Tuesday March 29 2016  THE MIRACLE BED

There is always too much to write and not enough time in which to write it.  Yesterday’s topic was heavy on my heart and I needed to get it off my chest.  Perhaps you did not realize that I use my blog as an occasional dumping ground.  It is like therapy to me to release my experiences and thoughts in words and since this also is part journal, I do so within its pages. 

Sunday night when we were in Live Oak, Florida, Dave and I slept in a queen sized bed at a lovely Airbnb.  The bed had some sort of pad under the mattress pad.  It was about two inches thick and quite firm.  We both did not think much about it as we snuggled under the warm blankets.  Dave and I both woke up feeling absolutely wonderful and quite refreshed.  We felt better having slept in that bed than we do sleeping on our own bed at home.  I decided to take a peek at what kind of pad was hiding under the sheet and mattress cover.  Whatever it was, it was enclosed in a sturdy case that zipped closed around the entire edge.  I couldn’t figure out what it was.

Before leaving the Airbnb I asked Doris, the host, what kind of pad she had on the bed we slept on.  She told me it was a magnetic pad.  We know people who use magnet “therapy” so this concept was not new to us, even though we have never pursued it.  Doris wears magnetic shoe inserts and a magnetic back pad that tucks into her waist band when she works in the yard.  She could not say enough good things about her magnets.  After just one night of such interrupted sleep it might be something we at least investigate when we arrive home.  It was so amazing that we both realized the difference in our sleep that night without an inkling of what may have allowed it.

Our daughter is wonderful as usual.  Her husband is trying to survive her abuse.  It seems she has a talent for doing things like vacuuming up his toes or banging the washing machine door into his elbow.  She turns over in bed and punches her elbow into his head or doesn’t screw a lid on tight and as Neil puts his strength into opening the “tight” lid his brute force causes his hand to come flying up to his face and the lid gives him a good smack.  The list goes on but I must admit, it sounds to me like it must be all his fault by just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Believe me, I did not make this up.  When Neil told me he had a twinkle in his eyes.  But, we love him anyway.

Rebecca informed me that I could be cooking while I was here, so today was shopping day.  We went to Costco, Don Victorio’s House of Vegetables, and the grocery store.  We are set.  The chicken is cooked, the broth is done, the refrigerator is stuffed and I must wrap this blog up quickly so I can prepare Dave’s favorite dish, homemade Ambrosia.  It is a recipe I made up by copying the entrée from a fine place of dining.  The cook even gave me the secret ingredient I needed to buy in order to get the wonderful flavor we so enjoyed.  Tonight it will be Ambrosia Pizza.  Everyone is getting antsy for me to get up and make it so I must close.

 

NOTHING QUITE LIKE BEING A GUEST

By Kathleen Martens

March 29, 2016

 

There’s nothing quite like

Being our daughter’s guest

And never being allowed

To take a rest.

 

I must cook

And slave away

So there is food

To eat today.

 

Just don’t tell her

What I confess.

That cooking is what

I like doing the best.

 

Today I thank You Lord for food.

I thank You for taste buds.

Lord I thank you for Your love for me.

Thank You Lord for our daughter.

Thank You Lord for our son-in-law.

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!

 

 

Monday March 28 2016  UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES 

WE HAVE ARRIVED!  Literally.  Our ultimate destination has been accomplished successfully.  And we are so thankful.  The world is moving faster and faster.  It’s as if, no matter how fast the speed limit is, it is just not fast enough.  If it is 55 mph  I might fudge and go 57 mph (in the slow lane) just so I can say I’m going over the speed limit and therefore not be considered “a little old lady driver”.  It seems as if other drivers are trying to push me off the road. 

My eyes were opened last year to the daring speeds of 75 mph and 80 mph on two lane roads with traffic signals.  I came close to being a statistic.  I was so thankful that Wisconsin only had 65 mph as their highest speed limit, that is, until I arrived home and found out it had been raised to 70 mph.  When it was 65 mph it was very usual for most cars to travel at 75 mph or 80 mph.  So, now that most freeways and highways are 70 mph it seems a high percentage take the leeway and travel upwards of 80 to 90 mph.  Even in the rain.

Dave and I shared driving off and on today to make the travel less tedious.  It was beautiful clear sunshine when we set out this morning from Live Oak, Florida, and I drove about two hours.  Dave took over and in no time at all the skies turned gray and the thunder and lightning began, along with torrential rains.  He drove about an hour and we stopped and traded seats again.  The rains stopped when I began driving.  Later Dave too over and again the rains came down. I kid you not, when Dave was driving it was raining, sometimes ferociously.  The roads were wet to the point that at one time the car hydroplaned.  He slowed down and drove between 60 and 65 mph.  What was so amazing were those cars that absolutely flew by at speeds that may have exceeded 80 mph and an additional few drivers that whizzed by so quickly that it actually startled us.  Finally the rains abated for a few moments while Dave was driving.  He again accelerated to about 70 mph so he wouldn’t be run over. 

I often wonder why people think they can get away with breaking the law so blatantly.  About the time I was thinking that, the rain had stopped and I noticed a string of cars on the opposite side of the highway which had been pulled over by several different policemen.  I smugly thought it was about time.  We noticed everyone slowed down.  About a mile past the string of flashing lights all the cars going in our direction started speeding up again.  It’s interesting how quickly the 70 mph speed limit can become popular, at least until the policemen are out of sight.  Stop and think about how you drive.  Are you the impatient dare devil, coming up quickly on the tail end of a car as the other driver is passing someone in the slow lane?  Is it you who hugs the car bumper ahead with only one car length in between going 80 mph?  Or perhaps you are a bit more courteous and follow the speed limits “even if everyone else is doing it”.  The “it”, simply means breaking the law of the land, putting yourself above all others, thinking you are more important than anyone else on the road, and you have the right to make other driver’s get out of their way, even when the speed they are driving is above the speed limit?  It’s as if no one stops to think about unintended consequences.  What about the “WHAT IF’S”?

Every decision we make has a consequence, be it intended or unintended.  Just entering a toll road is a decision.  You want to get from point A to point B.  Going faster than the speed limit is a decision.  You want to arrive sooner rather than later.  But, do you ever think of the unintended consequences that could happen because you are in a hurry?  Do you ever think about the unintended consequences that could happen just because you enjoy the thrill of speeding, zigzagging between the traffic and riding the bumper of every car you come upon, even in the rain?  Maybe there is a reason there are laws and rules.  Maybe those reasons are intentionally designed to make the world a safer place. 

Today I witnessed an unintended consequence.  The roads were wet.  The rain still coming down sporadically with cars whizzing by at breathtaking speeds.  By this time we were a couple of miles past the string of speeders who had been pulled over.  The traffic was again picking up speed.  I was in the passenger seat and was looking off to my right.  At first it was hard for my mind to register exactly what I saw.  There were two cars that had flown off the side of the freeway, one wrapped around a pole-like tree and another car close by.  The one wrapped around the tree had hit it head on, creating a crumpled mess of broken car, fiberglass, and caved in front seat area with thick billowing black smoke coming out of every opening.  The other car off the freeway had not hit a tree and came to rest in an upright position.  A woman was standing by the car with her head in her hands with an expression of disbelief.  We could not stop safely, but I called 911.

I do not know how it happened.  I don’t know who may have been at fault.  All I know was that what I viewed was definitely UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES for all those involved.  I don’t know how many passengers were in that decimated vehicle or what the condition the occupents may have been in.  I do know the car hit at high speed due to the crumpled mess and I do know with certainty that it was on fire.  I immediately prayed for those involved.  I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THOSE INVOLVED WILL ARRIVE AT THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINATION TODAY, NOR PERHAPS WILL THEY EVER.  Did the driver ever once think about the unintended consequence of driving so fast in the rain?  Dave and I did, all day long.  We were cautious without being dangerous to other drivers.  We drove in the right lane of the two lane tollway.  We passed other cars when it was safe, and lowered our speed to match the slow lane of traffic once the rain began.  And we prayed.  We prayed that we would not meet unintended consequences as we continued our miles. 

Please give thought to what I have written above, especially if you may fall into the category of the law breaker.  I believe we are instructed in God’s word to obey the laws of our land.  So, is it a sin to blatantly speed and not give thought to other’s safety, even if you don’t give thought to your own safety?

It was very sorrowful to see that car in flames, knowing that someone was still inside and the 911 responders were still far away.

 

Don’t Rush, Even when Late.

By Kathleen Martens

March 28, 2016

 

Unintended consequences

Not for the faint of heart.

But perhaps one should think

Before their journey starts.

 

The decisions we make each day

Have great bearing on our fate.

The moral of the story goes,

Don’t rush, even when late!

 

I do not mean to end this blog on a down note, but what I saw today really shook me up.  THINK BEFORE YOU “DO”.  Use wisdom before you act.  Wisdom can be described as using your knowledge to make the best decision possible for each circumstance.  SLOW DOWN ON THE HIGHWAYS and maybe you won’t become a statistic on the billboard above the Interstate!  Better yet, maybe you won’t be the cause of someone else becoming a statistic!

Thank You Lord for loving all those who You created.

Thank You for safe travels this day.

Thank You God that I believe in who You are.

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU WHO READ THESE WORDS.

 

RESURRECTION SUNDAY March 27 2016  THE BETTER DRIVER

We are driving in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia on Easter Sunday Sabbath.  Speed limit is 55 mph.  Dave is driving a daring 60 mph and we are being left in the dust.  Or perhaps I should say, left in the pouring down rain!  The freeway is seven lanes wide going in one direction.  We are headed right into the heart of downtown Atlanta.  I hope the freeway stays intact until we reach the other side. 

I asked if Dave would like me to drive in the rain because I am the “better” driver but he said, “No thanks”.  You see, he thinks HE is the better driver!  I must pause now to view the city so I can say I’ve been to Atlanta!  Georgia is a beautiful state!  Kentucky and Tennessee all win blue ribbons in the beauty pageant.  This is by far the largest city we have gone through since leaving home. 

Time has passed and we survived going through the city (all on the freeway) but it seems the outskirts just do not end.  I do not think I would like to live in a city this size!

Dave and I have an ongoing sparring match as to who is the best driver.  It’s all in fun.  It is just amazing how he really does think he is the better of the two of us.  Especially since I know I am right!  Actually I have it figured out.  When he drives I am a bit on edge because he doesn’t react to the driving conditions like I would.  And I think he is on edge because I don’t react to driving conditions like he does.  So perhaps in our own eyes we are both correct.  I am not concerned about him when he drives alone, so why should I be concerned about his driving when he is doing the driving and I am a passenger?  So I choose to be quiet.  Overall he is an excellent driver.  And what he just said about me is that I am just not a very good passenger.  Just for the record, that is not true.

Now to the reason for this wonderful day.  It is a day of remembrance and rejoicing because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I touched on this topic last week.  It is the story that changed the world forever.  The first, being the day he was born on earth earth, and the second being His death and resurrection to atone for the sins of man.

The beauty of Christ’s death and resurrection is that not only are our sins forgiven if we but ask, but that He promised to send His Holy Spirit back to earth after He ascended to THE FATHER so that His Spirit would abide within us as our comforter and friend.  And so today we celebrate and rejoice and remember. 

We had three Calvary Chapel Fellowships picked out to attend so we could match our time on the road to coincide with their service time.  We decided to travel almost three hours before stopping in Chattanooga TN in order to help break up our nine and one half hour trek.  We were right on target with plenty of time to arrive in Chattanooga before the 11:00 a.m. service.  We both looked forward to our Easter celebration with a “church family”.  We had already left the other two church areas behind us.

About 45 minutes before arrival time we realized that Chattanooga was in a different time zone (something we had discussed before we left home).  But, on this day, we forgot!  Another senior moment.  We would be arriving an hour late because we forgot to change our clocks one hour ahead.  We looked and looked for other churches along the way, but by this time most service were well underway, or over.  We eventually stopped at a rest stop, changed out of our Sunday go-to-meeting clothes and put on our comfortable duds.  And here I am finishing up my blog.  Originally I planned to share about our church experience today.  There is just something special about joining in worship with a southern church body.

