Beauty in Unusual Places

Just as the Fall season was upon us, I was greatly delighted to see "beauty" in unusual places. I found them a few weeks apart and took pictures of each "on the spot". Each picture was of a form of life growing out of a place that was unexpected.

This is the first one I saw; growing right outside the Insurance Office I utilize, on a down-town sidewalk in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. I was SO amused by it!

About three weeks later, I was in Coldwater, Michigan at a park and I saw this...and again, I was amused, but also in awe at the places I was seeing "life" growing and surviving around me.

These two pictures would pop into my head at the most random times. I knew there was truly a message in them - but wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. Then a few days ago, I had an interesting and very enjoyable encounter.




My "encounter" was with a little boy who was sitting at a table behind me at Bob Evan's Restaurant in Saginaw, Michigan. I could tell by the table talk that the family was getting ready to leave. I had noticed a baby with the family when I was seated. Always wanting to look at and talk about some one's baby to them, I turned my head to see if the baby was still awake.

Almost right in my face, was this little boy, who had gotten out of his seat and was "ready to go"! He had on a Cub Scout uniform. I started a conversation with him. I asked him about him being in Cub Scouts; he liked it but didn't like his "hat", he said, as he put it on his head! I looked at the dad, who said, "he doesn't like BEARS", and there was a bear on the hat. I told him that he looked very nice in his uniform and to always remember that girls like boys who wear uniforms. He gave me some response and I could tell by that time, that this boy was "special". I had my suspicions, but didn't know for sure what made him uniquely "him". I asked him his name; he picked up a crayon and wrote, "ALEX". I told him I liked that name; that it was a nice name. Then he picked up the crayon again and wrote "boy" under his name. "Yes", I said, "you are a boy. How old are you?" He went back and forth between seven and nine. Finally grandma told me he had just turned nine.

We kept talking; he whispered in my ear what his baby sister's name was. Then he asked me if I wanted to play tic-tack-toe with him? His parents and grandmother immediately thought he had crossed a line with me. "Leave her alone; no, she doesn't want to play t-t-t with you". I told him I would LOVE to play the game with him. He brought his paper and crayons over to my table. We played two games; he won them both!!! He was delighted, to say the least. (I think he would have gone home with me if he could have.)

His parents and grandma told him to come with them - that they were leaving. He whispered in my ear again that his mama had a little tiny baby that might be a boy. (Grandma and parents informed me that Mama was pregnant again.) "Oh", I said, "you are getting a new baby! How fun for you!"

Now he had to follow them out to the car. As he started to leave I hugged him and told him it had been so nice to meet him, and for him to have a very Merry Christmas. He hugged me in return and repeated the same things back to me. He started to follow his family, but once again, turned and came running back to me. Again, he hugged me TIGHT and said, "Have a very Merry Christmas". By this time, I was truly in love! I could have put him in my pocket and taken him home with me!!!

Suddenly I see that Grandma had stayed a little behind the rest of the family. Then she explained to me, "He is Autistic." (I think she felt she had to explain his behavior to me.) I told her I had suspected that. Then I told her my daughter was in her final year of school and doing her student teaching for her Special Education (Teaching) Degree. By this time, Mama had come back and joined our conversation. Grandma explained to her that she was telling me about Alex being Autistic. I quickly told Mama the same thing about my daughter that I had shared with the grandma.

I sensed a sigh of relief from both of them. I begin to think about Alex and have thought of him several times in the few days since I met him. I will probably never see him again. I thought of him in comparison to those plants I found growing in unlikely places.

For a few minutes, in a Bob Evan's Restaurant, I found beauty in an unusual place... beauty in a small boy named Alex. I will never forget the whispers in my ear or the tight hugs and well wishes he gave me. I hope he felt acceptance from me that night, AND I hope he felt he was "a beautiful person- just like he was... no frills added."

A Baby Sister's Needs.....

When I was one month away from my 18th birthday, my parents gave our family one of the best presents ever; I got a real-live baby sister! Of course, because of my age (and the sister just younger than me; Jodi, who was almost 16) it was almost as if this new baby had three mothers! I was used to "mothering" - I had very much mothered the sister that was born nine years earlier, Barb, and I was only 9 when she was born. I guess I can hardly remember a time in my life when I wasn't mothering someone!!! Some of my earliest memories are those of mothering the neighbor baby that lived next to my Grandma Gail.

Now, back to my original beginning... I mothered Sara Emeline from the day she was brought home from the hospital. Jodi and I told our mother that WE would do the midnight feedings. It didn't take Jodi very long to realize that the advantages of sleeping through the night sounded a little better than sitting alone in the living room, half asleep and feeding a slow-eating baby. (At least that is what I called her when I sat and fed her! She took a long time to get that 3-4 ounces of milk down her!!!) If I had ever "timed" it, I'm sure she didn't take that long at all - it was just that I was sleepy. But, I promised Mom and I didn't want to "quit" on her. I probably only did those night feedings for a couple of weeks - but it was long enough to get Mom back on her feet and feeling better; she WAS 42, after all!!!

This new baby sister kept Mom and Dad very young. When Mom was at her first pre-natal check up, the doctor told her, "You Grandmas make good Mamas!"

After I graduated, I would take Sara into town with me on days I didn't work. Once, I bought her the same, exact baby doll two weeks in a row, because she "wanted" them and I wouldn't say "no" to her~! (Great parenting skills, eh?) This is the way life was between Sara and me. A few months after she turned 3, I had a baby of my own... but, Sara was still, very much "the baby" of the family.

Fast forward with me some 30+ years. In the middle of 2007, we lost both of our parents within 101 days. Suddenly, we were "orphans"; immediately and without a say, we no longer had parents to turn to in time of need. From the moment our second parent died, it was as if an external force pulled us inward toward each other - a group of six siblings. Now, all we had on earth, was each other. What would we have done without our Heavenly Father? You see, our earthly father was a "prayer warrior". If we had ANY kind of need, fear, joy or sorrow - it was Dad that was called first. It never mattered what time of day or night; Dad was ALWAYS available. His prayers seemed to reach Heaven as if he had a more direct connection than anyone else in our lives. Maybe it was because he was our Dad; possibly it was because he had been our Pastor since were were little children. Whatever the cause, the fact remained - Dad was the one we sought out for that "immediate connection" with God when trouble, pain, sorrow or joy came our way; and yes, I said joy. We we taught at a young age, that our Heavenly Father wanted to share in every aspect of our life; the good and the bad, the joys and the sorrows.

The day our father died, several of us wondered, "would we be able to fly solo? Did we have what it took to fly alone?" Each of us were responsible to find that "connection" to our Heavenly Father without the aid of Dad's prayers. Thankfully, we had been trained and instructed in that capacity. We each had developed our own relationship with God and were able to rely on God for the comfort, counsel and guidance that only a father can give. But what about those times when we desired that extra measure of security; that special intimacy that we felt with God when Dad prayed? We have each had those times since Dad died.

