Christmas 2011

This video was taken at our family Christmas party, hosted by Adam and Melanie, where we had a wonderful time enjoying fabulous food, very fun music...

and love...it's the love that brings us all together, as you'll see from the following video.

We tease each other and laugh a lot, but we are one of those I'll be there whenever I can because I love you kind of families.

Love created things at Christmas time too, like ornaments.

It took us on a lengthy car ride to Great-grandma's house, on one of Jack's vacation days from school.  Grandma played Caroles for us on her keyboard.

Love brought us together, on a very cold day, for a trip to the Christmas tree farm.

Love gathered the six of us together at 5 o'clock on Christmas Eve for a turkey dinner and pumpkin pie, immediately followed by gift-opening, which was immediately followed by Uncle Kody asking, "Is it really only 6:30?"  We miss you so much, Kayla!

And finally...love and good humor supplied Aunt Sandy with THE perfect gift for our brother this year!

Love IS CHRIST...mas!

My Hero!

"Who were your heroes, Grandma, when you were little?"  Jack asked, as he sat at the kitchen counter drawing pictures of super-heroes.  "Cowboys,"  I said, "Stoney Burke, The Rifleman, Little Joe from Bonanza, my heroes were all TV cowboys."  He proceeded to draw this picture for me, which I treasure.

Today, I have only one hero and he doesn't look anything like this picture.  He's brave; having once stood in the face of grave consequences to proclaim his love for me (kind of a long story).  He's strong (beating back the demons of addiction in defense of our marriage and family) and just like the cowboys in white hats on television a long time ago, he's one of the good guys.  Here he is in the warming house at Boyne Mountain on our skiing Honeymoon.  Notice the glasses?  They're safety glasses...his originals were destroyed in a fire on our wedding night.

This is me on the same day riding a ski-lift.

Our journey, which began thirty three years ago today, has been downright rocky at times but I have always known he is the one and only guy for me.  He is always telling our sons, "Try to find a woman like your mother."  I have a little more advice for you guys; when you do find the right one, be the kind of man your dad is, and love her heroically. 

Happy Anniversary, Jerry!

                                    Kody, Jack, Sharlet, Jack Jr. and Jerry on the Christmas Tree Farm wagon last weekend.



Then and Now

We are waiting for a baby today.  We have been talking about our little grandaughter for months.  I have knitted for her and we have prayed for her.  We have a snapshot of her on our wall and a special place just for her in our hearts.  Our daughter has anxiously prepared for her arrival by reading book after book on the subject of adoption.  She has been homeschooling her three little boys with a vengence for the last couple of weeks, hoping to create extra mother/daughter bonding time when she arrives.  Daddy painted her room twice to achieve the perfect shade of pink. 

Since I started this blog post (I can't imagine why I didn't finish it) our little grandaughter, Jubilee Sue Rupp has nestled deep into her family of Mom, Dad and brothers.  We have spoken to her on Skype and stared admiringly into her beautiful photographs, but she has remained too far away for us to hold, other than in our hearts. That is about to change!  In just a few weeks we will have our arms around her!  Our Christmas will last until then as we anticipate the best gifts of all this year; a reunion with our daughter, son-in-law, and our precious little grandsons and the one all wrapped up in pink...JUBILEE!  We can't wait!

Miracles

Thankfulness always precedes the miracle, is a quote from a favorite book of mine and it is so true.  One thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, has taught me to look for miracles and treasures in everyday life. 

The Miracle on 34th Street is what we lovingly called our family home at 44 West 34th St., in Holland, Michigan.  We moved to Holland in November of 1986 and Christmas was just around the corner, so it seemed like a perfect name.  Life was very busy then; too busy it seemed to look for miracles.  Many of them live on though, and with a very thankful heart I am able to see them now.  The love of my husband is one, both then and now, but the way it is so beautifully wrapped up in  much, much deeper feelings now is a miraculous gift to me. 

I am so thankful for the little children that I was blessed to raise, and how I have only to look into their adult faces for just a little longer than usual... and there they are, in 1986!

On the First Christmas a very blessed mother treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19).  Thank you Lord for this ability to treasure things in our hearts, so we can miraculously re-open them and re-live them later.   Please give assurance to all the hearts that are holding their treasures today with terrible pain and loneliness.  May they be assured that through faith in you, you are with them, so they can't be that far away from those that live with you.  THANK YOU, Jesus, this is the greatest miracle of all!

Teaching Honesty

I have a confession to make; I like to control outcomes.  This morning my devotional read, So keep your focus on the path just before you, leaving outcomes up to Me.  That's it, I thought, that's what I was trying to do last week.  Let me explain.

