Noel, Mark, and Mom celebrated Memorial Day with us. We had T-bone steak and all the trimmings. That morning, Galen called to tell us that Evan (his youngest son) had proposed to Callie. They have dated for several years, so this is a big deal! After dinner, we skyped David in Mexico. He is very busy teaching English at the university in Chiapas. Meche continues to work in the library. Kelli sent a late Mother's Day card with a dozen pictures of her family's trip to California. The pictures of her kids, Keri's family and Kirk's family were great! I can't wait to see them in Michigan this summer. We have leased the same condo that we stayed in last year on the beach.
I didn't expect so many people to be in Bible Study on a holiday weekend. I was blown away when I realized that we had 18 people! Robin and Tim are new members from Alaska. We all laughed about Oklahoma weather. The worship service was very emotional. We sang "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "America, the Beautiful". Four men (and their wives) attended who have just returned from Afghanistan. The pastor asked all of us to file to the front of the auditorium one row at a time and speak into the microphones. We said the names of those in our families who we wanted to remember. Of course, I thanked God for my father and my brother. My close friend, Diana, lost a 12 year old son to leukemia. It was difficult for her, but she thanked God for his life and looks forward to being with him again. For the offertory, I played "When We All Get to Heaven" and "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder".
Last Friday, Bill spent the day in Ada, Okla. TLC is planning to close the Shawnee school and move to Southeastern State University. We are praying that the move doesn't happen quickly. It's a 45 mile drive one way. Bill has a decision to make! We have decided not to worry about it. God is never surprised, and always has a plan! If I didn't believe that, I woudn't be a Christian.
Saturday was just fun! Noel, Mark, Bill and I went to the Santa Fe Restaurant for lunch. Yep! We threw peanut shells all over the floor. After lunch, Noel and Mark saw a rodeo movie, and Bill and I saw, "Three Men in Black". We met up after our shows and drove home together. Three Men has a lot of 8th grade humor in it. I think guys like it more than girls.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Mom- Front Page News!
Sunday morning, I woke up to loud claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. I love listening to the downpour of rain. Last year was so dry, and I missed these storms. Bill braved the rain to get the newspaper from the driveway while I cooked breakfast. There on the front page was an article about Mom having taught Bible Study classes for 75 years. We never expected that! The article continued to page 5 with her picture. I'm so happy for her! Seldom do we have the chance to celebrate someone's life before they die.
Sunday was a good day! I was concerned because I was playing new music with the praise band, and I was accompanying Bill for the offertory. I had to put all of the music in a 3 ring binder to make it more manageable. I never realized that when I learned the circle of 5ths and all of my chords, that I would need that knowledge to "rock out" in the future. I told God that He was going to have to help me not to "blow it"! Everything went well. During greeting time, I met a young lady who has just moved here from Alaska. When I invited her to my Bible Study class, she got excited. She said that she had just started reading the Bible for the first time in her life, and she loved it!
The next on-line college class doesn't start for another week, so Bill amd I are taking advantage of our extra time. Saturday, we explored, and drove to the Wes Watkins Reservoir after eating lunch at Abuelita's. On the way back, we drove to Shawnee's Twin Lakes. It was a lovely day and people were swimming before the storm blew into town on Saturday evening.
I'm planning a piano recital at our house the middle of June with dinner. I have also invited the new Korean students at TLC who play musical instruments. It should be fun!
I just had a revelation this week. You can't teach "generosity" and you can't teach "gratefulness". They are qualities of the Spirit that only come from God. I realized that you can MAKE children give gifts and say, "thank you", but it means nothing unless it comes from the heart. The same is true regarding "faith". You really have to want to have "faith" and pray for it, or you won't have it, even if you say you believe. Many people in my generation don't have faith because they have watched too many people claim to be Christians who live their lives complaining, arguing, and worrying. I certainly wonder about their "faith"!
Sunday was a good day! I was concerned because I was playing new music with the praise band, and I was accompanying Bill for the offertory. I had to put all of the music in a 3 ring binder to make it more manageable. I never realized that when I learned the circle of 5ths and all of my chords, that I would need that knowledge to "rock out" in the future. I told God that He was going to have to help me not to "blow it"! Everything went well. During greeting time, I met a young lady who has just moved here from Alaska. When I invited her to my Bible Study class, she got excited. She said that she had just started reading the Bible for the first time in her life, and she loved it!
The next on-line college class doesn't start for another week, so Bill amd I are taking advantage of our extra time. Saturday, we explored, and drove to the Wes Watkins Reservoir after eating lunch at Abuelita's. On the way back, we drove to Shawnee's Twin Lakes. It was a lovely day and people were swimming before the storm blew into town on Saturday evening.
