Sunday Sabbath February 14 2016  TO BE, OR NOT TO BE?

That is the question.  Best laid plans of mice and men!  Again, our plans have changed for the day.  We arrived home about 1:00 p.m. in the middle of a snow storm.  The roads went from clear, to powdery white, to icy, in about a half hour.  We stopped at the store on the way home to pick up the dessert.  When we came back outside we realized the roads were becoming icy.  Not a good thought when people are coming over later.

Once home I began my final preparations for our party.  I still needed to finish some last minutes placemats I was making, but decided to begin the meal preparation first.  The more I thought about how dangerous the roads were, the more I became concerned for our daughter-in-law driving 40 minutes (in good weather) to come over.  She called Courtland, who was at work, to get a report on the road conditions.  There was a 10 car pileup on the interstate and another multiple car crash on the beltline.  So, that sort of answered the question as to whether or not Amy should get out on the roads.  When is snow is falling it is often the most dangerous time to drive.  Though the snow is not yet thick, the roads became icy, and the snow plows have not yet had a chance to plow.  Just one accident can cause long delays in reaching your destination.  I can’t imagine how long It might take to clear the roads of multiple vehicles.  So, we decided to postpone the event until next Saturday. 

Well, we have lots of food in the house.  As long as there is electricity we can eat.  We especially need the electricity to keep all our food in the freezer frozen.  I started freezing more.  Some food I had prepared the day before.  I packaged that up and prepared it for the freezer.  There was just too much for the two of us to consume.  The salad makings we can eat!  I would rather have leftover food than chance our children and grandchildren being involved in a collision.  It is still snowing lightly.

Though Valentine’s Day will be over, the real reason we were celebrating has not yet happened.  And it will happen whether we get together or not.

We had an amazing service this morning at church.  There were five baby dedications and several people were baptized in water.  Being baptized in water is a public act that a person does in order to declare to the world that they have given their heart and life to Jesus by accepting and believing in the salvation Christ gave to the world by dying on the cross for our sins.  Several of those baptized read a short story of how they came to know the Lord.  Their testimonies were amazing and well worth listening to.  The service may be put on line.  However, I am not quite for certain since our pastor did not preach.  It may be worth checking out online later this week.

Short blog today as I would like to rest a bit and get ready for another busy week.

EVEN TODAY WILL BECOME A TREASURE

By Kathleen Martens

February 14, 2016

Sometimes there are decisions

That are difficult to make.

But when loved ones are involved

It’s easy for their sake.

Never my way would I demand

If danger is rearing its head.

I’d rather forego a party

Than have someone end up dead.

Of course there’s disappointment

When cancelling a day of fun.

But this is just one moment in time

Because our life is not yet done.

So I will carry in my heart

Anticipation for next week.

And new memories we will make

To forever cherish and keep.

Wisdom always knows what’s best

When God is at the helm.

I desire to continuously live,

Only in God’s realm.

And even though the snow is falling

I still see beauty in the hour.

I refuse my spirit to droop

Like a wilting flower.

Today is far too precious,

To waste even the simplest pleasure.

Every day is a memory to savor

Even today will become a treasure.

I pray each day that I receive more wisdom from God.  I hope that my decision today shows proof that God is answering my prayer.

That reminds me of the quote from President Lincoln that I once read:

“I DO NOT THINK MUCH OF A MAN WHO IS NOT WISER TODAY THAN HE WAS YESTERDAY.”

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!  MAY THE TREASURES OF YOUR HEART BE FOCUSED ON GOD!

Good evening, and God bless all of you!

Saturday February 13 2016  NIGHT BECKONS

A Late night for me.  Just returned home from an incredible birthday party for a one year old.  It was more in the line of something like a wedding reception.  Actually I have photographed several wedding receptions in the same reception area.  The party was black tie or dressy.  Dressy it was.  The party was hosted by an Eastern Indian family to celebrate their son’s birth.  Most of the guests were Indian and were attired in the most brilliant colored saris. The Indian women’s clothing was gorgeous.  The people were beautiful and so very friendly.  I was impressed with the behavior of all the children.  They were all so well-mannered and respectful.  Even the birthday boy did not make a peep the entire evening.  And what a gorgeous little boy he is.

