she doesn't look older than I do. So now I started my own group to try to connect with old friends from my neighborhood where I grew up who all went to the same elementary school with me. It will be fun to see how many more "old friends" I find that way. Our elementary school and my childhood home have been torn down and a lot of the old neighborhood is showing its age as well.

I see nobody took my challenge to do the letter thing I did a couple of blogs ago. Amazing how nobody at all left me a comment on that one that I worked so long and hard on. Hmmm. Come on guys, you can do it too. Anyway, I have to get headed back to town for a Show Choir Dinner so I have to get off here. In the meantime, may you enjoy old friends and have a shamrock shake.

My Life is But a Breath

Today's Bible verse says that my life is just a breath to God. I can understand that because sometimes it doesn't seem much more than that even to me. Last year I turned 50 and a lot of my friends are turning 50 now as well. 50 is half a century. It is weird how people my age are getting older and grayer all the time. I really don't feel that old most of the time. I look in the mirror now and then and wonder where all those wrinkles came from. This has been a week of feeling old. On Saturday I was having muscle spasms in my back. But a hot pack and some Ibuprofen made me feel better, so my husband and I and 5 other couples from church met for a Valentine's supper. After supper though the spasms came back in full vengeance until I thought about going to the emergency room. But once again I toughed it through and seemed to get better. Then yesterday morning I woke up at 5AM with the spasms back again. So I broke down and went to the doctor yesterday afternoon. Guess what she decided? I'm having muscle spasms in my back! Go figure! So she gave me muscle relaxers and told me to take them 3 times a day but only while I'm home. So I took one yesterday afternoon when I got home and I slept 2 hours then got up for supper and then slept another 8 hours. Today I didn't take any since I had to work and can't do that at home. This morning I got up for work and my right knee was stiff and hurt and could barely bend. Thought I was going to have to find a cane to go to work with. Tonight I'm eating peanuts and lost half a tooth. Of course it was the one my partial plate anchors onto. Now I was just at the dentist and she told me I needed to get my crowns on the bottom right teeth. This was a bottom left one that is now half gone. Like I said, I'm getting old and in a hurry too. I can't be this old! I have too much to do yet! Where is the time going? I don't even have time to get my house in order, let alone my life! I guess it's time to prioritize. What do I really want and need to accomplish? If my life is just a breath, I hope it is a long, slow breath.

SSome SSweet and SSimple SSentiments

One of the blogs I love to follow is by my longtime friend, Susan in Washington State. On her most recent blog, she was bequeathed the letter Ff and had to come up with 10 of her favorite things starting with the letter Ff. Her challenge was if we left her a comment, she would bequeath us a letter also and we could have ffun with it also. So I did and she did and my letter is Ss. Those of you who know me or follow my blog, know I love words and alliteration. So this should be a lot of fun for me and hopefully you will enjoy what I come up with also. And, to keep the fun going, if you want to leave me a comment, I will bequeath you a letter also. So here goes, in no particular order:

Sisters
There is just nothing like a sister. It can be a sister by birth, or by adoption or by choice, or friendship. My sister Cheryl was adopted by my parents at 10 months old and therefore was there 4 years before me. She's five years older than me and half my size, but she looked more like mom and dad than I did. We talk on the phone at least once a week and get together as often as we can. I have dear friends who are sisters to me as well. Some I see on a daily basis and they are there whenever I need them. Some I've never met in person, but have pen palled or emailed for years and I know I can always count on them for an encouraging word when I need it most.

Saviour
Where would I be without a Saviour? I would be totally lost for eternity, that's where. Knowing Jesus has saved me from heartache in so many ways. He has saved me from myself so many times. When I am hurting, He is there to hold me close. When I am afraid, He walks beside me. When I am lonely, He holds my hand. When I sin, He forgives me. When I fall, He picks me up. When I cry, He catches my tears in a bottle. When I laugh, He laughs with me. Jesus is very real and very close to me. He can be your Saviour too if you'll let Him. Just ask me how, and I will be glad to tell you.

Sunrises and Sunsets
Have you ever seen anything as calming and reassuring as a sunrise or sunset? I don't think I could ever live in a city again. The best thing about living out here in the country is being able to see the horizon as the sun rises and sets on another day that God has blessed us with. The colors are just unbelievable. I wish I could paint them, or even capture them adequately on film. And here in the midwest, they last for quite awhile. When I was in Nicaragua, I was shocked by how quickly the sun sets. The colors were just getting better and I was waiting for just the right moment to take the photo, and suddenly it was dark. I suppose it had something to do with being so close to the equator. But now I appreciate the slowly changing colors here in Iowa more.

Seas
I have seen the Pacific Ocean in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Nicaragua. I have seen the Gulf of Mexico only from the air. I have seen the Atlantic Ocean at Daytona Beach, Florida. I love the seas! When I spend too long here in landlocked Iowa, I start to get almost claustrophobic. Standing on the edge of Lake Michigan is the closest I can come here in the midwest. But there is simply nothing that can rival standing or sitting on the sandy shores watching the waves roll in to break on the beach. I love to hear the seagulls as they swoop and sail by in search of a meal. I like to walk along and pick up seashells left behind by the waves. I long for the salty and fishy smell of the ocean. Psalms 93:3,4 says, "The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty." When I see the seas, I am reminded of the God who made them.


