Mom's favorite photos and new beginnings!

Yesterday I had a great day helping a friend along the path to completing a scrapbook for her son.  She had started this book but had gotten a bit bogged down in the process.  She had lots and lots of pictures but had a good bit of organizing already done.  I helped her make sense out of the process and together we were able to get ideas for the remainder of the pages of her album, and then match pictures to those pages.  We actually only completed one page while I was there, but we also arranged two more pages that were mostly ready to go.  Additionally, we had another two pages pretty well designed.  She also got a good start on scanning her photos before she uses them in an album.  So, all in all, it was a successful day.  It is so life-giving to help someone else when it is a passion for you!  She was concerned that I was getting bored helping her!  This was not a problem, I can assure you.  Scrapbooking is my happy place!  As she was looking through pictures, she pulled out a couple that were favorites of hers.  I know how this is!  You have some shots that your kids don't really like, but you just love!  I encouraged her to make a page of "mom's favorites" in her album!

After having that conversation with her I knew just the photos that I would include if I were doing an album right now.  The first picture that came to mind was this one.....

This picture of Gwen and I was taken just before Doug was born!  While it is not a very flattering picture of me, I just love having this shot of Gwen and me - when it was just the two of us!  And with my Facebook feed filled with first day of school photos, I was also remembering a couple of those pictures.  This one is especially important to me since it was the first time I ever sent a child off to school.  It was preschool, but it was still a really big deal to me.

It was a much harder adjustment for ME than for Gwen, who happily marched into the classroom, never looking back.  Yes, this was the first of many beginning school photos!  And it is a favorite of mine!

Today I am especially grateful to add another photo to my list of very favorite photos....

Susie shared this last night on Facebook.  What a sweet way to announce that Doug and Susie are expecting a baby!  And what a joyous and wonderful announcement for this Grandma!  Our entire family is so ready for this new life.  I love that Susie honored Lucas in this announcement.  At the time that my kids were born, having "Big Sister" or "Big Brother" shirts was unheard of.  Lucas will always be the big brother to this baby.  Lucas is remembered and loved in our family and we will share his story with his new sibling. 

Yes, this is a season of "new beginnings".  In addition to a new school year, as a country we are moving into a time of a new administration.  As I have said on this blog, I am staying out of all the political stuff as much as possible.  Even still, you can just feel that there is a new thing out there on the horizon.  And now, as our family is looking ahead to this new baby, my heart soars at all that might be in store.  We are extremely thankful for this new life!  

As I was typing this blog, I found myself humming a very old song...  This song was popular when I was in high school (oh, so long ago!).   They lyrics are actually straight out of the Bible - found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.  The song is Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds.  Here is the text from the Bible...

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

I just love that in these verses, there is a transition from weeping to laughing and from mourning to dancing.  I am so thankful that tonight we can laugh and dance and celebrate this new life!  Yes, I just love being a grandma!  

Jesus, thank you so much for time with friends that included so much sharing and prayer and scrapbooking!  Thank you for this new baby in our family.  Holy Spirit guard and protect everyone as we walk into this new season and these new beginnings.  Keep us mindful of the seasons of our life and help us to remember that there is a purpose for each season.  Amen

Memories of a long ago trip....and another bit from Wednesday night!

On Friday night, Ken and I had dinner with Doug and Susie, followed by a wonderful time seeing their photos from their recent trip out west.  They got some amazing pictures!  And I couldn't help but remember my trip through Yellowstone and Glacier on my family vacation to Spokane to visit my aunt and uncle.  I was thinking of this picture of my mom, me and my aunt Bee from that vacation.  This was the only "real" vacation I ever went on with my family (other than going to the Lake).  Sadly, what I remember most about this trip was being crammed in the middle of the back seat (between my mom and my brother, since Aunt Bee needed to ride in the front seat).  On the entire trip to Spokane, I was miserable with an abscessed tooth.  As soon as we got to my Aunt's house, a trip to the dentist, a pulled tooth, and antibiotics and I was feeling much better.   I was almost 9 years old on this trip, so I remember the "important" sights.....Old Faithful, seeing snow in June, the mountains, Mt. Rushmore, and actually meeting my aunt and uncle for the first time (and sadly, the only time I ever got to see them).  Yes, seeing Doug and Susie's pictures made it clear that Ken and I will be putting a trip out west on our "bucket list".

In my last blog I shared about a meeting I attended on Wednesday night with Dr. Clarice Fluitt.   I have a page of "one liners" that I have been meditating on, turning over in my spirit, thinking about and just reading - over and over.  So I decided to just shoot them off to all of you, so that YOU can be meditating, turning over, thinking about and reading.  So here goes....

*change the atmosphere - choose to use your words.
*your participation is REQUIRED not REQUESTED
*you are the disguise of God - He is hidden within us
*be a thermostat - not a thermometer.   Set the atmosphere - don't report it.
*don't wait till it is too late......live in heaven NOW on earth.
*the church is waiting for God to do what God is waiting for the church to do!
*the root of the word culture is CULT!
*live FULL and die EMPTY
*say it in don't just pray it in (use your VOICE)
*be expecting God to do something through you rather than TO you.
*if you are called to be an overcomer you have a lot to over come!

Seeing that list....all I can say is WOW!  Sometimes you come away from a meeting with only one or two thoughts.  Obviously that was not the case with this meeting!  I encourage you to read through those one liners.  Listen to the Holy Spirit and I know that you will be blessed by these words of wisdom!

Jesus, thank you for time with family that includes sharing food and also wonderful photos.  Thank you for providing time  for Doug and Susie to rest and recharge while away enjoying nature.  Holy Spirit, use these amazing "one liners" from Dr.Clarice to bless and encourage us.  Speak your heart and message into us through them.  Amen

Photos, scanning and the environment a strange combination

Today I actually accomplished one task that I have been needing to do for a LONG time. I scanned some pictures that have been in collage frames in my hallway.  These particular pictures are some of my favorite pictures of my childhood and Ken's childhood. 

 

These are a couple of the professional photos - one of Ken when he is around 9 months old and one of me at 18 months old.  Most of the pictures were just snapshots.  Some were in color but the majority were black and white.    I took the frames apart and very carefully removed all of the photos.  Most of them were the original pictures.  I had made these frames long before "scanning" became popular.  And, unfortunately, many of the pictures were seriously sun damaged and faded.  And some had almost faded away.  Many years ago I thought about taking those frames down, but I loved seeing them every day when I walked in the door.  I had originally made these frames around the time that Gwen was born.  I wanted to have pictures up of Ken and I at various ages, so that I could compare them to pictures of Gwen.  The kids loved to look at these frames.  My frame included pictures of my mom's parents, my dad's parents and aunt Anna.  Ken's included pictures of his grandma and grandpa Baker.  There was also one picture of Ken sitting on his great grandma Kelly's lap.  

 

 Grandma Baker is holding one of Ken's cousins and his sister Sue is the front left.  I remember when I put this frame together I was amazed at this picture.  Ken and his great-grandma!  WOW!  How amazing that we have this multi-generational photo.  So now these photos are safely preserved by scanning.   And they are saved on an external hard drive.

I was thinking about the fact that my enjoyment of these photos had actually been the very thing that has caused them to deteriorate.  Yet, what good are pictures if you never look at them? So, is spite of the damage to some of these photos, I am thankful today, for the years that these frames hung in our hallway.  I am thankful that my children got to look at these pictures, day after day.  And I am thankful that now they are preserved.  This process has me thinking about other things that we "save" for various reasons.  Like the "good" dishes we save for special occasions.  Or the "special" jewelry that we only wear once or twice a year - if that.  Or the decorative towels we only put out when company is coming.  Really????   Isn't it better and more honoring to USE these items? To enjoy them and look at them and actually appreciate them?  Recently, Gwen told me that Lia and Ellie have been learning about the Garden of Eden in Sunday School.  Their "homework" was to help out in the "garden" at home.  And they had to answer the question "why should we take care of the earth?"  Lia's response was that God had made the earth for us and has given us the air to breathe, so we should take care of it.  Ellie said because Jesus made it!  We would not be doing the earth any service if we did not "use" it or enjoy it. Just like my photos in the frame, sometimes the earth suffers when we "enjoy it". In 2013 we are doing a much better job of preserving our world than we were 50 years ago.  Today we recycle, we compost, and we control smog.   Well, today I am thinking that we have been given photographs so that we can see and enjoy them.  And now we have been given the way to preserve them so that future generations can also share our memories. 

Jesus, thank you for your creative ideas that have given us photographs.  Thank you for the technology that allows us to scan and save these images, so they will not be lost.  You are the creator, Yahweh and it is your Holy Spirit that brings that creative nature into us.  Jesus, help me to remember to enjoy the many things you have placed in my life and remind me to use the good dishes on a regular day.  Thank you for the earth and the air we breathe.  Help me to remember to celebrate every part of your creation - every day!   Amen