Buttons

On January 1st, we had a mini "reunion" with several cousins. That night we girls split up Grandma's button collection. 

Oh, the fun hours of sorting and playing those buttons had provided after serving their purpose on clothing a generation or two ago...

And what fun to "play" with them once again!

If you squint, can you imagine any design in this "artwork?"

Some unique designs...

And the more generic buttons can have a fun new use too!

A Special Harmony

My turn came again to share "special music" at church. Since I was already playing the piano those weeks - taking my turn at prelude, offertory, accompanying, and postlude - I wanted to share something different.

As I lay in bed one night praying about what to do, a fragment of harmony came to mind; a harmony that I had only heard on one instrument. In fact it was a harmony that I had stumbled upon more than a dozen years ago as I was playing around with a toy lap-hard I picked up at a market in Russia.

And since this harmony went along with the hymn "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us," I knew that was what I wanted to share at church. Especially since our church is in the middle of changes and searching for a new full-time pastor. We so badly need our Shepherd's leading and "tender care."

Tears Bigger than Mine

As we traveled more than 5 hours to the doctor again recently there was plenty of time to listen to a story from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's wonderful production of C.S. Lewis' biblical allegories, The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Magician's Nephew tells the beginning of the story - including the creation of Narnia. There are insightful parallels to Genesis here, but what struck me most this time was a comment about the Jesus-character: a lion named Aslan.

To give a little background, an English boy named Digory arrived just in time to watch Aslan create a perfect new world. This Lion could surely heal his dying mother back in London, Digory realized!

Alas, an evil character had accidentally arrived in Narnia along with Digory - brought by him (not without fault) from another world. When he approached Aslan about healing his mother there were other things that had to be taken care of first.

"But please, please - won't you - can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now, in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself.

"My son, my son," said Aslan. "I know. Grief is great... Let us be good to one another. But I have to think of hundreds of years in the life of Narnia..." (chapter 12)

As this part of Aslan's (actually, Jesus's) character played out, the tears came to my eyes as well.  Here Elsa and I were after two full years of intense doctoring and treatments - riding down to yet more appointments. 

I have always known that God is powerful. He could heal us instantly if He chose. Yet as I have waited and entered one new trial after another, too often I find myself just looking down at His great powerful "feet" and "claws." 

Suddenly on this drive I looked up with Digory and saw God's tears. For a moment I realized He really is sorrier about my pain than I could even be. He created this world to be perfect. He wanted to give me a perfect body to live in a perfect world - in perfect communion with Himself. But evil and sin entered to mar it all.

But we are not left without hope. Aslan told his new creatures that evil would come, but "I will see to it that the worst falls upon myself." And Jesus did just that on the cross.

And yet, we are still ill. We ask God for His healing. And we still have to wait.

Digory also had to wait; not knowing if Aslan would ever heal his mother. And Digory had to act - to fulfill a challenging assignment to help protect Narnia from the evil one. He had to pluck a special apple from a certain tree far away and bring it back to plant in Narnia.

Once successfully planted, the tree that grew was to keep the evil character away from Narnia. Since she also had traveled to the original tree and had stolen an apple for herself, Aslan explained, 

"...that is why all the rest are now a horror to her. That is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it ever after."

Oh, how glad Digory then was that he had resisted the strong temptation to eat one himself, or even to sneak back to his mother with it instead of bring the fruit back to Aslan!

But what about his mother? Did the waiting ever come to an end? Did Aslan really care about one or two hurting people in particular?

For those answers, I'll let you read (or listen to) the story for yourself. :-)

And what about my illness? And what about your pain, loneliness, loss...? 

Let's keep trusting and obeying, knowing that God hurts over it even more than we do. And we'll know the rest of the story... one day.

(Photos from the HarperCollinsPublishers hardcover edition of The Magician's Nephew)

Visiting Grandpa

My last living grandparent is in a nursing home 30 minutes away. Not far, really, but too far for me to drive myself currently. A family member drives me to that town every other week to teach a couple piano lessons - right across the road from where Grandpa lives. But that is unfortunately during the only time Grandpa is awake during the afternoons.  When I finish teaching he is heading to supper and then soon to bed. I don't get to see Grandpa nearly as often as I want, but at least Mom gets to visit her dad most times during my lessons.

