The birth I told you about recently reminded me of my daughter’s birth. Fifty years ago today she came into the world. It is hard to grasp that number. I was in labor for 32 hours. Finally the doctor decided to do an emergency C-section. When I awoke they held her up for me to see. She was sticking out her tongue! (Of course, they had just popped a pacifier out of her mouth.)
She is a delight now, just as she was as a newborn!
Celebrating her daughter’s birthday this month, too!
When this woman turns on the joy there is no mistaking how she is feeling! She loves dogs.
For Mother’s Day her daughter took her to Puppy Yoga!
She is her Dad’s clone. They are so much alike I often wonder if I had anything to do with her birth! Emily is a joy and a blessing to us.
Happy Birthday, my dear!
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3 ESV
This quote stirred in me as I marked year fifty of my mother’s death. The photo above shows my mom with her white gloves at our wedding.
Every sorrow I bear will be supplanted by a greater heavenly joy, when you, O Christ, make all things right and new – even this thing. From Every Moment Holy – For Navigating Difficult Moments
Fifty years ago on Flag Day, I awoke nine months pregnant. My mother was visiting us in Kentucky. She had driven herself down from Ohio. I assured her the baby would not be born this weekend, but she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She was sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room.
She had brought a Styrofoam cooler filled with food for us. We had put the cooler on the porch the night before to dry. That Saturday morning it was getting ready to rain and a wind had come up. I was afraid the cooler would blow away, so I walked through the living room to go get it off the porch. As I walked by I noticed she was not breathing. I got the cooler, closed the porch door and stopped again. No, her chest was not rising and falling.
That began a time of anguish and grief like none I had ever known before.
This is fifty years later. I know, because our daughter turns fifty in a week or two. Mom never knew any of our children. She has remained Grandma Ann, mostly known for recipes I was able to recreate after her passing.
I still miss my mother. Even though I am now 74 years old, there are still times I long to hear her voice. I wonder what she would say about the book about to be published with Kindle Direct Publishing using my writings from this blog and other writings? I had sort of hoped the final approval for printing would come on June 14th, the date of her passing. Approval did not come on that date though. Page 11 I wrote about her influence upon me by songs she taught us while driving in the car.
The tile of my book will be Treasures in Plain Sight: Growing Closer to Jesus in Prayer. I has 107 pages and is 5 x 7 inches. It will cost $12.00. I will earn only a small fraction of that. I did not print it to earn money though. I worked on this to get the writing out there where hopefully people can use it to draw closer to Jesus. Below is photo of the proof copy.
I am working on Volume 2 which will be about relationship with God.
Please pray for these materials to fall into the hands of folks who are yearning for God. I pray this is all done to God’s glory. I am now wondering if I should submit the poetry for publication through Kindle Direct? So many decisions about so many things!
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Ha! It just came through! Here is the link to purchase the book !! https://a.co/d/1dcvaGf
I cannot remember the date we actually met the Cookseys. It had to be at least thirty years ago.
We went to church together. They taught us so much about prayer. Dan lead classes that instructed us deeply in how to shepherd the Lord’s people. We also led marriage workshop weekends together. Dan used to joke that God chose four introverts to lead those groups.
There was a time when we traveled with Dan and Betty Cooksey. We have a photo on our office wall of a lovely owl I spotted in a tree during a drive around Reel-foot lake. I told Dan, “Back up! Back up!” He slowly backed the car up until I could point out the owl to everyone. Bob and Dan are both great photographers. I will never forgot practically lying down in the car seat so Bob could get the right angle! Sweet memories, indeed.
When they moved to New Mexico we were stunned and saddened. After we visited the first time Bob asked if I wanted to move there, too. I decided I could not leave my maple trees. Then we discovered that if we visited New Mexico we had a place to stay, always! We have visited several times over the ensuing years. From American Indian pow-wows to visiting birding sites. The Taos pueblo and other ancient settings. The adventure and delight of watching the farm market roast green chilis! Ah that fragrance 🙂 And then Dan and Bob peeling the chilis together.
Two men who remain such good friends though miles separate them
As couples we are not clones. There are some things we do not agree upon, but it is always possible through love and Christian fellowship to have warm discussions about any topic. The Psalm below always reminds me of the four of us.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. Psalm 133
Now we are all aging and slowing down. We have not been to ABQ for 2-1/2 years. We are visiting there as you read this. I trust we will have a wonderful time as usual. I am fervently praying this is not the last time we get all four of us together. They are older than we are (only by a few years). With my heart scan looming in August and the prospect of open heart surgery I take nothing for granted anymore.
I do not like waking up in the night and being unable to get right back to sleep. It seems the older I get the more often this happens. The internet lists a multitude of reasons this happens, from medications to temperature in the room, to body discomfort, and on and on.
Recently one night it was allergy discomfort. I know the neighbor has honeysuckle vines that are blooming. Though they smell sweet during the day, I know from our last house they can really trigger my allergy symptoms. So I went to close the open window and noticed how strong the mold smell was from the wet grass. Yep, I am allergic to mold, also! I took my acetaminophen and allergy medication. I returned to bed and after 20 minutes I was aware that I was still wide awake. Lately my mind runs along the lines of “What will I write about on the blog?” or “Did I remember to ask the editor this?”
So I made notes about what to write, editorial questions and then opened the book on my iPad to read until I was drowsy. Of course, that sent me off exploring why does reading help me get to sleep?
The short answer says my eyes get fatigued going back and forth on the lines and my brain then gets triggered that it is time to go to sleep. Even if the plot has just thickened and the clue to the mystery of the story is almost there on the page!! I am not concerned about that. Just hoping I set a bookmark on the page before I nod off.
So yes, I got back to sleep but this waking and staying awake is getting old. Oh! I am getting old, too. Guess it beats the alternative.
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 NIV
I have a few neighbors that need a home cooked meal now and then. Since I have never learned how to cook for just two people, it is my pleasure to share with those people. Usually they get whatever we are having for dinner that day.
One gal is divorced, has raised 5 kids mostly on her own, and now lives with some nasty chronic illnesses. She works mostly from home and puts in long hours. She recently hit a few financial snags with appliances breaking down, car repair, plus the cat was diagnosed with diabetes requiring medications. She has appreciated anything I drop off. My husband does not like watermelon so recently I shared some cut up melon with her since I cannot eat a whole one before it goes bad. I could almost hear her dancing with delight as she texted her response at finding the melon along with green beans and ham at her door.
Another fellow was widowed a few months ago. His wife had Alzheimer’s disease. He went to see her at the nursing facility every day for 2-1/2 years. He lost a tremendous amount of weight. His stability even with his walker began to be in question. When she finally took her last breath he was a physical wreck. I told him we need to fatten him up! I took him a couple meals. Once when I delivered food he was assembling a foot cycle machine similar to the photo below.
He told me he is determined to get his strength back so he can take walks in the neighborhood. I took him some green beans with ham and potatoes last week. I left it on his porch and texted that I had left it for him. I went early in the morning and did not want to disturb him in case he was sleeping in. He shortly texted back that he got it.
If he comes down the street in his car he always stops to speak. He never drives away now without saying “How’s Bob? I love you!
When I was walking Lucky the other evening he was working in his garden. He came wobbling across the grass towards me. I cringed not wanting him to fall. When he got close enough to speak over his barking dogs, he dropped his city ways and spoke in his Indiana country twang, “Them was some good beans!” He had not commented on the food previously. I took his words as a high compliment!
We are told in Scripture to love our neighbors and share one another’s burdens.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12: 30-31
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NRSVUE
Is there someone you could reach out to with love and compassion? If not with food, perhaps with other things you are capable of? Often, most everyone just wants a listening ear and a kind heart to come close. Do not let those the Lord sends your way remain invisible. Give a smile, send a note card. Simple things are usually the best!!
