Cute things, sad things, exciting things

Austin had this white undershirt on today, and I thought he looked so cute in it.  But trying to get him to stand still for a picture was next to impossible.  I did get these two shots.

Yesterday was a very sad day for many people.  I cannot believe the pictures on TV of the destruction in the southern states from all those tornadoes.  There were tornado warnings in other areas of our county last evening as well.   Dick and I discussed where would be the best place for us to go in such a circumstance.  We do not have a basement, but we do have a concrete crawlspace under our house.  What a terribly scary thought.

Also, Reverend David Wilkerson was killed in a car accident in Texas yesterday.  He was the founder of Teen Challenge, World Challenge, and Times Square Church, author of The Cross and the Switchblade.   A man of profound faith, conviction, and influence.  My dad always followed his ministry closely, and it's so weird how I feel like I need to tell Dad about David's death.  I wonder what it's like over there when people meet each other. 

I'm so excited for this weekend.  The big annual benefit auction will be held at Manheim Christian Day School where I taught for so many years.  It's the most looked-forward-to event of the year.  I know I'll get to see so many people we seldom ever see anymore, including some of our very family.  I'm sure I will have lots of pictures to post next week.

There are other things I'm excited about too, but they will need to wait till next week too.   

So is anybody getting up early for the big wedding in the morning??  Not sure that I will.  Five hour nights just aren't good enough for me anymore. 

Wonderful warm weather!!!

There just aren't enough words to describe how WONDERFUL life has been this week with the arrival of truly warm weather!!! I am so, so happy that I am determined not to complain about any of the downsides of its arrival - not the bees or the ants or the noisiness of open windows or the dreadful sight of our neighbor man (whom Austin calls "other pawpaw") walking around shirtless!!

It's just so wonderful to be able to be outdoors with Austin and not worry about coat or hat.

It's also wonderful to be able to go through several days in a row without using heat or AC. My kitchen is like breeze central. Look at those curtains blowing in the breeze.

And most wonderful of all is getting out there first thing in the morning for a good, long walk through our community. One thing I have been noticing in many yards are the darker green circles like those in the picture below. Does anyone know what that would be from?

Dick's dad has had a good two days and will be moving to the United Zion Home in Lititz tomorrow. It is right next door to the community where Dick and I lived! I used to walk through our community, then up a small grassy hill to the campus of the United Zion Home and walk on their lovely sidewalks. I feel like I half own the place, (haha), so I'm happy he's going there. God is hearing our cries for him.

We'll be going down to Lancaster County this weekend, so we're very, very eager to be with him and Arlene.

I love Easter!!

Easter 2011 began very early as we got up and got ready for the day in time for our 6:00 sunrise service at church.  But wow!  Once we arrived it was hard to believe it was that early in the morning.  There was energy and excitement in the very air!  Our choir practically shattered the glass in the windows with the anthem Easter Is Here.   After the service we had a breakfast at the church before going into our regular service, which was once again filled with joy and excitement.  And again our choir sang our hearts out in Tom Fettke's Alive Forevermore.   

I love Easter!!  There is no message or truth or reality to compare with the cross and the resurrection.  Thank you, LORD!!  Our pastor started his message this morning with, "Knock, knock!"  The congregation automatically responded, "Who's there?"  The pastor shouted, "NOBODY!!"  He said that the resurrection was the greatest joke in history - and the joke was on Satan! 

Many people had bought Easter lilies in memory or in honor of loved ones, and they were lined up at the front of the sanctuary.  It looked so beautiful.

After our regular service Dick went home to take a nap before going to work at 12 noon.  I went to Anthony and Lori's church.  Look at this shot of these two handsome men I found there!  My heart almost melted right into a puddle when I first saw Austin in that green vest!

We spent the evening at Anthony and Lori's, eating some of my standard Easter food (ham, yams, and baked corn), playing outside on the deck, and introducing Austin to Easter egg painting, toddler style.  We discovered that brown eggs don't come out the greatest!

As you can see, we had a warm day.  It did rain occasionally, but not nearly all the time.  Thank you, Lord!

It was a good day, but I had tears at times too.  I enjoy our friends at church.  I thoroughly enjoy being with Anthony, Lori, and Austin.  But there were many loved ones that we were not with today, and there are some very deep aches in my heart.  I guess Heaven is the only time and place where that will not be case. 

We want to believe that there is a "Sunday" coming.

