I Did It My Way.

This is Memorial Day - how many Americans have given all they had to give when serving our nation?
How many are the battlefields revisited by those who fought there - those who still hear the sounds of gunfire, the cries of the injured, the tears of defeat....or as they look around at a place no longer a battlefield, remember it as a place of victory?  Some of them might remember the victory as being his or her survival itself.
It's a day to honor those who fought, and who died ~ who still fight and die; and to honor those who still live with the pain of what war can do to a man, or a woman, or their family.
It's also a day to be counted....not just as an American, but as a Christian. This is because of the truth that before there was America, before there were the written words of  the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution, and even before the blood that was shed in the making of a new nation, there was a man named Jesus~God's Son.
And the blood which HE shed to set us free. 
Not just for a young nation born so many centuries later, nor just for this world which has struggled since God created it.... but for mankind ~ who has struggled with sin, and with war; with tyranny, and with persecution.
As Christians, persecution, rejection, (and yet so many blessings) have been ours to carry through our lives ~ as well as the truth(s) in God's Word.  And when (with the leading of the Holy Spirit) we step out in faith to share that Word, well, we leave ourselves open to a lot. 

Facebook is a wonderful thing - it's a modern day network which helps us to share in the lives of friends and family.  A way we can connect with people we love, people from our past who are still important to us, those whom we still hold in our heart after many years of separation due to time and distance.
There, we can express who we are - what's important to us....and what we hold dear in our lives.

I am blessed because I am an American - free because of what countless men and women have given.  Past and present.
Still, God blessed me first in what He gave me in the life and death and Resurrection of His Son
He chose America to be my home, but gave me His Kingdom to be my life. 
So, it was important to me ~ as a Christian ~ to share this while giving thanks for those who have served our nation, and who still serve today. Every time that we share His Word, we risk a lot. But we risk even more by not sharing it.

And so on Facebook this morning, in a small but satisfying way, I did it my way. 
Thank you, Lord for giving me the faith which You need me to share.  And for placing me in a home called America where I can share it in freedom.

Beyond The Joy

Our prayers for Laurie, (and those you spoke for her as well), were answered on a rainy Sunday night a couple of weeks ago when her deployment ended as she and more than 200 other soldiers marched into the gymnasium on post. Shouts of welcome went to the rafters as they lined up for the ceremony...all the while trying to look like the warriors they are.  Laurie knew where we were sitting but we couldn't see her in the sea of dust and camouflage.  And of course they had their hats on so we couldn't see their faces very clearly.  But we knew that somewhere in that bunch of thankful soldiers, OUR soldier was there, and that she probably didn't take her eyes off Kasey as he looked for his mom and held up his Welcome Home Mom! sign. 
The National Anthem, welcoming remarks by the battalion commander, the brigade song, and the Army fight song all went by fairly quickly  and then, "DISMISSED" was all we heard before the troops were, well, dismissed to their loved ones.  Since there was a camera in the gymnasium that allowed the returned soldiers to see us from where they had landed, Laurie pretty much knew where she would find Kasey - and she did found Kasey quickly, she picked him up, and held him for a long, long time...and he held on to his mom just as long.  When they separated, there were tears streaming down Laurie's cheeks, and sheepish grins kept breaking out on Kasey's little face as he handed her a bouquet of roses.  Then Laurie's embrace for her dad, who was actually crying harder than I, and then for me....and the group hug.  Our friends were there as well, so pictures were taken of all....my dear friend Sharon had taken the pictures so that Ron and I could enjoy the moments.
Laurie searched out some of her soldiers in the crowd, and while they called her ma'am out of respect for her rank, she hugged them in return.  Her soldiers - and they all came home. 
After the joy, the embraces, the gathering up of  back packs and ruck sack, we walked through the rain to the truck, and began the short trip home.  We all tried to talk at once. I had made some of her favorite food items, and she walked from room to room, taking in the wonder of being home.  Kasey slept in his mom's bed that night, and in the morning she Skyped with Stephen - THIS time not from a tent with spiders and mice under her bed, but from the comfort of the couch at home in her pjs.  
Through it all, I've tried to imagine what it was like....what does a soldier think when he or she waits on the other side of the double doors before marching into the welcome ceremony?  Do they know that they will lock their eyes on their loved ones and not let their glance move away except for the right face to salute the flag during the National Anthem?  What do the embraces of their loved ones feel like - are they warm enough?  Welcoming enough? Thankful enough?  Is that even possible after a year in Afghanistan?
All of these things a mom wonders while giving thanks that all of her prayers have been answered.  Those beginning of the day prayers when she knows her soldier's day is about over, the afternoon prayers when she prays her soldier is getting a good night's sleep without hearing the sound of bombs, or mortar fire, or fighting...and the middle of the night prayers when all a mom can do is thank God that He is listening to her heart because she can't find the words. 
There are the things to come..... after this is all over - when Stephen is home safely, and their little family is whole again.  What then?
It's simple.  A little boy named Kasey can wake up in the morning and know that his mom and his dad are here with him and that on any (and every) given day, there will be laughter and fun and hugs and love. 
Love - the very key to how a family endures all that is asked of them.
I guess the Lord - through the apostle Paul - says it best with his words in 1 Corinthians 13:7 when speaking of love....

