The End of an Era

As another decade draws to a close, it brings a lot of remembrances.

Tim (husband) was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. He lived approximately 3 1/2 months, after the diagnosis, before he died in 2005. He had taken a few weeks of chemo, to begin with, but that did not help. In that short period of time, before his death, he was able to have all his children visit him and, also, his mother, brother and sisters. During this time he also received his 30 year pin and a clock from the Post Office. He stayed busy enjoying the company of family and friends. Tim was at his best when he was surrounded by others or enjoying the one-on-one company of a friend. He also took the time to enjoy the "quiet" and "peace" of his home.

We had a good life. We were both in the Army, where we met, and traveled a lot while in the service. After we got out, we traveled Europe on a 1st Class Eurailpass. Traveling with Tim was a lot of fun. He was energetic and knowledgeable about the world.

I recall when we were on our way to Pompeii, we took the wrong train and ended up on Mount Vesuvius as rain started to fall. After we had taken a "local train" up the mountain, Tim informed me that for Mount Vesuvius to erupt again, all it would take is one drop of water to make its way down to the lava. We had gotten to the point on the mountain where we had to hike up the rest of the way; I now balked and demanded that we hightail it out of there. (Tim was very pleased with himself!)

During our travels we camped on the island of Sicily. (We had brought a tent and sleeping bags with us.) When we woke in the morning, we found the area was covered with ants. We decided to head back to Stuttgart and ditch the tent and sleeping bags and sleep on the train only. We bought a loaf of bread and a coke before leaving the island and put it in the backpack. When we got on the train, we got out our lunch. We split open the loaf of bread and it was full of ants, so all we had was a Coke for the day.

We saw the Coliseum and Nero's Garden in Rome. It is unbelieveable the cruelty that evil men are capable of! What brave men, women and children were the early Christian!!

We saw beautiful churches, open markets, and the gentle countryside of the "old country" was everywhere. We saw the fjords of Norway, and the windmills, tulips and The Minature Village in the Netherlands. We went through many museums. We sat on the beaches of Venice, Barcelona and Nice. In Paris we saw the world from atop the Eiffel Tower. We went to shows there, visited the museums and then found ourselves discovering the Arch of Triumph. When we took the wrong direction and ended up on the other side of the Bahnhoff (train station) we discovered another small "Arch of Triumph". Here, as we walked on, we found ourselves in the "red light" district of Paris.

While in Germany we visited many castles and wine and beer fests. There was always something to do. We danced on a riverboat that was a disco. There were many "gasthouses" where we enjoyed the German cuisine. We skiied the Alps for our honeymoon and spent a romantic get-away weekend riding the Rhine-River cruise, enjoying the castles and the shopping at the stops.

As we returned to the United States our adventures turned domestic. We got jobs and bought a house. We completely remodeled the house. Tim took on college, the Guard, working full-time and also managing a tri-plex we bought. It is amazing, when you are young, that you have the endurance to be able to manage. Through the years we raised four children. One child died from a congenital heart defect. How great the songs of joy from the angels must have been, when our little one went to heaven!

There is no way to condense into a short essay, life with the children. No treasures in the world or amazing wonders can take the place of watching a little child play. To be given the privilege of raising a child is the greatest blessing known. I had never really learned to "care for" or "love" children when I was young. Now, I am so thankful for my children AND I can also see children, other than my own, through a mother's eye. God's greatest gift of love, is the family! Money was a problem. Time was a problem. We endured many influences that come into one's life, but through it all--we survived. It took the Hand of God, and the help of family and friends...but we made it.

It was a good life. Now Tim is gone. The children are grown and making it on their own. It is time for me to find a new road. Whatever path the Lord will give me, I will be honored to go.

Holiday Blues

Don't let the holiday blues get you! It is so easy to get caught up in all the excitement of Christmas with the gift giving! planning! shopping! and getting ready! After Christmas the blues set in--you expected more. Look at your kids, they are happy, or maybe bored, or on sugar highs. Life goes on.

It is the preparation for "family moments" that is important, not the gifts themselves. It is the connection made that continues on forever, not the big surprises. If you had Christmas alone, write Christmas letters, or just start getting ready for the New Year.

There are many opportunities available to us. Ask the Lord to open doors for you and go where He leads you. Go to Church, listen to the radio services, or tv services and get to know your God.

Be content, and happy, and know that God loves you.

Let It Snow

I hope the "Santa Baby" or little "Santa Elves" in your family brought you some special gifts this year. I opened my present and found a nice, plush, blue electric throw. Needless to say, I've already tried it out and it is so cozy and warm! Now, for the cold days ahead--a warm throw, a good book and a comfortable spot on the sofa! Life is good!

Merry Christmas

The Weather Station is forecasting warnings of blizzards, rain, ice storms, winds and tornados in various areas of the United States during Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day. Hopefully everyone will stay home and see family and friends when the weather improves. It is Jesus that is the center of our celebrations--celebrate Him. If you miss the Christmas Day dinner, those left-overs will still be great this weekend!

A little over 2,000 years ago, God came to mankind as a baby. The first to hear the announcement of our Savior's birth were some country shepherds in the field. Can you imagine an angel standing before you with a message from God, and then to see and hear a MULTITUDE of angels singing?! They sang of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. May that peace and goodwill be found in your home...wherever you are tonight! Merry Christmas.



"Luke 2:8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.'

"13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

"14 'Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'”

Ice Everywhere

Monday I was running late. I ran out to feed the dogs and had to go off the deck to get one of their dog dishes, as they like to carry them around. The ground felt slick and I wondered what those dogs had gotten into now!

I made up a small plate of Mom's cookies for my friend and hurried out the door. The little and the teenage kittens were in front of the house and they jumped when I opened the door. They ran like they were running in place. I must really have scared them!!

The door is locked, now off to town. I step off the steps and onto the walk. You have seen those comic pictures of someone stepping on a banana skin and his feet go way up in the air and he falls down??? Well, I could have been in the comics. I didn't notice that the sidewalk was a sheet of ice. No sooner was my foot on the walk than it slid forward and then both legs went up in the air. It happened so fast; it was like a blur--there was no time to think!! The bun I wore on the back of my head, cushioned my head as I slammed backwards, landing on my back. I lay there a moment and as soon as I realized I was able to move, I rolled over and onto the grass. The grass was ice covered! The snow packs were ice covered. The gravel was even ice covered. Finally, I got to the pickup, scraped the windows and and was able to drive to town.

I wasn't seriously hurt, but I am going to be very sore for quite some time. If, however, I had not slid forward (the sidewalk is slightly sloped) I would have hit my head and back on the cement steps and the injuries would have been quite different.

Those animals gave me plenty of signs that it was icy out there - but I was too busy and in a hurry to notice. So it is with this world. The signs of the Second Coming are all around us, but we are too busy to notice. Jesus, in His words, told us of the time to come:

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

"Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'

"4 And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

"9 'Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation

"15 'Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place' (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 'then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

"23 'Then if anyone says to you, "Look, here is the Christ!" or "There!" do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

"26 'Therefore if they say to you, "Look, He is in the desert!" do not go out; or "Look, He is in the inner rooms!" do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.'

The Coming of the Son of Man

"29 'Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.'"

John the Baptist was called by God to prepare the way for the Lord when He came to earth. We need to heed his words, and prepare ourselves for Second Coming of the Lord.

(This is spoken by Zacharias, who was filled with the Holy Spirit,) "Luke 1:76 'And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.'”

John the Baptist, speaking of Jesus and baptism of the HOLY SPIRIT:

"Luke 3:16 John answered, saying to all, 'I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.'"

The arms of the Lord reaches out to all--salvation is there for you. What better time than now to search for the Truth. There may be no further opportunity for you, nor any further time for those you love. He loves you.

"2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Early Celebration

This morning I hurried to visit a friend that needed some help. What a surprise, when I walked out the door, to see rain lightly falling. It felt like spring.