We had fun at choir practice Wednesday evening.  Judy, our choir director, had a birthday cake for Dick.  She goes way above and beyond for our choir, hosting the practices in her lovely home, complete with goodies and ice water and coffee each time.  We always have so much fun, and she has trouble getting us to stop talking so we can practice.  Boy, can I relate!  It certainly feels strange to be on this side of that problem!  But of course I behave and never, ever talk too much.

 Judy always puts a zero candle on everyone's cake!

This evening we had a Good Friday service that was tremendously touching.  When it was finished we left, as we had been instructed ahead of time to do, in complete silence.  Wow!  I don't know if I have ever done that before, but it was awesome.  Nothing at all to take away from the deep reflections on Christ's incredible sacrifice. 

Once again this has not been an easy week.  For the most part the weather has been absolutely dreary and cold and depressing.  There are a number of things that are heavy on my heart.  A major one is Dick's dad.  I can write tonight because he had a better day today.  But there have been some very rough waters the past several days.  We found out that Medicare will not pay for his stay at the rehab hospital after next Tuesday, the 26th.  He is far too weak for Arlene to care for him at home, so the other option is for him to go to a nursing home that offers rehab services.  It seemed the past two days that such a prospect was enough to cause Dad to close down, withdraw, and give up.  We know that the very words "nursing home" are loaded with negative emotion for him.  His own mother lived in a nursing home for almost twenty years, a victim of dementia, until she died at age 102.  I'm sure he's afraid he will never go home again.  It just rips our hearts apart.  I know I've said this before, but the stark reality is that just five weeks ago today he left his house in the morning, leaving for work with NO IDEA he would not come back home that afternoon.  What projects did he have going in his workshop that remain unfinished?  What plans did he have for his gardens and woods for this spring and summer?  Will he ever have a chance to get back to them? 

As I read elsewhere this evening, this is a very "Friday" kind of experience, as in the despair of Good Friday.  How we want to believe that there is a "Sunday" coming!

Happy Birthday, Dick!

The news from State College is pretty much more of the same.  A warm day of sun here and there with days and days of cold rain between. 

And lots of hulahooping going on inside the house.  I've got several short videos below that show Austin practicing his skills.  The first two are pretty dark, because they were taken right before his bedtime when I was babysitting him Saturday evening.  But he was really on his game that night. 

 He practices and practices, but if that hoop doesn't cooperate like it should, or if things get in its way, watch out!!  The pot boils over very suddenly as you can see at the end of this video.

Dick's dad is slowly, but surely experiencing progress at the rehab.  Learning to swallow is a primary objective.  They're also encouraging him to speak in a louder voice, because his vocal cords need more exercise.  He and Arlene enjoy sitting in the lobby sometimes for a change of scenery.  It sounds so much better than all that time in the ICU room a few weeks ago.  But he is asking for prayer that his nights would not seem so long.  That really pulls at my heart.  Today I sent him an enlarged print of this family picture taken on New Years weekend.  That will give him something to talk about with the rehab personnel.  

 Today is Dick's birthday.  He's celebrating 61 years.  We are also celebrating 15 years since he found out (on his birthday) that he would need a biopsy of a suspicious-looking mass in his hip.  That was a very difficult evening as we ate out.  All I could think was that maybe this was his last birthday.  But, PRAISE GOD, here we were this evening, 15 years later, enjoying a wonderful meal at Damons.  And he certainly doesn't act like he's 61, haha!

Dick heard from each one of our children today as well as most of our children-in-law.  Probably the sweetest of all was the phone call we got from Sophie while we were at Damons this evening.  He had his hands all messy from eating ribs, so I had to take his phone out of his shirt pocket.  We missed the call, but called right back and Sophie sang Happy Birthday to him.   We didn't realize till afterward that while we missed the original call she had sung Happy Birthday on his voice mail.  It is SO PRECIOUS!!  Does anyone know if there's any way of keeping a voice mail?  I wish I could post it here for you all to hear. 

We've been renewing our passion for Scrabble lately, because we both have Words with Friends on our phones.  We have a game going almost all the time.  Trouble is, Dick always beats me.  We started playing Scrabble soon after we were married in 1971.  I was playing Scrabble right before I went into labor all three times.  We're just nuts about Scrabble!  Now Ray and Thyda are getting into it, so the past few days I've had games going on with each of them as well as with Dick.  It brightens these dreary days!

Jeremy flew to Amman, Jordan yesterday and will be there all week.  Regency Furniture has some businesses over there too.  Amazing!  It's not even two years since Jeremy graduated from the Tampa Art Institute, and he's already gotten such a great job.  

