I try to keep up with technology. I consider myself somewhat computer literate. I have a smartphone that challenges me but mostly does what I want it to do. I use copiers, printers, and ATM machines. I can get our TV changed to the DVD or VCR player so my grandkids can watch their favorite videos. I can take pictures....well maybe that is an exaggeration.
Megan and I purchased a camera together last year. She assured me that I didn't have to worry about settings and all I had to do was push the button and it would take a good picture. I thought I could handle that. Things went pretty well. I would snap pictures and I learned how to transfer them to my computer and either post them on Facebook or save them in a file for future use. So far so good.
Of course my favorite people to take pictures of are my grandkids. They grow so fast and I like to have updated pictures of them so I often have the camera with me when we are together and try to take a few pictures of them. Getting them to cooperate is another matter. Lydia doesn't sit still and Alexis likes to ham it up for the camera usually resulting in ridiculous pictures. Mark stares in horror at the flash and doesn't smile. Nevertheless, I get enough to keep the background picture on my computer current and to display on Facebook, at work, and on my basement wall.
The other week Steve and I were at Jay and Kristen's house keeping all three children while they enjoyed a night out. Steve was holding a sleeping Mark and I was entertaining the girls. We decided to watch a video. I wasn't familiar with how their DVD/VCR worked but was quite proud of myself when the picture came on the screen and the music started. However, it was too quiet and I fumbled to find the volume button, hit the wrong one and the screen went blank. I tried everything but couldn't get it to start up again. Lydia patiently sat on the sofa twirling her hair and sucking her finger but Alexis stood beside me and offered advice. Finally in exasperation she put her hands on her hips and said, "Grandma! You're not a very good grandma!" Holding back the laughter, I agreed with her and went and got good grandpa to fix the problem.
While the video was playing, I decided to take some pictures of the girls. I got out the camera, focused on one or both girls and snapped. The camera acted weird. Every time I pushed the button a light kept flashing for a long time. I thought it was the flash but couldn't figure out why it stayed on. When I looked on the camera at the pictures I had taken, they seemed okay, so I just shrugged it off and took a few more pictures before putting the camera away.
A couple of days later when I transferred the pictures to my computer I was astonished to see that I had taken a chopped up video of the girls. I couldn't believe my eyes. I don't even know how to take a video and had never done it before. How did that happen? That evening I told Megan about it and showed her the video. I said to her, "How did I do that and how could I be that stupid?" She got this funny look on her face and then started laughing. Apparently she had been playing with the camera and had set it to something called "movie digest." On this setting it automatically takes a 3 second video every time you take a picture. She had forgotten to change the setting back and that is why I ended up with a comical stop-and-start video of my granddaughters. Oh the joys of being over 50 in this technological age.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Sisters :)
With over a decade between me and my sister (11 years to be exact), it didn't even feel like I had a sister when I was growing up. By the time I was old enough to appreciate a sister, Lois was already dating and pretty much out of the house. One faint memory comes from when I was about 5 years old. Up until that time I had slept in a corner of my parents' bedroom and they were anxious to get me out of there. Lois was told that I would be moving to her bedroom. I was excited but Lois was not. My parents compromised by putting me in a single bed and not making Lois share a double bed with me. In the next few years, Lois graduated from high school, went to nursing school, got married and moved to Colorado and then Kansas. To me, she was just a distant member of the family; someone who I knew was my sister but not anyone that I related to closely.
The years passed and and she and her family moved back to the area. After I got married and became a mother we began to connect with each other a little bit. I found that I liked talking and sharing my life with her. So this was what it was like to have a sister!
In many ways we are different. She loves gardening. I hate it. She is competent at sewing. I am not. She is always excited about a new project. I tend to like things to stay the way they are and not try something new. She is often late. I am almost always on time. She is somewhat forgetful with appointments, etc. I usually am not (although I will admit that the older I get the more forgetful I am becoming).
We also have a lot in common. Both of us got married at the age of 20 and we each have three sons and one daughter. We dislike cleaning and we like reading, scrabble and cooking. Another thing we share is the need to spend time alone. Some people can't understand this but we just laugh and nod understandingly when one of us says, "I just need an hour or two by myself to get my life back in order." There is something about solitude that refreshes both of us.
I learned a lot from Lois. Once when my boys were small, one of them dumped a huge glob of mustard on new carpet we had just put in our living room. I couldn't get the stain out and I was furious. After unloading to Lois she made this comment which I have never forgotten: "In 5 years, this incident will make no difference in your life." This was such good advice and I have remembered it many times through the years. Most of life's hardships or "catastrophes" that are huge at the moment will only become a small dot, if not completely forgotten in the future. It has helped me to put my life in perspective and to focus on the things/relationships that really will make a difference to me in 10 or 20 years.
The bottom line about a sister is that she is someone who will always be there for you. There are times when we rarely speak and there are times when we speak every day. However, I always know that if something happens in my life (good or bad), my sister will be happy or sad with me. She is the one I will turn to when I just need someone to understand.
The years passed and and she and her family moved back to the area. After I got married and became a mother we began to connect with each other a little bit. I found that I liked talking and sharing my life with her. So this was what it was like to have a sister!
In many ways we are different. She loves gardening. I hate it. She is competent at sewing. I am not. She is always excited about a new project. I tend to like things to stay the way they are and not try something new. She is often late. I am almost always on time. She is somewhat forgetful with appointments, etc. I usually am not (although I will admit that the older I get the more forgetful I am becoming).