Many who know the hobby of my husband know he has a wonderful eye for photography. When he retired from the laboratory his fellow employees wanted to know how best to gift him. I suggested they take up a collection towards a new camera. More than once he has considered dropping photography as his hobby. The verse that follow tells what happened next. Loosely based on the ideas from If Your Give a Mouse a Cookie.
If you get a retiree a camera He will want to buy the instruction manual And then spend a month reading the manual Playing with settings, and learning the camera Just when you think he will never take a real photo He will venture out to snap some shots
When it is time to go beyond the house he’s gonna want a case And if the book doesn't fit in the case He is gonna need a new case
If you get a retiree a camera He is going to need time to edit And through away the “junk” shots And print only the perfect ones
If you get a retiree a camera There are episodes of frustration Away from home on a special occasion When the settings somehow escape him And he goes back to the book Fuming that it seemed so simple When he practiced in the living room
If you get a retiree a camera You need to plan time to review The videos and best shots And praise his hard work learning the contraption And the expert eye that is seeing The things you had hoped all along he would capture
All of the photos below are by rmdutina
Yes! Always give this man as many cameras as he needs! What does your eye see most often? CAn you capture it in a photo?!?
Yes, well. Storms blow through Cincinnati all the time. About 75 degrees and lovely.
Shortly the heavens opened! We were seated next to folks who were rooting for the White Sox. From our seats the State of Kentucky disappeared! The winds came, the rain blew. We moved under an area with a better roof. There we talked with a pipeline construction worker from Oklahoma who was excited to catch the game. He was worrying that they might cancel it.
The screen kept saying rain delay. We eventually chimed in with “No joke!”
The best reward for waiting through a rainstorm is a rainbow. And this one lasted and lasted!!
They were not very accurate at updating the weather radar. Eventually the game began, almost 1-1/2 hours late. I was wearing shorts and had brought a very thin hoodie made of t-shirt like material.
After the rain came the wind became steady and the temperature dropped. The lady next to me was able to go to her car and get her winter coat. She offered me her tiny scarf which I declined.
We left after 3-1/2 innings as it was just too chilly to be enjoyable. We got home before the game ended. And then the Reds lost 5-1.
We did get to go to the ballgame and eat peanuts and throw the shells on the ground! It was also 1-2-3 Tuesday. $1.00 UDF ice cream cups (chocolate sundae cup was delicious.) $2.00 hot dogs. Yep, they were good, too. and $3.00 beer. Bob enjoyed his Kona wave. My husband always love a thrifty deal! A good time was had by the Dutinas!
Modern society has created a myriad of ways to help us stay mobile while we age. At the Convent there are many Sisters who need those devices to get around. Father David Pfaff has visited the Convent often as a fill-in priest to do a service when Father Tom must be away. This weekend as retreat leader he said he spent more time with the sisters than in the past.
He decided to scrap his Sunday morning homily to speak on what he observed while among the sisters, oblates and associates. Sadly, the sermon was not recorded and he did not make notes for it. It was so anointed and such a blessing to those in attendance! One sister who had seemed serious all weekend broke out into a beautiful smile as he spoke.
Later, I asked him via email for his notes. This is what he sent.
“In a nutshell, walking assistive devices are visible reminders that we all need God’s grace to support in our lives, and watching the sisters manage their walkers in a way that I believe shows something of what God invites us to in the ‘great divine dance’ which is God’s grace and love for us.”
As best I remember, he pointed out that the devices are like a sacrament, “an outward and visible sign of an inward invisible grace.” God supports and aids us in our journey. For some the walker has a seat and a storage box. Some have large wheels, others small ones. Some have places to lean the forearms. A few have fabric laced with ribbon over the front of the frame. Rather than resenting and disliking the walker, we can embrace it just as we embrace God’s care for us.
That is a minimal sketch of his delightful talk. As I recall he also mentioned that he was impressed by how Sr. Hope assisted Sr. Marion when she moved from her walker to her chair. He noticed how each of us yielded to the ones with assistive devices when it came to a narrow path.