Well, this is long enough now.  Good night!

This week's joys

Life is often filled with sad, hard, stressful situations right along side of joyful ones.  Last night I shared the sad; tonight I'll share this week's joys.  

As usual, Austin tops the list!  One day he had the most adorable corkscrew curl on top of his head.  I wanted to get a picture of it without his knowing it, but he noticed what I was doing and said, "Cheese!"

Last Sunday afternoon we all went to a park since it was one of those rare, sunny days.  Austin is extremely adept at climbing ladders, going down slides of any length or shape, letting himself down from things that are higher than he is.  We're amazed at how much easier it is to be at a playground with him compared to last year.  

Since he's discovered how much fun it is to walk through puddles, and since we have rain more days than we don't, Lori got him some puddle-jumping boots.  

 

The saucer he's carrying is one of his favorite toys.  That, and his two hula hoops.  If he goes down to the playroom, they go along down.  If he goes upstairs, they go along up.  If he goes outside, they go along.  He never, ever tires of spinning and tossing them.  When he's at my house, where I have no saucer or hula hoop, he makes do with my round plastic lids.  Someday I will post pictures of the many funny places I find my lids. 

Yesterday I managed to sneak a short video while he was trying to fall asleep for  his nap.  Maybe you could try some of his tricks - practice your ABC's, arrange your pajama sleeves, do some singsongs.  I just never get tired of watching him. 

Dad Stauffer has now had his first week at the rehab hospital.  There were a few setbacks and concerns along the way, but today was an exceptionally good day.  The family members that were with him were especially amazed and thankful at the wonderful change in his "spirit" today.  God is hearing our cries.  

And one more joyful thing.  Dick and I found out today that we had way overestimated the amount of income taxes we might have to pay in this year.  A very welcome surprise indeed!

 

Sometimes when it rains, it pours.

This is a very sad week for our family.  There really is nothing in me that has any desire to write this post, but it's our reality right now. 

Two days ago our daughter Miki's husband Krister announced that he wants a divorce.  At this point it appears to be a definite thing in his mind, with no need to discuss it with anyone.  

Miki is reeling.  There would never be a  good time for a woman to get this news, but this seems to be a particularly bad time.  Miki's biological father recently died after a battle with cancer, and she has already been struggling with much grief and many regrets over that.  

And there are the kids - seventeen-year-old Katrina and Bjorn who just celebrated his fifteenth birthday on Monday.  Awesome kids.

And then there's Kris.  Dr. Krister Lindmark, head of cardiology at the Umea University Hospital.  A truly brilliant, remarkable person.  Amazing musician.  Witty and fun. We all love him.  We have loved him for almost twenty years.     

I feel nothing but deep, deep sadness.  The Bible says that God hates divorce.  And so do I.

Miki is overwhelmed by the love and support from friends on both sides of the ocean.  She said she really feels carried by everyone's prayers right now.  If God brings them to your mind, could you also lift them up in prayer?

Birth certificates and Mennonite Games

This morning I had a surprise phone call from Sweden.  Miki recently had her passport stolen (a story I will tell on another day).  She was able to get an emergency one from the US Embassy in Stockholm, but she does need to get her regular one replaced.  However, she has been having a dreadful time convincing the US that she is one of their citizens.  She assumed that she had lost the birth certificate that was issued when we adopted her, and since her married name is not the same, she could not come up with any legitimate documentation.  She called me to ask if we still had the adoption documents.  I pulled out our trusty green metal box and soon came up with a fat envelope of adoption papers.  She wondered if I could try to get another birth certificate, that maybe here in the US they would believe me more than they were inclined to believe her.  

All the while we were talking I kept thinking, "I vividly remember the birth certificate that was issued after the adoption, and I'm sure I have seen it more recently than when she got married and moved to Sweden in 1991."  As we talked I kept leafing through all the important papers in that green box, and VIOLA!!  There was the birth certificate!!!  After we got over the relief of finding it, we had a good, good laugh as I read it to her.  Later on Facebook she told me to scan it (cropping out the important numbers, of course) so that my blog readers could laugh along with us.  See if you can find anything to laugh about on this birth certificate.

Dick and I didn't know we were having a baby back in 1966 right after we started "liking" each other, hahahahaha!!

