Dancing in a white dress...

I don't know why this thought crossed my mind as I read my daily devotional this morning. My dear mama had two sisters. They were two of my favorite people. Aunt Patsy and Aunt Dixie. The three of them were having tea parties together in their 70's and onward. Delightful ladies. 

Patsy, Dixie and Mary Jane
Angleton, TX-early '40's

Aunt Patsy was the first to go on to heaven after walking the long road of dementia. My mom, Mary Jane, followed some years later after walking that same road. Dixie kept a-going for some years; as mentally sharp as they come, right up to the end. At the very end of her life she told my cousin David, who was the preacher of the family, that she would wear a white dress and dance when she got to heaven. I cry just seeing that vision in my mind's eye! 

This thought got me to thinking. It seems like the older I get and the older my kids get, the more I think of them as brothers, sisters and friends rather than my children. They've always belonged to God, not me. I was just blessed to have them as my earthly family. 

That led me to thinking of how wonderful it will be to spend eternity with all of these people I love, enjoying each others' company and Jesus's company above all. To think, we will love everyone in heaven as we love our children and family, only in a much more perfect way. Jesus will finish the work He began in us here. We will be ourselves, but we'll be the perfect version of who God created us to be.

That's a hopeful vision to meditate on as we navigate the ups and downs of life on this fallen planet. I look forward to dancing in a white dress with my mama and aunties! I hope to see you all there, too! (In the Lord's good timing, lol.)

Look who came to visit. I know, my camera takes terrible pictures at a distance. You'll have to take my word for it that this is a red-bellied woodpecker. I've never seen one around here before. Upon checking my bird guide, I see he shouldn't be quite this far north. Fun to see!

Have any of you seen the movie The Big Year? It's kind of fun for those of us who like to watch the birds. Three guys (Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin) vying for the title of the guy who saw the most birds for one year. There's no prize. Just the notoriety of being the best birdwatcher. You wouldn't believe the lengths they go to to beat the other guys. Ha ha. It's based on a true story. I didn't realize that this sort of thing is on the "honor system". They don't have to take photos. They just have to say they saw or even heard the bird! I kind of enjoyed it. :)

A few ATCs...

The Spring Fairy swap. (Looking forward to spring already!)

These were for a Trash to Treasure swap. (Hope I didn't already post these.) The swap host mailed us an envelope full of paper bits (ephemera, as we like to call it) and we had to make cards with at least three pieces of "trash" on each card. We could add our own stuff, too. 

I believe these are for the January Weird Holidays.

These were also for the Trash to Treasure swap. I must have made six cards for that. (My memory card is all out of order.)

I think that catches us up with the cards. Yay!

Today is Chuck's (Thatcher's) birthday! He's three! I'll be going next door for ice cream cake later, and to give him my presents. What a sweet little guy. I wonder if I'll remember to take my camera!

These random tree pictures are my attempt to capture the grandkids' artistic arrangement of ornaments. I couldn't have done it better myself! :)

Love all of you folks out there!

Have a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with shalom and...

The celebration in heaven!

Today would have been my mom's 85th birthday. But instead of a celebration here, she gets to celebrate every day, being in God's presence! Happy youthful eternity with Jesus, Mom! I'll see you there when the time is right. Love you!

She was a bit of a ham, lol.

God bless all, and shalom!

They're still here...

Ha ha!! Granny Marigold suggested that I play bagpipe music to drive my "near" neighbors away, and Gretchen seconded the suggestion. Then we all realized that we actually LIKE bagpipe music, so maybe that wouldn't work. These folks love to laugh and talk loudly and I don't think music would be much of a deterrent to them. I do have to say they seem to be nice folks. I came home from church yesterday with several bags of groceries and when they saw me going back for a second load they asked if they could help. They also asked if they were in my way. I'm not sure how long they're staying, but I think I'll survive quite nicely. Thanks for all of your commiseration! It does make me feel better! ;)

I went to church yesterday for the first time in quite a while. I've always felt awkward going by myself. I think Micah and her family may switch to the local Vineyard church, so I thought I'd be a grown up and go by myself. I got an invitation after church to join some ladies at a little cafe where they get together and visit every Sunday after church. God is so good to drop this opportunity in my lap. And while we were visiting I mentioned that I had a desire to volunteer to help with the AWANA program in the fall. The lady sitting next to me "just happened" to be in charge of AWANA! God is good yet again! So, now I'm signed up as a "listener". I'll listen to the 3rd-6th graders recite their memorized scripture passages. She said she also needed "leaders", but I thought I should get a year of experience under my belt before trying that. :) I'm also excited to go to the Women's Retreat in September. Kind of a whirlwind initiation into church life, but just what I needed!

My son-in-law, Adam, has begun clearing a spot to build a new house. It's right next door to the trailer where they live now. I plan to buy the trailer from them when their house is completed and be neighbors. Kind of a backwoods granny pod. I'm posting pics mainly for my step-dad who is interested in watching the progress. You can all look forward to lots of constructions photos in the future, ha ha! :)

Just showing the woods around the edge of the cleared area.