I once heard someone refer to her walker as a cage. That is sad. I hope this entry might help even one person re-frame the walker assistance idea. Yes, the walker surrounds with bars and handles, but for a good reason – support. I pray that when it comes time for me to use an assistive device such as a walker I can remember it as David Pfaff painted this lovely portrait last weekend.
Drats! For years I kept instant unflavored iced tea powder on hand for a quick delicious glass. I could stir it into water, add ice, sweetener if needed and dash out the door. At first my favorite was Nestea because they sold it in Decaf. Then Nestea was harder to find so I used Lipton, regular or decaf.
Then even that became hard to find. Now it is impossible to find unless you want to pay about $40 per jar online!! I had balked at $4.50 a jar.
The grocery stores no longer sell it. I never dreamed this product would go away. All I can find is presweetened lemon flavored which I absolutely DO NOT LIKE!
Amazon offered a different brand, Waka. I thought why not and bought one. Turns out the product depends on the tea you begin. Well duh!! This one comes out cloudy and sort of icky. Pooey! Next I will try making Waka with even less powder and see if I like that.
Yes, I still brew tea leaves for iced tea. That powder was just so easy and convenient. I have a partial jar and trust me, I use it sparingly knowing that will be my last one ever. Since the cardiologist told me to cut down on how many ounces of fluid I consume in a day (over indulgence was causing leg cramps) I drink much less than I used to. That fact also increased my interest in the ever-ready instant.
Just need a new method of brew, ice, consume while still fresh. Old dog, new tricks.
Some days I wonder do my dreams and worries inform my first thoughts upon waking up or is it all under control of the Holy Spirit?
For a few days I have recurrent thoughts about the cardiac surgery they say I will need sooner rather than later. Part of me wonders what if I do not have the surgery? All of that runs underneath the day to day thoughts.
My daughter’s mother-in-law died yesterday. Evidently she was sitting on the side of her bed, getting dressed. It appears she had a stroke? She fell backwards and just lay down on the bed. She was a catholic woman who lost her husband and her mother. While hospitalized a few years ago she was tested and doctors decided she had lost some of her executive reasoning abilities. She had to move into a retirement community. She did not like it very much, but there were so many things she did not like very much! May she rest in peace.
My husband, Bob, had recently taken her to Frisch’s for lunch, always her first choice. She had just seen her family for a celebration Easter weekend.
What does all this have to do with me? Margie was ten years older than I am. My death became a poignant fact with the aneurysm diagnosis last January. No one know when the Lord will call us home. Only God knows the day and the hour.
This morning when I awoke some of the lines from this song were rolling through my brain. Took me a while to wake up and capture it. This is a Catholic hymn based on several Scriptures. I chose to share this version because it provides the lyrics.
I have listened to the song several times this morning. I would be lying if I said that took care of any disquiet I have from the aneurysm I carry with me. NOT. The next scan will be a CT scan in August to determine if the thing has grown. Cardiologist will determine when to refer me to cardiac surgeon. Until then, as I do daily, I must trust in the Lord and walk in obedience to all I am asked to do for the Holy Trinity.
Bob jokes around about cremation which we both have chosen instead of burial. The funeral home down the street has been busy for the last year building a huge garage looking thing on the adjoining lot which they purchased. I called them this morning and yes, indeed, it is going to be a crematorium. The dictionary is so uncouth.
Crematorium: A furnace or establishment for the incineration of corpses.
He cracks a joke every single time we drive past, which is practically daily! I wonder if he thinks the same things while he is alone in the car? I told him he needs to stop or I will have weird flashbacks if he dies first. Yep, at our age these discussions occur with some regularity!
I chose cremation because I do not want any chance that I will get this body back in the afterlife. God knows the wishes of my soul. I told the funeral director I want the box the casket comes in, not some expensive casket.
I write all this as my daughter and her family go to the funeral home today to make arrangements. I have no idea if Margie had pre-planned her funeral. I hope so. No one wants to make all of those decisions while grappling with grief. Again, may she rest in peace.
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 