I'm planning a piano recital at our house the middle of June with dinner. I have also invited the new Korean students at TLC who play musical instruments. It should be fun!
I just had a revelation this week. You can't teach "generosity" and you can't teach "gratefulness". They are qualities of the Spirit that only come from God. I realized that you can MAKE children give gifts and say, "thank you", but it means nothing unless it comes from the heart. The same is true regarding "faith". You really have to want to have "faith" and pray for it, or you won't have it, even if you say you believe. Many people in my generation don't have faith because they have watched too many people claim to be Christians who live their lives complaining, arguing, and worrying. I certainly wonder about their "faith"!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Mother's Day Week
Last week, I took Mom shopping at Bonworth's in the mall. She loved their styles and their prices! She had so much fun trying on clothes and asking my advice. We spent over an hour there, and Mom came home with several new outfits. One was a lavender suit that she wore yesterday to church. Bill and I picked up KFC on our way home from church, picked up Mom and brought her to our house for lunch. I had made a sugar-free cherry pie for dessert. The weather was beautiful, so we ate on the screened patio. Mom loved eating out there, watching the cardinals and the squirrels. She also checked out my 3 tomatoe plants that happen to be doing very well this year.
Sunday was super busy for me! There were 15 members present in my Bible Study class. A new man, George, joined us and seemed to really enjoy himself. We studied Hannah, who was a woman of strong faith, and knew without a doubt that her son was a gift from God. I have been playing the piano with the praise band for the past two weeks. It's fun playing with guitars and drums. However, after teaching a class and playing for an entire service, I feel it by noon.
I had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! Mom doesn't like seafood, so Bill took me to Red Lobster on Saturday for lunch. I love scallops and grilled shrimp! After lunch, he took me to Dillard's to look for new summer sandals. I found some sandals the same color leather as my bag! I'm a "match freak". After shopping, we saw, "Touchback" at the cinema. It's a great family movie.
Saturday morning, Bill went to Mission Shawnee to help sort food from the Post Office food drive. While he was gone, a dozen roses were left on our porch. Kirk had sent them. While on the phone, he told me there were chocolates as well that I had missed seeing. I laughed because he had to talk me through the gift. Smile! It has been a difficult year for Kirk and Tamra. Tamra lost her mother, and now her father is in hospice for cancer. Through it all, they have kept the faith!
Kelli called. Our Hannah has been elected to Student Council as Sophomore representative next fall. It's a big deal because 16 people were running. Kelli is preparing to fly to New Orleans in June to work for the So. Baptist Convention media department. She writes by-lines for all of the photos, which means she must know who everyone is and what is going on. Kelli also reports that Cornerstone University is growing faster than expected. They are out of dorm space for the new Freshmen, and are scrambling for housing. Great problem!
Keri's family is happy and growing up. Now that Kevin has graduated from Trinity Seminary, they are seeking God's direction for their lives. Life is an adventure with God!
We are all saddened by President Obama's remark about gay marriage this week. The Bible makes it very clear that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. Christians have the ability to love gays and lesbians without approving of their behavior. I've noticed that people who do not read and understand the Bible, sure do know how to take scripture out of context! Judgement Day is coming! And, people in power are helping the prophecies of the Bible come more quickly. I'm glad I have the assurance that if things get too rough on this earth, I will be raptured with the church. The folks left can just complain and fight it out.
Sunday was super busy for me! There were 15 members present in my Bible Study class. A new man, George, joined us and seemed to really enjoy himself. We studied Hannah, who was a woman of strong faith, and knew without a doubt that her son was a gift from God. I have been playing the piano with the praise band for the past two weeks. It's fun playing with guitars and drums. However, after teaching a class and playing for an entire service, I feel it by noon.
I had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend! Mom doesn't like seafood, so Bill took me to Red Lobster on Saturday for lunch. I love scallops and grilled shrimp! After lunch, he took me to Dillard's to look for new summer sandals. I found some sandals the same color leather as my bag! I'm a "match freak". After shopping, we saw, "Touchback" at the cinema. It's a great family movie.
Saturday morning, Bill went to Mission Shawnee to help sort food from the Post Office food drive. While he was gone, a dozen roses were left on our porch. Kirk had sent them. While on the phone, he told me there were chocolates as well that I had missed seeing. I laughed because he had to talk me through the gift. Smile! It has been a difficult year for Kirk and Tamra. Tamra lost her mother, and now her father is in hospice for cancer. Through it all, they have kept the faith!
