Reacting to old things in a new way

Nothing worth writing about happened today. However, I have something written on my desk pad that I keep thinking I want to share every time I read it. So I'll do that this evening.

Once a month our staff is privileged to have Renee (Mumma) Groff come to share with us during staff devotions. She was a former student of our school, also a former teacher, and now sends her daughters to our school. She's one of the best Bible teachers and inspirational speakers I have ever heard. The last time she was there she was talking about the verse, "Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new." She said she asked the Lord one time, "How can I know when that's really happening in my life?" She felt the Lord showed her that one sign of it is when we react to old things in a new way. To me that is absolutely profound and has many layers of application to my life. Maybe it does for you as well.

Some days I love teaching

We actually had a full day of school today, and we're looking at a full week of school for the first time in a while. There doesn't seem to be enough snow in the forecast to give us any kind of a break. But it was a good day for me. Some days I just LOVE teaching, and this was one of them. Each class just seemed to be really "getting" whatever it was I was teaching them, whether it was learning the key signatures (5th), the time signatures and subsequent note value (4th), preparation for learning to conduct a song (8th), identifying chords (7th), learning the degrees of the scale (kindergarten), introduction to the piano keyboard (1st), or letter names of the grand staff (2nd). The only grades I didn't have today were 3rd, who will be learning about all the instruments in the symphony orchestra this quarter, and 6th, who will be learning all the tempo, dynamic, expression, and direction markings in written music. Some people think all we do is sing in music class. But that just ain't so.

I got some pictures from Lisa today of Sophie's 2nd birthday party and of course I posted some below. I just can't get over her curly hair. I always thought my children would have curls like that because Dick's hair was always so kinky. Jeremy's was the curliest. His birthday is coming up in February and I'll post a picture of him when he was two. He had adorable curls.

There are many sad people today. My blogging friends in Delaware are grieving the loss of their dear friend Ethel, who had a long battle with cancer. Her daughter Evanna has been keeping us updated and I know many of us were praying this last week that God would please take Ethel home to His arms. And many people are grieving the loss of Dr. Hassel, a brilliant dermatologist in Lancaster, who also fought a long battle with cancer. He removed several growths from my face a number of years ago. His personality was so wonderful, both warm and humorous. When my son-in-law George (at that time just Lisa's boyfriend) was a new pharmaceutical rep fresh out of college, and a new Christian, he would make calls to Dr. Hassel's office, and Dr. Hassel freely shared his faith with George. He has a lovely wife and three children, and they really need the prayers of God's people. He was only in his 40's.

On a much brighter note, I saw my sister-in-law Carolyn at the gym today. Her dad is improving dramatically. He has been walking with a walker, about to be graduated to a cane. He is talking a LOT, his joking personality has returned. She said he's even starting to boss them around a little. He told them that the car needs to be inspected, and he's right! She thinks he'll be coming home by the end of the week. That is good news!

Sophie's second birthday party. I love her curly hair!

Mmmm, that looks like a sweet kisser!

Cool hat, Sophie! And you're my little sweetie pie.

Home again

I'm back home again, all refreshed and restored and ready to go. This was a very good two days.

A good day at home

Well, I guess it's time to post something else so Lisa's baby picture isn't the first thing I see. For two days now I've been looking at that picture and wishing I were 22 again and having that precious baby girl to cuddle and kiss. I know most of you think I'm nuts, but I LOVED having babies.

We are now having the coldest weather of this season. It is windy and has stayed in the low 20's all day. We also got some snow last night, not much, but enough, along with the extreme temps and wind, to cause icy roads. So most schools were delayed this morning. Our school was planning to have parent teacher conferences this morning, but they were postponed. So Destiny and I have been indoors most of the day, except for a trip to the bank and grocery store.

I'm going to be going to a local hotel for the weekend for a time of fasting and being alone with the Lord. As a worship leader, I should probably do this once a year, but life has a way of getting in the way. It's almost six years since I did this in March of 2001. I have been feeling strongly that I need this, and as I started thinking of when to do it, everything began to fall into place for this weekend. Having off today made it even easier. I got my cooking done for next week, and as I said before, my banking and grocery shopping finished. There are plenty of special plans for Dick and Destiny, and the worship at church will be well taken care of by Joe Stauffer and Lloyd Herr.