 I found Sharlet struggling with her backpack when I arrived to pick her up from preschool on Thursday. Trying in vain to put it on over an unzipped and oversized winter coat, she smiled as I rushed to her side hoping to ease her frustration.  "The monkey Sharlet brought to school today is in her backpack,"  explained her teacher, Miss Lise, as we waited  for our turn to exit through the crowded doorway.  I must have looked perplexed because she asked, "It is her monkey isn't it?"    Miss Lise began handing out notes and artwork to other parents and grandparents as I gently turned Sharlet around to unzip her backpack.  I caught Miss Lise's eye again and shook my head, no. Holding the kidnapped monkey out to her I whispered, "Just sneak it back in inside she won't....", but before I could finish explaining my plan Miss Lise broke in, "Oh, no!  I'm going to teach her."  Of course she is, she's a teacher and teachable moments like these are why Sharlet is here; to learn.  I felt ashamed of my desire to take the easy road, to send the monkey back to preschool on the path of least resistance.  Teach her; now there's a revolutionary idea, I thought, sarcasticly heaping a little more shame upon myself.  Miss Lise stooped down to Sharlet's eye-level, and with the coveted monkey in her arms she asked Sharlet again if it belonged to her.  Sharlet began to cry and shook her head, no.  After a brief explanation of why the furry friend could not accompany us, Miss Lise stood up and waved the monkey's arm in a goodbye gesture.  Sharlet took my hand and with tears still flowing, we strode slowly and solemnly to the car. 

I began to do a personal inventory (as we say in the Alanon program) on our drive home that morning.  I asked myself several questions that I didn't have answers to, until now.  Sharlet and I were good students that day.  She learned that deceit will not bring reward, and I learned that trying to control the outcome of a situation can distract me from having a real, God-given positive affect on it.  Thank you, Miss Lise 

Sharlet and Miss Lise

You Hold the Flashlight...

It is a gorgeous autumn day; sunny and warm for Michigan this time of year, and the bikepath outside my window is beckoning me to take a walk. I will be out there soon enough, but first I have a thought that I would like to share.

I have been learning that Jesus needs the consent of my will to enter my heart and my mind.  I have also learned that when I become willing He will guide my thoughts minute by minute.  I've been learning to trust Him with the situations that burden my heart.  I'm learning to trust that when I bring brokeness to Him, He wants to fix it and I have got to leave it there in His hands.  I can't continue to fret and worry about it, which always makes me want to take it back and try to fix it myself.  This picture that appeared on my daughter, Kayla's blog a while ago is a perfect illustration of this for me.

My son-in-law, Daniel is fixing a chair and my grandsons, Bright and Zion are assisting him.  Daniel is allowing them to "help" in order to teach them a little bit about home maintenance and resourcefulness.  Notice Bright's hand very carefully immitating his father's hand and Zion holding the flashlight.  I know there are times when my heavenly father delights in my immitating and joining Him in His work.  He knows I need and want to do something to "help" fix what's broken in this very troubled world we live in.  But, there are other times when He just wants me to hold the flashlight and watch and wait.  Then, when the miracle happens, I'm to keep shining light on it to bring Him the glory for the things He has done.  I love this picture and I'll take it with me, in my heart, on my walk.

Sweet, Sweet, Summer-time

A time for Kids Day at the Zoo, to see the animals and, guess who!

The Cat in the Hat, imagine that!  Too crowded, too hot, but a summer time

forget-me-not!

A day for a float in a boat...

or one in the sun on the beach for fun!

Let's play a game...Simon says, SIT THE SAME!

 A time to bike anywhere you like!

The days raced by...

the end is here...

goodbye, Summer, see you next year!

Camping Fun!

Earlier in the summer a family camping trip to Drummond Island was discussed and planned, and the weekend fun took place two weeks ago.  Those of us who were able to make the trip had a lot of fun that I tried to capture on this video.



A Family Tradition: Orchard Beach State Park

We spent a long weekend over the 4th of July at Orchard Beach State Park.  For several summers, when our kid's were young, Jerry took each child on seperate weekends to Orchard Beach for camping and fishing with Dad.  Portage Lake, in Onekema, is just a few miles away and the "fish-stories" that originated there are still being told today.  A bass that four-year-old Jack caught seems to grow each time the tale is re-told, but I believe the actual size was 17 1/2 inches.  In this photo we are standing on the bluff watching a sunset, and Jerry can still see in his memory a six-year-old Kody wondering aloud where the sun goes when it sets.  "It goes into the water...listen..you can hear it sizzle."  Jerry remembers the very surprised look on Kody's face before following up with the truth.  Kayla loved to fish every bit as much as the boy's did.  Her squeals of excitement when the bobber went down continued until the fish were safely inside the boat.  Who can roast the perfect marshmallow, a skill Kayla learned while camping with her dad, is still contested between them and the rest of us can't even compete.  Mr. C's chicken, broken oars and thunder storms; all memories of Orchard Beach State Park, so you can see why we still love to camp there.