Kelli called. Our Hannah has been elected to Student Council as Sophomore representative next fall. It's a big deal because 16 people were running. Kelli is preparing to fly to New Orleans in June to work for the So. Baptist Convention media department. She writes by-lines for all of the photos, which means she must know who everyone is and what is going on. Kelli also reports that Cornerstone University is growing faster than expected. They are out of dorm space for the new Freshmen, and are scrambling for housing. Great problem!
Keri's family is happy and growing up. Now that Kevin has graduated from Trinity Seminary, they are seeking God's direction for their lives. Life is an adventure with God!
We are all saddened by President Obama's remark about gay marriage this week. The Bible makes it very clear that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. Christians have the ability to love gays and lesbians without approving of their behavior. I've noticed that people who do not read and understand the Bible, sure do know how to take scripture out of context! Judgement Day is coming! And, people in power are helping the prophecies of the Bible come more quickly. I'm glad I have the assurance that if things get too rough on this earth, I will be raptured with the church. The folks left can just complain and fight it out.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Conference/Festival/Recliners/Birds
Last week Bill attended a TESL conference, so I spent my time working in the yard and shopping for recliners for Mom. I bought a coral rose bush, more white pebbles for the front flower bed and a bird feeder. I found a black wrought iron crook that has scrolling at the top and a red jewel in the middle. I hung the black wrought iron bird feeder on one side, and a basket of flowers on the other. The flowers are called "a million bells". I had no idea what kind of seed to buy for the birds, so Noel showed me a bag with pictures of cardinals on the front. I was amazed when the first birds to find the feeder were indeed cardinals! You can tell I'm getting old when my entertainment is watching birds.
I found a petite tan rocker/recliner for Mom at Sears. However, they didn't have another one in stock. So, I looked at Marquis Furniture and found one that was even prettier and has a hard wood frame. They had another in stock, so I took both. Jason, Galen's son, is going to deliver them to Mom this morning in his new truck. Mom will take out her love seat, and put the matching chairs across from her sofa. I'm so happy for her!
Bill wasn't suppose to return from his conference until afternoon on Saturday, however, he called me and asked me to pick him up just before lunch. He wanted to go to the Kolache Festival in Prague, so we drove there. It was super hot, and the city had moved the festival down about a half mile from the center of town. We arrived at the end of the parade and ate lunch at a Restaurant called "CowPokes". It was cool. After lunch, we watched some girls dancing while eating ice cream cones as fast as we could. They were melting fast! When Bill asked me what I wanted to do next, I said, "I want to go home." He smiled and said he agreed. We're getting too old to enjoy hot weather.
Church was good yesterday. We have baptized adults and children for 4 Sundays in a row. Another high school boy made a decision at the end of the service. Jesse Hernandez and his daughter sang a duet that was absolutely beautiful. Their voices blended so well. Christian music is truly inspired! The message was about having faith that God cares about us and is in charge of our needs. Whether I live, or whether I die, I am in the hands of a loving God because I have chosen to be. After church, Noel and Mark took Mom, Bill and me to the Arrows Cafe in Tecumseh for dinner. It is styled like Cracker Barrel. I enjoyed one of the specials which was baked chicken, potatoes, gr beans, salad and biscuits. Mark made us laugh. He ordered hamburger steak and then two sides - eggs and sausage. When he was told he couldn't do that, he ordered potatoe soup which looked really good. Noel and Mark left this morning to go to Springfield for two weeks. We are still praying for Noel to completely recover from his open heart surgery. He's a good guy!
I found a petite tan rocker/recliner for Mom at Sears. However, they didn't have another one in stock. So, I looked at Marquis Furniture and found one that was even prettier and has a hard wood frame. They had another in stock, so I took both. Jason, Galen's son, is going to deliver them to Mom this morning in his new truck. Mom will take out her love seat, and put the matching chairs across from her sofa. I'm so happy for her!
Bill wasn't suppose to return from his conference until afternoon on Saturday, however, he called me and asked me to pick him up just before lunch. He wanted to go to the Kolache Festival in Prague, so we drove there. It was super hot, and the city had moved the festival down about a half mile from the center of town. We arrived at the end of the parade and ate lunch at a Restaurant called "CowPokes". It was cool. After lunch, we watched some girls dancing while eating ice cream cones as fast as we could. They were melting fast! When Bill asked me what I wanted to do next, I said, "I want to go home." He smiled and said he agreed. We're getting too old to enjoy hot weather.
