Turn That Down, Please

When I go to the movies I always stay through all the credits. I'm not sure why, I just do.

On 9/11/11 we had the TV on all day.  We were heartbroken all over again,  and I listened to the reading of all the names. Watching George, Laura, Barrack, and Michelle console family members, moved me to tears.

I've come to the conclusion some of us spend so much of our time despising those created in the image of God.

Later on in the day, as some of the footage started to repeat, I googled the fall TV schedule.  Fox has a show premiering called "I Hate My Teen-age Daughter." No kidding. It's premise is; two best friends who were outcasts in HS, trying to raise  teen-age daughters which they've parented straight down the path to the mean girls who tormented them in high school. Seriously?

I've come to the conclusion that, this then, is the reason why radicals fly planes into our buildings.

And yet I found myself sitting before Survivor premier Wednesday night.  What will I watch, when will I watch, with whom will I watch? No worries, this is not one of those "I never watch TV posts."
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." ~ The Queen

I've come to the conclusion when  someone  claims, "I don't smoke and I don't chew and I don't go with girls that do," they probably read too many blogs, shop too much, eat too much, exercise too much, stay at the office too long, and care waaaay too much about a host of other things.

I've come to the conclusion that how we spend our time is how we spend our lives.

But I am seriously going to curtail/schedule my watching.   Along with Survivor will come Parenthood, The Amazing Race, and any Redwings games I can find.  And I already jumped on the Tiger bandwagon, so ya got your play-offs and such.

I've come to the conclusion I need to turn down the volume on scads of things in my life and tune into the music of my life station. It's commercial free.

It's not that I can't hear when someone is trying to talk above the noise... there's just so much confusion and I didn't buy a ticket to the cacophony.    So I'll DVR a few things and tune in towards the end of the games, but I'm desperate for Him and the Symphony plays every evening in my living room with a view to the sunset ... I just need to be in my seat.

Yesterday 9.15.11 turned up cold and rainy. I found Sara from "Choose Joy"  and I've practically read her entire blog and you should too.

I've come to the conclusion that His Grace is greater than our sins.

This is from Sara's blog.

When A Tree Falls In Michigan

When a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Not the debate I want to post about here today.  I want to talk about the Holy Trinity. Stay with me now.

In case some reader's aren't aware of my situation, I (we) moved down to Indiana to help my parents keep the family farmhouse in the family. But we still have our house in Michigan.

We're not at the Michigan house much. Hardly at all. So basically we don't live there. There are no inhabitants of that house. Is our spirit there? No, not unless we're there. (some may argue this).
Is there laughter, discussions, arguments, or conversations that go on while we're gone? No.

I went there for the month of August, and off and on the whole family came and went. We played games, we took pictures, we met up with old friends, we babysat grandchildren.   We enjoyed an all inclusive family dinner. We resided there for the month of August.

Some of the family even came up and staked out a campsite nearby. That was fun.  We set up a little spot 2 miles down the road with Christmas lights, charcoal, the baby bouncer seat, firewood, and boogie boards.  We ate out there, we sat around the campfire, we talked, we laughed, we played games.  We scratched mosquito bites. We lived out there for a couple of days. We inhabited the campsite.

I'm positive we're not fooling anyone when we're not there.  Even though the timers are set, anyone, friend or foe, can figure out if we're home.  Our presence there makes all the difference.  When there is no answer to; "Anybody home?"  I'm pretty sure my friend doesn't stop by and fix herself a pot of coffee or have happy hour on my porch by herself (she may argue this).

Did I drive out to the campgrounds, after the fact?  Did I pull my lawn chair up around the fire circle at their empty lot and hope for a rendezvous like the week before? No. No one was there. Lot 88 at Hoffmaster, and the house in Michigan are nothing if someone isn't there. They are lumber and nature shells.

It's kinda like that with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He has to move in to affect you. When we all arrive at 5435 the place gets pretty crowded. We spill out onto the screened in porch, and to the back yard picnic table and fire pit. When the Holy Spirit lives moves in He changes you for the better.  He fills, overflows, comforts, and guides. When He's at home in your soul,  people will know! The lights are on.

Matthew 18:20-22 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 


Galatians 5:22 says, "The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. 


May you be blessed today and see the mighty power of God in big and small ways.



Up next: "And now, Autumn."  and I'm already formatting my End Of The Year Video Production.  The songs and photographs play on a loop in my brain, because I'm the Mom, that's why.

Happy New Year!

