Category Archives: Family

May 11, 2009 · 8:40 am

I Think

That this was one of the best Mother’s Days ever for me.  I think I may have said that before.  Maybe it just keeps getting better each year. 

I was preaching in the morning service at church and so of course what other topic was there that made more sense to speak on than women and how we are created in the image of God.  God has used brave and intelligent women in his story throughout history and he wants us to experience the fullness of who he created us to be.

And I got to preach to my children.  What mother can pass that up?  🙂

Then home to a good family barbeque.

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Eric was in command on the barbeque cooking up his bacon wrapped venison filet mignon, corn on the cob and a lake trout that Sara caught last summer.  Delicious! I even splurged in celebration of the day and had some of the dessert provided by Grace.  Plus ice cream. 

The kids got me some lovely gifts too.  A garden rake – and then Patrick raked the back yard.  A hanging basket of flowers that it is still too cold to put outside.  And a gift certificate so I can buy some more books.

The afternoon was beautiful and we spent a lot of time out on the back deck in the sun.  Kimia was toddling around and got her exercise going up and down the stairs – both inside and out.  Then she ran into a wall and got a big goose egg!  But that was after these cute pictures.

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Perhaps what made the day so great was just having my family around.  And that includes the two Conngolese guys that we welcome as part of us. And the kids farther away called and it was so good to chat with them.

I am so blessed.

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Filed under church, Family, grandchildren, Photos

April 16, 2009 · 7:58 am

Memories

I decided to have Shredded Wheat this morning – not the preformed sort of sweetened little squares that are called Shreddies – but the bite sized shredded wheat.  As I poured boiling water over them and then drained the excess water away, the aroma reminded me so much of my dad.  He used to get the big bowl sized shredded wheat ready for us this way when we were kids.

A tinge of longing rose with the aroma.

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April 12, 2009 · 9:48 pm

Easter

Christ passed through death and came out the victor.  That is one of the realities of my faith that I have been thinking about today.  He did this to redeem all the broken parts of our lives and of the whole creation.  We have reason to celebrate. 

The day has been full of such a variety of human experience – from worship of the risen Christ and the provision of hospitality to friends and family to egg hunts and too much food and chocolate eaten to quarrels and the sadness of hurt relationships.  I guess we had the whole gamut of highs and lows around here.  But mostly it was a good day. 

I love the early sunrise service on the river bank.  It seems appropriate,as the sun rises, to remember the new life we have available because of the resurrection.  Marc did a great job of leading us. We even tried to light the Paschal candle but the wind put a stop to that!

The rest of the day has been so full.  Being the matriarch means being hostess and seeing that there was food on the table from sunlight to sundown today.  The last of my children left a short while ago with a good portion of the leftovers.  All those foods forbidden on my diet and eaten today anyway have to leave this house.  Unfortunately, they left the pies and too much bread around and took the ham and turkey.  But I will have to get back on my diet in a serious way starting tomorrow.

And now I need to sleep. 

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March 26, 2009 · 7:11 am

Nouwen on Children

This just came in my e-mail from the Henri Nouwen Society.  It seems to fit what has happened between me and my children.  They are my friends.  In many ways they have become my equals and yet are still, and always will be, my children.

Becoming Friends of Our Children

Can fathers and mothers become friends of their children? Many children leave their parents to find freedom and independence and return to them only occasionally. When they return they often feel like children again and therefore do not want to stay long. Many parents worry about children’s well-being after they have left home. When their children visit they want to be caring parents again.

But a mother can also become the daughter of her daughter and a father the son of his son. A mother can become the daughter of her son and a father the son of his daughter. Father and mother become brother and sister of their own children, and they all can become friends. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does happen it is as beautiful to watch as the dawn of a new day.

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March 25, 2009 · 11:23 pm

Kids – Blessings Eventually

There is no doubt that every one of my kids is a blessing from God.  Of course, a few years ago I would not have said that.  It takes time to get some distance from them in order to appreciate their individuality.

But, tonight, I spent almost 90 minutes talking to one of those kids.  He commented on my sermon last Sunday.  He listened!  And then we talked about how God has been present in his life over the past ten or so years and what his personal struggles have taught him about himself, about God and about life. 

I just about told him I had to study.  The evening was well spent in conversation.  Much better than an extra hour on Greek contract verbs!

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March 22, 2009 · 9:39 pm

There was a time

when it seemed terribly important to post all sorts of events here in this space. 

Somehow it does not seem so urgent anymore.  Maybe that means it is time to give this a rest, but I don’t know.  Maybe it just means that I need more time to think through the events of the day and reflect on them.  It is hard to do that when I am tired or when there are a billion other things I should be doing.

Today was good. 