We also have a lot in common. Both of us got married at the age of 20 and we each have three sons and one daughter. We dislike cleaning and we like reading, scrabble and cooking. Another thing we share is the need to spend time alone. Some people can't understand this but we just laugh and nod understandingly when one of us says, "I just need an hour or two by myself to get my life back in order." There is something about solitude that refreshes both of us.
I learned a lot from Lois. Once when my boys were small, one of them dumped a huge glob of mustard on new carpet we had just put in our living room. I couldn't get the stain out and I was furious. After unloading to Lois she made this comment which I have never forgotten: "In 5 years, this incident will make no difference in your life." This was such good advice and I have remembered it many times through the years. Most of life's hardships or "catastrophes" that are huge at the moment will only become a small dot, if not completely forgotten in the future. It has helped me to put my life in perspective and to focus on the things/relationships that really will make a difference to me in 10 or 20 years.
The bottom line about a sister is that she is someone who will always be there for you. There are times when we rarely speak and there are times when we speak every day. However, I always know that if something happens in my life (good or bad), my sister will be happy or sad with me. She is the one I will turn to when I just need someone to understand.
Last Friday was my birthday. Dutifully, my husband, children and siblings called, texted, or in some way wished me a happy birthday. All except Lois. I told you she was forgetful! On Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk at work when a man walked in carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I'm sure the shock showed on my face when he said, "Mary Lehman?". As I took the flowers, I was trying to figure out who would have sent them to me and for what occasion. Of all the names and possibilities that flashed through my brain, Lois never made the list. Here is what I read when I opened the card:
Missed your birthday?
NO WAY!
Your Sister
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Indy
There is one member of the family that I have not introduced yet. His name is Indy and he is a toy fox terrier with a little bit of Jack Russell in him. Soon after Shawn & Melissa's marriage in 2003 they brought Indy home to live with them. He was actually born on the exact day as Chip so the two of them are twins but that is where the likeness stops. Whereas Chip is an outside dog, Indy lives inside. Whereas Chip is big, Indy is little. Whereas Chip is timid, Indy is bold. You get the picture.
I first met Indy when Shawn brought him for a visit soon after they got him. We had just finished eating and there was some leftover barbecue sitting in a dish on the counter. Shawn offered Indy some and my how that tiny doggie did eat! He gobbled up the little bit of meat and sniffed around to see if he could get a second helping. As much as Shawn fed him, he chowed down in a hurry and begged for more. That is my first memory of the little guy, happily eating all the barbecue that Shawn offered him.
I have to be perfectly honest and explain that I am not a natural dog-lover like my dad and some others in the family. However, I did think dogs could be cute and fun as long as they stayed outside and I didn't have to pay too much attention to them. I had absolutely no problem with anyone else that had an indoor dog, and was happy for Shawn and Melissa who were thrilled with their new addition. After all, it wasn't going to affect me that they had a dog. I didn't mind that he came along whenever they were at our house. He came right in and we fed him scraps at the table and it was no big deal. They always took care of him and he preferred them (especially Melissa) over any of us so everything was great. It wasn't like he was going to come and spend the night or anything. Wrong.
Shawn and Melissa were going away for the weekend and they couldn't take Indy. Would I keep Indy for them? I said "Sure!" but inwardly I was thinking, "Oh no." On Friday afternoon, they arrived with Indy and doghouse in tow. We put the doghouse in the corner of our basement and Melissa fixed his blankets just right and left him with plenty of food and a few of his favorite toys. He ran after them as they left him at the door and when he realized they weren't taking him along, he glanced at me and then headed for the basement and his doghouse to sulk. Eventually, he came out of his house and sat on the sofa, but when I came down to the basement to keep him company and watch TV, he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. He just sat there forlornly with his chin on his paws. I sat on the recliner and talked to him and tried to coax him out of his misery. After a while I gave up and just watched TV. All of a sudden I felt movement and a little body hurled itself across my lap and snuggled down between me and the side of the recliner. We looked at each other warily and slowly and tentatively, I reached out my hand and gently patted him on his head. We held each other's gaze for a long moment and gradually both of us came to the same conclusion--"maybe you aren't so bad after all."
The rest of the weekend went really well. We enjoyed Indy and I think Indy enjoyed us. We played with him and I spoiled him by giving him a doggie treat every time he came in from "piddling" outside. Whenever we sat down on the sofa or recliner he would jump up and sit on our laps or right beside us. Even Steve got in for keeping him company when Indy chose him to sleep with for their Sunday afternoon naps. They made quite the picture--both contentedly dozing.
The only one who suffered was Chip. We keep Chip's food in a dish on the porch and the first time I left Indy out to do his business, he found it and starting eating as fast as he could. Chip didn't like this and approached Indy cautiously to try and reclaim what was his, but stopped in his tracks when Indy growled ferociously at him. The next thing we knew, Chip was backing up with his tail between his legs as Indy continued to growl and glare at him and munch away on Chip's food. It was hard not to laugh at our poor big dog being humiliated and afraid of this miniature dog who definitely was not intimidated by Chip's size. We rescued Chip's food and put it in a safe place where Indy couldn't get to it. Chip contented himself thereafter by simply following Indy around and peeing on everything that Indy peed on. Whenever he did risk an occasional sniff at him, Indy promptly flattened his ears and barred his teeth causing Chip to cower away again. Fortunately we kept Indy inside most of the time so it wasn't much of a problem.
The weekend passed quickly and late Sunday afternoon Shawn & Melissa returned. As the basement door creaked open, Indy's ears perked up and he ran to the steps to investigate. Upon seeing Melissa he hurled himself into her arms and jumped and wiggled excitedly. He was more than happy to see them pick up his dog house and take it and him with them as they left for home. And you know what? Although I was happy to see him go home too, I actually missed him a little bit.
