Wednesday October 14 2015  A TIME OF REFLECTION

CALENDAR WISDOM

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14, 2015

LIFE IS LIKE A 

PICTURE–

SO PAINT IT WELL.

Today was another one of those action packed, busy, wonderful days in Branson.  We have had the opportunity to meet so many interesting people from so many different places.  It appears that Branson has a pull on the lower 48 states.  I feel as if we live so far away to travel here just to relax and be entertained but it is nothing compared to what a lot of others drive.  I am also fortunate that Branson is on the way to my extended family who live in Arkansas.  And that is where we are headed tomorrow.

I have two aunts, one uncle, two sisters, and scores of cousins and their family that live in the Russellville Arkansas area.  There was a time when the family who lived there was the hub of all the excitement that happened in our extended family.  It seemed as if everyone was drawn there to see grandparents, the plethora of aunts and a couple of uncles and numerous cousins.  My mother, the eldest of twelve children who lived to adulthood, is no longer living, as well as four of her other siblings.  There are six surviving aunts and one surviving uncle but only three who still live in the Arkansas area.  They are aging and not as active as they used to be.  It now seems as if the older folks primarily get together with their living children.  Many have even lost their own children to death.  Of my mom’s descendants, my sisters and I are the “older generation”.  That is quite an eye opening truth. 

I go because I want to see my sister Scarlett, my Aunt Vela and my Aunt Esther and my Uncle Buddy (my mom’s last surviving brother).  Esther’s home to me feels like a home away from home.  She has lived in the same place since I was a teenager.  I cherish all the times we were there enjoying her company and hospitality.  There is no one in the whole world who is like my aunt Esther.  Does she have faults?  Yes, because she is human, but she has been dubbed “the angel of our family”, and I believe she truly is.  Each time I see her I cherish the time as if it is the last time I will see her here on earth because someday it may be true.  But it is a sweet thought to know we will be together forever when we both get to heaven!

I believe that every time we are with those we love we should cherish that time as special and even somewhat sacred.  I try to stop and purposely store up the memories of being with them, what they said to me, what we did, how much I enjoyed being with them, and as many other little things about them as I can.  It’s as if my heart has a special memory box full of treasures.  Snippets and bits of conversations I have tucked carefully away to bring out at a later time.   All my family is special to me.  I don’t always believe it is reciprocal, but that is okay too.  I tend to get under the skin of a few of my cousins and they don’t hesitate in letting me know.  That’s okay, I know I am sometime difficult to be around because I talk too much, or would like to do too much, or always have opinions on everything.   But from my perspective I’m just happy that I am me and not them.  I just don’t tell them so.  And I keep right on loving them.  One of the best things that ever happened in my lifetime in regards to the large family I come from, is that I moved so far away.  Wisconsin is just the right distance.

Yesterday The College of the Ozarks was mentioned in my blog.  Dave and I went back today to have lunch.  I wish I had taken photos of the inside of the dining room.  It was a beautiful work of art.  The ceilings were large sheets of beautiful copper.  The support system for the heavy beams were actual full size tree trunks so huge a man could not reach around them.  The chairs were made of raw wood with the bark still on the legs and backs.  Very beautiful. 

We were told that all the labor to make that huge building was constructed by the students working off their tuition.  It would have made me very proud to have shared a part of my labor to create such a beautiful structure built to last for many, many years.  We were very impressed with the campus.  We went to the lookout site on campus and viewed the area for miles.  I will include a few pictures of what we saw as we looked down the mountain side.

I am including an excerpt from the web regarding the Keeter Center and the College of the Ozarks that I think you may find extremely informative:

“The Keeter Center opened in 2004. Approximately 250 Students help build it, under the direction of Master Craftsmen. Most of the hickory furniture was made here in the Ozarks. The huge logs that support the three-story lobby and are used for the walls came from Montana. (From fallen timber, no trees were cut!) C of O students did about 70% of the construction.

The Keeter Center houses the Program of Hotel/Restaurant Management.  More than 2,400 students have worked in The Keeter Center in seven different workstations over the past 10 years. Students have cleaned approximately 20,000 beds since opening. Dobyns Dining Room has served approximately 5,000,000 cinnamon-craisin biscuits in the past ten years! Another important program at Keeter is the Community Convocation Series. Lady Margaret Thatcher, Colin Powell, President Gerald Ford and Tom Brokaw are some of the well-known individuals who have spoken there. A fully accredited college, C of O students do not pay tuition; instead they work 15 hours per week in one of 80 work venues on campus, from the computer center, to the mill, to the greenhouses, to the dairy operation.”

After our self-guided tour through the campus Dave and I took off for the Sight and Sound theater where the three million dollar production of JONAH is currently being performed.  We saw the show last week but went back today because we wanted to go on the behind the scenes tour.  Oh, it was bigger than life.  Simply spectacular.  The stage itself was over 26,000 square feet.  The storage area behind the stage was built to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark, 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.  To stand in a room that size with all the over-sized props was absolutely mind boggling.  In case you can’t visualize that size of an indoor space, let me just say it was overwhelmingly large and impressive.  If I remember correctly it seats 2,238 people and has 105 toilets in the building.  I was impressed!  (Especially with the amount of toilets).  Jonah has been running for two years and will soon close.  Next year the performance will be MOSES.  I do hope we have the opportunity to come back and see MOSES in either 2016 or 2017.  The productions run for two seasons starting sometime in March through sometime in November.   

While having lunch today we spoke with the waitress named Shelby, currently a senior at College of the Ozarks.  She graduates in December.  I asked her if she will graduate free of collage debt.  She said yes, and totally debt free of all debt.  I suggested that she buy Dave Ramsey’s book about living debt free and she informed me that she had it.  One of the classes required there for debt free living actually uses Dave Ramsey’s book as part of the curriculum.  I was pleasantly surprised and amazed all in one.  For once, a college that is actually preparing young people to live economically responsible.  I asked Shelby for her wisdom.  She was very prepared and forthcoming with what she wanted to say.  Her parents should be extremely proud of the young lady they have raised.

Shelby’s wisdom:

“Coming from my life the biggest thing for me, especially the most recent thing, is coming to the understanding that an exact plan doesn’t always have to be in place.  I am a planner.  I always want to adhere to a strict plan I have planned for myself and when you do that you can miss opportunities that you don’t plan for and that you don’t expect.  Opening myself up to God’s plan for me has been a really big thing to me.  So many things have turned out different than I had planned.  I think it is important to not get too stuck on your own plan for your life and be open to God’s plan.”

The above words say a lot about Shelby, and I also believe they speak highly of the influence of the education she has received from a collage, based on Christian principals, and the Word of God.

Overall, I was impressed with the caliber, courtesy, and respect of the students I spoke with while on campus.  I did not see anyone on a cell phone and the greatest pleasure was that they were well informed about anything we asked and more than willing to speak with the “older folks”.  There was a courtesy and consideration they exhibited that seems to be lost in most of those in their generation.  (Again, just speaking my opinion).  I WAS THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED!

HOME TO REALITY

By Kathleen Martens

October 14, 2015

A late night is getting later.

The time to rise is getting sooner.

This blog must come to a close

Before I sleep a nooner.

Early alarm will beep me up,

My retreat will soon be o’re.

We must then pack and go

And our holiday will be no more.

On to life to visit kin

To laugh and love and remember

So few days to make memories

That are sweet and tender.

Then off to home and reality

And all that must be done.

And once again settle down

To a life that’s on the run.

Good night.  God bless you.

Tuesday October 13 2015  A DAY TO REMEMBER

CALENDAR WISDOM

IN THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN

THE STREAM AND THE ROCK,

THE STREAM ALWAYS WINS,

NOT THROUGH STRENGTH

BUT BY PERSEVERANCE.

A DAY TO REMEMBER

By Kathleen Martens

October 13 2015

Certain days are to be remembered,

And this is one of those.

A day unplanned, so beautifully displayed,

Like when you stop to smell a rose.

Simple pleasures sweet as a blossom

That uncurls just because,

And when it blooms it is perfect,

Without wrinkle or flaws.

Such was today, discovered each hour,

No plans to thwart our day.

Like a leaf being blown by the wind

Creating new ways to play.