Sara has currently landed smack dab in the middle of one of those times. A few weeks ago she found out she was pregnant. Joy? Yes, there is plenty of that. Anticipation of a new little life to add to our ever-expanding family; yes, that too. But the worst part was/is those first several weeks when she is always horribly sick; I can relate!!! (Dad told me more than once, "Raising Sara is just like raising YOU all over again; right down to the daily stomach aches.") Well, we share the same intensity of "Morning Sickness", too - and oh, that it WAS only Morning Sickness. But, alas, it is all day and all night long - has been for her and was for me. I was sick for 9 months for all three of my pregnancies.

What to do now. Dad is not here. She cried and cried; "I miss dad and mom so much right now". That is NOT what a big sister/surrogate mother can stand to hear on the other end of the phone line. Helpless - that is how I felt. Utterly and totally helpless. She is in Indian and I am in Michigan. I cannot even drive over and hug and hold her. All I do is cry for awhile with her. I talked with her for a little bit and then I said, "Sara, I'm going to pray for you now, okay?" Weak voice responds, "Okay." Mind you, I am sitting in the parking lot at my place of employment, crying and praying in my car, knowing that in a couple of minutes I have to walk into work. I just simply talked to our wonderful Heavenly Father about the whole thing. How she wanted her parents, how she felt "useless" to her family. About her being so sick and how she need HIS peace. I asked God for it all.

I told her that this was NOT a surprise to GOD, although, from things she has said, I think it WAS a surprise to her and Tony!!! Ooops!

But, she is now 12 weeks pregnant. She will soon go to the doctor to hear her baby's heartbeat. After losing 5 babies and only carrying 3 to term, she is nervous about that, too. She wants to hear that little heartbeat and then she will be able to relax.

I don't know how good I have been at being a Surrogate Mother to her, but I feel like her mother. I'm thankful for younger sisters that can keep babies around for awhile, yet; I'm also thankful that I have felt Maternal to her for her entire life; it certainly is a good thing at this point of her life!

I think her Nausea and Vomiting has decreased considerably since that day I prayed for her - now if FOOD just TASTED good to her..... seems there is always something~!

Just when all this was first taking place, my Pastor read a scripture during a sermon from John 14:18..."No, I will not abandon you as orphans-I will come to you." (NLT)

So, little sister, God promised in His words to us that he would NOT abandon us as orphans. So, just because we ARE orphaned.... God has not and never will abandon us!

Political Correctness or Tolerance and Respect ?

I was at my Doctor's office a few days ago. The waiting room was nearly empty as I sat and looked around the room. Suddenly, my eyes fixated on an object beneath one of the chairs. I got up and walked closer. Was it a man's "dress hat" as some older gentlemen still wear? No, it didn't quite have the right shape. As I reached the other side of the room, still puzzled, I thought maybe I knew the answer. My eyes began to search the immediate area for some kind of confirmation. Not far from the chair, was a table, sitting in the corner, holding magazines and flyers. But prominently piled at the front of the table was the confirmation I was looking for. In case you are still "wondering", they were Amish hats.
As I turned to ask the Receptionist a question, from the hallway appeared two Amish ladies. One was of retired age, the other - just a young lady. They both sat down with me in the waiting room.

Forgive me; I must back-up a little bit...



Shortly after I had noticed the hats and quickly took pictures of them, two other ladies had come into the office and sat down to wait, also. They began to converse with me. We were talking about gardening, canning, cooking and so-on. So, it was just natural to include the Amish ladies in our conversation when they joined us. There was no hesitation from anyone in the room. We were just a small group of women, sharing our experiences and secrets of baking pies, making home-made noodles, gardening and canning.

As I sat there and looked at the five of us talking and inter-acting with each other I realized there were no "lines" of any kind that made us different from each other. Yes, we each had our own style of dress and "appearance", but we were just five women sharing common experiences and laughter!

It seems to me that because so much of our thinking, today, is spent making sure that we are being politically correct, we often cannot see the trees for the forest. When did plain, old-fashioned tolerance and respect become such an issue that we changed the name of those virtues to "Political Correctness"?

Supposedly, we are now more sophisticated in order that we not offend anyone in any way, in regards to how they look, think or act. Are we now a generation of more tolerant and polite people? I, personally, don't think so. When I think back to how children were raised in my era, (and even further back to my parent's era), there were just values instilled in us that demanded respect. I realize that from that time to the present, many people have been made more aware and educated about physical and mental limitations in particular people groups. Many also have learned that ALL people are equal, no matter their color, their size, their education, or their social status.

I guess the whole thought process that I had that day as I looked at those articles of clothing that distinguished one group of people from the rest of the world was, when you get down to the heart of women interacting with other women , we are just that... we are all just women! We have the same desires, responsibilities, and, yes, even the same underlying need that ALL MANKIND has had from the beginning... ACCEPTANCE for who we are!

God used some hats that day to show me more clearly HIS thoughts on the subject:

James 2:9 (NLT) says: "But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. James 2: 12-13 (NLT) adds: "So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you."

On "Taking a Break..."

Okay, I know it has been a long time since I've written a new post! I will admit, I have been AWOL, sleeping on the job, or whatever you want to call it. BUT, I do have a couple of good reasons/excuses...

1) I started working again - PART TIME... but let me tell you; it has been quite an adjustment! (More on that in a moment.)

2) I'm having major problems/pain with my back, AGAIN!

Now, back to the JOB! I am working for the Isabella Health Care Center; a Walk-In Urgent Care Clinic, and I am LOVING it!!!! Well - except for a couple of minor things - and all jobs have them, right? I always work the day shift (7a to 3p) and I work 3 days one week and 4 the second; therefore making it an every other week-end thing. I DO hate to miss church every other Sunday. That is the only down-side....but people get sick on Sunday, too!

I work at the front desk, so I get to wear my dress clothes rather than scrubs! The staff thinks I immediately got "special privileges with the Owner/Doctor because if they have "Patient Contact" at all, they have to wear scrubs. Not that I wouldn't want to wear them; but that was an expense I didn't have to incur, as most of my clothes are dress clothes! All of the other front desk girls are either "cross-over" Receptionist/Medical Assistants, depending an which position they are scheduled for that particular day - or else they have worked several other places that required scrubs, so they have oodles of them! I, on the other hand, had none.

Therefore, when the question was raised, at the first staff meeting, the Owner/Doctor said everyone had to wear them except the front desk people. The Office Administrator looked at him and said, "I told them ALL they had to wear scrubs." Dr. Frey said, "Well, if they have NO patient contact, they don't have to". Sandy (the office administrator) loved it that he changed her rule in front of us all~~!!! So now, she says to me, "You're on your own, Sunshine. You got him to change the rules for you!" In reality, she was kidding me! We have a wonderful working relationship. (Just for the record, I was not the one who raised the question; it was another girl who never ended up working with us!) So, I am the only one except the Office Administrator and the Docs who wear regular clothes. I do, however, have the "white jacket" because it is COLD in there a lot of the time!

