THE SAGA CONTINUES

Wow! I love my grandkid time - but I sure have found that a major deterrent to writing in the blog. In addition to my adorable grandkids there has been a LOT going on! Some I will wait to share....but the good times have included:

Exciting progress on one of my bucket list items - - I will report on that when it comes to fruition....

July 29-30 A trip to Leavenworth to see THE SOUND OF MUSIC in an outdoor theater. Two daughters, 6 grandkids, Pa and I were on the trip. The salient highlights of the trip were the production - and my visit with my friend, Lucy, for a few hours on Friday the 30th. We first met when we were 8 years old. Now she and her husband are up to their gills in being antique dealers - - in a wonderful shop with lots of dealers in Cashmere. What a treat!

July 31 Helped with Children's Church for the Saturday night worship service.

August 1 I was a last-minute fill-in helper for Children's worship for the 11:00 a m service

August 1 Two grandkids came for overnight - and 2 more came for Monday, for a total of 4. The only reason the other two weren't here was that they were at summer camp!

August 3 I had 4 of my college friends here for dinner. Of that group, 3 are pastors. What a treat to have that shared time. I would have loved for it to last longer - but what a gift. I'm 'logging on' for a longer visit when we get to heaven! I relish the memory of it. With the visit with Lucy in Cashmere, and then the visit with Dave, Judy, Dan and Anita on Tuesday, it just extended the 1960's College Reunion ambiance! What a joy! What memories!

August 5 My brother Ken arrived for a visit (from Idaho).

August 6 we celebrated my eldest grandson's GED. All 4 of our kids were there - a rare treat. We didn't have the 2 kids who were away at camp - or one son-in-law who was in his softball league state championship - but considering how hard it is to get everyone together - it was good!

That night, Erin and her two youngest stayed overnight so they could go pick Mak up at camp the next morning, and Kami was here overnight - and my brother - so it was a fairly full house.

August 8 we entertained a group of 30 for the West Tacoma Newsprint Reunion.

August 9 I spent the day with my brother, Ken.

August 10 The Meyer kids came down to spend the night. Ken stayed to see them - then headed south about 2 p m.

August 11 That's today! I had the Olson kids for the day - plus the 3 Meyers until about 1:30....

That's the nutshell version.

Just want you to know I have missed getting to write - - and have missed my pursuit for finding answers - - or at least defining questions - - regarding the eschatological quest.

Hope I can get back to this soon - - but it seems that the other blogs I read regularly are in the same boat - busy!

I planned to add a couple of other photos - but it isn't working....so I'll hope to do that later....

THE GIFT OF TIME

Wow! My eldest granddaughter has really entertained the troops today! What a joy! So - I'm taking a little get-away and spending some more time in my office while they traipse off to pick wild berries.... I only had 2 cousins that I saw regularly growing up - and they were a lot older than I was - so I treasure the time my grandkids have with each other - building memories....

But I wonder about their future. Those of us who did a good chunk of our growing up in the 1950's lived in a Pollyanna world politically - or so it seemed. I do remember being terrified of airplanes as a younger kid - fearing it could be the Japanese coming to bomb us. And I grew up fearing the Russians - who were our sworn enemies - but they all seemed so very distant.

Then I grew up. The world got a lot smaller. And my views were informed by being exposed to realities I had not previously known. That process continues, actually! But - with that, I live with an awareness of how fragile the continued existence of the world is. We used to be concerned about someone 'pushing the red button' that would bring nuclear disaster - now we have to be more concerned about the apathy that is paving the way for terrorist ideology to destroy everything we know.

I've begun wondering how a country like Turkey - which was Christian - became Muslim, and I found a fairly concise reply on site called Christian History.com. What I read was shocking. The extremists were ignored until it was too late - then genocide followed. The short version is that all who didn't comply were killed.

We are a country who champions religious freedom. It has even become a dividing factor within Christian churches. Everyone has an opinion. But the bottom line is what God thinks - and His Word portrays Him accurately and clearly. And - - when we lack wisdom, He promises us that he gives liberally to all who ask....yet it is still in His time.... He is in the driver's seat!

SENIOR ROAD TRIP

In lieu of what I'd love to write today - I am just going to give you the treat of a cute story....I have 4 grandkids here - so my time is parametered for me!

SENIOR ROAD TRIP - author unknown - I received it as an e-mail....

While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and resumed their trip.

When leaving, the elderly woman accidentally left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes.


By then, to add to their aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around, in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.

All the way back, the elderly husband was the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became…. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute.


To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card."


This coming week is National Senior Mental Health Week…. You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable Senior to show you care.

HOME AGAIN!

This weekend marked the 10th gathering of 1960's-era students who attended Northwest College - now University.... Well, '60's era plus a few additions....

I have not made it to all of them - - but have loved being there for most of them, beginning with my first gathering at the home of Dale and Phyllis Larson.... Their kind hospitality made it easy to feel welcomed, and created a trust level for going again the next year. That reunion took us to Molalla, Oregon, to the home of Ray and Becki Sparre - a very special , memorable time - again filled with welcome - and then because Elvin Huston had a relationship with his former Sunday School teacher in Sedro Woolley, our next gathering was at Danny and LaVonda Vandenburg's private campground - and we've been going back ever since annually in July for what Ray Sparre dubbed 'a blessed reconvergence.'