Over the years, we have kept Indy a lot when Shawn & Melissa have gone on vacation, even keeping him for a week at a time on occasion. By now, we all know the routine and he seems quite content to spend several days with us and I am always happy to see him. Even though Chip and he will never be best buds they have learned to tolerate each other. Now, when Shawn or Melissa ask if I can keep Indy while they go away, I say "absolutely" and inwardly I am thinking "yay!" I think both Indy and I learned a lot from each other. If you are willing to give something or somebody a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
I first met Indy when Shawn brought him for a visit soon after they got him. We had just finished eating and there was some leftover barbecue sitting in a dish on the counter. Shawn offered Indy some and my how that tiny doggie did eat! He gobbled up the little bit of meat and sniffed around to see if he could get a second helping. As much as Shawn fed him, he chowed down in a hurry and begged for more. That is my first memory of the little guy, happily eating all the barbecue that Shawn offered him.
I have to be perfectly honest and explain that I am not a natural dog-lover like my dad and some others in the family. However, I did think dogs could be cute and fun as long as they stayed outside and I didn't have to pay too much attention to them. I had absolutely no problem with anyone else that had an indoor dog, and was happy for Shawn and Melissa who were thrilled with their new addition. After all, it wasn't going to affect me that they had a dog. I didn't mind that he came along whenever they were at our house. He came right in and we fed him scraps at the table and it was no big deal. They always took care of him and he preferred them (especially Melissa) over any of us so everything was great. It wasn't like he was going to come and spend the night or anything. Wrong.
Shawn and Melissa were going away for the weekend and they couldn't take Indy. Would I keep Indy for them? I said "Sure!" but inwardly I was thinking, "Oh no." On Friday afternoon, they arrived with Indy and doghouse in tow. We put the doghouse in the corner of our basement and Melissa fixed his blankets just right and left him with plenty of food and a few of his favorite toys. He ran after them as they left him at the door and when he realized they weren't taking him along, he glanced at me and then headed for the basement and his doghouse to sulk. Eventually, he came out of his house and sat on the sofa, but when I came down to the basement to keep him company and watch TV, he wouldn't even make eye contact with me. He just sat there forlornly with his chin on his paws. I sat on the recliner and talked to him and tried to coax him out of his misery. After a while I gave up and just watched TV. All of a sudden I felt movement and a little body hurled itself across my lap and snuggled down between me and the side of the recliner. We looked at each other warily and slowly and tentatively, I reached out my hand and gently patted him on his head. We held each other's gaze for a long moment and gradually both of us came to the same conclusion--"maybe you aren't so bad after all."
The rest of the weekend went really well. We enjoyed Indy and I think Indy enjoyed us. We played with him and I spoiled him by giving him a doggie treat every time he came in from "piddling" outside. Whenever we sat down on the sofa or recliner he would jump up and sit on our laps or right beside us. Even Steve got in for keeping him company when Indy chose him to sleep with for their Sunday afternoon naps. They made quite the picture--both contentedly dozing.
The only one who suffered was Chip. We keep Chip's food in a dish on the porch and the first time I left Indy out to do his business, he found it and starting eating as fast as he could. Chip didn't like this and approached Indy cautiously to try and reclaim what was his, but stopped in his tracks when Indy growled ferociously at him. The next thing we knew, Chip was backing up with his tail between his legs as Indy continued to growl and glare at him and munch away on Chip's food. It was hard not to laugh at our poor big dog being humiliated and afraid of this miniature dog who definitely was not intimidated by Chip's size. We rescued Chip's food and put it in a safe place where Indy couldn't get to it. Chip contented himself thereafter by simply following Indy around and peeing on everything that Indy peed on. Whenever he did risk an occasional sniff at him, Indy promptly flattened his ears and barred his teeth causing Chip to cower away again. Fortunately we kept Indy inside most of the time so it wasn't much of a problem.
The weekend passed quickly and late Sunday afternoon Shawn & Melissa returned. As the basement door creaked open, Indy's ears perked up and he ran to the steps to investigate. Upon seeing Melissa he hurled himself into her arms and jumped and wiggled excitedly. He was more than happy to see them pick up his dog house and take it and him with them as they left for home. And you know what? Although I was happy to see him go home too, I actually missed him a little bit.
Over the years, we have kept Indy a lot when Shawn & Melissa have gone on vacation, even keeping him for a week at a time on occasion. By now, we all know the routine and he seems quite content to spend several days with us and I am always happy to see him. Even though Chip and he will never be best buds they have learned to tolerate each other. Now, when Shawn or Melissa ask if I can keep Indy while they go away, I say "absolutely" and inwardly I am thinking "yay!" I think both Indy and I learned a lot from each other. If you are willing to give something or somebody a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Dear Me
Dear Me,
Today you are 53 years young. Happy birthday! You were born in Lancaster General Hospital at 7:30 a.m. on the Ides of March. You completed the Denlinger family which included twins Lester and Lois, who were 11 years older than you, and brothers (Eu)Gene and Glen who were 6 and 3 when you were born. Your parents were Elvin and Edith (Kreider) Denlinger and they named you Mary Ann. They brought you home to a chicken farm in Mountville, Pennsylvania where you spent the first 2 1/2 years of your life. Your family then moved to a chicken farm in Conestoga, Pennsylvania where you lived until you got married.