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

^{When a child returns from war, it's hard to imagine there is anything greater than this.  
Oh, but there is. 
God's love.}

Baseball Hats, Homework, and.... Mountain Lions?????

Ron just left with Kasey for his little league baseball game.  It's a chilly one tonight, and windy; but naturally Kasey has the idea that because he's into sports, this means he is a macho man.....no long sleeved shirts under his team shirt.  "Grandma, I don't need to keep my arms warm. I can just wear a jacket.  (lol because he is so serious about it).  HATS???  Are you kidding?  Part of his uniform....but he wanted to just wear any baseball hat.  Ummm, no again Kasey.  Of course it was easier to do that than for him to find his correct hat.  But Grandma, always the thinker, (and the finder) found his hat upstairs on the bathroom vanity since he hit the shower as soon as he got home from practice last night.  A belt???  Ummm, yes Kasey, you run bases and we don't want you to lose your pants when you are sliding into home.   So, it was interesting this afternoon getting him out the door to his baseball game.  Once he gets there, he forgets that his grandma was a pain in the neck and concentrates on hitting, and fielding, and throwing.  I love that little boy.  

Of course every day - baseball, karate, or anything else that might be going on, there is homework.  Spelling, math, and reading.  We let him have a half hour to unwind after he gets home from school - we usually let him have a snack while he's doing his homework. Anyway a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down....right?  
Those are the things that are new with Kasey.  Except that every day I KNOW he wakes up thinking about the fact that he is one day closer to Mommy coming home.  And actually, to his Daddy coming home too because each day is one more day off the deployment time for his dad.

So the phone rang this afternoon and it was my friend next door.  Just yesterday at knitting we were talking about the bear scat that Ron found in the front yard on Tuesday.  We live on a mountain - black bears are a given.  They sleep in the winter, but come April, it's wake up time.  All year long there are herds of deer wandering through our yard and the neighborhood at all times of the night and day.  The deer, are, well, adorable.  Even the faces on the bears are kind of cute.  Big eyes....and they aren't really afraid of people...that's not good for sure. 
But when my friend called today she had not been able to sleep last night and she looked out her bedroom window because she heard some noise in the back yard.  And she saw a mountain lion.  Right under their bedroom window.  That would be just yards from our back yard.  Bears and deer and maybe even a rattle snake or two (never have seen one but they are here).  But Mountain Lions?  Ummmm, no. They are beautiful, but no....not in our back yard. I don't think so.
There is a song I LOVE from Vacation Bible School a long time ago when Scott and Laurie were little. 
All God's Critters Have a Voice in the Choir.  I love this song - sing it a lot around the house....lucky Ron...if it's not All God's Critters, it's the Hallelujah Chorus.  Funny.  Anyway, the critters were here LONG before we were, it's their territory.  I would just prefer not to hear them singing.  Especially not in our back yard.
Thanking God for the joy of the journey - may He bless you my friends. 

Not Just a New Title

For awhile now, I've been wanting to change the title of this blog.  Sure, we are still experiencing wonderful things and adventures right here where we are, but a recent turn in my path has led me to a stronger faith, and a desire to do more.  To live more.  And to walk more faithfully along the path God would have me walk. 
I will still be blogging about the every day things, but maybe a little more about where God has placed me.  about the blessings I have realized these past several months.
The path He gives to me could be narrower - or He just might open it up to a whole new world.  He has already....and though I've been a believer for all of my life, this is a new journey...
Still me, but someone who is going to follow a new path - a second journey of faith that I believe will be even more blessed than the first. 
Can that even be possible?

And God Bless Our Soldiers in Affaghanistan.....

Things have been a little busy around here as we have become Kasey's legal guardians with Stephen's deployment beginning.  Kasey is pretty good but some days seems like he is putting one foot in front of the other.  Just as we sometimes do. Laurie will be home soon - and Laurie and Stephen did have some time together when Stephen arrived in Afghanistan.  This was good - at least Kasey knows his mom and dad were together for a few days.  They skyped once or twice and he was so surprised to see his mom and dad together.  Almost like being together as a family but not quite. Laurie is thankful to be coming home - but with eyes opened by the hell that she experienced.  I have two close friends who say that "war is hell"  and since their son has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, they would know. From where I'm looking, they are right.
Every night, Kasey says the prayer at dinner time - and he has his own special way of pronouncing Afghanistan.
There's an extra a in there somewhere.  At the end of his thanks for the "wonderful food" he says, "and please watch over the soldiers in Affaghanistan - especially mommy and daddy."
Meanwhile, I'll try to keep the "wonderful food"  on the table and, more importantly, will keep the prayers on my lips.  I don't understand it all, not sure I am supposed to, and I thank God that it's in HIS hands....every moment of every day - at home in Colorado, in Buffalo with Scott and Vi, and in a country called Affaghanistan as a little boy waits for his mom and dad.
And a grandma and grandpa count on the Lord's guidance to take care of this little boy.
It's not an exciting post, but true to the blogging philosophy, it's what's on my heart.
Thanks for listening.

