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!