Even though I haven't had a kid in school or college since 2005, September 1st still feels like New Year's Day to me.  Here's my 1st ever blog post from 9.1.03

In a mom's world, New Year's Day should be Sept 1st. Back to school, back to schedules, back to some sort of sane routine. This is all fine and good when you're dropping them off 1/2 mile down the road at the local elementary school. It has taken me so long to realize a life dream of mine (writing) I am dropping them in far off places like Paris and Chicago. Welcome to my world, pour yourself a cup of coffee, green tea, metamuciel, whatever you're drinking these days, and make fun of, enjoy, forward, or delete the musings of life with an everyday mom. 

Next up:    If A Tree Falls In Michigan ...  post.


Dear Hollywood,

When you make good movies I will go to them.

For trailer click here.

Party Line

Welcome readers from little Indiana! 

C'mon on in and sit a spell.  Sign the guest book (comment) if you feel inclined.  Thanks for stopping by and nice to meet ya.

If I knew one dad gum thing about running a restaurant, I'd rent me some space at a little spot in town and serve up good strong coffee with real 1/2 & 1/2.  We'd be open for what us Hoosiers call; breakfast, dinner, and supper.  We'd even open up after  high school sporting events  basketball games, so the youngins' could get a pop and burger.  Loitering allowed.  I dreamed of such a place not too long ago and so I may just place the still imaginary "Half Way Cafe" as the setting in my novel.

I long for a simpler space and place in time. I want to walk down a brick-lined street at dusk, just before the gas lamps need to come on, and yet you can see their unnecessary glow.  In this perfect neighborhood of camaraderie, the roast beef aroma lingers as your family waves me in for pie and percolated coffee.  


Maybe you live in a brownstone and we chat for a bit while you throw a couple of wet dish towels over your fire escape wash-line.  Like the Honeymooners, when Norton comes in without knocking and Alice and Trixie share a telephone that they lower and raise via the kitchen window.  


I continue down the tree-lined street always to the same destination; a mom & pop owned coffee shop where the neon sign flashes, "Open" and everybody knows my name.  We sit outside for three seasons and then every paned window gets decorated in fake snow until it's rubbed off or replaced by red hearts.


Internet cafes have not been invented in this world of which I envy.  People talk and you can see eyebrows lower and eyes twinkle. They shake hands and hug when you walk in.


We all stay awhile and share life stories, opinions, and you tell me straight up when you disagree or if I have spinach in my teeth.  We discuss politics, sports, theology, the hereafter and whether we think it will rain next week.  We mention how blessed we are and speak about brave actors, soldiers and missionaries who walk their talk.  We ask questions about each other's family and you can sense if my heart is hurting. We take no notice of the outward appearance.   


You say "When do your parents head south?" And I say "How's your mama and them?" because your fathers have passed on. Then we solve global crisis and claim it's a wonderful world. After all.


We entertain ourselves with each other. Did you hear about the new grandbaby or the wreck out on 65 where everybody walked away? The TV gets only three channels and at midnight goes straight to the rainbow screen after the National Anthem.

In my idyllic world, I attend church just beyond city hall and the theatre marquee. Church is just church, nothing special 'bout it but the Gospel.   If we haven't connected during the week, I'll likely meet up with you in the vestibule. The church which welcomes all and never waivers from the truth.  The church with its steeple and cross, to warn and warm. It's like a moral compass, held up for all the villagers to see.


There's the library on the corner and a 5 & 10¢ store with a soda fountain counter ...

Closing Day

                         

                    

       

Closing Day
Life is filled with hellos and good-byes.  Click here for a story about our first “hello” with Springhill Camps.

But for now, it’s good-bye. I thought today would be the day I went to my 25th and last closing day rally. As it turns out, Melissa isn’t quite packed and ready to move to GR until Saturday. Beyond last week when I missed the closing rally while picking up my niece, I can’t really put a distinct time and space to: “This is my last closing day rally at SH.”

I’m positive our kids will ship their kids off to camp when the time comes.  They’ll have the time of their lives.  They’ll sleep in tee pees or cabooses, or an actual cargo plane.  They’ll tie-dye and blob.  They’ll fall in love with their counselors and maybe a spouse. The gap will be a 7-year waiting period, at the least.  Tony and Jen still stand in the Springhill Day Camp arena; nevertheless today ends a Wilke era with SH Michigan Overnight Camps.

Why camp? Why Springhill Camps?  There are hundreds of answers.  A break from the everyday world.  A chance to be in God’s great creation.  A decentralized teaching method that instills God in all things. A staff trained to love on kids, get their hands dirty and by the end of the summer have acquired Jesus feet.