 

ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL

By Kathleen Martens

March 27, 2016

 

Two hundred and twenty two miles

Left to drive today.

Let’s hope we don’t get lost

Like we did yesterday.

 

Nothing quite as exciting

As arriving after dark

Especially without an address

Which creates quite a lark.

 

To be lost is one thing

But when you know you have arrived

It becomes exasperating

When the house seems to hide.

 

But all is well that ends well

For we finally found our stead

Filled our tummies, and went to sleep

And slept on half a bed.

 

I must explain the above poem.  When we received our information from Airbnb.com regarding our reservation we were only given the name of the subdivision of our designated location.  We found the location of the subdivision through google.  We thought perhaps it was the only house as the location was named BOYER FARMS, only to find out that there were dozens and dozens of houses that all looked quite similar.  I called, left messages to the owner but we did not receive a response.  After an hour of searching up and down the streets, stopping strangers on the street to ask them if they recognized the picture of the house on my cell phone which I received from Airbnb, knocking on doors which had porch lights burning, we were still house-less.  So I scrutinized the picture of the house to see if I could figure out what might be different from the others in the neighborhood.  Finally, I discovered a design difference in the walkway that led up to the front door that no other house had.  So, I kid you not, (after stopping at a construction site so I could use an outdoor latrine with my cell phone flashlight) we examined each house in order to find the nuance the picture characterized.  Would you believe it, we actually found it.  It had no porch light burning and only one light was on in the house.  By this time it was almost 9:00 p.m.  I have used Airbnb on many occasions but it was Dave’s first experience.  Not a great first experience for him.  The lightbulb on the porch had burned out.  There is a lot more I could tell you but I will refrain.  So now you know what the poem is referring to.  There is even more to the story.  Maybe someday I will tell you about the bed.  I am smiling and I am still learning.  Wherever I go God so graciously teaches me something. 

Thank You Lord that we finally found the house last night.

Lord, Thank You for providing a bed for Dave and I to sleep in last night.

Thank You for bringing us safely to our destination this day.

Thank You for washcloths.

 

It is now 2:36 p.m.  We are through Atlanta as well as Macon Georgia.  We are on our way to another Airbnb in Live Oak FL.  And the miles yet to go are now 192 with an ETA of two hours and forty five minutes.

GOD BLESS YOU ON THIS BLESSED RESURRECTION SABBATH!

 

P.S.  I cannot publish my blogs until night comes and I have access to WIFI. 

P.S. Again:  It is still pouring down rain!

P.S. This is the last one:  We arrived safely to Live Oak, FL.  Lovely accommodations!  It poured bucket all afternoon as we drove our leisurely 70 mph.  And we were in the slow lane, in pouring down rain.

 

Saturday March 26 2016  ON THE ROAD

Literally, on the road.  Dave is driving and I am sitting next to him in the front seat, baseball cap shielding the sunshine from my eyes, and happily writing what I hope will be my best blog ever!  (Dream on Kathleen.)  We are headed toward Decatur Illinois on our way to Clarksville Tennessee where we will spend the night.  It is a new experience writing in the front seat of a car as the roadside speeds away in my peripheral vision.  Illinois is flat.  At least the parts I’ve always driven through.  Flat, and beautiful in its own agricultural way.  In my opinion it does not hold a candlestick to the rolling landscape of Wisconsin’s rural farms.  But, wherever I am I can see beauty in the land.  

So, now that I have gone to all the trouble to get my computer situated on my lap, what is there to write about?  Ah ha! I found a topic.  It stems from a comment Dave made about 10 miles back.  We saw a sign on the highway that said “ARCOLA, THE GATEWAY TO THE AMISH COUNTRY”.  Dave turned to me and said, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to go on a trip with no place to go?”  I wholeheartedly agreed!  I told him if that were so, we could just turn off here and go exploring the world of the Amish.  Then I started fantasizing what it would be like, especially if we could email Airbnb in the afternoon of each day and have a bed to sleep in that night.  I imagine it could be done.  That would be awesome.  Perhaps that will be our next trip.  No itinerary, no time schedule, no bookings of where we’ll be staying until the day we need the reservation.  I wonder where an adventure like that would lead us?  Dave has planted a new seed in my heart and I may just take him up on the idea!

The road is lulling me to into a drowsy state (another one of those wonderful places to explore).  Perhaps I am becoming sleepy because it is peaceful and quiet, and the rhythmic click of the highway’s nuances has placed a spell over me.  The sun is warm, as it beats through the window and we actually need the AC on low.  The further south we go, the warmer it becomes.  It is now 61 degrees. When we left Madison area this morning it was about 31 degrees.  Sixty one degrees feels awesome about now!  Monday, when we arrive at Rebecca’s it will be in the mid 80’s.  HERE WE COME FLORIDA!

 

THE BEST THING BEING…

By Kathleen Martens

March 26, 2016

 

My eyelids droop,

My breathing slows

The further and further

South we go.

 

All is well

All is quiet.

Only the road

Creates the riot.

 

Though peaceful and calm

It lulls the brain

Shutting out the world

From its raucous refrain.

 

The world flies past

In rhythmic speed,

Taking us south

As splendor leads.

 

Retirement seems

To have its perks.

The best thing being

WE NO LONGER WORK!

 

Not my shortest blog.  Not my longest blog.  And hopefully not my best blog.  I just wanted to make certain I had time to say hello and let everyone know that we got off okay.  It’s a good thing we have house sitters because they called us when they got up to let us know that we left the garage door open.  Oops!  My fault.  I had backed the car into the garage last night in order to make packing easier.  We were so excited to finally be leaving that as I drove away I just forgot to look back. 

Hope you have a wonderful day.  Thank you for your prayers as we travel. 

GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU!

P.S.  As I read the blog to Dave he just informed me that it is now a balmy 63 degrees.

 

 

 

Friday March 25 2016 FINAL COUNTDOWN

I see the end in sight.  That is, the end of the interminable tasks that one must do in order to take a car trip.  It is so much easier when packing a suitcase and heading out to the airport.  First priority is making certain the car is safe and maintenance is up to date.  And when you have a car as compact as our Kia Soul is, you must also give great deliberation as to what you plan to take.  When not confined to a suitcase it is easy to allow your imagination, of what you THINK you need, to get out of hand. 

When I travel I would much prefer to take my own food, buy fresh food along the way to eat, and not stop at restaurants (especially fast food restaurants).  Dave prefers stopping, eating in the restaurant, getting back in the car and all is well.  We compromised.  When we leave I take all he food in the fridge and when we eat that up we’ll then we stop at Subway’s.  We like Subway’s because that is where I can choose what I want on my salad (which comes on flat bread) and not get all the grease that most other places sell.  On my four month trip last year I did not stop at one fast food restaurant until the day before I arrived home.  My food was long gone and I needed one more meal before I stopped for the last night.  Good old Subway was right where I needed it to be.  And…since I only eat half of a flat bread sandwich salad, I always have another meal to look forward to.  Now, if I must confess it all, I will say I did stop three or four times across the country for MacDonald’s soft serve cone.  And you know what?  They all tasted differently.  One MacDonald’s soft serve was so delicious I went back through the line and ate two in a row!  One other stop for restaurant food was at Panera Bread in Colorado.

So, tomorrow’s lunch is already made.  I designed one salad for each of us that will last for two meals.  We have chicken for one meal and home grown, grass fed beef for the next meal.  We’ll have plenty of boiled eggs along with sliced zucchini, sliced green peppers, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, baby carrots, oranges, and sliced apple (Honey Crisp) in case we need to munch on something.  So you see, we are set.  The lunches are already made and as one drives, the other one eats.  We share the trusty dusty bib!  If you know me, you know about my bib.  If you haven’t seen my bib you are probably only an acquaintance.  The bib works wonderfully in the car when it’s lunchtime.  It is made from a large terry cloth bath towel.  There is a hole cut out toward one end, bound with basting ribbon, that slips over your head.  The bib fits neatly down the chest wall and delicately curves at the lap.  And there you go.  All crumbs are trapped!  When I traveled alone, my bib served both at meal time and by being the blanket I needed to cover my knees during the rest of each day.  Two fold purpose!  I will say, I always stopped to eat my meals and did not eat and drive simultaneously.

I would rather eat fresh live food any day than packaged, processed, or cooked foods.  I could probably eat out for less cost.  When Dave travels he especially enjoys not having the mess of food in the car or needing to shop at grocery stores.  He does not say too much about it but I can feel his vibes.  So I made a deal with him.  We’ll eat up what I take during the first two long travel days and after that I will not prepare food to take along for the rest of the trip.  Even if food is fresh it must still be washed,  cut up, packaged, stored (sometimes on ice), and carted around.  He liked the compromise.   I get two more days of healthy eating.  And the way I figure it, we’ll then be at our daughter’s home and she always serves healthy nourishment, sometimes to Dave’s chagrin.  She especially creates healthy green drinks with foods you probably can’t pronounce.  Right up my alley.

Things are culminating nicely.  Now all we must do is get everything into the car.  But, perhaps I should finish packing first.

 

BUT THE TOILETS WILL BE CLEAN

By Kathleen Martens

March 25, 2016

 

We can only live in the moment

Yet we plan for days ahead.

Days which may never culminate,

Regardless if living or dead.

 

We just take one step at a time,

And do what we must do

That take us to the next plateau

Of that which we must ensue.

 

Wash the clothes, wash the dishes,

That we not leave our mess behind.

I certainly don’t want another

To be surprised by the mess they find.

 

So now that I am ready to go

I see my house through another’s eyes.

Oh my goodness what will they think

When all the dust they spy?

 

But the toilets will be clean

And the sinks will be cleared away.

And it will be fun just knowing

We helped others to have a nice stay.

 

And my time is up.  I’m going to do a little test in the car tomorrow while Dave is driving.  I am going to try to use my laptop in the car to write my blog.  If I don’t get dizzy and the computer does not slide off my lap, maybe I can do it!  I’ll give it my best.  Otherwise you may just receive a hello, a goodbye, and a GOD BLESS YOU! 

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.

PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S PROTECTION OVER US AS WE TRAVEL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday March 24 2016  A GOOD MORNING HELLO

A very short hello today.  This day is packed from one event to the next and for the most part involve other people (so I must be conscious of time). 

Scattered remnants of a trifling, insignificant snow fall dots the landscape.  It rained all day yesterday and by the afternoon there was frozen, slippery slush on the parking lot surfaces around town.  I skated carefully across the pavement when I walked to and from my car.  Last night the temperature dipped enough to turn the precipitation into snow.  Ice particles cling to all the bare branches and twigs and the evergreens are heavy with the weight of it.

It is mornings such as this that I would like sit here and write my heart out.  But it is not to be.  Not today.  The countdown is set.  Last minute details to take care of and the day culminates with a “teaching dinner” this evening.  And I’m the teacher.  So, lots to prepare and do.  I wanted to check in with my readers to let them know that all is well on our home front and I will have no other moments today in which to probe my thoughts out through my fingertips.

 

WORDS GIVE THOUGHTS A VOICE

By Kathleen Martens

March 24, 2016

 

Even when time is short

And I can’t call the shots.

No time to compose a blog

Or put together all my thoughts.

 

I can still say hello

And let you know I’m well.

And to thank you for reading

The little stories I tell.

 

And if no one reads my blog

I would still write my story.

To release all the words

That within me are warring.

 

Words that want to make a way

To the top of the heap.

Fighting for their meager space

As on the screen they leap.

 

So many words I have to say

And what I write is by choice.

Perhaps I can’t talk enough

And my writing gives thought a voice.

 

Though my words today are few

I send my greetings with prayer,

That God will bless you mightily,

And let you know He cares.

