Nothing like I remember it

3:21 p.m. Today's project was to overcome a night of sketchy sleep and go with Steve to Disneyland, activating our deluxe annual passes. I emphasize "deluxe" because we can go on a Sunday afternoon when our kids are off from their jobs. Of course the nicest part is that senior citizen pensioners like myself can go on weekdays , too, when there are not that many people.

Naturally, while we were in the parking structure crawling along in huge lines to get to our space, it didn't seem like a small crowd. Flashing the pass with prepaid parking certainly eased my discomfort, though. Now the challenge is to use the passes enough times to make up the parking fees, and eat enough meals there to take advantage of the 10% discount. It's on!

The tram ride went along for about a hundred yards when another tram operator radioed ours that a child was hanging off the side of our tram. So the whole thing had to halt while the operator walked slowly and deliberately the full length of the tram to rebuke the child and presumably, the parent. "Train up a child in the way he should go," Proverbs 22:6 promises, "and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Nor will he or she fall off a tram, embarass their parents, or irritate the operator and other passengers!)

It took us a while to find out where to get our photos snapped for the passes, so we took in the sights of California Adventure, which we'd never visited before. My daughter-in-law said there are some cool rides in that park, but we wouldn't have time. So we had our pictures taken, just about as flattering as a driver's license! We listened to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" live onstage at Sunshine Plaza for 18 seconds, then strolled around, enjoying the Hollywood backdrops, and ate a really good lunch at Studio Catering Co. The chili burger I ate caused no repurcussions whatsoever--way to go!

When we got to the entrance of Bug's Land, I had to chuckle when I saw one of the banners, which read, "It's tough to be a bug!" It reminded me of the subtitle of our Bible study on Esther, "It's tough being a woman." The comparison would have to end there, but that's what happens with a mind that's continually seeking random hilarity.

A while later, Steve and I congratulated ourselves on correctly retracing our steps and finding the Jeep! You don't want to know about the hours we spent looking for it in the Rose Bowl parking lot last year after a UCLA game! Today was blessedly smooth, worthy of praising the Lord, because He really did "make straight paths for our feet" (Hebrews 12:13a), allowing us to be on the freeway by 2:07 p.m. and home by 3:00. I even had a conversation with son Kriss all the way from Anaheim Hills. It warms a mom's heart to recognize that things are working smoothly for newlywed children, and seeing that they have goals and plans that they've thought out for their new, more responsible phase of life. We have been blessed by Sean's, Heather's and Kriss' choices of mates, and I think Heidi will not be far behind, since she and Pavel are already studying together on the principles of biblical marriage...

One reason to get home early was that Heidi wouldn't be home to feed our labs, because she is going to a wedding rehearsal for her friend Shea. I really didn't want to pester the neighbors with Jada and Bailey's barking for any longer that the usual 1/2 hour before their 5:00 meal, trying always to be good witnesses for Christ! Steve also had time to walk them this afternoon.

I am grateful that Steve and I can enjoy a new fun pastime for the year of 2010, because we don't know how the passing of another 12 months will affect him. I have a sense that the supplements and prescriptions are keeping him fairly level, able to relax and enjoy strolling around, taking in the sights, and next visit, we'll be going on some thrill rides. Not necessarily a fan, I'll have to allow the Lord to stretch me so Steve can enjoy a rollercoaster or two.

Our companionship is sweet, now that we are taking much-deserved time for one another. Often we'll hear people will say, "If I could just freeze this moment!" usually when their children are small, or in the early days of marriage. It's said with a knowing unreality, even as the speaker looks forward to other great days to come.

But I actually DO wish I could freeze this moment!

This day had to come

2:39 p.m. Today's project was to begin taking down the household Christmas decorations, from the front door hanger, to the stockings on the fireplace mantel, to the dining room table centerpiece, guest bathroom, and I just looked around and saw the kitchen angel display. As for the tree, maybe this weekend--it is actually fresh for the most part, so it's not a fire hazard just yet.

If we've missed the City's special Christmas tree collection day, Steve will cut ours up and put it in the green waste dumpster Monday night.

Most of my friends and aquaintances took care of this chore last weekend, but I tend to use any excuse to avoid the inevitable for as long as possible. Just last night I handed out the last of my fudge and lemon squares! (I believe I still have a stash of mint chocolate layer cookies, "the bomb," Heidi calls them). This year I had a reasonable excuse: Heidi gave a bachelorette party for her friend Shea here last night, so I didn't want my house in that ugly in-between stage of disarray when company arrived. The real issue is that I know myself only too well--I just hate to let go of the fun, excitement, beauty and sparkle of the Christmas season. Proverbs 14: 8a says, "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way..." and I see no point in fooling myself!

