A Sweet Sunday

It has been a perfect Sunday, starting as usual at our wonderful church on this gorgeous sunny day. I always love being on worship team when my boy Craig is on the drums, so that was a joy this morning. Add to that the unexpected pleasure of visiting with my sweet, beautiful friend Etta from Prineville. Then home to the usual Sunday family dinner.

Eric was quite an eye-catching sight when he walked in the door. He recently did some clothing shopping at the estate sale of an elderly chap with whom he used to visit at the service station. Very spiffy. I sent some Shout stain remover home with him because Eric and light-colored clothes have not been very compatible in the past!


He had forgotten that today's plan was some guy time working on the Bronco in the beautiful afternoon sunshine. Fortunately the jacket was removable.

They "work" together quite well.

A good time was had by all, and the Bronco started. They even sat in it with Zeek.

Meanwhile, I pursued one of my favorite hobbies in the back yard. I spent all day yesterday working outside, and we all know that we must not work on Sunday.

Will had some time to enjoy the fruits of his labors from this past week, what he calls "the world's second ugliest chair". It was "the world's ugliest chair" before he lowered the arm rests. I believe a coat of paint will remove it from any ugly chair lists. What a great use for the old deck timbers!

While I lounged on my chair in the warm sunshine, I spoke with my little brother Doug on the phone. He said he wanted to take his car for a spin and would be out to visit soon. I reminded the boys that Doug has had his beautifully restored Mustang since he was in high school, and Nick hopefully said, "I wonder if a 1992 Corolla will ever be a classic?" What a dreamer!

Church, family, friends, sunshine, health, love and laughter. I count my blessings.

Satisfaction Not Guaranteed

Today was the exciting, fun-filled monthly after-school dance at the middle school where I am employed. We love all the noise and drama that accompany this event. It costs a dollar to get in and a dollar for a piece of pizza and drink. As students were leaving, a small 6th grade boy came in the office and politely asked to speak to the principal. After being told he was gone, the boy said, "Well, one of your staff members behaved in an unacceptable manner, and I would like my $3.00 refunded!"

I had seen a teacher having an intense conversation with this young man earlier outside the office. Turns out he was doing a "seizure" dance and this teacher was explaining to him that it was inappropriate to mock people's physical disabilities.

So I'm thinking the next time I prepare the permission slips I need to add a disclaimer at the bottom. "Come at your own risk. Satisfaction is not guaranteed. Refunds will not be granted if you are not satisfied."

A Time of Mourning

Monday morning as we headed back from a wonderfully relaxing weekend of camping, I was plotting a blog to share some of the more entertaining moments and photos from this time spent with great friends and dogs. Then my cell phone rang, and the news it brought wiped out every other thought from my mind and heart.

Those of you who don't know Courtney Ayer have probably read the newspaper stories about the death of her 2-year-old son Dylan in a tragic accident Monday morning. Their family attended our church for several years before departing with the group last fall to start our sister church, the Grove, in North Albany. In a church of 500+ people, you just don't get to know everyone, and I didn't have the good fortune to meet her until just a few months ago at the first retreat planning meeting. By the time it was over, I was greatly looking forward to getting to know her better in the coming meetings. What personality! What a great sense of humor! What a giving, helping, caring person! I really missed out by not making her acquaintance sooner.

Later a meeting was held at her house, and when I called her for directions, to our amusement we learned that we live in the same neighborhood! In the winter I can see her house through the trees. It was a delight to visit her home, a comfortable and fun place for her two little boys to play. I enjoyed watching them romp around like my little boys used to. She obviously adores them and frequently shared funny stories about them. I can relate to that.

But on Monday, a parent's worst nightmare happened in an instant, and the world will never be the same.

When something like this happens to a friend, we feel so helpless and want so badly to do something, anything, to help. I knew that they had family and close friends with them, and I prayed for them all day with a heavy heart.

That evening I joined a group of about 30 people from the Grove at a home to pray for their family. The shock, pain and grief felt by these friends who love them is enormous, but I imagine it's only a small reflection of the agony Dylan's family is going through. It was a privilege to join in the heartfelt prayers, the tears and the hugs that were shared. What a blessing to know this amazing group of people who love Jesus are supporting, loving and caring for this grieving family.

I still can't even grasp the horror and anguish of suddenly losing a beloved child. I don't know how one resumes the routine of life when it has been savagely ripped apart. I don't know how to help my friend and her family. I wish we would all wake up and find out it was just a horrible nightmare.

I do know that I dearly love my friend Courtney and her family, that I weep with them and hold them up in prayer. I know that the only way to get through something like this is to cling to God, the God who tells us he is the God of all comfort, who comforts us as a mother comforts her children.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV) "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

I pray that Courtney and her family will feel the overflowing comfort of Christ in this time of mourning.

