Social Distancing - what I have been doing!

Most of you know that I am a scrapbooker.  During this time of "forced" staying home, I am thankful to have a hobby that is ready and waiting for my action.  Yesterday I spent a very long time re-learning my Cricut cutting machine.  They had changed to a new platform that I have never used and it took me a long time to figure it out.  I was successful and managed to make these embellishments for the group of pages I am currently working on.  As a disclaimer, I must tell you that I am really, really far behind on my efforts to scrapbook my photos.  Like years behind!  The photos I am working on right now are from June of 2017 - almost 3 years ago.  Here is a sample of what I have completed...

These pictures are actually from a time that I watched Gwen and Tim's kids while they went on a mission trip.  The kids look so young, which of course they were!  Three years younger!  

But I am committed to finishing these books and to finally "catch up" to more current pictures.  It seems like a daunting task, but one that is so valuable that I will press on!

I often tell people that I can talk for hours about why I think the activity of making these scrapbooks is so important.  There is something that is lost by having a bunch of digital pictures that are "somewhere out in the cloud".  While I very much appreciate that my photos ARE preserved out there, I also know that it is not the same as being able to pick up a book and actually see the photos.  I am convinced that one day, my grandchildren and even my great grandchildren will be thankful that I took the time to preserve these memories.  

For one thing, the dates of these pictures will be clearly recorded.  No one will ever have to guess at the date the picture was taken.  Because it is in a clearly marked book there will never be a question.  Also the people in the pictures are identified by the written messages on the pages.  All of the baby pictures will be clearly from each child.  There will be no mystery photos.  And the pictures will not be just jumbled together in a box.  I do have many photos (about 6 boxes worth) but they are all separated by year and in protective boxes that will preserve them.  Most have notations on the back to identify the people or event.  Again, not perfect but far better than what my mom did.  As child number 5, I know that I certainly got the least photos taken of me.  I am thankful for the photos I do have, but really wish there were more.  

When Ken's mother died and his dad moved to Florida, we became the owners of a couple of very old photo scrapbooks.  One of these belonged to Ken's great grandmother Kelly.  Unfortunately, nobody has any idea who the people are in these pictures.  I really hate the idea of these photos being lost, but on the other hand, I have no idea who might cherish them.  There was also an album from Ken's grandma Baker.  We were able to sort out a few of these photos and are very thankful to have them.  But again, so many were not identified.   These things make me more committed to spending the time to keep these memories recorded and preserved.  

Besides this scrap time, I have been really intentional about my Bible time.  This has really helped me to keep focused on the TRUTH - Jesus and off of the so bad, terrible news all over.  I am convinced that we can make a difference in this.  By heading the advice and/or commands of our government.  By staying home and only going out for necessary purposes.  I think that this is easier for Ken and I in some ways, because of his recent serious illness.  Before his hospital stay in January, I would not have thought about all of the different workers in the hospital who are dealing with this very scary virus right now.  In addition to the doctors and nurses there are the respiratory therapists, the transport people, the food service people and the housekeeping people.  Also, there are the patient techs (who do a lot of the basic care for people), the desk clerks, the information helpers, the security people and the valet drivers.   Each one of these jobs has hardworking and dedicated people who are going into potentially the most dangerous confined areas, to continue to serve all of us.  And they need our prayers.  We are so thankful for all of the people, doing these jobs, who helped get us through Ken's illness.  So right now, we can support them through our prayers and by doing our best to stay OUT of the hospital.  And then there are all the others who must continue to work (all of our Government workers from the President, senators, congressmen, governors, local authorities, police, fire, ambulance, garbage pickup, utility workers, grocery store workers, gas station workers and truck drivers).  They need our support and prayers also.  And then there are those who would LIKE to be able to stay home, but for various reasons they must continue to work.  It is shocking to me how many business owners have decided to remain open when this is a real crisis.  And so many people can not afford to sit home and NOT get paid. Yes, so many to pray for!  

I began this week with a phone call from my next door neighbor.  She called to make sure Ken and I were okay, and to ask if she could go grocery shopping for us.  This was such a wonderful and kind offer that really brought me to tears.  We are so blessed with our kids living close by that we know we would always have a way to get the items we need.  But I think that Jesus knew just how much this call would mean for me.  It was evidence that people are looking out for each other.  They are looking for ways to help and support those who might need it most.  Although all the schools are closed, provisions have been made for school buses to deliver lunches to the bus stops so all of the kids can be assured of food.  Gwen's church has handed out food bags - no questions asked - this week and many families came for food.  I am sure that as the weeks go on, more and more people will need to accept help from others.  People are seeming kinder and more willing to look out for each other.  There is less complaining and more people are looking for ways to encourage and help one another.  I have decided that I kind of like this time, much more than I thought I would.  

So I will follow all of the recommendations.

I will keep my distance from others.

We are washing our hands often.

We are checking in with others to make sure they are okay.

I will keep on scrapping.

I will keep on Bible reading and praying.

And I will keep on blogging.

;Jesus, you are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  You are not surprised by this virus.  You have promised us peace and love.  Holy Spirit, help us to stay out of fear and worry.  Give us reminders of all of your promises so that we can walk through this time with boldness and courage.  Thank you for the kindness of strangers, for the help of loved ones and for the care and concern of our government.  Cover our families with your blood that guards us and protects us.  Draw the hurting and scared into your loving embrace.  Thank you for being with us all.  Amen  

Sometimes it's about others and sometimes it's about yourself!

 This week was the collection week for the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes,  I have had my boxes mostly ready to go for more than a week, but it is always exciting to actually pass them off at a collection sight.  I went to a different place this year so it will be interesting to see exactly where these boxes get sent.  Thanks to advanced technology, you can track your boxes and find out exactly where they were sent.  Isn't that simply amazing?  Since these gifts were created in honor of our little Lucas, these are for two to four year boys.  I love to imagine the looks on their faces as they open up these boxes and discover new and wonderful things that they might never have seen before.  Most of all, I covered these boxes in prayer.  Prayers that the children and their families would be blessed and come to know about Jesus.  Knowing how little most of these children have, it sure causes you to be extra grateful for all the blessings of each day.    This was a great way to spend some time thinking about others and spreading a bit of love around the world.

