Family Days

(Note: I wrote this blog on February 25.)

            We have company this weekend. The kids want to stay one more day and it may work out that way. 😊

            It’s been unusual weather in Upstate New York. Days in the 40’s and 50’s Fahrenheit. Then, in the 20’s. A week or so of cold and then a day or two of warm temperatures. Flood warnings after huge quantities of snow melted away. Ice jams in the river from the sudden thaw caused the most concern this winter.

            So, since it seemed safe for driving, our guests arrived. With the cold weather and icy walkways, we’ve mostly stayed indoors. Board games, television shows–some Christian, card games, baking cookies, and talking filled the hours. I read chapters in Genesis when the little ones weren’t calling for Grandma.

            We were given a thawed turkey, so my husband made Gordon Ramsey’s recipe. Mmm mmm good!

            Many hands made for lighter work because there were lots of chores to keep up with. My one daughter made Turkey Ala King from the leftovers. My other daughter saw I had de-cluttered some of the bathroom shelves. She asked if I’d like her to continue getting rid of things that I haven’t used. Some items came with the house when the last folks moved out. So, I told her yes and that she could ask me what goes if she wasn’t sure.

            Three of us girls made chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and to give to neighbors and to Celebrate Recovery attendees. Chocolate chip cookies are my husband’s favorites. We’re eating healthier, but we chose to eat typical American feast-food for a few days. I’m glad to be back on track with our whole plant food eating except for one last cookie and a small glass of ginger ale.

            A couple of our visitors had tummy troubles from the rich food. They stayed an extra day to recover. They skipped church just in case it wasn’t food-related distress. They found a service on the tv. Today, they’re back home and on schedule.  

           

https://pixabay.com/images/search/family%20fun/?pagi=5&

I hoisted a two-year-old grandchild on my hip when we delivered cookies to a family. Then, last night after they left, I felt a small back spasm. In July of 2020, I experienced severe back spasms which God healed after prayer about 24 hours after they began.

            So, last night I started to panic. Before the panic grew, I asked my husband for help getting boots off. Then, I asked him to pray. I sat very still and read a book. The pain disappeared. I love it when God intervenes!

            Note to self–don’t pick up grandchildren above my weight limit for lifting that the doctor ordered!

            I hoe this finds you well! May God bless you!

Daniel, A Man of Renown

A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading the book of Daniel in the Old Testament of the Bible. One thing after another kept me from blogging this entry. Sometimes, I think it’s spiritual warfare. Other times, I wonder if God doesn’t want it out there. Today, after a delay, all worked on the computer and on the WordPress site. Maybe I’m supposed to be learning a lesson in perseverence!

Well, anyway, when I read chapter one, it described four teenagers, handsome and intelligent men being trained to work for the king of another nation. They got captured as spoils of war, probably children of the royal family of the nation of Judah, and then neutered. Further on, I found out Daniel and his three friends are required to eat of the kings’ meats and to drink wine.

This is a picture of Daniel and his three friends obeying God from freebibleimages.org.

            I don’t know why the guys wanted to eat vegan. Maybe the meats included pig and rabbit, on the unclean animal list for the Jewish youth.

            They looked better after their trial run of vegetables and water for 10 days. Apparently, between the favor of the head eunuch and their healthy appearance, they continued on what is now called, “The Daniel Diet.”

            After King Nebuchadnezzar talked to Daniel and his three friends, the king found them 10 times wiser and more understanding than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all the realm-a huge kingdom from years of taking over other countries, showing little mercy.

            If I had been in Daniel’s and his friends’ shoes, I hope I would have clung to God despite any risks to life, like they did. Over 70 years serving the various kings, Daniel held high positions of authority and influence. What a legacy!

            I wish I understood the visions Daniel experienced from God, near the end of the book of Daniel for the latter days. An angel explained, but it’s beyond my level of expertise.

God took care of Daniel in the worst of times. The book of Revelation in the New Testament says that God is, God was, and God will always be. I can rest in His care no matter what because God doesn’t change.

May God bless you!  