You spent an idyllic childhood in a family where you knew you were loved. Early childhood memories include tagging along with your father into the chicken house and being terrified of the roosters that were just waiting to jump on you and flap their wings against your back. You always tried to stay close to your dad so he could protect you from their brutal attacks. In spite of the roosters, you liked to follow your dad around as he worked around the farm doing this and that. You also remember going shopping with your mother into Lancaster City. The Watt & Shand store was the highlight of the trip because you loved the elevator ride between the floors. A man operated the elevator and he always smiled at you when you stepped into his domain and asked your mother, "which floor, Ma'am?" He would then close the inner door and then the outer door, push down on a lever and up or down you would go. Another favorite memory is riding along with your mother to pick up the school children. You proudly stood in the center of the front seat of the car the whole trip. That was certainly a very dangerous place to ride in a car but back then no one had ever heard of car seats.
You remember playing ball with Glen, watching lots of sports on TV with Gene, sharing a bedroom with Lois (much to her annoyance) and visiting Lester in Honduras when he was there for Voluntary Service. You attended River Corner Mennonite Church with your family and went to New Danville Mennonite School from first to eighth grade and then spent your high school years at LMH. During your teen years you logged a lot of hours in the chicken house collecting eggs. Every day after school, your job was to gather the eggs either in the "green" house or the "block" house. One vivid memory you have is of having a cart completely full of eggs (approximately 90 dozen) and pushing the heavy load onto the loading dock in the block house to transfer to a larger cart. You misjudged the edge of the landing and the entire cart along with all the eggs went crashing to the floor 20 feet below. That was not a very fun thing to tell your father about.
High school was a pleasant experience and you had a nice amount of friends. In your senior year you had English class and Study Hall with this guy who enjoyed talking with you and you with him. At graduation, you figured you would probably never see him again and so were surprised when two weeks after leaving LMH forever, he called and asked you for a date. Love blossomed and 2 years later on August 23, 1980 you and Steve Lehman pledged to share the rest of your lives together.This year you will celebrate 33 years of marriage!
Life certainly wasn't always easy for the two of you. Agriculture was where your hearts were, but after a failed attempt at hog farming brought you to the edge of financial ruin, doubts crept into your minds and future farming endeavors seemed unwise. Several years later, an opportunity arose for Steve to purchase a small truck that he could use to haul manure out of farmers' pits. Thus was the lowly beginning of Lehman Ag Service, Inc. Although this business usually managed to pay the bills (albeit sometimes late), it was definitely not without its struggles and many a time you and Steve questioned whether you should just quit and walk away from it. During those discouraging times, something always happened that seemed to be a sign that you should continue on. Gradually, things improved and when you eventually sold this business to two of your sons, they were able to continue and expand it and today it is a very successful company. After selling the business, Steve focused on crop farming and managing Green 'N Grow Compost, LLC, a composting operation that he began in 2010 and which has surprisingly (to you) been very successful.
Three sons and one daughter were born to you and Steve--Shawn, Jay, Josh and Megan. You will write more about your family in future blogs but it is safe to say that these children have blessed you beyond anything you could have ever asked or imagined. Each one brought a different personality and added unique diversity to the family but each child was so special and so loved. Parenting was a role that you enjoyed immensely and although there were certainly tough times the joys FAR outweighed the sorrows. Two lovely daughters-in-law, Melissa and Kristen (who are actually sisters), expanded your family even further. You are now loving being a grandparent to Alexis, Lydia and Mark and looking forward to another grandson in July.
Over the years, you always kept a foot in the workplace. After high school and marriage you worked as a bank teller. When children joined the family, you worked part-time off and on as a legal secretary, and also did typesetting in your home for a local publishing company for about six years. You have now worked at New Hope Community Life Ministry as a secretary for seven years. This job is a perfect fit for you and you love it.
Faith is an important part of your life's journey. You accepted Christ as your Savior at 12 years of age and although have questioned God and circumstances, you never doubted that Jesus is Lord and that you have been created by God for a purpose (but have certainly wondered what the purpose is at times). As a Christian you strive to live a life that shows the love of God through you, however, you will be the first to admit that you still have a long way to go in your spiritual walk with the Lord.
This is a very brief outline of your first 53 years. If anyone besides you reads this letter and they want to know more details they will have to ask you. Now that you have started a Blog, maybe some of their questions will be answered in future postings. Enjoy your birthday!
Love,
Mary
Today you are 53 years young. Happy birthday! You were born in Lancaster General Hospital at 7:30 a.m. on the Ides of March. You completed the Denlinger family which included twins Lester and Lois, who were 11 years older than you, and brothers (Eu)Gene and Glen who were 6 and 3 when you were born. Your parents were Elvin and Edith (Kreider) Denlinger and they named you Mary Ann. They brought you home to a chicken farm in Mountville, Pennsylvania where you spent the first 2 1/2 years of your life. Your family then moved to a chicken farm in Conestoga, Pennsylvania where you lived until you got married.
You spent an idyllic childhood in a family where you knew you were loved. Early childhood memories include tagging along with your father into the chicken house and being terrified of the roosters that were just waiting to jump on you and flap their wings against your back. You always tried to stay close to your dad so he could protect you from their brutal attacks. In spite of the roosters, you liked to follow your dad around as he worked around the farm doing this and that. You also remember going shopping with your mother into Lancaster City. The Watt & Shand store was the highlight of the trip because you loved the elevator ride between the floors. A man operated the elevator and he always smiled at you when you stepped into his domain and asked your mother, "which floor, Ma'am?" He would then close the inner door and then the outer door, push down on a lever and up or down you would go. Another favorite memory is riding along with your mother to pick up the school children. You proudly stood in the center of the front seat of the car the whole trip. That was certainly a very dangerous place to ride in a car but back then no one had ever heard of car seats.