Then today, I am doing something that is really about myself!  Yes, it is another scrapbooking weekend.   I suppose that sounds a bit selfish, but all of us need time out of our usual routines.  We need time to indulge in creative endeavors that fill us with joy and happiness.  It is time to recharge our batteries.  For me the best part of these weekends away is time with my daughter and daughter-in-law.  I don't take this lightly!  There are many of my friends who would love to be able to spend this kind of concentrated time with their kids.  Just the fellowship time is wonderful.  

This group of scrapbooker gals and I have used this same location for several years.  This weekend will be a bit unusual though since the hotel is undergoing renovations!  There is construction in the entire lobby area and many roped off areas.  But, to tell you the truth, we simply do not care!!  None of this makes any difference to us at all.  We are really just in our own little world and not in tune with much going on around us.  It's good to be in that little bubble.

Yes, this has been a bit of a week of extremes. Thinking about others and planning for this getaway for me!   I have also been doing a bit of deep cleaning of my home, including cleaning the carpet!  Let me tell you it is a really good feeling to see all of the very dirty water go down the drain.  It makes you wonder why you didn't clean the rug sooner!  It feels so good when everything is spotless and fresh after all the hard work of actually doing the cleaning.  And then I get here to this great get away and they are doing more than cleaning.  They are remodeling and upgrading and improving.
The process isn't so great. I am sure the end result will be wonderful.

So here is my take away on this mish/mash of stuff!  There needs to be balance in all things.  Sometimes about others and sometimes for yourself.  And along the way it is really good to stop and  take a moment to clean things up.  Or even start to remodel and/or upgrade.  And the final result is really good!  I am really liking this week.  Boxes sent off and scrapbooking begun.

 I am going to sound a bit like a broken record - since I ended my last blog with this thought.  This balance thing is really all about love.  When we love Jesus with our whole heart, soul and mind, it is easier to have balance in our life.  That balance lets us do things for others, fulfilling the command to love our neighbor as ourselves. Yes, there it is!  We are to love ourselves!  It is good to find this balance -- especially when it comes with a side of scrapbooking!

Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to share your love with the world through these simple shoe boxes.  Holy Spirit, help us to remember that balance is what we should all strive for in all areas of our life.  Thank you Jesus for time away with family and friends.  Thank you for laughter and joy.  Amen

It is much better to NOT know what is just ahead, around the corner.

We have had a very rainy week and weekend and I know that this has played into my feelings today.  I have been working on scrapbooking for the last week or so.  I am so blessed to have a wonderful space to scrap and also plenty of time to do so.  But, for whatever reason, it has been hard to get into gear and get busy.  I knew that this particular book would be difficult - it is the last few months of 2014.  Yes, I am that far behind on my scrapbooks.  It was probably NOT a good time to work on these pages, with the dreary weather and gloomy beginning of fall.  But I made a commitment to myself to get this book done before my next scrap weekend.  So, I have been plowing through these really difficult pages.  It was not so bad going through the pictures of the wonderful Baby Shower that was given for Doug and Susie.  Then there were some wonderful fall pictures taken at a couple of parks that left you just feeling that crisp fall weather.  Our house got a make over during these months and I scrapped a side-by-side picture of the old look along with the new, updated look.  And then it was time to work on the pictures of Lucas' birth on November 1, 2014.  

I was not prepared for the rush of emotions as I sorted through these pictures. If you have not been following my blog since 2014 you may not know that our sweet little Lucas died just 10 days after his birth.  And although I am just the grandma, I feel this loss every single day.  Each time a thought of Lucas comes to my mind, I try to imagine just how hard this must be for Doug and Susie.  I want to honor Lucas in this scrapbook and I want to remember just how happy and delighted we were at his arrival.  But knowing exactly what was ahead for our family, this is a difficult thing to accomplish.  

October is actually pregnancy and infant loss awareness month.  It is only when someone you know, someone in your family or even you yourself experience this tragedy that you become aware of the widespread nature of this.  So many people have been touched by this, yet it is so seldom spoken about.  Every single member of our family has felt the loss of Lucas - each of us in our own way.  

Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna miss their cousin and mention him often.  Lucas is and will always be a part of our family.  Each of us carry him with us into the future.   And now our family is anxiously anticipating the birth of a new baby for Doug and Susie - due in February of 2017.  This new life will never change our loving and remembering and missing Lucas.  But today we celebrate this expected baby.  

Yes, I have decided that it is much better to NOT know what might be ahead. Especially when trying to remember and capture a happy event that is followed by a tragedy.  In spite of this difficulty, I will press on and finish these scrapbook pages.  But it is also a reminder to me of the importance of capturing in photos and journaling, events of every day.  There is always something to be celebrated in each day.  This is another plea to just remember to be present in the PRESENT.  

This is the day the Lord has made!  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!   

None of us knows what is ahead for us.  Things happen each day that change the future for some of us.  Right now there is a very dangerous hurricane in the Atlantic basin that is headed for Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba.  And then it may take aim at the east coast of Florida and the rest of the US.   Some people will face illness, accidents or even sudden death.  Yet we know that our hope and our peace is found in Jesus.  This is the day that the Lord has made.....we need to rejoice and be glad.  We also need to remember that nothing is gained by worrying about the future.  Jesus reminded us of this in Matthew 6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Won't you join me today and find something to rejoice about and be glad about?  Even if you are also joining me in this month of October remembering a precious little baby that was gone far to soon.  Take a photo today of something that made you smile.  Spend a minute or two or five or twenty writing down your thoughts.  Celebrate whatever October 2, 2016 had for you.  Be present today with the presence of Jesus.  Make a memory today worthy of a scrapbook.  Even if it doesn't actually get into the pages until sometime in the future.  You will be so glad that you did.

Jesus, thank you for the powerful reminder that you want us to rejoice and be glad every day - even when that day might hold troubles.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the comfort and peace that only you can give to all of the families that know the pain of the loss of a child.  Help us all to hold each other close during times of trouble.  Jesus, protect those in the path of Hurricane Matthew.  Amen

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

I walked a "gizilion" miles today!

I had the best day today!  I know that I don't often start off my blogs this way, and I am thinking that I need to celebrate more great days with that statement!  Today I indulged one of my very big "hobbies" - Scrapbooking!