I looked out the window later that morning and wondered if there was snow in the air..it seemed like there was a change out there. Mom called to warn me of the ice. She had taken her garbage out and had fallen twice on the ice. After the first fall she wasn't going to give up-- she was going to get her garbage out. She then fell again before she managed to get it in the garbage receptacle. She did not get hurt.

I left my friend's condo about 10 and went down the back stairs of the condo complex, cutting across the grass to the sidewalk. The moment I set my foot down on the sidewalk I began to slide across the walk on one leg, with arms flying outward trying to get a balance. It had LOOKED wet, but it was a solid sheet of ice. I stopped in an upward position and gingerly and cautiously crossed the street to my pickup. Driving slowly, I got home and drove right up next to the garage door. The drive was a sheet of ice. I held the door and took a huge step to the grass and walked up the lawn.

Then over to Mom's. My brother came down for an early Christmas celebration, since he couldn't make it on Christmas Day. Before getting there, he picked up some ice melt for Mom's sidewalks. NOW, it is time for our first Christmas dinner this year. My 2nd cousin, who is Mom's age, came over and we enjoyed a wonderful ham dinner with everyone taking time out for a lot of teasing. It was fun! Mom loved having everyone's company.

As years pass, time seems to lose a foothold in our lives. It sifts through our lives, as sand through our fingers, making memories of the moments spent together. We come to realize that, soon, what we have today will be gone forever. Nothing remains in this life, only the blessed HOPE that we have--to spend eternity with the Lord, in a new and beautiful world where all things are new. And our hope that those we love will be there too.

"Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'

"5 Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'

"6 And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.'
* * *
"22 (The Glory of the New Jerusalem) But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day. 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life."

Shopping with Mom

Good news. Little black kitten was back this morning.

Today was a shopping day for a few hours with Mom. We ended up doing a lot of walking, so she was tired by the time we got out of Holiday Village--and we only hit two stores.

To get from one level to the other, we had the option to go up the escalator. Mom, now 88 yrs old, had said she wasn't going to walk up the stairs. Wonderful! This means she WILL go up the escalator. I tied her shoe lace up, so it wouldn't drag and get caught. She didn't think I needed to bother with that, so I explained to her how dangerous it could be. Then she stepped on the escalator, and, of course, stepped half-way on two steps, so she kinda got bumped to only one step. At least she hung on, and she did try to climb a few steps by herself.

When we went to leave Penney's she wanted me to take her to the front on the top level, and then for me to go to the lower level and get the pickup and go all the way around the stores to the front and pick her up. This is twice the distance for me to walk, and my knee is already giving me difficulties, and, in addition, I am packing her heavy bag. She just didn't want to go DOWN the escalator. I told her she was going to have to live a little dangerously and go down the escalator. (She commented that she does live dangerously to go with me.) I just chuckled at her and cautioned her to hang on and not try to walk it. Luckily we were pretty close to it and she didn't have much time to think about it. So down the escalator we went. She hung on and just stood there. It was a complete success.

Now we just had to walk down the hallway and out the store. She was really going slow, so I told her I was going to pick up the speed and leave her and go get the pickup and meet her at the door. We were over half way down the hallway, so she wasn't by herself for long. I went out and climbed the hillside to get to the pickup, got in it and drove to the doors. NO MOM! It is totally glass all the way across and I can't see her at all. I don't move that fast, so I know she had plenty of time to get to the door. So I park the pickup right there and locked it up. (No parking area!) She can't be too far away. As I was heading in, a young lady suddenly opened the inside door and out came Mom. What a relief. Now, one more stop...the grocery store for two items. I got delegated to do the running, so I left her in the pickup and locked the door. I cautioned her against trying to open the door, as it would set off the alarm. I came back out and she hadn't set it off. So, good!!

After I took her home and then got myself home, she called. She has to go back to the store to straighten something out. So...another adventure tomorrow morning!

Chinook winds are here

What a great relief from the cold. The chinook winds blew in rapidly melting the snow and bringing warmer temperatures. The ground is almost bare again. I love those winds. When I was a kid and the chinooks came in I would run across the pastures just to feel the freshness of the wind blowing against my skin and through my hair. Droplets of cold moisture mingled with the warming wind, moisture gleamed from the snow it passed over. Always promising a new life, yet to come.

The dogs were in last night. Early this morning about 5, something woke them. The next thing I heard was the crashing of the baby gate, which we used to pen them into the front hallway. Now the sound of the pitter-patter of paws moving quickly on carpet and THEN here they come straight into my bedroom, tails awagging. With their noses in my face they got the message to me "We're up!!!" So I grabbed my robe and headed to the deck door and out they went. It was nice out, so I locked the door and there they stayed.

When I awoke the little black kitten was gone..and only him. Since it was such a beautiful night last night I wonder if he had gone hunting with MaMa Cat and got lost along the way. We will see if he is here tomorrow morning.

Tonight I had lunch at Applebee's with Andy's Mom. The time went quickly as we enjoyed our meal and caught up on what we were doing in our lives. Then we hurried and scooted out of there before falling to the temptation of those "Little Shooter" desserts that looked so very good in their pictures.

Earlier at Mom's I saw my niece, who just had laser surgery on her eyes. I didn't recognize her without her glasses and then having gotten herself a new swept-back hair style, also! Perhaps I should do something about my appearance too. Well, I guess that is what New Year's is for.

Time is running out to complete stuff for Christmas...mailing deadlines are passing by and nothing is ready for Christmas up here. Busy time ahead. So glad Mom is putting together a cookie box for us.

Christmas what a wonderful family time. How easy it is to foget to take time out to wish our Lord Happy Birthday!! And, to thank our Heavenly Father for the sacrifice he made when He gave us His son to live and die for us. When we celebrate our birthdays, we don't think of when we were little babies, we see each other in the "now" and wish each other happy birthday and see the future, not the past. But this little baby was different...this one was a miracle that would save all those who are God's children. What "Happy Birthday" present will we give our awesome King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Winter continues

Well, Anita, maybe we can further our education and you be an electrician ($75/hr)and I, a plumber ($85/hr)! (or vice versa) The pay looks pretty good, even with the overhead and that is probably about 40-50%, plus taxes. Decent work, with good pay, and it is work that will always be there. Well, maybe we should have thought about it when we were much younger!!

Andy and Kat are now down. Andy decided against taking out the ceiling to insulate the water line. Since the basement is unfinished on either side of the family room, you can see all the way down into the area between the floors (where the lines are), from the unfinished rooms. He showed me where the hot water line was bowed and was lying against the cement wall. It just goes to show what an effect the wind has on the extreme cold the cement is going to conduct from the wind chill. Andy is going to try to insulate between the cement wall and the lines, from the unfinished rooms.

While out in the garage with Kathleen, Andy got the idea to use their camping mat (a piece of insulation to put under the sleeping bag) to insulate the wall. So they cut it to size and then taped the pieces together with masking tape until it was the length of the space where the lines ran. Using some extension sticks borrowed from his Dad, he tried to get the mat to go behind the lines and cover the cement wall. It is not going all the way down the wall--obstructions are keeping it from going through. In addition to the obstructions, the line is tight against the wall and it is difficult to push the mat. He tried using a number of different things to get it through. Nothing worked.

Today Andy went down again, this time he took Kathleen with him and with pulling and pushing they got it to finally fit flatly against the cement wall...a perfect fit.

Today was a good day in spite of it being so cold. We had a new blanket of snow last night and the land was all very pretty and white. A good day to bake. I had gotten some dates that were on sale yesterday even though I have never had a recipe for using them. Last night I went on-line and found a recipe for date bars. Today I made them and they were delicious. (mmmmm) Date bars and a glass of ice tea....a wonderful treat. Both Kathleen and Andy said they were good too. The recipe was found at: www.tablespoon.com/recipes/date-bars-recipe/1/ As we get closer to Christmas I will bake the mincemeat bars.