 

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

After all, the gift of the Holy Spirit to us believers reminds us that we can truly…

7. Rest in God’s Love

When we face a difficult world each day, we can sometimes wonder if God even cares. Why do bad things happen? Where is God when I need Him? Solomon reminds us that God never takes a break or leaves us to fend for ourselves:

“because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:12)

Even in the midst of turmoil, God sticks with us and uses those challenges to shape us. When we understand that, our perspective completely flips. No longer do we see our setbacks as failures; we see them as moments when God, as our loving Father, works on us.

And that’s exactly why we can trust in the Lord with all our hearts. He cares for us each and every day. He gives us what we need to thrive. He pours blessing after blessing upon us.

Of course, following each of these daily steps isn’t easy. That’s why Jesus said we have to deny ourselves and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). Trusting God takes a whole-hearted commitment from dawn till dusk. But we’re never alone in it:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)

This article first appeared at BibleStudyTools.com.

 

MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU THIS DAY. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday March 23 2016  A BUCKETFUL OF POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM

I randomly opened a page in a book, (which I don’t even know what its title was) and the phrase that caught my eye was “…parents need to give their children a bucketful of positive self-esteem…”  That phrase stuck with me. 

As a child I was never complimented by my parents.  I yearned for recognition and positive affirmation but it was not to be had at home.  As a little girl I would ask, “Do I look pretty mama?”  Her reply: “Pretty is, as pretty does”.  So I looked elsewhere.  I found it at school when I worked hard to be the best student I could be.  However, I must say I failed greatly in one area.  The note on my report card always said, “Kathleen would be an excellent student if she could just learn to control her mouth”.  Unfortunately that still hasn’t happened.  It’s a good thing I no longer receive report cards.  Until I learned how to read cursive I was spared from the teacher’s expose of words on my behalf.  So I went along on my merry way and just enjoyed life.

Also, while growing up with a strict religious mother, there were many things I was not allowed to do because of “religious beliefs”.  I was singled out at school because I was not allowed to participate in the four square dance “because our church didn’t believe in dancing”.  I definitely could not go to a movie theater, again for the same reason.  It always seemed that there were more CANNOTS than there were CAN DO’S.  I wasn’t one to rebel as some of my other sisters did.  Each of mama’s five daughters chose their own path.  A lot of sorrow and heartbreak was left in their wake.

When I look back and think of the paths each of us followed I realize that a lot of decisions may have been based on all the CAN’T DO’S.  To some, it may have felt that freedom would only come when they left home.  They all left home early in life.  I was the oldest to leave home and I was 19.

The history I lived through as a child shaped the way I decided to parent.  I know my mother was up against a lot of obstacles in her life.  She had a less than desirous upbringing with a cruel father, did not finish her high school education, married to get away from home, and ended up in a dreadful marriage herself.  She lived in abject poverty both as a child and as a wife.  She worked hard, was resourceful, and always found some kind of food to put on the table for her six children.  Our brother was the oldest and was out of the house by the time I was five or six years old.  Each sibling’s life is a story all unto its own.  Each story is for them to tell.  I will only tell my story.

I always loved my mother with such intensity as a child, just as I did as an adult.  I never blamed her for doing the best job she knew how to do.  But I knew I desired to do some things differently than how I was parented.  I wanted my children to hear the words “I love you” every single day from my lips.  I wanted to hold them and kiss them and guide them and teach them to do what was right.  Of the two parents, I was the strictest and Dave was the soft place to fall.  Dave and I took parenting classes before we even had children.  We both wanted to know more about how to parent.  We too believed deeply in God, but our God was a more loving and compassionate God than the God my mother and grandfather knew.  My grandfather parented in the same cruel way in which he grew up.  My mama was influenced by the way her parents reared her, but the cruelty she did not pass forward.  But as a legacy of how she was raised, she was unable to express her feelings of love to others.  I wanted something different.  

Years ago when our children were young, our pastor gave an illustration in a sermon about how each generation has influence unto the fifth generation forward, and is the product of up to five generations back.  This gave me great pause for thought.  I definitely knew what I didn’t want to pass down from my heritage.  But I also knew what I wanted to pass forward.  I prayed that God would break the chain of iniquities caused from poverty, lack of education, alcohol, depression, sexual abuse, and sorrow from my past lineage.   I intentionally went forward with this in mind.  I believe God promised me, that inherited past iniquities from the past, would be broken from our children forward.  I still remember that very prayer and that very day God placed that promise in my heart.

Giving our children confidence and hope for a brighter future was one of the gifts I wanted to give them.  I praised them when praise was due.  I encouraged them daily when they became discouraged.  I tried to be available as much as my work and energy allowed.  And rather than have a list of “CAN’T DO’S”, Dave and I chose to couch our words in a positive frame of “think how exciting it will be WHEN YOU CAN…”  One way we did that was to start talking about certain milestones way before they would happen.  We would say such phrases as, “Just think, when you are 16, and can begin dating, we will be able to go shopping for your prom dress…”  We started that kind of forward thinking when they were about 10 or 11 years old.  They always knew that they had CAN DO’S to look forward to.  When they were about twelve years old we would say, “Just think, when  you are 16 years old, and you have enough money to buy your own insurance, you will be able to drive.”  They rarely questioned any of the CAN DO’S.  They had milestones to look forward to.  They worked and started saving their money so they could accomplish those milestones. We did that with bedtimes, with attending certain kinds of functions, and curfews. And we also taught them that new responsibility was added with each privilege.  

And all along the way we purposely tried to build up their positive self-esteem.  The most important thing they walked away with was that they knew they were loved, and they knew how to say “I LOVE YOU”.  That was a phrase I never heard from my mother until she was quite old.  It was only after years of telling her “I love you mama”, over the phone, that one day she said back to me in a very quiet voice “I LOVE YOU TOO”.  Until that day she had always answered, “Oh, okay” or “Me too”.  I also made it my mission to teach her how to hug.  And one day, as an old lady, she hugged me back.  And as she hugged me she whispered in my in my ear “I love you” without any prompting.  I always knew she did, but it was nice to hear. 

If you are a parent of the young, start feeding them hope for their future.  Let them look forward to the milestones instead of always saying “You can’t do this or you can’t do that!”  Teach them early that someday they too will be able to accomplish all the milestones that they see the “older kids” doing.  It goes a long way for making happy children.  Let your eyes light up when they enter your presence and always remember to say, “I LOVE YOU”.

 

FIVE GENERATIONS FORWARD

By Kathleen Martens

March 23, 2016

 

Five generations back

I can’t remember.

I can barely recall

Last December.

 

However I’m told

The influence of past

Still runs in my veins,

And for generations will last.

 

So give it thought

What you pass forward.

For what you say

Is what you’ve heard.

 

And what you speak

Others will say

And onward it goes

Through future days.

 

So do some pondering

To what legacy you live.

Your actions and words

Create the birthright you give.

 

Choose what you leave

For others to follow.

Don’t pass on

What is hard to swallow.

 

If you don’t agree

With those from your past,

Live in such a way

THAT YOUR HERITAGE WILL LAST!

 

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

6. Listen to the Holy Spirit

When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to the church, He told His disciples that this Counselor would be their spiritual compass or GPS:

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) 

As we go through our day, this same Holy Spirit guides us, too. That means we don’t have to go it alone or hope we’re getting it right. No, the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth and protects us:

“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (2 Timothy 1:14)

After all, the gift of the Holy Spirit to us believers reminds us that we can truly…

To be continued…

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday March 22 2016  ONE HOUR BLOG

I am on a mission.  My mission is to write this blog in 45 minutes and proof it in 15 minutes.  So you may assume that it will be short and sweet.  Well, we’ll see.  And again, you may assume it will be easier to do. Less time equals fewer words and fewer words equal less time.  That is not necessarily the case.  I have done experiments such as this in the past and I find that the shorter the blog, the longer it takes to write.  First I must write from the heart, which for me, means wordy.  Secondly, I must go back and re-read and cut and cut and cut.  Well, my purpose to day is to write it quickly, efficiently, and with fewer words.  The fewer the words, the less I have to proof.

Again, my favorite husband has encouraged me to do this.  Right now every moment I have is being used to prepare for our trip.  I am not the person who packs one little bag, goes to the door, and announces I am ready.  When I say I am ready to go Dave always knows that regardless where we are going it usually means at least ten more minutes before I get out the door.  I like to be prepared.  And being prepared usually means I take too much stuff!  I should have learned that lesson with last year’s excursion across the states.  But no…I do not think I have come full circle yet.  I am hoping to improve with this jaunt.  Just because it takes me longer to prepare for events does not necessarily make the event have a better outcome.  That I have learned.  And so it is with life.

Sometimes the simplest thing you do, that which takes the least amount of preparation, often has the best results.  When so much planning and focus and consternation is needed to accomplish that which is meant to be relaxing and restorative,  it can cause so much anxiety that it makes what you are doing not worth the effort.  I have found that to be true.  So…my goal, do less, take less, spend less time on the fussing, and just get up and go!  

When I travel alone I make all the decisions.  I set the start and end time, I choose the course, and if I get lost I just go with the flow.  When I travel with my spouse I must SET A TIME of departure and I certainly must have an estimation as to when we will arrive.  When I traveled solo last year I only traveled in the daylight.  I would map my course as to how many hours it would take and then allow myself about twice that amount of time to arrive at my destination.  I also only gave approximations as to what time I would be arriving at a certain destination.  And pretty much, it worked out.  I found that I got along very well with myself, regardless if I wanted to turn down a side road to investigate because it “looked interesting”, drive all the back roads, or just follow a new route when I became lost.  Becoming lost was sometimes fun.  Ultimately, I always knew where I was going and how to get there.  That’s all that mattered.  What mattered least was all the STUFF that I carted along behind me.  All the stuff that took me weeks to get ready. 

This trip, we are taking less, spending less time preparing, have a more direct schedule, and driving straight through to each destination.  I must be precise in when we leave and when we arrive because Dave is very time oriented and does not like to be late.  My philosophy is that if I just don’t set a time, then I am never late.  So you see, this year will be different.  But that’s okay.  I am learning and it will be exceptionally fun to have Dave by my side.    AND WE WON’T HAVE AS MUCH STUFF!  However, Dave did give me encouragement today when I mentioned taking a pan I want to bake in.  I thought he would think it a bad idea and discourage me from taking it.  After all, just one more thing to take.  But, to my surprise, he did not discourage me at all.  He suggested I might want to take it because it works so well for the purpose for which I need it.  And…he even told me how to pack it.  When I told him I thought he wouldn’t want me to add one more thing, he responded, “Well, you can get away with whatever  you can sneak in”.  Hmm…that was a great door opener for me.

We will depart on Saturday.  And who knows what might be hidden in the secret compartment below the trunk.  You never can tell.  I’ll just load it into the car quickly.  You see, what takes the longest to do is not necessarily the most important. And whatever I can get away with might be exactly what we need.

I actually have twelve minutes and 55 seconds left to write before the 45 minutes are up.  My blog is ALMOST finished.  Oops I still must write the poem.

 

A LITTLE SOMETHING GOES A LONG WAY

By Kathleen Martens

March 22, 2016

 

That which takes the most of your time

Is not always what makes life sublime.

Figure a way to get things done

That will help you have more fun.

 

Short and sweet, accomplish your goals

The rest of the time, be a free soul.

Don’t do as much, for pity sakes,

The less stress how short it takes.

 

You’ll find that less may be better

You may have time to write a letter,

Or call a friend and have a chat,

Or go out, to do this or that.

 

Just because something takes hours

Doesn’t mean it has much power.

A little something goes a long way

And gives you much more time to play.

