It was a special Thanksgiving as we were all together for the first time since 2003 and only the 4th time in the past eleven years. Since the day was so warm we were able to spread out. The kids ate on the front porch and the adults on the other side of the window in the dining room. Popdaddy had not been doing well on Wednesday and Alex had spent several hours in the ER because of his asthma so for only the 2nd time in memory I missed the Thanksgiving Service, my favorite church service of the year. But it was a pleasant morning preparing the house for my family. Since Carl and Kimberly wouldn't be here for Christmas we were exchanging the kids gifts and the NiNi PJ's that night--and in the hurry of getting ready for Thanksgiving I had forgotten I needed to get them labeled and stuffed in their fleece backpacks and the nightgowns for the girls wrapped so I had time to do that. Kimberly, Alex, Daniel and, of course, Samuel, were home as well so we enjoyed watching the Macy's Parade (the first time I had ever seen it) together (well, I got glimpses of it between my hustling about).
Carl was given the honor of carving the turkey as the oldest son. I had the fun of making a beautiful table this year. I had purchased pretty Thanksgiving paper plates and cloth napkins in fall colors and had them in napkin rings on the plates. I even splurged on a centerpiece. Because the table was so pretty and because we were eating at two tables, we decided to only put the turkey and the rolls on the table and left all the other food on a table in the kitchen. (Did that keep us from eating seconds and thirds? I don't think so-but maybe we got a little exercise having to walk to the kitchen for them.)
A wonderful whirlwind week! Last Saturday we finally took Jacob on his birthday outing. We visiting the B & O Museum. It was the first time for all of us and a treat. We had so much fun that we decided to join and so we will be returning several times in the next year and each time we can take four children with us--so maybe we should rent ourselves out. "Rent a NiNi"? There were both indoor and outdoor exhibits. We chose a beautiful sunny day to go so it was fun to be outside. We got a ride on a diesel locomotive, which was fun for me because it reminded me of trips I used to take with my mom to visit my grandmom in Virginia but a little disappointing as well because it never picked up any speed and only lasted about 15-20 minutes. There is an outdoor train garden that appears to be open all the time. They were constructing a Christmas garden inside while we were there. Jacob enjoyed this crane which can ride on rails. He named it a "crane train" and thought that was quite hilarious.
Afterwards, we had a late lunch at Fuddrucker's in White Marsh. The whole day was fun and we all enjoyed having that special time with just one grandchild.
Keep watching this spot for more about our "Whew" week!
Popdaddy was in a mood to share memories. He talked about working on the Skyline Drive. The way he got the job was that some men near Mom's home had rented their trucks for the use of the crew and Dad rode along with them to deliver them. The foreman said they needed a man to operate a piece of machinery (sorry I forget what it is called). But the requirement for the man hired was that he had to be able to do a 1/10th grade (I have no idea what I am talking about, just repeating the story). Dad said he got cold feet at that point, I assume that was very difficult to do. But the man told him to just give it a try since he was there. So Dad said he practiced all through the men's lunch break and the foreman never told him to stop so he got the job. The pay was 40 cents a hour.
My sister Peggy was just a few months old when he started working on the road. My mom and Peggy stayed with her parents while my dad boarded on the mountain. When Peggy was six months old they joined him--a surprise to Dad. My aunt and uncle brought them and Dad was in a nearby town when they arrived and was surprised to find them in his room when he returned.
Then he told of buying a Ford Roadster from a young man who was going to college and needed to sell it. He bought it for $40.00 and made a lot of improvements on it. It was a second car for him, he also had a Chrysler but wanted to save it since the mountain road was not very good. He told of driving the mountain road and the curves were so sharp that he had to back up and try again several times to get around some of them. He also told of a time that he and Mother needed to go off the mountain to get groceries. It was sleeting and they were in the Chrysler but as they took a slight grade the Chrysler just spun its wheels. They returned to the boarding house and got the Roadster and it took the road just like it was a dry road. Then he chuckled and said how silly they were for even going off the mountain when there was a small store nearby. I imagine Mother wasn't willing to pay the higher prices at the small store!
It is always a blessing to hear Dad pray. He expresses such gratefulness in his conversations with God. Today he even thanked God for the good health he enjoys--for his age!
In my morning quiet time I read Psalm 146 & 147 and it just so spoke to me that I decided to type them out here. What riches there are in these verses and so apropos to focus my mind on this week before Thanksgiving.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes (or presidents, senators, congressman), in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help in the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keep faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed (our persecuted brothers and sisters?), who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, you God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! ~ Psalm 146
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nations; they do not know his rules. Praise the Lord! ~ Psalm 147
Wow! Thank you, David, for putting all that down for us--who could express it better?
I really did intend to do this every day but somehow the days get away from me. It has been a rather uneventful few days--for which I am very thankful!
