Unexpected tragedy

We were packed and ready to go before the grandchildren woke up.  Allen was anxious to get home as he had work the next day.  This meant we would not be taking a scenic route home.

There are always pretty barns and other scenery to see on the fastest route too.

Being Sunday, we were not able to go to church, but we watched on-line services from the kids' church and our church also.

While still in Wisconsin we saw cars from California, Nebraska, Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan.  No other cars from Kansas, however.  The traffic was rather busy!

Sometime when we go through Dubuque, I want to drive up to the ridge to see these houses up close.

At Cedar Rapids we took business 151 through town and realized we lost time doing that.  Note to self:  Next time, if we choose to take 30 west, we will take 100 through town.

They are making 30 west a 4 lane looks like.  Some of it is already.

There was quite a bit of tornado damage from another year.  My granddaughter and I were headed to Wisconsin when this storm hit!  God protected us for sure!

Between DesMoines and KC, I counted 16 vehicles pass me that were from Minnesota.  Weren't they going the wrong way?  Wonder why they were headed south?  I also counted 3 cop cars that had pulled people over.  A couple that had passed us.  Cars were flying this day!

It was at dusk, 20 miles north of Emporia that Al suddenly slammed on his brakes.  Debris was flying around us!  He swerved to miss it and came to a stop along with other traffic.  Our hearts were in our throats as we saw this vehicle that had rolled around 7 times.  Al jumped out to help and ran over.  A trucker pulled his tractor trailer sideways so traffic could not go by.  911 was called.

A toddler was pulled from a car seat in the back seat and a young mother who had stopped to help held her and comforted her.  She did not appear to be injured. 

A different situation for her parents.  I was crying as I heard their cries.  How I prayed over them!   Another lady who had parked in front of us had got down to pray with the young mother in the car.  The couple could not be moved.  It seemed forever for police, ambulances to arrive.  We felt so helpless!  Several of us did walk up and down the grassy area, recovering a purse, diaper bag, a couple of phones, some cash....

As the sun was setting, it was getting colder.  I had a blanket in the back seat and covered the young mom holding the toddler.

They had to use jaws of life to get the couple out.  Traffic was stopped in both ways and I got to thinking that there were others in their cars knowing that something horrific had happened who were most likely praying also, interceding for this couple's lives!  

Just think of all those prayers being offered up!  Two LifeWatch helicopters came to take the couple to 2 different hospitals.

We were there about 2 hours.  Surely the traffic behind us had been diverted at the past intersection.  

When we were finally able to leave, we got off at the next intersection.  We needed to use the restroom and we grabbed a bite to eat since we still had a couple hours before we'd get home.  So much for getting home when we thought.   Sometimes our plans don't work the way we think.  Surely not for this couple.

As we prayed, Al could not complete the prayer as he choked up.  I cried too as I finished praying.  "How do you do this at the hospital each day without breaking apart?" I asked him. He says he has a task to do and he just does it.  But this evening, he could not really do much at all.  

But Pray!  And prayer WILL accomplish much!!  God hears our prayers!  His ways are far greater than ours.

I have this verse on my bedroom wall where I sit to pray each morning.  I love it!

I have since found out this couple's names, reading the news.  However, I do not know if they lived, or are paralyzed, or are they out of the hospital and going to celebrate Christmas in a new way - seeing His mercy in restoring their health.  I do not know.  I know I continue to pray for them.  May this situation bring them close to You!  I do know there are others who are praying as well; my Bible study friends.  I'm sure the Spirit brings them to mind to those who were backed up in traffic that day as well.

We never know what a day will bring.  Are we each ready for that day when the Lord will call our name?  

We need not fear death.  He is reaching out for you.  Calling you.

Take His hand that He offers!  

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."  Acts 16:31  

I love this view of death by Anne Graham Lotz! 

(click the word "view")

Christmas decorating

The day after Thanksgiving, we decorate for Christmas.  Some people decorate before Halloween!  I just love Thanksgiving too much and don't want to jump over it!

We were in Wisconsin so got to enjoy watching the kids decorate their home.  We wouldn't get to ours until the following week.

We found these birch branches to put out.  I'll have to remember to save a few branches when our birch tree needs trimming!

Hannah had the idea to rearrange the furniture and put the skinny decorative tree in the front window.  Jill wasn't too keen on the idea, but after we did it, she liked it.

The family tree with the kids' ornaments goes in the family room.

They get an ornament from Nana every year.

From their other grandma too.