 

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

To get there, though, make sure you…

PART 5: Check Yourself by God’s Word

Let’s be honest. We aren’t so good at evaluating ourselves. We will go to great lengths to excuse our behavior, our actions, and our sins. Who needs a defense attorney when we can pretty much find a reason for any bad thing we do? The prophet Jeremiah captures this very well:

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

If we’re ever going to truly trust in God and flee evil, we have to know exactly where we stand. We have to find an objective measure that tells us the truth. And that truth comes from God and His Word.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll always like what we see or how we see it:

“My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke” (Proverbs 3:11)

That’s right. Sometimes it takes something bad happening or seeing ourselves in a bad light before we finally admit that we need to change. And the more we’re in the Bible, the more likely this is to happen.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

When we have Scripture planted firmly in our hearts, God will often use that to deal with us.

 

My 45 minutes timer hasn’t gone off yet.  So far I am on track. 

 

GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU THIS DAY

P.S.  Okay, this is the end.  I am ready to publish and I went three minutes and thirty six seconds over my one hour.

 

 

 

 

Monday March 21 2016  GETTING READY

Does it seem that you are always getting ready for something?  Sometimes it seems that way to me.  I will admit that I am not the most organized person, and that character flaw at times, comes back to haunt.  And another thing I am figuring out, is that as age encroaches, my brain just doesn’t have the instant recall it used to.  That’s when I know it is time for INTENTIONAL THINKING.  As I prepare for our trip I consciously and purposely do each necessary step, making a mental note to remember what I am doing. Otherwise I find it necessary to go back and recheck what I have already done. 

The aging process is not without its challenges.  And when you figure that out, it makes it easier to prepare and plan according to the challenges which greet you.  One of the sad things that most do not realize about aging, is the fact that the older person does not want to admit to the challenges, for fear of seeming “less than” in the eyes of others.  In essence, we of advanced years, NEED TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET!  It is time to take a closer look at ourselves, rediscover how to do certain tasks, and perhaps even admit that some things are no longer important enough to keep doing. 

I love to do what I call CREATIVE THINKING.  My purposeful creative thinking began 37 years ago after I gave birth to our premature son who required extensive round the clock care for weeks after his birth.  I had to set the alarm every two hours to wake myself up so I could feed him.  I especially enjoyed the night hours because our three year old daughter was asleep and was not vying for attention during the nursing time.  I remember sitting in the rocking chair with a dim light on, looking out into the night, savoring the joy that my son had survived a rocky start and I had the opportunity to be with him.  My days were always so full and busy.  We had so much going on in our lives at that time.  I learned to use those night feedings for what I called creative thinking.  I would plan my course of action for the next day and came up with wonderful ideas of how to manage my days and weeks.  My thoughts were peaceful and calm and much was accomplished during the wee hours of morning feedings.

I again have opportunity for creative thinking.  Each day at the gym I lay on a water massage bed for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.  The bed is noisy so I do not listen to a book or sermon during that time.  My mind is still and thoughtful and relaxed.  I soon found that it was a perfect time to think creatively.  During that time of “quiet” it seems that resourceful and inventive ideas flood my thoughts.  Perhaps it is because I am intentionally preparing myself to receive those ideas, and then expound and develop them to fruition.   As I think about what must be done, visual images of ways to be more efficient flood my mind.  It is like a puzzle being pieced together on a screen though my eyes are closed, and when I come home and look at the reality of the situation, it all comes together just as I had visualized it. 

It is becoming more and more awkward to do certain tasks with my hands and during these quiet moments of contemplation on the massage table I have experienced many inventive ideas of how to compensate for the movements my hands no longer make.  I don’t grieve or complain, I just allow my mind to be open to what God wants to show me and then follow through. 

But back to the main topic.  Realize that aging comes with its own challenges.  Figure out ways to compensate for those challenges rather than complain about them.  Rather than gripe or become irritated with yourself (for something that you cannot help), turn your situation into a THANK YOU TO GOD FOR WHAT YOU CAN DO!  Purposely and intentionally THINK (out loud if necessary) to allow your brain time to catalog and remember what you are doing, where you are putting something, or what must be accomplished next.  Do not be afraid to accept help.  That is something that I had difficulty coming to grips with.  It is now  easier for me to accept my husband’s help than it used to be.  However, he always asks me if I want him to help me, and he waits for my answer.  There is nothing worse for me than having someone else jump in and do what I am working so hard to accomplish on my own.  I challenge myself to do as much I can do on my own.  The longer I can accomplish simple tasks with my lack of fine motor skills, the longer I maintain my independence of being able to accomplish it.  Yes, age has its challenges, but there are also victories.  And one of those victories is to just keep on going, accomplishing what you can, and knowing when to ask for help.

And as for “getting ready”, regardless what you are getting ready for, do it purposely, using INTENTIONAL THINKING as your friend.  You will be surprised how much you remember when you are not flustered and hurried.  Old age may come with its own challenges, but it also comes with its own pleasures.  It is the pleasures I choose to focus on.

 

WHATEVER THE CHALLENGE

By Kathleen Martens

March 21, 2016

 

The clock is ticking

Years do not relent.

And your time of life

Now mostly spent.

 

Challenges come

And challenges go.

And in old age

It seems they grow.

 

Accept with grace

What time takes away.

Learn new ways

Of pleasurable days.

 

Allow contentment

To arise from within.

Do not resist,

And you’ll always win.

 

Whatever the challenge,

Whatever the chore,

God supplies strength

When you need more.

 

Remember to say thanks

For what you CAN DO.

Don’t grieve your loss,

God will see you through.

 

It’s not what happens

That really counts.

But how you take it

Is how it amounts.

 

Be your best friend

That you’ll ever find.

Be compassionate to self

As well as kind.

 

Thank You Lord for all the blessings you bring into my life each day.

Thank You for wonderful memories of holding my newborn son in my arms.

Thank You for hot water.  Actually, I thank You for all the water you provide in my life.

Thank you Lord for today’s sunshine.

 

 Below, find part 4 of:

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

Part 4:  Put God First in Your Life

It’s easiest to put ourselves first. When something good happens, we want to congratulate ourselves with a reward. When something bad happens, we want to console ourselves or find someone to blame. In other words, we often have a “me-centric” starting place.

And when it comes to money, the struggle is even harder. But Solomon, who had quite a bit of wealth himself, knew that his money didn’t belong to him:

“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:9–10)

If we can trust God with the first of our wealth, we’re truly showing how much we depend on Him. Handing over the first part of our paycheck takes a huge amount of faith, after all. But doing so means being God-centric.

To get there, though, make sure you…

 

GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU THIS DAY.

 

 

Sunday Sabbath March 20 2016  SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Depending upon who you talk to, spring is either officially here, or it will be here tomorrow.  There is always a debate as to what date is official.  So I vote for today.  Today it is sunny with a high of 43 degrees.  Usually 43 degrees feels quite nice, but today, unless you are in the sunshine it feels quite biting.  If you live in cold country you’ll know what “biting” means.  As far as I am concerned…SPRING HAS SPRUNG.  

And today, as is every Sunday, is my special SUNDAY SABBATH!  It is also the last Sunday Sabbath before Easter, referred to as Palm Sunday.  This is a sacred Sunday and it is commemorated by those who believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  It always falls on the last Sunday before Easter.  It is a sacred holiday which Christians celebrate so as to remember when Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.  He was welcomed joyfully and the crowd spread out palm branches in His path.  Little did they realize that by week’s end, this same Jesus would lie in a tomb following His crucifixion.

This entire week is considered a Holy Week.  Thursday is Maundy Thursday which is in remembrance of the last supper before Jesus was crucified.

Good Friday commemorates the day that Jesus was crucified upon the cross to die as a sacrifice  for man’s sins.  What evil meant for harm, God meant for good.  Christ’s death had to take place in order to fulfill the plan of God.  God’s plan was to offer eternal life to those who would follow His teachings.

And then we come to Easter Sunday.  Easter is the day that changed the course of the world.  No greater miracle and no greater news could ever be told, than that of the Resurrection of Christ.  There is irrefutable evidence of his resurrection in the annals of history.  He was a fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.  He even told his disciples of His death before it came to pass, promising that He would again arise in three days.  Even the calendar we use today depicts the time when Christ was born.  B.C. is used as the label of time before the birth of Christ and A.D. depicts the time after His birth.  “The term anno Domini is Medieval Latin, which means the year of the Lord but it is often translated as in the year of our Lord.”

Reference to the last sentence above in quotes taken from the webpage below:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_Domini

Easter is the most Holy Day of all days for the Christian believer.  It is the day that marks the surety of living with God in heaven for eternity, through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  God offered a way of salvation when with faith you believe, confess your sins, accept Jesus as your personal Savior, and “Love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  AND THUS WE CELEBRATE EASTER, A DAY ABOVE ALL DAYS.  And oh…there is so much more when you discover the unconditional love that God pours over you.

 

JESUS CAME WILLINGLY

By Kathleen Martens

March 20, 2016

 

God in His mercy

Extended His hand

So that by His side

Someday you’ll stand.

 

Part of Himself,

He sacrificed His Son,

That man’s salvation

Would be won.

 

Jesus came willingly

To a world strangled by sin,

To open heaven’s gate

So man could come in.

 

He overcame death

That caused great pain.

Gave His life.

Yours to gain.

 

And that is what this week is all about. 

 

Jesus, thank You for a love so great that You gave Your life for mine.

Jesus, thank You that You gave me life that I would know You.

Thank You Lord for this special day, this special week, to commemorate your love sacrifice for me.

 

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

www.biblestudytools.com

Part 3:

We handed the keys of our lives to Him, and we know that He’s able to lead us. But in order for that to work, we have to…

3. Run from Evil

So much in this world can clutter up our relationship with God. John, the writer of the fourth gospel, describes them as the desires of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride in our lives (1 John 2:16). In other words, our blessings can easily become our stumbling blocks when we think of them as what we deserve or what we need to be happy.

Instead, life works best when we remember the true source of our blessings—God—and focus on the things that please Him:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)

Sometimes, the only way to live the life God wants us to live is by separating ourselves from the bad influences that keep dragging us down. That works the best when we start pursuing something else in their place:

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

Is that easy? Not at all. Fleeing from the evil desires that pull at us means spending a lot of time crying out to God and leaning on Him. But our Creator promises to honor our commitment to Him when we shun evil:

“This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:8)

When we pursue Him, we find life—abundant life. Running from evil and pursuing God doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Instead, it means we have to make a serious change:

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS  YOU!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday March 19 2016  I LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY!

WOW!  I learned some valuable information today.  Dave and I attended a class on editing and publishing for writers.  After listening to some of the readings that were read for critiquing I had my eyes opened to two distinct truths.  If writing is any indication as to how a person thinks then the first truth is the fact that I do not think like the younger generation.  The second, more obvious truth being that that my writing skills need honing.  There were also several other insights I received about my own writing endeavors.

Fiction is not my genre.  Today was primarily about writing fiction, planning the story, characterization, timelines, and that sort of thing.  The kind of writing I do is written from the heart.  It is about true life, past, present, and looking toward the future.  It is about what has happened to me and those I know.  It is simply about how I think and feel and respond to life.  There is more vulnerability involved because I am blatantly exposing my feelings, my thoughts, my hopes and dreams.  I share my shortcomings and my triumphs.  And each day I become one day older, one step farther away from the younger generation, and the gap of the way we think becomes wider and wider.  Actually that should not have caught me by surprise because of the children’s books I read.  I shake my head in astonishment sometimes when I discover what literature (if you can call it that) is being fed to our youth.  So maybe I need to acquire more than just “modern clothes” as my grandson suggested.  Perhaps I need to get a new modern mind.  Oh Lord, I hope not!

Valuable information was taught to me today.  For that I am very appreciative.  I met some wonderful women to network with who also have a love for writing and telling their story.  I met some wonderful young women whose minds are so creative and filled with fantasy that they fill pages with characters who live in an alternate world.  Would I go back again, yes!  The information was extremely helpful.  Would I change the way I write?  I would answer “Yes” and “No”.  There are certainly lessons from today that I will take with me.  I will hopefully be more concise in what I write.  I will be more focused on why I am writing it.  I will write to and for the audience I hope to attract.  But the one aspect I will continue to do? I will continue to write from my heart.