I am thankful for:
Sunday -
- the privilege to sit under the teaching of men who not only know God's laws but live them
- worshipping without fear when so many of our Christian brothers and sisters in the world must hide and worship in secret
- the wonder of having God's very own Word in my hands for my very own--and in several translations--when much of the world is happy to have a portion of it to share with many others
- that God loves me, not because I am worthy of it, but because He is
- time to relax and recharge for the new week, spend time with family, and just "being"
Monday -
- grace for a new week
- strength to get through a busy day
- a phone call from a friend just to see if I was having a good day
- a hubby who extends mercy when he finds out (on the way home from work) that his wife forgot to put the planned turkey tenderloin in the Crock-Pot
- that there is a Wendy's on the way home from work
- an evening of relaxation
- that I made it through the day without cheating on my vow of fasting from white sugar--and I had made cookies over the weekend!
Tuesday -
- a very good night's rest and waking refreshed
- a calm day (relatively)
- made it through Day 2 of "The Sugar Fast", although I did have a small slice of pumpkin bread that Sharon Huber made for the office. I think I convinced myself that she had sweetened it with organic honey.
- I did resist the glazed donut offered by a student (although I did take it--it was in celebration of getting a good grade on her spelling test--I gave it to Ryan after lunch)
- that I did remember to put the turkey in the Crock-Pot this morning and we were rewarded with a delicious dinner tonight
- that I work with such a wonderful group of people--an example of the body of Christ working together to do His will
- that I look forward to a day off tomorrow--and a day with some of the grans!
This has been a very wearying week and so I haven't spent much time on the computer at home--my eyes were blurry from spending so much time on it during the day! But the week is over and the projects completed and in the mail--and I am very thankful for that.
Things I am thankful for this week:
- that I was home on Wednesday because our refrigerator, which has been on its last leg for months, finally died. The freezer part became refrigerator temperature and the refrigerator a less than acceptable temperature for anything that could spoil easily. So I spent a good portion of the day moving things from the freezer to the freezer section of the fridge in the garage.
- that we have a refrigerator in the garage
- that I was able to get into church on Wednesday evening when the office was (relatively) quiet and make copies for the mailing that needed to go out (535 copies)
- that, even though I had neglected to check on our OBCM stationery supplies, we had enough with a few to spare
- that the copier decided to jam continually on Thursday afternoon (at the end of a very weary day). This needs an explanation (because I am not usually grateful when bad things happen--and quite frankly was not at the time, either): Pastor Dave was not in the office most of the day on Thursday and so I was not able to have him proof the bulletin before I ran it off. Since I am doing that project in the busy front office where I am frequently interrupted, it is important to have someone else (with knowledge of what should be in there) read it carefully, because there is always something to change. Because he wasn't there I proofed it myself and thought I was being careful, but I was very tired. As a result I did miss something very important. Because the copier jammed Pastor Dave was able to proof and catch the error on Friday morning before I ran the final copies.
- that the copier ran perfectly on Friday morning and I was able to print the corrected bulletin with no problem (although I had to take them home with me to stuff as I ran out of time during the day).
- that Dad made it through two days without one of his key medications and one day without another (his usual nurse was away and neither the substitute nurse nor I noticed until he was out)
- that Dad's meds were delivered on Friday before Deneen left so that she was able to replenish his supply
- that Shawn was able to be home when the refrigerator was delivered
- that my husband granted my desire to have a certain refrigerator, even though it was $300 more than the one he thought was adequate. Now I have a bigger refrigerator (20 cubic) with the freezer on the bottom--I love it!
- that the new refrigerator fit perfectly in the space we had (although I now have to find a new place to store my mops--they fit nicely between the old refrigerator and the wall)
- that the refrigerator was delivered on a Friday so that I have Saturday to move everything from the garage to the new fridge
- that God blessed our Ladies' Prayer Breakfast this morning. I really did NOT feel like rolling out of bed at 5:45 this morning. I did not have a scripture planned but God did and six ladies sat around a table and sang, discussed the Scripture I had chosen (Psalm 69), discussed what our enemies are as, unlike David, a physical person is not trying to kill us; but we all have enemies in our own desires. Each of the ladies shared a praise and we laughed and thanked God and prayed.
- for Dieter Jacob who volunteered to bring breakfast for us and took great joy in serving us. What a treat! I have never had bagels with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers--it was good!
- for the chocolate muffin also
- that my hubby still accompanied me to the breakfast and assisted Dieter, that he didn't have to think about the menu or shop
- for the beautiful fall colors--finally!
- that God's mercies are new every morning
As Dad's caregiver, Deneen, still had a sick baby, I arranged to go into the office late. I am so thankful for the understanding and flexible staff. It was the Pastor Appreciation Breakfast and Germaine was helping with that downstairs, so she would not be in the front office as normal. And on Tuesdays, Shari has a meeting at her church and doesn't get in until 9:00 a.m. So it wasn't the best day for me to be in late but everyone rallied and worked it out--graciously and with smiles. Sherry McCurley was accompanying Dave to the breakfast and volunteered to come in with him early and man the front desk until the breakfast started at 9:00. Since I didn't get in until close to 9:30 Germaine gave up her own time at the breakfast so that Sherry could join her husband. What giving people I work with! What a blessing they are.