  Szzzzzzzzz..........

Waiting for the fireworks a generation later.

Sharlet loved running in the sand and just look at that sky!

Now he's the Dad who is sharing the excitement of Portage Lake.

Another trip is already in the works for next summer with the WHOLE family in attendance.  We are planning on one fishing day for "the boys" including all four grandsons and another day for the "girls" including the two little grandaughters.  Grandpa will be going on both trips because he started it all, and because I hate squishing worms onto my hook :).

Pedal for your Thoughts

Bike paths have become our new favorite place to spend quality time together.  This one, the Leelanau Trail, which winds from Traverse City to Sutton's Bay on the Leelanau Peninsula, is mostly paved and flat and beautiful.  Last weekend we camped at Leelanau State Park and spent several hours of our last day riding this trail.  We peacefully pedaled past bubbling brooks, dense forests, and farms...lots of farms.  Benches for resting are nestled in the grass, usually in shaded areas, sometimes facing the path and sometimes overlooking something beautiful like a pasture full of wild flowers. Created from old railroad beds these paths have taken us to many fun and interesting places; in reality and in our hearts and minds as we roll along together in the sunshine.

We had a very pretty camping spot, this was our front yard for the weekend! 

 

Adoption, Identity, Trust, and Mother's Day

Today is a beautiful sunny spring day.  Jerry and I rode our bikes to Huizenga Park where our little garden is, and watered it.  We brought a small Bible, found an empty bench in the shade by the pond, and read from the book of John for a bit.  Then we talked about our daughter, Kayla's blog, http://www.rupplife.blogspot.com/.  About adoption, identities, and trust. 

Kayla spoke about adoption as a perfect picture of the gospel, and it is.  Jesus knocks, we invite Him in, and our heart becomes His earthly home. We are adopted. We are His eternal friends, family, and heirs of His Father. The temple of His Holy Spirit.

At church last week a young woman spoke to us about being a foster mother.  She told us that when a baby is born he/she begins to ask the question, "who can I trust?"  When that question is answered by a person, bonding with that person begins. If the question isn't answered by a person, which is so often the case with foster children, he/she will not identify or bond with anyone outside of themselves.  Bonding and identifying with someone requires trust.

Jerry and I spoke about all of our identities: mine being wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, Aunt.  I love these earthly identities!  But identifying with them, receiving my identity from them, and taking pride in them won't take me to that higher place where "living water" flows continuously with peace, joy, and serenity.  Identifying with the One and Only ONE I can trully trust, will.  Speaking of Kayla, she said something else a while ago that seems like a fitting ending to these thoughts, "Stand tall, keep your heart open, and trust the Lord."

I am so blessed to be a mom.  These pictures were taken on Mother's Day.

Circle of Girls

While looking for a fun place for Sharlet to play, I found a women's bible study that included a wonderful children's program and we joined it last fall. Our study lasted until the middle of March and it was very hard to leave on that last day of class. How will we know if Jill and her husband find jobs and are able to keep their house?  Or if Mercedes' brother's cancer is treatable?  How will Bev, who joined our group late because she is new to Holland, continue to feel connected without us?  We decided to meet at JP's coffee shop in downtown Holland on the first Tuesday of April, which is today.

When I arrived Tricia was already there, a young mom with three children who are just old enough for her to feel comfortable slipping away for a couple of hours.  Mercedes, a alightly older than me grandmother, greeted us looking just as beautiful as always.  When Kim, a home-schooling mom with three pre-teenaged students, arrived we decided a bigger table was needed and settled into a large circle of leather sofas and chairs in the next room.  Jill found us there and so did Bev, a fortyish single woman with no children who's mother died just before she joined our study.  Everyone wore a warm smile as we balanced coffee mugs on our laps and sweet conversation back and forth and side to side, sometimes breaking off in smaller groups for just a moment or two.

Jill, about the same age as Kim and Tricia and mother of two, has smiling eyes and they were never brighter.  No, she and her husband are not employed yet, but he's thinking of starting his own business and she is a dutch dance director which helps a little bit.  Their house?  It's still uncertain whether they will keep it or not.  Mercedes' brother is worse and she asked us to keep praying for him. I learned that Kim likes to knit and Jill is a seamstress.  Tricia runs a very busy day-care in her home and Mercedes is a retired school teacher who raised two of her grandchildren all by herself.  As we laughed about kids, grandkids, and the different jobs we've held,  it occured to me...though we may be from different towns and backgrounds, even different decades, all of us still love and long to gather in a circle like grown up little girls and share our lives with each other.  That's why we decided today to meet at the same time and place the first Tuesday of every month, it's fun!

