SOD

Annual home shot

Every year The Good Neighbor, Larry, sends me a pic of the lilacs. This year the pic featured the new and improved canvas green color on my Home Sweet Home. It looks a lot more 'bland beige' than it is. The color really is fabulous. The neighborly reviews have been frequent and complimentary. And can't you just smell the wafting lilacs?

Thanx Larry! Happy spring!

Memorial bike ride

Sometimes on my rides, the Good Dear Lord says, "Get a load a this, care!" And from nowhere swoops a yellow warbler or squacking pheasant right in front of me. I always say, "Whoa, get a load a that!"

Fourth grade famous South Dakotans wax museum

Billy Mills - Native American Olympic track gold medalist - Cheryl Ladd, Tom Brokaw, Sparky Anderson, Crazy Horse and Wild Bill Hickok all have a tie that binds. Each of them hails from South Dakota. Yesterday Mrs. Hakeman's 4th graders presented their annual Wax Museum of famous SD'ers. 44 students came to life and robotically recited their famous bios. One of the best days of the school year.

Terrific, Chrissy HakeMan!!!

Top pic: Artist Terry Redlin alongside Sparky Anderson
bottom: Laura Ingalls Wilder

*Does Chrissy really have 44 students? The class sizes can't be that large in SD! Correct ~ Mrs. Hakeman teaches social studies for two classes. 22 chilluns per class keeps me teaching in SD and not on the Left Coast where there are 44.

Robert’s birthday ~ May 18th

In memory of Robert’s goodness, I’d like to tell a story about his Mother, Marge Borom. She asked me last night to help her write a testimony to share as she leaves for a missions trip to Ghana, West Africa.

Here is what I wrote in her voice:
There's a saying that "When the Lord closes a door, He opens a window." The missions trip to Ghana was an open window for me. A breath of fresh air.

After six draining years of caring for my mother, brother and husband Gilbert, I found myself unsure of the future. My mother and brother both battled cancer and Gilbert suffered failing health for years. I became their nurse and primary caregiver until their deaths. It consumed me. After all, the squeeky wheel gets the oil and their health problems squeeked quite loudly. After Gilbert died, I found myself completely drained.

The Lord knew I needed a season to laugh, rest and recuperate. A lot of fun things came into my life. Things that weren't squeeky, just enjoyable: square dancing, Red Hat friendships, a cruise to the Caribbean, reading, reading, reading, and volunteer work at the hospital.

But a person as young and feisty as me can only put their feet up so long! I began to ask myself, "What now? What do I do with the rest of my life?" The Lord heard my question and answered by opening a window: Ghana

I have no idea what it will be like to serve for a few days in Africa but I am used to caregiving. I am rested and ready to go. I feel a burden to be of some useful purpose for the Lord. I pray that on this trip I will touch many lives for Christ. After all, Jesus is the greatest Caregiver of all. I am thankful He opened a window of service for me to continue in His footsteps of caregiving.

Mom ~ Robert would be absolutely thrilled that you are launching an African adventure to share the Grand Story. Thrilled! We are so thankful and proud of you.

simply Being ToGether

I've reached a conclusion: In the "Savoring the EveryDay Together" dept, Gabe and Elissa win! Honestly there is not a couple that more enjoys cooking, talking and eating the fruit of their labor. Together. Just being together is sheer delight for them. I love that.

Here's what Elissa posted on her blog:
Spices for pork rub- $10
Gabe's Cigar- $15 (that's a guess)
20 lbs. of pork loin-$22.50
Sitting outside with Gabe, grilling 4 hours and talking-PRICELESS

I hear ya! Priceless indeed! You two make me smile and tear-up all at the same time.

Better never than late, some might say, but here it is anyway: A belated Mother's Day pic with Joy and Nathaniel at the Moorhead restaurant. The kids taught me to smile sensibly. If you think this one is funky you shoulda seen the first pic before the Smile Coaches stepped in. :)

6 mos latah ~ the story surfaces

Attention all boxed-vino lovers! I see you two! Ya gotta love a story that keeps on giving.

For some reason I just told Kim0 the boxed-wine story.

Setting = Vegas Schmegas last Christmas in the Albertsons aisle. Dani0 glibly suggests, "It'd be funny if we brought back boxed-wine." Suddenly before her words barely reach my ear, I'm on the floor with mirth. "It's not that funny, care!" I know, but ya had to be there. The Midborn gets me wild with the understated humor.

Nadlers, cheri0, Kim0, Christy K and D the Store-Jester know the story in all its wet wild glory. A couple of minor details have been omitted to protect the raconteur!

Heading home

Apart from our GPS devices, can we find our way Home?

The Manx Shearwater, hailing from the coast of Wales, best illustrates the homing instinct in birds. "Scientists took a number of them, tagged and released them at different points around the globe to see whether they could find their way back to the coast of Wales. One bird was released in Boston, some 3,200 miles from home. In just over 12 days, that bird returned to his nest having traveled 250 miles per day from a place it had never been before to reach home again." (*Greg Laurie)

Wise King Solomon knew that within every person there was a longing for North: "God has set eternity in our hearts."

And C. S. Lewis summed it up well: "All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it."

Hints of Home: Translucent brushstrokes of wind from another Country? Do we know intrinsically that this can't be all there is? So is it a place we want or a Person? In the case of the Manx, it's a place. Humankind find rest in a place as well ~ the arms of their Father.

*Laurie's article: worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=98266

Mother's Day cards, candy and other tokens of Endearment

Sweety: You pop my heart. I love you. X0X0 Morgan

PRICELESS!! As I read Morgan's note, delight washed over me with such fervor, the honey cashew jar I was munching went flying. Oh my word

Then on the doorstep, a wonderful Blast From the Past: A box of See's Candy from Danielle. We always got it for Mother, Danielley's Beloved Grandma. Milk chocolate chews and nuts ~ Mother's favorite. I think it's for both the mom and Grandma Margaret. I wish D and Mother were here to share my breakfast ~ choc smothered almonds.

And now I'm heading north to FarGo to spend the weekend with JoyFul and Nathaniel. Perfect

Gabe, Elissa, Morgan, Danielle Beth, JoyFul too ~ Thank you for remembering the mom. You make my heart sing...or...pop!

All is well

Mother and child ~ the original Circle of Sufficiency. One has to wonder if the world would thrive with smoother alignment if every newborn was nurtured in a Circle of Sufficiency like this painting depicts?

Happy Blessed Mother's Day

Sunny doorkeeper

It's a lousy pic but a fun Monday morning story.

Kenny - a perky 5th grader - held both entryway doors open as I sacheted into the work-a-week. As always, I mumbled something about "Better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than a schlub anywhere else." Now Kenny is the chirpiest morning lad in the building. After a quick greeting hug, he paused and pondered ~ then chirped, "Mrs. M, you're a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day!"

I roared cuz dat-gum if it wasn't a very cloudy day. But not with Kenny and Mrs. M around.