When You Hear Your Name

Thanks for coming back - busy doesn't quite describe our lives these days.  Busy but AWESOME - now THAT'S much better.
March is big birthday month in our family - Kasey and Violet share the same birthday, March 6th.  And then there is me, the ides of March.  That would mean yesterday.  It was a biggie - I am now halfway between 60 and 70.  Do the math and you will understand why it was a bit traumatic to me - even more so than number 60.  There's medicare part b of course, and in this day and age, with health insurance being what it is - more expensive with less benefits - Medicare is an awesome thing.  SO,  I am thankful.  For every single day of those 65 years, but not just for the Medicare.

Now, I need to tell you why I haven't been here too often lately.  It's for a good reason - a blessed reason.  God called my name - and if you read my last post, about the Mary portrayal, understand that it was a true blessing.
My part was changed and I was another Mary - not obscure at all, but I didn't have as much background material available on the web, or in books.  Oh yes, there is one book I used continually in searching for who I needed to portray.   The Bible.
Now if I could tell you of the transformation - of the blessing, and the true amazement of what it has meant to me, well, it would take forever.  Because you see, I knew about Mary, Jesus' mother.  Lots more than I did about my Mary.  And that's the blessing - God meant for me to search His Word - and find things I will never forget.  Easter will never be the same to me.  Being a believer will never be the same to me either.  Nor will serving Him ever be the same.
The presentation turned out okay - had a little trouble with the microphone, but it turned out okay.  But last night, at choir rehearsal, when we were practicing our songs for Holy week, there was this huge lump in my throat as we sang a song about the crucifixion.  And tears threatened to spill onto the sheet music.

The path He showed me was a little out of my comfort zone, but in all of my 65 years, if I haven't heard Him call my name before, (but I think maybe I have),  this time I  heard it loud and clear.
And the person writing this post is not quite the same as the one who wrote the last.  She is just a little more sure now of who knows her name.
And when you hear Him call your name, well, make sure you answer.
Because even though you never know where He is going to take you -  the path is always blessed.

Blessings in Disguise

So a couple of weeks ago, our Pastor asked for volunteers for the weekly Lenten service dramas. I thought it would be fun.  Two services each Wednesday during Lent -afternoon and evening. Wednesdays are good for me - no fly fishing clubs for Ron, and although knitting group is on Wednesday, I can pick that up when things aren't so busy.
Anyway, Pastor had asked the volunteers to meet briefly after Bible Study a couple of weeks ago. There were five of us - 3 women, a Pastor who is a member and occasionally helps out,  and our Pastor.  So I was thinking, hmmmm, and where are the other volunteers?  A question soon answered when Pastor explained what our drama parts would be. (this same type of drama was done last year during Lent - and since I wasn't there, I didn't realize that I wasn't volunteering for a part in a skit).
We will be taking on the persona of someone in attendance at Jesus' crucifixion, and  we'll be giving a 15-17 minute dialogue - off the cuff - of our thoughts and of what is on our heart as we witness His suffering and death. Pastor will do the part of Jesus, Pastor M. the part of a Pharisee, and then there are parts for three others. Three women - the three Marys.  One lady spoke up right away to do the role of Mary Magdalene, and that left Mary, mother of James, and Mary, mother of the Lord.  I agreed to do the part of Mary, mother of Jesus. And oh my gosh, as I turned to leave, I thought "well now I've really done it."
But on the way home, thinking about it, some of the things that I want to express fell into place and I put some ideas down on paper when I got home. Was this really any different than some of the things I was blessed to be able to do at our church back in Hamburg?  I didn't take on a persona then - it was just me as I was leading devotions, or Bible studies, or worship. It's for a longer time -a longer period of time when I need to remember what I wanted to say.  And as I thought about that, the thought occurred to me that if I get this done without shedding tears it will be a small miracle.  How must have Mary felt? ...the emotions this poor woman must have experienced. Now I would be a mom, playing a mom who was watching her innocent son suffering on a cross.  Putting myself in her shoes will be impossible  but as a Christian who KNOWS this all took place - (and as a mom) - it will make things easier to express.
Mary - the mother of the Lord.  Not something I would normally tackle.  But in the next couple of weeks, as I write and begin to memorize what I will say, I know that the Holy Spirit will guide me.  I'll begin with Mary's reminiscences of Gabriel and her being pronounced as blessed amongst women.  The birth, the shepherds and the Kings with their gifts for this baby named Jesus....and the journey motherhood took her on....right up to the  cross on a hill where her son gave her to John to spend her remaining days with a new son. And her broken heart - not wanting a new son, but Jesus.
And in the end, I will recite the words she spoke as a young girl of 12...."I am the Lord's servant ... may it be to me as you have said."
Why am I telling you all this?  I'm not sure but probably because I have told you so many things these last few years that mean so much to me. 
It's another journey - and I am praying that I am worthy of the steps He has set before me. 

Thanks for letting me tell you.