I’m Impressed

In beginning the narration part of the ‘Special Memories Recital’  I am constantly impressed by the leading of the Lord on many parts of the narration. Five different friends at different times; while I am still in the thinking about and planning stage of the narration; have shared things that will become an important  part of it.

Tonight, thanks to Penny, I have the 7 points that will tie it all together.  Now as soon as Bill’s initial recovery is past I will be confirming which students will be attending.  Then will be scheduling who wants to perform and what they want to do.

In the meantime I will be doing more of the housework that Bill usually does.  We are trying to do some of the catch up things in the next 3 days before the cataract removal.  That will give me more free time to be with him, do things with him and for him after the 2nd.

We are so blessed! I’m loving the time we are able to be back with our church family.  There is something so special with being with other Christians in united worship.  We’re praying for continued good health and nice weather to enable us to be there.

To give you a little preview of the recital; we will be covering the benefits of music,  singing, and lessons; along with recognition.   So far about a dozen of my former students,  a special friend and my 5 current students will be sharing their music.  We plan on having music and memories from 1pm until 3pm.  Then munchies and more memories until shortly before 5pm.

Tonight my mind is so full of all the important, mostly joyful things, that need to be done in the next 8 weeks it is hard to stay focused on any one thing.  Have patience with me please. 🙂

Some of those events,  Michele called tonight and she will be planning to be here for Lyndi’s dance recital and Mother’s Day,  folks that are planning to be at the recital or helping with it,  invitations given and students planning to attend lists.  Then the ‘Special Memories Recital’ itself.  Love the preparations and the event itself.

Most important events in the next 8 weeks started today with Palm Sunday services and of course the most important day of our year  Resurrection Sunday or Easter.  Such a joyful ending for a week with a crucial, apparently sad day, occurring near the end of it.

But then RESURRECTION !  The foundation of our hope, our faith, our love, our lives!

The very best ending for any of my blogs.  Have a very blessed day!

 

 

 

Celebrate 1/31/15

Many people are celebrating today for many different reasons.  For some it is the end of the month of January and one month closer to spring.

For a multitude of others it is the day of preparation for the Super Bowl.

But for us it was a far different kind of celebration.  We went out for breakfast at a favorite restaurant.  Unusual because we’re seldom at a restaurant before evening but since they close at 2pm on Saturday we went for a delicious breakfast treat.  The occasion?  62 years ago on a Saturday we went on our very first date! The memories flood back.  I can still remember that girl who went back to ask her mother’s permission to go out with Bill;  then came back out and was too timid to tell him the result of that request.

After quite a while, we were relieved when mom came out of the office and said, “Will you two go to Croswell and pick up the meat order for me?”

On the way there Bill mentioned that when I hadn’t said anything before, he felt mom had said ‘no’.  Then I finally told him she had said that it was fine.  How blessed we were that she figured out what had happened and sent us on the errand.

Now 62 years later, again on a Saturday, we both agree that it was the Lord that brought us together.  And kept us together through the good and bad times; for if we  agree on almost any subject without working it through, it is always the Lord.

Our families were very different when we were growing up.  Bill’s father was the ‘head of the house’ no questions asked.   My mom made most of the decisions, dad seldom disagreed, but when they did there was often heated discussions.

So  Bill expected out house to be as calm as theirs was.  I was used to speaking my mind and seldom agreed with what he said.  I even had the preacher change the vows at our wedding.  My quote,  “I don’t lie and I certainly won’t promise to obey any man.”   In 1953 that was a drastic departure from what most brides were expected to say.

Bill agreed to the change, much to our preacher’s surprise.

I don’t remember much about the movie we watched in Port Huron that night or even the theater we attended. One of the very embarrassing  events of my life was not easy to forget.  It’s strange that we forget a lot of the happy events of our lives; but the embarrassing ones remain all too clear.

Want to hear about  that night?  I hope so for I plan to share it.

Remember please, that I was a healthy active farm girl used to working early; helping with the milking,  going to school and helping in the store after school and weekends.  Why would that contribute to being embarrassed?