How fortunate was it that this amazing event was quite close to my house?  Another perk of living near to a big city.  So, all by myself, I decided to venture out to the large convention center where this event was held.  When I got there, it took me about 15 minutes to find a place to park.  And I ended up in the back parking lot as far away from the door as you could get.  And then when I finally got inside, there was a long, long line to get to the expo!

Needless to say, I got inside those doors, and then the fun began!  I really had a wonderful time, shopping around at each vendor.  I waited in line to do a "make and take" (you get to actually make a project and take it with you) of a really pretty two page spread.  I found lots of great deals and saw some amazing new products.  Near the end of my time shopping, a scrapper friend of mine joined me and we had a great time spending lots of HER money!  I found a couple of additional items for myself also.  Here is a peak at all of my amazing loot!

After walking all around the expo and then all the way back to my car, I think I walked a "gazilion" miles!  But wow, what a way to get your exercise!

Being in a huge group of people, all by yourself, you really get a chance to look around and see things from a different perspective.  I saw lots of groups of friends.  I know those groups, because I have them!  These are the people that you love to be with while your are engaging in your passion because they share that same passion.  Age doesn't matter.  It's all about the activity.  Then there were the "mother-daughter" and "sister-sister" groups.  You could pick them out at a glance.  I know these groups also!  I saw really young girls all the way up to very old "grandma's".  And I noticed something.........even though I was alone, I didn't FEEL that way!  It was because I really wanted to be there and I was just enjoying the event!  Well, there is my lesson of the day.  

We can make a decision with our feelings.  We can all decide to embrace each day and see it for all that it is.  Each activity or event - or even NON event (you know those mundane, normal things that fill most of our days) can be celebrated.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to end each day saying, "I had the best day today"?  I am going to make this my new mantra!  I am convinced that there is a life lesson for me in this.  So today I got a new direction to follow, AND lots of great new scrap stuff!

Jesus, thank you for this great day.  Holy Spirit, help me to continue to choose to make each day the best that it can be.  Bless all of those fellow scrappers as they continue to shop and crop and make and take.  Fill that place with peace and grace and lots of laughter and smiles.  Help us all to make each day, the BEST day ever!  Thank you Jesus for knowing the little things that make each of us smile.  Amen

PS - I had a really amazing dream last night that I will be sharing tomorrow.  I am still "sitting" on it and letting the deeper meaning sink in.  But I wanted to include this little "teaser" so that I don't skip over sharing this important message! So stay tuned! 

Weekend recap and a time of contrasts and rest

So I last posted looking forward to my scrapbooking weekend.  Here is the result of the weekend.  I finished this entire book.... it was 61 pages and covered from June 1, 2013 through July 31, 2013. It included a long vacation with lots of pictures. This was a personal record for me!  Included in the weekend was a fun time swimming with the grandchildren.

Even Anna spent some time in the pool.  I don't think she totally "enjoyed" the pool since it was a bit cold for her.  But she stayed in the entire time.  The older kids had a great time.  I actually swam a number of laps before the kids got to the pool.  It was a nice time of relaxing along with lots of talking and of course, the scrapping.  I was telling a friend this morning that the time felt kind of quiet.  For some reason it was just a really calm, peaceful time yet I accomplished so much.  It seems kind of counter intuitive, but it happened.  

And then this morning...... this was out of my window...

We had about 6" of snow this morning.  Sigh,  Gone is our near springtime weather.  The grass is gone, again, and it seems bleak and dark.  The good news of this weather is that it is supposed to be 60 on Wednesday!  So this snow will not last long!  Wow, what an unusual few days!  On one hand my scrap time was calm and peaceful.... yet it was overly productive!  And then even though the calendar says that spring is here... there are inches of snow on the ground!   

Today I decided to clear out some of my massive amount of scrapbook supplies.  Since everything was already a jumbled mess after taking it all for the weekend, it was a perfect time to do this.  So I sorted and organized and I still have quite a ways to go.  I have one large trash bag of things that I wonder why I had been keeping.  And I have several stacks of items to give away.  The best part of this clear out is that I now know what I have and I can actually find it!  So I will have a little bit more time with a mess until everything is organized and rearranged, but it is so worth it!

Yes, this has been a few days of contrasts.  And I have also felt the contrasts in my emotions and in my spirit.  I have had times of feeling very joyful and upbeat, but there has also been times of sadness.  Currently there is a buzz around the internet and among my friends that there will be an amazing time of spiritual revival hitting the Chicago area soon.  There are a couple of upcoming events that have everyone feeling the mounting excitement.  I have been waiting and watching for the expectation and excitement to hit me.  I am attending one of those "big" events coming in April, but I have yet to feel anything at all.  I was talking to Jesus about that this morning and then I heard a very quiet and small simple word.  JUST REST!   That seems to be what was happening all weekend.  And even in the sorting and organizing today, I felt restful.  It is as if I am wrapped in rest and peace.  And it is a great place to be!  After I realized how wonderful this word was, I looked out at that snow and it actually seemed very pretty.  I put on my boots and went out and shoveled the driveway!  It was warm and the sun actually came out.  And melting was already happening.  I realized that I was looking out the other window (see my last blog)!  And I was filled with rest and peace.  Quite a good day!  

Jesus, thank you for this weekend and fellowship and fun.  Thank you for speaking and reminding me to just rest when I feel like there is something more that I should be feeling.  Holy Spirit, keep our focus on the things that you know are necessary and good for each of us.  Help us to except that what we need may not be what someone else needs.  Jesus, so many people are filled with anxiety and stress.  Help us all to JUST REST!  Thank you for all that you are doing in the Chicago area.  Keep our eyes and ears attuned to you rather than to people.  Amen

Lots of "S" words today....everything from Scrapbook to Surrender

So I spent a bit of time in the last couple of days, getting ready to go scrapbooking.  Since I am only going for a day, it is actually MORE difficult to get ready since I don't want to bring everything.  And, just like when you are packing for any trip, deciding what to take is very difficult.  I know that there will most likely be something that I have left at home, that I will miss.  But, for just one day, this is really quite enough to load and unload from the car.  Especially since it is supposed to be -8 tomorrow morning!  I am working on Easter of 2013.  Yes, I am really that far behind.  I am going to work towards completing about 20 pages tomorrow.  I will let you know if I actually accomplish this.