The hours unfold bringing pleasure

That happened in sequential song.

Unencumbered by constraints or time,

And to the hours we seemed to belong.

Very rarely do I title a poem before I write it.  The poem usually comes first and then I figure out the title.  However, today’s title was written first as if I no choice as what to write.  The poem describes the day so accurately.  We had a day open before us and on the spur of the moment we just followed our hearts.  We discovered some interesting places to go and things to see. 

I don’t know if any who read this blog knows about the COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS in Hollister, Missouri near Branson.  I’ve often read its roadside signs as I have traveled these highways for the past 29 years when I went to see my family in Arkansas.  I never gave the signs a second thought.  Well, what we discovered is that this is a college, like no other college we’ve ever heard of.  Its roots began back in the early 1900’s when a missionary came to this area and realized there were no high schools and not much education happening in “these here” Ozark hills.  A high school was formed which later became a Junior College and then later a four year accredited Liberal Arts College.  Following is an excerpt from a website that tells about the college.  I think you will find its concept quite interesting.

“Christian values and character, hard work, and financial responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U” experience.  At a time when there is much talk about what is wrong with the nation, College of the Ozarks exemplifies what is right with America.

C of O is committed to its founding mission of providing a quality, Christian education to those who are found worthy, but who are without sufficient means to obtain such training.  Instead of paying tuition, all full-time students work campus jobs to defray the cost of education.  Upon complete participation in the Work Education Program, the College guarantees to meet the entire cost of education for students, allowing them the opportunity to graduate debt-free.  The College openly discourages debt by not participating in any federal, state, or private loan programs and leads by example through having no institutional debt of any kind.

 “Hard Work U” earns numerous accolades yearly, including…”

One of the “business” ventures that the students are involved in is working in a restaurant on campus in the Keeter Center.  It is huge and cavernous, more like a beautiful over sized barn. All the food is grown on the premises, farmed by the students, prepared and served by the students.  We decided to have lunch only to find out that the only way you eat there is through reservations and they book up way ahead.  We made reservations for lunch tomorrow at 10:30 a.m.  You take what you can get when you are only going to be in town for two more days. 

We did a little exploring in the Keeter Center and then left to eat lunch elsewhere due to Dave’s schedule of eating.  We plan to get up early tomorrow so we can walk the campus and do some more exploring.  The campus is situated on a mountain top and it is absolutely beautiful.  There is much to see and discover.  After lunch we dropped off our lunch leftovers at our cottage and took off for the movie theater which Dave had discovered earlier in the day.  The movie we wanted to see was “90 Minutes in Heaven” based on the true story of Don Piper who died in a horrendous head on collision with a semi-trailer truck.  After being pronounced dead for one and a half hours he was prayed over and came back to life.  It is an amazing story.  I recommend reading the book (same title) before you see the movie.  The movie was done well but a lot of the details in the book had to be left out due to limited movie time.

When the movie was over Dave and I went directly to the Starlight Theater on the Branson Strip for the one event that we had previously planned.  We went to hear “THE TEXAS TENORS”.  They were awesome.  I think they rank number one show of all that we have ever seen here in Branson (except those in the Sight and Sound Theatre).  I have never watched the T.V. show “AMERICA’S GOT TALENT” so I had no prior knowledge of who they are.  This was the show that led to their stardom.  All three were having a difficult time making a living and one of the men was the instigator in forming the group so they could try to get on the show.  The grand prize was one million dollars.  They made it to the finals and won the million dollars.  I can see why.  They are awesome!  If you are ever in Branson or have the opportunity to see them on the road when they travel I encourage you to treat yourself to a wonderful evening of exceptional entertainment.

And now we are back at the cottage and I am enjoying my day all over again just writing about it.  I think what makes a day such as today so pleasant is the peace that Dave and I share doing things together, without the stress of work, and no demands on our time.  All the riches in the world cannot replace peace.  I am truly one of the most fortunate people in the world to be loved like I am by a man as wonderful as Dave.  And what makes it even better is that I have Dave to love in return.  It is a day such as this that makes it a day to be remembered.

Good night and God bless your tomorrow that it will be a day to remember.

P.S.  Below are some photos taken on campus of The College of the Ozarks.