Saturday January 9 2016  THIRTEEN MINUTES AND COUNTING

Here I am retired and I’m living my life by the clock.  Before I sat down I set the timer for thirteen more minutes.

Over the years Dave and I have enjoyed going to a favorite place once a year.  It is in the Amish Country by Fargo Wisconsin.  There are two cottages located on the property, one the size of a three bedroom house.  The owners of this piece of real estate are not Amish, so thus, the finer amenities of comfort exist, such as electricity and indoor toilets.  It is eerily quiet on the roads except for an occasional car and the sound of the quick paced, clip clop, clip clop, of horseshoes on pavement, and the early morning wake-up call from the barnyard rooster.  The farm is set back from the road and it’s as if you are in total isolation.  Our hide-away place is called TRILLIUM.  We haven’t been there for a few years, but I have a hankering to go back, at least one more time.  REAL SOON!

The cottage we chose to rent is not only quite a distance from the highway, but it is also past the main farm house, surrounded by gently sloping hills, lots of trees that we watched grow up over the years, beautiful raised flower gardens, and a huge, quaint barn, probably 150 years old, which we could see when we sat on the front porch swing.  Time seemed not to exist when we were there.  There was no access to television, radio, or land line phones.  At least none were hooked up.  We did not own cell phones at that time.  We absolutely loved it!  Well, at least I loved it!  Dave became accustomed to the place.

I made it a point to not have a watch or clock with me.  It was the one place in the world where we would go and let time just pass without having a clue as to the actual time.  We slept in and never looked at a clock.   Breakfast was complimented with the delivery of a covered basket, sort of like Little Red Riding Hood’s basket, filled with hot, delicious breads, scones, rolls, cookies, homemade jams and some other things I am probably forgetting.  When we arrived the refrigerator was always stocked with freshly squeezed juices, farm fresh eggs, milk, cheeses, and peanut butter.  The cupboards had the basic things needed to help create meals such as spices and condiments, as well as popcorn, coffee and teas.  (Popcorn is a food group for me)!  I am certain I have left a few things out.  We packed food with us to create a wonderful meal for each day.  Because we ate a LATE breakfast one meal in the early evening was the only other meal we ate.  It may be different now since Dave eats on a more regulated diabetic food plan.  We usually stayed for one week.

Just being in Trillium was like an oasis in the desert.  The cottage furniture was lumpy, the lamp lighting was poor, the walls and surfaces were over crowded with knickknacks, there was dust in all the unreachable shelves.  It was quite a hike on a gravel path to get from the car to the cottage and, there were no bell hops.  The bedrooms were at the top of a steep staircase and the bathtub was so small that Dave had to do pretzel maneuvers to come clean.  The appliances were old fashioned, the kitchen was outdated,  AND WE JUST LOVED IT!

That was the place where time seemed to no longer exist.  The one place in the world we could retreat to and find solace, peace, and quiet.  Work could not reach Dave and he could not call work.  I left my work behind.  It was a place where I was no longer a parent (we always went alone), but rather, I was just me, free from time and constraints.  Our children’s provider always had the contact phone number of the residents of the farm in case of emergency.  We usually went in September or October and had to schedule our next reservation one year in advance in order to have a place the following year.  We did that for many years.  And then the kids grew up and life became quiet.  And we still went.  We considered it our yearly “honeymoon”.  So, let your imagination soar!  All I can say, it was awesome.  And then we grew old and our lives have become too hectic and busy again!

While at Trillium I spent hours writing, and praying, and being alone with God.  We, Dave and I, spent hours in each other’s arms becoming reacquainted.  We played long card games.  We went on walks, sat on the porch swing and watched the sun go down.  We looked at the stars, and once happened upon a wagon train.  I kid you not.  I cannot remember how many real life, covered wagons were in that wagon train, making its yearly quest from one location to another, but I believe there were 87.  People were dressed in era appropriate clothing and there were horses and oxen and even mules that pulled the wagons.  I was invited to ride along on the top front bench of a covered wagon for a period of time.  Dave stayed with the car and later caught up with me.  The catching up part wasn’t very difficult as the wagon train was traveling the back road highways.

We had other amazing adventures when we went out exploring by car.  We went to Amish markets, and specialty shops.  We went to Amish auctions selling thousands of pounds of produce.  That part of our trip will best be left untold until a later time.  Just too much to explain.  It was just amazing.  Some days we went exploring, some days we stayed on the farm all day.  And some days I didn’t even get dressed!  But everyday we had that delicious basket delivered to our front porch at the time we requested.

So, you are probably wondering why I told you all this.  Well, I will tell you why.  Because today it seemed as if my life, was and is, being dictated by time.  Not enough time to do one thing, so we change our plans to do what had to be done, then we had to make the time to complete the other commitment.  Then we go here and there and home again and out again and…and…and…

And then, me and my bright idea, decided I had so much in the fridge that had to be used up that I must certainly make a soup.  Had one soup planned, decided on another, and then decided I didn’t think that recipe was all that good, so decided to change it.  And so the timer was put to use.  This ingredient goes in at this moment, that one such and such a time later, I’m running back and forth to the kitchen to see if the pot is boiling yet, then to put ingredients in every few minutes, then to stir, to season, then to stir again, start a new timer for the new ingredient so it won’t overcook, and so on and so on.  And it seems that time moves so quickly when it is necessary to respond to all the timers.  Doing all that made me think of Trillium.  I sat down at the computer, wondering what to write about, when the timer went off, and I had to hasten back to the kitchen.  That was the exact moment I thought about Trillium, and WA-LAH!  I had my blog topic.  The whole day was used for things of necessity that had to be finished, or accomplished to make this busy week come to an okay end.  In other words, time no longer is standing still.  And I miss it! 

Here we are retired, and I am thinking of calling  Trillium to find out when the first opening might be so we can skedaddle off to the place where time stands still!  It seems when we are home, things happen.  At some point, I think most people need to experience what we experienced when we secluded ourselves at Trillium, a place where time stands still.

There are several things that have happened in our abode recently that I haven’t mentioned.  It’s as if I am just not quite ready to talk about them yet.  Maybe another day.  But I will say, God is with me.  He is our provider and protector and our source of strength.  I thank Him daily for His magnificence and for who He is!  “God is more awesome than His Holy Places”,  quote from sermon by Damian Kyle from Calvary Chapel Modesto that I listened to today.  I feel a poem brewing in me about that quote.  To be continued…

TIME FOREVER WILL STAND STILL

By Kathleen Martens

January 9 2016

Surely somewhere in this world

Is a dwelling of refuge and delight.

A place where time stands still,

Without morning or night.

Just “A WHILE” we call our own,

Where timers no longer ring.

As the ensuing hours,

More demands constantly bring.

A place of “ALONE” where all is quiet

And quells of the world subside.

Is there even one place on earth,

Where that dream abides?

Man looks for temporal value

Of a one week get-a-way.

But how can we find that one place,

Where we can always stay?

In truth I believe that I know

Just how that peace is found.

Only when you have Jesus as your friend,

Are you on solid ground.

There is a place of deep contentment

In the heart where the Spirit lives.

Both true refuge and delight

Is what to you, Jesus will give.

So ask Him into your heart

And eternity will become real.

And when you go to live with Him,

Time forever will stand still.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Romans 15:13

Good night, and God bless you!