On the way home from the editing class Dave and I stopped at Olbrich Botanical Gardens for their pre-spring flower show.  We almost missed the show as tomorrow is the final day.  Olbrich’s displays are always unique, colorful, and artistically presented.  This year was no exception.  Having left my phone at home, I borrowed Dave’s cell phone and took several pictures (about 45).  Dave, being about a foot taller than me had a totally different perspective from my closer to the ground view.  He pointed out several different arrangements for me to photograph because he thought I might miss some of the things he could see that I could not.  And he was right.  One such perception was a group of white tulips that had bloomed wide open and exposed their centers.  I could not see them without a bit of effort.  But I managed a few peeks when he pointed out their exquisiteness which was revealed due to the fading petals.  They were past their prime.  Their hours were numbered.  Even in this end state there was still so much beauty being exposed from deep within.

I turned to Dave at that moment and shared my thoughts.  It reminded me of the generation that is passing away.  Even as people age, and sometimes due to aging, the most beautiful inner self is finally exposed.  The world sometimes fails to recognize the attractiveness because the packaging is no longer youthful, vibrant or strong.  Or perhaps they can’t see its prettiness because they fail to realize, that in order to do so, their own perspective might need changing.  When one focuses on those who are beyond their blooming season, one might grasp that deep in the core of the aged, is a loveliness and splendor that can only be exposed when someone is willing to stretch a little higher in order to see what they are missing.  When they do so they may recognize the legacy of strength and wisdom which still lives within the older soul.  Out of all the flowers I saw today, somehow the inside of the tulip was the most exquisite memory I walked away with. 

 

BUT IT MAKES A LOVELY SOUL

By Kathleen Martens

March 19, 2016

 

To bare one’s heart

Not for the faint.

Our dream façade

Is what we paint.

 

Who we are

Do we show?

Does anyone else

Really know?

 

There comes a time

When petals fall,

The heart beckons

Truth to call.

 

The aged fade,

No longer blooms,

Society’s demands

No longer a tomb.

 

Now able to be

Who you are.

Finally free

To reach the stars.

 

Confines are gone,

The heart can smile.

What’s deep inside

No longer guiles.

 

Deep within

Our heart again flowers,

Energy to bloom

With new power.

 

A gentle elegance

Softens edges

As life breaks down

All the hedges.

 

And satisfaction

Found at last,

Never again

To wear a mask.

 

To be old

Never a goal,

But it makes

A lovely soul.

 

Lord, thank You for the exquisite beauty of the inside of a flower.

Lord, thank You for the truths you have shown me this day.

Lord, thank You for every year You have granted me.

 

7 Daily Steps to Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

www.biblestudytools.com

2. Cry out to God

Surrendering to God begins with our lips and our thoughts. We need more than a commitment to depend on Him; we need to cry out to Him to show that dependence.

“in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6)

When we pray, we admit that His ways are higher than ours. We show that we’re leaving our troubles and burdens and dreams in His capable hands. In fact, the Bible promises that when we reach out to Him in prayer, He hears us:

“Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. ” (Psalm 55:17)

We handed the keys of our lives to Him, and we know that He’s able to lead us. But in order for that to work, we have to…

(part three tomorrow)

 

Good night and God bless you!

 

Friday March 18 2016  TOO MUCH EXCITEMENT

I do not like to hear the sound “KER PLUNK” when it has to do with the roof of my house.  But that is what I heard today.  Today was a day with a little too much excitement as far as I am concerned.

When you live in a wooded area much concern is given to which angle a tree leans.  When the tree is tall, close to the house, very heavy, and leaning toward the roof, there is cause for concern.  Or, when a tree dies that actually hangs above your house, again, cause for concern. And another “or” is when even another tree is so huge and expansive, that it not only shades the top of your roof, but can bang and scrape against it in a windstorm.

So today was tree trimming, tree felling, and the sounds of ‘KER PLUNK” on the roof.  And…unfortunately, we had a few mishaps which happened when the two tree men were doing their job.  Last week we had a dent made in our front seamless gutter right in the front of the house.  This weekend we had a few Ker plunks on the roof, which fortunately did no damage, and another gutter “oops” at the end of the house.  And then when the large dead birch (the one that curved over out roof) was felled, it crashed into our wrought iron metal porch railings, pulling one railing away from the brick while bending it, and breaking both railing feet free from their cement grounding. 

Before the huge tree at the corner of the house could be felled we down we had to have another tree cut down in order to give the tall tree a pathway in which to fall, otherwise, if it had hit the smaller tree it may have bounced back toward the roof line of the house and that would have been a VERY BAD KER PLUNK.  It was quite precarious to remove.

The oak tree was trimmed last week so that the branches hanging out over the roof would not touch or scrape the house when heavy with leaves or in a wind storm.  We also had a brace situated with a cable to hold up one great branch that juts out over our back patio area.  Our backyard faces west so we get the hot afternoon sun until the sun falls behind the treeline.  That oak branch is our shade from the early afternoon sun rays.

Lots more cleanup to do.  These trees had to be taken care of now before spring arrives in full swing.  This is the main reason Dave did not want to be gone during this time.  Cleanup like this takes a lot of labor.  Hmmm…that condo is sounding better and better. (Or maybe not!)

I watched as Dave and another man guided the tree with ropes as it was being cut down.  Between the three men cutting and guiding, the tree fell exactly as they anticipated.  Just a few Ker plunks on the shingles from small branches as it came down and it doesn’t appear to have caused any damage.  I guess we’ll know when the rain comes.

And then I went to the gym.  I had planned to leave earlier but I wanted to stay and watch these mighty trees fall.  Mostly, so I would know when I left the house what damage I might come home to.  Doesn’t sound like I had much faith, does it.  Well, maybe I didn’t.  Not when it comes to my roof.  But I did do a lot of praying while it was happening!

 

KER PLUNK

By Kathleen Martens

March 18, 2016

 

Ker plunk, Ker plunk is but a word

Not one that is often heard.

So what exactly does it mean?

If you hear it, you’ll probably scream.

 

I guess it depends on where it sounds,

Not so frightening if it’s on the ground.

But when it happens up on the roof,

You may not be quite so aloof.

 

So when the trees came falling down

I certainly wanted to be around.

So I could tell the tree just where

They should fall with utmost care.

 

So I did with quiet breath

As those trees met their death.

All I did was pray to God,

And He gently laid them on the sod.

 

And thankfully my roof is intact

And I’m so glad that that’s a fact.

So off to the gym I went to play

Very satisfied with our day.

 

That was all I could do.  Just trust in God to protect what those trees could have so easily destroyed.  And the mishaps that did happen are not really all that great on the Richter scale of life.

And with that segway I will copy and paste below a portion from a web address that I read this morning and want to share with you  I will include one segment daily, for the next seven days.  It is about:

 “7 DAILY STEPS TO TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART”

http://www.biblestudytools.com

John UpChurch | Senior Editor

“Perhaps you’ve been told that as a Christian you must learn to “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” But this famous passage from Proverbs 3 contains more than just a general statement about living. Instead, you’ll find the steps you need each day to truly walk with God.

Follow these 7 daily steps to make sure you’re leaning on the Lord:

1. Don’t Depend on You

We live in a world where trust must be earned and seems to be in short supply. But Solomon, the famous king who wrote Proverbs, knew that trust is exactly where we must start:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)

Most of us have faced disappointments, which have taught us that we can only depend upon ourselves. But living the life God has called us to means unlearning that lesson. Instead, we’re meant to rest in God’s understanding.

We may know in our minds that He possesses all wisdom:

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” Romans 11:33

But sometimes trusting Him completely like that can be tough. So, each day we must consciously lay aside our own plans and expectations—and surrender to His plans.

What if we don’t feel like we can trust Him like that? That’s where step 2 comes in…”

 

STEP TWO WILL FOLLOW IN TOMORROW’S BLOG.

 

Today I give thanks to You God for protecting our home and the three men that worked felling the trees.

I thank You Lord for the food you designed for our pleasure.

Thank You Lord for your awesome Love.

Thank You Lord that I can still type.

REMEMBER TO THANK THE LORD FOR SOMETHING TODAY.  

 

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

P.S.  Another message I received today about my tree blog topic from a couple of days ago.  I just thought it was so beautifully written I wanted to share it with you.

“Trees provide so much to the environment – 0yxgen, shade, moisture, in our 9-month-no-rain-no clouds-hot-summer season.  I have six redwood trees on my property and I wish I had 30.  They are so cooling, so quite, so  soothing to be among them – it is like you can feel God when you are among the old growth trees – like you are in a house of worship.” 

Thanks for your comments!  Let me hear from some more of you about your favorite TREE(S).

 

Wednesday March 16 2016  THERE ARE ALWAYS REASONS TO BE THANKFUL

March is a blustery month.  It seems as if I forget that each year until I again experience the storms.  I sit here at my computer, surrounded by windows that overlook the dance of the winds.  Tall trees swaying and twisting in gales of bluster.  Sometimes I believe the tops of the huge trees are going to twist right off.  We’ve had hurricanes around us in the past and believe me, the winds just snap some of the tallest and strongest trees right at the ground and carry them away.  Usually what happens after a snow melt and lots of rain, as we have had lately, is that the wind will just uproot the trees from the soft soil.  That is not a comforting thought as I sit here within striking distance of some of these trees.

Wind is so amazing.  It can’t be seen, only the movement of what stands in its way causes us to be aware of its intensity.  Nor can it be heard.  Oh yes, we often hear people speak about the “howling wind”, but in reality, it is not the wind we hear at all.  Instead it is the sounds that branches and leaves make as they clang into one another, or crevices and cracks that wind whips through which cause the whistling sound.  Right now I hear a deafening roar and it surrounds me on all sides.  I also hear the ubiquitous howling as it slams into the house, forcing itself through narrow passage ways of trim and gutters.  Fortunately we have updated windows that are tight and sturdy so wind doesn’t seem to sneak inside.  I can’t see the wind, but the undulating sounds, and the swirling bare branches of the trees give fact that it is doing its best March dance.  And with it comes a bone chilling cold.  This is the month I should have been gone!

Each area of the country we have lived in has its own unique weather patterns.  In Southern California it was the Santa Ana Winds and the dry hot summers.  In the San Francisco East Bay area it was the early spring rains.  In Wisconsin we have it all!  Cold snowy winters, blustery winds of March, spectacular spring flowers, the rains of summer (of which we do not complain), warm summer days with occasional high humidity, and the pristine colors of fall, bringing the full cycle back to Mr. Frost himself.   Of all the places we have lived I much prefer Wisconsin weather.  It is ever changing, versatile, unpredictable, and sometimes even “perfect”.  However, perfect to me might not be perfection to another.  I receive much enjoyment from the beauty of nature and season’s changing treasures.  And I especially love our trees.  In a past blog I wrote about how I was raised in an area without trees.  Well, there is never a day that goes by that I do not look out at the trees we steward and feel overwhelming gratitude, that God grants me the pleasure of living amongst such beauty.  If you don’t have a relationship with trees then you might think I am just a little off my rocker.  I guess that is putting it bluntly, I really do have a “relationship” with trees and I even have one I am in love with. 

The tree I love most is a very old oak tree that stands majestically alone on a hill surrounded by grass.  The slope of the hill rises up behind her, proudly displaying its seasonal crop.  For one entire year I photographed that tree on a daily basis.  I pass her (my tree is a girl) most days as she lives around the corner, about a mile from our home.  I received permission from the estate owner to get up close and personal with this grand old lady.  I estimate she must be between two to three hundred years old.  I have taken a photo of “my” tree from every conceivable angle, time of day, lighting, temperature, and weather that I could possibly think of.  Every season, no matter how cold or hot, early morning to sunset shots, whether the tree was fully leaved or starkly naked, I was there to witness the changes.  I have even hugged her and sat beneath her shade on a little lonely bench that humbly stands by her side.  My hug consists of more than FOUR extended breadth spans of my arms opened wide .  I just remembered the one picture I do not yet have.  I have no picture with me standing beside beside the tree which I consider my friend.  Dave and I plan to hike up to the tree together so he can take a picture of me standing next to the tree.  I want to be in the photo so as to have a size comparison of just how grand she is.

I wish you could sit here with me and experience the amazing panorama I am enjoying in full motion.  Perhaps my words have painted a picture for you.

 

FEELINGS I CANNOT LEND

By Kathleen Martens

March 16, 2016

 

What we behold is never known

By another, though it is shown.

What I see from my eyes,

Your taste may belie.

 

The thoughts I feel from within,

Are feelings I cannot lend.

Each of us see from a different angle.

Another’s parallax cannot be wrangled.

 

Each to his own from inside out,

Which for another may have no clout.

What to me may be a boutique,

Others may not choose to seek.

 

So I will enjoy what I choose

That my moments I never lose.

If I desire to love a tree

Then that is what, makes me, me.

 

I received a note from the friend who I have recently requested others to pray for.  I asked her permission if I could select part of her email and post it in my blog.  She gave me permission.

“Reading your blog daily. I cannot begin to thank you for your fervent prayers and those of your blog followers. During the last week (since our phone conversation and you said you would be praying for my knee pain specifically), I have had the least amount of pain in my knee since 2012. God is so good and answers the prayers of His faithful servants. I’ve been icing my feet / ankles several times throughout the day and my ankles have settled down a little, but still in quite a bit of pain and walking is still very painful. Just to have some relief in the knee pain has been a huge blessing.”

Here is her response when I asked her if I could print her letter:

“I would not mind at all.  Anything to give GOD the PRAISE.”

Thank you friend and blog reader for sharing with us what God is doing in your life.

Please continue to pray daily that God will release “our friend” from pain.  When we are one in the Body of Christ, our fellow believers are our family as well as friends!

 

Lord, I give you thanks this day for your tender mercy.

Lord, I thank you for hearing our prayers no matter where we are.

Lord, thank you for being all knowing.

Lord, thank you for the release of this pain and healing in our friend’s body.

Lord, thank you for loving us.

Lord, thank you for caring about every trial no matter how big or small.

And most of all Lord, thank you for providing salvation that we can live with You forever and not perish.

 

Do you have a THANK YOU JOURNAL?  If not, you might enjoy starting one.  Daily write down one thing, or many things, for which you are thankful.  Number them and see how quickly you pass 1,000.  It is so amazing how many things there are in which to give thanks to God.  And God hears your “Thank You Notes” to Him, and it delights Him to pour out His blessings upon His children.  And He doesn’t even mind if you repeat what you are thankful for.

 

Today I am thankful for the pain relief that your daughter is experiencing. 

Thank you too for her testimony to others who are praying.

And Lord, thank You for Dave’s shoes all lined up by the back door.  I am so thankful for the husband that walks in those shoes.

 

GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU ON THIS COLD BLUSTERY MARCH DAY!

Tuesday March 15 2016  TO WHOM DO THEIR MINDS BELONG

Sometimes when in the library I go to the adolescent’s section to peruse what is on the shelf.  These books are for teens as young as 13 years old.  A few years ago, as I was eyeing the current selection, I came upon a book called, “THE HUNGER GAMES”.  After reading the jacket synopsis I was simply amazed at its contents being on the shelf for young teens.  I talked to the librarian about it to make certain it hadn’t been accidentally put on the shelf.  No, it was a book for the adolescent.  Many may recognize the title by the movies that were made to tell the story on the big screen.  It was violent, graphic, way beyond what I would even suspect to be a “General Audience or even a P.G.” movie at the theater.  I don’t remember what rating it was.  I will admit, I did read the book and was terrible sickened by the idea that young minds would be subject to this kind of writing, much less be able to see it on the screen. 

And I must go further and admit that I read the sequels…AND…SAW ALL THE MOVIES!  I look back now and I regret doing both.  There are thoughts and scenes that still torment me.  When I am exposed to the visual reality of what is in a book, I cannot get the visuals out of my mind.  I do not watch violence on television, nor even stress filled dramas.  I have learned that I can’t handle the tenseness.  But the part that really saddens me is to think that we now live in a society that believes it is okay to fill the minds of our children with such openly hostile killings and gore.  Our grandson is now 8 years old and reads chapter books.  To my horror I can just imagine him browsing through the teen’s section in a few short years and choosing just such a book as “THE HUNGER GAMES”.  When a book is obtained from the adolescent section  parents may not be overly concerned about what is in the book and might not think to check it out. 

My word of caution to any who have young children, adolescents, or teenagers, is to be sure and give a once over to any titles they bring home from the library, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS CLOAKED IN THE ADOLESCENT SECTION!  Perhaps books should be graded as to it’s content like a movie is.

I frequent the children’s section just to see what kind of books are being written.  They are certainly not the kind I read during my young adolescence.  Perhaps the minds of our children are so seared from the kinds of things they are allowed to watch on television and the kinds of video games they play, that violence is just the norm, and rather expected as part of the excitement.  How sad is that.  Childhood does not seem to last as long as it used to.

We did not allow our children access to television when they were in grammar and middle school.  By the time they were in high school it never became a priority.  We kept them busy with other activities such as sports and the arts.  Does that make us better parents? Probably not.  But it may have made our children better children.  We had friends who had children and we just cringed when we knew ahead of time that they were coming over with their children.  So many of them were rude, did not know how to speak with adults, overly rambunctious in a house, and just seemed delighted to cause consternation to other children, as well as not obeying their parents.  I still remember the quizzical looks our children gave to these kids as they observed their behavior.  They were not used to behaving in that manner and very rarely were they around others who behaved so atrociously.

When I give advice (usually advice that is not asked for) to parents, both back then and now, my suggestion is that if they remove television’s influence from their children’s lives they might be quite surprised at how different their children would behave and how different their family life would be.  Does that sound impossible in today’s world?  Maybe to those who use the tube as a babysitter.  But to parents who really care and are concerned about their children’s learning and behavior pattern, often time see the value in rearing their children with the values they choose, rather than the world’s values.  Never underestimate the amount of influence that television has on the young mind.

Though I doubt if my son will see this blog due to his busy schedule, I want to say to both him and his wife, that I am so grateful for them not allowing television to rule my grandsons’ lives.  Do the children enjoy T.V.  Just like any restricted pleasure, you bet they do.  For them television is a movie chosen by parents or grandparents as a treat, and we watch it with them.  When they come to our house they know that I always go and choose a movie for them to see.  Long ago I started choosing movies with real life characters and solid moral stories.  They were not really appreciated at first but they have come to love them.  What they don’t know, is that each movie is also a tool of learning.  We hold the control and the movie is paused quite frequently to ask them questions about the words they hear and may not know, about the situations which are happening that they might not comprehend the gist of, and to talk about the environment of where the movie is made, where it is in the country, why things are happening the way they are, etc.  One of the most astounding things we have discovered recently is the amazing understanding the children have of the vocabulary used in the move.  Occasionally they do not understand the complete concept of the movie but they are understanding the words and how they apply to the story.

Last weekend I mentioned in my blog how many compliments I received because of the excellent behavior of these two little grandsons.  I actually asked myself what is so amazing about the way they behave?  I would expect nothing less from them, just as I expected my own children to be considerate and well behaved in public.  Then, as I looked around I discovered that they were the exception, and not the rule.  In essence, their childhood has not been taken from them.  It has been given to them.  They have been nurtured, not with a boob tube, but with hands-on parental love.  They have been disciplined without breaking their spirit or being subjected to embarrassing situations.  They are instructed as to what kind of behavior is expected of them, BEFORE, they are in a situation.  Communication.  Words.  Smiles.  Love.  They all go together.

And I say to my son and his wife:

“Amy and Court:  Thank you for our grandsons’ childhoods!  Thank you for loving them tenderly and disciplining them fairly without provocation.  Not only are you giving a gift to your children as role models, you have also given us the opportunity to enjoy their gift of a childhood that you have not allowed the world to corrupt and tear apart.   And even above and beyond that, you have given a gift to future generations that follow.

“I am proud to be your mother, and mother-in-law to your wife.  And I am proud to be Gramma to your two fine boys!  Thank you for their childhood.  It is my greatest gift during these later years of life.  Thank you for sharing their childhood with us.”

I love the verse in the Bible (which I can’t find right now) that tells fathers to not provoke their children.  The influences of the world does enough to incite, aggravate, and irritate even the youngest members of our society without the help of the parent.  So much anger and hostility can be defused by as much of what is left unsaid, as by what is said.  It takes wisdom to know the difference.

This blog came from a sentence I listened to from a children’s story book that was suggested to me by the librarian of the children’s section.  I am not finished with it yet, but so far I would hesitate to have a child read it.  It is science fiction about the future and I am unsure if a young mind could really grasp the horror of what is taking place.  And then again, maybe the young mind is much more sophisticated that I give it credit.  Would I want my grandchildren to read it before adulthood?   I think not.  Since I am not finished with it I will withhold the title until it is done.  I will then come back and report to you my assessment as to what is being fed into the minds of our most vulnerable.

 

TO WHOM DO THEIR MINDS BELONG?

By Kathleen Martens

March 15, 2016

 

Little lives so vulnerable and young.

To whom do their minds belong?

Words written by a stranger’s hand

That they cannot yet understand?

 

Perhaps pictures of violence on screen

And lewd behavior that should be unseen?

Or the four letter words which are spewed

As the screen is intently viewed?

 

How do you recapture the innocence of youth

As they begin to lose a tooth?

Especially when childhood is so short

Should they now, with the world cavort?

 

What about their naive, innocent minds?

New information like sponges find.

So give them something wholesome and strong,

Tell them of God so they won’t go wrong.

 

Influence their behavior by what they see

From Mom and Dad, not from T.V..

Read them stories they can understand,

Not the filth that the world demands.

 

Protect their purity as long as you can

Plenty of time to become woman or man.

Let it be truth that rings in their heart,

So their foundation has a great start.

 

Sit down together at the table to sup.

When they walk in a room, let your eyes light up.

Let them know expectations and how to behave,

Tell them you love them every single day.

 

Slowly and surely when guided right

They’ll be strong enough to face their plight.

Teach them to think and reason things out

So they are calm, with no reason to shout.

 

Give them incentive and courage to see

The person that God intends them to be.

Teach them to be strong, brave, and pure

So the world’s corruption cannot lure.

 

Just a short time is all you own.

Only a bit of their life can you hone.

So send your prayers daily upward

And every word by God will be heard.

 

These childhood moments love and protect

And the knowledge of God on them project.

And in the meantime enjoy these years

And you be the one to wipe away their tears.

 

Hmm…Don’t know where that poem came from!  I can only thank God for the words He put on my heart today.  I have written these words from my heart.  Just be aware what your children are reading, who they spend time with, what movies they watch.  The world is different in many ways from when I was brought up over half a century ago.  WOW! HAS IT CHANGED.  I wish I could just give a little bit of yesteryear to my little grandsons.  Especially the time before T.V. and videos, and email, computers and cell phones.  I had time to get a lot done back then.  Hmmm…maybe this computer should go???

 

GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL OF YOU.  I PRAY GOD’S BLESSINGS ON YOU.

 

P.S.  Though what I am about to write is a footnote, it is not a footnote in my heart of memories.  Today is the eleventh year anniversary of the day my dear friend Barbara Hook died after losing her battle to ovarian cancer.  Life has gone forward but Barb lives in my heart daily.  Today I celebrate her eleventh year of being with the Lord.  Somehow I don’t think she would want to leave where she is right now. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday March 14 2016  SPRING HAS SPRUNG

We are preparing for spring.  Spring in Wisconsin is a BIG EVENT!  When you must bundle up just to go to the mailbox it doesn’t make for exciting visits out.  When the temperature gets up to 40 degrees F. the students at the local schools can start wearing shorts.  I kid you not.  Forty degrees, and above, you will notice a plethora of bare, white legs hanging out below shorts. 

