And now...

Welcome back! My sister tells me that now I "have more time", I should get back to this page. Not sure how long this will last, but I'll give it a try once again.

So why do I have more time? I have joined the ranks of the retired. After 25 years of teaching I decided that was enough. I find myself actually sleeping until 7:00 most mornings. After a getting up at 5:00 AM forever, that is really sleeping in. I find I truly enjoy my leisurely morning. I am watching some great Netflix offerings and actually reading for fun. Nicholas Sparks is my current author. My husband aslo retired, so we get to enjoy watching our favorite our baseball team's games together - although we would enjoy them more if they actually won, but ....
We still participate in all of our music groups and have added one called The Kitchenaires...still getting the feel for that one.

So we wake each morning thankful for our time together, good health and the adventure of life. Blessings to you all.

1st graders enjoy everything

Back to school after our wonderful Christmas break. I was greeted by 18 smiling, eager faces who wanted to hug on me and looked so forward to being back at school (This is a phenomenon I never encounted teaching 6th graders!) Our reading unit's theme is "Weather." This has been a perfect week for observing changing weather. The kids loved being meteorologists (it's fun to say that big word!) and forecasting the weather. They got excited when we went outside and identified types of clouds. With the wind blowing, they squealed with delight because they could see the clouds move! I'm attempting to get them to count by 2's as we plot the daily temperature on a graph. Then we use the graph to practice subtraction (ie. "What's the difference in temperature between yesterday and today?"). Some of my students are really good at it. :-)

Wouldn't it be nice if we all had that "1st grader enthusiasm" for our lives each day? Oh, that's right - we can! "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

Christmas Day 2008

Christmas 2008. I just enjoyed reading the Christmas Traditions account from my niece in Memphis. She has some wonderful memories. :-)

I guess Bill and I have a few traditions as well. We are very involved with music - in our church and in the community. So there are the usual Holiday programs and Advent celebrations with choir, bells and/or brass. We attend at least one candlelight Christmas Eve service. Every other year we go to 2. Our church has their service at 5:00. The choir usually sings (Linda's - sometimes Bill fills in as well). This year we had the priviledge of helping with the readings. That was fun.

Every other year the Hallelujah Brass plays at Trinity Presbyterian Church (Bill's group). So we enjoyed a 10:30 service with our friends there. We do know quite a few worshipers there, in their choir and in the congregation.

Our tree gets put up whenever I haul it out of the closet. We inherited my parents' fake tree. I miss the smell of pine, but enjoy the tree just the same. As Bill and I hung ornaments we remarked how many of them tell a bit of our history. Even though we don't have homemade ones from children over the years, we do have ones that are gifts from former students, souvenirs from our travels, and others that were in Mom's old Christmas boxes.

When we are in town on Christmas Day we have a big meal with our dear friends, the Collas and Traughbers. This year it is here at our house! We will barbecue a standing rib roast and offer hors d'oeuvres. Our friends bring the rest of the meal. There is always plenty. :-) Of course we will have trays of goodies around for snacking. Then there will be a marathon of game playing - Phase 10, Trivial Pursuit, Mad Gab, and any other new games some of us may have gotten for Christmas. We always enjoy our day with these great friends!

I do love the celebration of Christmas. It is humbling to remeber that God himself came to live as a human - even as a new born baby. One of my new favorite Christmas songs is "Mary, Did You Know?" The words and imagry are powerful:

Mary, did you know that your baby boy would someday walk on water? Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered will soon deliver you. Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with his hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby you've kissed the face of God. The blind will see the deaf will hear the dead will live again the lame will leap the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb. Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? This sleeping child you're holding is the Great I Am!

I am thankful to know this child, this Son of God, is my Savior and Lord. Praise be God for his most precious gift.

“What would I do if a bear ate you now?!”

Bill and I had been married for all of 3 days when we had an encounter with nature that revealed my insecurity to my new husband and has given him fodder for teasing over the years. We were enjoying our honeymoon in the wilderness of Alaska. We had arrived at the hunting lodge/honeymoon suite via float plane and had spent the morning rowing across the lake. After docking the boat, my new husband and I were hiking up the hillside to enjoy one of the spectacular views Alaska has to offer. Bill found a wild berry patch and had stopped for a “snack.” Being a city girl, and being well aware of the “bear stories form Alaska” I was concerned we would meet up with such a creature – especially in a berry patch! I mentioned my concerns to Bill (“Let’s go back, Bill, please?”), who brushed them off as being irrational. When we spotted some fresh droppings I just “knew” were bear, I was panicked. In my irrational fear I tried to appeal to his inner call to protect me – “Bill, we’ve only been married for 3 days! What would I do if a bear ate you now!?” His response was typical Bill – “What makes you think the bear would eat me?” I finally whined enough that he gave in and we returned to the boat and rowed back to our “safe” lodge.

