weekend musings

on friday hurricane Danny blew through here, leaving behind at least an inch of rain. the best part of Fri was our 'once a month meal' at Lin's, a year-long Christmas present from them. she's a fab cook! we had grilled cornish hen, corn-on-the-cob, toss salad, rolls, fresh peaches & blueberry coffee cake made by Anthony (10)...so-o-o delish!

Sat turned into a muggy but lovely day so i got the mowing in...the grass was thick & high from all the rains and heat we had. one can be as careful as can be but accidents still happen, esp when one goes against better knowledge! when i empty the bagger i turn the mower on low speed & if necessary, pull out the grass from the outlet...this time i reached in a little too far & my finger got hit by the blade. i was astounded, to say the least, cause i'm 'careful!' :) when i looked at my hand i wasn't sure what i would find as right away the end of my finger was numb. i wasn't wearing my glasses so i couldn't really see, just saw the blood. all said & done...it was badly bruised w/ a tiny cut but no broken bones - thank God! it's tender yet but was amazed it didn't hurt more. & yes, i learned my lesson! :)

Sat eve hubs & i ate at Friendly's which is just a skip & hop from our house. came back here & listened to the phillies lose...badly!

several thoughts from our church service, this one from SS class - '...to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his commandments...so that we may live & multiply...'  lifegiving advice! the other is a quote from the message... 'Christians are known more for what they're against then for what they believe.' (my musings - striking thought! we tend to live more in a defense mode rather than the offense. i think about that at times...when my faith is challenged i often feel/speak in a defensive manner which isn't a good response for my faith...God doesn't need to be 'defended!')

another amazing thing happened for one of our church family...their 19 yr old adopted son, who isn't making very good choices at this time, connected w/ his birth father this past wk. the father had been looking for him for most of those years. a son's longing - a father's pursuit - gives us a teeny, tiny glimpes of God's pursuit of us when we're on a wrong path, making wrong choices...God is good!

last evening we had 'wrap up' time at our house w/ our cell group of three yrs...it was bitter/sweet as we'll miss this little group of four familes but looking ahead & believing God will bring good things into our lives w/ our next group of seven families. probably the most impacting activity we did was to go through The Truth Project put together by Focus on the Family...it changed my understanding of what God intended for society versus how society thinks. it can be accessed on the web.


it was a simple meal of burgers & hot dogs, sitting around the fire, reminising & speaking a blessing to each other.

...it was a lovely weekend!

a few pics from our wrap-up night

Galen & Marcy, our cell group leaders

Vernon & Darlene, son Jadon

Marlin & Naomi

yours truly!

 a lovely night...


 we will not forget..








ox

what boys and girls are made of...

this summer i wanted to do teas in my lovely backyard and spent several hours with these special people...

                          my grandchildren...


and though we have sixteen grandchildren, seven live in other states and three were too young to come.

so...


one lovely morning my two local lovelies came for a tea party.


what fun we had!



Serena, who is five and Sarah, who is four, love each other's company (that is, if neither one is too tired!) along with Sonali, Serena's best doll, had an ice cream party...

we had fun taking pictures, though the the girls soon got tired of that!

                                           

they just wanted to play!

                       

     and of course, i can't but help add their cute little tootsies...!

and mostly girls are made of 'spice and everything nice...'

well...at least they like to play dress up and play with dolls and have tea parties...

and dress in pinks and frills and comb their hair and play with a lot of imagination...

oh yes...they talk NONE STOP!

it was a lovely tea...just wish the other three girls could have been here!

then it was the boy's turn as Patrick didn't think it was fair for the girls to be at grandma's house and not the boys!

so...

one lovely evening we had...

not a lady-like tea...

but a rough and tumble...

'let's run for two hours' hide and seek game!

...such energy!!

and so much fun!

l-r Josiah-6, Anthony-10, Andre-almost 14,Patrick-8, Shawn-12

first thing on the program was hide and seek...

a game made up of their own rules and so many places to hide!

Patrick counting...

and everyone's favorite hiding place.

but Josiah was more interest in climbing trees...

and watering grandma's flowers.

and then there was food and fire and companionship...

a lovely evening, watching 'my boys' playing together, even though their ages are from six to all but fourteen...

watching them making memories together....