So no computer till Sunday! (Hmm, I don't know which is worse - no food or no computer!!!)

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Thirty-three years ago tonight, I FINALLY
went into labor (2 weeks after my due date),
and at 5:34 AM our firstborn child, Lisa Joy,
entered this world. She was a beautiful baby,
and we were very proud, very happy parents.

Thirty-three years later she's still beautiful,
inside and out, and she's still making us very
proud and very happy. We love you, Lisa!

Happy Birthday, Sophie!

Tomorrow (Jan. 24) it will be two years since I got the phone
call at school that Sophie Grace Haag had been born. Within a few minutes
I got to see this picture on my email from George's phone!!

And now, two years later, here she is - getting to be
such a big girl, walking, running, talking in sentences,
learning to count and to say her alphabet, singing in
tune...... Am I a proud grandma? I surely am, but I
just wish I could give her a hug and a kiss and sing a
song with her and read her a story. I love you, Sophie.

Still waiting

Now this was worth getting excited about, wouldn't
you say? How pathetic! Destiny is waiting and
waiting to use the shiny, bright red flying saucer
we got last winter, pictured below.

This was taken in December 2005, the last time we
had enough snow to play in. She would slide down this
bank, past our house, down the next bank, and right into
the neighbor lady's house! (Against her house, that is - not
into it!!)

YES!!!!

Woo-hoo!! We have a two-hour delay for the first time all year! When I told Dick a while ago when he got up, he said, "See, there IS a God." Aren't we ridiculous? Acting like a two-hour delay is some huge event. But it is to me today. There were things I wished I had gotten done this weekend that I now have time to do. A good way to start off the week.

Our snow!!

Well, folks, I'm afraid this is about as much as we're going
to get, according to Channel 8. Is that enough for a 2-hour
delay tomorrow morning??

Waiting for the snow

Well, here we are, waiting in breathless anticipation for our first real snow. They're saying we could get at least an inch (no laughing allowed, please!) According to the weather maps it's already snowing here, but we have yet to catch sight of any.

It had better snow. We canceled some plans because of the possibility. I was going to go with my sisters Doris and Mary Ellen and my parents to my brother-in-law Elvin's house in Adams County this afternoon. He is working toward distributing the many books, etc. that are still in my sister Janet's office. We did go through some of them when we visited him on the first anniversary of Janet's death, but we really do want another chance to go through more of them. However, with the possibility of snow and ice today, we didn't want to take any chances of traveling on the PA turnpike in that kind of weather. So we'll have to try it another time soon.

Well, I think I'll go take a nap. Maybe when I wake up there will be snow. Then I have to calculate report card grades this evening. Two quarters down, two to go.

Ray has joined the Navy

Today our youngest son Ray was sworn into the Navy. He's been working toward this since the middle of December. Last evening he was taken to Mechanicsburg for the aptitude test, which he passed. He stayed at a hotel overnight, went through the physical test today, passed it, and was already sworn in. Boy, they don't give a guy a chance to change his mind, do they? He won't be leaving for basic training until May. That will be eight weeks in Illinois. After that he'll go to Pensacola, Fl for his specialty training. This is a first for us. There hasn't been anyone in the military in my family or Dick's. So I've barely digested the thought of it at this point.

P.S.  If, like most people, you can't remember who is who in our long list of sons, check out Ray's calendar page on my sidebar.  I also featured him (and how he became our son) on my December 4, 2006 post (his 24th birthday)

Better news

I've been working all evening on preparing music for my school worship team for our first real practice tomorrow. I'm REALLY ready for bed, but I did want to just give an update on Carolyn's dad. Today he came out of the unresponsiveness and was talking some again, even stood on the floor, leaning against the bed. So that is great news. Carolyn said that apparently this kind of thing is not altogether unusual in head trauma patients. That's nice to know, in case it happens again.