I have been spending lots of time in my Passion Translation Psalms.  I love the Psalms themselves, but the thing that has really been drawing me in are the chapter "titles".  Every Psalm has a title that just draws you in and makes you want to read!  I started out thinking I would choose one Psalm to focus on tonight.  But it was just impossible to find my focus and pick that one that was speaking to me.  I confess that I spent over an hour just reading this book today.  When I sat back and stopped to consider what I had been hearing during all this reading.....well it was a surprise.  The overriding message to me today was that God is in charge!  Okay, this should not have been a surprise.  I guess that I just didn't expect that message from the Psalms.  Not quite so clearly.  Given the news of the last couple of days, with the terror attacks in Paris, France, I parked on Psalm 46.  Here is the end of that chapter......

Everyone Look!

Come and see the breathtaking wonders of our God.

For He brings forth both ruin and revival.

And He's the one to make conflicts end

Throughout the earth,

breaking and burning every weapon of war.

Surrender your anxiety!

Be silent and stop your striving,

And you will see that I am God!

I am the God above all nations,

And I will be exalted throughout the whole earth!

Here He stands!

The Commander!

The mighty Lord of Angel-Armies is on our side!

The God of Jacob fights for us!

Every newscast, every post on the internet about the events in France seem to raise the fear and anxiety levels.  I love that this Psalm asks us to SURRENDER our anxiety.  We need to make a decision to let it go.   And then we are encouraged to BE SILENT.  Do we really need to talk about this, comment on the event in any way except to pray for all those involved?  And then we are to STOP STRIVING!  Wow, that is quite the clear direction isn't it?   These are four powerful "S" words to spend some time chewing on.  

I was remembering the powerful dedication of the 9/11 memorial.  During that event, President Obama read Psalm 46 as his entire remarks.  I love that he made the declaration for the United States...that Yahweh, the God of Jacob is on our side and fighting for us.  And now, after hearing this translation of Psalm 46, and having those words sink into my spirit, I will relax and take a deep breath.  

And here is the most amazing part of this... another "S" word .....Here He STANDS! What a powerful end to this Psalm.  God is not at rest, sitting down or reclining.  He is not asleep or unaware.  He is alert and STANDING!   And He is standing for us!  Yes, this is a great way to end today.  With those words of great comfort.  

Jesus, thank you for The Passion Translation.  Holy Spirit thank you for speaking to me through those pages and for the revelation that you bring.  Please give us all encouragement to let go of our anxiety in all things.  Help us all to think before we speak.  Pour out your strength and power so that we may let go and let you work in us. And Jesus, thank you for time away with friends.  Amen

End of a good day.....

Today we had a really wonderful time at Doug and Susie's house with Gwen, Tim and the kids.  Doug made a great ham and we had a nice meal.  To start the day, we played a DVD game about comedy movies in teams that were possibly less than fairly divided.  Susie and Gwen managed to beat out all the rest of us!  You can tell who watches the most movies!  However, the rest of us didn't do all that badly.  I even managed to answer one or two questions.  (Susie and Gwen would argue that somehow we got all the very easy movies that everyone should know..... which might actually be true!)  At any rate it was so good to be together and to just have time to share and talk.

One of the best things we did today was look at a very old scrapbook of mine.  Susie and Doug had this album at their house since before they got married.  They used some of the photo's in their wedding slide show.  We all got quite a kick out the pictures in this album.  This photo on the bottom was taken on Doug's 21st birthday.  It was actually the first time that Susie was at any family function.  They had only been dating for a bit more than a month.  Look at all those very young faces!  Yes, our family has grown and changed much in the last 11 (almost 12) years.  Looking at this album certainly makes me glad that I have spent all those hours scrapbooking.  It is times like today that remind me exactly why I have done all that work.  It was very satisfying to go through that book and remember each event.  Susie pointed out that all of 2003, 2004 and  2005 were contained in one small 8X11 album.  Gwen reminded us that this was before we were using digital cameras!  The number of photos was dramatically less than now.  In the last couple of years I have used four 12 x 12 albums for each year!  

Certainly, every time we are together, we are reminded of our loss in a very real way.  Lucas is always on our hearts and often in our conversation.  When it feels so very raw and hard, I remind myself that it has only been a very short time and also, there is no time table for grief.  I know that I have said it more than one time, but our family sure needs 2015 to bring us many, many fulfilled promises.

This showed up on my facebook wall this morning.  I am holding very tightly to all of the promises that I have been given for 2015.  And I am going to be spending plenty of time in the Word so that my heart and mind is filled with God's promises.  Right now I have plenty of hopes and desires for 2015.  And I will be expecting even more!  One of the many words that I have been receiving for 2015 (over and over and in many different ways) is that there will be rainbows for our family.  Rainbows that will bring exactly what this picture says.....more than we can expect.  Yes, we have walked through the end of 2014 in the grace and presence of Jesus.  It has not been easy but we have walked on.  As the days were so hard and the grief seemed so overwhelming, I found myself surrounded by the love of Jesus.  The only way I can describe this is, I have felt as if I have been sinking into the very heart of Jesus. That is a wonderful place to be.  It is from that place that I have been able to go on.  And thanks to that place of rescue, I have also been able to hear a number of great promises to hold on to!  

Jesus, thank you for bringing me into that place of your love.  Thank you for your promises and for the grace to hold on to them!  Holy Spirit, thank you for bringing our family together for this special day today.  Jesus, bless Doug and Susie with your love and your presence.  Give them reminders of your promises each time they see a rainbow.  Thank you for giving me the ability to hold on tightly to you!  Amen

Goodbye Scrapbooking, Hello West Virginia.........

