Do You Ever Stop to Think?

When you turn on the tap, are you thankful for clean water? When you lie down to sleep at night in a comfortable bed, are you thankful? When you walk into your home after a busy day and are sheltered from the elements, are you thankful?

My friend, David, a former missionary kid from Haiti, is in Haiti now along with Samaritan's Purse. He is there chronicling the work of those who have gone to help relieve some of the suffering of the Haitian people. Above is one of his photos. To see more, go here. Click on the photos to see them enlarged.

Grasshoppers, anyone?

This past weekend I had the pleasure of having Thom and Ellen in my home. I first met Thom and Ellen about nine years ago when they came to our church and told how they were going to Cameroon to work at a hospital site. Thom, a contractor, would be overseeing construction at the hospital, and Ellen would be hosting the guest house there. Having raised a family, they were at a time of needing some direction in their lives, and someone who came to their church said, "I think you should go to Cameroon."

After speaking in churches and raising their funds to go, they packed up their house and set off. When I met them, I asked Ellen to look through my Pampered Chef catalog and choose some items that she would like to have in her kitchen in Cameroon. Some time after they had arrived, I received these photos in a letter.

Gladys is holding the Pampered Chef batter bowl, filled with grasshoppers. Thom told us that the grasshoppers, when fried nice and crispy, taste much like fried chicken. Ellen said that she put one in her mouth, but that she wouldn't do it again. A visitor who came to be with them needed a little encouraging to try one, but after he tried the first one, he was reaching for another before he had finished the first one.

Can you imagine cooking these for a snack?

Thom loves the grasshoppers, but he said he draws the line at termites.

Happy Birthday, Sarah

Today is my daughter Sarah's birthday. I tried to upload some photos, but Blogger isn't cooperating. I'll refer you to my post from last year. When Blogger's working for me again, I'll post an up-to-date photo of Sarah. The bottom one in the post is one that was taken after she had begun losing weight. She has worked so hard over the past year and a half to lose, and she has been victorious!

Last July found her jobless. Since then she has sold her house, moved back in with me (I love that.) and just this week started a new position. So hopefully, this is the start of a new good year for her.

Happy birthday, Sarah.

Hope in hopeless times!

Danny Pye, in Haiti, writes: "Hope in hopeless times: Ture story in Jacmel. Mother of 22 day old infant feeding he child just before 5 p.m. last Tuesday. Placed the infant in bed, asleep and walked out of her small home for a short minute. In that short time, the earthquake, house collapsed with infant inside.

Family accepted the death of their infant and grieved for her. Today, search and rescue pulled her out...ALIVE...not a scratch, not a mark. On IV fluides and being treated for malnutrician...who wants to say now there is no God? 7 days...22 day old infant

Haiti

What more can be said about Haiti? I will not even try. Anyone who has ever visited there for a time or lived there takes with them a piece of the country in his heart and never forgets the people of this poor country.

Facebook has been a wonderful medium for leaning news first hand of things going on, as well as blogs. E-mails have come with news that one doesn't necessarily see on TV, even though there is plenty to see.

One blog I would refer you to if you are interested in reading some first hand experiences about the earthquake is Pye's in Haiti. This young couple went to Haiti about four years ago and established a children's home in Jacmel, one of the cities away from the epicenter of the earthquake and yet very damaged. They are updating every day their activities and you can get a glimpse into what many people are doing. If you go back to older posts, you can read Leeann's account of the day of the earthquake.

I was going to put links to some documents that I've received that give some really good information, but I realize I don't know quite how to do it.

Did you hear it is cold in Florida?

Yes, it's cold everywhere, isn't it. It has been cold enough to snow here, but hasn't quite done it yet. I do feel sorry for people who plan for a week's vacation in Florida expecting sunny skies and warm weather. We certainly are not having warm weather, and some days haven't been sunny. Friends on Facebook have said, "If it's going to be this cold, why doesn't it snow?" And I have to admit that I agree with that one.

