Fourth of July Fun!

 I have been spending the Fourth of July with Doug and Susie's family for many years.  The Yorkville Parade was one of Ken's favorite things.  Parades, in general, were something that Ken viewed as "Photo Ops".  A chance to take pictures of unusual things.  For me, seeing the kid's excitement is the best.  I'm not sure it is all about the candy, but the candy is important!  

We got to the parade extra early this year and got a great spot on the side of the street without the sun blasting us in the face.  However, this year it was overcast and actually rained on us during the parade!  Still, this was a great spot to catch the action.  Jimmy really enjoyed this parade.  Grace saw several friends from school who were walking in the parade.  It was a very pleasant couple of hours without sweating - thanks to that gently falling rain!  

I spent a couple of hours at Doug and Susie's house after the parade and Doug grilled some delicious Fourth of July fare.  The meal was complete with corn on the cob, which Jimmy loved (once he got the hang of only biting the kernels of corn, rather than the cob!) 

 We were able to sit in the backyard and watch the kids play once the weather brightened up a bit. It was good to visit with Susie's mom and dad and one of Doug's long time friends.   Doug has put up their travel Hamock and the kids both love it. 

One of my very favorite memories of the Fourth of July was in 1979.  Gwen was exactly two months old and Ken decided we should go on a picnic.  We stopped at a local Kmart store to get a cooler (we were very unprepared to have a picnic!)  While Ken was looking at all the coolers and everything we might need for a "real" picnic, I noticed a photographer taking baby pictures.  I convinced Ken that we really should get Gwen's picture taken since she was wearing a red, white and blue dress, complete with matching shoes!

This was one of my very favorite pictures of Gwen.  By the time we started scanning photos, it was faded and not in great shape.  Still, I am thankful to have this picture.  We never actually went on that picnic.  It clouded up and started to rain.  I was not going to take a two month old out in the rain.  Ken was very disappointed but I was very thankful for his plan to picnic, since it got me this photo!  

Isn't it great when you realize that even though your plans don't work out the way you thought they would, something else comes out of it that turns out even better than you could have imagined!  A missed picnic but a photo memory that is still here 45 years later.   I am finally learning to look for these "turn of events" that are so often a blessing.  I love that Jesus often has better plans for me than I could ever make for myself.  So much of life is about your perspective of what is happening.  So I am working on finding the rainbow when a "storm" of unexpected events changes my plans.  I do a lot of driving around these days, and last week I encountered a detour  with a road closed for road work.  Thankfully, I was pretty sure I knew where the detour was taking me.  After arriving at my destination, I realized that the detour had actually saved me from having to make a left turn at a very busy intersection.  While this is just a small pretty insignificant event, I am learning that Jesus cares about everything - even the small things.  And His plans are always that best plans!  

Jesus, thank you for special days, parades and candy for the kids.  Holy Spirit, remind us all to see the turn of events in our every day life as finding a better way.  Jesus thank you that you care about us and even the small things in our life.  Thank you for family times and photo memories.  Amen

Finally back blogging...Happy 4th of July!

I know that it has been a long time since I blogged - six weeks!  It was a very busy 6 weeks, however the fact that I was busy, is not the reason for the blog silence.  I made a very clear decision to step back from this blog and re-evaluate.  That included thinking/praying about the reasons for this blog.  Looking back at some past blogs.   Looking into the future a bit.  Among other things!  It was a good time to rest and let events happen.  In addition to all my "normal" busyness - being with my grand kids and life in general - here is a recap of what kept me away during these weeks.

1.  A brief visit with my sister Julie.
2.  Anna's preschool graduation.
3.  Dance recitals for Lia, Ellie and Anna.
4.  Lia's Birthday.
5.  Zeke's Birthday party.
6.  A full week with Ellie, Zeke and Anna while Gwen, Tim and Lia were on a Mission Trip.
(During that week Ken was in Florida visiting with his sisters)
7. Short trip to a nearby lake for a walk/photo session
8.  A wedding of my friend Diane.

And finally, the 4th of July!  Ken and I had a wonderful holiday.  We got up early and went with Doug and Susie and Grace to an early parade in a nearby town.  We were very thankful that they moved the start time to 9:00am since it was VERY HOT!  Grace was delighted to pick up all of the candy that was tossed to her, but the best things was the Ice Pops that several groups gave out!  And the water bottles!  After the parade, we spent a bit of time at Doug and Susie's and got to watch Grace in her new pool.

She was so excited to go down the slide into the water.  It was fun to watch her slide, over and over.  I'm sure she took a good nap after all that excitement before it was even noon.

Ken and I decided to go to the local fireworks display.  Something that we haven't done for years.  Last year we had decided to try a nearby parking garage roof, but the event was rained out.  This year was clear so we saw the entire show from 7 floors up.  Actually the hour before our town's display began,  we watched all around the horizon as various communities had slightly earlier start times.  No matter what direction you looked, there were tons of fireworks. 

Getting out of the garage and home was much easier than being in all the traffic right by the park.  So we called this a major win.  I am sure we will be going back there again next year.

One of the reasons for the brief break from blogging, is my sadness at the decline in the number of people who are seeing my blog.  This has been because Google stopped sharing any posts from the Blogger platform.  I lost a good number of my international readers who followed me through Google.  I suspect that many of my new readers also came from that search engine.  I watched as my readership fell from the hundreds and sometimes thousands into the teens.  However, as I have reflected back on the reasons that I began this blog, I am convinced that I need to continue to write and share my life in this way.  Sometimes it is the smallest things that reach people and effect changes.  Although this blog may not be read by that many people, I am convinced that the people who need to read my words, will find them.  I spent several years before I began this blog in 2013, feeling frustrated and stifled.  I felt as if I had been given things to share and yet I didn't have anywhere to share!  When I started this blog, it was as if the floodgates opened and so much poured out.  I was reminded of my life verse from John 7:38.... "rivers of living water will flow from within them".   I am amazed when I go back and look at some of my posts.  Clearly these were God-given words and not mine.  Today I am feeling ashamed that the number of readers caused me to back off this blog.  It was giving way to much power to Google.... when God is in charge of who sees theses words!   Yes, lesson learned. When God calls you to something, don't stop just because it gets hard or uncomfortable.  Just keep on going.  I saw this yesterday from the diary of John Wesley....

Sunday A.M.  May 5 - Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore.

Sunday P.M. May 5 - Preached in St. John's.  Deacons said "Get out and stay out"

Sunday A.M. May 12 - Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there either.

Sunday A.M. May 19 - Preached on street. Kicked off of street

Sunday A.M. June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town.  Kicked off of highway.

Sunday P.M. June 2- Preached in a pasture. Ten Thousand people came out to hear me.  

If God calls you to share, I guess you just have to keep on sharing and let Him bring the people!

Jesus, thank you for using this past few weeks to remind me that this blog is about you.  It is all about my relationship with you.  Help me keep my eyes focused on your kingdom and off of the cares of this world.  Remind us all that you are much bigger than anything that is happening in the world around us.  Thank you for the plans and purposes you have for all of us.  Amen

Celebrating the power of sharing!

These two photos represent 4th of July's that I remember very well.  The top picture is Gwen at the age of 2 months - taken July 4, 1979!  We just happened to be out shopping to pick up a few items at Kmart before going on a picnic, and they were taking pictures in the store.  We decided at the last minute, to have Gwen's picture taken.  Although this had already faded badly before we got it scanned, I still love it!  She was dressed in that darling red white and blue dress with matching shoes.  I loved that little dress!  I can't help but to notice how much Anna looks like Gwen!  The bottom picture was taken on July 4, 1983.  We were on our way to spend the day at our good friends house.   I love this holiday memory, captured in a photo.

Gwen posted this picture on Facebook today!  I love that Gwen takes these pictures.  The best thing is that I will most likely get to look at this picture next year during the month of July.  Gwen usually makes me a wall calendar with pictures, so I get to enjoy them all year. 

 

It has been an interesting evening.  Ken and I decided that we would go out and try to see the fireworks.  Now we live in a very small suburb of only around 14,000.  And every town around here has their own fireworks. We decided to try to park a bit away from the park where the fireworks display happens.  We know of a small industrial area a short distance from the park, so we decided that would be a good place.  Well, apparently EVERYONE in our town decided to go there!  The streets were lined with cars.  As we drove home, EVERY street had cars and people.  One little lake had rows and rows of chairs and people on the grass.  It was really silly.  I really didn't know that there were that many people in our town!  Needless to say, we drove home and skipped the fireworks.  It was quite an adventure! 

 

All in all, this was a really nice day.  The weather was spectacular.  It was warm, but not hot.  There were a few clouds and a soft breeze.  Ken did a bit of yard work and I sat outside and watched!  Ken went on a bike ride and I just chilled.  We grilled brats for dinner and ate corn on the cob.  Yes, I would say this was a really nice 4th of July.  In spite of missing the fireworks.  It was a great day.

 

Here's the thing.  I love that because this is a "special" day, we mark the day with photos.  And memories.  Ken and I talked about the last few years and how we celebrated.  It is good to spend time talking and remembering together.  In some ways, this has become a lost art.  People don't spend time really telling stories about the past.  And we also don't spend much time giving our testimony.  Nor do we share stories of how Jesus has blessed us and answered prayers.  We don't talk about the miracles we have seen in our families.  How sad is this?  We have lost the power of our testimony!

I was thinking of these verses from Revelation 12:10-11.....

"For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God

day and night, has been hurled down.  They triumphed over him by the

blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"

 

Wow!  Isn't that amazing?  There is so much power in our testimony, yet we don't use this gift!  I am going to remember this lesson. More than that, I am going to DO this lesson.  So for the rest of the month of July, I am going to be sharing my stories (my testimonies).  And I am going to be expecting to hear some of your stories also.  Please share them with me.  Share them with others.  Let's start a new trend and share lots of good news stories that bless others.  What a joy this will be.  This is a great 4th of July message.  Its all about freedom.  The freedom that we have in Jesus.  The freedom that we have in this country to SHARE our testimony about Jesus.  Yes, this is a reason to celebrate. 

 

Jesus, thank you for the freedom you bring to us.  Those you set free are free indeed!  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder and the nudge to share more testimonies of all that you have done.  What a blessing it is to be able to share openly.  Thank you for this country and the freedoms that we have. Holy Spirit, give us all courage and boldness to testify about all that you have done for us.  Amen