When I was 14 years old, my mother went home to be with Jesus. I remember being angry with people who reminded me how wonderful it was that I would see her again in heaven some day. At the time, I just wanted her in the here and now. But as the raw edge of the fresh grief softened with time, the hope of a fantastic future with Him and our loved ones who have gone before us became a great comfort.

Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Some day.

The Good Old Days

Last week, Will bravely got on his knees and entered the storage space that runs along the eaves on one side of our house , accessed by doors from Craig’s room and Nick’s room. He quickly learned that Nick apparently used that space to “clean” his room more than once, as evidenced by the computer parts, clothing papers and other trash. Many stories and garbage bags later, with help from the boys who filled it up, the space is cleaned up and organized. Thank you, Will, that job would have done me in.

We had records stored in there from my daycare years, so Will has been shredding lots of papers. I looked through my calendars from some of those years, where I occasionally jotted little comments about what was going on. Life was sure different then.

I always referred to Nick as Nicholas back then. I was under the illusion that if I called him that, so would everyone else. He changed that when he started kindergarten. Like he’s going to write Nicholas when he can insist that he wants to be called Nick!

Anyway, here was my entry on Sunday, March 1, 1992: “Nicholas was dedicated at church this morning. He was very squirmy, Craig (age 5) was tickling his feet, Eric (age 3) was making Will’s watch beep. I thought it would never end!” How’s that for a meaningful remembrance of your last baby’s dedication? I had forgotten all about that! I love baby dedications, in fact there were two at church just this morning. Those babies were perfectly well behaved.

March 11 “Eric gets sword back” I was very careful at the time about having non-violent toys, but I did get a set from Rainbow West that included a plastic sword of the Spirit, shield of faith, and helmet of salvation. The boys loved it! I'm sure every time they played with it, they were fully cognizant of the spiritual significance of each item. I wonder what Eric did with that sword of the Spirit that caused him to lose it for a time? I do not remember!

Sept 10: Craig - “Mom did you put the spices in the salsa? …That’s the most important ingredient.” He started at age 6, and he is still trying to improve my cooking!

We skip a few years to 1994. Why, I wonder, is “Casey Karstens 926-3876” written on the calendar week of Feb 14? I have no idea.

The calendar pages show a record of seven daycare children’s hours, beginning at 7 am, in and out all day until the last one left around 4 pm. The days were filled with the weekly trip with the kids to the Indoor Park at the Boys and Girls Club, wrestling, Little League, swimming lessons, basketball, nursery duty, Caravans, soccer, a recipe for gak, top scores for Tetris (my secret Gameboy addiction back then….occasionally I would stay up til the wee hours of the morning playing it!)…. Good times. I loved those days.

Oh no, another thing I had successfully blocked from my memory. Thursday, Dec 29, 1994 “Party at Mishlers – got stuck in Breitmeiers driveway picking up Craig:(!” It was dark…I didn’t back out straight and got hung up on a rock on the side of the driveway backing downhill – couldn’t move forward or backward. Eventually Will arrived and was able to move the rock. It was kind of embarrassing. I do remember that they were very nice about it.

And lastly,scribbled across the bottom of a page, unknown who said it, “Cleaning your house while the kids are growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”

Sadly, that one is still true around here!

She called me what?!

This afternoon about 20 minutes before quitting time, I answered a call from a parent telling me her child forgot a book that she really needed. Would it be possible to get into a locked classroom to get her book? I said, yes, a custodian could unlock the room and let her in as long as she got there before 4:00. Oh yes, she was on her way. In fact, she was in a big hurry so could I send the custodian to unlock the room now and have him wait for her to get there?

I was a bit taken aback. Really, instead of apologizing for imposing and taking the custodian from his tasks, you want him to go wait by a room for you? So I am ashamed to admit, perhaps I was less than tactful when I said, "No, I'm sorry, I can't have him waste his time waiting for you." (Oops. Note to self: Don't ever refer to anyone wasting their time when helping a parent. Sometimes things just come out of my mouth.) "Stop by the office when you get here and it will take him just a minute to open it for you."

She replied in a sugary sweet voice, "Well thank you so much for all your help. I appreciate it so much." Was that sarcasm I detected in her tone? Then I heard, "Witch!" and she hung up. Well, perhaps the word actually started with a b, not a w. My mouth dropped open. I just got called the b-word! This is not routine in my happy little world!

So I had to decide what to do when she came in. Should I step away from my desk and be unavailable, be on the phone and ignore her, or treat her with sweet politeness? Rudeness was tempting, but as I discussed it with my co-worker and we recalled other rude parents, I knew this was an opportunity to practice turning the other cheek.