So, yes, I do LOVE my job and my schedule. I will have to say that getting up at 5 am has been quite an adjustment for me and even working 8 hours has been a big change. I find myself needing to take an hour or two "nap" when I get home, often~! But then I wake up refreshed and am ready to face the evening.

My second reason for being AWOL is about my back. I have that wonderful "GENE" my father's family passed on to me...Degenerative Disc Disease. (Many of you know that I have already had two back fusions.) Well, everything is a MESS again! I am currently having a series of Procedures done at the Pain Clinic, for just one of the problems. They are very painful, and I end up in bed for about 4 days on pain medication and then I gradually get back into the "swing of things". BUT, I am scheduled for 3 procedures, each 2 weeks apart. I have had #1, and next Tuesday, I have #2. I only got back to work YESTERDAY from having the first one. So, I will work a few more days and then be off a few, again. The 2nd procedure will be on October 7.

On October 10, I see my Neuro Surgeon again. I have four problems for him to address in my lower back and one in my neck. Not sure how that is all going to turn out, but whatever I have to do, I have to do.

Needless to say, all prayers are welcome; not only for me, but for "wisdom" for the doctors treating me. Thank you in advance!

I will keep you updated as to "THE PLAN" as it unfolds~~!

This is again the "season of life" where one of my favorite Christmas Carols has a phrase that fits perfectly to the situation of my back! I used to tell my mom, every time my back was bad, that I would immediately think of a phrase in the song It Came Upon A Midnight Clear - and then we would laugh, because she knew what phrase I meant. (I miss laughing with her!) The phrase of the song is in the 3rd verse, and goes like this:
And ye, beneath life's crushing load, Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way, With painful steps and slow...


Any of you who currently have or have experienced back pain will know how perfectly that phrase fits with how you feel!!!

I will get though this... I always do; with God's help!!!

I hope to give my Blog more attention again. There are many things coming up in the next 3 months to Blog about, just with the grandchildren, not to mention "life" and whatever it presents!

Thanks for listening --- or --- reading~~~!!!

First Sibling/Family Reunion

This past weekend, was the first - of hopefully many - Sibling/Family Reunions for our family. I know that may seem to be a strange "name", but having lost both parents last summer within 101 days, and never having had a Family Reunion prior to their deaths, I guess it just fits! We found a beautiful Campground 15 miles from our parent's former home, owned and operated by a Minister. (He uses it during the summer weeks for children's camps, and on week-ends, rents it out to other groups.)

We had checked it out last fall and wanted to just stay the night right then and there. We were in love with everything we saw. Needless to say, when we all arrived this year and saw 2-3 new additions to the Campground, we were even more impressed.

To say we had a GREAT TIME would be an understatement. There was not one time the whole week-end that the words, "I'm bored" were ever uttered by any child, of any age. That is truly amazing; you know that if you are a parent. There were multiple things to "do" for people of every age. A fenced and gated play land for small children, a slide down into the river for frolicking and swimming, canoes, paddle boats, fishing, a fire pit and a wonderful "chuck wagon" set-up for us to make meals and eat under a great pavilion. There were showers with hot water and inside bathrooms, 6 cute bunk houses with 6 bunks each and a roll-away-bed, and a chapel-like gazebo.




We cleaned up after supper and Friday night and then spent the rest of the evening around the fire pit. Up early the next morning, many were milling about with their first, morning cup of coffee. Breakfast was served and then we just visited while we waited for family members not able to "stay for the week-end" to arrive for the Main Event; Lunch~! 32 family members were in attendance, although 16 were missing.

What a great time we had with all the "little people" and "babies" in the family that came in for the Lunch; the newest member of the family being only 15 days old; my g-daughter, Piper Marie!



Saturday night, the guys went into town and brought back pizza, which gave us all a break from cooking. :~) After eating pizza, it was back to the fire pit for more visiting, laughing and S'mores~~!

Sunday morning, after a breakfast of home-made biscuits and sausage gravy, vans and cars were packed up and good-bye hugs were made.

One brother-in-law said to me on Sunday morning, "this was a wonderful time - no disagreements, not a hint of anything negative", and he was so right.

The only thing that brought tears to my eyes as I drove home was the fact that this would never have taken place, had Mom and Dad not passed away last summer. Sometimes, it takes what it takes..... But, we ALL know they are in a MUCH BETTER PLACE than the best Campground on earth. I have thanks in my heart for parents who taught us that "earth was just part of the journey in our life to reaching our eternal destination".

The Demise of Wall E

If you recall, a few entries back, I wrote about taking my 3 grandsons on a "Date Night" which included: dinner out, the movie Wall E, and then ice cream.

Wall E came home from the theater with us that night and has occupied my youngest grandson's bedroom all summer. As the weeks got closer to the end of summer vacation, as week-end trips dwindled, and after relatives from Washington State came and went, it was time to "re-arrange" each of the boy's bedrooms before school started.

Thus, the reason, when I pulled into the driveway of my grandsons home, for Wall E lying out by the road - awaiting "trash pick-up" the next morning. Many cars stopped to look, perhaps thinking they wanted to claim Wall E, but, alas, when they saw he was made of heavy cardboard, they continued on their way.

Here are the last two pictures of Wall E.

(When I pulled into their driveway the next morning, he was GONE~!)

Good Bye, Wall E; you made 3 little boys; (especially 1; because you held his guitar every night), very happy for an entire summer!

Time Well Spent with "My Three (grand) Sons"

For the past few days, I have had each of my grandsons, one at a time, spend the night with me. They truly are little "treasures" from heaven. When you only have one for the night, you really get to know them and their unique personalities. I laughed at many of the things they said, and even cried a time or two because of the intensity of their love for ME!

Owie, as he has asked me to call him, (he remembers that my Mom always called him Owie rather than Owen) is the oldest of the 3. He got to spend Thursday night with me. He is SO a "first-born"!! Everything I asked him to make a choice about, he would say, "what do YOU want Nonnie?" (Very often, First-Born's are "pleasers" and therefore, it is hard for them to decide what they want to do, or what they want...) I had to remind him many times that HE was my guest, and therefore, I wanted him to make those choices; what movie to watch, what flavor pudding to make, etc.

Speaking of pudding; I heard an "echo" while we were getting some groceries for the days the boys would be with me. I asked him if he liked pudding. He said, "Nonnie, there are only 2 kinds of pudding I like: Hot and Cold". My father used to tell his congregation the SAME THING about pies!!! I told Owie about that and he said he remembered hearing it from one of my siblings.

I purchased a table and benches that I have needed to assemble for several weeks. Owie and I got the first bench done. There was only one thing that night that bothered me about Owie...he GRITS HIS TEETH all night long while he sleeps~~!!! (I told his Mama and she said she has talked to the Dentist about it, and evidently it is common for that to happen as they start losing baby teeth - which is when he started doing it. So, I guess Nonnie "worried" for no reason at all!