It didn’t start out feeling very good.  This was my Sunday to speak and I felt a bit at loose ends with what I had to say.  Quite frankly I didn’t feel terribly inspired and, although I know this whole preaching thing involves more than just me being inspired, I felt rather ill prepared and ill fit to speak about anything.  Today’s scripture passages were great, not obscure or unrelated so I don’t think it was about not having good resources to draw from.  Maybe what I most felt was just plain old inadequate; inadequate to tie things together as I would have liked to and certainly inadequate to say anything challenging or deeply spiritual.

So I guess it was not about me.  Which it should not be anyway.  The fact that God could use me on a rather mediocre day is frankly a miracle enough for me.  I probably ended up being more encouraged than my audience by the end of the morning when Y came up to me and thanked me.  He said that what I said was clear – and his English is limited.

Then E and M invited us up for lunch.  I brought the yams and green beans and they supplied the deer sausage and wine and did the cooking.  It is always fun to get together at their place and a chance to be gifted with one of Kimia’s carefully guarded little smiles.

This afternoon I completed another quiz in Greek so that made me feel good.  And tonight I met with my women friends to read another chapter in Scot McKnight’s book. 

Today was good.

Now I guess we’ll see what the freezing rain does to my day tomorrow. 

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March 15, 2009 · 10:09 pm

Leftovers and hanging around

Today was like the birthday party hangover around.  The kids showed up at church – for the most part.  (Except for P and A.  And there was much speculation as to what kept them in bed on a Sunday morning by their siblings.)  So, everyone headed over to our house for spaghetti and fixings and left overs for lunch.

It is good to have the kids around, the grandkids crawling all over and wanting to play with each other and with me.  I love it that the boys are old enough to just crawl up on my lap and ask if they can cuddle.  I missed Ronin today because I expect he would have been right in there like the proverbial dirty shirt.

Last night, one of our invited guests gave me a huge compliment.  He said that some houses he has gone into are cold and uninviting and others are warm.  “You can tell there is a lot of love in this home,”  he said.

That is the sort of remark that makes giving and giving and giving love again and again to a family  worth  all the work and self sacrifice that being a mother calls for.

I think love tends to expand and grow as it is practiced and given away.  My children have given me lots of opportunities to practice.  Those bumps and difficult times of family life are sometimes where love grows especially strong.

Interesting how God grows love in me at times – both towards himself as I’ve learned to see his goodness through the hard times life sent and towards my children who often took me to those hard places of life.

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March 15, 2009 · 8:35 am

The Best Birthday Ever

The party which my family and friends threw for me last night was honestly one of the best parties I have ever been at and certainly the best one ever held in my honor.  It was just so much fun.

I think having Dale Nikkel and Kimbal Siebert do their house concert at our house was brilliant.  They were so good.  I’d do that again any day.  And I would recommend it to anyone as well.

Now, I must get to church for practice.  The family is getting up and moving and will be coming later.

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March 14, 2009 · 8:13 am

The day begins

Started out by sleeping in.  Then Leo got a call on his cellphone.  We figured it was Ronin using his mom’s phone with it’s speed dial numbers because the sounds on the other end were Roninish.

Then coffee in bed and my first present.

No, no.  What are you thinking!  It is my birthday not Leo’s.  He bought me a little cross necklace which I think is beautiful.  And I think the little shimmery stones in it are not cubic zirconium.

Then my first real phone call from Rachelle.  We had a good talk.

I think the day is going to be a good one.

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March 12, 2009 · 10:35 pm

Birthdays and such

Today my youngest granddaughter became one year old.  Kimia is getting to be a girl with some character.  And mobility.  And size – over 27 lbs last I heard. Tomorrow we are going to her house to celebrate this significant milestone.

But tonight, I was participating with the Prince Albert Strings inour local music festival.  We did fairly well – 87 and 89 in our catagory.  I think we did well for a group that went from a  fairly experienced group last year to a group of near novices.  These songs were simpler than what we attempted last year but I think Dean, our conductor, was pleased.

Kimia has her big party tomorrow but my big day is approaching.  Saturday.  60 years.

It has occurred to me that this is a fairly long time.  As the span of life goes it is likely at least 2/3 of my allotted days.

So, maybe to keep me thinking I am young, my hubby bought me this nice new little computer.  At least it has given me a new toy to play with and try to get all up to date and get files transferred over and all those little chores.  I have no pictures on this baby yet.  So bear with me.  They will come.

And this one is little.  I chose a little one for ease of transport – a 13 inch screen and only 4.6 lbs.  I think it will fit nicely into my purse actually.  Another Toshiba because I like their durability.

So, life goes on.  Birthdays or no birthdays.

I wonder if it will take all my life to figure it all out and come to terms with who I am and what I really need to be about.  I think that maybe now and then I see shadowy glimpses of the person I might be becoming but then I stumble back to the reality of me and everyday life.  Sometimes I just get lost and lonely even at 60.  But I know that overall,  I have been blessed and am glad that my life has, for the most part, been full of interesting challenges and opportunities.

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