34 years later I am faced with another “What would I do if a bear ate you now?” situation. Bill has cancer. It’s a bear of a disease that rears its ugly presence in many people’s lives and to varying degrees. Sometimes it just creeps up on you as you are snacking on the berries of life. My healthy racquetball-playing husband is in great physical shape – most folks don’t realize he is 60 years old! He doesn’t feel bad and isn’t sick. I am the one that is always coming down with colds, flu, whatever bug is in the area. Bill seems to avoid all of those! He is faithful about getting yearly physicals and, other than a few medications to control minor abnormalities, he really is in great shape. When his PSA count came back a bit elevated in August, the doctor wanted to have a biopsy of his prostate. Are these “bear droppings” near our berry patch? “Please Bill, can’t we go back?” Bill had the biopsy done and the results came back – positive for cancer. Wow – I didn’t expect that.

A huge advantage I have now that I didn’t have 34 years ago is a long relationship with The Lord, the creator of all life. I have walked with the Lord and he has proven over and over again how faithful he is – every day and in all times. My days have not been all wine and roses, but my joy is in the Lord, not in my circumstances. I know that God is using all the circumstances in my life to grow me into his child. He is teaching me about himself and his sufficiency in all of life – bears and all.

My husband has cancer. It is not a path I would have chosen for us to walk down, but it is with unwavering faith given by God that I know we do not walk it alone. We have each other, wonderful doctors, good insurance, work places that can work with us, loving and supportive family and friends. But most importantly we have Jehovah Jirah walking before us, beside us and behind us. Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord….to give you a future and a hope.” We put our days in the Lord’s hands. I know he will be able to conquer all the bears in our path!

As I signed on to read blogs today, my sister Molly's writing really struck my heart. I had forgotten the significance of today until I read her message. I hope she won't mind if I copy it here:
Today would have been my Mom's 82nd birthday. As my sister reminds me: "She has been gone a staggering 14 years (I can't believe it has been that long). Before she got sick at the young age of 45, she was athletic, a golfer, a tennis player, a leader in the Girl Scouts. She raised 5 daughters. I use to be amazed at the thought that she used a whole loaf of bread to make our lunches. My mom was one of the strongest, most persistent people I have ever met." I was 15 when my mom was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She eventually passed away from complications from that disease. I was 37. I watched her struggle at times with her health, but she always seemed to have such a positive outlook that nothing would deter her from living a full life. She spent the last few years of her life in a wheel chair, but could still draw a smile from all those that knew her. Her grand kids loved to 'ride with grandma on her wheel chair'. :-) She didn't like having all the health problems, but that didn't seem to discourage her. She just kept on going.... kind of like the energizer bunny. :-) That was my mom. I hope I am 1/2 the woman she was.

I think each of my sisters would probably say much the same about our mom. She really was an amazing woman. I know her faith in God and assurance of her future kept her going until the end. I remember she faced many challenges in her life with, "Okay, what are we going to do about this? How can we make it better, or at least livable?" I loved the times Bill and I could visit with her. I enjoyed so much making us coffee and sitting with her in her room talking. I would prop my cold feet under the side of her bed to warm up (her house was so cold!), and we would just chat. Even though she's been gone so many years, I still wish I could call her up and talk at times. Happy birthday, Mom. :-)

Mourning in Modesto

We are in mourning....our beloved Cubs lost to those stinkin' Dodgers and are out of the playoffs. Not a fitting ending to their marvelous season....Wait til next year! :-)

This and that for today.

Here it is October already! We had our first day of rain since last April. It sounded really nice pattering on the roof last night. The high was about 70 and when the clouds cleared this afternoon, it was a gorgeous day. Love that clean air!

I attended my Bible Study Fellowship leaders meeting this morning. I am enjoying the study of Moses. I am appreciating how God's word is so relevant even today. Some of the same objections I read Moses giving God in response to God's calling him to return to Egypt, I hear from me! "I can't do that" "I don't have the skills" "Send someone else" etc. God answered Moses with some tremendous guarantees as he also has promises for me and you.

I love my teaching job this year. 1st grade is a kick. Those little ones are just precious. I am trusting God that he will help me with the teaching part and all the unknowns. I met with each child's parent(s) last week for conferences and they went well.

Bill and I are getting ready to watch the Cubs/Dodgers playoff game. It is a must win for our dear Cubs. I don't want to be around if they lose tonight, again!!!