Between visits

After the kids left, there was so much to do.  LOADS of laundry - sheets, towels...  Our Japanese college student, Kaho had graduated and moved out so we decided to rearrange furniture.

  

We needed to make a trip to the thrift store.  I had lots of things to get rid of.  I heard that many people were going through their things during their pandemic stay-at-home time.  That included me.  Al talked me into making the decision to finally give up my daddy's desk.

With Kaho gone, we decided it was time to get rid of it.  We really didn't need it.

Can I tell you that I cried?  I spent so much time with dad at that desk, helping him with the computer in those last years.  And Allen too.

 It was fun to rearrange the rooms though.



This quilt on the end of the bed was one my mother made with her sister when she was 12.  I think Grandma Geiger did the quilting part but Aunt Treva and mom did the embroidery.



 Now I'm painting a couple of rooms too.

***
With the Covid crisis, we had not met for Bible study for such a long time!  Since March.  It was time to see each other once again!  Jan invited those who felt comfortable to meet for a brunch, devotional and to share prayer requests with one another.  While still "social distancing".

***

My friend Marilyn and her husband were getting ready to move to their basement as their kids would move in with them.  This is common among the Amish.  The parents move to the "dawdy haus" or grandpa's house as it is called in Pennsylvania Dutch.   Many people tend to go to assisted living and then to the nursing home, don't they?  I wonder what our future will be?  

A couple of us went to help Marilyn with cleaning and taking things to their new "abode".  It really is NICE!  Dave even built in an IKEA kitchen!   

We had lunch together.

Best wishes, Dave and Marilyn!

How sweet to have the pitter patter of little feet so close by!

***

Al borrowed a sprayer from a co-worker and cleaned our deck.  He was so amazed with it that the kids bought him one for Father's Day!  Thanks, kids!!

***

Meanwhile, our son-in-law in San Francisco continued to work on-line or by phone.  Being in the banking world, he is putting in MANY hours!  Originally they had planned to come to Kansas the same time as the other kids, but it didn't work out that week.  We were looking forward to them coming though!

Our daughter-in-law, a nurse practitioner, in Covid dress-up

Since pools are closed, our Wisconsin kids got themselves a pool.  It needed to be small enough that it could sit on the cement and not kill the grass.

Gifts

I just celebrated my birthday.   The one that had my son-in-law comment "Congrats on being eligible for Medi-care.  You have arrived!" 

 Allen was asking me what I'd like to have for my birthday.  I couldn't think of anything, really.

But as I was thinking about gifts, I have to say there are so MANY gifts the Lord has given to me that I am so very grateful for!

* The gift of contentedness.   Joy.



* The gift of Christ's presence.

* The gift of His care over me!

  "The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand." 

He is my shade and my shelter.

* The gift of the armor of God which includes the Word of God, the Bible.  I LOVE His Word!  I have to read it each day and put on this armor.
  He outfits us for battle!  Could you imagine a soldier going into battle without any gear?  How dumb would that be, but so many choose not to "put on the full armor of God". 

I am looking forward to teaching about the armor of God this coming year!

* The gift of prayer -
  to be able to talk with the Lord!, what a very, very special gift!!  Anytime, anywhere!  He listens always!  There is never a busy signal!

     Prayer is so simple
       It is like quietly opening a door and slipping into the very presence of God.
       There in the stillness to listen to His voice,
       Perhaps to petition or only to listen,
       It matters not;
       Just to be there in His presence is prayer.

"Prayer is a hand-clasp with God."

I LOVE the gift of being able to pray for others!   I have a prayer journal and a prayer list of needs I daily bring before the Lord.  But one way I sometimes pray is taking a few of these 3x5 index cards that have Bible verses on them and praying these random verses for people.

Sometimes I will use Facebook posts and pray verses for each person who is posting on a particular day.

"The point is not the person who prays, but the God Who answers."

* The gift of Christian parents who taught me about the Lord and were examples to me.

* The gift of having grown up in another culture.

* The gift of family

- my husband

I fell for him in the 8th grade!  He is so fun!

- Our kids

and their families

- and extended family

My SiCil (sister in Christ in-law)

That must make Dan my BiCil!

Those Cheesehead in-laws

and the lakehouse in-laws

* I thank Him for the gift of brothers and sisters in Christ.

(so many more pictures of my dear church family I could post!)

 

Many dear friends - I couldn't begin to post all the photos of all of them!

And also Facebook friends!  I have been able to keep in touch with and find friends from way back and friends who live in other countries.  I even keep in contact with people I might see in the hall at church but don't have much time to say much more than "Hi!  How are you?"  "Fine".  I can now say to a little 3 year-old-friend "Hey, I see you got to ride the combine with your grandpa!"  How their eyes light up!

* The gift of flowers growing around my home.  My heart just sings in praise to the Creator of these beautiful flowers!

(A birthday gift from my daughter and family!)

 Isn't this fun?!  Who doesn't like flowers?  Even if they might cause one to sneeze? 

 * The gift of birds in my backyard!  One daughter tells me that I have a bird sanctuary here!

 

* The gift of sunrises and sunsets.  What an Artist!!

 * The gift of clouds!  I LOVE clouds!

 * The gift of each breath I take

"The Spirit of God has made me.  And the breath of the Almighty gives me life."  Job 33:4

*The gift of eternity!  What hope we have in that!!  A couple of my favorite books by authors who have studied the Scriptures about it.  I am so ready!!

 

*I am even thankful for the gift of things that are unwelcome, like ill health or hard times, because they have caused me to look to Jesus for His strength.  These are hard days.  2020 is HARD for many.  So stop and think over the gifts God has given you.  Praise Him in the heat of the battle.  Read 2 Chronicles 20!

 Thank You, Father, for all Your many gifts!  I cannot begin to count them all!