Why I think that, even with Steve's help, all of the decorations that took over a week to put up are going to be neatly put away in one day, beats me! And when you add 3 hours of interruptions--paying my health insurance bill out in Jurupa, then traveling on the 60 west even further to take Heidi a couple of gallons of vanilla ice cream for a class party; stopping home to get lunch started, and then out again to my doctor for a prescription--the chances of task completion are between slim and none! So I'll focus instead on packing everything away so that it can be put up efficiently end of next November--if the Lord tarries, that is.

I recently read my daughter Heather Love's blog Remains of the Day about essentially the same issue, and her identical feeling about "taking down Christmas." From her post "Blank walls":

It's inevitable that when you take down all your Christmas decor that your home

will be looking a little sad and plain. In a few weeks, maybe sooner, it will look like

nothing is missing...I love Christmas and I'm sad to see the holiday season go.

Couldn't agree more! God is the One who created joyfulness and rejoicing--the Law of Moses commands celebrations and feasts! (Leviticus 23) God created beauty, decorations and skilled craftsmanship, commending those who are painstaking in their work. Have you read the fabulous details of the decoration of the Tabernacle for the wilderness journey (Exodus 25-31)? Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem (I Kings 6-8) was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World!

Are six weeks of enjoyment sandwiched between two weeks of labor worth it? I think so! As one of my favorite passages, Proverbs 24:3-4 says, "Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

I'll pack away my decades' worth of mementos slowly, while smiling over the givers--the faces of my husband, children, parents, relatives, friends and even former students flashing into my mind's eye with each one.

Riches, indeed!

God's got it!

2:58 p.m. Today's project was to rise early, help Steve and our grandsons get their breakfast, and make sure Adrian and Xavier had their duffle bags filled and in order so their Grandpa Booker could pick them up for a visit at his home.

The reason these processes needed to go smoothly was that I was due at Bible Study at 9:30. After a month's hiatus, I was more than ready to enjoy the lesson on Esther 7-8:2. My pages had been completed bit by bit through December, but I saved the final questions for last Friday, so it would be fresh in my mind today.

When I arrived, wonderful sights greeted me! My nametag was already made out for me--that's a warm Calvary Chapel MoVal tradition. a crowd of my sisters were drinking coffee and snacking on homemade treats, gabbing 90 miles an hour. Spotting lots of girlfriends, I kept turning from one knot of beautiful faces to the next, especially enjoying those I don't normally see. I had thought to bring some goodies, but wrongly figured everyone would be burnt out from Christmas--not so! Enjoyment was in full swing. I did bring some yellow tomato jam I'd made to bless Linda Martinez, who I knew would appreciate such a "delicacy." And sure enough, she's made the red variety herself.

Amid the laughter and greetings, however, I did have a serious conversation with a recent mastectomy patient, who is doing very well, if I remember that stage of my own lumpectomy correctly. Blessedly, she hasn't experienced the wretched swelling--lymphodema--that plagued me, and which I still feel occasionally. She does have only limited use of her arm, so I strongly advised her to push for physical therapy as soon as her doctor feels she's ready. PT works--it gave me back full strength and use of my right arm 6 years ago! We've formed a bit of a sweet, sisterly bond, exemplifying II Corinthians 1:3-4:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort by which we are comforted by God."

Another surprise was awaiting me, thanks to the fact that two of my buddies decided to sit further back and leave me with an open seat next to me, hmm! I'd think they were meanies if we didn't love each other so much!! A sister new to me scooted over into the seat next to me. We said hi; since she was new to study, she hadn't a book, so I offered to let her look on with me.

Our leader Robin asked us to take three minutes to share with the person next to us a few matters, large or small, that were on our minds, that we'd talked to the Lord about, so I told my neighbor my concerns with Steve having a cold and my grandsons' visit. Now this next is unbelievable! She said, "My 86 year old mother has Alzheimer's and my 87 year old father is trying to take care of her. They've been on my heart a lot lately." Praise "the God and Father of all comfort"--this total stranger was just beginning her journey coping with a disease whose implications are as tangled as a victim's neurons, and God sat her right next to me! When I told her what we've been going through, she was overwhelmed with amazement. "God brought me here to sit next to you," she declared. We exchanged phone numbers. (I gave her my blog address, since the only reason I write is to encourage others daily). The two of us will be communicating, because her family is now coming into a fairly advanced stage of her mom's degeneration. She will need plenty of support.

