Category Archives: 10 Things

Lists of 10 things

10 Things I Learned in September

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1. My great-great grandparents came to Baraboo in 1851. I came to Baraboo in 2004. Although time separated us by 153 years, their homestead was less than a mile from where we now live. We went to pay them a call one afternoon, but nobody was home.

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2. The PBS series “Poldark” is based on a set of 12 novels, each of which is over 400 pages long. The twelfth and final installment has 704 pages. Be still, my beating heart. I think I’ve found my new calling in life.

3. I will never think of the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” in the same way again after hearing Tony Evans’ version during the “Cry Out!” prayer night.

4. We met some of our new neighbors. PB put up a trail cam in our two acres of woods. Lots of little critters have been walking the trail in our backyard and posing for the camera. One big critter ambled by, causing PB to consider bringing the florescent orange out of the mothballs. 

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5. We are in the “one-gallon-of-milk-a-week” stage of life. It doesn’t seem that long ago when we were in the “one-gallon-of-milk-a-day”phase.

6. The flannelgraph in my 1st grade Sunday school class might have been wrong. I clearly remember Jonah being swallowed by a whale. As I recall, that flannel fish was smiling and blowing water out of its spout. Jonah was on his knees, praying in that whale’s belly. Except the word “whale” isn’t in the book of Jonah.

7. Every house should have a brightly painted front door. My sister just got back from a trip to Cornwall, England, and she said every church and most every house had a cheery front entrance. What a lovely idea.

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8. I can’t resist taking personality profiles. The Enneagram uses a nine category system to understand personality types. I am a “1”. Just for fun, I signed up to receive an email every day with guidance for my type. I love it  when I get one like this: “You need to allow yourself to relax. A therapeutic massage would be extremely beneficial for you.” Oh yeah. I don’t love it so much when the message is like this: “Try not to deteriorate down into being too harsh and critical of others.” Ouch.

9. Hibernation is setting in early this year. I already have the down comforter on the bed, the tea bags stocked and the firewood piled. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long winter.

10. This quote from “Severe Mercy” by Sheldon Vanauken seems especially true this month: “We seem unable to get used to time. We are always amazed at it — how fast it goes, how slowly it goes, how much of it is gone. Where, we cry, has the time gone? We aren’t adapted to it, not at home in it. If that is so, it may appear as a proof, or at least a powerful suggestion, that eternity exists and is our home.”

 goodbye-sept

10 Things I Learned in August

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1. Stepping away from the internet for a month was not the end of the world. August is indeed the Sunday of summer. It’s been a nice Sabbath rest.

2. Family Weekend was a good idea. Last year we tried Family Week. We’re learning what works for a gathering of ten adults along with six kiddos under the age of four. The huge totes full of Legos and dress up clothes came out of storage and were a hit with adults and kids alike.

3. I miss the little pink chair. And the Mickey Mouse plates and the sippy cups. I miss the footsteps coming up the stairs every morning. But I’m happy Evie has her very own purple bedroom in her very own house. The nest is empty again. Maybe for good this time.

4. Quote of the month: “Do you want what you want badly enough to arrange your life for it?” Ruth Haley Barton

5. The Morris’s and the Biddick’s came to America on the same ship. I came across this bombshell as I was doing some family history research. The Morris’s were my mom’s ancestors. The Biddick’s were my dad’s great grandparents. In 1850 they boarded the ship “Belle” in Padstow, Cornwall, England, not knowing that 96 years later there would be a marriage connecting the two families — my mom and dad. How cool is that?

6. Olympians are freaks of nature. I can’t imagine training for four years to run a thirty second race or perform a five second vault. PB and I did enjoy the view from our easy chairs, though. The swimming, gymnastics and track events were thrilling. I just wish there could have been more coverage of the ping-pong, badminton and sailing competitions.

7. Spending a week in the woods is good for the soul. PB and I went up north and looked at tall trees, stood in cool shoreline water and breathed deep of fresh forest air. We also ate giant caramel pecan sweet rolls, tapped our toes to a surprise jazz concert and took a nap every afternoon. That’s how to restore a soul.