And now my next laugh will  be funny only to anyone who grew up Mennonite.  Among Mennonites we do this thing called The Mennonite Game.  When we meet someone who grew up Mennonite we just have to find out where they came from, what church did they go to, what school, who were their parents, grandparents, and on and on and on.  We like to see if we can connect with them in some way.  Well, someone wrote a song that totally captures the essence of The Mennonite Game.  It's even sung in four-part harmony like we grew up with.  Dick and I listened to it this evening and I just howled laughing.  I just wish I could be in a room with all my sisters so we could listen to this together.  Mennonites, please enjoy!!
The Mennonite Game mp3 

FINALLY!!

The biggest news of the day is that yesterday Dad Stauffer got his pacemaker and this afternoon he was moved to the rehab hospital. FINALLY!! HALLELUJAH!! It will do him, and Arlene too, so much good to be at a new place and to feel like things are finally moving ahead. Yesterday it was three weeks that he was just having a normal day at work, helping to stabilize the posts of the store's wind-blown sign, which resulted in his lightheadedness, blacking out, and a trip to the hospital in an ambulance. Who knew? But God. And He is the one we continue to cry out to for Dad's restoration and healing. 

 

Here are some cute pictures I took one evening this week. Lori had a gingerbread tree project left over from Christmas that she decided to do with Austin. He was SO excited to do it, because the box showing the finished product was sitting on the table all through supper. And it truly was as much fun as he anticipated. He was really into it - carefully stacking the gingerbread layers, helping to spoon the frosting on each layer, then placing (and eating) the M&M's that

decorated the tree.

 

 

Last evening we brought Austin here overnight so Anthony and Lori could have some couple time. Dick has this weekend off, so this morning he played with Austin so I could go to my women's prayer breakfast. I LOVE having this group of women to share and pray with. After I came home we took Austin to Chik fil A. They have an indoor playground that is just perfect for him, and we managed to get there before the lunch crowd arrived. 

 

 

After his nap I took him home, and I really haven't accomplished much the rest of the day. Dick was organizing his shed and came across a box of videos. He came in with one that was taken when my middle school worship team was at our church in May 2008. So we watched that. What a range of emotions that brings! 

I wonder if the sun will shine tomorrow. The forecast does say that we will have temps close to 70, so even if there's no sun, that sounds like something to look forward to.

Pacemaker today

Dick's dad will be getting a pacemaker this morning.  There have been issues with irregular heartbeat that could not be sufficiently taken care of with medication.  Of course we are praying that there are no complications from this procedure and that the pacemaker will do the job that is needed.

There were some encouraging reports yesterday from some of his short therapy sessions - small things like the fact that he lifted his feet when he made the short walk from his bed to the door and he backed up to his chair before sitting down.  After one session he was complimented for how well he had done and he softly replied,  "My pleasure."  Now that sounds like Dad, and it makes me smile.  

So hopefully the move to rehab can take place at the beginning of the week and then the real work begins.  I think he'll thrive there.  Hard work is all he's ever known.

Singing for Dad

Yesterday morning Dick's brother Fred woke up with the idea of trying to get all five Stauffer brothers at the hospital at the same time so they could sing for their dad.  As I said in my last post, Bob flew in from Minnesota on Tuesday and Dick drove down yesterday. The other three brothers, Steve, Jim, and Fred, live in the Lititz/Manheim area.

It did work out to do so yesterday in the late afternoon. Dick said they sang for about 20 minutes. I am sure they sounded amazing as they sang four-part harmony in their strong voices.  Wish I could have been there.  He said there were nursing staffers standing at the partially closed door listening to them.  Here's a picture of the other four brothers that Dick took with his cell phone - Fred, Jim, Bob, Steve.

Or as they were known here: Dickie, Bobby, Stevie, Jimmy, and Freddie!  See if you can match them up.  Dick is the oldest, the one in the dark suit.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot of news about dad.  Nothing has been said about when he will be moved to rehab.  We so look forward to that.

I am all excited about something that's growing on top of my fridge.  Would you believe, I have never before started flowers indoors?  I decided this year that since finances are tight and we have to start flower beds completely from scratch, I can at least try.  So Dick planted some marigold seeds in an egg carton a couple of weeks ago.  We are like two kids as we spy those little green things popping up everywhere!  (You probably have to click on the picture to be able to see them!)

 
If they do well, I'll share their progress with you.  If they don't, you probably won't hear about them again, haha!