Many times we are looking for an enjoyable time of fellowship, worship, and focus on God's word, but are not necessarily expecting miracles. I think it's time to raise the bar of expectation!

Believers in Christ, do not hesitate to hope--God's got it!

Rewards of obedience

4:20 p.m. Today's project was to get out and about town with Steve and our grandsons, with requisite obedience on the boys' part for each step of the way. Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." I think we'd all put grandparents in that category, too!

The first stop was Berean Christian store, off Tyler, where I picked up commentaries on the book of Hebrews, the subject of the new Bible study the Lord has directed me to write. Hoping to have several lessons completed by June, I began studying in earnest this summer. Currently, I'm studying J.Vernon McGee's radio broadcast study guide, which has Hebrews in two volumes. I've completed Matthew Henry, John Courson, and notes in NKJV, NLT, and NIV Bibles. Barnes' Notes I'll save for the weekly study preparation.

Today I was excited to find John MacArthur's New Testament Commentary, Warren Wiersbe's paperback New Testament Bible commentary, and John Phillips' Exploring Hebrews. Of course, the danger is that I'll busy myself with great reading and put off writing!

Can a person over-study? In Acts 26:24, Festus, the local Roman governor shouted to the apostle after hearing his testimony, "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!" and Ecclesiastes 12:12 says, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh." ( ! ) Personally, I would happily spend many hours a day studying, squeezing in just enough "real life" activities to be a good witness as a Christian wife and mother!

Typing will begin, prayerfully, in the next month or so. Frankly, I love nothing better than when the Holy Spirit takes all of the thoughts "rumpling around" in my head and on the day He has selected, says, "Start writing!" Whether it's an article for our church's Titus 2 Tribune newsletter, a Bible study to teach, lessons on a book of the Bible, or this blog, when it's God's time, it's the right time, if the writing is His plan to begin with!

A special gift we found at Berean for Adrian and Xavier were small, leather-bound gift Bibles in the New Living Translation. At first I was a bit leery, because I only use the NLT for occasional quotes, not for teaching. But once I read that this translation is highly recommended by Billy Graham, probably for its readability in modern English, I went ahead with the purchase. I'll have the boys' names engraved later and give them for Valentine's Day.

From Berean, we went over to the Galleria at Tyler, where we found "skinny jeans" for Xavier, perfect fit, buy-one-get-one-free! Adrian got a green shirt and matching green headphones, all at Pac Sun. Lunch at Ruby's Diner topped off our time and provided the next meal for us, the portions were so huge. Amazing that from the moment the boys got up this morning, the promise of a fun day caused a right turn in behavior! Aren't you glad children are such quick learners?

We needed a shot of silliness, so we put our things away at home and went to the Mission Grove Theater to see "Alvin & the Chipmunks 2, the Squeakquel." It was the kind of clean fun I prefer for our guys, and they enjoyed it thoroughly.

Right now, Heidi has Adrian and Xavier with her running errands; they will be going out to dinner with her and Pavel later. Steve and I will enjoy some much-needed alone time, and leftovers from New Year's Day dinner. Their other grandpa will pick the boys up tomorrow.

Ahh, the rewards of obedience--for both adults and children!

How does this happen?

4:12 p.m. Today's project was to take our grandsons to church, have a fun afternoon while helping them to be responsible, stick to their word, and understand consequences, both good and not-so-good!

We set a teenager-appropriate agreement for step-by-step cooperation and obdience--good behavior and attitudes lead to fun events; whining, arguing, blameshifting and disobedience cause elimination of fun events. Our other goal was to severely limit time on the computer, and encourage them to use the wrist radios we bought them--in other words, go outside!

The boys' parents are strict; their good grades and dependability show it. But Steve and I are strict in different ways. We have no problem with a 12 year old and a 14 year old going together to the electronics section of a store while we're in a nearby aisle, but they have to ask us if they may. "The devil's in the details," the saying goes. Family standards vary, and that's fine, as long as the adults are in charge! Steve was raised in a very autocratic, inflexible home; my parents allowed more discussion and allowed my sister and me to do some of our own problem solving. But we both got swats if we outright disobeyed. So we had a generally smooth discipline plan for our children, and they are contributing Christian citizens today.

When we arrived home with the boys, they had bought goodies and snacks with their WalMart gift card, and a card for a medieval sword fight game, one which we approved of. But first, Adrian and Xavier had to eat lunch, and change into play clothes for some gardening. Oh, the groans, but they got ready, and helped their grandpa unload three large bags of potting soil to lay down another row in the garden.