Church was good yesterday. We have baptized adults and children for 4 Sundays in a row. Another high school boy made a decision at the end of the service. Jesse Hernandez and his daughter sang a duet that was absolutely beautiful. Their voices blended so well. Christian music is truly inspired! The message was about having faith that God cares about us and is in charge of our needs. Whether I live, or whether I die, I am in the hands of a loving God because I have chosen to be. After church, Noel and Mark took Mom, Bill and me to the Arrows Cafe in Tecumseh for dinner. It is styled like Cracker Barrel. I enjoyed one of the specials which was baked chicken, potatoes, gr beans, salad and biscuits. Mark made us laugh. He ordered hamburger steak and then two sides - eggs and sausage. When he was told he couldn't do that, he ordered potatoe soup which looked really good. Noel and Mark left this morning to go to Springfield for two weeks. We are still praying for Noel to completely recover from his open heart surgery. He's a good guy!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
May Day
The first day of May has always been a beautiful time of year for me. This morning I woke up to the world glistening. Everything was wet from pouring rain during the night, and the sun was shining. Birds were singing, my new rose bush was budding, and I had two new green tomatoes. I chose to enjoy these things rather than dwell on the Occupy Wallstreet people. If I think about them too much I get mad. They hurt so many people who are trying to get to school and to work. There are ways to change situations without hurting innocent people. You have to have a common goal.
Last week, I learned that the park adjacent to our house was going to host a Relay for Life from 7 in the evening until 7 in the morning. There is nothing wrong with that accept that they were planning to play loud music the entire night! I talked to the City Manager, and his comment was, "You shouldn't buy a home next to the park." I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I visited the Police Station. Officer Hodges was very understanding and told me to call him if the music was out of hand past 10 p.m. I thank the police because the evening was very quiet and peaceful. I will also work hard to vote the present City Manager out of his office and get a person who is respectful. There are proper channels to go through when you are unhappy with a situation. Kids today have been taught that if they fall on the floor and throw a tantrum, they will get what they want without working for it. That's what I see when I look at the news and see a bunch of people blocking traffic, messing up the neighborhoods and smoking pot. They don't want to work through the proper channels to make change.
Last Thursday, I played the piano for Pat Foraker's funeral. Pat attended my Bible Study Class with her daughter frequently. I looked at the pictures among the flowers of when she was young and realized once again how short life is on this earth. I also understand that when you love someone dearly, you are so glad that life is eternal for those who put their trust in Jesus as the Son of God. The more you love, the more grateful you are for heaven!
This week, Kelli sent an essay written by her daughter, Hannah. The title was, "I Love Him Just A Little Bit More". I didn't realize what a fantastic writer she has become. I hope she will follow her mother's steps in becoming a journalist. The paper was about Hannah's journey from the time she learned that her parents were divorcing until now. She describes the hurt and pain, and how God carried her through when she didn't have the strength. I'm so proud that she's my granddaughter. At 15 years old, she has more wisdom than many adults! (Her English teacher gave her an "A" on the essay.)
Last week, I learned that the park adjacent to our house was going to host a Relay for Life from 7 in the evening until 7 in the morning. There is nothing wrong with that accept that they were planning to play loud music the entire night! I talked to the City Manager, and his comment was, "You shouldn't buy a home next to the park." I wasn't satisfied with that answer, so I visited the Police Station. Officer Hodges was very understanding and told me to call him if the music was out of hand past 10 p.m. I thank the police because the evening was very quiet and peaceful. I will also work hard to vote the present City Manager out of his office and get a person who is respectful. There are proper channels to go through when you are unhappy with a situation. Kids today have been taught that if they fall on the floor and throw a tantrum, they will get what they want without working for it. That's what I see when I look at the news and see a bunch of people blocking traffic, messing up the neighborhoods and smoking pot. They don't want to work through the proper channels to make change.
Last Thursday, I played the piano for Pat Foraker's funeral. Pat attended my Bible Study Class with her daughter frequently. I looked at the pictures among the flowers of when she was young and realized once again how short life is on this earth. I also understand that when you love someone dearly, you are so glad that life is eternal for those who put their trust in Jesus as the Son of God. The more you love, the more grateful you are for heaven!
This week, Kelli sent an essay written by her daughter, Hannah. The title was, "I Love Him Just A Little Bit More". I didn't realize what a fantastic writer she has become. I hope she will follow her mother's steps in becoming a journalist. The paper was about Hannah's journey from the time she learned that her parents were divorcing until now. She describes the hurt and pain, and how God carried her through when she didn't have the strength. I'm so proud that she's my granddaughter. At 15 years old, she has more wisdom than many adults! (Her English teacher gave her an "A" on the essay.)
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