I felt honored to be invited to this celebration.  I met this young couple at our church and photographed their newborn son last year just before I left on my trip.  I have not seen them since that time.  It was unbelievable to see the baby first as a newborn and presto, now as a one year old.  I had a great time while at the party and stayed way too late.  The food was unbelievably delicious.  There was a great many selections and it was all perfectly spiced with HOT HOT seasonings.  

I took a few pictures on my cell phone and received permission to put them on my blog.  It was a fun, well organized event and I loved every moment I was there.  It was great to be with such a nice group of people.  I met one young lady of 14 named Venika.  “Venika” sounded so beautiful when she spoke her name.  I also took pictures of both her, and her mom, and have been given permission to share them on my blog.  I also asked Venika what she had learned in her short life that she would like to share with others.  I was quite amazed at her answer.  Here is her wisdom:

“I THINK IF YOU MEET SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN’T PUSH THEM AWAY, BUT YOU SHOULD OPEN UP AND TALK TO THEM AND BE KIND, BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE   AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT PROBLEMS WE ALL FACE IN OUR LIVES.  I THINK EVERYONE DESERVES TO BE SHOWN KINDNESS AND BE CARED ABOUT EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW THAT PERSON WELL.”

I think I would be proud to be Venika’s mother.  Thank you Venika for sharing your wisdom with me.

As I promised last evening, the conclusion of last night’s episode will be shared in tonight’s blog.  If you have not read yesterday’s blog, you may want to read it before you read the following.

Here it is:

Journal Entry:

Saturday March 20, 2015 9:10 a.m.  San Antonio Texas

“DO YOU TRUST ME?”

WOW!  What a wonderful, watchful God You are!  Thank You Lord for Your amazing care and grace over my life yesterday.

Texas highways are a threat to your life.  Drove from Fort Worth to San Antonio, all back roads.  Speed limits posted up to 75 mph on two lane roads and highways WITH TRAFFIC SIGNALS.  I was on a divided stretch with posted limits at 75 mph.  I was driving that speed when I noticed the red light ahead turn to yellow.  I glanced in my rear view mirror, no one was close behind me, it was raining but visibility was still fine and I leisurely came to a stop as the light turned red.  When I began slowing down I was probably less than an eighth mile from the intersection.   I was in the right lane.  There was no other lane to my right, just the light pole on a little raised cement triangle.  No one was in front of me.  A couple of cars were in the lane to my left.

About three or four seconds after I stopped, a large pick-up truck with a large irregular shaped, loaded trailer, went zooming by on the right side of me where the shoulder should have been.  But there was no shoulder there, only the light pole.  I didn’t see the truck coming from behind. I did see him pass me because I was looking toward my right.  He must have been traveling about 60 miles per hour.  The look I saw on his face was one of horror and bewilderment.  He was not behind me in my rear view when I began breaking for the light.  He must have been quite a ways behind me, perhaps became distracted looking at the scenery, and when he glanced back at the road, was when he may have realized the traffic had stopped.  When you are traveling 75 to 80 miles an hour (yes, even in the rain) you cover a lot of ground rather quickly.  When he looked up and saw me he was unable to slow down in time due to the slippery roads and the heavy trailer pushing him, so he chose to squeeze between my car and the light pole.  And somehow he was able to accomplish that.  He ran the red light, barely squeezing by.  He was fighting to keep his truck under control.  He finally quit breaking and gunned his engine as cars from the cross street started coming over the divided area of the highway. 

When he swooshed past me I heard myself say aloud, “Why’d he do that?”  A voice that seemed almost audible, immediately replied back in a calm voice, “Because he couldn’t stop.  Do you trust me now?”

WOW!