We did allow them to bring out an MP3 attached to my iHome speaker for their choice of music. All went well with raking the soil and weeding out the clumps of grass that have popped up in the irrigation rows, until Xavier accidentally pulled out 10 of my baby scallions--not weeding exactly where I had directed him to. Grandma was NOT a happy camper, but I'll find a use for them somehow, in their immature state. Kind of like my grandsons!

Next activity was walking with Steve and the dogs, so we all put on our walking shoes, took camera, cellphones and the ubiquitous MP3 players and headed up toward Canyon Crest. What do we see as we round the corner? A huge green bundle! Looked like a duffel bag, and, Law & Order fan that I am, I yelled out, "Is there a body in there?" (Just trying to be helpful!)

The dogs sniffed it, but Steve kept them walking. On closer inspection, it was a huge, torn-up mattress, with sharp coils and boards jutting out. Nasty! Who does these things? And how many people did it take to lay that mattress across the sidewalk? Truly, I've never seen this kind of dumping in our neighborhood in 22 years. These are most uncivil times.

Naturally, I called the City of Riverside, and emailed them a note with the above picture attached. It's relatively small crimes like this, if not attended to, that lower a community's quality of life and lead to ever-increasingly severe infractions. I hope this nasty item will be removed tomorrow!

There is scriptural support for caring for what you have been given, applicable to the children in your care, personal finances, property, or the streets you live and drive on. This is the concept of stewardship. Jesus asked, in reference to a parable concerning servants caring for their master's good during his absence, in Luke 12:42-43 (NLT), "A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward."

Practically speaking, we need to do a good job with our grandsons before we return them to their parents. We need to take responsiblity for our actions and property lest we be hauled into civil court, or worse, criminal court!

But we have a greater stewardship still. All men have One to whom we must answer for even our thoughts, and that's our heavenly Father! Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that "all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." No person has a mind that is pure, harmless and without evil intentions, so how can we keep ourselves from an eternity of perdition?

Jesus Christ took all of every person's evil thoughts and actions upon Himself when He sacrificed Himself on the cross. Believing in His substitutionary death for my sins, and asking the Father for forgiveness in Jesus' name, because of His sacrifice in 1980, cleansed me and made me fit to live forever with Him in heaven. And the daily sins I commit I can freely confess and ask for forgiveness, learning and growing, repenting and becoming more like my Lord.

We are stewards of what God has graciously put in our care. I pray that I may be found faithful!

Our number's now complete!

5:22 p.m. Today's project was to organize a visit with our grandsons, linking schedules with their mom Kippy, her dad Booker, and the boys' dad, our son Sean. Kippy, Adrian and Xavier had just landed at Ontario Airport after a visit to her side of the family in Port Charles, Louisiana.

I was textintg both Sean and Kippy, and at the same time figuring out how to help poor , literally poor, Steven up in Fresno to get some money for groceries, having spent his Christmas money on rent and utilities. Bally's gym is slow for trainers in this economy; tips from Cool Hand Luke's steakhouse are erratic; and his new on-campus job won't begin until school starts next week. He will have 3 jobs and a full class schedule--upper division science for his kinesiology major. Reminds me of my senior year at the University of Redlands, having three little jobs and a preschooler, Sean, back in 1978!

Add to Steven's schedule his beloved high school ministry leadership role at The People's Church, and we can just say, may the Lord be with you!! I'll quote what the Apostle Paul told young Timothy as he began his busy ministry, in I Timothy 4:12-13: "Let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers, in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Til I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."

Did I mention that Steven also thinks he has a cracked rib?!

Steven's credit union, Altura, barely locked up when I got to the door to make a cash deposit to his account, so it was up to WalMart for a moneygram. I drove to the one off Day Street, noting the giant snaking line leading up to customer service, mostly returns. When I saw only one attendant, that plan was out. I had to get home in time to see the boys, due to arrive in an hour. So I texted Steven, "Looks like it will be Western Union!" Praise God the UPS store in the Mission Grove shopping center was empty, so the money flew to Fresno for Steven to glean. What a trial of frustration that was! Isn't it funny how little irritants bug us more than the serious events? Maybe because we know only God can change a huge disaster into good, but we tend to feel like we can fix the commonplace stuff! But truly, the only way we can fix anything is to listen to the Holy Spirit and do it His way.

Adrian and Xavier arrived and opened their gifts: 2-way watch radios and C28 hoodies with a striped motif, quoting Isaiah 53:5, "By His stripes we are healed." Because of a dress code at their middle school, they have to wear black and white jackets, like their uniform outfits. Must have a gang problem in their neighborhood for that drastic of a policy! But the boys can wear their hoodies here, at home, and on weekends. I'm just glad they fit.

