Coming Home

Our relatives, on My Sweetheart's side of the family, were sitting around the tables on our deck the other night. It was a perfect evening- no wind, few bugs, the sun was shining, and the sound of laughter was resounding. It was the perfect ending to an almost perfect wedding weekend. My Sweetheart's niece was married on Saturday.  The wedding was close to home- at the Saskatchewan Landing. The day turned out to be lovely.  We were watching an ominous cloud while we were driving to the venue. Thankfully, the cloud stayed away. You see, we were a little on edge because of the wild weather that plagued Alberta mere hours before. Four of our relatives were stranded in Canmore during the flood.  They missed the wedding, but fortunately made it to this neck of the woods a few days later.  And they, along with my dear sisters in law, niece, brother in law, and my own dear family, were sitting outside on the deck the other night.

The barbecued supper was finished. But the conversation wasn't. We caught up on happenings since the previous year when the same relatives had made the trek here for the hometown centennial. And we made plans for next summer when My Sweetheart's Dad will turn 90. The Lord willing, we will be gathering then to celebrate my father in law.

It struck me, while we were sitting around the tables, that everyone here that night, with the exception of the spouses who had married into the family, lived on this farm. My Sweetheart's almost 89 year old father, my sisters in law, aunts and uncles, and even DS and DD, all grew up on this little plot of land. They all came 'home'.  And I'm so glad they did.

Techno Geek Mom

Earlier today, after DD and DS got home from school, (after DS's 2nd last day of high school), I decided that I better order those grad thank you cards and family portraits while we still looked the same.

We finally had a family portrait taken.  Finally.  After almost 20 years as a family.  It was time. And to celebrate I'm getting it enlarged to a 20 by 30 size.  It will hang on my wall behind the baby grand. That means the other pictures will have to come down; much to DD's delight and my non-delight. Their portraits have hung in that spot for years; DD with her shoulder length brown hair, baby teeth, green plaid dress with the Peter Pan collar and DS with his Bugs Bunny-ish big new front teeth and the glasses he wore to kindergarten. He was wearing a vest and tie. Along with those pictures I hung the recent individual sepia school pictures. I replaced DS's glasses and bugs bunny teeth picture a month ago with his formal cap and gown, minus the cap. It will have to come down now too.  Sigh.  That means I will need to find a new place to hang those treasured keepsake pictures. The hallway will likely be the new home.

And all this will happen, of course, only if I ordered the new portraits correctly. I might not have. I have the printed confirmation receipt telling me that I did; but I won't believe it until I have them in my hands.

I panicked earlier today, after DD and DS arrived home from school. It had taken me a while to get up the nerve to order portraits online- especially after it had taken me a while to download or upload or whatever it was that I had to do to get them from the disk on to my laptop.

Then, after I had picked out the poses, and everything that went with that, a note popped up on my screen. I had, apparently already used that email address on a previous order. I couldn't remember doing that.  What?  What do I do now?

"Relax Mom," I was told, "just get a new email account."

That had me buffaloed.  "Why would I want to do that?"  "I already have an email account."

"Mom, - you don't need to USE the new one..."

Oh....

So, I signed up, if that's what one does, for a new email account. Not happily either. Then I hopefully filled out everything correctly.

If you want to see that family portrait, you can see it on my profile page. That's the one we picked out. That's how our family looks now- techno geek Mom and all!

The Best Father

My Dad, who has been living gloriously now for 16 years in 'human' time, was a wonderful father.

He was patient. Perhaps patience was part and parcel of being a farmer. He knew he had no control over many aspects of farming, and so left it, maybe unknowingly, in the Lord's very capable hands.

My Dad was introspective. He was humble. He was a hard worker. He was from the generation that, although didn't express it verbally, loved greatly. I always knew I was loved, but rarely heard it. I remember one time, when I was probably around 13 or 14, I was so upset because Dad would not verbalize his love for me. I was  crying in my bedroom. He eventually came in.  I don't remember if Mom sent him in, or if he came in of his own accord. Likely not the latter. But I questioned him.  I asked him, "Do you love me?" He said, 'Yes.' I said, "well say it then.  Tell me you love me."  And he did. He said, "I love you." I always knew it; I guess I needed to hear it. What a blessing that was. I feel so sorry for people who grow up never hearing a father's blessing. No wonder it was such a big thing in the Old Testament. Blessings.

