May 14 Happy with Grands

Monday:  This post is technically out of order--but it's my own fault. It doesn't matter, since I am the only one reading this blog; but maybe one day when I am with the Lord, perhaps one or two of my grandkids will want to look at some of these entries and re-live some memories with me. Sigh. Probably not ... but just in case ... I will continue to post events that are significant to me.

Kelly asked if I could possibly pick Cal up from school this afternoon. Could I!?!?!?! Yes, indeed!

I have missed this little rascal and his siblings very much over the past several weeks. It was super nice to be with them again.

I had just a short time with these kiddos today--but I was so happy to see them and listen to their laughter and just enjoy them. I didn't get any pictures of Brendan today--but I had some nice conversations with him as he was enjoying the popcorn I brought over AND the cinnamon toast too. 

May 15 The Cross, The Tree of Life

Tuesday:  Right now is the time I wish I were an actual writer--you know, the kind of person who is gifted at words and explanations and teaching, etc. Because I read something a few weeks ago that really impacted me ... because it is so RICH with meaning and implications I have not yet explored.

I have somewhat joined a study class Sunday mornings (first hour) that meets on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of each month. There are actually two teachers, teaching two separate books of the Bible alternately. My friends, Julie and Cheryl, have attended this class for a few years now. Before ever visiting this class, Julie gave me the notes from the prior week's teaching on the book of Revelation. The teacher of this series is her next door neighbor, Dave.

I sat down one morning to read the notes from Revelation 2.1-7. Dave was explaining some facts about the ancient city of Ephesus and I was reading with interest. I have visited the ruins of Ephesus (2001), but we were only there a mere four hours--barely long enough to walk the pathways to the remains of each building, etc. 

Revelation 2.7 mentions the "tree of life." I have often loved thinking of the tree of life. I remember Emma loved it too. One Christmas, she requested a beautiful pendant with an image of the tree of life on it. I remember thinking how much I want to SEE it with my own eyes one day ... and I WILL!

I was reading along in Dave's notes when I came to this--and I am going to quote Dave verbatim: "In Greek, the word for tree is 'dendron,' always 'dendron,' except when referring to a tree on which someone is executed, i.e. crucified. Then the Greek word is 'xsulon.' So, whenever a tree is mentioned in the New Testament--'a good tree bears good fruit.' etc. (Matthew 7.17-18), the Greek word for tree is always 'dendron'. But when it refers to Jesus being hung on a tree, the Greek word used is 'xsulon.' Then in Revelation 2.7 'to him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the 'tree of life', the Greek word used is 'xsulon' (see also Revelation 22:2, 22:14, 22:19)."

The word for a tree of execution in Greek is "xsulon", and the same Greek word is used for the "tree [xsulon] of life." This absolutely ... amazed me. 

Do you mean to tell me that the CROSS is the TREE of life? The one tree, yes--that very tree in the Garden of Eden that was next to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil--the tree Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from. Were they told not to eat of the Tree of life? I can't find that they were; except once they DID eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were banished from the Garden. It says in Genesis 3.22-24: "And the LORD God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.' So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

Genesis 2.15-17: "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" So ... were Adam and Eve allowed to eat from the Tree of Life but NOT this other tree? This seems confusing. Perhaps AFTER they fell, after they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, maybe then God could not allow them to eat of the Tree of Life because then they would live forever ... in their sin ... never die and go to be with Him? 

In Proverbs 3.13-17, wisdom is being talked about and in verse 17 it says: "Her ways [wisdom] are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed." 

In Proverbs 11.30 it says: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise."

Revelation 2.7: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

"To him who overcomes ..." Christ has overcome sin and death and hell for us! As a believer, am I also considered an "overcomer?"

Revelation 22.1-2: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

Verse 14 of that same chapter: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." Verse 19 continues: "And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." 

The Cross. Jesus suffered there. He took all the sins of everyone in all the world upon His body and God poured out His wrath on him. Without the cross, I have no hope of salvation. Only the sinless Son of God could make atonement and have it be absolute and complete. Final. "It is finished!"