Friday night, the boys had an activity at Church, so no one stayed with me again until Saturday. I picked Gideon up on Saturday afternoon. He is the "middle child" and as different from Owie as night and day. "G", as we often call him, is an aspiring artist and a problem solver. He loves to figure out the technicality of putting something together but really isn't that interested in actually doing the assembly. The challenge for him is figuring out HOW it goes together. I had already put one bench together with Owie, so I knew exactly how to put the 2nd bench together. Gideon helped, but wasn't real thrilled about it all until it came time to glue the wooden "buttons" on top of the screw holes. He really enjoyed being able to pound them gently with the hammer.

Being the middle child, he is also LOVES to pull pranks, etc. I found MANY things in the house had been moved from one shelf to another or beads from the top of the lamp hanging "inside" the lamp rather than outside... it was like playing a game. I NEVER saw any of his "activities" in moving objects from their normal place, so he was very excited that he was able to trick me with so many things throughout the apartment.

Gideon is a "lover"; actually, all 3 boys are, but Gideon constantly tells you how much he loves you and he will hug and cuddle anytime! When he woke up on Sunday morning, he ate breakfast and got ready for Church and then watched TV for awhile while I finished getting everything done that I needed to do before leaving. I noticed he kept leaving the living room and coming into the kitchen where I was working and he constantly would hug me or say he loved me. I could tell he was being extra "attached" to me and it finally dawned on me what was wrong with him. I said, "Gideon, are you missing your brothers?" To which he replied, "Yes." I told him in another hour we would be at Church and he would be able to be with them again. That seemed to calm his spirit. Since he is very much the "social" one of the bunch, it is rather surprising that he told his Mama, "when he is away somewhere, he wants to be there, but always thinks about HOME!" He was more than ready to don his back -pack and get in the car so we could get to Church! **(Just a quick Note: Gideon has a head full of beautiful blond curls. BUT, he is at the age where he wants his hair to lie flat; therefore he wets it all down and combs it as straights as possible. If the day is Humid, the curls pop out everywhere, regardless of what he does to them~~!)

My son and his wife welcomed their 2nd child/2nd daughter into the world late Friday night. Therefore, The boys parents, Nichole and Jeremy and I decided to leave right after Church and head to Grand Rapids to see the new baby. It is an 1 1/2 hour drive. We didn't stay real long and then headed back home 1 1/2 hours away. After arriving in Shepherd, they dropped me off at my apartment and then a few minutes later, Nichole came back to drop Silas, the youngest of the 3, off for the night. Silas just turned 5, but looks to be about 3 1/2 in size. So, it is very, very funny when "wise" things come out of his mouth. Silas kept me laughing the whole evening. These are some of the things he said to me that night:

While he and I were assembling a wooden waste-basket for the kitchen (which, I might add, he literally did 85% or more of the work by himself), I had been holding 2 boards at a right angle. I kinda dropped them and they shifted a little bit. Silas was putting in some screws when that happened, and said to me, "Nonnie, you got me "off course" a little when you did that. I said, Silas, you are 5. What do you know about being "off course"? He replied, "5-year-olds now about the word "course"! I almost lost it all at that point~!!

When we had completed the waste-basket, he was eating supper at my desk and I sat in a chair near him and we talked. I said something about one of "my girlfriends". He said, "Nonnie, why do you have a girlfriend? That sounds like a boyfriend!" I-yi-yi...I explained to him that when girls have friends they usually refer to them as girlfriends. When guys have friends, they usually call them "buddies" or "friends". He said, "yes, or they say BEST FRIEND". Okay - got past that one but was laughing in my head the whole time.

Girls are females and boys are bucks. (I asked if he was talking about deer or people and he assured me that he was talking about people~!)

When looking at family pictures on the refrigerator, he said, "I know my dad is your son-in-law; that is why you can't marry him"~ Yikes!!! I asked him if his daddy told him that. He said, "No, I just know it."

And one of my favorites: He noticed I had put a large picture on the wall above the Wall Unit, since he had been to my apartment the last time. He wanted to know how I got it up there on the wall. I said, "I have a stool I stand on." I told him it wasn't exactly where I wanted it to hang and I was going to have to re-hang it. He looked over at me as serious as a heart-attack and said, "Nonnie, I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything, but you have short arms". I looked at him for a minute and then realized he was meaning that I would not be able to just stand in front of the wall unit and "reach" the picture! What a HOOT!!!

He was very ready to leave this morning because he was going to have a "play date" with his best friend from Pre-School. What a good time we had; he, spouting words of wisdom and I, hardly able to contain my laughter!

So, all in all, I have realized that Owie is the quiet one, Gideon is the playful one and Silas has a wise soul in the body of a 5-year old~~!!

Piper Marie Clark

Piper Marie is my newest granddaughter. (I now have 3 grandsons and 3 granddaughters.) Piper arrived on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 10:06 p.m. She weighed 6# 8 ozs. and was 19" long. Her big sister is Zoe Violet, age 14 1/2 months. Her proud parents are my son, Paul and his wife, Beki.

I, Nonnie Gail, am extremely happy and feel very blessed~~!

Maryln Shattuck Graduates to Heaven

Maryln Shattuck (see 2 blogs previous/A Tribute to Maryln Shattuck: The Wedding Dress) graduated from this earth to Heaven tonight at 7:15 pm. She went to join Jesus and a host of friends and relatives all waiting for her arrival.

She finally met her "Bridegroom" tonight as her family was gathered 'round her singing the old hymn, Amazing Grace. They had just gotten to the last verse when she breathed her last breath.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
There's no less days to sing God's praise
Then when we first began.

She is free from all earthly cares, the cancer, the chemo and everything involved with ALL her health issues.

P.S. There was also a big "bash" ready to start... an Anniversary Party for my parents 58th anniversary. She made it just in time for them to cut the cake~! Her diabetes will be a problem no more; she can have all the cake and "ice cream" (she LOVES ice cream) she wants without any of it affecting her health!

58 Years... Rev. and Mrs. Arthur Earl Fritz

After a whirlwind romance of 17 days, my mom and dad (Violet Mae Smith and Arthur Earl Fritz) eloped to Angola, Indiana and got married! Today is their 58th Anniversary - but they are on an "eternal honeymoon" in Heaven. Last year they passed away 101 days apart; dad passing last and just in time to get to Heaven to spend their 57th Anniversary together.

Happy Eternal Anniversary, Mom and Dad. We all love you and miss you, but are glad that you are "forever together"~!!!!


ALWAYS

I'll be loving you, Always.
With a love that's true, Always.
When the things you've planned
Need a helping hand;
I will understand, Always, Always...

Days may not be fair, Always.
That's when I'll be there, Always.
Not for just a year, not for just a week,
Not for just a day, but ALWAYS~!