Because God is not a grandfather, and we couldn’t just splice our kids into the Tree of Life,  we partnered with Springhill because their values were based on truth. Just because we believed, did not mean our children would. There’s nothing spiritual about pulling into the Springhill property.  Going to camp doesn’t make anyone you a believer, just as going to church does not make one a Christian.

We did everything in our power to create an atmosphere where truth prevailed. A generation that doesn’t have a plum line of truth will inevitably be swayed by every wind of doctrine.  We wanted our kids to know the truth, for indeed it will and did set them free.

And so today we are leaving Springhill, not literally, but physically.

It’s hard to put into words, what SH has meant to our family.  I get tears in my eyes just writing about it now. There is nothing magical about the Springhill property yet something comes over each one of us when we drive into, or let our minds wander up there. 

It’s a Jesus thing.

I think it is where each one of our kids came to a closer relationship with the God of the universe and His son.  It is where he put his stamp of approval on each of their young hearts, minds and personalities. 

It’s a God thing.

I pray whenever SH pops into their minds they will automatically know there is a God who loves and cares for them and bought them with a great price. I pray it won’t be all about winning a spirit stick, but having the Holy Spirit fall upon their lives and a future generation of springhill campers. 

It’s a Spirit thing.

I wrote the above prayer in a scrapbook created years and years ago, before there was an Indiana camp on the 39th parallel, and daycamps all over the Midwest, but it's reiterated here:

Looking back I don't believe we sent our kids and eventually grandkids to camp to get a 'springhill' experience.  We sent them in hopes they would meet up with the God of the Universe, fall in love with his beloved son Jesus Christ, and encounter life to the full by being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Carry on.

8.20.06

Happy Anniversary Annie & Ben!

Blog post from August 25, 2006

Whoa! I’m having a hard time with this entry.  I’m still in somewhat of a daze.  I have so much to say, a village to thank, extreme emotions, and heartfelt moments that are still too tender to even begin to describe.  I’ll post this for starters, hopefully, soon the fog will clear and the memories will flow freely.  Ben and Annie, if the physical therapy and film stuff doesn’t work out you could always be wedding planners.  Trouble with that is you set the standard way too high, and it would take a miracle to pull off another one like that.  

Everything that happened was meant to happen.  I just wished it hadn’t happened so fast.  When can we come for dinner?

 As I slowly and painfully (even the flip flops hurt afterwards) walked back to my bunk at 12:30am Monday morning, I looked up at the catrillion stars in the Michigan sky and became completely overwhelmed by how much you all mean to us.  From the 4 & 1/2 hour trip that turned into 9, redoing my make-up and hair, to the welcome home brownies Gracie made us for LETTING her watch Sandy?  Thank you for making the sacrifices to support our family at this sacred and happy occasion on our journey.  Ben and Annie will thank you all personally, but I wanted you to know that in my book, the day wound not have been complete without you.

The Circle of Life.  Everyone talks about it, some people sing about it, there are films and books about it.  But no one can prepare you for how fast it goes.  So this toast is more of a warning.  Take the good with the bad, don’t let the sun go down on your wrath, may the road rise up to...blah, blah, blah!  When you guys come full circle and you’re giving the toast for your children ... 


...you’ll use this one:) It’ll be in the archives!  

Seriously, what I do pray for you is; when the time comes, you’ll harbor few regrets and just as many, if not more precious memories.  God bless you on your journey together.  Honor him, hold hands, cherish each other, hang on, it’s gonna go fast, have fun, call us, enjoy the ride and then...straight home.

At Last

Rehearsal over, sun was setting, baptism waters washed away

Flying down the giant zip lines, friends forever no cliché

When the sun rose o're the hill on that summer day, at last

Plans had all been set in motion and the waiting now had passed.

Handsome groom by the gazebo in his black and white costume

Something blue were the hydrangeas and their glorious perfume

Here comes the bride in lovely dress, ever gorgeous pretty smile

A log chapel in the pines then all eyes turned upon the aisle.

Shared communion, Triune worship and with  grateful prayers lifted

Candles danced, trumpet sounded and soon the mood had shifted

Let’s get this party started, tasty buffet and full dance floor

No-see-um bugs and soggy lawn; things we chose to just ignore.

Wagon limo, outdoor awning, hearth campfire, twinkling lights,

Friends and family clinked, then raised their glasses to new heights

Everyone caught up in the moment,  then asked if they could stay

Toasts brought tears and tons of laughter, at the camp along the way.

Two years have passed since your story started writing

Working hard, looking upward, souls forever keep uniting

Can you feel the love tonight? Review your strong foundation

Keep on dancing at the party of your wedding celebration.

8.18.07

Happy Anniversary Jennifer & Tony!

Blog post from August 22, 2007:

I'm torn.