I love these woods and I think they'll be less allergenic for me. Very few pines!

This is looking south. That field belongs to a local farmer and is always full of deer, turkeys or sandhill cranes.

Looking west, there's where I'll be living. Don't worry. It will all be green again...eventually!

Here I backed into the woods on the east end of the cleared area. This will be their backyard.

Taken from the south edge of the clearing, pointing sort of northwest.

Looking at the clearing while standing south of the trailer house.

 Next stage will be to have sand hauled in to be leveled before framing and pouring a cement slab. The slab will be heated by hot water, which will be supplied by the wood stove. They should be able to use the present well and septic for both houses. Prayers for smooth sailing are appreciated!

Well, I stocked up on movies at the library, so I think I will partake of one tonight. I found Lady in the Van! I've been wanting to watch that for a long time! Also the first season of Elementary. Do any of you watch it? A modern day Sherlocke Holmes. I've watched some of it at the kids' house. I don't have Netflix.

My step-dad, Glenn, just sent me two more packages. When we were in Texas for Jordan's wedding we stayed with Glenn for two nights and talked a lot about Mom. Glenn said he would mail me some of Mom's mementos, and the packages arrived this weekend. Contained in them was a doll Mom made some years back. She and my Aunt Dixie enjoyed doll making for a season. The hair color is a lot like mine...hmmm. I'm glad to have the honor of taking care of her.

He also sent some stories that Mom wrote when she was taking a course through The Institute of Children's Literature. She loved to write and used her gift to glorify God in so many ways.

 This copy of her 1951 high school yearbook is a real treasure! (Angleton High School)

Mom and  Wendell Fleshman were Most Popular!

Mom drew lots of cute illustrations to decorate the yearbook.

Glenn also included Mom's huge collection of colorful bead necklaces. She and her sisters liked to dress up for tea parties and have lots of fun laughing and visiting. These will remind me of that and will be enjoyed by me, Micah and my granddaughters (when they're a little older). I chose three and gave the rest to Micah. She was so excited to get them!

Along with these treasures was a 3-ring binder of emails sent between my oldest brother, Bobby, (aka Will) and my mom over the years. Bobby kind of disappeared from society about five years ago. We've no idea if he's still among us or has passed on to glory. So, I'll gladly keep the emails to revisit from time to time. He was a philosopher, poet, writer, humorist, musician and all-around character who lived a voluntarily homeless life. He lived out of a backpack and slept in the woods for most of his life. He was also, by confession, a born-again Christian. So, I'm not worried about him. I pray for him and trust God to keep track of his spirit.

With his free-spirited character, he didn't last long in the Navy, but he did see a bit of the world. Here he's in the Philippines, and I know he also went to Greece.

Ah, the '70's. These are my brothers James (left) and Bobby/Will on the right enjoying a chat.

Well, now I think it's time for that movie! I pray that God's peace (shalom!) surrounds all of you, dear friends and family members. Until next time!

Dear Mom...

Some of you may have seen my Wednesday post on Facebook announcing that my dear mom stepped through the gates of heaven sometime early Wednesday morning. She had been fighting the Alzheimer battle for many years as my faithful  step-dad cared for her every step of the way. These are two of the most amazing people I know, and I love them so much.

I think it was Nancy Reagan who coined the phrase, "the long good-bye" when speaking of Alzheimers. That does seem fitting. I've been missing my mom's presence since her emails began to get further apart and then stopped. At that point my wonderful step-dad began emailing me and explaining what she was going through. They live 1,000 miles away and so I flew down to see mom while she still knew who I was. I'm thankful for that visit. I think it was the next year that Bob and I went down to see her, and she seemed happy and healthy, but it was obvious she just thought we were a couple of nice people who came for a visit. It is a blow to lose the last person in the world who remembers your childhood and can laugh and recall old memories. I'm sure most of you have lost parents or a spouse. The loss of someone who shares your history and memories leaves an empty place in your heart.

There's no way around this. We will all die. But there is hope and that makes all the difference. My sweet mama has made the leap from this world, which can at times be beautiful, but which carries so much suffering and loss, to that eternal world where she is safe with her Lord. She loves the Lord with all her heart and I know she's having an exciting adventure. That makes it so much easier to see her go. Our separation is only temporary.

I had many of the same feelings when I lost Bob in the fall of 2013. At that time I didn't want to look at pictures of him when he was older. It made me think of the fact that he had been very sick when the photos were taken and we didn't know it yet. Now I can look at those older pictures and remember the happy times we had when they were taken. Many of them were photos of him holding his much loved grandchildren. Those were good times.

So, I kind of wanted to post some photos of my mom in her youth. She was a fun loving person from the looks of it and I love these old photos of her. Her name is Mary Jane and she's a southern girl. She was born and raised in Angleton, Texas. Although we later lived in Colorado for around 20 years, she and my step-dad returned to Angleton where she lived out the rest of her life and was reunited with her sisters. I'm so glad she got to spend some great years back among her southern kin.