Amanda and That Boy

Do you ever buy a book and then take some time to get to it? Like I did with Lisa Bevere’s book, Lionness Arising? But when the timing was right, suddenly I read it and passed it quickly to my youngest daughter.

The second book, a novel by Barbara Sutryn entitled Amanda and That Boy, copyrighted in 2019 and published by Outskirts Press, Parker, CO, graced a shelf for months. Then, I felt an urgency to read it a couple of weeks ago, just before the race riots. I consumed that tome and ignored chores, social media, and most everything in my life to find out what happened next.

(photo from web address: https://outskirtspress.com/bookstore/?search=Amanda+and+That+Boy#)

When I closed the back cover, a quiet thought came to me. Give it to your youngest daughter.

She looked into foster care, but the way did not open. She works with teens so parents can have a respite from their care.

This book, Amanda and That Boy is about a youngster from the projects. An inexperienced woman steps in to care for a grown child. My daughter became an instant mother when she married a man with children.

I asked her how she liked the book. She really liked it, but she got frustrated with the main character. I may not react like Amanda in this book and my daughter certainly wouldn’t respond as this believable character did, but the story got us thinking.

I asked God what He wanted me to do with the stories I’ve been seeing and hearing about that touch my heart. It’s too much, I can’t do everything. He might have said, “Write.”

And so, I do.

May God bless you.

Mission Trip Realized

In the last blog, I mentioned writing smaller pieces more often because of an upcoming busy season. What I didn’t know-there would be no internet in many places I stayed at.

                I went south for a wedding and the day after Thanksgiving got on a plane to Europe. My husband texted, “Enjoy your life long dream of going on a mission’s trip.”

                After a layover in Paris, France which thrilled me, off we went to the airport in Budapest, Hungary and afterwards a four-hour trip to BeliefinMotion.org mission for eight days. What a privilege to meet godly leaders and staff, and to pitch in to help where I could.

                On our way home, we got to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and it was the least impressive of the four airports we visited. We stopped in Rome on our way back.

                We distributed gifts to people in poor villages in Romania and told them Merry Christmas in their language. I am still in jet lag status, so I’ll sign off. I hope to include a photo or two.

                May God bless you!

What to Believe

Last night, as I lay in bed, one of my legs started hurting. I said, “Lord, what’s going on?”

Now, whether it was my thought, imagination, the enemy of our souls-which I doubt, or the One and Only Great God, I felt as if a gruff voice impressed on my mind, “Feed My sheep.”

What do you think of that? So, tonight just past my bedtime, I’m sitting in a recliner under a crocheted afghan I made well over 20 years ago, a Granny square pattern, with a dim light on my right and a hand-cranked flashlight losing power over lined paper so I don’t overstimulate my senses and stay awake too late. I’ll type this in the morning, “Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” as my mom used to say back in the day.

I’ve been blogging less often because of life’s pressures and a little burn out. I’m reading the Psalms in the Old Testament and First Corinthians in the New Testament. No matter how many interesting books I read, none nourish my spirit like the Bible.

I read 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV), a favorite verse of mine: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Speaking of temptation, the last time I blogged I mentioned my granddaughter saying something about an unfortunate substance being on her ear and contacting my kiss. The next morning, on speaker phone I heard her mom say, “What did I read in Grandma’s blog about your ear and a booger?”

My young granddaughter said, “Oh, I just played a trick on her.”

She lied! I thought it was unlikely that she would have a booger on her ear, but then, I thought, maybe it got on her pillow case and transferred over. She’s got brothers and she’s athletic but I didn’t think she’d ignore something on her ear. I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

This photo is from gettyimage.com and I found it on Google.com.

The next time something is suspicious with her, I’ll consider she might be tricking me again, or telling a fib. She’s never lied to me in matters of importance, but in kidding around, she felt a temptation to say something that would gross me out, and she went with it. That’s what I like about temptation, the only thing I like about temptation. I have moments or longer to consider if I’ll fall if the opportunity comes my way. I can choose to lie or steal or cheat, etc. or not. And 1 Corinthians 10:13 says God gives me a way to escape any temptation that comes my way. What a relief. All I have to do is ask God to make it clear to me what I should do to avoid sin, and He’ll provide a way out.