8. Jesus was a master storyteller. I read through the parables this month. I just wish we could hear the intonation of His voice and see the look on His face as we read these stories. Were they told with a smile or a raised eyebrow? Was there a softness or an edge in His voice? The Apostle John said that the world doesn’t have enough room for all the books that could be written about the things Jesus said and did. But I’m sure heaven does. Someday we’ll hear the stories in His own voice and see the twinkle in His eye.

9. I would drive across town for a free cup of coffee. A new convenience store opened up and they are offering free coffee for a few days, along with lots of other promotions such as $1 worth of free gas, which is about three tablespoons. I figured if I drive a few miles to get the free coffee but use the squirt of free gas, I’m still ahead. I simply cannot turn down anything free. Except puppies and kittens.

10. Jonah is an Old Testament book that really packs a wallop. We are going to take a good long look at the book of Jonah this fall. I’m excited to get back with my Bible study ladies next week! We are going to engage our hearts and minds like never before in the 48 verses that make up this crazy story.

goodbye august

10 Things I Learned in July

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1. Peaches ruled my kitchen in July. I guess that’s what #75 of juicy sweetness will do. Peach jam, peach pie, peach popsicles, peach sauce, peach pie filling and bags of sliced peaches are stacked in the freezer. In January, I’ll be able to taste summer on my oatmeal and it will all be worth it. And I’ll share them with Hudson, my peach-loving grandson.

2. Green beans still grow out of PB’s ears. When the kids were little, a strange phenomena occurred every time we had green beans for supper — a bean would be seen hanging out of their dad’s ear. They never caught him sticking one in there, so they were convinced he had some magic power every time he ate greenie beanies. A few days ago we discovered Opa still has it. Two year old Evie was amazed when she spied a legume peaking out of her grandpa’s ear.  Our grown up son smiled, shook his head and said, “I never have caught him in the act.”

3. Writing 1000 words takes me about 40 minutes. I challenged myself to 1000 words every morning in July. I’m cutting back to 500 in August. Because I need time to shower and brush my teeth in the morning.

4. Celebrations add joy to life. We celebrated a lot this month. Fourth of July, Ruby’s one year old birthday, Charlie’s three year old birthday, a bridal shower, a church fun night, an evening of friends on the porch, a wedding. That’s a lot of partying for an introvert.

5. Sailboats really do make that creaking sound, just like in the movies. PB and I got away for a few days and spent some time in Door County. On our last night we took the sunset sailboat cruise in a boat that sailed around the world three times. We went about fifteen miles, which was enough to romanticize a sea-to-sea trip without leaving Green Bay. The creak of the sails and masts was enchanting.

6. Jazz is messy music. I’ve never been a big fan of the jazz style because it doesn’t seem to have any organization. But we happened on a concert in a barn performed by the best jazz artists in the country and we loved it. The music was played with incredible joy and with so much crazy technique that we were in awe. I think I like jazz now.

7. One of the best things about vacation is going to a church where we are nobodies. We walk in, we sit down, we listen, we walk out. That’s a treat for us. Since it only happens once or twice a year, PB and I like to try out different places of worship. Unfortunately, we found out last week that some churches don’t open the Bible or mention the name of Jesus. The guitar riffs were awesome and the lights and smoke were impressive, but we left feeling empty. It made us long for our home church. We’ll be glad to get back to our sanctuary next Sunday.

8. Baptism is a holy sacrament. We’ve seen many parents present their babies for a sprinkling, and that is special and sacred. But there’s something about an adult coming to be immersed that carries a distinct blessing. A group of us gathered at a shoreline and one by one, seventeen people waded in to have PB dip them under and lift them back up. There were cheers on the beach, tears in the eyes and joy overflowing.

9. “Hamilton: An American Musical” is an education. PB and I listened to the whole thing while on the road. Before every song I paused the music and read the annotations from Genius.com about the history behind each song. We brushed up on our American history and couldn’t get those catchy tunes out of our head. Warning: there are some explicit lyrics in some of the songs. But still, wow.

10. There’s no place like home. Spending a week away from home is good. Coming back is even better.

hello August

10 Things I Learned in June

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1. If I hadn’t picked out the name “Nonnie”, I’m pretty sure my grandma-name would be “Peaches”. I had my daughter ask Hud Bud, “What is one word you think of when you think of Nonnie?” His answer was, “Peaches”. He does love to eat my frozen peaches.