So when she came in, I greeted her cheerfully if less than sincerely, got right on the radio and called the custodian, assuring her he would be right there. A few minutes later, she was back saying, "Never mind, I just ran into another teacher in the hall and she is giving me the book." Again, no apologies to or appreciation for the custodian interrupting his work to go unlock a door for her. She was in the building for at least 10 minutes, exhibiting no hint of the big hurry she had expressed on the phone.

I guess I just don't know what it would be like to be one of those people that the world revolves around. It must be so frustrating for them when they encounter those who don't recognize their status. I vow to be more accommodating to them!

Retreat Ramblings

The long-awaited SACC-Grove womens retreat is over, leaving behind great memories and sore stomach muscles from so much laughing. Someone there said that for each minute of laughter, a person's immune system is boosted for 72 hours. (That's three days for the math-challenged.) If that's true, then my immune system should be boosted for the next several weeks!

This was the first joint retreat since about a hundred SACC people left us in the fall to start a sister church called the Grove in North Albany. It was like a family reunion, getting together with all the women we used to see at church every Sunday morning, and meeting lots of new family members who have come to the new church. I am blessed to be on the planning committee, so I have enjoyed seeing some of these awesome women regularly over the past few months as we planned this fabulous weekend.

For the past 12 years I have enjoyed being the MC. I feel like I am selfishly hoarding the best job. Every year I tell them I will be happy to let someone have the chance to do it, but they keep asking me back. Being on the committee all those years, I have been so blessed to work with and get to know so many different talented women who use their gifts in amazing ways! At each retreat, I meet more women, some of whom I have seen at church and some who I haven't. Retreat provides opportunities to sit at meals and visit with old friends and new, to play games together, to hear testimonies from several women each year, to witness their dramatic and musical talents, and to laugh and pray together.

It also gives us opportunities to express our dramatic talents or lack thereof. This year our theme was "Fashioned by God's Great Design" and our theme verse Psalm 139:15b-16:"...When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

This opened the door for skits dealing with fashion, such as "The Bronx Beat with Betty and Jody" having a famous fashion model as a guest. I was so inspired by her fabulous make-up and hair that I gave myself a little make-over just before the evening session.
At least that's what I told the gals there. Truthfully, I was to appear in the fashion show just following the opening and had no time to get made up. Barely enough time to get into my stunning outfit before it was time to strut down the runway.

I appeared in an A-line skirt with a wool vest that I made myself. It had a sheep tail down the back and ears on the shoulders.

My next outfit was a jacket with padded shoulders and a pin stripe down the front. My jeans were accented with a little piping.

My fellow fashion models appeared in outfits that included a pencil skirt and a brief case,

a pillbox hat
and many other literally astonishing creations. I'd love to post more pictures of their outfits, but since they may not be as unashamedly brazen as I am, I will restrain myself. Such fun!

Saturday morning I was unprepared for the love offering we give our speaker, so I ran to my room while the worship team was singing. I was going to use the facilities since I was there anyway, but I noticed a horrible huge cockroach on the back of the toilet in the nick of time. My shriek did not bring any help, so I scurried back to the meeting room. I was up next to close the morning session, so I informed the ladies of what I had just observed, adding that I sincerely hoped it was a practical joke but I needed someone unafraid of insects to accompany me to my room to determine whether or not it was real. I had many willing helpers and they determined it was a fake. But no one touched it. After they left, my fearless roommate wanted to be sure, so she boldly attacked it with her tube of toothpaste. Chop chop chop. Wish I had that on video!!

"Cockroaches" were then found in many rooms, as well as bright frogs and snakes in showers. The instigator has never fessed up. I did enjoy the fact that I ruined the shock of it by announcing it before anyone went back to their rooms! Also, some of the older women (like Lynn and Roberta) might have had heart attacks if they hadn't been forewarned of such fearsome creatures! So they owe me!

They were everywhere, so that evening I put a couple in my pocket to take home and use for my own entertainment. Unfortunately, late that night when I was heading back to my room with a couple of people, I absent-mindedly stuck my hand in my pocket and screamed when I pulled out two cockroaches, crazily throwing them, leading to a long bout of hysterical laughter with me and three other women. I just wonder of any of them were the provocateur of the original prank....I suspect possibly.....

There are many reasons I have never missed a retreat in the past 14 years. The privilege of becoming acquainted, deepening friendships, and having fun with so many awesome women is one. The other is that I always learn and apply some spiritual truth, sometimes from the speaker, sometimes from other women, which changes my life forever. I am truly blessed.

My Transgressions

Today's quote from Will: "Now you're going to add sarcasm to your myriad transgressions?" My transgressions?

Eating Jelly Bellies after I said yesterday was the last day for them.

A Jelly Belly in his water glass that I did NOT deliberately put there!

And somehow I sprinkled cayenne pepper atop our clam chowder at dinner instead of paprika. Cayenne pepper is HOT!!!

Our eyes have stopped watering, our noses have stopped running, and our mouths are no longer on fire....