A mother is always a mother

Twenty or so years of loving children gets to be a habit. And after all that time, you love them more than ever. I'm very thankful that even though 2 of my daughters don't live very close, we can talk to each other whenever we have the urge. Close and far are relative terms, I suppose, considering when my own children were small, I lived on the west coast! It was somewhat comical on Tuesday, my day to be home and work around the house, that I happened to go into the bathroom and decided to take the phone with me. I must have been expecting someone to call because I was carrying it with me all morning. So it did ring, I answered and started a conversation with Dawn. While talking to her, I got a beep indicating another call coming through. It was Christy. I didn't get to answer her, though, because just then, Mom came walking through the house calling my name. And believe it or not, at that same moment, Andy came home from his errand and walked in the door just then as well. So 4 people needing me all at the same time, and when I was in the bathroom! Just like old times. Christy suggested that one of Murphy's Laws must be: any time a mother sits down or goes in the bathroom and closes the door, her children need her.

Mid-morning Amy and her kids dropped in to visit. She was in the area on Tuesday to visit a friend from high school. She stayed about an hour and while she was here, Dawn came by with Kira. Dawn and Kira stayed and had lunch with me before they went on their way. I found some mom sentamentalities online that correspond to my musings tonight:

Mothers and Daughters
You can see it in their eyes,
in tender hugs and long good-byes,
a love that only moms and daughters know.

You can see it in their smiles,
through passing years and changing styles,
a friendship that continually seems to grow.

You can see it in their lives,
the joy each one of them derives,
in just knowing that the other one is there...

To care and to understand,
lend an ear or hold a hand,
and to celebrate the memories they share.

...Author Unknown

Child of My Heart
Not flesh of my flesh, not bone of my bone,
yet still very much my own.

Never forget for one single minute
that you grew not under my heart, but in it.

...Author Unknown

Biking to the Shore

Yesterday was a perfect day for a bike ride to the shore - chilly morning, warming up as the day progressed, blue skies, little wind. Andy had already planned on this outing with 3 other guys and 1 woman. Lest you think this is an awfully ambitious undertaking for a woman, don't worry. She is a police officer and does other bike races from time to time. She can hold her own. Everyone made it - 75 miles on a bike.

In case anyone wonders if I rode my bike with them, the answer is "no." I drove down with the wife of one of the guys with a bike rack on the back of a van, so no one would have to bike back. Of course, I really wanted to ride the bike down (ha), but someone had to drive the van. I willingly sacrificed!

Andy's mom and dad are staying at the shore for 3 weeks, so the bikers had a place to shower when they arrived. After everyone showered and rested a little, we all went to the boardwalk for some Mack & Manco pizza.
We walked on the boardwalk a little, although I think the guys were a little reluctant to go very far. We went as far as the ice cream place and everyone got some ice cream. Yes, I had some too, even though I hadn't burned any calories on the ride down.The day was a nice break from the routine.

60 years!

Andy's mom and dad celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this week. Sounds like a good reason to get together and celebrate. So thanks to brother Dan who, first of all, remembered that this week was their anniversary and that it was their 60th (!), then organized our get together to honor our parents/grandparents. All our daughters and their hubbies were able to come, but what to do with the kids? I was able to find a young lady who was willing to come to the house and watch all 7 (P is still in the hospital) - what a brave soul! I can hardly believe it that she was free for the evening and that she agreed to babysit! So while Andy and I, and our 3 kids with their spouses, went out to eat with other family members, the grandkids all stayed at our house. They ate pizza, then played till we got back. Fortunately, the evening was very pleasant and they were able to play outside until it got dark. They all seemed to have a good time. They were still very much in play mode when we returned. One little incident took place before Andy left the house (we went separately). Kira was given small bits of pizza which she put in her mouth and sucked off the juices, then she would take it out of her mouth and drop it on the floor. For some reason, the other kids thought that was hilarious. So of course, she kept doing it. The floor around her chair was littered with little pieces of pizza. Another thing she did was every time she saw the camera pointed at her, she would turn and make this very silly face. What a ham!
Twenty of us went out to eat,including Andy's 2 brothers and 1 sister.We had a room to ourselves in a neighborhood restaurant. The food was delicious, but the comradery was even better. Everyone had such a good time hanging out. There was lots of laughter and just feel good moments.