It seemed it all happened in slow motion.  My adrenalin was never triggered because I did not notice him approaching.  By the time he passed me all danger was over.  A laughter bubbled up in my heart as I imagine God’s angels surrounding my little Kia Soul, directing the devil to stay clear of the back of my car.  I believe it was also the angels that guided the truck driver between my car and the light pole, not allowing his truck or trailer to even skin my side mirror.  When I looked at that light pole afterward, there is no way in the world that I thought a truck that big could fit in between that space.  It was amazing!  And even more amazing, no cross traffic hit him, nor did he hit anyone else. 

I truly believe that God answered the prayer I prayed yesterday morning sitting in my cousin’s driveway when He asked me “Do you trust me?”  And I responded, yes Lord, I trust You!

The End

So now you know how God protected me on that rainy Friday.  And I am forever thankful!

Now for the rest of the story.  While I was eating my food at the brunch this morning before I was going to speak, I felt a tug in my heart that I was not to share that story.  All of a sudden I knew that I was to share the story of my first night on the road.  I have never shared it publically, but for some reason I felt I was to change my talk and ad-lib the first night story.  So I did.  Oh well, at least it spurred me on to share with my readers what happened on my drive through Texas.

I LISTEN AS SLEEP CALLS MY NAME

By Kathleen Martens

February 13, 2016

Night beckons my tired body

To lie down and go to sleep.

I think that’s just what I’ll do

And you’ll not hear another a peep.

The day was long, night grows shorter

As each moment I type these words.

I listen as sleep calls my name.

And its bidding I have heard.

So I’ll bid you adieu

And my routine I shall keep.

Even though it is a bit later

It will be no trouble to sleep.

Good night and God bless you!

Friday February 12 2016  GO WITH A BRAVE HEART

Tomorrow I will be speaking for a few moments at church at the ladies monthly Saturday brunch.  I have been working on the words I will share.  I was encouraged to tell a little something about the trip I took last year.  I had two very different stories that I was vacillating between and finally settled on the one I am going to share here.  If you have been a long time blog reader I may have touched on this last year.  I truly can’t remember.  I know the information I share today is from a different perspective because it is the actual writings from my journal for those two days.  Some of the grammar will not be correct because I sometime do not write in complete sentences when writing in my journal, nor in a logical sequence.  I’ll try to correct all the misspellings.  I’m sure there will be a few.

To set the stage:  I am at my cousin’s house in Euless Texas and planning to drive to San Antonio Texas.  Perhaps you remember the torrential rains and flooding that Texas experience last year when their drought was broken.  Well, that was when I was there.  The weather channel was warning drivers to stay in and some of the interstates were actually closed and there were quite a few fatal accidents taking place due to flooding and traffic accidents.  Even in good weather Texas is a dangerous place to drive.  Boy, could I tell you about some traffic in Dallas and Fort Worth.  Unbelievable.  They drive like rude maniacs going way over the posted 80 miles per hours on the highways.  Just think what the roads must have been like after a drought, no rain for months and then bam,  slick roads, maniac drivers, and millions of HUGE pickup trucks zooming past you on all sides.  I never could figure out those Texans and their infatuation with trucks, WHITE TRUCKS!  For some reason they like the white ones.  The truck in my story was grey.  So here is the story. 

Journal entry:

Friday March 20 2015 9:30 a.m.  Overcast Euless Texas

Storm warnings of flash flood where I am going.  On the phone with emergency road services to talk about road conditions. 

God, I hope my phone line to You is open for an emergency call.  I need an emergency answer.  Should I go, should I stay?  The man says I’ll hit some rain but if I go the back ways and stay off the interstate the roads should not be prone to flooding?

Oh God, what should I do? 

So I called Dave and asked him if he thought it a good idea for me to drive five or six hours in pouring rain and floods?  He told me to pray and see if God would give me peace to go.  If He did, then go.  If He didn’t, then don’t go.