Never ever did it enter my mind that the Tree of Life was connected to the Cross of Christ. But it is. How wonderful! I am amazed, and need to study this out. I don't want to be blind to its implications. I want to understand more about what it means. !!!

April 12 David

Saturday:  I didn't really take very many pictures of my brother, David, during his 7+ day stay with me. We were too busy. We were too exhausted! 

But I do want to post that without David's coming to help move Ruthanne and Terry move, they would have had to hire help and a LOT of it. My brother, David, is a very organized person. Not that Ruthanne and Terry are NOT organized; don't misinterpret, please. It's just that my sister's sickness precludes so much else of what was true about her, and makes life very complicated for everyone who loves her. By the grace of God, Terry takes very good care of her. Without God, I don't think this level of commitment would be possible.

But ... back to David. He works part-time for a law firm--RHINO Lawyers. He is basically a paraprofessional without the accompanied level of pay. He is able to do all of his 20 weekly hours remotely, which is a huge benefit in and of itself. He has a Star Link account that provides him everything he needs to work from home ... or anywhere else where there is satellite capability. So, he worked right here out of my little beach house! David is five years younger than I am. He began collecting his full social security benefit when he turned 66. In order not to jeopardize that full monthly amount, he can only earn "X" amount of money each month. Hence, the not-quite compensatory salary.

We did have an hour or so each evening, once we left Ruthanne's house, to just relax here at my place. We played a whole Pachesi tournament--well, kind of. David won 7 games and I won only 5. We had a lot of fun, though, playing this very old game that always brings us back to our childhood. I thought we would maybe play a LOT of checker games; but we only actually played one!

The day we were loading the truck, Terry asked us to take their huge glass bottle with a few years' worth of nickels, dimes and quarters inside--as well as an entire tackle box full of rolled coins, to a place that would exchange the coins for paper currency. I didn't even realize a machine like this existed! We found one at Meijer and did exactly as we were told. There were a LOT of coins. David and I estimated that there would be in excess of $300 worth--we were right, and THEN SOME. It turned out that there was more than $1K worth of coins. It sure was fun to bring back that cash to Terry and Ruthanne! However, Terry turned around and gave it right back to David to pay for gas $$ for the drive on down to Georgia, and to reimburse him for his plane ticket to and from Tampa. I hope there was some money left over to give back to Terry.

My brother plays the piano beautifully. He has such a nice "touch" and expression AND ability. I love to listen to him play, so he did on several occasions.

Last week, before David's arrival, Ruthanne, Terry and I went to the movies (in Rockford--don't go there! The seats are terribly uncomfortable and the screen is quite small!) to see Season Five, Part 2 (I had already seen Part I last week). So then Thursday afternoon when all of our loading of the truck was finished, we went down to Celebration Theatre and saw Part 2 together. It was so well done. I found Part I a little bit tedious with all of the arguing between the Pharisees, Saducees, Pilot, the Sanhedrin, etc. The cleansing of the Temple was amazing, though. I was glad to see Part 2 tonight as well. David has not seen one single episode of this series! I'm uncertain as to why; but perhaps he has been warned against doing so. I realize there is a lot of conjecture going on with a dramatic portrayal of Jesus--and I haven't agreed with all of their depictions of Him; but I have loved the detail and history they have poured into this. I love the people that play the characters too: Peter! John! Little James! Andrew! Eden! Mary (both of them!).

David was temporarily going to begin his trip to Georgia about mid afternoon on Thursday, thinking that he could get 4-6 hours into the trip and then spend the night in a motel to get a good sleep before driving all day Friday; but he changed his mind! He stayed Thursday night, which allowed him to see Part 2 with us as well as eating dinner once again at The Score. What can I say? All of us LOVE THEIR WINGS!

David pulled out Friday morning, just after 6am and began the trip down to Georgia. He actually made it inside the state of Georgia before stopping to sleep overnight. He resumed driving Saturday and actually arrived by 10:30 am. WOW. David said the roads in Ohio and one other state were absolutely bumpy behind tolerance--he said it was like riding a horse! 

A very nice bonus for David was the fact that once they unloaded the truck down in Georgia, Mark drove him over to Rachel's place (less than an hour away, and actually closer to the Atlanta airport where he flies home to Tampa on Sunday)--so David got to spend a nice 24 hours with his daughter, Rachel, and her beautiful family. I was so glad to hear this!

Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord.

April 10 Matt is TWENTY

Thursday:  Matthew is TWENTY today. I messaged him about two weeks ago, asking for gift ideas. He said he would think about it and let me know. But ... how is Matt to let me know what to get him for his birthday when he is very gainfully employed, working more than full-time, earning a decent wage ... I mean, truly--I may as well just gift him the $75 that is in the birthday budget for each grandchild and let him pick out something himself. Which is what I ended up doing. After all, it's not like Matt is a little kid anymore. Plus, he will be getting other gifts from his siblings and parents. It's not like this is the only gift he will receive.

It's just that I really LIKE birthdays to be uniquely special to each person. I like to think that perhaps I brought them a smile or two that otherwise might not have been! I am their grandma!

It's okay. I get over it very easily, really. I would rather give the $75 and have them use it beneficially than purchase a goofy gift that they would never use. Enough said.

Here is the card I made for Matt:

Matt was my first blue-eyed grand baby ... and I mean BLUE! He always had a quiet spirit about him. He and Christopher are very different in their personalities, almost as much as Jesse, Shane, and Dylan were so unique in their personalities. 

What I enjoy most about Matt is that he usually says exactly what he is thinking--but he usually says it in a quiet way. I appreciate his honesty, and I pray that he continues to be that transparent. How else are people supposed to know each other? I love his sincerity so much. I know he is not lying to me when he speaks what is on his heart. That's a very good and endearing quality. Plus, he is a hard worker! He has held a job now for more than a year (?) over at a Chevrolet dealer, working in Auto repair. Matt is good with mechanical stuff, like his dad! I am super proud of you, Matthew.

I can't leave this post, though, without stating one more time: I pray that one day, Matt, you will truly trust Jesus as your Savior and your King. There is a longing the Lord puts into our hearts that only having a relationship with Him can satisfy. We often search for something meaningful to dedicate our lives to--but the only way to have true peace and joy is to have your sins and past forgiven--to be washed clean and given new life. The only One who can do that for us, completely without any merit of our own, is Jesus Christ. I don't know where you are in your faith journey, so I am not judging--please believe me. So ... please open that Bible that is inscribed with your name on the cover, and read and study it. 

"Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near." Isaiah 55.6

PS  I thought I was not going to be able to see Matt today what with being involved in my sister's move and Matt's work schedule, etc. BUT ... this evening, Jesse came by with Matt to get Terry's car; so I got to give him a birthday hug. I was so happy to see him!!

PPS  Terry giving the Acura to Jesse was an answer to prayer actually. Jesse has had a leaky roof for ... a LONG time ... and he has a very complicated roof to repair. He has been waiting to have it fixed due to finances and other reasons. But now--once he does some "minor" repairs on the Acura, he should be able to sell it and with that revenue be able to get his roof fixed. THANK YOU, LORD for Terry's kindness and generosity.

April 4 Terry's Birthday

Friday:  We celebrated Terry's birthday over at The Score this evening. We spent most of the day, otherwise, packing boxes and getting things organized for the big move next week. 

Terry had a rough 75th year physically. Although happy to be living in Grand Rapids, his health continued to be a challenge: painful knees (bone-on-bone in X-ray evaluation), high blood pressure issues, as well as very low iron (blood count). All of his family, including me, encouraged him to get his knees taken care of--afterall, if it were easier for him to get around, perhaps he could spend a less painful time being out and about, making life a little more interesting and fun for he and Ruthanne.

I highly recommended the orthopedic surgeons I used to transcribe for, and after a very lengthy pre-surgical round of tests and docs, he was finally scheduled for left total knee replacement (or was it his right knee?) which did happen last mid-October. The surgeon did an excellent job aligning all of the components in Terry's "new" knee, but the procedure itself was pretty tough on him post-operatively. He had to be re-admitted for several days just to get his body under control once again--much shaking, some cognitive/confusion issues, as well as depression. All of this occurring with Ruthanne needing much reassurance, and suffering severe confusion.

