Connection to the past..........and into the future

I have mentioned that I am the youngest of five children in my family.  I was born in Watertown, South Dakota and my mom and dad had lived there for a long time.  My mom graduated from high school in Watertown and met my dad there.  And, except for a few years, they had lived in Watertown.  I always felt a bit out of the loop in my family whenever the conversation turned to Watertown.  All of my siblings have lots and lots of memories of Watertown.......except me.  We moved away when I was just 3 years old.  I only have a couple of actual memories of Watertown (a fact that my mom could not believe).  I remember the front porch of our house (and sadly, I can't visit it or get a picture because the house was torn down in the 1960's).  And I remember the Library!

I discovered that the building that I knew as the Library, is now the Codington County Historical Museum.  I remember going down those stairs on the side, into the basement, to the children's section.  I have very clear memories of rows and rows of books.  It was certainly a happy place for me.  My love of books and going to the Library did not end when we moved away.  I spent hours and hours at the St. Paul Public Library (downtown) - BY MYSELF - from the time I was in early grade school.  The arrival of the Bookmobile at my neighborhood shopping center was a big treat.   My nose was almost always in a book.  After my own kids were born, we often visited the library.  Thirty years ago our community had a very old building with a very tiny library.  As a matter of fact, the children's books were stacked on the steps to the second floor!  But we had "district" borrowing privileges at several towns near to us.  My kids grew up going to the Library on a weekly basis.  So it was no surprise that today, I visited the Library with Gwen and the kids....

 They have a wonderful children's room at their local library.  All of the kids picked their own books.  There were board books for Anna, picture books for Zeke, early readers for Ellie, and "chapter" books for Lia.  Zeke spent time doing a very large alphabet floor puzzle (with a little help from Ellie), and Anna walked up and down and around all the rows of books (with Grandma following closely behind her)!  Before we left, all four kids spent time at the computers!

And we left with 20 books!  Five for each kid.  And their loft is filled with books that they own.  And there are books in each of their bedrooms and books on their kindles.  Yes, we are a book loving family!

In thinking back to my love of books, it is really interesting that I really didn't OWN many of my own books.  As a matter of fact I think I could name the first 5 books that I owned!  I am so thankful that one of those five was my first Bible, which is still on my book shelf.

Last night I had one of those dreams.... the kind that I know have meaning beyond the dream itself.  I have been "dreaming" in my awake hours of going to the beach.  It looks like the beach might be a lake for us this year, rather than the ocean.  But I am longing for a body of water.  Since I spent every summer of the first 20 years of my life at a lake, this should not be a surprise!  My dream last night started with the realization that I was in a small row boat, out on a lake.  As I looked around I didn't see anything that seemed familiar.  But I was not at all afraid.  Even when I realized that I did not have the oars and there was not a motor on the boat!  I was calmly floating around in that little boat.  I remember that at one point in the dream, I put my head back and just looked up at the clear blue sky.  It was so restful and so calm.......so peaceful.  Exactly what I blogged about yesterday.  Peace.  Easy, not worries, just calm and peace.  What a great dream.   Jesus was totally in charge and I was just floating along.  Yes, I need to bring that dream into my life.   I don't have to understand.  I don't have to have all the tools I think I might need.  I just need to look up and breathe deep.  And let life take me where it will.  Because I know that my little boat, my life, is not on an aimless path.  There is a plan and purpose and destiny to my journey. And Jesus is in charge.  Yes, I need to just stop, take that deep breath and be in peace.  One thing is certain, that possible lakeside vacation is sounding better and better!

Jesus, thank you so much for speaking to us in dreams.  Holy Spirit, you connect us from our past into the future.  Jesus, thank you for books and libraries and words on a page.  Thank you for information and stories and testimonies that challenge and encourage us and educate us.  Remind us all that the best way to spend our days is floating along, letting you do the propelling!  Amen

Day 13 - Today I am thankful for books!

Today I am so thankful for the stacks and stacks of books that I have!  I am also so thankful for the amazing library systems that we have in the United States.  This picture is my grandson Zeke at around 15 months old.  He already loved the library! What a blessing books are to me.  I know that I have posted about my Kindle and I DO love my Kindle!  But there is something about holding a book in my hands and turning the pages.   

Part of the reason that I am so feeling so thankful for books today, is that I have seen the power of a simple children's book in calming down a room full of overactive kids.
Even the most active little 2 year olds will sit quietly if you engage them in a story.  Today it was "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"!

If you are not familiar with this book (and I am sure most of my friends over the age of 40 have not heard of this book), go online and watch some of the videos and hear the songs from this book.  I don't know what it is about this book, but the kids ask for it over and over and especially love it when we play the music with the book.  For me, there are moments of sanity as the large group of kids are silent when this book comes out. 