Tomorrow we need to create some Christmas cards. Eleven days until Christmas Eve! The time is starting to go quickly. Kat and Andy have been busily filling the space under the tree with many beautiful presents--they are going to be ready--it will be fun!

Victoria and Nick took Madison to her meet this weekend. Victoria told me about a wheel on her car "wiggling". She said a mechanic had looked at it and said it was her tires. I just had a problem with the pickup vibrating badly, even after I got new tires. It turned out to be some very bad u-joints. I pray the Lord will keep her safe. Perhaps it IS just a need for new tires, although that is dangerous enough!

I can't tell you how many times the Lord has brought me through danger on the roads. One time, I was driving from Shelby to Cut Bank, on a winter day a number of years ago. The highway looked clear, however, as I hit the shade, from the interstate passing over it, the road was solid black ice. Before I had a chance to realize it, the Scout did a complete 360 degree spin and then with a "thunk" the wheels hit dry pavement and continued on down the road. It happened so fast, there was no time to react. If the ice had been longer and my speed slower or faster, I would have wrecked or at least gone into the ditch.

There are miracles all around us, all the time. As I walked back from the roadway today, it seemed amazing that we can breathe air that is -9 degrees and not freeze our lungs -- whether we breathe through our nose or our mouth. What about the eyes...how is it that they have enough salt in them to keep from freezing and yet not enough to burn the eye. How could anyone believe such wonders happened by chance? Not just by chance, but billions and billions of chances that turned out perfect! Our God is good!

A good job to have!

The water line has frozen the last two nights on the kitchen and laundry room side of the house. I called a plumber YESTERDAY morning and they were totally booked up for the day, but gave me a reference to another. I called and they said $85 an hour from the time they leave the shop, minimum one hour. Well, it is one hour just to travel back and forth so we know there is two hours at least for a visit. Not wanting burst lines, I said ok, and they said it would be in about 3 hours. Now anyone looking to go into a high paying line of business might go to school for plumbing....it pays well!!!

Having seen Dad thaw pipes a number of times, I thought I would try it. I found the hand-held hair dryer and went downstairs. Checked the line to see where the feeze spot could be. So I started blow drying the line. It wasn't too long and we had cold water. The plumber now called about coming out, so I canceled the appointment. However, it took all day to get the hot water line unthawed.

Last night the temperatures were not nearly as cold as the night before, but still TODAY there was no hot water in the kitchen or laundry room. I used a heater downstairs and the blow dryer and no results. Now I am going to try blocking some of that wind coming in under the deck by putting a tarp along the front of it to stop that bitterly cold wind. The frozen spot apparently is right below the deck, which means Andy is going to have to tear out part of the ceiling in the family room to get to it. That will be for tomorrow...I hope the pipes are good through the night. (About an hour later, after putting up the tarp...the line thawed!!)

Will be glad when it is all done! Or, this could be a long winter. Tomorrow is 17 above! The dogs can be outside all day!!!

Winter Weather

Tonight the low is suppose to be -20 and tomorrow is even colder with a HIGH of -10 and a low of -25. That does not take into account the wind chill factor. So it is getting very cold out there.

The dogs are in the house. Well, in AND out of the house. Beamer keeps wanting to go out, so I let them out so he doesn't have an "occurrence" in the house. Now we have cooled the house down way too much, so he is just going to have to WAIT until it warms up a little. The high today is suppose to be 4, so I figure about 10 or 11 I will send them out and they can spend the day outside. With a little more straw in their dog house, they should be fine, and then he can go all day if he wants to.

Sunday's paper came out with articles of people all thumbing their noses at the Word of God. First, an LA Diocese elected a lesbian as its assistant bishop. She still needs the approval of a majority of dioceses within that church to actually get the appointment.

Then, there is a man in Sacramento who wants to ban divorce. Malachi 2:16
indeed tells us, “For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

Deuteronomy 24 gives one of the instructions from God for divorce 1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, 4 then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance."

If we go on in Deuteronomy 24:5 we find a very special law for newly weds, “When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken." Perhaps there will be less divorce if we bring about ALL of God's laws.

Jesus said of divorce, "Matthew 19:9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” The Lord, our God, takes marriage very seriously and our vows very seriously. Divorce is talked about a number of times in the Bible.

God, although hating it, did permit divorce (with restrictions) but abortion and homosexuality were never permitted and were always an abomination. These all deal with families, and the destruction of it.

The third article that makes these times "a cold day in hell", (something one once would have thought unimaginable) is "Dr." LeRoy Carhart taking over "Dr." George Tiller's late term abortion practice. Dr. Carhart is the one that gave testimony in Court on Partial Birth Abortion and described his practice. It can be found at http://mttu.com/Articles/The%20Abortionist%20Speaks.htm (or go to http://mttu.com/main.htm in the permanent archives).

We know whatever the past sin, there is forgiveness for those who repent and walk with the Lord.

The Lord came to Saul (changed later to Paul) (Act 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”) (goads: a type of stick to prod animals)

Paul - the apostle everyone knows and loves, persecuted the christians and consented to the killing of Stephen, before he became a believer in Jesus Christ. As an apostle of the Lord he was sent to preach to the Gentiles (us). (Acts 22:19 So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. 20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death,[a] and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’” 21)

David, the greatly beloved King, was the great (28 generations back) grandfather of Jesus. He commited adultry with the wife of one of his soldiers. She became pregnant. David tried to cover his sin by having her husband think it was his. This failed, and he had her husband killed by putting him at the front of the battle. (2 Sam 11:14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.” ) He then married Bathsheba. David repented of his sin and carried his guilt to the Lord. The Bible is full of people who sinned. People who realized the great consequences of their sin(s) and truly repented of their sin(s). The Lord changed their hearts and they walked with the Lord and became great witnesses and Paul became the great Apostle.

We all have the blood of abortion on our hands, but by acknowledging the sin and being repentant and asking for forgiveness, we will find it through the awesome grace and love of our God, if our hearts are truly with the Lord. Then we must go and "sin no more."

Revelation 22 "(9 in part) Worship God. 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

The Lord is returning soon. The time for us to be ready is here. The time to save your children and those you love, is now. God help us all.

The Move

Kat and Andy decided to move from their apartment to a house near their work. Since they had driven over to see Christopher for his parent-teacher meeting, there was now just two days left to make the move. With a load of packing boxes, picked up at Walmart, I grabbed Mom on Saturday morning and we headed up to help with the move.

We got a hold of Cliff and, as soon as we had everything boxed, he brought over his pickup and trailer. In a very short period of time, Andy, Cliff and Kathleen had everything that was headed to the house, loaded. We flew down the road (at the speed limit) to the new home. Then, as the cold wind stung our hands and ears, the trailer, pickup and car were quickly unloaded. It was a full days work, but it seemed to go quickly. Afterwards, Kat and Andy took us all (we now picked up Barb, too) out for BBQ ribs to celebrate. mmmm It was really good. I was able to bring home a go-box of rib bones for the dogs...but Kathleen refused to part with the go-box of her leftover pasta dish so that I could give it to the cats.

The only thing left was the apartment inspection. On Sunday Kathleen, Andy and I met Julia and we all went to work getting the apartment ready for inspection. Today (Monday) Kat, Andy and Julia headed back to the apartment for the inspection and they passed with flying colors. (Yea!) Now on to the new home so that they can get ready for work.

Thank the Lord that my brother, Cliff, was there with his pickup and trailer, or we could have been making trips all weekend, just to move the stuff. Although I am his elder, he has always been the one behind the wheel. Being the oldest of the boys, he was out driving tractor, running the combine, and driving trucks, since the time he could reach the pedal. Dad would not let us girls drive the tractor until we were quite a bit older. However, I found it is not always such a fun task. When finally I could drive, I was allowed to plow up a field on the other side of the Rand Place (old deserted homestead). There was a dike of some sort which created a somewhat steep slope off to the side of the field. Having much wisdom of youth, I thought I would do a really good job and plow up the side of the dike and have a bigger field. So I started sideways down the incline. It did not dawn on me that a tractor could tip over. Imagine my surprise when suddenly both front and back tire on the upward slope left the ground. I then felt the jolt as the plow, which was cutting deep into the incline, pulled the tractor back to the ground. I eased off the dike and felt a whole lot wiser about life that day.