The following is what God impressed upon my heart:

“You can do all things through me for you have my strength.  Trust Me—allow peace to reign in your heart.  Use wisdom and continually ask for more wisdom.  The more you give to others and do My work, the more the Devil will fight to stop You.  I call my angels to do my bidding—fear not the wars that rage around you. Your strength is in Me and My blood covers you.  Speak in authority and the evil one flees.  Trust!  Stand firm!  It is going through the perils of life that make you stronger.  Fear not, for I am with you.  My rod and My staff will comfort you.  Go with a brave heart.  You are My beloved and I am with you!”

I sat in the driveway of my cousin’s house and prayed and prayed.  I asked God to send His biggest and best angels to surround my car.  I prayed for his continual protection.  I prayed for wisdom.  I prayed that I would stay alert and be ready.   I was still vacillating as to whether or not I should go.  I just kept praying.  Then when I was finally quiet so God could get another word in edgewise, I distinctly heard the question, “DO YOU TRUST ME”?

Yes Lord, I responded.  I trust you.  My confidence was in Him and I was no longer afraid.  I wrote the following poem.  Closed my journal and drove out of the driveway, confident that I was in His care.

OR JUST TAKE THE HAND

By Kathleen Martens

March 20, 2015

When storms come

Do I bow?

Am I discouraged?

Or take action now?

When the rain falls

Do I give up?

Or lean on God,

And on His word sup?

When the wind blows

Do I take cover and run

Even though my race

Has barely begun?

When it seems hopeless

Do I cave in?

Or just take the hand

Of Jesus, my friend?

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not for I am with you.  Be not dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Little did I know what was to come.

I will give you the rest of my speech tomorrow.  It is the journal entry for March 21, 2015. 

NO TIME TO JUST BE FREE

By Kathleen Martens

February 12, 2016

So tonight I bid farewell

As my night is already here.

A long day it has been

And my sleep is very dear.

Tomorrow comes quite early,

And a long day planned for me.

As well as is the day after.

No time to just be free.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!

Thursday February 11 2016  TO DO OR NOT TO DO?

That is the question!  So much on my plate no matter what happens.  I look ahead and try to plan as little as possible so I can accomplish all that needs to be done with getting this house in order.  My sister keeps telling me it becomes harder and harder the older you become.  But I didn’t know she meant just one day older at a time.  I figured she meant YEARS OLDER.  It seems I take one step forward and two steps backward. 

This party I am having on Sunday has been planned for one year!  I started preparing the tail end prep work about three weeks ago.  Crossed off several days here and there so I could finish the last minute details.  And here it is, three days before the event and about another week’s worth of work to do.  I’ve had so many “MUSTS” to accomplish, unexpected appointments, and fatigue from doing too much (including my traipsing around the country side yesterday).  I am not used to getting tired so it hit me like a whammy today when I felt in need of rest.  I actually finally conceded and laid down for one hour.

Tomorrow I must shop for food, finish cleaning the house, do last minute decorations, and finish my preparation for the talk that I will be doing on Saturday morning.  Usually I do not go to the gym on Fridays, but due to the fact that my Saturday is used up before it even happens, I must work out tomorrow morning instead of Saturday.  Dave and I plan to rise early and get to the gym so we can be at Costco by 10:00 a.m. when they open.  We will make one stop before we get there and then must make one other shopping stop after we leave.  Some things you just can’t get at Costco.  Having Dave with me is a great help.  He even helps carry in all the “stuff”.

Saturday I leave early, get home mid-day and then I am committed to attending an event Saturday evening.   One good thing is that I already have the gift wrapped and packaged up for that event.  I will not be able to stay very long.

And then comes Sunday.  Church, then home to cook and prepare last minute items for party.  You may be asking yourself what kind of party am I having that is so important.  Well, I will tell you after next week.  It is always a surprise in my book!

And next week’s calendar does not look a whole lot better. 

I have several blogs formulating in my mind.  I am going to give them a topic here and now so I hold myself accountable to writing them in the near future. 