My Tribute to Maryln Shattuck: "The Wedding Dress"

This is the wedding picture of Maryln and Leland Shattuck; dear, dear friends and parishioners of my parents for over 40 years. The Shattucks have 4 girls and 1 boy and my parents had 4 girls and 2 boys. Ironically, 2 sets of the Shattuck girls and 2 sets of the Fritz girls have been best of friends for years and each "set" of us sang together in Church since we were quite young.

While growing up, either the Fritz girls were at the Shattuck house or the Shattuck girls were at the Fritz house. Many Sunday's after church, my sister, Jodi and I would go home and eat Sunday dinner with Shirley and Darlene. The best part of the day was after the dishes were washed and Maryln and Leland retired to the bedroom for their Sunday nap. Then, the "playing" began.

Often, when we were around the ages of 10-12, weddings were on our minds all the time. Oh the glorious moment when the girls would pull the string hanging from the ceiling that let down a set of stairs leading to the attic. Up in the attic, was Maryln's BEAUTIFUL, REAL, Adult-sized Wedding Dress. And guess what? WE GOT TO PLAY WITH IT~~!!! It was truly a dream come true for 4 young girls. (Jodi and I didn't have a wedding dress to play with because our parents eloped to Indiana 17 DAYS after they met - and got married in "suits".)

What I found out just last night, was that it wasn't Maryln who gave the permission to the girls to play with her Wedding Dress; it was Leland. He said, "What good is it doing lying up in the attic?" We Fritz girls didn't know WHO gave the permission - just that is was okay, so play, we did! I cannot tell you how many times we "married each other" in the front yard of the Shattuck's house, with cars of people going by constantly, seeing us and possibly thinking, "look at those little girls having fun playing dress-up".

Now, I have to confess something here today, as I did last night to the younger Shattuck girls. I asked them, "When you played with the Wedding Dress, was there a piece of tulle at the bottom that was ripped and hanging?" "Yes", they said.... Well, I was the culprit. After one of our "mock ceremonies", we were running toward the house, (I, obviously was the "bride" that day) and my shoe caught on the bottom of the dress. (Shirley and Darlene laughed and said, "Yes, Gail was the ORIGINAL "Run-Away Bride".) I heard the ri-ii-ip and started crying. I was sure I was going to get beat or yelled at or whatever by Maryln (right~!)and that we would never again have the joy of playing with the dress. But that didn't happen. We still played with it many more times and then, according to MaryLee and Janiece, they also played with it until it was just worn out - ripped tulle and all.

Now, you ask, how in the world is this a tribute to Maryln?

Maryln became the Bride of Christ many years ago and has been waiting for the call from the Bridegroom that it is time for the Wedding to take place. At the present moment in her life, she is almost ready to walk down the aisle and be Welcomed by the Bridegroom of all times. She has fought cancer for many years; going into remission and then having it appear again, only metastasized to many other parts of her body. It appears that she only has a mere few days, at best, left here on this earth. But, as she has prepared for years to meet her Bridegroom (Jesus Christ), she has not been one to always be out-in-front or real verbal. But touch lives, she has. Go to the Website (lmshattuck.com) set up for her right now and you will read message after message to the family of how Maryln in her own quiet way, has touched hundreds of lives. That is all Christ asks us to do. We are not all the Head or the Eye or the Back of the "body", but it takes every single part; the fingers, the toes, the unseen organs - such as the liver, the gall bladder, etc. for us to be "ONE" body in Christ.

Maryln might not have thought of letting us play with her Wedding Dress, but Leland - looking at it from a different point of view, could see that "The Dress" could still bring joy and happiness to lots of little girls - and therefore, he urged her to let them play with it. Isn't that just like so many of us - we need nudges or urging from other Christian friends along the way, to use a "gift" that we don't even consider one of our Spiritual Gifts from God~~!

Today, Maryln, I don't know how many hours are left before you meet your Bridegroom face-to-face, but I want you and your family to know, that many, many generations older and younger than you, of family, relatives, friends and neighbors have watched you prepare to be that beautiful Bride getting ready to meet her Bridegroom. We are thankful for whatever you have taught us while you were in the that process, and for what your life did for us as we are in the same "preparation process".

It is with great JOY and ANTICIPATION, (although humanly speaking - we are sorry for OUR loss), that we hand you over to the Bridegroom who is "waiting with open arms to take you as HIS BRIDE~~!"

Revelations 21:2 (NLT) "And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."

The Last of the Firsts

One year ago today was the day my father, Rev. Arthur E Fritz went home to heaven and joined mama - who had been waiting for him for a mere 101 days. It has been a long and emotional year, needless to say. But, as my sister, Jodi, and I went and laid 6 roses on his grave today (1 rose for each sibling), I said to her, "Jodi, they have been together again for 1 year - today~~! He was SO lonely without her. She had been sick with Alzheimer's for a few years. He took such loving and tender care of her - with the help of us girls; but there is not doubt that HE did the greatest amount of "caring for". He was sick himself, having been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was on oxygen 24/7. It was really, really hard for him to keep up - and the closer to their deaths they got, the more us girls were involved. But, Daddy was very stubborn and independent. He would NOT let any of us stay with them, insisting he could take care of her just fine.

Right after his death, we knew there would be a lot to be done to settle their Estate, etc. so my sister opened up a Post Office box in his name, so the mail would all come right into town; closer to her house. The last item of the Estate was handled this week and it was time to renew the Post Office box or return the keys. Jodi said she could not do it. (She and I were the two who had keys.) So, I was the appointed one. I walked into the local PO, and by now, my feet led me strait to the mailbox that I used to search for row by row. I put the key in one last time, took out the day's mail and then handed in the keys.
My first thought was, "Oh no, there is nothing left of him."

Then I began to think of his legacy and how he lived on in each of us children and in our children, and on down the line - even to every great-grandchild. He gave us a solid foundation and taught us what loving God and loving each other was all about. We were blessed to have him the 80 years we did; although to all of us, he only seemed about 65ish. His mind was so sharp and he was such a fun, goof-off at times (more on THAT in a post, soon to come... be watching for it~!)

Back to his legacy... He is still talked about all over the small town we live in. The new minister and his wife at dad's church told us they needed to cash a check and went into the local bank. Being from a BIG CITY, they didn't think it would be possible. They told the teller they would be moving up soon and were already pastoring the church that Rev. Arthur Fritz used to pastor. "Oh, Rev. Fritz's church?", they said, "we will cash any check you need cashed." (And they have cashed 2-3 now!) So, as they told me - his legacy continues...

In a post, just last week, I told how his local Campground named their Tabernacle after him: The Fritz Memorial Tabernacle. His legacy continues...

I know this is the end of the all the "firsts" us children will have to go through... but this is NOT the END of Dad's Life - he is just starting to live!!!! One year in Heaven is just a snap of a finger in our time.

Daddy, I love you and will ALWAYS miss you. But, I am SOOO glad you are in Heaven with Mama and most of all, Jesus. I'm glad you are healthy again and Mama knows who you are. Keep waiting for us - one day, by God's grace, WE WILL ALL BE THERE, TOO~~!!

