Category: Family

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Family, Memories, Prayer, Special Event, Spiritual growth

Eleanor Grace

My middle Grandgirl is a darling girl. As a very young child she was a handful, at times VERY difficult to cope with. (Would love to post her young pouting photo here, but the older ones are packed away.) As she grew older she has become more and more pleasant and extremely kind.

I have always wanted to pass along my faith to my grandchildren. Difficult to know how to impart that without disrupting family dynamics. St Francis said, “Preach always. Use words if necessary.” Nicole C. Mullen was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She published this song in 2000. She speaks truth about God’s children. Hebrews 1:14 says “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

I often sang this as a prayer for my children and grandchildren to know God. One person said they would each learn by watching how Bob and I live our lives. Before middle school each Grandchild knew we loved Jesus and live for Him.

The oldest Grandgirl, Lizzie, blessed me when she went to Christian Camp in 1994 when she was in Middle School and got baptized. Her Mom invited Bob and I show up at the pool for the event! I was so tickled.

At Christmas this year our second Grandgirl, who has never liked jewelry, was wearing two necklaces. I knew she and her Mom had bought one together a few months earlier. The necklaces were inside her sweater. I asked her if it was the necklace that she and her Mom both wear. She said yes, and showed me the other one she was wearing. It was a tasteful gold cross. I was stunned. When I found my words I invited her to come into the living room with me alone. Through our masks I asked her about her cross necklace.

She said, “Mommy bought it for me.” I asked if that was a piece of fashion jewelry or if it meant more to her than that. Put on the spot, she stammered, “Well, you know, Jesus.” I refrained from jumping up and down! I told her I was so glad she believes in Him. I asked her if she would like me to get her a Bible and underline my favorite verses. She said yes, her eyes twinkling.

Many years ago I got frustrated with the concordance in the back of my Bible. I decided to make my own concordance, gathering up all the verses with special meaning to me. That is my major remaining project before we move. Marking two New Testaments for the Grandgirls to have as their own with my favorite verses highlighted.

They have their own angels assigned to them now. I am beyond delighted. It was a Christmas surprise I continue to rejoice over!

Posted on in Faith, Family, Music, Poetry, Spiritual growth, Traveling

PNR

Wikipedia says “Burn the ships”  means the ‘point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one’s current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult.’  October of 2018 For King and Country released a song called Burn the Ships. You can listen to it here:

Jesus spoke about leaving things behind, forsaking people and things in Luke 14:25-27.

Many people were traveling with Jesus. He said to them, “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.”

Easy Reader Version

We must love Him MORE THAN anything and anyone else we know and love. In 1982 I wrote We Must Go On © Molly Lin Dutina 3-15-82

It doesn't matter.
We must go on.
If they won't come with us,
we must go on.
Pressing together
into the Kingdom.
We must go on.
Our Master Calls.

We can try to tell them,
but we must go on.
Can't let earth hold us back
we must go on.
The Father soon will speak,
Jesus will come.
It doesn't matter
we must go on.

If we feel hurt and loss
we must remember:
the Father works 
for their salvation
every hour of every day.
We must obey - we must go on.

Burn the ships, forsaking all others, follow Christ. It still applies today!

  

Posted on in Family, Humor, Memories

Language Humor 3

When was the last time you ate Basketti?

When I was a nanny one child I kept used to rub the sauce in her eyes every time we served it to her! Yuck. I would think that would burn her eyes! That habit required a head bath after lunch in the kitchen sink while she laid upon the kitchen counter!

Have you played with a babbloony lately? Kate loved them!

When Emily was small she used to sing, lots! One of her favorites was “Hallelujah to the Wham!” Yep, the Lamb was Jesus. I loved that! Always reminded me that Almighty Jesus packs a punch!

Posted on in Family

Jay Died in His Sleep

My mom always said that was what she wanted. She too, died in her sleep. That is another story altogether.

Jay was actually Joseph M. Lerant, my best friend’s older brother. He was a type 1 diabetic. He survived the COVID 19 outbreak in the nursing home. He was 73 when he died on February 17, 2021. You see February 22 was Jay’s funeral service. He was only three years older than me. And he has “gone to his reward.” He was something of a miracle man in that he had juvenile Type 1 diabetes, yet lived to 73 with all of his limbs in tact. There was a pesky wound on his heal that refused to heal. Perhaps it was talk of amputating that foot that led him to loose his grip on life.

One of my first introductions to classical music was when I heard him practicing and learning to play the following on the upright piano in their dining room.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=21EU31SqQEg&feature=share

And then there was this one.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=UXtmcQCgSgc&feature=share

Oh goodness. I am about to cry. He would tease his sister Dana and me mercilessly. He gave us nicknames. The three of us took silly photos together when I got hold of a camera once.

When he advanced to this piece I was mesmerized by the music. His hands flying over the keys as he practiced. Not Grandma Snapp’s piano hymns.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=zucBfXpCA6s&feature=share

One time when I “was invited over” for dinner Jay’s details of the anatomy of a chicken almost made me ‘barf.’ He nicknamed his mother’s favorite tea “constant vomit,” instead of Constant Comment.

He had an amazing brain. He could remember not only conversations, where you were going when it took place, but the date and usually the time. Often he recalled the weather that day and perhaps what you were wearing.

Jay was the first person I knew who went to a counselor regularly. His sharing of that experience was a generous gift. I have now seen my share of counselors.

May he rest in peace in the Presence of our Resurrected Lord and Savior.

St. Ignatius prayed, ““Wherever Your glory be best served, whenever, however; there, then, and in that state let me Your servant be; only hide not from me Your divine love.”

Posted on in Aging, Family, Humor, Memories

Rhythm or Melody?