1. To discuss what we learned when we went to the University of Wisconsin to hear the guest speaker from MIT speak on Monday night.
2. To discuss a photograph I saw yesterday that just amazed me.  It was for sale at the Bargain Nook.  I wish I had purchased it.
3. To finally share about the very first night I spent on the road last year when I began my trip.

WHAT TO DO?

By Kathleen Martens

February 11, 2016

I think there are things I must give up

If time is to work for me.

Just doing what it takes to live

Seems to never allow time to be free.

Whatever I do, the be-hinder I get

And though I try as hard as I can,

It seems there is one more thing

Which always its way demands.

So what should I NOT do

When I look at the day ahead?

Should I not, go to the gym?

If I didn’t, I’d probably be dead.

Perhaps I should give up cooking

And just stop at Burger King,

Order hamburgers and French fries,

And eat all of those greasy things.

Then I’d have to go shopping

For clothes of a bigger size.

And perhaps I’d save a little time

If I didn’t soak my eyes.

And surely my sheets would not mind

If I didn’t change them at all.

Or if I didn’t need to bathe

Or clean the bathroom stall.

I could give up laundry

And not mind if I stink a bit.

And maybe not even go shopping

And all my friendships quit.

Or better yet I could design

A clock with a 40 hour day.

And perhaps have enough time

For all my work and play.

This poem, and a conversation I had with Dave earlier today, gave me pause to realize what I cannot, and must not give up.

I must go to the gym in order to keep up my strength.

I must cook and eat healthy in order to stay as healthy as possible.

I must write my blog, as it helps my mind to stay sharp (hopefully).

I must not give up my friends, as they help me to stay connected with the world.

And I must never stop spending time with the Lord because He is my source of life.

So I guess I will just keep on keeping on. TO DO OR NOT TO DO? That is the question I must ask myself before committing to ANYTHING that goes on my calendar.

Good night and God bless you.

P.S. For some reason I had a bit of trouble with the spacing on writing this blog. Please forgive all the irregular spaces between lines. I could not figure out how to make this computer behave tonight!

Wednesday February 10 2016  AT DAY’S END

A DELIGHTFUL DAY

By Kathleen Martens

February 10, 2016

What a delightful day. 

Filled with play.

Three old hens

Having fun again.

Hunting and pecking

While inspecting,

Bargains galore

Looking for more!

If I can spy

Then I will buy.

To my chagrin

I found it again.

Sweater and jacket

And I packed it

Into my cart

Nice and smart.

With a blouse beside

Two vests lined

And a stack of books

On which I’m hooked.

And yarn and string

Toys and things

Favors and cups

In which to sup.

Candles and vase

Will not go to waste

And decorations hardy

For my party,

And little presents

To be pleasant

For my guest

Filled with zest.

Then the lunch

We loved a bunch

And more shopping

Until dropping.

Now I’m home

No more to roam.

I go to bed

To down my head.

The above poem came with my first sentence so I wrote it first.  It tells a short synopsis of my day.  And a delightful day it was.  St. Vinney’s was our first destination where I found all I needed for the party decorations and some of the gifts I plan to give.  I really enjoyed the unencumbered day.  No time limits, no rushing, quite solitude as I shopped, and then giving each other opinions as to whether or not what we modeled for each other looked okay.  That is a time when you realize the power of your words.  Just one look, one “NO” from any of us, and whatever was being modeled was O-U-T!   We trust each other to be truthful.  Nothing worse than a friend who isn’t truthful because she doesn’t want to burst your bubble or hurt your feelings.  I know that I appreciate their candor and their persuasive “YEAH: OR “NAY”!  Their frankness has never steered me wrong.  And they even listen to me!

We had a delicious lunch at a little café, in a little town about 20 miles away.  Then we stopped in at a place called the Bargain Nook, which is a resale shop where Land’s End ships things that have been returned to their stores, or excess merchandise that didn’t sell in the retail stores.  The store also takes donated used items, so essentially it is run as a resale shop, and priced accordingly.  There are a lot of new items amongst the racks but with really great pricing.  On your birthday you can buy up $50.00 worth of items for half price.  It was no one’s birthday today so we all paid full price.  If we don’t have a snow storm on my birthday we will go back and buy some things for Dave.  They have unbelievable bargains.  And half price even makes it better!