DD and DS have a wonderful father too. Some may think I'm biased.  But I'm not.  My Sweetheart is a devoted, hands-on dad. DD and DS have no doubt about their father's love. And he has verbalized that love many times. Probably daily.  I'm blessed to be in this parenting team.

I realize that some of you who are reading this might have grown up without knowing your father's love. My heart grieves for you.  But I want to share you about the BEST Father's love you can know. And that is the love of God. The God who loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus, no- He GAVE His Son that whosoever - YOU- loves Him will not perish but have everlasting love. His love is not condemning, but a saving love. Simply put- that is salvation!  Putting your trust and faith in Jesus will save you from eternal death.

A favorite verse of mine, that I hope will encourage you if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, is found in Romans 8.  The Message translation says:
"this resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.  It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"  God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are.  We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children." (verses 15 & 16)

Did you get that?  Did you hear "papa"?  Jesus calls His Father "Abba" - Daddy! We can too.  God has adopted us into His family if we accept the gift of Jesus that He so wants us to! He longs to be your Heavenly Father. His love for you is greater than any love. He is THE BEST FATHER!

Power

My Sweetheart was spraying when I got home from the city yesterday. He was spraying the lentils for weeds. A necessary evil I guess.  We don't want the weeds.  But we don't want the chemicals from the spray either. So he sprays. When he sprays he needs to have a water source handy. We are blessed to have water right here on the yard site. We have a water bin- it looks just like a bin that we store grain in, but the water bin has a conversion kit that makes it possible to have water put in- at the flip of a switch. And we need power for it all to work.

He had just finished filling up the sprayer, and I had just decided what I was going to make for supper, when the power guy came up to the house and said, "You'll have no power for about 2 hours."

My first thought was, "Yippee- dinner out!"

My second thought, and the thought that won out was, "Salmon sandwich supper..." A far cry from the 'yippee' thought.

I quickly grabbed the vacuum with the remaining "power- on" time- about 10 minutes to shape these farm floors up; and I yelled out to My Sweetheart to "hurry up and come in and have a shower before the power goes out and we have no water pressure!"

I was hurrying him up simply because last night was Awards Night at the school, and I wanted My Sweetheart to smell sweet and look as handsome as ever for the event.

So in the 10 or so minutes that we still had power I hurriedly vacuumed and he quickly showered. Poor DS though- he was going to jump in the shower at the exact moment the house went dark. He had a back up plan though and pretty soon he was on his way to Grandma's house for his shower.

Shortly after our salmon sandwich supper the power came back on! The power guys were putting in a new line to some of us "rural" customers and for the past week or so we had been inconvienced numerous times by having our power turned off, unexpectedly for up to 3 hours at a time.  But now it's all done! We should be good!

When they had finished 'switching us over' last night they took down the power pole that had been in the middle of this yard for 60 years. Right in the middle.  As farming got bigger and machinery and grain bins got bigger, it became more and more difficult to manouever combines, and tractors, and trucks around the power pole.  But now it's gone and the yard has opened up!

It must have been so exciting 60 years ago for my in-laws to have power. The ice chest that had been a wedding gift for them 64 years ago would have been replaced by a refrigerator. Lanterns would have been replaced by light switches.  The clothes line made way for a clothes dryer.  Life was made simpler by the marvel of power.

Much in the same way that my life is made richer by the power of prayer. Every morning I tap into the Source of the Power that gets me through each day. Jesus says, "abide in me..."  I abide in Him by reading His word and praying.  As simple as that.  My prayer for you, dear reader, is that you will welcome Jesus into your life and make HIM your power source. He WILL provide you with what you need for today.

This is the Day

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog.  I determined that I would wait, since my last blog, until I had something meaningful to say. Or something that is encouraging at least.

This past week has been difficult and good.
Bitter and sweet.
Beautiful and ugly.

But through each day, mostly each very teary day, I have experienced God's goodness.  His miracles. His mercies that are new. Every morning.