2. My Facebook post, “The peach truck is in town today” got more comments than cute pics of grands. I felt a little like Winthrop Paroo singing, “The Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin’ down the street…” I bought 50 pounds of Georgia sunshine. Soon I’ll be up to my elbows in sticky juice. I’ve got to do it — Hud Bud is counting on me. (See #1) (I’ll try not to mention peaches in all 10 Things.)

3. I spent June in the book of Psalms. Psalm 65 was especially meaningful and full of lovely phrases in the Common English version. “To You even silence is praise.” “We are filled full.” “You calm the noise of the nations.” “You make the gateways of morning and evening sing for joy.” And my favorite: “Thy paths drop fatness.” It’s delightful to read the same thing in different versions and see what pops. The KJV won the prize with “Thy paths drop fatness.” Goodness gracious.

4. PB has been adding a funny phrase at the end his thinking-out-loud idea sessions. Sometimes it sounds like a sincere request, other times it seems more like a double-dare to counter his ingenuity. It’s a strong wallop of an ending, intending to scare me off from throwing a wet towel on the idea, I suppose. “What do you think of that?” he says. Except it sounds more like “Whuduya think of THAT?”

5. I have decided what will be engraved on PB’s gravestone. (See #4.)

6. Someone has a list with my name on the top. I met a friend for lunch and soon after we sat down in a quaint booth, she pulled out her Notes app on her phone. She had a “Dinah” list — all the things she’s been wanting to ask me or pick my brain about. Having my very own list on her phone was a compliment of the highest order.

7. Binge watching a TV series is fun, once in a great while. PB and I watched the entire first season of “Poldark” in three nights. The PBS series is set in Cornwall, England in the late 1700s. PB was hooked after episode one. I was hooked after the opening panoramic scene of ocean waves crashing against the cliffs. My ancestors came from Cornwall and I kept looking for my great-great-great-grandparents Matthew and Mary Biddick from Trewince Farm at St. Issey Parish to show up on screen.

8. Gathering people on the back porch is an old-fashioned thing to do, and should be brought back. We had 22 people on our porch one night this month, eating cookies and drinking lemonade and telling stories. It reminded me of the Acts 2 church that met in each other’s homes, shared simple food with gladness and praised God together.

9. Quote of the month: “So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would.”  From a keynote graduation speech given by Neil Gaiman.

10. I am sad when June comes to a close. June is so full of summer while there is still lots of summer to come. Once July hits, there is a quiet panic in the background of my mind, whispering, “The rest of summer will fly by and you can’t stop it.” And I begin to get edgy about what I need to prepare for fall. I am deliberately putting off the panic until August. Let’s enjoy July.

10 Things I Learned In May

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1. My half birthday is May 1st. I have always wished I had a spring birthday. It’s such a happy time of year with flowers and warm sunshine and the promise of three months of summer to follow. As I get older, celebrating half birthdays sounds like it should be a thing.

2. Inviting six women to come and sit around a table for a meal is an extraordinary way to spend an evening. I followed the If:Gathering idea of six women, two hours and four questions. What Nika Maples said is true: “If you enter a meal with others, you enter at one level of relationship and you leave the meal at another, deeper level of relationship.” I can’t wait to do it again.

3. Spurgeon’s quote of the month: “Certain people must always have sweets and comforts, but God’s wise children do not wish for these in undue measure. Daily bread we ask for, not daily sugar.”

4. PB can’t keep a secret from me and I’m secretly happy about that. He outdid himself by planning a fantastic surprise, and then promptly told me the surprise. It only took about two minutes to get this one out of him. He bought tickets to see James Taylor live in concert. “Whenever I see your smiling face I have to smile myself because I love you, yes, I do.”

5. PB knows how to milk something for all its worth. As a result of #4 above, every time he exasperated me over the last month, he would smile and say, “James Taylor”.

6. We have entered into a new phase of parenting. On Mother’s Day weekend, my oldest daughter invited me out to breakfast and she picked up the tab. And left the tip. It was strange and wonderful. Adult children grow up to be lovely friends.