Sons and Daughters
I am so blessed to have a son, a stepson, and a daughter. When I was growing up, I always knew I wanted a lot of children. In fact, when I was in high school I sat down and figured out how I could have a child every other year and adopt one on opposite years until I had 26 kids in 13 years. I would have one for each letter of the alphabet. And I was already picking out those 26 names too. I tease my son that after I had him, it took me 12 years to get up nerve enough to have another one. That isn't true. He was the best son anyone could ask for. He never cried. He was sweet and helpful and happy. He told me everything even when he was in high school. So many nights I'd lie awake listening for him to come home from work, and when he did, I'd get up and go sit in the garage and he'd tell me all the details of his day. What I wouldn't give to have him here to visit with and hug once again. But he lives in New Zealand and I haven't seen him for 7 years. I miss him so much. I have a wonderful stepson too who lives in Colorado. It's funny because I don't often think of him as my stepson. He's my son too. It's so good to have him home when he comes to visit. It's fun when he calls for a recipe or canning tip too. Oh sure, when he was little we went through that stage where he'd say, "you're not my mom and you can't make me", but thank goodness he eventually outgrew that and we developed our own relationship. And then there is my daughter. I know daughter doesn't begin with an S but she has 4 letters of s in her name so that is good enough for me. She's sweet and smart and shy and silly and studious and lots of s words so I can include her too. She's also my best friend and we have a lot of fun together. For awhile we thought I might not be able to get pregnant again, but God blessed me with a daughter. I am so thankful to Him for all three of my children.
Spouse
I have a wonderful spouse. He is sweet and caring and talented. He plays steel guitar and does it very very well. He's also silent a lot of the time. Which is nice when he's mad at you, but not so nice when you want to discuss something with him or want his opinion. He used to be somebody else's spouse, but I'm glad he's now mine. We have been married for almost 22 years now. I've come close to losing him several times with open heart surgery, strokes and etc. but God knows how much I need him and lets me keep on loving him here on earth.

Smiles
Don't you just love it when you see a smile? It can be the first gassy smile on a newborn baby's face or it can be the toothless grin of an old man in the nursing home. But a smile is contagious. You just can't help but smile back and when you do, you feel better inside. A smile just lights up your whole face and your heart as well. I try to share a smile with everyone I meet. Even if it is someone I don't particularly like, I try to give them a smile.

Singing songs
I love to sing songs. I don't particularly do it well, but it brings me so much joy. At church we mostly sing the new praise and worship choruses. I like the words to them, but sometimes I long for the old hymns. I love to sing about Victory In Jesus, It is Well With My Soul, Because He Lives I can face tomorrow, and Amazing Grace. When I see cattle grazing on the hillside along the road, I find myself singing He Owns the Cattle On a Thousand Hills. Sometimes my daughter and I will sing a round of The Lord Is My Shepherd as we drive along. When I pull into the garage some afternoons, I can't get out of the car until I'm done singing along with a song on the radio. If you pull up beside me at a stoplight, don't be surprised if I am belting out I've Got a Mansion Just Over the Hilltop. Just roll your window down and sing along with me.

Stories
I love to read! I love stories. You can travel to far away places in a story. You can meet people in a story. A story can become anything your mind makes of it. Unlike TV which shows and tells you how things are, a story can be interpreted in so many individual ways. You can picture it in your mind. Don't you just love to hear someone tell a funny story? Pretty soon they are laughing so hard they can't talk and you begin laughing just watching them laugh! When I'm reading, I can lose all track of time and place. Someone can talk to me and I won't even hear them. I used to get in trouble with mom when I was a girl, because she'd tell me to do the dishes and I simply didn't hear her, because I was far far away lost in a story. My dream is to someday write and illustrate and publish a story of my own. There is just something magical about a story.

Sweets
All you have to do is look at me and you can guess how much I like sweets. Some of my fondest memories of my mother include sweets. Mom made these wonderful Swedish tea rings when I was younger and at Christmas time she'd give them to people who had been especially kind to us that year, like the doctor and the preacher and so on. Another favorite memory is mom's blackberry dumplings. If you've never had homemade dumplings that have been simmering in a pot of syrupy blackberries and vanilla ice cream melting on them, you have not really lived. Then there was homemade ice cream on the fourth of July from the old hand cranked freezer. And I can still see and taste my mom's sweet tea in the glass pitcher with tulips painted on the side and the sweat running down the side of it in that hot humid kitchen with the sun shining through it. New Year's Eve was our only bottle of pop all year and along with it white almond bark and a game of Rook. For my birthday I always chose an angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream mixed together over the top of it. And my mom's chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting that she often took to church potlucks, was something I would love to taste again. Then there was the peach pie and the chocolate cake with cherries and hot chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream melting into a lake in the middle of it. I had one of those moms who always made treats for the classroom parties and the school bake sales and the church potlucks. I remember her giving a loaf of her wonderful banana nut bread with chocolate chips and coconut in it to a visiting preacher's wife and that lady proclaimed it to be ambrosia. I inherited my love for cooking and eating from my grandmother and my mother and now my daughter has inherited it as well.

There you have it. 10 of my favorite things that start with the letter Ss. I could add so many more to the list; siblings, Spanish, students, spuds, sparrows, swans, sunshine, Springtime, slippers, salvation, safety, scenery, snow, starry skies, sleep, Sierra Mist, silliness, sleigh rides, Sierra, sailboats, Saturdays, Sundays, summer and so many other things. But that will have to wait for some other time. I hope you enjoyed my Ss fun. If you want a letter, leave me a comment. See you soon.