It's a tad different for Steve and me to have teenagers in the house again--their music, jabber, poking at each when raising my own five teens, was to let them voice their ideas--hear them out. Just be sure that nothing dishonoring or disrespectful is allowed. It worked for us, even though tempers would boil over at times. We know, like our own parents did, that "this too shall pass." Adolescent attitudes are nothing new, it's just each genration's different issues and outlooks.

Our job the next few days is to love our boys, spend a good Sunday at church with them, have fun, and leave a legacy of peaceful, godly living as an inheritance. Oh, and we'll need to feed them--you should see how a 14 year old and a 12 year old plow through two large pizzas!

Another full house

4:18 p.m. Today's project was to get up by 8:30 and put my soaked bean mix into the huge pressure canner pot and get my soup started, adding pork ribs, bay leaves, salt and plenty of water. Since we came in after midnight from a hilarious party with friends, and I was up for a while after that, it would have been the better part of wisdom to go back to bed like Steve did after he put the dogs out. But of course that didn't happen.

I was eager to get this new year's devotions going and post Psalm 36, in which verse 5 says, "Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." Whereas yesterday I journalled in gold ink to the Lord thanking Him for the multiple blessings of 2009, 2010's first entry returned to the daily mix of praise, confession, petition and thanksgiving, in vibrant shades of blue.

After I got Steve up, my attention turned to the French toast and bacon breakfast I'd planned for us. After making up my dipping batter, it was back to the soup. Time to add 2 chopped onions, a quart of tomatoes, 8 stalks of chopped celery, 3 cloves of garlic and cayenne pepper. I also tossed in the contents of the seasoning packet from the "Ham Beans" bag. Finally breakfast was served, and I relaxed on the couch in front of the Rose Parade's 4th replay, put on my makeup, and thought about napping--it would be 3 hours before time to add the final ingredients to the soup.

Ding dong! Who could be at the door? Of course it was my dad, with all the freshness of a person who had set their alarm for 7 o'clock, and then turned over to go back to sleep. Good thing somebody is getting their zzzzz's!

A nice visit ensued with Steve, my dad and Heidi, relaxing and watching the Rose parade and then the game. We had no dog in this fight--two out-of-state teams were playing. But it was a good, back-and-forth, competitive game. I added the chicken thighs and sliced turkey dinner sausage, along with seasoned salt, fresh ground pepper and garlic powder. The overcast sky cooled things down, a better atmosphere for hot soup. I updated Daddy on Steve's condition while Steve was out walking the dogs, and we agreed that we're seeing some improvement. Praise the Lord!

Then the text messages began coming in. Nick and Heather were coming by, and then we heard from Kriss and Marisela! Now our quiet dinner was turning into a dinner party, my favorite kind of event to plan for and carry out. It didn't take long to set the dining room table, make up a spinach and orange salad with fried onions on top, and get the cornbread batter out of the fridge.

By 3:30, the soup was done and my dad was fearing rain, so I packed him up a nice container of soup and he was on his way back to Redlands. (He makes his own cornbread, so the soup was all he needed). Nick and Heather were due about 5:00; and Kriss and his wife wouldn't be leaving Long Beach until 4:30. It took some shuffling, but we served salad to our early birds, then I baked the cornbread and served all of us with Heidi's help by 6:15. A meal is so much tastier when shared! As always, dinner conversation began with prayer and went on in great fun as we all recounted our New Year's Eve adventures. Steven texted a lovely picture of snow at Shaver Lake near Fresno, where he's staying at a friend's cabin. Naturally, a forward to our camping buddies was in order!

A great joy that you can't hurry is that parents are rewarded for our pains with lifelong friends and companions in our grown children and their spouses. I didn't even know what Psalm 127:3b, "The fruit of the womb is a reward," fully meant when my children were growing up, other than that I enjoyed them thoroughly, especially leading them to Christ, training and educating them. Now I see it. Much as I adore my family in Christ, no one can light up my heart by coming in the front door like my kids! I would guess my dad feels the same about Steve, my sister Dona and me, not to mention all of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

One more large pot to clean, and all of the holiday entertaining that began with Thanksgiving will come to an end. It's been possibly the best Christmas season of the 58 I've had the privilege to enjoy. All of our kids made a special effort, without saying anything, but I feel it. Steve and I face a difficult future, but this season has given us confidence that we are not going to be alone.

God won't allow it--He is faithful to keep the promises that fill His Word.