Because I had not been able to serve my soup to the staff on Monday as scheduled, I made another pot and completed them both at home and provided soup for the staff on Tuesday. I am thankful for their grace in my blunder on Monday and how appreciative they were to have lunch provided on Tuesday. Jill Greenlee was so excited that she sent someone out to provide bread to go along with it. So God turned a disaster into a blessing!
I am thankful also that Bill and I were invited to the Elders/Deacons Banquet at the Steak & Ale restaurant last night and that both Shawn and Ryan were able to be home with Popdaddy. It was an unexpected treat--and delicious! Since Bill no longer serves as a deacon I had not expected to be a part of that so it was really a blessing. Again I am thankful for sweet friends--as Sherry realized the situation yesterday and put the bug in her husband's ear that--"Bill and Denise should be invited!" Caring friends are wonderful.
God is so good!
What a crazy day! It started out so well, too. After a whole week of letting exercise slide, we were up and at the gym by 6:00 a.m. for a 35 workout on the crosstrainer. I had taken such care to make sure I had everything I needed to change and head to work. However, when I went to the locker room to change, it hit me that I had forgotten my shoes. I decided that I really didn't want to spend the day in a skirt, sneakers and socks. I had enough time to head back home and get my shoes, although that would mean no time to stop for a cup of tea and Bible time. So I was feeling a little grumpy as I dashed into the house. As I went through the kitchen I noticed that the message light was flashing on the answering machine. I almost didn't listen to it, thinking it had been Bill trying to get ahold of Ryan before he left the house. But I did. It was Deneen, Popdaddy's caregiver. She wasn't feeling well and had a sick baby she needed to take to the doctor. She didn't have my cell phone number so if I hadn't come home I wouldn't have gotten her message. So for Monday I am thankful for a forgetful brain blip.
I am thankful also for forgiving staff members. Monday was Souper Monday and I had signed up to bring a pot of soup. I had cooked potatoes in chicken broth all night and planned to take it to church and thicken it and add the milk to make cream of potato soup. However, there was a little miscommunication about kitchen use (and I will forgo those details) and I was unable to use the stove. So the staff had to make do with one pot of soup and since many of them were counting on soup for their lunch I am sure some went home hungry. But everyone was very gracious about it and today I am preparing the soup all at home and bringing in two pots to try to make up for my blunder yesterday.
I am thankful for our small group on Sunday and the lesson that prepared me for Monday. As I left the gym to head home I just felt overwhelmed with sadness. It just seems that I am really feeling like I can't cope with the many directions I am pulled. I really felt I was beginning to feel what it was like to be truly depressed. Because I had a little extra time at home (I called my sister, Peggy and asked if she could come earlier than her normal time and she arrived at about 9:00) I was able to have that Bible time. I remembered our assignment from small group was to have a plan to pray for each of the fruits of the Spirit. And so as I sat down with my Bible I just asked the Lord to replace my sadness with His joy. And He did--although it was tested when I arrived at school to be twarted in my soup making attempts, and I succumbed to my own spirit, He was able to send encouragement and put a smile back on my face and eventually my heart as well.) So I am thankful for friends who encourage and lift me up.
Deneen took her baby to the doctor and found that she has a strep infection so won't be here again today. So again I am thankful that I have a boss who is flexible and compassionate and is allowing me to come in late again. And providing his wife to fill in until I get there! It turns out that today is Pastor Appreciation Day at school and there is a breakfast at 9:00 a.m. so Sherry will come in with Dave and cover my desk until then. God is good! If I could just remember that minute by minute and not allow Satan to overwhelm me. I am still a work in progress!
So I am also thankful for two extra mornings with Dad this week. That time in the morning over coffee is really precious.
It has been a stressful week for a variety of reasons and I have neglected my thankfulness journey--which probably hasn't helped the stress level. I am stepping out in faith and bringing myself into thankfulness mode because I made a promise to God and because I know I need to do it. But right now I am feeling that life is overwhelming me. And so I am not going to recount those things that have me feeling overwhelmed but instead am just going to try to focus on the things I know I should be thankful for:
- I have the gift of life
- I have good health at the moment
- We have an abundance of good food to choose from
- Our growing family--both in and out of the womb!
- I am thankful, so thankful, that I am only responsible for obedience to God and that He is responsible for the results.
- I am thankful for my children who all have a personal, growing relationship with Christ and are taking that faith to greater heights than ours
- I am thankful that my daughters by love are all better homeschool teachers than I was and that my grandchildren are being so well prepared for whatever the Lord leads them to be
- I am thankful that Dad is with us and we can care for him at this stage of his life, that he came through this latest bout of illness very quickly (he was in bed for a couple of days and congested)
- I am very thankful for a day away with a friend to just go shopping, eat and hang out on Thursday.
- Also thankful for a wonderful evening with OBCA teachers at our first staff retreat. (Note to those in LIFE Ministry who will be taking the Spanish class--ask Luisa about the special meal they serve to honor people in Peru. (She had us in stitches talking about it--although your children might not think it is funny.)
- I am thankful for a husband who works hard and thrives on it--and has patience with his wife who doesn't!
- Most of all I am thankful that I belong to a faithful God who is not finished with me--by a long shot!