I still feel horribly inadequate to start describing what was the beautiful sequence of events that culminated in my daughter's wedding. The words are stuck in my throat--soul. Every once in a while my heart loosens it's grip on a couple of thoughts, they make their way up to my head and rattle around like tiny steelies in a can of spray paint. At first, when you shake the can the metal beads flail around and bounce from side to side making all kinds of racket.

And moments of the last few days do the same. The young bride and groom's voices bounce off of the stately 90-year-old barn. Then, the longer you shake the spray paint can, the harder it gets to hear the separate beads. 


The guests blur together; family, friends, and even the caterer. Images that start out crystal clear, become out of focus, and then fade away almost as if they're taunting me. There are a host of people that have already learned the ways of servant hood (not the least of these being Jen's grandparents) must have an appropriate thank you space. 


And I definitely don't want to minimize the hard work put in by the bride and groom in preparation for a God inspired marriage. I promise I will get to that, but I first must speak to the wedding day that was completely and totally unique in a way that can only be described by two words: Jen & Tony.


Unique, one of a kind, intimate, personal, different, out of the ordinary, all words that would creep in and drive wedding plans.    
Grandma & Grandpa's Farm was the only venue ever mentioned, and so right out of the gates we were planning a destination wedding.

Not very long after the engagement was announced, they decided to theme their ceremony around serving God and each other. Uncle Paul would give the message culminated by washing each other's feet.

It was when we first shopped for her bridal gown, that I came to realize this would be no ordinary bride. "Formal or informal" the lady asked. "I'm not sure what you mean, Jen replied and then questioned, "Do you have anything with sleeves?" The lady stared blankly at Jennifer and said, "I'm not sure what you mean."

The flowers were cut on the wedding day from seed packets that had been prayed over, cultivated, and watered with the utmost of tender care. A handful of daisies and black-eyed Susan's for the bride, a single sunflower for the bridesmaids' and boutonnières of soybean leaves for the guys.   

There were other little things that completed the "look and feel" At first, I thought "no ushers", was a big mistake, but Jen wanted people to feel like they were walking into a worship service. In a barnyard. Programs that seemed a tad oversized at the beginning served as miniature umbrellas. The cicadas were deafening during the rehearsal, but the dash of rain quieted them and saw to it that she got to the church on time.

After Grandpa prayed over the dinner…I thought he might break into "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow" instead we got the National Anthem after his to-the-point sermonette.

Something borrowed, something blue, yadda, yadda, unity candle, blah, blah, blah.

Who gets married on a Hoosier Family Farm,  carrying a bouquet of wild flowers, walks up the isle to "Amelie" and back down to "The Final Countdown" serenaded by a Wynonna song AND a professional fireworks display, then dances under the stars at the edge of their field of dreams?

Apparently Jen and Tony.

Field Of Dreams

A year ago today by fields of their dream

Serving each other their mantra and theme

Following Jesus, washing one another's feet

Instead of “I Love You” rings said “Be Sweet”

Echoed off the barn vows spoken that day

Sister and cicadas sang;  father tried to pray

Daisies, sunflowers, grandparents united

Lingering lightening bugs were even excited

One year ago on a brisk summer's eve

They set out on their journey with faith to believe

God sent His blessing; a new love would grow

White lights decorated each soy bean row.

In sickness, health and hurdles unknown

Traveling together, hearts that have grown

Learn from the past, press onward in union

God bless as you build a stronger communion.

Now home by the river, keeping time in due season

Hindsight helps them afford greater reason

Anniversary demands a stronger persuasion

Fondly remember that happy occasion.

Chicago Celebrity Buzz

President Obama landed along Lakeshore Dr in Chicago just as Hillsong United took to the stage at the Jesus Culture Gathering. (Click Streaming Live to watch)

Facebook became all a twitter with helecoptor pictures and sightings of the spectacle.

Ask anyone at the All State Arena or those who watched via livestream and they'll tell you Jesus was in the house ... mingling with the locals and introducing newbies to his Father.

President Obama is in town to celebrate his birthday by hosting numerous $38,000+ per plate democratic fundraisers.

Jesus is in town to rescue the perishing.

There is little access to President Obama.  He has is own plane and helicoptor fleets.  Streets are closed, manhole covers are  locked down. Security is tight.

Jesus stands at the door and knocks. The Bible says if you invite him in, he'll come in and eat dinner with you!

If someone paid the price, would you attend?

Eternity hangs in the balance.

Dear Max & Lilly,

Yesterday broke sunny and warm just as it did 34 years ago on July 30.  I remember it clearly, for that's the day Grandma and Grandpa Grover got married.  Even though I wore long sleeved AND polyester the dress was beautiful and the groom handsome as ever. Young love.