 - that's a wonderful thing to see! 

so what are boys made of?

well, lets see...

energy...lots of it!

rough and tumble is their way - healthy stuff!

don't mind getting dirty...

love to eat...and love to play -

and their potential of manhood...what an awesome thing to see!

just wish the others could have been here!

ox

7 women

last evening, august twentyfive, two thousand nine, was a historic moment in my life. it was the last night of coming together every tuesday night for seven weeks (actually eight, counting intro night) to give our life stories and to listen to each other - to six other women who were total strangers, a place that was made safe for us to do that. it was not my first time to give my story but something special happens every time i do. we are no longer strangers but friends, special friends who are fighting a battle that includes shame and guilt and embarrassment and anger...women who through confession of the mouth, are walking toward freedom and light and hope!


seven women, seven weeks, seven stories was founded by Anne Beiler, who, because of her own painful journey, was led to bring to Lancaster County the ministry of teaching women that...

a. everyone has a story... 

b. the power to tell their story.


there were twenty eight women there, seven in each class with two facilitators. twenty eight apprehensive, scared and scarred, confused and longing to be free, women.


we began our evening with...'hello, my name is...and i am a woman of truth. tonight, i feel...' and were given a list of feelings to choose from.


we each had up to an hour to give our story with no interruptions and at the end no one was to try to 'fix' our story...ah, could we but all learn the 'art of silence!' it's powerful!


i think of Di (all names fictious) who had given her story before but never without interruption...

of Tina who came that first night with the saddest, most hopeless exression on her face but literally glowed after she gave her story.

there is Sue, feeling the enormous weight of past inherited mistakes and Carol, who feels life is a mass of confusion...

and Mary, who chose to come out on top of her circumstances...

and Lena, who came through really hard and disappointing events and still has a hard road ahead of her...



but we all have one thing in common...WE'VE BROKEN THE SILENCE!

for some, it is the first step of a thousand mile journey, but...it's a beginning to the path of freedom!  the circumstances surrounding us may or may not change, that would be nice but that really isn't the point...the point is this, it begins here...in the heart...the choice...the confession!


ladies, i salute you! all of you! i feel so blessed to have met you and your stories have impacted my life...you are special and i'll think of you often... 

...go with God!

oxs

About us...

2009 is the year we celebrate forty years of marriage... forty years! the years are full of good and some not so good memories...but we are both keenly aware of God's wonderful, life-changing, powerful redemption and grace. we have five wonderful children, five wonderful in-laws, eleven handsome grandsons and five lovely grand daughters, ages fourteen to six wks old...all of them healthy and energetic. we are grateful!

Dave is in a propane and vinyl fence/decking business, volunteers as a fire police, drives coach for private businesses and loves to hunt. I am a stay-at-home wife/mom and I love it! flower gardening is my passion, i love pretty dishes with no need for perfection and dislike spending time in the kitchen but do enjoy hosting and entertaining.

our oldest daughter, Judith, is married to Titus Lapp. they live in Antrim, OH where Titus grew up and have three boys...

Brandon
Sheldon, Carlin

Titus is a school teacher and an avid hunter. Judith is a wife/mother, is artistic and loves to do memory scrapbooks and does a beautiful job of it!

our oldest son, Linford, is married to Martha, who hails from Holmes County, OH. they have three boys and one girl.

Andre
Shawn
Anthony (pictured reading to his cousins below...Josiah is with Andre)

Serena

Lin is in business with his dad, never has a dull moment, volunteers at a local fire company and LOVES to hunt! Martha is a patient mom, artistic and a fabulous cook!

Wayne is our third born, lives in West Virginia and is married to Teresa, who grew up in southern IN.they have three girls and one son.

Clara
Cynthia
Crystal
Curtis

Wayne owns a bulk food/grocery store in Romney, lives what he believes and is a hunter and a great father. Teresa is a 'keeper at home' wife/mother, makes her own noodles, bread and delicious doughnuts!




Loren is our fourth child, third son and married to Bev, a local gal. they just became first time parents to Bryant.

Loren is self-employed in Vintage Landscaping along with two other friends, is a volunteer fire fighter, does not like to hunt and is a gifted landscape designer. He's a man of few words and quietly lives what he believes. Bev is a gifted home maker, takes wonderful care of her family and the many other people who are blessed by knowing her.



Julia is our youngest and almost twelve years younger than her sister. she's married to Wayne Petershiem, a local. they have three boys and one daughter.

Patrick
Josiah Sarah

Tyrell

Wayne is self-employed in site prep and delievering utility sheds. he's ambitious and a go-getter, a wonderful daddy and loves sports and hunting. Julia is a great mother, has a sense of humor (she has to...she's a blonde!) and both of them open their hearts to their neighbors, the needy and family.

we love to eat....

play volley ball...

...and have lots of imagination!

we are fans of...

Gap fire co. and................. the Phillies...go phils!

...and last but not least, reading is a huge favorite!

Anthony is taking time out to read to his cousins and grandpa is the favored reader...

i hope you enjoyed your visit with our family!

blessedness!

ox's