7. If I could go back and live in another time, I think I’d want to experience Jerusalem in 33 A.D. I read the book of Acts this month and those days of the early church must have been amazing. They were trying to figure out how to do this thing called church. No denominations, no programs, no church growth strategies. They just followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Huh.

8. Flat Jesus is catching on quickly. We handed out laminated cutouts of Jesus to everybody at church and challenged folks to take Jesus with them wherever they go this summer. They were instructed to take a picture of their travels with Flat Jesus (a la Flat Stanley) and already we have photos pouring in. So far, He’s been to Seattle, Colorado, a preschool show and tell, Disneyworld, a soccer game and a gospel music fest. And summer hasn’t even started.

9. I’m a happy, tired Nonnie. We just spent five days with several different combinations of our six grands. There’s nothing like hearing the sweet voice of a three year old calling out “Nonnie” at 5:00 a.m. I expect I’ll wake up at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and miss hearing that little voice. Then I’ll say a prayer for all the parents of little ones and sleep awhile longer.

10. Three days at a writer’s retreat gave me a lot to think about. I’m still doing a lot of thinking. Hopefully soon I’ll be doing a lot of writing.

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10 Things I Learned in April

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1. Don’t put away the turtlenecks until May.  We were in the 30s this week.  As in degrees.  To clarify: I personally haven’t been in the 30s for two decades.

2. Gathering twelve women together on a snowy weekend in April can begin a movement.  What IF we lived and loved like Jesus?

3. There are crystals in my ears. If one of them should happen to dislodge and fall into one of my three semicircular inner-ear canals, the room starts spinning.  Thankfully, a friend told me how to get that crystal back where it belongs. The Tilt-A-Whirl has mercifully stopped.

4. Spring cleaning feels good. The best part is looking out freshly washed windows. Gosh, it’s a beautiful world out there.

5. Cell phones are wonderful and horrible. PB and I spent three hours trading in our old cell phones for new models. As the afternoon frittered away, I wondered, “What if we sent a monthly bill to church members, required them to update their Bibles every few years at an outrageous price, made them sign a contract and then preached a three hour sermon?”

6. My new favorite old dead guy is Gerard Manley Hopkins. He was a priest and a poet in the 1800s. He wrote this: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. The birds sing to Him. The thunder speaks of His terror. The lion is like His strength. The sea is like His greatness. The honey like His sweetness. They are something like Him. They make Him known. They tell of Him.” Why don’t we talk like that anymore?

7. It’s possible to spend six weeks studying 25 verses. The little obscure book of Philemon had much to teach. Who knew?

8. I need daffodils in the spring, but I never think about it when it’s time to plant in the fall. So I took drastic measures – I’ve set a reminder to go off on my phone on September 1, 2016 that says, “Buy daffodil bulbs.” I suppose I should also set a reminder for October 1 saying, “Plant those darn bulbs, for goodness sake.”

9. I’m glad I’m not planning any grad parties or wedding receptions this summer.  In fact, I won’t be pulling together any massive galas for the rest of my life.  The next big family fete will be grandson Hudson’s high school graduation…in 2030.

10. If ever there was a song to close April and usher in May, it’s this one by James Taylor. Stay with it to hear the transition from “Before This World” to “Jolly Springtime.”

“Yes the winter was bitter and long
So the spring’ll be sweet.
Come along with a rhythm and a song
Watch creation repeat.”

april may

10 Things I Learned in March

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1. You CAN go back. For PB’s birthday this month, our daughter arranged dinner out with the “original six”, meaning no spouses or kids were invited. We rode together to the restaurant and there was some faintly familiar banter about who would have to sit in the back seat. At the restaurant, we all took our places at the table in the same seating arrangement as years ago. Only a few things seemed to have changed: 1) nobody teased a sibling to the point of tears and 2) nobody farted and fell off the chair laughing. They are all grown up. It was such a lovely time.

2. There is more than one kind of cheesecake. For PB’s birthday, a good friend took a chunk of pepperjack cheese and cut it to look like a mini birthday cake, candles and all. It was a true one-of-a-kind cheese cake for a one-of-a-kind guy.

3. An early Easter overloads March. We had Daylight Savings Time, St. Patrick’s Day, Palm Sunday, the first day of spring, Good Friday, Easter and the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament all packed into two weeks. Whatever will we do in April?