 

One of the very best things about scrapbooking at a hotel is that the husbands bring the kids to swim in the pool!  That means I get Grandma time with my little sweeties.  I just love the above picture of "Mermaid Lia"!  She has really learned how to swim this summer and loves to swim underwater with her goggles.  She went from being a bit timid in the water, to full on swimmer in just a matter of weeks.  I guess this is another one of those "when they get it, they get it" things.  I managed to finish 46 pages of scrapbooking.  Not a record for me (I think I once did 58 pages on one of these weekends), but I was very happy to complete what I did!  I left from the hotel, drove home and unpacked MY car, only to turn around and PACK Ken's car for our vacation.  It was a bit crazy, and unfortunately, one of my fears came to pass.  We stopped for lunch about 125 miles out from home and Ken said "Didn't we have a garment bag of clothes?"  Well, it is still hanging in our closet at home.  And in that garment bag were all of Ken's work clothes for his meetings over the next few days, plus the dress I was going to wear to the dinner on Tuesday night.  There was no way we were turning around.  So we stopped at Kohls and bought Ken some new clothes.  I tried to find a dress, but this is not an easy task for me.  So I decided I will wear something that is already packed in my suitcase (black pants and a new top I just bought) and they will have to like it!  As I said, it is not the end of the world, but kind of a crazy start to this trip! 

Yesterday we drove to the middle part of Ohio and spent the night and then this morning we drove into West Virginia!  This was especially meaningful to me since I got to cross another state off of my "states I need to visit list"!  I still have 15 states to get to, Ken only has 7.  Unfortunately there are only 4 of these that we BOTH need to see!  And if you take out Alaska and Hawaii, the two we both need are Nevada and Maine!  We are hoping to be able to complete all the states before we are too old to really enjoy the travel.

 

Now back to West Virginia.  I was amazed at this state!  The mountains were amazing.  It was a cloudy, overcast day and the we actually drove up into the clouds .  It was not just fog, you could see the clouds coming down from the sky.

This picture really doesn't show exactly what I saw, but you can get the idea.  It was breathtaking. I was thinking about Psalm 144.  It begins with a proclamation that God is our rock and fortress, a stronghold and our deliverer, a shield and a refuge.  Then beginning in verse 3 it says......
Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.  Part your heavens, Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.  Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy.

Yes, today, it looked like the top of the mountain was smoking and I felt as if God had reached out and touched both the mountain top and me!

We stopped at a "Scenic overview" which was just spectacular.  It was on the side of the tollway and the traffic was zipping past.  After I looked down and saw this view, I felt sorry for everyone that just drove past!  What a picture of God's beauty they missed!

I think that Psalm 104:10 speaks to the view.......
"He (God) makes springs pour water into the ravines it flows between the mountains."
I am so thankful for seeing this new part of the United States.  And I am so thankful for another day to see and experience God's creation in new and different ways!

Jesus, thank you for grace and patience and provision - that includes Kohls stores.  Thank you for your amazing love and care that just overwhelms us as we see your amazing work in nature.  Give us all courage to step out of our busy routines, and wisdom to grab on to the opportunities to stop and breath in more of who you are as you show yourself in creation.   Amen
                                                                    

First part of my time away.........and there is JOY!

 So, as I mentioned, I am away scrapbooking with the gals!  I can not tell you how much being with these ladies fills my soul and just plain makes me feel good.  We are at a new location, and so far, it is really nice! 

While you might think this is the treat aisle at Walgreens, this is just the food to share section of our room. Yeah, this is not great for someone doing Weight Watchers!  Anyway, I have actually accomplished about 10 pages, so all in all, not bad!  When I went to get in the shower this morning, I realized that my shower gel bottle is almost empty.  And so was my shampoo.  I guess I should have looked at my travel kit before I left home!  Then this morning, as I was getting dressed, I looked in my suitcase and discovered that somehow I had forgotten to pack a shirt for tomorrow!  This is certainly not a great start to living out of a suitcase for the next two weeks! Fortunately, I am going to be at home tomorrow before we leave on our vacation.  So I will be able to not only change my shirt, refill my travel shampoo and soap,  but also take a quick check of my BIG suitcase to make sure that I have what I need.  This is really nothing to stress over since as we all know, there is a Walmart in every town and a Walgreens on every corner! But I would much rather be prepared. 

Last night (very late) as I was laying in bed, I was thinking about joy.  What makes me the happiest.  It really isn't about things at all.  It is always about people.  It doesn't matter what I am doing, it is always about WHO I am with.  I guess that says something about me.  I find the greatest joy being with family and friends or surrounded by others who love Jesus.  It doesn't take much to make us all laugh.  And laughter is good for your soul.  I love Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  This it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

I think this is true.  When others around us see us laughing and having so much joy, it causes them to stop and think, "Wow, I wonder what they are so happy about?"  It may just not be so true that they realize that it is God that has helped us to be joyful.  This is a good reminder for me (and all of us) to be quick to give God the glory when we are happy and having fun.  For me, it is much easier to talk about how Jesus has helped us when things are really bad.  Somehow it is a bit harder to remember to give HIM the credit for all the laughter and joy.  I think I will be doing more of that in the future!

Thank you Jesus for the joy and laughter that we experienced in this scrapbook.  Thank you for filling our mouths with laughter and our hearts with joy.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder to be ready to point people to Jesus, even when things are going great and we have lots of joy and fun.  Thank you for your Word that speaks to us in our everyday life.  Amen

How I spent my Saturday... "LESS STUFF MORE HOLY SPIRIT"

 

I suppose that there are many more important things that I could have been doing today, but instead, I spent the day scrapbooking!  I managed to get ALMOST all the way to the end of 2012.  Yes, I know that this almost 1.5 years behind.  Yes, that is a pretty bad situation.  Yes, I should be able to find more time to scrap.  But today I was thinking about the benefits of being a bit behind.  I just love looking at these photos.  The grand kids have grown up so much.  I believe that one of the biggest benefits of scrapbooking is really LOOKING at your pictures and remembering.  When I began my day, I showed Ken the stack of pictures that I had left to do for 2012.  It was about 2 inches thick! And that stack was just Christmas!  Ken very gently suggested that I consider "EDITING" the number of pictures that I used.  So I took his suggestion and looked at the pictures in a much different way, and managed to cut the number of pages significantly.  I still have about 10 pages to finish, but I have selected paper (one of the hardest parts of scrapbooking for me), and assigned pictures to pages.  So today was a success. 

Editing is quite a concept.  This has me thinking of other areas of my life that may need some editing.  I believe that it will help to EDIT what I pack for vacation!  No over packing for me!  I think I will edit my closet.  I know that there are quite a number of things that can go to Goodwill.  I have book shelves that could stand an editing.  Yes, the list goes on and on. 