Love, Gail Lynn

Essential Tools

Last week-end I attended my first two-day scrap booking session. Women of all ages and varied church backgrounds made their way to a local House of Worship located in Mt. Pleasant to take part in this phenomenon of creativity. I didn't quite understand, until I walked through the doors, how serious this undertaking was to each lady involved. In order to fully explain, let me liken it to a pregnancy. While some women just take the nine months in stride, having no distractions while "growing their baby", others agonize over every little hiccup the baby in her womb may have.

There are many, many decisions to make. The colors, the embellishments, the title, the journaling - those were the easy decisions. However, it was the equipment; the brands, the elaborateness, wheels or no wheels, drawers, pockets, slots - - just suffice it to say, "a place for everything and everything in its place", that really got my attention.

Knowing there are many varieties of storage bags and caddies for this particular craft, I decided to not worry about owning one until I had a chance to "observe" some in action. Thus, I walked into this activity with a couple of very humble-looking bags and baskets, all loaded with my own store of supplies. What I soon learned was that my bags and baskets, although filled to capacity, were NOTHING compared to some of the "loot" these ladies came armed with. Several of these ladies could have put up an "open for business" sign and probably never missed anything they would have sold. In other words, they brought the store with them~!

My first order of business, after securing a place to sit for the week-end, was to go around and check out each gal's equipment; having her explain the "perks" of her bag to me. I think, after spending hours and hours with these Goddesses of Creativity, I now know what "will and will not" work for me. I have the confidence to shop for the bag and storage container(s) that will become home-base for me as I pare my large tote of photographs down to a selection of photo albums.

One of the things I have learned in life, is that in order to do a job well, one must have the proper tools to do the job. That goes for scrap booking as well as building a house. I did add one small tool to my toolbox during this week-end. What amazes me is that a tool so small and in-expensive can do so many things to help move or re-move pictures, stickers, letters, etc. from where they were to where they need to be! I cannot imagine how I did without it before. I don't even know the proper name of this new tool, but it is sold by Creative Memories for $6.50. It has the look of a Mail Opener on one end and has a "point" at the opposite end. It can move anything that is glued or stuck down in an amazing way.

Now that I am so much more enlightened in the area of scrap booking tools, I am even more excited to make "order out of chaos" with my photos. Let the games begin~~!!

A Call to Serve....

It was officially announced today. First Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant has a new pastor. Greg Stauffer (and family) originally from the Grand Rapids area, but currently pastoring in Toledo, will be coming to FCOC September 1, 2008.

Mom/Debra, and the children will come a little earlier so that Klay, their only son, can start practicing with the "tennis team" in the middle of August.

Welcome to First Church, Greg and Deb and family~~!! I know, I, for one, am looking forward to having someone permanent in our pulpit again!

Fritz Memorial Tabernacle

Last week, Rev. Nathan Shockley and Leland Shattuck/and wife, Maryln, called several of us siblings and asked if we could come to the a.m. service on Sunday at Remus Camp. They said they planned to do something special in honor of our father. We could not, in our wildest imaginings, think of what they might do. Perhaps a certificate of some sort, etc. When they called Jodi and I to come up front and then told us that in memory of all the time, effort, money, prayer and work our father had put into that campground, they were going to name the tabernacle after him - I just about passed out. Never, never had anything near to that crossed my mind. What a wonderful legacy to those he left behind.

Two Brides

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the weddings of two friends. Because I was literally running from one event to the other, I really didn't have time to take many pictures. However, I did get one picture of each of the brides. Seeing the contrast of the two, made me think of many things this week about being the Bride of Christ.

Each bride was radiant and beautiful. I caught them for a photo at different times during their wedding. One has her bouquet, the other was coming in from outside the hall and her bouquet was in on the bridal table. One has the appearance of being "plainer" than the other, but that is just because of the "angle" I took the picture at. If you had seen the back of that bride, her veil was adorned with beautiful pearls, her dress had rhinestones going all the way down the center seam of the back - which went into a self-train.

All of these thoughts made me think of how UNIQUE each of us are as the Bride of Christ, and yet there is something that makes us all alike... we are all brides~! One of the brides had a big, flowing two-toned bouquet; pinks and whites. She could "do" the big, flowing bouquet, as she is very tall. The other had a stem-wrapped style of very brightly-colored flowers - as was the entire setting for her whole wedding.

Some of us shine more brightly and publicly, while others are more in the background, doing things for the Kingdom that everyone doesn't necessarily "see". We must be who we are and not try to be someone else.

One more thing I found to be interesting, was the fact that both of these brides had a little different version of the same common name. Does that not remind you of the Church of Jesus Christ? (I am referring to Bible-teaching churches of different denominational names.)

We are all preparing to become the bride mentioned in Revelation 21:2 (NLT).

"And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband."

Date Night With "Wall E"

I had the distinct pleasure of a "date" on Friday night. My three grandsons, Owen, Gideon and Silas all went "out" with me~~! We started by having supper at Bob Evans.



As soon as we ate supper, we went to see the movie Wall E. It was such a wonderful movie; one of those that tug on your heartstrings. I was sitting between Silas (age 5) and Gideon (almost 7). Silas was enamoured with Wall E immediately. He kept making precious little comments like, "Oh, Nonnie, I think that's his little house" - or "Oh, Nonnie, he's so cute". When the movie was over, I had told the boys we would go get ice cream and then when we got home, it would be time for them to go right to bed.
So, we headed out of the movie, intent on going to "Doozie's" for ice cream.

As we got near the foyer of the theater, I noticed we were walking right past the large cardboard display of Wall E. He was sitting on top of a large black box so that he was up high enough for everyone to see. I said, "Oh boys, let me take your picture with Wall E. Looking at the size of the box Wall E was on I knew Silas could not just stand by it because he is too small and if I got him in the picture, we would never see Wall E. So I felt the box to see how sturdy it was. Yup, it would hold his 34 pounds. The girl working right there, who took every one's tickets, said to me, "Do whatever you need to do. Wall E is going into the trash tonight, anyway." I said, "NO, you cannot put him in the trash~! How much do you want for him?" She said she would get a manager, so while that was going on, I took a couple of pictures. As you will note, in order to get the boys in it - I didn't get Wall E's head... The manager came and said, "If you take him TONIGHT and pay $20 cash, he is yours." By this time, little Si-guy was jumping up and down and clapping his hands. He was so excited he couldn't contain himself. I had the family van with 3 car seats in it and Wall E was very big. But thanks to a very kind General Manager and his Assistant Manager, they helped me take most of Wall E apart and we folded down some of the van seats and got Wall E in! During this endeavor, I heard Gideon say, "Hey, Owen, we can shoot our dart guns at him!" Silas didn't like that suggestion one bit!