One day a change in schedule freed me up to join Mom for part of the time! 

My phone camera doesn't do well in this lighting, but we love it that Grandpa has so many windows!

It was a sweet visit - talking about Grandpa's upcoming 100th birthday, answering his questions about our lives, pointing out the bundle of wheat for the birds outside his window (a tradition from our Norwegian heritage)...

And though Grandpa has trouble hearing and is nearly blind, his mind is so sharp! He surprised us by asking for the placemat on his table with a map of the States. It had been on his breakfast table, and someone had told him about it, so he took a couple copies back to his room to "look at" later. 

We were Grandpa's eyes as we talked our way all over the country. The state capitols were blanks to fill in with just the first letter of each word, so we racked our brains for as many of the 50 as we could remember.  (I need to get out those flash-cards again! Maren and I used to have them all memorized.)

Then we marked down all the states Grandpa could remember having visited or driven through. A lot! No wonder I love to travel... I got it from both sides of the family.

A Sweet Prescription

At this week's appointment, my doctor asked if I was playing the piano anymore. As I explained how I make practice work for the occasional weeks that I play for church and basically set it aside the rest of the time because of the pain levels and the way it limits what other activities I can do, she said, "Why don't you try ten minutes a day. It's so good for you!"

I agree. I love playing the piano! I love ministering to others through the gift of music at church and elsewhere. I love learning new music, exploring its subtle details, and finding how to make it "sing."

So, I took my first dose of this new prescription today. It was short and sweet. This could be a painless (or at least, less-pain) way to have music ready for my next turn at church. I look forward to tomorrow's dose!

Winter Flowers II

My orchids usually begin blooming in late January, but they started early this year.

Can you see the petals sparkle?!

One of my plants never quit blooming all year since beginning in early 2015! Each blossom can last several months, but this lively plant kept sending out new buds to open before the last had fallen. I've never been given that special gift before in my dozen years of orchid tending.

And not only has this plant kept in blossom... it also grew a baby, or "keiki" (Hawaiian for "baby".) I haven't had that joy for many years either.

Winter Flowers

Frosty Morning II

February 1st

Second foggy morning in a row. More frost to enjoy in a nearly monochromatic world.

And, yes: these photos were taken in color.

Then the sun began to shine!

Frosty Morning

January 31st

Before I put on my much-needed glasses in the morning, I could tell that the outdoor world was different.  It was white!

Even after realizing that my initial impression was created by a layer of frost on the windows, I peeked around the edges to more white... fog and the beautiful frost it left behind.

A while later the sun was out, the fog gone, and frost sparkling everywhere.

Melting

I saw something one day that happens all the time but is so small and "insignificant" that I usually miss it. Yet it was amazing! 

I watched ice crystals melt. We took the lid off a jar of frozen leftovers, and there had formed icy teeth hanging from the inside of the lid. 

As soon as they were exposed, the process began. Icy peaks became more translucent. Jagged glaciers smoothed out. Frosty fields turned to swamps. Mountains began to shrink. Foothills merged together. (Did you know ice and water can writhe and jump?!) 

In a minute or two, it was all over. 

I'm afraid these photos do not show the process very well, and I missed catching the beginning. But here's a little idea anyway...

Sunning on the Deck

-February 1st
-31 degrees Fahrenheit (probably a bit higher at midday)
-Sunshine
-Very little wind

A perfect day to soak up some sun on the deck!

How did any sunshine reach me, you may well ask?! Yes, I was wearing boots, snowpants, a down coat, and sometimes hat or hood.  But the sun found my face and hands. Lovely!

And the fresh air...!!

And all the decreases complete (for the 2nd time; had to rip out the first) on my first sleeve on my first sweater!

More joys of the afternoon outdoors: 

-sharing it with Elsa and her knitting
-crows calling in distant trees
-chickadees feeding nearby
-cat alternately playing and cuddling on the cushions
-dog keeping an eye on us
-a change of scenery!!