Yesterday drivers were being warned of icy conditions. There are no signs in Florida that warn of bridges freezing over before the roadways.

Did you read about the iguanas falling out of trees in south Florida? Too cold.

These cold days take me back 33 years to the winter of 1977. We had an extreme winter that year too. I was pregnant with my daughter, Sarah. We had moved into our new home in August. At Christmas, we had two big Christmas open houses, and when I went to the doctor the next day, he announced that I would be going to the hospital because my blood pressure was unusually high. I spent a few days there and then went home to stay in bed until she was born.

One morning I woke up, and the house was unusually cold. I checked the thermostat, and it was down in the 50's. No electricity. The power company was doing rolling blackouts throughout its area. With all the building and development that has gone on since then, the utility must have kept up with the growth because I haven't read of any outages. Schools were closed for a couple of days because they could not adequately heat the buildings.

Anyway, on January 20, the day that Sarah was to be born, Don and I drove to the hospital before 7 in the morning, and as we passed by the bank on Manatee Avenue, the thermometer on the bank read 26 degrees. We had been told in birthing classes that the labor and delivery rooms were kept comfortably cool for the mothers in labor. Well, that day the heat was billowing! And I don't like heat! And to top that off, workers were repaving the bridge that is right next to the hospital. The smell of tar wafted into the room. It was not the most pleasant experience that I have ever had to say the least.

Yesterday one of my friends was at the grocery store and said that there were no strawberries to be had. The farmers have been sprinkling them with water to coat them with ice before the temperatures dip too low. With the cold going on for these many days, it will be interesting to see what happens. We had just bought some a few days before the cold started, and they were oh so good.

Stay warm, wherever you are. Sarah just pointed out an article from our local paper about wintry weather from 1989. It refers to the winter of 1977 as well.

Hollywood Squares

I often say that there is absolutely nothing worth watching on TV. I sometimes end up turning to The Game Network and watching some of the old quiz shows that are on. I find myself laughing out loud at "The Match Game" with Gene Rayburn and the crew that always come up with some crazy response. One can watch Betty White in her younger years and realize that when we see her now on shows that she is just as sharp as she was back then.

A few days before Christmas, a friend sent me an e-mail with some of the questions and answers from old "Hollywood Squares" shows. I was cleaning out my inbox and decided to share them with you.

Hollywood Squares:

These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course..


Q.. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness!
(The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years...
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A.. Rose Marie: No wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency..

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say 'I Love You'?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty..

Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A. George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A.. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A.. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures..

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark..

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn't neglected..

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I'll lend him the car, the rest is up to him

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh

Did you laugh as much as I did?

Merry Christmas

God is with us! Merry Christmas!

Hark!

The angels sang at his birth, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men!"

The Christmas programs are over for this year. Our Sweet Adelines did five different performances, our choir did two performances, and then this evening, the choir and handbell choir took part in two Christmas Eve services. Now it's late, and I'm sitting listening to wonderful Christmas music from the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, in particular, "Mary, Did You Know?" All the questions that are asked of Mary...did she know? The Word says that the pondered all those things and kept them in her heart. We sang a verse of "O Holy Night" tonight that I do not recall ever singing., or I never paid attention to the words..."He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger."

For the last two years I've quoted a passage from Lauren Winner's book, Girl Meets God, in which she speaks of advent not being complete until Easter. I would like to share that again.She writes: "The calendar tells us that this all culminates on December 25, but really the whole season slouches toward Easter. Jesus became incarnate now, in the manger of Bethlehem, but if His incarnateness is meant to make Him more relatable to us, if we are meant to have better access to God because our God has a body like we have, if we relate to Him better because He knows what it is like to weep and throw up and be tempted and suffer, then the Incarnation that starts on Christmas isn't finished until Good Friday. And the miracles that start in the strange inexplicable Virgin Birth aren't finished until the Resurrection.....Even his birthplace takes us to the Last Supper: Jesus, the Bread of Life, is born in Bethlehem, bet lechem, "house of bread," and at the Last Supper, He will break bread for us, and then on the cross He will break His body. Nothing in Scripture, even the names of birthplace towns, is coincidence."