Complaining ahead

I know that everyone in the north is beyond tired of the slow arrival of Spring.  And everyone is fussing about it, and everyone else is sick of hearing about it.  But I'm sorry to have to add to the noise about it.  I AM TIRED OF COLD WEATHER.  I AM TIRED OF SNOW.  I AM TIRED OF RAIN.  I AM TIRED OF NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK OUTSIDE.  I AM TIRED OF COATS.  I AM TIRED OF GRAY CLOUDS.  I AM TIRED OF WIND.  How well I know that complaining is a sin and a grateful heart is far more attractive.  I am just really, really struggling to find joy and motivation. (I am so thankful for Austin.  He never ceases to make me laugh.)  I decided to at least make my blog look more springly.  (Yes, that's a picture from my previous house up on the header.  Lorraine said I may put it there!) 

We did at last have good news today regarding Dick's dad.  As I wrote in my last post they had planned to insert a stomach feeding tube yesterday, but at the last minute they needed to postpone the procedure because of an irregular heartbeat.  Today they were able to do the procedure.  We are hoping that this will clear the way for him to be moved to a rehab hospital.  Dick has the next two days off work and will be going to Lancaster County to be with his dad.  Dick's brother Bob from Minnesota flew in today and will be staying until Saturday.  

Ray returned safely from his deployment this weekend.  It was great to talk with him on the phone on Saturday.  His humor always warms my  heart and makes me smile.  Hopefully we'll see him and Thyda face to face soon.  

God stood in the way

This has been a week to remember.  A week when God stood in the way, like the angel in front of Baalam's donkey, because apparently we were about to make a mistake.  

As I told you last week, Dick was offered a job at Blaise Alexander, a Chrysler Jeep dealership.  He had given his two-week notice at Pepboys, and was planning to start at Blaise a week from Monday.  We could almost taste the no evenings, no weekends work schedule. That's how much we were ready for it. 

BUT.  On Wednesday Dick received a phone call from the person who offered Dick the job at Blaise.  He was very, very sorry to tell Dick that, unknown to him, one of the owners of Blaise Alexander had made the decision to give the position to a guy who works at another branch of the dealership.  Apparently the guy is moving into this area.  Makes sense, right?  But zero communication.  

After the phone call Dick told his shop manager.  He asked,  "Is it too late for me to still keep my job?"  The manager said,  "I don't know.  I already have it in the system that you won't be here after April 8th.  I'll have to ask the district manager."  Dick then made his own call to the district manager, leaving a message on his voicemail.  Dick has a good rapport with him. 

Dick didn't tell me about the phone call until we were on our way home from the Lenten service at church that evening.    You can only imagine how that felt.  I was stunned and scared.  Were we going to go through unemployment again?  Was God getting ready to totally wipe us out?   Move us again?  

At the same time the news about Dick's dad was not any better and it all felt unbearably heavy.  I did all the things I know to do.  Dick and I prayed together, I read scriptures to boost my trust in God, I thanked Him even for this.  I sang songs. 

The next morning Dick got a phone call from the district manager asking him to come in half an hour earlier than his 11:30 starting time.  We prayed together again before he left, letting God know our fears and desires, but affirming our trust in Him and His ways.  I told Dick to please let me know what was decided either way.  I thought I'd get a text at 11:30.  Haha!  I didn't get one until 2:30.  I could only assume that it was bad news and he hated to tell me.  

But it wasn't bad news.  Dick actually had a very good two-hour meeting with the district manager and shop manager.  Neither of them were happy he was leaving.  He's their only mechanic with Master Tech certification.  Many of the things that make working there so intolerable were fully addressed in the meeting.  We have hope that as a result of this turn of events there will be some improvements. 

So we're at peace now that we've had time for it to all settle.  But I don't care to go through that kind of scare again.  

Our hearts are aching for Dad and Arlene.  The stroke has taken away his ability to swallow properly, so he will be having a stomach tube inserted on Monday.  He will then be able to be moved to a rehab hospital where they will work on restoring his losses.  This is hard, hard, hard.  Just two weeks ago he was still working at Bombergers Store a couple of days a week, volunteering one day a week at the hospital, working in his beloved woods.  But having increasing episodes that were due to the bad heart valve.  Now he can't eat and needs help to take even a few steps.  Okay, enough of the negative.  God is the Great Physician, and we are all crying out to Him on Dad's behalf.  

Lori is on a three-day business trip, so Anthony and I have been tag-teaming it with  Austin.  Here's an adorable picture of Anthony "fixing" Austin's hair before I took him to daycare yesterday morning.  And how does one fix hair like his?  Spray some stuff in it and then mess it up.  The curls just emerge all nice and shiny!