Valentines and Kids!

                                                                                                 

 Look at these little guys!  That's Brave, Zion, and Bright enjoying a milkshake.  On the day before Valentine's Day, Jerry and I created a video for them, wearing red heart-shaped napkin rings under our glasses.  I giggled my way through Jerry's rehearsed opening remarks because I couldn't help but notice how serious he was about it while wearing those silly glasses.  So, after starting over several times we finally nailed it and added the pictures we had taken earlier that day of Bright and Zion's favorite Critter Barn friends to the tune of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."  It arrived on their breakfast table, in the knick of time, via computer and they loved it!  On her Facebook page Kayla put pictures of each of their little faces smiling through giant cut out paper hearts they had made, wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day.  Love was in the air!

Sharlet helped me make some Valentine cookies...

...she still sucks her thumb, hence the flour on her nose, so cute!   Jack came home from school wearing a crown of hearts he had made and he loved our cookies!

And speaking of the Critter Barn, Kody called this week to tell us about the birth of a new baby pigmy goat, so we bundled up, grabbed the camera and got some very cute pictures of him.  Thanks, Uncle Kody! 

I love the way the mother goat is watching over her baby in this one.  I know how you feel mama goat, "kids" are just so loveable!

All Hard Work Brings a Profit - Proverbs 4:23

Everytime Jerry and I dreamed about our children's futures, when they were small, the images always included, ease.  We wanted their lives to be easier than ours had been, their choices wiser, bringing them more opportunities and less failure.  We studied the tendencies of each child and tried to determine which way they were leaning so we could encourage them to grow that way (something I read about in one of my many James Dobson parenting books).  I touched on this subject in my last post and today I feel like addressing it again in the life of another adult child, our oldest son, Kody.

Now, here is a guy who has kept us guessing for all of his 33 years.  We have watched him steer his life off one path and on to another, like the Nascar races he loves to watch and "ease" has never been his destination.  As a child his imagination took him on horseback (a stick one) to wide open spaces.  On the very rare day that he wasn't outdoors, he wouldn't sit still through a whole story book or TV show, preferring instead to ride his stickhorse all around the house while playing his cowboy songs on the stereo.

As an adult he has tried his hand at many potential careers, but guess what he enjoys doing the most.  What kind of work do you think it is that brings him the most satisfaction and joy?  If you guessed working with horses you are right!  He still loves the outdoors, rarely sits down, and likes music (country) on the radio in the barns at chore time.  Kody manages and lives on an Arabian horse farm and also manages a non-profit educational working farm.

Ease is not a word that could ever be used to describe farming, but is it a wise choice for him?  Bringing him more opportunities and less failure?  Kody would be the only person that could truly answer these questions, but I have watched his life unfold and his humble, steadfast, hard work seems to be positioning him onto a path that God may have been preparing for him all along.  It does look slightly familiar and I can't wait to see where it takes him. 

The mother's heart is the child's classroom- Henry W. Beecher

This is a make believe passport from a church project in 1985...what do you think?  I found it in my Rademaker family archives the other day and it reminds me of two things: one, time goes by way too fast (but everybody over 40 knows that) and two, the heart of the child is the most important part to nurture.  I can't recall focusing on that as a young mom.  I became a grandmother before I trully understood the importance of  it, as expressed to me by the beautiful mother that this little girl grew up to be.  What I do recall when I look at this picture is a very petite little girl who loved playing school, going to school, and talking about school.  She was every Sunday School and Pre-school teacher's dream student.  At play, her baby dolls were tossed into their cradles as she dressed up in my t-shirts, belted her waist, and stumbled to "work" in my heels, as a teacher.  Well, today she is a teacher...a homeschool teacher with two students, a son in kindergarten and the other one a preschooler.  She has the nurturing of their hearts "down pat" and their little brother is  her favorite textbook for teaching the subjects of compassion and patience.

But, back to the picture.  Here's the thing: I thought I was seeing the makings of a scholar with a love for learning that wouldn't quit, and I was.  But deep in her heart, where no one could really see or predict, a plan was being placed by a power greater than all of us.  Her real live babies are anything but tossed aside, they are the center of her life, and she doesn't wear heels to the classroom either.  I saw a glimpse, but He saw the whole magnificent picture!