You remember playing ball with Glen, watching lots of sports on TV with Gene, sharing a bedroom with Lois (much to her annoyance) and visiting Lester in Honduras when he was there for Voluntary Service. You attended River Corner Mennonite Church with your family and went to New Danville Mennonite School from first to eighth grade and then spent your high school years at LMH. During your teen years you logged a lot of hours in the chicken house collecting eggs. Every day after school, your job was to gather the eggs either in the "green" house or the "block" house. One vivid memory you have is of having a cart completely full of eggs (approximately 90 dozen) and pushing the heavy load onto the loading dock in the block house to transfer to a larger cart. You misjudged the edge of the landing and the entire cart along with all the eggs went crashing to the floor 20 feet below. That was not a very fun thing to tell your father about.
High school was a pleasant experience and you had a nice amount of friends. In your senior year you had English class and Study Hall with this guy who enjoyed talking with you and you with him. At graduation, you figured you would probably never see him again and so were surprised when two weeks after leaving LMH forever, he called and asked you for a date. Love blossomed and 2 years later on August 23, 1980 you and Steve Lehman pledged to share the rest of your lives together.This year you will celebrate 33 years of marriage!
Life certainly wasn't always easy for the two of you. Agriculture was where your hearts were, but after a failed attempt at hog farming brought you to the edge of financial ruin, doubts crept into your minds and future farming endeavors seemed unwise. Several years later, an opportunity arose for Steve to purchase a small truck that he could use to haul manure out of farmers' pits. Thus was the lowly beginning of Lehman Ag Service, Inc. Although this business usually managed to pay the bills (albeit sometimes late), it was definitely not without its struggles and many a time you and Steve questioned whether you should just quit and walk away from it. During those discouraging times, something always happened that seemed to be a sign that you should continue on. Gradually, things improved and when you eventually sold this business to two of your sons, they were able to continue and expand it and today it is a very successful company. After selling the business, Steve focused on crop farming and managing Green 'N Grow Compost, LLC, a composting operation that he began in 2010 and which has surprisingly (to you) been very successful.
Three sons and one daughter were born to you and Steve--Shawn, Jay, Josh and Megan. You will write more about your family in future blogs but it is safe to say that these children have blessed you beyond anything you could have ever asked or imagined. Each one brought a different personality and added unique diversity to the family but each child was so special and so loved. Parenting was a role that you enjoyed immensely and although there were certainly tough times the joys FAR outweighed the sorrows. Two lovely daughters-in-law, Melissa and Kristen (who are actually sisters), expanded your family even further. You are now loving being a grandparent to Alexis, Lydia and Mark and looking forward to another grandson in July.
Over the years, you always kept a foot in the workplace. After high school and marriage you worked as a bank teller. When children joined the family, you worked part-time off and on as a legal secretary, and also did typesetting in your home for a local publishing company for about six years. You have now worked at New Hope Community Life Ministry as a secretary for seven years. This job is a perfect fit for you and you love it.
Faith is an important part of your life's journey. You accepted Christ as your Savior at 12 years of age and although have questioned God and circumstances, you never doubted that Jesus is Lord and that you have been created by God for a purpose (but have certainly wondered what the purpose is at times). As a Christian you strive to live a life that shows the love of God through you, however, you will be the first to admit that you still have a long way to go in your spiritual walk with the Lord.
This is a very brief outline of your first 53 years. If anyone besides you reads this letter and they want to know more details they will have to ask you. Now that you have started a Blog, maybe some of their questions will be answered in future postings. Enjoy your birthday!
Love,
Mary
Monday, March 11, 2013
Why Go To Church?
Recently, I have been reading a blog where the writer lists many reasons why people of her generation have given up on church. I will admit that many of her "excuses" are valid and I do understand where she and her peers are coming from. I am obviously from a different era than this young lady and am well aware that unless you can walk a mile in someone else's shoes you can't know everything that they are dealing with in their life. I can see, but not totally comprehend the pressure and distractions that cause so many of today's youth to choose "sleeping in and making blueberry pancakes for breakfast" over waking up early and sitting through a "boring" church service.
However, I would like to share how I have seen church as a positive thing and encourage these energetic twenty-somethings not to give up on the church. Here are some reflections from my personal experience and my family's.
High on this list, is the Bible teaching that is received. From Sunday School classes to sermons, we learn things in a way that is difficult if not impossible to match in a home setting through books and self-study. The ultimate goal for all of us who are Christian parents is for our children to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is definitely not achieved solely through church, however, I believe church should complement what we as parents are teaching our children at home. There is a lot more that could be said about faith and Christianity but for this Blog I am going to focus on the church and how it has affected me.
I think often what people fail to see is that in a church community we ALL need each other. Although it is important to have friends your own age who are going through the same things in their lives, I feel we often overlook the rich reward we receive from interacting with people of all ages. I know that some churches don't have a big diversity in ages but I honestly think they miss out on this golden opportunity. Let me give some examples:
No, our congregation is DEFINITELY not perfect. We make mistakes. We disagree. We have lost dissatisfied members who chose to find another church. Most of all, we have lost vibrant youth who went away to college and/or got married and never came back. Some of them chose to never go to church again, and some of them have found another church that fits their needs and their families. Obviously, some of them never came back to the area, so it wasn't even an option for them to come back to our church.