Anita, my younger sister, also found out the seriousness of driving. She, too, finally got to drive the tractor and had a bucket attached to the front. She was driving it along and somehow miscalculated the distance between Dad's large, oversized, 2 1/2 story tall garage and the tractor. She not only crashed into the garage but hit it right on the corner and cracked the corner support beam. There was a BIG, crunched dent where she pushed it in. This is probably why us girls mostly picked rocks and picked bales, when it came to helping in the fields.

As kids, Cliff was Dad's right hand. He worked the fields, as seasons changed...the plowing, the seeding and the harvesting. As he grew older, he helped work the fields for the neighbors. He didn't get to play with us kids a lot. There were a lot of hot summer days, though, when supper was finished and all us kids got to go play in the iron pile. There was an old abandoned wood stove there, so we all played family. The imaginary cooking on that stove, was a delight and we had a lot of fun.

As the brothers grew older, they helped Dad with the equipment maintenance and overhauls. One of those summers the boys took apart Mom's push mower. They took the engine and made themselves a go-cart. I don't know what they used for a frame, and I have no idea how they made the brakes, clutch, or how they made the wheels run, but they did. And they had fun riding it down the drive that lead up to the farm. It was about a quarter of a mile drive--so much fun for them. Mom watched and cheered them on as they took off.

In those days, when Mom and Dad went to town, Uncle was in charge of us kids. However, with Mom and Dad gone to town, Uncle would disappear and go to the bunk house and read, or nap or do something, to enjoy his "day off." This one particular day the boys were looking for adventure. Who knows why they thought the outhouse was an adventure. We didn't have indoor plumbing at the time, so it was kind of an essential to have it standing. However, to young boys, it was a challenge to tip it over. They got posts and sticks and I don't remember what they used for leverage, but after much effort, and just before Mom and Dad returned, they succeeded in tipping it over. The outhouse at the time was half way between the barn and the house. The walking distance was all covered by the big yard light. Now Dad moved the outhouse down by the shed. Twice the distance, and the last half of the trip was in darkness when you had to go at night. THANKS BOYS! Perhaps it was the next year that we got indoor plumbing. It was a good life.

The Day is Good

The kittens are back this morning. The Day is good. Thank you, Lord.

The Missing Babies

Last Sunday the wind was blowing and it was getting dark. A young couple had just left with a precious little furry kitten--the last of the litter to be adopted out. I looked out and Christopher's little black kitten (8 wks old) was scampering over the edge of the deck and Freckles (the teenage kitten) was following him. Mama cat was watching me, waiting to see if I had any treats. I shut off the lights and went to bed. The next morning I went out to feed the dogs and cats and found NO CATS. All were gone. I called and called but no cats came. I waited all day. I found the fields glasses and scoured the fields--it would be hard to miss Freckles, he is so big. Even the big black dots on his back don't diminish the expanse of his white fur. His colorings make him look like a huge domino!

Night came and still no cats. The next morning Kathleen called to see if they had returned. I looked out and here comes mama cat from their little house! But no kittens. She had brought home a couple of rabbit legs, but there were no kittens to share it with. That afternoon I made up cards of the missing kittens, with my name and number on it, and delivered them to all the neighbors. So far there has been no response.

Tonight I looked out. The dark had just set in and already mama cat was gone. Back tracking to see if she can find her lost kittens, I'm sure. Its dark out there, the wind is blowing and there are all kinds of predators waiting for a kitten--badgers, coyotes, hawks, stray dogs. Tonight mama cat and her babies are in my prayers.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

God's ways just are hard to understand at times. He sends people into your lives -- people who care and need you, when you need them.

Tim had a gift. He was a kind and gentle person; but more than that, he cared about people. Many times a situation would be created, such as someone making a mistake and installing something wrong, selling us the wrong thing, and other things of that nature. Tim would go to the people and talk to them. He wouldn't get angry, but be respectful and work it out with them. Although, I have seen him get tough with people, I don't remember him ever calling people names. He would just tell them the truth, sometime quite forcifully, and give them a lecture.

He had his own mountains to climb, but he was at heart, a good man. He brought a lot of kindness into my life, and I love him for that.

Forgiveness

Anita has been very ungracious! She sent that wind back up to us. (tch, tch, tch) It has a bite to it, so this has been a good day to bake cookies. I found a partial package of chocolate chips that Kathleen had in the cupboard. I don’t know how many years old it was. The chips had that flakey, chalky look and were somehow melted into a big clump. I was able to whack the bag and chip off about half of the chips, but there remained a huge solid hunk of melted chocolate chips. However, a little pounding with the rolling pin took care of that. I now had little shreds of chocolate chips to go with the ones I had retrieved earlier. Threw some whole walnuts in the batch, too, and had some really tasty cookies to go with my ice tea!! (Ahhh. A good days work!)

I went to a couple of Bible studies these last couple of days. Have you ever noticed that when you listen to a sermon—whether in Church or on the radio or the tv—that the message seems to be pointed directly to YOU. I figure that is God’s way of keeping me straight. It is awesome the way He does that.

The Bible studies covered the topic of forgiveness. When Peter asked Jesus, how often he should forgive his brother, Jesus answered in Matthew 18:22 ….“I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

Forgiveness is very important. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 “22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (“Raca” meaning vain, empty, worthless)

We are to forgive, as Christ forgave us. As David so eloquently says, of our sins, in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” The Lord wants us to forgive others, and to ask others to forgive us when we do wrong against them.

Now, there is another thing we are told to do. In Luke 17:3 Jesus says “ Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” The word “rebuke” means chastise or correct. I personally learned the meaning of this Bible verse. As a kid, I hadn’t learned any social skills to speak of and was quite unready for the world. I was 18, on my own, and was very argumentive when anyone had a differing opinion. I didn’t have a lot of opinions, not knowing much, so I didn’t get into trouble, I was just hard to live with at times. Years later, Tim and I married. We didn’t have a lot of battles. Tim was smart and was good at decision-making. However, when there was a difference of opinions, I found out that I almost always won. It really surprised me, as I quite often shouldn’t have won.

Many years later, I was talking to a friend, at work, about—of all things —religion. He said I was contentious and wouldn’t talk to me about it. Well, that was a shock. No one had said I was “contentious” before. So I went and looked it up. It meant “quarrelsome and argumentative.” I didn’t think that was bad, but apparently it is.

In Proverbs 21:19 David tells us, “Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.” This doesn’t sound good.

Searching further I find, Galatians 5 “19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” So, here my eyes are opened and I see myself through the eyes of the Lord. NOW, I do strive for kindness and respect for others. I know I don’t always overcome, however, it is my heart’s desire to always do so.

If someone had not told me that what I was doing, was wrong, I would just have thought it was a character trait. When the Lord asks us to rebuke, or correct, others, it is not to punish them. It is to give them awareness of the wrongdoing, so that they have the opportunity to find forgiveness with the Lord and be saved. Telling someone they are sinning is not easy — especially when it is something the world sees as a strength or something to be desired.

The Wind

Montana's "wind swept prairie" comes by that description quite honestly. It is because of winds such as those we have had the past few days. They will blow away almost anything that isn't fastened down! The dogs seem to still be standing, although I am pretty sure the kittens would be goners if they got out into it! The swing set was sent tumbling, even though I had it anchored down front and back on both sides. The roof on the kids play house, again, took off. It was never put back from the last time, but it WAS tucked under the slide to keep it from blowing away.