I have been diligent in spending at least a half hour every morning in the precious Word of God.  I've been soaking up His very powerful Word.  I've been blessed.  Beyond measure. And I have needed that quiet time with the Lord.

My friend died a week ago.  She was exactly 8 days older than me. We became friends after she joined the Friends in Faith Chorus.  She was a very faithful, fun, diligent member of the chorus. And, she kept our refrigerator stocked with farm fresh eggs. Sometimes I would pop over to her place for the eggs and have a cup of tea with her in her inviting, welcoming kitchen, but  most of the time she would drop the eggs off at our place on her way to town. Or she would have her husband drop the eggs off. Either way, be it him or her, we'd have a visit. Quite likely, when she was on her way to town, it would be to lend a helping hand to someone. She was like the hands of Jesus to so many people.  She was an encourager.

Her funeral was on Friday. The hall was packed.  She was loved by so many people.

When we got home on Friday, after the service,  we decided to go to the City with DD and DS. DD's ring, that she had ordered with her well deserved tip money, was in at the jewellery store. It was a perfect excuse to head to the city and go out for supper - An  "I'm finished the spraying down south" celebration supper, according to My Sweetheart. It was a quick trip there and back. When we got back home I quickly checked my emails and I very sadly opened up an email  from a dear friend from my Bible College days informing me of the date and time of her son's funeral. He was the same age as DS.  The tears came.  Again. I  thought I was all cried out when my friend died.  But I wasn't. I cried for my friend's loss and her sadness. DS came upstairs and held me as I cried on his shoulder. That made me cry even harder.  Here I was, crying on the shoulder of my beloved 18 year old, and my friend would be burying her 18 year old today.

Yesterday, after church, when I was reflecting on my week, I also reflected on God's love for me. And for my friends who were going through such sad times. I also was reflecting on the time, the wonderful time, spent at church. The sermon was so 'right' for where everyone was. Jesus is alive. We have hope.

I wrote a song yesterday afternoon.  I had started it a year ago.  The chorus was waiting for verses. The verses needed this past week to happen before they could be written.

I want to share the lyrics with you.  My prayer is that you will be encouraged by them, whether you are celebrating or whether you are going through a hard time. Life is hard at times, but God is always good.  Always.

This is the Day

copyright 2013 by Heather Arnelien

 

This, this, this is the day

that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice and say

this is the day that the Lord has made.

 

My neighbor is a good man

with farming in his blood,

I know his heart is aching

he just buried his true love,

he's holding to God's promise

that he'll see his love one day,

but until that great reunion

Jesus hears him say....

 

This, this, this is the day

that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice and say

this is the day  the Lord has made.

 

She struggles up the stairs,

her steps are faltering,

she's faithful as she comes

to worship God and sing,

her family doesn't live here

but they came to church today.

As she held her new great grandson

I'm sure I heard her say...

 

This, this, this is the day

that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice and say

this is the day the Lord has made.

 

Through good times and in bad times,

through sunshine and the rain,

when hearts are overflowing

or when lives are full of pain...

 

This, this, this is the day

that the Lord has made,

I will rejoice and say

this is the day the Lord has made.

 

 



Circa 1966

DD wanted to go to the city. And it was a great day for a Friday drive after school.  And she has her learner's license. So off to the city we went. My Sweetheart sat in the passenger seat.  Driving with a child who has a learner's license is his job. I'm too high strung.  Too nervous. He's the epitome of calm, cool, and collected in matters such as driving.

While at Wally's world we were perusing the dvd's and cd's - I saw something that made me do a double take. I almost couldn't believe my eyes.  Almost.

There, all by itself, in the cd area, was THE Elvis "how great thou art" CD. The cover was the exact same cover of the LP that had been in My Mom's collection years earlier. Years.  Circa 1966. The cover with the face of Elvis in the front left corner, blue skies at the top, and a white church on the left hand side.

I was 2 when that album showed up in the old farmhouse. I was 2 when my Blue Suede Brother, and my Other Brother had been asked to sing in church. For some reason, likely my young age, I hadn't been asked to sing.  And I was hurt. I had been snubbed for the first time in my life by the 'ask-ers'.

"If you can learn the words to the song," My Mom told me, "you can sing with the boys."