When Bill asked, after the show, if I wanted to go to a restaurant, I agreed.  Isn’t that how most dates progress? No problem there.  Then we ordered and Bill asked me what I wanted to eat.   So I ordered what I often did on a typical date.   2 hamburgs, fries and a malt.   That’s not unusual, right?

Then Bill ordered and I wanted to crawl under the table!  Guess what he ordered? Black coffee!  That’s all.   His comment?  He just wasn’t hungry.

After 62 years that is no longer a surprise but that night I was so embarrassed !

Obviously through the years I have adjusted to that; but on a first date it could have been our last date if he hadn’t been so considerate about my unease. So good at helping me relax and enjoy the rest of our time together.

Do you believe in circumstances or is this an example of the Lord’s plan for our lives?

New Address, Same Author

Since I have tried for a month to get back in my former blog address and was unsuccessful I simple changed addresses.  so let’s renew old acquaintances as we make new friends.  Hopefully this will last for another 3 or more years

What’s been going on in my life and thoughts for the last month?  Lots of things and thoughts.  Mostly how to reopen my blog so I could write. 🙂

Like many of our Michigan friends we were surprised when winter arrived much earlier than it has in many years.  But it did happen when I was a much younger person.  It happened one beautiful Thanksgiving Day.

Well at least it started out to be a beautiful, sunny Thursday!  It was long ago and I have forgotten what the temperature was on that morning.  We had gathered at my folk’s farm. There would have been probably 7 ladies, 5 men, 2 boys and 2 girls.  There, as usual, we had a great meal and lots of good visiting for the afternoon.

Imagine everyone’s surprise when late afternoon someone noticed that it had not only been snowing, but there were several inches of snow covering everything.  Though we usually had supper before everyone left for home the adults decided to leave early. Especially since Uncle Charlie, Aunt Hazel and her mom lived in Detroit.  Uncle Bud and Aunt Nellie would be taking her mom home a few miles away and the country roads weren’t plowed as soon as convenient many times.

Since no one had put on boots that morning and the snow was already above the ankles and still snowing it presented a problem.  Dad had 2 pair of overshoes fortunately; he shared one pair with one of the other men and they went out and started the cars.  Then they made seats out of their arms and carried the ladies, one by one out to their cars.  No one got stuck on the way home, but I think we ended up being snowed in for a few days.

With the weather forecasts available now it might not have come as such a surprise and we could have been prepared.

But with the number of accidents, when the roads first get slippery, many drivers are just as unprepared today.

The Bible speaks of another time in the future that many are unprepared for.  Music also portrays the thoughts and reactions to that future event.  If you’re interested you can read about it several places in the Bible.  One song phrases it “I wish we’d all been ready.”  Another asks the question,  “say will you be ready when Jesus comes?”  Jesus said that no one will know the exact day or hour but gave us some signs to watch so that we could be prepared.

If you are interested in having more details about what I think and expect from this event you can comment here or message me on Facebook,  As I learn more about how to do things here I plan to blog regularly a few days every week.

My preparations for the next few weeks will be varied and many.  This week will be spent mostly in getting ready for a Christmas Bazaar and Expo.  I will be displaying some of my craft items and 3 books I have written.  The titles are:  Dearest Claudia How I Love You.  it is a true account of a young woman’s battle with cancer several years ago.  Much of the research came from a running account that her husband kept for her.  It starts out with this quote,  “Dearest Claudia, how I love you.  You will not remember much about this day so I thought I’d keep a record for you ……” The second title is my own account of the first of the many times I’ve had cancer and was not surprisingly, for those who know me  “Why I Had Fun in Spite of Cancer”  The third is a romantic mystery novel.  Set in the 1970’s  which is also when it was written,  it is the story of a young couples expectations which are cruelly hampered by the young woman’s terrible fear of the color white.  The mystery deepens because her lack of memory about what caused that fear.

My preparations for this sale of the crafts has been slowed because I’m looking for a particular pattern that is ‘somewhere in my house’.  if you know me or as you learn to know me, you’ll find that is often the case when I’m looking for some particular thing.  Do you have that problem?