I didn’t realize it was so hot yesterday.  I think it actually hit 50 degrees or higher.  Well, I dressed WRONG for that temperature.  I wore pants, a long sleeved cotton blouse and a long wool sweater over it.  I also had a warm shawl over that.  By the time I got to church I was sweating.  I had the windows down in the car and I was still overly warm.  First thing when I arrived in the foyer of church was to get rid of my shawl.  I was still hot however.  I couldn’t take my sweater off because it was the “outfit” of what I was wearing.  I sat in church feeling like I was going through the change of life again.  Believe me, it didn’t take long for me to shed that wool sweater when I arrived home.  The temperature is so variable at this time of year and I haven’t yet acclimated to the change in weather.  From here forward I will check the current forecast before getting dressed.

I wonder what it will be like to go from Wisconsin to Southern Florida in just two or three days of driving.  Fortunately Rebecca has air conditioning!  

Wisconsin’s springtime is so unbelievably beautiful to behold.  It is very early and the ground has not yet warmed up from the snow melt.  But even this early, something new is happening in the yard every single day.  Today I heard birds for the first time.  To hear birds is something I NEVER TAKE FOR GRANTED.  For newcomers to my blog I’ll bring you up to date about that comment.  For years I could not hear birds, except the crow, and only because their voice sounds like a high shrill scream.  For several years my hearing was diminishing as it has for so many others in my family due to a hereditary condition.  I could usually hear okay in a one to one conversations but not if there was background noise.  Watching television was an entertainment of the past.  One day, a few years ago, my husband and I were outside and I mentioned to my husband how sad it was that our woods no longer had birds.  He said what do you mean?  I told him to listen, there were no sounds of birds singing.  He said, that’s not true.  He told me that he could hear them singing all around him. That was an eye opening remark for me.  Hearing is a loss that you don’t at first notice.  When I didn’t hear a sound it was as if the sound just didn’t exist.  It only becomes apparent when I realize that others were hearing what I could not hear. I hadn’t heard birds for years, so therefore I perceived them not to be there.  Nor did I hear them for several more years.

I was enrolled at a class at our church and it seemed that the teacher did not project his voice.  I was desperately trying to hear him.  The leader finally became exasperated with my insistence that he talk louder. He asked that the class gather around me and pray that my hearing would be restored.  AND IT WAS!  At first I could not tell that it was restored.  I believe God allowed it to come back slowly.  I had difficulty adjusting to the normal noises of the world around me.  Traffic noise was especially difficult.  My healing happened in October 2013.  Later that same month I walked outside and for the first time in many years I heard the sound of a bird calling to its mate.  I will never forget that moment.  Well, today when I stepped out of the car after Dave and arrived home I could hear the sound of bird song in the trees all around me.  Many different kinds of tweets and warbles, and cooing.  It was exhilarating for me!  I went out into the yard and just turned around looking for all the birds.  Once I heard them I could pick out where they were.  Every day for me is a day of wonder.  Especially in the spring.  I am glad that Dave decided we should not leave on our trip at this time. 

Never take the sound of a bird song for granted.  It is proof of life and of a loving God who created so many creatures for our enjoyment.  The world at springtime is the promise of new life in much the same way that we celebrate THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.  New life!  And the promise of an everlasting life.  

Last year I experienced both a sorrow and a blessing at the same time.  The sorrow was I left home the beginning of March, returning in July, thus missing our entire spring.  I missed all the flowers popping up as the sun warmed the soil.  I missed all the hundreds of hostas nosing their way through the soil and rocks that surround our entire yard.  I missed the trillium in full bloom along the back of our house and down toward the terrace.  I missed the May Apples in the woods and the Jack (or is it Peter?) in the Pulpit.  It seems that because we live at the edge of a wooded area, we experience new profusions of little plants awakening week after week.  We have wild geranium, blue bells, mustard plants, lupines, berry bushes, cyclamen, lily of the valley, daffodils and tulips, bleeding hearts, fox glove, lobelia, honeysuckle, lady slipper, phlox, nettles, Queen Anne’s Lace, and last but not least, pokeweed.  Pokeweed is a horrible plant that would not even be in our woods if it hadn’t been for my allowing mama to plant some that she brought from Arkansas.  Pokeweed is now our nightmare plant that is determined to inhabit our land and take over our woods!  Dave has an ongoing battle with it year after year.  The sin of Adam is felt greatly in the backbreaking labor it takes to dig out that weed!  

This year I will enjoy what early days of spring are afforded to my time here.  When we return from out trip our yard will not look the same as it did when we left. 

Last year as I headed south the blessing I experienced was the blessing of a perpetual spring for weeks and weeks.  It seemed that as I arrived at destinations each place experienced later than normal springs.  I seemed to arrive in the midst of early spring bloom.  My perpetual spring was all the way through Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Southern California and even up into Northern California.  Once I traveled north of San Francisco spring was pretty much past and summer was in moderate swing, meaning the summer sun was not as intense as it would eventually climb, but the spring rush of early flowers was past.  Still, it was beautiful!  The farther north I drove the cooler it became again.

Enough about last year.  This year I will enjoy every day I am here.  I know I may miss the tulips blooming around the capitol building and may miss the lilacs blooming at the Arboretum.  Right now spring appears to be doing its best to arrive early so I will enjoy whatever happens as it happens.

Wherever you live, stop and take a look outside.  Is spring coming in your neck of the woods?  Stop to smell the flowers!  Regardless where you live, when new life abounds, take time to enjoy it.  All life is a miracle.  Each day is to be enjoyed. 

As I write this I am saddened because I know someone who cannot enjoy the outdoors due to her body not tolerating the smells that nature provides without her becoming quite ill.  Stop and give thanks to God for all you are able to do and enjoy.  Not everyone is so fortunate.  If you have vision, give thanks for that.  If you can hear, give thanks for that.  If you can smell and enjoy the fragrances of the world, give thanks for that.  If you can walk without pain, give thanks.  There is always something in which to give thanks.

 

EXPERIENCING BEAUTY AND GRACE

By Kathleen Martens

March 14 2016  

 

What eyes see and ears behold,

Give thanks.  Let God be told

How much you appreciate what he gives

While on this earth where you live.

 

Take nothing for granted lest it be lost,

Then you will understand what is the cost.

When a bird, you no longer hear,

You never even know it is near.

 

If you can’t see the color of a rose,

Enjoy its fragrance through your nose.

If you can’t hear the sound of a bird,

Let your vision speak what is unheard.

 

If you cannot walk to enjoy evening air,

Take a ride and view here and there.

Whatever it is you cannot do,

God offers a way that will see you through.

 

Even in suffering give thanks to God

For all the beauty that grows from sod.

And through the pain life brings your way

Appreciate something each and every day.

 

Allow God’s love to be the song you can’t hear.

Let His sunshine kiss away each tear.

Permit His Presence to be your spring,

If you have no voice, allow your heart to sing.

 

Regardless the burden, though heavy it be

Offer thanks for salvation, it will set you free.

God has promised that you will not lack.

What you can’t do, He’ll pick up your slack.

 

He will fill you with joy to the very brim,

All He asks is that you dwell with Him.

Seek Him diligently, He offers peace,

And His love for you will never cease.

 

I think this poem was put in my heart because I know there are some who read my blog that are in the midst of trial and suffering.  I do not mean for the words of the poem to seem condescending or trite in light of what I know many are going through emotionally, and or physically.  If you have even one thing that you can think of to be thankful for, remember to give God thanks.  God hears your thanks.  He delights in your praise and love.  And it delights God to delight you!  Open your heart to the bounty of what He desires to give you.  Be open and receptive to receive, even when you wonder if He really hears you.

I type this prayer with deep sincerity:

 

MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU THIS DAY. 

MAY HIS LIGHT SHINE UPON YOU. 

MAY HE GRANT YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART. 

MAY YOUR BODY EXPERIENCE THE TOUCH OF HIS HEALING HAND.

MAY YOUR LIFE BE FILLED WITH JOY AND PEACE AS YOU EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND GRACE OF HIS SPIRIT ABIDING IN YOU.

 

I AM PRAYING FOR YOU!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Sabbath March 13 2016  MISTAKES AND KISSES

What can I say?  I’m not perfect but my heart is full of love.  So I guess that counts for something.

Yesterday was a fine day indeed!  It did not end for me until midnight and I knew I would be up by 5:45 a.m. today, which was the first morning of SPRING FORWARD.  “Spring forward” morning is always the most difficult morning to arise early.  And so it was.  I was up, but the boys were not.  After Dave and I were showered and dressed and breakfast brewing, it was past time for my two little sleepy heads to be up.  I had the hall light on.  We made lots of noise and finally broke through the shell of Zachariah’s impenetrable dreamland.  Xander was another story.  He would just not wake up.  So I had to resort to the last tactic I knew.  KISSES!  I started kissing his soft rosy cheek trying to disturb his little cocoon.  He just simply turned toward me, eyes still tightly closed in the deep peaceful sleep that only a child can do.  He reminded me of a baby nuzzling closer to the breast of a mother.  He was content, happy, and definitely had no intention of waking up prematurely.  I just kept kissing his cheek.  He finally peeked up at me, snuggled closer to me, as Zach snuggled on his other side.  Dave was watching this and he snapped a picture, one of those precious moments that can only be caught by accident.  I have included the picture at the bottom of the blog.  Just look at his little grin of peaceful satisfaction.  His look spoke a thousand words to me.  It was a look of deep satisfaction of being so loved, contented, secure, and pleased with life at the moment.

There is nothing quite like the warm smell of a little boy mixed with profuse stardust kisses.  And I had the luxury of two wonderful boys to kiss awake.  It was one of those priceless rare treasures of being Gramma.  I am “Gramma” instead of “Grandma” because that is how it sounds when the kids address me and that is how Zachariah spelled it in his recent thank you note to me.  I always wanted to be called something unique and so I glommed onto “Gramma”.  Can you tell that I love being a Gramma???

Now to the mistake.  I needed to brush my teeth after breakfast and Xander needed to get dressed.  Well, he only had one pair of clothing in his bag to put on, so I instructed him to get dressed, remembering to remind him to change his underwear, and I would be right out.  Once he was dressed he came into the bathroom to comb his hair (he has a buzz cut), I finished my teeth brushing, and we left to go to church.  He looked quite handsome in my book.  I dropped him off at his 4 year old class.  Fast forward to the service ending, me picking the boys up from their respective classrooms, and finding mom and dad amidst the hundreds of parishioners.  All is well until we see Xander walking away from us with his hands in his “back pockets”.  EXCEPT…his hands were in his front pockets which now graced his little butte.  I have a picture of that for you too.  He was so humiliated when he found out he had his pants on backwards!  Actually, I thought it quite cute!  Well, dad took him to the restroom and saved his dignity.  He came out a happy camper.  So much for Gramma’s eagle eye.  Next time I’ll have to give him a better onceover before we leave home.  I guess ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!  He still loves me.  And I thought I had done a great job just making certain he had on underware!

 

WHILE AGAIN I’M YOUNG AT HEART

By Kathleen Martens

March 13, 2016

 

Oh my, I love my boys

One generation removed.

The children of my beloved son

A father so well proved.

 

I know he loves his boys

As much as I have loved him.

And oh how that touches my heart

Now that my vision has dimmed.

 

Greying hair and fading memory

May announce my coming end,

But until that day comes

To my grand-boys I’ll be their friend.

 

We’ll run and play until they’re too old,

Only a short time will they be young.

 I’ll try to not give too much advice

If it’s possible to hold my tongue.

 

Every day I will cherish these years

While their lives are still beginning,

And try to stay alive as long as I can

Until my very last inning.