May the wonder of Christmas be yours not just today, but from now on until we see Him face to face.

Ella the Bella

Last weekend Sarah and I drove to Virginia to attend the wedding of my nephew and Sarah's cousin Tim. Ella was the flower girl. Being three, we weren't sure if she would perform, but perform she did. On Monday when her caregiver asked her whose wedding she was in, she said, "Mine!" She and the ring bearer were two cuties, for sure.

Since we were together there and wouldn't be together on Christmas Day, we had our Christmas during our visit. On Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel. The server let Ella use this little glass to sample pineapple juice, and she did think she was something with that glass.

The clerk at the desk was gracious to take our picture all together. David had to stand to the side, or he would have surely hidden the tree. Afterwards, we went back up where we opened our gifts. Of course, all eyes were on the Bella. We love every minute that we have with her.

All too soon we had to say good-by and be on our way. We had a bit of snow on our car...a strange sight for Floridians. David and Sabrina drove home to two feet of snow in their yard.

Meet Stephen and Charles

Where do the days go? Last week when I posted Nathaniel, I thought I would do a post each day until I had introduced you to all of my All God's Children figurines in my nativity. So much for good intentions. The days have been filled with Sweet Adelines rehearsals, handbell choir rehearsals, and our regular choir rehearsal. Last Saturday our Sweet Adelines chorus presented what has become its annual Christmas program. We entertained with songs ranging from "Let It Snow" (yes, we're in Florida, but most concert attenders are probably snowbirds.) to "What Can I Give Him?" I'm sure most of the snowbirds who were in the audience are glad they are not here and not in the north where the weather is frightful.

Our church choir will be doing our Christmas music at both services on Sunday morning and then Sunday night, Sarah and I are going to hear Sandy Patty in concert in Sarasota. We're really looking forward to that. I commented to her that there is so much going on during the Christmas season that there is not time to see and do all the things one would like.

Let me introduce you to Stephen and Charles. I love Miss Martha's description of the boys. You can almost see a Christmas pageant director interacting with the children, getting them to do their part with all their hearts.

About Stephen she writes: "Stephen showed up for his part as shepherd in the Sunday School Christmas play just a little grumpy because his Mom had taken him away from a great game of basketball. But his sour mood quickly changed to a big grin when Preacher Thomas handed him a real baby lamb. As Stephen picked up the lamb, it started licking his face. Oooooh, he's hungry thought Stephen as he remembered the peanut butter and jelly sandwich squished in his back pocket."

And about Charles: "At dress rehearsal for the Christmas play, Mrs. Sue gave Charles a small gift box he was to carry for the baby Jesus. As he opened the lid to see what treasure was enclosed his heart sank because the box was empty. He quickly ran to his classroom where he tore up small pieces of paper and wrote the same word on each piece. He filled the box with "LOVE."

One of the songs that we sang at our Sweet Adelines Christmas show was the simple song, "What Can I Give Him?" which is actually a poem by Christina Rossetti.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.

If I were a wise man, I would do my part,

But what can I give Him, give Him my heart.

Meet Nathaniel

Many years ago I collected "All God's Children's" figurines. I bought several figurines which I dearly love, and then a nativity series was produced. During the month before Christmas, I'm going to introduce you to the different characters that I've collected. Nathaniel is the first of the characters I'd like for you to meet. As you can see, he is the little drummer boy. His drum is a pan. This is what Miss Martha, his creator has to say about him.

"Clink, clank and clunk... the metallic sounds bounce off the walls in Nathaniel's home. The clatter brings his mother from the sewing room asking, "Nathaniel, what are you doing with all those pans?" As he taps on each of the overturned pans, he says, "I'm the drummer boy for Jesus." With a smile of success he finally looks up and adds, "This is the one!" A hush falls over the kitchen as his gentle taps echo a peaceful rum-pa-pa-pum which beckons the heart to return, once again, to a time very long ago in Bethlehem. "

The Man in the Yellow Hat

For a few weeks now, I've seen this gentleman riding his bike down one of the busy streets here. I was sitting in Bob E*ans one morning when I saw him pass by. I was so excited. Now who would be excited by such a sight except for a former first grade teacher who found children delighted with the antics of Curious George and the man in the yellow hat.

