Snow Day

The Lyme Sisters

We three sisters have always been "different" than most of our peers. This winter is no exception as we enjoyed a sister-outing to the clinic lab, of all places! We are all in a season of frequent blood-draws for our doctor to keep an eye on how we are responding to medical treatments.

Had I mentioned yet that Maren "joined the club" when she contracted acute Lyme disease from a tick bite this summer? Every member of our family has now been treated for this pernicious disease. Maren's case was extra concerning since she was around 4 months pregnant at the time. We saw God work in those first hard days - closing the wrong doors and opening the way to a doctor experienced in treating Lyme in pregnant mothers. 

Praise God, our little nephew tested negative to Lyme disease at birth!

Snowy Perks

Snow has many benefits:

It insulates perennial plants.

It brightens the house on heavy, grey days.

It makes it easy to track footprints of animals and human boots.

And of course it can be pressed into snowballs to entertain playful kittens...

... serve as a high bar for a vaulting kitten...

... and build snowmen of all sizes to bring us smiles!

Snowbank

How shall I title this post: Snowbank OR Snow Bank?! :-)

After dropping Dad off at the airport on Thanksgiving weekend to visit the family of his brother who had just died, we took Mom to a new experience for her - a riverside Christmas light show. 

Yes, we mourn the loss of a gentle brother and uncle and grieve for his wife and seven children - most of whom are younger than us. But we have such comfort from the fact that he is now with his Lord and set free from a seven year battle with several forms of cancer.

Mittens Again

It is mitten-knitting season again! 

Elsa is also getting special orders for our coordinating hats. 

Yellow is a popular color this year.

The newest color in the shop is burnt orange.

A brand new design is waiting for a brighter (non-cloudy) day to be photographed in our makeshift "studio."

October Snow

Winter began for us over a month ago. The days of Grandpa's funeral gatherings were wet and white.

There was even enough snow to build a snowman, which lasted a couple days before drooping away.

Only one big van got stuck in the snow at the cemetery, but the wind was frigid. My cousins' babies were well-bundled as we crowded under the tent for a special time around Grandpa's grave.

I spotted my wool mittens on two cousins 
waiting to be casket-bearers. :-)

And the snow kept falling...

Thankfully the hardy kale was still waiting to be picked after the snow thawed.

Eat Your Veggies

Though the season of fresh garden-veggies is past, we still work with many kinds of veggies every day.

This morning I chopped up heads of celery for three days of juice for Elsa and me. That juice also includes lemons, cucumbers, and parsley.

Then I moved on to chopping more celery, frozen peppers from the garden, and onion, plus grating a carrot. That made a delicious soup at noon with the addition of some chicken baked in advance.

  

Meanwhile Mom and Dad cut open several squash that were needing to be baked, so we had some of that sweet treat for dinner as well.

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Genesis 1:29

Providence in a Tea Aisle

Only twice a year I pass through the city that has our nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. How amazing, then, to see God orchestrate that one minute when I "happened" to be standing in the tea aisle and use it to encourage another woman suffering from debilitating allergies for years. A gentle "Excuse me, can I ask where you find your mask?" spoken in an accent dear to me opened up a time of mutual blessing. Her fervent repetitions of "God bless you!" left me in awe of God's love for two of His daughters that day.

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 18:28

Passing Tones

“Why is that a G?” a student asked me. When he played it together with the other notes in that beat of the song, they clashed.

 

“It must be a wrong note,” was the obvious thought in his mind. Or maybe the composer was having a bad day and took it out in writing a harsh chord?!

 

But, no. The note only seemed to be a mistake if looked at in isolation. When I had my student play the offending chord along with those before and after, it no longer sounded wrong. I could have pointed out a few reasons that note made sense in music theory, but even a casual listener could appreciate the momentary dissonance bringing even more beauty as it resolved back into sweet harmony.

 

---------------------------------

When I then read the following in a Bible study on Esther, that piano lesson came back to me.

 

“Pause and ask God to give you faith and joy in the truth that He is orchestrating every moment of your life.”*

 

Far too often I get stuck on the “moment’s” dissonance of this life with chronic illness and pain. Often unconsciously, I am feeling that this must be a big mistake:

- this hour’s pain

- this meal’s indigestion

- this day’s utter exhaustion

- this night’s restless sleep

- this week’s worse reactions to chemical sensitivities...