Grandpa, Mom and Aunt Dixie.

My Aunt Patsy and Mom.

Patsy, Dixie and Mom...the three Moseman girls.

 

Glamorous at 16.

She was the drum major for her high school during a big parade in Houston.

That's her on the left strutting her stuff.

Mom on the right with a friend. Mom's friends called her "Bird-legs"!

Age 16, in front of her high school.

Starting to look very grown up.

We lived in Deer Park, a suburb of Houston, when this pictures was taken. Mom captioned it "Mother Hen". This was a very rare snowfall in southeast Texas!  Mom and yours truly.

We moved a lot when I was a child, but mom always made it seem like an adventure!

When Mom was in her 50's and later, she had many other adventures, and I'm so glad she got to experience so many wonderful things. She went to YWAM's Discipleship Training course and traveled to Hawaii to do the training. I am not at all sure of the year that this took place, but that's not really important. I believe as a result of this training she later took a trip to China to do some missions activities. Later still, she took a trip to Israel! She was a major support for my brother James and his family during their many years as missionaries, and she supported my homeschooling efforts for 19 years, paying for all of our curriculum. She loved to serve "behind the scenes". As she got older she told me that God was calling her to a ministry of availability. She wanted to be sure she was available when people needed someone to talk to. She said so many people are too busy to just be available for those in need. She wrote an inspirational newsletter for her church for years. She used her gift of writing in many ways and she had a lot of wisdom from studying God's Word for so many years. She was a true gift to this family and I just wanted to let everyone know how special she was...and still is! She lives on in heaven and we'll all meet again and laugh and dance with our Heavenly Father! I know He's glad to have his little girl home.

We love you, Mom!
Shalom to all!

A soggy day...

Today a fine rain drizzles down upon my little patch of ground. I'm so glad that yesterday was fine and fair, for my friend Badger. But wait...I left you last time staring at an unopened package!

No fear. I opened the package soon after I posted and Badger and I had a delightful first meeting. He's my kind of people! Polite and very down-to-earth. (Is that a pun when applied to a badger?)

After a tour of the house (It was dark outside, so no thought of going out, though he, being a creature of the night, might have liked to.) we enjoyed a small before-bedtime snack. I knew right away what he would prefer. A favorite of mine as well, coincidentally... (This was accompanied by hot chocolate and pumpkin bars!)

 

We munched and talked for quite some time, but I, unfortunately, had to go to work the next morning, so to bed I must go. (Did any of you have this problem?) I showed Badger to the guest room, but he seemed a little hesitant. I asked what was the matter and he said that he would feel slightly lost in the large bed. Oh! After a bit of thought we came up with a very snug solution.

Up bright and early the next morning! Badger was seriously jet-lagged from his trip over the big pond, so I let him sleep in. I felt so guilty having to rush off to work, but it occurred to me that he is, after all, a GROWN badger and could probably shift very well for himself. I left him a note, inviting him to help himself to anything in the larder...

 

I also suggested that we have a very nice hiking trail running alongside the property and he might want to enjoy the sunshine and have a nice walk. Upon returning home I found that he had taken my suggestion, had packed a little lunch, and had explored the trail as well as the woods behind my house.

 

 

He regaled me with stories of his explorations. His nose quivered with delight as he told me of the scent of badgers in the vicinity. He had even discovered several burrows. I told him that our badgers' holes were probably not as snug and well-stocked as his own. "Yes," he replied. "There's nothing that compares with home." He sounded a little wistful, but assured me that he meant to enjoy his journey, knowing that his snug burrow awaited him at the end of the road.

After a filling supper, I took my guest outside to introduce him to...(dum, dum, DUM)...the Ancient Swamp Willows of Nevis, MN. Though they are ancient, and pretty much falling down, he loved them instantly and had to have a climb. (No badgers don't really climb trees. He needed a little boost.)

I've misplaced my photo of Mole, Rat and Toad playing in that very same tree, so I showed him this painting instead. He thought it was rather cool that they had all shared this same experience!

 

Well, Badger went off to the study to write in his journal, so in other news...

 

I've been reading through my binders of old emails from mom. She has one binder entitled "Warm Fuzzies" which contains "only letters that supply special 'landmarks' or 'warm fuzzies', etc. that I like to read on cozy rainy days." There are many hand-written letters in this binder, going back many years. I was very smitten with a letter from one of her friends. I loved how this woman had created her own ingenious stationary using dried flowers encased in a wax paper-like material. Isn't this cute?

 

 

It has a Victorian feeling to it, don't you think?

Well, I'm going to cease and desist for now. A slight cold still hangs on and fogs my brain, so I'll find some very un-cerebral activities to entertain myself. Badger is enjoying doing his own thing and is now poring over my bookshelves in search of a good rainy-day-read. Like I said, my kind of people!

Farewell, from the north woods of Minnesota!

Shalom to all.