Today I needed to go get an ink cartridge for my printer, and when I got out of my car, there parked in front of the office store was this yellow bicycle. My heart skipped a beat as I entered, looking for the yellow hat. There he was in the ink aisle talking to one of the sales people. I told him I had seen him on his bike several mornings, and I wanted so much to take his picture.

He was leaving, so I went to my car and got my camera, and he posed for me. We talked about Curious George, or I should say, I told him about Curious George. He did not know about him at all.

He has a yellow hat, yellow framed glasses, and this yellow bike. He told me that he also has a yellow pickup truck, and that his name is Flash. Oh, the things you see...

Celebration Ringers

Today our handbell choir made its debut at church. Twelve of us responded to the call to be part of this group earlier in the fall. We've practiced and practiced, and we didn't do too badly. None of us had more than three bells to play. Most had two. The important thing in a bell choir is to be able to count and read those two notes of music. Now mind you, the songs that we played were out of the "easy" music books. The congregation seemed appreciative. I'm sure they even recognized the songs...I hope.

When we started we decided on the name "Celebration Ringers." Someone suggested "The Ding-a-lings," but we didn't think that quite appropriate for such a group. Anyway, now we're working on a couple of songs for Christmas Eve.

If we practice hard enough, we might even get to be as good as these Raleigh Ringers. No, I don't think so.

First Sunday of Advent

The Gift

The last two weeks have brought sadness to the cystic fibrosis community. I have read of three people with CF who have died during this time, and just this morning read of another young woman who has chosen to have no more treatments. What gifts these people of given to their families.

When the tragic bus accident happened in Georgia and members of the Bluffton University baseball team lost their lives, I remember reading the reaction of one of the dads of one of the players. He was asked if he was angry losing his son who had died in the accident. His response? I had a wonderful gift for twenty years. How can I be angry?

The following post by Steve Goodier really summarizes it all.

A story about an old Bendix washing machine helped one man get
through the valley of loss. *

His parents acquired the washer when John Claypool was a small boy.
It happened during World War II. His family owned no washing machine
and, since gasoline was rationed, they could ill afford trips to the
laundry several miles away. Keeping clothes clean became a problem
for young John's household.

A family friend was drafted into the service, and his wife prepared
to go with him. John's family offered to store their furniture while
they were away. To the family's surprise, the friends suggested they
use their Bendix while they were gone. "It would be better for it to
be running," they said, "than sitting up rusting." So this is how
they acquired the washer.

Young John helped with the washing, and across the years he
developed an affection for the old, green Bendix. But eventually the
war ended. Their friends returned. In the meantime he had forgotten
how the machine came to be in their basement in the first place.
When the friends came to take it away, John grew terribly upset --
and let his feelings be known.

His wise mother sat him down and said, "Wait a minute, Son. You must
remember, that machine never belonged to us in the first place. That
we ever got to use it at all was a gift. So, instead of being mad at
it being taken away, let's use this occasion to be grateful that we
had it at all."

The lesson proved invaluable. Years later, John watched his
eight-year-old daughter die a slow and painful death of leukemia.
Though he struggled for months with her death, John could not
really begin healing from the loss until he remembered the old
Bendix.

"I am here to testify," he said, "that this is the only way down the
mountain of loss...when I remember that Laura Lou was a gift, pure
and simple, something I neither earned nor deserved nor had a right
to. And when I remember that the appropriate response to a gift,
even when it is taken away, is gratitude, then I am better able to
try and thank God that I was ever given her in the first place."