Busy and cold

I'm finally getting a chance to sit down for the first time all day. My schedule on Wednesdays at school is packed from beginning to end, then we were off to the rec center for Destiny's dance class and my workout, then home to quickly heat up the chicken corn soup I made on Monday, change a load of wash, get Destiny into the tub, check the email, snail mail (today it was the bills from my hospital stay - yikes!), wash Destiny's hair, change back into my school clothes, gulp down some soup, and run out the door. This was our monthly evening to sing at Hamilton Arms Retirement Home. We had more people than usual come out into the halls and sing along with us. One man had such a good strong voice. I asked if he was a singer. He said, "At one time I was." I said, "Well, you still are."

Please keep our sister-in-law Carolyn Stauffer and her whole family in your prayers. Her dad, Harold Geib, whom I have mentioned previously the past few weeks, had been improving tremendously, talking lucidly, getting three hours of therapy a day. He was moved out of the trauma unit, and they were saying they expected complete recovery over time. Then yesterday he became unresponsive during a therapy session and has remained so. He was returned to the trauma unit. As you can imagine, this is an extreme disappointment. It's so hard on everyone when hopes go high, then come crashing down.

Our weather is cold, but I feel fortunate when I read emails from some of my sisters. My sister Barb in Idaho wrote the other day that their highs were in the teens and nights were down to zero. My sister Betty and her family from New Hampshire experienced the ice storm and lost their electricity for a day or two . They spent last night in a hotel room. Their electricity did come back on later today.

I think I heard the word snow in the weather forecast. I'd love to get some, enough that we can stay home from school for a day or two. But it doesn't sound likely that we'll get enough for that. Maybe someday.....

Back to school tomorrow

Well, my mini-vacation is over. It was so nice to sleep in on a Monday morning. It was a foggy, dreary day, which made it very nice to be inside cooking. We're good to go for a week or two now. Later this afternoon Destiny and I went to the gym and I got in a good workout. Last evening I found a website to which I can subscribe and regularly receive packs of choral music. In addition to that, I have online access to all their music they've ever put out previously. So this evening I printed out the music for several songs, and I'm quite sure I have found what I want for my Jr. High Festival song.

Another quiet Sunday

This morning we had another blessed time with our church family, followed by the monthly fellowship meal. The rest of the day we had a very quiet day at home. I spent hours looking for just the right song for my Middle School Chorus to sing at the Jr. High Festival in May. I spent hours last weekend doing the same thing. I still do not have one. I hate wasting time like that.

Dick and Destiny watched Bambi II and Animal Planet and put puzzles together.

We have off school tomorrow for Martin Luther King Day. I hope to catch up on some paper grading and cook ahead for the week.

It sounds like there's a big ice problem across the midwest and even New York. I guess it missed us. Of course, it could be happening here and I wouldn't even know it. I haven't even looked outside since I walked in the door after church!

Dick was ready to take Destiny to Frank's for the evening
and I thought she looked especially cute. Besides, I haven't
used the camera for a whole week. I might forget how!

MCDS Worship Team

Each year, after Christmas vacation is over, the middle school students pick a new "club". One of the choices is Worship Team. I never have any idea who or how many will choose that. Last Friday I had an introduction meeting, where I explained the purpose and schedule of the worship team, and I made it clear that I did not want anyone to join the team if they just wanted a social club. As it turns out, I have EIGHTEEN kids. That's a lot, but I will just adapt what we do to the size that we have. I'm just thankful there are that many kids interested. We'll have three guitars, a sax, a trumpet, and a violin. I will lead from the piano, and the rest will sing and do choreography. We usually go out to churches on Sunday mornings in April and May.

Dick caught the cold that's been making its round. He went to work today, but I know he didn't feel well enough. He was absolutely exhausted this evening.

I was going to write more, but my eyes are protesting mightily. I really do need some "shut-eye".

Some inspiration

I love Thursday mornings. I go to my pastor's wife's house for a prayer meeting. There are usually just three or four of us, but it's a precious and powerful time. Today my friend Rose was sharing that it's ten years today that she loaded up all four of her children and moved from Arkansas to PA to live near her family after her husband had abandoned the family. Her story of God's faithfulness is so inspiring and faith building. I hope the Lord opens doors for her to share it more and more.