And here's the thing.  Just like my scrapbook, when things are pared down a bit, it is so much easier!  There is less to deal with and then you have the BEST of all the stuff.  Life seems lighter when you have less to worry about.  Jesus never owned much when he walked the earth.  He traveled around and really didn't  have any possessions. But he was filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  We could all take a cue from this.  Less stuff and more of  the Holy Spirit!  Yep, I think I will make that my daily reminder........."LESS STUFF AND MORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT".  Thank sounds really good!

Jesus, thank you for reminding me what is really important.  Help me to go deeper into this message as I remember each day to edit not only the physical things in my life, but also how I spend my time.  Holy Spirit, MORE PLEASE!   Amen  

Break in my routine.........

So this weekend is another break in my "routine"!  It is another scrapbooking weekend.  I was thinking this morning about how long I have been doing these get away times.  I finally had to check with Gwen and through a long discussion, decided that the first time I did one of these weekends was in May of 2009.  Ellie was just a wee baby and now she is 5.  That is a long time.  

Even though I have a scrapbook room at home, there is something about being together with friends and family and laughing and talking.  I know that I don't need this time away from my "life" nearly as much as these other gals.  They are all in the midst of childrearing and/or careers working long hours.  I am the "grandma" of the bunch and am so blessed to only be working around 35 hours a week.  None the less, I cherish these times.  Now, don't get me wrong, it is not easy to pack everything up, cart it to the car (and hope you can make it all fit), and then UNLOAD it and set it up.  Only to have to load it back in the car and then unpack it when you get home.  Today I was the first to arrive and set up.

I am enjoying the quiet room and the time to get these words on the page, since I know that I will not have time or energy to do so tonight.  And I was thinking about how wonderful it is that God planned for us all to have a day of rest.  We have just forgotten what that means.  Our weekends (or other days off if we have to work on the weekend) are so full of stuff to do, that we don't actually get any resting done.  The most important rest that we all need, is time to just be with Jesus.  For so many people in church work, this is the hardest kind of rest time to find.  Let's face it, all of the volunteers at church don't have a very restful day.  By the time that they are finished with their responsibilities, it is hard to squeeze out an hour or two for doing nothing at all.   And most of them have jobs and family things that need doing.  It is a good reminder for all of us to stop and evaluate our schedules.  Then we need to make sure and insert time on our calendars to just BE. 

 

I am so blessed.  I say this over and over.  One of the greatest wonders of doing this blog is how thankful and blessed that I feel as I share these words.  It is my hope and prayer that all who read this blog, will stop and think about their own stories.  Each and every one of us has moments of blessing and gratitude to be reflected on. 

 

The hardest part of blogging for me, is that I don't have the chance to hear your story, or hear of your blessings.  I would love to know what you feel about my words.  So I am asking for your feedback today.  How are you making space to just rest?  What blessings have you seen this week in your life?  Tell me about your joys and sorrows.  I would love to share with you. 

 

Jesus, thank you for this special time away and the blessing to rest.  Thank you for the energy and life that I receive from these wonderful gals this weekend.  Holy Spirit, bless our conversation and increase our creativity and productivity.  And please bring everyone here safely!   Jesus, thank you for all who take the time to read these words and consider the message behind the blog.  Encourage and strengthen them all.  Amen

Great reminder of why I love scrapbooking...

So today was another day spent as "Grandma Lyn" at Gwen's house.  I am so blessed by these special Monday time off days.  I get to cuddle that new sweetie Anna and I get to see and spend time with Lia, Ellie and Zeke.  Oh how I love these kids!  Today, while Zeke did NOT nap, Ellie and I (and Anna, who was sleeping in my arms) looked at scrapbooks.  This makes my heart happy and blesses me on some many levels.  Ellie loves to look at her mom's completed scrapbooks.   She goes through them page by page and recounts who is in each picture.  Today almost everyone was Ellie (whether it was or not!).  But I was seeing the importance of these albums that take hours and hours to complete.   Such powerful memories.

I was thinking back to a time when Gwen spent hours and hours looking at our photo albums.   They were always kept on a low shelf so that the kids could reach them.  They were looked at over and over and over.   And these scrapbooks are so much better than just a magnetic photo album.   There are words that will someday be just as important as the photos.  For me, the journaling part of scrapbooking is sometimes the hardest thing.  Yet I know that it is so important to make sure that in the future, anyone who looks at these albums will know exactly WHO is in the pictures and WHERE they were taken as well as WHEN.  Just this weekend I pulled out a very old leather photo album that is falling apart.  There are pages and pages crammed full of black and white photos.  Some are very old - from the early 1900's.  The bad news is that there is no one alive who knows who the people are in these photos.  There are no names and we have no idea where these photos were taken.  All I know about this album is that it belonged to Ken's great grandmother Kelly.  I received this album from Ken's mom about a year before she died.  She couldn't identify any of the people either.  And now we are one more generation away from anyone who could bring meaning to these pictures.   I spent a couple of minutes looking at that album.  I turned the pages carefully and ran my fingers over the pictures.  There were babies and cute little boys and girls and young couples.  There were some family pictures including one family with a little boy that was disabled (he had braces on his legs and a cane is in the pictures).  I sure wish I had the key to these photos and the place these people have in our family tree. 

So, with this in mind, I will press on with my scrapbooking.  Not only do I get great enjoyment from this activity, but I am blessed knowing that, if in the future someone finds these books, they will know exactly who we are.  I am glad that I have these two reminders today.  The old photo album and the little almost 5 year old Ellie who loves to look at these scrapbooks.  Both are an inspiration to me.

Jesus, thank you for family and photos and memories.  Holy Spirit, thank you for connecting me to past generations and helping me to see the future through Ellie.   Jesus help us all to see and understand better the connections we have in our generations.   Thank you for bringing more revelation with each day.  Thank you for grandchildren and smiles and hugs.  And thank you for days off from work.  Amen

Taking my own advice....