This yule log is a family tradition that goes back to my growing up days.  My dad found a tree branch in the mountains in southern Japan and made a yule log for my mom.  Every year we had this to mark off the weeks until Christmas.  When I got married, Dad made one for me.  And Jill asked Grandpa Pete for one also when she got married.

One evening, we went out and saw lights at the park that is by the lake.

Another evening, we went to the Cellar District, a restaurant that used to be a church.

Pretty awesome food!

It makes me sad though to see a "dead" church.  In Europe we saw many churches that people no longer attended.  Just museums.

May I keep Christ alive in my heart.  Follow Him purposefullly, faithfully.

"Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul and with ALL your strength.  These words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." - Deuteronomy 6:5-8

We told the children good-bye the evening before we left in case we left before they woke up.  Time to get to Kansas and decorate our home for Christmas!

Here is a song that Steve Green sings.  May these be true of us.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

REPEAT CHORUS

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

Thankful days!

We had a wonderful time with our daughter and her family in Wisconsin for a few days around Thanksgiving Day!  When we arrived, sweet Claire was sad because she had had a fever that morning and couldn't go to school for their school party.

Luckily, the fever was short-lived and by the next day, she was bouncing around!

We received a text from our daughter, Mindy, that her husband and her baby, Tenley, both had fevers also.  They had been exposed to Covid so were not going anywhere for Thanksgiving.  

Some of the things we packed into our days there:

Claire and I played with her dolls.  Someone gave her this school house for her dolls!  It sure is fun to play school!

The girls practiced their instruments.

Because stocks dropped, the guys and the two older girls took advantage of low prices to buy shares in some companies.

Not sure why Claire is in the dog house...

Papa did some "papa-chores".   Fixing stuff is what he likes to do!

He even walked Kobi a few times.

Sophia painted a record - they call them vinyls nowadays.  She goes to thrift stores to buy old records.  She bought a Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass record.  We had to listen to that before she painted it.  We used to listen to them when we were dating years back and had a record or two of them back in the day.

Hannah did a self-portrait of her with Kobi.

The girls and I went shopping.

I helped Claire find her Christmas dress that she will also wear for the school program, church program and piano recital.

We played games and laughed a lot!

And we celebrated Thanksgiving, of course!

It was snowing off and on that day!

Claire helped mommy make "Margie rolls".  This is Margie Busenitz' recipe.  You won't want to settle for store-bought rolls after you taste these!

Jill saw a recipe for "fancy" mashed potatoes.  It was good, however, a lot of work and we decided that plain old German Mennonite mashed potatoes is just as delicious, really.  The potatoes in the photo looks really pretty though!

Jill had told us that we would not be having turkey.  No one in their family really likes it.  She made stuffed chicken breasts and that was super delicious!

Our son and his family invited a couple of international students to their home for Thanksgiving.  We have done that before too, a few times.

At your Thanksgiving dinners, do you go around and share what you are thankful for?  Some years, we have written out what we are thankful for on small paper leaves cut out of colored paper and put them on broken limbs, to look like a tree.

I keep the leaves and I still have some that my mom and dad filled out.  Now that they have passed, they are so special to me!

There are many things to be thankful for, of course. I'm happy that our grandbaby is feeling better! 

As we shared around the table, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord this year that He listens to me, but most importantly that He speaks to me!!  The One Who hurled the stars into space, Who created mountains, atoms, monkeys and each of us.  He speaks to me!  To anyone who will listen!  

I LOVE the Bible, His very words.  This is one way that God speaks to us!!  I LOVE to listen to what He says.  Even if He is pointing out something I have done wrong, He always does so in a gentle and loving way.  He is SOOOO loving.  He guides me, teaches me, tells me He loves me!  He understands when I am upset.  He knows when I am happy.  He knows if I'm having a bad day.  He is ALWAYS with me!!  When I ask Him to help me and give me strength for a hard task, He will help!  What a wonderful Father He is!!!  The Bible is my most precious gift, a treasure worth more than anything!  My heart goes out to those in some countries who are not allowed to own a copy.  In some countries they have even taken the app off their phones! Which is one reason to "hide God's Word in our heart"!   Psalm 119:11  "Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors." vs 24.

Thank You, thank You, Father!!  

1. Open my ears, that I may hear
   Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
   And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
   Everything false will disappear.
   • Silently now I wait for Thee,
     Ready my God, Thy will to see,
     Open my ears, illumine me,
     Spirit divine!