I am not condemning any of these young people. Two of my own children fall in this category. Mostly, I just feel sadness that this happens. What could we do differently? How can we make it so these gifted adults want to be a part of a church? The church desperately needs them. We need a younger generation to rise up and love the church and want it to thrive. We need their talents, their passion, their enthusiasm. Some of us older ones are tired and we need the energy of youth to sustain us.
I think youth assume that the older generation is not willing to change the way they view church and would not be open to new ideas that young people bring to the congregation. I strongly disagree with that. There will always be a few that feel that way, but as a majority, most of us are willing to accept change, especially if we see that a young person is passionate for Jesus and the church. We WANT to work with the next generation and we WANT them to be involved in the church. Many things get lost from one generation to the next. Will my grandchildren and great-grandchildren even know what church is? I certainly hope and pray that they will.
However, I would like to share how I have seen church as a positive thing and encourage these energetic twenty-somethings not to give up on the church. Here are some reflections from my personal experience and my family's.
High on this list, is the Bible teaching that is received. From Sunday School classes to sermons, we learn things in a way that is difficult if not impossible to match in a home setting through books and self-study. The ultimate goal for all of us who are Christian parents is for our children to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is definitely not achieved solely through church, however, I believe church should complement what we as parents are teaching our children at home. There is a lot more that could be said about faith and Christianity but for this Blog I am going to focus on the church and how it has affected me.
I think often what people fail to see is that in a church community we ALL need each other. Although it is important to have friends your own age who are going through the same things in their lives, I feel we often overlook the rich reward we receive from interacting with people of all ages. I know that some churches don't have a big diversity in ages but I honestly think they miss out on this golden opportunity. Let me give some examples:
- When I had my first child, every Sunday an elderly lady would come up to me after the service, take a peek at Shawn and say with a big smile, "My, he's growing, isn't he?" This was actually kind of humorous because all of us with infants knew that she would say this to us every week. But you know what? We also learned that in her life Anna had had one stillborn child and one that died of pneumonia at a young age. Her eyes still misted over whenever she talked about it. She loved children and made it a point to talk to us young mothers. Although we laughed, we enjoyed it and I always think of this lady fondly.
- Another thing I noticed is that even though children and youth will roll their eyes about the oldies in the congregation, they secretly love them a lot. Once when we were talking about a certain older woman in our congregation, my daughter made the comment, "I just love her!" Another time, I posted a picture on my Facebook of an older gentleman in our congregation and an 18 year old commented "He is the coolest guy!" In what other setting, would our children get to interact with older people? Sure, they may have their grandparents but they are relatives and it isn't the same thing.
- In our congregation we have a woman in her seventies that loves to entertain and host dinner parties. This winter she invited 10 or 12 of us at a time for a breakfast at her house. We have a young adult class of approximately 10 who attend our church regularly. Joanne wondered if they would appreciate an invitation for a breakfast. She was a little hesitant because she thought they probably wouldn't want to get out of bed early and would they really want to come to her house? Well, she invited them and every single one of them accepted. They were delighted and even though it meant giving up some sleeping time on a Saturday morning, I heard one of them make the comment, "Who wouldn't want to go to Joanne's house to eat?"
- The older people love the youth and children. Over the years, my children were involved in many activities from sports, Bible quizzing, youth group, mission trips, etc. One thing they could always count on was the support of the entire congregation in everything they did, from buying whatever they were selling to fund a mission trip or activity, to showing up at music concerts and Bible quizzing tournaments. If they had a special activity or a trip that they had gone on, someone from the congregation would always ask them about it and want them to share some of the details with them. Where else do you get that kind of support outside of family?
No, our congregation is DEFINITELY not perfect. We make mistakes. We disagree. We have lost dissatisfied members who chose to find another church. Most of all, we have lost vibrant youth who went away to college and/or got married and never came back. Some of them chose to never go to church again, and some of them have found another church that fits their needs and their families. Obviously, some of them never came back to the area, so it wasn't even an option for them to come back to our church.
I am not condemning any of these young people. Two of my own children fall in this category. Mostly, I just feel sadness that this happens. What could we do differently? How can we make it so these gifted adults want to be a part of a church? The church desperately needs them. We need a younger generation to rise up and love the church and want it to thrive. We need their talents, their passion, their enthusiasm. Some of us older ones are tired and we need the energy of youth to sustain us.
I think youth assume that the older generation is not willing to change the way they view church and would not be open to new ideas that young people bring to the congregation. I strongly disagree with that. There will always be a few that feel that way, but as a majority, most of us are willing to accept change, especially if we see that a young person is passionate for Jesus and the church. We WANT to work with the next generation and we WANT them to be involved in the church. Many things get lost from one generation to the next. Will my grandchildren and great-grandchildren even know what church is? I certainly hope and pray that they will.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Texting
Like a lot of other people in my generation, I have learned how to text. I felt like I was getting pretty good at it on my old cell phone, but since I upgraded to a Smartphone with a flat screen I have been hopelessly floundering at trying to locate the right letters as I text. I sometimes use audio text but often it just isn't convenient to speak out loud when you are trying to text someone and there are others in the room. I have found a lifesaver for me is the word prompts that my phone gives me as I try to spell a word. It is pretty amazing how my "smart" phone knows just the word I am trying to come up with.
The person I text the most often with is Megan. Sometimes we have some pretty funny conversations. Here are a few of my favorites:
I had asked her to get hamburger out of the freezer to thaw. She left with a friend and forgot.
Megan: "You are going to kill me but I forgot to get the hamburger out."
Me: "Bang, bang."
Megan: "Clutches heart, gasping for air in a puddle of blood."
1:48 pm, Jan. 29 - Neil & Elaine are my co-workers
Megan: "In case you care, im deathly ill."
Me: "What's wrong?"
Megan: "My energy level is like -13."
Me: "Neil is praying for you. What's the basis of your energy level we wonder?"
Megan: "The mt everest of tissues beside me."
Me: "You r funny. Neil says u need a mt Zion of energy power."
Megan: "This is true."
Me: "Elaine feels your pain."
Megan: "I'm glad i am the water cooler talk there."
Me: "We love you!"
Megan: "I can tell."
Me: "Does my poor deathly ill daughter need me to bring her anything? I will be leaving at 3:30."
Megan: " Make sure you get more tissues."
11:27 am, Feb. 25
Me: "I'm sorry to say u owe $21.00 in taxes."
Megan: "What?! I am angry."
Me: "I know. I can't believe it. I picked up the taxes this morning."
Megan: "I'm quitting pvd."
2:46 pm, Feb. 25
Me: "If u r looking for something to do look at the wedding dress on this link. I actually like it."
Megan: "Really? I dont."
Me: "Yes I do."
Megan: "Well dont get too attached to the style. haha."
Me: "Haha I won't. What don't u like? It would be a good style on you."
Megan: "I just don't...I don't know."
Me: "I mean the skirt is perfect."
Megan: "I don't like the vertical ruffles, thats what it is."
12:11 pm, Mar. 6
Megan: "I feel i should let you know that i am boycotting the snow by refusing to get out of bed."
Me: "GET UP!!!! Its not even enough snow to worry about."
Megan: "When i look out the small gap of my window I see white."
Me: "Its a mirage. There is no snow in quarryville."
Megan: "I see it it's there. No mirage."
Me: "Well u should still get up. It won't hurt you."
Megan: "Maybe.
Life is interesting. Ten years ago I would have never dreamed that texting would be a common way to communicate with someone else. I wonder what changes another ten years will bring.
The person I text the most often with is Megan. Sometimes we have some pretty funny conversations. Here are a few of my favorites:
I had asked her to get hamburger out of the freezer to thaw. She left with a friend and forgot.
Megan: "You are going to kill me but I forgot to get the hamburger out."
Me: "Bang, bang."
Megan: "Clutches heart, gasping for air in a puddle of blood."
1:48 pm, Jan. 29 - Neil & Elaine are my co-workers
Megan: "In case you care, im deathly ill."
Me: "What's wrong?"
Megan: "My energy level is like -13."
Me: "Neil is praying for you. What's the basis of your energy level we wonder?"
Megan: "The mt everest of tissues beside me."
Me: "You r funny. Neil says u need a mt Zion of energy power."
Megan: "This is true."
Me: "Elaine feels your pain."
Megan: "I'm glad i am the water cooler talk there."
Me: "We love you!"
Megan: "I can tell."
Me: "Does my poor deathly ill daughter need me to bring her anything? I will be leaving at 3:30."
Megan: " Make sure you get more tissues."
11:27 am, Feb. 25
Me: "I'm sorry to say u owe $21.00 in taxes."
Megan: "What?! I am angry."
Me: "I know. I can't believe it. I picked up the taxes this morning."
Megan: "I'm quitting pvd."
2:46 pm, Feb. 25
Me: "If u r looking for something to do look at the wedding dress on this link. I actually like it."
Megan: "Really? I dont."
Me: "Yes I do."
Megan: "Well dont get too attached to the style. haha."
Me: "Haha I won't. What don't u like? It would be a good style on you."
Megan: "I just don't...I don't know."
Me: "I mean the skirt is perfect."
Megan: "I don't like the vertical ruffles, thats what it is."
12:11 pm, Mar. 6
Megan: "I feel i should let you know that i am boycotting the snow by refusing to get out of bed."
Me: "GET UP!!!! Its not even enough snow to worry about."
Megan: "When i look out the small gap of my window I see white."
Me: "Its a mirage. There is no snow in quarryville."
Megan: "I see it it's there. No mirage."
Me: "Well u should still get up. It won't hurt you."
Megan: "Maybe.
Life is interesting. Ten years ago I would have never dreamed that texting would be a common way to communicate with someone else. I wonder what changes another ten years will bring.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
A Dog Story
Ten years
ago when our second son, Jay, turned eighteen years old he announced that he
was going to buy a puppy. Both Steve and I had grown up with dogs, but we had
never had one in our own family. Although the children (especially Jay) would
sometimes beg for one, I was pretty sure that it would be me who would end up
caring for it so the answer always was no.
Now Jay still lived at home, but he assured me that this would be his
dog and he would be responsible to feed, water, train and care for all its needs.
We have a large property with plenty of room to roam, so we agreed to allow him
to get a dog as long as it was understood that it would remain outside at ALL
times.
A few days
later, Jay proudly brought home a cute little yellow lab male puppy that he
named Chip. I will never forget that
first day. Jay made a nice place for him
in the barn and got him settled in. Poor
Chip was so scared. He just stood with his head drooping and his tail hanging
miserably between his legs. I made the remark that I wondered if his tail would
every wag. Well, it didn’t take too long for Chip to realize that our place was
a dog heaven and soon his tail was wagging constantly. The little guy melted our hearts and although
some of us wouldn’t admit it, we were all pretty fond of him. We realized just how much a few short months
later when our oldest son Shawn accidently backed over him with the
pickup. The wheels didn’t run over him
but he tumbled around underneath the vehicle and when we carried him to our
porch he lay awfully still and breathed heavily. I was afraid he had internal injuries and
might not make it. While Chip was on his way to the vet, the rest of us sat at
the lunch table trying to eat food that tasted like cardboard and got stuck in
our throats. I was choking back tears and then I glanced around the table and
saw that silent tears were falling on everyone’s plate. Thankfully Chip was not
badly injured and soon he was running around as if nothing had happened.