I think that I have mentioned (more than once) that I love to scrapbook.  I am positive that someday, I will see the full benefit of this putting pictures and words onto pages.  I am also convinced that I will see exactly what Jesus was intending as he led me into this hobby.  Well, my birthday is coming up in a week or so and I have been doing a lot of thinking about my age. And along with that, I have been thinking about goals - personal goals - both past, present and future.  I was thinking about going through some old journals to find some reminders of past goals. I was trying to decide if I have met any of my goals from last year.  Since it feels like this has been sort of a stagnant year, the answer to that question was no - no goals met.  I was feeling pretty discouraged. The prospect of even trying to come up with goals seemed daunting.  Then I happened on this picture.

 



 

This page is from a scrapbook I made for my daughter Gwen in 2004.  I am so thankful that I scanned every page of that book since I would have forgotten what I wrote.  I love the advice that I gave to Gwen on the pages of this scrapbook. 
             
              Don't define your life by your faith, rather let your faith shape your life!
              Be open to where God will take you as your walk your life journey.
              Don't be to comfortable where you are at because the Lord is always moving
                     forward into the future.
              Our faith will draw us with Him along that path.
              Be willing to move out of your comfort zone and into the future.
              Always see the hand of God at work in the present.
              Take time to look beyond what things seem like in the natural to see the
                      bigger, eternal picture.
               People are more important than things or places.

So I think that I have my new goals for the next year.  I love how sometimes the Holy Spirit inspires us to write something and then 9 years later, you get a glimpse of how important those words are. I am planning to keep these words where I can find them and see them often. 

Jesus, thank you so much! Thank you Holy Spirit for the inspiration for these words in 2004.  And thank you for helping me find them when I most needed them.  Jesus thank you for the amazing gift of my daughter Gwen. Jesus help me to keep these words in my spirit during the next year.  Show me how to live these words.  Holy Spirit, draw me out of that comfort zone that I seem to be stuck in, and help me to stay on yesterday's supersonic highway.  Amen 

It is NOT about me!

In my last post I purposed to see all of the Jesus moments on my scrapbooking weekend.  So, here is my list of some of the moments...

1.  The hotel is one of the best we have ever used for our scrapbook events.  The room was fully prepared, even including extras like coffee, water and cookies!  I really see this as a Jesus moment when sometimes things are not so smooth.  As a matter of fact, our last event we had no tables.  This is a very important part of scrapbooking - we need tables to work on!  Since I coordinated this event, I had prayed for a smooth set up.  The staff were all wonderful.  Thank you Jesus!

2.  Once again, I am so blessed by this group of gals.  We have had so much great conversation, lots of laughs, so many stories and memories.  And we get to see everyone 's pictures.  Thank you Jesus!

3.  IT WAS SO QUIET!  Last night was so quiet in our rooms that we all slept well.  Sleep seems like something that should not be a "Jesus moment" but for most of this group of people, sleep is a very precious thing.  So a night of quiet and peaceful sleep, really is a God thing.  Again, Thank you Jesus!

4.  FIREWORKS!  Who would think that we would be treated to an amazing fireworks display on BOTH nights?  And it is AUGUST - (not the 4th of July)! And the Jesus moment of this is that several of us had not seem any fireworks this year on the 4th.  This is, again, a way that Jesus knows exactly what we need - even when we don't know that we need it.  The fireworks were so beautiful and went on and on.  And really did take our breath away.  It was so a Jesus thing.

5.  FACETIME!  What an amazing gift to be able to not only talk with my precious little grandchildren, but to SEE their faces.  Oh, how precious it was to hear "Hi Grandma!" and to see those faces pressed up close to the screen.  Thank you Jesus for the gift of live video chat.

Now for a very personal Jesus moment....  I am so thankful for the time to just be outside of my normal routine.  I know that my normal is not so busy or crazy that I should really need this, but I have been aware of just how "cluttered" my day to day really is.  I think you can only see that when you step away from normal for a few seconds and then look carefully at what you are feeling in that moment.

I have done a lot of "speaking to myself" this weekend.  And I know that Jesus is the one doing the talking.  As I have offered some words of comfort and understanding to others, I have been given comfort and understanding.  One of the biggest things I have learned this weekend from Yahweh is that everything going on around me is simply not ALL about ME -  "IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!" You know what I'm talking about here, don't you?  Those times when everything around you is in an uproar or when you begin to feel like the entire world is against you?  Well, in those times, it is more than likely NOT about you.  That big crisis or that gossip-filled office or all that Mella-drama in a family are more about the OTHER people in the situation, and not about you.  But satan just wants us to keep on thinking that it is all about us.  When we live in that place of condemnation and turmoil, it becomes so difficult to even think about seeing or hearing Jesus.  That is the exact place that satan wants to keep us.  Cut off from the presence of Yahweh.  So, in the next days, I am going to be doing a lot of reciting to myself......"IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!"

Thank you Yahweh, for this refreshing and life-filled time away.  Thank you Jesus for reminding me that in the ordinary times you are here with us and you are speaking through us and to us.  I pray a special blessing on my scrapbooking friends.  Bless their families (all the husbands who stayed at home, especially the ones taking care of all the children) and the homes.  Please remind me, Holy Spirit, that every situation is not about me.  You are at work around me, protecting me and blessing me.   Thank you!   Amen

Jesus is in it all......

Today I have been preparing for a wonderful "away" weekend that begins tomorrow.  This is a special girls Scrapbooking Weekend.  Yes, I admit that I am a dedicated scrapbooker.  Scrapbooking is so much more than a hobby for me.  It is a relaxing thing that is also a creative outlet. It has been a time of listening to Jesus and gaining some amazing insights into the people and events as I put pictures and words on paper.   And more than that, I get to spend time with my daughter and daughter-in-law.

When my daughter Gwen was in college, she began to suggest to me that our "magnetic" photo albums were ruining our pictures.  As I have mentioned before, my photo's were all in albums.  So I set out to scrapbook 30 years - YES 30 years of pictures.  I began by choosing only about 6 to 8 pictures from each year - starting in 1972.  And I managed to complete a series of 3 books that have a page a year from 1972 - 1997 with just a couple of exceptions.  I did include an extra page in 1979 and 1982 when Gwen and Doug were born.  Then in 1997, I realized that this was far more than a few pictures a year.  This was the way I wanted to not only preserve my photos, but also journal and leave words with the pictures, so that the story would not be lost.  So now, in 2013, I will have 4 or more albums for the year!  Quite a difference. 