The wind was a problem at the family home up on 33rd Ave NE, too. We faced the wind directly and, although it was a beautiful view, you didn't dare leave anything on the deck when the wind blew! However, in the front of the house was a little courtyard which was fairly well protected by the wind. Hopefully, Kathleen and Andy will design their own courtyard for out here! They do have plans...I just don't know what they are yet.

Do you have a Babel?

What is your strength? Is your family your strength? Is your iron will your strength? Is your works your strength? Should God call you, would you follow Him and leave all behind? We never know where or how God will call us? All we can do is wait on Him and trust Him.

Years ago, the Lord worked a beautiful miracle in my life! I was in heaven, although I was here in this world. I won't describe it, at least not now, and I tell you of it, just to affirm that God "called" me. For what? I don't know. But I have seen the changes He has made in my life and in me. Because I didn't understand, I destroyed everything I had that represented that "time." I walked away. If God truly meant for everything I saw to be, He would bring it to happen.

Life became a sacrifice of material things...the children married and left, my husband is gone, my home is gone. Now, whatever we have will come from the Lord and I trust He will fullfill our needs. Since I sold our family home, I have known the blessing of wonderful children, that have opened their homes and lives to me. If I had not gone into their homes, I would have missed the most wonderful blessings of knowing them and the grandchildren. I thank God for them, and for every door He opens.

In the Bible, we are told Noah's descendants, after the Flood, were all together and were one people. They began to build a tower that would reach the heavens. As one people, they were powerful and were going to be mighty. But the Lord knew the intentions of their hearts and He came down and confused their languages, separating the people according to their language. So began all the nations of the earth.

So shall it be with us. We leave our comfort zone, and our treasures and follow the Lord. His blessings are greater than any possession we might be clinging to.

Genesis 11 The Tower of Babel

1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Full Freezer!

Last Friday Andy and Kathleen went hunting with their friends, Brett and Lezann. (Spelling??) They had a great day and got their deer. Saturday they butchered and packaged the meat, and by Saturday night, close to midnight, the freezer was full of meat! Yea!!

Alas, though, as Halloween came to a close last saturday, I have to admit my cute little alien tricked me. The whole bowl of candy sat there waiting for him, and he did not show up!!! Well, I guess 1,200 miles is just a little too far!

H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N

What is that coming out in the dark? Screech!!!! Help!!

I t-h-i-n-k it might be an ALIEN!!!
oohhhhh....Screeeech .......Must have LOTS of candy
for the little candy seekers this year!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! help.....

Their Deliverer is Coming Soon

Jill Stanek gave a presentation at the Life Way Pregnancy Services' fundraising banquet last week. In her testimony she describes the abortions she witnessed at the hospital that she worked in. The mothers-to-be, wanting an abortion, were caused to have an “induced labor abortion”, whereby medication given would cause the cervix to open, causing the baby to be delivered. These premature “aborted” babies then either died during the birth process, or soon afterwards.

Some of the babies lived for an hour, or two, and she knew of one baby who lived through most of an 8 hour shift. These beautiful little babies, born alive, are given to the mother to hold until baby dies, or to a nurse. If the mother does not want to hold the baby, and the nurse is busy, the baby was put into the soiled utility room to die alone. She related to us of an incident where a staff worker accidentally threw a baby, that was wrapped in a disposable towel, into the trash. Later when they searched the trash to find it, the BABY fell out of the towel and onto the floor. Since the baby wasn't taken to the morgue yet, I am only assuming that he, or she, was still alive.

After Jill Stanek testified before Congress, on what was going on at the hospital, the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act” was passed. This law states that a baby who is “completely expelled or extracted” alive from his or her mother at any stage of gestation, and whether viable or not, is a person worthy of protection.

The hospital that she worked in has now opened a Comfort Room. Here babies born alive can receive comfort care. Parents or staff have a rocking chair where they can rock the dying baby. A First Foto machine is available for parents to have a picture of their aborted child. Also available are baptismal supplies, gowns and certificates, footprinting equipment and baby bracelets for mementos.

In her speech Jill Stanek also told of an abortion wherein the mother did not know that her baby was a real baby (the doctor lied). After her “induced labor abortion” she saw the little baby and was traumatized. She screamed for someone to help her baby. They brought in a neonatal doctor, but he could do nothing….the baby was too premature.

How callous our nation has become! These girls and women are deceived into being partakers in the killing of their baby. The abortionist and the clinic get the dollars and the woman gets the guilt. Society sees one less mouth to feed and the woman sees a dead baby.

How great is the betrayal by the doctors who comfort these women into accepting the lie that abortion doesn’t kill a child. What great trauma these women carry with them over the years! What mother doesn't know that babies don’t ever leave them — children are forever. Pregnancy Centers and some churches are opening their doors to these mothers. Forgiveness and peace can only be found through the Lord and His Hope and His promises.

The Bible tells us that babies are living beings before they are born:

In the following verse, God’s messenger knew Elizabeth’s baby would be a boy baby: Luke 1:13 "But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.'"

In the following verses God’s messenger knew Mary’s baby would be a boy baby: Luke 1:30 "Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.'"

In the following verse Mary, a virgin, is to have a baby boy. The Spirit of God came in this child, as such this precious little baby became the Son of God.

Luke 1:26 "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'

“29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.'

“ 34 Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'

“35 And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.'”

'38 Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her.

In the following verses Baby John recognized and "knew" the Holy Spirit at six months. It wasn’t a blob of tissue that jumped for joy—-it was a baby!

Mary Visits Elizabeth "39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.'"

David declares God as the creator: Psalms 139:13 “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”

In 1 Peter 2:16, we are told, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a coverup for evil; live as servants of God.”

The Lord is not silent, He is making ready the day of His return. The cries of all these little babies has been heard and their Deliverer is coming soon— He is the Awesome and Almighty God of All--The King of Kings and Lord of Lords and mighty and terrible will be that day!

Bear Parfait

The day before Christopher was to come home, Kathleen decided to bake her famous "Bear Cake". The last time she made it for Christopher, they took it to the picnic after VBS that year, and all the kids LOVED it. She gets everything set up. Then, with her Karaoke songs blaring off her i-pod and microphone in hand, she sang her songs and put together her cake. I walked through the kitchen a little later and look over to see her scooping liquid out of the cake mix. There sat the new bottle of oil she just purchased and it was half empty. With microphone still in hand, and not missing any notes, she retrieves what excess oil she could and continues on with her singing and baking.

Much later, I was outside and opened the door to come in and the house is filled with the smell of smoke. I yell for Kathleen that she must have forgot her cake. No one is answering. I run to the oven and am surprised that the timer still has 14 minutes on it. I open the door to see what is going on. The cake mold was sitting on a cookie sheet and the cake was baking, but out of the top of the mold cake mix was erupting and falling onto the cookie sheet AND the bottom of the oven. The mix that spilled on the oven floor was black and smoldering, accounting for the smoke. When the timer finally went off, Kat took out the cake and after it cooled the appropriate amount of time, she started to take off the molds. She had forgotten to grease the molds! So there was the cutest bear cake...stuck in the pan. Kat ended up scooping it out and putting it into a cassarole dish. We will have it as a parfait, with whipped cream and strawberries.

Yesterday afternoon, I called Mom and gave her an hour and a half to get ready, she was going North with me. She had been after me to take her up, so here was the opportunity. I was going to take Ginger's car back to her, pick up my pick-up and get back home before the snow came. An hour and a half, of course, was ample time for her to put together cookie packages for everyone up there. So we stopped at each house and managed to catch everyone, so they could have "Grandma's cookies".