Terry finally recovered--but this was a scary time for Shelley and Shari, as well as his other loved ones. I felt pretty helpless a lot of the time. This is one of the biggest reasons they decided to move to Georgia to be with Shari and Mark and their grandkids.

But ... back to Terry's birthday. We enjoyed a nice meal at The Score. David had flown in the night before, so he was able to be with us too. I didn't take pictures of us while we were at dinner; in fact, I hardly took any pictures at all during the move! There was too much else to do!

Here is the card that I made for Terry:

These photographs were taken on our 4-day vacation last fall with David and Carol. All five of us traveled up north a bit to see the sights. I remember standing on this bluff next to Terry and him telling me that the little barn and land around it was his favorite sight. I took many pictures, using my zoom, to try to capture this farm--I loved it too. 

These two quotes are so appropriate for ... beauty on the earth. I've often thought of Lake Michigan and its shoreline as being "Paradise" because it is so breathtaking to me ... and how I long for the peace that being at the lakeshore brings to me. But Jesus IS Paradise! Anywhere HE IS is heaven!

This picture was taken from the top of Sleeping Bear dunes--which is higher than it looks in this photo. What a gorgeous place.

Happy Birthday, Terry. I pray your move to Georgia will bring you more support, good medical care for both you and Ruthanne, and that 76 will be a wonderful year for you.

March 28-April 11 THE MOVE

The last few weeks have been consumed with THE BIG MOVE that my sister, Ruthanne, and my brother-in-law, Terry, are making to Georgia. You see, their health issues are rather complicated and my niece andfamily live in a very nice house with a "cottage" on their same property--this is where they are moving.

The details and some of the preliminary organizing took place weeks before they returned here to Michigan for the actual physical move to Georgia. They have been down in Georgia since the end of January, trying decide what exactly to do: permanently move to Georgia, or ... stay there a few months at a time and keep their permanent residence here.

All things carefully considered, everyone decided that a permanent move to Georgia was in their best interest. I spent a few weeks just removing outdated canned goods from their kitchen cupboards, donating unused items to charity, and doing a bit of organizing. When they moved to Grand Rapids from Detroit two years ago, they took a LOT of stuff they weren't really using. Terry gave me the go-ahead to donate a bunch of that stuff--there really isn't adequate storage at the house in Georgia for unnecessary items.

I picked them up from the airport Sunday night, March 28. We enjoyed some homemade peach pie in their dining room.

Monday through Thursday of that first week, the three of us packed boxes of books, kitchen items, and basically emptied out the cupboards and closets.

I picked my brother, David, up from the airport Thursday evening. He offered to come and help us with the move. Since he can work remotely, this did not interfere with his job. He brought his portable Star-Link with him and was able to do exactly what he does from Florida, right here in my dining room!

Terry ordered and reserved a U-Haul from Tuesday through Saturday, so we began the loading process Tuesday. We hired two young gentleman from Calvary's Young Adult ministry (Aven and Drew) to help us load the heaviest items onto the truck. They were such nice kids! We could not have gotten this accomplished without their help--at least not without damaging our backs.

Terry also ordered a dumpster to get rid of trash ... it filled up rather quickly! I had no idea you could "rent" these dumpsters like this--$200 including delivery and pickup! It was certainly helpful to have it parked right in front of their house and just take trash and throw it in instead of having to bag it all up.

We had a pretty tight plan in mind with just what day had to accomplish what goal, etc. Everything worked out very smoothly! David drove the U-Haul down to Georgia, leaving Friday morning at 6:00 am. I drove Terry and Ruthanne to the airport by 10:00 that same morning, and they flew down to Atlanta. David arrived the next morning by about 10:30 and the truck was unloaded in two hour's time!

A lot of prayer went into all of these rather emotional days. My sister has either dementia or Alzheimer's and has been progressively losing her memory for more than eight years now. This move was terribly confusing for her and I felt so badly for her ... for Terry too. I am thankful, though, that their house sold at nearly the price they were asking for it; and that we had all the help we needed to get everything packed and moved. The buyers of their house here moved into it less than two hours after I took Ruthanne and Terry to the airport.

Thank you, Lord, for all of Your mercy and provision to us throughout this entire move.