I heard something else good later in the day. My sister-in-law, Carolyn Stauffer, was at the gym when I was there after school. She had been in the hospital with her dad today, and he uttered his first words since the accident over two weeks ago. She said she asked him how he's doing, and he answered slowly, " Goood." Then he asked, "Where are the boys?" meaning Carolyn's sons. She said those are the most precious words she has ever heard him say. For years he has worked as a caretaker for a very lovely home (estate?), and Jim and Carolyn's boys often work with him, so they are very close to their grandpa. For his first words to be concerning them shows how much they mean to him. So precious. She also said they gave him food by mouth for the first time today (just a few spoonfuls of applesauce) and that went well too. Praise God for His healing hand.

Coughing from Florida to PA

I did take Destiny to school today. She didn't have a fever or anything, just the cough. I stopped at Weis Markets on the way to school to get something to suppress the cough. As it turned out, there were even more children absent than yesterday, and as the day progressed twelve more had to be sent home. I heard that another local Christian school had fifty children absent yesterday!

This evening Lisa called and said, "So you have someone coughing at your house?" I said, "I think the whole county is coughing." She said, "No it's the whole East coast!" She's got a terribly bad cough, and she said that George said that in every office he makes calls to, there are people hacking away. Adding to Lisa's distress, is the fact that they have had such unusually hot weather that things are beginning to bloom and therefore the pollen count is very high, which of course causes her allergies to rise up in protest.

On another subject, when I went out to my car this morning, there was a very light dusting of snow on my windshield. That's the first snow we've had.

Well, I'm going to go listen to the President.

Yes, it is January

And it feels even more like January tonight. Destiny was coughing a good bit all evening. I had her drink a cup of warm green tea before she went to bed and gave her some of the cold medicine I have here. It's really just a decongestant with no cough suppressant in it. So she's been sounding like a barking dog ever since she went to sleep. Hmmm. I have no plan B for her when she's sick. I AM the grandma, and my Wednesdays are chock full at school. Getting stuff ready for a sub takes me a whole day. I really, really need the Lord to touch her.

Feels like January

It certainly feels more like January this evening!

Today I was teaching the song Sing to the King to each class as one of the songs the whole school will sing together at the Spring program. I always like to take time to make sure the primary children understand the meaning of the words as I teach them. This song has words like "reign", "lamb that was slain", empire, and vanquished. It's so much fun to hear their ideas. Empire was mistaken as vampire and umpire! But the word "vanquished" was pretty easily understood because of the context. That particular line says, "Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King!" (speaking of Jesus' return) One boy said it means "done for", another said "He's out of here." And I couldn't have said it better myself!

I was all set to go to the gym after school, but soon realized that we had a staff meeting, and that lasted till 4:30, so no gym today. This evening I had a doctor appointment - would you believe, the follow-up appointment to my hospital experience in November! I was too busy with the Christmas programs to even make an appointment. I finally called during Christmas vacation for an appointment, and this was the first opening.

My eyes are going shut, so goodnight.

A good Sunday

This is the first Sunday since September 24th that we did not have any plans besides the morning worship service. I hardly know how to act. I took a long nap and then I was working on deciding which song the Middle School Chorus will sing individually at the Jr. High Music Festival in May. I think I decided, and now I'm ready to pull the piano over here to the computer and get started writing the arrangement of it that I want. Dick is watching the Eagles game and Destiny is watching Mary Poppins.

I was blessed in a number of ways this morning. When I plan what songs to use on Sunday mornings, I always ask the Lord to guide my thoughts to the ones He wants me to choose. I know that many churches plan their service to coordinate the music, the message, etc, following a theme. I surely know that the Lord blesses that kind of planning, but we do not do it that way. Neither the pastor nor I are anywhere close to full time staff at the church, and yet the Lord seems to bless the amount of time we have to give. Anyway, this week I wavered as I made my plans. There was one song I really wanted to use, but I didn't feel the freedom to put it on the list. The others I felt absolutely sure about, including the one "Irresistible", which had ministered to me so much after my hospital experience.

I thought I had Joe Stauffer, our one guitar player, lined up to do a solo during the offering, but when we got to practice this morning he said he had forgotten, so I figured we just wouldn't have a special this morning. However, the Lord did a neat thing. Just as we were finishing the praise and worship time, as Pastor Dennis was praying, I realized Kati Walton was at my elbow. She said, "Do you have a special for the offering?" I said, "No." She said, "I just feel like the Lord wants me to do this one." And she was holding the words to the song I Will Sing, which is the very one I wanted to put on the list, but didn't feel the freedom to!! We quickly decided that I would harmonize with her, and we did a duet for the first time, and it was awesome!!