The wedding was in a small baptist church decorated with red pew benches light blue walls and a combination red and blue carpet.  Great Grandparent's Lloyd & Thelma threw a poolside lawn reception for family and friends.  Trendsetters.

A few high school friends, almost all the relatives, church family, and a ton of college friends came to enjoy the day.  Quite an eclectic group, to say the least.  Michiana.

Your great grandpa Lloyd sang, "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler On The Roof.  The congregation sang, "Great Is Thy Faithfullness" and we promised to love, honor, cherish and OBEY. Vows.

I know by the time you read this, we'll have already told you stories about this day as well as, August, 18, & 20 from '06 & '07, and it may be that you won't even care about the details until way down the road when you're thinking about your own wedding.  Sunrise, sunset.

But I just wanted to let you know that we've made it 34 years with the wedding vows, but we kinda fell in love all over again when you two came into our lives.  Milestones.

PS.  Max, here's a picture you can use if your bride wants to put up some generational photos, and Lilly, the dress is in the cedar closet at 5435.  Circle of life.

I love you both and I'm praying for your young lives,
Grandma Juls

There Will Come A Day

In my dreams, I’m always getting ready for something.  I’m either preparing to go somewhere or getting ready to come home from somewhere.

When it’s the night before I am shooting a wedding, the dreaming is almost ridiculous.  I’m forever plugging in and unplugging camera batteries, downloading, uploading, and deleting.

I gave in and joined ‘The Knot’ for my photography business and now I dream about e-mailing, phone calls, stamping postcards and label making.  Seriously, I dreamt about mail merge the other night?

Our big project around here this summer has been filling in the ‘ole swimmin’ hole.  One night, I was dreaming of tearing apart a swimming pool by hand, only to have the pool reappear by morning, looking more peaceful and calm than in it’s 1990’s glory days.

Someone’s coming over?  I dream about cooking and cleaning.  What a nightmare that is for me.

In my dreams, I’m always preparing. Getting ready.

We spend our days getting ready, no?  We prepare for work presentations. We get ready to go to school. We fix food at the holidays or when entertaining. We get a tan just to go on vacation. We get ready to party and/or attend church.  Some of us don’t even run errands without putting on make-up. Me included.

Jesus is even preparing. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

What are we doing to prepare for the after life?  The scripture likens believers to a bride and Jesus is the bridegroom.  Think of all the preparations that go into the planning for our earthly weddings. And yet, the heavenly Bridegroom waits for us to start preparing to meet Him.

This afternoon, you could be hit by a bus, while crossing the street. There could be a blood clot on its way to your brain, as we speak.  Or you could live to be 100; nevertheless, all of this will end at one point.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Romans 14:11   I don’t know what else this could mean besides the fact that, there will come a day.

All the preparations for EVERYTHING will, one day come screeching to a halt.  There will be no more time to prepare.  His kingdom will come to earth and then, only what we’ve done for Christ will matter.
On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Matthew 7: 22-24

“I never knew you,” means He did not have a relationship with us.  We may have said a prayer when we were 6, we may have been sprinkled with holy water as a baby, or fully immersed in water baptism as an adult, we may have been confirmed or bar mitsvahed at 12, we may have gone to sunday school, church camp, youth group, and bible studies our whole lives and still never really “known” Christ.

Almost all wedding ceremony lingo includes, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let’s get ready for the great wedding feast.    Let’s prepare our hearts to meet and know the one true living God.  Let’s work on a radical and vibrant relationship with the son, Jesus. Let’s be open and filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.
People get ready.

Summer Slideshow

Ok, not sure my Smile box, scrapbooky, watermelon eating slideshow really showed off my summer iPhone pics and was definitely not in keeping with my new motto: "less is more."  PLUS, blogger and me are just getting to know each other again and I fear it will be a long time until we're best friends. So summer slideshow post is now updated.

Grace Like Rain

The Catholic Church steeple sliced the setting sun, as it slipped below the horizon on 6.28.11.  

Another day gone.  

The lawn chair pointed west and I imagined a rousing baseball game under the lights just nouth of the watertower.  Bible, notebook, cell phone, wine glass and a few fireflies competed for my attention.  

A perfect summer evening. 

This hymn seeped from my somewhere in my memory and I couldn't help but sing it.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

"Great is Thy faithfulness!" "Great is Thy faithfulness!"

  Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

    "Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me!

I shouldn't really be on here today, I have 2000 wedding photos to edit, and the above picture is not even last evening's sunset.  It IS June, and it IS the sky, but it's the morning after a pre-dawn storm.