 

So fun to play and dance a jig,

Read books, play games and do art.

And I will just be plain old Gramma

While again I’m young at heart.

 

It is Sunday Sabbath, my day of rest.  I shall go rest.  My blog is written.  I love writing my blog! 

GOD BLESS YOU ON THIS DAY OF REST.

P.S.  The best advice I would have for you today is to go to www.citychurchonline.org and look up today’s sermon.  The title is:

“Romans Series:  Understanding God’s Wrath”.  This is a sermon that everyone could benefit from listening to.

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday March 12 2016  AND EVERY HUG AND KISS

Oh my goodness!  I almost forgot to write a blog today!  Tonight of all nights, when the clock springs forward, is the night I forgot to write.  And now my morning is coming earlier and all I can think about is getting into bed.

Again, busy from sun up to right this very moment.  Picked up the grandsons this afternoon and I don’t think my feet have touched the floor since.  Just now corralled them into bed at 9:30 and when we wake up in the morning it will actually be an hour earlier than usual because of moving our clocks forward.  So be it.  WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

Dave was anchored to the house today because we had a tree trimmer here all day.  Dave didn’t want to leave with him here climbing into the heights of our oak tree and white birch tree.  We still have one very tall tree that leans toward the house that we are having removed. 

After collecting the boys from their home we had a couple of stops to make so I could pick up some things from Costco and Aldi’s and then headed out to DREAM PARK.  It is a kids paradise.  I like it too.  We played “tag” and it seemed that I was always it.  Too slow to get away when I tagged them and yet not quite fast enough to tag them very often.  It was a conspiracy!  I got a run for my money.  The boys had a blast.  Then we stopped by the gym where Dave and I work out because the boys wanted to see it inside.  It was very quiet there this evening and the boys had a good time looking at all the equipment.  Sometimes it takes so little to entertain two young boys!

After that we met Dave at Subway, came home and had a dessert of yogurt and fresh strawberries, watched a movie and finally got the boys settled in to sleepy town.

These two boy are the nicest little guys you would ever want to be with.  Everywhere we go together I always get compliments on their behavior.  And that praise goes to their parents.  It is just that they are so well behaved that I think it startles people to see two little boys behave so peacefully and courteously in public.  It makes them fun to be around.  And, being truthful, I think they just behave better for gramma when parents aren’t around.  But I don’t care why they do it, I am just thankful!  It always makes for a fun day. 

So that was my day.  A day worth it I must say.  Since we postponed our date for leaving on our trip, my first thought was that we could have the boys over this weekend if we could get an okay from their parents.  I think they were very delighted to give that okay.  As a working mom, and the wife of a law student, Amy probably needs more breaks than she gets.  And since Courtland uses every spare moment he has to study and write law papers, I think a reprieve from interruptions is always welcomed.  And besides, they received special permission to use a gift certificate which had expired on December 31^st of last year.  It never hurts to ask.  They simply did not have a moment in which they could squeeze in an evening out.  So they get a good time and we get to have the BEST time.

 

AND EVERY HUG AND KISS

By Kathleen Martens

March 12 2016

 

Busy from sun up

All the way to sun down.

A precious day of memories

Will be the rebound.

 

There’s never enough time

To watch children grow.

Or plant in their hearts

What you would like to sow.

 

Every little word

And every hug and kiss

Is tucked into my heart

Never with remiss.

 

Their peals of laughter

Reverberate in my heart,

The sounds echoing

Like the kiss of a dart.

 

Making a bulls-eye

That makes Gramma proud

As if floating through space,

On a soft white cloud.

 

I love the touch

Of sweet little hands

As the smooch of a kiss

On my cheek lands.

 

Makes the day worth it

For my coffers are filled.

Overflowing with love

That’s outwardly spilled.

 

How blessed am I

To have two little boys

That fill my heart full

With so many joys.

 

So sleepy.  I hope the words I have written tonight make sense.

I leave you with a poem which I wrote on May 4, 2010 about the little boy I once had.  I hope you enjoy my reminiscing.

 

I HAD A LITTLE BOY ONCE

Kathleen Martens

May 4, 2010

 

I had a little boy once

And my heart remembers so much.

From the earliest fluttering in my womb,

As well as the kicking and such.

 

Such a tiny baby born too early

With such a hope for life.

He struggled for each breath he took,

His beginning was filled with strife.

 

I had a little boy once

And I stroked his tiny feet,

His unseen eyes covered by gauze

To protect them from light & heat.

 

I had a little boy once

Who one day smiled at me

With sparkling brown eyes

He found my heart’s key.

 

I had a little boy once

Who crawled, walked and played.

And he gave his heart to Jesus

At four years old he simply prayed.

 

I think back to that time in life,

Unending questions and happy smiles.

All those memories of time and space,

They seemed unending miles.

 

 

I had a little boy once,

Each day sweeter than the day before.

The days did not last for ever

And oh how I long for more.

 

I had a little boy once

Who at my table did sup.

But that little boy is gone now…

He had the nerve to grow up!

 

Good night and God bless you.

 

Friday March 11 2016   I HOPE MY EPITAPH WILL TELL

No title to my page today.  I’ll put one up later when I think of something.  Short interlude to say hello to those I know who are daily followers.  I’m praying for you Sandra.  Friends, and those I don’t know, please continue to pray for Sandra’s pain to disappear. 

Now, I must confess about yesterday’s blog.  I actually did double duty yesterday while I was writing my blog.  The day before (which I found out about it at night) I was asked if I had something I had written or would like to write about regarding Psalm 37 as an introduction to our Pastor speaking at our Prime Time event happening this evening.  I slept on it, read Psalm 37 over and realized that I would love to write a poem regarding that chapter.  After Dave and I had our yesterdays’ discussion about being wealthy beyond measure I knew immediately that I was to write a poem relating to Psalm 37 and that the title of the poem would be “Wealthy Beyond Measure”.  Very rarely do I ever title a poem before writing it.  When I checked my phone yesterday morning I had a request that if I was going to write something the title was needed so a brochure could be printed before noon.  I immediately emailed back and was able to give the title because God had already placed it in my heart.  It wasn’t written, but I now had a promise to fulfill.

So, I was able to use my poem for two-fold purpose.  One, to include in my blog, and second to write something for tonight’s Prime Time dinner event.  So today I am practicing my presentation and making modifications here and there.  I know that my blog had a myriad of mistakes yesterday because I hadn’t had time to proof it.  I proofed it this morning by reading my phone copy and then when I went back to fix the errors I could not find some of them.  Oh well, in the scheme of life I would not count that very important.

Today I will watch a bit of the tribute to Nancy Reagan.  President and Nancy Reagan were very special people in my book.  Our country was very blessed to have a president such as Ronald Reagan proved to be. 

 

I HOPE MY EPITAPH WILL TELL

By Kathleen Martens

March 11, 2016

 

We all have a purpose

In the life we live.

God who designs us

Our calling He gives.

 

Someday we will rest

In eternal farewell.

I hope my life

God’s story will tell.

 

And when my days numbered

Are no more,

Do not grieve for me,

For in heaven I’ll soar.

 

When I am gone

I hope my epitaph will tell

“God gave her a calling

And she did it well”.

 

What better words

To convey the story

That my one desire

Was to share God’s glory.

 

Short blog. Short poem.  Short day with lots to do.  Oh by the way.  I have two dozen of my famous delicious carrot cupcakes to share with the Prime Timers this evening.  I even made a copy of the recipe and will print some off to take with me.  When people eat them they usually ask for the recipe.  At least the women do. 

Nancy Reagan’s Memorial service is coming on soon and I would like to share in this bit of history.  I know it will be touching and educational.

Have a great day!

God bless and keep you.

Tuesday March 8 2016  A CHANGE OF PLANS ARE BREWING

It seems that Mr. Winter has a change of plans, and for the time being has skirted around our state.  It doesn’t take much for Dave to get spring fever on the first warm day that is bold enough to show up on March 8^th!  March has given us some of our most severe weather.  Not today.  The snow is now about 98 per cent melted all around town and the temperature was in the low 70’s!  WOW!!!Dave has commented so many times over the years that he could hardly wait until he retired so he could start working in the yard at the first hint of spring.  And now is that time.  However, as many of you know we were planning to leave right about now to do a little skedaddle around the country, going south, east, further south, then north through the Appalachian mountains, Pennsylvania, and on home.    Dave is having second thoughts about being gone for so long.  Though we have a wonderful couple who babysit our house when we are gone, we can’t expect them to get out and dig up the briers in the back woods while the ground is still pliable.  So, a change of plans are brewing.  I told Dave we should just tell everyone we left town, but really stay home and get all the work done without interruptions.  We talked to the couple who help us out and it was okay with them whether we need them or not.

So, as of this moment, our plans are up in the air.  We do plan to go see our daughter in Florida and those plans are solid.  It is just what we do, and where we go, before we get to Florida that will determine how long we will be gone.  Our pressing dilemma is, how can we shorten the trip, so as to have as much time as possible to be home.  We must try to stay on top of the wild spring growth or it quickly gets out of control.  What we decide to do will write our story; the story of where we go, who we will see, what experiences we may or may not have, or whether or not we even survive the trip to arrive back home.  Choices we make each and every day play an important part of our tomorrows.

I heard a most interesting sentence today while I was listening to an online sermon.  The minister said THAT WE EACH WRITE THE STORY OF OUR LIVES BY THE CHOICES WE MAKE.  I don’t think he said it in those exact words but it is close enough.  I thought his statement quite interesting.  Or, I mused, IS IT, THE CHOICES WE MAKE THAT WRITE THE STORY OF OUR LIVES?  I think it would ultimately boil down to how we make our choices.  Do we purposely set out with a plan, choose to accomplish certain milestones and work toward them, or do we just step out, get ourselves into predicaments we hadn’t planned for, and must now make choices on the spur of the moment that may, or may not have a positive outcome?

Every day we find ourselves making a myriad of choices that must be made on the spur of the moment.   And on the other hand there are choices that we make ahead of time and if all goes well, the plan works out.  So many variables about making choices.  So which is it?  Do we write the story by the choices we make or do the choices we make write the story?

Writing the story of our lives by the choices we make, somehow connotes having a game plan.  Planning ahead as to what decisions you are going to make BEFORE you are confronted with whatever it is you are facing..  But, no matter how fine-tuned your choices are, there always seems to be a cog in the wheel.  Many situations do no go as planned.  And many things happen that you do not plan.  Then what?  I would suspect that then, at that time, new choices would need to be made.   And regardless the choices made, there will be consequences, either planned or unplanned, but still consequences. 

So how do you chose to write the story of your life?  Are you going to write your story by the choices you make or let your choices write your story for you?  Whatever you decide to do it, there is one choice that must absolutely be made before you start deciding.  That choice is to ask yourself, do you give God control of all the choices you make, either planned choices, or those decision that must be made on the spot.  Personally, I feel a lot more comfortable having God in the driver’s seat.  He never steers me wrong.  I wold like my story to be written to coincide with the plan that God has for my life.

 

LET GOD BE IN CONTROL

By Kathleen Martens

March 8, 2016

 

A cross fire of what to do,

Many choices to ensue.

How do we determine what’s the key?

What pronouncements will there be?

 

Little and big decisions bloom

Until it seems there’s no more room.

Verdicts passed with resolution,

While unknown if perfect solutions.

 

Do those decisions write our story?

Regardless how clean or gory?

Or perhaps it is each man

Who writes the story by his plan?

 

With steadfastness, design to see

What it is you want to be.

With resoluteness choose your desire.

With single-mindedness light your fire.

 

And to make your story right

Let God be your guiding light.

He has a plan and it is good,

Even if it is not understood.

 

When He’s in control your story unfolds,

How God wants it, strong and bold.

Let your decisions be God’s heart,

And then your story will hit the mark.

 

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you.” Declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.

 

I am falling asleep at the computer.  I hope my poem makes sense.

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU!