Category Archives: Thankfulness

A Birth Day

Posted on by

It isn’t every day a grandma gets to help birth a baby! But today was one of those amazing days.

Even though my role was minor (conversing during labor, fanning an overheated mama, running for cool cloths), the grand finale’ was extraordinary for all six of us as we welcomed baby Isaac William into Linnea and Adam’s family. He joins Skylar, Micah, and Autumn, a happy pack of 4 children born in 5 years.

???????????????????????????????Birthing a baby is no small feat, and labor is well named. But Linnea was a trooper, enduring her unexpectedly long ordeal with stoicism and patience. As labors go, her 8 hour effort wasn’t especially long, but after 3 lightning fast labors, this one was a surprise.

As always, though, once the baby was in-arms, the duration of labor no longer mattered. As the book of Proverbs says, “the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul” (13:19), and nothing could diminish our joy. Later, as we sat pondering who “little” Isaac (9 pounds 1 ounce) would turn out to be, we knew that our wonderings had already been personally determined by God himself. And since that was true, we knew he was headed for a grand future.

Isaac William.“Father in heaven, may Isaac hear you calling his name while still a little child, and may he love you so steadfastly that he never turns away.”

“May you become blameless and pure, [a child] of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.Then you will shine…. like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” (Phil. 2:14-16)

A Shiny Example

Posted on by

Havin' funIf Mom was still living, we’d be celebrating her 101st birthday about now. She didn’t make it that far, but packed a-lotta-livin’ into the 92 years she had. Her #1 life-interest was Jesus Christ, but her #2 was definitely people (and a chimp or two). My siblings and I still hear reports of her influence.

Recently, for example, I received an email from a summer neighbor, Karen, who took time to write out her youthful impressions of Mom:

I remember liking to come over to your cottage, knowing we were always welcome to drop in. Your mom made time to sit and play games with us, never minding if we got sand on her floor. And we could always use your big inner-tubes at the beach, even if you weren’t going.

Mom and more kidsYour mom took us to the State Park where we climbed [the giant dune] “Pike’s Peak” together and ran down the back side of it. On another occasion she let us “help” paint your cottage. Once I fell and was knocked unconscious, but your mom took care of me.

What I remember most, though, is that your home seemed filled with love, acceptance, fun, and joy. Your mom was the best example of God’s love shining through someone that I’ve ever known. His joy radiated from her, and I was blessed to have her in my life.

*               *               *               *               *               *               *               *

I’m still trying to learn from Mom’s example, and it’s interesting that the many “kids” in the multiple generations she impacted always mention the same things: that she had time for them and accepted them as they were.

As parents, we spend 20 years molding and shaping our children, trying to grow them into responsible adults. Sometimes we lift up standards that are so high they’re impossible to meet, and then we push, push, push, forgetting to take time to have fun with them and joyfully accept who they are. And what about taking time to do the same with other people’s children?

Shortly after I heard about Mom from Karen, I also heard from one of her other “kids”. Judi wrote:

Your mother was an angel on earth. Her unique attributes continue to be present through the legacy she passed on to her many “children”. What a privilege to have been one of them.

Between those lines I hear God’s opinion shining through. Mom pleased him by passing along the blessing she had received herself, giving God the credit for everything. She didn’t just share her games, her inner-tubes, and her time. She also shared the faith that meant more to her than anything else. But not by preaching it.

Children “caught it” not from listening to her recite Bible passages or teach Sunday school but by seeing the Lord shine out of her (as Karen wrote) by way of “love, acceptance, fun, and joy.”

Happy Birthday!Happy 101st, Mom!

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Threescore and Ten

Posted on by

Today my sister Mary turned 70. Although she and Bervin were in Minnesota, I was thankful for the phone conversation we were able to have about this special day. Time on the phone was no small favor, since her loving, loyal children all checked in with her, too, making extra chat-time hard to come by.

My only question was, “How do you feel about turning 70?”

MaryBased on Scripture’s verse about a good length of life being threescore and ten years, her immediate response was, “As of today, I’ve had my allotted 70 years, so anything after this is a bonus. My overarching emotion is gratitude for the years I’ve had.”

She talked about the high quality examples in the generation ahead of us, our parents, aunts, and uncles. “They all got old, but none of them got old-and-crotchety. They didn’t complain but instead did a great job modeling how to positively handle aging.”

She talked about the skill of counting blessings. “It isn’t easy when life seems to be falling apart, but the Bible tells us to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances. It’s a mandate for us to dwell on the positive. God has been good to me, but he is good to everyone,” she said. “And he wants us to watch for his goodness.”

Mary and I have weathered a number of setbacks together, and I know she’s had reasons to worry during the night. But as she reminded me today, it’s best if we don’t brood too long over the hard times but choose instead to look for marks of God’s involvement. “They’re always there.”

Of course we couldn’t talk about turning 70 without touching on the physical losses. She said, “Yesterday we were watching little kids sled down snowy hills with abandon. I had to admit those days are over for me. But we oldsters get nearly as much pleasure from watching them as they get from sledding.” In other words, it’s not a bad thing to act our age. “I’ve decided I’m not going to dwell on all the things I can’t do, but all the things I still can.”

Then she added, “As the years go by, I know the aches and pains will begin piling up, and we have all that ahead of us. But we also have God’s promise that we won’t go through any of it alone. I agree with that blog post back in 2009 (Flashlight or Floodlight?) that it’s best if we don’t know what’s coming,” she said. “Worrying about tomorrow can subtract the happiness from today. It’s not wise to look too far down the road.”

Happy Birthday!Amen to that.

“All glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” (Jude 1:24)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY!