Tuesday October 20 2015  FIRST LIGHT * LAST LIGHT

We are home.  And there is no place like home.  It’s as if when I walked through the back door into the kitchen, it just gave me a big hug.  I felt as if I was being caressed by a long lost friend.  Everything was so neat and tidy and empty feeling.  At least it was that way until we unpacked the car.  Needless to say it felt good to be home again.  When I am away from home I don’t seem to miss it because I am so wrapped up in all the excitement of what I am doing.  However, the moment I walk in the door I realize how much I love being home again.  I know I’ve said this before but I think I feel that way because wherever I am is where I love being.  I just love being alive!

We left this morning at 7:00 a.m. at first light.  We watched the sunrise come up over the Ozark Mountains, showing off the most beautiful and miraculous colors I have ever had chance to see in a sunrise.  I was driving so I could not take any photos.  Dave summed it all up when he looked at it in awe and said, “THAT, is a cathedral”.   First light is always like a gift to me.  I love sunrise and the first kiss of light.  So soon it was over but not before it gave us a spectacular show of colors that only God can paint.  We arrived home at 6:00 p.m. eleven hours later at last light.  Wisconsin was covered in low hanging clouds and the sun was barely visible.  There was a beautiful aura of soft white light that shrouded the city in mystery.  So different than this morning, but unique with a beauty all its own.

I give God thanks for our safe travels.  It was very sobering to read the overhead highway signs broadcasting the number of how many have been killed so far on the state’s highways in 2015.  Illinois’ death toll was 850.  Wisconsin’s death toll was 403.  Illinois has 12,881,000 population.  Wisconsin’s population is 5,760,000.  I think about all the shattered families of those who were killed.  It gives me more reason to drive safely, be courteous on the road, and to not be in such a hurry.  And more reason to pray for continued protection every time I get behind the wheel.  I am just so happy to be home safely.

Dave has strict orders from me not to do one thing until he has his surgery on Friday.  His hernia keeps getting larger and I am concerned about the outcome of the repair if it keeps on growing.  This will be a little bit of a different winter for us with him a bit under the weather.  I guess this is one of those things that comes with aging.  We hope to get him up and running over the next couple of months so we can plan to go on another trip.  We would love to go down to Florida and visit our daughter for a while.  She and her husband have invited us to come for the Holidays or any time after the first of the year.  We’ll see how things go with Dave, think about whether we would want to fly or drive, and figure if it will work out with all else we have on our agenda.  I can see how easy it would be to just get carried away and go and go and go and then not accomplish all that must be done here.   But we sure do want to go.  It will take serious consideration, especially if we plan to go east next fall for a few weeks.  A year to us goes in the twinkling of an eye.  I have many things on my private agenda that don’t meet the public eye.  I may need to block off part of the year to accomplish what I need to finish.  More about that later.

FIRST LIGHT

By Kathleen Martens

October 20, 2015

First light of early dawn

Reaches earth with a tender kiss.

Unbeknownst to many,

Because morning they always miss.

Morning light creates cathedrals,

That very few seem to share.

Rarely early do they rise,

Because they don’t seem to care.

What you miss that you do not know

Holds no special place in heart.

But if you rise and once you see

A new ritual you will start.

Morning sunrise is God’s gift.

His light for the day ahead.

But if you miss the spectacular display

On His beauty you are not fed.

So make an effort to come and see

The FIRST LIGHT of the day.

It will nurture your heart,

Lasting throughout your day.

Thank you for spending the time to read my heart.  My hope each day is that each one who reads any part of my blog will be blessed by at least one thing I have said.  I especially love writing my poems to share with you.  For me, it is as if I am given a gift each day to unwrap and share with someone else.

Good night and God bless you!

P.S.  I am including a photo of my CALENDAR WISDOM.  Please note in the background that one of my watermelons made it home safe and sound.

Monday October 19 2015  MY BEST FRIEND

CALENDAR WISDOM

OCTOBER 19, 2015

EVERY TIME WE TURN

GREEN WITH ENVY WE

ARE RIPE FOR TROUBLE.

Getting away is always a fun adventure.  I would not be honest with myself if I did not say that getting away changes things for me.  Even though there is much I enjoy, there are always things that I miss from my normal routine.  Two such things stand out blatantly on this trip.  The first being the combination of eating too much food and not enough exercise leads to weight gain, and the second is my quiet time with the Lord seems more and more difficult to carve out during the day.  It is a bit easier if I am on a solo trip.  I like being with people and if people (in this case Dave) are around, it seems there is always something to do and talk about.  Right now is about the only “alone” time I have had and what do I do?  I write my blog.

We headed toward home yesterday afternoon.  Our original plan was to spend a night in Branson as a layover to help us be closer to home for the long drive.  As most of you know Dave is having surgery Friday for an inguinal hernia repair.  Well, the last few days it has progressively grown worse.  He is in bed resting, and we are still at Branson.  We plan to stay one more night and hope that some of the protrusion he is experiencing will go down some.  It has not happened yet.  I am writing my blog in the late afternoon so I can hopefully go to bed very early and get a good night’s sleep so we can leave by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.  I plan to do most of the driving.  I usually know when he feels under the weather because it is only then that he relinquishes “his turn” at the wheel.  If you remember us tomorrow, Tuesday, please pray for our protection on the highways.

It has purposely been a slow day.  We have not left our facility here in Branson.  I had enough provisions to make certain we didn’t starve.  I hope Dave sleeps okay tonight after napping and resting today. 

Early this morning we called the doctor’s office and they suggested I take him to urgent care but he refused to go.  If he gets worse at all you can bet we’ll be in the emergency room.  He has minimal pain at present and that is a good thing.  He was also told he could do minimal exercise of walking on a flat treadmill. While he walked on the treadmill I did a workout.  It will be good when we get home as long as he doesn’t overdo.  He is intent on putting the patio furniture to bed before he goes in for surgery.  We’ll see.  If I must, I will do it myself to keep him from doing it.  The raking of the leaves and cleaning of the gutters will be hired out. 

We did play a couple of card games this morning.  The first one I boxed myself into a corner (through Dave’s aggressive maneuvers) and after two rounds of Nine Whole Golf there was absolutely no way possible for me to dig myself out of the hole I was in.  I conceded loss.  The second game was Hand and Foot and it is a four round game.  I WON!  Yeah!  At least I won something.  I failed to mention that Dave had already won a few other games he played with me last week.  I don’t know if I want to play any additional games.  I don’t know if I could handle another loss.

Dave is my very best friend.  We were talking about that while we played cards.  We feel so fortunate that we each have a best friend in the other.  It is awesome that it just happens to be our spouse.  Not only do I love my husband dearly, but I like him too.  I know that no one else in the world knows him like I do and I think what a sad lot that is for the world.  He is kind and patient (most of the time), courteous and long suffering.  He is smart and is full of knowledge but never tries to show it off.  He has deep wisdom and gives excellent counsel.  He is tender and loving and even romantic.  And he treats me like a lady.  Actually, he treats me like a queen.  How could I not be in love with him for over 43 years?  I loved him the moment I laid on eyes on him and I didn’t even know his name.  I think I have told the story in a previous blog of how we met so I won’t retell the story here.  For some reason all of these feelings just came up as I sat here writing my blog, thinking about him having surgery on Friday, and being concerned for his safety.  Dave helps me proofread my blog at the end of the day and he will probably be embarrassed to read these words I have written about him.  He has asked me not to write much about his personal information regarding how he is losing weight and working out and his surgery and so on and so on.  So I try not to write too frequently about him (quite unsuccessfully), but tonight I just had to say what I had to say.  When you love someone you want others to know. 

As much as Dave is just the right person for me, I do realize he is not perfect, but neither am I.  The only thing is I just keep learning more and more things about just how imperfect I truly am.  God is still working on me and working fast.  Wherever I go, whatever I do, it seems I just have things pointed out in the most unusual ways.  Dave may read out loud a little something out of the newspaper or an email and WHAM-O, there it is in print and I see myself in a new light.  And it seems like the Holy Spirit just points things out that I am to listen to and learn.  And I am trying.

Uh-oh.  Dave just came down the stairs and says he hopes I have another card game in me.  I think I am somewhat at a disadvantage.  He has rested and slept and I have been busy talking to my daughter on the phone and writing this blog.  I still have a poem to choose off the shelf (the shelf in my heart where they are stored until God helps me put them in writing).

MY BEST FRIEND

By Kathleen Martens

October 19 2015

I guess you could say

This has been a nothing day.

No great events,

No money spent.

Peace and quiet,

Great without riot.

Subdued and sweet,

Really a treat!

But there is left,

Without bereft,

One more round

On which to expound.

Challenged to play

At the end of the day

One more card game

To catapult me to fame.

So I agree,

To fly free,

And do my best

Without rest!

At his request

I will do his behest.

But I hope I win

My very best friend.

Good night and God bless you.

Sunday Sabbath  October 18 2015  DOMESTIC BLISS

CALENDAR WISDOM

OCTOBER 18, 2015

You can’t do a kindness

Without a reward,

Not in silver nor gold

But in joy from the Lord.

We drove to Branson today to cut the last leg of our trip shorter.  Domestic bliss is ringing in my ears.  The dishwasher is howling (quite loudly), the washer is swishing, and Dave is watching a football game.  That is domestic bliss.  The dishes will be clean in the morning, we will have our compression stockings freshly laundered for tomorrow, and my husband is delightfully happy to be watching football.  See what you learn, when you read my blog?  Now you know that we BOTH wear compression stockings.  If you have problems with swelling in your legs I highly recommend them.  They are expensive leggings but well worth it.  A little tricky to put on though.  It is almost unbelievable as to how much more energy I have when I wear them.  Also, I have less leg and foot pain after a long day on my feet.

Our final farewell seemed to go better than I thought it would.  It was hard for us to leave Aunt Esther because no one else was left behind with her.  And she used every ploy to get us to stay just a little longer.  She even tried to get her Christmas decorations out so we could see them.  We gently encouraged her not to.  Our goal was to arrive in Branson before dark and we accomplished that goal. 

We begin a busy week ahead.  We will be heading back with winter looking us in the face.  Dave is limited as to what he can lift, as well as some other limitations so his work will be cut to a minimum.  He is having surgery on Friday to repair a large inguinal hernia.  It has become worse this week.  He is taking it easy between now and Friday (according to me) but according to him he plans to finish putting all our patio furniture away.  We’ll see.  Please pray that all will go well with his surgery and recovery.

Sunday must be Aunt Esther’s favorite day.  She talked about Sunday all week and how much she looked forward to us going to church with her.  She was excited as a child on Christmas morning when she woke up and knew it was Sunday.  She loves the Lord so deeply that she just loves to be in the house of God.  I love to hear her pray.  When she prays to bless the food she prays and prays and thanks God for so much as well as spends a little time in Praise to the Heavenly Father.  And the prayer ends.  It is only later that I realized she usually fails to thank God for the food.  I think God in heaven must be looking down upon Esther, smiling His biggest grin as she prays her sincere and loving prayer to Him.  I feel so blessed to be in the presence of such an earnest lady.  She is truly a woman of God.

I tried my best to remember all the little things that touched my heart so deeply; the things Esther said, watching her go through her treasure box full of memories, sorting through the refrigerator, one of her favorite things to do, (especially with all my food in there too), being so excited about going to church, listening to her prayers, and watching her take all the kitchen scraps out to the garden to feed the birds and nourish the land.  Even though her garden is no more she still respects the earth and in her own little way is doing her best to give back all it has given her.  There was a time when her garden fed her family, friends, and other relatives through the winter.  Nothing quite like eating her creamed corn in the off season.  I wish we could have stayed a lot longer.

On Thursday when we traveled through the mountains I mentioned the beautiful colors of the trees.  Today was even more spectacular.  There was an unbelievable climatic buildup of fall color that presented itself.  The difference in just a few days was astounding.  We traveled in the later afternoon sun and the light made the colors burst as if a magic wand was sparkling the leaves with glitter.  The shades of yellows, golds, reds, rusts, and amber became alive with animation as the light caught the facets of the leaves as they were kissed by the brilliant sun.  Again, I was driving and couldn’t view all I wanted to see but at least when I arrived in Branson I was not seasick.  Unless I am driving the winding roads I am attacked with vertigo.  Not a happy condition to be in because I never know how long it will last.  My son, as a young person, always became extremely sick on trips and it took us a few years to figure out that he didn’t always get the flue on vacation, but rather he became carsick in the back seat.  It was our daughter who figured it out.  Simple solution…he had to ride in the front seat on the winding roads just like his mother, (which would now be illegal).  It was a simple solution to not having the mess all over the back seat.  I could tell you about some horrendous vacations!  But I won’t.

We are settled in, dinner is over, appliances are now quiet with eight stockings hanging in the downstairs bathroom.  Dave is still watching the game in the downstairs bedroom but the door is closed so all I hear now is the constant humming of the refrigerator and the buzz of ringing in my ears that never lets up.  Sometimes I am used to it and sometimes I am not.  Tonight I am not.  Which means I am probably extra tired.  So I shall write my poem (whatever it may be) and go to bed.

ROMANTIC GETAWAY

By Kathleen Martens

October 18, 2015

The night is young,

My body old.

The warmth of day

Replaced with cold.

Romantic getaway

With just us two,

But it’s difficult

When football woos. (Dave wants me to change this line to: “WHEN MY BLOG WOOS”.)

I’ll go upstairs

All alone

With just me

And my phone.

And be so glad

That I can sleep

And perhaps my man

Won’t make a peep.

I hope Dave thoroughly enjoys his football.  He has been long without it.  Thanks honey!

Good night world.  Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite!

P.S.  Last night after I published the blog on my Aunt’s Wi-Fi I decided to check my emails.  I had opened a couple and then poof, the Wi-Fi disappeared.  Esther’s son told me he had cancelled it and it would be turned off at any time but I could use it until it was turned off.  Well, the timing was absolutely perfect.  I wrote my blog earlier than usual, Dave and I proofed it, and then thinking nothing of it I worked on my emails.  AND THEN IT DISAPPEARED!  How is that for timing?  I consider it God’s timing.  

Saturday October 17 2015  TIME KEEPS MARCHING ON

CALENDAR WISDOM

SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2015

CHILDHOOD IS LIKE A

MIRROR WHICH REFLECTS

IN AFTERLIFE THE

IMAGES PRESENTED TO IT.

Time cannot be held back.  As much as I would like to do so I cannot make it go slower.  Nor can I make it go faster.  Tomorrow we leave those we love behind.  One by one we are saying goodbye.  And over the years one by one there are those who are no longer here when we return the next time.  Some I can remember when I was with them last, others I cannot.  This time I am back and my cousin Janey is no longer with us.  Janey was my Aunt Esther’s daughter.  Actually, she still is, she just lives in heaven.  So much of life seems to be lived in the “was”.  So much seems to be lived in the “when”.  The best place for me to live is in the now. 

Today was a “now” day, to be savored moment my moment.  All day long we were surrounded by family.  When once our family were many and rambunctious, now out family is few and elderly sedate.  And, oh how I love these old folks.  After all, I am one of them (I just don’t quite know it yet). 

The highlight of today was to be with my sister Scarlett for most of the day.  I love my aunts and wish I could be here longer with them.  I even had the opportunity to visit with my cousin Loretta.  And I know I already said this, but it was just so awesome to actually be able to converse with Scarlett.  Several times I would forget that she could hear me and I would use hand motions and mouth enunciation to communicate.  Of course I caught myself and she understood and didn’t make me feel bad.  It is just so fun to have her included in conversations. 

Scarlett came over early.  I was preparing lunch to take over to Vela’s house.  Vela lives on the mountain close to where many of our family members are buried.  Scarlett wanted to go and see mama’s grave so we decided to drop the lunch off at Vela’s house, go to the graveyard, and then come back and eat.

The trip to Bowden Cemetery on Crow Mountain is the resting place for my grandparents, their young daughter Helen, my mother, and Vela’s husband Kenneth who died last year.  There may be others related to us but these are the graves of the people I knew.  It has been five years since mama went to heaven.  I have no pain in my heart for I know where my mother’s spirit resides.  The tombstones were cleaned off, we shared some memories, and slowly returned to Vela’s.

 Vela’s daughter Loretta who also lives on the mountain joined us for lunch.  I cooked, we all ate, and Loretta cleaned up the entire mess that I made.  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Thanks Loretta.  I’m sure glad you came for lunch but I certainly wasn’t expecting you to clean up.  It was greatly appreciated however.  We sat and talked and talked and talked after the meal.  Round tables make for easy conversing.

Soon it was time to part.  First Loretta left and we hugged.  I love my cousin.  I remember her as an infant and toddler and it brings back happy memories.  Then I hugged my Aunt Vela, twice, because she forgot I had hugged her the first time.  I didn’t mind another hug.  Aunt Vela is only about six years older than me so she has always felt more like a cousin than an aunt.  Dave, Scarlett, Esther and I took our leave and drove back down the mountain through Center Valley.  One more goodbye left to do.

Scarlett stayed as late as she possibly could.  She does not see well at night and must be home before dark.  Though our time was short we were able to talk and talk.  At least I talked and Scarlett listened.  She followed the conversation intently and I could see that she understood.  She occasionally asked me to clarify something I had spoken, but she followed our dialogue and banter very well.  I am still amazed!  I will never take her hearing for granted again.  Be thankful if you can hear.  I am so thankful for the miracle that God has worked in my own hearing.  And I am so thankful that our Grandson’s hearing loss was discovered early and that he was helped by a surgical procedure.  Hearing is so precious.  Scarlett is so precious.  And again, I had another farewell.  As she drove away from Esther’s driveway in her little red car, the window rolled down, she turns and laughingly smiles and hollers out the window, “I know I’ve said this before, but just remember you are so lucky I love you!”  And I heard her laugh.  That was the best gift she could have ever given me.  As she drove away her eyes were sparkling.

And I am lucky.  And I am blessed.  Being with my sister this weekend was like renewing a long lost friendship.  It was as if we both opened our hearts to each other and our spirits embraced.  Scarlett is a hard nut to crack, she doesn’t like to show emotion, and it took her years for her to say “I love you”.  I will tuck that love in my heart and remember the twinkle in her eye.  I receive it as a beautiful, priceless gift.   I love my sister too.  I truly am lucky.

Since I am living in the moment I will not let my mind wander to tomorrow and what it has in store.  I have said enough farewells today.  Tomorrow is a new day.  I will enjoy Aunt Esther while I am still here.

WHEN SOMEONE SAYS I LOVE YOU

By Kathleen Martens

October 17, 2015

When someone says “I love you”,

Never ever take it for granted.

Let the words grow deep in your heart

So they are deeply planted.

Care and nurture what it means,

Accept it as a priceless gift.

Allow it to sooth the times

When there may be stress or rift.

When someone says “I love you”,

Remember how the words ring true.

Allow your heart to sing the song

Forever I’ll love you too.

It has been an interesting evening sitting at Esther’s table writing this blog.  She sits close by, looking through a treasure box of memories that she holds on her lap.  She occasionally gives me something to read.  One item was an original typed excerpt, typed in 1979, of the first chapter of Aunt Annie’s book “A BAKER’S DOZEN”.  She then hands me a small book written by her daughter when she was eleven years old about “MOTHER”.  I read the entire handwritten, paper bound book.  It was so sweet.  If I had such a book written by my children, I too would still cherish it 50 years later.  It has been an easy, delightful time in Esther’s presence, glancing over the articles she gave me to read from years and years ago, reading letters from a sister written in 1998, and showing me pictures of bygone years.  Memories.  That is what Aunt Esther has.  Sometimes jumbled, but I believe most of them are delightful to her.  She is so remarkable.  One of the things that makes her so remarkable is she also has had events in her life that are not wonderful memories.  She chooses on which ones to dwell.  She dwells on that which is good.

 I wonder what I should reveal about other people’s lives so I hesitate to delve deeply into what they might think is personal information.  So I will hold my pen.  I just wish my readers could know this amazing person like I do.  I guess what it boils down to is that I come from a remarkable collection of people who have overcome odds you might not believe even if I told you.  And there is probably more that I don’t even know than what I do know.

Today is another day to remember.  I will cherish these moments long after I am gone from this precious house.  Thank you Aunt Esther for giving me so much love over the years.  Your love will live in my heart through eternity.  God was sure good to me to give me you, one of many unique and awesome aunts.  I have been blessed and like Scarlett said, “Just remember, you are so lucky…”

I know I am.

Good night and God bless you.

Friday October 16 2015  A DAY FULL OF SURPRISES

CALENDAR WISDOM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 16, 2015

MAN WEIGHS YOUR ACTIONS

BUT GOD WEIGHS YOUR

INTENTIONS.

 I am sitting here at Aunt Esther’s table waiting to become inspired.  This has been a day filled with so many things that it is actually difficult to go back and remember all that happened.  I will try to reclaim some of the highlights.  I think a day that is filled with laughter just seems longer and sweeter than days when no laughter occurs.   I love to laugh but it is not as spontaneous for me as it is for some.  Today Dave captured one of those laughing moments on camera.  It makes me smile to look at myself laughing.  Immediately my mind drifts back to last week when every day seemed to be filled to over flowing with laughter.  Our almost eight year old grandson has about the greatest laugh in the world.  It is so quick in coming and so joyous in its sound.  It’s almost as if he can’t stop the laughter from coming.  We even tried an experiment where we all stood in a circle and just started laughing and didn’t stop until it all turned into “real” laughter.  Mostly we were laughing at each other trying to laugh.  It’s one of those situations where “you just had to be there”.

Hmm…I’m still not inspired.  Okay, I’ll go over my day.  Lots of talking this morning (oh, I’m beginning to get my inspiration) so we left later than we intended, to go over to visit my uncle Buddy.  My uncle is 90 years old.  He is quite remarkable in my book.  He was in World War II and was in Japan after the atomic bomb went off.  After the bomb settled he slept on the ground in the fallout debris.  As my aunt stated, he was never quite the same after that.  He has health issues that no one should ever have to live with.  It is difficult for him, but with some help coming in with food and housekeeping he is able to stay in his own home.  I believe that is very important to him.  His greatest handicap is that he is hearing impaired and cannot hear at all.  I had my computer with me as I had stopped on the way to his house and sat on the closed library steps bootlegging Wi-Fi from the atmosphere in order to publish yesterday’s blog.  I used my computer screen to type my side of the conversation and he would speak his side of the conversation.  Very easy way of communicating instead of writing long hand. 

While at Buddy’s house a visiting nurse came in with lots of questions and concerns.  I asked her if she would like me to type what she asked, so Buddy could read the text, and then he could answer verbally.  We worked in tandem like that for about one hour.  The nurse said it was extremely helpful and she was very grateful.  I will not discuss anything that was spoken in that conversation except one sentence of wisdom that came out of my uncle’s mouth.  He told the nurse “IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR ME TO JUST DO NOTHING”.  It was said so innocently and not to be funny.  It was funny.  Funny because it is so true!  I have felt that way about some of my days.  I just didn’t know how to express what was happening (or not happening).

The realization I really had about this whole encounter with the nurse and Buddy is realizing that I am so close to his age and that what is happening in his life and aging process, is similar for millions, me included.  His conversation was full of surprises.  At the end of the conversation it was as if I had my eyes opened to another dimension.  The dimension of “old age” and what it truly means.  He is a bit more than 20 years ahead of Dave and I in the aging department.  Believe me, I had my eyes open today to a new reality.  Aging is happening, slowly but surely.  The older I become the quicker it seems to happen.  Some of what I learned today on the personal level, I will share at a future date (when the inspiration hits).  I think that we all, at one time or another, need a dose of reality.  I was certainly surprised with all the features that come with aging.  Stay tuned for future expounding.

Dave and I left and went shopping.  While we were out we searched for magnetic buttons at the request of Uncle Buddy.  Believe it or not we did find some (another surprise), but they were not appropriate for what he needed.  We went back to Buddy’s house to pick up Aunt Esther and ended up staying quite a bit longer.  On the way home we stopped by the gym that I worked out at in March while I was here.  And what a surprise when I walk in and see 6 foot 9 inch Matt Hall sitting behind the front counter.  I met Matt previously and had my photo taken with him only to find out later he was a football player who was recovering from an injury on his right triceps.  At that time he was playing for the Indianapolis Colts.  He was asked to play for the Denver Broncos but decided to retire due to the possibility of another injury to his arm that could result in permanent disability.  We had a nice chat and went on our way.  It was fun to see him again.  I am including a picture that Dave took of us together.  

My biggest surprise had not yet happened.  This evening after our meal was over I was informed that my cousin Dale, who just happens to be Esther’s son, was stopping by for a visit and to take Esther to the store.  It was really a great surprise.  Dale and I are very close in age and played together under our grandparent’s front porch steps each summer when we were young kids.  I have always dearly loved my cousin.  I was probably just a pain in his side but he seems to like me okay now.  We see each other so infrequently, and then, there are usually a lot of people around to sidetrack any and all conversations we might have.  Not so this evening.    We had a nice visit.  I probably learned more about his life tonight than I have in all the rest of my life combined.  He actually talked.  He is a man of few words!

Dale just retired a few months ago.  I asked him what he would like to tell others who are looking at retirement.  Here are Dale’s words of wisdom:  “Plan for your retirement early while you are still young.  Don’t depend on anyone else.  For the kids coming up now I think that is important!”  I am so happy that Dale was one of my surprises!  I was hoping to see him this trip but since he lives quite a ways away I didn’t know if it would happen.    I was sorry that his wife was unable to come with him.  Thank you Dale for coming.

IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME

By Kathleen Martens

October 16, 2015

Tongue in cheek is but a phrase

But for the old, the mouth is a maze.

Where sits the tongue when mouth is closed?

Take a look, you might be amazed.*

What does the hand?  Gnarled and worn?

When the body is forlorn?

What to do when you’re all alone,

And all your loved ones you now morn?

All the things one used to do

Takes much longer before you’re through.

You accomplish little and that’s a fact.

As moments of day become so few.

And you discover in all your huffing,

IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO DO NOTHING.

This poem was inspired by my Uncle Buddy’s words of wisdom: “IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME TO DO NOTHING”.  I think those words have great insight and are full of wisdom.  I am glad that we spent our time today with him.  I am also glad you spent these few moments reading about my delightfully, surprising day.  It was one of those days to be remembered!

May God bless and keep you!

P.S.  Dale informed me that Esther does indeed have Wi-Fi.  He recently cancelled it but didn’t think it had yet been removed.  He checked and it was still in operation.  Thus, I was able to get this blog published without going back to the Library steps.  That was a nice surprise!  So there you have it, my day full of surprises.

Thursday October 15 2015  THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

CALENDAR WISDOM

OCTOBER 15 2015

HAPPINESS RESIDES NOT IN

POSSESSIONS AND NOT IN GOLD.

THE FEELING OF HAPPINESS

DWELLS IN THE SOUL.

We have only three days and three nights to be here in Arkansas.  So every moment counts. The terrain we drove through today was breathtaking.  Autumn color has arrived to the Ozark Mountains.  As many times as I have come to Arkansas I don’t believe I have ever traveled through the mountains this late in the season.  It was simply spectacular but of course there were no places to stop on the winding, narrow mountain roads to take a photo.  It was afternoon as we came through the peak color areas and the sun was shining brilliantly through the rusts, ambers, and golds of the recently turned leaves.  I was doing the driving so I couldn’t just gawk as much as I would have liked, but I could not help but be enthralled with the colors that caught my eye.  For quite a way we were in a caravan of slow moving cars following a semitrailer truck up the laborious, snaking road.  It made it easier to see the wonders around me a bit better without someone honking the horn behind me (which did happen today).

We arrived at Aunt Esther’s by 3:00 p.m.  The back door was unlocked and no one was to be found when we walked in.  I checked every room and came across my sister Scarlett sleeping peacefully like Snow White.  I had called out when I arrived but she didn’t hear as she had her cochlear implant magnet unconnected.  She later awakened and reattached her magnet to the implant site so she could once again hear.  It is so amazing to be with her and be able to carry on a conversation with her.  Though I was with her a few days in March when I stopped by on my trip, I am still not used to her being able to hear and follow a conversation.  It is awesome!  We talked and laughed and ate together.  My aunt Vela also came so there were five of us.  Dave was outnumbered, 4 to 1.  But, he did his fair share of talking.

Dinner is over, the guests are gone, auntie is in bed, as is Dave, and I sit here writing a blog that I cannot publish tonight.  I will go to the library in the morning and hook onto their website in order to publish.  Can’t promise I will be able to do that every day since the library is closed on Saturday and Sunday.  We will be leaving on Sunday afternoon and I should then be back in the land of electronics and Wi-Fi.  Oh my, how simple life was before.

Life is different in this part of Arkansas.  If you were to ask me why I don’t know if I could really pin point the exact reason.  It just seems different.  In some aspects it’s like going back in time.  Houses are simpler, life seems slower, and less complicated.  It is popular for T.V. shows to demonstrate how to do a fixer upper and then decorate in the “country style”.  All I have to do is walk into one of my relative’s homes and I get that same warm cozy feeling of “a little bit of country”. The only thing is, their “little bit of country” is the real thing.  And even more than that, it is both inside and outside.  The houses are old, the furniture is old but has that aged comfortable look, and everything is authentic.  And…to make it even better…IT HAS NO WI-FI, no cable TV, no smart phones.  What it does have is lots of time for loving. 

I look up across the kitchen and see a beautiful photo of my mother taped to the wall above a photo of her brother.  Both are siblings to my aunt Esther and both are now in heaven.  Yet, their faces are on the wall as a reminder of the love my aunt still carries in her heart for her brother and sister who are no longer with her.  My mind wanders back to the day I snapped that photo of her in 2005 when I was staying with my mother here in Arkansas so my sisters could have a time of rest.  They were the primary caregivers, living with mama and caring for her through her years of dementia.  It was not an easy task but even though mama no longer recognized them or me, we knew who she was.  There was a lot of love and sacrifice my sisters gave through the years they tended her and I shall be forever grateful for their love and concern for our mother. 

I walked outside with a dishpan of cut up watermelon rind to scatter out in the field that once was a beautiful garden with both vegetables and flowers.  Aunt is 87 now and the garden is no more.  But, she still feeds the earth with the organic matter that comes from nature’s bounty.  Those rinds will decay and feed the birds and the insects.  Again, I was struck with nostalgia and a bit of melancholy at the same time.  I could still picture in my mind’s eye, on this very same garden plot, my mom walking down freshly turned soil with the rows ready to accept the seeds of purple hull peas she had in her pocket.  She walked slowly dropping a seed on the new mounds of dirt and then tamping each seed down with the blunt side of her ever present hoe.  Row after row she did the same motions over and over as if she were dancing to a tune in her heart that was in synchronization with Mother Earth.  My mom had a way with gardens.  Wherever she lived a garden area was always created.  I have written a story about her gardens but it is not edited as of yet but I will search for it when I get home and see if I can clean it up a bit and get it on the blog for you to read.  It is a sweet story.  My mother lived here with Esther for several years before dementia set in.  While here she primarily lived in the garden.  This place holds lots of memories that connect me with my mom.  Not only do I come home to Aunt Esther, but it is like coming home to my mother.

All too soon these days will be gone and Dave and I will leave.  I will leave my Aunt behind.  I will leave my sister behind.  I will leave tears behind.  But in my heart I will take the memories and love with me.

MEMORIES TUCKED IN MY HEART

By Kathleen Martens

October 15 2015

Memories and love, they have a way

Of being right where they are supposed to stay.

Tucked in my heart that follows my trail

So when I call them they never fail.

They never fail, but comfort give.

They offer joy wherever I live

And love overflows and makes room for more

And allows my heart to open its door.

When I recall, a sacred time,

My memory always tows the line.

I see the moment as if it is

It’s prompting perfect without quiz.

My treasure chest opens so I see

What’s in my heart that desires to be free.

And a little tidbit of yesterday’s pleasure

Is filed away for tomorrow’s treasure.

And then my memories I call by name

And they come to play their game.

Good night.  Cherish your memories.  Make new ones tomorrow. Live in the moment. (My wisdom)

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.