One of the things Dan did after we ate was to ask us all questions regarding what 1950 was like (the year Mom & Dad were married). For instance:

1. What was the #1 song on the radio that year?
2. What war was being waged that year?
3. What was the average wage per week?
4. Who were the most popular tv couple?
5. What was the #1 best selling non-fiction book?
6. Who won the World Series that year?
There were many other questions, too, but I can't remember them all.

I feel privileged to be a part of this family. I happened to remember a conversation I had years ago when my 2 oldest girls were just little tykes. The young woman I was talking to told me she didn't want to be called Mrs. So&So. She didn't want to be associated with her mother-in-law because she hated her. How sad. In my case, though, I love being called Mrs. W because I love my mother-in-law. She is a great example to me in many ways. She is loving and accepting and very generous and giving.

Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad - and many more!

Amy's due date is fast approaching which means not much time left to get all the things done that are on her to-do list. So it seemed like a good enough reason to go up to see her and do what we could to help her start crossing things off her list.

As soon as rush hour was over on Tuesday, Andy and I left for Lancaster County. It's such a refreshing feeling for us to get off the turnpike and drive through Amish country. Something about all those farms seems so peaceful and tranquil. Notice I said seems, because having grown up on a farm, I know it's anything but peaceful. It's one thing to drive by all those farms, it's another to live on one and work on it. No thank you...been there, done that. I'll gladly leave farming to the Amish!

When we got to Amy's, she and Andy took a trip to Lowe's to pick up a storm/screen door. I stayed at the house and played with and read stories to Chase & Joanna. When they got back, Andy started working on replacing the screen door, while Amy and I tackled the organization of all her baby/kid clothes. We were very happy to get that job accomplished. Amy fixed us lunch, then the kids went down for naps. While they were napping, Amy and I started cleaning up the spare room upstairs. We assembled the bed so I will have a place to sleep when I stay overnight after the baby is born. We also started cleaning windows downstairs until the kids woke up. Then we went back upstairs to clean their room.

When Andy finished the screen door, he moved some furniture around for Amy.
The changing table came up from the basement which Joanna promptly climbed up.
We convinced Amy to put one of her chairs out to the street. It had been heavily used (to put it mildly). We got a lot done and I think it helped Amy not feel so overwhelmed.

In other news...
After the Labor Day parties last week, the rest of the week was fairly busy. We had a Ministry Fair at church on Sunday which meant lots of prep work leading up to it. But everything got done in the right amount of time. I was able to enjoy Saturday without too many obligations. Andy spent the day with Christian flying to get Patrick. He was gone all day: I drove him to the airport, leaving at 7:00 am, then picking him up that evening at 9:30 pm.

On Sunday after church, Dawn and Kira came over to share Sunday brunch with us. Tommy had work to do so couldn't join us. Kira is very good at making me feel good. When she sees me, she gets a big smile, holds out her arms and starts walking toward me. When I pick her up and hold her, she refuses to go to anyone else, including her own mother. I'm glad Dawn doesn't have a complex, because Kira actually clings to me tightly and won't let go. If Dawn has to leave, we have to pry Kira off me and then she cries when they leave. Poor little thing.

I feel very blessed to have so many good and beautiful grandchildren. Children's children are a crown to the aged...(Proverbs 17:6) Although, I wonder who the aged is that the author of this proverb is talking about?!

Labor Day Weekend

Wow, what a fun weekend.
On Friday, while I was at work, Marcia called me to ask if Andy and I would want to go with her and her husband on Saturday on a hike up at Sourland Mountain Preserve. Since we'd never been there, and we love to go hiking, and we love the friends who asked us, and we didn't have any plans for Saturday, we decided to go!