Then I was blessed again after church when Linda Roser came to me and said, "I just have to tell you, while we were worshiping this morning, I just felt so strongly that I needed to sing the song Irresistible. I was just hoping and praying you were going to lead it, and when you started it, the chills went all up an down my back." YES!! I just love it when God does things like that!

I got some cute pictures of Sophie today. Enjoy!

Smile, Sophie!!

"Okay, CHEESE!"

Witmer Christmas

Yes, we Witmers are a little behind the times. It's January 6, but we were just having our Christmas get-together today. Actually, we felt ahead of the times today, because the temp was so incredibly warm, it felt like Easter instead.

We decided to spend some money to keep things more simple this year. We went to the local Kreiders Dairy Farm Restaurant for their brunch buffet. We had a room to ourselves. There were only 20 of us, which included most of us who live right here in Lancaster County, PA. Others in the Witmer family live in Idaho, New Hampshire, Texas, California, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Sweden, Adams County, PA, State College, PA.... Needless to say, not nearly all of the family was there today!

So below are pictures for you and the rest of my readers.

(Left to right): My step-mother Mary, my dad, sister-in-law
Nancy and brother Dick Witmer.

Far right is my sister Doris with her husband Dale, daughter
Marcy, and Marcy's husband Scott.

Doris's daughters, Gina, Greta, and Ellen with Aunt Mary Ellen.

Destiny sat with Richard and Jennifer and their children, Emily

and Josh. (Daughter Sarah opted for bed instead of breakfast!)

Dick and I sat with Corey and Christy and learned many
new and interesting things about business at Sears
where Christy works

After breakfast we went to my Dad's house to hang out. It
was SO WARM!! It surely felt like Spring. After we were there
for several hours we ate AGAIN - who can refuse Mary's
wonderful home cooking? After that we went for a walk in
in the lovely, warm breeze.

Destiny distributed dolls and told us to hold them. I guess
we were her babysitters!

Jennifer and her two daughters played Rummicube on the
floor while the rest of us watched.

The men enjoyed conversation in the lovely sunroom.

Emily had been complaining of a sore throat, and by mid-
afternoon, she was asleep on her mother's lap.

Nancy and granddaughter Sarah were discovering things
that Nancy's new digital camera can do.

Concerns and rejoicings

The transition back to school has gone pretty well for us. I even managed to get to the rec center after school both days to walk on the treadmill, etc. Destiny had two good days at school, which is a great relief, since the last week before vacation was pretty rough.

There was great excitement at Lisa's house today. Sophie, who has been gradually using the potty more and more, pooped in the potty today for the first time, and it was totally her own initiative!! I even have a picture to prove it!!! But I was advised that I probably should not put that picture on my blog!! Looks like she's going to be one of those easy ones. Lucky Lisa!

I keep forgetting to mention that our sister-in-law Carolyn Stauffer's dad, Harold Geib, was in a car accident last week. He had head trauma and has been in the hospital, under heavy sedation, ever since. Just today they were beginning to see some more hopeful signs of improvement, but there's a looooong road ahead. Carolyn's mother has many health conditions that have always been cause for concern and much care from her husband and her daughter. Now with him being hospitalized, there's a tremendous amount of responsibility on Carolyn. (Her only sibling, a brother, does not live in this area.) So as this family comes to mind, lift them to the Lord.

The Stauffer Christmas Dinner

I'm posting these pictures for our children who could not
be with us on Sunday, and also for Dick's brother Bob's
family in Michigan. The rest of my readers are welcome
to take a look too!

A bunch of hungry Stauffer boys.

A lovely sight - the next generation doing the dishes! Jim
and Carolyn's daughter Lindsey, the artist, at one end and
their daughter Heather, the journalist, closest to the camera.
Fred and Deb's daughter Laura, Destiny's teacher, is in
the middle.

Fred and Deb's son Eric on the couch, Jim and Carolyn's
son Mike on the chair - watching football.

Jim and Carolyn's sons Greg and Josh on the floor, Fred
and Deb's son Mark on the chair - watching football.