Because Owen was not in his car seat and had only a seat belt on (don't worry - I called his mama and got permission), I had to take the back roads to their house and drive slowly. So, now, "Doozie's" was out! I even had to pray before we started for home because poor Owen was so nervous about being out of his "safety zone" (the car seat) and being a first-born, he is all about following the rules (usually)~! So I prayed for protection on the way home and for Owen to feel peace. It worked! He calmed down and we had a safe trip home. The boys helped get Wall E into their house and we got right back into the van - now with seats opened back up and all car seats in the correct spots.

We drove to downtown Shepherd, stopping at our local icecream shop. We sat outside on benches and ate our ice cream. Silas was not able to eat ALL of his little scoop of ice cream; at least he chose not to. I said, "Are you going to throw this away?" "No", he said, "I'm saving it for Wall E." So I took it to the van with us and put it in the freezer as soon as we got back to the house.

I told the boys to all go get into their p.js. and brush their teeth. Silas could hardly keep on task; he wanted Wall E put back together. I told him I would work on it but didn't know if it would get done b4 they were in bed or not. The next thing I knew, he was in the living room with me, clad in his p.js. and with freshly brushed teeth. He had gotten a flashlight from somewhere and was looking through the openings in Wall E's sides and telling me how far I needed to shove the cardboard pieces that held Wall E's wheels on. About that time, in walked Jeremy and Nichole. They were laughing and Nichole looked at me and said, "Where do you think the boys are going to keep him, mom?" I told her that he could go right out under the pine trees, and they would help shelter him from the weather, etc.

Jeremy began to help me and in just a little bit of time, Wall E was sitting in the middle of the living room and taking up a large part of the "space". Silas, especially, was having a hard time wanting to go to bed because of Wall E being there. Finally, Nichole picked him up and told him it was bedtime and to give Wall E a hug goodnight. He hugged and hugged him and I think even gave him a kiss. Of course, Wall E was so big, Silas stretched his arms as far as they would stretch and they didn't quite make it across the front of Wall E.

Three little boys hugged and kissed me and told me how much fun they had that night (several times) and finally went to bed. As for Wall E, when Silas woke up the next morning, to his delight, daddy had put Wall E in his bedroom! Do you know of any other children who have seen the movie this summer that can say they actually took Wall E home with them???? Happy, happy boys - that is all I can say~~! As for Nonnie, she went home, not just happy, but very excited that she had a GREAT night with three little boys who love her so much and she loves them back even more!

Things to Contemplate...just for fun~!

Can you cry under water?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered ASSASSINATED instead of MURDERED?

Why do you have to "put your two cents in"...but it's only "a penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What disease did cured ham actually have?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up, like, every two hours?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

Why do toasters always have a setting that BURNS the toast?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They are both dogs~!

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog's face he gets mad at you, but if you take him for a ride in a car, he sticks his head out the window?

Do the Alphabet Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Why did you just try singing the two songs above????

Now that you have CONTEMPLATED all of these situations, please let me know if you have "answers" to any of them~!!! Have a GREAT day!

Playing Wii

The Saturday of the 4th of July week-end found several of our family gathered at my sister, Jodi's house. Sara and Tony (baby sis from IN) and their 3 girls were there, along with 2 nieces and their families. My brthr-in-law, Dan, grilled some hot dogs and hamburgers and we had a nice spread on the table, as per usual, whenever the Fritz's are together, eating.

The best entertainment of the day was when the adults, and teens sat back and watched/helped the little group of 5 children ranging in ages from 4 to 11 years of age "bowl" with the Wii. We cheered them on, especially when they got a strike or picked up a spare, and they were all pretty pleased! However, there were 2 children who did not participate due to their ages. Lincoln is only 9 months old and Kevin is only 3. He was not quite old enough to explain the game to nor to care; so we thought. He did see his two older brothers playing, though, and he spotted my sister's cordless phone lying on the counter. He brought it to her and she thanked him, not knowing what he was wanting. So, he took it from her lap and proceeded to stand in front of the TV screen and push buttons on it and then go through the motions he had observed the others doing. It didn't take us long to realize that he "thought" he was bowling!

We laughed and laughed and in between, we would tell him, "good job, Kevin." He bowled for about 10-15 minutes straight, never having any idea that is wasn't his actions on the cordless phone that was making the pins fall on the screen. How smart of him to find what he thought looked like a control, and imitate the actions of those around him~~!

I was reminded of when Paul, talking to the Church at Thessalonica said to them in I Thessalonians 1:6 NIV "You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message, with the joy given by the Holy Spirit."

My prayer, today, is that I become more and more an "imitator" of Jesus Christ.

And, just for the fun of it, here is a picture of baby Lincoln w/his mama, Lindsey.

My Mother's "Philosophy"

I can so clearly remember from the time I was a young girl; probably 10-11 years old, hearing my Mother say the same thing at every Baby Shower she attended. The mother-to-be would be opening her gifts and someone would always have the latest "thing" for babyies as their gift. Then my mother would ALWAYS say, "You have to have a new baby every year in order to keep up with all the new things!"

This week-end, while sitting and talking to my niece, Lindsey, who was holding her 9-month-old baby, Lincoln, the subject of feeding table food to babies came up. I was telling her that my daughter, Heather, who has 7-month-old Regan, bought this "little thing" that she can put pieces of fruit in and Regan can suck and chew on it... and Lindsey interjected, "the net thing?" "Yes", I said. My sister, Jodi, who has only a 2-year-old granddaughter, Esther, said, "What is it?"

So Lindsey and I explained it to her. We told her it could be put in the freezer for teething or just used for food - and the net keeps the baby from choking, because they cannot get pieces big enough of any food out of it to choke on. Then I looked at Jodi and said, "Like mom always said, you must have a new baby every year to keep up with all the new things~!"

We laughed - partly because we were starting to sound like our mother! That circle has a way of coming around, doesn't it???

My "Other" Purse

My baby sister (Sara) and her family came to visit from Indiana today; July 5. We all met at one of my other sister's house; Jodi, in Shepherd. When I walked in, I was carrying my first load of food, etc. and Sara said, "that is Gail's purse" - referring to my well-worn basket - to which I replied, "it IS my "other" purse;it seems to go everywhere I go~!

I purchased this basket at our local WalMart store about 14 years ago. I paid...(are you ready???)... $5.00 for it~~! It has been everywhere and back with me. I take it to every function to which I take food, gifts, decorating supplies, flowers, or any other miscellaneous array of things. It has also helped me to "gather flowers", carry home left-over party food, supplies, decorations, or any number of other things.

I call it "old faithful". There is a small section that keeps separating from the rest, but I keep fish line on hand and it works wonderful to mend such things as a separated spot in a basket.

I will have to say it is probably the BEST $5 I ever spent; and that $5 has lasted the longest and given me the most use of any other money that I have spent.

The "Small" Ones...