It was a beautiful day for a drive and a hike. Sourland Mountain Preserve is north of Princeton, so we had to drive over an hour to get there. I was pleasantly surprised with the terrain on this "mountain." We were still in NJ where it's hard to imagine anything but sandy soil. However, the trails were rocky and we did actually have some climbing to do. To be honest, the mountain wasn't really all that high, but still high enough in spots that we got a good cardio-vascular workout. We hiked 7 miles.We crossed a meadow with beautiful flora, and even saw some deer. What a treat to spend the day with Bob & Marcia in God's great outdoors.On Sunday after church we drove over to PA to visit with dear long-time friends from PBU. A few other couples from our PCB days were there, including a distant Yoder cousin of mine. It was another beautiful day - felt like fall, even a little chilly in the evening. But it was fun to get reaquainted with friends from former days.Then yesterday, on Labor Day itself, Andy went riding with his biking buddies early in the morning. When he got back, he showered and we got ready for another picnic.

Amy invited us up to her house for the day. C & C, with G,A,N & A were there, too. Another beautiful day...but now it's back to reality. So what are we doing today? I cleaned 3 bathrooms, did laundry, went grocery shopping and vacuumed the whole house. Andy decided to power wash the deck and the back of the house. It's taking him a long time, but he's thorough and precise.
Although I'm a big fan of routine, it's nice to have a break once in a while, especially if it includes friends and family.

Psalm 119

Last October I set myself the goal of memorizing Psalm 119. I realize it's a challenging goal but I am making progress. So far I've memorized 56 verses. The psalm is divided into sections of 8 verses, which means I've got 7 sections under my belt. So at the rate I'm going, I've been doing 20 verses per month or .4 verse per day. And if I keep going at the present speed, I'll finish the chapter in 60 more months (5 years). Maybe I should step up my pace!

Well, even if I don't finish or it takes me many years to finish, I am profiting greatly by immersing myself in this rich chapter. Each verse in Psalm 119 says something about God's word. Check it out. The word is spoken of as: decrees, law, statutes, precepts, word, commands.

The other Sunday our message was exploring the "mystery" of God. I can't help but think that term can be applied to the ideas of law and grace. The author of Psalm 119 regards God's law very highly, saying it is "more precious than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." We tend to think of the Law as bad, old testament, something to shun and stay away. But think about some of the psalmist's descriptions of the law and the way he feels about it:

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
I delight in your decrees, I will not neglect your word.
My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
Your statutes are my delight, they are my counselors.
Keep me from deceitful ways, be gracious to me through your law.
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. (one of my favorite verses! Isn't this a beautiful picture?)
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
I will walk about in freedom for I have sought out your precepts.
For I delight in your commands because I love them.
I remember your ancient laws, O Lord, and I find comfort in them.

Well, you get the idea. God's law is very different from man's laws. God's law is righteous and perfect. It is not the man-made righteousness the Pharisees (and we often fall into that category as modern day Pharisees) made up. Their laws were an addition to God's law to try to help people keep the law. But they didn't address the heart. Outwardly, it was possible to keep their law, but as Jesus pointed out, their hearts were far from God. It's true that no one can keep the law, but that's why he provided the cross. And now we also have the Spirit who lives in us and gives us everything we need for life and godliness.

I think the different words Psalm 119 uses can be attributed to all of God's Word. I heard a sermon once that said there are actually more commands in the New Testament than in the Law of the Old Testament. For instance:
1. Pray without ceasing.
2. Rejoice always.
3. In everything give thanks.
4. Love must be sincere.
5. Hate what is evil.
6. Cling to what is good.
7. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
8. Honor one another above yourselves.
9. Never be lacking in zeal.
10. Keep your spiritual fervor.
11. Serve the Lord.
12. Be joyful in hope.
13. Be patient in affliction.
14. Be faithful in prayer.
15. Share with God's people who are in need.
16. Practice hospitality.
and many more

So I'm inspired to keep on going. "God's Word is a light to my feet and a light to my path," (verse 105). Hey, that's one less verse I need to memorize when I get to that point, since I learned that one a long time ago! Hmmm, maybe I'll finish in less than 5 years.