But I just wanted to share my "moment" with you. Certainly a reminder to:

Set your minds on things above, not on things of this earth. Colossians 3:2  

Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added unto you.  Mattheww 6:33   

For the things which are seen are temporary but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Last evening I paused to ponder. 

From the book Spiritual Java

Our authority comes from real faith, which is found in rest. Peaceful rest is the climate that faith grows in.

Rest. Rest awile in the presence of the Life-giving One.  He is the Lord of your spirit, soul, and body.  Regardless of how much your current circumstances may have distracted you from God, you can stop thinking your own thoughts and start living by faith.  His Spirit will help you.

From a message by David Legge:

In 1916 a man called F.M. Lehman was touched by the words that he saw scribbled on the wall of an asylum, and he incorporated them into the last stanza of his hymn, and the lyrics read like this:

'Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky'

If that was madness, we all could do with a good dose of it, and allow it to revive our hearts in love towards God, send us confirmation of  His love for us; and take us from dead orthodoxy into a living, vital relationship with Jesus Christ.

I'm closer to dying than being born and for the first time in a long while, I feel alive. I'm finding grace, peace and rest by standing under the cover of the One who never changes. 

He will keep you in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him. Isaiah 26:3

I Do

I thought it hit me when Chelsea and Derek began their first dance.  And it did.  Their happiness spilled out onto the dance floor and flowed through the tent.  It seeped across the lawn and slipped quietly along the river’s edge as their life journey began. Together.  

But it hit me again while tediously tabbing through photo after photo in the after-editing process, when I stumbled upon this.  Courtesy of Melissa & Spencer.

23 days into June my excuse has been the busyness of life, having not stopped to worship in as many days. Racing around, meeting schedules, worrying, doing, helping, harboring, striving in self.  

Every picture tells a story and this one will not shut up.

Moving river. 

We all have our pathway, our journey.  Who knows the way the river flows?  Who can determine the bends and rapid waters which give us reason to pause or send us hurtling ahead? 

Am I enjoying the path God has for me? Or do I want to set me own course then whine and complain until I get my way? Storms can be predicted, but they can’t be stopped.

Storms can not harm the soul anchored in faith’s harbor.

Taking communion.  

Two together. Marriage  is God’s plan. Not ours. He loves to see happy marriages, but he longs for a one on one reliance with Him, not the partner.  There’s a quote in my favorite movie Return To Me where Bob tells Grandpa, “I loved Elizabeth and I’ll always miss her, but my heart  yearns for Gracie.” Communion requires selflessness.  You can’t really be in complete communion and talk only of yourself.   Humanly speaking, I’m not sure it does, but communion with God demands worship.

Finding peace.  

Do you see God in the picture above?  Do you see God at work in your life? Do you believe? There is an amazing design in our wonderful world  (nature, marriage, laughter, tears, smooth sailing and powerful storms) there must be an awesome Designer. 

Step back and ask yourself  “Am I at peace?”  If, so,  “What or who is responsible for a “yes” answer to this question?” Then carry the question to the extreme, “If what/who is making me happy were taken away, would I still be at peace?”

Be honest with myself. 

Want to enjoy the rest of the journey? Want to be happy? Want to know a peace that passes all understanding? Want to harbor deep happiness even during the storm? Want to let go of bitterness, anger, and selfish pride?

I do.

Once Upon A Time

If I could copy and paste  every moment of Chelsea & Derek’s day and place it here. I would.
Because then I could enjoy it a bit more, too!
I don’t remember a lot from the day, but I’m positive Chelsea and Derek are honeymooning it up in Florida with visions of their fairytale wedding still dancing in their heads.
"Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain." Psalms 127:1 Praise God from whom all blessings flow. The day dawned, the flowers bloomed, the bride waited on her groom, the families prayed and rejoiced in what God created and intended us to ... the marriage celebration.
God bless you both as you begin to serve Him, together.
* * * *
Weddings are just way too short.  They should start at like 7am in the morning. Can you imagine the awesome shots, straight out of camera, one could capture at that time of day?  Think Bridges Of Madison County photography.
Then a lovely, leisurely  brunch, including mimosa’s and parisian croissants.
Followed by EVERYONE napping.
After naps, wedding party could wander to 3rd and 4th locations in their horse-drawn carriages, trolly’s and limo’s.
Inspirational ceremony at around 4ish.
Another nap.
Cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres in early evening, including the speciality dances.
A late candlelight and conversational dinner.
Then the dance floor opens and the crowd goes crazy.
Pizza and/or Cheeseburger sliders at say, midnight.
Last call around 1 or 2am.
It’s all got me thinking now, what it would be like to pull out of the driveway for a wedding.  Hmmmmmm.
* * * *
And they all lived happily ever after.