Then she wanted to see Jayce, her greatgrandson. It was an hour til his bedtime, so we hurried over so she could get a chance to hold him. He came to the door with his mother, Kace, and took one look at Mom and started crying, burying his head in his Kace's shoulder. Then I walked in behind Mom and he took one look at me and started wailing again. We came in the house so that we could shut the door. Then things got worse for the little tyke as Mom went on one side of Kace, and I on the other, and we started making little faces and odd noises for the baby. He was really terrorized now. His Dad came in and got him, and tried to get him to be social with us, but to no avail. Finally he took one of the nilla wafers that Grandma brought him, and he ate it, but wasn't going to be bought off by it. We still had to keep our distance! With a snow storm closing in on us, we couldn't stay to make peace, so we had a short visit with the family and left.

Off to Ginger and Pete's. I thought it was Ginger's birthday, so I brought up the cassarole dish along with some whipped cream and strawberries. Ginger - the "Martha Stewart" of the family, took the lid off the cassarole dish. Although, I think I had started to tell her the story, I hadn't quite warned her about what was inside, so you can imagine her surprise when the dish was full of cake crumbs!! I thought it was quite good, even though a little extra moist from all the oil.

We made it back home before the snow came. This morning the wind was howling and the snow was here. After the cats and dogs were fed, they hunkered down and are waiting for sunshine. So am I!

"Monkeying" Around

This morning Kathleen and Christopher baked and frosted a "Monkey Cake" and I suppose the little ones are "Moneyshine Cakes"! (We had the Monkey cake and celebrated Bill's birthday.)

It is in the 50's outside but the wind has a little bite to it. Good day to bake!

Precious Child

I realize that the little stories on the kids leave out the most precious moments. The hugs and kisses you get. The times they snuggle up to just spend time with you. The little acts of kindness where they give each other hugs when one gets hurt, or makes special cards or letters or art for each other. The giving or sharing of toys or clothes or food so that the other may have.

And just so precious is their moms and dads. How blessed is the mother and father who puts their family first and give their family a true home. That teach their children to love. That teach their children to respect, honor and love their God. 1Corinthians 13 gives us a measure of just how important love is. Perhaps one of the most difficult mountains in life is the addictions that are constantly enticing each and every one of us. That one could spend all energies and time pursuing empty desires. How many people have been trapped and looked back and realized that right under their nose, they lost the most precious gift they had? Satan is deceptive, keep up your guard.

1 Corinthians 13 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Grandkids - Part II

More on the grandbabies…Timmy, age 2, Serena, age 5, Madison, age 10:

We had barbecue pork, rice and pineapple for supper one night. Don't ever get pineapple juice on Serena's rice!! ...ohhhhhh it was a long supper. But, then Ice cream for dessert.
***

For stories, Timmy and Serena got the 10 plagues. Serena already knew what a plague was. They both gave their ideas of what they would do with the pharoh who was so mean. Mostly Timmy mirrored Serena's ideas, but was much more vocal. Then we had the book "If you Take a Mouse to the Movies" and I forgot the third book.

Timmy is very active tonight. I was busy so Timmy ended up dealing with Victoria, too. I went in a couple of times to tell him to get his head on his pillow and face the wall. He already asked for a drink and a toy...chosing his big luggage bag of cars--which we wouldn't let in his bed. Now to get him to sleep.

I was folding clothes and Serena was listening to her CD Bible Stories and suddenly you hear Serena say something about telling Grandma. Next thing I heard was shrieks of "N-O-O-O-O N-O-O-O!" from Timmy.

I jumped up and ran to the bedroom, Victoria got there first. He was already in trouble. I think he threw his car at Serena. Now, off went the light, with the door almost totally closed. You hear wailings between the cries of "dark" "can't see" and then quiet. All is well they are asleep.
****
We had roast, mashed potatoes and peas for supper. Madison gave everyone a candy kiss for dessert. It was put on the table by their plate, for when they were finished with supper. Timmy took so long he forgot about his. I sent Serena outside since she was so hyper and then Timmy wanted to go play in the dark, too. As I was cleaning up I went to the other side of the table and there scattered all over the floor were peas. I thought it was fitting that he didn't get his candy kiss.
****
The kids report that there is a half moon out there. It is still nice out at 8:30...but now, to the tub. I left them soaking with "write on the wall" soap crayons. I was just down the hall loading the dishwasher. The next thing I heard was a big crash and splash. I get in there and Timmy had fallen and bumped his head and is crying. I asked if he had stood up and Serena said yes. Apparently he tried to do some body art. So....point maybe learned...no standing in the tub. Bedtime stories...Mad Mattie, Going to the Dentist and the Special kid (wheelchair). Prayers. Then up for a drink. Soon asleep

*****
This afternoon the kids had the bubble machine outside. Very nice weather in the upper 70's and no wind. Set the bubbler on the table and turned it on. It was so funny to see the kids trying to catch & pop and catch and eat the bubbles. Funnier yet was the dog. He was jumping and going wild trying to eat the bubbles in the air. He ought have a tummy ache tonight!

Kids played outside all pm. They came in and was playing in the sleepover tent for awhile, but I put on NCIS and when I sat down to watch it I couldn't hear a thing so chased them out. Timmy was very wild this afternoon. They were running up and down the slide and all over the back yard. I let them go...they had boundless energy. They play right outside the sliding door in the livingroom.

*****
After their bath the kids listened to the Buzzy Bee CD twice. (Another story on manners.) They had the story of Elijah and the fire, where Elijah and the prophets of Baal went up on a mountain to have a showdown of their “god” and the living God. Baal's prophets made an altar and put on it wood and a sacrifice. All the priests of Baal prayed, danced and tried to get their “god” to send fire to burn the sacrifice. After much time it proved a dismal failure and then Elijah set up an altar with a sacrifice and wood and then built a trench around it. He watered the sacrifice and the wood and filled the trench with water --and then watered it all again. At the time of sacrifice he called on God of Heaven to let the people know that He was God and to turn the people's hearts back to Him. Fire came from Heaven and not only burned up the sacrifice, but the wood, the stones of the altar, the dust and the water. The people then fell on their faces and the prophets of Baal were executed. (I didn't add that last part of the execution to their story.)

They also had the story of Saul, a persecutor of the Christians. He was blinded by the brightness and glory of the Lord. He was then sent to Ananias to see again. He became the Apostle Paul. A prophet whose teachings went out to all the world. They also had the story of "I'm Sorry". This is about the little critter who had a very bad day and was sorry for every clumsy thing he did. In the end his mom tells him just being sorry isn't good enough. The little critter says to the readers that he must be careful too.

There was one more Bible book but I forgot which one. Serena put on Buzzy Bee CD and, with the little light, listened to the story again after prayers.
*****
Overheard little Timmy open his flip phone and talk to Dad today. 'Hi Daddy...." After he closed it up he came to the computer in the dining room, where I was, and said "Daddy is coming home."

*****
Timmy has been consistently more demanding in wanting stuff lately. We went to watch swim practice early as the kids wanted to see Madison. It is cold, I had stopped by the house to get their coats. So, we walked in the bleacher section and there are not too many people. We sat about half way down, 2nd row up, so that we could see Madison from beginning to end. Serena spotted her and we watch her shivering and waiting her turn to swim.

Timmy sat and then started to go to the top of the bleachers. I told him to come back. He would but then leave again. Timmy went all the way to the top and Serena wanted to go to. Told her "no" that Timmy would then move on to something else and we are not going to play tag. He went down in front and Serena wanted to too. “No” to Serena and told Timmy to come back as he was not to block the view of the mother in front of us on the first row.

He returned and then left and went the top. This time I took Serena and we went up there and sat, too. Then he took off. I told him if he didn't sit we would leave. He decided he would go elsewhere. So I went after him and picked him up.

He screamed a bloodcurtling scream at the top of his lungs and kicked and screamed all the way to the car. I almost couldn't carry him. Then he continued on after we got in the car and I got him latched in. Then, I texted as he was kicking and screaming. Finally he quieted down to where he quit kicking and screaming and was now crying because he had to leave. Yep....tantrum. This is the only one he pulled on me the whole time.