My youngest grandson, Silas, just turned 5 this week. It is so hard to believe that he is 5 and ready to start school in the fall. A couple of weeks ago, I was helping him clean up his bedroom. Toys were strewn all over his bedroom floor and his Mama has a container for almost every "category" of toy in his room. I came to some stuffed animals, however, and wasn't sure where to put them. As I handed one to him I said, "Silas, where does this go?" He told me it went on his bed and he began to place them all in a straight line, down the bed and up against the wall, as I handed them to him one by one. Now, I knew that awhile back, his Mama had started limiting the amount of stuffed animals the boys could have because Owen, the oldest, has terrible Allergies, and Silas suffers with Asthma. So, I was quite surprised to find the amount of stuffed "critters" he now had. I picked up one of the last ones; a LARGE bumblebee. I asked him if he sat that one on the bed, too. "No, Nonnie", he said, grabbing it from my hands and throwing it against the wall, "remember? Asthma; dust." (I wanted to laugh so bad, but I was choking from all the dust billowing around because of the "THUMP" against the wall~!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


This picture was captured at a Graduation Open-House last week. It is my two granddaughters; Regan Rene' (7 months) on the left and Zoe Violet (13 months) on the right. I think Regan was saying, "We are cousins and "best friends"~! The picture is TOO precious, isn't it!

Mark 10:14b NLT: ..."Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children."

Siblings

I have been thinking a lot about my siblings, lately, and would like to introduce them to you. This picture of all of us was taken the day of our Mother's funeral. In the very back row, left to right is, first of all:

My oldest brother Art. He is my "Irish Twin". In case you do not know what Irish Twins are, they are siblings born w/i a 12-month period. We, however, were not only born w/i a 12-month period, we were born in the SAME CALENDAR YEAR~! (Busy parents~!) Art was born in February and I came along at the end of December. I would often tell people we were 10-months apart; Mama would always say, "Please don't forget the 12 days!" So, we are 10 months, 12 days apart. That makes us the same age for about 6 weeks. Art has the IQ of a genius. He plays one of the best guitars you will ever hear. I have always credited him for much of my ability to play the piano. (More about that in future post.) He lives in Grand Rapids Michigan. He has been married to Sarah Louise for 32 years. They have 3 children and an adorable foster baby from Sudan, whom, at the current time, they have temporary guardianship of. His children are: Tabitha, David and Jonathon and little Goy. His wife, Sarah, has been almost a lifetime friend of the family. Art performs "audits" for companies applying for a 'line of credit'.

The other brother in the back row is my youngest brother, Earl. Earl just married Debra Jo this past December. Earl also has 3 children: Lindsey, Kristina and Earl James (EJ), and 4 grandsons. Lindsey has little Lincoln and Kristina has Karter, Karson and Kevin. Earl is definitely a "cleanie". He is always shampooing a carpet, his car upholstery, cleaning a garage, mowing a lawn - you get my point. He is the "quiet" one of the family. Many, many times in our growing up years people were "SHOCKED" to find that he was part of the family. They got to pretty much know all of us children, but Earl was so quiet and in the background, they didn't even know he existed. Earl can play a good electric bass guitar. He works for a company that manufactures Seed and Grain Cleaning Equipment. He is the supervisor of the elevator/conveyor department. His house is full of Red Wing memorabilia, the Red Wings being Michigan's state Hockey Team. You see, he also married a girl who's house had a lot of the same thing, so when they combined houses, they both doubled their collection. He and Deb live in Vestaburg Michigan.

The row of girls include my 3 sisters, and myself.

On the left, is Barbara June. She is next to the baby and came along 5 years after Earl was born, so she was kinda' a 2nd family for Mom and Dad, since the first 4 of us were born in 5 years. Barbara has been married to Tony for 21 years and lives in Atlanta, Missouri. They have 4 children: Nikita, Caleb, and twins, Devon and Danika. Barbara is extremely artistic. One year, while Mom and us older girls got Thanksgiving dinner ready, Barbara sat and molded a beautiful turkey out of a pound of butter. She then colored parts of it w/food coloring. It was a beautiful sight to behold until someone took the first bit to butter their roll. It was all downhill from there! Barb is a great cook and bakes almost everything from "scratch". I would eat at her table any meal of the day. Barbara has home-schooled her 4 children for most of their lives. She now has all teens, except, Nikita - who is 20.

The next sister in that row is Sara. She is the baby of the family. Sara was born when I was 17 and Jodi (next sister) was 15...she was kind of "our baby". Sara married Tony (Anthony) 14 years ago. Tony is of Mexican descent, therefore, they have BEAUTIFUL little girls. (We like to call them our 'taco babies', but they aren't really babies anymore.) Their girls are Britnee, Janae and Kerrigan. Tony and Sara have been Ministers of Music at different times in their married life. The three girls sing often with them; they also sing harmony...it runs in the family for young children to sing "parts". Sara is a stay-at-home Mama, however, she is always involved in every program her Church does and that her girl's Christan Day School does. That is because she is a b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l pianist. She has played since she was very young; 5 years of age. Sara can also put on the best programs ever. She is capable of pulling things out of children like no one I've ever known. She gets them to sing w/enthusiasm and say parts with such expression that you would think they were all "child actors". Sara loves to bake but doesn't like to cook. Good thing Tony is "into" cooking! She always says she has a kitchen because it "came with her house"! She and her family live in Kirklin, Indiana.

The 3rd girl to from the left is Wendy Jo, better known as "Jodi". She is my 'other twin'. We are only 27 months apart; I being the oldest, and we have been very close our entire lives. We were almost the same size once we were both in school, so everyone always insisted we were twins. Mom made most of our dresses in those days, and she always made us matching clothes. However, Jodi HATED to always dress like me. I, on the other hand, always wanted us to wear the same dresses together. I have always said Jodi was my "Aaron" (my mouthpiece). I depended on her so much when we were growing up. She was the strong one and I was the 'fraidy cat, and the one always upset and/or nervous. Jodi is been married to Dan for 31 years. They have 4 children; Eric John, Julee, Matt, and Luke, and one granddaughter, Esther, who belongs to Eric John. Jodi was very opposite me when it came to the span of years between each of her children. Hers are ALL 4 years apart; not by choice, that is just how it happened. Mine, however, were all born in 4 years. Jodi and I married brothers*. Talk of "keeping it in the family"... She has always been a 2nd mother to my 3 children, because I worked most of the time when my children were young and Jodi was the babysitter. She is also an awesome cook. My children LOVE to go to Aunt Jodi's to eat! Jodi has the Spiritual Gift of Nurturing. She has worked since her children grew up, doing "home care". She said she is just about feeling ready to go back to that position...it has taken her awhile after helping care for 2 sick parents prior to their deaths, last year, for her to even want to consider it again. She and Dan live in Shepherd, Michigan.

Obviously, the last girl on the right is me. Then, down front is dear 'ole Dad, who is now in Heaven; 101 days after Mama died, he went "Home" too.

So, there you have it - my Siblings. Since I went by the order in the picture, I will give you our birth-order.

Arthur Allen
Gail Lynn (me)
Wendy Jo "Jodi"
Earl Ernest
Barbara June
Sara Emeline

It was great to introduce all of them to you.

*I am no longer married to Dan's brother. We have been divorced for 20 years.