 

But that is just looking at “one note” in the midst of a whole symphony. I believe God is the perfect composer – no matter how I feel. I want to remember that and trust Him even when the notes I am currently playing sound “wrong.”

 

In music theory parlance, they are just “passing tones”!

 

*Esther: Trusting God's Plan by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth of Revive Our Hearts

Welcome, Joseph!

"The days are just packed..."

That Calvin and Hobbes quote comes back to me when I see how long it has been since I blogged. What is the cause? In part: a couple of big handwork business projects, a funeral, and now...

A Nephew!

"Welcome, Joseph! We love you!"

Thrilled Grandma

Grandpa hiding his bubbly excitement

Auntie loving those changing expressions

Parents, the day after the birth!

Joseph, our gift from God!

Last Roses of Autumn

Family Relationships Summit

A Family Portrait from 2009... Time Flies!

My family and I are excited to get started "attending" the Family Relationships Summit online today through Saturday! Many of the speakers have blessed and challenged me in the past. Want to join me there?! Just click here to learn more!

My Last Grandparent

My last grandparent is now with Jesus. 

What a thrill for Grandpa! He has been failing for several years as he approached and passed his 103rd birthday, so he was ready to leave behind a worn-out body and be with his Lord. But it is still a loss for us. 

It was a special blessing that all five of his children could be with him in his last couple of days - Mom and her sister taking the night shifts.

Grandpa's 100th birthday - 2016

The funeral will turn into a family reunion as all but one of the 18 grandchildren and many of the nearly 40 great-grands will be able to gather. What memories we have as we all grew up within 9 miles of Grandpa and Grandma's village home!

Summer visits included tours of Grandpa's gorgeous rose-beds, autumn filled his apple orchard with a delicious crop at the back of a big, immaculately mown lawn, winter held games of Texas Dominoes or Skip-Bo, and visits in all seasons brought Grandpa's inevitable question (usually in Norwegian), "Is it time for lunch?" (Note: this was NOT the noon meal, but a mid afternoon treat of Grandma's baking plus coffee for Grandpa.) I wonder how many times he had "lunch" some afternoons with so many children and grandchildren to stop by!

Since Grandpa loved classical music, a visit would rarely pass without his asking me to play something for him. I can still see him settled in his recliner at the right corner of the piano soaking up our favorite Norwegian compositions by Grieg, some rich Bach, or a long-winded Beethoven sonata. 

A few of the family at Christmas 2016

Many childhood memories were also made at the lake cottage Grandpa's parents bought soon after he and Grandma were married. 

The last year Grandpa was able to join the 4th of July family gathering was in 2016.

Some sweet memories at the lake are the annual Labor Day camp-outs Mom started years ago.

For all the years Grandpa joined us, he ended each night around the campfire with prayer for his family and nation.

Much has changed since Mom (third from left, back row in photo below) grew up going to the lake at the end of long, hot days of farming. But the love in this growing family has remained rooted in a conviction of God's love for us.

As long as I can remember, Grandpa and Grandma made our birthdays special by coming for a meal and cosy evening together. 

But after moving to the nursing home five years ago, it was much harder to get out. Thankfully Grandpa was able to make one visit to Maren and Jason. He always lit up when we talked about Jason and his greenhouses. Grandpa had to wait many years for his eldest granddaughter to be married!

Grandpa wearing a new kofte (sweater) from Norway - 2016

Grandpa's Norwegian heritage came out more than ever in the later years as he reverted more often to his first language. He didn't begin learning English until a neighbor girl taught him at age four, but his English was some of the richest I heard spoken in everyday life. We will miss hearing Norwegian and praying "I Jesu Navn" along with him. 

Mom will also feel the lack of her weekly visits to feed Grandpa breakfast at the nursing home.

 Last Christmas Eve was a special time for Mom, Dad, Elsa and me to celebrate once more with Grandpa. We had a quiet evening singing Christmas carols (Grandpa sang along a few times!), reading Luke 2, and sharing our supper with a few traditional Norwegian treats before he needed to sleep again.

I'll see Grandpa again when we celebrate all together with our Saviour!