One more stop at a local Goodwill store and we were finished.  Found a few good buys there as well.  Mostly in the book department.  All children’s books sell for 89 cents each.  Adult books are $1.49.  They do add up however.  But, like I said yesterday, I just enjoy browsing the books.   I just make a list of those I would like to read and then I go to the library and check them out one at a time.  I buy only the ones that I think will take me awhile to get through.  Besides, I like to mark my books up, underlining that which I know I will want to re-read at a later date.  I always have about 10 to 20 books at a time that I am reading through.  All non-fiction.  In addition to that I have at least one fiction book I am reading straight through, rather quickly, as well as one non-fiction title that I spend time reading every day.  Makes for interesting reading.

Well, this blog is over.  I still have some reading to do before bedtime.  You see, reading is not something I MIGHT do, it is something I MUST do every single day.  A day without reading is like a day I haven’t lived.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.

Monday February 8 2016  THE ILLUSIVE DAY

When a Monday as busy as this one comes, it makes me happy to know that Tuesday is getting closer.  That is, until I look at Tuesday’s schedule.  Remember what I told you about appointments in a recent blog?  We had one full week of appointment after appointment that we had to take care, and it seems that this week is trying to get that way.  When we finish with all the work on the interior rebuild, hopefully it will settle down a bit.

Today, an unexpected tooth problem caused an extra appointment which I wasn’t counting on.  Tomorrow’s extra appointment has to do with signing contracts on the work being done on the house.  Wednesday was my only day that was preplanned, and it is an all-day affair.  We fit the new  appointments in-between other appointment that we already had to put on the calendar because of unexpected circumstances that happened last week and must be taken care of this week.  So, now we have the new unexpected, between last weeks unexpected, that had to be put on for this week. Plus, tonight there is another event that is only happening tonight that we penciled on the calendar last week.  So some of the appointments were preplanned, others just popped up.

So I said all that to say this, I don’t have time to write a blog today because we must leave soon and will not arrive home until late.  We must be up by 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning to make tomorrow work for us.   I’ll find out tomorrow what is to be done about my torn rotator cuff.  For the last two weeks we have been hoping for a couple of hours to be available to us that would allow us time to go to the theater.  That possibility keeps getting postponed.  We very rarely go to the movies, but this is a movie Dave and I would like to see.  It is titled “The Finest Hours”.  A true story about a rescue at sea.  I’ll let you know if we get to see it before it leaves the theater.

THE ILLUSIVE DAY

By Kathleen Martens

February 8, 2016

So simple it is to book a day

When the future is unforeseen.

But much more complicated to maneuver,

With life that happens in-between.

Just to see a page that is empty

On my calendar sheet,

Is something I would love to accomplish,

But such an unbelievable feat.

So I plan with utmost care

To cross off days in advance,

And protect them with all of my might

By the very seat of my pants!

But alas, they are far apart,

For something always wiggles in.

And my expectations once again dissolve

For what, just might have been.

Just a day, home all alone.

So I can fritter away my time.

To stay in my housecoat all day long

Would be mighty sublime.

When I am frittering all by myself

I accomplish so very much,

Because I do just what I enjoy

Such as sorting, writing, and such.

And sometimes I enjoy cooking,

And then lie down for an hour.

Just to have a blank schedule

Imbues me with so much power!

But if it is not to be

I will do what must be done.

Because on Sunday I’m having a party

And it will be a lot of fun.

There you have it!  The synopsis of my week with most of the details left out.  Too much to go into tonight.  Besides, after our evening out, I may have even more interesting things to talk about tomorrow!  That is…if I have time to write a blog.

Good night and God bless all of you.

P.S.  RIGHT NOW I AM FULL OF THINGS TO SAY BUT I MUST REFRAIN SO I CAN GET READY TO LEAVE!