4. The best way to break a reading fast is to get up at 4:30 a.m. and read the first two chapters in five different books before going to Easter services at church — not unlike pigging out at the Easter buffet after church. Both felt like extravagant indulgences. One made my stomach ache, one made my head ache. But I thoroughly enjoyed them both.

5. Spending a whole month meditating on Jesus’ last week on earth as recorded in the gospels is wonderful and terrible. I wrote two pages of longhand in a college-ruled spiral notebook every morning, getting my heart deep into Passion Week. I can’t go back and read over it now without weeping. “You gave your life, to give me mine. You say that I am free. How can it be?” (“How Can It Be?” by Lauren Daigle)

6. Buzzer beaters are only exciting if it’s a guy from your college team who throws up the shot with no time on the clock and it swishes through the net, sending you to the Sweet 16. Otherwise, it’s devastating. But if it is a guy from your team, you get to shout like crazy and jump around in front of the TV like you’re in the celebration huddle.

7. Best advice of the month: “Pray to catch the bus, then run as fast as you can.”

8. Tulips and daffodils only come up in the spring if bulbs were planted in the fall. But in the fall, I’m not thinking about tulips and daffodils. I’m more interested in pumpkins and chrysanthemums. Every spring I knock myself on the head and say, “Darn. Too late for tulips again this year.”

9. It’s possible to get your Christmas shopping done in March. There was a big sale on a big ticket item and I had a 30% off coupon to boot. I bought a bunch of them and socked them away. Fa-la-la-la-la.

10. I’m not only saved from something (eternal separation from God), I’m also saved for something (for the life of the world). This spring, I’m looking forward to learning what that means with my Bible study friends.

 

hello april

 

 

10 Things I Learned in February

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1. Baking bread in the oven makes the house smell so good.  I haven’t made a loaf of bread from scratch in years. Oh my. It tastes even better than it smells.

2. Giving up reading for Lent hasn’t been that hard. There are plenty of other things to do besides read books. I cleaned out the pantry closet. And watched lots of documentaries on Netflix.

3. I thought a lot about the word “essential”, which means “absolutely necessary, indispensible”. It comes from the word “essence”, which means “the basic, real, and invariable nature of a thing”. I’m asking, “What do I absolutely need to be most real?”

4. Picking out knobs and handles for kitchen cupboards isn’t easy. Picking out knobs and handles for kitchen cupboards that both PB and I agree on is downright hard. We have ordered and returned and ordered and returned lots of hardware. I also learned about something called “restocking fees” — so, no more returning.

5. Sometimes you just have to move on.

6. We went to a wedding where the bride and groom washed each other’s feet during the ceremony. It was very moving, but it would never have worked with PB and me. He goes through the roof when anyone touches his feet.

7. I shouldn’t despise what I have the power to change. That pantry closet has been bothering me for months. I hated opening that door and seeing the chaos. Now I enjoy looking into that space.

8. I thought the concept of “preaching the gospel to yourself” was a new idea conceived by a contemporary, popular pastor in a hip, happening church out on the west coast.  Turns out, Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) came up with that amazing phrase.

9. Sometimes I don’t learn ten things.

10. But then, it was a short month.

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10 Things I Learned in January

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1.  Healing takes time. PB and his new knee are trying to get used to each other. I think they will become good friends, soon. I guess you can’t expect to make an 8″ incision, pull a joint apart and insert a piece of hardware without some pain and suffering.

2.  Lazarus had a lot to teach me. I didn’t have high hopes for a 5 week Bible study on “The Life and Death (and Life) of Lazarus”. It was simply something to fill in the weeks between Christmas and Lent. But wow. There was a gold mine in John 11 and 12.

3.  If you chase down the garbage truck and tell the driver you’re very sorry you forgot to take out your garbage bins, but your husband just had knee surgery and he usually takes out the garbage and besides that, your grandchildren were visiting and there is some very stinky garbage in your bins, the driver of the truck will have mercy on you and go back down your street to pick up your garbage.  (Thank you, whoever you are.)

4.  I still get excited when school is cancelled because of cold or snow. We don’t even have kids in school anymore, but it doesn’t matter. Seeing our school on the list of cancellations conjures up good memories of going into my teenagers’ rooms and whispering, “No school today.”

5.  “Downton Abbey” is pure delight. Maybe because it’s the last season so I’m soaking in every minute, but it seems extra good this year. I’m predicting happy endings for all.

6. Abraham Wright is my newest favorite old dead guy. He was a Puritan minister in the 1600s who said this: “I am mended by my sickness, enriched by my poverty, and strengthened by my weakness… What fools are we, then, to frown upon our afflictions. They are our best friends. They are not indeed for our pleasure, they are for our profit.”

7. The legalism of the Pharisees in Jesus’ time doesn’t look much different today. When rules are more important that relationships then love has been replaced with law. It’s tricky, but I must deal with people graciously even if I disagree with them.

8. I can’t read the Genesis story of Joseph without breaking out into song from the Broadway musical – “Go, go, go, Joseph, you’re doing fine; you and your dreamcoat ahead of your time.” What I didn’t know until this month’s re-reading of Joseph’s account, is that he sat in an Egyptian prison for 14 years after being falsely accused. Yet Joseph didn’t become bitter or hopeless. There was no documentary filmed on Joseph’s life and no petition was circulated on Facebook to release him from prison. But “the Lord was with Joseph” at every turn.

9. Recommending a good book is one of my greatest pleasures. I finished “Peace Like A River” by Leif Enger on New Year’s Day and turned right back to the first page and started reading it out loud to PB. It’s my new favorite novel – read it. Please. (Sorry, I can get bossy about books.)

10. Going through a painful time makes us more compassionate towards other people’s pain. PB will be able to minister well to those who go through knee replacement surgery and rehab. Our pain is never wasted.

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10 Things I Learned in November

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goodbye november

1. Birthdays are wonderful.  Although I’m not crazy about getting older, I am crazy about being alive and fairly healthy and mostly sane.  Every day is precious, but birthdays are worth celebrating.

2. I wouldn’t have made it to Oregon in 1846.  In fact, I never would have left my log cabin with two cows on six acres in the heartland. I read “The Indifferent Stars Above” out loud to PB this month — the story of the Donner Party and their debacle in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Nightmares ensued.

3. Craig’s List works. I sold something for the first time on the free ad site. There were bidding wars in my inbox right off the bat. Some lovely people came to our house, picked up the goods and handed me cash.  I might be hooked.

4. Prayer is a deep topic.  Our women’s Bible study has been learning about prayer for 12 weeks now and I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface.

5. Sometimes old, familiar words take on a whole new meaning.  Take, for instance, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…” The word “follow” suddenly became significant. I guess I can’t sit around and wait for goodness and mercy to show up.  Instead, I set out and start moving ahead and when I turn around to look over my shoulder, there they will be.  Goodness and mercy can’t follow me if I’m not going anywhere.  After all this time, that little bit of truth has been waiting for me to unearth it.

6. I read through Ecclesiastes this month and found myself irritated with Solomon’s pessimism.  After each chapter, I wrote Solomon a letter outlining all the problems I had with his view that “everything is pointless, perfectly pointless.” “Dear Solomon, The best you can offer is ‘eat, drink, and be merry’?  That smacks of a very shallow life.  I’m all for good food and good times, but Sol, there’s more to life than prime rib and parties.”

7. I’m taking a friend’s advice to enjoy winter this year.  Typically, I’m a happy hibernator from January through March. But after hearing my friend talk about her decision to approach winter with a positive attitude, I signed up. The key for her is bundling up and going outside, despite the cold and snow.  I’m asking for battery powered socks for Christmas.

8. Old football injuries never go away.  PB gave his knee to Brillion High back in the 70’s. Soon he will be getting a new one. With six grands, he has to be able to give horsey rides without his knee going out of joint.

9. In January, I’m going to transition from working full-time to working part-time.  I’m trying to figure out what that means.

10. Being thankful and saying “thank you” to someone are two different things.  Listening to the celebrities interviewed during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, I was struck by how genuinely grateful they all sounded.  Not many knew whom to thank, however.  It’s like being thankful for the turkey on the table without saying “thank you” to the one who made it.  Knowing Whom to thank makes all the difference.

What did you learn in November?

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