****
This afternoon Serena and Tim were in their room. They were to pick it up and clean it up. Now, I give Serena credit, she did a pretty good job, with just a little bit left to pick up--although it took two hours of pokeyness to do it. Timmy was in and out and maybe put a couple of things in the basket. Finally I took Serena to her practice and Victoria took Timmy in and helped him finish. Ahhhhh what a way to spend the AFTERNOON!!! Neither fell asleep at nap time either.
*****
I downloaded some Bill Haley and Elvis music today and Madison walked in the kitchen as I was playing it. She stops and listens and then looks at me and asks me "what kind of music is that?" ..... Can you believe that there is someone that has never heard Rock N Roll - Classic.... I told her it was rock and roll. That it was Bill Haley, the one who started rock and roll. She kinda stopped, listened and then left...so I have no idea what her thoughts were on that.
*****

This morning Shelly came and got Victoria and they went to the get a pedicure...Shelly's treat to Victoria for her birthday. After she got her feet all beautiful, Victoria came home and then took Madison and they went and tromped through the mud and manure at MaryBeth's ranch to see the baby horse. Madison's adventure was that she caught a chicken.

****
The kids played outside quite a bit of the time yesterday. It is amazing the energy they have to pick up and move everything to create their playtime scenerios. The grass was cold and still wet. Serena has fallen somewhere and put a small gash (cut) in her leg.

This morning she cries getting out of bed because her foot hurts, her feet are cold and she is tired. Huimin gives her Motrin. She is still hurting (?) and crying and drags herself through getting ready. The bus is here and still her hair is not done and no shoes or socks. Huimin yells at her to get going....she gets socks and sits in front of drawer with shoes and ...puts...on...shoes. Sticks her arms in sweater and arms up with her back pack and out the door she goes still crying. Madison had come back to tell her to hurry the bus can't wait. She gets to the street and just trudges slowly down the street, still crying. Finally I don't see her any more but I hear the kids on the bus encouraging her and yelling "run...run...hurry....run" to her. Finally I hear the bus take off. Must get a gift certificate for that bus driver when the year ends. She is ok when she gets home at noon!
****
The day started off good. Madison got up before the alarm rang and was busy getting herself ready for school. Serena got up with a smile. They were both ready 5 minutes before the bus got here. Such little things that could make or break the day for the bus driver!

Time for me to get a few more winks of sleep. I eagerly jumped between the covers and snuggled down into the soft pillow. I remember hearing Victoria when she left. THEN I heard the creaking of a door and I listened. Now the patter-patter of little feet. "Grandma..get up" a little voice found me. ok...breakfast.
****
Serena reads the book on Alfie wanting a cookie. She did real good at pronouncing the words out. Just needed help with a few. But, now, Timmy decided he, too, wanted a cookie, so we all went and had cookies and milk. We then read the story of Timothy and talked about scrolls. Timothy had gotten a scroll that the Apostle Paul had written a letter to him on. The kids had made scrolls a few months ago and Serena had learn about some type of scrolls the indians used to draw pictures of what the animals did. We also read one of Timmy's favorite, the "I Forgot" book. They thought it was funny that I forgot that I had told him earlier that I would read it to them. Prayers.

*****
I was at the computer and heard a noise. I asked Timmy what he was doing as he had come in from the back yard, and ran down the hallway. Nick yelled back that Timmy was in his room. I thought that that was strange, why didn’t he just tell him to leave??? I start to head down the hall and Timmy yells something at me. Then he comes out of Nick's bedroom carrying the green basketball. So I send him back outside.

A little later Nick comes down the hall and into the kitchen...Timmy had been in the bedroom to get the ball back because he threw the ball through the window, knocking out the screen. Yep, I have seen him throw balls. He gives them a heave and you never know which way they are going to go!!

Grandkids - Part 1

The following are little stories on my adorable two-going-on-three year-old grandson and my precious five year-old granddaughter:

Precious moment today: Serena and I went out and cleaned up dog poo. I raked and Serena held the shovel and put it into a sack in the bucket. She then went in the house and washed. After which, I washed and came into the dining room and sat down.

Serena is sitting on a step stool and catching the apples that Victoria is peeling and slicing, and putting them in a sack. I told Victoria that Serena just helped me clean up dog poo. Such a good reaction from Victoria! -- She stopped in midair, eye brows lifted and demanded to know of Serena whether she had washed her hands. (good chuckle)

****

Timmy sat up to the table today to have his cereal. He was looking at the Capt Crunch box and saying “Hat...hat"

I look at the box and said "Cpt Crunch’s hat“.

Timmy says "Daddy's hat".

****

Today Timmy went to Rite Aide with me and while I was looking at Valentine cards he decided to go through the toy section. I told him no toys...he can't put away what he already has. So he was unhappy. I told him to just come over and stay with me. So he came over and decided to push the cart backwards and I told him to bring it back (my purse is in it). So he did.

He messed around doing something and I looked in time to see him and the cart both going down and the cart is on top. Luckily it is one of those little carts. So he cried. Joe came over to check him out and he wanted to give Timmy ice cream. The ice cream was so hard they could hardly scoop it out of the containers. Well that ended the crying as he got a little dish of black cherry ice cream. Timmy tried to get it out of the dish with a little spoon and a chunk he broke loose flew out of the dish and plopped on the floor. So, since we had to get a napkin earlier for his sniffles, we now got the napkin out of his pocket and cleaned up the ice cream. I now got smart and cut his ice cream in chunks for him and it lasted til we did check out with Victoria.

So...off to the Post Office. We got in and were next in line. (whew) So we got the business taken care of and it is time to leave. Timmy runs up to the inside door and puts his hand on the jamb, reaches up and grabs the door handle pulling the door closed on his fingers.(Ouch) He cries. We go outside, his fingers are now fine. I laughed at him for sticking his fingers in the door while pulling on it. He is indignant and told me I was not to laugh. Finally, without any more incidents we got home.

*******

I was walking into the living room and walked in on Timmy picking up his little musical flip phone. He opens it up and sticks it on his ear and begins to talk, “Hi daddy....and on and on.“

He saw me and he told me to go--that he was talking to his daddy.
*******

Timmy got into my purse while I was at guard drill (I left it on the bed) and took all the change in my side pocket. His pocket now jingles cuz he has money. I didn't know it til he came in, while I was on the computer, and went over and started putting his hands in the side pocket, saying something about money. I said “Grandma's money” and he said “Timmy and Grandma's money”...hmmmmm

******

Tonight's story was a Winnie the Poo book on "fibs." Serena's story came from her daily devotion and was on "consequences." She picked it out and it really worked in well.

She is so good at learning. Timmy is intrigued with Winnie the Pooh and the honey jar. He listens pretty good but keeps interrupting to point out what is catching his interest in the pictures. We are reading the Jesus books before their naps, so only one or two books at night or maybe none.

Serena plays her Bible CD. Earlier, when we were reading one of the Jesus books, she exclaimed that the story wasn't in her Bible. So it then kinda dawned on me that she wasn't realizing that the CD was only some stories from the Bible She thought the whole Bible was on that CD. I told her that on Wednesday, we would go back to the Family Christian Store and find a new CD so they can have alternate stories.

******

Today Victoria and I were heading down to Office Max and we were discussing where it was. Victoria said it was “just beside Chucky Cheese” and then quickly gulped and exclaimed...“Oh-oh, I just said the "c" word!"

I kinda looked at her and then I heard it...a little voice from the back.."Chuck Cheese!?" Then there was no stopping him...he wanted to go to "Chuck Cheese."

Victoria told him he could waive at it when we went by...so then, as we went by it, we waived. Victoria dropped me off in front of the Office Max and I went in to find my envelopes. I took a while as I searched all over for some cheap ones. When I finally came back out she said that he had argued with her the whole time cuz he wanted to go to "Chuck Cheese." Then he very boldly and loudly told her he was mad at her and kept repeating it as we headed home. I told him he was not to be mad at anyone and he was then "mad at you Gramma.” By the time we got home he was ok

******

Today was a bit trying. It was the first day of spring and Friday. A double whammy...the kids were wild.