Out came the Elvis "How Great thou Art" album and the song 'In the Garden' was played over and over and over. I just realized, now in fact, that My Mom would have been the one lifting the needle up and back, over and over and over- just for me.

I remember when I knew the song. My Mom was downstairs in the scary, dark, damp basement - putting clothes in or taking clothes out of the dryer.  I opened the basement door and yelled "I KNOW IT!!!!"

I remember singing it for her. And then I remember standing in front of Scandia Lutheran with my Blue Suede Brother and my Other Brother as we sang. We would have been standing youngest to oldest, looking like stair steps. The oldest almost 8, then 6, then- me. I was as happy as could be- singing with my brothers, encouraged by the congregation, and loved by my parents.

That song has been one I've sang many times throughout the 47 years since. Mostly at funerals.
But I didn't really understand the words of it until a few years ago. It was written, according to the songwriter, from the viewpoint of Jesus, while He was in the garden of Gethsemane- just before He was was arrested.

I come to the garden alone,
while the dew is still on the roses,
and the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me
and He talks with me
and He tells me I am His Own
and the joy we share as we tarry there
none other has ever known.

Jesus was in that garden, alone, praying. He knew what was going to be happening. But He did it anyway- because of love.

He speaks and the sound of His voice
though the night around me be falling,
but He bids me go through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

The voice of woe. How terrible and how lonely that voice must have been. But Jesus endured. He stayed and prayed with His Heavenly Father.

He listened.

He wept.

He loved.

He was betrayed.

He forgave.

He suffered.

He bled.

He died.

He conquered death.

He lives.

And now I can come to the garden - alone. I know He walks with me.  I know He talks with me. I know He calls me His own.

Of course I bought that CD. I'll probably end up giving it to Mom- it was one of her favorite albums.

Comfort Dogs

"My dogs," I said to a friend yesterday over coffee, "seem to know when I'm not feeling well. They will want to be as close to me as possible then." We had been talking about our pets and what great company they are. I was recalling how, just the previous week, while suffering a migraine, Chico wanted up on the bed with me. She curled her little body next to mine and slept. She only does that when I'm not feeling well.

I remembered watching a news program on tv, shortly after the Newtown tragedy. On that particular program 'comfort dogs' were featured. 5 or 6  Golden Retrievers, along with their handlers, had been dispatched to Newtown.  Their job was simple - to comfort anyone who needed comfort. I, being a lover of Golden Retrievers, was in tears while watching. I was wondering, just yesterday, if the 'comfort dogs' would be dispatched to Boston. My answer came this morning, while watching the news, while on my eliptical. The 'comfort dogs' - the same ones that were in Conneticut a few months earlier, were sitting in front of a Lutheran Church in Boston- waiting to do their job; and in the meantime were getting lots of kisses and hugs from the news correspondent.

It was a touching segment. People are suffering.  People need comfort. But what about those people who don't have access to 'comfort dogs'? What about those who are going through:

intense heartbreak..
immense sorrow...
extreme loneliness...
pain....
separation or divorce....
loneliness and longing...?

What about those who are:

misunderstood....
marginalized...
mocked....
beaten down....
lied about....?

What about the widows? The orphans? The shut-ins?

What about the people who seemingly have it all together on the outside, but inside are screaming to be loved?

We live in a world besot by evil. From the beginning, when God first created the world, evil entered. Evil, that threatens to  destroy good and devour all that is right,is rampant.  Evil manipulates and lies. Evil does not want good to flourish. That is why the world is in turmoil.  That is why bombs go off at finish lines at marathons. That is why kids take guns to schools.  That is why families disintigrate.  That is why marriages crumble. That is why people sue each other. That is why churches split.

My Bible says "your enemy- your adversary- the devil - prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour..." 1 Peter 5:8

But it goes on to say, in verse 9 - "The suffering won't last forever.  It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ- eternal and glorious plans they are! - will have you put together and on your feet for good. HE gets the last word."

If you're in need of comfort, look to God.  He is a present help in times of trouble. He is always available- unlike comfort dogs. The way to God is through Jesus. Jesus conquered sin.  He is alive. He loves you. He says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one  comes to the Father, but through Me." - John 14:6

Finally, be encouraged and comforted by these words - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:4