The participants fluctuate a bit each year - - but it is always a wonderful time of reconnecting; and relationships are being forged through the reunions - not just with who we knew in college - and that is an additional blessing. We take our trips down memory lane - that is true - but we also share the present - what is going on in each others' lives and ministries...and it is a precursor of the joy heaven will offer.

It was hard at first for me to go. My perfect plan of changing the world didn't happen the way I planned. I blew it - ruined a good friendship by marrying the guy - got a divorce - felt like I was the only failure in the whole school.... So - connecting was hard at first. Even though I had recommitted my life to the Lord within 2 years after walking away from Him, I gave wide berth to friendships of the past, afraid of further rejection - but God had a bigger plan. Not just for me, but for many who needed to find the comfort of His amazing grace and healing in reconciling past with present. He forgave freely - and His mercy was extended. He paid the price for my sin and offered pardon without recrimination - but dealing with people.... That was harder. Joyfully, God's grace extended even there....

Every person I've talked to who has been willing to step beyond their fears and step toward the loving arms of welcome have been joyfully accepted. It is healing and wonderful - and such a testimony of what heaven will be.

God has used everything that has ever happened to me for His glory - redeemed it by allowing me to help someone else along the way because of pain I suffered....and through the N C reunions, He has affirmed that. A few people appear to have made it through to this point unscathed, without making huge mistakes, and I applaud their commitment and faithfulness - but those of us who faltered or failed and have recommitted are also blessed, because we are very aware how much God has done for us, and we are his arms extended - - a model of His grace, beckoning others: come, be blessed, receive the comfort of friends who care and share the journey...who share a history together...who share roots. We're family! Weekends like this affirm that reality!

If the Lord doesn't return before July 2011, come....

YOU'RE TURNING 65....

I was getting irritated by the plethora of reminders that the magic age of '65' was just a hop, skip and jump away. But - the perpetual reminders - - and having my current health insurance company call me to remind me I needed to follow through on signing up for Medicare - - motivated me to do just that. I knew my full retirement age wasn't going to happen until age 66....but had decided to sign up for the Social Security benefits anyway so it would pay the Medicare Part B premiums without my having to pay for it out-of-pocket. My current health insurance is a whopping $688.00 per month - and just getting rid of that monthly bill was something to look forward to. Al retired April 2005 - and after COBRA ran out for me, I've had to pay for private insurance - and it is expensive!!!! But necessary, in case of the unknown happening.... But getting rid of that payment is like getting a paycheck - and taking my S S early to cover the cost of Part B - and once I sort it out, Prescription Drug Coverage....is, well, delicious.

Still, I have a feeling like 'waiting for the other shoe to drop.' This is all new territory - unexplored for me. But - in light of the alternative - I'm welcoming the journey!

I was practically giddy with incredulity last night when I found out I'd be getting a much larger paycheck than I expected....and my first joy was "I will have something to tithe." Thank you, Lord, for your blessings that allow us to be a blessing.

Yesterday I read Daniel 1 - 6; and finished Daniel today - - but will be going back to the last half of the book and doing more research. I know I'm in over my head - but am not in over God's head - so am interested to see where the exploration takes me, all the while knowing He will only reveal what He is ready to have me know.... And, knowing that knowing is not as important as trusting....daily and completely. But there is that fig tree....

LIFE HAPPENS!

It has been crazy-busy - - and I still have a ton to do in my office - - but I just had to pop in to say hi to my few faithful friends who actually check....

I cleaned and cleaned to get ready for the Women's Retreat that happened here - - a Women's Ministry Leaders Retreat for 6 ladies who needed a place to get away for a couple of days. We babysat while Erin was here with the group...but got to sleep in the camper at night while the kids slept at Lynley's.... It all went well - - and it gave me enormous joy to know the house was being used for something so special. Al got to spend some time with the ladies. He took them ziplining - - and all 6 tried it - - some of them twice. And - - when they went out for their morning walk on Friday, they ran into him and invited him in to have a waffle with them. That was pretty sweet!

Before I got so busy cleaning in preparation for the retreat I finished the book I was reading, but haven't had a chance to write anything about it. It is titled THE AMERICAN PROPHECIES, and is by a Middle East consultant named Michael D. Evans. Anyone who is curious about the role the U S has played in Israel's well-being - the off-spring of Isaac - - and conversely in the countries who are descendants of Ishmael, should read the book. It was an eye-opener. We have straddled the fence and helped both - -yet the Bible is very clear that those who help Israel will be blessed, while those who do not will be - - I hate to say it - - cursed....

I'm just reporting. I didn't establish the parameters. But we need to pay attention. My heart is heavy with the implications.

INTERRUPTING THE 'FLOW' FOR LIFE

Recently it has been such a whirlwind of 'have-to-do' that I haven't had time for my quest.... I'll skip the details - but yesterday brought a welcome break after spending about 9 hours 'cleaning' house!

One daughter, son-in-law, their 3 kids, Al and I took a 6-mile bike ride on the Chehalis Western Trail. We drove to a different access point and went a direction I had not gone before. It was a delightful reprieve. And delightful that I never ever felt winded or had to push my bike.... Though I did stop for a railroad crossing while going uphill a bit - and stayed straddled on the bike, while I walked forward a few steps to be able to begin again.... It gave Miah a good laugh.

Today and tomorrow are 'vacation days' for us to share with 6 grandkids.... We have a plan - - one I am certain will be adapted and tweaked as we enjoy the next couple of days together. They are growing up so quickly! In fact, the 'baby' will be 4 on Thursday.