Another reason I like this verse is that it’s reassuring that I’m not the only one in the world to get tempted. Yet, it’s not a sin to get tempted. It’s only a sin when I act on the temptation. Do you believe this verse?

May God bless you!

Open House

Last week, my grandkids came down from up north just a few days before we hosted three folks from Mexico. So, I told my grandson I haven’t had time to blog lately.

“Write about us making s’mores in the backyard,” he said.

This picture is from istockphoto.com.

All the family left except for my grandson. The next day the married couple and one of their children’s godmother came to stay for six days. What did I discover? My grandson has been learning Spanish since kindergarten. What a delight!

My sister came over one day and she used her faltering Spanish so the ladies began using their less than perfect English. The man spoke more fluently than they did.

I learned hambre means hungry and hombre with a long o sound means man. I picked up a little of the language and before I knew it, they were off to their own country before Fall hit. I missed them when they left.

They departed just in time, because it feels like autumn is in a hurry to send chilly breezes this year. The married lady really felt the cold and it’s gone down a few more degrees in the short time they’ve been gone. My grandson visited when the rain stayed, so he only got a day or two to enjoy the outdoors. His siblings got more sun and opportunity to enjoy the playground and one took a walk in a creek.

So, last week because we weren’t sure if our town allowed a fire pit, we put charcoal in a family-sized grill with papers for kindling. The kids broke sticks in the middle to help the fire along. They’d gathered long sticks from trees and from those that fell to the ground.

My daughter brought chocolate candy bars, large marshmallows and graham crackers to make our s’mores. S’mores is short for “some more” because one makes you want two.

I taught my grandkids to use patience and hold their stick impaled marshmallow well above the fire so it would toast brown instead of being a black cylinder, burning hot-some encased in flames. Except for the middle child, he wanted a burnt one.

Their attempt to eat a marshmallow fresh off the grill burnt one of the kids before they comprehended the warning.

Now, another grandchild is staying with us for a few days for Grandpa time. She asked my husband to buy flowers for me, and so he did. I let her try her hand at pouring pancake batter and then flipping them when it was time.

Each grandchild brought their unique personalities and interests to enliven our summer. My husband took each child out for a meal to a local restaurant and her turn is tomorrow.

Tonight, my husband told me she wanted to invite me to come along. She’s an early riser, so she told me I’d have to get up before my normal time. I said, “I can do that.”

When we prayed after she got tucked into bed, I went to give her a kiss on the cheek, just as she turned her head. “Grandma, you got my ear!”

“That’s gross,” I said.

“I know it; it had a booger on it.”

Kids, you gotta love ‘em.

May God bless you.  

A Summer with Babysitting

I’m back North for a second stint of babysitting for my four grandchildren. The first day we readjusted to each other-a little testing on their part, me determining how strict to be.

Four Square fun https://www.playworks.org/game-library/4-square-switch-2/

            The last time I was here, in June we played four square with a red rubber ball. If some pushing or other roughhousing kept going on, I’d step in and tell the offender to sit on the porch and count to 120 while they composed themselves.

A few days later, the oldest came running in and said his sister needed to chill and count to 120. The others rushed in to tell their side of the story.

            My daughter quieted them down and said, “Use your words.” They all got a chance to explain.

            Turns out his sister didn’t need to count to 120. I thought, that was handled well!

            Please excuse the bragging on my daughter. I think following the Lord and being a Special Ed teacher helps her in raising her children. I’m back to reading Proverbs again, along with some other Scriptures. Not every day, but there’s so much meat in Proverbs, lots of good advice for relationships, for managing life, for handling money, and getting to know God.

            I hope you’re well. May God bless you!

Stress Relieving Days

When my elementary school-age grandchild came to visit for a few days, I felt the stress melt away. We played games, watched children’s television shows, put a puzzle together, visited the library, read the Bible before bedtime, and sent texts to favorite people using my phone. We read non-fiction books on worms and another on insects, but there was no interest in two fiction books I chose. That surprised me.

This particular child loves fruit and pizza and sweets but there’s no overeating. Salad disappeared with coaxing and a bribe. “You can have ice cream for dessert if you eat lettuce and tomatoes.”

“Okay, Grandma, but not too many leaves.”

“Three works,” and as I tore it, the child thought the tiny pieces counted. We compromised at one and a half or more of romaine and five cherry tomatoes.

Tomorrow’s the last day here and I need a nap!

No wonder the Bible says that children are an heritage from the Lord, in the King James Version. May God bless you!

Remembering When

A few weeks ago, I drove north to spend a week at my daughter’s house because her kids had the flu. Whenever I told others I couldn’t fulfill my ordinary responsibilities and told them we’d have to cancel or ask them to fill in for me, when I said, “The kids have the flu,” these words came to mind: “but it’s sure nice talking to you Dad, I know we’ll get together soon, Dad. I’m sure we’ll have a good time, then.”

That’s how I remember the words to the Harry Chapin song, “Cat’s in the Cradle,” from a concert I heard many years ago at college.

That song reminds me of a verse from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament in the New King James Version of the Bible:

Malachi 4:6  And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

Luke 1:17  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

I hope this finds you well. May God bless you.

Loving Children

I have not written as much lately because I spent thirteen days with my children and four grandchildren. Three of the grandkids caught the flu, so I drove north to babysit them for a week. The rest of the time they visited us during February break from school while construction workers replaced ceilings, put in overhead lights, and refashioned an archway between two rooms, etc. at their home.

I love being with family-playing games, making meals and doing dishes, catching up on laundry. Fortunately for me, they just had fevers and coughs when I reached them on Sunday night. Although, I kept telling them to cover their mouths when they coughed and to turn their heads. “I don’t want to catch the flu!”

Recently, I lost some of my joy because I live in New York State. Our legislators passed a bill that if the mother of an unborn baby has any reason for wanting to abort that child, for whatever medical reason they can come up with, at any time before the little one leaves the womb, they can let the medical person know and the human being is killed. It may be hours from birth, a perfectly viable life and get snuffed out.

Then to add to my distress, living in the land of the free, the land of the brave, dear God, how far have we fallen, the senators in Washington, D.C., including our New York State representatives, voted that if a living baby survives the attempted murder during a botched abortion, no medical care will be extended. The tiny person is not offered a blanket or something to suck on for sustenance. It’s left to die. I never thought I’d hear of INFANTICIDE in this country.  

So, I haven’t felt like blogging, I’m sorry to say. I’ve taken joy from the children around me. I’ve cried out to God to soften the hearts of people that probably would be outraged at the inhumane treatment of animals and yet, disregard the lives of babies that God says He knows as they’re fashioned in the wombs of their mothers in Psalm 139:13-16.

I know times get worse before Jesus comes back and an increase in evil comes forth as people reject God and His ways. It’s just hard to see it and understand. When President Obama was a senator in Illinois, he was the only politician to vote to let a newborn languish on the table if the abortion failed. That wasn’t that long ago. The U.S. senate has two senators per state, and they only needed seven more votes to protect the little ones. They got 53 votes. That means 67 people said, “Let the infant die,” although I heard the weather kept some senators from reaching Washington, D.C. on time. But, did they wait for a larger turn out? No!

I think the senate should have been mandated to go to an abortion clinic and see what happens before they cast their votes. And if they came to New York State, they would see that the providers don’t have to be a doctor to perform an abortion. So much for the safety of the mother.

I took science fiction courses in college back in the day, and some of the stuff that I shuddered over back then and felt would never happen is upon us now. So, I pray for people to wake up and consider what they believe and why they believe it. Is it worth killing babies for the convenience of the mother? Many women suffer after they’ve taken the lives of their child with depression, breast cancer, and infertility. One thing I’ve heard-the younger generation is not believing the embryo is fertilized tissue with no life at conception. So, I try to remain hopeful and I pray that people won’t want to use these so-called “freedoms” of choice. Then it won’t matter what’s in the law books.

If you read through my rant, God bless you. Maybe if enough people stand up and say this isn’t right, the politicians will understand their tenure is on shaky grounds.

May God bless you and protect you from the evil one.