Grandma Snapp played the piano most of her life. My Grandfather was a preacher. Grandma played the piano. My mother, their only daughter for 21 years, was made to lead the hymns standing on a soapbox.

In her last years Grandma Snapp drummed her fingers on the table. That made my mother crazy! I always imagined she was perhaps playing part of a piano piece?

When I turned 65, I found myself unconsciously drumming a rhythm with my fingers. When I realized what I was doing I wondered, do I do it because Grandma did? Is it hereditary? I am not a pianist. The rhythm seems comforting.

iPhone will let you set your vibration signal. I have mine set for incoming calls. Guess how I set mine? Yep, same rhythm! Find it under ringtone, custom vibration.

Posted on in Family, Humor

Language Humor 2

We lived near a firehouse when Emily was small. We often talked about fire trucks and the ambulance. She insisted it was an “Ambliance.”

When we went to the zoo we saw the “Efalant.”

The delight and challenges of toddler language!

At the grocery Jeff made me nuts one day. Sitting in the cart he kept asking for “Woo Bea.” I kept telling him if I could only understand him I would gladly buy that. Finally, I got it!

Barq’s Root Beer

Many, many years later we took Jeff’s son for a walk. We had him in a stroller because the walk was about a mile in length and he was quite small.

Photos by r m dutina

He could not wait later that day to tell his Dad he saw a “Cowpidar!” I love those chubby knuckles!

Posted on in Family

Intercession

Intercession © Molly Lin Dutina 1982

 
 Please hold my hand
 and go with me
 to the Throne of Grace.
  
 I need, I hurt, I ache
 seems all that I can say.
 Please use your objectivity
 to plead for me my case.
  
 He has, He knows, He heals
 come with me to that place.
  
 And as His Spirit takes us
 to the very heart of God
 we’ll return with rejoicing
 Knowing
 that He knows
 and is moved to help us obey.

One of my sweetest moments was when a friend embroidered this poem for me and framed it. I have kept it to this day.

Please pray for Mindy who remains very ill. Unless her liver “pinks up” she will need a transplant. She has had multiple surgeries this past year. Hospitalized eleven times I think? Married, age 45 and mother of two young girls.

Posted on in Beagle, Family, Humor, Memories

Language Humor

Learning to speak well is sometimes nurture and sometimes nature. When I was growing up one of Mom’s favorite TV shows was “Kids say the Darndest Things,” hosted by Art Linkletter. I can remember my sister coming home from Nancy’s house once. Nancy had a brother quite a bit younger than the girls. Paula quoted him as rushing in his parents dinner party shouting, “Mom! I’m blooding! I’m blooding! I can see the bleed!!” He eventually grew up to play professional baseball.

When our kids were young I used to write the funny things they said on pieces of paper and slip it in a drawer. It was so much fun to find those papers later and reminisce.

Emily was introduced to bagels when Great Grandma Pat and Aunt Ra came to visit from Queens. She was also learning that dogs differ in kind and have various names. For a while she referred to beagles as bagels.

Adults can speak silliness, too, me included! When the kids were young we often crossed the Little Miami River over a bridge with steel grating on the deck. It made a racket when we drove over it. At ages 4 and 1 year I did not want the kids to be startled, so I would always warn them, “We are going over the Woo-Ba, Woo-Ba bridge!” That was the sound of the car traversing the grating. As they got a little bit older I added the fact we were crossing the Little Miami River. Once right after crossing the bridge, Jeff asked, “Where’s my bridge?” Many times in his life this child has given me pause. It took me a bit to realize he often called his sister, “My Emmie.” Yep, he wanted the location of the “My Jeffie” bridge! No competition there!

We went to the beach with Grandgirl Lizzie when she was very young. As usual the typical beach town had flamingo signs here and there (although there were never any flamingos in that part of the USA). Lizzie decided they were better named “Falingos.” Sort of make you want to dance, doesn’t it?

Posted on in Book quotes, Collection of Quotes, Faith, Family, Prayer, Spiritual growth

Organizing

While paring down I have also been organizing words I have saved over the years. I found a card to “Dear Mom” that I thought my son had made for me. Surprise! I had made it for my mother, likely 1958 or so. Besides my personal words, I have once again come across my collection of quotes and retreat notes that have had meaning to me. I am thinking they might touch your heart and soul, too? So periodically, I will post these for your perusal. So many of these are quotes whose author I do not have a name for – in which case I will note that fact.

In the book God Calling on May 13 it reads “What joy follows self-conquest! You cannot conquer and control others … but through God’s power you can conquer yourself.” One class I took emphasized that through obedience, at the end of the day you feel noble. Obedience to God builds self-esteem.

As the adult child of an alcoholic, after studying codependency I learned this stark lesson: We have no control over others. Children of alcoholics believe events are their fault. “If only I am good enough this will not happen.” If my grades are good enough, if I am quiet enough, and on and on with every faulty thinking pattern you can imagine. It is a hard thing for those of us who grew up this way to realize we had nothing to do with the situation. And it is also a hard belief system to UN-learn. It can lead to entrenched codependency that transfers to every person around, not just the parent where the behavior was learned.

Francis of Assisi referred to his body (i.e., himself) as brother ass. He was always trying to train that animal. He is quoted as saying, “Above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ gives to His friends is that of CONQUERING oneself and willingly enduring suffering, insults, humiliations and hardship for the love of Christ.”

In the Revised Standard version of 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul wrote that he pummeled his body and subdued it.

Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:27 (HCSB)

Thoughts, words, habits, deeds – all of me needs discipline and I can only hope to train myself through the help of the Holy Spirit. I am the only person I can hope to control, and only with God’s help.

Come, Holy Spirit. Have Your way in and through me. Amen.