Gwen had begun to scrapbook around the same time as me - while she was in college.  I am so thankful that she encouraged me and pressed me to keep on with my seemingly endless project.  After she was married in 2001, I realized that I needed to go back and scrapbook my own wedding.  It was such a special project.  And I began a "heritage album" with many of the photos I have used in this blog, of my parents and grandparents and other ancestors.  Every vacation was also an opportunity to make a new album.  Needless to say, I have an entire bookcase full of albums. It wasn't long after Susie, my daughter-in-law started being at every family event, that Gwen and I decided it was time to hook her on scrapbooking.  So one Christmas we loaded her up with supplies and promised some "scrap lessons".   Now these 3 or 4 times a year weekends are simply a joy! 

Gwen has a group of friends who also scrapbook and so they are a part of these weekends.  Spending time in fellowship with this amazing group of young women is so life giving.    These women are committed to their husbands, to their families and to Jesus.  I am the "grandma" of the group, but I always feel so blessed to be included.  I have recently gotten one of my friends into this hobby, so she will be joining us this weekend also.  Nothing better than friends and family! 

I just love the way that Yahweh is a part of ALL of our activities - not just our church meetings.  I love that every single thing that we do, we do with Jesus in us.  I love to remember that the Bible is full of stories of people doing everyday things.  And Yahweh was speaking to them, using them, and accomplishing His plans through these people at ordinary times.  The disciples were fishing.  Paul was making tents. So many people just doing the day to day.  Sometimes we miss what Yahweh is doing in our regular activities, because we are not looking for Him or listening to Him.  So this weekend I am going to pay particular attention to those "God Moments".  And I will spend time listening for Jesus to speak.  AND I will accomplish a bit of scrapbooking - hopefully 35 or more pages!

Yahweh, thank you for friends and family. Thank you for creative gifts, for photographs that record our life events and ways to preserve them. Jesus, you are always with us because of your great plan to actually live IN us. What an amazing gift. Thank you for reminding me that you are a part of everything I do,  Continue to remind us, Jesus, to be aware of you acting in us and through us - in ordinary events.  Amen

 

 

 

Life changing pictures....

Today I've been thinking about my "hobbies".  I have always been a reader and have said that books are my hobby.  But about 13 years ago my daughter got me started scrapbooking.  I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING!  There, I said it.  I am a true scrap lover  I find myself thinking about the scrapbook pages I will create as I am taking the pictures.  I now have a room in my house dedicated to this hobby.  And I can pretty much tell you where to purchase supplies for scrapbooking at the best price.  That is because I am a bargain shopper in all things - even this.  Currently I am more than a year behind in my "hobby".  There are pages for April of 2012 sitting on my table right now. But this is a "timeless" thing.  As a matter of fact, I am also working on a Heritage album of some very old family photos.   I love the fact that this hobby has given me a chance to fellowship with my daughter and my daughter-in-law as well as some other wonderful young gals in quarterly "scrapping weekends".  I have even been able to actually get a good friend of mine started in this addicting hobby. 

One interesting thing has been how much and how often Jesus has spoken to me through scrapbooking.  I have had times when I have chosen a specific picture for a page because there was a "hidden" meaning behind it.  And there have been times when I have "seen" a scrapbook page in a prophetic word.  I have never felt particularly gifted in the arts.  I am not a "crafty" person.  But there is something about creating these pages that speaks to me.

Pictures have always been extremely important to me.  I remember when I was very young, going through boxes of pictures.  I would quiz my mom over and over to tell me about the people and the events.  As child number 5 in the family there were fewer pictures of me than my siblings.  But I had a dad that also loved taking pictures. When I had my own kids I was determined to put all the pictures in albums - no boxes.  Unfortunately the 18 albums of pictures were "magnetic" pages that damage the pictures.  So now, my pictures have been taken out of albums and returned to boxes - acid free photo storage.  But boxes none the less.  Isn't it funny how sometimes the things we never want, actually end up being what we need? 

One of my favorite pictures is a very small, very old photo.  It was taken in the summer of 1916.  It is a black and white picture of a family sitting on the grass next to a  house.   Here it is...........

I will never forget when I found this picture - in the bottom of a box, actually stuck under one of the bottom flaps.  My mom was moving into a smaller apartment and we were helping her move.  It was in 2009 - and my mom was 94 years old.  I watched her face when I brought her this picture.  I will never forgot the emotion I saw there.  This is a picture of my mom as a 1 year old.  She is sitting in front of her dad.  Her mom (in the black dress) is looking at her.  The women with the other baby is my mom's Aunt Lydia and the other baby is her cousin Jeanette.  (My mom and Jeanette were really best friends as well as cousins).  The boy in the back, is Jeanette's brother Delwin.  The girls are my mothers sisters, Beatrice, Phyllis, and Eunice.  My mom did not remember this picture at all.  As a matter of fact, she said she had never even seen it.  You see, this is the ONLY picture anyone has of my mother with her mother.  My grandmother, Nora Toensing, died in April of 1917 - about 9 months after this picture and before my mom turned 2.  My mom had never seen herself with her mom.  I couldn't imagine that.  We actually only have a few pictures of my grandmother.  But this was a found picture that brought something amazing to my mom.  And to me.  We noticed that Nora is clearly looking at my mom - not the camera.  Her eyes are on her baby.  And my Grandpa seems so proud.  All my mom kept saying was "I can't wait to get to heaven to meet my mom".  For the next 2 years a restored enlargement of that photo sat where my mom looked at it everyday. 

I am so thankful for pictures.  And I am thankful for scrapbooking and photo storage and digital photos and scanned pictures that will preserve these for generations.   How wonderful that my grandchildren can hold on to these amazing bits of our heritage.  And I am so grateful that Yahweh planned for my mom to have and enjoy this picture at the end of her life.  It was not an accident that this picture was found.  It was part of God's amazing plan for me and my mom.  So I will go back into my scrapbook room and carry on.  Because there is importance and value to this hobby.

Thank you Yahweh for connecting us to our generations.  Your plan for us includes our family - past present and future.  Thank you for speaking to me through photos and for providing scrapbooking as a way to preserve pictures for my generations.  Thank you for this picture and for my wonderful mother.  What a blessing to know that she is celebrating with YOU right now.  Amen.