Although
some of us had been doubtful about Chip at first, there was one person who fell
in love with him instantly. I’m actually
not sure who was more excited about Jay getting a dog—my dad or Jay. Dad loved
dogs and as a farmer, he always had one as his constant companion. However, my
mother did not share his fondness for them and so when they moved off the farm,
Dad no longer had a dog to share his days with.
My parents lived next door and their property connected with ours so
Chip had free rein between the two places. My mother’s health was failing
rapidly and a few years after Chip’s arrival, when Dad could no longer care for
her, the family transferred her to a retirement home where she died fifteen
months later. During that time, Chip became my dad’s best friend. With my mother no longer living in the house,
Dad welcomed Chip inside during the day to keep him company. He always sent him home at night but in the
morning Chip would walk up the back steps to his deck and wait for Dad to open
the curtains and door and leave him in.
Even though
Chip spent time with Dad indoors (especially over winter) what the two of them
really loved the most was the great outdoors.
Dad’s favorite place on our property was a wooded area that was cleared
out and had a pavilion, small pond and a glider swing. He referred to this haven as “his park”. My
dad’s mode of transportation around the property was a lawn mower and I
honestly don’t think anything got Chip more excited than when he heard that
mower starting up. He could be laying in
the yard looking like he was fast asleep but his ear was always tuned for that
first sputter of the motor (honestly, sometimes I thought he heard the click of
the key). Immediately Chip was on all four feet making a beeline for Dad and
the lawnmower. Together they would go
down to the park and spend many happy hours, puttering around with this and
that and relaxing.
Gradually,
even though we still fed, played and provided Chip with shelter (after we took
the barn down we replaced his dwelling with a comfortable dog house), we all
began to think of Chip as Dad’s dog.
When Jay got married, he moved away and was unable to take Chip with
him. At that time he made the comment, “Even if I could take Chip with me, I
don’t think I would. I couldn’t take him
away from Grandpa.”
As happens
in life, my dad got older and so did Chip.
Both of them slowed down considerably, but without fail Chip would be at
Dad’s back door each morning to greet him when he opened his curtain. Neither
of them moved as fast as they used to, but they still made their way down to
the park and rested in its beauty. Last
winter, Chip spent more time indoors with Dad as Dad didn’t go away much
anymore. Theirs was a beautiful
companionship.
Then it
happened. Dad took ill and died suddenly in early May. On top of all the things that are thrown upon
you and that you need to process when someone you love is taken from you, a
question that was foremost in all of our minds was “what will Chip do?” It broke our hearts to watch Chip go up to
his house each morning and sit on his deck for hours and then eventually slowly
and dejectedly make his way home again. The neighbors on the other side of
Dad’s house were so torn up about it that they cried each time they saw him
sitting there patiently waiting for Dad.
After several weeks of this we breathed a sigh of relief when Chip
stopped going up to the house regularly.
We all tried to show him extra affection and spend a little more time
with him but there was no way we could make up for the friendship that had been
taken from him.
Steve and I
bought the house from Dad’s estate and spent several months cleaning it out and
making small repairs. Chip had finally
given up and no longer went up to the house on his own, but whenever we walked
up to work on the house, he was right there by our side. He would sneak in the
door as soon as we opened it and promptly sit down on the very spot on the
carpet that he had inhabited for years.
As we prepared to rent the house we worried how Chip would react to the
new tenants. We explained to would-be
renters that it was likely they would see Chip around the property, and
although we requested that they be kind to him they were certainly under no
obligation to play with him or let him inside the house.
We rented
the house to a friendly, newly married couple.
At first when Chip saw strange vehicles in the driveway he would bark
and run up to see what was going on.
After all, this was his domain and he was in charge of who went in and
out. However, overall he seemed fine and
we really didn’t see him hanging out at the house too much. We were hopeful
that this transition would be fairly painless. Then one day, I came home from
work and there was Chip camped out on their front porch step! My heart sank. We didn’t want him pestering our tenants, and
sitting on their doorstep so they would have to step over him to enter their
house was not ideal. Later, we were
talking to our tenant and he told us he almost fell over in surprise one of the
first mornings when he opened the curtain to the back deck. There was Chip
standing on the deck, peering in at them! Fortunately the tenants took this
good naturedly and we all had a good laugh over it. I guess we really hadn’t
warned them that they might encounter Chip outside their window.
After these
few instances, Chip seemed to settle down and accept things as they were. He continues to wander both properties
and I am sure that some mornings he still greets the young couple from outside
their deck door, but for the most part he stays at our house and is content
with his surroundings. I had to laugh
out loud when I came home from work a few weeks later. There was Chip plopped smack in the middle of
the yard exactly between the two houses. It was as though he was saying, “It is
my responsibility to guard both properties and this is the best spot to do
that!”
So many
times in life, we are thrown obstacles that we have to overcome. Often they are
really difficult circumstances and sometimes it seems like we can’t accept what
has happened to us. Losing someone close to you, suffering poor health, failing
financially or many other catastrophes can cause us to sink into despair. I
want to take a lesson from Chip and view these difficulties as challenges that
I can accept with grace. Instead of
wallowing in self-pity, I will be like Chip and find the best spot to “sit” and
assess what I can do to make this a time in my life where I am happy and
content with everything that God has given to me.
Philippians
4:12 …I have learned the secret of being content
in any and every situation…
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