His daughter was given to him to love and nurture. She never
belonged to him, but he had the awesome privilege of sharing her
life for a while. When he realized that simple fact, everything
changed. He could now begin healing from the tragedy of her loss by
focusing instead on the wonder of her life. He started to see Laura
Lou as a marvelous gift that he was fortunate enough to enjoy for a
time. He felt grateful. He found strength and healing. He finally
knew he could get through the valley of loss.

We all experience loss -- loss of people, loss of jobs, loss of
relationships, loss of independence, loss of esteem, loss of things.
What if you view that which is lost as a gift you were given for a
time? Perhaps that simple choice of trying to reframe your loss will
change sad memories into thankful ones. And perhaps it will get you
unstuck and back on the road to healing and wholeness.

-- Steve Goodier

* Story from TRACKS OF A FELLOW STRUGGLER, by John Claypool
(Insight Press Inc., 1995).

Carmi's Theme-Travel #2

When I saw Carmi's theme yesterday, I hurriedly posted a photo from my days in Haiti that showed my traveling on a motorbike. I looked back through my files from Haiti and found these photos that also fit the theme. The truck seen above is very typical of public transportation in Haiti. There's no assigned seating. If you don't fit inside, you can go on top with the chickens and other livestock being transported.

Traveling by horseback, mule back, or more often on a donkey is very common. On market days, the "marchandes" (sales ladies) can be seen going to market on the back of the donkey which is also laden with baskets filled with goods to sell. I shared in one blogpost how, one day, when Jackie and I had gone to the airport (cow pasture) on my motorbike to greet some people flying in to visit, that on the way back, we sideswiped a donkey on the way back to town. My side mirror caught on one of the handles of the basket that was on the donkey. We were riding on a dirt road that had become heavily rutted from the rains. We were in a rut and couldn't just move over. I obviously thought that we had room to get by. Fortunately, we were none the worse for the wear.

Traveling by foot (a pied) is not necessarily the easiest or the most efficient, but it gets the job done. I never ceased to be amazed at the stamina of these ladies who made their way along, carrying their goods on their heads and walking over the rocky terrain in their bare feet.

Carmi's theme-travel

When I lived in Haiti in the early 70's, I traveled a lot on this H*nda 90 motorbike. As you can see, I have my suitcase tied on the back, so I was no doubt on my way from Cayes to Cavaillon to spend the weekend with one of the pastor's families there. This motorbike was more than a means of transportation. It gave me the freedom to get away and explore the countryside, whether it was to go to the beach or to travel to a community in the hills nearby.

To have a car was cost prohibitive; besides, the road were such that one needed a four-wheel vehicle, or something very rugged. To visit other "travel" posts, visit Carmi's site.

Breathe Easy, Lauren

When Ella was born three years ago, our family was so thrilled to have this new life join us, and what a joy she has been and continues to be. The joy was overshadowed by grieving in the days to come when we found out that she had cystic fibrosis. When you are hit in the face with something like this, you begin to look for information and hope.

I don't remember how I met Lauren. I know it was a God thing. Lauren was born 29 years ago with CF. She grew up, graduated from college as an environmental scientist, married her dear husband, Brad. I must have found her through cysticfibrosis.com, a website that is an educational site, as well as a support group for the CF family. We e-mailed back and forth after Ella was born and became friends via the internet. She wrote in one of her e-mails that she felt like we were family.

In the past three years of knowing her, she had been in and out of the hospital, battling this horrible disease. Recently she had been listed for a double lung transplant, but she had become too ill and she died this week.

Lauren loved life. She was such an encouragement to the CF world. I have read of so many who felt the same way about her that I did. Many have written that she was one of the first people who wrote and encouraged them as they began their journey with CF. She was a prolific author, writing many articles related to CF.

Her journey with CF has ended. Today she is with her Savior, breathing new air. The words of the song "Finally Home" keep going through my mind today. "Just think of stepping on shore and finding it heaven, of touching a hand, and finding it God's, of breathing new air, and finding it celestial, of waking up in Glory and finding it home.


To meet Lauren, visit here.

Around the Neighborhood

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." Genesis 8:22