Eight years ago today....

our Mother left us peacefully to enter into the presence of the Lord.

During these past eight years, I’ve learned many things more deeply about my dear Mom....and also myself.

She

had courage as she faced old age.

was always beautifully dressed no matter what the day was bringing to her.

was so gracefully hooked to her oxygen tank

never complained

displayed courage in all areas of her life

walked with the Lord more deeply than we realized as evidenced
in the many places we found her writings from her heart.

loved her family, which was so clearly seen, as we sorted through every card we had ever given her--all saved.

***

I’ve learned that I often have a heavy heart because I was impatient at times.

I’ve learned that I wish I could go back and do it again.

I’ve learned that I didn’t really know how sick she was until she struggled
for each breath her last week.

I’ve learned that I loved her so much
....and didn’t show it enough.

I’ve learned that I wish I could have her back
for just five minutes!

I’ve learned that I will love her for always.

***

Things I now know...

She is in the presence of the One Whom she adored.

We miss her prayer covering for the family.

I miss seeing her open Bible and study materials on her dining room table.

I miss playing games with her.

I miss her enjoyment of all of her great-grandchildren.

I miss her sweet countenance and her lovely smile.

I know, by faith, her reunion with our dear Dad, our grandparents, and the hosts of loved ones who went before her was more than my finite mind can imagine.

I know that “eye has not seen nor ear heard.....”

I know we shall meet again.

I am so thankful for her Godly influence
for sixty eight years in my life!
I have been blessed!!

Thank you, Lord.

Taken exactly one week before she was gone from us.
She is holding her namesake, little Gracie, the last great-grandchild.

Thank You to our Veterans

May we stand with diligence and with humility on the broad shoulders of those whose brave deeds and sacrifice we memorialize today. Let all of us commit this day, whether in public ceremony or in quiet reflection over a single grave, to remember them in fitting tribute."

From Prayer for Peace,
Memorial Day
by the President
of the
United States of America -
George W. Bush

My two favorite veterans!

My Dad------------- My Brother

1902-1978---------------- 1934-

Jonathan, part 1

Oh what a glorious day it was when I held my very own three day old baby for the first time! Born of another, yet entrenched in my heart for all time and eternity--my precious, precious son. He made me a Mommie, and fulfilled a deep desire of my heart.

Jonathan--"YAHWEH has given”--
a gift from God

When I learned that single people could adopt in Oregon, I looked into it. I believe each step was ordained by God, as I began to make inquiries. I had an appointment for inquiry and was told a baby was to be born in three months. This baby had a placement arranged, but the prospective adoptive father had dropped dead from a heart attack, and understandably the wife backed out of the contract. The birth mother was most anxious to have a secured placement for her baby and had given the doctor forty eight hours to find another placement or she would go elsewhere. This baby was offered to me. I was floored, as I expected to wait several months or years before a baby became available. I asked her for six hours before I gave her an answer.

I fled to my parent’s home. Only Mom was home and I told her about the offer. We dropped to our knees at the living room couch and prayed about this momentous decision. After we concluded, we stood up and looked at one another and said in unison, that we felt it was a gift from the Lord and I should go forward with it. So, I did....and never looked back.
The early years were so fun and so much work! Jonathan was a sweet baby, who smiled, laughed, and didn’t know a stranger. He loved everyone and was well-loved in return.


Early on he developed a love for music--as a toddler he was in constant rhythm whenever music was playing. A busy, inquisitive child, he knew all of the neighbors by name and if he was let out, he visited them all regularly. They all gave him goodies and I threatened to put a bib on him that said, “please don’t feed this child!”

In my journal during these preschool years, I wrote in 1966, “Jonathan is now seventeen months old and oh! so busy! He is on the go every waking minute! What a thrill it has been to watch him grow and develop. He is a continual joy to my heart.” and in another entry in 1967, “My children continue to be a source of never ending joy to me. As I look into their sweet faces, I never cease to marvel at the goodness of the Lord in giving them to me. I’m sure Jonathan is the busiest two year old living! He talks continually, leads us all a merry chase and is the pet of the house. as I tuck him in nightly, my heart is thrilled anew that the Lord gave me this wee boy as my very own to nurture and love.”


During his second summer, I was on the staff at the Cannon Beach Conference Center. He knew every staff person by name that summer, and on his second birthday, he sang Jesus Love Me to a crowd of two hundred in the dining room and never missed a word or a beat! That was the biggest birthday party of his life!

By the time he was three, he was “preaching” to us. He would sit everyone down, pass out Bibles or hymnbooks to all, and grab a plant stand for his pulpit and began his monolog. The neighbors used to drop by just to see and hear him “play church”.

third birthay

Little did we know what his fourth year was to bring.
This robust child had many difficult months ahead.

When Jon was four he had Scarlet Fever. Altho it was treated, he was left with lethargy, a daily fever, a very abnormal sed. rate, and an enlarged spleen. After several months of testing, I received a call at school from our pediatrician and he told me his blood work revealed abnormalities which could be leukemia. He said we would repeat the tests in one week, and if they were the same, the testing would go further.

This was quite a bomb to be dropped in the middle of the school day. I went to the teacher’s bathroom, dropped to my knees in front of the toilet, and wept and cried and fought one of the greatest battles of my life, as I finally surrendered this beautiful, lovely little child of mine to the Lord for His will to be done with this little life. I don’t know how I got through the rest of the school day.

Everyone prayed during that week before the next tests were to be done. They were done and returned. They showed nothing wrong!! I believe we had a miracle. The doctor thinks the first lab was in error. Whatever it was, my heart rejoiced mightily, and I was full of thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness and His kindness in sparing my sweet, sweet boy.

Eventually we received a diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which was to plague him off and on through his teens, but burned itself out by the time he entered his twenties. Thankfully, he had no joint changes, altho he had some very painful flare-ups over the years. He still has to be careful of strep infections and is always medicated if one occurs, for prevention of onset of new symptoms.

When Jon was born I had a fifteen year old foster daughter. who had been with me for about a year. They became fast friends. He adored her and she adored him. When he was four, she married.


After the wedding practice, as I was putting him to bed, he said to me, “Tomorrow is for ‘weal?” I said yes and then he said, “Will Sissie still live here with us?” I had explained this to him before, but reality set in that night, I think. I told him no she wouldn’t, but would have a new home with Mike. He sat up in bed, and said, “Allwite then...I’m marrying her!!” He did love his “sissy”..and missed her terribly when she was gone, altho we saw them often.

We got through that fourth year. It was a long year with many tears, prayers, and questions. I praised God as we reached a healthy fifth birthday!!



...to be continued in future posts

A Thank You Gift

This week stamp challenges asked us to show a way we express a thank you. Here's mine.


More pictures and details about this project on my other blog sassafras and gingerbread. Just click on it.

A Quiet Hot Day in Portland!!

Today is the second day of heat and sunshine--almost 100 degrees. My air conditioner is belting out the cold air, and there is a hot, hot wind blowing. I’m so glad I don’t have my summer plants out yet as this hot wind would have fried them!
This was a cooking day. I no longer enjoy fixing daily evening meals....too much mess and cleanup. So.........every so often I make a few good recipes and divide them into Glad boxes for the freezer. I just add a veggie and am good to go with my trusty microwave, when I am ready to eat one.

I also order meals to go from one of those places where you go in and prepare your own meals. They kindly make them up for me, as standing in one place is something I just can’t handle because of my back. I do the same with their meals that I purchase--bake them and put them in my trusty Glad boxes!

My recipes today took all day. I come to the office and sit when the standing gets to me. Then I’m up and back in about 20 minutes.

So the day went....work on the recipes--make some cards--read a little--check out some blogs--clean up the kitchen--it was a good, productive day!

I baked four large chicken breasts covered in a mixture of apricot jam, russian salad dressing, and Lipton’s onion soup mix. I cut the chicken breasts into four long pieces each. Did you know that partially thawed meat is a cinch to cut??? I just whizzed through it!!!

Today’s recipe of the day was 20 Minute Chicken Creole, which came from my new Sparks web site with whom I am going to lose 25 pounds!!

Anyway, the recipe is pretty lo-fat and delicious! Just click. I put it on my other website! I had a serving for lunch--no rice--and it was filing and I loved it because it was spicy!

The music coming from my computer is just blessing me so much. I think
I should sign off and just bask in the words--Hope your weekend is not too hot...
and that it is wonderful!

Blessings......

Joan

Mom's Bran Muffins

These muffins are wonderful.

The dough keeps for up to six weeks in the refrigerator. My mother used to bake some up, put them on a decorative paper plate, wrap in saran wrap and take them around to her neighbors. When she made them, she always had a plateful for any family that dropped by also.

Please go here for the recipe and pictures. (Just double click on the word "here" and it will open to that recipe)

"The time has come,"

the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:
Of losing weight--of working hard--
Of sticking to a plan--of control--
Blogging--accountability--
Just doing it......

Six years ago I completed a sixty-five pound weight loss and have kept it off since that time. After our November cruise, I returned home and was up three pounds. Christmas came and went and suddenly there were four more. I hated it, but didn’t do anything about it.

This past two week, after some wonderful meals, some foolishness, and carelessness, I found I was up another five!! That did it! I have to get this off plus more. I will not allow myself to ever gain again!

Thanks to Sister Sherri, I learned of Sparks weight loss pages and all of the good stuff that goes with it.....so I signed up. (Its free)

I like the accountability of keeping track of what I eat, weighing daily, and the flexibility to eat what I want in moderation....and a place to figure my choices into my daily eating plan!!

During the time I lost the weight six years ago, I did not exercise and that was not good. I even bought a recumbent bike,
bought a little tv to make the time go faster when I ride, and hate to say that I have used it very little.

My goal currently is to lose 25 pounds.

Yes, that would 25 of these!

I will see how that goes and I may do a second twenty-five. I shall wait and see.

So I’m hanging it all out to the world.

My goals are as follows:

1. Lose twenty five pounds
2. Exercise daily, beginning with 10 minutes and adding 5 minutes weekly
until I am up to 30 minutes daily.

For any of you younger readers who might need to lose some weight, I would say to do it now, not later. As we age the skin loses its elasticity and believe me.....when I say that my body looks like a balloon from which all of the air was released!! (Thank goodness for clothes!!) I shall leave you with that picture!!

Here’s to healthy eating, moderate portions, and success!

Update---Friday May 16, 2007
This morning I have 4 pounds off
I have not started my exercising : (

Update---Friday May 23, 2007
This morning I have 7 pounds off (total)
Still no exercising! It's coming, tho : )

Happy Mother's Day!

Sunday is Mother's Day in the US. Most of the efforts, sacrifices, and expressions of love our mothers have given us will not be the lead story on the news. Their recognition will be more personal. But what matter is not the scope of the appreciation but its genuineness.

On this special day, may we thank God for the mothers who have molded our hearts. As we honor them, we fulfill the truth of Proverbs 31:28, "Her children rise up and call her blessed: her husband also, and he praises her."

Bill Crowder from Our Daily Bread

Someone sent me the above. I enjoyed the sentiment expressed,
so I dissected it, copied, and pasted.

Happy mother's day to all of you who read this. We have one of the hardest jobs in the world, but also one of the most blessed!

Nothing touches a child like a mother's heart.

My Little Drummer Boy

My fourteen year old grandson, Elliot,

is a drummer boy in the lst Oregon, 20th Maine volunteer Infantry Civil War re-enactments. He is totally immersed in this part of our history and has been doing this for two years. He tends to zero in on one thing and it becomes the focal part of his life for a few years.

Twelve years old--his brand new uniform for which he saved $100 to pay for it.
You can tell he takes all of this very seriously!

The groups meet all through the summer and act out battles. Little Elliot and all of these grown men, are play-acting a battle, which looks and sounds pretty real with cannons, fake gun fire and so on. (You get the picture). I didn't enjoy watching. It was too real for comfort. They were tending to their wounded, which Elliot does when he is not drumming! But for right now, he loves it and he is counting down the days until his first re-enactment of the year in 14 days! I should add that his mom goes with him to all of the re-enactments. She dresses in period costume to fit in with all of the other ladies of that era.

At times they have overnight camps, set up tent cities and it is all quite realistic. Groups of family and others used to follow the men and set up shop in tents where they camped.

The men and boys all have their 100% wool uniforms on, horrid old black boots that hurt, I'm sure, and 100% cotton shirts under their jackets. The shirts are a wrinkled mess as soon as they put them on.

In January I let him order some civil war stuff off the internet which he keeps here and plays with when he visits.
He visited this week-end and had a great time planning battles, etc. He runs to the computer to look up some fact from history, then comes back and sets it up for his imaginary battles. He took about twenty five photos. I chose a few as he will be disappointed if I don't "publish" any of his photos!!

Before it was the Civil War, trains were the top interest for many years, and before that, it was vacuums! When he out grew his trains, we brought them up here to my garage. This week-end I asked him to set up the train table. So he did, and of course, had to take more pictures.

All of you with boys will be familiar with Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his other engine friends, whose names I used to know, but have forgotten.

I do remember "Sir Topham Hat" who ran the railway!

Do these look familiar to any of you?

Here's the whole train yard ready for play by my little visitors!

Another week-end with my sweet Elliot boy is over for this time. He returns home to continue school. This week will be his last track meet and I didn't get to one of them this year! I can't believe that he will be a freshman in high school next year.

I miss the toddler years. We spent so much time together having all kinds of adventures. Alas, we cannot go back, except in pleasant memories! ...and below are some of my memories!

P.S. Elliot's daddy sent me this email this morning. "We just received a letter from Elliot's unit and he was awarded "Rookie of the Year." Way to go son!"