Books in general are a big part of my life.  I was certainly one of those "reader" kids.  One of my earliest memories (and in fact one of the few memories I have of the town I was born in) is of the library.  When I was in first grade my mom insisted that I be given a library card and allowed to go to the "bookmobile" at school.  This was totally unheard of since kids were not allowed to have library cards until 4th grade!  My mom won that battle and I happily checked out books every week.  During the summer the bookmobile would come to our local shopping center.  I remember sitting on the sidewalk outside of the store waiting for the arrival of that large trailer filled with adventures, in books.  I still own a couple of the first books I ever had as my very own. Even though we lived in a large city, I often went to the "big library" downtown - all by myself!  When I was in late gradeschool, my mom would let me walk the mile to the bus stop, take the city bus downtown to the Library.  I would spend the entire day just looking at books and magazines.  Then, my mom would pick me up on her way home from work. (****I know that this sounds just impossible, but remember that this was the 1960's and it really wasn't that big of a deal to go on the bus by yourself!) I am so thankful for the librarian who directed me to series of books like Nancy Drew and also classics that I might never have picked up.  And I am so grateful for the discovery of "true" stories.  I read about Ann Frank and Helen Keller and Marie Curie.  And I still love those stories to this day. 

Yes, today I am thankful for books.  And so glad that my grandchildren have shelves and shelves of books and make frequent trips to the library! 

Jesus, thank you for books - for authors, and illustrators, for publishers.  Thank you for libraries and librarians.  Holy Spirit, thank you for using books to bring us information and joy!   Jesus, bless all of these special children I work with.  Thank you for providing "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" at just the right time!  Amen

Misplaced blame........

 

You know how you have a "love/hate" relationship with some things in your life? I am sure that most are familiar with that phrase.  Those things that at times are so wonderful, but then at other times not so wonderful.  Well, I have one of those relationships with my Kindle.  I confess that, in fact, I love my Kindle.  It's just that when I start reading I can't stop. !  So, when I have been awake half the night reading, I blame my extreme tiredness the next day on the Kindle. This is not the Kindle's fault - it is totally ME.   And the thing is, thanks to the  internet, I have in my hands an almost endless library of books, magazines, articles and other reading material.  And a lot of the books are free or almost free.  And it is available 24 hours a day.  No running out of reading material.  No searching the book shelf for a book to read over again after having already read it more times than I can count.  Just pick up the Kindle and in just a couple of minutes, there is a new book to read. 

The book currently causing me to be so tired, is Mark of the Lion, by Francine Rivers.  I think I have read most of her books.  This series of three books begins in Jerusalem in AD70.  I love the way the author is able to weave so much Biblical truth into her books, while creating a wonderful story. I don't usually read historical books about Greece or Rome or gladiators.  But this is a story that draws you in.  So, take this as a personal recommendation for the book Mark of the Lion. 

What is really on my heart tonight is misplaced blame.  I have been thinking about how quick I was to "blame" my Kindle for my tiredness!  Isn't that a silly thing?  But Yahweh has been showing me how many times I try to place blame somewhere else, rather than seeing that I am to blame.  You know, blaming the traffic but really YOU are the one running late.  This is really misplaced blame. Satan wants to keep us blaming others so that we can remain unforgiven and filled with anger and bitterness.  I have discovered that I am much less angry and upset when I take responsibility for the things that are my doing.  Once I do this, I deal with the situation and with my emotions about it and solve the problem.  Confessing whatever failing and/or sin and then seeing Yahweh's response is ALWAYS  forgiveness and grace that  brings freedom and peace.  The best part about this is that no matter how small and even trivial OR how big of thing it is, doesn't matter at all to God.  The important thing is that you accept blame for whatever you have done.

What an amazing part of Yahweh's great plan.  We can be forgiven and set free, just be knowing and confessing our wrong doings.  I think over the next few weeks, I am going to pay much closer attention to my thoughts when things aren't going right.  Before getting angry and upset, I can just stop and pray and trust the Holy Spirit will reveal what needs to be revealed.  And then I can walk in greater freedom and peace. 

Yahweh, thanks so much for your plan of forgiveness.  Thanks for reminding me that you care about the small things as well as the big things.  Help me to remember to stop and pray when I am in challenging situations.  Thank you for your peace and the freedom from holding on to blaming others and the bitterness that follows that.  You are a mighty and wonderful God.   Amen

(And, just for the record, I confess that I have re-read almost all of the books that are on my Kindle.  I guess it doesn't matter how many books are available, when you have a good book, it is worth rereading.)