They came out in the yard, when Serena came home, and were playing, while I started pulling weeds. The neighbor was mowing so I couldn't hear them. I looked up and Serena was hitting Timmy, pulling his shirt and then began dragging him off. She was going to lock him in the dog pen. I got there before she could. She said Timmy hit her first. I sent them both to bed—definitely nap time.
*****

Timmy has taken his little Fisher Price trike into the house. He can't get it to drive on the paving blocks in the back and he is not allowed in the front without anyone there. We weren't going to let him drive it in the house, but what the heck. He is not causing any harm.

Tonight he came out of bed and wanted a toy to take to bed. I told him ONE toy. Serena, shortly afterwards, came running out to tell me Timmy was taking his trike to bed! He ended up with no toys.
******

Serena, Timmy and I went to the Family Christian Store for a CD and story book for Serena. Before entering, I told the kids they were to get nothing when we went in. They both made a beeline for the kid section. Timmy found a display of cars (Yes, Jesus cars!) and wanted a car. Well...49 cents, so I said ok.

Now Serena wants something. so I told her it had to be out of the bin for 49 cents. So I move on to look down the isles for the CD. Here comes Serena, she has two crosses and wanted to know if she could have two. I remembered that the last time we FORGOT to get something for Madison, so I said yes. She could give one to Madison. Of course Timmy was right behind her and he then disappeared. Here he comes back with three cars. I told him to put two back and he says "Madison, Neena." So we ended up with three cars and three crosses, two books for Huimin, and a present for Joe; but not what I went for to begin with.

I had forgotten I had gotten her Bible CD at Barnes and Nobles. So we went to Barnes and Nobles. I told the kids we had to run right in and right out cuz we had to meet Victoria for her lunch. So we all head to the back of the store...Serena remembers where the section is and proceeds at a fast clip...Timmy is dawdling, looking around and stopping. Finally we get to the section and the one CD we do have is the only religious story CD they now have in stock. I scoured the small section to make sure. That gave Serena just enough time to find a box of Easter egg shaped sidewalk chalk for $2.99. She wanted it...I said no.

She asked if I still had money. I said yes...but not to waste on stuff like that. So she went on about me having money and I could just get it--it wasn't very much. I asked her if she just wanted me to give her my money. Of course she said “yes” and there was Timmy coming up from behind, he "likes money" and wants money too. Well we made it out without spending a nickel although they were sure that chalk was a good deal all the way to the car.

******

We read bedtime stories after Huimin left. Pigs that Fly was a good book and we read about Paul and Silas in jail. Then Timmy had me read PAT. Pat is something like the Farmer in the Dell, except it was Pat making a pizza, and I have no idea why he likes that book.

Then we read Serena's book about devotions. The topic was possessiveness. I had her pronounce out the word "m-i-n-e“ out of the book. Afterwards Timmy grabbed Serena's cross and they fought over it and she said it was "mine". So, good talking point there.

Then Timmy said something was "mine." I forgot what it was he had. Serena now took the opportunity to lecture HIM on "being selfish."

******

Story time. We read about Gideon defeating the Mideonites by the power of God. Their books leave out quite a bit, but even though, the kids still are good at listening to the books. Serena likes the rhyming of the books. Then we read of David and Goliath. (Timmy keeps bouncing up to find his dog.) Then we read the 3 pigs -shortened version where the wolf didn't eat the first two pigs. THEN we had to read Pat. Serena brought out her devotion book and chose "consequences." She is a good little learner.

Well, time for bed. Only took two trips with threats tonight. Second time I just turned off the night light, which always brings a big howl from Timmy. But he seems to go right to sleep after he has spent a little time hollering that he can't see.

*******

Today Timmy was preoccupied with someone's little box of chocolate valentine candies that was in the fridge. He got it out and brought it to me saying that he liked it. So, I asked him if he was a thief? That he should put it back, as it was not his. Well, that didn't end it. He later asked again.

Then, I was in the living room and I heard Timmy open the fridge door and I yelled at him to close it. I listened but did not hear the door shut. So....I walked into the kitchen and --no Timmy. The fridge door was ajar and I at first thought that he had run when he heard me coming and not shut the door. Then I noticed a couple of shoes poking out the bottom of the fridge door. I opened the door and sure enough there was Timmy, he had tried to hide himself in the fridge!!!!

*******

Here in California it is sunny and warm today. About noon I was making lunch and I walked into the living room to check on Timmy, who was outside. As I approached the sliding door, I looked out and there he was swinging and he had his little red musical flip phone on his ear. Getting closer I could hear him, "Thank you Daddy. I wuv you Daddy....."

I backed up, without him seeing me, and went and got Huimin. She walked to the sliding door and listened and he was again saying "Thank you, Daddy..."

I walked back to work on lunch. I heard the sliding door open and Timmy make an exclamation and then said "Mommy,"

Huimin started talking to him, and didn't hear it all, but I did hear her get on the phone and tell Daddy what a “good boy” Timmy was.

What's to Come?

Saturday evening was so peaceful, not even a breathe of wind out there.  It was beautiful.   Rain is forecast for the beginning of the week, so this may just be the calm before the storm.  

My nephew is heading off soon for basic training as he begins his duty with the Guard.  His Mom had the family over for a BBQ so that we could all wish him well.

It was about ten years ago, when I was pulling my LAST days up at the Guard.  The Lord had done wonderful things in my life, I could not believe that He could entrust me with such powerful visions and such great love.  And for what reason?  I have no particular talent and no speaking or leadership skills.  But the ways of the Lord are known only to Him.

At this one particular drill (ten years ago) I wanted to go to church service, which they have up there.   I went to the room used for worship service and as I was walking down the isle, I saw the Chaplain up front and to the left.  He was doing something with an altar, or baptism stand, or something, I don't know now what it was.  Suddenly I see the Chaplain standing up front of what looks like a large circle in the air, with something like a clothe door.  He is holding this door open.  Rays of light are flowing out of the doorway and I could see  people seeming to come out of a cloud in front and below the circle and rising up, like on an escalator, or conveyor, into the light.  

A voice came from behind and above and blessed the Chaplain.  We also have another Pastor up there, so in my mind I said for him to be blessed also.   Have you even fell on something so hard it knocked the breathe out of you?  That is how I felt.  I could hear my voice (although I said it in my mind) --it sounded like a little tiny blip on the ground behind me at my feet.  The voice I had heard blessing the Chaplain, although it had not SOUNDED loud when I heard it, had indeed, in comparison, filled what seemed like eternity.   Even speakers blasting at their highest sound, would be nothing in comparison to this voice.  I was in awe.  The magnitude of His voice was a shock and for a moment I was just stunned.  Then I realized that what I saw up front was no longer there and the Chaplain was now crossing over to the other side of the area up front, getting ready to preach.

I did write him an e-mail and described what I saw.  Although I have no idea whether he read it, or dismissed it  And I did describe what happened to one other.   Life went on and my family and I left the state.  A couple of years later we came back and finally settled into our last family home.   I happened to pick up a newletter where the Chaplain, of whom I had the vision,  had wrote an article.  He was retiring.  He also wrote about 9/11.  He had been in the Pentagon when the Flt 77 struck it and he immediately went and ministered to the people.    I had saved the newsletter, but no longer can find it, or I would quote his exact words.  

Another time, before I left up there, I had another vision.  This one yet unfulfilled.  I was in an office and was discussing an incident with another person.  I stood up and was facing the window to the west.  There was a sound and at that very moment hail just poured down outside the window.   I stared unable to move.   It was like a huge sheet of hail coming down in a continuous torrent.  I have seen a lot of hail storms, but never like this.  Then it stopped.   Some kind of crinkling noise fell on us and the air was filled with freshness and renewal and contentment.   

We have a mighty and powerful Lord and He is returning soon.