Chelsea's Turn

Happy Anniversary today to Nicholas & Victoria!

Is this the little girl I carried,
Is this the little boy at play,
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?
I don’t know about your house, but in ours, for almost every family gathering there’s been a group of cousins at the “kids” table.  The big girls and the little girls.  Ben & Nic then Austin & Shane.  We’d be hard pressed to fit even Shane at the kids table these days.
Late in the afternoon this Saturday, Chelsea will marry the love of her life and sit down to dinner at the head table.
With cousins, the direction our lives take, mostly determines the relationships.   The traditions we celebrate in our own families have much to do with the intersections and crossings of extended family. Our Holidays and summer days made for happy carefree get-togethers. We’ll always have grandma’s.
Chels and Meliss were middle cousins. But that didn’t hold them back.  It wasn’t easy being the youngest  of the big girls, not too mention the harassment from Ben & Nic then Austin & Shane. When tease came to shove they made their own movies, invented their own entertainment, and never failed to tackle the deep end.
These two fiercely independent women made their way, fought their demons, and  held their own until giving their lives up to a life lived with Jesus on the throne.  And He’ll be there Saturday night turning our sorrows into joy.  He is the reason for the celebration of marriage. Chelsea and Melissa both know this and it is the magnet that draws them to encourage and admonish each other, once as cousins, now as sisters.
Derek and Spencer may have to console each other on the sidelines when Chelsea and Melissa hit the dance floor.
My contribution will be the photographs, but hey, what’s new.  I’m only hoping, somehow, even through the camera lens, I’ll be able to celebrate the love of my sister’s family.
My kids demand encourage me to put the camera down and enjoy the moment.  After capturing Chels and Derek’s special moments, I intend to do just that. Weddings deserve more than digital mode.
So put on your dancin’ shoes (for the ceremony) then kick them off and raise your glasses to the happy couple, the sacrament of marriage, this moment in time, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Farm Girl

I grew up on a farm in Remington. [Cue “Out Of Africa” Music]
There was a dad, a mom, and five kids. A medium sized family by standards of the 50’s and 60’s.
Not to say kids these days aren’t, but we were happy. Our happiness centered on a strong faith, a healthy work ethic, and memories made during church, school, farming, and family times.
A typical day consisted of kid appropriate chores, playing outside, maybe a bike ride into the library, laying pennies on the railroad tracks, chasing fireflies, minimal homework, a smattering of basketball and baseball games, and church on Sunday morning.
Meals were three times a day, if not four. Always a hot breakfast, dinner at noon, bologna sandwiches or Woody’s snack shop after school, followed by a farm supper when dad came in from the field. We set the table, kept our elbows off the table, asked to be excused from the table, cleared the table, and laid it all out on the table.
In the spring, we picked up rocks and sowed the seed in cabless tractors.  In the summer, we pulled weeds, and detassled in our swimming suit tops and jeans. Our backs received the perfect tan while our legs remained milky white. In the fall, we hauled grain before we had a driver’s license, while listening to Harry Carey on the transistor radio. In the winter we scoured the want ads and snowmobiled in Michigan.  In the meantime we hung wash on the line, tilled gardens, painted fences, milked cows, pulled corn out of beans, and fell in love with dogs while tolerating cats. The soundtrack of our lives blared WLS from the Plymouth sized hi-fi while we checked off our Saturday lists.
One by one we grew up and moved away because that is just what kids do when they are from a small town.
In early fall of 1973, I landed in a 10-story dorm room in the heart of downtown Chicago and didn’t sleep for a month.  The siren’s wailed; the street noise was deafening and the stars were missing.
Slowly, the city began to enthrall and entertain me and soon, when I went home for the weekend, laid in my childhood bedroom with it’s slanted walls and familiar constellations out my window; I couldn’t sleep for the quiet.
Then I found the love of my life, moved to Michigan, raised a family---in another house with slanted walls---albeit much smaller. We tried to raise our kids without digging our way too deep into the American Dream Entitlement Myth.  We aimed for eating together every evening and managed to make it about once a week.  We added soccer, drama, choir, and Disneyworld to our family repertoire and realized the good ‘ole days were probably just that, old and over.   Our children would disagree.
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. One day we finished up a UPS career, married off a couple kids, sent the baby to California, and moved back to the farm.  Now we didn’t actually pack up and sell the house (the economy saw to that), but we hauled our Apple computer, our bikes, and a few family scrapbooks, down here and set up housekeeping in my childhood home.
We’re in our 50’s and it’s been 35 years since my parents threw us a poolside wedding reception and waved as I drove off on the roundabout called the circle of life.
I guess you could call us “Boomerang Kids” (90’s slang for children who move back in with their parents--typically shortly after college) we’re living with the ‘rents (’00 slang for parents).  Well, we’re not actually living “with” them.  They built a one-story cottage and we keep watch from the big house to make sure they haven’t fallen and can’t get up.
I’m writing this from the alcove at the top of farmhouse stairwell.  It is here, where sleepy and timeless rhythms of the night rocked us to sleep. And it was here, beneath branches of trees long gone, where the breezes blew us from the nest and taught us to fly.  The memories remain.
I’ll probably go pick up a pizza in town tonight for dinner, but somehow I smell fried chicken wafting up the stairs.
Everything remains the same, in this quiet town, and yet, not.  The farmer can program a GPS to drive the tractor. iPods dangle around teenage necks and their thumbs do all the talking. Recently, the Cubs where still playing baseball towards the end of harvest season. Family sizes and shapes morphed, but one thing never changes, for me anyway.
Home is where the farm is.

After School Special

Loosen up. Everyone (especially the faculty) will take the pomp and circumstance very seriously. Go barefoot or sneak your iPod under your cap and gown. From here on out don’t take man-made rituals, yourself or anyone else to seriously. Fly.
Let it go.  It was what it was, and it’s never a good idea to bash and rehash, once you’re gone. Leave it all out on the floor. Forgive.
Turn it up. When your heart says sing, dance, cry, eat, pray, love... Do it!  Your heart will never say, “Earn more, collect stuff, or success makes you happy.”  Enjoy.
Move on.  If you get the chance get the heck outta dodge for a week, month, or even a year.  Go trekking in Europe, help the needy in Africa, or serve at a soup kitchen in the inner city.  Leaving the comforts of home will always remind you, you’re blessed. Serve.
Remember this. Life’s a dance you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow, but always learn.  Learn from your mistakes. Admit when you’re wrong. Learn life’s lessons.
Don’t worry be happy. That cliche is free ;-) Happiness is not a right it’s a choice. Smile and wave.
Seize the day. I want to be around for the fireworks when somebody first says to you two, “Those were the best days of your lives!”  They weren’t.  Make today the best day of your lives. Carry on.
One more thing. Put God high on your priority list.  You’re at the top of His. Find yourself somebody to love---that can be read two ways!  Change your little corner of the world.  Love wins.
Whether it’s a job or college, whether in a red car or yellow truck, I’m excited to see the places you’ll go!
Congratulations Ashley & Austin!  I love you both.
God bless,
Aunt Julee

Bird Watching

Today (May 13, 2011) we had a little party to celebrate your arrival on planet earth and to give words of encouragement to your moms.
Great Aunt Ardy opened her home to receive those closest to you and Great Aunt Ruth drove all the way from Chicago* and brought your cousin Ariel.  Ar lives in Chicago now, but wanted to hang out with us, too. Grandma Martha and Aunt Kelly drove quite a ways, too. Grandma Kate (she’s gonna be mad at me for that cuz she’s not really a grandma yet) was there.  Aunt Melissa, too, although, she loves to come to Grand Rapids nowadays.
We had an awesome time.  We laughed, we ate, we drank, we swooned, we took pictures, we laughed and cried .... well, Max you did most of the crying and Lilly, you were a bit bored with it all and slept most of the time.
But I’m sure you could feel the love.  Your parents hog you most of the time, but tonight, for a short time we got to hold you and pray for your young lives.
It’s a crazy world we live in, and our prayers for you hovered over us all in that warm home in the heart of the city. We offered them up to ask the God of the universe to watch over you, protect you and guide your paths to follow him.  You won’t remember them but He will.
The next day we hung out in our old house down the road a bit, and the warm feelings lingered.  Sitting around sipping coffee, watching sermons, and telling stories of how we’ve seen God work in our lives, made for an awesome Saturday.
Before Aunt Ruth hit the road to Chicago and we took our quick little road trip along Scenic Drive, she shared this with us.
“Don’t worry parents!  God will take care of Max and Lilly, because he says so in his Word.  In Matthew it says “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Most everybody in your extended family loves to watch birds.  We feed the birds, we look up rare ones, we memorize their songs.  Your great grandpa Lloyd loves a red Cardinal so much he will actually cry when he sees one.  So look at the birds!  Watch the birds and let them remind you how much your heavenly Father cares for you.
Love,
Grandma Juls